Peverell Beach House, Cornwall, 8/16/1992, 09:35
Harry walked towards the wardline with Tonks walking beside him with a large rucksack on her back as she prepared to leave for the Auror Academy.
Andi was currently living at Malfoy Manor but Tonks had been staying at Harry's home since just after the beach party a few weeks ago. Tonks hadn't wanted to stay at Narcissa's any longer so Harry had agreed to let her stay at the beach house until she had to return to the academy. Truthfully he didn't mind that much as she was out more often than not anyway.
Bella didn't seem upset either though she did spend a bit more time at Cissa's when Tonks was around. Harry figured that had more to do with the fact that the Black sisters were able to scheme now that Tonks wasn't underfoot at Malfoy Manor than anything else.
They walked in silence for a few minutes so that the only sound they heard was the crashing of the waves on the shore. The morning was mild this morning with a gentle breeze blowing in from the sea. It didn't take them very long to reach the Peverell property boundary lines and they both stepped through them without Harry noticing.
"Thanks for putting me up, Uncle Harry," Tonks said pulling Harry from his thoughts.
"Think nothing of it," Harry said as he realized that they were already through the wards.
"So what are your plans for Christmas?" Tonks asked as they both came to a halt a short distance from where the waves washed onto the shore.
"I'm not sure. Why do you ask?" Harry questioned.
"I was wondering if I could stay here over winter hols," Tonks said giving him a hopeful look.
"I'll have to talk it over with Bellatrix but I don't see why not," Harry said.
"Thank you," Tonks beamed before she pulled him into a tight hug.
"You're family," Harry said as he hugged her back.
"So is my Aunt Maggie but I doubt she would let me stay with her," Tonks pointed out as they separated.
"I met her at the funeral she seemed a bit... uptight," Harry said delicately as he remembered the haughty woman that had eyed his twins with a look of disapproval throughout the service.
"Tell me about it. When I was eight, I accidentally broke her car window and she has hated me ever since," Tonks admitted.
"You were a destructive child, weren't you?" Harry snorted.
"I grew out of it," Tonks shrugged.
"Sure you did. What time does your portkey leave?" Harry asked as she shifted the strap of her rucksack higher onto her shoulders.
"Noon. I thought that I would go spend some time with Mum before I have to go to the academy," Tonks admitted.
"Good, I'm sure Cissa's driving her mad by now," Harry sniggered.
"Why do you think I'm staying here with you and Aunt Bella?" Tonks smirked.
"I thought it was so you could sneak off to the Weasley boy's flat without her finding out," Harry grinned.
"How do you know that I sneak out?" Tonks asked her hair turning a slight orange colour.
"I know everything that goes on here," Harry said with a smug smile.
"Sure you do," Tonks snorted.
"Alright, Jangles keeps me informed on important matters that happen at the house," Harry confessed.
"I knew it," Tonks muttered as she looked up at him.
"Have fun at the academy," Harry said seriously.
"I will," Tonks nodded.
"Alright then get out of here and go see your mother," Harry said as he pulled her in for one last hug.
"Goodbye, Uncle Harry. Goodbye Aunt Bellatrix," Tonks smiled calling the last part over his shoulder as Harry released her from the hug.
"Goodbye niece," Bella's voice came from behind him catching him by surprise.
"Goodbye, Tonks," Harry said a second before Tonks turned on the spot and disappeared with a soft 'pop.'
"So she has finally left?" Bella asked as she came to stand beside him.
"Yeah, she's going to visit Andi before her portkey is set to take her to the academy," Harry said as he wrapped his around Bella's waist.
"About time," Bella sighed dramatically.
"I know you enjoy having her around," Harry chuckled.
"I am meeting with Cissa today to start decorating the manor," Bella said ignoring his last statement.
"Oh, I may take the twins to the movies while you're out," Harry said thoughtfully.
"Good, it will give Jangles a break from the constant work your niece has put him through," Bella smirked.
"I know perfectly well that you're going to miss her," Harry said before placing a kiss on Bella's cheek.
"Hm, you're putting words in Bella's mouth," Bellatrix sniffed.
"She wants to stay with us over Christmas," Harry said giving her a questioning look.
"We'll see," Bella shrugged noncommittally.
"I told her it was up to you," Harry said.
"If she does stay, she'll have to get better at sneaking out," Bella said looking amused.
"Stealth was never her strong suit," Harry grinned.
"Believe me, I've noticed," Bella chuckled.
"Jangles caught her last night," Harry grinned.
"And I caught her two nights ago. I am pretty sure she is sneaking off to do naughty things with the Weasley boy," Bella admitted.
"That was my theory as well," Harry agreed.
"Well, I must be off and you need to get inside before our children burn down the house to the ground," Bella said giving him a meaningful look.
"Alright, be careful in Leeds," Harry said in a soft voice.
"We'll be fine. Don't fill the children up on sweets at the cinema," Bella said before placing a kiss on his lips.
"Trust me, I remember what happened last time," Harry smiled.
"Good, I'll be home by dinner," Bella said as she took a few steps away from him.
"Remember, neutral colours," Harry smirked.
Bella just winked at him before she turned on the spot and disappeared with nary a sound.
Knowing that Bella was right and he couldn't leave the kids alone in the house for very long even with Jangles supervision, Harry began making his way across their private beach.
Bella hadn't needed to cross the wards to apparate. Like him, she was keyed into the wards and could apparate through them anytime she wished. He assumed she wanted to see Tonks off before she left for three months.
Regardless of what she said to the contrary, Bella was quite fond of her niece.
Harry stepped into the house a few minutes later to find his kids playing exploding snap on the floor. Citrine was watching them from her place coiled up on the coffee table her tiny tail flicking excitedly.
"Daddy, did Tonks leave?" Carina asked as she looked up at him.
"Yes Princess," Harry answered.
"Where's Mum?" Iggy questioned.
"She went to your Aunt Narcissa's so it's just us today," Harry said as the cards in Iggy's hands exploded much to his son's dismay.
"Can we go flying?" Carina asked hopefully as she carefully set her own cards down before they detonated as well.
"Maybe later, I thought we'd go to the cinema this afternoon," Harry said in a casual tone.
"Really?!" Carina squealed excitedly.
"Yeah, we haven't been in a while," Harry smiled.
"What are we going to see?" Iggy asked curiously.
"Not a clue, I'm sure we'll find something we all like though," Harry shrugged.
"Can we have popcorn?" Iggy asked as his sister began putting the snap cards away.
"Sure but we're going to get lunch before we go so you may not be hungry," Harry said knowing perfectly well they would still be hungry after lunch.
"Can Citrine come?" Carina asked as the snake in question looked up at him.
"Yes, but she will have to stay around your neck. Some people are terrified of snakes," Harry said with a look of amusement.
§I promise to behave§, Citrine promised from where she was still coiled on the coffee table.
§Good, you just might enjoy the cinema§, Harty said as he gently stroked her tiny head noticing the four tiny bumps that were her venom glands were starting to get larger.
§What is the cinema, speaker§, Citrine asked with interest.
§A moving picture that tells a story, it's kind of hard to explain§, Harry admitted as he looked at his daughter for assistance.
§You'll see, it is wonderful§, Carina cooed as she picked up her familiar.
"Where is Ares, son?" Harry asked surprised his son's familiar wasn't in the sitting room.
"He's shedding and pretty grumpy. I think he's in the jungle room with Athena," Iggy said as he got to his feet.
"I suppose it's for the best. I remember the last time I tried to take a bushmaster into muggle London," Harry said feeling pleased that his son would not try and bring Ares along.
"Athena thought it was funny, watching the muggles flee in terror," Carina giggled.
"I remember. You two go and get changed we'll leave around eleven," Harry said before he made his way to the stairs to put on some more muggle attire.
Harry was feeling pretty excited about the outing he just hoped that Citrine didn't get into mischief. They couldn't leave her by herself so he would just have to keep an eye on her.
He also made a note to document her measurements. He could tell that her venom glands were becoming more pronounced which meant that she was maturing. Harry was not sure when a basilisk developed their stare but that was something he would have to look into.
Harry stepped into his room and quickly got changed before making his way back downstairs to find his kids dressed in summer clothes waiting for him.
"Are you ready?" Harry asked as he offered them his arm.
"Yes," Iggy said softly as he took ahold of Harry's forearm.
"We're ready too," Carina said as she held onto his wrist with both hands.
"1"
"2"
"3"
Harry counted and turned on the spot on the count of three so that the four of them disappeared with a soft 'pop.'
Hours later, the three of them arrived back on the deck via side-along apparition. They had gotten a pizza at a small Italian restaurant near a London cinema that he and Bella usually went to. After they had eaten, they went to the cinema and bought three tickets to watch an animated movie about fairies in the rainforest. Carina was thrilled though his son had pouted at first because they couldn't see Lethal Weapon 3 instead.
Once the goofy talking bat came into the picture, Iggy"s opinion of the move had changed significantly and he laughed along with all of the other children in attendance the first time that the bat named Batty flew into a tree.
In the end, they all enjoyed the movie. Even Citrine had watched with rapt attention from her place on Carina's shoulder having never seen anything like this before.
Harry stepped into the house and looked around the sitting room noticing that his familiar was curled up on his chair taking a nap if he wasn't mistaken.
"If you two want to go flying now, we can," Harry offered.
"Of course, we want to go flying, Dad," Iggy beamed.
"I thought you might," Harry said as he watched his kids run up the stairs to go grab their brooms.
He had really enjoyed his outing with the kids he just hoped Bella wasn't working herself too hard at the manor. He knew they were mostly just making a list of furnishings they would like before Bella put in an order from Magical Home. The manor was quite large so it would be a lot to be getting on with regardless.
Harry was pulled from his musings as his children came back down the stairs clutching their brooms.
"Daddy, you're not ready yet," Carina pouted.
"Yeah Dad, you need to get the lead out," Iggy grinned.
"I don't have to get my broom," Harry said as he waved his wand lazily towards the stairs.
A few seconds later Harry's broom glided down the stairs and came to a stop hovering at mounting height right in front of him.
"My broom comes to me," Harry beamed as he grabbed his broom and began walking to the door leading onto the deck.
"That's cheating, Dad," Iggy exclaimed.
"No it isn't," Harry protested.
"What's that you always tell us?" Carina asked as they both caught him up.
"He says that magic makes wizards lazy," Iggy said sounding like he was barely containing his laughter
"It does. I was just showing you two that I am such a good flier that my broom will come to me," Harry grinned as they stepped off of the stairs and onto the beach.
"And you didn't want to go up the stairs to get your broom," Iggy said.
"It is a long walk and I am not getting any younger, son," Harry said as he mounted his broom.
The kids quickly followed his example and the three of them took to the air enjoying the beautiful summer day and the sound of the waves crashing below them.
This was how Bella found them hours later when she arrived home. She let them carry on until dinner while she sat on the deck and read one of her novels listening to her kids giggling as they chased after their father.
She couldn't help but smile to herself as the children played a game of aerial tag. True she hated them flying but even she couldn't deny that her children were uncommonly talented on a broomstick.
She had gotten the information she sought from Cissa today. She knew that Harry wanted to wait on this next attack so that Nymphadora wouldn't try and tag along. Now the brat was gone so they could get back to work and deal with the other Carrow twin.
'That is if Harry survives long enough,' Bella thought to herself as she watched her husband go into a very steep dive.
Not for the first time she wondered why she had allowed him to talk her into getting the children those blasted brooms. Sure enough, both twins copied his example and Bellatrix griped her book tighter as the twins sped towards the ground only to pull up at the last second, the toes of their trainers brushing the sand as they shot back into the sky.
"Those three are going to be the death of me," Bella muttered before she forced herself to not look out over the beach and focused back on her novel... or tried to.
As Bella read about the pureblood lord and his trio of veela concubines she couldn't help but glance up occasionally to make sure her family was still flying through the air. Thankfully they were but she would be having a talk with her husband later about teaching his dangerous flying habits to their children.
Carrow Property, Wales, 8/24/1992, 03:49
Harry and Bellatrix appeared on the edge of the Carrows' wards. A second later Andromeda appeared with a barely audible 'pop'.
Like Bellatrix, Andromeda had opted for a catsuit and wore a silver mask of comedy over her face making her disguise look just as creepy as his wife's.
"Welcome to the party, Sphinx," Bella cackled as Harry began assessing the wards.
Tonight Sirius was working on a raid in Glasgow so it was just the three of them making their way into the property. Harry was pretty confident they could handle Alecto easily enough provided they could prevent her from calling for help.
Harry was actually a bit surprised that Alecto hadn't altered the wards since their Valentine's Day attack. Though in fairness, he and Bellatrix hadn't entered the home which had additional protections that the outer wards did not so she might have thought her wards succeeded in keeping the Reaper out.
Harry went about creating a hole through the protections while Bella and Andi kept watch for any signs of activity on the grounds. It only took about twenty minutes before he was able to create a simple gap in the wards and disable the alert wards temporarily. This portal wouldn't last very long since he would have to channel magic into the hole to keep it open.
"Alright, we're in. Remember she has two minors living with her so try not to hurt them," Harry said as a fine glowing white line outlined the hole he'd just created in the wards.
Andi quickly stepped through the wards and looked around cautiously. Seconds later Bellatrix stepped through and turned to watch Harry follow behind her.
"Tonight we're going to divide and conquer. Chimera, take Sphinx and deal with Alecto. I will drop the manor's wards and make sure we have a way out of here if necessary," Harry instructed after cancelling the spell that opened the portal through the wards.
"You're not coming with us?" Andi asked in surprise as the hole he had created in the wards collapsed.
"No, if I take out the wards before you go in it will alert her and she will call for backup," Harry answered as he cast the human presence detection spell and nodded when he picked up three presences in the home.
"He's right, we may need to leave in a hurry," Bella agreed.
"Alecto's right there," Harry said as he pointed to a second-story window not far from where they stood.
"We'll be ready by the time the wards come down," Bella promised.
"Be careful," Harry said as he set his wand on his open palm before casting the point-me charm.
"You too, Reaper," Andi said before she and Bellatrix made their way towards the front door of the house.
Harry followed the direction his wand was pointing to, letting it lead him to the northernmost point just as he'd done in Bulgaria.
Most wardstones were placed on either four or eight points of a compass with a main stone inside the building the wards were set up over. The outer stones were like anchors that outlined the area they protected and worked sort of like the flexible poles of a dome tent.
The north and south poles were in perfect alignment with each other and that alignment cross-over and the centre stone. The east and west stones worked the same way meaning all four stones lined up with the centre or mainstone.
When the wards were first raised a powerful beam of magic would connect the paired stones forming an invisible Plus sign between the two pairs of wards.
The main stone would quickly exert upward pressure at the point these two pairs of stones intersected which flexed the magical connections and formed a basic dome of magical energy before the beams of magic would spread out and merge, covering everything inside the anchor stones' boundaries in a semi-transparent bubble.
If you destroyed a single anchor stone from this configuration, you took its opposite out of the equation as well. The centre stone exerted more upward pressure than a single pair of stones could withstand which meant it would push the other pair of stones apart quite... energetically.
The eight-point ward schemes had a bit of redundancy and could remain standing even if two stones were destroyed but a four-point ward like this could not remain standing if any of its anchor stones were destroyed.
Harry was able to locate the northern stone with little effort and wasted no time casting an exploding curse at it, reducing the large block of granite to pea gravel.
'BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!'
The sound of the curse exploding echoed over the property seconds before a second much louder explosion was heard as the east-west stones exploded outward sending a shockwave of magical backlash into the forest surrounding the home.
'BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!'
"You certainly know how to make an entrance," a sultry female voice purred from directly behind him.
Harry spun on the spot to face a tall blonde woman with piercing blue eyes standing a few feet in front of him.
Harry felt a force attempting to filter into his mind that strongly reminded him of veela allure though it wasn't quite the same. This magic seemed more carnal in nature than a veela's allure but he couldn't describe it exactly. All he knew for sure was that he was very grateful that he had powerful occlumenvncy shields otherwise she would have turned him into a drooling mess.
"Who are you?" Harry asked as he saw a flash of green light illuminate the upstairs bedroom of the Carrow home making Harry think his wife was almost finished with her task.
"My name is Daciana," the woman said, her voice having a slight accent that only seemed to enhance her attractiveness.
"You're a vampire," Harry said as he noted her long ivory white canine teeth that gleamed in the moonlight as she smiled widely at him.
"I am. That is interesting magic you have on your hood. I can usually see through most concealment enchantments," Daciana said in a thoughtful tone as she continued to eye him curiously.
"These robes were made with all classifications of magical beings in mind," Harry answered distractedly.
Harry stood there trying to figure out this woman's purpose for approaching him. He was ashamed to admit that she had gotten the drop on him and she could have very easily struck while his back was turned but she had not. This confused him more than anything and made him curious as to her intentions.
In the distance he saw Bellatrix approaching so he decided to stall for a moment until his backup arrived.
"So you are the Reaper that Voldemort fears so much?" Daciana asked pulling him from his thoughts.
"Tom Riddle fears many things," Harry chuckled.
"Most tyrants do, I have certainly met my fair share of them," Daciana mused.
"I don't mean to be rude, but what is it you want?" Harry asked.
"To meet you, nothing more," Daciana smiled.
"Why?" Harry asked as he spotted his wife and sister-in-law over Daciana's shoulder.
"We come here to be free, we have no stakes in your war and we certainly have no loyalty to this Lord Voldemort," Daciana shrugged.
"You are already causing chaos in this country," Harry sighed.
"We have been living on the blood of livestock for centuries. We may have gotten carried away when we tasted human blood again," Daciana said unapologetically.
"And what is to stop me from killing you now?"Harry asked as he saw his wife cast a spell over her chest.
"I could help you with your goals and I highly doubt that you could kill me, mortal," Daciana scoffed.
"No, but I could," Bella cackled as she pressed one of her silver daggers to the back of Daciana's neck and lightly pressed the point of the blade into the vampire's skin making Dacians hiss in surprise.
"I see you have a mate," Daciana said looking unbothered by her current predicament.
"He does. Can I kill her Reaper?" Bella asked sounding almost giddy.
"We're not going to kill her Chimera. She could be of use to us later," Harry said after a moment of considering his options.
"Very well," Bella said sounding almost petulant
"You are quite intelligent, Reaper," Daciana said as she moved away from Bellatrix.
"He had his moments," Bella agreed.
"Is your coven done, infecting the muggles?" Harry asked ignoring his wife's comment.
"We are, we only bite one or two in any given city. The newly turned do most of the work while they're still in the frenzy," Daciana sighed as she spotted Andromeda approaching.
"The frenzy?" Harry questioned.
"When a vampire is newly turned they have no logic. They are essential mindless animals seeking one thing... To feed. Once they sate their hunger they will start to take on the traits of who they once were when they were human," Daciana explained.
"Who's she?" Andi asked as she joined them looking at Daciana warily.
"Daciana," the vampire said looking between the three of them in surprise.
"Reaper says we can't kill her," Bella pouted.
"I believe I must be off. It was a pleasure meeting you, Reaper," Daciana said before she leapt into the air shooting fifteen feet into the air before she transformed.
Harry watched her turn into a large bat that spread its wings and glided off towards the forest.
"I don't like her," Bella muttered as the bat flew out of sight.
"Nor do I. How did it go inside?" Harry asked as he looked into his wife's violet eyes.
"Alecto's dead and she did know where the coven is staying," Bella said as she pointed her wand over the house.
"Morsmordre falce!" Bella screamed into the night causing the familiar mark to appear over the house.
"What of my students?" Harry questioned as he looked over at Andi.
"I stunned and obliviated them," Andi assured him as she stared at the altered mark floating hundreds of feet in the air.
"Good, they will be going to live with Narcissa after the ministry processes the scene," Harry said as eerie green light illuminated the three of them.
"I believe it is time for us to leave, the ministry will be here soon," Bellatrix said.
The three of them prepared to apparate to three different locations before they would make their way back to Peverell Beachhouse.
"I'll see you two in a bit," Andi said before she disappeared with a barely audible 'pop.'
"Meet me back at home," Bella said before she too apparated away.
Harry stood there a moment processing what had happened a moment ago. The meeting with the vampire had honestly caught him off guard.
He wasn't sure how should handle the situation. Working with a vampire could be very risky. No matter how good the arrangement may seem, there was a pretty good chance that the vampire would double-cross him in the end.
The fact that she had approached him when she was allied with Voldemort was very telling of her character. Vampires saw humans as beneath them, they were nothing more than a means to an end. Anyone who did dealings with a vampire had to be aware of the fact that a vampire may hold up their end of the deal but it was just as likely that the vampire would drink them dry when the human had served their purpose.
That being said, Harry couldn't deny that Daciana could be useful in getting him close to Voldemort so he would not do anything hasty just yet.
Hearing popping sounds in the distance, Harry turned on the spot and apparated away before the ministry aurors started pouring in'.
His destination was Godric's Hollow, once there he would make his way to his parents' graves and then take a portkey home.
As he was pulled into the suffocating rubber-tube-like feeling of apparition, he couldn't help but wonder if he should have killed the vampire when he had the chance.
Hogwarts Express, England, 9/1/1993, 13:47
Harry was sitting in a compartment towards the back of the train as the Hogwarts Express trundled its way across the English countryside.
He was currently sitting next to Hannah while she chatted with Susan who was sitting on the bench across from her. Harry was quiet for the most part as he let his mind wander.
He was very excited to get back to Hogwarts. Truthfully, the summer had been pretty boring with Sirius and Amelia having to work so much. That combined with the travel ban and vampires running loose around Britain meant he had been confined to Bones Manor for a good portion of the summer.
The only real exceptions were when he had travelled to Professor Peverell's house for his defence training and his afternoon lessons at Missy Cissa's.
Harry was pulled from his thoughts when the compartment door slid open and Draco sauntered in followed by Daphne who both looked very bored.
"Draco, Daphne it's about time you two got here," Susan said by way of greeting.
"We had to visit with people we haven't seen all summer, Bones," Draco drawled as he sat down on the bench across from Harry.
"So, I saw your disastrous flying last weekend, Potter," Daphne said as she took a seat on Draco's left.
"He was too busy ogling Missus Lovegood to watch where he was flying," Hannah huffed shooting Harry a look of annoyance.
"I know, Sirius has been teasing him about that all summer," Susan giggled.
"So how was your summer, Draco?" Harry asked in an attempt to change the subject.
"You should know, my summer was worse than yours," Draco huffed.
"Did your mum at least let you bring your broom this year?" Harry asked knowing that his friend wasn't exaggerating.
"Yes but she wouldn't let me buy a new Nimbus two thousand and one," Draco said quite dramatically in Harry's opinion.
"You've barely flown the two thousand," Harry snorted.
Harry knew for a fact that Draco had gotten the broom for his birthday last year and he had only been able to fly it a few times before school had started. Harry had it worse than Ftaco in that regard because he had only had his broom for a month before school had begun.
"I know but the two thousand and one is supposed to be leagues better than last year's model," Draco shrugged.
"You are so spoiled," Daphne sighed giving Draco a disappointed look.
"Am not," Draco protested.
"They're both spoiled," Susan corrected.
"Oh, and you're not?" Harry shot back as the door to their compartment opened again and Hermione slipped inside.
"Hello, what are you all arguing about?" Hermione questioned as she took a seat on Harry's left.
"They started an argument about who is the most spoiled," Hannah giggled.
"You're all a bunch of spoiled pampered purebloods," Hermione said matter-of-factly.
"Says the girl that literally has her own private library in her bedroom," Daphne retorted.
"My parents value my education above all else, that is why I spent all summer cramming a years worth of material for grade six so I don't fall behind and I can take my GCSEs the summer after next," Hermione rebutted.
"So what else did you do this summer, Hermione?" Harry asked not wanting the conversation to descend into an academic discussion.
"My parents took me to France and promised we would be going back there next year," Hermione gushed.
"I just hope this travel ban is over by next summer," Draco muttered.
"Aunt Amy says the teams are rounding the vampires up in droves," Susan admitted.
"According to the papers, they're moving across Scotland," Hannah said worriedly.
"Can we talk about something else?" Susan asked looking troubled by the current topic.
"Alright, let's talk about Harry almost flying into Hannah like a hundred times this summer," Daphne smirked.
"I was a bit distracted," Harry muttered his face colouring bright red.
"We all saw what distracted you," Hermione smirked.
"I can't really blame him," Draco muttered his cheeks flushing pink at the admission.
"Not you too, Draco?" Daphne said looking annoyed for some reason.
"Does anyone know who the defence professor will be this year?" Harry asked once again having to steer the conversation to a more pleasant subject.
"No, Uncle Harry wouldn't say," Draco admitted.
"I hope he's better than Quirrell, whoever it is," Susan said optimistically.
"I'm sure Professor Dumbledore wouldn't hire anyone who wasn't qualified in the subject," Hermione said with confidence.
"The position is cursed, Hogwarts changes defence professors every year. The headmaster takes what he can get," Harry sniggered.
"Potter's right, it's been like that since the mid-nineteen fifties," Daphne agreed.
"So ate you two going to try out for the quidditch team?" Hannah asked as Hermione looked very thoughtful all of a sudden.
"I am," Harry beamed
"I am too, though I haven't flown all summer so I will have to practice before tryouts," Draco shrugged.
"I wish there was a spot open on the Hufflepuff team but all of the chasers are sixth years," Hannah sighed.
"Don't they have reserves?" Hermione asked curiously.
"Sort of. If a team member is unable to play the captain will pick the best player they turned down in tryouts and put them in the game. They are technically reserves but they are only part of the team when they are playing in place of an injured team member," Hannah explained.
"Sounds pretty awful," Hermione muttered.
"The house quidditch teams never really need reserves," Harry pointed out.
"True, the snitches are much slower than the ones in the professional league so the games rarely go on for more than a few hours," Draco agreed.
"And thank heavens for that. Half of the games last year took place in pouring rain, it's like wizards have never heard of hypothermia," Hermione exclaimed.
The conversation on quidditch lasted for quite a while but soon they found other ways to pass the time. Hermione and Daphne soon became absorbed in their textbooks while Harry and Draco started a game of chess. Hannah and Susan began having a whispered conversation as they watched the one-sided game.
Harry had never had a mind for chess and Draco was quite good still he always enjoyed watching the tiny pieces clobber each other and drag them off of the board.
It was just starting to get dark when the train began slowing down and the conductor announced they were five minutes away from the school.
"Bugger, Harry muttered as he hastily dug his outer robes out of his trunk and pulled them over his head.
Most of the others in his compartment were already wearing their school robes and watched him scramble to get dressed in amusement.
"Oh look, we're here," Draco said cheerfully as Harry donned his pointed hat.
Almost as soon as Draco said this the train jerked to a stop making him stumble a bit.
"Thanks mate," Harry scowled as he closed up his trunk and grabbed Hedwig's empty cage from the luggage rack.
The trunks would be transported to the castle by the castle elves but they still had to drag them onto the platform.
As Harry fell into step behind the other students as they slowly exited the train he couldn't help but smile at the thought that he was back at Hogwarts at last.