AN: Hello people, here is the next chapter of Broken Brothers! I am quite happy with it, although it had some major revisions the last two days. Also thank you all for reading this story; over a 1000 hits! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Everyone except Jack Bowley, Amanda, Gordon and the Slytherin Prefect belong to J. K Rowling!

A Lonely Ride

As they arrived at Kings Cross Harry Potter really, really wondered how the hell his father ever gotten his license for driving. The man was an absolute nightmare on the road. That last car had been way too close for comfort. Harry thought his father might have taken driving lessons from earn, the point however was that this wasn't a magically enhanced bus.

"James," spoke a very pale Lily.

"Yes Lilly?"

" Im driving back."

"But- "

"No buts I am driving back." The intense glare accompanying the statement definitely sealed any more debate that his father might have wanted to start.

"Yes dear. "

They exited the car, grabbed their stuff and hoisted it onto trollies. He had to do this on his own, while his father helped Charles. They then proceeded to move on to Platform 9 3/4. His father was walking next to Charles joking and laughing and his mother was comforting a sulking Violet. They didn't even check if he was coming along. Soon enough they were standing in front of the wall that was the barrier to the Hogwarts Express. First Charles went through it and then Violet with his parents.

He still stood there, in front of the wall. It looked so solid, not unlike that walls behind the school in Godric's hollow and boy, was he familiar with them, more than he would like. Now was however not the time to think of that. He started walking and then sped up bit by bit, until he was going full speed. The bricks were coming ever close, becoming ever clearer in detail. He closed his eyes and waited for the crash, the inevitable smash, but it didn't come. His feet pounded on, suddenly reverberating. He opened up his eyes to see a wrought archway proudly proclaiming : "Platform 9 3/4". He passed under it and he saw a platform filled with people, filled with sounds and smells. The hoots of owls, the meows of cats, the smell of coal, the smell of steam, the sights of family moments, be they happy or sad. There stood a majestic red train, the train that would take him to the place that would house him for the next 7 years. He had by now slowed down and was looking around for his family. He saw the Weasley Clan, easily spottable with their red hair, all pointing and looking in one direction. He followed their sight and found what he was looking for. There they stood, next to the Longbottoms. As he walked towards them he heard the people whispering: "Look its the Potters!" "The Longbottoms, truer Gryffindors are rarely found!" "Its the War Heroes, all together!"

He saw the tall and lank form of Frank leaning on his walking stick, talking to his father. He saw Alice in her wheelchair fussing about Violet, who gladly accepted the attention, with Lilly. Alice always had fussed over Violet, for she had always wanted a daughter. She however never could. It was when he first met them that he realized that he and his brother hadn't been the only ones marked by the war. Lastly he saw Neville talking to Charles as they came from the train, having already claimed a compartment it would seem. Neville looked a lot like charles, except without the glasses and with brown hair. He watched with envy as they laughed and talked, they looked like brothers.

He watched as they were called by their respective fathers, he heard the praise they got.

"Charles, Neville were proud of you, know that." Said Frank.

" So go on then, show us what great wizards you are. Show those slytherins who's boss boys also don't prank too much, but if you do." James went on with a smile.

"Don't get caught!" finished Harry in a whisper.

A moment later the other two shouted the families little inside joke while wearing megawatt smiles and everyone laughed.

He watched with envy as they got hugs from their mothers. He saw them struggle against the maternal females with a blush. He turned his eyes away from the scene but he still heard the words.

" I don't want to get a letter home about you young man, is this understood?" Said his mother with a soft glare.

" Crystal clear." said a nodding Charles.

"Oh Charlie, I'll miss you so much! I love you!" Blubbered the red-head that was his mother.

"Mom I love you too and I'll miss you! Yes, mom I'll watch out. Love you! Mom not here! Mom?" said the elder potter twin with a slightly bleu face.

" Lilly," said James while putting a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"What now James?"

" I think you should let the boy breathe."

" Yeah mum, he still has something to say to me, right Charlie?" whined a pouting violet.

"Hey squirt, I'm gonna miss you! You drive dad n ma crazy for me ok?"

"Yeah, I promise! Just so you know, I'm allowing you to call me squirt this once!" the tears in her eyes not making for a convincing glare.

"Don't cry now, I'll be back by Christmas." said Charles.

" I am not crying! There's just something stuck in my eye!" retorted the 10 year old girl.

" If you say so." said the the redhead with a smile.

He'd heard and seen enough, there was no place for him there. He whispered his goodbye and walked on, never turning around.

Had the youngest Potter twin turned around he might have seen the green eyes that followed him.

He chose an empty compartment, almost at the end of the train. He grabbed a book out of his trunk and then put his trunk under the bench. He took his seat next to the cage with his sleeping snowy. He looked on his wristwatch and saw that he still had 15 minutes left before the train left. He had just started to read in his astronomy book when the door was rudely slammed open.

" Well guys, look what we got here; a firstie! In our compartment no less! Tsk, tsk, tsk. "

Harry looked up and paled. 5 Upper year slytherins, three boys and two girl, in a malicious mood if the smirks were any indication to go by.

" Oh.. uhmm... I'm sorry about this. I didn't know that it was yours, I'll leave immediately." said Harry while he started grabbing his stuff. He needed to get the hell out of here.

"Ah a boy who knows common courtesy, why don't we show some as well and help him out." said the apparent leader of the honey sweet tone, it far from soothed Harry's nerves. The boy wasn't burly but he didn't lack anything in the physical department either. A shiny badge with a P was present on his robes, making him a prefect. He had brown hair and a pair of glaring brown orbs, the expression in them, he'd seen it before. A calculating look a predator gives when he's found prey.

'Not good, not good!' thought the first year.

"Thank you, but I don't believe that to be necessary. I mean, I don't want to be more of bother than I already am." said Harry in a last attempt to derail the situation from the course he suspected it was going to take.

" Ah, ah its not polite to decline an offer of help , especially not when it comes from us sixth years. Plus, I'm a prefect. Wingardium leviosa." and his trunk lifted off the ground. Maybe he was over thinking it, maybe they were being genuinely nice...

"Follow Amanda and Gordon, they'll show where you belong." Nope, the emphasis on the you all but destroyed that notion. He looked at the two that were pointed to. Amanda was a blonde girl who wore her hair in a long pony tail and had sharp blue eyes. An angular face with dark red lips quirked into a smirk. Larry on the other hand was a brown haired boy with almost black eyes and a height of around 1.78. He wasn't smiling, not even smirking. A stoic guy. Well at least the boy was no bodybuilder, but this was the wizarding world, and he knew a wand could do a lot more than a fist.

"Okay." he sighed. 'Damned if I do, damned if I don't.'

Damned indeed; Harry surmised it could have been a lot worse, but he by no means enjoyed his current situation. No, being stuck in a cupboard-like space on his first train ride to Hogwarts was not his idea of fun.

Apparently it did fit in that category for Danielle and Larry, then again they weren't in the dark space themselves. They had thought he was a muggle and even though he wasn't one, he knew better than to change their minds.

'Never argue with a higher power unless you see profit.' That was one of his 5 core rules that had made him survive all those years at St. Peterson's. Profit had not beeg seen, since mentioning he was from a Gryffindor family wouldn't help at all, rather it would worsen the situation if anything.

He still heard Amanda's peals of laughter, and remembered the smile on Gordon's face. They had enjoyed toying with him, turning his hair a vibrant purple and gave him a light rash and last but not least; stuffing him into this cramped dark space. It was very juvenile, but he supposed he wasn't worth more in their eyes. He groused some more and then tried to open the door manually. It, of course, failed. So he then tried one of the few spells he knew by heart. "Alohamora... Alohamora... Alohamora!" Nothing, absolutely nothing happened. Suddenly Amanda's parting words rang in his ears once more: "This will be a long train ride for you, though you might be lucky . If so, you'll definitely make a bright entrance into Hogwarts!" He cursed up a storm, waking up Hedwig in the process, because he knew he was fucked if nobody found him.

It was so that Harry Potter's first ride to Hogwarts was spent in the darkness of a closet, not seeing the land change shape and color. Not seeing the sun change position by the hour and not meeting his peers as he could have. He'd gotten bored of reading his astronomy book after the first 2 hours and had looked what the hell was in this space anyway. It turned out to be him, Hedwig, his trunk ,a janitors kit and one mouse. He rifled through the janitors kit and to his delight found a Wizarding Wireless set. That delight turned soon turned sour after he found out it was broken. He took it as a challenge though, he'd fixed broken things all his life.

It took him almost 2 hours, but he got it working. The often interrupted by static tune of 'Hey Jude' filling the small dark space. He un-shrunk the chest that hung around his neck and grabbed the wooden block and the knife out of it. He then proceeded to carve into the block, it was another hobby of his. After That day he had often wandered around in the forrest, and he'd found a colony of Bowtruckles. These little wood-dwelling critter amazed him and he had seen how they thrived in the wood, made the wood come alive. He wanted to do this as well and thus began his journey into the art of woodcarving. He had also learned that you never took wood from a bowtruckle's tree, not without giving them a large amount of woodlice as a distraction, for those long finger were stronger than you'd think. He'd learned that the hard way and had thus only done that once, and he thought that enough for now. Those trees, they were majestic sight and had a calming presence. When he put his hands on the bark he even felt a soft hum of magic. Yes, having one branch was privilege enough for him. He thus still hadn't used the branch, that branch was going to be used for something special. The knife he used was something special as well. It was the last gift he'd gotten from his family, from his godfather Remus to be precise. It had an intricate design on it, one with runes and Hippogriffs. Harry had always loved stories with Hippogriffs in it, the noble and strong beasts.

Inside the chest, which once again hung around his neck lay some of the carved pieces he'd made over the years, the branch, a few other priceless possessions of a happier time and his money. This money was all his own, it came from his sale of wood art and helping out at The Leaky Cauldron. He'd become rather good at carving over the years and had made a deal with Jack Bowley, resident woodcarver of Diagon Alley. The Bowley family had been in the business for years, their stock ranging from art and trunks to furniture. Harry and Jack got along famously, both loving the art and having to live up to a reputation that overshadowed them.

Jack's Father had been a Genius in his trade, his skill in animation making it even better. Jack's father had however not survived the war and the shop had hit a hard time once it over. Jack's mother had become a shell of her former self and committed suicide a year after Jack had taken over the shop. The populace wanted the quality Bowley's had had before, but the young Bowley couldn't animate worth his life and the depression he faced after his mother's death didn't help take off the pressure. He started going more to The Leakey Cauldron than the work bench. This was how they met, and at age of 9 Harry Potter was officially in the wood carving business.

After an hour of hacking and slicing at the wood block it finally started to look like a Hippogriff in flight. It was also the moment that his stomach let know that it was not satisfied with the current predicament. He once again tried to open the door, but alas it still refused to budge. He had wanted to eat a nice treat, but it seemed his own made lunch would have to do. It was so that he ate one measly tuna sandwich. He shared it with both the animals which were his traveling company. The mouse had calmed down after the first hour, although Hedwig still eyed it with a predatory look. The bread crumbs seemed to put Harry into the mouses good graces since it took residence on his torso. He decided to name the brown colored rodent Jerry, modeled of course after the cartoon character. He went back to carving once the song "Magic works' by The Weird Sisters started playing. Another hour passed this way and he was done by the time Celestina Warbeck came on the WWN. He put his tool and finished product back into the shrinkable chest and sighed as his stomach growled for the umpteenth time. He lay back down and stared at the what he supposed was the roof of the train. The soft voice of Celina Warbeck and the swaying of the train were kind of hypnotic and soon enough our young friend was dreaming of stars, times gone and times to come. Two hours passed this way, the three inhabitants of the closet sleeping soundly while Celina Warbeck changed into the rambling of plants with Toots, Shoots n' Roots.

Harry was rudely awoken by a rather fast turn which resulted in him hitting the wall of the cramped space. He blew a tuft of still purple hair out of his eyes and groaned as he sat up. He felt his face and to his relief the rash was gone. That got his hopes up, if this hex ended in a few hours, what about the locking charm? No, Alohomora didn't work and in his anger Harry kicked the door, hard.

Percy Weasley was a person who took his duty as prefect damned serious. It was so that he was on his last patrol on the train, half an hour before their arrival in Hogsmeade. It was then that he heard a dull thump on his right side followed by a muffled cry of what seemed pain and outrage. His suspicions aroused, went to check it out. It seemed the sounds came from a janitors closet at the end of the coach. He tried opening it and found that he could not, manually that was. Alohamora failed but by the third charm it opened up. The hot musty air hit him in the face, with a nice amount of dust. He coughed and sneezed as it assaulted him. It seemed he wasn't the only one who was surprised because an exclamation was made and a was followed by a thump. Percy looked down and saw purple. He blinked and confirmed that it was a purple mass of hair. 'It' spoke: " Ha take that you bloody door! I'm free! Final..ly ... free... oh, hello there.." 'It' said all that while slowly sitting up. 'It' turned out to be a purple haired, green eyed and bespectacled first year.

'And they say my hair color is preposterous, ha!' thought the Weasley prefect.

"Well, this is awkward. " stated the aforementioned first year.

" Indeed it is. Mind explaining the situation to me? It's not everyday I find a first year in a cupboard." replied Percy.

" Usually it'd be upper years, is what you're saying Mr. Prefect?" said the purple-headed boy with a grin.

" Wha- how! I never said anything even suggesting such a-" blustered the red head.

" Off course, off course. I was only joking! Say do you know if we are almost there?"

" uhm yes, we're about half an hour away." answered Percy still somewhat lost in the pace of the younger boy.

" Ah how nice, Im starving! Aren't you? Oh how rude of me, I'm holding up you're patrol! Well I'd better get going! Get ready and change, you know?" said the bespectacled boy as he got his things from the cupboard.

"Yes, yes of course. Have to be dressed correctly." said the Weasley with a nod.

"Exactly, wouldn't want to get detention on the first night of school! So thanks for everything and I'll see you around!" and the boy was off ,walking down the corridor with his belongings following him.

Percy nodded in satisfaction and started walking in the opposite direction while thinking : 'What a cheerful boy, maybe he'll be in Gryffindor, certainly seems like the type.' It was only 20 minutes later, as Percy stepped onto the platform of Hogsmeade, that he realized his question had never been answered.

Harry was in a considerably better mood once he was out of the cupboard, and even more so since they had just arrived in Hogsmeade. Having escaped the prefects questioning was a bonus as well, tattle-tailing wouldn't have been appreciated by certain parties. He happily put his belongings in a random compartment, said goodbye to Hedwig and stepped out into the cold night air. What a beautiful night is was indeed, the constellations easily viewable in their age old glory and a soft breeze sometimes showing a glimpse of the moon from behind the clouds. The chitter chatter on the platform was broken by a loud and deep voice: " First year! First years over here! First years!" It was a voice Harry knew well. He thus quickly made his way through the masses to the large man from which the shouts emanated. The whole lot of first years kept their distance, looking at the man in wonder.

Harry eagerly stepped up to him and addressed the humongous man: " Hey Hagrid! How you holding up?"

The man looked down, showing a face almost completely hidden by a bushy black beard. "Hey, I be good, but do I know ya?"

"Hagrid, its me; Harry! The one who helps Tom out every once in a while?" exclaimed the youngest potter twin.

"Oh Harry, I didn't recognize ya with the purple hair! How are ya me lad?" questioned the keeper of keys jovally.

Harry laughed, he was in such as good mood that he had completely forgotten about his purple hair!

" I'm good Hagrid, well except for the purple hair, as you might have noticed. I'm also starving for food, you think were ready to go?"

" I believe so Harry. Are all the first years here?" this question was answered by nods and few yeses. " Great, follow me than!" And they did, all chatting rather excitably. Harry was walking next to Hagrid, catching up with the friendly giant of a man. They stopped in front of lake, where multiple little boats lay. " Alright you lot! Four per boat , and no more! Harry you too, come on!"

Harry reluctantly left the large man's side and went into the first boat on his left. He was joined by 3 girls. Two were of Indian Heritage, identical twins it would seem since they looked almost the same. The other was a girl he knew of. Lavender brown; daughter of Mrs. Brown, one of the secretaries in the Auror department and Mr. Brown who worked for The Daily Profit. He'd seen her around at a few BWL parties that were hosted at Potter manner on Halloween. Lavender and one of the twins were having a very lively and bubbly conversation about Gilderoy Lockhear, not noticing his presence at all. The other twin took a seat next to him, since it was the only one available. The boats started moving and Harry was about to start a conversation with the girl when one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen took his breath away. Hogwarts, in its full glory, the towers and lights sparkling in the reflective surface of the lake. A full moon right above it, illuminating in a soft and mysterious light. Harry sat there in a daze, it was a moment he was sure he was never to forget.

Soon enough they arrived and went ashore. They were taken over from Hagrid by a stern looking woman, who he knew to be Professor McGonagall. She gave a speech about the houses and such and then said they had to wait here until they were called into the great hall. Harry was once again about to start conversation with the girl when he was interrupted by screams. He looked what had caused them and saw ghosts floating through the walls. They were talking about peeves, which Harry knew was the poltergeist of the school. One of them was a friar who claimed his old house had been Hufflepuff so Harry supposed that was the Fat Friar. Harry was for the third time going to try and introduce himself to the girl when the doors to the Great hall were opened up and they got called in. Miffed Harry got into the single file line and walked on with the rest.

The Great hall was split into five tables: The staff table at the other end of the hall and four long tables, which is where the rest of the students sat. On the very right stood the table with Amanda and such, who were pointing at him in apparent amusement. Next to Slytherin's table stood the table with a yellow banner above it, Hufflepuff's table. Then the row of first years stood between the Hufflepuff table and the Ravenclaw one, easily identifiable by the bleu banner above it. That left Gryffindor on the left side of the hall. He looked up and saw something his parents had told stories about, but it couldn't beat the real thing; the ceiling of the Great hall. It looked like it opened up to the sky, as if there had been no ceiling at all. He heard a bushy haired girl explain it was bewithed. Harry didn't care if it was or wasn't, it was a wondrous sight and he believed he could stare at it for hours on end.

As they stood in the middle of the Hall he wondered what they had to do, he'd heard the Weasley mention wrestling a troll, but he found that very unlikely since his father and Uncle Sirius had said the same thing. He watched as in front of the staff table a stool was set down, and upon it sat an old and rugged hat. 'What do we have to do with a hat, pull a bunny out of it?' thought harry skeptically right before a tear in the hat opened up and it begun to sing. He clapped along with everyone else as the hat finished its witty serenade. What he'd gathered from the song was that they only had to put the hat on to their heads, which was a relief.

Professor McGonagall then started the roll call. Abbot being sorted into Hufflepuff, Bones soon following her to the second table on the right. The call went on for while, every table now having had a student or two added to their number. Soon they came to the p's which informed him that the girl he'd been trying to introduce himself to was called Padma Patil, she was sorted into Ravenclaw. Sally-Anne Perks was sorted into Hufflepuff and then Professor McGonagall called out: "Potter, Charles!"

The great hall immediately became filled with whispers:

"Did she say Potter?"

"As in The Charles Potter?

The red-head Harry knew to be his twin strutted towards the stool like he owned the place, not unlike Malfoy had done. Charles put on the sorting hat and a minute later the hat loudly proclaimed Charles to be a "Gryffindor!" The table of Lions of course cheered like no tomorrow, cheers of: " We got Potter! We got Potter!" could be heard. The head of Charles' new house cleared her throat and called out: " Potter, Harry!"

The hall was once again filled with whispers:

"Did she just say Potter again?"

"There's another Potter? I thought the sister was one year younger!"

Harry had been feeling very sure of himself up till now, but suddenly that good mood and all that confidence was gone. Just like at Olivander's Harry's mind came up with horrible thoughts. He however shook them off, took a deep breath and walked forward to the stool He did this with as much dignity as he could with his bright purple hair. He blushed as he heard the snickers and guffaws, but he'd show them! He'd make another table proud with the Potter name! He put the hat on his head, and soon all he saw was the inside of the the old hat. He waited and soon enough a little voice spoke in his ear:

"Hmmm, more than enough courage I see, and not a bad brain either! Talent and is here too, and heavens! What a thirst to prove yourself! How interesting, how very interesting. Now where to sort you?"

Harry was very acutely aware of where he needn't be sorted, unless he wished to be disowned so he thought: 'Not Slytherin, not Slytherin!"

" Not Slytherin eh? Well, You needn't to worry, you might have a large thirst to prove yourself, but Slytherin is not the place in which you'll thrive. No, your other qualities would cause for a trouble with that over ambitious lot. No, I know exactly where to put you...

Thats all folks! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did and reviews and criticism are always welcomed!

-S.K.