Chapter 6

The Dispiriting Train Ride

That morning, Daphne and the others woke up early to get ready for the trip to Hogwarts. Fortunately, they had already packed their belongings, so after eating breakfast, they were able to leave without worrying about whether or not they had everything ready.

While many families arrived at King's Cross the non-magical way via the portal between platforms nine and ten, the students who belonged to noble families took the floo to King's Cross. This had been done to appease the noble families who didn't want to sully their children with the presence of muggles. Using the floo was also much faster.

As Daphne stepped onto platform nine and three-quarters, she glanced at Astoria. A smile blossomed on her lips. Her sister was staring at everything with the wide eyes of an enthusiastic child. Astoria's awed gaze seemed to be taking all of the wonders around her, and her head turned this way and that, as if trying to memorize every aspect of this moment.

"So cool…"

Daphne shook her head. She didn't know where her sister had picked up that bit of muggle terminology-all evidence pointed towards Tracey-but phrases like that seemed to come from her more often these days. It was kind of cute, but she really hoped their father never heard Astoria talk like that.

"Doesn't look that different from last year, does it?" Tracey asked as she stepped up to the sisters.

"No, it doesn't," Daphne agreed. "And yet, it feels so very different from last year."

"Yeah…"

There was no need to extrapolate. Tracey knew what she was talking about without her having to say a thing.

"Are you excited for classes, Astoria?" Lisa asked.

"Not really,"Astoria admitted. "But I am excited to be going to Hogwarts. I've always wanted to go, and I really want to learn magic!"

Lisa smiled. Behind her, Blaize, Terry, and Neville shared a grin.

"It's good to see that she's so lively," Neville said.

Blaize nodded. "We're going to need someone like her around."

"I'm just glad she's enthusiastic but respectful-unlike Tracey."

"What was that, Boot?! You trying to start something?!" Tracey shouted, shaking her fist at him.

"Now, now, children, settle down," Lady Zabini said in a placating manner. "There is no need to get so riled up this early in the morning. Save that for when you are at school."

Tracey and Terry grew silent. Even then, they continued to glare at each other. Daphne and Lisa shared an exasperated look.

"Do you see them yet, Sue?" Hannah asked her fellow Hufflepuff, who was surveyed the crowd, looking for something-or rather, looking for someone.

"Not yet," Susan muttered, squinting her eyes. "It's hard to find anybody in this-ah! I've found them!" Raising her left hand, she waved while cupping her right hand to her mouth and shouting, "Auntie! Mr. and Mrs. Abott!"

At the sound of their names being called, the three adults looked over at the group of children, then began pushing their way through the crowd. Daphne watched with a small sense of longing as the Abott's joyfully greeted their daughter and Madam Bones gave her niece a hug. She wished her father was more like those three.

I wish Mother was still here. We'd still be a happy family if she was.

"There's Mum and Dad!" Tracey's parents also arrived, and she followed her friend's example, waving the pair down while shouting at the top of her lungs. "Mum! Dad!"

"Tracey!" Mr. Davis bellowed as he walked up to them, wearing a large grin on his face and his arms spread wide, as if preparing to hug the girl. "How are you, my-"

"Mum!" Tracey bypassed her dad and went straight into Mrs. Davis's arms. Her dad stood stock still for a second, then he slumped over. Daphne could've sworn she saw a dark storm cloud hanging over his head, but she chalked it up to her imagination.

"Oh, my goodness!" Mrs. Davis laughed. "Hello, Trace. How has your summer been? Good, I hope."

"It's been awesome!" Tracey said with a grin.

"Awesome, is it? That's good to hear."

"I get no love," Mr. Davis complained as Tracey and her mom shared a greeting.

"Oh, come off it, Dad," Tracey grinned. "You know that mums are supposed to get more love than dads. That's how it goes."

"You say that now, but I remember a time when you were a regular daddy's girl. You would always sit on my lap and tell me how much you loved me. Ah, I miss those times."

"S-shut up!" Tracey's cheeks flushed pink. "I thought I told you to never talk about that!"

"Did you? I must have forgotten. I guess that's what happens when us fathers don't get any love."

"All right. All right." Tracey hugged her father. "There. You happy now?"

"Yes," Mr. Davis said as he hugged back.

Mrs. Davis giggled into her hand. "So easy to please, dear."

More parents soon arrived. Terry was greeted by his family, Lisa's parents and sister came over (and Lisa's sister complained about not being able to see Harry Potter, which brought the mood down a bit), and Neville's grandmother eventually stalked up to them with a surly expression. It was the Dowager Longbottom who captured Daphne's attention, mostly because of the strength of her presence, but also because of how she glared at Lady Zabini.

"Augusta!" Lady Zabini said with so much good cheer that Daphne couldn't tell if she was being genuine or sarcastic. "It's so good to see you! I hope you have been well. I was afraid that you wouldn't show up due to your old age."

The Dowager Longbottom couldn't have looked more stern. "Surely, you had not expected me to let my grandson go off to Hogwarts without giving him a proper farewell, did you? I know that you do not understand matters of the heart very well, but please try to remember that some of us actually care about our progeny."

"Oh, indeed. I understand very well, Augusta." Lady Zabini's smile grew wider. Daphne shivered. For reasons she couldn't explain, that expression frightened her. "After all, my own son is currently going off to a place where I cannot follow."

The Dowager Longbottom snorted. "And I am sure that tears you apart on the inside."

As the two traded snipes, Daphne could not help but picture two animals vying for dominance. The Dowager Longbottom was much like a lioness, fierce and prideful. Lady Zabini reminded her of a dragon, powerful yet cunning. They both had a presence that demanded attention, and attention was what they got.

Daphne looked around and saw that many people had stopped what they were doing, and they were now watching the verbal spar taking place. Several people were even taking pictures. Daphne could've sworn she saw a Daily Prophet reporter snapping photos.

Realizing that if something wasn't done soon, she and the others would never be able to leave without feeling ashamed, Daphne grabbed Neville's and Blaize's attention, then gestured to their quarreling family members. They looked at their parent and guardian respectively, then her, then each other. Slowly, they nodded.

"Gran," Neville said.

"Mother," Blaize said at the same time.

"We're going to hop on the Hogwarts Express now," Neville added.

"We'll see you for the hols, Mother."

The two women stopped arguing in favor of saying goodbye.

"Have a good time at Hogwarts, Neville."

"Stay safe, and remember, never let others take advantage of you-"

"Always take advantage of others," Blaize finished. "Yes, Mother. I know."

"Good boy." Lady Zabini patted her son on the head while the Dowager Longbottom wrinkled her nose in disgust.

After saying their goodbyes, the group of friends entered the train and found an empty compartment. Tracey, being the best at casting charms, used the Expansion Charm. After the train compartment had been expanded, growing to at least twice it's regular size, they all sat down.

Daphne sat near the window, with Astoria sitting right next to her. As the others began to talk, she drifted into her own world.

She wondered what this year would bring. So many things were different from the past two years, and she was not just thinking about Harry's disappearance. Her life had changed dramatically since her second year at Hogwarts. Thanks to Susan, she and her sister had the leash that their father had tethered to them loosened. While it was not true freedom, Daphne still marveled at how different it felt.

And yet…

And yet there was an underlying sense of tension in everything they did, she and her friends. So many things had happened during the summer; Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban, the dementors coming to Hogwarts, and, of course, Harry Potter's disappearance. Any one of those three factors could change Wizarding Britain dramatically. All three of them happening at the same time had sent ripples through the wizarding world.

I feel so apprehensive…

Daphne would not deny that she was worried. Indeed, she was petrified by what could happen this year. The past two years at Hogwarts had been fraught with danger; trolls, Philosopher's Stones, the Heir of Slytherin, and Hermione's death. What would this year bring? Would she be able to keep her sister and her friends safe?

"Daphne! Daphne!" Astoria forced Daphne to divert her attention back to the outside world.

"What is it, Stori?"

"Do you want to play Exploding Snaps with us?"

Staring at her sister's wide eyes and joyful smile, Daphne didn't need much deliberation to make a decision. Her lips curved as she said, "I'd love to."

Daphne joined her friends as they played exploding snaps. She didn't converse much, but that was in her nature, and everyone had grown used to how quiet she was.

As the game progressed, Tracey lost more often than not and much to her dismay. Everyone would laugh as she made a fool of herself, then Terry would say something snide, and they would begin arguing. Lisa would bop Tracey on the head, chide her, then the process would repeat itself. It was fun, Daphne would admit, and Astoria certainly enjoyed herself, if the girl's constant laughter said anything, which was all that mattered to her.

Eventually, Exploding Snaps became boring. That was when Lisa brought out a non-magical board game called Monopoly. It was an interesting game, but there weren't enough pieces for everyone. With only six pieces available, Neville, Tracey, Lisa, Astoria, Hannah, and Terry played while the others sat back.

Susan exchanged seats with Astoria, who wanted a better spot to play. Sitting down next to Daphne, the redhead gave her friend a compassionate look. "You've been awfully quiet-more so than usual. Is something wrong?"

Daphne would've wondered how Susan could tell that she was apprehensive, but she'd learned not the underestimate the Hufflepuff. Despite her shy nature, or perhaps because of it, Susan was quite observant.

"I've just been wondering if…"

"If Harry is going to be at Hogwarts," Susan finished in a whisper after Daphne trailed off.

"… Yes."

It was not something they openly talked about anymore. Harry Potter. Their friend. Daphne tried not to mention him for the sake of the others, but when she was alone, especially at night, her mind would wander to him, and she'd worry. Was he okay? Would she see him again? What was he doing? These questions and more would invade her mind. Her sleep would be troubled, her dreams filled with his back as he walked away from her. She'd scream out to him and run to try and catch up, but no matter what she did, it always ended the same way-her waking up in a cold sweat, and Harry nowhere in sight.

"I don't really know if Harry is going to be coming back to Hogwarts," Susan admitted. "I don't think anyone can know what he's thinking right now. But, even if he doesn't come back, all of us are in this together." The redhead placed her hand over one of Daphne's. "If you need help, just ask, okay?"

Daphne was surprised. The Susan of second year was shy and didn't talk much. In contrast, this Susan, who went out of her way to help her friends, seemed as courageous as any Gryffindor. For the life of her, she couldn't figure out when this changed had occurred.

When did Susan become more than a wallflower?

"I will do that," Daphne said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Susan beamed at her. "Of course, if I'm in trouble, I hope I can count on you to help me as well."

"Of course." Daphne placed a hand over Susan's. "I promise."

Her worry abating slightly, Daphne realized how lucky she was to have such good friends.

Harry Potter sat on the ground in his compartment.

It hadn't taken much to slip onto the Hogwarts Express unnoticed. While he'd been tempted to apparate to Hogwarts and sneak in through one of the passages, Harry wasn't certain enough in his ability to remain undetected to risk it. Humans, even magical ones, he could easily slip past. Dementors, however, were not something that he had experience with. Yes, it was better to be safe than sorry in this instance.

Scattered across his compartment were several notebooks, all of them containing advanced notes on alchemy. While he didn't necessarily need the notes, as everything he learned was imprinted within his memories, he found that having notes helped him compare circles. It was a way of alleviating the mental stress that came from calling up two or more informational references, thus allowing him to get work done faster.

The current circles were all on the creation of a homunculus-a true homunculus and not those defective versions that potions and spells created. Each transmutation circle was highly advanced, incredibly complex, and would require hours to properly draw. The dynamics between the lines that transmitted power and the symbols that contained power were far beyond the sum of their individual components. Most people would have never been able to understand these notes, not even many a would-be alchemist. Flamel would, but that man was scary good at alchemy.

This circle would offer more stability to the homunculus, but it's downside is that it would require a piece of my soul to create. Meanwhile, the one that invokes the five elements would only be capable of creating a homunculus that lasts for a few weeks, but it comes with less drawbacks and doesn't require a piece of my soul. The third one, which involves using the Three Essential Principles, would be the easiest to create in theory, but the most difficult to do right.

The problem with creating a homunculus was several fold. The first issue was the matter of gaining the material necessary to create a human body. The average 70 kg adult human body contained approximately 7 x 1027 atoms and at least detectable traces of 60 chemical elements. About 29 of those elements were thought to play an active role in life and health in humans.

The relative amounts of each element varied by individual, mainly due to differences in the proportion of fat, muscle, and bone in their body. Persons with more fat had a higher proportion of carbon and a lower proportion of most other elements.

The adult human body averaged at 53% water. This varied substantially by age, sex, and adiposity. In a large sample of adults of all ages and both sexes, the figure for water fraction by weight was found to be 48 ±6% for females and 58 ±8% water for males.

Water is 11% hydrogen by mass but 67% hydrogen by atomic percent, and these numbers along with the complementary percent numbers for oxygen in water, are the largest contributors to overall mass and atomic composition figures. Because of water content, the human body contains more oxygen by mass than any other element, but more hydrogen by atom-fraction than any element.

After learning all of this, Harry had discovered that the average human being contained the elemental compounds of Oxygen (65%), Hydrogen (10%), Carbon (18%), Nitrogen (3%), Calcium (1.5%), Phosphorus (1%), Potassium (0.25%), Sulfur (0.25%), Sodium (0.15%), Chlorine (0.15%), Magnesium (0.05%), Iron (0.006%), Fluorine (0.0037%), Zinc (0.0032%), Copper (0.0001%), Iodine (0.000016%), Selenium (0.000019%), Chromium (0.0000024%), Manganese (0.000017%), Molybdenum (0.000013%), and Cobalt (0.0000021%).

Of course, this was just the elemental composition. There were still two components that Harry didn't know how to replicate: Magic and the soul.

Magic would be easier to supply. He could just use his own. The problem was that he didn't know if his magic would work to create what he wanted. Would the magic of one person transmute into someone else's magic? He wasn't sure. This was territory that had never been touched before. Nicolas Flamel might have the answers he sought, but Harry didn't want to ask him for help.

Of course, the biggest problem is not going to be magic.

The biggest issue was the soul. If the human body was composed of various chemical compounds, then what was the human soul made of? Harry didn't have a clue. It wasn't like the human soul could be broken down and analysed.

That was the biggest issue he had currently. None of his circles were capable of transmuting a human soul. He didn't know if there was a transmutation circle that could transmute a soul, or if a human soul was even transmutable. If that was indeed the case, and human souls could not be transmuted, then this entire endeavor might prove futile.

No. He shook his head. I can't think like that. This will work. I'll make it work.

Even if he was determined to make this work, he still didn't know how he'd go about doing that. Harry didn't know if the Philosopher's Stone was even capable of transmuting a soul.

Soul Magic was a forbidden branch of magic. It wasn't even regulated by the Ministry of Magic. People were not allowed to touch it. This was due to how most Soul Magic was used in the Dark Arts. Anyone who was caught practicing Soul Magic would not only be sent to Azkaban, but they would have their magic permanently sealed-a punishment that had not been done for the last 500 years.

Because it was forbidden, text on Soul Magic was scarce. Harry had searched all of the places where he thought he might find something, but even in places like Knockturn Alley, books on Soul Magic were nonexistent.

I guess I'll be going in blind.

Right now, all he had were half-formed ideas. They couldn't even be called theories. Harry disliked experimenting without having a working hypothesis, but considering he was traveling into uncharted waters, there was little choice but for him to continue working regardless.

Rubbing his eyes, Harry decided to get a little rest before working on another project. His eyes were sore from staring at paper for the past several hours.

He gathered up his notes, placed them in his new trunk, then locked it. Stretching his arms above his head, Harry started to sit down, but he was stopped from doing so when the Hogwarts Express screeched to a halt.

What's going on?

Harry looked out the window. Rain splattered against the glass, but with his enhanced vision, he looked past that and peered out at the world beyond. There wasn't much to see. They were in an area of England that was pretty much all open space. Nothing existed except for trees and prairies.

Why do I feel so uneasy?

The air had grown unnaturally cold, and his breath came out as a fine mist. Ice crept along the glass, slowly expanding like the tendrils of an abominable horror. The frost moved too fast to be natural.

Something is out there.

Harry could sense multiple magical presences. They were unlike anything he'd ever felt. He didn't know what they were, but even though he could not see them, he could feel the drain on his mental strength. It felt like all the happiness had suddenly disappeared, leaving him empty.

What is this?

Frowning, Harry flicked his wrist, launching his wand into his hand. The wand that had been created by Ollivander appeared different than before. No longer a light brown, now the wand was black with white streaks running through it. The runic symbols remained the same, but they glowed a dark crimson, as if they'd been soaked in blood.

The lights flickered and suddenly went out. Even so, Harry could see just fine. Looking at the window, his glowing green eyes, cat-like and vibrant, were reflected back at him.

"HARRY!"

A female voice screamed. Harry jerked around to see where the voice had come from, but there was no one there. It was just him.

Rattling from behind him made Harry spin around. The door shook against its frame, the handle jostling like someone was trying to open it. He frowned. No one should even be able to see this door. Harry had placed a very powerful series of spells on it, including a variation of the Notice Me Not charm.

The rattling soon stopped. Harry waited for several seconds, and when nothing happened, he exhaled heavily.

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

"Fool, you think you can defeat me without your wand? Avada Kadavera!"

Harry jumped when more voices spoke up. This time, he realized that they were not coming from anyone in the real world. These voices were inside of his head. They came from his mind, from his memories.

A door burst open. Chunks of wooden splinters sprayed the ground as a man walked in, pale faced and gaunt.

Images flitted through his mind. Memories that he normally kept carefully contained were brought to the fore. Harry stumbled, holding a hand to his face as he was bombarded with the worst memories that his mind had to offer.

"You're just a good for nothing freak!" his uncle shouted, looking over him and spraying spittle all over his face.

The glass window shattered and a gaunt hand appeared. Weathered fingers clutched the windowsill, and a figure soon followed the fingers. A hood covered its head, leaving its face masked in darkness. Even with his enhanced vision, Harry could not see past the darkness, which meant it was likely magic that kept him from seeing beyond. A tattered cloak covered its frame. Only its gaunt hands were visible as it floated into the room.

"Damn freak!"

"You're lucky that we've decided to accept you into our house! Be grateful!"

"Not Harry, please… have mercy… have mercy…"

"We would've been better off without you!"

"How useless can brat be?!"

"How could you fail me like that?"

"Worthless!"

"Foul!"

"Loathsome!"

"You would've been better of dying with your parents!"

"Why couldn't you protect me?"

The images came faster and faster, rushing through his head like a torrential flood. He tried to make them stop, to make them go away, but none of his Occlumency techniques were working. It seemed like the more he tried, the more impossible it became.

Dizziness swept over him. Harry fell to his hands and knees, vomit spewing from his mouth as his mind rebelled against what it saw. His vision blurred as he fell face first into his own puke.

A corpse lay on a bed. Bushy brown hair spread out around it. The corpse opened its eyes and looked at him, its mouth moving to form words, "why didn't you protect me?"

The visions became worse. He barely saw the hand that reached out to grab his face.

A man garbed in a dark cloak held a wand. As green light shot from it, the woman who stood protectively in front of him died, her body crumpling to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. She landed face up instead of face down, allowing him to see her face. Even though her eyes were lifeless, they seemed to ask him a question. "Why couldn't you save me?"

The world spun faster. Harry felt himself being lifted off his feet. He would've struggled, but all of his strength had left him. His arms and legs hung limply, like they'd been weighed down by led, and darkness crept at the edge of his vision.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry heard shouting as darkness engulfed him.

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office, waiting for the time that he would go down and greet the new and returning students. Despite what had happened this past summer, he was still looking forward to seeing the faces of the students who were coming to Hogwarts. Watching young people learn to wield magic, seeing the joy light up in their eyes as they discovered the wonders of this world, it was one of his greatest joys.

I wonder if Harry will be coming to Hogwarts…

He still didn't know where Harry was, if he was all right, or indeed, if he was being held prisoner. He knew that Harry was alive thanks to the owls that still tried to deliver his school letters-they would not do so if he was dead-but that was it. Albus suspected that Harry was hiding through the use of a Fidelius Charm, though who could have cast such a complex charm was something that he couldn't fathom.

As he thought about Harry, someone tripped his wards seconds before the door slammed open, and a harried Minerva McGonagall burst into the room.

"Minerva," Albus frowned, "what's wrong?"

The woman looked positively flustered. Her hair was in disarray, and her clothing was askew. She was also breathing heavily, as if she'd run from the Gryffindor tower to here.

"It's Harry Potter!" she said, her eyes wide. "He's been attacked by dementors!"

I'd like to apologize for taking so long to update this story. I've been working on my other fanfic, Devil Ninja, and I also have been caught up writing my original stories.

You'll notice that this chapter is pretty short for me. Before you ask, no, it's not because of the holidays. I always strive to only add the words necessary to tell my story. It just so happens that most of my stories require longer chapters. Right now, we're only at the beginning of my story. THis is merely an introduction, and since there's no world building involved right now, it means chapters are shorter. The next chapter should be much longer, since we'll be getting to the meat of the story.

Anyway, that's all for now. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thank you for your support.