Emma Potter

57: Professor R.J. Lupin and the Dementor

Tom woke Harry and me the next morning with his usual toothlessgrin and a cup of tea. We got dressed and Harry was just persuading a disgruntled Hedwig to get back into her cage when Ronbanged his way into the room, pulling a sweatshirt over his headand looking irritable

."The sooner we get on the train, the better," he said. "At least Ican get away from Percy at Hogwarts. Now he's accusing me ofdripping tea on his photo of Penelope Clearwater. You know," Rongrimaced, "his girlfriend. She's hidden her face under the frame because her nose has gone all blotchy. . . ."

 "I've got something to tell you," Harry began, I froze. but they were interrupted by Fred and George, who had looked in to congratulateRon on infuriating Percy again. 

We headed down to breakfast, where Mr. Weasley was readingthe front page of the Daily Prophet with a furrowed brow and Mrs.Weasley was telling Hermione and Ginny about a love potion she'dmade as a young girl. When I joined,  all four of them were rather giggly.

 We were too busy heaving all our trunks down theLeaky Cauldron's narrow staircase and piling them up near thedoor, with Hedwig and Hermes, Percy's screech owl, perched ontop in their cages. A small wickerwork basket stood beside the heapof trunks, spitting loudly. 

"It's all right, Crookshanks," Hermione cooed through the wickerwork. "I'll let you out on the train." 

"You won't," snapped Ron. "What about poor Scabbers, eh?"

 He pointed at his chest, where a large lump indicated that Scabbers was curled up in his pocket.Mr. Weasley, who had been outside waiting for the Ministrycars, stuck his head inside."They're here," he said. "Harry, Emma, come on."

 Mr. Weasley marched Harry  and me across the short stretch of pavement toward the first of two old-fashioned dark green cars, each ofwhich was driven by a furtive-looking wizard wearing a suit ofemerald velvet."In you get, Emma, Harry," said Mr. Weasley, glancing up and down thecrowded street. 

Harry and I got into the back of the car and was shortly joined byHermione, Ron, and, to Ron's disgust, Percy. 

The journey to King's Cross was very uneventful compared with our trip on the Knight Bus. The Ministry of Magic cars seemed almost ordinary, though I noticed that they could slidethrough gaps that Uncle Vernon's new company car certainlycouldn't have managed. We reached King's Cross with twentyminutes to spare; the Ministry drivers found us trolleys, unloaded our trunks, touched their hats in salute to Mr. Weasley,and drove away, somehow managing to jump to the head of an un-moving line at the traffic lights. 

Mr. Weasley kept close to Harry and my elbows all the way into thestation."Right then," he said, glancing around them. "Let's do this inpairs, as there are so many of us. I'll go through first with Harry and Emma."Mr. Weasley strolled toward the barrier between platforms nineand ten, managing to push both mine and Harry's trolley and apparently very interested inthe InterCity 125 that had just arrived at platform nine.

 With ameaningful look at Harry and me, he leaned casually against the barrier. We imitated him.In a moment, we had fallen sideways through the solid metalonto platform nine and three-quarters and looked up to see theHogwarts Express, a scarlet steam engine, puffing smoke over aplatform packed with witches and wizards seeing their childrenonto the train. 

Percy and Ginny suddenly appeared behind Harry. They werepanting and had apparently taken the barrier at a run."Ah, there's Penelope!" said Percy, smoothing his hair and goingpink again. Ginny caught my eye, and we both turned awayto hide their laughter as Percy strode over to a girl with long, curlyhair, walking with his chest thrown out so that she couldn't miss hisshiny badge.

"That's not fair!" I recognised , that voice I had heard it only yesterday. I looked over to see Nicholas and Draco looking angrily at Draco's parents. "She's our friend!" yelled Draco "we don't care if she isn't Pureblood!" "Yes, well I do!" spat Mr Malfoy "I can't manage your behaviour at school, but Higgins will most definietly make sure you don't sit in the same compartment as her!" "He can't stop us!" said Nicholas "Uncle, you know us, we'll just find ways to avoid him." "We most certainly will" said Draco, smirking.