The Fifth Marauder

5 {Back to Hogwarts, and Promises}

Harry went to his trial, and was pardoned, so he was not expelled from Hogwarts, much to his great relief.

Speaking of Hogwarts, everyone was getting ready to head to King's Cross, and was busy bustling around the house, making sure that they haven't forgotten anything.

Soon, everyone's trunk was packed, and they were ready to go.

Harry, however, was up in his shared room, wrapping an old photo album up in one of his shirts. It was the one from Reagan's fifth year, meaning the Marauders would have been in their seventh year. He gently placed it at the bottom of his trunk, and clasped it shut, dragging it downstairs.

"You ready, Harry?" Ron asked, looking over at his friend.

"Yeah," Harry answered, shooting him a quick smile.

They arrived at the Hogwarts Express, and found a compartment, where they sat down.

The trip to Hogwarts was relatively calm, except for a few run-ins with Malfoy.

They got to Hogwarts, and went to claim a carriage.

Harry looked to the front of one, and was shocked to see that they were being pulled by something this year. Sinister-looking skeletal horse-like creatures, with wings and long bony tails.

"What is that?" He asked, looking at it.

Hermione looked at him strangely. "What's what, Harry?"

"That," he said, "pulling the carriage."

Hermione furrowed her brow at him. "The carriages are pulling themselves, Harry. Like they do every year."

Harry took one last look at the strange creature in front of the carriage before climbing on with the others.

"You're not crazy, you know," a soft dreamy voice said, drawing his attention to a blonde-haired girl wearing a light pink peacoat. "I can see them, too."

Hermione sat down. "Everyone, this is Loony - Luna Lovegood. Luna Lovegood."

She looked down, slightly embarrassed.

Luna, however, smiled brightly at the golden trio, and Neville, who was sitting across from her. "I hope there's pudding," she said, "I'm awful hungry."

Harry smiled tightly at her, nodding his head.

They pulled up at the castle, and made their way into the great hall, where the first years were about to be sorted.

They sat down at the table, and Harry looked up to the teachers, where a blob of pink caught his eye.

"She was at my hearing," he told the group, nodding his head towards her.

She was a great blob of a woman, and the tacky pink outfit did nothing to hide the fact that she looked like a giant toad. In fact, it just made her look that much uglier.

Dumbledore stood for the traditional begin of term speech. "I would like to welcome Miss Dolores Umbridge to Hogwarts as our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor," he said, waving his hand in her direction.

He went to continue, but a rather annoying "ahem" reached their ears, effectively cutting the Headmaster off.

Everyone looked to Umbridge, and she stood from her spot next to a rather irritated Severus Snape. She walked around the teacher's table, and stood next to Dumbledore, smiling falsely at the students seated before them. "Thank you," she said, "Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome."

Almost every student rolled their eyes as she launched into a rather boring speech.

"Bloody hell," Ron muttered, "the Ministry is invading Hogwarts."