Unofficial Portkey Archive

A/N: Well, this is certainly a surprise. I finished this much faster than I had originally thought I would. It's also MUCH longer than I thought it would be... I even considered moving the Cho scene off the train to make it shorter, but decided against it.

I look forward to reading your theories on what's going on, though I'm fairly certain no one will get it exactly right.

Chapter 8: Conversations

Harry saw a dark room with a small fire in the corner. A snake came into Harry's vision, slithering out towards the door which was ajar.

"Yes," Harry found himself saying raspingly. "Thank you Nagini." Harry turned to the left and saw the familiar face attached to a familiar hand.

"He should be here momentarily, my Lord," Wormtail sputtered out.

"You had better hope so," Harry replied. "I cannot tolerate any more wasted time. If I am to succeed in my plans, the prophecy must be revealed. I'm sure that the boy knows it by now." Harry turned back towards the door. "The old fool could never keep the secrets that were most important close to his chest, isn't that right?"

"Y-Yes, of course not," Wormtail said nervously. Harry laughed softly as he saw a cloaked man walk into the room cautiously.

"Ah, I was beginning to wonder if you'd changed your mind," Harry told the cloaked figure.

"I would never dream of it," the cloaked figure replied. Harry let out a hoarse, cold laugh.

"Come now, I have fewer servants that would not betray me given the opportunity than I have fingers on one hand," Harry felt his face stretch into a painful smile, as if the muscles had nearly never moved in this way.

"You have found everything as I said, I trust?"

"Indeed," the cloaked figure replied. "It was not easy meeting on such short notice however." Harry smirked.

"Are you prepared for it?" The cloaked figure made a motion like it was nodding underneath the cloth.

"I am, my Lord," the voice called back. "I will deliver Potter to you." Harry felt himself let out another raspy laugh and his vision began to change. For a moment he thought he might have woken up, but what he saw appeared to now be the same scene from the view of the cloaked figure.

Harry felt his eyes burn as they settled on the horrifying visage of Voldemort, laughing almost mockingly. Voldemort's laughter died, and as it did, he looked back at the cloaked figure, and Harry looked into his eyes, directly into his cold, red eyes. Harry woke up screaming, clutching his scar like he had so many times before.

He was covered in sweat and breathing heavily. He checked the clock; it was barely past three in the morning... Harry rubbed his eyes. They still felt like they burned from the dream, not to mention how his scar was throbbing. The pain in both quickly faded though and Harry simply lied there for a while going over the dream in his head.

It was just like the other visions he'd had before, except for the fact that he saw things from the cloaked figure's point of view for a few moments. That had never happened before, Harry thought. He'd seen things from Nagini's eyes and Voldemort's eyes, but never from someone else. He'd seen other people, never never seen other people's vision.

Perhaps Voldemort was possessing the figure, Harry reasoned silently. But that wouldn't make sense either, Harry thought. Voldemort had been talking to the figure. Why would he talk with a man he was possessing? It didn't seem to make much sense. Harry looked back at the clock. He'd already been lying there for ten minutes. Harry sighed and drew himself out of bed.

There was no use in trying to go back to sleep, the vision was too fresh in his mind. He'd have to wait until he could talk to Ron and Hermione about it. Harry walked down the stairs rubbing his eyes. Today was September 1st, he realized; they were heading to Platform 9 ¾ later that day, and then back to Hogwarts.

Harry laughed at the thought of the train ride. Getting to Hogwarts had always been its own adeventure he thought almost wistfully. Ron would be finishing up his homework on the way there, Harry thought to himself, which would probably put Hermione in a bad mood since she'd have to take care of prefect duties by herself.

The holiday had been rather varied, Harry thought to himself. The last few weeks had by far been the best part of it though. He'd simply relaxed around the house, doing things like playing games of Exploding Snap. He'd even begun to read through the book Hermione had given him for his birthday, forming pictures in his head about how he might use them in a D.A. meeting.

Harry didn't think he'd actually hold any more D.A. meetings, but the experience hadn't been a bad one, he noted. It made him consider that teaching wouldn't be quite that bad either, although Harry wasn't quite ready to give up on being an Auror. The idea of actually being out there, being active, instead of trapped inside a castle was still far too appealing to him.

Harry was drawn from his thoughts as he entered the dining room and saw Mr. Weasley sitting there with a glass of an amber looking drink. Mr Weasley turned and greeted him with a warm smile.

"Bit early to be getting up for the train, Harry," he said calmly. "What brings you to the dining room so early in the morning?"

"I had a dream," Harry told him, shifting uncomfortably. "Couldn't get back to sleep."

"Ah, yes, well that will happen," he replied, turning back to his glass. Harry paused for a minute before deciding to inquire.

"Is anything wrong, Mr. Weasley?" Harry saw the man shift a bit before he responded.

"Nothing in particular Harry," he reassured him. "Please, call me Arthur. We've known each other for long enough." Harry nodded as he took a seat opposite the man. "It's just everything together Harry. Don't worry," he added with a grin, motioning to the glass. "I'm not drowning my worries away, just couldn't sleep and thought a bit of warmth would send me off." Arthur sighed. "I fear I'm probably in the same boat as you are though. No more sleep for the night."

Harry nodded in reply. He wasn't quite sure why, but it seemed like there was something the man wanted to talk about.

"So, what's on your mind Mr. We - Arthur." Harry forced himself to use Mr. Weasley's first name.

"Oh, this and that," Arthur replied. "Not the sort of things that a teenager should really be worried about, you know?" Harry nodded his head even though he wasn't quite sure what that was supposed to mean. Arthur took another sip and looked back up at Harry.

"You and Ron... you guys don't go looking for trouble... do you?" Arthur looked at him with a meaningful expression. It was a serious question, Harry realized.

"Well, not exactly," Harry said. "Most of the time trouble finds us. But we don't just ignore it," Harry said confidently. "We can't, you know?" Arthur nodded and Harry wondered if he was the one nodding falsely this time. "We... we don't go looking for anything, but we can't just stand by and let things happen. It wouldn't be right." Arthur continued to nod.

"I know what you mean, Harry." He looked back down at his glass. "I feel exactly the same way about the Order. I don't want my family to go looking for trouble... but still we can't do nothing, right?" Harry thought he was beginning to understand what exactly was on Arthur's mind.

"Mr. W - Arthur, everyone else wants to help. I don't think anyone wants trouble, but..." Harry thought about what Sirius would say; what Hermione might say. "If not us, then who? You know? If we don't do something, then who will?" The words came to Harry's surprise as much as Arthur's, and Harry stopped for a moment the think about what he'd said.

It did make sense, but Harry'd never thought of it like that. He smiled. Thinking about it like that was rather comforting actually; it made the prophecy seem a lot less intimidating than before.

"Yes, Molly says the same thing all the time." Arthur chuckled to himself. "I always find that funny, actually. She's the one most concerned about everyone's safety... it's constantly on her mind, but she always tells me exactly why we're doing this whenever I bring it up." Arthur looked back up at Harry. "Thanks Harry, you're a much older soul that you should be." Harry was taken aback at the complement.

"Err.. thank you," he mumbled.

"Harry, please look after Ron," Arthur told him in a way that was more sincere than anything Harry had ever heard him say. There was no trace of the slightly eccentric, Muggle obsessed youth in his face. "Ron needs you... he'd be lost without you and Hermione, and I think it frustrates him. Like he doesn't want to need either of you." Harry looked down.

"Needing friends isn't weakness," Harry muttered softly.

"Exactly, Harry. Just look after him, please." Harry looked back up again and Arthur took another sip from his glass. "I worry about him more than any of the others." He paused for a moment. "Maybe even because of the others." Harry wasn't quite sure what he meant again, but he nodded all the same.

"I'll do my best... Arthur." The older man smiled as he rose from his seat and drank the last of his amber drink.

"Well, should at least try to sleep." Arthur walked over to the door. "Thanks for the talk Harry. Best of luck at school this year."

Harry sat back in the chair for a moment, thinking about the things he'd said. They'd made sense, just not until he'd already said them. Harry rubbed his temples and rose from the seat. A little more sleep would definitely not hurt, he decided.

Harry awoke smoothly later that morning. He wasn't sure what had woken him this time, but he was sure it wasn't a dream. In fact, Harry felt an odd sense of being at peace as he opened his eyes. Ron was still asleep next to his bed, snoring lightly, (for Ron anyway), the first rays of Sun streaming in through the only window in the room.

He was just about to remove his covers and get dressed for the day when the door opened slowly, revealing Arthur Weasley already in his robes. He looked at Harry with a bit of surprise.

"Oh, already up then." He smiled. "Well, make sure to get Ron up. We don't want to be late for the train." Arthur closed the door behind him, leaving Harry alone with the still fast asleep red-head.

Harry quickly got ready to leave, and woke Ron up as he was packing his trunk. Hedwig, whom he had let out during the night to stretch her wings before the long train ride, had returned to her cage sometime while he slept, and was just lifting her head as Ron grumpily began to pull on some clothes.

"Why does the train have to leave so early?" Ron muttered tiredly. Harry was going to point out that the train left at eleven o'clock, which could only ever be called "early" by Ron, but decided that his time would be better spent organizing his trunk so that everything fit.

"What time is it?" Ron asked, still groggy. Harry glanced at the clock.

"Nearly nine." Ron grunted and walked out of the room to use the facilities after putting on his clothes quickly.

Despite starting slow, it was not long before everyone was in the front room, trunks packed and ready, and they still had just over an hour to get there. Ginny was looking through her trunk one last time before they left, assuring she had left nothing out, while Hermione simply looked over a sheet of parchment which Harry could only assume was a checklist. Ron, however, was talking to his father.

"How are we getting there?" he asked in what Harry recognized as a still drowsy voice.

"Yes, well, the Ministry didn't have anything to spare this time, so we thought it would be fun to get there the Muggle way!" Molly Weasley gave him an admonishing look.

"You mean we actually have to go there in a normal cor?" Ron asked impatiently.

"It's called a car," Hermione corrected, not looking up from her list. Ron turned to reply.

"Well I don't care what it's called, it's slow!" He turned back to his father. "Who is going to drive it?"

"Well actually," Arthur started, "we're taking two cars." He seemed absolutely thrilled at the prospect. "One of you will ride with Hermione and her parents, and the other two will ride with me and your mother." He looked out the front window approvingly. "We had to use two cars you know, since these really are Muggle vehicles. Not even any space enlarging charms." Harry's eyes darted to the door nervously.

"Umm, no charms at all, Mr. Weasley?" His smile in response was answer enough.

"Not a single one! They even run on peter!" Harry stifled a chuckle.

"Actually, it's called petrol, Mr. Weasley," Hermione told him far more graciously than she had Ron. Harry, who was again looking nervously at the door, spoke up.

"Umm," he began, trying to find the words that wouldn't insult anyone. "I was wondering if it would be alright if I rode with Hermione and her parents." He turned and looked at Hermione for a moment who glanced up at him from the parchment in her hand. "I, er, never really got the chance to meet them properly," he rambled.

While strictly speaking it was true, it was not the reason Harry wanted to ride with Hermione's parents. For all of his good intentions and good naturedness, Harry was not certain that he was comfortable climbing into a car that had no charms on it when Mr. Weasley was driving. Arthur looked at him with a flicker of disappointment before proclaiming that such a thing was quite alright indeed.

Hermione's parents arrived within the next five minutes, and they all piled out of the house, trunks in tow, when they heard the unique sound of the car horn. Harry loaded his trunk into the back of the SUV that the Grangers were driving, looking over at the near identical SUV that the Weasleys were packing.

Making sure that Hedwig was quite secure, Harry opened one of the side doors and climbed up into his seat, buckling his safety belt like his Aunt and Uncle had taught Dudley to. Hermione climbed into the other door moments later, and after a friendly wave from Arthur behind them, they set out towards Kings Cross.

"Nice to meet you again," Mrs. Granger said warmly, turning in her seat so that she could see his face. "Harry, right?"

"Of course it's Harry," her husband said jokingly. "Black hair and a scar? Who else has our daughter told us about with that description." Both Harry and Hermione received very light blushes on their faces as Mrs. Granger turned back to him.

"You'll have to excuse my husband here. He always feels a little touchy about saying goodbye to Hermione after the short time we get to see her." Harry felt an immediate wave of guilt at this. He knew, of course, that Hermione didn't get to spend much time with her parents, but, he told himself, that wasn't his fault. Or at least, not his idea. True, many of the missed holidays had been because of something that was happening to Harry, but it's not as if Harry had asked Hermione to be with him instead of her parents. That revelation, however, also made him feel guilty, although for entirely different reasons that Sirius had been kind enough to point out.

"Hermione tells us that you came from a non-magic family as well," Mr. Granger said, glancing up in his mirror.

"Well-," Harry was cut off by Hermione, who seemed mildly embarrassed by her parents conversation.

"He lives with a Muggle family," she explained to them. "His parents were magical." Harry got a crooked grin on his face and turned back to Mrs. Granger.

"Yeah, I live with my Aunt and Uncle." The two adults passed a look between the two of them at the mention of his Aunt and Uncle, and Harry shot his own look over at Hermione. Just what has she told them?

"Hermione says that you're both dentists, Mrs. Granger?" Harry offered, trying to change the subject. She turned back to him with a startled look on her face.

"Goodness, call me Grace. My husband's name is Howard." Harry nodded in comprehension. "Yes, we're both dentists over on the other side of London," she said merrily. "We believe that your teeth are better looked after by good old fashioned care and attention then magic, not that we have anything against magic. But still, some things can't be done simply by the wave of a hand." Grace looked over at Hermione giving her a meaningful stare, and Harry suddenly recalled how she'd had Madam Pomfery shrink her two front teeth down to a size more in line with her mouth after a certain prank by Malfoy.

Hermione just rolled her eyes and looked back out the window on her right, watching the buildings pass by.

"So we hear you're quite the hero," Grace said, turning her attention back to Harry. Harry got somewhat upset at the comment.

"I don't even remember it, really," he told them, dismissing the praise. Grace looked at him quizzically.

"They don't mean with your parents," Hermione explained to him. "They mean at school." A look of sudden realization crossed Harry's face, and he laughed softly to himself.

"Oh, well, yeah, I wouldn't call that heroism," Harry told them. "We just... do what we have to, you know? Right place, right time; that sort of thing." Hermione looked back over at him with a knowing stare. She, of course, did not agree with a word of what he'd just said, and he could still hear her berating voice warning him of his 'saving people thing'.

"Well that's kind of what makes someone special, isn't it?" Howard said. "If you're in the right place at the right time enough times, that kind of does make you different, doesn't it?" Harry had no idea why they were both being so insistent on puffing up his reputation, but stayed silent to avoid outright disagreeing with them. Hermione, for her part, was now looking at her dad with a disbelieving look on her face.

"We just want to make sure our little girl is safe," Howard said, as if he was finishing an unspoken thought. Harry finally understood where they were going.

"Well, I certainly don't try to be in the right place, but it's Hermione here who always makes sure I get out of it." Hermione looked at him sharply, her expression somewhere in between pleased and distraught.

"Oh ho! Is that right?" Howard said rather loudly. Harry grinned.

"Yeah, honestly, Hermione is the only reason I ever get out of anything. Glad she's there, cause otherwise I wouldn't be here." Grace turned to her daughter with a look of approval on her face, while Hermione seemed mildly embarrassed at the attention. "Brightest witch at Hogwarts, I say," Harry finished with a mischievous smile.

Her parents seemed to decide that that particular answer meant the topic warranted no further discussion and the rest of the short car ride was relatively quiet. Within another ten minutes, Harry and Hermione were unpacking their trunks as the Weasley's pulled up behind them. Before the car even came to a complete stop, Ginny and Ron opened the doors and bolted for the sidewalk. Harry looked at them amused.

"That was one of the scariest things of my life," Ron told Harry in a disturbed fashion. Harry simply laughed and helped Ron and Ginny remove their trunks. With quick goodbyes, the Grangers drove away, leaving the Arthur and Molly to accompany the four through the barrier.

As he came out on the other side, Harry immediately felt at ease. There was something comforting about the smell of the engine, the sound of the platform that made Harry feel like he was coming home. Ginny walked off with her trunk towards Dean Thomas, who was in the middle of an animated conversation with Seamus.

Ron and Hermione started to walk towards the nearest car with their trunks in tow, when Mr. Weasley stopped Harry, pulling him aside.

"Hey Harry," Arthur told him, looking back at the train for a moment. "I just wanted to thank you for the talk we had this morning. You may be sixteen, but it seems that you've learned certain lessons from life quickly." Harry didn't quite agree, considering he wasn't sure what those lessons were. "Look after Ron for me, alright?"

"Okay," Harry replied, nodding his head. The older man smiled.

"Well, don't want to miss the train!" Harry nodded again and drove his cart over to the train. It took him a few minutes to find the compartment Ron and Hermione had settled in, and he sat down with a satisfied grunt after storing his belongings.

Ron was in the middle of explaining why he thought that he shouldn't have to go to the Prefect meeting later during the train, and Harry rolled his eyes, knowing better than to get involved. Just as the train began to pull away, Ginny knocked on the compartment door with Luna standing right next to her. Harry simply nodded his approval through the glass, and Ginny opened the door, drawing Ron and Hermione's attention.

"Hello again," Luna told them in her ever wispy voice. "Glad to see you all made it back this year." Ginny looked between them, a smile on her face that Ron did not appear to be comfortable with.

"So," Ron began. "How's, uh, Dean?" Ginny looked gloweringly at Ron.

"He's fine," she said icily. "Not that it's any of your business." Luna, who seemed completely oblivious to the tension between the siblings, pulled out a copy of the Quibbler and began to read intently... or at least something like reading.

"I was just asking," Ron told her defensively. "No reason to bite my head off!" Ginny stared at him disbelieving.

"I know exactly what you were asking, Ronald." Luna looked at the pair over her Quibbler at the mention of Ron's proper name. "And let me tell you right now, if I find out that so much as asked Dean about it twice, I'll tell Mum about the rice pudding!" A look of almost terror began to cross Ron's face. He just about to make a reply when there was another knock at the compartment door.

"Who is it?" Harry asked politely.

"It's me," came the soft voice. Harry recognized it immediately as Cho Chang, but wasn't quite sure how he wanted to respond.

"Come in," he replied after pondering for a moment. The door slid open, revealing Cho already dressed in her school outfit. She looked every bit as pretty as Harry remembered her, her hair straight and flowing, her eyes dark, but for some reason Harry didn't feel anything at taking the sight of her in.

Cho glanced around the compartment and shared a brief look of displeasure with Hermione, who Harry noticed with some surprise, returned the look in kind.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked turning to Harry. He nodded his head and stood to follow her out of the compartment, shutting the door behind them.

"What is it?" Harry asked. He realized as he was saying it that he didn't have that hopeful tone that seemed to let girls know you were hanging on their every word. Instead it just sounded like your average question. He felt a bit of satisfaction at realizing this.

"I..." she stopped and looked down the corridor both ways. Without warning she pressed her lips against his, albeit softly, before pulling back leaving a stunned Harry in front of her. "I'm sorry," she told him finally. "I was wrong. About... you and about my friends. And..." she seemed to pause as if the next words were truly painful. "About Hermione."

Harry, who was still completely dumbstruck by being accosted, simply stood there, waiting for her to continue.

"I want to start over again," Cho told him, putting her hands on his shoulders and getting much closer than Harry thought was necessary. "I want to take another shot at... things," she told him vaguely. Harry, who was just beginning to recover his composure, gave her a calculating stare.

"You weren't there," Harry told her simply. She looked at him confused. "I'm not... I don't mean this in a bad way, Cho," he glanced down at her clothes then back up to her face. "But you... and me... that was part of a life... before my little trip to the Ministry." She gently let go of his shoulders and he walked around a bit trying to collect his thoughts.

"It's nothing personal, I mean, you're a great looking girl," Harry reminded her, thinking that probably wasn't the most suave way to phrase it. "But my life is different now. I don't feel the same... about anything. You weren't there, at the Ministry, to see it all happen, to know where I am and what life is like for me now." Cho's eyes watered and her lip quivered ever so slightly.

"I could," she told him quickly. "I could if you would just let me." Harry shook his head.

"It's not you, it's just, when I look at you now, it's like that was part of a different life of mine, one that I don't have anymore." A few tears ran down Cho's cheek. He really didn't like it when girls cried. "But... I wouldn't mind becoming friends, I suppose." She wiped her face.

"I... I think I'd like that," she said, although Harry thought that the look on her face said it was definitely not what she would like. He chalked it up to her being a girl. "And... maybe sometime... in the future?" Harry sighed.

"Look, I honestly don't know what the future will be. But it's not the most likely outcome." Harry nodded to himself; that summed it up properly, he thought. Cho looked deflated, and yet, at the same time hopeful.

"Alright," she told him, finally getting her face dry. "Thanks, Harry." She gave him a smile that was so genuine, for a minute Harry felt a twinge, as if her smile made him feel reassured. But just as quickly as it was there, it was gone, and Cho turned around and started walking down the corridor.

As Harry made to open the door again, he saw Neville pass by Cho as she left, and waved to him from across the corridor.

"Hey, Neville," Harry said with enthusiasm. It was nice to see a friendly face after his last conversation. "Would you like to join us?" Neville looked at the compartment door before turning to Harry and nodding.

"That'd be great, I was looking for a spot to sit." Harry pulled the door open to find the room rather quiet. Ron was scribbling on a piece of parchment and Ginny was playing Exploding Snap, while Hermione and Luna read, although Harry felt that what they were reading was probably miles apart.

Everyone looked up to see who had entered the compartment and broke into smiles as they saw Harry return with Neville. Harry sat down in between Hermione and Luna, leaning back into his seat.

"So what'd she want?" Ron asked quickly. Harry closed his eyes for a moment.

"She wanted to get back together again," Harry told them. Ginny looked up from the game, and Luna dropped her Quibbler to pay attention, but Hermione seemed to shrink further behind her book.

"No kidding?" Ron said in an amused tone. "What about that bloke that she was dating... Michael?" Harry actually was surprised for a moment.

"Umm... didn't ask actually. She kind of surprised me with the kiss." Hermione lowered her book at that and gave Harry a chiding look. Everyone else however looked surprised by this turn of events.

"Kiss!?" Ron said exasperatedly. "You snogged her?" Harry shook his head immediately.

"Of course not. All I asked her was what she wanted, then she went and planted one." Ginny started snickering into her hands, but Ron had a look of wonder on his face.

"Blimey, if only all women were that straightforward." Ron left the rest of the thought unfinished.

"So what did you tell her?" Hermione asked in a calm voice.

"Well... I don't know exactly what I told her actually, it all just kinda came out." Harry stopped for a second. "I told her that I wasn't interested in that anymore, but that if she wanted to try being friends, I would do that."

"What!?" Ron looked almost beside himself. "You turned her down? Why!?" Ron's eyes flicked over to his sister for almost an imperceptible moment. "Did you have someone else in mind?" Harry shook his head.

"No, it's just... she's not part of my life anymore. Not like that. Not after the night." Everyone seemed to glance around the room at that comment, and it struck Harry that all six of them were here, in this very compartment. He had a sudden inspiration.

"Hey," he started, drawing all of their attention back to him. "I want the five of you to know... no matter what happens this year... well... thanks for everything you guys did." Harry looked at Neville, Ginny and Luna. When he had first realized they were coming his immediate reaction had been that they were not his first choices. Now, however, Harry could not imagine a better trio to accompany him, Ron and Hermione on any of their dangerous excursions.

Neville got a bit red from the indirect praise, but that made Harry feel even better about giving it. In fact, as he looked at the others, all of them, including Ron and Hermione, seemed to have proud grins on their faces. The moment lasted for a few seconds before Hermione spotted the time and sighed.

"Let's go, Ron," she said plainly. "We have to go to the Prefect car and listen to the announcements from the Head Boy and Head Girl." Ron grumbled as he set down what must have been the last of his homework. Evidentially Hermione had already done the work of, er, convincing Ron to do his prefect duties.

"We'll be back soon," Ron assured Harry. "I hope..."

Ron and Hermione returned two hours later looking thoroughly exhausted. Harry could never understand what was so tiring about telling people they were breaking a rule, but then he'd never been a prefect.

They were just getting settled back in when a familiar voice rang out from the still open door.

"Well, well, well." Harry turned and saw Malfoy, flanked by his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle. "It's the whole gang, isn't it?" Malfoy smirked at them. "I guess that makes you all special, doesn't it?" Harry looked around the room briefly.

"We all got to see you're dad unmasked. I'd say that's pretty special." Malfoy's eyes flashed dangerously.

"I'd watch your mouth, Potter, or that may be all that's left of you when I'm done." Harry rolled his eyes. Malfoy was in no way intimidating after the events of last year.

"I'd watch your fingers, because I am done," Harry said shortly. Malfoy got a confused look on face until Harry started slamming the door shut. Malfoy barely moved out of the way in time to save them, and could be heard cursing from the other side of the door. He seemed to pause, as if considering opening the door again, but he must have thought better of it, because him and his two fellow Slytherins left the corridor outside their compartment shortly thereafter.

"That was brilliant!" Ron exclaimed. "What came over you?" Harry shrugged.

"I don't know... just seemed kind of pointless putting up with him after all we went through in the Ministry." Ron and Neville nodded in agreement, while the three girls all grinned.

The rest of the trip passed rather uneventfully, to Harry's pleasure, and it wasn't long before the train was pulling to a stop at the Hogsmead station. The six of them departed together and began walking towards the carriages, when suddenly Hermione, Ron and Ginny all stopped walking.

Harry stopped and looked back at them. They had horrified looks on their faces, and following their stares, he realized that they must be seeing the Thestrals for the first time. He walked back over to the three of them.

"Hey, don't worry, they've always been there," Harry told them in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "You can just, you know, see them now." The three of them seemed to snap out of their stare and start moving again. When the got into the carriage with Luna and Neville, Ron turned to Harry with very wide eyes.

"Those things look... monstrous," Ron stated. "You never told us they looked so shocking." Harry just sort of shrugged.

"How was I supposed to describe them to you?" Ron nodded.

"Right you are mate."

The Thestrals were quickly forgotten by the time they reached the castle though, as Ron was now complaining rather loudly that dinner was too far off.

"I don't know why they insist on sorting all the little midgets into their houses before dinner," Ron said. "It takes bloody forever."

"Ron," Hermione started in her that-wasn't-a-nice-thing-to-say tone. "What would you prefer they do, make all of the first years stand around while we ate?"

"I don't see why not," Ron argued. Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed, as if giving up.

The sorting ceremony was interesting as always. Harry rather enjoyed seeing the sorting, but that might be due to the fact that he hadn't seen too many of them while he was here at Hogwarts. After the last student had been sorted, (a Hufflepuff by the name of Marcus Zander), Dumbledore stood to speak to the students.

"We have a few announcements this year. Announcements we will get to right after we're done eating." And with that, Dumbledore sat back down and the plates in front of them filled with food. Harry had to admit he was hungry, as he saw Ron dive in like a ravenous animal, but he wasn't that hungry.

Harry chuckled as he picked up some giblet gravy for the potatoes he was just putting on his plate. He looked over at Neville, who was sitting across from them, and noticed a wand poking out of his pocket.

"Got a new wand Neville?" Harry asked lightly. Neville looked down at it then back up at Harry.

"Yeah," he broke into a smile. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved having my dad's wand, but this... I feel like I can really do things with this wand." He looked around as if checking for a spy before continuing. "Gran was furious that I broke my dad's wand, but I had the pieces still, so she took them from me and got me a new one from Ollivander's. I don't know what it is, but ever since things have just come a bit easier." Neville finished with a confident smile that Harry had never really seen on his face before.

It was good to see Neville so happy. Especially after what happened at the Ministry, Harry told himself. Harry grinned at Neville and turned back to his meal, which was far and above excellent. Coming home was certainly nice.

As he was about to take another bite, he felt a tug at his arm.

"Who do you suppose that is?" Hermione asked, pointing to a new face at the faculty table. Ron, oblivious to anything that wasn't on his plate, ignored the question. Harry looked up to see for himself. The man was what Harry could only describe as average, which made him stand out quite a lot among most witches and wizards. His hair was brown a medium length, combed flat, and he was neither remarkably skinny nor noticeably chubby. In fact, Harry had a hard time picking out a distinctive feature about the man at all until Harry caught his eyes for a moment. His eyes were shockingly green.

"Dunno," Harry replied after a moment of thought. "S'pose he'd be the new Dark Arts professor, right?" Hermione nodded and Harry turned back to the faculty table. From the way Snape was glaring at the man, it had to be the case.

Harry put the thoughts from his mind, figuring that Dumbledore would probably say something about it when they were done, and continued on with his meal.

They sat eating for a while, conversations about the preceding summer bouncing back and forth. Amazingly, or so Harry thought, Ron managed to get by with only a glare at Dean the entire time. That was probably due to the quality, and quantity, of the food in front of him instead of actual self-restraint though.

As everyone began to get their fill however, the Great Hall started to quiet, and before too long Professor Dumbledore rose again, and with the flick of a wrist, cleared the tables. The room feel silent as everyone awaited this years announcements.

"First, I would like to begin with a constant reminder that the Forbidden Forest is just that, forbidden, and no student should be venturing into it unless on official school business accompanied by a member of the faculty.

"Next, comes a reminder from Mr. Filch that magic is not to be used between classes, and that he has added several new items to the list of banned materials, all of which you may see outside his office. I believe that anything with the name Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes on it has found its way on to that sheet." Dumbledore looked over at Ron with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Finally, I would like to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Felix Felicis." Dumbledore stepped aside and the man Hermione and Harry had been surveying earlier stood, waving to the room. A polite applause rose from the students, though from the looks on everyone's faces, Harry could tell that no one seemed to be familiar with the new professor. Dumbledore took his place in front of the podium again.

"Professor Felicis joins us as a friend of the Ministry's, although," Dumbledore assured, smiling at the conversation that bubbled up at that comment. "Professor Felicis is simply here from out of the country on their behalf, not as an official representative." Harry could almost feel the Great Hall breathe a collective sigh of relief.

"And on that note, I think it's about time to turn in," the Headmaster observed simply, and with that, the Great Hall rose as a single mass of students and headed for their dorms. As they piled into the Gryffindor common room, Harry shared brief meaningful looks between Ginny, Hermione, Neville and Ron.

"A friend of the Ministry, huh?" Ron said speculatively. "I wonder whose Ministry." Ginny and Neville nodded in agreement.

"Well, nows not the time to discuss it," Hermione assured them. "We should get some sleep for our classes tomorrow. Our first class in the morning is Potions." A dark look crossed Harry's face, but Ginny smiled cheerfully.

"I don't have to see Snape until Wednesday," she proclaimed, and with that, climbed the stairs to her dormitory. Harry and Ron said goodnight to Hermione, and went up the stairs to the sixth year boys dorm with Neville close behind.

They entered to find Seamus and Dean already making up their beds, apparently ready to turn in. Dean caught Ron's eye, and for a tense moment as the rest of the room watched, they stared at each other, as if playing a game of chicken. Finally, Ron broke the silence.

"You hurt her, I'll kill you." Dean stared back at Ron.

"Right." And with that, everyone carried on. The single exchange seemed to encompass everything that either had to say to one another, and from what Harry could see, they both finished getting ready for bed without so much as a single glare between them. Harry crawled into his bed, glad to finally feel the familiar sheets against his skin, and with thoughts of a brand new term in front of him, drifted off to sleep seemingly without a care in the world.