Harry Potter waited as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley went with Ginny through the Barrier at King's Cross. Ronald stood beside him, looking disgusted at being left with Potter.
"After you," Harry encouraged and Ronald took off towards the Barrier.
Harry's eyes went wide when the Barrier wouldn't let the redhead through.
"What are you playing at?" Ronald spat as he got up and charged at Harry. "Let me through!"
"I didn't do it!" Harry argued, holding up his hands defensively. "I don't know why it won't let you through!"
They argued for a few moments before deciding that the Weasley parents probably couldn't get back through either.
"Come on," Harry tried to encourage. "Let's just wait in the car."
Ron's eyes lit with an idea and Harry inwardly groaned, knowing whatever Weasley had planned wasn't going to be a good idea.
"You were seen!" Snape reprimanded the boys as Harry stared down at the ground and Ronald glared at the Potions Master. "You have risked revealing the entire wizarding world to the Muggles! I should have you expelled!"
Harry flinched at this and his gaze turned to sheer horror as he looked at his Head of House.
Snape blinked, the only indicator that Harry's reaction had affected him, and then stood.
"I have sent for the Headmaster. It will be up to him whether or not you are expelled for this serious disregard for the rules which are in place to keep you safe."
Only a short moment later and Dumbledore had arrived with McGonagall. He informed them they would not be expelled and McGonagall led Ronald away to her office to inform him of his punishments. Dumbledore left Harry to Snape and Filch followed the man out, grumbling about the school's disciplinary system having gone soft.
Snape glared at Harry and the boy couldn't meet his gaze.
"I am very disappointed in you, Mister Potter," Snape growled.
"I'm really sorry, sir."
"That was incredibly Gryffindor behavior."
"It..." Harry looked up. "It was Weasley's idea, sir!"
"You went along with it!"
Harry looked down again.
"Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir."
"You will be receiving two detentions," Snape informed him. "And you had better be careful. One more mess up and it's back to the Dursleys!"
Harry couldn't stop a whimper from exiting his throat and he nodded fiercely.
The man walked around his desk and shoved Harry down into a seat. Waving his wand, food appeared in front of Harry on the desk.
"You are not attending the feast," Snape stated. "Eat and then go to your dormitory. The new password is Boomslang."
"Thank you, sir."
Snape said nothing as he left his office, gingerly shutting the door behind himself.
Through the lump now in his throat, Harry painfully swallowed each bite of food until he had cleared his plate. Then he got up, wiped away any hints of tears, and left the man's office.
He decided this was a horrible start to his second year at Hogwarts.
Things were only getting worse for Harry.
Ronald got a Howler from his mother for using the flying car and now he was out to get Harry, blaming the young Slytherin for what had happened. He hadn't eaten much of a breakfast because of hiding in an unused lavatory where he met the ghost called Moaning Myrtle. When he went to Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, the Mandrake's cry caused him to faint even through his earmuffs, much to the endless amusement of both Houses. Ronald got wind of it and took it upon himself to tease Harry between classes. Harry was glad to hear Ronald's broken wand was giving him trouble, but disgusted to see he himself still hadn't improved much with Transfiguration. Whatever it was Lockhart was thinking turned out to be bad because their first class with him was an absolute disaster. Harry was grateful when the "lesson", if it could even be called that, ended.
That Saturday, Harry learned Malfoy would be joining the Quidditch team along with all new brooms donated by his father. Terence didn't make the team.
"It's all right," he shrugged when Harry expressed concern. "I've got a lot to focus on anyway with school. I have to pass my N.E.W.T.s."
The Slytherin team, with a note from Snape, started out to the pitch without Terence while Adrian talked to Harry about some of Flint's ideas for the team. They were intercepted by the Gryffindor team, who had apparently reserved the pitch already. As Flint showed the note to Oliver Wood, Harry noticed Ronald and Hermione approaching.
"How you doing there, Granger?" Adrian asked as he smiled at her.
She stiffened, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Oliver was objecting to Draco being on the team and Hermione finally jumped into the conversation.
"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in," she stated coldly. "They got in on pure talent."
"No one cares what you think, Mudblood!" Draco scoffed.
"Hey!" Adrian quipped, but he went unheard.
"Eat slugs!" Ron shouted, pointing his wand at Draco.
Suddenly, he was thrown back by his own spell and before anyone could say "Quidditch", he was puking slugs. Most of the Slytherin team burst out laughing while the Gryffindors rushed up to him.
Harry stared at Hermione, watching as tears formed in her eyes. She cast him a glare before rushing up to Ronald to help him stand.
"Hagrid will know what to do," she said as she began to lead him away from the courtyard. "Come on."
"Weasley's got a girlfriend!" Draco chanted. "Weasley's got a girlfriend!"
The twins made a grab for Draco, but Adrian managed to get in the way first.
"All right there, Weasleys?" he asked in a light tone as Flint began to order the rest of the team towards the pitch. "What do you say to a practice match later, huh?"
"So you can cheat?" one of the twins asked.
Adrian just smiled and muttered something low. Whatever he said seemed to work as the twins returned to the rest of their team and the Gryffindors finally left.
The practice match never happened, for which Harry was grateful.
If only the day hadn't ended with him hearing a voice in his head while doing detention. He decided he'd have to tell Snape about it, though by the time he lied down for bed he realized talking about hearing voices was probably not a good idea...even in the wizarding world.