Harry lay on his bed listening to the ticking of the clock on his bedside table. All of his stuff was packed into his suitcase and Hedwig perched in her cage, seemingly unaware that something that Harry had been waiting for all summer was going to transpire. It was ten to eight, exactly ten minutes before he would be leaving the Dursleys to be going back to Hogwarts.
The Dursleys would be asleep this time of morning on a Sunday and wouldn't bother to wake up until at least nine if he was quiet. He wasn't worried about them – for the time being. He saw no reason as to why they would not let him go back to Hogwarts. It was another year of not seeing him.
As he stared at the ceiling he returned to think about Dobby the House-elf, the drawings the elf made and the dreams he had been having. The elf had kept his promise to not bother him and as a result, he had finally been receiving mail from Hermione and Ron. Although the dreams had become less frequent and vivid ever since the elf's visit, he still felt a subdued feeling of impending doom. There was a ring of the doorbell.
"Alright! Alright!" Uncle Vernon yelled from upstairs, "Just give me time to get dressed."
Harry jumped out of bed, quietly as he could, and ran down the stairs to open the door before Uncle Vernon did.
Standing in the doorway was Professor Snape wearing his usual black robes. It was rare to see adult wizards in the muggle world and like Snape, they typically looked out of place. Harry was surprised; he expected to see Professor McGonagall. The heads of houses were responsible for you if you needed assistance outside Hogwarts and she had written him a letter to say that she would collect him personally.
"Hello Professor," Harry said with eyes wide open, "I wasn't expected you. My stuff is ready to go. I just need to take it down the stairs."
"Hello Harry," Snape said in his usual impersonal drawl, "It is no problem. McGonagall has had a mishap this morning, so she couldn't come. Be quick, I don't want any trouble from your relatives."
"I only have one suitcase and an owl. I'll be back in a minute."
Uncle Vernon rushed down the stairs half-dressed. He stood behind Harry like a great big troll in his path, blocking Harry from going upstairs.
He took one look at Professor Snape and gave a pained look. It was the same look he gave Harry when he turned up on their doorstep at the start of summer.
"Who the flaming hell are you?" Uncle Vernon demanded looking straight into Snape's eyes.
"Severus Snape, I'm one of Harry's Professors. Harry is starting back at Hogwarts next Monday and needs to collect school supplies before he catches the Hogwarts Express."
Uncle Vernon grunted in dissatisfaction, "He doesn't need to learn anymore magic tricks. He can start at a muggle school next week. Stonewall is a great public school."
Harry couldn't help but sigh in anguish. Even after all these years, the Dursleys were still utterly determined to 'expel the magic from him.' As much as they disliked Harry, they still had the naïve desired for him to be normal.
Professor Snape lowered his voice so that the neighbours would not hear, "Harry is a young wizard, not a muggle. He needs to be taught how to use his magical abilities."
Uncle Vernon, usually accustomed to intimidating people, seethed with anger. He raised a finger and was about to have a go until Aunt Petunia came downstairs in her nightgown.
"Verny-poo, what is all this commotion?"
She took one look at the man standing in the doorway and became a stark shade of pale. It was like she saw a ghost. Snape nodded in acknowledgement.
"You." She gasped, "I'd hoped I would never see you again."
"Sweetheart," Uncle Vernon questioned, "Do you know this freak?"
"I know this freak. We don't want any trouble with him." She said with a whimper, "Harry get your stuff, you're going with this man."
Harry saw Snape give a smirk of satisfaction. Any other wizard would find this treatment repulsive but Snape was unfazed. Rather, Snape took satisfaction in intimidating them. He had never imagined that his Aunt would have ever met someone like his potions professor. Something didn't add up.
Uncle Vernon let him walk upstairs and collect his belongings. Harry said a brisk goodbye to the Dursleys before heading out with Professor Snape on sidewalk of Privet Drive with luggage in tow.
Before Harry could ask about how he knew Aunt Petunia, Snape gave a short laugh and said, "Minerva told me she would be too… busy… to deal with picking you up. She owes me something. I saved her from arguing for at least an hour and having to explain to the ministry as to why she would have needed to cast mental modification charms on muggles. Did you organise where and when you are meeting your friends?"
"I've organised to meet the Weasleys sometime after eight thirty at Flourish and Blotts."
"Good. I can take your luggage to the Hogwarts Express for you, if you wish. Hedwig will be fine."
Harry turned to look at Snape directly; he wondered why his strict short-tempered professor was being so accommodating.
"So, how are we getting there? Diagon Alley is a long way from here." Harry asked.
"I'm looking for a good place to apparate. I'm pretty sure the underpass near the unused playground will do. No muggles to see us there."
Harry had read of apparition before, but he would have to be at least sixteen to learn it. Apparation didn't seem like something he should try to teach himself.
"How do you and my aunt know each other?" Harry blurted without thinking.
"That is none of your concern." Snape said sternly, "It would also be better if you told nobody else that I picked you up."
Harry looked down. He regretted asking. They walked in silence for a few minutes.
"Are you excited to be going back to Hogwarts?" Snape asked, it seemed odd for a man like him to try to make conversation.
"Yes," Harry exclaimed, a little too enthusiastically.
"Good, it is good to know that you are glad to be going back. I liked going back to Hogwarts too. Even if…"
Snape stopped what he was saying and winced. He seemed to realise that he was sharing too much with a student.
They came towards the underpass and Harry took a look around the park. There were very few people but none of them gave odd glances towards a boy with a suitcase and an owl in a cage walking with a man in a long black cloak.
"I've cast an invisibility spell on top of us. In case you were wondering," Snape said as they walked into the darkness of the underpass, "If you have everything we can get going. Just hold tight to your stuff and hold onto my hand on the other."
Their eyes caught for a moment and Harry could feel his visions of the black leather diary and the memory of his encounter with Dobby come to the surface. Harry broke off eye contact but couldn't help but feel betrayed: Snape could have his secrets but he could not have his. There was a worried expression on his professors' face, he had no doubt that Snape had seen his visions.
Luna Lovegood was ecstatic to be starting at Hogwarts. She had dreamed for this moment for all of her childhood and now it was time. She was eager to learn magic but more importantly, eager to make friends. Friends who wouldn't tease her for being different.
"Luna!" Her father called out after her as she ran through the crowd in Diagon Alley, "Wait, we need to go to Gringott's first."
She stopped and waited for her father to catch up. Luna was already halfway up the stairs of Ollivanders.
'Slow down,' Miss Hissy said from her hiding spot around Luna's shoulders, 'you're going to make me motion sick.'
'Oh, sorry.' Luna replied in parselmouth, in a tone just audible to Miss Hissy.
It had been hard since Luna's mother died. She and her father did not have many friends or extended relatives to help them with the grief or to help the family with everyday living. Luna also found it hard to make friends at her muggle primary school.
Luna had met Miss Hissy after she started hearing voices in the bushes at school when she was in the second grade. Apparently, the small Garter Snake had escaped her muggle pet owners and had made a living for herself in the school grounds. Luna convinced her that the school groundsmen would kill her if they found her and that the gardens were Luna lived were much nicer. Miss Hissy had been a good friend ever since.
She would never forget the look on her parents' faces when they realised that she could talk to snakes. It was shock. Although they never say the ability was anything bad, they did instil on her that it was better for her to keep the ability a secret. Luna understood, parseltongue was the mark of a dark wizard.
"Well, well, well," A sly voice said from behind, "I see your daughter has been accepted into Hogwarts, cousin."
Luna turned around to see a tall man with long platinum blond hair standing near the doorway to Ollivanders. He wore what Luna could tell were expensive robes, black with silver trimmings. Standing beside him was a blond boy around her age, a boy who looked just as proud and haughty as his father.
"You bet every magical spark in your body that Luna will be a powerful witch, Lucius," Her father responded fast. She had never seen her father have a personal issue with anyone. For someone who claimed to be family, it was definite that there were no warm feelings between them.
"Is that so?" He looked at Luna with a patronising glare, "I have some doubts. I bet she'll be an apple not too far from the tree. How is the Quibbler going?"
Luna couldn't believe that this man was being so rude and mean.
'That man has something…' Miss Hissy whispered in her ear, 'Something bad. Don't go near him.'
She then noticed that he was clutching a leather book. Luna began to feel sick – there was something very wrong with that book. Miss Hissy's instincts were often correct.
"Very well, thank you. The Quibbler is flourishing. Now if you excuse us, Luna needs a wand."
Her father grabbed her hand and they entered Ollivanders. The snobbish man and his son walked away.
Harry leant on the side of Flourish and Blotts waiting for the Weasleys. Harry decided to go through his school supplies list one more time. Just to check if there was anything missed. He still cringed when they referred to him as 'Harry Potter' instead of 'Harry Evans'. It may have been socially polite in the magical world to be referred to as if you were a legitimate child but he was not related to James Potter. It embarrassed him. But not as quite as embarrassing as being accosted by Gilderoy Lockhart and then meeting Malfoy's father for the first time.
"I'm pretty sure that you've got everything Harry," Ron said with a yawn, "You even practically got a whole set of the years DADA textbooks for the whole year for free."
Harry was quick to respond, "Yuck, I'd rather not have to read his soppy novels."
"Have either of you ever heard of what Gilderoy has done?" Hermione retorted, "I finished his books early this summer. He is a very brave man and was even awarded an Order of Merlin Third Class. It will be a privilege to have him teach us Defence Against the Dark Arts."
"No…" Harry stuttered, "I haven't read them. But he sure seems to act like a celebrity."
He found it hard to believe that the arrogant, dramatic man that they met in the bookshop actually performed heroic deeds such as those suggested in 'Year of Yeti' or 'Break with a Banshee'. Harry supposed that many successful wizards could be arrogant but his manner was dramatic to the point where it was like a thinly disguised joke. Lockhart clearly relished the attention of everyone in the bookshop.
Hermione frowned and turned away embarrassed. Ron couldn't fully suppress a smirk.
"What are you guys doing?" Ginny said from behind Ron, she evidently snuck up from behind them.
From the moment that Harry first saw Ginny, he knew that she was the girl from his vision of a girl lying on a damp wet floor. He tried to hide this from her but he was sure that she knew that he was acting a little weird around her. Harry also recognised the man with long blond hair as Lucius Malfoy.
"Nothing Ginny," Ron said, "Just talking about school stuff."
Ginny lit up, "Really? What kind of school stuff were you talking about?"
"He's a bit odd, isn't he?" Ginny said, "I mean, pulling out Harry from the crowd for show when he clearly didn't want to be."
"Gilderoy is just a bit too confident. You would be if you had done what he has achieved." Hermione retorted.
"Well, I can't believe our bad luck on meeting Malfoy and his dad there," Ron exclaimed, obviously eager to change the topic of conversation, or rather just eager to avoid a fuss from a Lockhart obsessed Hermione.
"No wonder Draco is such a jerk," Hermione said with distain.
Ron turned to his sister and said, "Just try to avoid him and don't get sorted into Slytherin."
Ginny gave a curt nod and smiled.
In that moment, Harry noticed a black book in the cauldron that Ginny was carrying. It was the book, the black leather book from his visions. He knew it was bad.
Harry thought for a second, "Should we get going then? Let's not stay here and risk another opportunity to meet the Malfoys. I'm pretty sure I have everything now."
"Yeah, we should be meeting Mum soon." Ron said, "The twins should be finished with looking at broomsticks. It's not like they can afford them anyway."
As they made their way through the crowds, Harry walked alongside Ginny and quickly managed to take the book out of the cauldron and throw it into a bin.
'Everything should be alright now.' He thought with relief.
Luna frowned as she listened to the wheels of the Hogwarts Express and other first year girls talking. As she eavesdropped on the girls as they talked about make-up and argue over which member of The Weird Sisters they liked the best, Luna couldn't help but feel let down. She had hoped to meet another girl like her on the train trip over, someone she could be friends with. Perhaps she was just being too optimistic. She wanted to make friends but she didn't quite know how to start a conversation with them. So she sat in silence, watching the countryside go by and waiting to get off the train.
"I have to be in Gryffindor," said a girl with red hair, "Or I'll get disowned. Well, not really, but it would be awkward you know, being the only Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff in a family of Gryffindors."
"I'm a Hufflepuff for sure," said another girl with dark skin and a hijab, "Noone in my family has attended Hogwarts yet, so I suppose it doesn't matter which house I get sorted in. 'Just and loyal, unafraid of toil.' My younger brother will start two years from now."
"I'll be happy to be in any house but Slytherin," said another girl.
"My mum was a Slytherin," Luna interrupted.
'I'm just happy to be let into Hogwarts', Luna thought, 'With me being a parselmouth and all.'
The other girls looked at her and then continued their conversation as if she hadn't said a word.
'At least I have Miss Hissy in my pocket,' Luna had another lonely thought, 'But I don't think other students will like that I can speak to snakes. I want them to like me, not fear me.'
After a while, Luna decided to look at the black leather diary that she had found in the trash can. It was definitely the book that the tall blond man had kept in his hands. Luna knew better, she knew that she should have left the book in the trash where it belonged but curiosity always got the better of her. Luna was sure she would be a Ravenclaw. She should have said that to the other girls.
It was completely blank, with the exception of 'Property of T M Riddle' on the front page. Maybe it was an enchanted diary. In that case, it would answer back.
She brought out a quill and began to write:
'Hello, my name is Luna and I am going to Hogwarts.'
Quickly, words began to form underneath her writing. It was an elegant script that looked old-fashioned.
'Hello Luna, I'm Tom. Tom Riddle. I am pleased to meet another parcelmouth, we are incredibly rare and I'm sure we have plenty of other things in common.'
Luna's hands began to shake. She could not ignore her instincts any longer. Whoever the writer was - he was evil and had done unspeakable things. They were nothing alike.
She didn't hesitate to throw the book at the empty seat in front of her, pick up her bag and run out of the carriage. The other girls just stared for a moment.
'Why are you running?' Miss Hissy complained from her pocket, 'I was sleeping and you've just woke me up.'
Luna would find another carriage to sit in, one with Gryffindor third years whom also ignored her, but that didn't matter because she felt safe now.
Inside the carriage however, the red haired girl took one look at the book and decided that it would be good to write notes in. Her family was poor and she didn't hesitate to ignore her better instincts.
A/N: I know it has been a while. Reviews, follows and favourites are always appreciated.