Chapter Two.
Harry, Hermione, and Ron found and empty compartment near the back of the train; Ginny had moved on to "find someone" in another compartment. The train started to move and all three crowded the window to wave goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who mouthed 'be careful' at them as the train rolled by; little did the Weasleys know that none of the three were planning on going back to Hogwarts; and little did anyone know that neither was Ginny.
Harry locked the door and Hermione performed the silencing spell on the compartment to ensure no one would overhear them. "Ok, so--" Harry began, but Ron had already drifted of into a day dream. 'I wish Harry wasn't in here with us.' Ron thought as he stared out the window at the rolling hills of the countryside, a goofy smile hung on his face. He began envisioning Hermione and Himself alone; wearing little more than there undergarments. 'Just me and Hermione; it would be just… perfect...'
"Um, Ron? Ron!" Harry's voice became clearer as Ron came out of his fantasy.
"Oh! What!" He replied, very startled. Both Harry and Hermione were staring at him looking perplexed.
"Are you alright? We thought we lost you for a second." Harry laughed a little as he said it. Ron suddenly felt warm, he was blushing. He suddenly embarrassed as if they could see what he was seeing. 'They couldn't have,' he thought, 'Hermione would be angry not laughing if she knew what I was just thinking of.'
"Alright well now that they are all here. We really need to discuss some things about our plan. This is going to be dangerous enough with going at it haphazardly." Hermione said trying to sound annoyed although Ron could see she was fighting back a smile. "How, Harry, do you plan on us getting off of school grounds without being noticed?"
"Already figured out; Hagrid." Harry replied matter-of-factly.
"Hagrid?" Ron and Hermione said together. They smiled at each other and Ron looked away quickly, realizing that they just 'had a moment'—he wasn't ready yet to be obvious about his feelings. They had been beating him up inside all summer and he had coked them back for so long, but he was still afraid.
"Yeah. We're going through the forest."
Hermione's jaw dropped slightly. 'She looks so cute when she's nervous,' Ron thought, but quickly snapped himself out of it. "Oh Harry, why? That's an awful idea what with the centaurs and the Aragog's family…" Ron quivered slightly at the thought of the giant spiders. "For all we know there could be Death Eaters hiding in there!" The look on Hermione's face seem to plead for another idea.
"You don't have to come with me. But that's the only way with the magical barriers set around the school. And this is what I have to do. It isn't either of you who's in the prophecy- don't worry I'll be fine alone."
Hermione looked offended now, "How could you even think we would abandon you like that. We made a promise to you and we will never break it. We've had plenty of time to back out, we knew the danger that could come from remaining friends with you and--"
"Speak for yourself Hermione…" Ron was still shaken by the though of the spiders.
Hermione gasped. "Ronald!"
"Alright," he said unenthusiastically, "I was just joking." Hermione shot him a disdainful look.
"If looks could kill…" Harry said laughing, apparently unconcerned about Ron's uncertainty. "Anyway Hermione, I get your point. I've talked to Hagrid- he sent me a letter over the summer- he's not teaching anymore so he won't have to bring the first years up to Hogwarts and he can't get in to any trouble, at least they're still letting him live on the grounds. We're going to leave Hedwig, Crookshanks, and Pig at Hagrid's and when he gets back he'll hide and take care of them, we can't risk taking them with us. Hedwig especially will be too easy to spot. He's going to meet us a little ways in, around where he kept Grawp. He's going to lead us through- he's never been all the way either but he's our best bet to get through. Its going to take a few days, he isn't sure exactly how long though. We're going to have to leave out the back of the train when we stop so we won't be seen. We won't be able to bring much, just grab the essentials out of your trunks and put them in your school bag or something. We have to get to the forest without being seen. We need to travel quickly; as soon as someone realizes we're missing they'll alert both of your parents." He took a deep breathe. Ron and Hermione exchanged nervous glances.
"We'll follow your lead, Harry." Hermione replied obediently.
"Alright." Harry removed the silencing spell and unlocked the door just in time to see the sweets cart coming down the hall.
"Would you like any sweets from the cart, dear."
"No thanks," Ron shook his head. Hermione gave the same gesture looking rather apprehensive. Harry bought a few liquorice-wands as he rolled his ideas and plans over and over again in his head. He began to think about Sirius, and Dumbledore. His eyes began to tear but quickly force the memories from his mind, as he always did. 'What if I never see anyone again? What if I can't kill him, what if he kills me first? Or worse, what if he kills Ron or Hermione…or Ginny.' He sighed heavily, '…Ginny. But there are many things worse than death,' he thought of what Dumbledore had told him. He sighed again and looked out the window and prepared himself for what lie ahead. The compartment was silent, all three occupants pondered what would happen next.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the train…
"I am going to go and I'm going to help him, and then I am going to tell him exactly how I feel about him! How dare they decide to leave me and go off to save the world! I bet it was Ron's fault! I'm going Luna, and there is not a thing you can say to stop me!" fumed Ginny.
Luna lowered her issue of the Quibbler, the head line of which was Lucius Malfoy: Death Eater or Magical Hair Stylist? Malfoy caught with another prisoner! "I wasn't planning on trying to stop you. I know how you feel about him. I know you'd hex me into oblivion if I tried stopping you, what do you think I am, crazy? Hey… did you hear about Lucius Malfoy?"
"Oh Luna, I don't know! I don't have time for that now!" Luna ignored her and went back to the Quibbler.
Ginny grabbed the small bag she'd packed to take with her and left the room. She went to search for Harry, Hermione, and Ron's compartment, muttering about how 'stupid they were' and how she 'couldn't believe them' the whole way. She peered in each of the frosted glass windows trying to make out if the shapes were them, searching mainly for the bright red blur of Ron's hair which matched her own. She finally found them at the back of the train. She decided to wait outside for them; she'd follow them without being seen where ever they went- no matter the danger. She'd stolen a spare invisibility cloak two years earlier from Grimmauld Place. She made sure no one would see her and she through it on.
Just then, the train came to a screeching halt, Ginny had to brace herself to stay on her feet; there was a wave of loud 'thuds' as people fell off their seats and a scream that came from one of the front-most compartments. There came unintelligible chatter as compartment doors began to open, and everyone was talking at once. Ginny was confused and scared. 'Holy hell, what's happened? We can't be at Hogwarts yet, we have at least fifteen minutes.' People were racing by her as they headed to the front of the train to see what happened; she however went the other way.
Inside their compartment, Harry, Hermione and Ron were thrown out of their trances and into a heap on the floor.
"What's going on?" Hermione was the first to get up. By now more screams were issuing from the front of the train.
"I don't know but it can't be good." Harry answered her; there was a grim expression on his face but his voice was surprisingly calm. "Come one lets go!"
"But Harry we don't know what's happening and we're still not to school. Should we really risk it?" Hermione questioned.
"If we wait we might be dead." Ron finally spoke up, his face was ghostly white.
"Right, what Ron said. Come on Hermione, no time to argue." All three grabbed their trunks. "Wingardium Leviosa," they said in unison and headed for the back door of the train. Ginny followed them secretly as they jumped down. As they ran away from the train in the direction of Hogwarts Harry turned around to catch a glimpse of the chaos. "No…" he whispered. The others turned around; the Dark Mark hung over the front of the train. "Come on we have to keep moving."
"But…Ginny!" Ron yelled.
"No, it's no one, they wouldn't yet. Its just a warning I know it." Harry pulled Ron forward. "She's fine, everyone's fine. We would know if some one had died," But the explanation was unconvincing. Ron took a very deep breath and held it. It was visibly difficult for him to bury the fear that sparkled in the tears that welled in his eyes. But after a very long moment of deliberation, Ron moved on. All three now had tears in their eyes. Ginny saw a tear roll down Harry's check as he looked over his shoulder once more, he had apparently not convinced himself. At that moment it took everything she had not to reveal herself to show them she was alright. But she couldn't do it, not yet.
The silence was unbearable as they walked. It seemed like hours before they lost sight of the Hogwarts Express. Finally, though, they had made it over a large hill that put the castle in the distance into view. "Almost there," Harry encouraged the others. "Let's ditch our trunks." They took out only the necessities an stuffed them into their school bags.
"You are not going to try to fit all your books in there are you?"
"No," Hermione, slightly embarrassed, dropped her handful of books and gave Ron the 'Of-course-not-I'm-not-crazy' look. Ginny held back her laugh so they wouldn't hear; 'that is so Hermione'.
They abandoned their trunks and moved on still levitating the heavy, awkward animal cages. It took nearly two hours but they finally approached Hagrid's hut. Far off, the Dark Mark could still be seen as a mist in the sky. 'I can't believe this,' Harry thought, for the first time doubting their expedition. They walked into Hagrid's; he and Fang had already gone into the forest. They released the owls and ginger cat into the house, said their goodbyes and started toward the edge of the Forbidden Forest. Ginny followed behind only close enough not to loose them, careful not to be noticed. Harry recalled his first time in the forest in his first year, and smiled when he realized how many times he'd broken the 'no students in the forest' rule, not to mention most of the others. They paused at the mouth of the forest path; it was overgrown enough to see clearly where something large moved through.
Harry looked at his two friends and smiled in a melancholy sort of way, this would probably be their last time there. "Ready?" he asked. And they walked into the Forbidden Forest together.