Harry Potter and The Cursed Friend

Harry stepped down off the Knight Bus, and looked around King's Cross Station. As always on September first, it was packed, and that made spotting his friends that much more tricky.

"Harry!" yelled a voice. Hermione came rushing over, prefects badge shining. "Harry, you're here!" She threw her arms around him.

Harry was dumbfounded for a moment, but managed a rather awkward hug. Hermione grinned as though she wanted to twit him about it, but she thankfully said nothing.

"'Lo mate," Ron said, appearing on his other side. "Missed you over the summer." Ron was an interesting case to Harry. Ron was Prefect again their sixth year, but this year Ron was Quidditch Captain as well. When Harry'd heard that his mind had instantly gone back to when they were standing in front of the Mirror of Erised. The mirror showed a person their deepest desire coming true. Harry had wanted his family back. Ron had wanted to be Head Boy and Quidditch Captain. And here Ron stood, on his way to accomplishing that goal. His deepest desire(or at least what was his deepest desire when he had been eleven) was coming true. Harry decided right then and there that he needed to pick more realistic things to desire.

"I missed you, too, Ron," Harry told him. "Let's go get seats."

"Ginny, Neville, and Luna are holding some for us," Hermione told him. "They're waiting on the train."

Harry grinned. "Oh, good."

The three of them climbed aboard and found the compartment that the others were in. Luna was arguing with Ginny about something or another and Neville was reading a book about potions.

"I thought you hated Potions, Neville," Harry commented, upon seeing this.

"I do," Neville sighed. "I'm terrified of Snape and I'm rubbish as a student when he's around, but because I did well enough on my OWLs last year when he wasn't there, I'm in NEWT potions."

"But that's wonderful, Neville," Hermione said. "Besides, Snape needs to be taken down a peg, and it'll be that much more funny if it's you to do it."

"I just think he'll be mad at me," Neville sighed.

"So," Harry shrugged. "Neville, you faced down Death Eaters when you were injured. How can you possibly be afraid of Professor Snape?"

"Mental, ain't I?" he laughed.

For a moment the compartment was silent and then they all burst into laughter(Luna laughed longer than anyone, but nobody really minded).

"I missed you all so much," Harry sighed, looking around when they had stopped. "I really wanted to come and see you, but Dumbledore was right. I was safer where I was."

They all rushed to assure him that it was alright, and Harry laughed. "I'm fine. I'm just glad school's starting again."

Ron and Hermione had to leave soon after that to go to the prefect's meeting, and the four in the compartment settled down to read(in Neville's case) and play Exploding Gobstones(in Harry's, Ginny's, and Luna's). The ride was passing pleasantly, even. The lady with the cart came by and they all bought lunch and returned to their private amusements.

Ron and Hermione returned a few hours later and Harry gave everyone the gift's he'd brought them. They all loved them, of course, although Harry admittedly felt nervous about giving Ginny hers. In fact, when they arrived at Hogsmeade station, Harry felt better than he had all summer.

And then he heard a voice yelling "First years! First years, come over here, please!"

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville, and Ginny froze in their tracks and turned as one to stare. There was Charlie Weasley, calling the First Years towards himself.

"Oh," Hermione said quietly.

Harry said nothing. Ron bit his lip until blood flowed. Neville turned for the carriages and walked up to one of the thestrals harnessed to it. The great horse turned to him and Neville stroked its nose for several moments before climbing inside. Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed him. Luna and Ginny climbed into another coach.

Harry's coach rode up to the castle in complete silence. Everyone was so lost in their own thoughts that words were impossible. Harry had been so looking forward to going back to Hogwarts it was as if he hadn't noticed that there were people who wouldn't be there when he arrived. He was so shocked that when the carriage stopped he didn't move for several moments until Neville tugged on his sleeve.

"Get out, Harry," Neville told him, so Harry climbed mechanically down from the carriage, and walked woodenly up the steps into Hogwarts. Somehow, it felt a little less like coming home this year.

Blaise Zabini entered the Great Hall with his housemates and sat down at the Slytherin table. He never told any of them how much he loved this place. It wasn't very Slytherin to always look up when he entered the Great Hall just to not see the ceiling. Most of his housemates weren't such big fans of Hogwarts.

Tonight the ceiling was awash in a mass of stars. The night was clear as a bell, and Blaise could see thousands of tiny lights twinkling above him. He had a feeling Dumbledore had turned the candles down just for that reason.

He sat down beside Tracey Davis, who smiled at him.

"Hello," she said.

"Hello," Blaise replied.

"How was your summer?" she asked with a grin.

Blaise and Tracy broke out laughing. They'd spent most of the summer in the same town, so the question was rather pointless. Blaise smiled at the girl he'd been friends with since first year. They'd met on the train and been friends ever since.

"So, do you figure we'll get good first years, this year," he asked her.

"It'd be nice. Seems like every bunch we get is caught up in trying to make these mastermind plots to...be popular," Tracey sighed.

"They'll learn," Blaise shrugged. He frowned at his empty plate. "I wish they'd hurry up."

Tracey laughed. "Walking stomach."

"I am a growing boy and need to nourish myself," Blaise managed before his straight face deserted him and they laughed again. Draco Malfoy gave them a strange look.

"Ooh, Draco's staring at us," Tracey said, not bothering to keep her voice down. "Look out. He might call Daddy."

Malfoy's face went dark and he turned away. Blaise snatched Tracey's wrist. "Tracey! Don't bait him. Malfoys are legendary grudge-holders, you know that!"

The witch frowned, and fell silent. Blaise sighed and looked towards the doors.

At that very moment the doors to the Great Hall banged open and Professor Severus Snape, potions teacher and Head of Slytherin House came striding through the doors, his robes billowing out behind him, quite impressively.

"Wow," Blaise whispered. "And I thought we were intimidated when McGonagall gave us the spiel."

Tracey smothered a giggle.

The first years behind the professor were practically running to keep up with him. One of the first years tripped over his robes and fell down, bringing four others down with him.

The hall laughed, quietly.

Snape was standing imperiously by the stool with the hat now, looking irritated and impatient as usual.

"This is the best Sorting I've seen ever!" Tracey said under her breath.

Blaise was also grinning until he caught sight of the Gryffindor table. A good few of them were in tears, including the "Golden Three," as everyone called Harry Potter and crew were particularly shaken-looking. The "Junior Three" weren't doing so well, either. That weird Ravenclaw girl, the youngest Weasley, and Longbottom had picked up the Junior Three nickname last year when they started hanging all over Potter. The Ravenclaw bird looked like she wanted to go to her friends, but she stayed where she was sitting, looking miserable.

"Gryffindor would disagree," Blaise whispered to Tracey mildly. The witch looked, and fell promptly silent.

The hat was sitting on the stool by this point, the first years looking nervously at it, and the two refocused their attentions onto it as the rest of the hall fell silent(though it was a silence broken by the sobs from the Gryffindor table).

The hat's mouth opened wide, and it began to sing.

Though I am just a Sorting Hat

And have no eyes on me,

There are some things about these days

That even I can see.

The days grow dark, the lights grow dim

Evil's strength is growing.

And everything is harder when

We must continue knowing

That our school has lost some teachers

Whom we will miss for sure.

And yet still I must sort you

Into our houses, four.

To Gryffindor, the bravest go

Where courage always thrives.

In Hufflepuff, the loyal and

The just shall make their lives

Ravenclaw takes on the wise

And there they make their home.

To Slytherin go the cunning

Where they shall not be alone.

Each house within this noble school

Has merits all its own.

And brought together, these four names

Have always power shown.

Now come and sit upon this stool

And place me on your head

But as you do so, be wary,

And think on what I've said.

"That hat is getting dead depressing," Tracey commented over the applause.

"It has a point though," Blaise sighed. "Have you ever wondered what a group of people who have every house represented could do?"

"Not so much," Tracey shrugged. "I've never needed to."

Blaise gave Tracey a dirty look. For all she was his friend, she was quite obtuse sometimes.

Snape had unrolled the parchment of names. "Argento, Verus!"

A small first year walked up and pulled the hat over his head, where it fell down to his nose.

After several moments the hat shouted "GRYFFINDOR!"

Snape frowned, but read off the next name. "Armstrong, Alaric!"

A short pause and then Alaric was also sorted. ("HUFFLEPUFF!")

"I hope our first years are a good bunch this year," Pansy Parkinson muttered.

"You say that every year," returned Graham Prichard with some aspersion.

Pansy gave him a dirty look and did not reply. Blaise felt almost bad for the guy. Pansy hung around with the "Draco crowd" as he termed them in his head, and she was vindictive.

Snape called "Delaney, Perseus!" up to the stool. A very brief pause and then the hat yelled out, "SLYTHERIN!"

The Slytherin table erupted into applause as they welcomed the new first year.

"Destroy Black," Tracey translated.

"Beg pardon?" Blaise asked.

"His name. Perseus is Greek and means 'destroy.' Delaney is Irish and means 'black.'"

Blaise made a face. "Well that's a bit on the morbid side."

"It's only a name. He didn't even pick it out. Bet you he's a nice guy," Tracey laughed.

"Keep your money. I might lose," Blaise laughed.

The sorting was moving through the Qs now. "Quirke, Arianelle" became a Gryffindor, while twins Terpsichore and Adrastos Quigley(Terpsichore was a girl but Adrastos was a boy) went to Ravenclaw and Slytherin respectively.

There were only three more, and then two, until finally, "Winter, Jill!" was sorted("HUFFLEPUFF!").

"So, seven new first years," Blaise mused. "I hope Snape doesn't terrify them too much."

Tracey laughed. "Come on, Blaise. We all go through our 'Snape is going to eat me' phase before we get completely settled in."

Blaise laughed.