Chapter 27.

Soon

Soon. Soon!

Soon he would be gone. Soon he would sleep in a comfortable bed, in a beautiful, heated room. Soon he would have a delicious breakfast with his friends every day, not having to worry about angering or irritating the head of the Dursley family all the time. Not having to listen anymore to the empty and meaningless chatter about neighbours and colleagues at Grunnings, or having to watch his slightly disgusting cousin stuff his mouth.

Soon he would no longer have to live amongst hostile faces, with people who grouped against him, rejecting him for some reason he had never understood. He would have his friends with him all the time. At least Ron. If he was lucky enough to be in a room with him in the dorm…

Soon he would be able to see Draco again, instead of having to resort to mails all the time. He would wake up carefree, and go to sleep carefree, only having to worry about classes and homework.

And all this was possible thanks to his parents. For many months, the raven had felt abandoned, left behind with the Dursleys while his mother and father had left somewhere he could never reach. Watching the pictures he kept under his floorboard, the seven photos that represented the first seven years of his life, had been almost too painful in the past. He'd avoided taking them out of their hiding place as much as possible.

Whenever Harry took the pictures out now, he still felt pain, loss, and regret, but he also felt incredibly grateful. For the first time in three long years, Harry was able to smile, if only a little, at the images of himself and his parents. He thanked them every chance he got. Even from their graves, or wherever they were, he felt like they were taking care of him. Finally, he had regained a little piece of them, something he could cherish with more care than ever before.

The raven felt like he was a ray of sunshine. His frail silhouette blended in with the golden colour of the sunset as he walked around the neighbourhood. He breathed in the sultry air of a hot summer's evening, and spread his arms behind him, feeling a light, warm breeze envelop his fingers. If he closed his eyes, he could actually imagine himself flying off into the pink clouds above. Whether it was alongside Hedwig, or on the latest Nimbus or Firebolt Ron had drawn, he didn't care.

The raven had spread his wings.

It was the last evening he would spend at number four Privet Drive until the next summer vacation. A very long time for a ten-year old. And Harry was taking a last tour of the surroundings, taking in the few things that he would miss as he walked back from Hagrid's, where he'd gone to say goodbye. A few tears had been blinked away from the big man's eyes and had disappeared into his chaotic beard, making the small boy's heart cringe in guilt and sadness.

And Hedwig. Even though she wasn't supposed to understand, Harry had been almost certain he'd seen her turn her back to him, as if resenting him for leaving. He'd tried to whisper his apologies to her as she sat on her perch (as she was now permanently living with Hagrid for she always came back if he tried to release her), but she had flown out the window when he'd tried to touch her.

The dark-haired boy also made a quick stop at the park, sitting down on the only swing that wasn't broken. A very long time ago, Harry had yelled at Draco not to break the swings, right in this spot. But Dudley and his little gang had gotten to it in the end, making it a game to destroy everything that could be a source of amusement for anyone other than themselves. The last swing wouldn't survive for long.

Harry found himself apologising to the swing for leaving. It looked so sad and abandoned as he walked away. Especially when he thought he was leaving it into the hands of his cousin. But even if he'd stayed, what could he have done? He was quick with his words, and he'd humiliated Duddlykins many a time, but he was no match on the physical level, Dudley being thirteen, and Harry being small even for his own age.

Besides, it would never be a fair fight. At the house, Dudley Dursley had his parents to back him up, and outside, his group of friends would gladly join in if it came to a fight. Harry had not a chance in hell.

The trees looked like they were waving them goodbye too as he left the park, went around the roundabout and then down Privet Drive. With a last glance to the brilliant sky, the raven went inside for his last dinner and night.

The next morning, Harry found himself too nervous to be able to eat much of the breakfast he'd helped prepare. It was rather early too, too early for Dudley who never got up before eleven during holidays. The larger boy would eat his breakfast later. For now, it was just uncle Vernon, aunt Petunia, and Harry at the table. It wasn't as if he minded not having to see Dudley again before he left. The only gestures the big child had ever made towards him was to chuck something at him, laugh at him, or rat him out to Vernon and then watching eagerly to see him yelled at or punished.

Petunia and Vernon seemed both in a different mood than usual. There was a mixture of relief and joy to be rid of their burden, but they bore a lot of resentment for their nephew about this whole situation.

"Took him in, paid for the damned kid for three years, and he's got a whole bloody stash of money hidden away." Harry heard uncle Vernon mutter as the two of them drove to King's Cross. It wasn't the first time he heard it.

Just a few more minutes. The raven bit down on his tongue, trying to refrain from any comment. Vernon wouldn't dare hit him now, just before sending him off to school. Petunia had forbidden it, afraid that the school nurse at St-James would notice. Nevertheless, Harry thought it wasn't worth ruining his day to stir up trouble.

To keep his mind off the large man behind the wheel of the car, mumbling profanities or insults to himself, green-eyes thought back to the previous night. He hadn't been able to catch much sleep, and he'd kept looking out the window, hoping to see the pale, spotted figure of Hedwig coming to visit him. But she hadn't come, probably still angry that he was leaving her behind. He felt a pinch at his heart, and disappointment that he hadn't been able to stroke her feathers just one last time. But he comforted himself by thinking of the company she would keep Hagrid.

Once arrived at the station, uncle Vernon didn't bother parking. He stepped out the car, dropped Harry's single bag on the pavement, sat back behind the wheel and drove off without so much as a goodbye.

The Dursleys weren't at all happy with this. The boy they'd always rejected, always criticized, always thought too unmannered and ungrateful to deserve their love and attention could now afford a better school then they could for their own son. It was a humiliation if nothing else. And the money they had spent buying him the few things he had really needed was a lost investment to them. They felt, as guardians, that they had a right to at least a part of the money. But it was all meant for their good-for-nothing nephew, or so Rebecca had said.

The raven heaved his bag off the pavement. Luckily, he'd been allowed to leave the books and uniforms and other materials he'd bought for school in Somerset in a storage room in the St-James dormitory for boys. A few others, who thought it would be ridiculous to take it all the way home, and then back to school again had done the same, like Ron. But Hermione hadn't been able to leave her textbooks behind, wanting to get a head start in them before term began.

So the bag he was carrying now only contained his own clothes and the few possessions he'd still had in his room. His 'Dumbledore' book with the pictures of him and his parents slipped inside, was rolled carefully in one of Dudley's old sweatshirts for the trip. And of course, the Russian copy of Anna Karenina Draco had given him two years previously was in there too, safely tucked away.

It wasn't difficult to find the platform this time, since Harry had already taken the same train several weeks earlier for the welcoming party. Besides, there was a group of tall and short redheads bouncing around, with a bushy mane of brown among them. Even from afar it could not be mistaken that the Weasleys were at King's Cross.

The usual greetings and cheers erupted when they saw Harry approaching. Mr. Weasley immediately took over Harry's bag to set it on one of the trolley's they had with them.

"You packed light, I see." He said with a wink to the boy.

Harry gave him a half smile, not ready to admit it was practically all he owned. He'd had to leave a few things, because his bag wasn't big enough, and the Dursleys would never give him one of theirs. He thought to himself that he should've bought one with the money Rebecca had granted him for school supplies, but then shrugged, thinking he'd have plenty of opportunities to do so later.

Hermione was so exhilarated and tense at the same time that she seemed unable to say much, other than a few comments on a dark spot on Ron's nose. The Weasley rubbed at it furiously, throwing dark looks at the girl, but the mysterious spot wouldn't go away.

Chuckling at the sight, Harry tried to lighten the mood between the two, not wanting to witness a fight on their very first day.

After a full ten minutes of hugging and goodbyes, the three of them were in the train, their bags hoisted on the luggage racks. Ron took out a bag of mini-muffins that his mother had baked the day before, but neither of the other two felt like eating anything.

"Suit yourselves." He shrugged and then stuffed two muffins at once into his mouth, making Hermione sigh and roll her eyes.

"I read about the school on the website." She began, and proceeded to telling them about every single school event, and all the different rules and other sports or activities available.

"Horseback riding?" Ron exclaimed after listening, one eyebrow raised in a comical way. "That thing you do when you sit on a horse's back…and ride?"

"No, of course not." Hermione said sarcastically. "What else could it be, Ron!"

"Are you going to go horseback riding?" The redhead turned to Harry with that same funny eyebrow.

Green-eyes shrugged. "I don't know. Why not? I've never tried it."

"Oh, it's fun!" Hermione interjected. "You have to at least try it once."

"And be stomped to death by one of those beasts? I don't think so." Ron protested.

"Beasts? They're beautiful animals!"

"Yeah, some people say the same about spiders." Ron shuddered.

As the redhead and bushy-mane continued to snap at each other, arguing back and forth in favour or against this or that sport, Harry leaned back in the comfortable seat and looked outside. For the last day of august, the weather was extremely bad. It was cloudy, windy, and he could see raindrops starting to smash against the window.

And tomorrow would be September 1st, the first day of class. Excitement and anxiety mixed together in the pit of Harry's stomach. Thinking about the four friendly faces he already knew at the school, he felt just slightly more confident, and he was able to close his eyes and recuperate a little from his sleepless night.

Once the train pulled into the station at their destination, Harry and Ron helped Hermione with her extra bag that contained her books, while carrying their own lighter bags. It was a difficult and lengthy operation with their skinny arms and small frames. Ron was barely taller than Harry and Hermione, but he had not an ounce more muscle.

They weren't in a hurry though. There was a bus, rented by the school again, waiting outside for all the students to arrive from the different parts of the country. It was already two o'clock in the afternoon by the time the bus-driver unloaded all the luggage on the school's parking lot, where many parents were doing the same for their children as they dropped them off.

There were eighty students for each of the seven years, totalling five hundred and sixty students. But not all of them were boarders. A quarter lived close enough to go home in the evenings. Still, about two hundred boys could be housed in the dorms for the boys' school, and the same for the girls' side. It was needless to say that the parking lot was slightly chaotic. Parents were bringing their children's bags to the dorm buildings. For the ones who had arrived by train, sixth and seventh years who had already put away their things had been instructed by the teachers to help them.

Nevertheless, amongst the throng of arrivals, the trio was found by Mrs. Malfoy, who didn't live too far that she couldn't drop off her son herself at the dorms. She looked exactly the same as Harry remembered her. Her relatively young face lined with worries, but her blue eyes spoke of experience and alertness. Her white-blonde hair always in a long braid, slung over her shoulder; and her stance one of civility, strength and kindness.

Mrs. Malfoy was carrying a bag as she waved to them among the crowd, Draco following close by with a black suitcase; but with a reluctant step, as if wanting to keep his relation to that woman a matter of discretion.

At thirteen years of age, Narcissa was witnessing her only son's gradual transition into puberty. It did not make matters easier. Fortunately, he hadn't gotten his growth spurt yet, but his stubbornness, his mood swings, his desire for independence and his need to distance himself from his mother so as to prove himself to his mates had gotten more pronounced.

Narcissa found herself having to berate him for his language much more since he'd gotten into St-James, and she didn't like the sound of some of his classmates. But it was with relief that she noticed the absence of any complaints from the school. Except for his dreadful performance in ancient Greek and Latin, Draco seemed to be handling himself with more dignity than she'd expected; probably mixed with a lot of arrogance, but at least he was not being too troublesome.

The fact that Severa was a professor at St-James, and keeping a constant eye on him was most certainly the main reason for Draco's 'good' behaviour. And if he ever did stray, it was Severa who was quick to find him out and punish him for his deeds.

"Harry." Mrs. Malfoy beamed once she was close enough for them to hear. "Hermione, Ron." She smiled to them too. "I see you're still inseparable. I haven't had the chance to congratulate you all at having passed the entrance examinations."

Hermione's back straightened with pride, despite the heavy book-bag she was hauling behind her. Even Ron couldn't suppress a smile of delight. It wasn't so often he got compliments about his academic achievements.

Harry thanked her as well, genuinely happy to see the graceful lady again, though a little uncomfortable after not having talked to her in many months. His eyes inevitably strayed to the figure standing slightly back. Draco looked torn between happiness at seeing his friends, and some other, more negative emotion towards his mother. Harry wondered whether they'd fought on the way here. He'd witnessed quite a row the last time he'd visited the Malfoys at their new house.

"That looks truly heavy, Hermione. Would you like me to help carry anything? It's always a little hectic on arrivals day." Mrs. Malfoy explained as she stretched out her free hand to the girl.

Hermione handed her the bag filled with her school things and thanked her, and they all set off amongst the crowd towards the school dormitories.

The boys' and the girls' dorms were in fact one large building, but separated on the inside, making it impossible to go from one to the other without going outside first. It was by far the most modern-looking structure on the grounds. Hermione had explained it on the train, telling them how the first dormitory (when the school was still an all boys school) had been built in the early twentieth century. But it had been neglected so much during the second world war that it had to be rebuilt, and a second dormitory for girls was added at the same time. But both those structures had gotten too old by the end of the century, and too small to hold the swelling number of pupils. They'd had no other choice but to build an entirely new complex ten years ago, rising four stories high and forming a U-shape around an inner courtyard that faced towards the school building. Each of the four floors was a long hallway with twelve to thirteen rooms, furnished with two bunk beds and four small built-in closets. There was one room for the superintendant on the ground floor, and one for the night nurse on the third, in case anyone got sick during the night.

And lastly there was one large common space on the ground floor that opened up on the co-ed courtyard. It held long tables for study, a corner with couches and pouf's, a few desks along the walls with computers, a television and a game-console.

The girls' dorm was the mirror image of the boys', only on the left side of the building. Mrs. Malfoy accompanied Hermione there, while Ron, Harry and Draco headed inside on the right side.

Before Harry could say something to dispel the awkwardness he had detected between mother and son, other boys came up to talk to Draco, giving high fives or shoving each other's shoulders. The blonde grinned at them and relaxed immediately, returning to the Draco Harry was used to seeing.

"Hey Call, Lew." He smirked at two boys that came out of a room close to the entrance. "These are friends of mine. First years." He nodded to the ones beside him. "Ron, Harry, this is Callum and Lewis." He addressed the slightly uncomfortable and nervous youngsters. "Don't believe a word that comes out of their mouths. They're utter nutters." He whispered just loudly enough so that Callum and Lewis could hear.

"Don't spew rubbish, Drake." One of them rolled his eyes and shoved his shoulder again. "Oliver's up on the second floor, I think. You'll have to do the stairs." He snickered in amusement.

Draco narrowed his eyes at him playfully, then glanced down dejectedly at both his bag and heavy suitcase. "Either of you care to help?"

Callum and Lewis' answer was to run away in the opposite direction, their laughter sounding through the entire hallway as they hurried into another room. All the doors were wide open, waiting for new occupants.

"Didn't think so." Draco muttered, but didn't seem to have expected otherwise, and he shrugged it off. No one liked to do chores for anyone else at St-James.

"Who's this Oliver bloke?" Ron wondered as he watched others pass by them and climbing the stairs with their parents, or some upperclassmen carrying some of their load. But no one was available to help Draco with the bag that his mother had left him when she split with Hermione.

"He's got the chart." Draco sighed as he lifted both his suitcase and bag from the floor. Harry was impressed he was able to do it. But then again, Draco was much taller than either of them. He hadn't stopped growing just because they hadn't seen each other. "We have to go find him first, so that he can tell us which room we're in. Usually everyone is grouped by year."

That excluded the possibility of sharing a room with Draco, the raven thought, trying to hide his disappointment. He had expected as much, but had still harboured some hope. Now he only had Ron, or Neville to hope for.

The three of them trudged up the stairs to the second floor, other boys regularly running past them up and down the stairs, chasing each other and throwing unidentified objects. Some stopped to greet Draco, and were consequently introduced to the two curious first years.

Once arrived, it turned out Oliver was nowhere to be seen, so they went up another flight of stairs to the third floor, finally finding a frighteningly tall young man, barely a boy anymore, with dark blonde hair cropped short, surrounded by a flock of little youths with suitcases and backpacks at their feet. He was flicking through sheets of paper on his clipboard while giving directions, sometimes moving up and down the hallway to point to particular rooms.

"Ah, Draco. I was wondering when I'd see you." Oliver grumbled once he'd dispatched the group that had been surrounding him. Harry thought he did not sound very happy to see the blonde.

"Heya, Oliver." Draco said in an equally unenthusiastic tone. "What's my number?" He asked hastily as if he didn't want to be in the older boy's presence for too long.

The upperclassman flipped through the papers again, his eyes scanning from the top to the bottom each time, until they stopped on a particular spot and he said "201. You're downstairs." Then he turned to Harry and Ron, his earlier smile returning to his features. "You must be first years."

"Yes." Draco snapped suddenly, before either of them was able to answer. "These are my friends. Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley." Harry noticed how he slightly stressed the word 'my'.

But the older boy let it go and kept his friendly and welcoming attitude towards the younger ones. "Welcome to St-James." He shook both their hands with a firm grip. Harry had to flex his fingers to get the blood running through them again. "I'm Oliver Wood, the captain of the school's football team (soccer for Americans), and I'm also the dorm leader. So if you feel like joining the team, or if you have any problem whatsoever, I'm in the room next to the nurse on third." Then he looked through his papers again, scanning for their names. "Potter, Harry. You're in room 310. It's right here down the hall." He pointed over his shoulder with a pencil. "And Weasley, Ronald…you're in 206, downstairs like Draco."

They barely had the time to thank him before another wave of pupils arrived from the stairs, awaiting directions. So, deciding that they better get rid of their things first, they split up to find their respective rooms.

Harry's heart felt heavy as he heaved his bag onto his shoulder once again and looked at the open doors until he found the one marked '310'. He was not in the same room with Ron. It increased his level of nervousness, realizing he would be sleeping with three strangers. Even if he was with Neville, it wouldn't be the same.


Hi again everyone :D

The big news is that Camille Noir was the first to answer my question and win the prestigious prize! So you can expect an eponymous character to pop up in the near future.

I was thrilled with the many responses. I'm happy I got you all to think about it at least ;) *laughs wickedly*

And I enjoyed the reviews like a chimpanzee high on banana-speed (just to invent the most ridiculous comparison); and with that boost of ecstasy, I was able to bring forth this little baby of a chapter, hoping that it will not disappoint :)

There were a few questions, but as I thought they would already be answered with this chapter, or in the following one, I thought I wouldn't bother anyone with lengthy answers and just leave you to enjoy ^^

With the kindest regards

Aoiika