Note: Sorry that I took so long to write this chapter as I've been very
busy lately. Hopefully I receive more reviews from all of you. Cheers.
The next day, Harry woke up at half past six. He was anxious about the incident last night and hoped that nothing unusual would happen.
He quickly dressed into jeans and a sweatshirt before heading down the now familiar stairs. Everyone was already awake and was seated around the table eating breakfast. Mrs Weasley greeted Harry before placing a plate of sausages and ham in front of him. As he tucked in, his eyes roved around the table. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were still half-dead and were yawning once every few minutes. Mr Weasley caught his gaze and smiled warmly. Harry returned the gesture and continued on his visual tour. It was then that the news owl arrived in the kitchen. Mr Weasley placed five knuts in it's pouch and it took off into the predawn sky. Harry glanced at the front page of the news owl and dropped his fork with a clatter. He quickly grabbed the paper and read out loud so that everybody could hear. It read:
Lucius Malfoy Convicted Lucius Malfoy, an alleged supporter of the Dark Lord, has been convicted for helping the Dark Lord return to power one year ago. New evidence surfaced during an attack at the Department of Mysteries when Harry Potter helped to capture a group of them. This new evidence helped to reopen the case that ended in the acquittal of several people sixteen years ago. There will be no appeal and Mr Malfoy will be imprisoned at the new Azkaban prison, which has been modified due to the departure of the Dementors that once helped to keep the public safe. They have now joined the ranks of the Dark Lord and may cause a significant amount of trouble in the future. To prevent any attacks, the public is encouraged to stay indoors after six in the evening.
When Harry finished reading, Mr Weasley sighed and shook his head. 'This is getting out of hand. How are we supposed to defend ourselves if we have those horrors running amok' Mrs Weasley exclaimed. Harry thought of mentioning the Patronus charm but thought better of it. What if they were ambushed by a large number of Dementors. The charm wouldn't have a strong effect and it would only succeed in draining their energy. Harry shelved his thoughts and finished his breakfast before heading upstairs to finish packing his stuff.
They left the house at ten. Mr Weasley had managed to get cars from the Ministry so as to bring them to King's Cross. Maybe it was a gesture of thanks from the Minister, who didn't believe that Lord Voldemort had returned until the end of Harry's fifth year. They got into the car and were off to King's Cross Station. The journey was uneventful except for Pigwidgeon's constant twittering. When they finally reached the station, they had ten minutes to board the train. The drivers brought them trolleys for their trunks before setting off. The entire group of them: Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Harry headed for the barrier that led to platform 9 ¾ . One by one, they passed through the barrier and emerged in front of the crimson coloured Hogwarts Express. They quickly boarded and waved good-bye to the Weasleys. As Ron and Hermione were prefects, they had to go to the prefect's compartment at the front of the train. However, they decided to stay with Harry for a change. This lifted his spirits considerably. Every single compartment except the last one was full. When they opened the compartment door, they had a pleasant surprise. Sitting on one of the chairs in the compartment, was Professor Lupin. Harry didn't recognize him at first as he was wearing new robes and looked younger than Harry had ever seen him. 'Hello there, you three. Nice to see ya'll', he said in a jolly voice. Harry was shocked to see him on the train. When he enquired why he was there, he got an equally surprising answer. 'I've been re-hired by Professor Dumbledore as your Defence against the Dark arts teacher', he exclaimed. 'I've managed to solve my werewolf problem because of this little beauty'. He pulled out a gold chain from under his robes. It looked ancient and had a golden fang attached to it. 'This is a werewolf amulet from Romania. It will prevent my transformation into a werewolf as long as I wear it on the day of the full moon', he said. They were mesmerized by the amulet. However, Professor Lupin felt uneasy and tucked in back into his robes. 'So, tell me about your holidays', he asked them. One by one, they told him what had happened during the last two months. Harry finished off by revealing to them about his scar. 'Voldemort is getting stronger, Harry. You must be careful not to let him read your thoughts.' Harry listened intently. He still missed Sirius, but was slowly getting over his loss. He knew that Sirius was watching over him and that made him feel confident. They spent the next few hours conversing about many things. Hermione soon got bored and started reading her schoolbooks. Harry was surprised that Malfoy had not even made an appearance at their compartment. Maybe he was still seething over their encounter in Diagon Alley. It was dark when the train started to slow down. Harry and the others changed into their robes before alighting from the train. They recognized Hagrid's giant silhouette in the darkness. 'first years this way, come on, follow me. You guys ok?' They nodded before heading to the carriages. Harry could see the thestrals that were tethered to the carriages. Their white eyes gleamed in the night like small beacons. Harry turned away and got into the carriage. With a lurch, the carriage started moving. They remained silent during the journey to the castle. When the carriage finally stopped, They got out and walked into the Entrance Hall. Harry was finally home.
The next day, Harry woke up at half past six. He was anxious about the incident last night and hoped that nothing unusual would happen.
He quickly dressed into jeans and a sweatshirt before heading down the now familiar stairs. Everyone was already awake and was seated around the table eating breakfast. Mrs Weasley greeted Harry before placing a plate of sausages and ham in front of him. As he tucked in, his eyes roved around the table. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were still half-dead and were yawning once every few minutes. Mr Weasley caught his gaze and smiled warmly. Harry returned the gesture and continued on his visual tour. It was then that the news owl arrived in the kitchen. Mr Weasley placed five knuts in it's pouch and it took off into the predawn sky. Harry glanced at the front page of the news owl and dropped his fork with a clatter. He quickly grabbed the paper and read out loud so that everybody could hear. It read:
Lucius Malfoy Convicted Lucius Malfoy, an alleged supporter of the Dark Lord, has been convicted for helping the Dark Lord return to power one year ago. New evidence surfaced during an attack at the Department of Mysteries when Harry Potter helped to capture a group of them. This new evidence helped to reopen the case that ended in the acquittal of several people sixteen years ago. There will be no appeal and Mr Malfoy will be imprisoned at the new Azkaban prison, which has been modified due to the departure of the Dementors that once helped to keep the public safe. They have now joined the ranks of the Dark Lord and may cause a significant amount of trouble in the future. To prevent any attacks, the public is encouraged to stay indoors after six in the evening.
When Harry finished reading, Mr Weasley sighed and shook his head. 'This is getting out of hand. How are we supposed to defend ourselves if we have those horrors running amok' Mrs Weasley exclaimed. Harry thought of mentioning the Patronus charm but thought better of it. What if they were ambushed by a large number of Dementors. The charm wouldn't have a strong effect and it would only succeed in draining their energy. Harry shelved his thoughts and finished his breakfast before heading upstairs to finish packing his stuff.
They left the house at ten. Mr Weasley had managed to get cars from the Ministry so as to bring them to King's Cross. Maybe it was a gesture of thanks from the Minister, who didn't believe that Lord Voldemort had returned until the end of Harry's fifth year. They got into the car and were off to King's Cross Station. The journey was uneventful except for Pigwidgeon's constant twittering. When they finally reached the station, they had ten minutes to board the train. The drivers brought them trolleys for their trunks before setting off. The entire group of them: Mr and Mrs Weasley, Ron, Ginny, Hermione and Harry headed for the barrier that led to platform 9 ¾ . One by one, they passed through the barrier and emerged in front of the crimson coloured Hogwarts Express. They quickly boarded and waved good-bye to the Weasleys. As Ron and Hermione were prefects, they had to go to the prefect's compartment at the front of the train. However, they decided to stay with Harry for a change. This lifted his spirits considerably. Every single compartment except the last one was full. When they opened the compartment door, they had a pleasant surprise. Sitting on one of the chairs in the compartment, was Professor Lupin. Harry didn't recognize him at first as he was wearing new robes and looked younger than Harry had ever seen him. 'Hello there, you three. Nice to see ya'll', he said in a jolly voice. Harry was shocked to see him on the train. When he enquired why he was there, he got an equally surprising answer. 'I've been re-hired by Professor Dumbledore as your Defence against the Dark arts teacher', he exclaimed. 'I've managed to solve my werewolf problem because of this little beauty'. He pulled out a gold chain from under his robes. It looked ancient and had a golden fang attached to it. 'This is a werewolf amulet from Romania. It will prevent my transformation into a werewolf as long as I wear it on the day of the full moon', he said. They were mesmerized by the amulet. However, Professor Lupin felt uneasy and tucked in back into his robes. 'So, tell me about your holidays', he asked them. One by one, they told him what had happened during the last two months. Harry finished off by revealing to them about his scar. 'Voldemort is getting stronger, Harry. You must be careful not to let him read your thoughts.' Harry listened intently. He still missed Sirius, but was slowly getting over his loss. He knew that Sirius was watching over him and that made him feel confident. They spent the next few hours conversing about many things. Hermione soon got bored and started reading her schoolbooks. Harry was surprised that Malfoy had not even made an appearance at their compartment. Maybe he was still seething over their encounter in Diagon Alley. It was dark when the train started to slow down. Harry and the others changed into their robes before alighting from the train. They recognized Hagrid's giant silhouette in the darkness. 'first years this way, come on, follow me. You guys ok?' They nodded before heading to the carriages. Harry could see the thestrals that were tethered to the carriages. Their white eyes gleamed in the night like small beacons. Harry turned away and got into the carriage. With a lurch, the carriage started moving. They remained silent during the journey to the castle. When the carriage finally stopped, They got out and walked into the Entrance Hall. Harry was finally home.