A/N: As know I make no money you from writing and own only new ideas and characters. I just had a series of surgeries so my posting will be a bit iffy for a few days but don't worry it won't be too bad.

On their last evening Mrs. Weasley conjured up a sumptuous dinner that included all of the kid's favorite things and ended with a mouthwatering treacle pudding. Fred and George rounded off the evening with a play of Filibuster fireworks; they filed into the kitchen, red and blue bounced from ceiling to wall for at least half an hour. Then it was time for a last mug of hot chocolate and bed. The girls walked with the twins, Harry with Ron while Percy was sending his owl off with another letter.

"Good night boys," Juliet smiled, her bushy black curls tied back as she gave the twins and even Ron a small hug, she pulled Harry into an embrace "Night Potter," she whispered placing a small kiss to his cheek his face turning bright red.

"You too Juliet," his fingers lingering where she kissed him, Hermione was still hugging each twin before she turned hugging her two best male friends.

"Night boys," Ginny said without so much as a hug to any of them.

Once the door was shut the girls all went to sleep, knowing this year was going to be a trial. It took a long while to get started next morning. They were up at dawn, but somehow they still seemed to have a great deal to do. Juliet and Hermione were the only two packed, dressed, ready, and waiting downstairs waiting for the chaos to end.

Mrs. Weasley dashed about in a bad mood, looking for spare socks and quills; people kept colliding on the stairs, half-dressed with bits of toast in their hands; and Mr. Weasley nearly broke his neck, tripping over a stray chicken as he crossed the yard carrying Ginny's trunk to the car.

Harry couldn't see how ten people, twelve large trunks, three owls, one cat and a rat were going to fit into one small Ford Anglia. He had reckoned, of course, without the special features that Mr. Weasley had added. Juliet was dragging her trunk out when he rushed to help her "Thanks Potter," she smiled her bright eyes flashing as they made it to Mr. Weasley.

"Not a word to Molly," he whispered to them as he opened the trunk and showed them how it had been magically expanded so that the luggage fitted easily.

When at last they were all in the car, Mrs. Weasley glanced into the back seat, where Harry, Juliet Ron, Fred, Hermione, George, and Percy were all sitting comfortably side by side, and said, "Muggles do know more than we give them credit for, don't they?" She and Ginny got into the front seat, which had been stretched so that it resembled a park bench. "I mean, you'd never know it was this roomy from the outside, would you?"

Mr. Weasley started up the engine and they trundled out of the yard, Harry turning back for a last look at the house. He barely had time to wonder when he'd see it again when they were back George had forgotten his box of Filibuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt in the yard so that Fred could run in for his broomstick. They had almost reached the highway when Ginny shrieked that she'd left her diary. By the time she had clambered back into the car, they were running very late, and tempers were running high.

Mr. Weasley glanced at his watch and then at his wife.

"Molly, dear -"

"No, Arthur -"

"No one would see - this little button here is an Invisibility Booster I installed - that'd get us up in the air - then we fly above the clouds. We'd be there in ten minutes and no one would be any the wiser -"

"I said no, Arthur, not in broad daylight -"

They reached King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. Mr. Weasley dashed across the road to get trolleys for their trunks and they all hurried into the station.

They had caught the Hogwarts Express the previous year. The tricky part was getting onto platform nine and three-quarters, which wasn't visible to the Muggle eye. What you had to do was walk through the solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. It didn't hurt, but it had to be done carefully so that none of the Muggles noticed you vanishing.

"Percy first," said Mrs. Weasley, looking nervously at the clock overhead, which showed they had only five minutes to disappear casually through the barrier.

Percy strode briskly forward and vanished. Mr. Weasley went next; Fred and George followed.

"Come on Mione," Juliet ran with Hermione right behind her they vanished while the last two watched waiting their turn.

"I'll take Ginny and you two come right after us," Mrs. Weasley told Harry and Ron, grabbing Ginny's hand and setting off. In the blink of an eye they were gone.

Juliet's point of view…

I felt odd magic on the barrier but I didn't have time to place it as Ginny and Molly rushed through, we rushed to the Hogwarts Express where Mr. Weasley was loading our trunks.

"Girls, are these things full of tomes," he smiled at us. This was why I had Ragnok take serve hundreds of Galleons from my vault and placed into theirs, a family that loved you no matter whom you were.

"Yes sir," we chime together, his face was red but he smiled all the same.

"Come along girls get on, I imagine the boys are on already," Molly said as Ginny, Hermione and I climbed on waving as the whistle blew loud and clear, the train picking up speed as the seconds passed until the station wasn't seen.

"Now come," I was off walking down the train corridor seeing Daphne waiting outside the compartment door her face impassive.

"Greengrass," I gave a curt nod, my aura, my personality changed like nothing, from carefree to stern and cold.

She nodded, "Lady Black," in a chilled tone as I walked in it was full to the brim, I noticed Luna was there, so was Astoria Greengrass, Pansy, Avery, Millie, Lavender, Padma, Pavarti, Neville, Cho, Hannah, and Susan as Ginny and Hermione sat with them. This was packed as some took seats on the floor, Neville stayed close to Hermione.

Juliet smiled, "Hello ladies and of course Neville, I hope your summer was pleasant. I thank you all for the information you sent me this summer, my Aunt was also attacked this summer and is in France seeing a healer. This year we train not only in every area of magic but muggle tactics, fighting will come in very handy. You will be at the Black lake at five every morning in running clothes we have to build endurance, mine as well. To the new girls, you don't have to join or pledge yourselves to me. In the future you will have to kill for the greater good, for starters the death eaters will do all in their power to kill you, kill anything you hold dear while you are only trying to stun, no I am aiming to take them out not down. I will be watching for what areas of magic you excel at, I want a world where people have the same rights as purebloods, my sister is looked down upon. Now new bloods, if you hear someone say that word you put a firm stop to it, you make the impression you're not to be messed with. I want us to be feared but also them to come to us, we stop bullies even in our own house. For any of you thinking the darkness is gone you are wrong because the death eaters are being more active as of the last few years, I have had personal experience with them, am I correct Pansy,"

"Unfortunatly," she shivered thinking of our detention together last year.

The three new girls looked at each other before getting on their knees pledging themselves, causing bright golden light to spread out from in waving most hands covering faces before it shattered the glass of the door frame.

I say, "Bloody hell, it just gets stronger the more we add," waving my wand the glass flying back into place once on this train we are in full right to use magic.

My sister's voice was low, "Because you are choosing the correct people, if you added one wrong person it wouldn't work," taking a book out as I gave her a thoughtful look, brilliant.

"Girls, show the new bloods the garden after they get shorted explain the rules to them. Understand you also need good grades in this regime, we don't accept failure," I said as they nodded time seemed to fly by as everyone talked about their summer in turn.

"So I guess my Aunt before she was attacked paid Charlie a visit telling him I was off limits. Well he was bloody well off his rocker for listening to her, well we got into it he left back to Romania and his Dragons," it hurt still missing him knowing I wasn't going to curl up with him to get a good night's sleep.

"I can't believe Auntie did such a thing," Mione was taken back.

Ginny added, "You don't know how bad Charlie took it, he was devastated."

"Oh I don't think it's the end, "Luna smiled in her serene way reading the Quibbler upside down.

"Of course you're right, Luna," Daphne smiled she was warmed up to Luna, Luna was a bit dreamy. Daphne had this chamomile and lavender scent, always making me tired.

"We better get our robes on," Millie was up as we changed I was now sitting in my Slytherin robes my wand in its holster. We could all feel the train slow before it was at a full stop, Fred and George opening the door helping each lady from the train before giving Hermione a hug.

"Heading over to Lee Jordan," then they disappeared.

Ginny, Luna and Astoria heading with Hagrid to the boats as we traveled another way by carriage pulled by thestrals.

Author point view…

"Let's go together, we've only got a minute," Ron said to Harry.

Harry made sure that Hedwig's cage was safely wedged on top of his trunk and wheeled his trolley around to face the barrier. He felt perfectly confident; this wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as using Floo powder. Both of them bent low over the handles of their trolleys and walked purposefully toward the barrier, gathering speed. A few feet away from it, they broke into a run and CRASH.

Both trolleys hit the barrier and bounced backward; Ron's trunk fell off with a loud thump, Harry was knocked off his feet, and Hedwig's cage bounced onto the shiny floor, and she rolled away, shrieking indignantly; people all around them stared and a guard nearby yelled, "What in blazes d'you think you're doing?"

"Lost control of the trolley," Harry gasped, clutching his ribs as he got up. Ron ran to pick up Hedwig, who was causing such a scene that there was a lot of muttering about cruelty to animals from the surrounding crowd.

"Why can't we get through?" Harry hissed to Ron.

"I dunno -"

Ron looked wildly around. A dozen curious people were still watching them.

"We're going to miss the train," Ron whispered. "I don't understand why the gateways sealed itself -"

Harry looked up at the giant clock with a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ten seconds ... nine seconds...

He wheeled his trolley forward cautiously until it was right against the barrier and pushed with all his might. The metal remained solid.

Three seconds . . . two seconds ... one second...

"It's gone," said Ron, sounding stunned. "The train's left. What if Mum and Dad can't get back through to us? Have you got any Muggle money?"

And they marched off through the crowd of curious Muggles, out of the station and back onto the side road where the old Ford Anglia was parked.

Ron unlocked the cavernous trunk with a series of taps from his wand. They heaved their luggage back in, put Hedwig on the back seat, and got into the front.

"Check that no one's watching," said Ron, starting the ignition with another tap of his wand. Harry stuck his head out of the window: Traffic was rumbling along the main road ahead, but their street was empty. "Okay," he said.

Ron pressed a tiny silver button on the dashboard. The car around them vanished - and so did they. Harry could feel the seat vibrating beneath him, hear the engine, feel his hands on his knees and his glasses on his nose, but for all he could see, he had become a pair of eyeballs, floating a few feet above the ground in a dingy street full of parked cars.

"Let's go," said Ron's voice from his right.

And the ground and the dirty buildings on either side fell away, dropping out of sight as the car rose; in seconds, the whole of London lay, smoky and glittering, below them.

Then there was a popping noise and the car, Harry, and Ron reappeared.

"Uh-oh," said Ron, jabbing at the Invisibility Booster. "It's faulty -"

Both of them pummeled it. The car vanished. Then it flickered back again.

"Hold on!" Ron yelled, and he slammed his foot on the accelerator; they shot straight into the low, woolly clouds and everything turned dull and foggy.

"Now what?" said Harry, blinking at the solid mass of cloud pressing in on them from all sides.

"We need to see the train to know what direction to go in," said Ron.

"Dip back down again - quickly -"

They dropped back beneath the clouds and twisted around in their seats, squinting at the ground.

"I can see it!" Harry yelled. "Right ahead - there!"

The Hogwarts Express was streaking along below them like a scarlet snake.

"Due north," said Ron, checking the compass on the dashboard. "Okay, we'll just have to check on it every half hour or so - hold on

And they shot up through the clouds. A minute later, they burst out into a blaze of sunlight.

It was a different world. The wheels of the car skimmed the sea of fluffy cloud, the sky a bright, endless blue under the blinding white sun.

"All we've got to worry about now are airplanes," said Ron.

They looked at each other and started to laugh; for a long time, they couldn't stop.

It was as though they had been plunged into a fabulous dream. This, thought Harry, was surely the only way to travel - past swirls and turrets of snowy cloud, in a car full of hot, bright sunlight, with a fat pack of toffees in the glove compartment, and the prospect of seeing Fred's and George's jealous faces when they landed smoothly and spectacularly on the sweeping lawn in front of Hogwarts castle. How Juliet would be so impressed she would forget about the dragon tamer, and have eyes for him.

They made regular checks on the train as they flew farther and farther north, each dip beneath the clouds showing them a different view. London was soon far behind them, replaced by neat green fields that gave way in turn to wide, purplish moors, a great city alive with cars like multicolored ants, villages with tiny toy churches.

Several uneventful hours later, however, Harry had to admit that some of the fun was wearing off. The toffees had made them extremely thirsty and they had nothing to drink. He and Ron had pulled off their sweaters, but Harry's T-shirt was sticking to the back of his seat and his glasses kept sliding down to the end of his sweaty nose. He had stopped noticing the fantastic cloud shapes now and was thinking longingly of the train miles below, where you could buy ice-cold pumpkin juice from a trolley pushed by a plump witch. Why hadn't they been able to get onto platform nine and three-quarters?

"Can't be much further, can it?" croaked Ron, hours later still, as the sun started to sink into their floor of cloud, staining it a deep pink. "Ready for another check on the train?"

It was still right below them, winding its way past a snowcapped mountain. It was much darker beneath the canopy of clouds.

Ron put his foot on the accelerator and drove them upward again, but as he did so, the engine began to whine.

Harry and Ron exchanged nervous glances.

"It's probably just tired," said Ron. "It's never been this far before ...

And they both pretended not to notice the whining growing louder and louder as the sky became steadily darker. Stars were blossoming in the blackness. Harry pulled his sweater back on, trying to ignore the way the windshield wipers were now waving feebly, as though in protest. "Not far," said Ron, more to the car than to Harry, "not far now," and he patted the dashboard nervously. When they flew back beneath the clouds a little while later, they had to squint through the darkness for a landmark they knew. "There!" Harry shouted, making Ron and Hedwig jump. "Straight ahead!" Silhouetted on the dark horizon, high on the cliff over the lake, stood the many turrets and towers of Hogwarts castle. But the car had begun to shudder and was losing speed. "Come on," Ron said cajolingly, giving the steering wheel a little shake, "nearly there, come on -" The engine groaned. Narrow jets of steam were issuing from under the hood. Harry found himself gripping the edges of his seat very hard as they flew toward the lake. The car gave a nasty wobble. Glancing out of his window, Harry saw the smooth, black, glassy surface of the water, a mile below. Ron's knuckles were white on the steering wheel. The car wobbled again. "Come on," Ron muttered. They were over the lake - the castle was right ahead - Ron put his foot down. There was a loud clunk, a splutter, and the engine died completely.

"Uh-oh," said Ron, into the silence.

The nose of the car dropped. They were falling, gathering speed, heading straight for the solid castle wall.

"Noooooo!" Ron yelled, swinging the steering wheel around; they missed the dark stone wall by inches as the car turned in a great arc, soaring over the dark greenhouses, then the vegetable patch, and then out over the black lawns, losing altitude all the time.

Ron let go of the steering wheel completely and pulled his wand out of his back pocket

"STOP! STOP!" he yelled, whacking the dashboard and the windshield, but they were still plummeting, the ground flying up toward them

"WATCH OUT FOR THAT TREE!" Harry bellowed, lunging for the steering wheel, but too late.

CRUNCH.

With an earsplitting bang of metal on wood, they hit the thick tree trunk and dropped to the ground with a heavy jolt. Steam was billowing from under the crumpled hood; Hedwig was shrieking in terror; a golf ball-size lump was throbbing on Harry's head where he had hit the windshield; and to his right, Ron let out a low, despairing groan.

"Are you okay?" Harry said urgently.

"My wand," said Ron, in a shaky voice. "Look at my wand -"

It had snapped, almost in two; the tip was dangling limply, held on by a few splinters.

Harry opened his mouth to say he was sure they'd be able to mend it up at the school, but he never even got started. At that very moment, something hit his side of the car with the force of a charging bull, sending him lurching sideways into Ron, just as an equally heavy blow hit the roof.

"What's happen -?"

Ron gasped, staring through the windshield, and Harry looked around just in time to see a branch as thick as a python smash into it. The tree they had hit was attacking them. Its trunk was bent almost double, and its gnarled boughs were pummeling every inch of the car it could reach.

"Aaargh!" said Ron as another twisted limb punched a large dent into his door; the windshield was now trembling under a hail of blows from knuckle-like twigs and a branch as thick as a battering ram was pounding furiously on the roof, which seemed to be caving

"Run for it!" Ron shouted, throwing his full weight against his door, but next second he had been knocked backward into Harry's lap by a vicious uppercut from another branch.

"We're done for!" he moaned as the ceiling sagged, but suddenly the floor of the car was vibrating - the engine had restarted.

"Reverse!" Harry yelled, and the car shot backward; the tree was still trying to hit them; they could hear its roots creaking as it almost ripped itself up, lashing out at them as they sped out of reach.

"That," panted Ron, "was close. Well done, car -"

The car, however, had reached the end of its tether. With two sharp clunks, the doors flew open and Harry felt his seat tip sideways: Next thing he knew he was sprawled on the damp ground. Loud thuds told him that the car was ejecting their luggage from the trunk; Hedwig's cage flew through the air and burst open; she rose out of it with an angry screech and sped off toward the castle without a backward look. Then, dented, scratched, and steaming, the car rumbled off into the darkness, its rear lights blazing angrily.

"Come back!" Ron yelled after it, brandishing his broken wand. "Dad'll kill me!"

But the car disappeared from view with one last snort from its exhaust.

"Can you believe our luck?" said Ron miserably, bending down to pick up Scabbers. "Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get one that hits back."

He glanced over his shoulder at the ancient tree, which was still flailing its branches threateningly.

"Come on," said Harry wearily, "we'd better get up to the school ... so thankful she hadn't seen him mess up so badly, she never look at him again.

It wasn't at all the triumphant arrival they had pictured. Stiff, cold, and bruised, they seized the ends of their trunks and began dragging them up the grassy slope, toward the great oak front doors.

"I think the feast's already started," said Ron, dropping his trunk at the foot of the front steps and crossing quietly to look through a brightly lit window. "Hey - Harry - come and look - it's the Sorting!"

Harry hurried over and, together, he and Ron peered in at the Great Hall.

Innumerable candles were hovering in midair over four long, crowded tables, making the golden plates and goblets sparkle. Overhead, the bewitched ceiling, which always mirrored the sky outside, sparkled with stars.

Through the forest of pointed black Hogwarts hats, Harry saw a long line of scared-looking first year's filing into the Hall. Ginny was among them, easily visible because of her vivid Weasley hair. Meanwhile, Professor McGonagall, a bespectacled witch with her hair in a tight bun, was placing the famous Hogwarts Sorting Hat on a stool before the newcomers.

Every year, this aged old hat, patched, frayed, and dirty, sorted new students into the four Hogwarts houses (Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin). Harry well remembered putting it on, exactly one year ago, and waiting, petrified, for its decision as it muttered aloud in his ear. For a few horrible seconds he had feared that the hat was going to put him in Slytherin, the house that had turned out more Dark witches and wizards than any other -but he had ended up in Gryffindor, along with Ron, Hermione, and the rest of the Weasleys. Last term, Harry and Ron had helped Gryffindor win the House Championship, beating Slytherin for the first time in seven years.

A very small, mousy-haired boy had been called forward to place the hat on his head. Harry's eyes wandered past him to where Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster, sat watching the Sorting from the staff table, his long silver beard and half-moon glasses shining brightly in the candlelight. Several seats along, Harry saw Gilderoy Lockhart, dressed in robes of aquamarine. And there at the end was Hagrid, huge and hairy, drinking deeply from his goblet.

Juliet was watching with her friends, her face cool but he could see her mirth she just shook her head looking away mouthing something to Mione. Nope she wasn't impressed at all, she was the exact opposite.

"Hang on…" Harry muttered to Ron. "There's an empty chair at the staff table…where's Snape?"

Professor Severus Snape was Harry's least favorite teacher. Harry also happened to be Snape's least favorite student. Cruel, sarcastic, and disliked by everybody except the students from his own house (Slytherin), Snape taught Potions.

"Maybe he's ill!" said Ron hopefully.

"Maybe he's left," said Harry, "because he missed out on the Defense against Dark Arts job again!"

"Or he might have been sacked!" said Ron enthusiastically. "I mean, everyone hates him -"

"Or maybe," said a very cold voice right behind them, "he's waiting to hear why you two didn't arrive on the school train."

Harry spun around. There, his black robes rippling in a cold breeze, stood Severus Snape. He was a thin man with sallow skin, a hooked nose, and greasy, shoulder-length black hair, and at this moment, he was smiling in a way that told Harry he and Ron were in very deep trouble.

"Follow me," said Snape, he chanced another look at her now she was smiling shaking her head at them.

Juliet's point of view…

I don't get how Potter is supposed to be the chosen one when he can't even make the train, let alone not getting his arse handed to him every chance he gets. I watched my Uncle leading him and Ronald out of the great hall as the sorting was happening, I had another Gryffindor and two Ravenclaws in my grasp.

"I am sorry Daphne," I placed my hand on hers as she watched her sister sit with Luna, Cho and Padma in Ravenclaw, a single tear slipped from Daphne…