Fan Fiction ❯ Chaos Factor ❯ Meet Harry Potter ( Chapter 4 )

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Harry Potter, but I rent him at a very reasonable rate.

~*~Chapter 4~*~

"Harry! Wake up! We're gonna miss the train!" Ron Weasley hollered up the stairs of 12 Grimmauld Place where the Weasley Clan (minus Percy), Hermione Granger, and The-Boy-Who-Lived had spent the last several weeks of their summer vacation. This unassuming house, the ancestral home of Sirius Black, was now serving as the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, a secret society formed by Albus Dumbledore to combat Voldemort and his Deatheaters. As Harry struggled to put his clothing on he heard several female voices arguing loudly.

"--FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS -"

"SHUT UP YOU OLD BIDDY! THIS ISN'T YOUR HOUSE ANYMORE! IT'S SIRIUS' AND HE CAN HAVE WHOEVER HE WANTS OVER FOR AS LONG AS HE WANTS!"

Harry grinned at the continuing disagreement between Mrs. Black and Mrs. Weasley. Neither one had given an inch to the other since he had arrived at his godfather's house. As he tied his shoes there was a knock and Hermione's voice filtered through the door. "Are you ready yet? Mum and Dad just sent Hedwig back so we're just waiting for Tonks to put the finishing touches on her disguise. Moody's really chomping at the bit to get going. He's more fidgety than normal."

"Come in. I'm almost ready." Harry folded his pajamas and stuffed them in his trunk as Hermione opened the door and stepped inside. Hedwig fluttered off her shoulder and into to the open cage in the corner. Harry slammed the lid of his trunk down and leaned over to latch the cage door. "All set. Let's not keep everyone waiting. Could you carry Hedwig's cage for me?"

Harry, dragging his trunk, followed Hermione downstairs to where the other occupants of the house waited. The noise of the trunk thudding down the steps was drowned out by the howling of the still incensed portrait. Mrs. Weasley looked up as the pair approached her.

"Harry, you're to come with me and Tonks," she shouted over the repeated screeches of "MUDBLOODS! SCUM! CREATURES OF DIRT!" "Hermione, you go with Ron and Arthur. Leave your things here; Alastor's going to deal with the luggage... Oh, for heaven's sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!" The large black dog stubbornly stayed by Harry's side as the boy walked towards the Weasley matriarch. "Oh honestly… Well, on your own head be it!" She bustled past them, heading for the front door where Tonks waited, disguised as an elderly woman.

Tonks winked at Harry as he and Padfoot passed her on their way out. They headed in the direction of King's Cross, Padfoot spooking several neighborhood cats along the way. Harry still couldn't believe that he was allowed to return to Hogwarts. He had been certain that Fudge would lock him in Azkaban and throw away the key, and if it hadn't been for Dumbledore's intervention, he very well might have.

It had been a very tense summer for Harry, even without the Dementors' attack. Everyday, Harry expected to hear some news of Voldemort's return, and was shocked when he didn't even see a mention of it in the Daily Prophet. That, he'd later learned, was because of the Ministry's refusal to accept that Lord Voldemort was back. Harry ground his teeth in frustration, after what happened at the Triwizard Tournament how could they not believe it! He could still see Cedric fall every time he closed his eyes and hear Voldemort's cruel laughter and the Deatheaters' taunts in his sleep.

Padfoot barked, drawing Harry out of his reflections. The summer hadn't been any easier on the animagus either. Still a wanted man, Sirius had been cooped up in his family home for months. Even though he knew it was for his own protection, Sirius hated being confined and "useless".

Twenty minutes later they arrived at the station. Once inside, they lingered casually beside the barrier between platforms nine and ten until the crowd thinned, then each of them leaned against it in turn and fell easily through onto platform nine and three quarters. Harry took in the familiar surroundings and his spirit soared…he was really going back. They moved a little ways from the entrance as they waited anxiously for the others to arrive. Suddenly, Harry heard a shout from somewhere behind him. He turned in time to see a figure converge on Padfoot, who had been chasing his tail nearby…

"It's way too early for this," Juline yawned as the quartet hauled their luggage to the train station. "Hey Chris, what platform are we looking for again?" She asked, peering around the bustling station through half-shut eyes.

"Nine and three quarters," the brunette replied. "Thank the gods for Starbucks," she added as she clutched her double mocha latte like a life preserver. "We did remember to pack my Mr. Coffee, right?"

"If we didn't we can get it later," Juline muttered as she scanned the signs.

Rini snorted and shifted her weight, trying to balance her overstuffed bag. "If someone had set the alarm like they were supposed to, we wouldn't have been running around like morons…and we would have had time for a decent breakfast! Starbucks bagels just don't cut it."

"Um…I think there's a problem here," Emily said, looking slightly confused. "I see platform nine and platform ten, but no nine and three quarters."

"Maybe we should ask someone…."

"Right, we'll just go up to some random person and ask how to get to the train for the wizarding school." Juline said, rolling her eyes. "Hang on a minute and let me find the entrance." She narrowed her eyes and seemed to be glaring at the space between the platforms. "There it is," she said, indicating the brick wall they were approaching.

Passing through the barrier, they encountered the majestic site of the Hogwarts Express. Faking awe for a moment, they settle down on a bench to wait for the boarding signal.

"I can't believe we're actually here early" Chris marveled. "It's a sign of the Apocalypse."

"Well, there ARE four of us..." Rini commented.

The laughter was interrupted by the grumbling of stomachs. Sighing, Juline stood up. "I wonder if the English have heard of concession stands? I'll be back. Don't let anyone near the Luggage and try to remember we're undercover so don't draw any unnecessary attention."

"Look who's talking, Ms. Pyro," Emily muttered, rolling her eyes at her sister's retreating back.

As Juline wandered further down the platform in search of food -- preferably some that tasted like food -- she studied the people she passed, noting anything that seemed interesting. Almost to the far end of the platform, she was ready to give up and began turning to head back to the others. "They better have something on the train… bloody English wizards…" As she spun around she caught a flash of silver in a shady alcove. Pausing to take a better look, she saw a tall, elegant looking man and a boy about her supposed age - fifteen or sixteen. Both had an unusual shade of silver blond hair, pale skin, and an aristocratic demeanor. They looked enough alike that they were probably father and son. Juline smiled "If it weren't for the older man's sour expression, he'd be a nice roll in the hay." She was about to turn away before she was caught ogling when her brain stopped paying attention to her libido and processed what she had seen happening. Giving the scene a second look, she saw that the younger of the two was cradling his left arm and the older had a solid grip on the back of the boy's neck. The man lowered his head and whispered something into the boy's ear, gave the boy a rough shake, and shoved him in the direction of the waiting train. Juline watched as the boy caught himself, stood ramrod straight, wincing as his arm straightened, and nodded to his Father who raised his wand and disapparated. She quickly twisted the ring on her right ring finger a half turn, activating the invisibility spell contained within the ancient artifact. "It's a good thing that guy disapparated," she muttered as the boy walked past her.

Suddenly, the boy stopped in his tracks and turned towards where Juline stood with a rather perplexed expression. "Who's there?" he asked the seemingly empty space. After staring for a moment, he shrugged his shoulders and rubbed the back of his head with his good right hand. "Must have been hit too hard this time. Now I'm seeing things." The boy turned back to the train and is lost in the gathering crowd.

Juline reappeared with an expression halfway between worry and excitement on her face. "Well, this should be interesting…" She headed back to where the others waited, completely forgetting her quest for food.

After several minutes of dodging students carrying suitcases and pushing trolleys overflowing with trunks and other types of luggage, she finally spotted her sisters sitting on a bench…but no Chris.

"Where's that flake of a fairy? I haven't been gone that long."

Both Rini with Emily looked at their approaching sister with amused expressions and pointed towards the entrance where Chris was glomping a large furry animal.

"Not again," Juline groaned as she rushed over to rescue the poor creature, which looked to be having trouble breathing. "Chris, let go of the dog."

"Puppy!"

"Chris, that's a full grown dog."

"Puppy!"

"Chris, it's not a puppy and I think you're scaring his owner," she said smiling up at the panicked looking boy with dark hair. "I swear she's had all her shots, she's just very fond of…" Juline glanced back at the poor animal and suddenly got a strange expression on her face. "Um…she really likes animals. Chris, let go. Now."

Reluctantly, Chris released her death grip and glared at Juline. Standing up, she brushed the fur off her jeans. "Sorry, he's just so cute! I couldn't help it," she too smiled at the boy. Looking behind him she spied a familiar face. "Hello, Mrs. Weasley. Is this your son Ron?"

"Oh! Miss LeFaye, Miss Belmont, I almost didn't recognize you. No, this is Harry Potter, one of Ron's friends. Harry, meet Juline Belmont and Chris LeFaye. They are two of the transfer students from across The Pond. I think I mentioned meeting them when I went to get everyone's school supplies."

The Americans shared a quick glance that said `we'll talk later'. "It's nice to meet you, Harry," Juline piped up offering her hand. After making some small talk, an odd tingle makes Juline snap her eyes to the entrance from the muggle station. "Well, we'd better get seats while there's still some open. Goodbye Mrs. Weasley. See you on the train Harry." Turning to go Juline added with a secretive smile, "I'm sure we're going to have a fun year."

"Ok, what was that about? We've got plenty of time."

Juline reaches into her pocket and pulls out a compact. Handing it to the other girl, she comments, "The porter coming up to them with the luggage cart."

Chris holds the mirror up as if to fix her makeup. "What about him?"

"There's some sort of enchantment on his eye. I only caught a glimpse but it appeared to be a spell of revelation. He might have been able to see through our disguises."

"I don't see anything, but there is something about that eye. Sometimes I wish I could see things like you do. Life would be so much easier if spells appeared as glyphs of light overlaid on things."

"You may not have Mage Sight, but your Mage Sense is strong. Which is why I'm surprised you glomped that `dog' for as long as you did. You did realize that was an animagus, right?" Juline shot a questioning glance at the other girl.

"Yep!" Chris snapped the compact shut and handed it back to her friend.

"Then what were you thinking?"

"He might be hott…"

"Who might be hott?" interrupted Emily.

"Yeah! No hogging the cuties cuz," Rini added.

"I know you've dated dogs before, Chris," Juline continued, ignoring her sisters, "but this is too literal, even for me."

"Nothing is quite so annoying as to have someone go right on talking when you're interrupting." Rini huffed.

"True."  Emily agreed, snapping her fingers and casting a silencing charm on the bickering duo before World War Three broke out… again.

"I'm assuming Juline's spidy-sense went off again.  You are the last two to worry about being early for anything and if you high-tailed it out of that conversation any faster you would have left skid marks."  Rini commented, quirking an eyebrow.  "What's up?"

Juline crossed her arms and glared at Emily who snapped her fingers and ended the spell.  "I'll explain on the train.  Chris, grab the Luggage before it wanders away.  What possessed you to buy a chest made of sapient pearwood anyway?"

"It was cute, and that odd looking man in the 'Wizzard' hat was selling it cheap," Chris replied.

Juline rolled her eyes.  "You have the weirdest ideas of what makes things cute.  Let's get going before that guy looks our way."

          &nb sp; Several hours into the seemingly eternal train ride, the four American witches began to get cabin fever.  Relieving the snack cart lady of her stock probably didn't help, as the middle of a sugar rush is the worst time to get bored.

          &nb sp; "Juline, I think your portal system has totally spoiled us.  I don't know what to do with all this down time."  Chris complained.

          &nb sp;  "Yeah, this undercover stuff sucks," Rini added.  "I vote Juline opens a portal home and we don't come back until we're almost to Hogwarts.  At least that way I won't go nuts."

          &nb sp; "Hmm… portalling to and from a moving target?"  Juline mused sarcastically.  "A portal between here and the Midwest USA is draining enough, given the distance involved.  Are you volunteering for the experiment, Rini?"

          &nb sp; "Not yet, but give me another hour and I might have gone stir crazy enough to attempt it."

          &nb sp; "It's not like there'd be anything to do at home anyway," Emily chimed in.  "We've tied up all the loose ends and brought most of our stuff with us."

          &nb sp; Chris flicked her wrist and conjured a deck of cards.  "Anyone up for a game of B.S.?"  As she began dealing the cards a scream pierced the wall separating their compartment from the next one.  Eager to have something to do, the girls jumped up and raced to see what was happening next door leaving cards swirling in the wind.

          &nb sp; Rini, the speed demon, arrived first and flung the door open.  Inside was an odd assortment of young people.  Emily, keeping a somewhat cooler head, studied the occupants.  She noted the prefect badges on the robes of the girl with the brown hair and the boy with red hair.  A girl with waist-length ash-blond hair seemed to be having convulsions, but the giggles that escaped proved them to be non-life threatening.  Her gaze almost passed over the boy seated next to the blond until she noticed the plant in his hands.  'A Mimbulus mimbletonia,' she thought.  'That's a rare plant to see, especially one in the hands of a high school kid.'  She made a mental note to find out where he did his plant shopping.  Another girl looked at the newcomers with a curious expression.  With her flaming hair she must have been related to the first boy, the prefect.  A third boy looked up from a magazine he'd been reading.  Green eyes peered at the girls in the doorway through wire frame glasses.  Chris and Juline recognized Harry from their meeting in the station and smiled at him.

          &nb sp; "Hi Harry!"  Chris said, grinning.  "What's all the commotion?"

          &nb sp; "We heard a scream and came to investigate," Juline explained.

          &nb sp; "That was just Luna laughing."  Harry said.

          &nb sp; "That was laughter?"  Rini muttered under her breath.  Poking Juline in the ribs, she spoke up, "So who's your friend?  Aren't you going to introduce us?"

          &nb sp; "Rini, Emily, this is Harry Potter," Chris said, giving the two a glance.  "Harry, this is Emily and the pushy one is Rini.  They're sisters and Juline's cousins."

          &nb sp; "It's nice to meet you."  Harry replied.  "That's Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, they're my best friends and Gryffindor's fifth year prefects," he said, indicating the red haired boy and the brunette girl next to him.  "This is Neville Longbottom, a fellow Gryffindor fifth year, and Luna Lovegood, a Ravenclaw fourth year," he nodded towards the boy with the plant and the blond still struggling to contain her laughter.  "And this is Ginny Weasley, Ron's little sister, and a Gryffindor fourth year."  He gestured to the red haired girl, and then turned to his friends.  "Guys, this is Chris, Juline, Emily, and Rini," the Americans each waved at the mention of their name.  "They are the American exchange students your mum mentioned.  I ran into them when I was waiting for you two to show up."  Harry exchanged a glance with Ron and Hermione.

          &nb sp; "It's nice to meet you all."  Rini's smile widened a bit.  "So what happens on this train to pass the time?  I'm going nuts cooped up with these three."

          &nb sp; "Not much.  There's some people doing last minute homework, a couple compartments are playing card and board games, and at least three where everybody's napping."  Ron said.

          &nb sp; "Well, we're about due for our traditional interruption, anyway.  Have a seat.  Malfoy may be a prat, but he never fails to liven up our trip."  Harry gestured towards the extra space the train provided.

"Shall we play a game while we wait?"  Chris suggested.  "I left the cards half dealt in our compartment."  The others nodded and she slid out the door, returning with two decks of cards a moment later.  "Harry, does this Malfoy person have blond hair and two Neanderthals following him?  Because if that's him, he just entered the car and is heading this way."

          &nb sp; "Calling Crabbe and Goyle Neanderthals is an insult to cave people everywhere," Ron said snidely.

The door opened revealing a smirking young man with blond hair and his two cronies.  Juline recognized him as the boy she had seen in the alcove and who had almost seen her.

"What do you want, Malfoy?"  Harry said in an odd tone.

"Manners Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled Malfoy with a smirk.  "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Yeah," said Harry, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."

As the Gryffindors laughed, Juline and Chris nodded approvingly at the comeback, drawing Malfoy's attention to the girls.

"And what's this?  A Mudblood convention?"  Malfoy demanded arrogantly.  "Whoever you are you should choose some new friends.  Potter will only get you in trouble."

"Mudblood?  Did he just call me a Mudblood?"  Chris asked in a quiet voice.

"He's done it now," Juline stated, inching away from her friend.  "That's her 'seriously pissed off' voice."

"You should guard your tongue better, Malfoy, especially when you don't know who you're insulting.  I doubt you can get any more "pureblooded" than a LeFaye…"  Chris trailed off as she watched Malfoy's eyes bug out.  She saw Hermione's jaw drop out of the corner of her eye and smirked.  "…Or a Belmont, for that matter.  Right, Juline?"

"My advice, kid, is to get out now.  Before she does something you'll regret."  Juline said with a smirk.  "And I'll have to clean up."  She added under her breath.

Malfoy paled and he took a step back, bumping his left arm against Goyle.  Juline thought she was the only one who caught the wince and the pain that flashed in the boy's eyes.  He stiffened and delivered a parting shot before disappearing into the corridor.  "Whatever.  Just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be dogging your footsteps in case you step out of line."

          &nb sp; Rini reached over and slammed the door shut behind Malfoy and his Goon Squad.  "You were right, he did liven this trip up."  She turned back to the group to see Ron, Ginny, Neville, and Luna staring at the Americans.  "What?  Do I have chocolate on my face or something?"

          &nb sp; Emily quirked an eyebrow at the looks that passed between Harry and Hermione.  She got the distinct feeling she missed something in Malfoy's last comment.  The two shared a look that said "later" and turned their attention back on their new friends.

          &nb sp; "What was that about?  Why'd Malfoy freak out when he heard your names?"  Harry asked.

          &nb sp; "You've never heard about the LeFaye and Belmont Clans?"  Ginny was shocked.  "What did you do in History of Magic?  Sleep?"

          &nb sp; A guilty look flashed across Harry's face.  "With Professor Binns teaching, it's kinda hard not to.  And all those names blur together after a while."

          &nb sp; Hermione rolls her eyes.  "Oh, honestly, Harry.  The LeFaye Clan, as even Muggles know, were the ones who gave King Arthur the sword Excalibur.  They are also said to be the caretakers of Avalon.  They've been a powerful, influential Wizarding Family since before the time of Merlin."

          &nb sp; "I don't know why people keep referring to Uncle Merlin like that.  We're all that good; he just chose to be more obvious about it."  Chris stated, coming out of kill-the-SOB-or-at-least-scare-the-crap-out-of-him mode.

          &nb sp; "And they're all so modest about it too," Juline quipped, rolling her eyes.

          &nb sp; Hermione just continues her lecture.  "And the Belmont Clan has been slaying demons and vampires for centuries."

          &nb sp; "We're damn good at it too," Juline chimed in.

          &nb sp; "Now who's modest?"  Chris playfully sniped.

          &nb sp; "Shut up, you fairy," snapped the eldest Belmont.

          &nb sp; "Are they always like this?"  Ginny asked Rini.

          &nb sp; "This is nothing.  You should see them when they aren't worried about property damage," Rini replied.  "Knock it off you two!  I'd like to play at least one hand before we get to Hogwarts."

          &nb sp; "Fine," Chris sighed.  "The name of the game is B.S.  First one out or with the fewest cards when the whistle blows wins."

          &nb sp; "I'm not very good at this game," Emily admitted.  "I'll go see if that snack cart has restocked.  If not, I'm sure we've got some leftovers in our compartment."  She ducked out of the room in search of the trolley as Chris began dealing.

          &nb sp; Emily wandered down aisle to looking for the woman with the cart.  Before she reached the end of it, she remembered the Quidditch book she wanted to show Ron was back in the compartment.  It turned out that he, too, was a major Quidditch fan.  I'd better grab it now before I forget, she thought.  She ducked in and began rummaging through her things.

          &nb sp; "I know it's here somewhere," she mumbled, turning over her robes and things in her bag.  "Ah-ha! Excellent!"  She exclaimed as she discovered her book Quidditch:  Strategies of Champions.  She turned and hurried out of the compartment right into a rather tall, burly, young man.  The force of the collision, and the fact that they were moving, managed to send him backwards with Emily landing on top, the book in her hands flying askew.  Once she realized what had happened, Emily turned bright red with embarrassment.

          &nb sp; "Oh my Lord!  I'm so sorry!" she pleaded, mortified.  He was really hot and this was extremely embarrassing.  "Did I hurt you?  I'm really sorry; I wasn't paying attention and…"

          &nb sp; "It's alright, I'm just fine," he interrupted, blushing slightly himself.  "I wasn't really paying attention myself."  Emily's eyes couldn't help but go wide at the sound of his beautiful, thick Scottish burr.  She loved that accent.  In truth, Emily loved most accents, but the ones from the UK and Ireland were her favorites.  She was so taken that she forgot what she was doing and was startled when he spoke again.

          &nb sp; "Umm, would mind getting off of me now please?  It wouldn't look very good if someone came along and found a student on top of the new professor," he laughed slightly.  Realizing again the extremely awkward position they were still in, Emily grew twice as red as before, if that's even possible.

          &nb sp; "Oh Lord, I'm so sorry," she stammered for what seemed like the hundredth time.  Then she set about trying to stand up without putting her hands anywhere she…shouldn't.  Finally after much apologizing and awkward movements, they were finally able to stand and face each other.

          &nb sp; "Again, I'm really sorry Professor…er…I'm sorry, what was your name?"  Emily asked awkwardly.

          &nb sp; "Sorry, Oliver Wood, uh, I mean Professor Wood.  I'm still not used to it.  I'll be taking over for Madam Hooch with flying lessons and Quidditch games and such," he explained, and then he noticed the book that had fallen in their collision and grabbed it quickly.  "Quidditch:  Strategies of Champions!  This went out of print years ago! How did you get it?  Are you a big fan?" he asked looking increasingly amazed and excited at the same time.

          &nb sp; "Yes, I'm a huge fan!  I absolutely love the game.  The book was umm…my father's.  He enjoyed the sport very much too.  I'm Emily Belmont, by the way," she said extending her hand, "I'm just transferring to Hogwarts this year from the U.S."

          &nb sp; "It's very nice to meet you, Emily," he said, taking her hand and then looking at the book again.  "I'm curious as to how your father got this; it's been out of print over fifty years."

          &nb sp; "My grandfather must've given it to him then…I don't really know, my parents died when I was quite young," Emily stammered.  "Did you say your name was Oliver Wood?  Didn't you play for Pudmere United?" she asked in a desperate attempt to avoid the subject of where the book came from.

          &nb sp; "Yes, I did.  I can't believe you know that.  I didn't really play with them that long.  I'm in more of a called-up-when-needed position now after my last injury.  I needed a break and Dumbledore offered me this position," he explained.

          &nb sp; "Ah, yes, that does sound like Uncle Albus."

          &nb sp; "What?"

          &nb sp; "Nothing.  Well, I really must get back to my compartment; I want to change before we arrive.  It was really nice to meet and I can't tell you how sorry I am for falling on you," Emily said still quite embarrassed.

          &nb sp; "Please, don't even think of it.  If anyone was going to fall on me, I'm glad it was you," he said.  Then blushing again, realizing, "I, um, would really like to talk with you again…about Quidditch, you know."

          &nb sp; Emily smiled, "I would like that a lot. Perhaps I'll let you borrow my book sometime, and then we could go over the more interesting parts…together."

          &nb sp; Oliver smiled back, "I look forward to it.  Good-bye."

          &nb sp; "Bye," she watched as he turned to go back down the aisle, then in a half dreamy state wandered back to the compartment to rejoin her companions.

          &nb sp; Emily wandered into the compartment, and almost tripped over Rini who was struggling to button her blouse and tie her shoes at the same time.  The older two were still in their street clothing, eyeing the uniforms with identical expressions of disgust; mainly over the fact that they had to wear pleated skirts.

          &nb sp; "Chris, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"  Juline asked.

          &nb sp; "If it involves transfiguring these monstrosities into something wearable, then yes," Chris replied.

          &nb sp; "This coming from the two who were constantly reminding Emily and me about being low key and not drawing attention to ourselves," Rini grumbled indignantly.

          &nb sp; "Do as I say, not as I do," Juline replied.  "And there's no rule about girls wearing boys uniforms.  It just says you must have a school uniform.  And we will."  Juline turned back to the uniforms, digging in her pocket for the almost forgotten wand.  "Oh, and it will be a pain, but we've got to remember to use these things."  Juline waved her wand and the skirt lengthened and split down the middle forming a pair of slacks.  "Your turn, Chris."  Juline turned around and spotted Emily unpacking her uniform.  "Hey, now that Emily's back I've got something to tell you.  You remember that Malfoy kid, right?"

          &nb sp; "Who could forget that arrogant, presumptuous prick?"  Chris vented.

          &nb sp; "I see you do.  Good.  Well, this isn't the first time I've seen him.  Remember when we were waiting for the train and I left to find food?  As I was walking, I spotted a father and son in a shady alcove.  To make a long story short, it looked like they were arguing.  The father was being more physical about it than was necessary, if you catch my drift.  Anyway, the kid was Malfoy."

          &nb sp; "That doesn't excuse what he said."  Chris huffed.

          &nb sp; "I know, but that's not the whole story.  He knew I was there."  Juline said.

          &nb sp; "What are you talking about?  It's kinda hard to miss someone with your hair wearing Muggle clothing in the middle of a Wizarding train station, even with the crowd."  Rini asked, puzzled.

          &nb sp; "I used the ring.  And he still knew.  He walked past me, then turned around and looked right at me.  He wasn't completely sure he saw me, and after a few minutes he just shrugged it off."

          &nb sp; "Sight or sense?"  Emily asked.

          &nb sp; "Too soon to tell.  But, he's definitely one to watch.  For more than one reason, it seems."

Harry, Ginny, Neville, and Luna were also changing into their uniforms.  Ron and Hermione had already left to join the other prefects.  Harry, unable to talk to Ginny in front of Neville and Luna, was pondering Malfoy's parting words.  Was the use of the word "dogging" a deliberate choice or was it just coincidence?  Did Malfoy know?  Did his father know?  That rat, Pettigrew, could have told the Deatheaters anything.  They might even tip off the Ministry to Sirius' hiding place.  Harry was beginning to work himself into a panic, when he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

          &nb sp; "I might not be my brother, but I'm still your friend.  You can talk to me if anything's wrong."  Ginny offered quietly.

          &nb sp; "I'm just worried about Snuffles," Harry replied.  "I haven't been away from him for this long since I got him."

          &nb sp; "Well, don't.  Snuffles will be fine.  He's a tough old dog."  Ginny smiled.  "And don't listen to Malfoy either.  He's full of it, as usual."