Harry stopped and turned toward the voice.
"Yes?" he asked.
"It's Auror Bones," the voice supplied helpfully.
"Er, hello," Harry said, surprised as no one had told him that the Auror would be meeting them at the pub.
"I've something for you," she said in a soft voice. "Do you have a minute?"
"Yes?" Harry said.
"May I guide you to a table? Where we can sit?"
"Sure, or I can follow you," Harry supplied.
"Oh, yes, right. With your staff," she said after a moment's hesitation. "Er, your disembodied head is a bit alarming… perhaps take the cloak off entirely?"
"Oh, right. If you don't mind, I'll just put the hood on again. Safety first," he said, echoing her words back.
"That's fine, too," she said, turning away from him, and he listened as she walked over the worn wood planks.
He asked his staff to follow her and then found a chair when they reached a far table in the corner of the pub.
"Would you like some tea?" Auror Bones asked as she gently rattled a teacup in its saucer.
"Yes, please," Harry said and placed his hands on the table so that she'd be able to see them to hand him the teacup. He looked up expectantly in her direction after he had the hot tea cup cradled between his palms, then realized she couldn't see his face… just his hands. He put down the teacup and adjusted the hood, hoping that his face was visible to her, but not the rest of the room.
"Oh, thank you. Yes, I can see your face now," she said, stirring her tea.
"It is disconcerting to talk to someone when you can't…" she trailed off. "Er. I suppose that's what it is like for you all the time. Sorry, I hadn't considered…"
"It's okay," Harry said. "I'm getting used to it. What was it you wanted?"
"Ah, right. I have this for you," Auror Bones said as she pushed something across the table.
Harry gingerly reached toward the noise… it sounded like parchment. He found a small rolled-up scroll and took it, unfurling it on the tabletop and then running his fingers over it. He found the texture of ink in even lines, but couldn't decipher it.
"Alas, it isn't in braille… it is meant for other eyes," Auror Bones explained. "This is your apparating license. It took some doing… I had to call in a few favors…" She paused when Harry made a protesting noise. "Worth it because I didn't want you to get into trouble for apparating without a license when you clearly are capable and it could save your life."
"Thank you," Harry said, rolling the parchment back up and storing it in his staff.
"Just remember that you can't apparate within Hogwarts. Trying could lead to splinching or worse," she said.
Harry cringed trying to imagine what could be worse than splinching.
"Harry, I trust that you'll use it wisely. I'm taking a risk giving this to you. You understand that if something happens, you aren't the only one who will be scrutinized?"
"Yes, ma'am," Harry said with a gulp.
"And I will accompany you and the Weasleys to King's Cross and on the Hogwarts Express," Auror Bones said with a firmness that was clearly in response to his grim expression. "It is a necessary precaution… especially as the Ministry is insisting on other measures."
"What other measures?" Harry asked.
"Measures that I'm not at liberty to discuss," she said with a finality that made Harry leave it there. "Just stick close to the Weasley's. No straying, understood?"
"Understood. So I take it that this means that Black is still on the loose?" Harry said, glumly.
"Yes. He's giving us quite the chase," she said with a grim laugh. "I imagine you want to get back to your friends. It is imperative that you stay with them. It is hard for us to keep an eye on you when you're under the cloak… as magnificent as it is, it is a bit of a liability… and we're relying on you to help us keep you safe."
Harry nodded as he pulled the cloak closer and pushed his chair back.
"Thank you for the tea and the license, Auror Bones," Harry said as he stood and asked his staff to direct him to Ron and Hermione.
They weren't too hard to find as they were still arguing about the merits of the cat. It made Harry smile… even as he rubbed the spot where Crookshanks had nailed him with his sharp claws on his collarbone.
"... swear I saw his tail disappearing under my bed," Ron was saying. "And then that bloody cat came running in and was sniffing around… there's no way he's going to come back while the cat is lurking!"
"Oh, Ron. He likes to roam… he's used to being free," Hermione said.
"His freedom puts Scabbers at risk!" Ron argued. "You should have him on a lead."
The image of a cat on a lead made Harry snort and they abruptly stopped arguing.
"Harry, are you nearby?" Hermione asked.
Harry pulled the cloak back to his ears so that his face would show and Ron guffawed.
Nio had made his way to Harry's neck and his head was bobbing under Harry's chin as they approached. He muttered something about the cat that Harry couldn't quite make out.
"What did Auror Bones want?" Ron asked as Harry settled onto the bench near Hermione.
"Er, just to tell me the plan for the day…" Harry said.
"What was that scroll she gave you?" Hermione asked.
"My apparating license," Harry mumbled. "Say, what time are we leaving for the station?"
"Your apparating license?!" Ron nearly shouted. "George and Fred haven't even got theirs yet!"
"Oh, Harry. That's amazing. I was so worried that you were going to be fined for under-age apparating."
Harry shot a wry smile in Hermione's direction… he hadn't even thought of that.
Upstairs, they could all hear doors starting to slam and trunks careening down the hallway, followed by footsteps and pretty soon the pub was filled with the lively noise of rest of the Weasleys.
"Oh, Harry! You gave me a fright… even though Hermione warned me that you've been wearing your invisibility cloak constantly. It is odd. The floating head thing, I mean," Mrs. Granger said.
"Er, hello, Mrs. Granger! I didn't hear you come down!"
"Hello, Harry. I'm here, too," Mr. Granger said. "Are you getting on all right? Hermione's filled us in, of course. Shame about the Center closing down after that attack… seemed like such a good place."
"It should be up and running again soon," Harry assured.
"The bus is nearly here!" Mrs. Weasley announce. "Ginny… where's your trunk?"
"Bus?" Harry questioned, turning in Hermione's direction.
"Yes, the Ministry is sending a bus to pick us up," Hermione supplied.
"Ugh. I hope it is better than the Knight bus," Harry muttered.
It turned out to be quite a bit better than the Knight bus. It was rather like a moving living room complete with comfy sofas and side tables set up with tea trays with pastries and fruit in addition to the soothing aroma of breakfast tea. And it didn't go winging around like the Knight bus.
"Why can't all wixen transport be like this?" Harry sighed, sinking into the sofa.
"The Hogwarts Express isn't so bad," Hermione said taking a minute to stop cooing to Crookshanks. Harry heard the cat plunk softly on the ground near her feet.
"Yeah… but floo powder? The Knight Bus?" Harry responded.
"I dunno, mate," Ron said around a mouth full of pastries. "Hey, tell your cat to stop sniffing my bookbag!"
"He's just curious," Hermione said. "Come on, Crookshanks, let's go talk to Ginny."
Nio started wending his way up Harry's belly and chest and Harry reached inside his shirt to give the snake a hand up to his neck to prevent more tickling.
"You'll keep me safe from that cat, yes?" Nio whispered in Harry's ear.
"Yes, don't worry," Harry softly hissed in reply. "The cat will live in another part of the castle."
"Good," whispered Nio, nuzzling his head under Harry's chin.
The trip was speedy and they were already clambering out of the bus before Harry had had a chance to eat the biscuits he'd put on his plate. He stuffed them into his pocket for later, wrapped carefully in a paper serviette.
"Harry, where's your trunk?" Mrs. Weasley grilled him.
"In here," Harry said, thrusting his hand holding his staff out from under his cloak.
"Oh, that's right!" Mrs. Weasley said. "Now cover your face before we go out into the crowd… and promise me that you'll stick close to Ron and Hermione." She waited for his response and he nodded before pulling the hood of the cloak over his face again. She patted him clumsily on the back before absently bustling by him to start in on her own children about where their belongings were and how to load them onto the waiting trollies out on the tarmac.
Harry was thankful he didn't have to mess with the trollies. He stepped off the bus and onto the pavement and used the navigation charm to find Ron who had tromped away, supposedly tracking down his trunk. Since he was completely invisible to everyone around him it was a bit of a trick to skirt all the hustle and bustle of the Weasley family (plus the Granger family) and the Aurors who had accompanied them in the hopes of intercepting Sirius Black. The place seemed to be devoid of regular passengers though, much to Harry's relief. It took all his concentration on what both his staff and Nio were telling him to make it to Ron without getting bowled over by the rushing Weasleys as Mrs. Weasley urged them all on.
"Oh, there you are. I was wondering where you'd gone," Ron said when he finally tugged on Ron's robes. "Look at this. Can you believe it? Someone's been messing with my trunk."
"What did they do?" Harry asked.
"Er, right. Got through my locking enchantments and threw stuff around."
"How'd they do that without anyone noticing?"
"No idea… pretty bold with all the Aurors around and everything," Ron sighed as he pushed stuff around and then closed the lid with a satisfying click of metal on metal and a pop of magic.
"Was anything missing?"
"Like I have anything that anyone would want to steal! They'd be more likely to leave something behind instead," Ron chuckled. "But, yeah, no. Just made a ruddy mess of my trunk."
"And it was tidy before?"
"Fair point. Hold the trolley while I levitate the trunk on it?" Ron asked, sliding the trolley over to Harry who had stuck his hand out from under the cloak.
Harry felt his face grow hot as his hand met empty air trying to locate the handle, but fortunately Ron was busy trying to get his levitation charm to work and didn't notice.
"Just think of mountain trolls," Harry teased, when his hand finally found the sticky metal.
"Hey!"
Finally the trolley shifted under the weight of the trunk and Ron nudged Harry out of the way so that he could drive the trolley. Harry kept a hand on the handle, though, so he wouldn't have to attempt navigation through the chaos again.
He adjusted the cloak so that his hand was under it just as he felt the shiver of a magical barrier pass over them and he was immersed in sounds of metal clanging on metal, the irregular hum of people walking and talking, the smell of oil and dust, and the heat of all that activity burning off the early morning mist.
Ahead, Harry could hear the rest of their crowd, though no one behind them. He picked up the pace a bit, wanting to catch up.
"What's up?" Ron asked.
"It's just… I promised Auror Bones that I'd stay close."
"Yeah," Ron agreed, surprising Harry. "I overheard Mum and Dad talking… they think that this is the most likely place that Black bloke would try to jump you."
Ron started jogging and Harry stumbled as the trolley lurched forward. He regained his footing and then ran alongside Ron, ignoring Nio's protests at being jostled.
Harry turned his head to listen behind them. He thought he'd heard something behind them scrabbling to keep up, though it was hard to tell with the noise of the cart's wheels skittering over the rough surface.
His moment's inattention cost him his breath as the cart came to an abrupt stop and his diaphragm was pushed against the handle.
"Oh, sorry, mate. I should have warned you," Ron said. "We caught up. Didn't want to ram Ginny with the cart."
"It's all right," Harry wheezed.
Mrs. Weasley was ushering her children through the platform entrance, mindful of groups of passing muggles, though she didn't seem to think that the muggles could hear her speaking about them.
"Where's Harry?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"He's with me, Mum!" Ron shouted, making Harry cover his offended ear.
"Hush!" Ginny whispered harshly. "Did you forget what the Aurors told us?"
"Oh, right. Sorry," Ron muttered chagrinned, and then shouting, ammended. "I mean, no idea where he's at! Definitely not here."
"That'll help loads!" Ginny grumbled, while Mrs. Weasley sputtered in confusion.
"Here, just go ahead of me already," Ginny urged.
Harry clung to the trolley as Ron maneuvered it around Ginny and to the head of the line.
"So sorry, Harry!" Mrs. Weasley sighed as he and Ron ran forward past her and through the Egress onto Platform 9 ¾.
Harry's response was eclipsed by the noise of the platform. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Come on, let's get our compartment," Ron urged, dragging Harry forward with the trolley. "I see Hermione. She's already getting on the train."
Harry caught snatches of conversations as they threaded their way through the crowded platform—the wixen had noticed the presence of Aurors and were speculating about why they were there. He pulled the invisibility cloak around his neck more firmly and found that Nio had his head stuck out… farther than his chin.
"Nio!" he hissed in Parseltongue. "They'll see you!"
"No one has yet, Sethi," the snake replied calmly.
"Well, even for wixen a snake head floating through King's Cross Station would be startling. Please, be more careful."
"What are you hissing about?" Ron asked.
"Just talking to Nio," Harry explained. "He was poking his head out."
"Ha! That would be a sight! We should totally prank someone like that. It'd be brilliant!"
"Ron! Are you talking to yourself?" Someone shouted near Harry's ear and running into him.
"Omph!" Harry couldn't help exclaiming.
"What was that?" they asked.
"Er, hey Dean! How were your hols?"
"Bloody brilliant! My mum got me tickets to the West Ham / Sheffield game last week… they slaughtered them… 2 to 0!" Dean said as he bounced along side them. Harry tried to make himself small, but he didn't want to let go of the trolley.
"That's great, Dean… foot ball… right?" Ron struggled to express interest.
"Yeah… say, have you seen Harry? He'd be stoked… bet he watched the game on the telly… er, right. Maybe not. Geez. That's hard, innit?" Dean said when Ron made a strangled noise. "Er, well, I'm going to find Seamus. See you on the train, all right?"
"Sorry, Harry. That was…" Ron trailed off as other people greeted him. It was getting more crowded on the platform and Harry ran into the handle a few times when Ron stopped suddenly.
"Any kind of warning would be helpful," Harry wheezed after the third time.
"Oh, right. We need those bells you put on the brooms for Quidditch!"
"Yeah, no. I don't think that'd work in here," Harry panted. "We're nearly there, right?"
There was a hot breeze that seemed to be coming up from the floor, heavy with the smell of coal dust and burning oil.
"Right. Hang tight… just going to levitate my trunk onto the train," Ron huffed.
Harry held the trolley steady while Ron worked on the encantation. Finally, the trunk lurched off the trolley and Ron was gone, leaving Harry holding onto the handle in a sea of chattering adolescents, shin-crashing trolleys, squawking owls, and harried parents. Harry drew in a shuddering breath and let it out slowly trying to decide what to do.
The trolley jerked out of his hands and careened through the crowd…a ripple of yelps was left in its wake as it was no doubt summoned by some frantic student fearful of missing the train.
He cursed under his breath and shook out his staff to cast a quick navigation charm to find Ron. As people kept running into him from all sides… most likely thinking that there was an open spot through which to pass in the crowd of people, he resisted the urge to cast his shield charm. Its rainbow sheen would alert everyone to his presence. He just gave into the ebb and flow of the crowd and allowed himself to be buffeted toward the train, trying to sort through all the warnings from his staff from the directions to navigate toward the steps of the car. At last the tip of the staff sunk into the gap under the train and he was able to find the handrailing before someone pushed him out of the way and he hauled himself quickly up the metal steps.
In the narrow passage, he kept himself pressed against the wall until he encountered a doorway to a compartment, then he listened for anyone going in or out and then hopped across it quickly.
"Why are you jumping about like a moon frog?" A wispy and almost familiar voice asked from a compartment behind him.
Harry froze and then decided they couldn't be talking to him… he was invisible after all. Some students pushed passed him and he crouched down, pressing himself against the wall as he could hear their trunks following them and scrapping along the passage walls like elephantine balloons.
"Perhaps you're trying to shake the Aquavirius Maggots that are following you?" the voice was now directly behind him and clearly addressing him.
He jumped.
"The what?" he said in alarm.
"Aquavirius Maggots… though it is the wrong season," Luna mused.
Harry was glad to finally place the voice.
"I'm just trying to not get hit by anyone or anything going through the corridors. And how is it that you can see me?"
"Oh, I can't see you," she stated.
"Then how did you know I am here?"
"What a silly question!" she giggled. "How do you know that I'm here?"
"I heard you talking to me," Harry said incredulously.
"Exactly."
"But I wasn't talking."
The train rocked from side to side as more people climbed on and the sound of trunks careening into the walls pursuing them followed soon after. Harry started to flatten himself against the side in anticipation of their passing when Luna put her hand on his back.
"This compartment is empty. Why not ride here?"
"I'm looking for Ron Weasely… have you seen him?"
"So many times, but that's neither here, nor there," Luna replied, as her hand found his shoulder, then elbow and she nudged him gently toward the door as the next wave of students descended on them.
"Er?" Harry followed her into the compartment as the students lumbered by chattering loudly and had to agree with Nio that it was a relief to be out of the corridor.
"Is your familiar also invisible?" Luna asked.
"Familiar?" Harry asked. "Oh, you mean, Nio?"
Harry pushed the hood back from his face and then gently eased Nio onto the back of his fingers so that Luna could see the little snake.
"Nio, this is Luna," Harry said in Parseltongue.
"Moonchild?" Nio asked.
"He wants to call you Moonchild," Harry explained to Luna.
"Oh! How do you say it in Parseltongue?" Luna said excitedly.
"Kaorlie-keyet-keyet-kaiit," Harry hissed.
Harry repeated the phrase for Luna a few times while Nio glided over and under his fingers and finally, she got it.
"I really need to find Ron," Harry murmured, turning his back to the door as more people went by.
"And I would rather ride a flying pig!" Luna exclaimed. She then started addressing Nio so close to Harry's fingers that her breath warmed them.
Harry was surprised that Nio didn't mind the attention, in fact, he was intrigued by Luna and was asking all sorts of questions… most of which made no sense to Harry.
"Why do you want to know if she waters her roots with water from an east-facing spring?... No wait. Nevermind, can we find Ron first and then find out?" Harry had sat down and was leaning against his staff. Nio had transferred completely to Luna and Harry's neck felt naked without his cool coils pressed against his skin.
As more people went past in the corridor, Harry remembered that he had uncovered his face… he started to pull the hood back into place when someone grabbed his hand.
"Gemma?" he asked, relieved after the initial jolt of shock of being touched unexpectedly.
"Yes, it's me!" Gemma signed into his hand.
Harry quickly cast the charm that writes out his words on slips of paper, "Oh, good! I got separated from the Weasleys."
"_ are looking for you," Gemma signed.
"Who?"
"_" she signed again into his hand.
"No idea. Spell it out?"
She fingerspelled the word "Aurors" into his hand.
"Oh, right. Yeah. I was supposed to stay close."
"Wouldn't communicating be easier with lacewing flies?" Luna interrupted.
Harry had forgotten she was there.
"What?" Harry asked as Gemma made an inquiring tap on his arm. "Er, can I teach you the Scribunt loqui charm so that Gemma knows what you're saying?"
"I'm fine, thanks," Luna replied.
"Er, Gemma doesn't know what you're saying, though," Harry said, unable to hide the frustration in his voice.
"If only I had some lacewing flies with me… oh wait… I do!" Luna was rummaging around in her cloak.
Gemma continued to tap on his arm and he signed that Luna was looking for something… it took him a second to remember the sign for insect, though he muttered, "Lacewing fly" as he searched his memory for the sign and felt Gemma pull back in confusion. She made a sign that Harry thought had something to do with brewing a potion under his hand.
"Right. I know they are mostly used as potion ingredients… but I guess Luna thinks that they can help us communicate?" He was as baffled as Gemma.
The rustling of fabric stopped and was replaced by a low-grade vibration, a humming of sorts. Gemma swatted at the air.
"Let them help," Luna said in a calming voice.
"How do we do that?" Harry said, brushing one off his brow.
"They feed off your words… so when you talk they create patterns as they nibble the air in front of you… and then it is just a matter of interpreting it," Luna explained.
"Hmmm. Seems rather complicated," Harry said. He resisted the urge to flick another one off his arm.
"It does take some practice," Luna agreed.
"In the meantime, how about I teach you the Scribunt loqui charm?" Harry suggested.
Finally, Luna acquiesced and was explaining the lacewing flies' ability to translate spoken language into a haptic experience to Gemma who seemed captivated. Harry wasn't really following it, though.
The train car rocked as more students were walking through the corridor, but coming from the other direction. Someone was stopping at each compartment and asking questions… there was something familiar about the voice and Harry stood up and walked to the doorway. He pulled the hood over his face again while he listened, then drew back.
It was Draco Malfoy and he wasn't keen on running into him.
