"Ugh, can you guys stop flirting?"
harry pov
Hermione, Ron, y/n, and I all walked down the train, looking for a compartment.
"Hey y/n." Greeted some random ravenclaw boy.
"Hi." She beamed as we passed.
I never really noticed before how many guys are always staring at y/n. Don't get me wrong, I completely see why they would but it leaves an uneasy feeling sitting in my stomach. It's not jealousy, I haven't really felt that since we started dating.
It's more of an odd posessive jolt.
For example, yesterday in the joke shop.
Fred always calls y/n love and winks at her all the time but its never really bothered me until recently.
I followed after her, Ron, and Hermione into a empty compartment.
"y/n, your bleeding again." Ron said as he looked down at one of the cuts on her shoulder.
"Shoot. I don't know why that one keeps doing that." She pulled a small bandage out of her bag and placed it carefully on the wound.
"Where are you going to go this summer?" Hermione asked her. "Surely you can't return to Rockwood manor."
"I don't know, I'll figure it out."
"You can stay at Grimmauld Place." I suggested. "Sirius left it to me."
"Harry, we've only been dating for a year and 3 months and you're already asking me to move in with you?" She joked. "How scandelous."
"Oh yeah, and the proposals coming next week, don't you worry." I replied in the same mocking tone.
"Ugh, can you guys stop flirting?" Ron asked in fake disgust.
"You wanted us to get together. Now you have to put up with it." y/n said she she threw her choclate frog at him.
Malfoy passed by our compartment.
Speaking of Malfoy, I need to talk them about my suspicions. I shut our compartment door and pulled down the blinds before saying
"I have a theory. About Malfoy and the cabinet and the deatheaters."
Everyone leaned in to listen.
"It was a ceremony, an initiation."
"Stop it, Harry. I know where you're going with this." Hermione scolded. "There's no way."
"It happened. He's one of them."
"One of what?" Ron asked.
"Harry is under the impression that Draco Malfoy is now a deatheater." Hermione answered with an eye roll.
Ron laughed. "You're barking. What would you know who want with someone like Malfoy? No offense y/n."
"None taken. We haven't really been speaking since Umbridge." She said.
I know she vauled her and Draco's friendship but I'm kind of glad it's over. If he is a deatheater, I don't want her anywhere near him.
"His father is a deatheater. Who's to say he's not?"
"Just because someone's father is a deatheater doesn't mean they are." y/n sing songed as she pointed at herself.
"Right, sorry."
"Anyway, your theory is wrong. Draco wouldn't join them. If you agree say I." She she raised her right arm in the air.
Ron and Hermione both rose their hands and said "I" at the same time.
"I need some air."
I grabbed the invisiblity cloak and some of the Peruvian Dark Powder as I headed out of the compartment. I know Malfoy's a deatheater. I just need proof.
I walked down the rows to where the Slytherins usually sit. Once I located Malfoy, I threw the crystal into the sitting area.
Protests and crys of confusion broke out. I quickly slipped on the invisbilty cloak and hurried to hide where the bags usually sit.
"What was that? Blaise?" Malfoy asked as he coughed and waved the smoke out of his face.
"Don't know." Blaise answered.
"Relax, boys." Pansy said. "It's probably just some first year messing around. We'll be at Hogwarts soon."
"Hogwarts. What a pathetic excuse for a school. I'd pitch myself off the Astronomy Tower if I had to continue for another two years." Draco spit.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Let's just say, I won't be waisiting my time in charms class next year."
Blaise snickered.
"Amused, Blaise? We'll see just whos laughing in the end."
In the end? What's that supposed to mean?
For a split second, I swear I saw Malfoy glance up at where I was hiding.
No, theres no way. I'm under the inviisbility cloak, he can't see me.
~
A few hours later we arrived at Hogwarts.
Malfoy didn't say a word for most of the ride. Pansy asked his repeatedly if something was wrong but he never answered her.
What a waste of time.
I watched as everyone boarded off the train. Malfoy stayed right in his seat.
"You coming?" Blaise asked him.
"You two go on. I want to check something."
Malfoy got up and shut the compartment door. All the blinds rolled down.
"Didn't mummy ever tell you it was rude to eavesdrop, Potter?" He drew his wand and shot a spell right at where I was.
I fell out of my hiding place, onto the floor. I tried to get up but I couldn't moved. He used a paralysis spell.
He walked over to me and threw off the invisibility cloak.
"Oh yeah, she was dead before you could wipe the drool off your chin."
If I could move, I would have punched him for that comment.
He kicked me in the nose as hard as he could. I could feel it starting to bleed. I think he broke it.
"That's for my father. Enjoy your ride back to London."
He threw the invisibility cloak back onto me.
I could hear a soft set of footsteps coming down the hall he had just left. The compartment door slowly opened to reveal Luna in her nargle hunting glasses.
She furrowed her eyebrows as she looked straight at me.
She raised her wand to me. "Finite!"
The cloak blew off me and I could feel myself able to move again.
"Hello, Harry." She greeted, unfazed by the sight of me laying on the floor, covered in blood.
"Luna. How'd you know where I was?"
"Wrackspurts. Your head's full of them."
~
"Sorry I made you miss the carriages." I apologized as we took the long walk back to the castle.
"That's all right. It was like being with a friend."
Sometimes I forget how much people bully Luna. I never really understood why. She may be a little odd but she's nice and has a lot of intresting things to share.
"Oh, I am your friend, Luna."
"That's nice."
"Oh, about time." Filtwick whined. "I've been looking all over for you two. Right. Names?"
"Professor Filtwick, you've known me for five years."
"No exceptions, Potter."
"Who are all those people?" Luna asked. I look to where she was pointing.A group of adults stood near where the luggage was waiting. They were going through certain bags.
"Aurors. For security. Potter, what happened to your face?"
I rose my hand to my bleeding nose. I had forgotten about it for a moment.
"Here, you best try to clean up before we get to the great hall." Luna handed me a small rag from out of her bag.
"Brilliant, thanks."
~
I walked into the great hall and felt mutiple pairs of eyes on me. Probably on my bleeding nose.
I sat down next to y/n and was met with a worried expression.
"Where have you been? What happened to your face?" Hermione questioned.
"Later. What've I missed?"
"Sorting hat urged us to all be brave and strong during these troubled times. Easy for it to say. It's a hat." Ron answered.
y/n helped me clean up my nose as Hermione continued to interogate me about what happened.
Dumbledore walked up to the podium.
"First off, let me introduce the newest member of our staff. Horace Slughorn." We clapped as Slughorn waved to everyone.
"Professor Slughorn, I'm happy to say, has agreed to resume his old post as potions master. Meanwhile, the post of defense against the dark arts will be taken by Professor Snape."
The Slytherins clapped prefusiously while the rest of us looked around in worry.
"Now, as you know, each and every one of you was searched upon your arrival here tonight. And you have the right to know why. Once there was a young man, who, like you, sat in this very hall, walked this castles corridors, slept under its roof. He seemed to all the world a student like any other. His name? Tom Riddle."
Murmurs spread across the hall.
"Today, of course, he's known all over the world by another name. Which is why, as I stand, looking out upon you all tonight I'm reminded of a sobering fact. Every day, every hour, this very miniute perhaps, dark forces attempt to penetrate this castle's walls. But in the end, their greatest weapon is you. Now off to bed, pip pip."
"That was cheerful." Ron muttered as we joined the crowd of students heading to the dorms.
Another year, another chance of death. Here we go again.
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(1517 Words - Published December 16, 2020)