The Sad Green Eyes of the Boy Who Lived

The Hogwarts Express would be leaving any moment and Harry was running late as usual. Ever since Sirius died last year, Harry had the most miserable summer of his life. Not one of the letters or calls from his friends could cheer him up. Harry felt alone with no family in the world, no one to hear his troubles or to talk him through times like these. And to top it all off, he had Voldemort watching his every move. Harry Potter is no ordinary boy. Since the moment he was born, the cruelest wizard ever had wanted him dead. Why? Harry would either kill him or he could kill Harry. You think it would be easy to catch a seventeen-year-old and kill him in his sleep. Wrong. Harry Potter made many friends in the five years he's lived in contact with the wizarding world. Many of whom would put his life before their own. Like Sirius. He began to think back about his godfather and how in his third year he had asked Harry to live with him. Even that could not cheer him up. Then the train station came into view. Uncle Vernon, who had been driving him there, pulled up next to the sidewalk and let Harry grab his trunk and Hedwig before leaving immediately. Harry had to hurry inside to make it on time, but before he could reach the platform a gangly red head and a bushy-haired brunette greeted him with a giant hug. So big that it almost knocked the wind out of him. Ron and Hermione grabbed Hedwig and his trunk being extra friendly and asking how his summer went. He knew what they were trying to do because he had told them less than a week ago that he had done nothing the entire time. Ron began to explain how Percy was being his usual annoying self and was having problems at work with Arthur, his father. Harry just adjusted his expressions every so often to match Ron's. Not that he wasn't interested in what Ron had to say, because he was one of the few who could cheer Harry up, but he didn't feel much like talking. The rest of the way on the Hogwarts Express Ron argued with Hermione about who knows what. That was normal however, Hermione liked to talk about books and things she learned. Ron liked to talk about, well, everything else. But when you got right down to it, they liked each other very much. As friends. Only friends. They had very different tastes in dates, which was another thing they disagreed on. Harry stared out the window and it wasn't till Hogwarts was in view that he tuned back in.

"I don't think he's listening Ron."

"What?"

"I don't think he wants to talk about Quidditch after you-know-what happened."

"Actually," Harry chimed in, "I think a little Quidditch would help."

And, of course, no one disagreed. The subject quickly changed after they both got a look from Hermione. The conversation didn't last long, for as quickly as the train arrived at Hogwarts, they were in the Great Hall. Dumbledore welcomed the first years and looked exclusively over at the three when he mentioned the dark forest. They ate, and Harry was in a much better mood since he arrived at Hogwarts and many of his friends from Hogwarts greeted him like an old friend. On the way up to the dormitories Dean started up a conversation.

"I know it's all old news but did anyone hear just how she escaped?"

"Who?" Naturally, every summer Harry was cut-off from the wizarding world and had no idea who they were talking about.

"Arrano. She murdered... what... five, yes five people. Not as loony as some of the others who have been in Azkaban, but you can't be too sane to kill five people at the same time."

As they entered the common room, Harry saw it. A wanted poster with the picture of a woman about in her early twenties hung on the wall. She didn't look too cruel. Actually, the more he thought about it, she seemed pretty harmless and innocent. He changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed but he didn't sleep too long. Ron was awake too.

"Feels strange coming back here now, doesn't it?"

"Yeah it does Harry. Let's go out for a minute." They were walking down the stairs when they saw someone on one of the couches. As they got closer Ron and Harry found themselves face-to-face with the woman from the poster.

"Hello. You two really should be sleeping." Arrano smiled back up at them.