2nd September
The morning of September 2nd at the Grangers was much calmer after the one Harry had experienced the year before at the Weasley family home. Harry pinned this down to three factors. First was the fact that Hampstead, London was a lot closer to Kings Cross in London than Ottery St. Catchpole in Devon. The second was that they only needed to organize and feed four people instead of eight. But third and most importantly Mr. Granger had had them set their packed trunks by the door the night before. This meant that all Harry had to do to be ready to leave the next day was to put his toothbrush (a nice one that had been a gift from Mrs. Granger after she saw the old cheap one he used) and his pyjamas into his trunk. Hermione, who had enough nightwear that she didn't need to take every set she owned, only had to pack her tooth and hairbrushes. Mrs. Granger had gotten harry a hairbrush as well, but that was already packed as Mrs. Granger had joined the club of people who had failed to tame his hair.
The train from Kings Cross was due to leave at eleven o'clock. They had left the house at ten to give them plenty of time to get to the station which was about four miles away. While it was only four miles, it was still in London traffic in the middle of the week, so no one expected the trip to be quick. However, Mrs. Granger had gotten stuck behind a car accident. No one was hurt but the road they were on was completely blocked by the two cars, and their drivers, who instead of moving their cars to let others drive through, decided two have a shouting match in the middle of the street. And with the traffic behind them, there was no way to turn the car and take another route. This meant that the trip that should have taken them about 20 minutes, leaving Harry and Hermione plenty of time to say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Granger and find a compartment, now took forty-five and left the teens in a rush to catch the train on time.
Harry and Hermione practically jumped out of the car as Mrs. Granger pulled up next to the station. Illegally using a bus stop just long enough for the teens to grab their trunks and pets from the back of the car and shout their goodbyes. "Have a good term kitten. We'll see the two of you at Christmas." Mr. Granger called as Mrs. Granger pulled off before she could get a ticket. The two teens rushed through the station, both of them relieved that their new trunks had wheels so they didn't need to take the time to look for a trolley. Even if Hedwig and Crookshanks weren't too pleased with all the extra jostling by being carried, led to, it was 10:50 by the time they reached the barrier to platform 9¾. The two of them stopped for a second, catching their breath as they appeared to lean on the barrier between platforms nine and ten. The next moment, they had fallen sideways through the solid brick column onto the platform for the Hogwarts Express, platform 9¾.
The bright scarlet steam engine was puffing smoke as it started to build the steam pressure it needed to start its journey north, most of the other students were already on the train as their parents said their farewells to the few students left on the platform. The couple, not having anyone on the platform to say goodbye to, quickly boarded the Hogwarts Express. The two set off down the train looking for an empty compartment but considering how late they were getting to the train they weren't all that hopeful.
The best they could find was a compartment with a single occupant. The two did a bit of a double take at seeing this occupant. Every time they had ridden the Hogwarts Express (although admittedly this would only be Harry's fourth trip compared to Hermione's seventh), the only adult they had ever seen was the witch who pushed the lunch trolley, and yet the occupant of this compartment was a middle-aged wizard who seemed to have, not long ago, started to go a little grey around the temples. He was sitting fast asleep next to the window. It was obvious that he was a wizard by the wizard robes he was wearing. But there was something about the man that bugged Harry and he didn't know why. He didn't feel worried about the man but something was niggling at the back of his mind.
"Who do you think this guy is?" Harry asked as Hermione lifted her blue trunk up into the luggage rack. Harry idly wondered just how the trunks were so light. Even if they weren't light there was no way they weighed as much as three wooden cupboards and all the stuff in them. Watching Hermione lift it by herself that what really should have been too heavy for both of them combined. "Professor R.J Lupin, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher", she responded easily enough. Harry stood there surprised for a few moments before asking, "How do you know that?"
Hermione was a little irritated by his tone. She knew that Harry was just surprised but it grated on her nerves a little nonetheless, "The Hogwarts Express only takes people to Hogwarts, and the only job vacancy is the DADA Professor position available so he must be the new professor." Hermione responded. The slight edge to her voice telling Harry he had gotten something wrong. Not really, knowing what he had done he quickly stowed his trunk in the rack and pulled Hermione towards himself as he hugged her from behind. "Okay, what did I do?" Hermione resisted a little, "It's nothing Harry. Don't worry about it", she leant back into him. It really was something tiny, but she enjoyed hugs a lot. She heard Harry huff behind her, "'Mione, it bothered you, whatever it was. If I don't know what it is, how can I keep from doing it again? Please tell me." Hermione sighed, he was right. But it just seemed silly, she knew he was being pedantic, "It really is silly Harry…", seeing the look from Harry, she reluctantly continued, "because I know you didn't mean it like this but, you didn't ask how I knew about Lupin. You demanded to know. You sounded like Ron when he was being a prat about homework." Hermione fell quiet, waiting for him to respond.
Harry thought over what she had said, "You're right, 'Mione, well...your always right aren't you?", he grinned down at her as he felt the heat of her blush radiating off of her in waves, "I didn't mean to, but I was surprised and sounded like a complete prat. I'm sorry." Hermione turned in his arms so that she was facing him. "Thanks Harry, as I said it was a silly little thing." She wrapped her arms around him returning the hug. "With you, 'Mione, nothing is really silly, though I really would like to know how you knew his name." Hermione smirked at his ignorance and just pointed at the man's luggage. Harry glanced over at it. There, in one of the corners, were peeling gold letters, but he couldn't make out the words they represented. "I guess his name is on his briefcase?" He asked as he and Hermione sat on the bench opposite the man. Harry still felt strange around the man, and it made him uneasy. He hadn't even seen the man before in his life!
Hermione looked at him, confused, "You can't read it?" Harry shrugged, "Nope, not from here." She frowned in thought for a few seconds. "If you can't read that from here, how on earth are you such a good seeker. You really do well in Gryffindor's matches. It's bad luck you haven't won the cup yet, you know McGonagall is getting frustrated." They both laughed at their Head of House's obsession with Quidditch. Harry's pride increased as Hermione Granger, the bookworm who is known to despise all things to do with Quidditch, praised his skills. He knew she only cared about the game when he played and she wasn't the type to blow smoke. "In a weird way, I think it helps. I think most people who are seekers spend their time looking for the snitch. I can't do that. I look for a glint of gold. I can see colours fine, it's only finer details I don't see very clearly, like that briefcase of the professor's, I can't make out the words but I can see the gold, that I guessed the letters are made up from."
Hermione relaxed as the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station and began snaking its way north. She pulled off her hairband, and after making Harry turn around for a few moments freed her tail and gave it a stretch. "That's better", he looked at her, "are they uncomfortable? Now we are going back to school I can adjust them if you need." Hermione, who hadn't given it a second thought, looked up at him from the book she'd pulled from somewhere. Her heart clenched at the sheer concern and care in his eyes. He knew how tender a subject her feline features were. "They are fine Harry. They aren't uncomfortable, it's just...I'm very aware that I'm wearing them. It's like wearing a sock on your ear. It doesn't hurt or feel uncomfortable, but it feels weird all the same." She re-opened her book to her bookmark then froze as a thought hit her. She looked back at Harry again, "Harry, if you can't read that name, how do you manage in class?" Harry looked down at his lap, "I sit in the front of the class and hope I don't miss too much. Most of the stuff written on the blackboard is also in the textbooks and you help a little as well when you lend me notes to copy, so I usually get by."
Hermione thought about his response for a few moments, a few ideas buzzing around her head. She would need to do some research before getting any final ideas, but she'd help him with his learning if it's the last thing she'd do, she promised herself. Hermione returned to her book and started reading as Harry collapsed onto the seat beside her, putting a comforting arm around her shoulders, and reading her book over her. Harry reflected on the fact that this was his first trip to Hogwarts where he felt like he was leaving something behind. He had felt this way on the Hogwarts Express before, but it was always when he was leaving Hogwarts and returning to the Dursleys. He wondered if this was how most Hogwarts students felt, but then again, most of them were leaving parents that they had been with for years. Harry was leaving behind a couple of great people who had helped him a lot over the last few weeks, but it was still only a few weeks. He thought how it must feel for Hermione to leave behind such great parents, pulled her in even tighter.
---ϟϟϟ---
Over the next hour, they passed the time, not doing much. They chatted a little about what they would do back at school, read a little, then chatted some more. They were just thinking of stretching their legs a little when their compartment door slid open. In the doorway stood the three people that neither Harry nor Hermione wanted anything to do with.
"Well if it isn't the precious Potter and his clever cat", in the usual lazy drawl that the pale, blond and smug Draco Malfoy normally used. The two gorillas on either side of the teen laughed as if they found Draco's opening line incredibly funny. Although, given that this was Crabbe and Goyle, it was entirely possible that any joke more complicated than a knock-knock joke would fly right over their head.
"Hey Hermione, look! It's the Slytherins own malicious malcontent, here to moan and mouth off", Hermione couldn't help it. She tried not to, but she giggled, loudly. Not at Harry's words, but at the look on the unwelcome guests' face. Crabbe and Goyle just looked confused at the words he'd used, while Draco was furious, his face red with anger and embarrassment. Harry was feeling just a little smug, he knew Malfoy liked to use alliteration in his name calling, he'd done it since Harry's first year. Looking up a bunch of M words to throw back at him was laughably easy.
"Just you wait, Potter. We all know Bellatrix LeStrange is coming for you." Harry had already had his freak out over that little bit of news and was able to keep a straight face. "How is your auntie Bella, Draco? God the DMLE must have loved having an excuse to search your home again. Just how much did they watch you this summer? Did you and daddy not get to play your Death Eater games this summer?" Harry made the last sentence as mocking as he could. He was goading Malfoy. Draco was always trying to get Harry in trouble but if he started now with a teacher so close it would almost be worth it. He almost grinned as Draco drew his wand and pointed at Harry.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you", Hermione spoke up. Harry had a sinking feeling in his stomach, he just knew he was due a lecture about not getting himself killed, and as he thought about it, he also knew she would be right.
"Don't tell me what to do, Mogblood*." It took all of Harry's self control not to stand up and break Malfoy's nose for that last comment.
"Okay...If you want to start a fight in front of a teacher go right ahead,'' she smirked back at Malfoy.
"Who's that?" Malfoy then noticed the other person in the compartment with them, automatically taking a step backwards as he spotted Lupin.
"The new DADA teacher, obviously," said Harry,
"Let's get out of here, if these brave Gryffindors want to hide behind a Professor's robes let's leave them to it." With that, the three Slytherins left. Harry got up and slid the door closed. Before he could take his seat again Hermione started up at him.
"What was that, Harry!? Why would you provoke him like that, there was no need of it." He guessed Hermione wasn't very happy with his little stunt.
"I'm sorry 'Mione. It seemed like a good idea at the time, Malfoy hexing me in front of a teacher and then he gets a week of detention and maybe expelled, which would keep him away from us for a while", Harry tried to explain what he was thinking to her, but she was having none of it;
"So let me see...if I understand your plan, instead of putting up with his comments for a week, you thought it was a good idea to get yourself hurt and then have to listen to him during classes bragging about hexing you? Sounds like a great plan Harry", even though she wasn't shouting he could see she was more than a little mad. Harry didn't know if Hermione noticed, but her ears and tail responded to her emotions the same as they would on a cat. Right now her tail was very straight, its hair standing on end, whereas her ears were turned back and were lying almost flat against her head.
"But, he would have been focused on me, not you. I can't stand the way he talks to you. It's really hard not to go and wipe that smug smirk off his face." Hermione softened slightly at hearing his reasoning, but nowhere near enough.
"That's not a good enough reason to let yourself get hurt Harry. For one you don't know what he would have hit you with, it could have had real long term damage. Second, think about how you felt when I was hurt by the Basilisk", she waited a few moments for Harry's mind to fill in her question. It felt like someone had stuck a fork in his insides and twirled them around. Just as the pain of that showed on his face Hermione continued, "because that's how I feel when I see you get hurt. Every time I see you get hurt. I can deal with Malfoy's mouth a lot better than seeing you hurt. So don't try something like that again. Ever."
Harry had to admit Hermione had a point. In the moment he hadn't considered it from her perspective and he owed it to her more than anyone to do better. His musings were interrupted by the arrival of the lunch trolley,
"Anything from the trolly dears?" the old, frail witch asked them.
"Um...Professor, do you want to get anything from the lunch trolley?" Hermione asked the sleeping man, who, along with somewhat shabby robes, looked like he could use a few good meals.
Her question woke the Professor and he groggily opened his eyes. As he got his bearings, Harry selected a few things from the trolley for himself and Hermione. If he asked her he knew that she would refuse, just like her parents would want, but he knew that she secretly loved sugar quills so he got her a few. He picked himself some chocolate frogs, grabbed a couple of bottles of pumpkin juice and then a pack of pumpkin pasties that would make a good dessert to go with the lemon chicken salads that Mr. Granger had given them for their lunch.
By this time the Professor was awake and eyeing the trolley, "Good afternoon Marine. Got any pumpkin pasties left?" he asked the Trolley Witch. Harry and Hermione both felt a little guilty that they never bothered to ask or learn the name of the witch. "Sorry Remus, but this is the last compartment today and I just sold my last pack." Harry looked down at the pack of six sweet pastries in his hand and quickly came to a decision, "There's too much here for just me and Hermione. We have a packed lunch to eat as well so we don't mind sharing professor."
The still sleepy professor looked at him for a few moments before nodding and smiling warmly at him, "Thank you Harry", before turning back to the Trolley Witch, asking, "Can I just get a large tea then please?" The witch pulled a steaming mug of tea from one of the hidden shelves and handed it to Professor Lupin, in exchange for a couple of sickles.
Harry was a bit put out by how friendly this stranger was. It was more than a little forward for him to call him Harry before they'd even introduced themselves. Even if most people in the wizarding world knew him by sight. He had a lot of people recognise him over the years, some before he knew he was a wizard himself, one had gone to such lengths as to bow to him in a supermarket. But they had all called him by his full name or Mr. Potter until he gave them 'permission' to call him Harry. And there was still something about the man that bugged him and he couldn't figure out why.
Harry pulled out his and Hermione's lunches from his trunk before he sat back down. He had placed his trunk in the well of the compartment so that the three of them could use it as a table. Before Harry could put anything on it, the professor flicked his wand and conjured a table cloth to drape over it, "No point staining the trunk if you can help it", he supplied at the questioning look from Hermione.
"So thanks for waking me up, I missed breakfast this morning. I am Professor Lupin. I will be your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. It's a pleasure to meet you." Harry nodded to the professor, his hands still full of his lunch. "Harry Potter, nice to meet you."
Hermione, whose hands were empty, shook Lupin's hand. "Hermione Granger, also nice to meet you. Sorry, we took over your compartment while you were asleep, we were a bit late this morning and everywhere else was full."
"Don't worry about it", he pulled a small package wrapped in brown paper out of his pocket and set it down next to the tea. Lupin unwrapped his package revealing a few ham and cheese sandwiches. Harry shared out the stuff for him and Hermione as well, and soon the three of them were eating. Well, four if you count the few bits of chicken Crookshanks had persuaded Hermione to part with.
---ϟϟϟ---
The sky was getting dark as the train made its way closer to Hogsmeade. Harry and Hermione had already changed into their school robes after Hermione had kicked him and the professor out of the compartment for a few minutes while she changed, then returning the favour for Harry. Lupin, who didn't need to change, waited outside patiently first with Harry, then Hermione. Now they were just waiting to get up to the castle.
Harry was a little impatient as he was thirsty. He had had a cup of tea that morning and a bottle of pumpkin juice with lunch, but now he was regretting not having packed a few bottles of water. With the light inside of the train and the dark outside creating a mirror effect on the window, no one noticed that the train had driven right into a bank of fog. Harry was focused on asking Hermione to remind him to pack a few water bottles the next time he took the Hogwarts Express, and he didn't notice the sudden chill that seeped into the cabin as the train continued through the fog.
Suddenly the lights on the train all went out and the brakes started screeching as the metal plates rubbed together, slowing the train right down. "It's too early to be at Hogsmeade yet, right?" Hermione asked as she checked her watch. "And why did all the lights go out? Did we break down?" The chill in the air then turned cold and oppressive, depressing even, and screams could be heard from further down within other carriages. Harry pulled out his wand and was half out of the door before Professor Lupin grabbed the back of his robes, pulling him back into the compartment.
"No! You two will stay here. Don't leave this compartment! I will go and see what's going on", with that the professor left, leaving the two teenagers by themselves in the carriage. Harry and Hermione were a little surprised by this. First, it seemed that they might possibly have a good DADA professor this year. Or at least one who put the students' safety first. Second, it just felt weird that there was a crisis of some type and Harry wasn't the one fixing it.
Harry got back to his feet from the bench the professor had pushed him onto and straightened his robes, he was about to go and follow when Hermione blocked the door, "Harry, no. I know normally it's left to you to fix things, but it's the professor's responsibility now, not yours. If we have a good teacher for a change we should let him deal with it." He hesitated, he knew she was right but every instinct he had was telling him to act.
Before he could make up his mind the door to the compartment slid open and Harry saw the dim outline of two people as they stumbled in, shutting the door behind them. Harry pointed his wand at the two and demanded, "Who's there!?" The voice that came back was comfortingly familiar, "Relax Harry, it's just me and Ginny" It was Neville's voice and Harry instantly felt guilty over pointing his wand at them, "Sorry guys, I was just on edge with all the screams and everything. Come on and sit down." He helped direct them to a clear spot on the bench which was not occupied by Crookshanks or leftover sweets from lunch.
"Do either of you know what's going on? Why were you out there?" Hermione questioned them curiously as she retook her seat. She grabbed one of the pumpkin juice bottles from lunch and cast her blue bottled flames spell in it. The flames weren't very bright but they did fill the cabin with a cold glow that was enough to let them see a little. Harry then floated the bottle in the centre of the compartment in a pale imitation of the floating candles of the Hogwarts great hall.
"Not a clue as to what is happening,'' Ginny answered, "We just bumped into each other coming out of the loo's", Neville nodded at Ginny's explanation and then continued where she left off, "It was already dark when we bumped into each other. This is the first compartment we came to. We were hoping you knew what's up."
While this conversation was happening the temperature dropped even more, despite the heat being given off by the bottle of fire. The breath of the occupants started to mist as it left their mouths. And the condensation on the windows started to freeze. There were sounds of movement outside the compartment. Harry could hear more screaming.
-Depression trigger warning-
The door rattled a little before it slid open, revealing the wall of ice-cold fog that had gathered outside, along with a tall shadow. It was all they could see of whatever it was hiding in the mist. There was a sound as if whatever it was, drew a long, slow, rattling breath, as though it was trying to suck something more than air from its surroundings. Then the cold seemed to be within them, chilling them right down to their magical cores.
It felt like there was no hope.
His chest felt empty, like someone had come along and dug out the space where his heart was, like some parody of a demented surgeon with nothing but a blunt spoon, and took out everything except the part of him that knew he was worthless and a danger to everyone around him. The part that knows Hermione is going to get hurt when LeStrange or Voldemort or one of his other followers finally caught up with him. And there was the screaming. He really should try and help the woman who was screaming, but what could he do?
In the end, he was just a worthless freak. A burden to people. Nothing he could do would help anyone.
The figure glided out of the freezing fog. It was tall, over seven feet tall. It wore thick black robes that concealed everything about its nature. It drew in another breath and Harry was instantly reminded of the worst nights he sat alone in his cupboard. He had often felt the same then, this hollow, raw feeling telling him that it just didn't matter if he tried or not, that it wasn't going to work anyway. The screaming had gotten worse, louder and she just screamed the words over and over; "No! Please, no!", over and over again. Harry just knew something terrible was about to happen to her. Not that he could do anything to help. Maybe he would join her soon enough.
-trigger warning end-
Suddenly there was a light. It was blindingly bright in the dark train compartment, yet Harry couldn't look away from it. The light filled the space, it even seemed to fill the void in his chest. The light focused on the figure, burning it and hurting. It quickly fled the compartment and then the train.
As Harry's eyes started to adjust, he saw the light and turned his head away. The light was still too bright for him to see what he was looking at, but he could now make out the definite shape of the thing, the man that held up the light. There, stood with his wand held high, was Professor Lupin. The strange light that had driven away the robed figure now showed Lupin's face in high contrast, every line on his face shown as clear as day, making him easy to read. Professor Lupin was angry. Not the, 'you just bumped into me' annoyed, not even 'you just insulted my mother' angry, no, Lupin looked as feral as a wild beast protecting its young. He was most definitely angry, and Harry only hoped his anger was not directed at them, for some reason. An animalistic fury that said he would do anything to protect his students if he thought it necessary, and may Merlin help anything that got in his way.
For the first time that day Harry didn't care that there was something about the man that bugged him. He was just glad the man was there.