The Forging of the Bonds

THE FORGING OF THE BONDS

Chapter 1. The Hogwarts Express.

"Have a good term," his father said. "If anything interesting happens, send me the pictures."

"Ron! Don't encourage him! I don't want any more owls from McGonagall!"

"Sorry, 'Mione," his father said, putting his arm around his mother's waist.

His mother shook her head. "Mike, you're a Prefect. You should set an example to younger students, not--"

"Wasn't dad a Prefect, mum?" he interrupted.

"Well, yes, but that's not the point--"

"Ease it, 'Mione. It'll be okay." He clasped his son's shoulder.

"Write often," his mother said. "You know your sister wants to know everything about Hogwarts."

"Well, she'll find out for herself next year, won't they?"

"Yeah."

His mother hugged him. "Don't get into trouble," she whispered. "And stay safe."

"I will, mum. Bye." He turned and got on the train. Glancing backwards, he waved back at his parents, acknowledged their return wave, and went into the train corridor.

He found the compartment he was looking for quickly enough. "Mike!" his best friend yelled across the car. "Over here!"

Michael Weasley smiled. It felt good to be back.

Getting into the compartment, he sat down across from his two best friends, David Jordan and Katherine Longbottom. Kate smiled.

"Hi, Mike," she said. "How was your summer?"

"Well, you know my mother. She insisted I do all my homework before I had any fun." His friends rolled eyes. This was a sort of tradition they had: at the start of the year, Mike whined how he wasn't allowed to wait till the last day of the holidays to do his assignments.

"Hey," a new voice said, "is this place taken?"

Mike looked up. "Why do you bother asking, like we're strangers?" he said. "Come in, Laura."

Laura Whittle, like them, was a sixth year, but she was in Ravenclaw. She was Muggle-born, and perhaps because of that, she was shy around people who grew up in wizarding families.

"Mike, did they make you Quidditch captain?" Kate asked.

"I don't think so." Mike was the lead Chaser of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.

"What? There was nothing about it in your letter?"

"Nope."

"Well, they certainly didn't give me the post," Kate said. She had joined the team only the year before, as Seeker. "So who do you think it will be?"

Dave shook his head, staring at Laura. "Is Quidditch all you two ever talk about?"

"Of course not," Mike assured him.

"Couldn't tell by the looks of it," Laura pushed.

"Laura..." Dave began, but they got interrupted once again.

"Having fun, Weasley?"

Mike looked up. A tall girl with long blond hair and sharp gray eyes was standing in the doorway, flanked by several other people.

"Malfoy," he said. Elizabeth Malfoy was one of the sixth year Slytherin prefects. "What do you want?"

"Did you sell your brains for pocket change, Weasley?" she said, and her cronies laughed. "They want you in the prefect car." She shrugged her shoulders. "You too, Longbottom." She looked over the compartment again. "And you, Whittle. Though it escapes me why on earth--"

All four of them drew their wands and pointed them at her. "Don't say it," Mike whispered.

Malfoy shrugged and left with her cronies. Laura brightened.

"Sorry to leave you alone, Dave," she smiled at him.

"Go ahead," he chuckled. "Like I'd want to have spend any time with Malfoy."

"Good point." Mike punched his shoulder. "Worst part of being a prefect."

XXX

The prefect meeting took up nearly an hour. Kate, Mike and Laura returned to David's compartment nearly exhausted, and found David sitting with Nathan Thomas, a fifth-year Hufflepuff.

"Hi, Nathan," Kate said quietly.

"Hello, Katherine," he answered. She sat down shaking her head. For some reason, Nathan always used her full name. With the formality Nathan carried about himself, Mike wouldn't be surprised if he started calling her 'Miss Longbottom'.

"Did you find anything about the Quidditch tournament?"

"The Head Boy and Girl don't know anything more than we do," Mike said. "I guess we'll find out tonight. We should have tryouts soon. We do need a Keeper."

"Maybe we should steal Nathan," Kate suggested. Everyone laughed at that--even Nathan, who was a very good Keeper. In last year's season, Nathan missed a total of five goals--two of them scored by Mike. Hufflepuff would have won the cup, but they got unlucky with Seekers. They did keep Slytherin from winning, though.

"Could you girls leave us?" Dave said. "We're going to change into our uniforms."

"Why do you get go first?"

Mike laughed. "There's more of us, Laura. Care to vote?"

"Uhm..."

"Besides, you take longer," he continued. "This way, we know we'll have time to do it."

Kate chuckled. "Hey, I am not one of those girls who spends two hours a day putting on makeup!"

"No," Dave said. "Just one hour."

She punched him. "You'll pay for that, Jordan."

"I'm sure. We'll be quick, I promise," he said.

The girls left. Nathan grew more serious, not saying a word as they changed. "Something wrong?" Mike asked.

"You don't think they... canceled the cup?"

"They do that only when matters are very serious," Mike said confidently.

Dave nodded. "Last time they did because of the war," he said.

"That's not too likely..." Nathan muttered. "You know, why guess and worry ourselves to death? We'll know in less than an hour."

"Agreed," Mike said.