Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, it belongs to JK Rowling, etc etc.
Authors Note: Thanks for the Reviews - you guys rock. They finally get on their way to Hogwarts in this chapter (Finally! I hear you cheer), but as you'll soon see, it's not going to be as easy as usual. Hope you all enjoy!
The first of September arrived and it was time to go back to Hogwarts. Harry, Hermione, Draco, Ginny and Ron had everything packed and ready the night before, so the usual morning bustle was avoided. In fact, the morning had a kind of strange air to it, like it was the calm before the storm. To say everyone was on edge was an understatement. Harry remembered the feeling; because it was the same feeling he had had before Voldemort attacked Hogwarts.
Despite this, life went on, and Harry and the rest of the group of Hogwarts bound teenagers left Grimmauld Place with an honour escort of Aurors (on Dumbledore's orders) and members of the Order of the Phoenix, including Sirius, Remus, Mrs. Weasley and Tonks. The streets around Grimmauld Place were empty, with not even a gallivanting cat in sight. This only served to increase Harry's suspicions.
"Relax," Hermione murmured from his side, taking his hand in her own, "I doubt anything will happen, what with our honour guard and everything."
"Yeah," Draco said, from his other side, "not even Voldemort is stupid enough to attack you in broad daylight and with all these Aurors and Order members around."
"I'm not worried about that," Harry said, but didn't bother to elaborate. Hermione and Draco shared a look, perfectly timed, but didn't press him either. They both knew it would do no good. Once Harry was set on something, there was not much you could do to change his mind.
They reached Kings Cross with no note worthy incidents, crossing through the invisible doorway onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. As customary, the train was waiting for them, but the platform was strangely lifeless, continuing the ongoing theme. It seemed it wasn't just Grimmauld Place that was on edge, but the entire wizarding world in general - whereas before the platform would have been a mass of noise, the entire place was quiet, almost dead.
Families exchanged goodbyes quietly and sedately, before the children boarded the train and found a compartment. There was no excitement, as was usual from most of the students, just a sort of thinly veiled terror at having to leave their families and return to Hogwarts. It was clear that most no longer saw Hogwarts as a place of refuge, after Voldemort waltzed in last term.
Harry said goodbye to Sirius, Remus and Mrs. Weasley, before leading Hermione and Draco onto the train. Ron and Ginny followed shortly after, quickly saying goodbye to their mother. They found an empty compartment and entered. Harry placed both his and Hermione's trunks overhead, whilst Draco saw to his own. Ginny and Ron arrived then. Draco extended his hand to Ginny, offering to put her trunk up for her. Ginny smiled a little and handed her trunk over.
"We have to go to the Prefects compartment," Draco said, motioning to Hermione.
"Oh yeah," Hermione said, giving Harry a sad smile. "Sorry, but we'll be as quick as we can."
"Yeah," Draco echoed her.
"Okay," Harry said.
"Bye," Hermione said, giving him a quick kiss before following Draco out.
The compartment fell silent, as Harry sat down and propped his feet up on the seat across from him. Ginny took a seat beside Harry's feet and looked at Harry for a moment, before transferring her eyes to Ron, who was standing in the doorway with his hands in his pockets. Ron sighed, looking around the compartment aimlessly.
"Ron," Ginny said, impatiently. "Sit down."
Ron looked at Harry, who was looking out the window. He shook his head minutely and turned to Ginny.
"Nah," he said, "I'm going to go find Seamus and Dean. Later."
Ron left the compartment with a faint wave, closing the door behind him. Ginny sighed and looked at Harry, who was still looking out the window. She laid her head back on the seat, looking at the roof of the compartment, idling tapping her fingers on the seat cushion.
"Why don't you go find your friends?" Harry said, breaking the silence. Ginny looked at him again, but found he was still staring out the window.
"I'm okay here," Ginny said. "Besides, I don't want to leave you on your own, that's not fair."
Harry laughed lightly. "Really," he said, "I'm fine. You don't have to stay here if you don't want too."
"Actually," Ginny said, "I want to be here."
"How come?" Harry asked her.
"I don't know," Ginny said, shrugging. "I just…I guess I feel like I don't belong out there, with them, you know? They're not in the middle of it, like us. The war I mean."
"I see," Harry said.
"Not that it doesn't…mean anything to them," Ginny said, pausing to come up with the right way to word things. "The War still impacts them, but it's different for us. They don't have to fight it, but we do."
"You think you have to fight?" Harry asked, finally turning away from the window to look at Ginny.
"Well," Ginny paused in thought again, "I…my family is part of the Order. You Know Who killed my father. He tried to kill me…twice…and he…tortured Draco. I think I have a right to be in this fight."
"Maybe," Harry said, "but is that really what you want?"
"I don't think want is the word," Ginny said. "I think I need to be in this fight."
Harry regarded her thoughtfully for a few moments, before nodding and looking out the window again. He could see the fire in her eyes, the same fire he'd seen in Hermione's eyes when he first met her. Ginny needed to prove something to herself and she thought that the only way to do that was to help fight Voldemort. Harry had no idea if that was really true or not, but he wouldn't stand in her way.
The two fell silent again. It wasn't long before the train jerked into motion, slowly speeding up and leaving the platform behind. Harry looked out the window, watching the scenery flash by. He was soon brought out of his trance when the compartment door opened again. His hand was instantly on his wand, his head turning to face the doorway.
"Thank Merlin," Neville Longbottom said, entering the compartment, "I've been looking for you for ages. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten to get on the train."
"Hey Neville," Harry said, easing his hand of his wand and relaxing.
"Hey Harry," Neville returned, taking a seat next to Harry. He looked across and gave Ginny a grin. "Hey Ginny."
"Hi Neville," Ginny said, giving him a return smile.
"Where's Hermione?" Neville asked.
"Hermione and Draco are Head Boy and Girl," Ginny answered, "so they had to go to the Prefects compartment. Ron's gone to find Seamus and Dean."
"Ah," Neville said, nodding.
"Congratulations on passing your Apparition test." Ginny said, still smiling at Neville.
"Oh, no prob… I mean…thanks," Neville blundered, blushing madly, "I wouldn't have been able to do it if it weren't for Harry. He's a great teacher."
Harry looked at Ginny, who was smiling sweetly. He shook his head a little and went back to looking out of the window. Figures, he thought, ruefully.
(----)
Ron had looked up and down the train at least four times before he eventually gave up. It looked like Dean and Seamus hadn't gotten on the train. He didn't know the reason, but he suspected it was something to do with You Know Who. Dean was muggle-born, so maybe when he told his parents what was going on they decided not to let him return? He had no idea what Seamus was up to though…
Sighing, Ron sat down in the corridor, leaning against the wall and hooking his hands around his knees. He didn't fancy returning to the compartment and spending the entire train ride in an uncomfortable silence with Potter, so he figured he'd just sit here. Closing his eyes, he let his head loll forward.
"Ronald?" A dreamy voice he was very familiar with called, breaking into his (Not!) sulking.
Ron looked up, meeting the slightly protruding eyes of Luna Lovegood. She was standing above him, holding a book to her chest, with her wand stuck firmly behind her ear. She gave him a quirky smile, wordlessly asking him what he was doing.
"I've nowhere to sit," he grunted.
She just continued to look at him, as if his explanation wasn't good enough for her. He sighed.
"I'm moping, okay?" Ron said, vaguely annoyed.
"Okay," Luna said brightly, as if this was a good thing, before she set off and left him alone, hugging his knees.
Ron shook his head, laughing weakly. "Mental," he muttered, closing his eyes again and attempting to fall asleep.
(----)
The storm hit almost half way during the journey to Hogwarts. Harry, Ginny and Neville sat in their compartment. Harry was still staring out the window, watching the greenery pass him by in a blur, only vaguely aware that Ginny and Neville where sharing a conversation, but about what he had no clue. His eyes scanned outside the window, as if he expected something to suddenly attack the train. He had no idea how right he was.
It started with a loud, echoing bang, like a sonic boom. Neville screwed his face up and covered his ears with his hands, whilst Ginny screamed in shock and followed suit. Harry was on his feet in an instant, wand out. He crossed to the doorway and peered out, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"Harry!" Neville said, getting his attention. "The train's stopping!"
Neville was right. The train was indeed coming to a halt. Harry crossed the compartment and looked out the window again, feeling the train jerking to a stop under his feet.
Harry stared out the window, watching as the green and brown blur become more distinct, finally forming tree trunks and leaves. The train appeared to be stopping in the middle of a forest.
"Harry?" Ginny asked, her voice a high squeak. "What's going on?"
"It's happening," he said.
"It?" Neville asked, looking confused.
"This is what he was waiting for," Harry said. "He's going to strike at us and do it right this time. He's trying to make up for his failure."
"You Know Who?" Ginny gasped.
"Who else?" Harry said, grinding his teeth together in anger. "Come on, they'll be here soon, if not already."
"Death Eaters?" Neville asked, but it really wasn't necessary. He was just stating the obvious.
Harry was back at the door, peering out. It was now filled to the brim with panicking students. He turned to look at Neville and Ginny.
"I need your help," he said.
"Anything," Neville said, standing up.
"…" Ginny was staring at her hands, open and resting on her lap.
"Ginny?" Harry pressed. "Will you help me?"
"I…" Ginny gulped, blinking away her tears of fear, before looking up at Harry. She fisted her hands and nodded.
"Okay," Harry said, "I'm going to Apparate to Hogwarts and get help. I need you guys to get the rest of the students of the train and into the woods. Find someplace to hide, okay?"
"Got it," Neville said, nodding. Ginny copied him.
"Right," Harry said, opening the door to the compartment. "Good luck."
"You too," Harry heard Neville say, before he felt the pressing sensation of Apparition surrounding him, and he was gone.
(----)
"What the hell is going on?" The newly instated fifth year Gryffindor Prefect bellowed. He was standing in the corridor outside the Prefects compartment, watching helplessly as all hell broke loose.
"Hey," Draco shouted, getting the younger boys attention, "get a hold of yourself idiot. You're a Prefect; it's not your job to freak out. It's your job to take charge and help."
"Right," the young Prefect gulped.
"Draco's right," Hermione said, getting the rest of the Prefect's attention, "it's our job to keep order. Everyone, go down the train and make sure nobody panics. Draco and myself will go find out what's going on. The rest of you just make sure nothing bad happens here, okay?"
"Got it," another Prefect said.
Draco and Hermione watched the Prefect's file out of the compartment, before turning to look at each other.
"It's gotta be Voldemort," Draco said, speaking first. "Nothing like this has ever happened before."
"Yeah," Hermione agreed, "this must be what Harry was feeling."
"Probably," Draco said, shaking his head. "So what the hell do we do?"
"Let's see what happened to the driver first," Hermione said.
"Okay," Draco said, following Hermione out of the tiny cabin and into the chaotic corridor. Just as they where about to open the door that led to the front of the train, Ron came barging through the crowd, eyes wide.
"Thank Merlin," he panted, resting his hands on his knees. "What the fuck is going on?"
"Voldemort," Hermione said. "At least, we think. Keep it quiet though, we don't want anyone to panic more than they already are. Do us a favour?"
"What?" Ron asked.
"Help the Prefects keep order, okay?"
"I'll do my best," Ron said, looking over his shoulder at the chaos going on behind him.
The corridor was filled with students bawling their eyes out, screaming at the top of their lungs, shoving each other in a vain attempt to get top safety, running from an unknown. Hermione might have wanted to keep it quiet that Voldemort was probably attacking, but it looked like people had already figured that out for themselves.
"Thanks," Hermione said, giving him a kind smile. He nodded and went back the way he'd come, pushing his way into the crowd and futilely shouting to try and get everyone's attention. It was like watching a pacifist try and convince everyone he wouldn't hurt a fly, but with his fists.
Hermione sighed, before nodding at Draco and leading the way to the front of the train - the front of the train, which was just as bad as the rest of the train. Hermione and Draco had to fight their way through the throng of chaos. Halfway there, they heard an explosion, which only increased the panic around them. Somebody dashed right into Hermione, pushing her out of the way. She hit her hip against the side of the train and gasped in pain. Draco glared at the retreating back of the aggressor, wanting to go and beat the crap out of him, but more worried about Hermione and the current situation.
"You okay?" he asked, putting his body in the way of the chaos.
"Yeah," Hermione wheezed, "I'll be fine. Come on, let's find out what that explosion was."
"Okay," Draco said, but took her arm to help her along. Anyone who came near them was pushed away by Draco, who was intent on not letting anything bad happen to Hermione.
A scream from up ahead only served to increase their speed, especially when they heard the frantic cries of 'Death Eaters!' resonating down the train to reach their ears. They reached the end of the corridor, breaking through the crowd. Hermione leant against the side of the train to get her breath back. Draco watched her for a moment, letting her rest up, before he placed his hand on the door that separated them from the front of the train.
"Ready?" he asked, pulling his wand out.
"Yeah," Hermione replied, pulling her own out.
Together they pushed the door open and stepped into the front section of the train. When he had time to look back on it, Draco would distinctly remember, the first thing he felt when he entered the front of the train was the feel of fingers under his feet. He looked down, not taking in anything at first, but his vision soon became clear. A student lay motionless at his feet. He pulled back, removing his foot from the dead girls fingers. He heard Hermione gasp and looked up to survey the corridor.
The corridor was lined with at least six dead students. Draco could imagine it, the mad dash to the door, running and pushing. The first few would have been picked off easily, but fellow students mostly likely shoved the few in middle down, leaving them behind to be killed. He could see the look on the face of the girl he'd trod on clearly, as she reached the door, hope flashing in her eyes as she made it to the door. However, for whatever reason, she hadn't made it quick enough.
Draco's eyes travelled down the corridor to the three Death Eaters who stood at the very front of the train, wands drawn, grinning faces hidden behind hollow skull masks. His hand clenched around his wand.
"Well look who we have here," one of the Death Eaters hissed, "Mr. Malfoy. I remember you. Come to beg for forgiveness from your Lord again? Going to kiss his feet like you did last time?"
"More like I'm going to send him a message." Draco said, eyes narrowed. Hermione was completely still beside him.
"Oh?" the apparent leader of this particular squad of Death Eaters chuckled. "And what would that message be?"
"Your motionless fucking body, that's what!" Draco shouted, aiming his wand.
The Death Eaters wand was already raised, and at the same time, the two bellowed:
"Stupefy!"
"Crucio!"
(----)
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