Disclaimer: Many of the characters, thoughts and ideas that are in this fan fiction are not of my own design. Though this story is from my imagination, I realize that this is the property of Warner Bros. and J.K. Rowling. This is not J. K. Rowling's work. I also read many FFs and if you see something similar to another work it is entirely unintentional. I have posted this on harrypotter.com as well…. There it is complete and filled with cliffies… hence my screen name Princess of cliffies on the Harry Potter boards I go by the name of rebcschult in case you would like to read it in it's original form…. Also this was written preOotP hence the name…. but I decided after much deliberation and coercion from my on line friends who wanted me to post it here that I would finally do so! I am also writing a year six to follow this year five on the boards, which when I'm finished over there and done editing it I will post here as well…
Becky(rebcschult and PrincessOfCliffiesRCS)
P.S. Please read and review! Thank you for your comments and compliments, Tim, Lilly, HongMing, and Manateegirl524!!! Lilly I'm so glad you liked how I put together the Harry/Hermione/Ron relationship…. more to come!!! Welcome Hong Ming! Trust me the action is just about to begin! Manateegirl524…. Wow we have something in common…. I love manatees! They are my favorite animal!!! And I'm really glad you like what I've written so far! I hope I can continue to entertain!
CHAPTER FIVE – BACK TO HOGWARTS
The next morning happened in a whirlwind of motion. Six trunks, several animal cages and baskets, and a bunch of packages got flung into three Muggle Taxis. They barely made it to the Platform 9 ¾ on time. They had to risk going through two at a time or else they weren't going to make it. Mrs. Weasley gave them all one last tight hug and handed each of them a sandwich. They quickly dragged their things off of the trolleys into the train. They just barely made it on with their things before the train started moving.
As the train sped up they searched, with their many things in hand, for an empty cabin. Fred and George saw their friend Lee Jordan and stopped to talk to him. Ron stood with his older brothers. Harry, Ginny, and Hermione pushed past the trio. Harry winked at Fred and George as he passed by them and they nodded. Each had a smirk on their face, knowing what they must do. Fred watched to see where it was that Harry, Hermione and Ginny ended up.
When they found an empty cabin they put away all of their belongings. Hermione said, "I'm going to go back and tell Ron where we are."
Harry said, "Hermione, why don't you wait here for a few minutes. Maybe he'll join us here…"
Not taking the hint that Harry was trying to give her to not get involved, she got up from the seat. "No, I'm going to help him bring his stuff here." She turned and swiftly left the room. Harry buried his head in his hands. Why did Hermione have to be so stubborn and absolutely blind when it came to Ron? Harry knew that Ron wasn't about to come to the cabin they were in, willingly.
Hermione went back to where Ron, Fred, and George were and told Ron that there was space in the cabin where they were. Ron crossed his arms and refused to budge. "I'm fine where I am. Thank you."
Hermione frowned and walked away with tears in her eyes. She went back to the cabin and plopped down in the seat. She burst into tears and Harry immediately embraced her. He knew that this was going to happen when she left. Harry was a wee bit perturbed with Ron now, but he knew that if his plan worked Hermione would be smiling before the end of the trip.
After Hermione left, Fred and George smacked Ron upside the head at the same time. "Ron, are you an idiot?" asked Fred. "That was the girl that you have a crush on and you just blew her off. What kind of git are you?"
"I cannot be around her and Harry. It's too painful."
"What are you talking about?" asked George.
"Oh, come on. You can't tell me that you haven't seen the two of them together! They are all over each other!"
"Ron, sometimes you can be so thick."
"Why?"
"Fred is right Ron. Didn't you just see how hurt she was?"
"Really? You think so, George," said Ron with a bite of sarcasm. "Please give me a break."
"Ron, if you don't go down there right now…"
"What? What do you think you can do to me, Fred? Because there is nothing that you could do that…. Hey let go of me." George and Fred picked Ron up by the elbows and brought him down to the compartment that Harry, Hermione, and Ginny were sitting in. He was kicking and making such a racket that he was surprised when they got the compartment and no one inside was looking out the window in the door.
Fred and George put Ron down, when they reached the door. Looking through the window of the closed compartment door, he saw Hermione was sitting with her head on Harry's shoulder, tears falling down her cheeks. He turned to his brothers. "See?" hissed Ron. "She's with Harry." He turned back to the window and looked at the girl who had been his best friend for four years. She had really grown very beautiful over the summer. Those chocolate brown eyes and full lips, not to mention how she had begin to fill out.…
Ron gave himself a mental slap to stop thinking that way when she was so obviously now Harry's girlfriend.
"I think you need to look again, Ron. She loves you. Look at the pain she's in, because you wouldn't come down here before."
I am looking at her right now. And she is so obviously with him! his mind screamed with such a ferocity that he was afraid that some how his brothers might hear what he was thinking. "Yeah, she's in pain, but she's probably crying about her parents, not me."
"I don't think so Ron, but even if she were crying about her parents, she's probably just turning to Harry for comfort… as a friend."
"But I'm her friend too. Why won't she come to me?!"
"She's tried to go to you, you dolt. You've pushed her away every time."
"But if she loves me, as you say, then why didn't she come to me first for comfort?"
"Because, you yank, we still have our parents…."
The reality of the situation finally started to sink in to Ron's head. "Oh." He walked toward the door and slid it open. When he entered the compartment, Hermione's head lifted off of Harry's shoulder. The look of surprised happiness in her eyes was enough to tell Ron that every word that his older brothers had just told him was true.
Hermione sat up, looking at Ron. Ron stood there uncomfortably. He turned to Hermione and said, "Can I talk to you for a moment? Alone?" Harry and Ginny smirked at each other knowing that Harry's plan had worked like a charm. They left and went down to the compartment where the twins were while Ron and Hermione talked.
The moment that Harry and Ginny left, Ron fell to his knees and said to Hermione, "Can you ever forgive me for being such a blind, idiotic nitwitted git that can't see past the nose on my face? I'm so sorry for hurting you, Hermione. I'm sorry that you have had to go through what you have without my support. I love you. I know that I should have been there for you just as much, if not more than Harry. I know now why you went to him first. I understand…."
She was about to give him a hard time for making her hurt so much earlier, but then she looked into his blue eyes and got lost in the depths of the oceans of sincerity that was there. She sat there lost for a few moments.
Ron thought that the longer she sat there looking in his eyes the more she was going to turn him down. He was getting lost in the chocolate depths of her soul. He couldn't bare it if she turned him down. He held his breath as she opened her mouth to speak…
"I forgive you, Ron. But if you ever do that to me again…." She punched him in the arm hard. He didn't want to show it, but it really hurt when she did that. "Wait a minute. Did you just tell me that you love me?"
"Y-yeah…. Yeah, I guess I did."
"Good. Because I love you, too."
"How are we going to tell Harry, though? I mean, I've seen how he looks at you…"
"And just how do you think he looks at me?"
"Well, with love, of course."
"Yeah, but it's a different kind of love, Ron. It's more like… a brotherly love."
"How do you know that it's not more than that?"
"Because, you blind, idiotic nitwitted git that can't see past the nose on your face, he was the one who set this whole thing up. He knew long before either one of us did how we felt about each other."
"Oh." Ron pouted.
"What are you pouting for?"
"Well, I guess I didn't expect you to be throwing those words back at me so soon after I said them."
"Oh, that. Well, if it makes you feel any better…. I can truly say that you are my sweet and wonderful blind, idiotic nitwitted git that can't see past the nose on your face. Mind you the emphasis is on the word my…"
"Really?"
"Um hmm." She leaned in to kiss him on the cheek but he turned his head at the last moment and they kissed on the lips for the first time. Hermione blushed and pulled away quickly. Ron then tenderly cupped her face and gently pulled her to him. They kissed again, gently and sweetly. Hermione felt as if she were flying.
Ron blushed and smiled goofily. "So…. Do you need to talk about anything?"
"Not right now."
"Oh," said Ron hanging his head.
"What I really need is to be held by the man of my dreams."
"Who?" Hermione hit his arm playfully and then snuggled up to him. She had not felt so happy in months.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A short while later, Harry and Ginny came back to see if it would be okay to join the pair.
"Sure," the happy couple said in unison.
"But before we all get comfortable, shouldn't we change into our robes?" asked Hermione.
They all agreed. Ron and Harry left and waited for the girls to change and then they switched places. When everyone was settled Harry noticed something shiny on Hermione's cloak. He realized that it was a Prefect's badge.
"So, when were you going to tell us that you were made a Prefect?" asked Harry.
"You're a Prefect?" asked Ron.
"Yes, and what that means is that this year we can't break the rules like we have in the past. Especially you Harry. I will not stand idly by and watch as something happens to you. So if you put one toe out of line I'll be sure to throw the book at you, literally."
"Hermione, where did all of that come from? You've broken at least as many rules as I have…"
"Yes, but I don't have an insane Dark wizard after me, now do I?"
"She's got you there, Harry," said Ron.
"Oh, thanks a lot, you traitor. Now that she's your girlfriend, are you going to side with her more than me?" said Harry, in a mock hurt tone.
"Harry…"
"You know, Ron, it wouldn't hurt if you started buckling down either. After all we do have our O.W.L.s coming up at the end of the year."
O.W.L.s, or Ordinary Wizarding Levels, are the important exams that Hogwarts students take at the end of their fifth year. Hermione had been pushing them to start studying for them since the beginning of the last year.
"They've created a monster, by making her a prefect," Ron said indignantly to Harry.
"Oh, come on, Ron. Prefects have to be serious. They have lots of responsibility after all. I'm not going to be able to just sit around and twiddle my thumbs now. This year is going to be really hard, what with all my studying and Prefect duties. I doubt that we will be able to see much of each other…. But…."
"Hermione…"
"Yeah, Harry?"
"It's good to have you back."
"Yeah, we were getting a little worried about you there for a while," chimed in Ron smiling lopsided.
"Don't tell me you two planned to have this conversation with me." She looked back and forth between them.
"No, I just noticed that you haven't been yourself lately, but now you are," said Harry, smiling.
"Me too."
"Oh come off it, Ron. You didn't notice anything until Harry said something five seconds ago. Admit it." She slapped his arm again.
"Okay, okay. But he's right, you know. It is good to have you back." They all smiled and started playing Exploding Snap. During their first game, the witch with the snack cart slid open their door.
"Anything off the trolley, Dears?"
They bought their usual treats and dug into them as the continued to play. Several of their friends would look in on them from time to time. They would stop the game to talk with them briefly. They had only finished their third game when the door slid open. It was one of Ginny's best friends. She wanted to go and spend time with her, so she left with her friend.
The three that remained decided to chat for a while. But soon they just sat in silence and got lost in their own thoughts. Harry stared out the window. When he looked back he realized that Hermione and Ron were asleep in each other's arms. He smiled and returned to his own thoughts as he watched the darkening landscape change. He closed his eyes briefly resting his head against the cold window. The cold on his head felt good at first, but then he realized that it almost seemed to get colder as they went north. Or was it….
Harry's eyes flew open. He suddenly realized that the coldness was not coming from outside. He had begun to hear things in his mind. He realized that the train was slowing down. He got to his feet and drew his wand. He opened the door of the compartment and walk toward the front of the train. Everyone seemed to be asleep or in shock. Harry looked into the compartments. The people he saw he didn't recognize. He thought simply that it was because everyone was still in their street clothes instead of their school robes.
He kept walking to the front of the train. As he reached the front he saw what he expected to see, Dementors. There were five that had just gotten on the train. Harry lifted his wand and as the memories of his parents' and Cedric's death threatened to take over his mind, he grabbed a hold of the happiest thought that he could muster and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!!!"
The five Dementors that were standing there retreated quickly as a brilliant white stag emitted from the end of Harry's wand. But as soon as those were gone more replaced them. Harry was trying to fight them all off, but some how the power of his Patronus was diminishing.
It was almost as if the Dementors were adapting to its power. He couldn't hold them off! They were approaching him. Hundreds of Dementors were filling the front of the train. Harry looked around and saw no one coming to help. He knew that he was alone. He started to back up. He wanted to run, but he knew he couldn't. He had to protect the others on the train. He kept trying his Patronus, which now seemed to have no effect on the Dementors what so ever.
He watched in horror as four Dementors went into each of the compartments in front of him. He tried to stop them, but nothing was working. He heard screams come from each of the cabins. Some others, who knew the Patronus, were trying to use it too, but to no avail. Harry watched as the one at the front of the pack came closer and closer to him.
Harry tried to step back but he realized that he had some how reached the back of the train. With his back against the back wall of the train, he looked to the side. Outside the window he saw Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy peering in at him. They were eager and delighted to see the predicament that he was in. Harry's scar exploded with pain.
Finally the Dementor reached him. It put its hand out and the rotting, glistening, scabbed, grayish, slimy-looking flesh turned Harry's stomach. He felt the cold sweep over him. He suddenly felt as if he were falling into darkness as the intensity of his bad memories increased. He could hear the rattling breath of the Dementor. He felt the cold of its breath touch his face. The smell was of putrid, rotting flesh.
He felt the hand touch his shoulder. He could only imagine what was coming next. He thought that he was about to receive the Dementor's "Kiss" when the pressure of the hand on his shoulder increased. Harry decided he didn't want to be a coward. If he was going to die, he was going to look into the face of his killer, no matter how horrific it was. Harry's eyes flew open to see…
"Ron! What happened? Where are all of the Dementors?" asked Harry as he realized that he no longer had his wand in his hand. He plunged his hand into his robes and found it there. He drew it and was on his feet pointing it toward the door. He slowly stepped toward it.
Ron watched his best friend with great confusion. "Dementors? Harry, what are you on about? You fell asleep. You must have been dreaming, mate. You just let out a yell and I woke you to make sure that you were okay…."
As if to answer Ron's question about Harry being okay, there was a sudden sharp pain that passed through Harry's scar. As he brought his hand to it, he gasped at the intensity of the pain and slipped to the floor.
"Harry, are you alright?"
"No, Ron…." After the pain diminished slightly Harry managed to climb up onto the seat. He tried to steady himself and catch his breath. "I think it was more than a dream, Ron. I think it was a warning."
"A warning? Of what?"
"The Dementors have returned to Voldemort." Ron winced at the name and shuddered at the thought that Harry could be right. "Not only that, but I think that they are stronger, too."
"Why do you say that, Harry?" asked Hermione from behind Ron, who had been quietly watching the exchange between Harry and Ron.
Ron and Harry turned and looked at Hermione, whose eyes were wide. Harry sighed and told him about his dream.
"Yeah, but that was just a dream, Harry. It doesn't mean that it is real," said Ron.
"I don't know, Ron. Harry has always seemed to be tapped into You-Know-Who before…"
"Oh, come on, Hermione. You've never bought into the whole premonition thing before."
"I know, but…. Harry has always seemed to know about what he was up to. What if he's right?"
Ron seemed to be at a loss for words.
Suddenly, the door slid open and the last three people that they wanted to see walked in, Draco Malfoy and his two enormous, thuggish cronies, Crabbe and Goyle. They were all smirking evilly. Crabbe and Goyle were grinding their fists into their palms as if getting ready to pummel someone.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Potty, Muddy, and the Weasel." Malfoy laughed at what he thought was his own cleverness. When he realized that his cronies were not laughing, he stared at them threateningly. They started guffawing stupidly. Draco then continued to laugh as well. After a few moments Draco looked at Crabbe and Goyle to silence them before he continued. "I'm surprised that you even bothered to show your face again this year, Potter. After all, he is back and wants your blood. I'm surprised that he missed getting you over the summer."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at each other before turning angry looks onto Malfoy. Ron spoke everything that, those who had been in the room to begin with, were thinking, "You might not want to be here and saying things like that right now, Malfoy. Or else…."
"Ooh. Is that a threat, Weasel?"
"No, it's a promise… Besides, you might just not want to broadcast where your loyalties lie right about now," said Harry, as he and Ron rose out of their seats. Draco appeared to diminish a little, as Harry raised his arm with the wand in it and Ron drew his wand, pointing it at Draco's chest. Apparently he still remembered how he, Crabbe, and Goyle had spent most of the train ride home at the end of the last year unconscious due to multiple hexes cast upon the three of them at once.
But there were only a few uncertain moments for Draco. He pulled himself to his full height and squared his shoulders in defiance. "I'm not afraid of you and your silly little hexes. What do you think you can do to me anyway?"
"You'd be surprised," said Hermione standing up.
"Oh, the Muddy orphan speaks…"
Ron advanced on Malfoy with his wand arm up. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK YOU FILTHY ROTTEN…." It took both Harry and Hermione, holding him back.
"Ron. RON!" Ron stopped struggling and looked at his girlfriend. "Let me handle this." She winked at him with a twinkle in her eye. Ron and Harry knew what she was going to do then.
"And just what do you think that a filthy, little Mudblood, such as yourself, can do to a pure blooded wizard, like me?"
"I could give you a detention and take points from your house, but I won't if you leave now…"
"You don't have the authority to do that."
"Think again," piped in Ron.
"Oh, please, the only way that you could do that is if you were a…." Draco looked down to the crest on Hermione's robe and saw the shiny badge above it. He let out a long, hearty laugh. "You… are a prefect? That's rich." He continued to laugh. "That may give you the authority at school, but it doesn't mean that you can do it here. Besides you… don't – have – the – guts!"
Now it was Hermione's turn to laugh. "That's how much you know, Malfoy. According to the Prefect's Handbook, the Prefect can take house points away from the moment the school year starts to the moment it ends…."
"See? I told you that you couldn't effect me."
"But they can issue detentions from the moment they get onto the platform in the fall. So I would suggest that you leave now…"
Draco seemed to diminish, but not before trying to insult them again.
"Okay, Malfoy. That's a detention for you and your two friends. You had better leave before I make it more."
Malfoy scowled at Hermione and leaned in to her, "Alright I'm leaving, but don't think that you won't regret this." His eyes narrowed dangerously. Then he turned on his heel and shoved the other two out the door. Harry was surprised that Draco was able to move the two at all when he shoved them, but they seemed to cower and allow themselves to be pushed. After Malfoy stepped out of the compartment, he slammed the door, making the glass in it rattle.
A few minutes later, Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, and Seamus Finnigan looked in on them. They came in and Dean shut the door tight. "What did you do to Malfoy? He seems to be in quite a tizzy over something you did to him, Hermione."
"He came in here and threatened us in his usual way. I've just gotten tired of it. So I used my new position to our advantage. Why, what did he say to you?"
"New position?" asked Neville.
"Hermione's one of the new Prefects," said Harry. Ron beamed with pride.
"Wow, that's great, Hermione!" said Seamus. "Maybe now we can get some of those slimy Slytherins back for everything that they done to us."
"Don't be silly. I'm not going to dole out detentions to every Slytherin that we see."
"Why not?"
"Because I will not abuse my authority."
"You're no fun."
"You're telling me," muttered Ron. Hermione smacked him in the arm for that comment. "Just kidding, sweetie. I love you just the way you are," he whispered into her ear.
Harry shook his head, smirked, and muttered, "Whipped already."
Ron narrowed his eyes dangerously at Harry, who put on an innocent look and turned his eyes toward the ceiling.
Seamus, Dean, and Neville looked back and forth between Ron, Hermione, and Harry.
"Did we miss something, here?" asked Seamus.
Hermione changed the subject quickly. "You never answered my question."
"What question?" asked Dean.
"What did Malfoy say to you?"
"Oh that…. It's not what he said to us, so much as what we overheard. He was in the compartment in front of ours. As he passed by our compartment we heard him say your name," said Seamus pointing to Hermione. "We opened our door so we could hear what he was saying to Crabbe and Goyle…"
"So what did he say, Seamus?"
Seamus put on a mock voice that was a very good impression of an indignant Draco, "You wait Crabbe, wait until my father hears about this. A Mudblood doing this to me!" Harry, Ron, and Hermione laughed at the flare to which Seamus put into playing the role. He dropped the accent, "We figured that he meant you, as he seems to have it out for you. It was confirmed, of course, with what he said later."
"Seamus! I thought we agreed that we wouldn't say anything about that…" hissed Dean.
"Sorry. But I think that they have a right to know…"
"Know what?" asked Ron.
All eyes were now on Seamus, who continued in his mock Draco voice, but with a lot less flare this time. "Father'll have helped to free those Dementors, by now, from Azkaban. And after letting them run rampant for a little while to regain their strength, I'll bet the Dark Lord'll let them loose on Hogwarts. The first people that I hope that they attack are that filthy little Mudblood, Saint Potty, and the Weasel…"
Harry, Ron, and Hermione shared an uncomfortable look. They all sat talking for a while longer. As they felt the train slowing down, coming to the station in Hogsmeade, Dean, Seamus, and Neville went back to their compartment.
Ron turned to Harry, "Sorry I doubted you, mate. I guess that your vision about the Dementors was right."
Harry nodded as Ginny walked back in to grab something out of her trunk before it was taken up to the school.
Harry noticed the dull burn was back in his scar. He decided that he too would grab something out of his trunk before heading up to school, the pin that helped make the pain in his scar go away. He quickly took out the pin that Dumbledore had given him for his birthday and pinned it to his robes. The pain in his scar diminished, but left a warm glowing feeling there instead that Harry had never notice before.
He ran to catch up with Ron and Hermione. As he stepped off the train he was happy to hear the familiar voice calling above the heads of the students, "Righ' then! Firs' years over here, please!" Hagrid caught Harry's eye and waved. Harry waved back as made his way to the horseless carriages.
Harry shivered in the cool night air, so he pulled his robes around him tighter. Feeling a little apprehensive, he looked around quickly just to be sure that there weren't any Dementors. He felt better when he saw Ron and Hermione standing, waiting outside one of carriages for him. They both had their robes pulled tight around them as well. He ran up and they climbed into the carriage. Neville ran up just as their carriage was about to leave and asked if he could ride with them. Harry scooted over as if in response. Neville climbed aboard. Harry got a bit nervous when he realized that the carriage did not take off after Neville got in. A face appeared in the window next to Neville and they all jumped.
Draco laughed heartily. "So you can feel it, can't you, Potter. The tension in the air. The cold. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't make it through the night!"
"Sod off, Malfoy!" said Neville surprising himself as well as everyone else in the carriage.
Hermione, who was the first to recover from the shock of Neville talking back to Malfoy, said, "Yes, before I give you another detention for threatening a fellow student…."
Malfoy walked off toward another carriage laughing. As he went and through his laughter, several words were heard distinctly. "You can't do anything to me now! Not with the Dark Lord nearby."
Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville all shared a look of dread and, more so in the case of Neville than the others, fear. The carriage began moving, but not in its usual smooth motion. It jerked and swayed more than usual. It was making them all sort of nauseous, more so Neville, whose face had gone nasty shade of green. Eventually the ride seemed to become slightly smoother, but not before there was a particularly hard jerk which made Harry hit his head hard against the back of the carriage.
Harry rubbed the back of his head, feeling the goose egg that made him feel slightly woozy. He rested his head against the cool window, trying to focus on the pain in the back of his head disappearing. It seemed to diminish a bit and then something strange started happening….
As the carriage trundled along, the heat increased in Harry's scar, almost as if the pain from the back of his head was being channeled into his scar. Finally pain exploded through to his head. He clutched his scar and dropped to the floor just as the carriage slowed down and stopped, something that it had never done before on the way to Hogwarts before. Harry writhed in pain in the small space of the floor. As he moved around he accidentally hit one of the jewels in his phoenix pin.
The pain in his scar ceased instantly, and just in time for him to hear screams coming from the carriages ahead of him. The scream seemed to echo and then there was no sound. Breathing hard to catch his breath, he opened his eyes and saw a being in a black hooded cloak standing above him.
He got to his feet and pulled out his wand. He was surprised to see that Hermione, Ron, and Neville were still sitting there. They seemed to be petrified. They weren't moving at all. Harry then realized that the being in the cloak was not moving either. When he dropped his arm, something caught his eye and he looked down at the floor. He gasped to see that his body was still lying there. The thought that traveled through his head at that moment was Am I dead?
Harry was trying hard to figure out what had happened before he had come to be where he was now. He remembered rolling over onto his side just as the pain in his scar ceased. But as he was looking at his body lying there, he realized that his body was on its back. He sighed to himself and thought about how much he wished he knew what was going on.
Instantly, everything went dark and he felt like he was falling. Suddenly he was back in his body. He could feel the hard cold floor of the carriage beneath him. He opened his eyes and he was looking into the harsh black depths of Snape's eyes beneath a black hooded cloak. He jumped and moved back away from the potion's master. Snape sneered and pushed some of his greasy black locks back out of his face after lifting his head, and put on the venomous look that he reserved just for Harry.
"Don't worry, Potter. I'm not going to hurt you. (Harry distinctly heard Snape mutter under his breath, "Yet…") I was just asked by the headmaster to check on something by the gates of the school. When I was coming toward the gates, I heard a scream coming from this carriage. So being the concerned professor that I am, I came to check on what the problem was. And that is when I found you on the floor clutching your scar." He sneered again and then a slow evil smirk spread across his face. "Shall I inform Madam Pomfrey to expect the fragile Mr. Potter tonight," he said in voice dripping with mock concern and sarcasm.
"No. I'm just fine, thank you," Harry said, with an obvious bite to his voice.
"Well, you can't say that I never tried to care for your well being…" said Snape with a sly smirk to his face. Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously, as he stared after the professor that he loathed more than any other. Harry got to his feet and sat back down on the seat, his cheeks so red from embarrassment that he swore that they must glow in the dark. The carriage finally started moving again, still jerkily, but much less so than before.
Gathering his courage to get over the embarrassment that he felt from the incident, he asked the other three what had happened. Hermione and Ron looked at Neville. Neville, through the dark, was quite obviously embarrassed and upset by what happened. He squeaked out what had happened timidly. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I mean, I've heard that your scar was cursed and could tell you when there was trouble nearby, but I've never seen you have that sort of reaction from it before…. I screamed out, because I thought you were going to die…"
"That's okay, Neville. I forgive you. I understand. I'm just sorry that you had to see that." A tense silence filled the carriage. Harry's thoughts turned to his questions about what had just happened. He had so many questions with no answers.
When they finally passed through the gates flanked by statues of winged boars, Harry got a funny tingling feeling. He visibly shivered and looked at the others who were doing the same. "That was strange," muttered Harry. Ron and Hermione just nodded in agreement. Neville swallowed hard and almost appeared to be praying. The previous questions were driven from Harry's mind, as new ones about what just happened entered. Harry felt a deep sense of confusion that he knew would not quell until all of his questions were answered.
Harry looked out the window to see the many shimmering lights of the Hogwarts castle appearing in the distance. Somehow seeing those lights gave him a subtle sense of comfort, melting the questions from his mind. Before he knew it they were at the steps of the castle. They got out and started up the steps, following all of the others into the castle. Harry stood on the steps looking up into the starlit sky. He looked at the star that was his godfather was named after and wondered how he was doing. He let the evening's incidents to be pushed far from his mind as a gentle breeze played upon his face.
When his eyes returned to the crowd, he saw the girl that he had had a crush on for the past year and a half, Cho Chang. She had half of her face lit up by the light coming from the open castle doors. He had to admit that she was most definitely more beautiful than the last time he had seen her. He wanted to go over and say something to her, but he was afraid the she blamed him for Cedric's death.
Cedric had been a really good friend of hers. She had even gone to the formal dance with him the last year. Harry decided that sometime during the year he would make an effort to speak to her, but it wouldn't be tonight.
They slowly made their way into the castle and into the Great Hall, where they would eat the Welcome Feast and watch, as some very nervous first years, who at that moment were crossing the lake next to Hogwarts, would be sorted into one of the four houses, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin.
Once they were all seated the first years were brought into the hall. The familiar three-legged stool was brought out and placed on the raised platform where the teachers' tables were. Upon the stool sat a tattered and frayed, dirty, old, black wizard's hat. The nervous first years stood staring at the hat. Harry smiled as he thought about what must be going through their minds right about now. He remembered that, in his first year, for one wild moment he had thought he was going to have to pull a rabbit out of it or something of the sort, but that was only until it sang.
A rip near the brim of the hat opened wide and began to sing now:
Once upon a long time ago,
There were four wizards great.
They founded the Hogwarts School
For magic, they would educate.
They brought here young sorcerers
That they themselves had picked.
Thus the houses that bore their names
Formed up really quick.
So put me on and we shall see
Where it is YOU ought to be.
Brave and bold Gryffindor
Prized above the rest
Those who were lionhearted
To him you are the best.
If you are intelligent
You may find that you fall
In the house of Ravenclaw,
Among the cleverest of all.
Hardworking Hufflepuffs find
Patience for all that they do,
So in this house of the loyal
We may just find you.
Or perhaps with ambition
We find you of late.
So into Slytherin you'll go,
I will not hesitate.
Now put me on
And I will see,
Where you go
Most gleefully.
Now don't worry
I'm never wrong.
And I think you'll find
This is the end of my song.
Applause rang out though out the hall. The hat bowed to each of the tables and then sat still until Professor McGonagall unrolled her parchment and began reading the names of the first years. Harry sighed deeply and looked up into the ceiling, which was charmed to look like the sky outside. He barely listened as the boys and girls with varying degrees of fear went to the stool to be sorted.
The first moment that Harry was really paying attention to the sorting was when the boy that had been walking out of Ollivanders when he, Ron and, Hermione walked in with Amelia and Arabella, went to the stage to the name "Rockley, Nicholas". There was still something extremely familiar about the boy. Harry just couldn't put his finger onto why…. The Sorting Hat took quite a while to place the boy. Eventually it called out, "GRYFFINDOR!"
As the boy walked toward the table Harry looked at him closely. He was quite thin and had straight, light brown hair. He suddenly realized exactly who this boy reminded him of… He was just how Harry had pictured Lupin at that age. Harry looked at Ron and Hermione who, by the looks on their faces, thought the same thing that he did about the boy. Could this boy be related to Lupin, maybe even be his son? wondered Harry.
When the sorting ceremony was finally over, the man with long silvery hair and beard that he could tuck into his belt and half-moon spectacles, who sat in the very middle of the teacher's table stood up. Professor Dumbledore, the Headmaster of the school, looked about the room with the usual twinkle in his blue eyes. "I have but a few words to say…. Rinky, Tinky Tatooie." He sat back down as the food magically filled the empty plates that had been sitting in a line in the middle of each of the four long tables.
Shortly after Ron piled his plate high with food, the house ghosts made their appearances. Nearly Headless Nick came up from the middle of the Gryffindor table, scaring a few of the first years. Semitransparent and pearly white and wearing his usual doublet with a particularly large ruff that held on his partially severed neck from a botched beheading, Nick greeted the new students and then glided over to where the Grey Lady, the Ravenclaw ghost was floating. Together they haltingly glided out of the room, as Nick talked to several of the students.
Harry looked up at the teacher's table and noticed that, for the first time since his first year the table was actually full. He looked along it noticing several new faces, and one that he was surprised to see, Arabella Figg. She noticed Harry looking at her and she gave him a smile. Harry smiled back. Then he turned to Ron and Hermione and said, "I wonder why Arabella is here, what she is going to be teaching, I mean."
Ron and Hermione turned to look at the teachers for the first time. "I guess we will find out when Dumbledore makes the announcement, won't we?" said Hermione logically.
A voice from behind Harry spoke in his ear, "Yeah, but Harry did you notice the other new female teacher up there?" Harry turned around and gave Seamus a funny look.
"No, where?" Seamus pointed at a really young and very pretty looking blond. Her curly hair hung at her shoulders. She seemed to sense that someone was looking at her. She looked around until her eyes fell onto Harry, who was staring, open-mouthed. Harry realized that he was gawking at her. He quickly closed his mouth, as she gave him a soft smile. Harry couldn't help but stare into the deep blue wells that showed that, while she may be young, she had seen and been through much. There was wisdom there that almost equaled that of Dumbledore. How could someone so young know so much? thought Harry.
Harry suddenly was brought back to present by Ron's voice, "I wonder who is going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. You don't think that Arabella could be it, do you, Harry? Harry? Harry?"
"Huh… what…. Oh, I don't know. I'm not sure, but you never know, I s'pose." They went back to their food, as dessert suddenly appeared. Though Harry kept looking back up to the table at the woman. Something was drawing him to her and he didn't know what.
Once they had eaten their fill, the plates were suddenly empty once again and Dumbledore stood up again. "Well, now that we are all pleasantly fed and watered, I have several start of term announcements. So, I ask to have your complete attention…." Dumbledore paused to wait for all noise in the room to cease. "Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to remind you that all forbidden objects must not be brought inside of the castle. There is a full list comprising of approximately four hundred thirty-seven items is available to be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anyone would care to check it.
"Also, I would like to remind you that there is to be no students going into the Dark Forest, especially this year. The forest is out-of-bounds and considered a very unsafe place in the current environment of our world.
"Also, there will be a change in how we conduct our trips to Hogsmeade for those students in their third year and above, this year. I must stress that this is for your own safety. All trips will be staggered, as such…. The even and odd years will get separate weekends. We will also require that each year and house have a set time for coming and going. If you miss that time then you will not be allowed to go. No student in the first and second years will be allowed to go to Hogsmeade, for obvious reasons.
"On a happier note, I am pleased to welcome three new teachers to Hogwarts. Our Potions Master will have some… personal business attend to periodically throughout the year, so I am delighted to welcome back Professor Fletcher, who has come out of retirement to assist us during Professor Snape's occasional absence." There was a scattered applause for the rather old, odd looking wizard. Though he did seem to exude the same aura as Dumbledore when they looked at him. As the indifferent applause died away Dumbledore continued.
"Second, I am very pleased to welcome, from the United States, Professor Lina Clovis, who was kind enough to fill the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts." Dumbledore pointed along the table toward the young woman that Harry hadn't been able to stop looking at throughout dinner. The applause was tumultuous, especially from the boys of the room. Harry and Ron were among the last of the boys to stop applauding. Ron got a slap on the arm from Hermione for that.
"What? I was just trying to welcome one of the new teachers."
"You were overdoing it a bit, though. Now, weren't you?"
Ron half smiled, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. "Hermione, how can you be jealous of a teacher?"
"I'm not jealous!" she hissed.
"Okay, you two, I would like to hear the rest of the announcements if you wouldn't mind." Harry shook his head at them. They had been a couple for only a few hours and they were already fighting.
"Lastly, I am pleased to welcome Professor Arabella Figg. She will be assisting in various classes when necessary." There was a warm applause for her, especially from the Gryffindor table where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were clapping very loudly.
"As I'm sure that some of you may be aware, there have been stronger protective charms placed upon the grounds and castle. These are as yet unbreakable to certain dark forces. However, I would suggest that no student should walk around alone, as we live in dark and perilous times." Dumbledore looked pointedly at the Gryffindor table around where Harry, Ron, and Hermione were sitting.
"Finally, I am happy to announce that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup is back on. I am certain that Gryffindor is eager to defend its winning title from two years ago. I wish all the houses the best of luck in the contest.
"Thank you for your patience. You may now make your way to your houses. Good night." He sat back down and there was sudden scraping coming from all over the room as all of the students got up and headed toward their houses. Ron whispered in Hermione's ear that he would see her up in the common room, as she had to lead the first years to the house. Harry sat there for a few minutes waiting for the Great Hall to empty out so that he could go up to the teacher's table and speak to Hagrid.
Hagrid got up and was about to leave. Realizing this Harry got up and fought against the crowd to get to him before he left the Great Hall. Being aware that Harry was trying to get to him, Hagrid stopped and waited. Behind his thick, wiry, black beard there was a smile. It reached all the way to crinkled corners of his beetle-black eyes. Harry smiled back and greeted his friend with a hug.
"How are ya, Harry?"
"I'm good. How was your summer?" Harry lowered his voice and leaned in toward the half giant. "Did you succeed in your mission?"
"Now, ya know I can' say nothin' 'bout that, Harry. Bu' I did have good summer. It were fun gettin' to travel 'round like that. The Alps is always nice in the summer," Hagrid answered quietly.
"The Alps… Is that where the giants are?" asked Harry in a whisper.
Hagrid eyes widened and he muttered as he began to shuffle off toward the door, "I shouldn' o' said that. I should no' have said that. I shouldn' o' said that."
Harry chuckled to himself before he called out, "I'm glad that you had a good summer, Hagrid. It's good to see you again."
Hagrid turned and smiled softly at Harry. "It's good ter see ya too, Harry." He looked out into the empty Great Hall then turned back to Harry and said, "Ya bes' be off to yer house now, Harry."
Harry turned around. "Right. Good night, Hagrid."
"Good nigh'."
Harry ran off to catch up to the group of people trying to get into the Gryffindor House. He got there just in time to hear the fat lady in a pink silk dress of the portrait guarding the entrance to the house ask, "Password?"
Hermione straightened herself and squared her shoulders with pride as she cleared her throat and said, "Ursa Minor."
From somewhere in the crowd a voice that Harry recognized as Neville Longbottom's slightly panicked voice, rose above the slight din, "Not another hard one to remember…." Harry chuckled to himself. Neville always had a hard time remembering the password.
The portrait swung forward revealing the hole that they had to crawl into to get into the common room. Hermione led the first years into the common room. As Harry climbed through the hole he heard much of the same speech that he had heard four years ago from Percy Weasley coming from his best friend.
While many of the others went up to their rooms for the night Harry decided to plop down on the couch next to Ron, who was watching his girlfriend performing her duties, with a silly, love smitten smirk on his face. After Hermione completed her speech, she dismissed them. As she was walking over to the couch where her two best friends were sitting waiting for her, she was inundated with several first years who had questions, each feeling that theirs were the most important questions at the time.
After about fifteen more minutes trying to shake off the new students she flopped onto the couch between her boyfriend and her best friend, looking rather frazzled and bothered.
"You all right, 'Mione?" asked Ron cautiously.
"Yeah. I've just never been so drained in my life. I swear that these first years are so much more nervous about everything than we ever were, needing to know everything before they start. We were never that precocious, were we?"
"Well, I think some of us were…," said Ron giving Hermione a meaningful look. He ducked as she turned to swat him. They sat up and talked for a while. Harry was the first to excuse himself and head to bed, as he had a feeling that Hermione and Ron might want a little time alone before going to bed.
Harry changed into his pajamas and climbed into his bed, feeling safe at last being back at the place that he truly felt was like home. He closed his eyes seeing the deep blue pools that he had gotten lost in at the feast that night. So Lina Clovis was their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Harry smiled into his pillow as he thought about how much he was going to enjoy that class this year. He slipped off into slumber as the visions of Cho, Ginny, and Professor Clovis danced about inside his head and never even heard when Ron came into the room and fall onto the bed fully clothed one hour later.