Harry and his friends had gone to Diagon Alley to do a bit of shopping. They had wandered from store to store, looking at all the magical items they could imagine. They laughed and joked with each other and had a wonderful time.

After a long day of shopping, they were getting close to the Hogwarts Express when something dark flew over their heads, narrowly missing them.

"That was close," said Ron. "Imagine if it had hit one of us."

They all looked up, scanning the sky.

"I think I saw a dark flying object," said Hermione. "Was it a dragon?"

"No," said Ron, shaking his head, "I think it was smaller than that. Maybe a raven."

"It looked like it had a red, pointy beak."

"Yeah, that was the head. I think there were lots of legs."

They stood around, looking up at the sky for another few minutes.

"Well, it's gone now," said Ron. "Maybe it was just a bird."

They all shrugged and continued walking along the sidewalk. They had almost made it to the train station when a large jet engine roared to life behind them.

"What was that?" asked Harry.

"I don't know," said Ron, "but it sounded really angry."

They turned around and looked back the way they had just come. The sky was empty, with no signs of anything out of the ordinary.

"Maybe it was just an aeroplane," said Hermione.

"Yeah, maybe," said Ron.

They continued walking towards the station. A minute or two later, they heard a loud, cracking noise. The three of them froze. Then, a moment later, they heard a deep rumbling. The ground was shaking.

"Quick!" cried Hermione. "We have to get on the train!"

They raced towards the station. Harry looked behind him. He could see the enormous black shape of a winged creature heading straight towards them. He could even see something like the head of a dragon, only much wider, with sharp claws instead of teeth.

"We're too late!" he cried.

"Go on without me!" called Hermione. "I'll catch up!"

"No!" said Ron. "You can't leave us!"

"I'll be fine!" she called back.

Ron looked at Harry. Harry nodded. Ron knew what he was doing. He turned around and started running towards the train station. Harry watched as he disappeared around the corner. Then he looked at the train station doors, which were now closing by themselves. He turned and looked at the giant jet engine, roaring in front of him. The three of them were going to be crushed to death.

Harry acted on pure instinct. He screamed out a magic spell that he had learned long ago. The force of the spell shoved him backwards, off his feet. His head slammed against the train station wall with a sickening crunch.

For a moment, he lay there, dazed. He could hear the screams and cries of people all around him, but he couldn't take in what was happening. He looked around, wondering how he could help when he saw something golden fly through the air and land beside him.

He sat up and looked around. All he could see was the end of the train platform, where the three of them had been standing, just in front of the closing doors. No one was there. He stood up and went to the edge of the platform. The golden object was a simple but beautifully crafted necklace. He picked it up and turned it in his hand. The face of the pendant was a picture of a smiling, young woman. The necklace was about the size of a child's wrist.

Then, suddenly, the doors opened by themselves. The three of them ran through the doors, just as they had done a moment before, and found themselves in a large, empty room. They looked around, confused, and walked over to the window to look out. They found themselves looking at the grounds of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The day was a bright, sunny one. Children were playing on the lawn, and a group of students were walking to class.

"How is it possible?" said Harry, looking around.

"It's not," said Ron, shaking his head. "It's impossible."

"We must have just been killed and brought back to life," said Harry, his voice trembling.

"I don't think so," said Ron, frowning. "I think it was just a dream. I think I was still asleep when I woke up here. And I think I was asleep for a long time. I think maybe..."

He trailed off. His eyes were closed, and he was looking around the room as if he were there. Harry and Hermione looked at him, waiting for him to continue, but he didn't.

"I think maybe I had a nightmare, too," he said eventually. "But it felt so real."

He opened his eyes and looked around again.

"This is crazy."

"Come on," said Harry, pulling on Ron's sleeve, "let's go and find Professor Sprout. She'll know what's going on."

Reluctantly, Ron allowed himself to be led away. They found her classroom and knocked on the door. Professor Sprout eventually answered, and the four of them sat together on the soft chairs in her office.

"I know this is a strange time to ask for help," said Harry, "but we need to know more about what happened to us. It wasn't just a dream, was it? I mean, I thought I was dying, and it felt so real. I thought you lot had just killed me, but now I'm not so sure."

Professor Sprout looked at him thoughtfully for a long time.

"I can't believe it was a dream, Harry, not after all this time. But... it's possible that the events of this morning were influenced by what you were doing in your room yesterday. I'm not sure what that was, exactly... but I suppose it's a start. I'll need to discuss it with the other teachers. For the moment, though, I think the best thing is for you to have a rest. I'm sure the others will want to speak with you later, but for now, it's time for some well-deserved breakfast, isn't it? Come along, students. We're having an apple pancake. You'll all need your strength for tomorrow. See you later, Harry."

Harry watched the others leave, still feeling numb.

"Well, that was a bit of a shock, wasn't it?" said Ron, breaking the silence. "But I suppose it's better to be safe than sorry."

"Yes," said Harry, thinking about the dream, "it probably is. I suppose this means I have to spend the rest of the day in my room, and then I'll have to see Professor Dumbledore in his office before bedtime. Oh well, can't be all bad. I did get to see the grounds of Hogwarts, and there's a nice arbour in the garden outside my window. I wonder if they let you into the school grounds at night...?

"Harry!" said Hermione in a warning tone.

Ron nudged Harry in the ribs.

"Well, I suppose we should get going. See you later, Harry."

"Bye, Ron."

Harry watched the two of them walk away, and then he went and sat back down in his chair. He rested his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes.

It wasn't the first time he'd had a strange adventure. He'd had one that very first year when he'd discovered that the Dark Lord had returned to the world. Another had happened last year when he'd saved the life of the school mascot, a giant spider called George.

But nothing had prepared him for this.

He felt excited, wondering what adventures he would go on to have, and what they would involve. But at the same time, he felt a little sad. It had been so real. He had thought that he was about to die. He had heard the Dementor's voices.

He sighed and opened his eyes again. He had a test to study for, and he had a feeling it was going to be very important. He got up and went back through the doors of the common room. The fire was dying in the grate, but dozens of candles were burning, making the air sparkle with their tiny flames. Nearly all of the students had gone to eat, except for the ones who were still studying.

Harry wandered over to the windows and looked out over the school grounds. It was a beautiful, peaceful day. He watched a handful of students walking around the lawns, chatting witj each other. A boy he didn't know was throwing a ball around in circles, trying to hit the other students as they ran.

For a moment, he allowed himself to imagine that it was all real. That he was back in his bedroom at the end of the first year, sitting at his table, and everything was as it always had been. Then he shook his head.

"It was just a dream."

He turned away from the window. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," he said.

A tray of eggs and slices of buttered toast was put down on the table. Harry stared at it, trying to work out how it had got there, but there were too many people moving around in the common room for him to ask.

He picked up his knife and fork and started eating.

"Did you put this here, Minerva?"

"No, I didn't," said the teacher who had brought the tray, looking shocked. "I swear I didn't."

"Well, it's really good," said Harry, taking another slice of toast. "Thanks for the food."

He turned back to the window.

"Did anyone notice which direction they went?" he asked.

Nobody had seen them go.

"They must have gone through one of the other common rooms," said Ron, "because I didn't see them."

"Didn't you hear all the shouting?" said Hermione. "That was the Marauder's Map being blown up. I heard it."

"The what?"

"It's a map that shows where all the students are. It's kept in a vault in the dungeons, and it's really important to keep it safe. If the Marauders find out where it is, they might try and steal it. The students who found out about the map last year all had their heads cut off."

"Thanks a lot, Hermione, that puts a damper on my day, thanks a lot."

"I'm just telling you," she said, sticking her nose in the air, "you can't trust students."

"Well, I'm glad I can trust you, then, because this is excellent breakfast, and I do appreciate it. Now, I'd better get to my office and have a word with old Dumbledore. See you later, all right? I'm going to get out of this school, and I'm going to go home and live a normal life, and you'll all be forgotten, and we can all go back to not hating each other. Got that? Good. See you later. Oh, and by the way, the Daily Quiz is going to be a little bit different today. I'm going to let you all choose your topic. Pick anything you like, and no marks for guesses, got that? Now, go and sit down, and let's see if we can work out which of you is the best, academically.

He swept out of the common room, leaving them all staring at each other.