Violet found herself with mixed feeling as the summer came to an end.

Her time at the Burrow had been like a wonderful dream. Even now there were days when she woke expecting to hear Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon snapping at Harry. She enjoyed the beautiful bird song every morning and how the sun crept over the hills of Ottery St. Catchpole. On the other hand, her first year at Hogwarts was quickly approaching and the more everyone talked about it, the more her excitement grew. She wanted to see if the castle was the same as it was in her dreams, if Peeves really was that bad and if the armour really did move. She had wanted to go for so long and now it was so close.

On the final night of the holidays, Mrs Weasley cooked up a sumptuous dinner of steak and roast potatoes with thick, rich gravy and ending in a sweet and sticky treacle tart. Violet found she could not stop eating it, even when she felt like she was going to burst. Fred and George kept anyone from dozing off afterwards with a fantastic fireworks display. The Filibuster wet-start fireworks cracked and popping around the kitchen to cheers and laughter, and the owls screeched and ducked out of the way. There was time then for one final cup of hot chocolate, the most delicious drink in the world Violet thought, and then off to bed.

Violet found she could not sleep such was her excitement. She went back reading Break with a Banshee, which she had not been able to put down since Diagon Alley.

"Wow," She said breathlessly as she turned the page, "Have you read what Lockhart did in Hamburg? He managed to subdue an entire cursed village without hurting a single villager."

Ginny was sitting in bed with quill in hand. She was concentrating on a black book propped against her knees. She clearly wasn't listening.

"Ginny," Violet hissed.

"What?" She looked up in surprise.

"Have you read any of your books yet?"

"I've glanced at them," She shrugged, "Fred and George say it's not too important to read them before and Ron didn't even open his books before he got to school."

She finished writing with a flourish of her quill and closed the book with a contented sigh.

"What's that?"

"My diary."

"I didn't know you had a diary?"

"Mum and dad got it for me in Flourish and Blotts. It's brilliant, see?" She opened the book and showed Violet. Every page was blank.

"Does it hide your writing?" Violet asked, impressed.

"Yeah and it," Ginny stopped, suddenly, "It's pretty cool."

She closed the diary and slipped it under her pillow, "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"I think so," Violet took a deep breath, "I hope it's like Harry and the others said it is."

"It is," Ginny nodded fiercely, "I've been counting down to this day ever since Percy first went. It's going to be brilliant!"

Violet lay on her pillow as the hours crawled by. The nerves and excitement were bouncing around like Fred and George's fireworks, every possible scenario both good and bad running through her imagination. She found her stomach was doing constant somersaults and no matter how hard she closed her eyes, she simply could not get to sleep.

She must have drifted off as when she next opened her eyes, the sky was a fiery orange. It was far from quiet as the hens clucked loudly outside. Violet crept over to the window and saw the pale and balding head of Mr Weasley in the yard.

Moving slowly so she didn't wake Ginny, Violet put on her dressing gown, actually an old one of Ginny's, and slipped out of the room. Not even Mrs. Weasley was up yet, and the Burrow was weirdly quiet. Despite the climbing sun, it was still chilly, and she shivered as she walked across the yard. Mr Weasley whistled to himself as he fed the chickens, and they clucked loudly as they swarmed around his feed.

He looked up suddenly and Violet instinctively froze. Her green eyes met his blue and she flinched instinctively.

Mr Weasley, however, did not shout.

"Good morning, Violet," he said with a broad though guilty smile, "Can't sleep?"

"No, Mr Weasley," she said uncertainly.

"Well, Molly will be up shortly. I just came out to feed the chickens," He paused, "Would you like to finish up? I'll go then and…check on something," He shifted uncomfortably as he said it.

"Okay!" Violet took the bucket. The birds abandoned Mr Weasley instantly when they saw the bucket change hands and grouped around her. They screeched and clucked constantly, heads dipping only when she scattered their breakfast. Ginny complained endlessly about having to feed the chickens, but Violet found it relaxing. It was certainly better than making breakfast for the Dursleys, where a slightly overcooked sausage could see her cousin flip the table in a tantrum.

Once the bucket was empty, Violet looked back to the Burrow. Mrs Weasley was in the kitchen, but Mr Weasley was still in the garage at the other end of the yard. With a quick glance to see if Mrs Weasley was watching, she headed over to the open garage door.

Inside was full of random muggle rubbish, an old telephone, bulbs, a burnt toaster, a hairdryer and a torch amongst others. The blue Ford Anglia that has rescued Harry and herself was parked with Mr Weasley leant over the open bonnet. He jumped as she accidentally kicked an empty soda bottle and banged his head.

He rubbed his head furiously with a deeply guilty expression.

"Ah, Violet," He relaxed, though kept rubbing at his head, "I thought you were, well, nevermind. Wouldn't want Molly to think…" he coughed awkwardly.

"Sorry, Mr Weasley," Violet said anxiously, biting her lip, "I didn't mean to disturb you. I can go if you'd like some peace."

"No, no," He beckoned her over, "Come and see! You might be able to help me, in fact! Do you know what this does?"

He pointed at something in the engine. Violet had to shake her head,

"Sorry, I've never really looked at cars very much."

"Oh that's okay," Mr Weasley chuckled, "I'll find what it does eventually. I've been working with this," He tapped another part with his wand, "I've been trying to make it work underwater but it seems to interfere with the invisibility booster I fitted," He sighed happily, "But I'll get it working eventually. It's wonderful, isn't it? How muggles have made something so complicated and beautiful to get around rather than apparating or using brooms."

"I guess so?" Violet shrugged. She had spent too much time with cars to have thought too much about them.

"We have so much to learn," He patted the car affectionately, "Did your uncle ever show you his car? Is it like this one?"

Violet shook her head, "Uncle Vernon doesn't like me touching his car, in case I break it."

"Ah," Mr Weasley said as he shut the bonnet, "Come on then, Molly will be wondering where we are. And, ah, I would appreciate if you didn't mention this to Molly. Just wouldn't want her to get the wrong idea."

She nodded in agreement.

As it turned out, there wasn't enough time to say anything to anyone. The house was in uproar as soon as everyone was awake several hours too early. Weasleys and Potters rotated in and out of the kitchen to grab toast or tea while finding scattered socks, t-shirts and robes. Everyone kept bumping into one another or slipping down the stairs while Mrs Weasley went from room to room, looking very harassed and stressed.

Violet had gone up to double-check her new trunk and found Ginny throwing things randomly into hers as she found them. While everyone else had been eating, she had been lying in bed writing in her diary and now she was very behind.

That was how Violet found herself hunting around the house, looking for Ginny's socks, spare parchment and even her ticket for the Hogwarts Express. That she found in Fred and George's room, where they had drawn a very unflattering picture of their sister on the back with the word 'Muddy'.

"Why did they write that?" She asked, handing Ginny the ticket.

Ginny scowled and shook her head, "Doesn't matter. Thanks Violet."

They squeezed into the car surprisingly comfortably given there were 9 of them with 7 trunks and 3 owls. Mrs Weasley seemed impressed by the muggle engineering. Violet caught Mr Weasley's eye and smiled.

She had just said her goodbyes to the Burrow and wondered when she would see it again, assuming she survived Uncle Vernon's retribution next summer, when they were back. George had forgotten his box of fireworks. Then they were back again as Fred had somehow forgotten his broomstick. The third time they set off, Violet just wondered how far they would get this time. It was quite far this time, nearly to the motorway before Ginny realised she had forgotten her diary and insisted they go back.

By the time she hopped back into the car, they were very, very late and Mrs Weasley's temper was fraying.

As the traffic into London slowed, Violet's worry grew. What if they missed the train? What if she was late for her first ever day at Hogwarts? Judging by Ginny's strained face, she was thinking the same thing.

At last, they pulled up in a side street near Kings Cross and Mr Weasley hurtled over to the station with Percy, Fred and George to get trolleys. It was her first time in Kings Cross but she had no time to enjoy it in their hurry.

"Come on, come on!" Mrs Weasley said frantically while checking the large clock that hung in the station. It was five to 11, "Hurry now, onto the platform."

Mrs Weasley and Ginny went first, disappearing in a blink of an eye. Mr Weasley and Percy followed.

Violet hesitated. Harry had told her about running into the barrier between the two, but it felt a stupid thing to do now she was here. How did every muggle in the very busy station not see them? They were already getting plenty of attention because of the owls.

Fred pressed close to her on one side and George the other, both grinning down at her, "We'll do it together. That why it's your fault if we mess up."

She smiled gratefully and they ran at the barrier with trolleys rattling. Violet braced herself for a collision that never came. When she opened her eyes, she saw a great scarlet train shrouded in steam and a line of wooden carriages. They were packed with excited children while parents milled about on the platform, passing forgotten items through the windows and snatching last minute hugs and kisses.

Mr Weasley was waiting for them, "Go on, you three," He said urgently, "Your mother is at the sixth carriage down."

They made their way hurriedly along the packed platform, trying not to hit anyone with their heavy trolleys. Mrs Weasley was looking very worried while Ginny poked her head out of the open door.

"Hurry up!" She snapped, looking up at the clock. Two minutes to go.

They heaved the trunks onto the carriage and then jumped up. Now they were all looking down the platform, trying to spot Ron, Harry and Mr Weasley running to join them.

One minute to go.

"Where's Harry and Ron?" Violet asked, heart thumping in her mouth.

Mrs Weasley craned her neck over the crowds.

The clock chimed for eleven.

Up and down the platform, uniformed men were closing the doors, flags in hand.

"Mum!" Ginny said urgently, leaning out of the door.

"Don't worry about them, we'll send them on to Hogwarts. Have a good term!" Mrs Weasley called as the guard closed the door.

The four of them moved back and allowed the guard to close the door with a snap.

"What happened?" Violet asked as a feeling of dread ran down her spine.

"Dunno," George frowned, "Maybe something distracted them before they went through the barrier?"

"Or someone," Fred gave his twin a dark look as the train lurched forward with a hiss of steam.

"Who?" Ginny's eyes widened.

Violet thought back to Diagon Alley and the sneering boy in Flourish and Blotts, "You don't mean Malfoy?" She asked.

"Well," Fred said thoughtfully, "First he sends his house elf to try and stop you two, then his dad tries to sell dark items in Knockturn Alley. If he found out Harry overheard what he was doing…"

Violet felt her mouth go very dry.

"Come on," George scowled, "Let's see if Malfoy's here."

They moved from carriage to carriage, glancing in every compartment. Each was busy with eager chatter and laughter but no Malfoy. They found Hermione sitting alone in the third carriage and looking moodily out the window. She looked around eagerly as the door slid open, but she gave a disappointed sigh.

"Oh," she said, "Hi everyone. Are Harry and Ron with you?"

They sat and explained what had happened.

"They missed the train?" Hermione put her hand over her mouth.

"We think someone stopped them on purpose," Fred muttered.

"Who?"

"Malfoy," said George.

Hermione looked incredulous, "Why?"

"Because he discovered Harry overheard his dad selling dark artefacts that day in London," said Ginny.

Hermione scoffed, "How would he have done that? It's not like he and Harry send each other owls every day."

"His house elf," Violet answered immediately. She felt sick. What had happened to him? Harry wanted nothing more than to come back to Hogwarts, he wouldn't have missed it for the world. Something had to have gone wrong, "He might have found out."

"Have you seen a house elf around the Burrow lately?" Hermione raised an eyebrow but, unlike the others, she suddenly seemed quite relaxed.

"Well, no," George admitted.

"And I can't imagine Harry was singing about it while brushing his teeth."

"No," Violet had to agree.

"And," Hermione took a deep breath, "I saw Malfoy earlier and he didn't look half as cheerful as he would if he knew something had happened to Harry."

"Okay," Fred put up his hands, "Okay, we get it. It wasn't Malfoy."

"What do you think happened then, Miss Mystère?" asked George.

Hermione looked at him, "Miss who?"

"Oh, she's a private detective," Ginny explained, "Goes around solving magical mysteries."

"Ah," Hermione now looked offended, "Maybe they just missed the train?"

Fred clapped his hand to his head, "Of course! They missed the train! Why didn't we think of that?"

"No doubt about it," George whistled as the twins stood up, "The girl's a genius. Let us know if you make any other breakthroughs, we'll be with Lee."

They closed the door.

"I had wondered," Hermione glanced out the window and sighed, "I couldn't find them anywhere on the train. I was starting to get worried."

"We were late," Violet admitted. Her stomach was still twisting up in knots but she did feel a little less worried, "So you think they're okay?"

"Of course," Hermione gave an encouraging smile, "Mr and Mrs Weasley will probably get them to Hogwarts before the train anyway."

The Hogwarts Express had long left London behind, and they were now chuffing through rolling green fields and past large forests. Violet spent a lot of time watching it go by. None of the views around Privet Drive were anything as nice as this. After a few hours, an elderly lady came through with a trolley packed with delicious looking treats and snacks. Ginny had a packet of corned beef sandwiches with her, but Violet and Hermione bought a little of everything from the trolley and the three of them shared it.

"Of course," said Hermione as she worked her way through a pumpkin pasty, "I can't wait for Defence Against the Dark Arts this year. Last year was a bit disappointing to be perfectly honest. Professor Quirrell seemed too scared to teach us anything," She pulled a face, "And know we know why."

Violet shivered at the mere thought. Harry had told her everything about the end of the year, about his encounter with Lord Voldemort and Professor Quirrell.

"Well," Hermione said brightly, "This year will make up for it! I really don't know how Dumbledore managed to get Gilderoy Lockhart to teach at Hogwarts. I mean, he's a world-famous wizard! A celebrity!"

Ginny rolled her eyes as she finished off her chocolate frog, the card of Persephone sat in her lap.

"I didn't think much of him, to be honest."

Hermione looked at her incredulously, "Have you read his books?"

"I glanced at them," Ginny shrugged.

"I read them," Violet said eagerly, "They're amazing!"

"Aren't they?" Hermione turned to her enthusiastically, "I can't believe he thought to use the Confundus Charm while fighting off an entire village! And how he dealt with that vampire in Anuradhapura, just one wave of his wand and-"

The door to the compartment opened. All three turned to see the pale, pinched, and sneering face of Draco Malfoy. He was flanked by two boys as wide as they were tall, who had to be Crabbe and Goyle. Beside Malfoy was the blonde, sneering girl Violet had met in Knockturn Alley. It was incredible how alike they looked now they were side by side.

"Now this," Malfoy sighed as if he had stepped in something revolting, "Is where you don't want to end up. This could only be sadder if Longbottom was here as well. You can always tell a Weasley because they're dressed like house elves."

Crabbe and Goyle snorted with laugher. The girl smiled a nasty grin.

"Go away Malfoy," Hermione snapped.

"Is it true Weasley and Potter missed the train?" Malfoy sneered, "I can see why Weasley would want to stay away with those awful jumpers he wears," More guffaws, "But I thought Potter wouldn't miss a chance to show off his big, ugly face on the front page of the Prophet."

Malfoy spotted Violet, "Oh sorry, didn't recognise you there without your famous brother beside you. Who are you again?"

Violet felt herself go warm in the face and looked away.

"I've met this one before," said the girl in the same drawling voice as her brother, "We ran into her outside the Black Penny. She ended up in the mud."

"You mean she didn't start there?" Malfoy laughed cruelly. Violet didn't dare look up at their sneering faces. She felt about the height of a gnome.

If you don't leave right now," Hermione had stood up.

"Keep your hair on, Granger. Though, seeing as it's you, perhaps not." Malfoy glanced up at her bushy head, "Let's see if we can find Longbottom. He's always worth a good laugh."

They slammed the door behind them.

Hermione shook her head and scowled, "As if one Malfoy in the school wasn't bad enough."

Violet felt the excitement that had been sitting in her stomach for weeks dim a little.

"Don't worry about him," Hermione said kindly, "Most people at Hogwarts are perfectly nice. Don't let Malfoy annoy you."

Easier said than done. He seemed the sort to go out of his way to do just that.

The sun was just starting to dip below the horizon when the door opened again. It was a pale and round-faced boy holding a toad that was doing its upmost to escape.
"Hello Neville," said Hermione pleasantly, "Did you have a good summer."

"Yeah, weren't bad." Neville closed the door, "Have you seen Malfoy?"

"Yes we have, why?"

"I heard he was showing his sister around. I was hiding in the toilet until they went past."

"You've missed him, Neville, don't worry."

"Good," He sat down. As he did so, the toad leapt from his hands with a croak of triumph and slipped under the door.

"Trevor!" Neville cried and disappeared into the corridor again.

Hermione got up to close the door with a weary sigh and stopped abruptly.

Another girl was leaning into the open compartment. She was blonde and pale, but it was not Malfoy's sister. Partly because she had a kind face but mostly because Malfoy's sister would be caught dead wearing massive purple glasses with spinning lenses.

"Hello?" Hermione said, startled.

"Hi," said the girl dreamily.

"Can we help you?"

"Oh no, but I can help you," She pointed at Violet who looked rather alarmed back, "Did you know your hair is infested with moggies?"

"Moggies?" Hermione looked confused, "You mean cats?"

"Moggies aren't cats," The girl said incredulously, "They live in your hair and suck your thoughts out through your ears. They can be very nasty but here," She handed Violet a bottle of greenish brown liquid, "Wash your hair with this and it'll get rid of them. Bye now."

She drifted off down the corridor.

It was a moment before Ginny burst out laughing.

"Moggies!" She said, shaking her head.

"What are they?" Violet asked as she nervously ran her fingers through her hair.

"They don't exist," Ginny waved her hand dismissively, "They're from children's books."

Hermione examined the bottle and frowned, "Maybe stick to your normal shampoo for now."

Violet held the bottle at arm's length. It felt warm to the touch. She slipped it in her pocket and made a mental note to never use it.

The train gave a slight lurch. Hermione glanced out the window, face suddenly alight with excitement.

"We're here."