"Harry!"

Harry had only begun to turn towards the familiar voice when a pair of arms was thrown around his neck and his sight was blocked by a mass of hair more wildly untamed than his own.

"Hey 'Mione," he chuckled fondly as Hermione released her grip. She stepped back and examined him, her lips pursed with worry. He leveled her with a stern look, a wordless warning not to make her usual remarks about how skinny he seemed. He had already explained to her the previous year that it wasn't something he could help and it certainly didn't boost his self-confidence.

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry I didn't write more this summer! It must have been awful being cooped up with only Ron as a correspondent but I didn't have any access to owls while we were traveling..."

"It's okay," Harry interrupted, glad Ron hadn't been present for that comment. It was a little early for a fight. "I know you would have if you could."

Hermione frowned, plucking up Crookshanks from the crate she had attached to the top of her trunk. The cat looked supremely annoyed as Hermione coddled it, but Harry sensed it was a substitution for Harry-comforting, so he decided not to point out that Crookshanks was trying to wriggle out of Hermione's arms. "I just hate thinking of you there. It just seems so isolating."

Harry shrugged but didn't otherwise comment so Hermione cleared her throat and plastered on a smile.

"Well, I have a surprise that I've been anxious to tell you about. I suppose I should wait for Ron, but I doubt he's even going to care," Hermione huffed.

"If you're excited about it, he'll care," Harry fibbed. It was true that Ron wasn't the most tactful bloke ever to grace the halls of Hogwarts, but then again, Hermione's "surprises" generally weren't very interesting. Her last surprise had been the release of a new edition of Hogwarts: A History.

Despite her rather cynical attitude toward him, Hermione gasped in delight when she spotted Ron heading toward them and dropped Crookshanks back into his crate to wave. She greeted the redhead with a hug that struck Harry as much less motherly than the one she'd given him. The embrace she gave Ron was more delicate and it seemed to Harry that they both felt even a little shy about it. Ron's cheeks turned pink as he touched his hand to Hermione's back. Hermione even straightened her skirt unnecessarily afterward, while Ron pulled Harry into a rough, but cheerful hug with the manly pats on the back Ron had incorporated when they were thirteen and the twins told Ron he hugged like a girl.

Hermione allowed the greeting but quickly dragged them off to the train, chattering on the entire time, not even pausing as Harry and Ron helped lift her trunk up the steps.

"How many sugar quills did she have this morning?" Ron muttered to Harry. Hermione peered into compartments while keeping up a constant narration of her family's stop in Edinburgh, explaining in detail about how the Great Plague had once ravaged the city. Ron rolled his eyes and Harry chuckled in camaraderie as they wheeled their trunks down the narrow aisle.

It was good to be back.

When the three finally found an empty compartment and settled down, Hermione pulled out a badge from her pocket and held it up in dramatic presentation.

"Here's the surprise! I've been made a prefect! Can you believe it?" she squealed with joy.

"Hermione, I would've died of shock if you hadn't been made a prefect," Ron dismissed.

Hermione shot Harry an exasperated "I told you so" look. Harry shrugged helplessly.

"You want a real surprise?" Ron took out an identical badge and held it out in his palm. Hermione's eyebrows shot up. But instead of looking smug, as Harry would have guessed, Ron peered at the badge as if it might attack him. "Fred and George have been teasing me ever since I've got it, calling me Percy Jr. Why would Dumbledore do this to me?"

Harry and Hermione sniggered but Ron just huffed and folded his arms over his chest.

"Really, Ron, this is fantastic. With a bit more dedication to the rules, you'll make a great prefect," she encouraged. "It will be nice to have a friend there. We can quiz each other on regulations!"

Ron shot Harry a blatantly horrified look that didn't seem to faze Hermione much.

Harry cleared his throat and looked to Hermione. "No offense, but if we have to spend the year studying rules, I think I'm turning mine back in." Harry pulled out the matching badge and held it out with a shrug. He had been utterly shocked when he had found it in his Hogwarts letter. He did spend half of every school year breaking every rule he could find, after all. Snape was going to pitch a fit.

It seemed Ron shared his thoughts.

"Well it's understandable with Hermione, but I think with you and I, they're trying that 'give them responsibility and they'll rise to the occasion' method. Mum tried that with Fred and George once. That poor cat..."

"So Harry, tell us more about your summer. I wasn't able to ask you much about it," Hermione asked with interest. Harry knew it was just a friendly question, but he still felt his stomach clench nonetheless as unwelcome images of his raging, drunken uncle filled his head.

"Oh, er, it was fine," he muttered fingering his badge. "Better than usual, for staying in Little Winging."

"Yeah, who was that girl you mentioned in your letters? Dakota? You fancy her?" Ron demanded. It seemed that he was torn between excitement at Harry having a love life and suspicion of this object of affection being someone Ron didn't know.

"Dakota? No, definitely just a friend," Harry said with the utmost sincerity. It just wasn't like that with them. "Her family's a good lot. Not gossipy like the others 'round the neighborhood. They let me watch the telly at their house. Not much to tell, really."

"You're going to run off with the Muggles and forget all about us, aren't you?" Ron pouted exaggeratedly.

"That's the plan," Harry replied. Hermione laughed and shoved him. "So, you were talking about Scotland. Where else did you go, 'Mione?"

With that change of subject, Harry's summer was forgotten, and the rest of the train ride was quite relaxing.

-

Harry groaned when the train arrived and he caught a glimpse of the weather outside. The rain pounded against the window and the wind howled so loudly they had to raise their voices to complain about it. Ron peered out and sniggered as a group of first years were blown to the side screaming. Hermione smacked his arm and reminded him he was a prefect now. They pulled their hoods up and braced themselves as they joined the crowd reluctantly leaving the train. Hermione yelped as the wind made her trip on the step down, but Ron caught her around the waist and pulled her to safety just in time. The two exchanged a quick, shy glance before Harry called that he was making a run for the carriages with or without them.

They therefore joined the mad dash of screaming and laughing students, puddles sloshing into their shoes. Ron grabbed Hermione's hand to pull her along faster as she used her other hand to keep her hood secured over her head. By the time Harry, Ron and Hermione scrambled into a carriage, they looked like they had swam through the Great Lake to get there. Hermione started to pull the carriage door shut, stubbornly fighting the wind for it, but stopped when she heard a desperate cry.

"Hermione, wait! Please!"

Neville raced up and tried to stop at their carriage, but skidded on a puddle and slid right past, yelping as he fell into a large, muddy puddle.

"Come on, Neville!" Hermione encouraged, the rain pouring through the open door while they waited for their friend. Neville scrambled to his feet, blushing, and pushed against the wind towards them. Ron and Harry each grabbed an arm and helped pull Neville into the carriage, as Hermione used all of her strength to wrestle the door closed behind him.

They all sat on the benches, breathing heavily in relief.

"Thanks guys," Neville said, wringing out his robes. "I didn't know if I'd be able to get a carriage, or even get to a carriage in this weather."

Hermione rolled her eyes the boys' groans about their damp state and with a flick of her wand, they were all dry.

"Scotland weather is bollocks," Ron grumbled.

"Yeah, too bad it can't be like the tropics of England," Harry sympathized with a smirk. Ron shot him a rather rude hand gesture.

"I'm just glad to be here. Gram almost didn't let me come," Neville voiced.

Harry stared at him in surprise. "What? Why wouldn't she want you to come to school?"

"Well, she was scared about You-Know-Who being back. She says if Dumbledore says he's back, he's back, no matter what anyone else thinks," Neville explained.

"But Hogwarts is one of the safest places in the world!" Hermione protested.

"Well it's supposed to be, but lots of people aren't so sure anymore. With the Chamber of Secrets incident second year and with what happened last year..." Neville said, cautiously eyeing Harry at that last part. "But I convinced her to let me come. I told her that Dumbledore's prepared now and if You-Know-Who's back then I'd rather be where Dumbledore is. I'm not sure it's really the safest place to be, but I didn't want to get behind or spend a year with my gram."

Harry was stunned. He could understand Neville's grandmother being worried, especially with what had happened to Neville's parents, but he couldn't believe she'd consider pulling him out of school. From the gaping expression on her face, Hermione seemed to be as horrified as he, but it was probably more the mere idea of missing school. Ron, however, looked less than surprised.

"Neville's grandmother isn't the only one," he hesitantly began to explain. "Some people seem to think that Hogwarts might be a target. There are some key people everyone knows You Know Who's after at Hogwarts." He slipped a glance at Harry. "Other people think Dumbledore's wrong and crazy and don't want their kids in a school run by him. Mom never considered pulling us out, she has too much faith in Dumbledore for that, but a lot of her friends were considering it. Some are even trying to kick Dumbledore out of his position as headmaster, but that's not going to happen. I think most people figure crazy or not, he's the most powerful wizard ever and who better to protect their kids, you know?"

Harry couldn't help but feel a little guilty about this whole thing. Not only did he play a role in bringing Voldemort back to power, but he was also putting Hogwarts at risk just by being there.

He pushed the thought away. It was either Hogwarts or the Dursleys, and he would rather battle Voldemort a hundred times than go back to the Dursleys year round.

Finally, they reached Hogwarts. They all braced themselves as Hermione turned the handle. The wind ripped the door open, nearly taking it off its hinges. They jumped out of the carriage one-by-one, Ron and Harry quickly pulling Neville back to his feet after he slipped on another puddle. The four pushed their way against the wind toward the castle. As they moved forward, a small second year skidded backward toward them, carried by the wind, and would have kept going had Harry not responded to his pleas for help and grabbed him. He held onto Harry's arm for the rest of the way, making Harry's trip doubly difficult.

It was a great relief when they made it through the huge entrance doors and into the castle. It was as if someone had turned off a giant fan and every step Harry took seemed easier than it had ever been before. The small boy that had used Harry as a guide thanked him, a little embarrassed, especially upon realizing whose arm he had latched onto, and hurried away to catch up with a group of his friends.

Harry was going to cast his own drying spell, but sensed Hermione wanted to be the one to come to their rescue so he waited his turn for her to cast it over his clothes. Hermione smiled as they thanked her and the group made their way into the Great Hall.

Apparently, Ron was right about Neville's grandmother not being the only one with her views. There was a significant absence of students even after everybody had made their way out of the storm. All of the fifth-year Gryffindors had come, thankfully, but it seemed like there might have been a few missing from the other years. Ginny sadly revealed that one of her friend's parents had apparently decided to keep her home. They had debated it for a while, up until the last second, but her absence told Ginny that they hadn't listened to Mrs. Weasley's arguments.

The Hufflepuffs, with whom Cedric's death had hit closest to home, were missing the most out of the houses and those present frowned mournfully at all the free space at their table. The Slytherins, on the other hand, didn't seem to be missing anyone at all. Ron voiced his opinion that most of their parents were Death Eaters and they would therefore be safe from Voldemort in an attack, or at least be informed when and if they needed to leave.

The mood definitely wasn't the excited giddiness that usually filled the hall at the beginning of the term.

Dumbledore rose to make his speech and the Hall quieted.

"Another year of learning has begun. I am sorry to say the weather was not very hospitable in its welcoming, but you have a line of professors excited to have you for another year," he said with a smile. Most students glanced to Snape at that; the man glowered at his plate and fondled his knife, possibly visualizing a vivisection one of his more detested students. Dumbledore continued, seemingly oblivious. "As many of you have noticed, there is a substantial number of students absent tonight. I hope you all will respect the decisions of their families. I will not lie to you; the wizarding has rough times ahead of it. Whether Hogwarts itself will be affected or not is unknown, but it is without a doubt that each of your lives will be touched by it; many already have. I assure you that this school is a safe place with a staff that would die defending its students."

An elbow jabbed into Harry's side and Ron whispered, "Reckon he forgot Snape works here?"

Harry snorted. "It probably would be less inspiring to say 'your professors would die for you, except for Snape. He'll use you as a human shield if you scored less than an Outstanding on your Potions O.W.L.'"

Hermione cleared her throat and glared at the boys in warning to shut up and listen.

"As I looked out from my office window, watching you all make your way to the castle, do you know what I saw?"

"Uh, some students that could use a bit of bloody help?" Ron hissed indignantly. He jerked and glared at Hermione, who it seemed had kicked him under the table.

"I saw courage. Most of you didn't think twice about facing the storm outside or getting into the boats to cross the lake, and those who had their doubts at first overcame them."

Many students glanced at Malfoy, who had made a great scene refusing to get out of the carriage until someone brought him an umbrella or got the carriage closer to the door, but eventually gave in when no one seemed to pay attention to his demands.

"I saw determination. You faced your challenge, never giving up. Most importantly, I saw you provide each other with aid. Working together and helping those who are in need is what gets people through times of great difficulty. No kind gesture goes un-rewarded, though it may not seem so at times."

Harry blinked as Dumbledore glanced to him with a meaningful look. Harry wondered if he was referring to the Wormtail incident.

"I assure you all that despite our smaller number this year, it will be a year to remember."

"Oh good, he probably got another homicidal maniac as a defense professor," Ron whispered, shooting a triumphant glance at Hermione that probably meant his legs had been moved out of harm's way just in time. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"On a lighter note, I am happy to announce that our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is not all that new, but has returned at the request of myself, many parents, staff, and students. Though he was not able to make it to our welcoming feast, he will be ready for your first day of school. It is with great pleasure I announce the return of Remus Lupin to our staff and hope you will all welcome him back with open arms."

Harry looked to his friends, mouth hanging slightly agape in his surprise. Hermione let out a small scream of delight, which was not out of place among the cheers and excited chatter of the hall.

"I wonder why Snuffles didn't mention it in his letters," Harry said as he clapped.

"They probably wanted to keep it a surprise!" Hermione laughed clapping and smiling.

"Hey, look at the Slytherins," Ron sniggered. His voice turned sing-song. "So happy." Harry looked over to see them speaking angrily amongst themselves, Malfoy sneering hatefully. Harry rolled his eyes at the display.

After the cheering died down, and the sorting was over, the feast began. Harry ate as much as he could, but neither he nor Ron could fit much in their stomachs after an impromptu challenge on the train to see who could eat the most chocolate frogs. When they ran out of those, they had turned to Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans for a rematch. Ron had won when Harry had to stop or risk losing his far too colorful meal. Even though it felt good to have a full stomach for the first time in a while, the combination of the sweets was enough to make anyone loose their appetite.

The announcement of Professor Lupin's return, along with the sorting and the wonderful feast, brought the customary element of cheer back to the Great Hall.

Harry was home.