Bedknobs and Broomsticks

The piercing sound of the train whistle blew as the Weasley family, Harry and Hermione stepped through the barrier to Platform Nine and Three Quarters in pairs. The area was bustling with students saying goodbye to their parents and loading their things into the compartments. While things seemed as normal as any other year, there was an unspoken somberness to the day. Families pretended as though nothing had changed, but everyone knew they had. As much as they all tried, there was just no ignoring the dire state of the world. There were fewer people on the platform than normally would have been there any other year.

Ron and Ginny hugged their parents goodbye before walking off towards a group of other students Harry didn't recognize. He and Hermione dragged their trunks towards the train in silence. The days following the trip to Diagon Alley hadn't been any easier and Harry's preoccupation with whatever it was that Malfoy was up to was not helping matters. The only progress that had even been made was that at least Ginny and Hermione were talking again, but it still didn't seem the same between them as it had been before. Ginny continued to freeze Harry out, but Hermione largely suspected it had more to do with Ron than with Harry. It wasn't nearly as bad as it had been, but it still wasn't pleasant.

Harry pushed his trunk onto the train with Hermione's help before helping her with her own trunk. Hedwig squawked in her cage when Harry bumped it accidentally against the wall. He apologized to her, promising to make it up to her when they got back to Hogwarts. The pair dragged their trunks down the hallway until they found an empty compartment they could share. It seemed, as usual, they had arrived a little too late and almost missed getting their own spot. Harry set Hedwig's cage down on the seat before pushing his trunk up into the luggage storage space. He opened up the cage door to let her out, knowing how much she hated being cooped up in that thing. Hedwig seemed to give Harry a thankful look before she took off out the open window. He quickly shoved her cage up next to his trunk to get it out of the way.

The sound of someone clearing their throat broke through Harry's thoughts. He turned to see Neville and Luna standing in the doorway of their compartment. Neville looked slightly embarrassed, his cheeks taking on a light pink hue. "Hullo Harry, Hermione," he started. "I was wondering if you'd mind if Luna and I joined you. Everywhere else is full."

"Oh, of course Neville. You really needn't ask. I have to head up to the prefects' carriage soon anyway." Hermione smiled gently at the two of them as her and Harry made room. Luna smiled at Harry with her usual glassy, wide eyes before she sat down and pulled out the latest copy of The Quibbler.

"Where are Ron and Ginny? I thought they'd be in here with you too." Neville looked to Hermione inquisitively.

"It's a bit complicated but we've had a bit of a falling out... again," Hermione explained. It really wasn't the first time it had happened. At one point or another, each of them had been in an argument with one of the others, though usually it was just between Ron and Hermione.

After the train started on its way to Hogwarts, Harry excused himself and left the compartment to take a walk. Secretly he was hoping to find out more information on what Malfoy had been up to while in Knockturn Alley. It was a bit of a stretch, but he was known to brag to his friends about that sort of thing. He followed along the hallways of each car, careful to avoid getting knocked over by some of the younger students racing. He was just about to step through into another car when he heard a familiar voice.

"I'm flattered you're asking. I'd love to go with you to Hogsmeade, as long as we're allowed," Ginny's voice carried. Harry glanced through the window in the door and spotted Ginny speaking with Zacharias Smith. It looked as though he'd cornered her away from Ron.

"I don't see why not. We were allowed in third year with that maniac on the loose. Anyway, I figured now that you'd dropped that bespectacled git and that insufferable know-it-all, you'd have more time on your hands." Smith had obviously not thought through what he said to Ginny. The next thing he knew he had been hit with Ginny's famous Bat Bogie Hex which caused bogies to sprout wings and attack him.

"Don't you ever let me hear you talking about Harry and Hermione like that or next time you'll get it worse." Ginny stood over Smith with a fierce look in her eye as he tried to bat away the bogies that continued to dive into him. It was the kind of look that made Harry hope he would never end up on the receiving end of it. Ginny was not a witch to be trifled with and Smith had very clearly made that mistake. He would have to find someone else to take to Hogsmeade now. Ginny's words also had the effect of giving Harry the hope that they could mend their friendships, sooner rather than later. She still defended them with all of her being and broke the rules to do so.

Suddenly, a loud resounding laugh echoed throughout the train car as Harry stepped through the doorway. "Excellent young lady. Quite the powerful curse there."

Harry immediately noticed a short, enormously fat man standing behind Ginny. He had a shiny, bald head with prominent eyes and an enormous silvery walrus-like moustache. He was dressed in an old-fashioned waistcoat with gold buttons and a pair of striped trousers. Harry wasn't sure who this person was, but a thought started to form in his head as he remembered the train ride at the beginning of his third year. Remus had been aboard on that trip and with Umbridge gone; they would need a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.

"Horace Slughorn's the name, but of course, you can address me as Professor." Ginny's face suddenly blanched at his statement, turning her almost as white as a sheet. She had broken the rules and may have ended up in serious trouble having been caught by a professor. No one would have thought a teacher would be aboard the Hogwarts Express.

"Ah ah, no need to worry about this," Slughorn said with a little chuckle at Ginny's horrified expression. "I'm sure he had it coming. Now, young lady, I am meeting with some of your fellow students for a late lunch in my compartment later on. Why don't you join us, hmm?"

Ginny simply nodded in disbelief and shock. It wasn't every day that a professor overlooked rule breaking in favour of inviting a student to lunch. It was at that point that Harry started wondering about this professor and what he would be like in Defense Against the Dark Arts. He didn't come across as someone who would be interested in the subject, but neither had Professor Quirrell. Of course, he turned out to be someone completely different than expected in the end. Slughorn could very well turn out to be one of the best, but they wouldn't find out until they got into the classroom with him. If necessary, Harry would start up Dumbledore's Army again this year. He didn't want anyone of his friends or allies to be unprepared for the upcoming war.

Harry glanced at Ginny to find her looking back at him with a contemplative look before she turned away and headed back to her compartment. Well, at least she hadn't given him an icy stare as she had a few weeks ago. It was progress and he would take it.

When Harry made it back to his compartment, he found Hermione sitting with Neville and Luna while Luna was explaining what a Wrackspurt was. It looked as though Hermione was trying very hard not to correct Luna's views on a creature that was not known to exist in the wizarding world. Harry took his seat next to Neville as thoughts started swimming in his head. There was so much going on that Harry felt like his head was swimming. There was the situation with Ron and Ginny, the suspicious actions of Draco Malfoy, and a mysterious announcement that was to be made once they were back at Hogwarts. It was a lot to wrap his head around.

Harry was particularly preoccupied with what Malfoy was up to. Hermione had already written the trip to Knockturn Alley off as nothing more than Malfoy being a spoiled brat wanting something he couldn't have. Harry, on the other hand, was sure it was something more than that. Malfoy was up to something and Harry was determined to find out what it was. He came up with a plan to sneak into Malfoy's compartment with his Invisibility Cloak to hopefully overhear him talking with his friends about whatever it was he was up to. Harry was determined to get to the bottom of it all. As Harry focused on the issue of Malfoy, several ideas began floating around in his head. The most prominent came from something Hermione had said about Lucius Malfoy being a Death Eater and perhaps Malfoy was trying to use that to get something he wanted from Borgin. It sprouted the idea in his head that Malfoy was now a Death Eater, replacing his father who had been sent to Azkaban. Hermione had been quick to dismiss that idea, but Harry couldn't let it go.

"Umm... Excuse me?" Harry looked up to find a meek third-year girl. "I'm supposed to deliver these to Neville Longbottom and Harry P-Potter," she stammered. She held out two rolled up pieces of parchment, each tied with a purple ribbon. Neville reached forward and took them both, handing Harry's to him. The girl quickly turned and left, shutting the door behind her, nearly tripping on her own robes while leaving.

Harry unrolled the parchment and read the invitation to join Professor Slughorn for lunch in compartment C. He glanced up a Neville, who looked perplexed by his invitation. He was hardly ever invited to anything prestigious.

Once it was getting close to lunch time, both Harry and Neville got up from their seats in the compartment and headed towards compartment C. The corridors were packed with students on the lookout for the lunch trolley and it was hard to get through the crowd without brushing against someone or asking them to politely move out of the way. Along with the crowds came the staring. Ever since the end of the previous year, it seemed to have gotten worse. News of Harry's exploits at the Ministry of Magic and confirmation that Voldemort was indeed back as he had been saying since the end of his fourth year, had spread quickly amongst the wizarding community. It seemed that Harry could not go anywhere without garnering some sort of attention. The only person who wasn't trying to get a better look at him was Cho Chang, who disappeared back into her compartment as soon as she saw Harry coming towards her. When Harry passed the window, he could see the curse Hermione had put on Cho's friend Marietta was still in effect, though she had tried to cover the odd formation of pimples with a thick layer of makeup. He had to admit to himself that it did cheer him up slightly to see that. When they arrived at the compartment, they saw that they were not the only ones who had been invited for the meal. Harry had already known Ginny would be there, but there was more than just the three of them. Professor Slughorn stood almost immediately and met them at the door.

"Ah! Harry! Good to see you, good to see you! I've been looking forward to meeting you at last." Slughorn enthusiastically greeted him with a shake of Harry's hand before turning to Neville. "And you must be Mr. Longbottom!"

"Um... yes. Hullo sir," Neville answered nervously as Slughorn directed them to the two remaining seats. Harry looked around the compartment and recognized only a few people. There was a Slytherin from his year and a Gryffindor a year ahead of him, but he couldn't recall either of their names.

"Now, I suppose we should go around the table and introduce everyone," Slughorn chimed in. "Of course, everyone here knows Mr. Potter." Slughorn gave Harry an encouraging smile before moving on. "Mr. Neville Longbottom, sixth year Gryffindor. Next to him are Marcus Belby, Blaise Zabini, Cormac McLaggen, and Ms. Ginevra Weasley." Harry could see Ginny grimace slightly as Slughorn used her given name.

"Now that we're all introduced, we can get down to getting to know each other a little better. Harry, before you got here, I was telling Marcus that I had the pleasure of teaching his Uncle Damocles." Slughorn turned back to Marcus Belby as he divided up a lunch he pulled from a wicker basket made up of pheasant and what looked to be some sort of cheesy noodle concoction. "Outstanding wizard and well deserving of his Order of Merlin. Inventing the Wolfsbane Potion was quite the accomplishment. Do you see much of him?"

Marcus looked down at his plate as the pheasant was placed on it before answering, "No, not much. Him and dad don't get along on account of my dad's potions being rubbish." He stabbed at the meat in front of him and started to eat as Slughorn smiled coolly and turned his attention to Cormac. It was clear that Slughorn was no longer interested in Belby.

"What about you, Cormac, do you see much of your Uncle Tiberius these days?"

"Yes sir. I'm meant to go nogtail hunting with him, Bertie Higgs and the Minister for Magic over the holidays in Norfolk." Cormac answered smoothly.

As Slughorn made his way around the room, Harry's suspicions were confirmed. Nearly everyone there was connected to someone well-known or influential in the wizarding world, except for Ginny. Blaise Zabini had a famously beautiful mother who had been left large sums of money from her seven husbands who had all died mysteriously. Neville's parents had been well-known and extraordinary Aurors but after talking with him, it seemed as though Slughorn was reserving opinion of him. Neville hadn't really shown much of his parents' flair the entire time Harry had known him, except, as far as he was concerned, while they had fought at the Ministry last year.

Finally, Slughorn turned to Harry with a large smile. "And Harry Potter. Where do I begin? I knew your mother - one of my best students. She was a very talented witch, and muggle-born too. Not to say that that would have any bearing except that she would have had no prior training to coming to Hogwarts. Your father, too, had a great talent but never really put much mind to schooling you know. I was sad to hear of what happened to them - that terrible night. You though - you survived. There have been rumors for years, of course, that you must have powers beyond the ordinary - 'The Chosen One' there now calling you. Remarkable!"

Harry's face flushed with embarrassment as Slughorn continued on. "And I hear - though one can never really know since The Prophet has been known to print inaccuracies, but there are more than enough witness accounts - that you were involved in the disturbance at the Ministry. And then there is talk of this fabled prophecy -"

"We never heard a prophecy," Neville spoke up, turning bright pink as he did.

"That's right. Neville and I were both there. All this 'Chosen One' rubbish is just the Prophet over exaggerating to sell more copies. Harry is just like any other wizard his age and extraordinarily brave, as any Gryffindor should be," Ginny said resolutely, attempting to take the attention away from both Harry and Neville, both of whom looked like they would rather be anywhere else than the center of attention in that room.

"Oh, ho, you were both there too, were you?" This seemed to garner more of Slughorn's interest in the two Gryffindors. "Well, it is true that the Prophet often exaggerates. I remember sitting down with dear Gwenog - Ms. Jones of the Holyhead Harpies - and she told me..."

Slughorn went off on a long-winded tale about the Quidditch player and her dealings with the paper. Harry was thankful that Ginny had managed to distract him from talking more about Harry, but he had the distinct impression that Slughorn wasn't through with him just yet. The rest of the afternoon petered away as Slughorn regaled them tales about his favorite students who had gone on to do remarkable things or become renowned wizards and witches. Harry wanted to leave but was unsure how to do so politely. It wasn't until Slughorn noticed through the windows that the sun was setting that he finally started to wind things down.

"Dear, dear. I didn't realize it was so late. Well, off you all go. We'll be arriving at Hogsmeade before you know it." Slughorn gave them all a handshake as they left the compartment and headed back to their own.

"Well, that was..." Ginny started, pausing to try and find the right word. "Interesting? Who would ever imagine that someone could talk for so long without everyone in the room falling asleep?"

Neville snorted in laughter as he looked at Ginny. Harry looked at her, not really having heard what she'd said. His thoughts had drifted to the fight between him, Hermione and Ron. He'd been so hopeful that they would have a peaceful year at Hogwarts so that he could forget, just for a little while, the state of the world and what he would be expected to do. His future had already been written for him and the words of the prophecy weighed heavily on his mind.

"He seemed to take a liking to you," Neville commented as they walked down the hallway. "I don't think he really cared too much about me." He seemed a bit downtrodden.

"Oh Neville. He may not see it but I'm sure you have more of your parents in you than anyone realises. It's just because it's not obvious to everyone," Ginny tried to cheer him up. "You are brave, kind and powerful in your own right. It just takes some people a little longer to see it."

They made it back to their compartment with Ginny deciding to join them after she complained loudly about Seamus and Dean talking Quidditch the whole morning. Neville had invited her and she accepted as an excuse to not have to listen to the two fight about which team was the better Quidditch team this year. Ginny took her seat next to Luna and the five Hogwarts students continued their journey back to the school. For the rest of the trip, his friends had managed to distract Harry from the Malfoy situation.