Aboard the Hogwarts Express

John and Sherlock were the first to wake in the morning, and were already dressed when Mrs Weasley came downstairs. Sam and Dean came with her, again eager to help her cook.

John was just making sure Dolly was secure in her tank, when a soft pop and a voice made him jump.

'Is Arthur there?' it asked.

John turned around and looked down at the fireplace, where a head and nothing else was sitting. John blinked a few times. 'Mr Diggory?' he said, perplexed

'Yes, yes, please get Arthur, it's rather urgent.'

'I'll get him,' said Mrs Weasley, coming out of the kitchen. 'Arthur!' she called up the staircase. 'Arthur! Amos needs to speak to you, he says it's urgent!'

Mr Weasley came clattering into the living room, his robes on backwards. 'What's wrong, Amos?' he said.

Mr Diggory sighed. 'It's Mad-Eye again, Arthur.'

'What's he done this time?'

'Apparently he thought someone was trying to break into his house-'

'Hang on, I suppose I'd better write this down. Molly, can you-?'

'Of course.' Mrs Weasley began rifling through a drawer in one of the cabinets.

'Some Muggle heard bangs and shouting,' Mr Diggory continued, 'so they went and called those what-d'you-call-'ems – please-men. Arthur, you've got to get over there-'

'Here!' Mrs Weasley said breathlessly, pushing a piece of paper, a bottle of ink and a crumpled quill into Mr Weasley's hands.

'It's a real stroke of luck I heard about it,' said Mr Diggory's head. 'I had to come into the office early to send a couple of owls, and I found the Improper Use of Magic lot all setting off – if Rita Skeeter gets hold of this one, Arthur-'

'What does Mad-Eye say happened?' asked Mr Weasley, unscrewing the ink bottle, loading up hs quill and preparing to take notes.

Mr Diggory rolled his eyes. 'Says he heard an intruder in his yard. Says they were creeping towards his house, but they were ambushed by his dustbins.'

'What did the dustbins do?' asked Mr Weasley, scribbling frantically.

'Made one hell of a racket, firing rubbish everywhere, as far as I can tell,' said Mr Diggory. 'Apparently one of them was still rocketing around when the please-men turned up.'

Mr Weasley groaned. 'And what about the intruder?'

'Arthur, you know Mad-Eye Someone creeping into his yard in the dead of night? More likely there's a very shellshocked cat wandering around somewhere, covered in potato peelings. But if the Improper Use of Magic lot get their hands on Mad-Eye, he's had it – think of his record – we've got to get him off on a minor charge, something in your department – what are exploding dustbins worth?'

'Might be a caution. Mad-Eye didn't use his wand? He didn't actually attack anyone?'

'I'll bet he leapt out of bed and started jinxing everything he could reach through the window,' said Mr Diggory, 'but they'll have a job proving it, there aren't any casualties.'

'All right,' said Mr Weasley, stuffing his parchment in his pocket and dashing out of the kitchen.

Mr Diggory looked around at Mrs Weasley. 'Sorry about this, Molly,' he said, more calmly, 'bothering you so early and everything… but Arthur's the only one who can get Mad-Eye off, and he's supposed to be starting his new job today. Why he had to choose last night…'

'Never mind, Amos,' said Mrs Weasley. 'Sure you won't have a bit of toast before you go?'

'Oh, go on then.'

Mrs Weasley took a piece of buttered toast from a stack in the kitchen, put it into the fire tongs and transferred it into Mr Diggory's mouth.

'Fanks,' he said in a muffled voice, then vanished with a small pop.

Mr Weasley then came back in with his robes on the right way round and dragging a comb through his hair. 'Have a good term, everyone,' he said, throwing a cloak over his shoulders. 'Molly, are you going to be all right getting everyone to King's Cross?'

'Of course I will,' she said. 'You just look after Mad-Eye.'

Mr Weasley then Disapparated.

'Did someone say Mad-Eye?' said Bill, entering the living room. 'What's he been up to now?'

'He says someone tried to break into his house last night,' said Mrs Weasley.

'Mad-Eye Moody?' George said thoughtfully. 'Isn't he that nutter-?'

'Your father thinks very highly of Mad-Eye Moody,' Mrs Weasley said sternly.

'Yeah, well, Dad collects plugs, doesn't he?' Fred said quietly, as she left the room 'Birds of a feather…'

'Moody was a great wizard in his time,' said Bill.

'He's an old friend of Dumbledore's, isn't he?' said Charlie.

'Dumbledore's not exactly what you'd call normal, though, is he?' said Fred. 'I mean, I know he's a genius and everything…'

'Who is Mad-Eye?' asked Harry.

'He's retired, used to work at the Ministry,' said Charlie. 'I met him once when Dad took me into work with him. He was an Auror – one of the best… a Dark-wizard-catcher,' he added at Harry and John's blank looks. 'Half the cells in Azkaban are full because of him. He made himself loads of enemies, though… The families of the people he caught, mainly… and I heard he's getting really paranoid in his old age. Doesn't trust anyone anymore. Sees Dark Wizards everywhere.'

Bill and Charlie decided to come and see everyone off at King's Cross station, but Percy, apologising profusely, said that he needed to get to work.

'I just can't justify taking more time off at the moment,' he told them. 'Mr Crouch s really starting to rely on me.'

'Yeah, you know what, Percy?' said George seriously. 'I reckon he'll know your name soon.'

Percy turned red and stormed off.

Mycroft had ordered them several Ministry cars for their journey, but they were not prepared for the over-excited Pigwidgeon, fireworks exploding out of Fred's trunk, or Crookshanks clawing up one of the drivers' legs. Thankfully, Dolly was quite content to sit in her tank, warbling quietly, so they didn't have to deal with an escaped toad on top of everything else.

All in all, they were relieved to arrive at King's Cross. Most of them were used to getting on to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, however Sam insisted on watching someone do it first, before he would believe that running directly at the ticket barrier was really the way to do it.

Castiel was already on the train, in his robes and saving them a compartment. They dumped their luggage and hopped back down onto the platform to say goodbye.

'I might be seeing you all sooner than you think,' said Charlie, grinning as he hugged Ginny goodbye.

'Why?' said Fred keenly.

'You'll see,' said Charlie. 'Just don't tell Percy I mentioned it. It's "classified information until such time as the Ministry sees it to release it" after all.'

'Yeah, I sort of wish I was back at Hogwarts this year,' said Bill, looking wistfully at the train.

'Why?' said George impatiently.

'You're going to have an interesting year,' said Bill. 'I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of it…'

'A bit of what?' said Ron.

But at that moment, the whistle blew and Mrs Weasley chivvied them towards the train doors.

'Thanks for having us, Mrs Weasley,' Dean said as they climbed on board, closed the door and leant out of the window to talk to her.

'Yeah, thanks for everything, Mrs Weasley,' said Harry.

'Oh, it was my pleasure, dears,' said Mrs Weasley. 'I'd invite you over for Christmas, but… well, I expect you'll want to stay at Hogwarts, what with… one thing or another.'

'Mum!' Ron said irritably. 'What d'you three know that we don't?'

'You'll find out this evening, I expect,' Mrs Weasley smiled. 'It's going to be very exciting. Mind you, I'm glad they've changed the rules.'

'What rules?' said Fred and George.

'I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will tell you… now, behave, won't you? Won't you, Fred? And you, George?'

The pistons hissed loudly, and the train began to move.

'Tell us what's happening at Hogwarts!' Fred bellowed out of the window, as Mrs Weasley, Bill and Charlie sped away from them. 'What rules are they changing?'

But Mrs Weasley only smiled and waved. Before the train rounded the corner, the three of them had Disapparated.

Fred and George went to find their own compartment, and Dean sent Sam off to find some other first-years to make friends with.

'Trust me, you'll thank me later,' he said.

Then the rest of them went back to their compartment. Once they were all sat down, Ron undid his trunk, pulled out his maroon dress robes, and flung them over Pigwidgeon's cage to muffle his hooting.

'Bagman wanted to tell us what's happening at Hogwarts,' Ron said grumpily. 'At the World Cup, remember? But my own mother won't say… John, you don't think you could...?'

'Actually, I don't think I will,' said John. 'I don't get many surprises, and I'd rather discuss it at the same time as everyone else, like a normal person.'

'Fair enough,' Ron shrugged. 'Wonder what-'

'Shh!' Hermione whispered suddenly, pressing her finger to her lips and pointing towards the compartment next to theirs.

They heard a familiar drawling voice drifting through the open door.

'…Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the Headmaster, you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore – the man's such a Mudblood-lover, and Durmstrang doesn't admit that sort of riff-raff. But Mother didn't like the idea of me going to school so far away. Father says Durmstrang takes a far more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually learn them, not just the defence rubbish we do…'

Hermione got up, tiptoed to the compartment door, and slid it shut, blocking out Malfoy's voice. 'So he thinks Durmstrang would have suited him, does he?' she said angrily. 'I wish he had gone, then we wouldn't have to deal with him.'

'Durmstrang's another wizarding school?' said Harry.

'Yes,' Hermione said sniffily, 'and it's got a horrible reputation. According to An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe, it puts a lot of emphasis on the Dark Arts.'

'You know, it never really occurred to me that there might be other schools,' John mused. 'Well, until Sherlock told me about Ilvermorny.'

'Ah, Ilvermorny,' Dean sighed. 'It's beautiful there. I was supposed to go, but my dad thought I would be safer here with Dumbledore.'

'He's not wrong,' said Ron.

'I wouldn't be so sure about that. It's not like Ilvermorny has Voldemort or one of his followers on campus every year,' Dean said, only half joking.

'Yeah, well,' Ron said uncomfortably, 'you're here now.'

'Yeah, I guess I am.'

'Where is Durmstrang?' Ron asked, hastily changing the subject. 'I think I've heard of it.'

'Well, no one knows, do they?' said Hermione, raising her eyebrows.

'Er, why not?' said Harry.

'There's traditionally been a lot of rivalry between all the magic schools. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons like to conceal their whereabouts so nobody can steal their secrets,' Hermione told them.

'Come off it,' said Ron, starting to laugh. 'Durmstrang's got to be about the same size as Hogwarts, how are you going to hide a dirty great castle?'

'But Hogwarts is hidden,' Hermione said in surprise, 'everyone knows that… well, everyone who's read Hogwarts: A History, anyway.'

'Just you, then,' said Ron. 'Go on, then, how d'you hide a place like Hogwarts?'

'It's bewitched. If a Muggle looks at it, all they see is an old ruin with sign over the entrance saying DANGER, DO NOT ENTER, UNSAFE.'

'So Durmstrang'll look like a ruin to an outsider, then?'

'Maybe,' Hermione shrugged, 'or it'll have a Muggle-Repelling Charm on it, like the World Cup Stadium. And to keep foreign wizards from finding it, they'll have made it Unplottable-'

'Come again?'

'Well, you can enchant a building so it's impossible to plot on a map, can't you?'

'If you say so,' said Harry.

'But I think Durmstrang must be somewhere in the far north,' Hermione said thoughtfully. 'Somewhere very cold, because they've got fur capes as part of their uniforms.'

'Ah the possibilities,' Ron said dreamily. 'It would've been so easy to push Malfoy off a glacier and make it look like an accident… shame his mother likes him…'

'I couldn't find much about Beauxbatons, though,' said Hermione. 'Only that it's in France somewhere.'

'My grandmother went to Beauxbatons,' Cas told them. 'She used to say that the Palace of Beauxbatons was the most magical and beautiful place in the world. I hope to visit someday.'

Dean squinted at him. Something about his voice was different, as though he had suddenly developed a mild lisp.

'What?' said Cas.

'What the – Cas, are you missing a tooth?' said Dean.

'It's nothing,' Cas said hastily, and indeed, one of his front teeth was missing.

'What the hell happened?'

'I was hiking with Gabriel and I fell. There are a lot of rocks on the trail.'

'That's crap!' Dean said. 'Who did this?'

'No one did it,' said Cas, prickling. 'I fell.'

'But-'

'It is not of import. Madam Pomfrey will fix it.' Cas ended the conversation by picking up the book he had been reading on advanced human anatomy and hiding his face behind it.

Dean looked around at everyone else incredulously, most of whom just shrugged.

Cas didn't speak again until the lunch trolley arrived, when he ordered a cup of pumpkin juice and nothing else.

They were visited by Seamus, Dean Thomas and Neville. Seamus was still wearing his Ireland Rosette from the World Cup and they all launched into talk of the match, though Hermione grew tired of the conversation after a while, and stopped to read her Standard Book of Spells, Grade 4.

'Is that a toad?' Neville asked, wide-eyed as he spotted Dolly.

'Yeah, she is,' said John. 'Her name's Dolly. Where's Trevor?'

'He's in our compartment still. He seems to like the new basket I got him. At least, I think he does. He hasn't escaped from it yet. Is she yours, John? I didn't think anyone liked toads.'

'It's not like you had much of a choice,' Sherlock muttered.

John rolled his eyes. 'No need for that, Sherlock,' he chastised. 'If I'd wanted to say no, I could have. I met her when she jumped onto my shoulder and didn't want to leave.'

'Wow,' said Neville. 'Maybe you could give me some tips.'

'I'm not sure there's much I could tell you. She does what she pleases, really.'

'You should have seen Krum,' Ron interrupted. 'He was absolutely amazing, and we got to see him right up close, as well. We were in the Top Box-'

'For the first and last time in your life, Weasley.' Draco Malfoy had appeared in the doorway, accompanied by Crabbe and Goyle. Evidently the conversation through the compartment door, which Seamus had left ajar.

'Don't remember asking you to join us, Malfoy,' Harry said coolly.

'Weasley… what is that?' said Malfoy, pointing at Pigwidgeon's cage. A sleeve of Ron's dress robes was dangling from it, swaying with the motion of the train. The mouldy lace cuff very obvious.

Ron made to stuff the robes out of sight, but Malfoy was too quick for him; he seized the sleeve and pulled.

'Look at this!' Malfoy said in ecstasy, holding up Ron's robes and showing Crabbe and Goyle. 'Weasley, you weren't thinking of wearing these, were you? I mean- they were very fashionable in about 1890…'

'Eat dung, Malfoy,' said Ron, going the same colour as his dress robes, as he snatched them back from Malfoy.

Malfoy howled with derisive laughter. 'So… going to enter, Weasley? Going to try and bring a bit of glory to the family name? There's money involved as well, you know… you'd be able to afford some decent dress robes if you won…'

'What are you talking about?' Ron snapped.

'Are you going to enter?' Malfoy repeated. 'I suppose you will, Potter? You never miss out on a chance to show off, do you?'

'Either explain what you're on about or go away, Malfoy,' Hermione said testily over her book.

A gleeful smile spread across Malfoy's pale face. 'Don't tell me you don't know?' he said delightedly. 'You've got a father and brother in the Ministry and you don't even know? My God, my father told me about it ages ago… He heard it from Cornelius Fudge. But then, Father's always associated with the top people at the Ministry-' He was cut off by a glowing that caught his eye.

Castiel's wand was on the seat next to him, his hand resting over it, and it was glowing. Castiel's eyes flashed over the top of his book at Malfoy, who gulped nervously.

'Get out.' Cas said calmly.

Malfoy shot him a resentful look, then left with Crabbe and Goyle.

Ron got to his feet and slammed the sliding compartment door so hard behind them that the glass shattered.

'Ron!' Hermione said reproachfully. She pulled out her wand, muttered 'Reparo!', and the glass shards flew back into a single pane, and back in the door.

'Well… making it look like he knows everything,' Ron snarled. 'Dad could get a promotion any time he wants… he just likes it where he is…'

'Of course he does' Hermione said quietly. 'Don't let Malfoy get to you, Ron-'

'Him! Get to me! As if!' said Ron, picking up a Cauldron Cake and squashing it to a pulp.

Dean leaned closer to Cas, slightly awed. 'How did you do that?'

'Do what?' Cas asked, looking up.

'Get rid of Malfoy like that.'

Cas shrugged.

'Well, it was awesome,' Dean grinned. He had never seen Castiel look quite so imposing before. Threatening even. He then picked up Ron's robes. 'You know, I could fix these up, if you wanted.'

'Yeah?'

'Sure.'

'Go for it.'

Dean pulled out his own wand and stuck his tongue out, with Cas peeking at him over his book. Dean began muttering and he cut off all the lace first, then made a long line of thread spool out of his wand to sew up all the frayed ends. He shrunk the large, pointy collar, and shiny ostentatious buttons. 'Okay, I think I might be able to change the color, but there's not much I can do about the fabric. What d'you think?'

Ron looked at him in surprise, the robes already looking a thousand times better than they had only moments ago. 'Er- I reckon you should change the colour,' he said.

'Yeah, you're right. If I make 'em darker, they'll clash with your hair less.' Dean pointed his wand at the robes again, and they flashed all the colours of the rainbow before finally settling on a deep, chocolate brown. 'There, all done,' Dean said proudly, handing them over to Ron.

Ron stood and held them up to himself. They were barely recognisable and Ron grinned at Dean. 'Thanks!'

'No problem, buddy.'

A few hours later, after everyone had changed into their uniforms, they arrived at Hogsmeade station in pitch-darkness.

As the train doors opened, there was a rumble of thunder overhead. Hermione bundled Crookshanks in her cloak, and they left the train, heads bent and eyes narrowed against the downpour. The rain was coming thick and so fast it felt as though buckets of ice-cold water were being emptied repeatedly over their heads.

'Hi, Hagrid!' Harry yelled, seeing a gigantic silhouette at the end of the platform.

'All righ', Harry?' Hagrid bellowed back, waving. 'See yeh at the feast, if we don' drown!'

'I wouldn't fancy crossing the lake in this weather,' said Hermione as they inched slowly along the dark platform.

Harry, Ron and Neville climbed into one of the carriages that were waiting for them. Dean, Cas, John and Sherlock got into another. The door snapped shut, and a few moments later, the carriages were rumbling and splashing up the track towards Hogwarts castle.

Welcome back everyone! Thanks to TimedragonD, Sherlock Harry Winchester, DaughterofMagic3, WizardingWhovian, Guest and wildtrance for the reviews!

I hope everyone's having a good holiday and I'll see you next time!