I—On the Hogwarts Express.

It was an unusually rotten summer day at Hogwarts. The beginning of the term greeted by a nasty cold streak complete with thunder and rain. Harry could not help but think that it was an omen for things yet to come.

He had not been as surprised as he thought he would have been when he saw that there were considerably less children on the Hogwarts Express than usual. No laughter, no happiness, and it were not that way just for Harry. He had a feeling that his seventh year was going to be the equivalent of a year in hell.

Harry knew the reason for the lack of people, the fear of Voldemort had touched everybody from the smallest witchlet to the Minister of Magic. After the dark lord infiltrated two of his death eaters into the staff at Hogwarts, Bartemus Crouch Jr. acting as Professor Mad Eye Moody and the well-known Professor Severus Snape, who succeeded in eliminating the Head Master, Professor Dumbledore, it was no wonder nobody wanted to go to school. Parents were turning to traditional home schooling methods this year as opposed to sending their children away for organized education. Only those who were brave, or psychotic, or forced went to school this year.

Harry was neither brave nor crazy, or so he claimed. He was going back to Hogwarts only because he was forced to. Professor McGonagall had to nearly tie him to his train seat and make him come back. His intention had been to visit the small town where his parents had perished at Voldemort's wand and then continue the work that Dumbledore had shown him, in order to defeat his arch nemesis. Like the true friends they are, Hermione and Ron sat right beside him.

Hermione had not found it incredibly difficult to convince her parents she was going back to school. After all, being muggle they were nearly oblivious to what went on in the world of magic. They knew strange things were happening in England, people dying for no apparent cause, bridges blowing up, but as far as the news told them, they were all political threats posed by Middle Eastern terrorists using chemical weapons such as anthrax to show their cause. Hermione knew better, and that what her parents knew, the conspiracy, was for the better. They told Hermione to be careful and to ring them, which meant send them an owl, if she went on any other train except the Hogwarts Express.

Ron, however, had found it nearly impossible to convince his parents to let him go back to school. Eventually, he used the 'of age' card with his father, who calmly explained to his mother that he was right, but she retorted with the "as long as you live under this roof—" but was interrupted by Ron exclaiming that as of that moment he no longer lived under that roof. Hermione thought that this was the bravest and the stupidest thing he had ever done.

Now the three best friends were off to Hogwarts, for training.

Lightning lit up the dark sky as thunder clapped, making the train vibrate. Rain lashed violently at the windows. Ron jumped.

"Oh, Ron, would you stop it?" Hermione said gently. "It's only a storm."

He glared furtively at her, his lip upturned, but found he had no retort.

"I can see that," she said from behind her book. Ron made faces at her.

He gave up his futile efforts at taunting Hermione and turned to Harry, "cheer up mate, it shouldn't be so bad."

Harry turned to him, his complexion grey. The dark circles under his eyes were only one indication that he had not slept in weeks, perhaps all summer. He had not uttered a word since mumbling hello while getting on the train.

"I wonder what this year is going to be like," Ron pondered loudly.

Hermione closed her book and let it rest on her lap, "Well, by the looks of it, it's going to be a quiet one. All studying, no Quiddich, and for some reason, a lot of new faces."

"I was wondering about that myself," Ron said, staring at a smiling Beauxbaton's student as she gracefully strutted down the thin corridor. "Exchange program?" he asked, nearly drooling.

Hermione scoffed, "Oh give it a rest."

"What are you reading Harry?" Ron asked. The other two could tell the train ride was nearly over as Ron was fidgety. "Haven't you read that enough?" He asked after reading the title.

"I may have missed something," Harry mumbled, burying his nose deeper into the Defense against the Dark Arts guide.

However, he was not really reading the book. Like Ron, he was wondering what this year was going to be like. He figured he would not be at school as much as the other kids would. He had other responsibilities, like defeating Voldemort. He pondered at what it would be like without Professor Dumbledore to help him. He felt utterly alone amidst a group of people willing to facilitate his cause.

"So, did you go to the ministry and get your disapparating certificate?" Ron asked.

"Yeah I did, as soon as I turned seventeen. My uncle and aunt were going to London anyway and I hitched a ride with them. They deliberately intended to leave me there anyway and were surprised when they walked in the door and found me there."

Ron laughed. "I wrote to you that I got mine as soon as the summer started."

"You wrote me and told me you failed it the first time!" Hermione exclaimed; she was proud of the fact that she was the first of the three to receive her test.

Ron made an ugly face at her saying, "Well I passed it after that one!"

The school loomed closer, Harry could see its dark spires rising above the town of Hogsmeade. He could not recall a time when the school looked more ominous, like nobody was home but spiders and ghouls. Even in his first year, he remembered having feelings of excited mystery. This year was different; he had a heavy burden to carry, with nobody to help him bear it.

Immediately after getting off the train, he found an empty carriage in the midst of the jumbled crowd. Most people seemed confused following the lead of somebody recognizably from Hogwarts. He noticed that there were no first or second years, in fact, nobody under fifth year seemed to be in attendance.

He asked Hermione about this fact and she shrugged, getting into the carriage behind him. "Everything is different this year. We're not even prefects anymore, that means there'll be no Head Boy or Girl."

"Do you mind if I ride with you?" a girl with a strange accent asked. Her short dark hair was soaked at sticking to her pale face; it looked like she had been searching for a carriage for longer than she should have to.

Harry was wary about allowing people he did not know into their carriage, after all, she could easily be a death eater, but decided it would be cruel to leave her outside to walk to Hogwarts.

She happily hopped into the carriage, using her wand to dry her hair and robes, a trick that Hermione had taught Harry and Ron. When she was satisfied, she brushed her bangs aside and asked, "So, I'm Gwen, what are your names?"

"Ron."

"Harry," he said from her left.

"My name is Hermione; it's a pleasure to meet you," she said extending her hand.

Gwen smiled sincerely, "You too. I assume you all go to Hogwarts regularly?"

Hermione nodded, "Yes, where do you go?"

"Oh, I'm usually home schooled," Gwen admitted proudly. "My mom has taught me everything I know, but she thought it would be good for me to get at least one year of public schooling under my belt."

"Where do you come from?" Ron asked rudely. Hermione shot him a glance.

"Canada," she replied proudly.

AN: my first HP fanfic, I'm used to writing Crossing Jordan and I've never read a Harry Potter fic, so I'm sorry if it seems a little dry or boring! Please review, it will tell me whether or not I should continue the story (I hope you like it because I've already written 7 chapters!)