The Awakening Power

Chapter 9: Back to Hogwarts

* * *

Harry walked about his room gathering his belongings, feeling a bit melancholy. He was packing his trunk in preparation for the return to Hogwarts, but unlike his previous years, he was feeling gloomy about leaving the Weasleys' home. He looked at his Pensieve sitting on his desk, reflecting on the eventful summer.

For the first time, the Weasleys' house had really felt like a home to him. All his life Harry had wished for a place like this, where he felt comfortable and wanted. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had gone far out of their way to make him feel like he belonged, and he appreciated it more than they could ever know. Harry wished he could help them out financially, but knew there was no way they would ever accept it.

As he carefully packed his Pensieve into his trunk, he pondered on the other factor that made him want to stay. Returning to Hogwarts meant returning to the reality of his life. Although he had felt burdened by his problems during the summer, the Burrow had felt like an oasis where his troubles were an issue for another day.

He knew that when he returned to the school, he would start getting all the attention and all the looks that he got every year, except this year would be even worse with all the events at the Ministry. He wasn't certain what the reaction would be, but it was sure to get him even more unwanted attention.

Of course, he also had to deal with the fact that he would be unable to take advanced Potions. He had thought about at least asking Snape for permission to take the class, even though he was certain Snape would turn him down. It was worth a shot, at least.

He sighed as he packed the last of his clothes into his trunk and closed the lid. He put his Firebolt next to the trunk so that it would be ready to go.

Looking at his broom reminded him of Quidditch practice this summer. Ron's new broom from last year had performed well, but Harry could tell Ginny was frustrated by her old broom's lack of performance. The previous season had been hard on it, and it tended to shudder and list when pushed too hard. She didn't say anything, of course, since she was used to her family's lack of money. Harry knew she would never complain about it.

An idea had started forming in his head when Mrs. Weasley bellowed up the stairs. "Hurry up you lot! Come down to breakfast, or you're going to be late for the train!"

The yell shook him out of his reverie and into action. He started walking through his door, but just as his body crossed the threshold, a loud fwoom sounded and he had an odd feeling as if a wind had just blown through his body.

He stopped, wondering what had just happened as he stood in the corridor outside the bedroom. Just then, Ginny walked out of her own room. She suddenly stopped, eyes wide, and pointed at him.

"Harry! Look at yourself!" she managed to say, before she broke down in a cascade of loud laughter.

Harry looked down at himself and saw that he had red and gold stripes spiraling down his body. He looked like a giant Gryffindor barber pole.

Hermione came out of the Ginny's room as Ron came down the stairs. "What's all the commotion abo-" Ron abruptly cut off, stunned at the sight of Harry. He started laughing hysterically, dropping to the floor holding his stomach.

Hermione had her hand over her mouth, trying not to laugh, but was failing miserably. "Oh, Harry, I'm sorry, but..." Her words collapsed into giggles. Harry burned with embarrassment.

Ron pulled himself together long enough to say, "H - Harry, I just need a little off the top and the sides..." and then collapsed into laughter again, rolling on the floor. Ginny and Hermione laughed even louder. Harry had to admit it was pretty funny and started laughing himself.

"W - Wait, what's that?" said Ginny, trying to stifle her laughter. She reached around Harry and pulled off a note stuck to Harry's back. She read the note out loud.

Dear Harry,

We figured that once you were moved out, our promise of a safe room was fulfilled. Besides, we were very disappointed that our first little surprise wasn't as fun for you as it should have been. We felt it was our duty to make it up to you. No need to thank us; it was our pleasure.

Good luck in your sixth year. Some advice: No OWLs and no NEWTs means lots of troublemaking opportunity. We highly recommend taking advantage of it. We may send a few interesting prototypes to you this year.

Love Always,

Fred and George

"All right, all right," said Harry, chuckling. He pulled out his wand. "Finite Incantatem," he said, hoping that Fred and George hadn't made the spell too difficult to remove. They appeared to have taken some pity on him as the spell disappeared without incident.

Ron finally got up off the floor, and they all headed downstairs, still snickering at intervals. Although he wouldn't say that he was glad to be hit by one of Fred and George's pranks, it did manage to lighten Harry's mood. He was feeling much more cheerful about getting on to Hogwarts.

They walked into the kitchen, and Harry was surprised to see Bill, Charlie and the Twins waiting for them. He hadn't seen Bill and Charlie since the party, although Fred and George had visited fairly often, usually to get some of Mrs. Weasley's cooking.

"Bill! Charlie!" Ginny ran over and gave them both huge hugs as they grinned at everyone.

"Hey, what about us?" said Fred indignantly.

"Yeah, don't we rate a hug?" said George.

"Oh, I see you two all the time. But come here anyway," said Ginny, smiling and giving them each a hug as well.

They all exchanged greetings as they settled in at the breakfast table. Mrs. Weasley had created a huge spread, as if she wanted them to be able to survive a famine on the way to King's Cross.

"Hi, Harry," said Fred, grinning. "Get everything packed up this morning?"

"Hope your stay in our old room was - comfortable," said George, grinning as well.

"Yes, very comfortable," said Harry, keeping a straight face. "Packed everything up this morning, no problems. Ready to head to Hogwarts."

Fred and George showed identical frowns. "No - er, problems?" said Fred.

"Nope! Thanks for asking, though," said Harry. Finally he couldn't keep his face straight and began laughing. Ron, Hermione and Ginny started laughing as well. "All right, maybe a small problem," Harry said.

The twins started laughing. "Nice one, Harry. You had us going," said George.

Harry began to dig into his food enthusiastically as Mr. Weasley was talking to Bill.

"I thought you were back in Egypt?" Mr. Weasley said.

"Gringotts called me back for a special investigation," Bill said. "The Goblins are concerned about Galleon inflation, or some such." Harry got the impression that he didn't think it was a serious issue. "I'm not certain what they expect me to do about it. I'm not an economist, I'm a curse breaker." Bill seemed a bit annoyed about the whole business.

"Have they filled you in on your assignment yet at all?" Charlie asked.

"No. It's all very hush-hush over there. Ragnok is worried about something, that's for sure," Bill said.

Harry's conversation with Ragnok came back to his mind. He almost spoke up and told them what Ragnok had told him, but Harry didn't want to get into the whole business again. He noticed Ron, Hermione and Ginny giving him a look, and he shook his head slightly at them.

They finished their breakfast chatting animatedly. "How are we getting to King's Cross, Dad?" Ron asked through a mouthful of food.

"Ministry car. It should be getting here very soon, in fact," Mr. Weasley said.

Harry was pretty certain that was the case, since Mrs. Weasley was getting more and more fidgety as the time approached to leave. "Now you children have everything, don't you? You didn't forget anything?" she said, her eyes narrowing.

"Honestly, Mum. Everything is under control," said Ginny.

Harry caught Fred's eye and cocked his head to toward the living room. Harry got up, trying to act casual as he walked out of the kitchen. He could see Fred nudge George, and they soon joined him.

"What's up, Harry?" said Fred.

Harry started to feel embarrassed, wondering if his idea was really a good one. Well, too late to back out now, he thought.

"Well," he started, looking around to make certain no one could overhear, "I have a little mission for you two."

Fred and George grinned. "We're your men! What do you need?" said George.

"Ginny's old broom is rubbish. I'd like you to pick up a new broom and send it to Hogwarts. I'll pay for it, but say it was from you," said Harry.

The twins looked at each other, eyes wide, their eyebrows shooting up their forehead in surprise. Two grins slowly crawled across their faces as they seemed to exchange some unspoken conversation.

"Really?" said Fred, smirking.

"You want to buy Ginny a little gift, is that the rub?" said George.

"That's quite nice of you, Harry," said Fred.

"Yes, very nice," said George. "In fact, a little nicer than we might have expected."

"Is there any reason we should know about for this sudden generosity?"

Harry felt his ears starting to heat up, but he fought to stay casual. "No big reason. You know, she needs a broom. For the Quidditch team. This year," Harry said tensely.

"Certainly, Harry, no problem. We'll find the right broom for her," said George.

"You can count on us," said Fred, grinning at his brother again.

"Give us a few days and Ginny will get a special little owl," said George.

Ginny walked into the room. "Hi, boys. Plotting something?" she said teasingly.

"No!" said Harry loudly, before he could control himself. Fred and George rolled their eyes.

"Nothing, little sis," said Fred. "Harry was just telling us how Gryffindor is going to cream the Quidditch competition this year."

"Yeah, no contest, right, Harry?" said George.

Harry nodded, not trusting himself to say anything else.

"After all, with Harry, Ron and you, how can they lose, right?" said Fred.

"Yeah, I guess so..." Ginny said, looking suspiciously at the three boys.

"We have a feeling this is going to be a big year for you, Gin," said George, grinning at Fred.

"Yep. In more ways than one," said Fred, glancing at Harry.

"What are you two gits talking about?" said Ginny, annoyed.

"Nothing, nothing," said George, smirking

"Let's just say we'll be watching this year with great interest," said Fred, wearing an identical smirk.

"OWLs, Quidditch... potential other, um, involvements... a busy year on tap, wouldn't you say, Fred?" said George.

"Definitely, George. Can't wait to see how things, shall we say, come together?" said Fred.

"I have no idea what you two are babbling about, and I don't have time to figure it out," said Ginny. "Mum wants us to bring everything downstairs."

Harry, for his part, was about terminal with embarrassment. "Erm, I guess I'll head up, then," he said, grateful for the excuse to end the conversation.

As he headed up the stairs, his embarrassment turned into irritation. Bloody hell, someone can't even just buy a broom around here, he grumbled. It doesn't mean anything. She just needs a new broom. What do Fred and George think they're playing at?

Soon everyone had their trunks downstairs, ready for the trip to King's Cross. Mrs. Weasley asked everyone at least three more times if anything was forgotten, until the Ministry cars showed up.

A large limousine-style car pulled up to the Weasley house, and two large men got out of the car. Harry couldn't hear what they said to Mr. Weasley, but Harry suspected they might be Aurors.

They all loaded up their trunks and animals into the car, and started the journey to King's Cross. The cars were very large and comfortable; a far cry from the Muggle taxis Harry took in his fourth year.

They soon arrived at their destination, and began unloading their luggage, preparing to enter King's Cross station. Just as Harry was wondering if any Aurors were watching them as they did last year, a young girl walked up to Harry and winked at him.

"Wotcher, Harry!" said the girl.

"Er, Tonks?" said Harry cautiously.

"Right in one! How old do you think I look?" said Tonks.

"Well, I'm not a good judge, but maybe, ten? A bit tall, though," said Harry, smiling.

"It's a new disguise I'm trying out. I like to mix them up so I don't get too predictable," she said.

Tonks looked around. "Mad-Eye is securing the area. He didn't want you to go through the barrier until he'd scouted the whole area - twice," she said, rolling her eyes. "Honestly. Caution is a good thing, but sometimes that man..."

Just then, Mad-Eye Moody and Remus Lupin walked up to the group. Mad-Eye was wearing his porter's cap over his large blue eye.

"Hello, Molly," he said, also nodding at the teenagers. "I think everything is in order. Remus and I have checked the area and nothing seems suspicious."

"Hello, everyone," said Lupin.

"Hi Professor! Er, I mean, Remus," Harry said, delighted to see him.

Lupin smiled at him. "Hello, Harry. Did you have a good summer?"

"Yes, it was fine, although it'll be good to be back at Hogwarts," said Harry.

Mrs. Weasley was looking nervously at the time. "All right now, everyone through the barrier," she said, making a "hurry" gesture with her hand.

Each waited until no one was looking and then casually entered the barrier between platforms 9 and 10. Once they were all through, the warning whistle blew from the train.

"Right then, make sure you owl me regularly, and be careful," Mrs. Weasley said sternly, before she gave her customary hugs.

Harry shook everyone's hand and ended with Lupin.

"Remember what I said, Harry. If you need anything..." said Lupin.

"I'll remember. I'll try and send you some letters, too," said Harry.

"That would be wonderful, Harry," said Lupin, beaming.

"Erm, we need to head to the Prefect's Car, Harry," said Ron nervously.

"All right. I'll save you seats, then," said Harry, too upbeat about going to Hogwarts to worry about their Prefect duties.

"We'll see you in a little bit," said Hermione, waving.

Ron and Hermione wandered off, dragging their trunks and carrying Crookshanks and Pigwidgeon.

"Uh, were you going to ride with us, Ginny?" said Harry. He wasn't certain if she wanted to ride with her friends this year. He didn't want to ride by himself.

"Sure," she said. "Maybe we can even find Neville and Luna again," said Ginny.

"Come to think of it, I promised to sit with them. Let's go," said Harry.

They climbed aboard the train, Harry holding Hedwig in one hand, and dragging his trunk with the other. They peered through the glass in each compartment, looking for Neville and Luna. Harry noticed he was getting his usual stares and whispers as he moved through the train. He wondered if people at least didn't think he was a madman this year.

Finally they found Neville and Luna sitting alone in a compartment. They slid the door open and pulled their trunks inside.

"Hi Neville! Hi Luna!" said Ginny brightly.

Neville was holding his toad Trevor, and, as usual, the toad appeared to be trying to escape. They all exchanged greetings and got caught up on the news of the summer.

"Look at this, Harry!" said Neville excitedly. He pulled out his wand. "Brand new wand from Ollivanders. I can't wait to try it. Ol' Ollivander said it was a very powerful wand, and it chose me!"

Luna told them of her trip to Sweden that summer. "As you know, daddy and I went on expedition to catch a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

Harry recalled Hermione's opinion of her trip. "Er, did you catch one?"

"No," she said, her oddly protuberant eyes staring at him. "But we came very close. Our guides even taught us the proper call." She suddenly put her hands to her mouth, and made a loud noise that sounded like, "CAW ICK ICK CAW SQUAWK."

Harry blinked. "Er, yeah. That's great," he said, glancing at Ginny. She had her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her giggles.

Some time later, Harry said, "I think I'll find the toilet. I'll be right back."

He opened the car down and went down the aisle. After doing his business, he decided to buy some snacks for everyone in the car. Harry walked down the train corridor, looking for the food cart. Suddenly a car door opened, and Parvati leaped out.

"Harry! How are you?" she said brightly. She laced her arm through his possessively and pulled him into the car with her. "We have some room in here! Come in and sit down!"

"But... I..." Harry said, trying unsuccessfully to pull away.

Still wrapped around his arm, Parvati pulled him down next to her in the car, sitting very close to him. Also in the car were Lavender, Seamus and Dean.

Harry sighed, figuring it wouldn't hurt to stay for a few minutes.

"Hello, Seamus, Lavender, Dean," he said politely. Something about Dean was trying to rise in his consciousness, but he couldn't remember why.

"Hi, Harry!" said Seamus, grinning. "We were just talking about you, actually."

Wonderful, thought Harry.

"We heard about your little incident at Diagon Alley," said Dean. "Attacked by Death Eaters right in the street!"

Lavender was giving him a wide-eyed look. "That must have been so frightening!"

"And it must have happened right after we talked! Didn't it, Harry?" Parvati said, hugging his arm a little tighter.

"Wait, hold on..." said Harry.

"My mum almost wouldn't let me go pick up my stuff after she heard the story," said Seamus.

"My dad was simply furious with the Ministry. Can you imagine? Allowing Death Eaters to run amok," said Lavender. "Good thing you were there, Harry."

"It wasn't a Death Eater!" said Harry, irritated. "How do these rumors get started?"

"It wasn't?" said Parvati. "What happened, then?"

"Well, I mean, I thought it was a Death Eater... but it wasn't. An Auror was following me, but I didn't know it was an Auror, and I, well, sort of knocked him out," Harry said, embarrassed.

"You took out an Auror?" said Seamus, looking awed and impressed.

"I didn't exactly take him out, I, er..." said Harry weakly.

"You had a lot of help?" Parvati said innocently.

"Er, no, not this time, but it was a bit lucky," Harry said modestly.

"You seem to have a lot of luck, mate," said Dean.

"Listen, are you going to continue the D.A. this year?" Seamus said conspiratorially. Everyone leaned forward.

"Yeah, I hope to. I mean, I haven't talked to Professor Dumbledore or anything, but I don't see why not," said Harry.

"I hope we get a decent Defense teacher this year," said Dean. "All this business is making me nervous. I'm just glad my parents are Muggles and know nothing about any of it."

There was a solemn silence as they all thought about the reality that the D.A. represented. Harry saw his chance.

"Well, I promised to pick up some snacks. I'll see you all at Hogwarts," Harry said, as he carefully extracted his arm from Parvati.

"Oh! All right, Harry," said Parvati. "Maybe I'll see you at the feast?" she asked hopefully.

"Um, sure, I guess so. Well, see you all," he said, giving a small wave at everyone. A chorus of good byes trailed him as he walked out of the car.

Harry sighed. Apparently it wasn't going to be as easy to avoid Parvati as he had thought.

Suddenly he remembered why Dean had sparked something in his memory. On the train ride home last year, Ginny had commented to Ron, "Well, I've chosen Dean Thomas, would you say he's better?" Harry frowned at the memory.

At the time, he hadn't thought too much about it, but now he wondered. She certainly hadn't mentioned Dean since the train. But then, why would she? he thought. She might have been writing him letters all summer. Grumbling to himself, he felt annoyed at the whole thought of Dean.

Harry finally spotted the food cart in the next car. He was already feeling hungry from the excitement of the morning, despite Mrs. Weasley's big breakfast. He walked to the cart, picking out an assortment of snacks and sweets to share with everyone.

He brought back a large pile to the train car. Ron and Hermione had apparently finished their meeting with the Head Boy and Girl, as they were sitting with Ginny, Luna and Neville.

"Dig in, if anybody wants anything," Harry said. They all grabbed snacks enthusiastically.

Ginny smiled at him, causing Harry to wonder again about Dean. He shook himself, wondering why he was even thinking about Dean at all.

Ron pulled out his chessboard. "How about a game, mate?" he said to Harry.

"All right," Harry said, as he started helping to set up the pieces.

Ron opened up a Chocolate Frog package, the frog squirming in his hand before he stuffed it into his mouth. "Whoa, new card... I haven't seen this one before. Oh, oh." He glanced at Harry, worried.

Hermione looked over, munching on a Miss Vegee Health Snack. "What's the matter?"

Ron passed the card over to Hermione. Her face fell, looking at the card. "Erm... Harry? You might as well see this."

Harry took the card and was horrified to see himself smiling back, his Firebolt at his side. The card-Harry winked at him. He turned it over and read the back:

HARRY POTTER
CURRENTLY SIXTH YEAR STUDENT AT HOGWARTS

Primarily famous for defeating You-Know-Who as an infant, Mr. Potter has achieved recent notoriety for surviving several run-ins with the Dark Lord. In his latest encounter, he survived a brazen attack at the Ministry of Magic. Many prominent wizards expect great things from this young man. Mr. Potter was the youngest Seeker in over a century at Hogwarts, playing for Gryffindor House.

"Great. Just great. Just what I needed," he said angrily. "Don't they need my permission to make a card about me?"

"Well, that's the way it would work in the Muggle world, but I guess not here, Harry," said Hermione.

"Let me see," said Ginny, taking it from Harry. She looked at the picture critically and then giggled.

"What's so funny?" said Harry, annoyed.

"Oh, I was just thinking about Malfoy's reaction when he hears about this card. You know that he'll try and annoy you with it, Harry, but inside he'll be seething."

"Yeah..." Ron said, with a smirk. "I know you hate this, mate, but you have to admit that Malfoy almost makes it worth it."

Harry couldn't help smiling. "Well, maybe. I still wish they hadn't done it."

Luna had taken the card from Ginny. "This picture is much nicer than the one that ran in The Quibbler," she said. "Who took it?"

Harry looked curious. "You know, that's a good question. It looks like it was taken during a Quidditch match, but I don't remember any odd photographers. Let me see the card again."

Harry took the card back from Luna and peered again at the picture. The photo-Harry gave him a thumbs-up. Looking closer at the bottom of the card, he saw some tiny writing. Holding it up to his eye, he could barely make out, "Photo credit: Colin Creevey, Hogwarts."

"Creevey!" Harry spat, as he threw the card to the ground. "Mark my words, he'll pay for this."

Abruptly Malfoy opened up the door to the car. Crabbe and Goyle stood behind him, looking bigger, meaner and dumber than ever.

"Another year, Potter. Another year." He spied the card, now in Neville's hand, who had picked it up off the floor.

"What's that, Longbottom? I see you have the card for your great hero, Potter. Is he handing them out to people? Did he sign it personally for you?"

Neville glared at him. "You're just jealous, Malfoy! Fat chance that you'll ever be on a Chocolate Frog card!" Everyone looked surprised at Neville.

Ron glanced at him, eyebrows raised, and then smirked at Malfoy. "Yeah, Malfoy, maybe someday they'll have a line of 'Huge Git' cards, and you'll be card number one."

"Did they allow you back to Hogwarts, Longbottom? One would think a student would need to pass at least one OWL," Malfoy said snidely. Crabbe and Goyle looked away nervously.

"What are you doing back at Hogwarts anyway, Malfoy? Did your application get rejected by Death Eater Youth?" said Ron. The car broke out in laughter.

Malfoy glared at him. "How do you end up at Hogwarts, Weasley? I suppose your tuition comes from the Hogwarts Charity Fund," he said smoothly. Ron clenched and unclenched his fists.

"Just what is it you want, Malfoy?" said Hermione tiredly.

Malfoy sneered at Hermione. "Seeing as how all of you are rather, well, unconnected in the world, I would assume that you haven't been informed who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is," Malfoy drawled, his face twisting into a smirk.

Harry knew that look on Malfoy's face. This could mean nothing good.

"All right, Malfoy. Obviously you know something, and you like whatever it is. Spit it out," said Harry, irritated.

"You mean, you want something from me, Potter? Doesn't the Great Potter have any manners? Can't you ask politely?" Malfoy said mockingly.

"Fine, Malfoy, whatever you say. Don't tell us, then. We'll find out soon enough," said Harry, looking back to the chess game. He knew that whatever it was, Malfoy was dying to tell them. He just had to wait him out.

Malfoy looked irritated at being ignored, but soon his pleasure at his news returned. "Ah, Potter, this is going to be a glorious year, don't you think? Such opportunities for learning. And Defense classes are rather critical for Auror training, wouldn't you say?"

Harry looked up at that. "What d'you mean, Auror training?"

"Only that your grades in Defense classes are critical for being accepted into the Auror academy. Of course, what else would the illustrious and noble Potter choose for a career, except being an Auror?"

"I'll have you know my grades in Defense are among the tops in the school, with the exception of a certain teacher who was your secret lover last year," Harry said, growing angry.

The insult seemed to slide off Malfoy. "Ah, but perhaps not this year, Potter."

"I'm tired of this game, Malfoy," Harry looked back to the chessboard.

"All right, Potter. I'd say I'd had enough fun, but my fun is only beginning. You want to know who the new teacher is, eh?" said Malfoy, clearly relishing the moment. Harry continued to look at the chessboard, not seeing the pieces.

Malfoy gave a long, dramatic pause. "Why, the new teacher is none other than Professor Severus Snape." Malfoy's face split into a grin that threatened to cause the top part of his head to fall off.

The shock in the train car was all Malfoy had hoped for and more. Harry's mouth opened and closed silently, fish-like, at a complete loss for words. Ron was running his fingers through his hair, giving himself a wild appearance. Hermione's brain seemed to have stopped for once, as her eyes appeared a bit glassy. Ginny actually looked angry, and Neville looked terrified. Only Luna appeared blasé about the news.

"You're lying!" said Harry impulsively.

"Don't you wish I was, Potter. I guess your days of special treatment in the Defense classes are over. We all know that everyone sucked up to you, even on your OWL exam, from what I hear," Malfoy said spitefully. "I'm certain Professor Snape will put an end to that. Better brush up on your cleaning spells. I might give you a job in my mansion after Hogwarts."

Harry's temper was rising quickly. "Your mansion, Malfoy? That's a funny name for Azkaban, which is where you'll most likely be ending up after Hogwarts - with your putrid father."

Malfoy's expression turned cold as ice. "I would watch your mouth, Potter. The wind is changing, and you might hear some news about that before too much longer." He gave a cruel smile. "Yes, you better be careful, or you may be put down like certain other rabid dogs."

Harry lost his temper. He launched out of his seat, utterly enraged, and pulled his wand.

"Harry, no!" said Hermione and Ginny together. They each took an arm and pulled Harry back.

Ron followed a split second later, pulling his wand, ready to defend Harry. The others stood up as well. Malfoy took a step back, his face showing concern that he might have pushed Harry too far.

Ginny pulled her wand as well, and she fixed Malfoy with a cold stare. She twirled her wand in her fingers. "Apparently you didn't learn anything from last year, Malfoy. Do you need a little reminder?"

Suddenly the glass in the compartment door behind Malfoy shattered, falling to the floor with a deafening noise. Malfoy jumped back, looking around the train suspiciously.

"Who did that?" he demanded.

Harry fought to bring himself under control. He had a good idea how the glass had shattered. He certainly didn't need any incidents before he had even arrived at school.

Trying to distract the focus from the glass, Harry said, "Yeah, Malfoy, I hear Ginny hit you with a excellent Bat Bogey Hex last year. I only wish I had seen it. I bet your father was very proud of a Weasley girl making a monkey of you. I'm certain ol' Voldemort was salivating to bring you into the ranks."

Malfoy looked on the edge of drawing his own wand, but managed to control himself. "Laugh now, Potter. You may not have many laughs left." He looked at Crabbe and Goyle. "Come on, let's get out of here."

Malfoy withdrew from the car, eyeing the glass warily.

Hermione walked over to the door, waved her wand, and said, "Reparo!" The glass appeared to break in reverse as it repaired itself. "Well, that was odd..." she mumbled. She tried to close the door, but it didn't seem to fit in the track quite correctly. She gave one hard push and it finally closed. Harry noticed that the thick metal frame of the door appeared to be warped.

The door seemed like a trivial issue as Harry remembered the reason for Malfoy's visit. He buried his face in his hands. "Oh, bloody hell. Not Snape. How can Dumbledore do this?"

Harry suddenly pulled his hands away, and his face grew determined. "Well, I'll say one thing right now. Snape may be better at Potions than I'll ever be, but he's not pushing me around in Defense class."

"You know, Harry, there's another aspect to this," said Hermione, thoughtfully. "No Snape in Potions means we get a new Potions teacher. One that might not be as strict in only allowing students that scored Outstanding Potions OWLs."

Harry's jaw dropped. "You're right! Whoever the teacher is can't be as unreasonable as Snape. I wonder who it is?" Harry suddenly felt better than he had in some time, Snape as Defense teacher or no.

"I'm certain Dumbledore will find a competent replacement," said Hermione.

"Yeah! Potions doesn't have the same track record at Hogwarts as the Defense position," said Ron, grinning.

As things in the car returned to normal, Harry started thinking about the shattered glass and warped door. He'd always had incidents of accidental magic, but they were far more frequent this summer than ever before, and the feeling was - different. He'd barely felt anything in prior years, but he was feeling something much stronger, like it was bursting out of him. He hoped the incidents would lessen once he was able to start using magic regularly again at Hogwarts. That had seemed to be the case before.

He wondered briefly if he should tell Dumbledore about the unusual activity, but dismissed the idea. It wasn't as if he hadn't had incidents before. They were just more frequent now. For all he knew, it was perfectly normal.

The rest of the trip was uneventful as they all chatted or played games. As they started getting closer to Hogwarts, Harry stared out the window trying to glimpse the castle. He knew they were getting close, but rain began pelting the window, making it difficult to see any terrain.

"We'd best get dressed," Hermione said briskly, glancing at Ron. He sighed and dutifully began pulling out his school robes. Everyone else followed their lead as they opened up their trunks and got dressed.

Finally the train began to slow down, and Harry could hear all the students noisily gathering their belongings.

"We'll see you later, mate. We need to go herd the calves," Ron said, grinning. Hermione glared at him. Ron opened the warped door with difficulty, finally leaning his weight into the handle to get it to open. He glanced curiously between it and Harry as he walked out with Hermione.

Harry gathered his belongings and led Ginny, Neville and Luna off the train.

"Firs' years over 'ere! Firs' years over 'ere!" yelled a familiar voice.

"Hagrid! Over here!" yelled Harry, waving his arms.

"'Ello there, Harry! See you at the feast!" yelled Hagrid back.

Harry was delighted to see Hagrid back in his familiar role, since he had been absent the previous year.

They all tried to stick together among the jostling of the crowd as they left the platform. The night was a bit chilly as he walked along the path toward the carriages, Ginny alongside of him, and Neville and Luna following. Ginny was carrying Crookshanks, and Harry was carrying Pigwidgeon.

"I wonder what the new Potions Professor will be like?" Ginny said curiously.

"Dunno," Harry replied. "Can't be worse than Snape, though."

"Better knock on some wood, Harry," Ginny said superstitiously, with a grin. "Given what we had for a Defense teacher last year, I'd say that it's possible to be worse. Might be a troll this time."

Harry laughed. "Yeah, or maybe a vampire. He'd probably make us do blood potions all the time, and I gave enough blood last year to Umbridge."

Ginny laughed loudly. Harry felt pleased that he'd made her laugh.

"Hmm. Maybe you're right," Harry said. "Best not to tempt fate, eh?"

Smiling, Harry walked over and knocked on a tree.