A/N: I do not own Harry Potter (although I wish that I did (money!! $_$)) all rights go to J.K Rowling, though I'm just borrowing her ideas and adding some of mine.

Returning to Hogwarts

'Lockhart arrests dark wizards in Knockturn Alley'

Gilderoy Lockhart (order of Merlin, third class, Honorary member of the Dark Force Defense League and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Charming Smile Award) captured six to his words 'dangerous dark wizards' in Knockturn Alley Saturday last. According To Mr. Lockhart, the dark wizards were attacking shopkeeper Burkes, who has a shop on the verge of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. "I was signing books at Flourish and Blotts when my superior eyesight (which's origins are more thoroughly explained in my bestseller "Magical Me"") thought it spotted Harry Potter among the crowd." Gilderoy states. "I tried to make my being there clear to Mr. Potter, but he did not seem to hear me, which must be the trauma of his well known past, for who can resist the voice of Gilderoy Lockhart (which's origins are more thoroughly explained in my Bestseller "Magical Me")?. I tried to follow him of course, but my fans did not let me pass without me signing all of their books. That was when I realized that my hair was terribly out of order and needed a desperate fix (more detail to Mr. Lockharts current hair situation on page 5)! When I finally got to where I had last seen the famous boy, I noticed those six thugs assaulting honest Mr. Burke! Of course I came to his aid immediately (I will leave the details for the safety of my younger fans)."

Mr. Burke however, did not seem to remember much of the incident itself.

"I was walking to my store, and before I knew it I was lying face down in a destroyed alley with Mr. Lockhart at my side, his face pale with (probably) rage and adrenaline." Mr. Burke states. "I am really thankful for Mr. Lockhart's help, for who knows what those thugs could have done with me shop?"

For more information about Mr. Lockhart's heroic rescue and capture, see page 6.

Harry tossed the Daily Prophet on the table beside his bed. Let the fool strike with his actions, Harry thought. He didn't really care. On the contrary, it would even more helpful should Borgin remember that they were in his shop that day, small as that chance was.

Harry touched his head. Although the bleeding and pain had stopped, he could still feel where the wound had been an hour ago, when the house elf had healed him. He was hungry.

"Dobby! Appear before me!" Harry ordered to the room at large.

Immediately Harry heard a crack, and their mangy old house elf appeared before him.

"My master commands?" The house elf said humbly, pressing his long nose on the floor tiles in what was supposed to be a bow.

"I am hungry elf, get me some lunch from the kitchens." Harry said. Still, after all these years, he still could not completely hide the disgust he felt when the creature was nearby. It was filthy and was only wearing a worn and equally filthy pillow case. Harry would love for him to wear something better and cleaner, but he knew that the house elf would leave if they have him clothes.

Harry was awakened from his thoughts when the House Elf reappeared by the side of his bed with a tray, filled with Harry's favorite's, which he wordlessly put on Harry's bed.

"Close the door." Harry said ignoring the tray for the moment, putting on the glove he had taken from Borgin and Burke's as the house elf walked to his chamber door.

It was time for a proper test.

The instant the glove was fully covering his hand, everything seemed to go slower. The mangy old house elf seemed to walk as if he had all the time in his pathetic little life, The curtains moved slower against the wind, and Harry heard footsteps on the stairs just outside of his room slowing to an agonizingly slow pace. Harry's hand on the other hand, seemed to move at his own regular pace as he took his wand and mouthed his spell.

"Everte Statum".

The hurling hex hit the elf on his back, and literally threw him out of the room, where he collided with Draco, who had been coming up the stairs.

Laughing, Harry put the glove back off again, and listened to the sounds of Draco swearing and what had to be Draco kicking the elf down the stairs. The moment Harry slipped off the glove however, his eyesight suddenly went hazy, and for a second Harry felt as if he were truly blind. As soon as it appeared, the feeling vanished again, and Harry regained his normal eyesight, just in time to see Draco walking into his room.

"Feeling better are we?" The blond asked cheerfully, his mood denying the fact that he had just kicked a living being into a deadfall down the stairs.

"Good enough," Harry replied lazily. "I wish I could get out of this bed though, but Narcissa insists that I remain here until at least tomorrow."

"Be glad you can get out tomorrow," Draco replied. "Tomorrow we'll be going back to Hogwarts."

Harry had to agree.

"True, true," Harry said. "But it'd still be better if I could get out now."

"Cant have everything now can we?" Draco said smiling, obviously amused by his situation.

"I'll see you in the morning," Draco continued. "Be sure to be all ready to leave".

"Don't worry," Harry assured him. "I will be."

Closing the still open door with his wand, Harry returned to the food tray on his bed.

Pushing their trolleys across Kings Cross, Harry and Draco got the usual surprised looks from the muggle filth. As Lucius was working, only Narcissa accompanied them. Harry and Draco casually leaned near the barrier that would lead them to 9 ¾, and when nobody was watching leaned through the barrier, only to find themselves leaning against solid rock.

Sharing surprised and confused looks with Draco, Harry put his hands on the barrier, but only found solid rock.

"What's wrong?" Narcissa asked, joining the two boys near the barrier.

"Its stuck!" Draco wailed. "What if we wont be able to return?!"

"Mh…." Narcissa mumbled, looking at the big clock above them. "You are not late, so somebody must have forced the barrier shut. But no matter, no matter." She added when she saw Draco's anguished look. "There are other ways into Hogwarts. Follow me."

The two boys followed Narcissa out of Kings Cross, into a deserted alley.

"Dobby! Appear!" Narcissa commanded.

With a loud crack, the house elf appeared again.

"My mistress called?" He humbly said, pushing his nose even harder on the cold street than he had done for Harry.

"Go to the ministry of magic, to the Floo Regulatory Panel, and find Madam Edgecomb. Tell her to open the temporary Floo connection to Hogwarts, as the train barrier has been shut down before its time, and be quick about it!" That last was obviously for the house elf.

"As my mistress commands." The house elf mumbled and with a loud crack, vanished again.

Leaving the alley, Narcissa headed for the first working public telephone, and dialed several numbers.

"Yes, this is Narcissa Malfoy," Narcissa said in suddenly very sweet voice. "Can the special ministry cars reserved on the Malfoy name appear as soon as possible at Kings Cross station to be driven to the ministry of magic? Yes, thank you."

Putting the phone back, Narcissa turned to Draco and Harry resuming her regular cooler voice.

"A ministry car will be here in a few seconds to pick you up. They will escort you to the ministry of magic, where you will contact madam Edgecomb. She will further handle your transport to Hogwarts."

At the nod of the two, Narcissa stepped back into the shadows of the alley, and apparated back to Malfoy manor.

"Well, its not really the Hogwarts express, but you cant say that opening the temporary Floo powder connection to Hogwarts just for the two of us is inadequate right?" Draco said, pleased at the connections his family had all over the ministry.

"As long as we get there in time, everything is fine." Harry said.

"Maybe this is even better, as it is probably faster that lousy train."

"Get out of my head!" Harry thought irritably, and surprisingly, the voice retreated back to the corners of his mind with a agonizing wail.

It did not take long for the ministry cars to arrive. Harry and Draco entered the vehicle, and Harry allowed Draco to have a few words with the driver as he lounged in the now vastly larger car, before the car moved away from Kings Cross with surprising speed.

___________________________________________________________________________

When Harry and Draco arrived at the ministry, they left the driver to his business, and entered the phone booth. As it was not their first time at the ministry of magic, Harry dialed 62442, and explained why they were coming to the ministry of magic to the voice in the phone booth.

Pinning the visitor buttons which now labeled "Temporary Floo transporters" to their shirts, Harry and Draco descended to the Atrium level of the ministry of magic.

When the doors opened, the two boys stepped into the Atrium, into the crowd, past the fountain of magical brethren and into the elevator.

Fountain of magical brethren..a stupid delusional idea. Harry thought. Wizards were more powerful than the creatures standing on the fountain, that is why the wizards had power, and most of the creatures now lived in special area's controlled by the ministry. Seeing Draco eying the fountain through the closing doors as well, he could tell that Draco was sharing his thoughts.

Finally arriving at the 6th floor, Harry and Draco did not even wait for the cool woman's voice to finish her "Level six, Department of magical transportation. Leave here for: Floo Network Authority, Broom Regulatory Control, Portkey Office and Apparation Test Centre.", but immediately strode off to the Floo Network Authority.

Leaving Draco to find Madam Edgecomb, Harry studies the department they were in.

The walls were stacked with bookcases with books on Floo powder uses, as well as fireplaces and cupboards full of Floo powder. The center of the room was filled with desks and hastily scribbling people. There were no windows in the department, but light still shone as if the entire department was made of a glass box hanging high in the air. Harry was about to check on the stacks of Floo powder in the cupboards when Draco returned with madam Edgecomb.

"Ah, you must be Potter." Madam Edgecomb said coolly. "See all this?" she said pointing at the hastily scribbling people. "All because of your temporary Floo powder transport. Come along now."

Almost jogging to keep up with the woman's fast strides, Harry and Draco followed the woman to the central fireplace, where she handed both an unusually large amount of Floo powder.

"The head of your house, Professor Severus Snape, has already been notified of your coming." Madam Edgecomb said taking one step back. "Throw it all in, mind." She added as Draco stepped into the fireplace first.

"Hogwarts!" Draco said clearly, and threw the powder into the fireplace.

A much larger flame than Harry had ever seen coming out of a Floo powder fireplace erupted from the fireplace, and Harry immediately understood why madam Edgecomb had taken a step back. Throwing himself sideways, he barely dodged the green torrent of flame.

"Nice one I'd say," Madam Edgecomb said, her tone clearly stating that she was being sarcastic. "Although you should know that Floo powder fire is completely harmless."

Ignoring Harry who was now finally starting to get over his shock and getting on his feet, Madam Edgecomb continued.

"Now, pip pip, move along now, I don't have all day. You boys have given me a day's work of reports to finish, and I'd like to get to it."

Making his eyebrows refrain from climbing up because of her tone was an effort, but he managed. As he stepped into the fireplace, Harry also named Hogwarts loud and clear, and threw in the fire, receiving one glance of madam Edgecomb, who was already dismissing them, before appearing in the dungeons of Hogwarts.

"Evening Potter" Severus Snape said without looking up from his paper as Harry appeared. As Harry walked past the potion masters desk, he read the headline of the evening prophet Snape was reading.

"Weasley's take a tour in flying fort Anglia"

"It seems like Arthur Weasley found another fascinating project to work upon." Snape said lifting an eyebrow at the paper, ignoring Draco bursting with laughter at the door.

"But that is for another time I fear. As I was telling young Mr. Malfoy here, we are investigating what closed the barriers, but as Mrs. Malfoy took care of almost everything, there shouldn't be any problems for the two of you. Now. The Hogwart's express has just arrived at the station, so the two of you can accompany Mr. Filch to the doors, where you will rejoin your classmates for the beginning of term feast."

Draco and Harry started off towards the great hall, when Snape called Harry back.

"Lessons are starting again. 8'o clock, after dinner Potter. Every evening." He said before seating himself again and resuming his study of the evening prophet.

"Understood sir." Harry said, before rejoining Draco to the Great hall.

A/N

Well, I'd daresay that was a quick chapter after the last one . Ideas suddenly seemed to burst through my mind, and if I did not have to research some tiny details, I bet I could've finished this one in an hour.

As always Read and Review, and although not much happened in this chapter, new, more exiting things will happen in my next chapter as of course the chamber of secrets will open, and you will all get to read Harry's reaction on it.

Arildun