"Briar!"
The brunette couldn't see anything clearly. Everything around her was just noise and lights. But her head was whipping around in every direction to try find the source of the voice.
"Briar!"
The brunette closed her eyes tightly and put her hands over her ears to try stop the spinning. But suddenly came flashes. A dark house. The dark mark hanging over Hogwarts. A bright green light. A baby's cry.
Suddenly the image became clear and she could feel the floor beneath her shoes and wind blowing through her hair. The view in front of her was familiar as the view form the astronomy tower. A door behind her opened and she turned around to see Draco Malfoy.
"Briar," he whispered, sounding relieved, and before the brunette could speak he had crossed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her
"What's going on?" She asked him, wrapping her arms around his torso
Draco pulled away from the hug and placed his hands on either side of her face "You need to get out of here"
"Why?" she asked
"I need you to be safe," he sighed and his eyes fell to the floor. When he looked back up at her, his grey eyes were full of tears "Please, Briar, I need to keep you safe, please"
"Draco, what's going on?!" She demanded
"He'll come for you," he said, his voice breaking "I need to keep you safe, Briar, please I-" He stopped talking and looked over her shoulder, his eyes widening in alarm. Briar whipped around and the scene behind them changed.
They were now stood at the front steps of Hogwarts, and the courtyard was a heartbreaking scene. Students and death eaters were sending curses at each other, dark creatures were fighting each other, fires blazed, and rubble fell from the walls.
"What is this?" Briar whispered in fear and turned back to Draco
"Please" He whispered and rested his forehead against hers "Briar," he looked at her and then unexpectedly leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Briar was taken back but quickly wrapped her arms around him, kissing him back as hard as she could
But then she was suddenly torn away from him by a firm grip of arms "Draco!" she screamed as she was taken away. "Draco!" she continued to scream until there was suddenly a bright green light
"Briar!"
The brunette jumped awake and was alarmed to see Sirius standing next to her bed, his eyebrows raised, and a teasing grin on his face
"What?" she groaned and flopped down onto her bed
"Why were you shouting Draco's name?" He teased and she glared at him
"Nightmare," she said and it wasn't truthfully a lie "Why did you wake me up?"
"Molly's going berserk downstairs," he said "She thinks you lot will miss the train so I suggest you get yourself and your trunk downstairs before she comes up here and murders you"
"Fine," Briar sighed and sat up. The moment she finally left her bedroom, she was consumed into the chaos of the house. Mrs Weasley and the portrait of Sirius's mother were both screaming at the top of their lungs, Crookshanks was chasing everyone around, Tonks was knocking over everything in sight, and the owls were squawking
There was an organised protocol for leaving the house, so that not everyone would leave together since that would look too suspicious
And for Briar, the obvious non-suspicious way to get to King's Cross was in a taxi with her dad since her school friends thought she was staying with him this summer. And Sirius in his dog form was joining them with the plan of Remus claiming that was his dog if anyone asked
They were the first to arrive so Briar quickly had her luggage put on the train and found an empty compartment to save for her and her friends before everyone else arrived
But at 10:55 they all began to say their goodbyes and Briar crouched down to hug the shaggy black dog wagging its tail
"Look after my dad, padfoot," she whispered "And try help him get a clue about Tonks, he's hopeless with women as you know" The dog nodded its head enthusiastically "Love you, padfoot," she was given a lick across the face, before she stood up and threw her arms around her dad
"Stay safe," He said "I suspect I'll see you soon, but write to me whenever you can. I'll give you an address to send them to"
"I will" Briar nodded "I love you,"
"I love you too, honey," he smiled and kissed her forehead
Once the goodbyes were done with, Briar and her friends stood by the train windows waving goodbye to their family and friends as the scarlet red trained rolled them further and further away until they pulled out of King's Cross
Then the group dispersed to their separate compartments and Briar found herself in one with Henry, and they got to play exploding snap for a while until he left for the bathroom so Briar turned her attention to watching the rolling countryside outside
"Lupin," the voice of Draco Malfoy drawled from her door and Briar took a deep breath before turning to him
"Malfoy," she replied nicely, trying not to think about the dream she had had last night, but struggling. Draco had grown up a lot in the last two years and Briar had to admit he was handsome. His once always gelled back hair was now much softer and fell from a parting just off the centre of his head.
In return Draco could see that Briar's curves were beginning to show against her uniform, and her once scruffy sandy brown hair was now sleek and shiny. The fat on her face was also beginning to disappear and her cheekbones and jawline were more prominent.
"Did you hear I'm a prefect now?" He grinned and pointed to the shiny silver and green badge on the front of his robes "So no breaking rules now because I can make your life hell,"
"You already do," she shot back. Suddenly she remembered what Dumbledore had asked of her this year, and her eyes flickered down to his left forearm in concern "How was your summer?"
Draco raised a curious brow, as if surprised she would ask, but it was a harmless question so he dropped it quickly "Fine, yours?"
"Same," she nodded
"You planning on dating anymore dickheads this year?" He teased
"That depends, are you available?" Briar retorted and she caught the way his eyes narrowed slightly
"I could do better than you, Lupin," he replied and she rolled her eyes
"Right, how is Pansy?" she asked playfully and Draco's grin stiffened "Shouldn't she be around here somewhere? I don't think I've ever seen her more than a metre away from you since she usually clings to you like a puppy"
"Jealous?"
"I can do better than you, Malfoy" she said, emphasising the 'can', and Draco chuckled "Go run along and find her though before she jumps on your back and curses me,"
"What a shame that would be," he said sarcastically
"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" Henry said as he returned to the compartment, glaring at the tall blonde.
"Nothing, Michaels" He replied and looked back at Briar "See you round, Lupin" Draco gave Henry a final disgusted look before he walked away
With that he was gone and Briar was able to spend the rest of the journey enjoying her time with her best friend. But when they arrived at the other end and dismounted the train Briar's eyes immediately noticed the lack of a half-giant to welcome the first years
And as they trundled up to the castle in their carriages, Briar had a sinking feeling that Hagrid's absence wouldn't be the only thing that would change this year.
Sitting in the Great Hall that was plainly obvious as Briar noticed Professor Grubly-Plank sitting in Hagrid's place, and a woman with the most pig-like face dressed in all pink sitting at one end
When Dumbledore rose to his feet at the end of the evening everyone fell silent "Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I bega few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," said Dumbledore. "First years ought to know that the forest in thegrounds is out of bounds to students - and a few of our older studentsought to know by now too." Briar noticed his eyes flicker to her "Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is thefour hundred and sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic isnot permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of otherthings, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastenedto Mr. Filch's office door. We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleasedto welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care ofMagical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." There was a round of polite, but unenthusiastic applause "Tryouts for the House Quidditch teamswill take place on the -"
"Hem, hem," Professor Umbridge said from her seat, where she was standing, and Dumbledore fell silent
"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge started "Forthose kind words of welcome. Well, it is lovely to beback at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled "And to see such happy little faces looking back at me! I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, andI'm sure we'll be very good friends!" Briar scoffed "The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education ofyoung witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare giftswith which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured andhoned by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lestwe lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledgeamassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polishedby those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching." Professor Umbridge paused here and made a little bow to herfellow staff members, none of whom bowed back. "Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has broughtsomething new to the weighty task of governing this historic school,and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnationand decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. Abalance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change,between tradition and innovation...because some changes will be for the better, while others willcome, in the fullness of time, to be recognised as errors of judgment.Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereasothers, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us moveforward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practicesthat ought to be prohibited." She sat down. Dumbledore clapped and the staff followed his lead, but many were reluctant, and Briar sat still
Even as Dumbledore resumed speaking Briar couldn't help but feel a sense of fear and dread for the year that lay ahead of her. What she didn't notice as she left, was the angry, hating glare sent her way by the woman in pink