The engines fired up, and as the last of the slowest students boarded the train while saying good-bye to their parents, Harry wondered aimlessly around, searching for the empty compartment. With a lurch, the train began and threw Harry on to his back; meanwhile his suitcase and Hedwig's cage were thrown from his grasp.

He was lost, there was no ignoring this fact, and he had no idea where to find the compartment in which he and Hermione would get their first orders as Head Boy and Girl. During the fall, his jacket had been thrown over his head, leaving him in temporary blindness and confusion. Before he could pull it off, a snide, curdling remark came from somewhere right above his head.

"Well, well, well. Look what we've got here boys. Poor wittle Potter can't find his way. Let's help him, shall we?" and with that, two extraordinarily large arms lifted Harry off the ground and a punch greeted his face, tossing his jacket aside.

In front of him stood Malfoy with a new Slytherin girl clutching his arm and examining his muscles as he flexed them for her. Crabbe and Goyle were, naturally, holding Harry up, but with shear fat, not strength. Malfoy walked up to where Harry was, dangling in the air, and spit on his face which mixed in with the blood that was steadily making its way down his cheek from a cut above his eye. "So here we are Potter, no where to turn for help from your little friends. I know, how bout a duel?" she smiled, obviously enjoying that Harry was helpless.

"You just the way you are, and I get a head start, deal?" he reached in to his pocket and pulled out a wand, pointing it at Harry's chest.

"One," he raised the wand to his face.

"Two," shoved it right against his scar.

But before he could say three, a flash of light followed by smoke surrounded the area, and the four Slytherins were on the ground, momentarily unconscious. A hand reached out and clutched Harry's arm, dragging him away from the scene where soon fellow student's heads' would be poking out from their own room to see what happened.

Oncehe were out of range, the smoke cleared away and he saw that it was Hermione who had grabbed him, apparently finding him after she realized he wasn't in the compartment. "Oh for crying out loud, Harry; you're Head Boy now! You can't just go walking around trying to get Malfoy in trouble. I mean I know what Ron said was funny and all, but I didn't think you would take it so seriously. I mean really! We have duties, responsibilities…" nonetheless as Hermione droned on about their duties as Head boy and Girl, an image floated in to Harry's mind.

The same one he had seen at the Weasley's house; sparkling blue movement. It seemed so beautiful, yet somehow Harry knew it was dangerous as well; a trap almost, but he knew he had to enter. His chain of thought was broken when they reached the door and Hermione, who must have realized he wasn't paying attention, snapped at him, "Well fine! I would expect more from you to at least pay attention now!" After muttering an apology about dozing off, he tried to get the sight back in to his mind as Hermione healed his cut, yet for some reason he couldn't.

Instead, he followed Hermione in to the room where it seemed quite empty. Harry at first wasn't sure if they were meant to be here. The letter never said anything about getting to a certain spot on the train, and yet Hermione insisted that they should.

Still, without bothering to ask her how she knew this, Harry simply followed her, more mesmerized into the vision he kept having than some Head Boy thing. The two sat down across from each other, looking around the room in great interest. It was not like the other areas, instead there were pictures lining the walls of previous Head Boys and Girls, a fine carpet covered the floor, and a fresh, rich bowl of fruit was placed at each edge of the bench which was now looking a lot like a small sofa.

Hearing Hermione gasp in awe, he turned around to point out the fruit but instead found himself facing a very familiar face. "Um, he-hello, Professor Flitwick," he stammered as he was still in shock of the teacher right next to him so quickly. "Hello there Harry, Hermione. I hope your summers were quite well," two nods were the response. "Well then, let's get started. As you know, you are now the chosen Head Boy and Girl of Hogwarts…"

The minutes went on like a never-ending video on the history of Earth and everything on it.After about 2 hours of explaining what was needed to be done, the Professor finally let them go off to find Ron and the others in a compartment near the very back of the train.

During the walk down, Harry glanced sideways in to a room from which he turned around quickly and started walking far away. Hermione caught up, and when after trying to ask what happened, he just mentioned something about forgotten homework he should finish before they reach Hogwarts. In reality, Harry had walked by so fast so that he wouldn't be seen by the people in there; Cho snogging up to some 7th year whom Harry couldn't see his face. Even though it had been so long ago, he didn't want her to see him there and think he still liked her, that would have been awful.

After a ways walk in which the usual first years strained to get a glimpse of his scar as he passed (though he had no idea how they knew he'd be coming. Maybe they should all join Professor Trelawney's class?), they found a compartment which held the usual: Ron, Neville, Luna, and a new face that Harry had never seen before. Actually, he couldn't exactly see the face, for it was hidden behind a book entitled "So you wish you were a wizard".

By the look of the cover, it wasn't an actual wizard book, but one of those fake ones muggle children buy in the stores to keep them occupied. Ron and Neville were in a heated argument about Quidditch. Ron was getting red in the ears, so he knew it had something to do with the Chudley Cannons, perhaps they were having an off season.

Sure enough, as they sat down, Ron turned to Harry and asked "Please tell Neville it isn't true that Krum was traded into the Cannons? For some reason he has this bizarre idea-"

"For the last time, its true! My gran told me, and she wouldn't lie about anything!" exclaimed Neville with a desperate look on his face, as if he had to win the argument.

"I'm sorry to tell you this Neville, but I'm afraid that Krum is still with Bulgaria. It was a different person traded. I'm not saying your grandma is a liar, but she may have heard incorrectly." Harry, who was still looking at Ron, didn't recognize the voice, and turned to see that the unknown visitor had lowered her book in order to talk.

She had long black hair that went down to her waist, and it mixed perfectly with her grey eyes and light colored lips. Another odd part about her was a small tattoo she had on the back of her left hand, a weird sort of sideways E shaped symbol he had never seen before. Still, she was quite pretty and Harry couldn't help but stare.

"My name's Deliverance. I transferred here from a different school this year." She said, holding out her hand to shake theirs. Harry was still wondering if the grey eyes were natural when she took his hand. Suddenly, a feeling swept over him and once again the view of the blue came back, though this time it was surrounded by green trees and rocks on a hill. Brought back from releasing her grip, he couldn't help but think why he got so much more from touching her hand, the one with the tattoo, then he had ever been able to get before.

The rest of the trip passed without much going on. The friends learned more about Deliverance ("Or just yell 'save me' and I'll come"), about her recent past, where she had gone to school, and why she had transferred. It was odd, though, that she kept trying to stay away from the subjects that included childhood and the strange tattoo.

She also explained that, before she boarded the train, she was sorted and put in to Gryffindor along with the others. Once again, another subject they stayed away from was how she was sorted when she wasn't even at Hogwarts which held the sorting hat.

Soon the trolley cart came, carrying its usual assortment of treats and candies. After everyone got something, it turned in to a tournament of Exploding Snap, with Bertie Bot's beans as the betting chips. After a few hours, the sun disappeared behind the mountains, giving them a clue to change in to their robes, for they were arriving at Hogwarts shortly.

Deliverance, who had never before seen the castle or even knew what to do when the train stopped, simply went after the others, meanwhile they were showering her with tips on how to stay alive.

"Watch out for a certain step on the stairs, you'll sink right through," "There's this thing called Peeves, watch out for him, he's trouble," "Try not to fall asleep doing homework in the common room, who knows what pranks will be played on you," "You're the new kid, so just try and blend in, and people won't treat you differently,".

The train lurched to a stop, sending those who didn't have a good enough grip on something flying to the ground. As everyone was getting off, four figures were being dragged away by one of the teachers, each one of the figures with nasty looking purple goose eggs attached to their faces. "Nice work, Hermione," Harry whispered as they got in to a carriage to start the tread up to the castle, making her blush.