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Secrets in the Shadows
Chapter 2: The Year Starts
A few minutes later, Haylie came back into the compartment and sat down. She didn't speak, just watched the landscape rush past out the window. She seemed unaware by the other's presence.
Just then, the compartment door slid open. To the three's disgust, it was Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle.
"Hello, Potty...Weasel...Mudblood," he sneered.
"Move it or loose it, Malfoy," Harry said, standing up. Ron and Hermione did the same.
"Why should I, Potter?" he spat. "You're not a prefect, now, are you?"
"No, but we are," Hermione challenged, motioning to Ron.
"Oh, I'm so scared," Draco mocked. Hermione whipped out her wand, pointing it at Malfoy.
"You should be," she snapped.
"You know you're not allowed to use magic on the train," Malfoy told her, a small sliver of apprehension in his eyes. Hermione was a powerful witch.
"Do I see fear in your eyes, Malfoy?" Hermione smirked. "You're actually intimidated by a Muggle-Born?"
Malfoy suddenly drew his wand, and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" Hermione's wand clattered against the window.
"No, actually I'm not," he said to Hermione, sneering once again. Suddenly, a voice shouted "Rasgunus!" A stream of white light hit Malfoy in the chest. Nothing happened for a few seconds...but then Malfoy started itching his arm restlessly. He started scratching his other arm, then his legs, and then his chest.
"What the heck? I'm burning all over!" he said. He suddenly yelled in frustration as the itching got worse. He ran out of the compartment. Crabbe and Goyle followed.
"You haven't heard the last of me, Potter!" Malfoy called over his shoulder.
"Harry! Why'd you do that?" Hermione scolded. "Now he's going to tell a teacher as soon as we get to school!"
"I didn't do it, Ron did," Harry said, looking toward Ron.
"What? No, I didn't! I thought it was you," Ron said defensively.
"Then who...?"
They all turned to Haylie, who was still staring out the window. Harry could have sworn he saw her hand slip something into her pocket, a slight grin on her face.
{{{{}}}}
When the train finally stopped at Hogsmead, they could see groups of Aurors keeping watch and accompanying students to their carriages.
"Extra security," Ron mumbled to Harry. He nodded. The three got up and went the door and off the train. Haylie, however, lagged behind. The three didn't notice, but started walking toward the carriages.
"Harry, over here!" a familiar gruff voice called. He turned to see who it was. It was Mad-Eye Moody.
"Hello," Harry said as Mad-Eye hobbled over to them. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to escort you to the castle," he said. "Is there another person to go with you? We're trying to fill up the carriages. Safety measure."
"Er...we could find Neville..." Ron suggested.
"How 'bout that young lady over there?" Mad-Eye asked, his magical eye pointing to the back of his head. He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. Harry looked to where he was pointing.
It, of course, was Haylie Damon. She was calmly standing amidst the crowd, as if waiting for it to clear.
"Haylie!" Hermione called. Haylie glanced toward them, a surprised look on her face. She walked over.
"Yah?" she asked, giving Mad-Eye a weary look.
"Do you want to ride with us?" Hermione asked. Haylie thought for a moment, then shrugged, and nodded.
"It's settled then," Mad-Eye said. "Let's go.
The five of them walked toward the line of carriages. Harry looked at the thestrals harnessed to then with a heavy heart. At the corner of his eye, he saw Haylie staring at them, too. She was biting her lip. She finally tore her stare away from them, her grey eyes watering up. She took a deep breath, and then climbed into the carriage.
Harry felt a pang of pity for her. He guessed that she, too, had watched someone die. He, too, climbed into the carriage, sitting beside her. Ron, Hermione, and Mad-Eye followed.
The carriages started to move. Harry watched as the castle loomed in the distance.
When the gates came into view, Ron gasped.
"Bloody 'ell..."
Two Sphinxes were guarding the gate.
"Oh, my..." Hermione breathed, staring at them in astonishment.
"Yes...beautiful, aren't they?" Mad-Eye said. "Dumbledore was thinking along the lines of dragons, but they were too...er...dangerous."
As they drew closer to the magnificent beasts, Haylie suddenly spoke.
"What's the riddle?"
"Eh?" Mad-Eye grunted.
"The riddle to get in...what is it?"
"I can't tell yah," he said, winking with his regular eye. "Top secret."
"Oh," she said, turning back to watch the Sphinxes pass by.
When the carriages stopped and the group climbed out, they joined the crowd of 3rd years-plus swarming into the castle. They walked into the Great Hall and sat down at their tables. The first years came up to the front to be sorted.
As they were being sorted, Ron asked Harry, "See anyone new?" Harry stood up, looking over to the table were all the professors sat. No new faces.
"Nope," Harry replied, sitting down.
"Wonder who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is, then..." Hermione said thoughtfully.
"Yah..."
When the sorting was over, Dumbledore stood up.
"Welcome to a new year," he said, his arms spread. "Now, as you might have noticed, we have new guardians. I would advise that you not cross their path, unless you're a being of supreme intelligence..." He looked directly at Hermione when he said that. She turned a little pink.
"As you might know, Lord Voldemort has returned and is active once again. We need to be vigilant to our surroundings. If you find anything suspicious, alert one of the professors. They will take care of it.
"Now, for the better news...Quidditch try-outs will be held for the Houses Ravenclaw and Gryffindor..."
"Gryffindor?" Harry said. "But...all the positions are filled..."
"They need a new Beater," Ron said. "One of them, Andrew Kirk, was a 7th year. He could only play that year."
"Oh."
"Now," Dumbledore said. "Enough talk! Let the feast begin."
Food and drink suddenly appeared on the table. Ron and Harry grinned as Hermione started to eat immediately.
"What about your 'spew' thing?" Ron asked. Hermione sighed.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Ron?" she said. "It's 'S.P.E.W.' not 'spew'! Anyway, I decided to drop it. It's just too much work. And nobody really seems interested in it."
"Now why would they think that?" Ron said sarcastically. Hermione hurled a rather large piece of chicken at him.
"Hey!" Ron exclaimed. "What is this? Chuck-Food-At-Ron Day or something?"
"Perhaps," she answered, getting back to eating. Ron rolled his eyes.
Secrets in the Shadows
Chapter 2: The Year Starts
A few minutes later, Haylie came back into the compartment and sat down. She didn't speak, just watched the landscape rush past out the window. She seemed unaware by the other's presence.
Just then, the compartment door slid open. To the three's disgust, it was Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle.
"Hello, Potty...Weasel...Mudblood," he sneered.
"Move it or loose it, Malfoy," Harry said, standing up. Ron and Hermione did the same.
"Why should I, Potter?" he spat. "You're not a prefect, now, are you?"
"No, but we are," Hermione challenged, motioning to Ron.
"Oh, I'm so scared," Draco mocked. Hermione whipped out her wand, pointing it at Malfoy.
"You should be," she snapped.
"You know you're not allowed to use magic on the train," Malfoy told her, a small sliver of apprehension in his eyes. Hermione was a powerful witch.
"Do I see fear in your eyes, Malfoy?" Hermione smirked. "You're actually intimidated by a Muggle-Born?"
Malfoy suddenly drew his wand, and shouted, "Expelliarmus!" Hermione's wand clattered against the window.
"No, actually I'm not," he said to Hermione, sneering once again. Suddenly, a voice shouted "Rasgunus!" A stream of white light hit Malfoy in the chest. Nothing happened for a few seconds...but then Malfoy started itching his arm restlessly. He started scratching his other arm, then his legs, and then his chest.
"What the heck? I'm burning all over!" he said. He suddenly yelled in frustration as the itching got worse. He ran out of the compartment. Crabbe and Goyle followed.
"You haven't heard the last of me, Potter!" Malfoy called over his shoulder.
"Harry! Why'd you do that?" Hermione scolded. "Now he's going to tell a teacher as soon as we get to school!"
"I didn't do it, Ron did," Harry said, looking toward Ron.
"What? No, I didn't! I thought it was you," Ron said defensively.
"Then who...?"
They all turned to Haylie, who was still staring out the window. Harry could have sworn he saw her hand slip something into her pocket, a slight grin on her face.
{{{{}}}}
When the train finally stopped at Hogsmead, they could see groups of Aurors keeping watch and accompanying students to their carriages.
"Extra security," Ron mumbled to Harry. He nodded. The three got up and went the door and off the train. Haylie, however, lagged behind. The three didn't notice, but started walking toward the carriages.
"Harry, over here!" a familiar gruff voice called. He turned to see who it was. It was Mad-Eye Moody.
"Hello," Harry said as Mad-Eye hobbled over to them. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to escort you to the castle," he said. "Is there another person to go with you? We're trying to fill up the carriages. Safety measure."
"Er...we could find Neville..." Ron suggested.
"How 'bout that young lady over there?" Mad-Eye asked, his magical eye pointing to the back of his head. He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. Harry looked to where he was pointing.
It, of course, was Haylie Damon. She was calmly standing amidst the crowd, as if waiting for it to clear.
"Haylie!" Hermione called. Haylie glanced toward them, a surprised look on her face. She walked over.
"Yah?" she asked, giving Mad-Eye a weary look.
"Do you want to ride with us?" Hermione asked. Haylie thought for a moment, then shrugged, and nodded.
"It's settled then," Mad-Eye said. "Let's go.
The five of them walked toward the line of carriages. Harry looked at the thestrals harnessed to then with a heavy heart. At the corner of his eye, he saw Haylie staring at them, too. She was biting her lip. She finally tore her stare away from them, her grey eyes watering up. She took a deep breath, and then climbed into the carriage.
Harry felt a pang of pity for her. He guessed that she, too, had watched someone die. He, too, climbed into the carriage, sitting beside her. Ron, Hermione, and Mad-Eye followed.
The carriages started to move. Harry watched as the castle loomed in the distance.
When the gates came into view, Ron gasped.
"Bloody 'ell..."
Two Sphinxes were guarding the gate.
"Oh, my..." Hermione breathed, staring at them in astonishment.
"Yes...beautiful, aren't they?" Mad-Eye said. "Dumbledore was thinking along the lines of dragons, but they were too...er...dangerous."
As they drew closer to the magnificent beasts, Haylie suddenly spoke.
"What's the riddle?"
"Eh?" Mad-Eye grunted.
"The riddle to get in...what is it?"
"I can't tell yah," he said, winking with his regular eye. "Top secret."
"Oh," she said, turning back to watch the Sphinxes pass by.
When the carriages stopped and the group climbed out, they joined the crowd of 3rd years-plus swarming into the castle. They walked into the Great Hall and sat down at their tables. The first years came up to the front to be sorted.
As they were being sorted, Ron asked Harry, "See anyone new?" Harry stood up, looking over to the table were all the professors sat. No new faces.
"Nope," Harry replied, sitting down.
"Wonder who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is, then..." Hermione said thoughtfully.
"Yah..."
When the sorting was over, Dumbledore stood up.
"Welcome to a new year," he said, his arms spread. "Now, as you might have noticed, we have new guardians. I would advise that you not cross their path, unless you're a being of supreme intelligence..." He looked directly at Hermione when he said that. She turned a little pink.
"As you might know, Lord Voldemort has returned and is active once again. We need to be vigilant to our surroundings. If you find anything suspicious, alert one of the professors. They will take care of it.
"Now, for the better news...Quidditch try-outs will be held for the Houses Ravenclaw and Gryffindor..."
"Gryffindor?" Harry said. "But...all the positions are filled..."
"They need a new Beater," Ron said. "One of them, Andrew Kirk, was a 7th year. He could only play that year."
"Oh."
"Now," Dumbledore said. "Enough talk! Let the feast begin."
Food and drink suddenly appeared on the table. Ron and Harry grinned as Hermione started to eat immediately.
"What about your 'spew' thing?" Ron asked. Hermione sighed.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Ron?" she said. "It's 'S.P.E.W.' not 'spew'! Anyway, I decided to drop it. It's just too much work. And nobody really seems interested in it."
"Now why would they think that?" Ron said sarcastically. Hermione hurled a rather large piece of chicken at him.
"Hey!" Ron exclaimed. "What is this? Chuck-Food-At-Ron Day or something?"
"Perhaps," she answered, getting back to eating. Ron rolled his eyes.