A/N: Hello peoples. I don't own HP. At all. I own the stories that I create, but not HP itself. So don't sue me or anything. Plz. Anyway, just a quick shout-out to two things. 1: I have created a community filled with dark and depressed HP characters in fanfics that I find. Check them out; all the authors that are and will be on there a talented. 2: This chapter and the next are inspired by the some chapters of the fanfiction 'Slytherin, Snape, and Dudley'. Shout-out to the author of that one. Anyway, I've spent 109 words on this A/N, so let's get on with the story.

Chapter Rating: K+

Chapter 4

Another Year, Another Plan

The summer holidays were turning out to be annoyingly uneventful. Harry got some presents for his birthday, including a quidditch book (James and Lily got Harry that; they thought he'd make a great quidditch player.), an owl named Hedwig, who was brown like seeded bread, and had little darker and lighter flakes of colour among her hair, from Ron, a Rememberall from Neville (Nev hated it.), and a book from Hermione all about how the wizarding world came to be embroiled in the devastating wizarding war that had ended with the vanquishing of Voldemort a good few years ago. Harry was now 12. He remembered his 11th with joy; the feeling of coming downstairs, feeling that little bit older, and being able to open his presents from his family. They hadn't really had anything like that in the snake tribe; the nearest they had really got was a tribal-style celebration to celebrate the 5-year anniversary of someone entering the tribe, but those were simple, hunting exercises. Still, Harry missed it. He sat in the neat garden at his house. He stared up at the tower, Gryffindor tower. How he longed to be back there, to be back walking along those passageways. Even though he'd only been there for around 1/3 of last year, it still felt like an eternity, but a good eternity. The kind of eternity you'd want to spend eternity in. He sighed. He longed to be back there, even though he had a sneaking suspicion that this year would be as much of a train wreck as the last.

The Hogwarts express zipped through the countryside. Harry didn't get why he had to go all the way back to London only to go all the way back to about 1 mile from where he lived. He was sitting, gazing out of the window, and thinking of what would happen this year. He still felt apprehensive, but was more excited than nervous. A station whizzed by. Muggles stood on the platform. Harry turned to Hermione. She was asleep. Harry decided to read her present to him. He was about 1/5 of the way through it, and it had just finished explaining how the actions of previous wizards had created the scenario that meant that a new dark wizard could mean catastrophe. It was a fun book to read, and he was really enjoying it. He had already sorted her a present, a book all about how the dark arts came to be and how the three unforgivable curses were made… well, unforgivable. Hermione loved wizarding history, and Harry knew she'd love it. Ron was sitting on the opposite side of their compartment, talking to his sister, Ginny, who was starting Hogwarts, how it worked and things like that. Malfoy appeared at the door. Oh no. Not this.

Malfoy opened the door. He was halfway through it when Hermione just sprung up, as though she'd never been asleep, and slammed the door. Draco screeched, and immediately withdrew. Within seconds, Harry was already casting 'Colloportus' and locking the door. Draco simply smashed the compartment window. He grabbed Ron by the shirt and started tugging him through the door. Ron fell unconscious to the ground. Ginny, with no magical knowledge, was easy prey, and Malfoy simply said "Stupify!" and his opponents were halved. Hermione was next. Draco shoved his way into the wrecked compartment and shoved Hermione's head out the window. She was knocked unconscious by the next bridge. Draco jumped onto a seat, and 'accidentally' knocked a suitcase down straight onto Harry's head. Harry was now unconscious. Draco hurriedly wiped the memories of his victims and repaired the compartment. As he left, he thought one thing: 'No-one foils a Malfoy's plan'.

The first week was over. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny wandered almost drunkenly off the Hogwarts express that evening, and had to go and see the nurse. Harry had a concussion, Ron's airway had been damaged, Ginny was physically fine, but Hermione was in the hospital almost all week. Harry anxiously waited for a parcel at breakfast, Saturday. James and Lily had ordered a broom for him, a Firebolt prototype. These, if they were good, would be rolled out next summer, and Harry had been asked to test it in actual quiddittch matches. Hedwig dropped it onto his table. Professor McGonnagall had approved him joining the team, and everything was jolly. Harry was considerably happier today than any other day of this academic year so far.

"May the game begin!" cried Dumbledore. Harry was quidditch seeker, and Ravenclaw were playing Slytherin, and the Slytherin seeker was a new hire, Draco. The game began with the two seekers racing up. The game had begun. The two brooms soared through the sky, chasing the snitch. It flew on and on, taking the pursuers everywhere. They chased on and on, and soon they went across the black lake, which was glimmering in the sunlight. Pines and firs, twenty foot tall, lined the lake and went up both sides of the expansive valley. The snitch raced on, taking them through the trees, into a cave, skidding along the lake, and then round the towers of Hogwarts. It hovered, and Draco thought it had gone one way, but in fact, it had gone another. With Harry pursuing it, he dived and climbed over the quidditch pitch. He went under the stands, and then, just as Draco was returning and just as Harry emerged, it happened. The snitch stopped. Both seekers dived, but Harry was there first. With a triumphant cheer, he lapped the stadium, holding the snitch in one hand and his broom in the other. He had done it. Ravenclaw had won. Draco looked on sourly. He growled. Still, Harry wouldn't bother Draco anymore. Not from tomorrow.

Harry had a celebratory breakfast that evening, as the quidditch chase had gone on long into the night and no one had actually eaten. Tomorrow was Hermione's birthday. Today was Monday, meaning fun and DADA. Harry enjoyed DADA. Harry celebrated, and then got everyone drinks. Little did he know that his was spiked with a potion. Oblivious, Harry headed off to first lesson. But by break, he wasn't feeling well, and lunch was hell. He couldn't bring himself to eat. Hermione and Ron actually had to prop him up between them to carry him to the nurse. Pomfrey took one look at him and was immediately shoving about 10 different potions down his neck. After dinner, Hermione and Ron went to the hospital and found that Harry was worse.

"And if we don't work out and find a cure by this time tomorrow, he'll be dead." Madam Pomfrey solemnly stated.

A/N: Please tell me you hate me! Review if you do!