Back to Hogwarts

On one chilly afternoon towards the end of the Christmas holidays, Harry was reading in the library of number twelve, Grimmauld Place – by far the best stocked of all the family libraries – when Draco burst in excitedly, clutching an old book in his arms.

'Uncle Sirius said I'd find you here,' he said cheerily. 'I've found the answer.'

'To what?' Harry asked, barely looking up from his copy of Moste Potente Potions.

Draco rolled his eyes. 'To how we're going to steal the Philosopher's Stone without dying in the process.'

Harry looked up at that. 'What's your idea?' he asked.

'Password-activated Portkeys,' Draco said smugly. 'We prepare them to take us to a safe location when activated, and that way, if we come up against something we can't handle, we just say the password.'

'Brilliant,' Harry said with an approving smile. 'Have you learnt how to make a Portkey?'

'It's a simple incantation,' Draco said, showing him the book he carried, 'but difficult to manage. I thought we could practise together.'

Harry nodded. 'We want to make sure we know what we're doing before we put our lives on the line.'

The boys spent the rest of their holiday making Portkeys. The first few didn't work at all. Harry wanted to try doing it with Parseltongue, but Sirius had told him only to use it in the most desperate of situations, as it seemed to interfere with his regular magic. Even without his special gift, however, Harry was the first to make a successful Portkey, one that took the boys from the library to his bedroom. They experimented with greater and greater distances, and by the time the holiday was over, they felt fairly confident.

Come January 5, Sirius drove the boys to the station in the V8 Vantage. Once he parked the car, he helped them load their things onto carts in the Muggle way.

'I know it's easier to have Mopsy bring them,' he said, 'but it's good for you to know how to do without, in case you ever need to.'

He escorted them through the crowds and led them onto the platform. He gave both boys a hug before they boarded the train.

'Have fun,' he said. 'It's not that long till Easter, and Granddad and I'll come up for the Quidditch games.'

The boys said their goodbyes and boarded the Hogwarts Express in good spirits. Once on the train, however, the boys suffered a serious blow. Fred and George came by their compartment, their faces long.

'Bad news,' Fred said glumly. 'Our mum went ballistic after we got home.'

'I thought she went ballistic way before then,' Harry said.

George shook his head. 'That was nothing. She's forbidden us to spend any more time with the two of you, outside of the Quidditch team.'

Draco gawked at them incredulously. 'You must be joking.'

Fred sighed. 'I wish we were, mate.'

'Well, you can't be planning on listening to her,' Harry said.

'We thought of just ignoring her and doing what we want anyway, like we usually do,' George said.

'But then she told us that she's asked Ron and Percy to spy on us and let her know if we do spend any time with you,' Fred finished.

'That's not fair!' Draco protested.

'No, it isn't,' George agreed. 'But Mum thinks you two are a bad influence.'

Fred laughed bitterly. 'It must be the first time she's ever thought anyone could be a bad influence on us.'

'Don't worry, though,' George said. 'we're hoping it will only be for this term. Over the summer, I'm sure we'll be able to talk Dad into getting her to change her mind.'

'And we're still your friends,' Fred added. 'We're here for you if you need us, Ron and Percy be damned.'

'Thanks,' Harry said with a small grin.

'We had a really good Christmas with your families,' George said. 'Be sure to thank them for us.'

'And tell them how sorry we are about what happened,' Fred added.

'We'll do that,' Draco promised, and the twins left to go sit with Lee Jordan and Dean Thomas.

'Damn that Weasley woman,' Harry growled after the twins had gone. 'Why do adults have to meddle in everything?'

'It could be worse, Aries.' Draco smirked. 'My father doesn't like you or Uncle Sirius either, but he hasn't forbidden me to spend time with you.'

Harry laughed. 'I should like to see him try. Just imagine what Granddad would say.'

'Forget Granddad,' Draco retorted. 'Imagine what I'd say.'

Just then the door of their compartment opened. Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass stood in the open doorway. Harry and Draco jumped to their feet.

'Happy New Year, ladies,' Harry said, assuming the suave tone Sirius had taught him in preparation for the previous year's Christmas Ball. 'What a delightful surprise.'

'Happy New Year, boys,' Pansy replied. 'May we join you?'

Draco motioned towards the seat to his left. 'Please.'

Pansy sat next to Draco and Daphne sat next to Harry. Harry opened up Mopsy's basket and offered them both some éclairs, which the girl took with eager gratitude.

'We didn't see much of you last term,' Daphne said.

'It was our loss, I assure you,' Harry replied.

'You're not avoiding us because we're Slytherins?' Pansy teased.

'If we did that we should have to avoid our families as well,' Draco pointed out.

.....

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