September first had arrived all too quickly for Harriet's liking. She had only been able to see George a handful of times due to the shop being so busy. So when Ron and Hermione had disappeared to the Prefect's compartment and Ginny disappeared to find Dean, Harriet felt more alone than usual. Cursing herself for not having a wider network of friends, though she had good reason to not have them. So it was a sheer delight to happen to bump into Neville Longbottom. Finally someone she could rely on.

"Hey, Harry, We've got a compartment this way."

"Neville!" Harry sighed in relief. "I'm so glad to see you."

Neville smiled in return and gestured to the trunk in her hands. "Want a hand?"

"Please."

'Hello, Harry,' Luna said peering over her copy of The Quibbler. She was wearing rather odd glasses upon her face, which made her look like a demented, multicoloured owl. Harry suspected that they were the free Spectrespecs that the magazine had handed out.

"Quibbler doing well then?" Harry asked.

"Oh yes, circulation's well up," Luna said happily, at the same time Neville huffed, causing Harry to turn her head.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I just wish everyone would stop staring at us."

"Welcome to my world." Harriet said, "you were at the Ministry with me - our little adventure was all over the Daily Prophet- it's no wonder they are staring at you."

Neville flushed in embarrassment. "I'd thought gran would be really angry with me," he said, "but she was really pleased. She even brought me a new wand, look!" He pulled out his new wand. "Cherry and unicorn hair. We think it was one of the last Ollivander sold, he vanished the next day - OI, come back here, Trevor!"

Neville dived under the seat to retrieve his toad as it made one of its frequent bids for freedom.

"Are we still doing DA meetings this year, Harry?" Luna asked.

"Not sure," Harry shrugged. "All depends on the new teacher and the amount of time I have free - I mean, I'm Quidditch Captain."

"I hope you do continue the DA," Neville said, glancing up from under the seat. "I learned loads from you."

"Yes, I rather enjoyed the meetings, too," Luna said. "It was like having friends."

Harry sighed deeply, she had been about to reply when her head turned towards the compartment door. It slid open, to reveal a bold-looking boy with dark eyes, and black hair. Harry knew he was in her year and was pretty sure was in Ravenclaw.

"Hi, Harriet Potter, I'm Marcus - Marcus Belby," he said loudly and confidently. "You could join me in my compartment -"

"Thank you -" Harry interrupted him. "But I'm good where I am thanks. I've only just started catching up with my friends-" Harry indicated to the others in the compartment. "Sorry."

"Oh," he said, looking surprised and he withdrew closing the door behind himself.

"People expect you to have cooler friends than us," Luna said.

"You guys are cool," Harry said, shaking her head. "Not a lot of people stuck up for me last year - you did - besides Luna, you and Neville fought with me at the Ministry - they didn't."

"We didn't face him though," Neville said emerging from under the seat, Trevor held firmly in his hands. "You did. You should hear my gran talk about you. "That Harriet Potter's got more backbone than the whole Ministry of Magic put together!" She'd give anything to have you as a granddaughter ..."

Harry chuckled lightly.

Ron and Hermione turned up when Harry and Neville began chatting about exam results.

"Wish the lunch trolley would hurry up, I'm starving," Ron said longingly, "Hi, Neville, Luna. Oh, guess what, Harry?' he added, 'Malfoy's not doing prefect duties. He's just sitting in his compartment with the other Slytherins, we saw him as we passed."

"That's odd," Harry said.

"Does seem unusual," Ron said.

"He was with Crabbe, Goyle and Nott, Harry," Hermione explained.

"This adds to my point during the summer, Malfoy's up to something," Harry muttered, but before she could say anything a breathless third-year girl stepped inside the compartment.

"I'm supposed to deliver these to Neville Longbottom and Harriet Potter." She said, holding out two rolls of parchment, tied with a ribbon. Baffled, Harry and Neville took the scroll addressed to each of them. And she made her way out of the compartment again.

"What is it?" Ron asked as Harry read hers.

"An invitation," Harry said.

Harriet,
I would be delighted if you would join me for a bite of lunch in compartment C
Sincerely, Professor H.E.F. Slughorn

"Who's Professor Slughorn?" Neville asked.

"New teacher," Harry explained. "I've got to go, Dumbledore requested I play nice - seems to think it'll be useful," she said looking at Ron and Hermione pointedly.

"I best see why he asked for me," Neville said.

"Oh, you'll see," Harry said unhelpfully.


"So what did Slughorn want?"

"To know what everyone else wants to know if what happened at the Ministry is true."

"People were interrogating us about it on the train, weren't they Ron?"

"Yeah," Ron said. "All wanting to know if you really are the Chosen One -"

"Zacharias Smith even cornered me," Ginny added. "In the end, he annoyed me so much I hexed him - that's how I ended up in Slughorn's compartment - I thought I was going to get a detention when he came in, but he just thought it was a really good hex and invited me to lunch."

"Better reason, then why the rest of us was there," Harry said.

"I don't think I like him very much," Neville added thoughtfully.

"The very best of evenings to you!" Dumbledore said, smiling broadly.

"What happened to his hand?" Hermione gasped.

She was not the only one who had noticed. Dumbledore's right hand was blackened and dead-looking as it had been on the night he had come to fetch Harry from the Dursleys.

"Nothing to worry about," he said as whispered swept the room. "Now ... to our new students, welcome; to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you ..."

"His hand was like that when I saw him over the summer," Harry whispered to Hermione.

"But Madam Pomfrey - but then there are some injuries you can't cure ... old curses ... and there are poisons without antidotes," Hermione muttered.

" ... and Mr Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items brought at the shop called Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes."

Harry chuckled. The twins were still making history. It felt oddly weird to be proud of someone who wasn't at Hogwarts anymore. It made her sigh to herself. Harriet missed George already.


H,
Send date of next Hogsmeade trip.
I'll see if I can get it off, I need to see you.
Missing you like crazy,
G

The letter despite how small it was made Harriet smile. She replied. Hogsmeade could not come soon enough if he could make it.