A while later Hermione checked her watch and saw that they had about 15 minutes before Remus was to be coming back to Number four. Leaving the swings, they started to walk back.
The cat that had faithfully stayed with them trotted off in front of them. It seemed that he figured that the trio was fully capable to make it home with out stirring up trouble.
A figure was walking up behind them. Harry heard the footsteps and whipped around, wand at the ready.
"Whoa Harry!"
Harry blushed slightly and put his wand back into the waist of his jeans as Remus took longer strides to get in step with them.
"You got everything taken care of?" He asked.
They nodded and walked silently up the road and up the drive. At the door Remus turned towards Harry and said softly. "You can come back with us you know."
Harry nodded. "I don't think I can," he said, looking at his feet.
Remus squeezed his shoulder, and then turned to Hermione and Ron; "Lets get going before your mum has my head for being late."
"Bye Harry." Hermione hugged him.
"See you soon mate," Ron said.
Harry opened the door and stepped into the house. Remus, Hermione and Ron were going down the walk and heading towards an ally where they could use a portkey.
Coming into the kitchen the Dursley's looked up at him. Harry coldly stared back at them.
"Leave me alone." He declared, and went up to his room. He threw himself back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Sighing, he turned over and got to work on some of his homework. For the remainder of the holiday, Harry would stay in the house, not bothering to venture outside.
As the first of September crept closer, Harry started to round up all his school supplies and trying to cram them in his trunk in some sort of order.
On the first, he coasted Hedwig into her cage, making sure she had enough food to keep her quite over the trip. He then got dressed in his uniform, minus the robe of course.
Dragging his trunk down the stairs and leaving it at the front door, Harry made his way into the living room where Uncle Vernon was reading the paper. Dudley was staring fixedly at the TV. Aunt Petunia was trying to peer discreetly out the front window at Ms. Number 10 who was watering her flowerbeds.
"Uncle Vernon?"
He looked up at Harry and did a double take. "What are you wearing?" He tried to pull off a Snape sneer but with his fat face it just looked like he was wrinkling up like a bulldog.
Aunt Petunia and Dudley turned to look at him.
"My school clothes," Harry answered.
Harry smiled to himself as his Uncle's face turned a very interesting shade of purple.
"You wear this every day?" Vernon asked, hardly believing it.
Harry nodded. "Well, we also have to wear this." He took the robe that was lying over his arm and put it on.
Aunt Petunia suppressed a squeak at the remarkable resemblance of James Potter that shown through when his son was dressed in clothing that actually fit him.
Harry locked eyes with his Aunt for a moment before the doorbell rang, breaking the silence.
"I'll see you at the end of the school year," Harry directed the comment towards his Aunt, ignoring the rest of his family.
Harry quickly slipped off his robe and left the living room to open the front door. Hermione and Ron were waiting for him with a green ministry car parked along the curb.
Hermione gave him a small hug while Ron reached in the door for Harry's trunk. Grabbing Hedwig and handing her to Hermione, Harry took the other end of the trunk and helped Ron carry it to the car. Opening the back door, Harry slid in after Hermione.
"Wochter Harry." Tonks said, her hair blonde with blue streaks, falling a bit past her shoulders. She was sitting beside Mr. Weasley, who was driving a Ministry car.
"Hey Tonks, Mr. Weasley."
"Hello Harry. Your relatives give you any trouble this summer?"
Harry shook his head. Mr. Weasley smiled at him in the review mirror as they drove onto the highway.
"What did the Dursley's say about our uniforms?" Hermione asked who was also in her school clothing.
Harry softly smiled. "Speechless. My Aunt gave me a weird look, must have reminded her of my dad. I don't think my Uncle liked me looking better then Dudley."
Ron laughed. "Maybe that would get him to lose weight."
Harry snorted. "Precious 'Dinky Diddydums' working in the dirt? You have got to be kidding me."
Ron squeaked out, "Dinky Diddydums?" before he burst out laughing.
Hermione's face was rather red as she tried to contain her laughter. Tonks, in the front seat, was laughing so hard, tears were rolling down her cheeks.
"That fat pig cousin of yours nickname is 'Dinky Diddyd-dums?"
Mr. Weasley clucked un-approvingly, but had a hard time hiding his small smile.
Harry nodded, caching up in everyone's happy mood, he found himself laughing too.
"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked, finally noticing the lack of the younger red head in the car.
"Coming with Mum, forgot something at home." Ron said, trying to calm Pig down who was a little upset at being stuck in his cage and then in a car.
The ride passed quickly and before Harry knew it they were pulling into King's Cross Station. Loading up their trolleys and heading to platform 9 and 10, drawing strange looking with the two owls, one who was protesting the fact of being cooped up.
One after the other, they took the barrier at a run, coming out in front of the scarlet engine that took Harry to his real home every year and brought him back to his jail in the summer.
Looking at the clock the trio found that they had 20 minutes to spare before 11 o'clock. Finding a compartment and loading their luggage into it, they went back out to find Ginny.
Hermione was pinning her prefect badge to her robe. Ron was poking himself over and over again before Hermione muttered something that sounded like, 'boys' and taking the pin out of his hand and affixing it to Ron's robes with a quick movement of her wrist.
"Ron!"
They all turned towards the shout and found Ginny pushing her trolley with Mrs. Weasley walking beside her.
Walking up towards them, Mrs. Weasley engulfed Harry into a hug, "How are you Harry?" She asked, holding him back at the shoulders to get a good look at him.
"I'm fine."
"Come on Gin, let's put your stuff in our compartment," Hermione said.
After traveling to the very last compartment and stowing her stuff along with theirs, they went back out to bid the Weasley's and Tonks goodbye.
"Ron, you have a bit of dirt on your nose." Mrs. Weasley said, advancing on her son with a handkerchief.
"Mum! Geroff!" Ron said, moving away and trying to hide behind Hermione and Harry. Which did not work too well considering Hermione is about a head shorter then both the boys and Ron is a good 2 inch's above Harry.
Harry muttered to Ron. "De ja vu."
"Shut up Harry."
Saying their good byes they boarded the train and waved out the window till the station was just a point in the distance.
Hermione and Ron left to walk the corridors, promising to be back with in the hour. In that hour Luna Lovegood joined them. Her wand stuck in its normal place behind her ear. Sitting down and turning her "Quibbler" magazine upside down and sitting into a corner.
After Harry's article, the magazine had received many new readers. As thanks Luna's father had given Harry a free subscription. He mostly read it for the laughs. But sometimes there would be a good story that caught his eye. Rita was writing for them. Hermione kept an eye over what she writes, just in case.
Ginny had let Crookshanks out and was petting him, staring out the window, lost in thought.
Harry was filliping through a Quidditch Weekly when Hermione and Ron came back.
The food cart had already come by and Harry had gotten some of everything.
Ron grabbed a chocolate frog as he sank down in his seat. "Please tell me we were not that annoying as first years." He said biting off the frog's head.
Hermione smiled sweetly. "No, you were worst."
"Ha ha." Ron muttered.
They fell into easy conversation and before they knew it the train was slowing down at Hogsmeade's station.
"Hey, the peroxide king did not grace us with his presence." Hermione said
Harry laughed along with Hermione as Ron, Ginny and Luna gave them strange looks.
"Peroxide?" Ron asked, a confused look upon his face.
"Muggle thing, don't worry about it Ron," Harry said, standing up to hand down Hedwig and Pig from the upper luggage racks.
Hermione was trying to get Crookshanks back his carrying cage.
Leaving their luggage on the train but taking Hedwig, Crookshanks, and Pig with them, they made their way to the not-horse-less drawn carriages.
Harry opened Hedwig's cage and let her out into the night. Then went to the front of the carriage and gave the thesral pulling it a small pat on the neck before climbing in after Ron.
After shutting the door the bumpy ride started, carrying them all into another school year, little did they know that the school year would turn into a bumpy ride too.
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