Chapter 1 - The Mystique Charm

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Harry Potter stood alone by the door at the Hogwarts express watching the Hogwarts station disappear from view. He was leaving the place he once called home. They had now entered the open fields which was covered with the December frost.

This was it. The last chance he had to change his mind and stay at Hogwarts but strangely enough he felt fairly confident that he was doing the right thing.

He had never seen the train so empty before, except perhaps that one time Malfoy stunned him and the train almost took him back to London if it hadn't been for Tonks who came looking for him. Other times students would be running around the corridor and the compartments would be full. Professor Mcgonagal was kind enough to arrange for them to be dropped off at the wizarding village of Foxwill which is the closest station to the Burrow. Not wanting them to travel alone, Kingsley had arranged for a ministry worker, Danny Bifford, to accompany them to the Burrow and then to the Ministry the next day.

Harry had never met Bifford before, but apart from the strange request from Kingsley to keep Bifford away from sweets, he seemed like a normal wizard.

"Oy!" Ron called from inside their compartment. "Trolley is here!"

Harry immediately dug his pockets for some gold to pay for the food he wanted to buy. Ron had already gotten a packet of cauldron cakes and had begun eating it.

"You just had breakfast, Ron!" Harry told Ron as he took a large bite out of the cake, but Ron just ignored him and took another large bite.

"I'll have some chocolate frogs and a pumpkin pastry." Harry told the trolley lady who gave him a kind smile before handing everything over.

"You might want to get another cauldron cake, this one is almost over." Ron said without guilt. Harry sighed and turned back to the Trolly lady who was ready with another bag of cauldron cakes and a big smile on her face.

The train moved swiftly through the icy fields as they ate their sweets in silence.

Harry had then realised that he and Ron were sitting in the same compartment when they first met, he was going to Hogwarts for the first time when Ron asked if he could join him. It was only fitting for Ron to be with him on his journey to the next part of his life.

"I don't think we should have left Hermione like that." Ron said suddenly. Harry looked up from the copy of the Quibbler Luna gave him before he left.

"She wanted to stay." Harry said.

"I know. It's just the timing I guess." Ron said. "Some of them were plain cruel to her and all because of a rumour and to think we saved their sorry arses less than a year ago!"

Harry sighed. It's true that Hermione was getting bad treatment from those she fought to protect but it had all happened so suddenly that it was too late to change their plans. Nothing could shake Hermione as she was still determined to stay behind and finish her NEWTs.

The train now moved past the frozen fields and to an area with little houses spaced far away from each other.

"I think we are almost there." Harry said peering out the window. He was right, shortly after he said that, the train slowed to a stop at a station.

Harry and Ron, grabbed the sweets and stuffed it into their pockets and then grabbed their trunks to leave.

"Harry Potter." Came a voice from the fog as Harry hopped off the train. Harry wiped his glasses to clear his vision. A very thin and tall man had come up to them holding up his Ministry of magic identity card. He had strawberry blond hair that fell past his ears and sideburns, he also wore a monocle which was pressed far into his left eye. He had pale skin and striking blue eyes behind his monocled. He had a teen face with a long pointy nose. His thin lips pressed together made him look like a stern teacher.

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