King's Cross Station
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"Everyone ready?" Kingsley asked, one hand on the door of the Diagon Flat as he looked at the assembled Witches and Wizards.
"Ready." Alistair Moody growled, his magical eye swivelling in its socket as he double-checked the surrounding area.
"Ready." Auror-Trainee Tonks stated, her hair shifting color slightly.
"We've got out shrunken trunks in our pockets and are ready to go." Harry confirmed after briefly checking with Neville and Hermione.
"The car will be waiting out the front." Kingsley said as he opened the door. "Let's go."
Harry, Hermione and Neville followed Kingsley down the stairs, their hands ready to summon their wands. The clunk of Moody's false leg sounded as he stumped down behind them, followed by Tonks, who carefully closed the door behind her. The click of the door locking sounded and Tonks scampered down to ground level, taking her position just behind the three young teenagers.
Walking quietly, the group made their way down Diagon Alley and into the Leaky Cauldron where a couple of other Aurors were stationed to keep an eye on things. Kingsley then led them out onto the street where a large black car was waiting, the passenger door open and the driver standing by it.
"Richards."
"Shacklebolt."
Kingsley stood on watch as Hermione entered the car and her surprised gasp caused Neville to duck inside to see what was happening. Harry followed and looked round appreciatively.
"Space-expansion charms. Nice."
"No seatbelts." Hermione worried as she sat down on one of the two leather-covered benches that occupied the area that in a normal car would have been a single backseat.
"It has the same charms as the Knight Bus." Kingsley supplied as he slid in and Harry groaned.
"Great. Does that mean we need to hold on for dear life as it power-slides round corners and jumps over houses?"
"What?" Hermione queried as Neville nodded in agreement.
"Richards is a trained driver." Kingsley said reassuringly.
"You mean Ernie isn't?" Harry asked in shock as the car pulled away from the kerb.
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"That wasn't too bad." Hermione said as they climbed out of the car.
"Certainly smoother than the Knight Bus." Neville agreed as he joined her, looking round. "Um, where do we go?"
"This way." Tonks took the lead, guiding them through the station until they stopped at a familiar pillar. "Okay, Mad-eye, I'll give a thumbs-up and then get them on the train."
"What did she mean by that?" Hermione asked as Tonks vanished through the apparently-solid wall.
"It means I've got my eye on her." Moody growled. "She's just signalled. Go!"
Neville strode forwards and Harry half-turned to look at Kingsley.
"Thanks."
"Just doing my duty, Lord Potter."
With a grin, Harry stepped through to platform Nine and Three Quarters, where his friends were waiting for him.
"Okay, everyone, let's get you on the train." Tonks chivvied the trio towards the waiting carriages. "The sooner you're behind the train Wards, the better I'll feel about this."
Harry let Tonks direct them to the car just behind the Prefect's carriage, then once they were safely ensconced in their compartment, Tonks waggled a finger at them.
"Now, stay put until the train goes and remember, don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
"So, anything short of murder and public streaking." Harry nodded. "Got it."
Tonks froze, her mouth the only thing moving as she failed to come up with a response for a long moment, then she sagged. "You've been spending too much time with Sirius, haven't you?"
An innocent grin was her only reply and she shook her head.
"Never mind. I'll let the Prefects know to keep a close eye on your compartment, but now you're on the train, our part is done. Have fun!"
Tonks vanished down the corridor and Harry pulled out his trunk, expanding it before lifting it up to put on the luggage rack. "You want yours up too?"
"Hang on." Neville said as he pulled out his own trunk, enlarging it so that he could open it and start rummaging inside. "Aha, here we are! Anyone fancy a game of Sorry?"
"I played that when I was young!" Hermione exclaimed, dropping her book back into her trunk. "I'd love to play!"
Harry lifted the other two trunks up onto the luggage racks while Neville unhooked the folding table underneath the window and extended it. As Neville started unpacking the game box, Harry frowned.
"No dice? How do you play this game?"
Hermione passed the box lid to him and Harry noted the instructions written on the inside. Quickly skimming them, he nodded in understanding.
"I think I get it."
"Shall we?"
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"Hermione!"
Hermione looked up from where she was moving one of her cones and grinned at the group in the door.
"Ginny, Luna. Enjoy your holiday?"
"Uh, brothers." Ginny sighed in disgust, causing a protest to sound behind her. "Fred, George, we're settling down here so drag in the trunks and then go off and get into mischief or something."
"Your wish is our command, little sister." One of the twins said as they dragged the trunks to the doorway, where Harry grabbed them and lifted them into the luggage racks.
"Okay, now shoo." Ginny half-scolded and the Twins made their way back down the carriage, laughing.
"Hello, Hermione." Luna smiled. "Do you mind if we watch?"
"Not at all." Hermione replied, gathering Luna and a surprised Ginny into a welcoming hug before returning to her seat, motioning for the two girls to join her. "Right now, Neville's winning, but it can change quite quickly."
Ginny leaned forwards, her eyes intent as Luna picked up the box lid and started to read the instructions.
Unnoticed, a door further down the carriage slid open briefly to allow a grey eye to peek out, one that took in the view of the highly-polished strip of metal along the upper curve of the corridor, a piece of metal that acted as a mirror to those who paid enough attention to it. For a long moment,the eye stared at the reflections of the game-playing friends, then the door slowly and quietly slid shut once again as the train began moving away from the platform.
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"They'll be pulling out of the station now." Remus said as he entered the staff room and from where he was using a stylus to write notes on the Jor-El-provided notepad before him, Sirius looked up.
"Hmmm? Oh, right. The train. Sorry, I was just refining my lesson plans."
"And I am sure they needed a great deal of refining." Snape commented from his own desk. Sirius proved his maturity by sticking his tongue out at the Potions master.
"Padfoot! Behave!"
"But he started it." Sirius whined.
"No, I didn't." Snape riposted, his lips twitching slightly as Minerva shook her head in the doorway.
"Did too!"
"Did not."
"Did too!"
"Did not."
"Did-"
"Sirius Black! Stop that!" Minerva snapped and Sirius jolted with shock. He opened his mouth to say something, then caught her glare and shrank back in his seat. "Same goes for you, Severus."
Severus simply inclined his head in acknowledgement as Sirius pouted.
"I hope that you're ready for your new position, Professor Black." Minerva continued. "You have no less than thirty-six lessons to arrange and oversee each week, and that's before things like marking homework."
"Fortunately, I can re-use quite a few of those lessons, so I should be okay." Sirius replied, earning an approving smile from Remus. "I've also practised my emergency first-aid spells, just in case anything goes wrong and I've talked with Filius about helping with his duelling club… assuming I can meet his standards, that is."
"His standards are quite exacting." Snape agreed.
"They are." Remus agreed, then he gave Snape a measuring look. "Professor Black will be offering courses in how to become an Animagi… are there any Newt-level students anyone knows of who shouldn't be encouraged to learn that skill?"
"There are one or two in my House that I would be hesitant to encourage." Snape admitted almost ruefully.
"A couple of my House lack the moral fortitude that I would prefer." Filius commented as he entered the staffroom. "I doubt that any of Pomona's students would be problematic, though. There hasn't been a single Dark Lord or Lady from Hufflepuff since Dark Lady Kartasia in… fourteen-twelve, I think it was."
"Wasn't she the one who tried to accumulate a Harem of males for herself and her daughters?" Remus mused. "If I remember rightly, she ended up married to the Wizard sworn to take her down…"
"Moving on." Minerva regained control of the conversation. "Are there any last-minute changes anyone wants to make to the schedules?"
A round of headshakes answered her query.
"And anyone have anything they wish to add?"
"We've got at least one Animagus joining Hogwarts this year." Remus pointed out. "Shouldn't be a problem, she's a Pureblood Witch, but when you're an Animagus, there's always an urge to spend time in your animal form…"
"So, no matter the House, Remus and I will be willing to watch over her during those times." Sirius concluded, the normal joking tone completely absent.
"I may join you." Minerva said, earning surprised looks from both Wizards. "What? You don't think that I was willing to keep a Mandrake leaf in my mouth for a full month and risk using the potion, but then wouldn't use the skill I gained?"
"We'll be using a different technique." Sirius pointed out. "No Mandrake leaf needed but Occulumancy is a requirement. Minerva, if we have any female would-be-Animagi, we'll need you to oversee their first transformations."
"Sounds like the Uguandua School's method." Snape mused. "Minerva, I do hope that you don't have any embarrassing birthmarks."
Minerva frowned in confusion as Sirius and Remus both tried to look as innocent as possible.
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"Yes!" Ginny exulted as Harry moved the dog. "Park Lane with two houses, that'll be five hundred pounds!"
Harry winced slightly, then he counted out the required number of hundred-pound-notes and handed them over to the grinning red-head.
"My turn." Hermione scooped up the dice and threw them onto the middle of the board. "Eleven, that'll be on Community Chest… Huh. I get fifty pounds from a stale sock."
Everyone else blinked in shared confusion and Hermione sighed. "Sorry, family joke. It's Sale of Stock, but…"
"This is another Beauty-contest thing, isn't it?" Neville chuckled. "Saying I came first."
"Nev, you're an Orang-utan, not a Gorilla." Harry pointed out as Luna threw the dice before moving the hat.
"Oh, pooh." She pouted as she shifted the hat to the opposite corner. "I was hoping to collect my two-hundred pounds next turn."
"Thirty minutes warning of arrival at Hogwarts. Please get changed into school robes."
"Already done." Harry smirked, glancing up at his Trunk, then he looked back down as Ginny finished moving the iron. "Ooh, bad luck Ginny. I have all four stations, so that's two hundred pounds, please."
"Nuts." Ginny sighed as she handed the two notes over. "Your turn, Neville."
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The Hogwarts Express came to a halt in a squealing of brakes and steam.
"Huh, look at that." Harry said as he looked out of the window. "More Aurors, roving Centaur patrols… and it looks like they've re-surfaced the path to the boats for the first-years."
"Good thing too." Hermione huffed. "That path was evil in the rain."
The doors all opened and Neville moved to take the lead, giving Harry an apologetic glance. "Sorry, Harry, but with Bagnold out there, you need someone to hide behind long enough to escape."
"Isn't that what the Auror's are for?" Harry half-joked as he followed Neville out of the compartment and into the corridor. "Okay, okay. I know you're just trying to keep me safe."
"After last year, can you blame us?" Hermione asked from behind them. "I mean, we still don't know how they breached the Wards without collapsing them."
"Been reading up on Warding, have you?" Harry chuckled as he stepped onto the platform. "Thanks."
"You're welcome." Hermione said quietly, then she continued in a more determined tone. "Ginny, Luna, escort positions, I'll bring up the rear."
Harry shook his head, but refrained from protesting. After all, with Bagnold on the loose and seeking revenge, it was better to be safe than sorry.
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