"The True Heir of Slytherin"
Chapter 5: "The Unusual Train Ride"
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As Harry, Ron, and Hermione got into the car, Harry immediately realized that it's interior was magically enlarged, just like the Weasley's old car.
Harry also noticed the man who was sitting next to Ron. He looked about Sirius's age, and he had a few noticeable scars on his face. Harry suspected this to be an auror.
The man, however, took no notice of Harry, Ron, or Hermione. Instead, he kept looking out the window.
Throughout the entire car ride, the man never spoke a word, nor introduced himself.
As they finally arrived at King's Cross, the man opened the door to let Harry, Ron, and Hermione out.
As the three of them got out of the car, the man finally spoke.
"I want you three to stay close to me," he said in a somewhat demanding voice, "and DON'T stray off."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged nervous glances, and they followed the man towards Platform 9 3/4.
"I'll go first," Harry said once they arrived at the wall between platforms 9 and 10.
"Oh no you don't," said the man, "You're going last with me."
"Why?" Harry exclaimed, rather rudely.
"Because," the man replied coldly, "I'm here to protect you against Dark Lords, and if one of them happens to be waiting on the other side of that wall, I will not be held responsible for letting you be kidnaped, or killed."
The man seemed to now be towering over Harry in an overwhelming dominance. Harry was suddenly reminded of Voldemort for some odd reason. Perhaps it was the man's attitude towards him. Or perhaps it was the evil look of the man's face, hovering over him. Either way, he knew he would be glad to be rid of this man.
"So then," Ron said aloud, "You are an auror."
"Of course I am," the man snapped.
"You two," he said, pointing at Hermione and Ron, "You two go first."
Hermione shrugged her shoulders and gave Harry a helpless look. Her and Ron then walked calmly through the wall between platforms 9 and 10.
"Alright," said the man, "Our turn. Let's go."
The man grabbed Harry by his left arm, since Harry's right arm pulled along his trolley.
And so Harry was literally pulled through the wall by this man. As they appeared on the other side of the wall, the man continued to pull Harry away and on to the train.
Ron and Hermione, who were waiting on the other side of the wall, ran to catch up with Harry and the man who pulled him.
The man eventually pulled Harry onto the train, and into an empty compartment.
"You'll be safe here," the man said.
"Gee, are you sure?" Ron asked with sarcastic concern.
The man, though, didn't notice Ron's sarcasm and replied, "Of course I'm sure. This is where one of the Hogwarts Teachers will be staying."
But before Harry could ask which teacher, the man left.
Harry put all of his things away and slouched down onto a seat. "I wonder which teacher is staying here," Harry sighed.
"Snape," Ron muttered in pure annoyance.
"What?" Harry groaned as he sat up a bit.
"We saw him on the train while you were getting pulled by that auror," Hermione answered.
"Oh," Harry replied, "Great. My favourite teacher in the whole wide world."
Hermione laughed a bit.
"Well, look on the bright side," Ron added, "He can't take any points away from Gryffindor, I mean, the term hasn't even started yet."
"But he'll be sure to note your current attitudes toward him once he IS able to take away your pathetic house points," said a cold voice from behind Ron.
There stood Snape, wicked as ever.Ron jumped in surprise and quickly sat down next to Harry.
This left only two seats left. Snape sat down opposite to Harry and next to the window, and Hermione was the forced to sit next to Snape, as it was the only seat left. She almost fell off the edge of it, trying to stay as away as possible from the mean teacher.
"Since when do teachers go on the Hogwarts Express?" Harry asked bitterly.
"Quit your whining, Potter, I didn't ask to come here." Snape replied.
"Then why are you here?" Harry asked without taking his eyes off of Snape.
Snape sighed and answered in barely more than a whisper, "To ensure that someone arrives safely."
Harry couldn't believe his ears. Snape was there to ensure his safety? Or was he talking about someone else?
Snape must have noticed the look of shock on Harry face because he quickly added, "And it's not you. So don't look so surprised."
Hermione, who was still edging as far away from Snape as possible, suddenly looked at him, her eyebrows raised in curiosity.
"Who, then?" she asked.
Snape rolled his eyes and without looking at her replied, "That's not your business, so be quiet."
Hermione gave Snape an evil look, then turned her eyes to Ron.
"So," she said, "When do you want to start looking for Ginny and the twins?"
"Right now," Ron answered, looking at Snape, "And quickly."
The three of them all stood up to leave, but as they did, Snape finally looked at them.
"Actually," he said in a toneless voice, "I'd like to have a word with you, Potter."
Harry scoffed. "About what?"
Snape didn't reply, but simply glared persistently at Harry. Then, as if Harry could read Snape's mind, he understood. Snape wanted to talk about Voldemort.
Harry somewhat nodded as he realized this, then he turned to Ron and Hermione.
"Um, I'll catch up with you guys in a bit," he said, "Is that ok?"
Ron, who was completely bewildered at this point, just simply replied, "Sure, it's your funeral."
"Yeah, it's ok," Hermione said quietly. She seemed to know what was going on.
Hermione and Ron both left the compartment, and Harry sat back down, opposite to Snape.
"Potter, I though we'd discuss the recent passing of your relatives," Snape said right away.
"I thought as much," Harry replied quietly.
Snape looked at Harry in a manner which showed neither hate nor pity. In fact, it showed no emotion at all. Neither did his voice.
"Potter," he continued, "You do know that Voldemort wasn't the only one behind it, don't you?"
"Yeah," Harry replied, looking out the window, "Do you know who it was?"
"How should I know?" Snape asked, looking at Harry suspiciously.
"Sir, I know you're spying on Voldemort," he said, looking back at Snape.
"And exactly how do you know this, Potter?" Snape spat coldly.
"Sirius told me," Harry replied.
Snape flinched at the mention of Sirius's name. Hate seemed to flood his eyes, and his lip began to curl.
"Of course he did," Snape muttered, as though talking to himself. He then looked darkly at Harry and added, "But you listen to me, Potter, if that information passes through your lips once more to anyone, you will be in severe trouble, understand?"
"Fine," Harry snapped back, "You needn't bite my head off-"
"Potter," Snape interrupted, angrily this time, "if that information gets out, Voldemort will hear about it, and if he finds out, I'm as good as dead, and the Ministry will have no longer have any inside information. It is dire that my purposes remain a secret. Sirius was a fool to tell you, but since he has, I expect you to be especially quiet about it, or else."
Just as Snape finished threatening Harry, the compartment door on Harry's side opened.
"There you are," a girl said as she walked in.
"Siren," Snape said as he stood up, "You're late."
"I know," Siren replied, "But at least I caught the train. I wasn't even sure if I would."
As she said this, the train began to move.
"Please, have a seat," Snape said.
Siren sat down, and she finally noticed Harry.
"Harry," se said, stunned, "Nice meeting you again."Harry knew this was a lie, because Siren didn't seem happy at all to see him.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked her, "are you going got Hogwarts, too?"
"Um, yeah," Siren said.
Harry desperately wanted to leave. He looked at Snape.
"Can I go now?" he asked.
"Yes, go," Snape said, annoyed.
Harry quickly stood up. He walked towards the compartment door. As he reached his hand out to open it, the door slid open quickly. Harry looked at the doorway in surprise, only to see Draco Malfoy standing there, along with Crabbe and Goyle. Harry noticed right away that Draco looked different. He was a good few inches taller, and he looked rather buffed up - rather intimidating, if Harry didn't know him better.
'You've got to be kidding,' Harry thought, 'First Snape, now this?'
"Oh look, it's Princess Potter," Malfoy said to Crabbe and Goyle.
Harry simply rolled his eyes.
"Would you mind getting out of the way?" Harry said coldly.
Crabbe and Goyle began to crack their knuckles in a threatening way.
"Come again, Potter?" Malfoy laughed, "Am I in your way?"
"Yes," Harry replied cooly, "So move - unless, of course, your ego is too big to fit through the doorway."
Malfoy turned red with anger and clenched his fists.
"I bet you think you're funny, don't you, Potter?" Malfoy scoffed, "but I'll be the one laughing once the Dark Lord puts you in your place-"
"Malfoy!" Siren yelled from behind Harry, "How dare you say such a thing!"
Malfoy's eyes widened at the sight of Siren. He looked her up and down, and took a deep breath.
"Lady Siren," he stammered, quite like his father did in Siren's presence, "W-what brings you here?"
Harry was surprised to see even Crabbe and Goyle cowering behind Malfoy.
"I will be attending Hogwarts this year, Draco," Siren said coldly, "and I will be teaching there as well."
Malfoy gulped.
"Teaching?" he choked, "teaching what?"
Siren moved closer to Malfoy until she was right beside Harry.
Snape simply stood in the background, overlooking the five of them.
Siren looked at Malfoy, and Harry could see nothing but pure hate and disgust in her eyes. Oddly enough, Harry was reminded of the way Voldemort had looked at him when he rose again. His snake-like eyes piercing his hearts and mind, corrupting them, and making them cold.
As Harry looked at Siren's eyes, he noticed a great resemblance to those of Voldemort's when he was about Harry's age, when he was still known as Tom Riddle.
"I will be teaching a new class," Siren replied cooly, "only a select few will participate in it."
Harry finally understood. The only new class that Harry could think of was the Dark Arts. Siren was going to be the Dark Arts teacher. But she didn't look very old. Only about Harry's age. And what did she mean when she said she'd be attending Hogwarts as well as teaching there? Was she going to be a teacher and a student? Was that even allowed?
"You mean, the Dark Arts?" Malfoy said, a bit happier.
"Don't tell me you're in the class?" Siren sighed in annoyance.
"I am," Malfoy said proudly, looking at Harry, "I'll bet you're not, Potter."
"I am actually," Harry snapped, "and so is Ron and Hermione."
"This will be a fun year for you, Draco," Siren said, smiling somewhat evilly. Harry could have sworn that for a moment Siren's eyes turned red - again, just like Voldemort's did.
Malfoy didn't seem happy at all now. He simply walked past Harry, Siren, and Snape without a word, quickly followed by Crabbe and Goyle, who were desperately trying not to make eye-contact with Siren.
Harry quickly took this opportunity to leave the compartment to find Ron and Hermione. As he left, though, he could have sworn that he heard a soft, beautiful voice, singing in some unknown language, telling Harry to turn back.
Harry, though, simply shook his head of all that nonsense and continued to look for Ron and Hermione.
*****
Harry eventually found Ron and Hermione sitting in a compartment with Fred, George, and Ginny.Harry told them all about what Snape had said (except the fact that Snape was a spy. He just figured that he'd tell Ron and Hermione about it later). He then told them about Siren being the new Dark Arts teacher.
"Dark Arts?" Fred whined, "Why didn't they pick me?"
"Yeah," George agreed, "We never get any of the good classes."
As the five of them talked some more about the new class, Ginny seemed relieved.
"I'm glad I wasn't picked," she said, "I've had enough Dark Arts to last me the rest of my life."
"What are you talking about?!" Ron laughed, "you've never practiced any Dark Arts!"
"No," Ginny replied defensively, going slightly red, "I was talking about - you know - Tom Riddle."
Everyone fell somewhat silent after this. As the silence grew, Harry began to think about the times when he fought and talked to Tom Riddle.
Harry began to remember going into Tom's memory, and seeing Hogwarts as it had been, about 50 years prior to that day.
He remembered Tom's face, and how he had black hair and deep-set eyes. The more he remembered this, the more he began to see the resemblance between Tom and Siren. They both has mature, pale faces, black hair, and serious eyes.
As Harry sunk deeper into his thoughts, he was snapped back to reality when he heard Hermione talking excitedly.
"Viktor!" she said as she stood up.
Viktor Krum had just walked into their compartment with another boy whom Harry had never seen before.
"Hermo-ninny!" Krum said, smiling. He walked towards her and gave her a hug.
"I vos vorried that you veren't on the train," he added.
"I thought you weren't on the train," Hermione replied.
Hermione looked over Krum's shoulder at the boy who stood behind him.
He wore all black, and he had brown hair, and dark eyes.
"Ah," Krum said, noticing her curiosity, "This is Hunter Nott. He vas my friend at Durmstrang. He is going to Hogwarts this year as vell."
Hunter simply nodded his head as a greeting and mumbled something that sounded like, "Hey."
"Are you from Bulgaria, too?" Hermione asked him.
Hunter shook his head no. Krum added, "He is from England, like you. But he can speak Bulgarian very vell. It is easier for me to talk vith him in Bulgarian."
Krum then turned back to Hunter and said something to him (in Bulgarian), followed by everyone else's names.
As usually was done during introductions involving Harry, Hunter looked stunned when he heard Harry's name, and, as usual, he stared at Harry's scar.
"So," Hermione said cheerfully, "what classes are you taking, Viktor?"
Krum pulled out a sheet which had all of his classes on it, and read it aloud.
"Arithmomancy, Charms, History, Divination, Potions, and Dark Arts."
"Oh good!" Hermione smiled, "we're going to be in Dark Arts together."
"Good," Krum replied in his thick accent, "But I thought that Hogwarts didn't teach the Dark Arts. Vhy are they starting it now?"
"I don't know," Hermione answered glumly.
Hermione and Viktor talked a bit more until the doors to their compartment opened, and in walked Siren.
Ron went slightly pink, and Fred and George (who had never seen her before) simply stared at her, open-jawed.
As Siren entered, she saw Hunter and immediately stopped.
The two of them stared a each other for a bit before either of them spoke a word.
"Hunter," Siren finally said, somewhat shocked, "What are you doing here?"
"I was just going to ask you the same question," Hunter replied gently.
"I'm going to Hogwarts," Siren replied softly, "My mother didn't want me under Karkaroff's care anymore because of ... well, you know."
"I understand," Hunter said as he walked closer to her. He took her hands into his and looked deeply at her. "You promised you would come to visit me over the summer," he said quietly, "but you never did."
"I know," Siren said, putting her head down. "I'm sorry, but, a lot has happened this summer, with my grandfather and all."
"That's no excuse," Hunter said dominantly, but quietly, "A promise is a promise, Siren."
As he said this, he seemed to hold her hand tighter, and she flinched a bit as if it was hurting her.
"I'm sorry, Hunter," she replied softly, keeping her head down, "but we're together now. Everything is normal again."Hunter than let go of her hand slightly and hugged her. "I missed you," he said.
"I missed you, too," Siren whispered.
As they embraced, Siren finally took notice of Krum and everyone else who was staring at her.
"Oh, hello Viktor," she said as she left Hunter's arms and walked closer to Krum.
"There are a lot more transver students than I thought there vos going to be," Krum said.
"Well," Siren replied, "Dumbledore persuaded me to come here instead of Durmstrang,"
"I see," Krum replied, "So, it's been a while since last I saw you." He gave Siren a hug, as though they were old friends reunited after hard times.
Hunter didn't seem happy about that, but he remained silent and simply put his arm around Siren and Viktor pulled away.
"How are you, Viktor?" she asked him in a melancholy tone.
"Good," he replied, "I vos playing sport all summer. Vot about you? Vot did you do this summer?"
Siren seemed a little nervous about answering the question, but simply replied, "Nothing at all. Stayed at my mom's, y'know, but nothing major."
"Haff you heard from Karkaroff at all?" Krum asked quietly.
"No," Siren sighed, "but I think he might be back with Voldemort, unfortunately."
"Don't say that name, please," Krum said, taking a deep breath.
"Sorry," Siren whispered.
"How do you know he is vith - that lot?" Krum asked suspiciously.
Siren shrugged her shoulders.
"Just rumours, I guess," she answered politely.
As she answered, sherubbed her left forearm and lifted the sleeve a little. Her eyes widened as she looked at it, though nobody else could see what she was looking at. She pulled her sleeve back down and continued to act as though nothing had happened.
"Are you ok?" Krum asked.
"Yeah," Siren said, "Just, um, I hit my arm on a desk this morning - it's a little sore."
At this, Hunter stepped forward and took hold of Siren's hand.
"We should go now," he said, "we have a lot of catching up to do."
"Yeah," Siren replied, still holding on to her arm. She winced every few seconds at the pain.
Hunter then seemed to pull her away a bit. She silently followed him without hesitation. Her blood red robes seemed to quiver, as though her entire body was trembling.
Hunter opened the sliding door which was opposite to Harry. As Siren began to walk through, the sliding door behind Harry slammed open, and in walked Snape, rather quickly, and rather angrily.
"Siren," he said hastily, taking no notice of those around him, "Siren, come with me, please."
Siren stopped and looked at Snape.
"What's wrong?" she asked, and she let go of Hunter's hand and walked towards Snape.
Hunter looked as though he was going to kill someone. Harry seemed to notice that if Siren wasn't paying attention to Hunter, he would get extremely angry. If indeed they were a couple, Harry assumed that Hunter must have been a very controlling boyfriend.
"Just follow me," Snape said as he turned to leave, urging Siren to go with him, "I'll explain it on the way."
And so, the two of them left. Krum looked absolutely puzzled.
"Vot vos that about?" Krum said, turning around to face Hunter, "Hunter?"
Hunter was gone. He had left the compartment without a word.
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Hope you liked it :) I'll be uploading the next chapters soon...I takes a while to type them all up lol.
-Summer :)
Chapter 5: "The Unusual Train Ride"
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As Harry, Ron, and Hermione got into the car, Harry immediately realized that it's interior was magically enlarged, just like the Weasley's old car.
Harry also noticed the man who was sitting next to Ron. He looked about Sirius's age, and he had a few noticeable scars on his face. Harry suspected this to be an auror.
The man, however, took no notice of Harry, Ron, or Hermione. Instead, he kept looking out the window.
Throughout the entire car ride, the man never spoke a word, nor introduced himself.
As they finally arrived at King's Cross, the man opened the door to let Harry, Ron, and Hermione out.
As the three of them got out of the car, the man finally spoke.
"I want you three to stay close to me," he said in a somewhat demanding voice, "and DON'T stray off."
Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged nervous glances, and they followed the man towards Platform 9 3/4.
"I'll go first," Harry said once they arrived at the wall between platforms 9 and 10.
"Oh no you don't," said the man, "You're going last with me."
"Why?" Harry exclaimed, rather rudely.
"Because," the man replied coldly, "I'm here to protect you against Dark Lords, and if one of them happens to be waiting on the other side of that wall, I will not be held responsible for letting you be kidnaped, or killed."
The man seemed to now be towering over Harry in an overwhelming dominance. Harry was suddenly reminded of Voldemort for some odd reason. Perhaps it was the man's attitude towards him. Or perhaps it was the evil look of the man's face, hovering over him. Either way, he knew he would be glad to be rid of this man.
"So then," Ron said aloud, "You are an auror."
"Of course I am," the man snapped.
"You two," he said, pointing at Hermione and Ron, "You two go first."
Hermione shrugged her shoulders and gave Harry a helpless look. Her and Ron then walked calmly through the wall between platforms 9 and 10.
"Alright," said the man, "Our turn. Let's go."
The man grabbed Harry by his left arm, since Harry's right arm pulled along his trolley.
And so Harry was literally pulled through the wall by this man. As they appeared on the other side of the wall, the man continued to pull Harry away and on to the train.
Ron and Hermione, who were waiting on the other side of the wall, ran to catch up with Harry and the man who pulled him.
The man eventually pulled Harry onto the train, and into an empty compartment.
"You'll be safe here," the man said.
"Gee, are you sure?" Ron asked with sarcastic concern.
The man, though, didn't notice Ron's sarcasm and replied, "Of course I'm sure. This is where one of the Hogwarts Teachers will be staying."
But before Harry could ask which teacher, the man left.
Harry put all of his things away and slouched down onto a seat. "I wonder which teacher is staying here," Harry sighed.
"Snape," Ron muttered in pure annoyance.
"What?" Harry groaned as he sat up a bit.
"We saw him on the train while you were getting pulled by that auror," Hermione answered.
"Oh," Harry replied, "Great. My favourite teacher in the whole wide world."
Hermione laughed a bit.
"Well, look on the bright side," Ron added, "He can't take any points away from Gryffindor, I mean, the term hasn't even started yet."
"But he'll be sure to note your current attitudes toward him once he IS able to take away your pathetic house points," said a cold voice from behind Ron.
There stood Snape, wicked as ever.Ron jumped in surprise and quickly sat down next to Harry.
This left only two seats left. Snape sat down opposite to Harry and next to the window, and Hermione was the forced to sit next to Snape, as it was the only seat left. She almost fell off the edge of it, trying to stay as away as possible from the mean teacher.
"Since when do teachers go on the Hogwarts Express?" Harry asked bitterly.
"Quit your whining, Potter, I didn't ask to come here." Snape replied.
"Then why are you here?" Harry asked without taking his eyes off of Snape.
Snape sighed and answered in barely more than a whisper, "To ensure that someone arrives safely."
Harry couldn't believe his ears. Snape was there to ensure his safety? Or was he talking about someone else?
Snape must have noticed the look of shock on Harry face because he quickly added, "And it's not you. So don't look so surprised."
Hermione, who was still edging as far away from Snape as possible, suddenly looked at him, her eyebrows raised in curiosity.
"Who, then?" she asked.
Snape rolled his eyes and without looking at her replied, "That's not your business, so be quiet."
Hermione gave Snape an evil look, then turned her eyes to Ron.
"So," she said, "When do you want to start looking for Ginny and the twins?"
"Right now," Ron answered, looking at Snape, "And quickly."
The three of them all stood up to leave, but as they did, Snape finally looked at them.
"Actually," he said in a toneless voice, "I'd like to have a word with you, Potter."
Harry scoffed. "About what?"
Snape didn't reply, but simply glared persistently at Harry. Then, as if Harry could read Snape's mind, he understood. Snape wanted to talk about Voldemort.
Harry somewhat nodded as he realized this, then he turned to Ron and Hermione.
"Um, I'll catch up with you guys in a bit," he said, "Is that ok?"
Ron, who was completely bewildered at this point, just simply replied, "Sure, it's your funeral."
"Yeah, it's ok," Hermione said quietly. She seemed to know what was going on.
Hermione and Ron both left the compartment, and Harry sat back down, opposite to Snape.
"Potter, I though we'd discuss the recent passing of your relatives," Snape said right away.
"I thought as much," Harry replied quietly.
Snape looked at Harry in a manner which showed neither hate nor pity. In fact, it showed no emotion at all. Neither did his voice.
"Potter," he continued, "You do know that Voldemort wasn't the only one behind it, don't you?"
"Yeah," Harry replied, looking out the window, "Do you know who it was?"
"How should I know?" Snape asked, looking at Harry suspiciously.
"Sir, I know you're spying on Voldemort," he said, looking back at Snape.
"And exactly how do you know this, Potter?" Snape spat coldly.
"Sirius told me," Harry replied.
Snape flinched at the mention of Sirius's name. Hate seemed to flood his eyes, and his lip began to curl.
"Of course he did," Snape muttered, as though talking to himself. He then looked darkly at Harry and added, "But you listen to me, Potter, if that information passes through your lips once more to anyone, you will be in severe trouble, understand?"
"Fine," Harry snapped back, "You needn't bite my head off-"
"Potter," Snape interrupted, angrily this time, "if that information gets out, Voldemort will hear about it, and if he finds out, I'm as good as dead, and the Ministry will have no longer have any inside information. It is dire that my purposes remain a secret. Sirius was a fool to tell you, but since he has, I expect you to be especially quiet about it, or else."
Just as Snape finished threatening Harry, the compartment door on Harry's side opened.
"There you are," a girl said as she walked in.
"Siren," Snape said as he stood up, "You're late."
"I know," Siren replied, "But at least I caught the train. I wasn't even sure if I would."
As she said this, the train began to move.
"Please, have a seat," Snape said.
Siren sat down, and she finally noticed Harry.
"Harry," se said, stunned, "Nice meeting you again."Harry knew this was a lie, because Siren didn't seem happy at all to see him.
"What are you doing here?" Harry asked her, "are you going got Hogwarts, too?"
"Um, yeah," Siren said.
Harry desperately wanted to leave. He looked at Snape.
"Can I go now?" he asked.
"Yes, go," Snape said, annoyed.
Harry quickly stood up. He walked towards the compartment door. As he reached his hand out to open it, the door slid open quickly. Harry looked at the doorway in surprise, only to see Draco Malfoy standing there, along with Crabbe and Goyle. Harry noticed right away that Draco looked different. He was a good few inches taller, and he looked rather buffed up - rather intimidating, if Harry didn't know him better.
'You've got to be kidding,' Harry thought, 'First Snape, now this?'
"Oh look, it's Princess Potter," Malfoy said to Crabbe and Goyle.
Harry simply rolled his eyes.
"Would you mind getting out of the way?" Harry said coldly.
Crabbe and Goyle began to crack their knuckles in a threatening way.
"Come again, Potter?" Malfoy laughed, "Am I in your way?"
"Yes," Harry replied cooly, "So move - unless, of course, your ego is too big to fit through the doorway."
Malfoy turned red with anger and clenched his fists.
"I bet you think you're funny, don't you, Potter?" Malfoy scoffed, "but I'll be the one laughing once the Dark Lord puts you in your place-"
"Malfoy!" Siren yelled from behind Harry, "How dare you say such a thing!"
Malfoy's eyes widened at the sight of Siren. He looked her up and down, and took a deep breath.
"Lady Siren," he stammered, quite like his father did in Siren's presence, "W-what brings you here?"
Harry was surprised to see even Crabbe and Goyle cowering behind Malfoy.
"I will be attending Hogwarts this year, Draco," Siren said coldly, "and I will be teaching there as well."
Malfoy gulped.
"Teaching?" he choked, "teaching what?"
Siren moved closer to Malfoy until she was right beside Harry.
Snape simply stood in the background, overlooking the five of them.
Siren looked at Malfoy, and Harry could see nothing but pure hate and disgust in her eyes. Oddly enough, Harry was reminded of the way Voldemort had looked at him when he rose again. His snake-like eyes piercing his hearts and mind, corrupting them, and making them cold.
As Harry looked at Siren's eyes, he noticed a great resemblance to those of Voldemort's when he was about Harry's age, when he was still known as Tom Riddle.
"I will be teaching a new class," Siren replied cooly, "only a select few will participate in it."
Harry finally understood. The only new class that Harry could think of was the Dark Arts. Siren was going to be the Dark Arts teacher. But she didn't look very old. Only about Harry's age. And what did she mean when she said she'd be attending Hogwarts as well as teaching there? Was she going to be a teacher and a student? Was that even allowed?
"You mean, the Dark Arts?" Malfoy said, a bit happier.
"Don't tell me you're in the class?" Siren sighed in annoyance.
"I am," Malfoy said proudly, looking at Harry, "I'll bet you're not, Potter."
"I am actually," Harry snapped, "and so is Ron and Hermione."
"This will be a fun year for you, Draco," Siren said, smiling somewhat evilly. Harry could have sworn that for a moment Siren's eyes turned red - again, just like Voldemort's did.
Malfoy didn't seem happy at all now. He simply walked past Harry, Siren, and Snape without a word, quickly followed by Crabbe and Goyle, who were desperately trying not to make eye-contact with Siren.
Harry quickly took this opportunity to leave the compartment to find Ron and Hermione. As he left, though, he could have sworn that he heard a soft, beautiful voice, singing in some unknown language, telling Harry to turn back.
Harry, though, simply shook his head of all that nonsense and continued to look for Ron and Hermione.
*****
Harry eventually found Ron and Hermione sitting in a compartment with Fred, George, and Ginny.Harry told them all about what Snape had said (except the fact that Snape was a spy. He just figured that he'd tell Ron and Hermione about it later). He then told them about Siren being the new Dark Arts teacher.
"Dark Arts?" Fred whined, "Why didn't they pick me?"
"Yeah," George agreed, "We never get any of the good classes."
As the five of them talked some more about the new class, Ginny seemed relieved.
"I'm glad I wasn't picked," she said, "I've had enough Dark Arts to last me the rest of my life."
"What are you talking about?!" Ron laughed, "you've never practiced any Dark Arts!"
"No," Ginny replied defensively, going slightly red, "I was talking about - you know - Tom Riddle."
Everyone fell somewhat silent after this. As the silence grew, Harry began to think about the times when he fought and talked to Tom Riddle.
Harry began to remember going into Tom's memory, and seeing Hogwarts as it had been, about 50 years prior to that day.
He remembered Tom's face, and how he had black hair and deep-set eyes. The more he remembered this, the more he began to see the resemblance between Tom and Siren. They both has mature, pale faces, black hair, and serious eyes.
As Harry sunk deeper into his thoughts, he was snapped back to reality when he heard Hermione talking excitedly.
"Viktor!" she said as she stood up.
Viktor Krum had just walked into their compartment with another boy whom Harry had never seen before.
"Hermo-ninny!" Krum said, smiling. He walked towards her and gave her a hug.
"I vos vorried that you veren't on the train," he added.
"I thought you weren't on the train," Hermione replied.
Hermione looked over Krum's shoulder at the boy who stood behind him.
He wore all black, and he had brown hair, and dark eyes.
"Ah," Krum said, noticing her curiosity, "This is Hunter Nott. He vas my friend at Durmstrang. He is going to Hogwarts this year as vell."
Hunter simply nodded his head as a greeting and mumbled something that sounded like, "Hey."
"Are you from Bulgaria, too?" Hermione asked him.
Hunter shook his head no. Krum added, "He is from England, like you. But he can speak Bulgarian very vell. It is easier for me to talk vith him in Bulgarian."
Krum then turned back to Hunter and said something to him (in Bulgarian), followed by everyone else's names.
As usually was done during introductions involving Harry, Hunter looked stunned when he heard Harry's name, and, as usual, he stared at Harry's scar.
"So," Hermione said cheerfully, "what classes are you taking, Viktor?"
Krum pulled out a sheet which had all of his classes on it, and read it aloud.
"Arithmomancy, Charms, History, Divination, Potions, and Dark Arts."
"Oh good!" Hermione smiled, "we're going to be in Dark Arts together."
"Good," Krum replied in his thick accent, "But I thought that Hogwarts didn't teach the Dark Arts. Vhy are they starting it now?"
"I don't know," Hermione answered glumly.
Hermione and Viktor talked a bit more until the doors to their compartment opened, and in walked Siren.
Ron went slightly pink, and Fred and George (who had never seen her before) simply stared at her, open-jawed.
As Siren entered, she saw Hunter and immediately stopped.
The two of them stared a each other for a bit before either of them spoke a word.
"Hunter," Siren finally said, somewhat shocked, "What are you doing here?"
"I was just going to ask you the same question," Hunter replied gently.
"I'm going to Hogwarts," Siren replied softly, "My mother didn't want me under Karkaroff's care anymore because of ... well, you know."
"I understand," Hunter said as he walked closer to her. He took her hands into his and looked deeply at her. "You promised you would come to visit me over the summer," he said quietly, "but you never did."
"I know," Siren said, putting her head down. "I'm sorry, but, a lot has happened this summer, with my grandfather and all."
"That's no excuse," Hunter said dominantly, but quietly, "A promise is a promise, Siren."
As he said this, he seemed to hold her hand tighter, and she flinched a bit as if it was hurting her.
"I'm sorry, Hunter," she replied softly, keeping her head down, "but we're together now. Everything is normal again."Hunter than let go of her hand slightly and hugged her. "I missed you," he said.
"I missed you, too," Siren whispered.
As they embraced, Siren finally took notice of Krum and everyone else who was staring at her.
"Oh, hello Viktor," she said as she left Hunter's arms and walked closer to Krum.
"There are a lot more transver students than I thought there vos going to be," Krum said.
"Well," Siren replied, "Dumbledore persuaded me to come here instead of Durmstrang,"
"I see," Krum replied, "So, it's been a while since last I saw you." He gave Siren a hug, as though they were old friends reunited after hard times.
Hunter didn't seem happy about that, but he remained silent and simply put his arm around Siren and Viktor pulled away.
"How are you, Viktor?" she asked him in a melancholy tone.
"Good," he replied, "I vos playing sport all summer. Vot about you? Vot did you do this summer?"
Siren seemed a little nervous about answering the question, but simply replied, "Nothing at all. Stayed at my mom's, y'know, but nothing major."
"Haff you heard from Karkaroff at all?" Krum asked quietly.
"No," Siren sighed, "but I think he might be back with Voldemort, unfortunately."
"Don't say that name, please," Krum said, taking a deep breath.
"Sorry," Siren whispered.
"How do you know he is vith - that lot?" Krum asked suspiciously.
Siren shrugged her shoulders.
"Just rumours, I guess," she answered politely.
As she answered, sherubbed her left forearm and lifted the sleeve a little. Her eyes widened as she looked at it, though nobody else could see what she was looking at. She pulled her sleeve back down and continued to act as though nothing had happened.
"Are you ok?" Krum asked.
"Yeah," Siren said, "Just, um, I hit my arm on a desk this morning - it's a little sore."
At this, Hunter stepped forward and took hold of Siren's hand.
"We should go now," he said, "we have a lot of catching up to do."
"Yeah," Siren replied, still holding on to her arm. She winced every few seconds at the pain.
Hunter then seemed to pull her away a bit. She silently followed him without hesitation. Her blood red robes seemed to quiver, as though her entire body was trembling.
Hunter opened the sliding door which was opposite to Harry. As Siren began to walk through, the sliding door behind Harry slammed open, and in walked Snape, rather quickly, and rather angrily.
"Siren," he said hastily, taking no notice of those around him, "Siren, come with me, please."
Siren stopped and looked at Snape.
"What's wrong?" she asked, and she let go of Hunter's hand and walked towards Snape.
Hunter looked as though he was going to kill someone. Harry seemed to notice that if Siren wasn't paying attention to Hunter, he would get extremely angry. If indeed they were a couple, Harry assumed that Hunter must have been a very controlling boyfriend.
"Just follow me," Snape said as he turned to leave, urging Siren to go with him, "I'll explain it on the way."
And so, the two of them left. Krum looked absolutely puzzled.
"Vot vos that about?" Krum said, turning around to face Hunter, "Hunter?"
Hunter was gone. He had left the compartment without a word.
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Hope you liked it :) I'll be uploading the next chapters soon...I takes a while to type them all up lol.
-Summer :)