Star Crossed Lovers

(Chapter 1---Lost Soul)

Hold me close

Let your love surround me

Bring me near

Put your arms around me

And as I wait

I'll fly like an eagle

And as I soar

Your spirit, so regal

Leads me on...

Always, In the Power of your Love

Harry got out of Uncle Vernon's car and loaded his trunk and Hedwig onto one of the trolleys. The King's Cross Station was packed with Muggles, as always. Harry glanced at his watch, ten more minutes to go. There wasn't much time left and he was supposed to have met Ron and Hermione at the station half an hour before eleven. He was seriously late. He began searching amidst the crowd for the familiar redheads, but there was no sign of either the Weasleys or Hermione. They could already be waiting on the platform, thought Harry as he pushed the trolley to the barriers between platforms nine and ten and casually walked into them.

Instead of colliding headfirst into the brick wall, the magnificent Hogwarts Express came into view. Harry relaxed immediately. He felt like he was finally returning home. Harry had been shut away from the wizarding world for a whole summer and with no one but the Dursleys, too. Though, without the Dursleys disturbing him, Harry had had a lot of time to think about the events of the past year. Constant brooding made him more depressed than he had ever been, but Harry felt that he had needed the time alone very much.

"Harry!" shouted a voice from behind him.

Harry spun around and found himself in the arms of Hermione Granger, one of his best friends. Ron was standing sheepishly next to her and also proceeded to give Harry a brotherly embrace after Hermione had finally pulled herself away from Harry.

"It's so good to see you!" chorused Ron and Hermione.

Harry smiled and replied, "It's wonderful to see you two too." Pushing his cart, he walked towards the Hogwarts Express accompanied by his two best friends while they told each other about their summer holidays.

"So how was your holiday, mate?" Ron queried.

"Couldn't be better" Harry deadpanned. "Constantly locked up at Privet Drive with the Dursleys, just what I wanted." Hermione sent him a half-reprimanding and half-worried look.

"I was just being sarcastic. Don't worry Hermione, they haven't been as bad as they used to be, their confrontation with the members of the Order saw to that, but I spent my entire summer being ignored. And although I would usually think of this as an advantage, it does get extremely frustrating after a while, especially for a period of a whole summer."

Ron and Hermione showered Harry with looks of pity. "I'm really sorry for not being able to invite you to the Burrow, Harry. Dumbledore told Mum specifically that we had to let you stay with the Dursleys. Anyway, you didn't miss out on much at the Burrow; we couldn't go out during the holidays too. Not that I'd want to, with you-know-who running around. Besides, Dad also has a lot of things to do at the ministry now that he's Minister of Magic," Ron said and Harry thought he saw a flash of pride on Ron's face when he mentioned Mr. Weasley. He smiled as he remembered the picture of Mr. Weasley being initiated as Minister of Magic on the front page of the Daily Prophet a month ago.

"I didn't dare to get my parents to bring me anywhere this holiday too. The news on the Daily Prophet just gets worse and worse everyday. So many muggles have been killed," Hermione added. Both Ron and Harry nodded grimly. The state of things was getting worse by the day. So far there had been three attacks on muggle neighborhoods, but fortunately the Ministry managed to keep things in hand. Since the number of muggles killed was steadily on the rise; people have been forced to accept the worst, the fact that Voldemort had indeed risen.

Fudge, who still remained adamant that nothing of that sort had happened, had been asked to step down from the post of the Minister of Magic. Most wanted Dumbledore to take over, since the old wizard was the only one Voldemort was ever afraid of, but Dumbledore wouldn't budge from his place as Headmaster of Hogwarts. So in the end, Arthur Weasley had been asked to take Fudge's place. Harry strongly suspected that this was because everyone knew how closely Arthur Weasley worked with Albus Dumbledore.

Harry sighed. "I know things are bad outside, but Dumbledore could have sent me to Ron's place or even leave me at Diagon Alley, but he had to order me to stay at the Dursleys' for the entire summer, even though he knows how much I hate them."

Ron shuffled his feet uncomfortably while Hermione gave Harry an exasperated look. "Look, Harry," she began. "You can't blame Dumbledore. The headmaster has his reasons. Privet Drive is the only place where you-know-who can't harm you and judging by how we messed up with his plans again last year, you-know-who must be even more anxious to get his hands on you. It's not safe for you to be anywhere else besides with the Dursleys or at Hogwarts. It's the natural thing for him to do. The ancient magic at the Dursleys' is your only protection now. There's no place safer. You know that." Hermione reasoned.

Harry knew she was right. Harry was touched by how much Dumbledore cared; he was only trying to protect him. But at the same time, Harry was sick of being protected, he wanted to do something for the Order, he wanted to help badly. This was, after all, his parents' murderer they were dealing with. He wanted to tell all this to his best friends and force them to understand and see things the way he saw it, so that they would have to allow him to help, but he knew that it would only achieve the reverse and make everyone fuss about him more, which was exactly what he wanted to avoid. Knowing the reason for his having to stay at the Dursleys' didn't help. In fact, Harry rather felt better being able to blame Dumbledore for everything, even though he knew how unreasonable he was. "I know, Hermione. It's just that it stinks to be stuck with the Dursleys for the whole summer," said Harry dejectedly.

"Hey mate, cheer up," Ron piped in. "It couldn't have been that bad. Did you receive The Seeker's Handbook to Seeking I got you for your birthday?"

"Yes, I did, Ron." Harry nodded his head. "By the way, thanks, Ron. It's a nice book. I'll be able to try out the moves once we get to school." Harry patted Ron on the back. Then he turned to Hermione. "Thanks for your present too, Hermione. The golden compass you sent me was really beautiful, but no offence to you, it's hardly usable, seeing that I can't even get out of the house."

Hermione frowned at him. "You're welcome about the present, Harry. As for it not being useful, I doubt that, it isn't an ordinary compass. Did you read the parchment I attached to it?" Judging by the blank look she got from Harry, he obviously hadn't. "Oh, fine. The compass is charmed in such a way that it always sets itself in the correct directions. The needle in it doesn't work like normal compass; you can make it point the way to someone in particular that you want to find, if you set your heart to it," Hermione explained.

"Wow," was the only response Harry could come up with.

Hermione turned slightly pink.

"Come on, Hermione." Ron urged. "Let's help Harry get his things on board before we go up front to report." Then he helped Harry lift his trunk onto the train while Hermione held Hedwig's cage.

They settled into a carriage that was empty and Ron looked nervously at Hermione, then to Harry. "Erm... Harry. We, Hermione and I, have to go to the front of the train for a while, but we'll come back as soon as possible okay?"

Harry nodded. "Go on Ron. I'll be fine. I can take care of myself. I'm already overprotected." Then he gave Ron the best grin he could muster. Convinced, Ron and Hermione stepped out of the carriage and disappeared from sight.

Harry sank into the train seat, vaguely wondering where Ginny was. The last time he took the train without Hermione and Ron, Harry still had had Ginny for company, but now, he was alone. He stared out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of flaming red hair when a sound from the train signaled that it was going to move off. Students everywhere were hurrying on board, but there was still no sign of Ginny. Soon, along with final hugs, kisses and goodbyes, the Hogwarts Express left King's Cross.

Watching as the green hills and meadows ran by the window and the crystal clear lakes alongside, Harry's thoughts began to wander. He sat there, gazing outside the window when he heard angry voices coming from outside the carriage. Curiosity aroused, Harry stepped outside the carriage in search of the commotion. He didn't have to search long. As soon as he came out, he was greeted by the sight of a very red-faced Ginny glaring at an expressionless Draco Malfoy.

Malfoy met Ginny's furious gaze steadily, his pale gray eyes showed no sign of any feelings. "Don't let me hear you speak of my father again, Weasley," he growled. "Or you'll be sorry." The sentence was said in barely more than a whisper, but Harry could hear the silent threat in it, full of menace. Several small first-year girls who stood watching let out timid whimpers. Harry stared at Malfoy. How did he do that? How did he command the ability to threaten without even raising his voice and yet instill the fear in others? The boy standing there seem foreign, he didn't seem at all like the irritating git that he had hated since his first year at Hogwarts and had grown to know and hate so well, it had become a part of him. What happened to him? It's only been a summer and yet Malfoy's changed but I can't quite figure out what is so different. I don't know this person.

Snapping out of his daze, Harry watched as Malfoy continued to fix Ginny with his piercing glare, if he had known the effect of what he had said had on the first years, he showed no signs of it. Harry could see that Ginny was slightly intimidated by Malfoy, but she still maintained the eye contact.

"Leave her alone, Malfoy," Harry said forcefully, as he stepped next to Ginny.

"Why don't you make sure you know who's the one who can't leave others alone first, Potter," drawled Malfoy. "And until you do, get out of my way." Malfoy shoved past Harry roughly. Harry was stunned. Malfoy was leaving? But he never leaves without a fight. There was something threateningly different about Malfoy.

Harry took a step towards his retreating figure, but he felt a hand on his shoulder and found Ron holding him back, whispering, "Don't do anything. That buggering git is just being annoying as usual and trying to provoke you into doing something unwise, he'd just love to see you getting punished as soon as we reach Hogwarts." Beside him, Hermione, who had also came to check on the commotion, nodded in agreement. Harry looked down at his hands and realized that he had looked as if he was about to bash Malfoy and he immediately unclenched his fists that he had drawn so tightly together unconsciously. Harry hadn't intended to beat Malfoy up, in fact, as much as wouldn't like to admit it, he was worried. It just wasn't like Malfoy to back out of a quarrel; it was so strange, it was uncanny. He hated to have any concern about Malfoy, but the drastic change in him could well be something important, exactly what, Harry couldn't quite place a finger on it.

Malfoy walked briskly away and left a crowd of people staring.

Harry didn't know how long he stood there watching Malfoy's retreating back. It felt very long to Harry, and yet, he still had no idea what was wrong with Malfoy. Something was nagging at him at the back of his mind and it was very disturbing. It was something that he ought to remember. Harry was still feeling a bit dazed until Ron gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder, calling him to his senses.

"Come on Harry. Let's get back to the carriage," Ron said as he dragged Harry along.

Harry let Ron drag him, mainly because his mind was somewhere else, still wondering and figuring as his body switched to an automatic operating mode.

~*~*~

Harry sat down heavily on to the seat Ron had directed him to. Hermione and Ron sat next to each other, across from Harry. Hermione cleared her throat and Ron started to hum a little bit to get rid of the tense silence. Harry shook his head finally and mumbled, "Sorry, I was just thinking about something. Oh, shouldn't you two be up front?" Harry hadn't meant to sound harsh but it came out like he was resentful, anyway. Ron winced but Hermione shrugged it off and replied, "No, they don't need us, we only had to report. Plus we wouldn't like to leave you alone for too long; it looks like something is bothering you."

"No, not really..." Harry paused to think. "Well, maybe there is something. Did either of you noticed how quiet Malfoy was?" Hermione nodded her head, expression thoughtful, while Ron just looked solemn. Harry realized that he didn't make himself clear enough, so he tried explaining. "It's not that I'm worried about him, I just noticed that he walked away from a fight. It's weird. I mean, he's never done that before, right?"

Hermione only looked more thoughtful, undoubtedly processing what Harry just said and trying to come up with an explanation. Sure enough, they were presented with the answer almost immediately. "Well, Malfoy's father was sent to Azkaban this summer." She said it as though it explained everything.

"I know that, Dad oversaw the trial." Ron sounded petulant. "But I think we've established that Lucius Malfoy was a big enough Deatheater to deserve being thrown into prison."

Hermione caught on. "Yes, but that's not the point."

Harry however, was looking a bit lost. "Hey let's backtrack for a sec. Lucius Malfoy was thrown into Azkaban? When?"

"I thought you subscribed to the Daily Prophet? You should have read it from the newspapers. It was the main headline weeks ago." Hermione explained.

Ron shook his head. "I still don't see where this is going."

Hermione looked exasperated. "Ron, you really are thick. What would you do if your father was put in Azkaban? Would you still indulge in childish rivalries? You might not empathize as much because you aren't the oldest in the family, but Draco Malfoy is. He's the sole heir to the Malfoy bloodline. After his father's capture, I'm guessing he's been forced to take up a lot of responsibilities."

"I agree," Ginny was standing in the doorway. She had an unidentifiable expression on her face as she continued, "But that's not all. He's quieter, yes, and he walked away from a fight for once, yes, and he no longer has a father to spoil him, yes. But there's something else, something I can't quite put my finger on, something that wasn't there before."

There was an anxious silence and everyone was waiting for Ginny to explain herself, but when she didn't Hermione broke the silence with her intrigued curiosity. "What do you mean, Ginny?"

Ginny was quiet for a while but finally said softly,

"It's something I've never told anyone before." Ginny explained, albeit hesitantly. "After my first year, I'm guessing it started then, I could sense dark magic auras from objects and people. They give me a creepy feeling. It's like I'm back in the Chamber of Secrets. Last year, when we went to the Ministry of Magic, we encountered several Deatheaters and I felt that feeling stronger than ever. It was overwhelming with so many of them. That kind of feeling is something I'd never want to experience again, but I did and it was today."

Ron and Harry did a double take before Ron spluttered, "What? You mean Malfoy is a Deatheater?"

Ginny nodded slowly. "It would explain why there was the darkness all around him."

Ron fell back heavily on the train seat with his arms crossed. "Figures. We always knew that Malfoy was a buggering git, he's finally gone and proven that he's a Deatheater."

Harry's mind was reeling. Malfoy? Deatheater? His brain was begging him to remember something, but he couldn't and it was driving him nuts.

"This is interesting," Hermione said thoughtfully. "If this is the case, I can make a possible deduction from it. It's likely that out of the many responsibilities Malfoy was forced into, taking his father's place in the Deatheater ranks was one of them. I hope I'm wrong because if I'm not, Hogwarts would have a junior Deatheater amidst us. It's not the best thing to have."

"Not the best thing," Ron snorted. "I think that's the understatement of the century. I say we should get Dumbledore to kick Malfoy out of the school once and for all and prevent all this unnecessary trouble."

"How are we going to explain it to him? Tell him about Ginny's ability to sense dark magic? That's hardly a good thing and you know it, Ron. I'm sure Ginny doesn't want people to start avoiding her when that news gets out. Even if he believes us and keeps this a secret, we only have what Ginny says. What we need however, is concrete evidence, rather than just suspicions and speculations. Even the Headmaster needs to have a reason for expelling a student," Hermione argued.

"If you're so clever, what do you suggest we do? Let him plan Hogwart's downfall?"

"No." Hermione gave Ron a sharp look. "If we want to prove that he's a Deatheater, we'll have to gather evidence and I think the best way of doing this is following Malfoy around. This way we'll see for ourselves if we're right in our suspicions and we'll be able to prevent him first if anything gets out of hand."

"I'm not going to follow Malfoy around, I'm not his dog," Ron said indignantly.

"Fine, then we'll leave you out," Hermione replied hotly.

Ron let his hands fall to his side while he protested. "I don't mean it like that. What I mean is that following a Deatheater around is hardly a good idea. What if he finds out? Would he have qualms about killing us? I should think not."

Ginny voiced out her opinion on this. "I think it isn't safe too, but I'm willing to risk it if it's for the benefit of the school."

"You're all nuts," Ron concluded. "Harry, what do you think?"

Harry was silent for a while before he replied in a firm tone, "I feel the same as Ginny. I'm willing to do it."

Ron shook his head resolutely when his last drop of hope was taken from him. "I guess I don't really have a choice do I? Oh well, I'm in it too if you all are."

Hermione nodded happily. "Okay, here's the plan. I'm thinking it would be best if we took turns following him around..."

A/N: I'm not sure if I should continue with this, but I have been receiving a few reviews telling me to do so. I decided to post the chapter I've kept away in my files for so long just as a token of appreciation. However, I cannot say when I'll pick this up again. I think I'll mainly look at the response. If it's good, I'll continue, if not, I'll write this whole fic off.