THE ROAD TO HOGWARTS
The rest of the week at the Burrow went by quickly. Harry was sad that his time
with the Weasley family was coming to an end. He was going to miss their
company, and he wasn't anticipating going back to Hogwarts as much as he had in
previous years. There was also something else that had changed his mood in the
last few days.
His scar was hurting again.
Apart from the first few days of his summer break, Harry's scar hadn't hurt at
all. He was wondering what Voldemort must be up to now. He wasn't having any
particularly interesting nightmares, but he feared that any day now Voldemort
would show him something that he did not want to see.
Harry decided to worry about that issue later. For the moment, he had to get
things packed up. His possessions had gotten mingled with Ron's in the small
room they shared, and he was having some difficulty figuring out which socks
were his.
Harry had used his free time to arrange his summer gifts a little better. He
had finally gotten around to putting his summer letters from Ron and Hermione
into an album. A few days ago a notice from Hogwarts arrived that officially
announced that Snape would not be teaching Potions. Harry decided to add that
note to his collection of most beloved letters.
An hour later Ron, Harry and Ginny grabbed their luggage and headed downstairs.
"Everyone ready to leave?" Mr. Weasley asked in a cheery tone. He and Mrs.
Weasley seemed to be in good spirits. They had been very busy with the
relocation efforts, but today they had been given a break.
Mr. Weasley had arranged another portkey for them to use. This time it was a
teapot. The portkey led them to a remote corner of King's Cross station. From
there they headed off to platform nine and three-quarters.
Harry had just barely stepped through the magical barrier on the platform when
he was surrounded by head of bushy hair.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted as she gave him an affectionate hug. "It's good to
see you again."
"Same here." Harry replied sheepishly.
"Hey 'mione", Ron said to her, "are you still mad at me?"
"Of course not Ron." Hermione said, smiling. "You should watch out for
Crookshanks, though. He doesn't forget things easily."
"Hmmm, I'd better keep an eye on Pig then." Ron replied. "Wouldn't want
Crookshanks to get any ideas."
"Oh Ron, he'd never do that."
"Yes he would, you should see that hungry look he gets in his eyes when you're
not around."
The students quickly got onto the Hogwarts Express after saying their goodbyes
to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They had arrived early enough to find an empty
compartment. They struggled a little to get their luggage and pets settled (Ron
kept a constant eye on Crookshanks) then took their seats.
"This year's going to be so exciting!" Hermione said when they sat down.
"The NEWT level courses are going to be very interesting. I read some of the
material in the textbooks over the summer. The potions in that new book are
really complicated, Snape would love them. I can't imagine why he would leave
on such short notice."
A large grin appeared on Ron's face as he stood up and opened the compartment.
"Come on Hermione, let's go check on the first years, I have some information
to share with you on the way."
"I'm going to see if I can find Dean." Ginny said as she left as well. Harry
sat alone in the compartment, feeling a bit left out. Hedwig seemed to sense
his mood as she gave him a soft chirp from her cage. He was broken out of his
self-pity by the sight of Draco Malfoy and his two bodyguards, Crabbe and
Goyle.
Harry stood up, preparing himself for the certain confrontation.
He was perplexed, however, when Malfoy simply sneered at him and continued
walking.
"Hmm, that was...odd." Harry thought. He couldn't see why Malfoy
wouldn't jump at the chance to get him alone on the train.
Harry told his friends about Malfoy's strange behavior when they returned
later.
"The rumor around the train is that he's on probation." Hermione explained. "A
lot of Malfoy's victims complained to Dumbledore when he came back to Hogwarts.
One more slip up and Draco won't be a prefect anymore."
"So there is some justice left in the world!" Ron said, delighted. "Did
you see how the other Slytherins were avoiding him and his bullies? Bet they
don't want to be publicly associated with the son of Voldemort's errand boy. I
reckon they'll kick him off the Quidditch team before the year is out."
Harry and his friends spent the rest of the train ride talking and playing
exploding snap. Night had fallen when the train pulled into Hogsmeade Station
and a thick fog was settling in. Harry took a deep breath in the cool night air
as he got off the train.
"Firs' years this way!"
Harry recognized the booming voice of Hagrid and turned around to give him a
wave. He was going to greatly enjoy their first NEWT level class with him
tomorrow.
The four students got their luggage together and headed towards the hundred
carriages waiting to take them to Hogwarts. Harry could barely see the black
forms of the thestrals in the darkness and fog, but they were definitely there.
"Let's take the last one." Ron suggested as he pointed to the last carriage in
the line. "I want to keep all those Slytherins in front of us."
They got into the aging carriage. Harry noticed that this one didn't smell of
old hay and mold like the last one he had been in.
As soon as all the students were settled in their transports, the thestrals
began to quickly trot up the rough road that led from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After a little while Harry poked his head
out of the window on his side. The fog was so thick he couldn't even see the
carriage in front of them.
As Harry was staring outside into the darkness, he could see small glittering
red lights in the grass next to the road. "Fairy lights? No, that doesn't make
sense." Harry thought.
Suddenly, the thestral pulling their carriage let out a gasping sound and
bolted off the road. The occupants of the carriage were thrown in every
direction as the powerful thestral ran wildly into the night.
"What's going on?!?" Ginny shouted as she was tossed against the side of the
carriage.
"Something must have scared the thestral!" Harry yelled as he tried to look
outside and see where the thestral was taking them. He could hardly see
anything through the darkness and the thick mist.
What Harry COULD see was the thestral starting to unfurl it's huge bat-like
wings.
"It's trying to take off!!" he shouted. "We have to stop it!"
Hermione bravely leaned out of one of the small windows and cast a Freezing
Charm where she figured the thestral would be. "It's not working!" she shouted
as the carriage continued to run out of control. "Thestrals must be resistant
to magic!"
The thestral was beating it's mighty wings in an attempt to take flight, but
the weight of the carriage was holding it back. At some point something was
going to break. The terrified animal was thrashing from side to side now.
"STOP! STOP! Calm down!!" This time it was Ron yelling out of a window.
An idea formed in Harry's head. It was a long shot, but at this point he had to
take his chances. Harry leaned out of the window and pointed his wand far in
front of the thestral....
"Expecto Patronum!!"
The brilliant, shining form of a spectral stag appeared in the darkness ahead
of them.
The thestral came to a sudden halt, staring at the animal that had appeared
before it. Harry's Patronus slowly trotted up to the puzzled thestral. The
ghostly stag softly nuzzled the thestral with it's nose, then faded away.
Everyone quickly spilled out of the carriage to catch their breath and assess
the damage.
"Good job, Harry!" Ron said with a congratulatory slap on the back. "How'd you
know that would work?"
"I didn't." Harry panted. "I was just hoping another animal could calm it
down."
Hermione was busy writing something on a piece of parchment. "It doesn't look
like anyone has noticed that we're not with the group. Harry, have Hedwig take
this up to Professor Dumbledore. If we don't show up for the feast on time
he'll get worried. At least with this he'll know what's happened."
As Harry was giving the snowy owl the message, the rest of them surveyed the
carriage. One of the wheels was broken and the harness on the thestral had
suffered a lot of damage, but it didn't seem to be anything a few repairing
spells couldn't fix.
"What on earth could spook a thestral like that?" Ginny questioned, looking
more puzzled than frightened at the moment.
"I'm not sure." Harry said. He didn't know what exactly had happened,
put the pain on his forehead gave him a pretty good guess on who was
behind it.
After a few attempts to repair the damage ("No Ron, it's 'Re-PAR-oh' not 'Re-PAIR-oh' "), the carriage was back in working condition. The thestral had calmed down a bit and soon they were slowly moving up the road to Hogwarts. After a very tense and quiet trip, they finally arrived at the stone steps in front of the school. Everyone was hoping that they hadn't missed the feast as they ran into the great hall.
"Tuck in!" Dumbledore was saying just as they reached the hall. They had missed the sorting ceremony and Dumbledore's opening words, but at least they had made it in time for the food.
Colin Creevey saw the group and waved them over. He had been saving seats for them. As Harry sat down he looked up at the staff table.
Sitting at the table were the usual faces that Harry had gotten to know so well over the years. Professor Dumbledore was sitting in his throne-like chair in the center, between Professor McGonnagal and Professor Flitwick. Dumbledore gave them a reassuring wave as they were taking their seats. He had apparently received Hermione's message since he did not seem surprised to see them arrive late.
Professor Flitwick was having an animated conversation with a young bronze-skinned man that could only be the new Creation of Magical Devices instructor, Maximillian Wiseacre. His youthful face and sharp features led Harry to guess that he was in his mid to late twenties.
Harry's eyes continued down the table. Professor Sinistra and Professor Vector were seated next to each other. When Harry saw Hagrid sitting near the end of table he made a mental note to ask him about the thestral's strange behaviour later. Seated next to Hagrid was...
A....GOBLIN?!?
Harry turned to look at Ron and Hermione, who seemed to be just as shocked as he was.
"What the bloody hell is going on?" Ron asked some of the other Gryffindors at the table. "What's a goblin doing here?"
"No one's said anything about it yet." Colin told him with a look of uncertainty on his face. "I guess Professor Dumbledore will mention it after the feast. Hey, don't goblins eat babies?"
"No, they do not eat babies." Ginny replied with a bit of a scowl. "That's just a muggle myth."
"I'm sure Dumbledore will clear it all up soon." Hermione said as she reached for some turkey.
They all put the goblin out of their minds and dug into the food. Harry thought that the selection this year was even greater than before. He figured that maybe the house elves had found some new recipes.
After everyone had eaten their fill, Dumbledore once again stood up to speak.
"I encourage anyone who is interested," he said loudly "to visit the house elves in the kitchens to thank them for the wonderful meal we have all just enjoyed. You will find that they can be most appreciative. I believe that the Gryffindor prefects can show you the way." Dumbledore threw a glance at Ron and Hermione, who seemed shocked to find out that he was aware of their trip to visit Dobby last year.
"Now, I believe some introductions are in order." he continued. "I am sure that many of you are aware that there have been some staffing changes here at Hogwarts. Our potions master, Professor Snape, has requested a leave of absence. We expect him to return as soon as he has set his affairs in order. In the meantime, Professor Grubbly-Plank has agreed to serve as Potions instructor. Many of you are familiar with her through her temporary position as Care of Magical Creatures instructor. She is also very handy at potions, having bred many of the creatures that provide the most powerful ingredients. Professor Sinistra will be taking on the role of head of Slytherin house. I trust that she will be given the same level of respect that Professor Snape received."
Harry glanced over at the the Slytherin table and saw that many of the students looked a bit uneasy. Professor Sinistra was a strict disciplinarian, but she was not nearly as biased as Snape.
"We also have two new teachers. Sixth and seventh year students will be receiving instruction in the Creation of Magical Devices from Professor Maximillain Wiseacre." Dubledore said, indicating where Professor Wiseacre was sitting. Professor Wiseacre gave a polite wave and a smile to the crowd.
"Serving as our new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor, will be Professor Grok." Dumbledore nodded to the goblin at the end of the table. "He is most skilled in the field of curse-breaking, and we are very happy to have him on the staff."
Dumbledore then led the crowd into a round of applause. The response was somewhat half-hearted with the news that a goblin would be teaching at Hogwarts.
"As many of you know, we are entering some trying times for wizardkind. We have taken some extra precautions this year to ensure the security of the school. Despite any rumors you may hear, I can assure you all that as long as you are on these grounds no harm will come to you."
"Now, with all that said I think we need a good night's rest. Pleasant dreams to all of you." With that, Dumbledore dismissed the students.
Hermione and Ron led the excited looking first Gryffindors on their tour of the castle while Harry headed to the common room by himself. He walked slowly, taking the opportunity to be alone with his thoughts. He was still a little shaky from the ordeal with the thestral.
The Gryffindor common room was just as warm and inviting as Harry had remembered it. There were already quite a few students there, chatting about the new instructors.
"What's this business with Snape about?" Seamus was saying. "I could hardly believe my eyes when I read that letter they sent out."
"Did you see that GOBLIN?!?" Dean added. "I've never seen one up close. Gave me chills."
Harry sat down in a chair for a while and listened to the chatter while staring into the common room fire. The same fire that Sirius had appeared in. No matter where he went, he was reminded of Sirius. He was trying to find the joy in that, but he still just got that aching sense of sorrow.
Hermione and Ron soon entered the common room with the first years. "Professor Dumbledore's taste in instructors is MAD." Ron said as he plopped into a chair next to Harry. "A werewolf I can understand. A centaur is stretching it...but an effing goblin?!?. I never saw that one coming."
"It is rather strange." Hermione agreed. "Goblins are certainly very capable magical beings, but they're usually not allowed to interact with human children."
"Well, maybe it's time all that changed." Harry added. "I mean it's stupid really, people trusting goblins with their money but not with their kids. I've had a couple of encounters with the goblins at Gringotts. They're not exactly pleasant, but they're always very professional and they're obviously trustworthy."
"But why would a goblin come to Hogwarts, Harry?" Hermione asked.
Harry recalled the statue that had stood in the Ministry of Magic lobby. The image of centaurs, goblins and house-elves looking up to wizards admirably. "Dumbledore's been making an effort to unite the magical races. This could be like a show of good faith to the goblins. Professor Grok might be some kind of...ambassador...or something."
"I'm all for keeping the goblins happy." Ron sighed as he slumped deeper into the comfortable chair. "I don't want to think about what would happen if they joined up with Voldemort."
"That would be terrible!" Hermione said with a genuine look of fright on her face. "Remember what happened in the Goblin Rebellion of 1612?"
"Of course not." Ron said, as though the answer was obvious.
Hermione just rolled her eyes and walked toward the girls' dormitory. "I'm going to bed, goodnight." she said over her shoulder as she reached the stairs.
"I think I'll go to bed too." Harry said as he got up. "It's been a long day."
Ron agreed and they headed up the spiral staircase to the familiar dormitory they shared with Seamus, Neville and Dean. Soon after Harry's head hit his pillow, he was fast asleep.
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Author's notes:
A little bit more action in this one, eh? Sorry if things were a little slow up to this point, but I think Harry deserved a break after all he's been through.
prowlingwolf/seasis_graywolf:
thanks for your thorough examination of my grammar and syntax. I admit sometimes I gloss over that aspect when I'm concentrating on the story. Hopefully this chapter is error free. I'll be fixing problems in the previous chapters later.
Skimbleshanks:
Don't worry, there's a lot more story left to tell.
Everyone else:
Thanks for reading. I hope i can keep up with expectations.