Harry Potter and the Year of Toil and Trouble

Chapter five

Harry had instinctively shut his eyes with the flash of green light that came after the words 'Avada Kedavra'. This was known as the 'killing curse', used by Death Eaters to kill others. The use of this curse meant a life sentence in Azkaban, the wizard prison. Yet, if it was a 'killing curse', why could Harry still hear shouts all around him and his own heart pounding in his ears? Realising that he was not dead, and that instead he was very much alive, he opened his eyes.

The Weasleys were now in the living room alongside Harry, Lupin and Sirius. Everyone was alive and had their wands out. The two girls looked terrified, and the boys looked little better.

"What's going on? What's happening?" asked Harry.

"Death Eaters. They're trying to get inside," explained Lupin.

Screams emitted from the girls' mouths at this announcement. Lupin raised a hand to silence them.

"Don't worry, they won't get inside. We've placed several locking spells on all the doors and windows. There are protective wards and there's also anti-apparition spells surrounding this house. Professor Dumbledore, your mother and we lot, are the only people who can apparate in here."

"There's also the Fidelius charm," added Sirius, glancing over his shoulder at Lupin from his position at the window. Lupin went pale; he had obviously forgotten this.

"The Fidelius charm?" asked Ron, frowning. "You mean like the one on Harry's parents' house? Then who's the secret-keeper? Did they tell the Death Eaters where to find us?"

Sirius and Lupin made no answer, but Harry guessed.

"Mr. Weasley was the secret-keeper, wasn't he?"

The Weasley children gasped. "They made dad tell them, didn't they?" cried George.

"So they can get inside!" squealed Ginny, who was trembling uncontrollably.

Sirius nodded. "They could have made your father tell them how to get past all our protective spells. Keep your wands out," he instructed everyone. "Be prepared to use all the hexes you can think of if necessary."

"But they won't...they won't get in...will they?" asked Hermione, nervously, but as soon as the words left her lips, the front door burst open. Two Death Eaters stood there, wands raised.

"Expelliarmus!" yelled Lupin, jumping forward and aiming his wand at the first, larger, Death Eater. The first Death Eater's wand flew out of his hands and landed a few feet away. The second, shorter and chubbier Death Eater stepped forward.

"Stupefy!" he cried, aiming his wand at Lupin. There was something familiar about the second Death Eater's voice, Harry thought, as Lupin fell to the ground, stunned.

"Impedimenta!" Harry shouted, jumping forwards and pointing his wand at this Death Eater. The Death Eater gave a yell and stopped, unable to move. The first Death Eater had recovered his wand. Harry knew what was coming as the Death Eater turned towards him. "Shieldio!" he cried as the Death Eater shouted, "stupefy!" pointing his wand at Harry. The Death Eater's curse had no effect thanks to the protective shield Harry had placed around himself.

Fred and George had now joined in. "Jelliacio!" yelled Fred, while George shouted "cateratus!" at the same time. These jelly-legs curse alongside the cataracts curse had the effect of making the Death Eater wobble, unable to balance himself and unable to see. BANG! Sirius took this opportunity to tie up the Death Eater using rope that sprung from his wand.

"Quick, let's get this one outside before the Impediment curse wears off the other, then we can deal with him," said Sirius. "Ron and Hermione, fire some curses when I open the door, we don't want other Death Eaters finding their way inside."

They managed to open the front door and throw Death Eater One outside while Ron and Hermione shouted "Impedimenta!" "Stupefy!", and "Expelliarmus" in rapid succession. They then slammed the door shut and Sirius placed a series of locking spells back on the door. They turned around, ready to tie up the shorter Death Eater before he regained his movements, but he already had. Before they could tie him up, he had lunged forward and grabbed Sirius by the throat, choking him. Ginny screamed. Lupin could do nothing to help his friend, as he was still lying motionless on the floor. Everyone stood, for a few seconds, shocked and wondering what to do, as Sirius gasped for breath, his eyes bulging in his head. Then, Harry saw the silver hand at Sirius's throat. The Death Eater was none other than Wormtail.

"YOU!" Harry yelled, and lunged forward. He jumped on Wormtail's back, grabbed the man's face and dug his nails in deeply. It worked, Wormtail cried out in pain and let go of Sirius, who clutched his bruised throat, gasping. Wormtail began to try to hit Harry but steam was beginning to rise from under Harry's fingers and he realised what was happening. The last time such a thing had happened, was when Harry had been trying to stop Professor Quirrel obtaining the Philosopher's stone. The fact that Harry's mother had died to save him meant that almost no one could harm him, save from Voldemort who had taken Harry's blood last year, and thus gained the same protection.

Wormtail threw Harry off his back and Harry landed painfully on the floor. Wormtail clutched his blistered and red face, whimpering in agony. However, he was obviously stronger than they had thought, as he forced himself to raise his wand and point it again at Sirius, an evil smile on his face. Whatever curse he was going to use, he never got the chance. All four Weasley children and Hermione had jumped on him, making him fall to the floor. Ron, who had owned Wormtail as a pet, when Wormtail had been a rat, was pummeling Wormtail's face with his fists, crying "you lousy, betraying, lying B..." with each punch. Hermione was pulling Wormtail's hair. Fred and George were aiming kicks at every area, while Ginny bit her teeth into his arm. Then, suddenly, Wormtail was gone.

"Where'd he go?" cried Ron, standing up.

"THERE!" yelled Fred. Wormtail had transformed into his rat form and was scurrying away towards the door.

"GET HIM!" shouted Ron, and he tore after the rat. Wormtail, however, escaped through a gap under the door. Ron began to fumble with the door handle.

"NO!" cried Sirius, grabbing hold of Ron's robes and pulling him back. "You can't go out there!"

"We can't let him escape!" Ron shouted back. "Not again!"

"Unfortunately, we have to," sighed Sirius. "You can't go outside. There's probably about fifty Death Eaters out there. You'd be killed in an instant. You're safer in here."

"Fifty...FIFTY?" gasped Hermione.

"That's about the number I could see," nodded Sirius. "It seems Voldemort has been increasing his army over the past year." He bent over the stunned Lupin and muttered "Enervate!" Lupin's eyes flickered, opened and blinked. Then he sat up with a start.

"Where are they? What happened?" he asked Sirius.

"They're gone. Peter was one of them."

"PETER?" gasped Lupin. "He...the nerve...!" words seemed to fail him, but his eyes blazed angrily, the look on his face matched the one on Sirius's. Sirius helped him up from the floor. Lupin dusted himself down.

Outside, the Death Eaters were still throwing curses and hexes at the house, but none of them penetrated the walls. Sirius and Lupin conjured sleeping bags with their wands and the children stepped into them, but it was hard to sleep with the noise outside. The two adults stayed awake, their wands aimed at the door, should any more Death Eaters decide to enter. The children whispered to each other, passing ideas on what could be going on outside, Ginny cried. Even Hermione cried, and Ron gave her hand a squeeze, not looking much better himself.

"Do you think they'll get back in?" Fred whispered to Harry.

"They got in once, they could again," Harry answered honestly, feeling as if he had worms in his stomach. "But Sirius and Professor Lupin are staying awake. I don't think anyone will get in again." Yet, Harry did not really believe what he was saying.

"They could apparate in, couldn't they?" whispered George.

"Honestly, haven't you been listening to Professor Lupin?" whispered an irritated Hermione. "You heard him say that only certain people can apparate inside this house."

"Right, all of you!" called Sirius, "go to sleep! You have to be at school tomorrow!"

"School starts tomorrow?!" cried Ron. He, like the others, had forgotten that the next day would be September the first.

"How are we getting there?"

"Apparating to the Leaky Cauldron, then Ministry cars will take us to Kings Cross, where you can catch the train," said Lupin.

"But we can't apparate, we haven't passed our test!" cried Hermione. "and you can't be seen!"

"I'll be under Harry's invisibility cloak and the test isn't that hard. Harry managed it," said Sirius.

"You make it sound like I'm stupid!" cried Harry, affronted. Sirius grinned.

"Seriously," he continued. "Dumbledore has given permission for you all to apparate and we'll be doing that tomorrow. All your schoolbooks and other equipment have already been bought for you and will be waiting for you in your dormitories. Now please go to sleep. We'll be keeping watch."

No Death Eaters had entered the house, from what Harry could tell when he woke up the next morning. Both Sirius and Lupin looked exhausted. The Death Eaters had left very quickly after their fight with Wormtail, for the noise appeared to have attracted Muggles living nearby. Sirius and Lupin had stayed awake, however, in case any Death Eaters returned. The Muggles could not see their hideout, Sirius assured them. Now Sirius and Lupin were busy getting everyone dressed and ready for apparating to Diagon Alley. For the first time since arriving at Oakhill, Harry felt comfortable. He was sure no one could hurt him at Hogwarts. Hogwarts was the safest place in the world as it was where Dumbledore was headmaster, and no one dared to challenge Dumbledore, including Voldemort himself. Ron and Hermione had never apparated before and Hermione was fidgeting with excitement. They arrived in Diagon Alley where Harry was surprised to find Ministry officials waiting for them. They all had wands in their belts, like policemen in Muggle films. They wore dark Muggle suits and sunglasses so as to look inconspicuous. Harry was very much reminded of James Bond.

"Hurry up, now!" hissed Sirius impatiently, keeping his voice low for fear of the Ministry workers, as he shoo-ed them along. "The sooner we get you all on the train the better!" They hurried along to the door leading out onto the Muggle street, dragging their trunks, owl cages and Hermione's wicker-basket containing her spitting cat, Crookshanks.

Outside parked next to the pavement were three green coloured Jaguars, which Harry recognised as Ministry of Magic cars, each driven by a wizard in a suit of emerald velvet. They reached Kings Cross station in next to no time at all. They all walked through the barrier between Platforms nine and ten and found themselves on Platform nine-and-three-quarters where the Hogwarts Express was waiting for them. Once they had loaded their trunks onto the train, they said their good-byes to Sirius and Lupin. Harry was surprised and embarrassed when Sirius gave him a tight hug.

"Be careful now," he whispered to Harry, "don't go wandering off into the forest. Don't do anything alone and stick near Dumbledore, okay?"

"You don't need to worry, Sirius," Lupin assured him.

"It's my duty. I'll send you your Invisibility cloak out, but no sneaking out of the castle!"

"you've got a cheek!" Harry retorted. Sirius frowned at him.

"We might see you kids sooner than you think," grinned Lupin, changing the subject.

"Why? What's happening?" asked Ron at once.

"Nothing exciting, just keeping an eye on you," Sirius smirked.

Their enquiries got them nowhere. Sirius and Lupin refused to say more. The children entered the train and waved their goodbyes again until Sirius and Lupin had disapparated. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny set off in search of an empty compartment. They found their usual compartment, at the end of the train, empty once more. As they sat down and watched London fade away, Harry felt somewhat better. It had been a horrible summer, to say the least, but he was going somewhere where the greatest wizard in the world was. Harry would be safe there, surely?

"Who do you think we'll get for Defence against the Dark Arts this year?" asked Ginny, finally, breaking the silence.

"I hope it's a witch," declared Hermione. "I mean, we always get a male professor. It's sexist"

"Just because the best person for the job is a man, Moany, doesn't mean it's sexist!" said Ron, rolling his eyes.

"Quit calling me by that name!"

"I said, 'mione, as in M.I.O.N.E, not Moany," Ron lied. Harry and Ginny exchanged knowing grins.

"what did Vicky call you then?" snapped Ron after a few seconds silence.

"what do you care? And stop calling him Vicky!"

"he's a git," Ron said simply.

"he is NOT!"

"I thought you weren't seeing him anymore?" said Ron, suspiciously.

"I'm not! We broke up! I told you that! But he's not that bad, so leave him alone."

Ron and Hermione bickered for half of the journey, even when the witch with the food trolley arrived, Hermione criticised Ron for being a 'pig'. The witch left their compartment and left the compartment door open while she took orders from the students in the next compartment. From the door, they could hear the familiar drawling voice of Harry's most loathed person at Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy.

"...Well, I really must say it's a good thing that You-Know-Who is killing all these mud-bloods, it prevents contamination. Soon all these mudbloods will be out of Hogwarts. Of course, Father's always saying how tragic it is, but everyone knows it's really a good thing for the magical community. That mudblood Hermione Granger will next. Or that little toy of Potter's, Colin Creevey. We could do without such idiots and know-alls anyway..."

At this point, Harry and Hermione had to pull Ron away from the door as he had marched towards it clearly intending to knock Malfoy's head off. Hermione covered his mouth with her hand to stop his foul-mouthed tirade. Harry shut the compartment door, discreetly.

It started to rain as the journey continued. The sky overhead was so black and the rain so heavy that they could not see out of their windows. Ginny left them to look for her fellow fourth year girls. Ron and Harry played exploding snap to pass the time, while Hermione read some of her new books and annoyed them by testing them before they'd even had their first lesson.

There was a rumbling of thunder overhead just as the train gave a horrific lurch. There were several ear-splitting bangs as metal hit metal and each carriage slammed into each other. Hermione screamed in terror as their carriage gave a jump, derailed and started sliding down what Harry supposed was an embankment (he could not see).

"Stop! Stop!" Hermione screamed as the carriage gathered speed and sped down the embankment. "Help! HELP!"

All the lights went out, and with a shudder the carriage stopped.

"What's happening?" Ron yelled in terror. As Harry, Ron and Hermione rose to their feet, gasping for breath, the carriage began to sway before falling completely on its side.

"AARRRRRRRGH!"

Harry felt himself being thrown to the wall of the carriage (which was now on the ground), and Ron landing on top of him. The last thing Harry remembered before losing consciousness was all the windows smashing.