Snips and Scars In Which Stormy Weather Happens, a harry potter fanfic

Chapter 48, everybody! Again it's hot off the presses, but since I've been rereading Goblet of Fire I've got the next chapter mostly done (and a chunk of it rewritten from where I had written ahead before) so we're actually doing good for once.

Also it's fun taking note of what didn't happen in this fic, like the Ford Anglia roaming the Forbidden Forest and Sirius on the run again, plus the additions such as the umbrella and Malfoy's reduced antagonism. So that's fun.

Slytherinsal, thanks for the review! Ah, I was wondering if there was anything canon about it since it's so ingrained in fanon. And good question….

Thanks for the review, James Birdsong! I shall strive to continue to please!

The next morning was still rainy and only promised to increase in intensity as the day wore on, prompting Harry to have his umbrella out immediately, regretting as they rode to King's Cross in the crowded Ford Anglia that he wouldn't be able to use it at the station due to its obviously magical nature.

At the very least, they were able to pull up close to unload, and were helped by one of the station guards who spotted them struggling in the deluge.

"Here now, I recognize this bird," the guard said as Harry tugged the sweater aside to check on Hedwig. "Aren't you the lad that ran into the station divider a few years back?"

"Yeah, sorry," Harry said, wincing at the memory. "I'll try to be more careful this time."

"See that you do," the man said, looking over the various school trunks amassing in the foyer. "Off to school then, I see—which is it? I have a cousin whose kid is looking into secondary schools."

"It's the best of its kind in Britain," Harry said truthfully.

"Hmm, might have to look it up," he said, peering at the Hogwarts logo before waving them off, adjusting his slicker before heading to help the next group. "Don't leave your car parked there for more than fifteen minutes!" he called back to Mr. Weasley.

"Harrykins, I think you might have a point with the refuge in audacity bit," Fred said, watching the man go.

"Yes," George agreed as they started filing in. "How'd you do it?"

"Everyone on Privet Drive is super-nosy," Harry explained. "Eventually you learn how to bend the truth enough to answer their questions."

"Ah, so it's born of necessity."

"Still workable," Fred said.

"Okay," Mrs. Weasley said once they were on Platform 9 ¾. "I want you all on your best behavior this year."

"Prank responsibly," Sirius offered.

"Do not cause any trouble."

"That you can't get away with."

"Remus, talk to him."

"We're supposed to be good influences, Sirius," Remus told him.

"Hmm," Sirius noised. "Do your homework and eat your vegetables."

"Better."

"We might be seeing you guys later," Charlie told them. "Lots of interesting things going on at Hogwarts this year."

"Like what?" Ginny asked.

"Sorry sis, can't tell you."

"You'll be figuring it out soon enough," Bill said.

"Figuring what out?" Ron asked as they were shooed onto the train.

"Now remember to hang out your dress robes at least a day before you have to wear them and if there's any wrinkles you should be able to steam it," Mrs. Weasley said.

"Dress robes?" Harry asked blankly.

But by then the train was starting to leave and any further conversation was relegated to saying goodbye and promising to write often.

"I have a real bad feeling about this year," Ron said once they were underway.

"Maybe dress robes are a requirement for fourth years?" Hermione asked, looking at Fred and George.

"This would be news to us," George said.

"Very true. Come, Georgie—must find Fergus and Lee so we can discuss matters of import," Fred said.

"Betcha ten galleons my dress robes are maroon," Ron said once Fred, George and Ginny dispersed.

"Don't bet on a sure thing," Ginny called back.

"Come on, let's just find a seat," Hermione said, waving for them to follow.

As per usual, most of the compartments were full, leaving them to poke their heads in and see if there was any space and frequently saying hi to people they knew.

"Hi, Malfoy," Harry said, recognizing the blond head as they walked past. "How's Buckbeak? Is he staying home?"

"NO," Blaise Zabini moaned, covering his ears and curling up. "NO. I'm going to have to hear about hippogriffs all year do NOT start him early."

"You'll hear about hippogriffs and you will LIKE IT, Zabini," Malfoy said, pointing at him dramatically before directing his attention back at Harry. "Dobby's taking Buckbeak to Hogsmeade and then to Hagrid's so I can take care of him during the school year. Hagrid sent a note saying it would count as extra credit," he added, glancing out the window. "I just hope it's not raining at Hogwarts—Buckbeak hates getting wet."

"Oh we can't have that," Pansy Parkinson said scathingly.

"Out, Parkinson."

Harry, Ron and Hermione continued down the opposite way of Pansy, who was darkly muttering about finding Millicent Bulstrode and hoping she doesn't talk about that stupid cat of hers.

"I feel like there might be more of a reason for Malfoy bringing Buckbeak to school," Hermione said once they had found a compartment, taking the window seat as Ron plopped down and fished out his portable chess set.

"Besides the note?" Ron asked.

"Yes. Remember how Mr. Malfoy looked when Malfoy brought Buckbeak up? I bet Malfoy wrote Hagrid asking if he could bring Buckbeak and Hagrid agreed."

"We can ask when we have tea with him," Harry said.

The rest of the journey passed mostly without incident—Neville joined them after a while (and thanked Harry for the birthday gift, agreeing that the book title was funny) and was regaled by Ron and Harry about the Quidditch World Cup as the rain increased outside, bringing night early.

"I think Buckbeak probably got wet," Harry observed as they pulled their robes on.

"I hope someone has enough sense to stop Malfoy before he tries to sneak to the stables in this," Hermione observed.

"Malfoy's not that stupid," Ron said.

Harry wasn't sure, especially as they left the train and he saw Malfoy's face—although to be fair, everyone looked dismayed at the weather and more than one person was eyeing the first years with pity.

"Hey, Hagrid!" Harry called, recognizing the gamekeeper currently wearing a massive slicker.

"Oright, Harry?" Hagrid called back. "See you at the feast if we don' drown! Come on you lost, firs' years this way!"

Harry was fervently glad that they were taking closed carriages to the castle but wasn't looking forward to getting out at the other end, seeing as how his umbrella nearly got ripped out of his hands by a strong gust of wind. As it was, he and Neville spent most of the trip up getting it facing right-side in again and tapping it with a Reparo for good measure.

Eventually though, the moment they all dreaded arrived, as did they at the castle steps. The wind and the rain had not died down, and it was several long minutes before the first students finally decided that there was no recourse for it and bolted for their best guess of the front steps.

"Well we might as well," Ron sighed, bracing himself before flinging the door open.

Harry kept a tight hold of his (closed) umbrella as they ran for the safety of the castle, Hermione clinging to his free hand in an attempt to stay upright in the howling winds—finally made it inside only for Peeves to hit them with several water balloons.

"You know that's pointless, right?" Harry asked, in his best guess as to Peeves' general direction, wiping water out of his eyes. "We're already soaked."

"Ah, but it's fun for me, now iddn't it?" Peeves asked, juggling several more balloons before tossing them up.

Harry had his umbrella opened and over his head before the water balloons came down. "Ha ha."

Professor McGonagall arrived and chased Peeves off before he could retaliate, fortunately.

"You know opening an umbrella indoors is bad luck, right?" Dean Thomas asked Harry as he closed the umbrella again.

"I figure this was extenuating circumstances," Harry said.

The sorting and feast were impressive, the former due to the fact that Colin's brother Dennis was starting that year (and had apparently fallen into the lake and was rescued by the giant squid), and the latter due to the storm still raging overhead. Harry spent most of the meal watching the storm, enjoying the fact that he could do so without getting wet or struck by lightning, and therefore missed most of Hermione's indignance at learning that house elves did all the work at Hogwarts.

"I told you this second year, Hermione," Harry said, attention still mostly on the light show above their heads.

"But it's not fair!" Hermione protested, apparently more sensitive to this topic after the whole incident at the Final. "Why can't they get the same rights that we do? Wages! Vacations! Pensions!"

"Because they're house elves?" Ron asked. "I mean they technically fall under a different species, like centaurs do. And you heard what Kreacher said, they don't need wands—look at how he and Dobby got us out of the woods at the Final!"

Hermione apparently decided that she was going to stop eating then and there and ignore them both for the rest of the evening, which didn't bother Harry as much as he thought it probably should.

Finding out that their new Defense teacher was Mad-Eye Moody—complete with dramatic entrance—would have made the highlight of the evening if it weren't for the fact that Dumbledore announced the Triwizard Tournament immediately afterwards.