September 1, 1996 -- 10:01 a.m.
Harry Potter (Boy 15, Gryffindor) stood on Platform 9 ¾, waiting for the Hogwarts Express to arrive. So far, none of his friends had arrived yet, but he was an hour early (Uncle Vernon had business in London, so dropped him off at King's Cross rather than have him tag along), so there would be time yet to meet with them. Checking that he had everything with him one last time, he sat on his trunk and started reading his letter once again. He wished that he had brought something to keep him entertained, but what could he do? Supposedly, all sixth years were supposed to remain in the Great Hall after the feast for orientation. Harry supposed it was about their Newt level classes or some such, but something struck him as being a little bit odd about the whole thing.
"Hey, Harry. You're here early."
Harry looked up, and smiled when he saw Seamus Finnegan (Boy 7, Gryffindor). He'd have preferred to meet with Ron or Hermione, but any company was better than none. Well, almost. He'd prefer to be alone than have to wait with someone like Malfoy.
"Hey, Seamus. You're early, too."
Seamus shrugged. "Had no choice. I put off my school shopping until today, so after I was done I took a bus. If I'd waited for a later one I would've missed the train. You?"
"Uncle had business here, and decided to drop me off rather than have me tag along. Better that way. The car's air conditioner is broken, and if I stuck my head out of the window like a dog, I'd get too many bugs in my mouth. Plus, I don't think my uncle would like that very much."
Seamus laughed, and sat on his own trunk. "Probably not."
There was silence for a while as neither knew what to say. Harry glanced at the big clock down the platform that was ticking very loudly. "I wonder if it would be safe to leave our stuff here and wander around for a bit. I mean, it's not like anyone would steal it or anything."
Seamus shrugged. "Dunno. A Slytherin might." He gestured further down the platform, where Blaise Zabini (Boy 20, Slytherin) leaned against a wall, arms folded across his chest. "I'd rather not take the chance."
Harry nodded, and looked down at his shoes. "Boring, though. Huh. My shoelace is getting frayed."
"You must be bored." Seamus smirked.
Blaise straightened up and walked to the entrance of the platform. "I'm stepping out for some fresh air anyway, so you won't have to worry about me stealing your stuff. Do whatever you want." And off he went, back to the Muggle part of King's Cross.
There was a pause, and Seamus stifled a laugh. "Guess he heard us. Oh, well. How long you think he'll take?"
Harry shrugged. "Probably not long. He left his stuff." And sure enough, there it was sitting, right where he had left it.
Another pause. "You wanna search through it?" Seamus suggested, eyes twinkling mischievously.
Blink. "He might be back soon. Besides, wouldn't that make us no better than him?"
Seamus sighed and leaned back. "You're no fun. And it would be different. We wouldn't steal or hide anything, just look through. Big difference."
Harry shook his head. "Still not convinced." Silence. He glanced up at the big clock. Still another 45 minutes to go. "I wonder when the train'll show up."
"Dunno."
More silence. Both boys stayed where they were, although Seamus occasionally glanced back and forth between Blaise's belongings and Harry, possibly wondering if he should risk it. Whenever Harry caught him doing so, he would send the other boy a warning look.
Finally Blaise returned, and resumed his post further down the platform, not even bothering to look to see if his stuff was left untouched.
The second hand of the big clock was ticking louder than before. "Hey, Seamus. Do you have any idea what the orientation we're supposed to attend is about?"
"Classes, maybe?"
"Maybe..."
"I doubt it," Blaise said from his part of the platform, not even looking their way. "If it's what I think it is, you might not want to get on the train when it comes."
Harry and Seamus glanced at one another, and quickly had to look away and stifle their laughter. "And why is that?" Harry asked when he was able to regain his composure.
Blaise looked at them, the expression on his face rather grim. "You better hope I'm wrong."
Harry stiffened, ready to draw forth his wand if need be. "Are you threatening me?"
Blaise sighed, shook his head, and turned away. "If only it were that simple..."
"Harry!" Ron Weasley (Boy 19, Gryffindor) came up running to him. "I've got great news!" He stopped and looked at the empty train tracks. "Huh. Not here yet. But Lupin's back! He's teaching Defense this year!"
Harry smiled. "Really? How'd that get pulled off?"
Ron shrugged. "Not sure. Maybe someone died and they had no choice. Ow!"
Hermione Granger (Girl 8, Gryffindor) had smacked Ron in the back of the head. "Honestly, Ron!" She turned to Harry. "After everything that happened last year, people wanted a decent Defense teacher, even if they were a werewolf. Dumbledore was able to convince him to return. You know, I--"
Whatever she was going to say next was cut off by the sound of a train whistle as the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station. Harry covered his ears at the loudness, as did the other students standing on the platform. He noticed that a few more students and their families had found their way there. The place was finally starting to look busy.
When the whistle had died down, Ron turned to Harry. "Shall we get on or wait to see who else shows up?"
Ginny, Ron's little sister, who had been standing near them, looked over to them. "Can we wait a little while longer? I'm waiting for Dean Thomas to show up."
Ron's face turned red and he turned to his sister. "I truly hope you're not serious about dating him."
Harry, Seamus, and Hermione looked on amused as the young Weasley decided to torment her brother some. "Well, I could always date Malfoy."
Ron made a face and went ballistic. "What?! No! No way! I forbid you to even joke about that! That's just... Ew!"
Ginny smirked. Mission: Annoy Ron was coming along beautifully. "So wouldn't Dean be a better choice?"
Seamus interjected. "I think he's going out with Lisa Turpin. You know, that Ravenclaw?"
Ginny looked disappointed for a moment, then her face brightened once again. "So what about you? Are you seeing anyone?"
Seamus was just about to open his mouth to say something when Draco Malfoy (Boy 13, Slytherin) sneered at them. "Trying to get a head start on starting a Weasley family of your own? I wonder how many kids you'll have by the time you leave school."
It took the combined strength of Harry, Seamus, and Hermione to prevent Ron from attacking Malfoy right then and there. However, that left Ginny free to punch Malfoy right in the face, breaking his nose in the process. Everything was silent as everyone turned to her. Her eyes flashed dangerously as she glared at the bleeding Slytherin, then glanced to her bloodied hand.
"Oh, great. Malfoy germs." She looked back to him, and drew her wand, pointing it at him. "I would suggest you get on the train and never bother us again, or I will have no choice but to hurt you." She smiled sweetly. "Understood?"
Malfoy tried to sneer at her, which proved to be a mistake as he was washed over with a fresh bout of pain. "Dis isn't ober." He turned away from them and got onto the waiting train, ignoring the assorted laughs and applause.
Freed from the grasps of his fellow Gryffindors, Ron turned to his sister and beamed at her. "That was excellent. Pow! Right in the nose!"
Ginny smiled and shrugged. "He deserved it."
"Normally I don't condone violence," Hermione began, "but in this case, he had it coming."
As everyone around started to congratulate Ginny, Harry glanced over at a smirking Blaise, who seemed to be trying to keep himself from laughing. But when he noticed Harry looking at him, his face turned stoic once more.
"Yo, Dean!" Harry turned back to see Seamus greet his friend, Dean Thomas (Boy 18, Gryffindor), who had just arrived on the platform. "You missed it! It was so cool!" His voice trailed off as he ran over to the entrance.
Harry glanced back up to the big clock. Half an hour to go. He wondered what classes he might be taking for the next year, but figured that his schedule would be determined at orientation. He wanted to be an auror, and as such had to take a rigorous schedule full of many classes. He had done all right on most of his OWLs, but Potions might present a problem. He had done better than he expected, but not quite good enough for Snape's standards. He had gotten an 'E' (Exceeds Expectations), but last year Snape had claimed to take only those students who had gotten an 'O' (Outstanding). Maybe he'd get lucky and Snape wouldn't be teaching Potions this year. Maybe Snape was eaten by a carnivorous three-toed sloth. Or maybe he was visited by three spirits one snowy summer night and would have a change of heart. But as far as Harry could tell, it hadn't snowed all summer.
"Earth to Harry, I do believe that we have come back into orbit." The green eyed boy turned back to face his friend, who had been trying to gain his attention. Ron smiled. "And he's back! Was it fun in space? Did you fight lots of L.E.N.s?"
Harry blinked, not quite sure what Ron was talking about.
Hermione sighed. "Aliens, Ron. Not L.E.N.s. Sometimes I don't know why I bother."
Ginny smiled sneakily and leaned closer to the other girl. "Could it be love?" Hermione turned bright red, as did Ron, and Ginny turned to Harry. "She stayed with us in the Burrow for the last two weeks, so we had to share a room. And sometimes she would start talking in her sleep-- Mmph!" The still bright red Hermione had placed her hand over Ginny's mouth.
"Heh heh. Pay no attention to her. She forgot to take her medication today." Hermione started to drag Ginny off towards the train.
Harry blinked, then grinned slyly and turned to the red Ron. "Seems like I missed out on a lot of interesting things this summer. Care to share?"
Ron, however, lost all power of coherent speech. "I... uh... um... I..." He started walking stupidly over to the train, tripping over his feet as he did so, but able to maintain standing.
Harry chuckled and followed, not looking behind him.
September 1, 1996 -- 10:46 a.m.
Neville Longbottom (Boy 11, Gryffindor) was hoping that he was on the right bus this time. After reassuring his Gran that he wouldn't get lost and could make his way to King's Cross on his own, she had finally relented into letting him go on his own. And then... he took the wrong bus. He wasn't sure where he had ended up, but it certainly wasn't King's Cross. And so he had to find a bus that would hopefully take him there. To do so, he had to transfer at a station, trying to drag behind him his trunk, while keeping a firm grip on Trevor, his toad, so that it wouldn't run off and get lost. He was running out of time.
Glancing at his watch, he saw that he had less than 15 minutes to get to Platform 9 ¾ or else he would miss the train. And wouldn't that be embarrassing? 'Yes, Gran, I know I promised that I could get to the station on my own, but I took the wrong bus and got lost and missed the train.' He could only imagine how disappointed she'd be in him. He had been making real progress, too. After what happened last year in the Department of Mysteries, he had thought he had gained confidence in himself. Things were improving. He had actually remembered everything he needed this year, and finished all of his homework. And now this. Two steps forward, one major step back.
"Things will be different this year," he whispered to himself, earning a few stares from his fellow passengers.
If all went well, the next stop should be King's Cross, and he wouldn't miss the train. He was actually looking forward to the next year. He had gotten an 'O' in his favorite class, Herbology, and decent marks in most of his other classes as well. An 'E' in Defense Against the Dark Arts felt nice, as it meant all of his hard work in Dumbledore's Army last year paid off. The best part was, he wouldn't have to deal with Snape anymore. The 'A' (Acceptable) he received in Potions was a pleasant surprise, as he was absolutely certain he would get a 'D' (Dismal). So all was good.
And look! The next stop is King's Cross! The bus stopped to let off the passengers, who were trying to avoid the weird boy with the toad.
Neville smiled to himself as he dragged his trunk with one hand while holding Trevor carefully but firmly with the other. He had gotten this far. With ten minutes to spare, he had no time to go on a toad hunt. He barely had enough time to make it as it was, with how heavy the trunk was. He was beginning to regret his decision to go alone. If his Gran was there, she could cast a spell to make the trunk lighter. But he made his choice, and had to deal with the consequences. Step, step, drag. Please let me get there in time. Step, step, drag. Ignore the stares. Yes! The entrance!
Pausing for a moment to look apologetic and let the people around him look the other way, he waited until all was clear and made his way onto Platform 9 ¾.
He had just made it in time, as the warning whistle was blaring. Two minutes left, so hurry, hurry. Can't miss the train now that he's here. Step, step, drag. Step, step, drag. Somehow dragging the trunk up onto the train with him, he had barely managed to get on when the doors closed and the train started moving. Too close. Next year, he'd have his Gran go with him.
Of course, next year he would be 17, and able to practice magic on his own, so that might not be necessary after all. Until then, he had all year to make up his mind. Now to find a compartment.
Abandoning his trunk for the time being, he walked down the aisle, pausing to look into compartments to find one that was empty. Or at least one that had friendly faces in it. Hopefully he could find one soon, before he bumped into Malfoy.
Instead, he bumped into a tree that had stepped out of a nearby compartment. Or rather, Gregory Goyle (Boy 9, Slytherin), who was now looking at him menacingly and cracking his knuckles. Out of the same compartment, Malfoy stepped out and glared at Neville when he saw him. Neville took a step back, trying to suppress any and all laughter at the sight of Malfoy holding his bloodied and broken nose.
"Um, sorry?"
Draco continued to glare, and gestured at Goyle to return to the compartment. The other boy complied, but Malfoy didn't go back right away. He continued to glare, and then finally spoke. "I haben't forgotten what habbened last year. You'll ged yours." He turned around and went back into his compartment.
Neville let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding and continued to look down the train for an empty compartment, hoping that he wouldn't run into any more... unfriendlies... along the way.
As if his prayers had been answered, he was able to find a compartment that contained only Luna Lovegood. She was friendly, if a little strange. Asking her if he could join her, she nodded, and he went back to get his trunk.
The train ride went rather quietly from there on. He looked through his Herbology text to pass the time, while she read the most recent issue of the Quibbler upside down. But every so often, whenever he would glance up, he would see her giving him a sad look of pity.
September 1 -- 6:04 p.m.
It felt so good to be off the train and get some fresh air, even if they did have to go back inside right away. But fresh air is fresh air, no matter how brief.
Pansy Parkinson (Girl 15, Slytherin) smiled, glad for the brief reprieve from the confined walls of the train. She hated enclosed spaces. It was stupid, really, especially since the Slytherin dormitories were underground in the dungeons. Spaces couldn't get any more enclosed than that. But that was different. That was home away from home. For the most part, though, she preferred the outdoors. Nothing felt better than to have the wind blow around her, her face tickled by strands of hair that dared to be swept away with the breeze. So that part was annoying, but it was still nice and refreshing.
Walking slowly in order to savor her time outside before she was destined to be shut indoors again, she took the time to glance around her. Many of the more simple students were dashing as quickly as possible to the carriages that would take them to the school. The first years were gathering anxiously around Professor Grubbly-Plank. Pansy was glad to see that giant oaf Hagrid wasn't there again this year. Hopefully he would stay gone this time. He was an absolutely horrible teacher, and it was only a matter of time before someone got killed in one of his classes. If it weren't for the fact that the class was held outdoors, she would have dropped it ages ago. But now they had a proper teacher. Hopefully it would stay that way.
And so she reluctantly got into the carriage before her, hoping that the feast and orientation wouldn't take too long so she could take a walk around the grounds before bedtime. It was too bad that she couldn't set up a tent and camp outside like she did during her summer vacation, when her family went camping in the wilderness of Canada. It was a nice place to visit, but she wouldn't want to live there. Too cold. It was laughable, really. She liked the outdoors, but hated the cold. But everyone has their little quirks.
As the carriage drew ever nearer to the lights of Hogwarts, Pansy had a sudden feeling that she should just make a run for the Forbidden Forest once she got out. She felt that way every year, but this year the feeling was stronger than ever. Must be residual traces of her longing to be back in the wilderness, though. And so, just like every year before, she sighed as she exited her carriage, and made her way to the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
September 1 -- 6:26 p.m.
By the time he found his seat at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, Harry Potter's stomach was growling. Even though he and his friends had eaten a lot of candy on the train, that had only temporarily satiated his hunger. Perhaps he should have had some breakfast, but he just hadn't been in the mood at the time. He just hoped that this year's sorting and speech would be short.
Remembering what Ron told him earlier about Professor Lupin being back, he looked towards the staff table at the end of the hall. Sure enough, he was there. He looked like he wasn't feeling very well, but he was there. Surprisingly, though, many of the seats remained empty. He hoped that none of the missing staff had become victim to Voldemort.
No! He was trying to suppress that. He wanted to be normal again. He didn't want to be some savior destined for anything. He didn't want to be the prophecy boy. He glanced over at Neville, who was slouched in his seat, looking just as hungry as Harry felt. Although he wouldn't really wish his destiny on the other boy -- who it very well might have been -- he couldn't help but wonder what might have happened if it had been Neville rather than himself who had been attacked that fateful night.
But thoughts like that were not normal. Nor would they change anything. And hadn't he worked all summer on trying to heal inside, and think normal thoughts that any other normal 16 year old boy would have? Suppress the pain, forget about what was going on, just be oblivious until the time came to fight. Hope that the prophecy was wrong, and that it wasn't him. Better yet, pretend that it never existed. Everything was fine.
At long last, the first years were led in by a grim looking Professor McGonagall. And the Sorting Hat had a new song, but he could barely hear it over the loud rumbling of his stomach eating itself. Alas, it appeared as though he was in for a long wait, as there appeared to be dozens upon dozens of scared little first years. Just shoot 'em all and let the Hat sort 'em out. He grinned slightly at the grim joke, then sighed and put his head down between his hands, hoping that it wouldn't take too long. He was hungry. So hungry that the thought of eating his own arm was suddenly becoming very appealing.
Thankfully, before he grew hungry enough to take the first bite (although he had licked the back of his hand a couple of times, trying to determine whether he needed salt or not), the sorting ended and Dumbledore stood up.
"I know that you're all hungry, so I..." The headmaster stopped, his voice choking up. "I wish this could last forever, but I know most of you would be angry at me if I were to prolong this."
"Damn straight!" Someone yelled from amongst the students.
Dumbledore nodded, forcing himself to smile just a little. "As you should all know now, the Ministry," he choked up again, "they've finally admitted that Voldemort has returned. I'd like to lie to you, and say that everything will be all right. But I won't. There's much sadness ahead of us yet. Too much sadness." He glanced around the Great Hall, his eyes heavy with sorrow. "I wish I could change things. I really do. Please understand that I'm sorry." He sat down, and the feast began.
"Well that was odd," Ron said as he piled his plate high with food.
Harry nodded and swallowed his food. "Can't talk. Eating."
Hermione just sat there, eating in silence, a curious expression on her face. Something was wrong. She'd been feeling strange all day, and this wasn't helping. None of the other students seemed to be as concerned as her, though. Maybe it was just her imagination. She tried to put those thoughts into the back of her mind as she ate. She didn't have much of an appetite due to the odd feelings, but she had another feeling that she'd be worse off if she didn't eat and build her strength.
September 1 -- 7:38 p.m.
The feast was finally over, and the students were feeling mightily full. Dismissed, they began to trickle out of the Great Hall. The sixth years, however, instructed to remain behind for orientation, were gathering in groups, chattering excitedly about the year to come, what classes they were taking, and whatever else came to their minds. Most of the teachers and staff had left the Great Hall as well, leaving only Dumbledore and the four heads of the houses behind.
"That hits the spot, huh, Harry?" Ron was leaning back in his seat, eyes closed. "I thought I would never eat again, I was that hungry."
Harry nodded, barely paying any attention to his friend. He was more interested in watching the remaining professors. Professor Dumbledore was still looking grim, and McGonagall didn't look very cheerful either. Professor Sprout was shedding silent tears, while tiny little Flitwick was rocking back and forth. Even Snape looked as though his puppy had just died.
"It's strange. There were a lot of empty seats at the staff table." Ron opened his eyes to look at Harry, who continued talking. "Now this. It's as though something really bad has happened."
Ron shrugged. "With You-Know-Who back, something bad probably did happen." His face suddenly turned serious. "Maybe someone really did die."
"Maybe..."
The doors to the Great Hall opened, and four strange and official looking wizards entered. They closed and locked the door behind them. The students stopped with their chattering and looked over, wondering what all this was about.
"No! You can't!" Professor Sprout screamed from the other side of the hall, trying to jump over the table.
One of the strange wizards looked at her, then turned to the other professors. "Someone restrain her."
Flitwick stopped shaking long enough to put a hand on her arm and shake his head in resignation.
"But it's not right! They can't! They can't..." Sprout slid down to the floor, sobbing hysterically.
The same wizard who spoke nodded grimly. "I know. So sad. Life goes on."
"Monster," Snape spat at the wizard.
Harry nudged his friend. "What do you think this is all about?" He turned to look at Ron, who was slouched in his seat, fast asleep. "Ron? Hey, wake up! Ron?" He glanced around the room, seeing that the rest of his classmates were asleep as well. "What's going on?" He felt sleepy all of a sudden. Glancing once more at the teachers at the end of the hall, he thought he saw tears run down Snape's cheeks. Whether it was true or not, he would never know, as soon he blacked out.
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