Okay, 14? We're at 14, right? That's what the document claims, anyway.

Warnings: It's shounen-ai, slash, yaoi, gay, etc. etc. Harry Potter/ Tom Riddle jr. Sirius/Remus.

Notes: (X) is pov change and or time jump

Chapter, 14: The Return to Hogwarts

"See?" The compartment door slid open, Harry turning from the window to see who'd entered. Thankfully, the shadow had vanished from sight. It would be just his luck for someone to find out about it on the train. "He's here, safe and sound," Draco said, motioning to Harry with both hands, his annoyance obvious. He strode into the compartment and sat down across from Harry.

"Well, you can't blame me for worrying," Hermione snapped at the Slytherin before turning her gaze to Harry. "You know you don't have to stay in here, right?" Her voice gentle now.

"Um, pretty sure I do," Harry said straightening up. "This is the only compartment I won't have to listen to people accusing me of being a murderer." He'd heard it enough when the school term had ended and he'd known people would be saying it when the new term started, but the sheer amount of students accusing him was surprising. There was always that group, usually Malfoy's, that accused him of everything under the sun. But the rest of the student body just ignored him, not wanting to get dragged into his drama one way or another. For once that neutral group that consisted of over half of the student's at Hogwarts had joined in claiming Harry was a murderer. Which was kind of funny when he thought about it because that meant they thought the Daily Prophet was lying just as much as Dumbledore and Harry were.

"Right," she sighed, entering the compartment. She dropped into the seat beside Harry, with a look of irritation. "I tried to get Ron to stop this stupid accusation. We all know you didn't kill Mrs. Weasley." She dropped her forehead into her hand. "He's unbelievably frustrating."

"That's what Weasley's accusing you of," Draco asked letting out a laugh. "Are you kidding me?"

"I wish," Hermione said. She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes, no doubt an attempt to calm down. "I'm going to go keep an eye on Ron. Make sure he doesn't hand out any detentions just for the fun of it…" She did not look like she wanted to go. "Maybe I'll just… stay in here a few more minutes. He can't possibly manage to…" she let out a frustrated sigh and stood up. "I'll check on you later," she mumbled, leaving the compartment.

Harry and Draco watched her go, leaving the two of them alone again. It was good to know that Hermione was trying to keep Ron under control. He really didn't trust Ron's current mental state to be a good prefect. Okay, Ron would probably never be properly mental to be a good prefect.

"So… where're your cronies," Harry asked. He'd expected to walk into the compartment and find Crabbe, Goyle, and maybe even Pansy Parkinson lounging inside. Had they been, he probably wouldn't have stayed. Sitting in the corridor the entire ride would have been better than tolerating those three. He'd expected them to show up later, but they hadn't, which was nice, but surprising. Usually it was impossible to keep the four of them separated.

"Where're yours," Draco countered.

"Well, Hermione left to babysit Ron, and Ron thinks I'm a murderer," Harry said.

"That's not who I meant," he said.

Does he…? Harry frowned. Right. Even the shadow had mentioned knowing Draco already, so why did it surprise him that he was asking about him? Maybe because he didn't want Draco, or anyone really, to know about the shadow? He wanted it to be his little secret like before.

"Resting, I guess," Harry said. "Aren't you worried they won't talk to you anymore?"

"Is that really a bad thing?"

"They've been your friends for years."

"No," Draco said. "Crabbe and Goyle's parents made them associate with me."

"And Pansy?"

"I'm going to patrol for a bit." He didn't sound anymore thrilled then Hermione had when she'd mention babysitting Ron, but he left anyway without another word.

Harry wondered why Draco had shut down at the mention of Pansy. He hoped the shadow wasn't threatening her safety to keep Draco in line.

(X)

"Oh, you're still in here," Draco sighed, stepping into the compartment. He shut the door and walked over to the luggage rack, moving Hedwig's cage over, then his own owl's cage, and popped open his trunk.

"And where exactly was I going," Harry asked, watching Draco's every move. The Slytherin knew the situation he was in and all the lies going around the train. He'd be enduring all of that his entire school year. Why would he leave the compartment and jump into the harassment early?

Draco sat down across from Harry, holding a somewhat thick book in his hand. "I thought Hermione had retrieved you," he said, sounding disappointed as he opened the book.

Harry blinked. "You called Hermione by her first name." His day just kept getting weirder.

Draco looked up from the book, eyebrow raised. "And?"

"Since when? You usually call her Granger or Mud-Blood." He was not losing his mind. Draco had terrorized them from the first day of school. He went out of his way to treat them like they were losers. Like he was somehow better than them because he had connections and money or because he was Slytherin. The last thing he seemed capable of doing was flattering them by using their first names.

"Things change," he said, looking back down at his book.

"So, she becomes a prefect and suddenly she's worth calling by her first name?"

Draco looked back up, his eyes narrowing. "You know what, Potter? This is the first time I've ever been able to read on the train to Hogwarts without having to listen to Crabbe and Goyle grunting at each other the whole time! So instead of sitting there trying to piss me off, belt it or go join your "friends" in their compartment so they can try to decide if you killed Cedric or Weasley's mother, or both!"

Harry gaped at him. That was a bit more like the Draco Malfoy he knew, but not quite. The Slytherin he knew from all his previous school years would have cursed him and threw him into the corridor, not give him the alternative to be quiet.

"I didn't kill anyone," Harry said. "I mean...people have died because of me, but not because I've killed them." Not that that was much better. It still meant people were dead and if he hadn't been around, they wouldn't be. Maybe it was better that everyone was putting some distance between themselves and him. He knew fighting together with your friends made you stronger, but what kind of friend were you if you got your friends killed? And for stupid reasons like caring for them or because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time or because Harry just couldn't keep his stupid blood in his body.

"Then let me read in peace," he muttered, lifting the book up. "I have to do patrols every hour anyway, so it's not like you have to look at me much." He flipped the page.

Was Draco going to be a decent person this year? He'd been nice enough to share his compartment with Harry. The shadow had probably made him, but he could have refused. Unless the shadow was threatening him or Pansy, which seemed possibly given Draco's previous reaction.

Whatever the reason, Harry decided it didn't matter. Draco had given him a safe place to hide, at least until he arrived at school. He didn't know what he'd do after though. There was no guarantee his dorm mates would leave him alone. Maybe he could move to an empty dorm so he could spend as much time as he wanted with the shadow.

'You won't need to change rooms,' the shadow chuckled. 'I will see to it that you get your rest and spend plenty of time with you.''

'Okay.' Only it wasn't just about his dorm. He wanted to be able to walk through Hogwarts without people pointing at him and saying awful things about him under their breath. Just once he'd like to return to school without everyone hating him for the first month or so before they found something else to go on about. But, he'd have to take what peace he could get right now.

"Potter, what are you doing?"

Harry looked up from his hands, he hadn't even known he'd been staring at them, to Draco. The Slytherin had a look of worry and annoyance on his face. "Nothing." He'd been talking to the shadow mentally. There was no way Draco could have heard him.

Draco set the book down in the empty seat beside him, the words "Mastering the Basics of Alchemy" in dark red letters sprawled across it. "You're completely dazed out."

"I'm allowed to think," he said defensively. "And why are you staring at me? I thought you were reading."

"You're talking to him and people are going to notice."

"... Does it matter if people see me daze out? The only reason you know I'm having a conversation is because you speak with him too."

"Not like that," Draco said, with what sounded like a hint of disgust. "We talk like everyone else. The last thing I'm doing is letting him into my head."

'Probably a good thing. If there were three minds wrapped up in this mess, we'd all be mad by now,' the shadow snickered.

"W, what?" For some reason, the shadow's words had him laughing.

"I didn't—right." Scowling, Draco stood up. "I'm going to do another patrol. I suggest you practice on communicating without looking like your brain has been removed." He left the compartment, slamming the door shut behind him.

That had been unexpected. 'Is he jealous we can talk like this?'

'No, he'd be horrified if I even suggested it.' Hesitation followed by amusement. 'Actually, he was horrified when I mentioned I was speaking with you this way.' Slight annoyance. 'I probably should have listened to him, but what's done is done,' he sighed.

'... I don't mind talking with you like this. Not now since it doesn't hurt anymore.'

'That's good.' An invisible hand closed around his own. 'Do you trust me?'

'I don't know.' He wanted to, badly. The shadow had stayed with him and helped him all summer. Yes, it had a violent streak, mostly against others, but he was positive he could get him to stop over time. But he couldn't deny the hesitation he felt with him at times. Like after he'd found out it had lied about Dumbledore sending the necklace to him.

'You won't even know what I've done.'

'So, what are you going to do?'

'I want to fix something,' he said. Now Harry could see him. He was sitting next to him, his hand on Harry's cheek.

'Fix what,' he asked, his face burning. Did he want to…?

'I'm going to do this regardless if you give me permission, I merely thought I'd be nice and ask,' he said, his tone one of arrogance.

'Will it hurt anyone?'

'Actually, it will help.'

Harry stared into the shadow's glowing red eyes. 'Promise me, no one gets hurt.'

'I promise.'

He nodded. 'Okay, go ahead.'

Surprise. 'Thank you.' He dropped his forehead against Harry's own and placed his hands on each side of his temples. "Obliviate," he whispered.

(X)

"Potter, get up. We're almost at school," Draco said.

Harry opened his eyes and frowned. He felt strange. He grabbed the necklace under his shirt to make sure it was still there and squeezed it.

'It'll be fine. I won't let anyone hurt you.'

'It's not that. I feel dizzy and... off.' He rested his head in his hand. The train still moving was not helping.

'Sorry about that.'

'What did you do? The last thing I remember was you whispering to me.'

"You look pale, you're not going to be sick, are you?"

Harry shook his head slowly and stood up. "No. I don't think so." He watched the robe go over Draco's head and flow down around him. He hadn't really noticed at the funeral, but Draco had grown over the summer. He was leaner and his cheekbones had become more noticeable.

"What," Draco snapped, his cheeks pink.

"Nothing," he said. He couldn't exactly tell Draco he'd suddenly realized how good looking the Slytherin was, because for once, he wasn't being a complete arse.

"Then get your robe on."

Harry opened the top of his trunk and removed a set of robes and pulled them on over his head, nearly killing himself as another wave of dizziness hit him. He grabbed the luggage rack, waiting for the feeling to pass. What's wrong with me? He tried to think if he'd done or ate anything out of the ordinary but came up blank.

"I have to make sure the first years somehow don't get lost between the train and that half-giant of yours standing right outside," Draco said rolling his eyes. "I swear, if a student is too stupid to see him, they don't deserve to be let into Hogwarts." He finished adjusting his robe and the prefect badge he now had attached to it on his chest. With a satisfied look, he opened the compartment door, Crabbe and Goyle waiting. "Grab my stuff and if I so much as see a feather ruffled on my owl or a dent on my trunk, you'll be serving detention for the rest of the month."

"Got it," Crabbe said grinning.

"You can count on us," Goyle said.

"I doubt that," Draco sighed.

The two cronies entered the compartment, their grins fading when they spotted Harry. "What's he doing in here," Goyle asked.

"I had to sit with him, because you two idiots couldn't be quiet," Draco snapped. "I'm sure you can imagine how I feel after having to share a compartment with Potter for the entire ride." He eyed the other two Slytherin who looked beyond terrified. They muttered apologies before grabbing Draco's things from the luggage rack. Surprisingly, they carried Draco's items away with extreme care, Goyle holding the birdcage above his head so none of the students could jostle it. Crabbe hoisted Draco's trunk up with a grunt and carried it out, screaming at a few students to move when they came close to it.

"I don't even know where to start with that," Harry said. It must be nice to have servants. "Who's carrying their things?"

"I don't know, and I don't care."

"Wait," Harry said just as Draco was about to leave.

"What?"

"Are we actually going to be on… neutral terms," he asked. "Or is this it?"

"Depends on you, Potter." Without explaining further, Draco stepped out of the compartment.

That didn't answer my question, Harry growled. Draco had acted like they were still enemies when Crabbe and Goyle had shown up, so walking up to the Slytherin and starting a conversation probably wasn't what Draco had in mind. He could have just said so though.

He removed his trunk and Hedwig from the luggage rack and leaned against the door, watching the other students file out of the train. There were so many new ones mixed in with the familiar faces and he found it surprising how small they looked.

'Are you going to spend your whole school year inside the train,' the shadow asked.

'No,' Harry said. 'I…' Frowning, he realized nothing was going to get better. It didn't matter if he left now or a month from now, everyone was going to continue treating him like he didn't belong. He opened the door and stepped out into the corridor after the line thinned. 'I'm on edge.'

'Just relax. You'll fall into a routine soon enough. None of these students matter.'

'Right.'

Once he was off the train, he started scouting the area for Hagrid. He could use a friendly talk before heading to the castle. Hagrid wasn't in his usual spot collecting first years though. Instead, Professor Grubby-plank was there, herding the new students into a group.

Well, this year was starting off horribly different. Sirius and Remus had seen him off instead of Mrs. Weasley. He'd sat with Draco on the train instead of Ron and Hermione and now there was no Hagrid waiting for him off the train. Nothing was right anymore.

'I feel like I need to try the day over.'

'Things constantly change,' the shadow said.

'What if Hagrid's hurt,' he demanded. 'Or he quit? I might never see him again!'

'I promise you; Hagrid is fine.'

Harry felt a gentle push on his back, directing him towards the carriages. 'You know where he is?'

'I do so stop worrying.'

'Where?'

'I can't tell you.'

'Since when,' Harry asked, starting to get angry. 'Isn't answering questions your primary function? Not to mention I tell you everything,'

'I do not live to answer your questions,' the shadow said angrily. 'It's Order business. When he gets back, you can ask him all about it.'

'So now you're going to withhold information from me too?' Why wasn't the shadow answering his questions anymore? Come to think of it, the shadow had stopped answering everything when Dumbledore had taken it into another room. What was the point of having a know it all pendant if it didn't answer the questions you asked it? He should have just bought a Muggle eight ball. At least they didn't get moody like this or throw people into walls.

'You were so much easier to deal with at the Muggle's house,' the shadow sighed.

'Well, excuse me for being as difficult as you are,' Harry countered. He found an empty carriage by complete luck and froze in front of it. 'What….?' He didn't know if he should run or remain unmoving in hopes that the creatures in front of him would ignore him. The horse, or maybe what had used to be a horse, was hitched to the carriage, and pawing at the ground. Only it wasn't exactly alive or shouldn't have been. The creature was malnourished beyond anything Harry had ever witnessed, not a single muscle or ounce of fat on it. Its skin was pulled tight and showed every bit of bone beneath, bat-like wings extruding from its back. And if that wasn't bad enough, its eyes were pure white and gave off an odd glow.

'It's a Thestral,' the shadow said, it's voice calm again.

'Is it dangerous?'

'They've been fed.' Another push moved Harry away from the creature and towards the carriage door.

'Why isn't anyone else freaking out about them?' He was fast beginning to think he was seeing things. Surely the other students, at least the first years, would be pointing and letting out a few screams if they'd noticed them.

'Because not everyone can see them.'

'So, I am losing my mind,' he groaned. It was really only a matter of time, he'd known that, but it could have happened before he got on the train.

'No.' Harry's luggage rose into the air and flew into the carriage, the Gryffindor watching numbly. 'It's because you saw Cedric die.' Another shove had Harry in the carriage.

His stomach sank as he sat down. So, everything and everyone around him was going to make sure he never healed from the death he'd witnessed. 'Anything else I'm going to see or hear now, because of Cedric's death?'

'Not here.'

Well, that was just great. It wasn't bad enough that his mental state had warped after seeing Cedric died, no, now he was privy to a host of secret creatures, sights, and possibly sounds all thanks to seeing a single death. A death he hadn't even carried out.

The door to the carriage opened, a girl with platinum blonde hair poking her head in. "Do you mind?" She looked him over, the dreamy look in her eyes taking on a more serious one. "You're Harry Potter."

"I am," he said, not knowing what else to say.

"Harry? Luna just go in; it's starting to rain."

"If you're sure." The girl named Luna climbed in, her Dirigible plum earrings swinging back and forth. As soon as she sat down with her things, Ginny appeared.

"Thanks," Ginny said, sitting down next to Harry.

"No problem," Harry said, looking back and forth between the two. "Are you guys sure you want to be seen with me?"

Luna raised an eyebrow, her already surprised expression somehow growing. Something dawned on her then because her lips broke into a smile. "Oh, because you're a killer?"

Harry frowned at how matter of fact the girl had just said that. "Yeah," he said, sounding a bit grumpier than he'd intended.

"Ron's just being an arse," Ginny said. "We all know you didn't kill my mum or Cedric."

"Yes," Luna agreed, her voice taking on a dreamy tone to match her eyes. "He'll come around once the shock of the death has passed."

Ginny nodded. "Maybe, he's pretty stupid. Oh, Harry this is my friend Luna Lovegood. She's in Ravenclaw."

"Nice to meet you," Luna said pleasantly. She pulled a magazine out from her robe's pocket, turned it upside down and began to read it.

"Eh…"

"Where did you end up sitting on the train? We thought you'd be with Fred and George," Ginny said. "You could have sat with us, you know. No one believes Ron."

"No one who knows me," Harry corrected her. Everyone else would be writing to their parents after they returned to their dorms to tell them that Harry was a serial killer. Well, at least the Daily Prophet would have something new to write about instead of how crazy Dumbledore and he were. "Did you see Hagrid?"

"No, I didn't," Ginny said. She looked worried now. "I looked, but I didn't see him anywhere."

"Me too…"

They made small talk after that as the carriage continued towards the castle, mostly about Quidditch. Luna didn't talk at all, her eyes remained glued on her magazine. Soon enough they were at the castle and climbing out of the carriages. Harry did another double take at the death incarnate horses.

"You can see them too now, can't you," Luna asked.

"The Thestrals, right," he asked, and she beamed at him.

"Yes, I was surprised when I saw them myself when I first came to Hogwarts."

"Really?" Harry couldn't imagine seeing these creatures his first year and not running off the school grounds, refusing to look back. Maybe if everyone else could see them too, but that was obviously not the case. "Oh, that means…"

"Yes, I saw my mother die when I was nine," she said simply. "One of her experiments went wrong."

Harry's eyes widened at that. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you. You're a nice person Harry. I'm glad I was able to share a carriage with you and Ginny."

"Come on," Ginny said. "Before the speech starts."

Harry trudged into the castle behind the two girls as he took in everything around him. The students who passed by were still whispering about him.

'Is there a spell I can do so I don't have to listen to everyone?'

'There's a spell for everything.'

'Mind sharing that one?'

'Perhaps after the speech and if you swear never to use it to ignore a lecture.'

When they stepped into the Great Hall, Luna left without a word heading straight for the Ravenclaw table. A group of fourth year Gryffindors called Ginny over and Harry stood at the end of the table alone wondering what he should do. Ron and Hermione were still with Neville towards the middle and he almost went over to them. His sanity returned half a second later and he sat down at the very end, alone, with Nearly Headless Nick.

Still no Hagrid….

'You're really going to sit down here alone,' the shadow asked.

'Do you have a better idea? You don't understand how the people in this school think. If I go join them, it'll just start an even bigger fight.' He scanned the staff table and sighed when he saw no signs of Hagrid. 'You're sure he's okay?'

'Who?'

'Hagrid!'

'Oh, yeah, he's fine.' He didn't seem worried in the least, and Harry hoped that was truly the case. He wasn't sure he could handle any more people he personally knew dying.

"My fault," Harry heard Ron scream from down the table. He was glaring at Hermione.

"Yes, yours," Hermione yelled back.

He wondered what Ron's sudden outburst was about and decided he'd ask Hermione the first chance he got. Before he had a chance to really dwell on it, he heard the doors to the Great Hall open. Everyone immediately went silent, Professor McGonagall striding in, a stool in one hand, the Sorting Hat in the other. Behind her trailed a large group of fidgeting first years, most of them looking like they wanted to puke or dive under the tables and hide.

Professor McGonagall set the stool down first and then the hat. She took a step back, the Sorting Hat springing to life. It looked at all four tables one by one and let out a huge laugh before starting its song. The song was different from all the other ones. Each year the hat had spoken about the different houses and the traits each one favored, but this time, it was singing of warnings and telling everyone to stand together. Well, that meant they'd managed to convince the Sorting Hat about Voldemort's return. Now if it could just convince everyone else.

'Any chances the Sorting Hat can make everyone believe Voldemort's back?'

'… I don't think so,' the shadow answered laughing.

'Too easy, huh?'

"Yes.'

"When I call your name, you will come sit on the stool," Professor McGonagall called out. The first years began to fidget even more.

'I wonder how many will end up in Gryffindor.'

McGonagall called out to each student one by one. Each house obtained several new students, their fellow housemates cheering for them when the Sorting Hat called out their assigned house. The first year Gryffindors all eyed Harry when they came to the table, all of them making sure to put a great deal of distance between him and themselves. Each time one of them whispered at another new first year to please move down, the shadow snickered.

'You're such a terrifying person,' he joked.

'Yes, I eat any first years that look me in the eye,' he said sarcastically. Maybe if they were scared of him, they wouldn't bother him too much.

"Welcome," Dumbledore's voice boomed across the Great Hall. He was standing, his arms in the air, a large smile on his face. "I have so many things to tell all of you, but for now, let us enjoy our feast!" He sat back down just as rows upon rows of food appeared on all the tables.

'He's so embarrassing,' the shadow sighed.

Harry raised an eyebrow at that. He didn't see how anything Dumbledore did could be considered embarrassing, especially not for the shadow.

'He's just having fun with it. He does this every year.'

'So, I've noticed.' The shadow flickered into view. Not that anyone else seemed capable of seeing him. Harry watched it grab a few pieces of fried chicken and drop it onto a plate.

'… Umm… won't it be weird if someone notices chicken beating eaten by something invisible?'

'It's Hogwarts, who's going to question anything?'

That was true but didn't exactly make it a good idea. He wasn't about to fight though. If the shadow needed to eat to get energy so he could keep going, who was Harry to stop it? He preferred having the shadow around and he'd have no one to talk to if he left.

When the puddings appeared, the shadow seemed far more interested. It examined each one that was near them before settling on two, a small cup filled with layers of blueberries and whipped cream, and a small bowl of chocolate mousse.

Harry settled for his usual treacle tart. He needed something to be normal, even if it was just the food. For the first time Harry could remember, he wanted to go home. He wanted to be at number twelve with Sirius and Lupin, fighting over who'd get to cook and who'd do the dishes. Being at Hogwarts just wasn't what it used to be.

The food vanished from the table. At least this part was almost over. Maybe if he could just make it to tomorrow and start his classes, things wouldn't be so bad.

"My dear, previous students and staff, welcome back for another wonderful school year," Dumbledore started. He stood up as he spoke, all eyes falling on him. "To our new students, welcome, for what will hopefully be the start of many wonderful years to come! We have much to address and I know everyone is tired after that splendid feast, so let's finish this promptly so we may all be in bed and ready for tomorrow's first day of classes."

'Because I haven't heard this before,' the shadow said. It sounded bored.

"First, a reminder to everyone, and I do mean everyone, the Forbidden Forest is Forbidden to enter," the headmaster said. He was looking at the Gryffindor table, and Fred and George were both grinning. "Our Care of Magical Creatures class will be taught, for the time being, by our wonderful Professor Grubby-planks." Cheers sounded from the Ravenclaw and Slytherin table that Harry didn't care for. "We also have, yet again, another new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor—" He paused letting the laughs from the students die out before going on. "Yes, yes. Eventually we'll find a professor who will actually stay with us for more than a year," he finished, his eyes dancing with amusement.

'Maybe if he found a proper teacher,' the shadow said.

'Lupin was an excellent teacher,' Harry said without hesitation. Lupin should have never had to leave. 'It's not his fault people treat him like an outcast because he's a werewolf.'

'I wouldn't object to Remus.'

Good. They had better be on the same side when it came to that. If the shadow thought Lupin were a poor Defense teacher, he'd have no choice but to throw the necklace into the lake for the giant squid to play with.

"For now, we have with us, Professor Umbridge, whom I'm sure—"

'WHAT?!'

Harry winced, placing his hands over his ears, which he realized was stupid, because the shadow's voice was inside his head.

'What's wrong,' he managed, a headache beginning to form.

'Umbridge is that woman from the court trial, the one who kept trying to get everyone riled up into believing Fudge's lies. She's a Ministry worker! What in the hell was Dumbledore thinking?!'

Harry was so grateful he couldn't feel the shadow's emotions with his words right now. He could only imagine the rage, because real fire seemed to have erupted in the shadow's eyes.

'He had to have his reasons,' Harry offered. 'It doesn't seem right though. I feel like I should have stayed home and let Sirius teach me.' He didn't like Umbridge either. She reminded him of a poisonous toad trying to hide its toxins inside a hideous pink cardigan. He'd felt the same distaste in the courtroom. She acted innocent but left behind a feeling of danger that he didn't care for. 'A shame they didn't force her to visit St. Mungo's and get a mental check with Fudge. There's no way that place could get away with passing both off as mentally stable and not get a backlash from even mildly intelligent people.'

'Oh, you have far too much confidence in people,' the shadow sighed.

"Now everyone, welcome—"

Harry winced once again, blocking his ears, though this time it was to avoid hearing Umbridge's high pitched girlish voice, not the shadow's scream. Her voice literally made him shudder. How was he supposed to listen to her in class if he couldn't even tolerate her saying hello?

'Did she interrupt Dumbledore,' Harry asked.

'She did,' the shadow growled. He stood up, Harry's eyes widening as he watched the shadow walk towards the staff table.

'W, wait!' He couldn't just run after him and he had no idea if there was a way to use the necklace to make it come back like a recall button or something. 'What are you doing?' Interrupting Dumbledore couldn't be that big of a deal.

The shadow ignored him though, walking purposely forward. Harry noticed Dumbledore's eyes snapping open and jump to Harry, looking at him questioningly. Harry shrugged, feeling somewhat guilty that he couldn't control the thing.

Six feet from the table.

"And I would like to—"

'Dumbledore's seen you.'

Four feet.

Dumbledore jumped back to his feet, looked straight at Harry, and in his loudest voice shouted, "HARRY POTTER!" The room gasped, people looking back and forth at one another and then at Harry trying to figure out what exactly he'd done to make Dumbledore scream at him in the middle of the feast. Umbridge let out a loud yelp, her face red. She turned to say something to Dumbledore, but he ignored her, instead walking towards the Gryffindor table. He grabbed the shadow's forearm and pulled him back towards Harry. "My office, now," he said, his voice grave.

"But I didn't—"

"My office, Harry," he said, leaving no room for debate. He turned back to the gathered students. "You are all dismissed," he told them and then left the hall. The shadow managed to pull his arm away, and Harry heard it cursing inside his mind.

'Did you really have to get me in trouble,' he asked getting up. He didn't need to get a detention before the school term even officially started.

'He's not mad at you,' the shadow growled.

'Pretty sure he is,' Harry said. The whispers turned into murmurers, and he did his best to block them out. Yes, he really needed a do over on his day.

(TBC)

It was hard making this chapter interesting. The original was anything, but.