Back On The Hogwarts Express

To Harry's relief he saw that he had in fact been picked up by car. The car lay motionless in the glimmering sun. Blue streaks were reflected deeply from the exterior and Harry closed his eyes and reopened them, just to make sure that he wasn't dreaming (he had been doing a lot of that lately). He looked around to the unwelcoming front part of the house of the Dursley's then turned back to the car; which he was making slow progress of getting to. Without even realising, words fell out of Harry's mouth.

"Er. I don't think we're all going to fit in that car?!"  Harry said as he looked up and saw that to his surprise, what he had said made sense. The car would probably be able to fit three or four people but not six, especially as Harry had a large bundle of luggage.

"You'd be amazed at what you can do as a wizard, Harry." Mr Weasley said proudly.

Still feeling utterly confused Harry stuck his head through one of the lighted windows. Space rushed at him as though he had just entered a portal. What was an old stingy car on the outside turned out to be the size of a small flat on the inside? Harry easily placed a large trunk, Hedwig's cage (with Hedwig hooting excitedly inside) and himself in the back of the car. Ron and the guard filed in after Harry as Mr Weasley took up the comfortable driving position. After a shaky start, Mr Weasley got the handle of driving and had a face on that suggested that he was having the time of his life. The car journey was long and boring; Harry sat unmoving and not talking. He started to close his bright green eyes more frequently until he went off to a dreamless sleep. When he opened his eyes, he quickly closed them again so he could adjust to the new bright sun that had arrived from behind misty clouds. Harry looked around and saw Ron picking up Harry's trunk and sliding it raggedly out of the car.

"Are we there already?" Harry said dreamily.

"Yeah mate." Ron replied.

"Hold on, I'll help you with that." Harry said.

As Harry got up he looked straight ahead of himself. Expecting to see the dark and gloomy house of his deceased Godfather, what he saw shocked him. What Harry was now staring at was his friend Ron's house, called the 'Burrow'.

"Ron? Why aren't we at Sirius' house?" Harry asked.  

"Well, it's a long story mate." Ron tried to explain.

"Just tell me Ron!" Harry snapped (something Harry had done a lot of recently).

"Okay. Okay. Just came down mate, this isn't my fault!" Ron said angrily.

"Right, now I'm calm, so tell me." Harry said in a soothing voice.

"The thing is, somehow Voldemort found out about it and he raided it. Now don't worry, no-one got hurt cause Dumbledore was there but the Order didn't think it was safe there anymore and so they have meetings in lots of different places now, so they cant get tracked. They have had at least five right here, at the Burrow." Ron explained more fully.

"So are we staying here then?" Harry asked hopefully.

"Sure are." Ron said happily. "Oh yeah, Happy Birthday Harry!"

When Ron and Harry reached the welcoming front door, Hermione greeted them.

"Hello Harry! Have a nice summer?"

"Oh yeah, it was a ball!" Harry said sarcastically.

"Right yeah, sorry." Hermione apologised.

"I arrived here only half an hour ago." Hermione added.

"Thanks Hermione, we really needed to know that!" Ron joked.

Harry sniggered but quickly stopped as he realised Hermione's face blushing and her cheerful expression turning into a frown.

"Great to see you two!" Hermione said as she stormed off.

"Women!" Harry and Ron said in unison.

"Don't get them now and never will." Ron laughed.

Harry and Ron walked into the house and up the wooden stairs to Ron's bedroom. On their way up the tiring stairs they ran into Mrs Weasley.

"Oh hello, Harry dear." She said.

"Er. Hello?" Harry said.

"Dinner will be in a little while dear. Just go get unpacked in Ron's room and then come down." Mrs Weasley exclaimed as she rushed back down the stairs carrying letters in her hand.

"That reminds me Harry, we have received our Hogwarts letters. Yours is in our room." Ron said.

When they reached the room on the highest floor they entered. Right enough there, lying on the brown table next to what was now Harry's bed lay a letter, a letter with the very familiar mark of Hogwarts. Harry rushed over to the bed-side table and reached out for the small envelope. He grasped it tightly and brought it up to eye level to read the violet letters written neatly on the front.

Harry Potter,

The Burrow,

Top Floor.

Harry opened it hurriedly but carefully so as not to damage the contents. Harry's eyes zoomed from left to right as he read the first of three pieces of parchment. It said,

Harry Potter,

         We are delighted to inform you that

you are able to return to Hogwarts

School, for your sixth year.

After reading the first piece of parchment he placed it swiftly onto his bed and set underway on reading the next piece. It said,

For sixth year you have chosen to do the following subjects.

We are happy to say that you have been accepted for every one.

As Harry read through the list he gave a very different and very distinct reaction to each subject.

Defence Against The Dark Arts

Harry filled with pride as he thought back to the DA group he had run last term (a group of Hogwarts students that learnt defence against the dark arts from Harry himself).

Transfiguration

Harry just gave a simple shrug.

Care Of Magical Creatures

Harry had no idea of who the next teacher would be, but all in all he thought this wasn't a bad subject.

And Potions.

Harry gulped loudly. So loud in fact that Ron gazed up at him looking a bit dazed. Ron opened his mouth as if to say something but suddenly changed it into a tired yawn. Harry got back to dreading the miserable potions. Not only was it a terrible subject it was taught by Harry's worst teacher, Professor Snape. Harry placed a picture in his mind of Snape's face looking smug, framed by his greasy black hair. To get the disgusting thought out of his mind, Harry chucked the piece of parchment sharply onto the mucky ground and starting reading the final piece. A shiny gold badge was stuck onto the front; it was in the shape of a sparkling 'c'. Harry had no idea what this meant and so started reading through the letter for answers. After reading through the first short paragraph he had realised what the badge meant.

"I'm quidditch captain?" Harry said quietly to himself.

"What?" Ron said as he illuminated the steadily dulling room with a large wick candle.

"I'm the new quidditch captain!" Harry repeated patiently.

"Wow, that's great new."

Ron was interrupted by two loud cracks. Fred and George (Ron's two older twin brothers) had apparated in the centre of the now bright orange room.

"Hi Harry, what's up?" one of the twins asked drearily.

"He's the new quidditch captain!" Ron stepped in pointing to Harry.

"You're going to have a tough job there, what with us deciding not to come back to Hogwarts and the rest of the team except for little Ron here leaving last year." George commented.

"Well came to say hi, bye," two loud cracks signalled the twins retreat.

"Really that is great news!"

After unpacking Harry's possessions, Ron and Harry set off down the steep stairs for dinner. Slowly the gloomy staircase started to light rapidly up, engulfing Harry and Ron in a glow of warm light.

"Hello, you two!" the familiar voice of Mrs Weasley echoed loudly.

"Sit down, sit down"

Harry was expecting it just to be the Weasley's, Hermione and himself at the table but he was pleasantly wrong. Also at the table were Tonks, Lupin, Moody and Kingsley Shacklebolt, a very excellent auror (fighter against the dark arts).

"Hi!" Harry said awkwardly and took a place at the overcrowded dining table between Ron and Hermione.

"Sorry about before, Hermione."

"That's okay Harry, I was just over-reacting." Hermione said while she stared at Ron in disgust because Ron was now shovelling plates of food through his small mouth.

"I notice you haven't apologised yet!" Hermione gestured toward Ron.

"Yeah," Ron took a large gulp and carried on.

"Sorry Hermione, just having a laugh."

"Apology accepted!"

"Soooooo?" Harry thought of something interesting to say but nothing came to mind.

"So, may I be excused?"

"Sorry Harry dear?" Mrs Weasley said.

"May I be excused please?" Harry asked again politely and patiently.

"Are you sure Harry, you have hardly touched your food?" Mrs Weasley knew what the answer would be and so quickly changed the subject.

"Okay, only as long as you go and get an, er, extra candle, yes, an extra candle from the basement."

"Sure," Harry said half-heartedly.

Harry got up gingerly from his overly large chair and made his way hesitantly for the basement. When Harry reached the dusty black door he took one glimpse back at the cherry table then turned the handle reluctantly. He thought there was definitely something mysterious in the nervous voice Mrs Weasley had spoken in. Feeling rather stupid that all that had greeted him was un-ending darkness he reached for the light switch. After not finding a light switch Harry thought to himself for a brief moment.

"Stupid!"

Harry had known for ages that the Weasley's didn't have electricity and as he turned to go back to ask Mrs Weasley for a candle, he gradually heard a series of loud cracks.

"Who, Who is there?" Harry enquired in a rather high pitched tone.

There was silence. It seemed an hour had passed had passed when immediately

"SURPRISE!!!" was chorused.

Lights shot out manufacturing thin shadows of all the people Harry had just seen at the dinner table.

"Er, what's going on?"

"You didn't think we wouldn't celebrate your birthday now did you?" Tonks bellowed out.

"I guess not. Anyways, this is great!" Harry exclaimed.

A searing pain formed in Harry's old scar unexpectedly.

"Ah!" Harry gasped, clasping his scar with his teenage hands.

"What's wrong?" a number of voices said.

"My, my scar."

"I think we should postpone this party until later on." The prominent voice of Mr Weasley spoke out.

"I suggest you go to bed Harry!"

Harry wasn't one to not do as he was told but did spend a few absent minded seconds staring out at the sparkling sky before settling down to yet another undisturbed and dreamless sleep.

The week previous to returning to Hogwarts was uneventful. To Harry it was like not one slow second had happened from when he fell asleep last week until now, the night before returning to Hogwarts.

"Excited?" Ron's voice said somewhere near by.

"What?"

"Are you excited about going back to school tomorrow?" Ron's voice started to sound agitated.

Harry looked round the dimly lit room until his eyes fixated on Ron who was untidily packing his trunk for the next day.

"I guess." Harry replied.

"What has been up with you lately mate?"

"It's just, I'm sorry!" Harry said.

"That's all right, well I am going to bed," Ron said as he finished packing his trunk.

The door to Harry and Ron's room sprung open and in came Ginny (Ron's younger sister)

"Hey guys, can't wait for tomorrow can you?"

"We are trying to go to bed here so just beat it!" Ron said angrily.

"Sorry, well see you in the morning."

As Ginny took two small paces backward a thought occurred to Harry.

"Ginny, do want to be the Gryffindor quidditch chaser?" (Gryffindor being one of the school houses)

"Sure things, thanks, well see ya!"

Harry looked around the room for a moment or two then decided that sleep was a good idea.

Clatter. Clatter. Clatter.

"What the?" Harry looked up and saw that he was in a compact compartment of the Hogwarts express (a scarlet train that takes students to Hogwarts). Harry had no recollection of how he got there, but after seeing Ron and Hermione sitting next to him he decided to play along.

"We all thought you would never wake up mate." Ron said. "We are like only thirty minutes from Hogwarts so you need to put your robes on."

"Okay." Harry responded.

"By the way," Ron lowered his voice to a whisper "Cho has walked by our compartment like ten times"

"Why!" Harry shouted.

"Shhh, I think she wants to ask you something."

Just as Ron had finished his sentence Cho (a girl Harry had fancied for ages, but was dumped by last year) walked on by the window. She seemed satisfyingly surprised when she noticed that Harry was awake. One step, two steps, Harry was starting to sweat as Cho made her way nervously towards their carriage. The door creaked open and stopped with a jolt.

"Er, hi Harry." Cho said as she started to blush violently.

"Er, hi Cho?" Harry copied.

"I've, er, broken up with Michael Corner." Cho said.

"That's em, nice."

"You just don't get it do you Harry" Cho said as she burst into tears and ran off angrily.

"What was that about?" Harry requested.

From somewhere in the forgotten corner Hermione spoke.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"No!"

"Well, Cho obviously just went out with Michael to make you jealous, and she now regrets it realising that her strong, deep feelings for you were still there." Hermione said in one long breath.

"Oh now I see," Harry said sarcastically.

"Women mind extraordinaire Hermione is back on the case." Ron teased.

All Harry, Ron, Ginny and Neville (a fellow Gryffindor and roommate of Harry and Ron) burst out laughing.  

"Harry, go put your robes on, we are there." Ron said urgently.

Nothing was troubling Harry now except for one nagging thought. His mind was put to rest when he stepped off the train carefully and heard a friendly voice ring out.

"First years over 'ere." Hagrid yelled.