Harry Potter and the Dream Book

Chapter 2: Year Four Begins

CHAPTER TWO:  YEAR FOUR BEGINS

A few days later, Harry Potter was standing on Platform Nine and Three Quarters with his trunk and fourth year books.  His wand was the same one he always carried because he had performed the time-turning spell with it.  However, his owl was a black and brown male named Paris.  It was a haughty animal that kept biting the bars of its cage and Harry’s fingers whenever it could.  As for the time he had spent in his parent’s house, Harry swore that it would remain forever one of his best memories.  

Although the events at the Quidditch World Cup had disturbed him, he was sure that his parents were taking it even more seriously than he was.  In a way, he was glad to see that they cared so much for him, yet on the other hand he was relieved that he was going back at Hogwarts where his mother would not be following him in every room.

“Well, give me a hug and go get a seat”, said his mother.

She placed her arms around him into a motherly embrace and he couldn’t help but wiggle out of her grasp, slightly embarrassed.  

“Bye, mom”, he said awkwardly.

“Do mind your temper on the train, Harry”, said his father.  “Stay away from Malfoy and you won’t be tempted to pick up a fight again.  I’ll see you at school.”

Harry’s mother gave her son a kiss on both cheeks.  Harry was climbing the first steps to get on the train when his father’s last comment came back to him: “I’ll see you at school”.  Then his thoughts dwelled on the upcoming Triwizard Tournament.  

From the whispers and concealment of his parents in the last few days, he had gathered that the Triwizard Tournament was going to be repeated, for him anyway.  It was happening at Hogwarts this year as though it had never happened before.  Probably, his parents had thought it would make a great surprise if Harry learned about it on the first day back like the other students.  They couldn’t know how the thought of anything relating to the Triwizard Tournament made him extremely uneasy.

Harry was vaguely wondering what part his father would be playing in the Triwizard Tournament when he heard his name being shouted.

“Harry!  Hi, Harry!” someone called out as Harry was walking down the narrow corridor of the Hogwarts Express.  It was Neville’s sister.  “How about it, huh?  The Dark Mark at the World Cup?  Talk about a turn of events!  Who do you think conjured it?”

She was following him.  Harry was actively searching for a sign of Ron or Hermione.  He had been more and more anxious for a sight of them, even just a glance.  He had begun to think that maybe they weren’t friends in his new life and that thought had occupied him even more than the Dark Mark or the burning on his forehead.

“I personally don’t trust Lucius Malfoy.  Do you think that he was among the Death Eaters?  I am sure that we could find out from Crabbe and Goyle.  We should work out a plan to fool them into telling us.”

Harry was suddenly very glad that Eleanor Longbottom was in Ravenclaw.  He could now fully understand the annoyed look on Neville’s face that evening at the World Cup.  He was only hoping that Eleanor wasn’t really his friend.

He was about to turn around and tell Eleanor to stop following him when he saw a familiar red head coming out of a compartment just behind Eleanor.          

“El, why don’t you give Harry a break?”

It was Ginny.  She had walked out of the compartment and was now staring at Neville’s sister with her arms crossed.  Eleanor’s eyes darted to Ginny.  She began to scrutinise her from head to toe.  Ginny was wearing a Weasley jumper dark purple and brown, with a huge G in the front.  She was slightly taller than Eleanor, and she definitely looked older.  But most of all, she did not seem intimidated by the young Miss Longbottom.