ARGH!!! One review isn't that good...is the story THAT BAD?! Anyway, please please R/R I'm begging u!!! ::gives puppy dog eyes:: anyway for those that do like me back to the story.

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"Hello, Harry," Sirius said to Harry, whose face was dumbstruck.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked Sirius, "Did Pettigrew find out where you were and then you had to hide or something?"

"The Weasleys here invited me over. They said that it would be a nice suprise," Sirius said. "By the way, some interesting mail came for you today."

"Where is it?"

"Upstairs," said Sirius. "Your owl dropped by earlier today with it."

"What do you mean, 'interesting mail?' Did I get something bad?"

"I don't know, it just seems really heavy for a letter."

"Okay then, I'll be right back down," Harry said, motioning for Ron and Hermione to follow him upstairs. He unfortunately did not see the little red-headed figure running up the stairs, right into the room where the letter sat.

"It looks ordinary," said Hermione.

"Look at the writing on the front," said Ron, whose face turned and was staring at Hermione.

"It looks like it was written in blood," said Hermione, who looked very nervous.

"Open it up, Harry," Ron told him, and Harry grabbed it.

"I'm opening it with gloves on," Harry told the others, as he put on gloves and read aloud the letter.

HARRY POTTER

I THOUGHT I MADE IT CLEAR THAT YOU WOULD DIE

I ALSO THOUGHT I SAID YOU WOULD PAY

IT DOESNT SEEM LIKE YOU ARE PAYING OR SUFFERING

FOR WHAT YOU DID

IF YOU JUST IGNORE THIS LETTER, I PROMISE YOU

YOUR PAIN WON'T ONLY BE DEATH,

IT'LL BE YOUR CREW'S FIRST!

YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE

"Wow, someone must really hate you Harry," Ron said. Hermione looked horrorstruck.

"What did you ever do to anyone that they would be threatening you like this?" Hermione said, still looking as though someone just getting pinched would be getting hurt or killed.

"Look, guys, I am not letting this get to my head," Harry said as Ginny came in with the Weasleys and Sirius.

"What is in that letter?" Mr. and Mrs. Weasley said together.

"Here," Ron said, shoving the letter at his family.

As they read it, they also looked horrorstruck. After Ginny had read it, she screamed and fainted.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked her, bending over Ginny's limp body.

"Fooled you!" she said as she sat up.

"Don't scare us like that!"

"You know that we don't approve of nonsense like that! Don't joke about it," Mrs. Weasley said as Ginny talked.

"You guys, you know that I was going to test that on Harry, I wanted to test him. And he passed the test, and I am surprised that he did so," Ginny said.

"What was the test?"

"Nevermind."

"No, really, tell me!"

"No."

"Come on, you guys, let's go," Mrs. Weasley said as the doorbell rang.

"Are you expecting anyone?" Sirius asked the Weasleys.

"No."

"You might want to at least see who is at the door," Hermione said, and Mrs. Weasley ran downstairs.

"Errol!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed as the letter he was holding dropped and Errol fell to the floor, too tired to fly upstairs. She grabbed him and gave the letter to her husband. The Weasleys looked at the note. There it was, in bold letters. HARRY POTTER

"See what's inside it!" said Ginny.

"I don't think he should open it. It looks like its another one of those threatening notes," Hermione said.

"Just see what's inside it," Ginny said, staring at Harry. This time, two pieces of parchment fell out, both written in bloodred letters again. Harry looked to make sure everyone was there and he read the letters aloud.

HARRY POTTER

YOU WILL DIE

YOU WILL DIE

YOU WILL DIE

YOU WILL DIE

YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE

"Next," Harry said, shaking it off like it was no big deal.

"Harry, I am proud that you are not letting this get to you, but watch out. Remember what happened to me with the pus a while ago?" Hermione said.

"Yes, I remember, but it is unimportant that I am getting this stupid post."

"Whatever."

"Open the next one, Harry!" Ginny said. If Harry didn't know better he would say that Ginny knew who was sending the notes.

Harry opened the next letter, which also was written in the bloodred color.

HARRY POTTER

YOU WILL PAY

YOU WILL PAY

YOU WILL PAY

YOU WILL PAY

YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE

"Okay then."

"You aren't even worried, Harry?"

"No. I mean, someone is probably doing this as a joke."

"Whatever."

"Harry, maybe we should think about this. Who hates you?" Sirius said.

"Besides Voldemort--Oh, sorry, besides You-Know-Who, no one. Maybe a Death Eater," Harry told him.

"What about one of the Malfoys?" Ron said. "Draco was upset that he couldn't come over, and his parents didn't seem to agree with him."

Unfortunately for Ron, no one agreed with him. Even though the vocabulary used in the letter would be all that a Malfoy could manage, he wouldn't have written something to Harry when the girl he liked was one of the friends of him.

"Wait--now Volde--I mean, now You-Know-Who has a full body again, maybe he is sending them," Harry said, seeing all the Weasleys flinch when he began saying Voldemort's name.

Sirius and Hermione agreed with this theory, however all of the Weasleys disagreed. Suddenly, Bill, Charlie, Fred, and George Apparated right next to them. "What is Harry doing here?"

"I didn't know you could Apparate!" Harry said to Fred and George, who nodded.

"We passed the text last week," Fred said.

"Hello, Harry," Bill said. "Not that you are not welcome, but why are you not here?"

"It's a long story."

"We've got time."

"Okay," Harry said as he explained what was happening. just then, another owl zoomed into sight, and Harry quickly shooed out the Weasleys except for Ron. This time, he missed Ginny, who listened in on the letter's words.

Harry!

I need you guys to rescue me! My dad and mum are so mad that I like Hermione, that now I cannot get out of my room!

HELP!

HELP!

HELP!

Owl-me with the plan, ok?

Draco

"Let's go help him!" said Hermione.

"NO!"

"Why not?"

"Even though Sirius is innocent, Draco may not think so," Ron said.

"Come on, Ron."

"NO! That's my final word," said Ron stubbornly, and Harry and Hermione gave up.

"Whatever." Harry then found another letter awaiting him to open it when he went downstairs.

HARRY POTTER

YOU ARE IGNORING ME

I TOLD YOU IF YOU IGNORED ME

THE CONSEQUENCES ARE TOO DIRE FOR WORDS!

FRIENDS COME FIRST IN EVERYTHING,

BOTH LIFE AND DEATH

YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE

"Pathetic," Harry said, putting down the note.

Later that week, the group went to Diagon Alley, where ten letters all bearing the same message were waiting for Harry, all in the same bloodred color. Harry ignored these, just like the others.

Finally, September 1 came. Harry was all ready for school, whereas Ginny and Ron were not. Sirius had left a week ago, saying that he would see them soon.

"Why is he leaving so early?"

"I dunno, all I know is that I still do not have new quills and parchment."

"Here, I have extras."

"No, don't worry about it."

When they all were safely on Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters, the Weasleys all Apparated right back home, with the exeption of Mr. Weasley, who was driving the car home.

When they arrived on the train, a teacher was standing there, separating all friends and families. They had no choice--Ron went in compartment Thirteen and One-Third,

Hermione went in compartment Twelve and Seven-Eighths, and Harry went in compartment Six and One-Half.

In compartment Thirteen and One-Third, Ron sat along with Goyle and Lorena. Goyle was nervous because he was not around his cronies, and so was Ron. The three sat alone and in terror when a shadowy figure came into the compartment.

"Who are you?" Ron asked the figure.

"I am a new teacher at Hogwarts. You will meet me when we get there," said the voice.

"Something seems oddly familiar about that voice...."

Meanwhile, in Platform Twelve and Seven-Eighths, Hermione was accompanied by Megan, Ginny, and Crabbe, and then a shadowy figure came into her compartment.

"Who are you?"

"Why are you here?"

"I am here on orders. I am a new teacher at Hogwarts and am a leader of one of the houses at the school. This year is going to be the Year of Differences, and I am here for the one year," said the voice.

"There is something oddly familiar about that voice...."

In Platform Six and One-Half, Harry was talking to Draco and Cristy when Cho came in. She told them that shadowy figures were coming all over the train, and were unable to say their name or why they were there or who they were. Just then, a shadowy figure entered their compartment and they stared.

"Who are you?"

"I am unable to say."

"That voice seems familiar...."

When they arrived at the school, Hagrid was not there as usual. "Do you think he is still on that mission for Dumbledore?" Harry asked, and Ron and Hermione shrugged.

When they entered the school, Professor McGonagall was already there waiting for them.

"As many of you probably already are aware, this year is going to be another 'Year of Differences.' For those of you who are confused I will explain this. The Year of Differences is created to give you a taste of difference, as you may be able to tell by the name. Everyone in fifth year and above will be resorted into new houses. Some of you will not be in the same house as your friends," she stared right from Ron, Hermione, and Harry to Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle, "but we feel it will be good for you. Now we are setting up, as there are new students to be sorted and the fifth, sixth, and seventh years all need to be resorted. Wait a moment," McGonagall said as she opened the door.

"What do you think that they are going to do? Did they make a bunch of new Sorting Hats?"

"They are probably just going to draw straws or something."

"No, I don't think so."

Just then, McGonagall came out and told the group, "We are ready for you now. Follow me."

Harry and his friends braced themselves as the door in front of them opened.