Harry Potter and the Unfulfilled Prophecy

Chapter Six: Express Ride

In the weeks preceding the students' return to Hogwarts, each one of them kept busy in their own way. Harry followed through with what he told Ron. He read both of his Potions books. He hardly had any time to do anything but read, but the thought of seeing Snape flabbergasted was enough to keep him going. He knew the professor would try to find some way to make fun of him. He wouldn't be able to come up with anything pertaining to his course. Harry figured Snape would just revert back to what he always said about Harry: that he was arrogant, just like his father, loved the attention he got, and so on. Harry would be able to get through this, though, as long as Snape couldn't say anything about his grades and intelligence.

Harry had also ventured into the thoughts held in Sirius's pensieve. He saw many things that had made him smile, but also things that had brought back painful memories. The images in themselves weren't painful, but it brought back memories of how Sirius had been. He saw several escapades of the Marauders, his parents' wedding, and many memories of conversations Harry had had with Sirius. He found that, over time, witnessing these events helped him to cope with Sirius's death. He was able to find out more about what kind of a person Sirius was. In Diagon Alley, he had gotten a small instruction manual on how to use a pensieve. He was then able to put several of his memories in there when he felt particularly overwhelmed. He found he was able to access them quite easily and there seemed to be a filing system he had never thought of before.

Hermione locked herself in her bedroom for the remainder of the summer. She was determined to read through all of her new books extremely carefully. She did this every summer, of course. Usually she only had one week to do it, however. So this time she would be able to understand everything contained within the books. She woke up very early and went to bed very late. She left her room only to eat and use the restroom and didn't seem very inclined to talk to anyone because she seemed to be repeating memorized lines in her head.

Ron and Ginny kept busy practicing their Quidditch skills in the backyard. It didn't seem fitting that Grimmauld Place should have a backyard, but it did. Along with the rest of the house, the backyard disappeared so that no muggle would be able to witness two teenagers flying on broomsticks. Ginny wanted to be a Chaser, so she wanted to practice a lot with her quaffle-handling skills. Ron also wanted to practice his skills as Keeper, so Ginny would shoot quaffles while Ron would try to block them. By the end of the three weeks, both of them had improved quite a lot with their skills.

The day before the students were going to leave for King's Cross Station, Mrs. Weasley reminded them to pack all of their things. Tonks stopped by to see how things were going and to wish them all luck for the coming school year. She told them that she wouldn't be able to talk to them much at first because they're not supposed to really know each other. The Order was still an incredibly secret operation and if other found out about Tonks, that could mean danger for her and other members. Harry remembered how helpful she had been with packing last summer so he went down and talked to her.

"Er... Tonks?" Harry asked her quietly.

"You'll have to be calling me Professor Tonks starting when we get to Hogwarts, but for right now that's fine," she said with a smile, "What can I do for you, Harry?"

"Well, I was just wondering... Mrs. Weasley has told all of us to get our things packed into our trunks and, well, I remembered that you made it a lot easier last summer. I was wondering if you could maybe help us with ours? It would make it go a lot faster," Harry said hopefully.

"Sure," Tonks said, smiling at the fact that Harry had remembered how she helped him last summer, "I'll help you and Ron first, then I'll go up and help Hermione and Ginny."

"Thanks," Harry said, looking slightly relieved as he led Tonks up the stairs. When he reached their bedroom, he looked at Ron and told him the good news.

"Hey, we've got help with packing, Ron. Tonks can pack all of our things with a spell. It'll make it go much quicker and this way we won't forget anything," Harry said, entering the room.

"Oh, thank goodness," Ron said, as he slumped onto his bed. He had been looking for his Herbology book for the past fifteen minutes.

Tonks raised her wand and said Pack Ron. With that, all of Ron's things flew from different parts of the room and into his trunk. The bed Ron was resting on gave a mighty lurch as a book wrestled its way out from under one of the feet.

"Oh, that's right!" Ron exclaimed, "I put it under my bed so it would stop rocking. The legs are uneven so I used that to stable it." He frowned slightly as he noticed there was a big indentation in the cover of the book where the foot had rested.

"Reparo," Tonks said, and the indentation suddenly vanished.

"Oh, thanks Tonks... uh... Professor," Ron said, correcting himself.

"You don't have to call me that yet, Ron. Only when we get to Hogwarts. Once we're there, however, I can just pretend that I really like you as a student. Then it won't seem odd that I'm so friendly to you lot. Pack Harry."

"I guess that makes sense, then," Ron said as Harry's belongings buzzed around the room and landed softly in his trunk.

"Well," Tonks said, "I'm off to Hermione and Ginny. Glad I could be of help, you guys. Let me know if you need anything else." With that, she left the room and vanished up the stairs.

Ron decided to go downstairs and tell his mother they had finished packing. She would probably be suspicious that they had finished so fast, but once she saw their trunks, she wouldn't be able to deny the fact that they were done. Seconds after Ron disappeared beyond the doorway, Lupin walked in and sat down on Ron's wobbly bed.

"Harry?" he asked, looking at the sixteen-year-old rather nervously.

"Yeah?" Harry responded, wanting to know what was wrong.

"I needed to tell you two things. The first one is about Sirius's pensieve... I know you probably want to take it with you to Hogwarts, but I don't think that it would be able to survive the train ride with all of the memories intact. I'll look for some way to seal it and then send it to Hogwarts as soon as I get the chance. The second thing was umm... well, I just wanted to let you know that I'm still working on figuring out what those dreams mean. I've spoken with Dumbled-" Lupin didn't get to finish his sentence. Harry's voice suddenly erupted.

"You. You were the one that told Dumbledore that I still needed to take Occlumency! If it weren't for you, I might have been able to get by with only having Snape as a Potions teacher. That's bad, in itself. Now I have to see him even more. It's no picnic, either. He can see anything he wants in my memory. He'll see the worst moments of my life and he'll probably use that as ammunition to make fun of me!" Harry was breathing very hard, having just yelled rather loudly.

"Harry," Lupin said quietly, trying to calm Harry down, "I didn't mean t-."

"Of course you did. Look, you don't know what it's like having Snape see all of your worst memories. I'm doing fine without that stupid class," Harry lied.

"Look, Harry," Lupin said, taking on a stern voice that he didn't particularly like using, "Dumbledore has decided that you were right. He's already gotten information about the prophecy from you. Do you know what could happen if he found out any more information, Harry? What if he found out important information about the Order? Harry, it's more imperative than you may ever know, but you have to do this," he said desperately.

"Whatever," Harry said indifferently, "Could you leave me alone, now? I have to... finish packing." Harry had to think of an excuse for Lupin to get out before he blew up at him again.

To his surprise, was able to cool off by dinnertime so everyone could enjoy their last evening together. Mrs. Weasley cooked a delicious feast, so everyone went to bed feeling incredibly satisfied.

The next morning, the four students checked their trunks to make sure everything was in order. They finished packing their things that they had needed for the morning. Tonks and Lupin used spells to get everyone's trunks down the stairs. Outside, a bewitched ministry car was waiting by the curb. For some reason, the Ministry of Magic had decided to lend them a car to use this year. Mr. Weasley had been working extremely hard over the summer, so they were most likely doing it as a favor to him. The car looked old enough to not attract attention from the neighbors, but not beat up enough that people would notice it too much. While on the outside, it looked to be regular sized car, the trunk expanded to fit the students' trunks inside. The interior did the same. This way everyone, including the animals, could sit comfortably in the car.

On the way out the door Harry stopped to talk to Lupin.

"Hey," Harry said, "Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you yesterday. I'm not sorry for what I said, because that's the truth, but I shouldn't have flipped out and all. So, I'm sorry, Remus."

"HARRY!" Hermione said in a scolding voice, "Call him Professor Lupin, not by his first name. Really, where are your manners?"

"Really, Hermione," Lupin said, "It's okay. I told him to call me that. You can, too. I haven't been your professor for over two years. Think of me like you thought of Sirius. You called him by his first name."

"Anyway," he said, turning back to Harry, "It's alright. In your mind, I probably deserved a good yelling at. It's understandable. I wouldn't want to be alone in a room with Snape either, especially when he's trying to probe your mind. But he's on our side and you need him to help you, Harry. I'm not saying you have to like him, just try to listen to what he tells you."

"Alright," Harry said as they began walking out toward the waiting ministry car.

Lupin drove the car and Mrs. Weasley and Tonks sat up front with him, accompanied by Pigwidgeon, Hedwig, and Shadow. In the back seat was Harry, Ron, Hermione (with Crookshanks on her lap), and Ginny. They left to go to the train station at eight o'clock. The Hogwarts Express didn't leave until eleven, but they wanted to make sure nothing was going to go wrong.

They arrived at the station at ten o'clock and Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny decided to go get situated on the train before everyone else did. The magical platform would soon be swarming with other kids waiting to find a compartment. They decided they would rather find one instead of getting stuck with someone they didn't want to. Their trunks were loaded onto the train and they easily found an empty compartment. Once they situated their animals on the seats, they went to go say goodbye to the adults.

"Harry," Lupin said, pulling him aside, "last December Sirius told me he gave you a mirror. One where you say a person's name and you can talk to them? Do you remember it?"

"Yeah, I have it," said Harry, "but it broke. I got frustrated with it last year and it shattered."

"Well, do you still have it with you, though?" Lupin asked.

"Yes, I do." Harry replied uncomprehendingly, but still remembering that he had put all the pieces in the bottom of his trunk.

"When you get back to your compartment, find it and say 'Reparo'. It should fix it again. Anyway, I found the one Sirius had, so if anything or anyone, including Snape, gives you trouble. Let me know. It should work with my name, too." At this, Harry felt much better knowing he would have a direct link with Lupin. Although he was still mad at the man, Harry was glad he would be there to talk to.

"Thanks," Harry said, "I'll do that. Well, I guess I'll talk to you soon, then." Harry and Lupin gave each other a one-arm hug while Mrs. Weasley came over to talk to Harry.

"Oh, dear. I'm going to miss seeing you everyday. Let us know if you need anything and feel free to use that Floo Powder any time you feel like it, alright? Take care of yourself." She gave him a gigantic hug, almost smothering Harry to death.

"I think a lot of other people will see that I'm taken care of as well. Thanks Mrs. Weasley, I'll see you soon," Harry said as he made his way back to his friends. He was about to look for Tonks to say goodbye to her when he realized she would be coming along. He wondered where she would be sitting, but figured she would find a place with other teachers or adults. She wouldn't be able to act like she knew them already. Others might get suspicious.

Harry caught up with Hermione, Ron, and Ginny. They said they had to go to a short prefects' meeting and that they would be back as soon as they could. This left Harry to make his way back to their compartment by himself. Once there, he opened his trunk and did as Lupin had told him to. The mirror repaired itself and looked as good as new. Hopefully he would be able to use it soon. He sat down on the seat, tilted his head back, and closed his eyes. He heard the door open and he sat up, looking to see who it was. It was Luna Lovegood.

"Um..." she said cautiously, "I was wondering if I could sit with you guys in here. I get the feeling that I'm not all that welcome anywhere else."

"No, that's fine," Harry said, indicating the empty compartment, "Ron, Hermione, and Ginny will be here soon. They're at a prefects' meeting."

"Oh, Ginny's a prefect now? That's great," she said, in her usual dream-like voice.

"Yeah, she got an owl because of it." He pointed to the covered cage that held Ginny's bird, "Her name's Shadow." Luna peeked under the blanket and caught a glimpse of Ginny's owl as the train started to move and pick up speed.

"Wow, she's really pretty," Luna said.

"Yeah, I guess. So..." Harry said, searching his mind for something to start a conversation about, "Did you ever find your stuff at the end of last year?"

"Oh, yes," she said, looking slightly touched that Harry had remembered their conversation, "Like I said, they always return my stuff. It just takes a while."

"Well, that's good." Harry said. The conversation died quickly and he was left with a numbing silence perforated only by the occasional squawk of one of the birds. Luckily, though, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny came into the compartment to rescue him.

"Hi," Luna said as they walked in, "I didn't have anywhere else to sit and Harry said it would be okay."

"Of course it is," Ginny said smiling brightly. She was one of the only people who thought of Luna as a nice friend to have around.

Two hours passed and everything was going nicely. The snack cart came by and each of them got more than their fair share of candy. They were feeling very energetic, due to the high amounts of sugar they had eaten. Harry was opening a Chocolate Frog when the door opened, revealing a most unwelcome guest... Draco Malfoy.

Harry saw the familiar smirk on his enemy's face, but was surprised to see that Malfoy was unaccompanied by his usual followers, Crabbe and Goyle. Both Harry and Ron also noticed that his robes were a little ragged around the edges. This, and the absence of his cronies combined to make him appear less intimidating. Although, he seemed to have grown several inches over the summer and built up a lot of muscle. Draco's cold grey eyes gleamed as he surveyed the room.

He saw Ron had continued to grow over the summer and had probably reached the six foot mark. Hermione looked the same with her wild brown hair. She was rather shorter than average, but she always had been. Harry had grown as much as he had and he had the feeling that if Harry were to stand up, they would be eye-to-eye. He also noted that Harry's hair had grown out a bit and had become a bit more manageable. Draco noted with dismay that Harry also seemed to have built up muscle over the summer. His eyes then glanced across Ginny, ready to look at the odd-looking Luna, but his eyes immediately snapped back. Ginny had definitely matured over the summer to say the least. He noted that her flaming hair cascaded down her shoulders a few inches past her collarbone. It was a good look on her. Her honey-brown eyes seemed to melt his before he drew himself back to reality and realized why he had come there in the first place.

"What's the matter, Potter? I didn't see your puppy at the station. I bet he was just dying to come, don't you?" Malfoy said, particularly relishing the word "dying". He knew it would get under Harry's skin, and it did. Harry stood straight up, his piercing green eyes looking directly into Malfoy's, ready to start beating him as hard as he could, but Ron stood up and held him back.

"Your robes are looking a bit ragged, Malfoy." Harry shot back, grinning slightly, "Oh yeah, daddy hasn't got a job right now. Why? Oh I remember, he's in Azkaban, isn't he?" Harry's ploy worked, anger flared in Malfoy's eyes. He was about to launch himself at Harry when Hermione got up and stood directly in front of him, trembling with rage.

"Alright, Malfoy. I have had it! You'd better leave right now before I turn you into a ferret and start bouncing you off the walls! Although I don't think you make a decent prefect, Dumbledore does, so act... like... one!" she finished, almost growling.

"Whatever... you... say... mudblood," Malfoy said through clenched teeth. He still looked as if he wanted to vent his frustrations on Harry, who was still being held back by Ron. For some reason, though, it seemed Hermione had intimidated him. Hissing slightly as he left, Malfoy's robes billowed after him.

"Is it just me, or did he come here to start a fight? Really, he didn't say anything other than that idiotic remark about Sirius," Hermione said.

"No, he didn't say anything, but he looked at all of us," Ron said, "When he opened the door he didn't even talk for about ten seconds. He was just staring at all of us... well, mostly at Ginny, the stupid git. Ginny, if he ever comes near you, just let me know and I'll go beat him into something his parents won't even recognize."

"That's alright, Ron. I think I'll be able to take care of myself if he comes near me," Ginny said, although she appreciated her brother's support. A loud crack resounded throughout the train and Hermione spoke almost immediately.

"Oh, I bet it's those third years in the middle of the train. I knew they were trouble. Come on, Ginny. It'll be your first job as a prefect... come with me," Hermione said in an irritated voice.

"Coming," Ginny said, following closely behind Hermione. Luna got up and followed them absentmindedly. This left only Harry and Ron in the compartment.

"Man, Harry," Ron said with a grin on his face and a satisfied smile, "You've got to just love Hermione when she takes charge like that."

"You've got to what?" Harry asked, eying his friend strangely.

"Oh... I said you've got to love her. What I meant to say was...Well, oh...alright. Look, Harry, I've been thinking of telling you for a while, but I wasn't even sure about it myself. Look, I... I think I like Hermione. You can't tell her, though. You know that, right? Because I'm hoping it'll just go away." Harry grinned at Ron's confession.

"I knew you liked her. I could tell. The way you always fought nonstop," Harry said, still smiling at his best friend.

"Well, I haven't liked her for a really long time. The times we fought I really was mad at her. But, well, when my mum told us about Sirius's memorial and all, we both got a little emotional about it. We hugged for a long time and then we fell asleep on the couch. I don't know, but when I woke up, it felt kind of good, you know... having her in my arms and all," Ron explained.

"Yeah, I know," Harry said, "I saw you guys. It was strange at first, but you looked good together."

"You saw us? Why didn't you wake us up or something?" Ron asked incredulously.

"How could I, Ron? You two looked so... comfortable... You just looked like you really needed the rest, that's all," Harry said truthfully. The two of them went tight-lipped as all three girls walked back into the compartment.

"Well, they should know better than that," Hermione said indignantly, "Why on earth would you try to make an owl out of a feather? I mean, yes, it would cut costs, but they've hardly learned anything in just two years of transfiguration! Really, it just blew up! It was a mess. There were feathers everywhere." Harry and Ron let out a little laugh.

"It's not funny," Hermione replied in a warning tone.

"We're not laughing at them, Herm," Ron said, "we're laughing at you."

"Well why would you be laughing at me? I haven't sprouted tentacles from my ears, have I?" she asked looking incredibly aggravated.

"No," Harry said, "Look, never mind. So I take it you lot got it all sorted out?"

"Yes," Hermione said, looking suddenly proud, "We did. We should probably get into our robes. I think we'll be arriving soon. It's nearly five thirty." With that, they opened their trunks and put their robes on. The majority of them, three out of five, all had shiny prefects badges that seemed to taunt Harry for the remainder of the trip.