A/N: Hello All!

Ernie: We. Are. Hereby. Proud. To. Present. The. Next. Chapter. In. This. Marathon. Of. A. Fic.

And now for the thank yous! Take it away Ernie!

Ernie: We'd. Like. To. Thank. Winter. Blaze.

Thanks honey, for your continued support!

Ernie: Ori

I haven't gotten my paper back, and they've already set me a new one. What is wrong with these people??!!

Anyway, getting back to more important subjects (i.e. fanfiction), there is some yummy Draco in this chapter, and there's plenty more in chapters to come! The HP gang has a leading role here and we're really starting to get in the thick of things now...!

Ernie: Svata2004

Heeeere's more...!

Ernie: Triquetraperson

Poor Snapey! He's such a deliciously dark character! If he doesn't know how to make a hangover potion, then who does?! Can't you just picture him brooding over a glass of good brandy by the fireplace in the middle of the night, pondering life, death, Voldemort, the war, and his own warped role in it? I couldn't resist.

Ernie: Charmedsisters

Hmm, a demon attack at Hogwarts? I don't think I'm ready for that yet. If I do have demons attack at Hogwarts, it'll be later. As it is, there'll be plenty of action to satisfy even hard core action fans like me, in this story! You can bet your life on that!

Ernie: nyc-azn7

I do try to update every week. Admittedly, it doesn't always work, but I do try... Yes, you're getting very, very close to finding out what houses Talia and Wyatt will be in. Next chapter in fact, if all goes to plan. And don't worry, Talia's conflicted nature is supposed to confuse you in trying to guess which House she'll be put in.

Ernie: The. Absolutely. Wonderful. Mixer

Admit it! You just say that Ernie, because he keeps complimenting you!

Ernie: Yes. Isn't. It. Great?

grumblesStupid, spoilt brat of a laptop!

The long Awaited time of characters shall soon be upon us, indeed! I hereby present... the HP gang! I'm so glad someone appreciates the subtle art of... well, subtleness! I'm working hard on it. I don't want to give too much information away too quickly, so you'll have to look out for little information I deliberately let slip about the characters, their past, and their thoughts.

Ernie: And. You. Must. Be. Clever. Indeed. Mixer. To. Have. Identified. My. Genius. Behind. Cinammon's. Overvalued. Efforts!

growls One more word Ernie, and I'll conveniently forget to charge you tonight...!

Ernie: On. With. The. Rest. Of. The. Thank. Yous. Thank. You. Anna

Thanks for reviewing Anna! It's always great to hear from new reviewers! I've got your email, and an email update list, so I'll put you that, shall I? Your saying that you love my story, really made my day!

..oo00oo..

As mentioned again and again, this is the chapter where the HP gang makes its full fledged appearance. I hope you like it! Please excuse any mistakes you might find. This chapter is unbetaed, because poor Nightcrawler is just swamped with work and couldn't beta it on time. I couldn't stand the idea of letting you wait another week though, so I uploaded the chapter as is.

Don't forget to review!

..oo00oo..

The School year begins

"Oomf!"

Talia landed neatly - and rather painfully - on her backside.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there," a girl's voice said from somewhere above her.

Talia looked up to see the concerned face of a girl around her age, with chocolate brown eyes and cinnamon curls.

"Don't be. My fault too, I'm afraid," apologised Talia, "I wasn't really looking where I was going either."

She took the girl's proffered hand to raise herself to her feet.

The girl seemed to take in the trunk that Talia had been dragging around for the past fifteen minutes, and grinned.

"May I ask what Platform you're looking for?"

Talia's eyes travelled to the trunk that was nearly identical to her own, resting on the floor behind the girl.

She smiled back.

"You wouldn't happen to know where Platform 9 ¾ is, do you?"

The girl's grin widened.

"I'm Hermione Granger," she said offering her hand, "I'm a seventh year at Hogwarts. I take it you're new?"

"Talia Turner," Talia said, taking Hermione's hand in her own, "Yes, I'm new. I'll be a seventh year too."

"Tal, I can't-" whined a handsome, blond boy behind them, before he realised that Talia was not alone.

Talia's grin widened as she turned to her cousin to make the introductions.

"Hermione, this is my cousin, Wyatt Halliwell. Wyatt, this is Hermione Granger. She goes to Hogwarts too."

"Hi!" offered Wyatt shaking Hermione's hand. "You wouldn't happen to know where we can find this damned Platform 9 ¾, would you? We've been looking for it for the past fifteen minutes!"

Hermione chuckled.

"It's right there," she said, pointing at the wall separating Platforms 9 and 10.

Talia and Wyatt shared a look, both thinking that maybe Hermione wasn't quite right. Seeing this, Hermione smiled indulgently and tried to explain.

"The wall is just an illusion to cover the entrance to the platform. Do exactly as I do," she said before wheeling her trunk in front of the brick wall. Talia and Wyatt watched in horrified fascination as she accelerated before hitting the wall dead on. They watched Hermione disappear behind the seemingly solid wall without a trace.

Talia and Wyatt looked at each other and Wyatt shrugged, before retrieving his own trunk and repeating Hermione's actions. With a single resigned sigh, Talia was quick to follow.

..oo00oo..

"Hermione!"

Hermione turned towards the sound of her name.

"Harry! Ron!"

In a whirl of curls, Hermione flung herself at her best friends.

"Hermione! I can't breathe!" laughed Harry, spitting some of her hair out of his mouth.

"Sorry Harry," the small girl said, but the enormous grin on her face showed her to be anything but.

Hermione ignored the whining Harry for a moment, and hugged Ron. Ron lifted his petite friend off the ground and she squealed. He laughed.

"Put me down Ron!"

"Or what?"

"Or I'll hex you. I've been reading up on hexes this summer, you know. I found some lovely ones I'm just itching to try out..."

Hermione's feet touched the ground.

"Hey Hermione!" called a bouncing redhead behind the two boys.

Ginny Weasley had been pushed behind the much taller Harry and Ron, in the excitement of seeing the final member of their quartet for the first time since the end of school at the beginning of the summer. Despite the increasing danger the wizarding world was in, or perhaps because of it, Hermione's parents had insisted that their muggleborn daughter spend her entire last summer as a student, with them at their carefully warded house, courtesy of Headmaster Dumbledore.

"Ginny!"

The girls hugged fiercely. Harry laughed.

"One would think you haven't seen each other for years!"

Ginny finally let go of Hermione and the older girl turned to swat Harry gently on the shoulder.

The brunette's eyes took in the two cousins who had followed her onto the platform. They were looking around in amazement. She moved to Talia and Wyatt and turned to face her friends.

"Everyone, it looks like we have some new students at Hogwarts this year. This is Wyatt Halliwell," she said pointing at Wyatt who gave a friendly wave, "and this is his cousin-"

"Talia," breathed Harry in a shocked expression. His big, green eyes grew to the size of dinner plates and were completely and utterly focused on the girl with the dark brown eyes and straight, chestnut hair that had haunted his dreams on a hot August night.

Talia's smile faltered.

..oo00oo..

Everyone else simply looked from Talia to Harry in confusion.

Talia looked at Harry suspiciously. She was pretty sure he wasn't a demon... Talia didn't remember ever seeing the boy before, but there was always the chance that he was one of the many creatures, demons, and warlocks she had met at her father's court in the Underworld and she just didn't remember. Talia hoped not. The last thing she wanted was for the Underworld to learn of her whereabouts. The very thought that what happened last year could happen again, sent shivers down her spine.

Wyatt sent her a concerned look. She could tell he was thinking the same thing.

"Do you two know each other?" asked Ron looking at Harry curiously.

"I'm sorry," asked Talia politely, but with a smile that showed entirely too many teeth, "have we met before? I'm pretty sure I would've remembered."

Her voice was silky smooth and there was a dangerous undertone to it.

"No, I'm sorry," stammered Harry, "I-I..."

He searched frantically for an excuse. It's not like he could tell them that he had dreamed about this very same girl, which he had never met before, during the summer! But the dream had been all too real for him. Even now, if he closed his eyes, he could replace Talia's smiling face with her wide, terrified eyes as the young girl was seduced by Voldemort's invisible presence. Harry blushed.

"You just looked like a Talia, that's all," he finished lamely.

It was pretty clear from everyone's faces that none of them believed him. Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Wyatt looked from Harry to Talia. Talia caught Harry give the others a look that promised he would tell them what just happened, later. The situation had become awkward, so Talia chose not to push the issue for the moment. She smiled, outwardly diffusing the tension.

"Well, you're right on that," she said, extending her hand for him to shake, "My name's Talia Turner."

Wyatt frowned slightly. It wasn't like Talia to let the matter drop, and he had feeling she hadn't.

"Harry Potter," said Harry, and expected her eyes to move sharply to his forehead and the lighting-shaped scar that marred it. The expected reaction never came.

"Pleased to meet you," said Talia.

..oo00oo..

Introductions made, the six of them moved to climb aboard the train. The boys helped the girls with their trunks. Harry invited Wyatt and Talia to join them in their compartment to make up for his earlier faux pas, and the cousins gratefully accepted.

He watched Talia settle herself on the seat opposite him and his thoughts drifted back to the dream he had nearly three weeks ago. There was more to this girl than met the eye and Harry was sure it had to do with Voldemort. But in his dream, or vision if you wanted to call it that, the girl had been frightened by the unknown intruder in her room. Harry had felt her fear, though she had masked it well. He was pretty sure that she had no idea who the ghostly presence that he had identified as Voldemort, was. Whoever she was, Harry knew that Voldemort was after her, and, as tactlessly as Hermione had once put it, Harry had "a thing for saving people". After Sirius, he wasn't willing to give up anyone else to Voldemort's clutches.

..oo00oo..

Talia dug for her reading book in her rucksack, and watched Harry under thick eyelashes.

There was a reason she had shaken his hand in greeting earlier. As the upper-level demon she used to be, she had the power to read people's magic. It was however, a skill that she had always been abysmal at, despite the efforts of Xander and her father. Unlike most upper-level demons, she couldn't do it subconsciously. She had to concentrate very hard for it to work. It was a weakness she had paid dearly for, when meeting Valdis a few months ago. After... the events of last year, she had tried to improve on it, but it seemed that, not being a full demon, made things a lot harder. Touching someone, made reading their auras easier, and so she had taken Harry's hand in supposed introduction in order to learn a little more about the green-eyed wizard.

Harry Potter was a very powerful wizard and the reading of his magic had been easier than most. She didn't feel any evil from him at all, a fact that she was very relieved to discover. But there was more to Harry than that. There was an undercurrent of a sweet, familiar scent that surrounded him, and she had known immediately what it was.

Harry had a destiny.

Not many people had a destiny. Contrary to popular belief, the fates dabbled only with the lives of the very few. But Talia was very much familiar with it. Her father had a destiny. Her mother and aunts, reeked of the stuff, and so did her cousin and uncle. Talia herself, had a destiny. More than one actually. She had kept the fates busy, forcing them to weave a new one every time she went against their plans. All in all, Talia was certain: Harry Potter was destined for great things.

She caught him watching her and she smiled up at him. He blushed and lowered his eyes. She resumed her reading.

..oo00oo..

"What year are you two in, then?" asked Ginny after a while.

"I'm a sixth year," answered Wyatt, "and Talia's a seventh year."

Ginny grinned.

"I'm a sixth year too. Everyone else here, is in their seventh year."

"So, Wyatt you're from America, right?" asked Ron.

He and Harry had set up a game of wizard's chess and were playing with gusto.

Wyatt smiled sheepishly.

"It's the accent, isn't it?"

Hermione smiled back.

"Which part of America?" she asked over her book.

"San Francisco."

"I've always wanted to go there," mused Ginny dreamily.

"You don't have the same accent, Talia," observed Harry, moving his bishop on the chessboard.

"Talia was raised by her father, Down Under," answered Wyatt for her, with a grin.

Talia rolled her eyes. The joke was getting old.

"My parents are divorced," she explained. "I only went to live with my mother, aunts, and Wyatt here, in San Francisco, last year."

"You don't have an Australian accent either," stated Ginny interestedly.

"My father is a bit of stickler when it comes to appearances. He wanted me to learn how to talk properly. I've had to take elocution lessons most of my life," she patiently explained.

"We don't often get new students other than first years," stated Harry. "In fact, in the past six years that we've been here, I can only remember four," he looked at Hermione for confirmation, "no, five – new students. Where did you guys go, before Hogwarts?"

"We were home schooled," said Talia easily. "Wyatt and I attended a muggle school and we were taught magic by our parents and aunts."

"So you're, half-bloods...?" asked Hermione with a slight frown.

Wyatt looked at Talia uncertainly.

"Something like that," Talia said.

"Not that it matters really," Wyatt put in quickly. Even though Talia was showing no particular reaction to the topic at hand, Wyatt knew exactly how sensitive she was about it.

But all Talia did was shrug.

"We don't believe in the importance of blood," she said firmly. "I've met purebloods definitely not worth knowing, and I've met muggles who most definitely were."

Talia thought about Perdicus and Judy. A truer statement had never passed her lips.

Hermione grinned.

"I know exactly what you mean," she said, thinking of a certain blond ferret and his friends.

"So, have you guys been sorted yet?" asked Ron, taking Harry's rook to a scowl from his best friend.

"Not yet," answered Wyatt, "we were told we'd be sorted with the first years at the Welcome Feast."

"Any idea which house you want to be in?" asked Ginny.

"There's four, right?" asked Wyatt, "Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin and Gryffindor. I read all about them in Hogwarts A History."

"You've read Hogwarts A History??" asked Ron, whipping round to stare at him in surprise.

Hermione's eyes twinkled in delight.

"She made me," said Wyatt with a grimace, pointing at Talia unenthusiastically.

Ron turned his incredulous look on her.

"You've both read Hogwarts A History??!!"

Talia shrugged.

"I thought it'd be useful to know a few things about our new school."

"Blimey!" exclaimed Ron, "and I thought only Hermione ever bothered."

"Ron!" Hermione squealed, "there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to read Hogwarts A History! You'd do well to read it yourself sometime!" she finished smugly.

Ron rolled his eyes.

"I don't need to read it. I can just ask you about it, remember?"

Hermione huffed, but she andTalia shared an amused glance behind Ron's back.

"Back to houses," spoke Ginny excitedly, "which one would you like to get into?"

"I don't know," said Wyatt, "What house are you guys in?"

"Gryffindor!" announced Ron puffing his chest proudly, "It's the absolute best house there is!"

"Ron!" chastised Hermione. "The other houses are just as good. You don't know what house Wyatt and Talia will end up in."

"The house of the brave, huh?" teased Talia with a smile.

"That's us!" Ginny giggled.

"Gryffindor would be nice," mused Wyatt, "especially now we know you guys. I don't think I'm ambitious enough for Slytherin, or smart enough for Ravenclaw. Maybe Hufflepuff. I'm pretty loyal I guess."

"Don't put yourself down. I happen to think you're definitely smart enough for Ravenclaw, Wyatt. Although Gryffindor would probably suit you best. Where do you think I'll end up in?" Talia asked her cousin curiously.

"I think you'd do good in Gryffindor or Slytherin. You're pretty smart, so you might make it in Ravenclaw. Probably not Hufflepuff though. You're too lazy!"

"Hey!"

Ginny giggled.

"Don't worry Talia, I think with the exception of Hermione, the rest of us are all too lazy for Hufflepuff!"

Talia smacked Wyatt on the back of the head for good measure. He stuck his tongue out at her in retaliation.

"I think I'll probably end up in Gryffindor or Slytherin actually," she said thoughtfully.

"I doubt you'll end up in Slytherin, Talia," said Ron with a snort, "you're much too nice for those gits!"

"What's wrong with Slytherin?" asked Wyatt.

"They are all pure-blooded, prejudiced, self-centred bastards!" said Ron with feeling.

Talia decided to keep what she'd learnt of Slytherin from Draco to herself. She knew from the Hogwarts portraits of the animosity between the two houses.

"Ron!"

"Well I'm right aren't I, Hermione?"

"I'm sure not all of them are like that, Ron!"

Harry decided to intervene before his two friends launched into another of their infamous shouting matches. He'd gotten to be quite an expert at it over the years.

"Slytherins are noted for their blood prejudices. You read Hogwarts A History so you know that. And you, Talia, are obviously not prejudiced when it comes to blood, so somehow, we can't really see you ending up there."

He smiled at her and she smiled back. Blood prejudice in the wizarding world was a sore point with Talia. It reminded her too much of the blood prejudice she had to suffer in the Underworld. Not even the fact that she was the Source's daughter seemed to make up for her not being a pure-blooded demon.

"In my first year, before I was sorted," Harry continued, "someone told me that there wasn't a wizard gone bad who wasn't from Slytherin, and I can't say I blame them for that view. Slytherins are much more likely to turn to the Dark Arts than students from other houses. They're ambitious and cunning for a reason. Ever heard of Voldemort?"

The others looked at Harry curiously. Who hadn't heard of Lord Voldemort?

But apparently Talia and Wyatt hadn't heard of him, as they both shook their heads.

Everyone else in the compartment looked at them disbelievingly.

"You've never heard of You-Know-Who?!" asked Ron.

Talia raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"If we've never heard of him how can we-know-who you're talking about?"

Harry felt justified. In his dream, Talia wasn't aware who the presence that had entered her room was. Voldemort was after her, and she didn't know what she would be up against! He vowed not to let her fall into his grasp.

Harry launched in the tale of the darkest wizard alive. He told them about Voldemort attending Hogwarts, and he told them what he knew about Voldemort's first rise to power, but when he got to his own first involvement in foiling Voldemort's plans, he stumbled, and Hermione had to take up the tale.

He finally saw Talia's and Wyatt's eyes flicker to his forehead and the infamous lightning shaped scar.

They only spoke of things that were common knowledge, refusing to disclose much information about the quartet's involvement with Voldemort through their years in school, but it was enough. Only the arrival of the witch with the sweet cart managed to lift their spirits after the tale was told.

..oo00oo..

The compartment's door slid open.

"Well, well, well," drawled a familiar voice and Talia lifted her head from the book she was reading. "Good morning Potter. Still doing charity work, hanging around the weasels and the mud-?"

Their eyes locked; icy grey on liquid brown.

"Talia?! I was looking for you!" the blond scowled, "What are you doing with these jerks?"

Talia's expression became stony as Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny turned to look at her curiously. Wyatt glared at Draco.

"It's nice to see you too, Draco," she drawled back amusedly. "I would very much appreciate it if you didn't insult my new friends."

He sneered.

"Since when do you call the scum of the earth your friends? Come," he said regally, offering his hand to help her out of her seat, "my compartment's that way. The company's much better there, I assure you."

Talia didn't much care for the blond's commanding tone. Surely he didn't think he owned her simply because they had slept together? Her eyebrow rose slowly and dangerously.

"What makes you think I want to come with you, Draco?"

He scowled.

"What could you possibly want with them, Talia? They're nothing but a bunch of goody-goodies who like to play hero. You and I are better than them! Now quit fooling around and let's get out of here."

Ooh, Draco was losing his Malfoy cool! Annoyance gave room to amusement. This was starting to look like fun, she decided wickedly.

"Feel free to leave Draco, but I'm staying right here," she flashed him a cheeky grin.

"Talia..." he growled impatiently.

Wyatt stood protectively in front of Talia, though he knew she didn't need it. It was instinctive really.

"Draco..." said the younger boy warningly.

Harry stood next to him, wand drawn. A deep scowl reserved exclusively for the young wizard marred his features.

"The lady said no, Malfoy!"

"Butt out Potter! This has nothing to do with you."

"The hell it does, Malfoy!" said Ron as he stood next to his best friend wand also at the ready. "It was us you insulted, remember?"

"Ron..." Hermione said warningly.

Malfoy smirked at the three boys.

"You think she needs your protection? Honestly Halliwell," he drawled, his eyes focusing on Wyatt, "I would've thought you knew her better than that, her being your cousin and all..."

Wyatt bravely held Draco's knowing gaze. Inwardly, he winced at the truth of the wizard's words. Talia would give him hell about this later!

"You're obviously not wanted here, Malfoy," growled Harry, "Leave before you regret ever showing up."

Draco scowled.

"Last chance Talia..." he offered in a sing song voice that bellied his annoyance.

"Get lost Draco. I'll see you at school," sounded Talia's obviously amused voice from somewhere behind her 'protectors'.

Draco scowled at them one last time and turned on his heel. The compartment door slid shut once again.

"Good riddance!" mumbled Ron after him.

Talia chuckled behind him.

"What?" Harry asked confused.

"You should have seen your faces!" she laughed louder.

"Well, he's a bloody prat!" justified Ron.

"Don't take him so seriously," Talia said, calming down. "That'll piss him off more than anything."

"He doesn't exactly make himself easy to ignore, you know..." grumbled Ginny, who seemed to have taken as much offence from Draco's behaviour as her brother.

"Thanks for standing up for me guys," said Talia beaming warmly at the three boys. "No one's ever done that for me before."

The three boys blushed.

"It's not like you couldn't have handled him yourself, Tal," said Wyatt wryly, recognising how ridiculous the situation must've looked to his perfectly-capable-to-defend-herself-and-anyone-else-who-came-along cousin. If only he hadn't inherited his mother's unpredictable temper!

"I know, but it was nice to see you stand up for me anyway," she smiled warmly at him. But her eyes glittered teasingly.

"How do you two know Malfoy anyway?" asked Hermione curiously.

Wyatt looked at Talia hoping she'd have an answer.

"His grandfather used to know our great-grandmother," she said smoothly, "we met over the summer."

..oo00oo..

"Wow, Tal, come look at these!"

"They're beautiful," she breathed in awe. "What are they?"

"I don't know. We haven't covered them with Hagrid that's for sure! They look like horses only they're more..."

"Noble; magical..." she said in an awed voice.

"Yes."

"Can you two see the threstals?" asked Hermione, surprised.

"Is that what they're called?" Talia asked, extending a hand to pat one of the strange creatures.

Harry had been about to shout a warning when he saw with surprise that the threstal not only did not bite her hand off, but in fact, nuzzled gently at Talia's open palm.

"Can't you?" Wyatt frowned.

There was a strange look on Hermione's face, and Wyatt noticed for the first time the awkwardness that descended on the group. Ron put a hand on Hermione's shoulder and answered for her.

"Not until last year we couldn't. The threstals can only be seen by those who have witnessed death."

Talia and Wyatt shared a shocked look.

"Oh," managed Talia weakly, dropping her hand.

"Who's death did you see?" asked Ginny gently.

Talia and Wyatt shared another look.

"A friend's," he said lamely, thinking of Valdis, who wasn't exactly a friend. He couldn't have mentioned all the demons and warlocks they had vanquished, and he most definitely couldn't mention Talia's past misdeeds, although it was obvious from her expression that that was exactly what she was thinking at the moment.

Talia was strangely quiet and Wyatt was concerned. He tried to shift the focus of the conversation off her.

"Who did you watch die?" asked Wyatt.

Ginny, Hermione and Ron exchanged guilty looks, and all three of them avoided looking at Harry.

"You remember what we told you about You-Know-Who on the train?

"The Wizarding world is at war. Most students can now see the threstals," finished Ginny lamely.

She thought back to the attack at the end of last year and how she had watched Harry fire the Avada Kedavra at one of the Death Eaters who had attacked the school, to save her. Harry had been the only student to have used the Forbidden Curse at the fight, and it had taken a lot for him to do it.

Ginny was grateful. She would have been dead if it weren't for him. Twice now. But she could only imagine what he must've felt knowing that he'd had to resort to the curse that killed his parents. Harry was a lot more quiet nowadays; a lot more determined to see the end of the war and the end of Voldemort. There was an intensity that surrounded him, and it was obvious to anyone who cared to look at him, that he was indeed, both the hero, and the hope of the wizarding world. Even when he was simply joking around with his friends, something that wasn't happening nearly as often as it once did. The seventeen-year-old exuded something that was, old, tragic and powerful. Words couldn't quite describe it. It was as awe-inspiring as it was frightening, Ginny decided, and such a heavy burden on such young shoulders!

Had it been Talia thinking all of this, she would've recognised this quality in Harry, for what it was. Harry was a man on a mission. He knew what he would have to do, had accepted his fate, and was determined to see it through. It was inevitable when one had a destiny, Talia knew. But Ginny knew nothing of destinies. And so, she simply identified the quality as what made the Harry she'd known since she was 9, the Harry Potter of the wizarding world. And even Talia would've admitted that that was a close enough description.

Ginny turned her attention back to the conversation about the threstals. There was an awkward pause as everyone there, slipped furtive glances at an obviously upset Harry.

"His name is Voldemort. Not You-Know-Who," the green-eyed wizard whispered looking directly at her. It was her use of the name that had upset him, she realised with a jolt, "When will people get it through their thick heads?" Harry said between clenched teeth before stalking off into one of the carriages.

Ginny looked stricken. She hadn't meant to upset him! Ron put a comforting hand on his little sister's arm.

"Come on," said Hermione, taking Talia by the arm, in an attempt to relieve the tension. "Harry's found one of the big carriages. We can all share."