Harry Potter: The Making of a Dark Lord

September 1st, 1995 – The Hogwarts Express

Harry Potter sat alone in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express, anxiously practicing a quick-draw release with his newly-acquired wand holster. It had taken him a few days to master the intricacies of his gift from Tonks, but now he could flick his wrist and his wand would appear almost instantly in his hand. I wonder why everyone doesn't have one of these, Harry mused. It makes so much more sense than carrying your wand around in a pocket or a bag.

Professor McGonagall had apparated Harry to King's Cross over half-an-hour before the train was scheduled to depart. Harry had wanted to arrive early so that he could get a seat without having to wade through a crowd of people who thought him deranged. He had found a free compartment easily, and now sat waiting on his friends to show up. He was still somewhat irritated with them for being so willing to follow Dumbledore's orders, but he had missed their companionship terribly over the past three months. Harry had decided that yelling at them for "abandoning" him wouldn't do anything to relieve his sense of isolation.

Neville was the first to show. Harry had never been particularly close to Neville, but they were friendly. Neville was, unfortunately, the odd-man-out in their dorm room. Harry and Ron were best mates, and so were Seamus and Dean. Neville seemed content to stay in the background and not attract attention to himself.

He opened the door to Harry's compartment hesitantly and peered in.

"Hey Harry, mind if I join you?"

It relieved Harry immeasurably that Neville, at least, hadn't seemed to take the Daily Prophet's garbage seriously.

"Not at all, Neville. Come on in."

The Gryffindors chatted amiably for a few minutes about their summers, when the door was suddenly flung open and Hermione rushed in. Harry stood to greet his best friend, and was nearly tackled to the floor.

"HARRY!" she cried, giving him a face-full of bushy brown hair.

"Nice to see you too, Hermione," he chuckled. And then she took a step back to see him better. Harry barely restrained himself from gasping.

Hermione looked terrible.

Her hair was more unkempt than usual, and she looked like she had lost considerable weight over the summer. She had dark circles under her eyes and her skin had an unhealthy pallor to it.

"Hermione, what—," Harry started, but she cut him off.

"I know, Harry, I know," she sighed. "I've been sick recently, but it was just the flu. I'm getting better, and it's nothing to worry about," she said quickly.

If you're getting better, Harry thought, I'd hate to have seen you at your worst.

"Okay, Hermione," he frowned. "But make sure you see Madam Pomfrey, alright? You don't look healthy."

Hermione just smiled at him sadly. "I will, Harry. Don't you worry about me. I'll be alright."

Harry nodded, and the door was flung open again, this time admitting Ginny Weasley. She was followed closely by Ron, who seemed to be using his bulk to prod her forward. Behind Ron was a tiny, odd-looking girl with wispy blond hair and a serene look on her face. The compartment was suddenly very full.

"Er, hi everyone," said Harry, glancing curiously at the blond stranger in the back.

"Harry, mate," Ron nearly shouted, stepping around Ginny and clasping him on the arm. "Glad to see you're in one piece. And looking pretty fit, I might add."

"Thanks, Ron. I tried to get in better shape this summer."

"H..Hi, Harry," came Ginny's hesitant voice, after a glance from Ron in her direction.

"Hi, Ginny. It's good to see you," Harry smiled. He had almost stepped forward to hug her, but stopped himself at the last instant. Where had that come from? he wondered.

Harry's eyes traveled to the last person in the compartment, the small girl with the blond hair and the big, protuberant eyes.

"You're Harry Potter," she informed him.

"Erm, yes. Yes, I am," he said, glancing sideways when Ron coughed.

"And you are?" he asked, when the girl gave no indication that she was going to introduce herself.

"Luna Lovegood. I'm Ginny's best friend."

"Well, nice to meet you Luna," said Harry, and looked around. "Why don't we all sit down? Getting a bit crowded in here, standing up."

And so they did. For the next half hour, the group of friends exchanged stories from the summer as the train began its annual trip to Hogwarts. Neville had spent the summer at his family estate, doing little more than experimenting with magical plants in his greenhouses.

Harry reflected a little guiltily that Neville was probably closer to his plants than anyone at Hogwarts. Hermione talked animatedly about the wonders of magical France for a solid ten minutes, pausing only to pull French textbooks out of her bag to show everyone.

She seemed unaware that no one else could read them. Ron and Ginny did not have much to share, as it seemed they had done little more than perform chores and play quidditch at the Burrow. Luna listened to the conversations intently, but contributed nothing of her own, preferring to read a newspaper she had brought with her.

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