Author's Note: I like to thank everyone for hanging in there with me. I have some great news though. I've graduated from high school and am on summer vacation, so I should be able to get a lot of writing done. Woohoo! I just want to say one more thing. This entire fic is no longer dedicated to Nitya just because. This story is dedicated to her because she has been there while I threw ideas at her and has always given me her honest opinion. So, thanks Nitya! (You're blushing like mad, aren't you?)
CHAPTER TEN
THE TRAIN RIDE
"Vampires!" Hermione exclaimed as she held a rag to Harry's bleeding neck. "You mean to tell us you were bitten by a vampire?"
"They weren't just any vampires. I understand it all now," Harry said. "My dream, I mean. Voldemort's new allies are Romanian vampires. He sent Wormtail to go get them."
"Wormtail?" Lupin asked, who was standing in the doorway of the same room Harry and Ron had shared the previous summer in Grimmauld Place. "You mean to tell me Voldemort sent that scum on a mission?"
"Yes, and Voldemort's got him doing something else," Harry said, remembering another part of his dream. "Voldemort seemed very interested in something happening at a manor. He mentioned a 'she.' What do you think he's talking about, Professor?"
Lupin looked deep in thought for a moment and then whispered, "I don't know, but I am concerned."
"We all should be," Hermione said. "Whatever he's planning-"
"-will more than likely be our doom," Ron finished.
"The fact that he has an army of vampires is what worries me the most," Lupin said. "They're deadlier than what everyone thinks."
"How could they be deadlier? They'll drink you dry!" Ron exclaimed. "Harry, it bit you. Are you going to become one now?" he asked, looking very pale.
"Vampires are like werewolves, except with werewolves, if they bite you, there's no hope," Lupin said sadly. "However, with vampires, you have to bite back, and if you do…" He trailed off.
"What?" asked Ginny, leaning forward on Ron's bed.
"It's worse than being a werewolf. Your very soul is dead, as are you, yet you are still alive. You must drink the blood of another to survive. Being a vampire is like living in limbo, except that you don't care, and it's deadly not to care. All of that strength and no care in the world, except to keep feeding, to stay alive. It's a deadly combination."
"And now Voldemort has a bunch of these guys on his side," Harry murmured.
"First Death Eaters, then dementors, now vampires," Ron moaned. "What's he going to do next, get the goblins to join his army?"
Lupin only frowned. Harry could tell that he wanted to stay something, but instead he just said, "You all should get back to bed. Good night." With that, he quickly exited from the doorway.
"You didn't bite back, did you, Harry?" Hermione asked, adjusting the rag, her eyes full of worry.
"No, of course not. I wouldn't be here if I had," Harry replied and placed a hand over hers, which was still holding the bloody rag to his neck. "I'm fine, Hermione. Don't worry about me."
She gave him a rather patronizing look. "Then stop doing things to make me worry," she said and removed the rag, then leaned closer to examine the wound.
"What was it like, Harry," Ginny asked, "killing a vampire?"
"I honestly can't believe that I did kill it," Harry replied. "I mean, I'm not capable of murder." In the back of Harry's mind, he thought of the prophecy. "But the vampire wasn't human; it wasn't even alive. It was a monster and I could deal with killing that."
Hermione was sticking something on his neck. "There," she said when she was finished, "that should do it."
Harry reached up to feel gauze and surgical tape around the area where the vampire bit him. He smiled up at Hermione. "Thanks."
"I really hope this will be okay. If I had it my way I would have said we should have gone to St. Mungo's," Hermione said as she packed away the Muggle first aid kit that was for some unknown reason in the house.
"I'm glad Mum doesn't know you've been bitten," Ron said. "She'd freak. You would have gone to St. Mungo's for sure."
"People don't need to know about this," Harry murmured. "If I went to St. Mungo's, there would be a story about it in the Daily Prophet tomorrow. The last thing I need right now is publicity."
Hermione nodded as Ron stretched with a yawn. Outside the dirty window, the pale sun could be seen rising. "I'm tired," he said. "I think I'm going to get some sleep."
"Me too," said Ginny, rising from the edge of Ron's bed and walking over to the door.
"That sounds like a good idea," Hermione commented and headed for the door. "Good night."
"Yeah, good night, Hermione," Harry replied.
"Even though it's almost morning," Ron added with a grin.
Hermione only shook her head and walked out, quickly followed by Ginny.
"What a night," Ron murmured as he pulled the sheets up to his chin. "Try not to have anymore dreams tonight, okay Harry?"
Harry pulled back his own covers and settled in. "I certainly hope not, although this prickling I currently have in my scar makes me think that Voldemort's-" Ron's cheek twitched violently. "-angry. I wonder how many people were captured in Southampton."
"We'll find out tomorrow, won't we? Good night, Harry," said Ron as he rolled onto his side, facing away from Harry.
"Good night, Ron." It took awhile, but Harry finally fell asleep and dreamt of men with long fangs and a cemetery.
*****
Within the next two weeks, Harry, Ron, and Hermione read the Daily Prophet to discover five Death Eaters were captured in Southampton and that Aurors had arrested Judas Flint. After a quick trial he was sent to Azkaban. Yet, Harry felt neither anger nor glee come from Voldemort during that time. In fact, Harry hadn't felt any pain in his scar since the night of the attacks. He expressed his concern to Ron and Hermione as both he and Ron packed their trunks to leave for Hogwarts the next day. Mr. Weasley and Moody had gone back the day after the attack and had gotten all of their belongings.
"It's a good thing, isn't it?" Ron asked as he folded up another robe and set it inside his trunk.
"You'd think he'd be upset," Harry said. "He's down five more Death Eaters and his vampire army has taken a hit."
"That's all part of war," Hermione said from the edge of Harry's bed. "I'm sure Voldemort realizes that."
Ron shuddered. "But wouldn't he still be mad?"
Harry nodded. "You'd think he would."
"As much as I hate to say it," Hermione said, "but he's smart. Anyone who plans world domination must realize that his troops are going to be arrested or die."
Harry slipped his Firebolt into the carrying case that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had bought him for his birthday and then frowned. "I suppose you have a point."
Ron finished packing his robes and then carefully took his prefect's badge and laid it on top. When he closed up his trunk, he slumped happily down onto his bed and sighed, "Done."
Harry packed the last of his books and grinned before closing his own trunk up. "Let's stay up here a little longer so your Mum doesn't set us all back to work," he said and sat down next to Hermione. Mrs. Weasley had them for the past two weeks cleaning the house again, although it still looked as depressing as the last time Harry was there.
Being back in Sirius's house did a lot of things to Harry when he woke up later in the afternoon after they had arrived. He had spent most of the day up with Buckbeak the hippogriff, who was now under the care of whoever was around. In the time spent with Buckbeak, he brooded about his godfather, remembering everything, whether it was good or bad, about him.
Although Harry was aware that the house he was currently staying in was owned by him, he didn't feel that way. It was Sirius's house and now it was the Order's house. The place would never belong to Harry.
"I'm happy they were finally able to get rid of that retched painting of Mrs. Black," Ron commented. "She was a nightmare."
Harry smiled faintly. Apparently Dumbledore had come in several weeks ago and was able to reverse the charm on the portrait of Sirius's mother that make it stick to wall. He also was able to remove the tapestry with every one of the Blacks on it.
"It caused Kreacher to go into a depression," Hermione said. "You have to kind of feel sorry for him."
"I don't," Harry said. He was very pleased that he hadn't seen the house-elf around anywhere because he didn't know whether or not he would have been able to contain himself if he were to.
Hermione frowned, but then asked, "Did you two notice Lupin leave this morning?"
"No," Ron replied. "He did?"
Hermione nodded. "You don't think the Order's up to something, do you?"
"Come to think of it," Ron said, thinking, "Mum has seemed a little more worried this past week, don't you think?"
"We haven't seen Tonks in awhile. Perhaps she's doing something," Ron suggested. "Maybe it's gone wrong and Lupin's going to help her."
"We haven't seen Mundungus Fletcher around lately either. In fact, we haven't seen either of them since my birthday," Harry said. "Maybe both he and Tonks are on a mission together."
"I doubt that," Hermione said.
"Why?" Ron asked.
"Because Tonks is an Auror. Don't you remember what Tonks said when we picked up Harry from his aunt and uncle's?" She gave an exasperated sigh when the two boys looked at her blankly. "She said she had Protection Duty."
"So?" Ron queried.
"So, that means that the Ministry has her very busy. I doubt she has time for the Order when she's off watching over towns all over the British Isles," Hermione said.
"Considering what happened a couple of weeks ago, it doesn't sound like they're doing their job," Ron muttered.
"I think Voldemort knows something," Hermione said.
"Yeah, like which cities are being watched and which are not," Harry replied. "He's probably got spies."
"I wouldn't doubt it," Hermione said and frowned. "I wouldn't doubt it at all if Voldemort had spies amongst the Aurors, let alone the Ministry."
Ron looked as though he was about to reply when Mrs. Weasley's voice came up the stairs, "Are you all done yet?"
Ron groaned. "Back to work we go," he muttered and got up, yelling back, "Yes, Mum!"
"Then get down here," Mrs. Weasley yelled. "I have a job for you all!"
Sighing, the three headed down the stairs to see what exactly Mrs. Weasley wanted them to do.
*****
The next morning was hectic. Mrs. Weasley had everyone up at 7:00 to make sure that they were ready to leave by 10:15. Around 8:00, Harry was standing at the bathroom sink with a razor in his hand, staring at his reflection.
"Today, Potter," he muttered to his reflection in the mirror, "you will not cut yourself with this thing." He glared down at the razor. "You can do this." With that, he lathered up and began to shave.
"Harry, are you almost done?" he heard Ron call from behind the door. "Other people have to use the bathroom too."
"Give me ten minutes," Harry called back. He heard a frustrated sigh and footfalls as Ron walked away.
At 9:00, everyone was down in the kitchen, bolting down their breakfast.
"Arthur and Charlie are getting cars from the Ministry to take us," Mrs. Weasley told Moody, who was to be traveling along with them.
"I still believe there should be more than four people for this," Moody growled.
"We'll be alright," Mrs. Weasley said, but she didn't sound too convinced.
Suddenly, the kitchen door opened and Kreacher the house-elf came stumbling through carrying an odd assortment of candles. The moment Harry saw him, a vile, twisted feeling coursed throughout his entire body. He had a sudden urge you jump up and strangle the old house-elf.
"Kreacher, what are you doing with those and where did you find them?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Kreacher does not have to answer to the Blood Traitor," he muttered. "Kreacher only must answer to those who belong to the noble and sacred house of Black."
"No," Moody said, "you don't have to answer to Molly, but you do have to answer to Potter now."
"The little half-blood does not belong to the sacred house of Black. Kreacher does not have to answer to him," he muttered back.
"No, he doesn't, but he owns the house now, remember?" Moody said roughly. "So you'll take orders from him now."
Kreacher looked over at Harry and then cast his eyes upon the floor. "Worthless half-blood; he's not worthy to own my mistress's house."
"That's enough out of you!" Moody snapped. "Return the candles and get out of here."
"Kreacher does not answer to the one-eyed man," he muttered.
Harry had had enough. "But you'll answer to me!" Harry snapped. "Get out of the kitchen and get rid of those stupid candles!"
Kreacher jumped and glared at Harry. "Oh, if only the traitor had not given my poor mistress's house to this foul-blooded boy, Kreacher would have been free to leave."
"Now Kreacher, before I do something I'm not going to regret!" Harry yelled.
"Harry, please-" Hermione started.
"I can't forgive him, Hermione!" Harry cried. "He's the reason Sirius is dead! You killed Sirius," he screamed at Kreacher, "you lying little son-of-a-"
"Harry!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed.
Harry shook in rage. He looked down at Kreacher and said in a deadly whisper, "Remove yourself from this kitchen now."
Kreacher bowed ever-so-slightly and backed out of the kitchen, muttering, "Rotten little half-blood," over and over again.
*****
By 10:00, Mr. Weasley and Charlie had returned with the cars from the Ministry. Both of them inhaled what was left over from breakfast and by 10:15 were placing Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny's trunks in one of the cars.
"You'll all be in the same car with Molly and me," Mr. Weasley said as they started to load Hedwig, Pigwidgeon, and Crookshanks. "Alastor and Charlie will follow from behind."
After a short and uneventful car ride over to King's Cross station, Moody and Charlie went over and grabbed trolleys to load up trunks and cages. Then they all headed to platforms nine and ten and towards the barrier that would let them on to platform nine and three-quarters.
"Right," said Mr. Weasley. "I'll go first. Ron, Harry, you'll go next with Charlie. Ginny, Hermione, you'll come after with Molly. Alastor will come last."
They all nodded as Mr. Weasley leaned against the solid barrier and suddenly disappeared.
"Alright, you three next," Mrs. Weasley said and nudged Harry, Ron, and Charlie.
Harry and Ron walked forward with Charlie behind them, pushing one of the two trolleys. Without pausing, all three of them walked straight through and onto platform nine and three-quarters. A moment later, Hermione, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley emerged too, followed up by Moody and the other trolley.
"Let's get going so you all can find a compartment," Mrs. Weasley said and headed down the platform.
As they followed Mrs. Weasley, Hermione reminded Harry, "Ron and I will have to go to the prefect's compartment for awhile."
"I know," he replied, yet in the back of his mind he was groaning. He hated not being able to be with his friends for the whole train ride to Hogwarts.
"It's not something I enjoy doing, mate," Ron said. "It's rather boring."
"It's nice to meet and get to know the Head Boy and Girl, though," Hermione said vaguely as they found an empty compartment and climbed aboard.
"For you it may be," Ron muttered as they slid their trunks inside. "Come on, let's go say good-bye."
They quickly got off the train and walked back to where the Weasleys and Moody were standing. Mrs. Weasley was hugging Ginny tightly as Charlie grabbed her trunk and set it on the train while Moody was grabbing Hedwig, Pigwidgeon, and Crookshanks and setting them aboard.
Not to far away stood somebody that Harry had no desire to see: Draco Malfoy. He was standing next to his mother, who looked distinctly displeased about being there. Malfoy glanced over and scowled at Harry, before initiating a conversation with his mother.
"I wonder what he's talking about," said Ron, who was also looking at Malfoy.
Before Harry could even open his mouth, Mrs. Weasley walked forward and wrapped both he and Ron in a bear hug. "You two have a good term," she said. "Try to stay out of trouble."
"Trouble finds us, Mum," Ron said with a grin.
A whistle sounded, warning everyone to get aboard the train. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny quickly climbed aboard, grabbed their respective cages (or for Ginny, a trunk) and hauled them into their compartment, where they all stood by the window and waved. Everyone else was scurrying aboard. Then, at exactly 11:00, the train started to move and they all stopped waving good-bye as soon as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Charlie, and Moody were out of view.
Ron sighed. "Well, off to another year at Hogwarts."
Hermione nodded. "Yes, well, Ron and I should head down to the prefect's compartment. We'll be back as soon as we can."
"Have fun," Ginny teased as Ron scowled and followed Hermione out of the compartment. She turned to Harry. "So, what do you want to do?"
"Er-I dunno."
"Well, we could play-"
"Excuse me," came a voice from the compartment door. Harry turned his head to find Neville standing there, along with his trunk and his toad Trevor.
"Hello Neville," Ginny said. "Need a place to sit?" He nodded. "You're more than welcome to join us."
A bashful smile etched itself across his face. "Really? Thanks." After a few moments of getting Neville settled in, they all finally sat down and Ginny brought out an Exploding Snap deck.
"So Harry," Neville asked after awhile, "are you going to continue the D.A.?"
"I dunno. It all depends on what kind of a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we get this year," Harry replied.
"I hope you do, because it was a lot of fun," Ginny said.
"Fun? I was just trying to prepare people for what might come," Harry said and examined his cards again.
"But it was fun, too," Ginny said. "Y'know, getting to duel with others."
Harry frowned. "But dueling with a Death Eater isn't so much fun," he said and waited for Neville to finish his turn.
"Some of us don't know what that's like," said a voice from behind him and they all turned to see his dorm mates, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan, standing in the doorway. "Wish we could have come with you," Dean said.
"No, you don't," Harry muttered.
"Hello Dean," Ginny said pleasantly. She jumped up and pecked him on his cheek.
"Why didn't you write me back?" he asked her. "I sent at least three owls after the party."
Ginny frowned. "Let's take this outside, shall we?" she said, leading Dean out.
Seamus came in and sat down. Harry and Neville threw in their cards and sat back. "So," Seamus said, "any clue who the new Dark Arts professor will be?"
Both Harry and Neville shook their heads. "Not a clue," Harry replied.
"You two will never believe what I heard from Lavender Brown and the Patil twins," Seamus said.
"What?" Neville asked.
Seamus snickered. "You know that big buffoon who always hangs around Draco Malfoy-Goyle? He's got himself a girlfriend!"
"A what?" Harry exclaimed.
"A girlfriend," Seamus said with a laugh. "You'll never guess who."
"Who?" Neville asked excitedly.
"That big mannish-looking Slytherin girl, Millicent Bulstrode!" Seamus shrieked in laughter as Neville clapped a hand over his mouth. "How fitting, right?"
Harry couldn't help it, he started laughing too, but quickly stopped when Ginny walked back in, her face as red as her hair. "What's wrong, Ginny?" he asked.
"Dean! He can't seem to understand that I can't focus all my attention on him!" she yelled. "We are so over!"
"You broke up?" Harry asked.
"Of course!" Ginny growled.
Seamus looked from Ginny, to Neville, to Harry, and then to the doorway. "I better go," he said, jumping up and heading out the door.
"Boys!" Ginny huffed and collapsed onto a seat. "They think women are their mothers!"
Harry was about to point out that there was no possible way that he could think any girl was his mother when Ron and Hermione returned. "That wasn't too long," he commented instead.
"No," Ron agreed. "Has the cart been by yet?" Harry shook his head.
"Well, Ron, you'll be happy," Ginny snapped. Ron sat down next to Harry and gave him a questioning look. Harry frowned. "I just broke up with Dean," she told him, to which Ron cheered.
"It's about bloody time!"
"Ron!" Hermione admonished and sat down next to Ginny. "Are you okay, Ginny?"
"I'm fine," she muttered and went completely silent.
"So…" Harry began, testing the waters, "how was your prefect meeting?"
"Good. Oh Harry, you'll never guess who the Head Girl is!" Hermione said as a big grin broke out on her face.
"I probably won't, so why don't you tell me?" he said with a grin.
"It's Katie, Harry," Ron said happily. "Katie Bell."
"Katie?" Harry repeated. "Well, that explains why she's not Quidditch captain."
"It's funny though," Ron said. "She wasn't even a prefect."
"You don't need to be a prefect to become Head Boy or Head Girl, Ron," Hermione said testily. "You should know that."
Ron was about to say something, but Harry cut him off to avoid a quarrel. "Who's Head Boy?" he asked.
"A Ravenclaw," Hermione replied. "Eddie Carmichael."
"Oh, Harry, guess who's the new prefect for Ravenclaw," Ron said.
"No idea," Harry replied.
"Luna Lovegood," Ron said. "I wonder how she became prefect."
"Many ask the same about you, Weasley," said a cold, drawling voice from the doorway.
"Sod off, Malfoy," Ron said without looking over.
"You know, it never fails," Harry said, glancing over at Draco Malfoy and his two thugs, Crabbe and Goyle. "You'd think that after his father is thrown into Azkaban and his family is disgraced, that he'd stop trying to prove something. Everyone knows he's a wimp."
Malfoy's face flushed a light pink before he replied, "At least I didn't get my godfather killed."
Harry jumped up, as did Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville. "Take that back," Harry growled.
"Why should I?" Malfoy sneered.
"Because if you don't, we'll make you take it back," Ginny said.
Malfoy sized Ginny up and laughed. "You may have gotten me good once, Weasley, but that won't happen again," he said, taking out his wand.
Ron took out his wand too. "You won't go near her."
"Try and stop me, Weasel," Malfoy spat as he started to wave his wand, but Harry was too quick. He tackled Malfoy then and there. Crabbe and Goyle stared dumbly and both Harry and Malfoy rolled on the floor, both trying to get control of Malfoy's wand. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville, stood back, gaping.
Finally, when Harry thought he had a good hold on Malfoy's wand, he shouted, "Expelliarmus!" and the wand flew slipped out of Malfoy's grasp. It was then that Harry realized that he hadn't had a grip on Malfoy's wand at all; he instead was grabbing Malfoy's thumb. Harry let him go and stood up. "Get out of here, you little cockroach."
Hair askew and face a light shade of pink, Malfoy jumped up and grabbed his wand. "This isn't over yet, Potter," he spat, turning on his heal and marching out of the compartment, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him.
"Nice one Harry," Ron said and thumped him on the back.
"Bloody ferret," Harry muttered and sat down on the seat. But what he couldn't understand was how he was able to pull of a disarming spell without using a wand. True, whenever he was angry he was able to pull of great feats of magic, like when he blew up his Aunt Marge the summer before his third year, but nothing like that had ever happened while he was saying a spell.
"You okay, Harry?" Hermione asked, obviously seeing the puzzled expression on his face.
"Yeah," he said quietly, "I'm fine."
She frowned just as the plump witch with the cart came by. The rest of the train ride was very peaceful. Harry told Ron and Hermione all about what Seamus told him concerning Goyle and Millicent Bulstrode, giving them all a good laugh, while Ron and Hermione told them that, although they didn't know exactly what was going on, Professor Dumbledore was going to hold a lot of different activities as the year went on. ("I suppose he just wants to keep us calm," Hermione had said.) Before they new it, they were changing into their Hogwarts robes and the train slowed to a stop. Hogwarts was awaiting their return.