A/N: I'm really running low of chapter titles, because in my humble
opinion, it should not explain the chapter itself, instead confuse the
reader. For the most part that's what they are based upon. Anyways, I
moved this one right along, look at it this way, I don't write everything
that happens, only the important parts. Well, I've been looking forward to
this one because I finally get to combine my two main characters, yay.
Harry Potter has returned to Hogwarts with his friends. But things have changed for him since his God Father's death last year, and he is beginning to feel the repercussions. Slowly Harry fights internal conflicts, and Ron and Hermione begin to worry about him. Then one day when Harry disappears in the middle of the night, is he just following in the footsteps of his aunt, or is there foul play afoot?
Between The Heavens, a Trial of Faith: Chapter 9, A Connection of Truth
********************
"Harry, Harry!" Hermione called after him, as he paced the platform, "me and Ron were looking for you yesterday, you know, at Diagon Alley, but we couldn't find you."
"I didn't go to Diagon Alley," Harry said slowly, "I didn't want to."
Hermione looked at him, looking like a puppy that had just been kicked.
"But your school-"
"Please!" Harry snapped, "I don't want to talk about school, if you don't mind."
She looked ready to cry, and Harry didn't take the time to feel guilt nor suffering. For if he had, he might have realized that he was not the only one who had loved Sirius.
"Fine," she whispered, and he suspected that she spoke so quietly because she was biting her lip to prevent wailing of tears, and for this, Harry was grateful.
"Harry, Hermione!" Ron had just entered the platform, along with his younger sister, Ginny, and his mother. He waved his hands frantically, and Hermione smiled at him, waving him over.
"Harry," she whispered, "I know you've had a rough summer, we've all had, but please, talk to us, please."
Harry nodded. He understood what she was saying, and a part of him resented her deeply for it, but the other part loved her endlessly for her undying loyalty.
"Oi, Harry, where are your books, mate?" Ron asked breathlessly.
"I didn't buy any," he murmured, "I just didn't want to go to Diagon Alley."
"Don't worry 'bout it, Dumbledore will understand," Ron replied cheerfully, pulling out a small wrapped sandwich. "Mom made some for all of us, you're coming to stay with us over Christmas, aren't you Harry?"
For the first time all summer, Harry smiled. All the feelings of abandonment and self-loathing were gone in the simplicity of his best friend's questions.
"Of course," he said, clapping a hand of Ron's shoulder, "unless I die on the Quidditch field first, not having practiced or played for so long. Think that ban will be lifted?"
Due to recent events of the past semester, Harry, Fred and George Weasley had been banned from Quidditch for life, however, it was his high hopes that this year Dumbledore would conveniently overlook the ban, and allow the school to return to normal. He missed Hogwarts, and last year it just hadn't been the same, it almost felt like he was going back home for the first time since Cedric Diggory's brutal murder two years passed.
The train whistle blew, and Harry, Ron and Hermione jumped on an empty car. Closely followed by Ginny, who had incidentally been the replacement seeker for Harry last year, after his ban. She was good, but wasn't quite up to the standards that the Gryffindor house had built up with the four and a half years of watching Harry win them game after game.
"New Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, then?" Harry asked suddenly, "it isn't another Ministry appointed one, is it?"
"I don't know if they appointed anyone, Harry," Hermione said slowly, "it showed no name in the letter, didn't you read yours?"
Harry merely shook his head, not wanting to dignify the inane question with an answer. If he hadn't felt up to visiting Diagon Alley, for the unspoken reasons that they all were aware of, what was the likeliness that he had felt like reading any letter from Hogwarts; even one as important as the listings of teachers and when the new year would begin.
"Look!" Squealed Parvarti Patil, a sixth year along with Harry, "look at her ride!"
At first Harry was confused, but then saw a group of girls of all years crowded along the left side of the windows, Ginny among them.
When Ginny sat back down across from Hermione, Ron decided then to pay attention as to what was going on, "Ginny, what are the lot of them looking at?"
She shrugged off the question and casually took a bite of her sandwich, "nothing really, just some woman riding her horse. I reckon she's racing the train, though that would be something, wouldn't it? A muggle appearing at the gates of Hogwarts with a horse."
Ron nodded, deciding that it wasn't worth further investigation.
********************
"Come on Shadow," Michelle whispered, "I just want to see his face. Bloody hell, what are they doing, crowding my window?" Michelle said desperately. It was the type of despair she hated with a growing passion, she wanted to see Harry, and knew that her mustang would not be able to follow the train for very long until he grew tired and weary.
"Come on," she seethed, "bunch of pre-adolescent girls, haven't they ever seen a horse before?"
But they continued to crowd her window, standing idly by, not realizing what they were doing was unnecessary and upsetting.
"Think gun shots would scare them away?" Michelle asked, mainly to herself.
Shadow made a slight grunting noise, "no," she said, continuing on, "you're right, only the muggle born ones would realize what it meant. And they're the ones who've seen enough horse racing and jumping not to have to crowd the window. But Shadow, suppose the train crashes, and everyone dies, then I will live the rest of my years knowing that I never set face on my brother's son."
An unlikely scenario, for sure, for Michelle had not once heard of the Hogwarts Express crashing, it was not computerized, rather it was magic that kept it running and on the tracks. But some form of human life had conjured the magic and spells, and therefore had faults.
********************
"I don't know what all the fuss is," Ron breathed, "unicorns are much nicer."
"It's not the horse," Ginny said slowly, "I think it's something about the rider that has most of them watching her. It's almost as if she's watching us..."
"Hermione..." Ron said slowly, "they wouldn't expect spies to come on horseback...do you think-"
"Oh, Ron, really," she said hastily, "Voldemorte is NOT going to send something following the Hogwarts Express on a horse."
"Maybe we should just...check it, just in case?" It was Harry who spoke this time, "I mean, maybe get a look at her, explain her to Dumbledore if need be."
Ron and Harry went over the crowded window, being taller than most of the girls, standing behind them wasn't a problem. Almost immediately something forced Harry's eye to the horse and the mystery rider, he felt her gaze upon him, and met her eyes. They were dark and soft, and somehow pained with worry. Quickly, the connection was lost as she loosened the reign of the horse and slowed him down to a walk.
Hermione walked up behind them, "you see," she said, "she wasn't a spy, she was just running her horse. Stupid really, the protection around Hogwarts must have kicked in I guess, made her think of something she forgot. I bet she's already turned around and heading home."
Harry Potter has returned to Hogwarts with his friends. But things have changed for him since his God Father's death last year, and he is beginning to feel the repercussions. Slowly Harry fights internal conflicts, and Ron and Hermione begin to worry about him. Then one day when Harry disappears in the middle of the night, is he just following in the footsteps of his aunt, or is there foul play afoot?
Between The Heavens, a Trial of Faith: Chapter 9, A Connection of Truth
********************
"Harry, Harry!" Hermione called after him, as he paced the platform, "me and Ron were looking for you yesterday, you know, at Diagon Alley, but we couldn't find you."
"I didn't go to Diagon Alley," Harry said slowly, "I didn't want to."
Hermione looked at him, looking like a puppy that had just been kicked.
"But your school-"
"Please!" Harry snapped, "I don't want to talk about school, if you don't mind."
She looked ready to cry, and Harry didn't take the time to feel guilt nor suffering. For if he had, he might have realized that he was not the only one who had loved Sirius.
"Fine," she whispered, and he suspected that she spoke so quietly because she was biting her lip to prevent wailing of tears, and for this, Harry was grateful.
"Harry, Hermione!" Ron had just entered the platform, along with his younger sister, Ginny, and his mother. He waved his hands frantically, and Hermione smiled at him, waving him over.
"Harry," she whispered, "I know you've had a rough summer, we've all had, but please, talk to us, please."
Harry nodded. He understood what she was saying, and a part of him resented her deeply for it, but the other part loved her endlessly for her undying loyalty.
"Oi, Harry, where are your books, mate?" Ron asked breathlessly.
"I didn't buy any," he murmured, "I just didn't want to go to Diagon Alley."
"Don't worry 'bout it, Dumbledore will understand," Ron replied cheerfully, pulling out a small wrapped sandwich. "Mom made some for all of us, you're coming to stay with us over Christmas, aren't you Harry?"
For the first time all summer, Harry smiled. All the feelings of abandonment and self-loathing were gone in the simplicity of his best friend's questions.
"Of course," he said, clapping a hand of Ron's shoulder, "unless I die on the Quidditch field first, not having practiced or played for so long. Think that ban will be lifted?"
Due to recent events of the past semester, Harry, Fred and George Weasley had been banned from Quidditch for life, however, it was his high hopes that this year Dumbledore would conveniently overlook the ban, and allow the school to return to normal. He missed Hogwarts, and last year it just hadn't been the same, it almost felt like he was going back home for the first time since Cedric Diggory's brutal murder two years passed.
The train whistle blew, and Harry, Ron and Hermione jumped on an empty car. Closely followed by Ginny, who had incidentally been the replacement seeker for Harry last year, after his ban. She was good, but wasn't quite up to the standards that the Gryffindor house had built up with the four and a half years of watching Harry win them game after game.
"New Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, then?" Harry asked suddenly, "it isn't another Ministry appointed one, is it?"
"I don't know if they appointed anyone, Harry," Hermione said slowly, "it showed no name in the letter, didn't you read yours?"
Harry merely shook his head, not wanting to dignify the inane question with an answer. If he hadn't felt up to visiting Diagon Alley, for the unspoken reasons that they all were aware of, what was the likeliness that he had felt like reading any letter from Hogwarts; even one as important as the listings of teachers and when the new year would begin.
"Look!" Squealed Parvarti Patil, a sixth year along with Harry, "look at her ride!"
At first Harry was confused, but then saw a group of girls of all years crowded along the left side of the windows, Ginny among them.
When Ginny sat back down across from Hermione, Ron decided then to pay attention as to what was going on, "Ginny, what are the lot of them looking at?"
She shrugged off the question and casually took a bite of her sandwich, "nothing really, just some woman riding her horse. I reckon she's racing the train, though that would be something, wouldn't it? A muggle appearing at the gates of Hogwarts with a horse."
Ron nodded, deciding that it wasn't worth further investigation.
********************
"Come on Shadow," Michelle whispered, "I just want to see his face. Bloody hell, what are they doing, crowding my window?" Michelle said desperately. It was the type of despair she hated with a growing passion, she wanted to see Harry, and knew that her mustang would not be able to follow the train for very long until he grew tired and weary.
"Come on," she seethed, "bunch of pre-adolescent girls, haven't they ever seen a horse before?"
But they continued to crowd her window, standing idly by, not realizing what they were doing was unnecessary and upsetting.
"Think gun shots would scare them away?" Michelle asked, mainly to herself.
Shadow made a slight grunting noise, "no," she said, continuing on, "you're right, only the muggle born ones would realize what it meant. And they're the ones who've seen enough horse racing and jumping not to have to crowd the window. But Shadow, suppose the train crashes, and everyone dies, then I will live the rest of my years knowing that I never set face on my brother's son."
An unlikely scenario, for sure, for Michelle had not once heard of the Hogwarts Express crashing, it was not computerized, rather it was magic that kept it running and on the tracks. But some form of human life had conjured the magic and spells, and therefore had faults.
********************
"I don't know what all the fuss is," Ron breathed, "unicorns are much nicer."
"It's not the horse," Ginny said slowly, "I think it's something about the rider that has most of them watching her. It's almost as if she's watching us..."
"Hermione..." Ron said slowly, "they wouldn't expect spies to come on horseback...do you think-"
"Oh, Ron, really," she said hastily, "Voldemorte is NOT going to send something following the Hogwarts Express on a horse."
"Maybe we should just...check it, just in case?" It was Harry who spoke this time, "I mean, maybe get a look at her, explain her to Dumbledore if need be."
Ron and Harry went over the crowded window, being taller than most of the girls, standing behind them wasn't a problem. Almost immediately something forced Harry's eye to the horse and the mystery rider, he felt her gaze upon him, and met her eyes. They were dark and soft, and somehow pained with worry. Quickly, the connection was lost as she loosened the reign of the horse and slowed him down to a walk.
Hermione walked up behind them, "you see," she said, "she wasn't a spy, she was just running her horse. Stupid really, the protection around Hogwarts must have kicked in I guess, made her think of something she forgot. I bet she's already turned around and heading home."