Sound The Death Knell

Chapter 4
A Series of Odd Happenings

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Dear Diary,

I found you in my cauldron after coming back from Diagon Alley. I don't know if I stole you -I didn't mean to, I really didn't! I didn't put you in my cauldron, I swear- but it will be nice to have something to write in. All my brothers are nosy snots, but Mum always tells them off for it. They deserve it.

Ron's the biggest idiot of them all! The twins say he's still going on about being Hariel Potter's soul mate! Which is stupid, because she doesn't have his words and he doesn't have hers! Part of me really wants her words to me mine; that'd be wonderful. Me, the Soul mate of the Girl-Who-Lived! I guess I'll find out in a week anyway, that's when I leave for Hogwarts!

I hope I get into Gryffindor, that's where all of my family are. And it's where Hariel Potter is! Even if we're not soul mates, I hope we can be friends. I hear she's really pretty. I'll probably look plain next to her, but she's gonna be real nice. All heroes are, and she's the greatest one of all. The Girl-Who-Lived, the baby who killed the Dark Lord...

.

The Girl-Who-Lived?

Waking up in the early hours on the 1st of September was no surprise for Harry Potter. Neither was it that for the first five minutes she sat there in the spare bedroom that Hermione and family had graciously offered up, staring at the nothingness before her.

With barely a thought towards it, Harry ran her fingers along the tender flesh of her inner arm, tracing over the invisible markings that rested there. The dream, her dream, had been odd. A distinctively male voice had been calling out to her, but the worlds were blurred, mumbled up and completely indecipherable. As if it were a tangled thorn brush, she'd been unable to separate each individual strand from one another, so interwoven they'd become. It'd left her completely baffled upon awakening, especially because she couldn't quite put a name or face to the vocals she'd just been hearing.

Before she'd have just written it all off as a production of her mind, but in the Wizarding World, dreams meant something of important. It was magic's way of offering a warning, or a predication in times of approaching distress.

Harry wasn't about to go ignoring that now.

But what this forewarning was centred around, she didn't have the slightest of clues.

Letting out a low sigh, Harry pressed her forehead into her knees, a muffled whimper escaping her lips upon realizing exactly what her hand was doing and tearing it away from her wrist as if it had instead been far too close to a rabid kneazle.

Scowling down at the offending appendage, Harry pressed the knuckles of her right hand into her skull, trying to banish the headache that was threatening to break out.

Today was going to be a trying day, that much was obvious.

.

It began upon reaching Kings Cross Station. Since escaping the clutches of sleep, Harry had managed to accomplish her morning run, gotten everything important packed within her trunk and even had time to aid Mrs Granger with making both herself and Hermione a packed lunch for the trip.

Feeling decidedly awkward as Hermione said goodbye to her parents, Harry had approached the barrier to Kings Cross, walking steadily towards it with her trunk dragging behind her.

And ended up walking face first into the brick.

Stumbling backwards, Harry squatted, holding the toe of her boot between her fingers in the hopes it'd stop throbbing. It'd been the first part of her body to strike the wall, and it hurt the most. She'd at least been able to lessen the speed the rest of her body had approached the wall at thanks to its noble sacrifice.

"Potter? You okay?"

"Obviously not."

Harry blinked at the hand that was suddenly visible, having intruded within her personal space. She followed pale skin of the wrist up to a dark mustard sleeve before coming face to face with a male perhaps two years older than her. A black and yellow tie poked out from around the neckline of his jumper, Hufflepuff for sure.

Suspicious, Harry placed her hand within the male's, allowing him to pull her up to her feet. His hand was warm, slightly rough and not just from handling a wand. A Quidditch player then?

"Did you just walk into the barrier?" He asked, reaching out and rapping the knuckles of his free hand against the brick surface, grey eyes narrowed when they met very solid matter.

"Ah, this could be a problem."

.

By the time the Hogwarts staff had managed to fix whatever problem had been cause by the barrier, it was half past eleven and there was a rather large gathering of Hogwarts children stranded in the muggle side of Kings Cross Station. The Muggles seemed exceedingly confused why there were children with owls and cats sat around when they clearly had no intention of getting on a train, but thanks to a handy bit of magic, nobody asked any questions.

It was right now that Harry found herself sat up to a café table with Hermione, the male Hufflepuff -Cedric, his name was Cedric Diggory- sat across from them. She wasn't quite sure why he was there, only that he'd wormed his way into their company and seemed quite pleased with himself for it.

Not in a smug, sly way. Just pleasant.

Harry had always been suspicious of people's intentions, of the cruel twists fate and her fellow humans could throw at her.

But it had been an hour, and not once had the sincerity in his eyes dropped a bit. He was just that nice.

Frowning behind the rim of her tea-cup, Harry conceded to the fact it appeared another male would be joining their little group. Longbottom was a friend, and it seemed Diggory was going to end up one too. Well, she had a friend in another house now, had two friends, and then she had Hermione. She was done with making any more connections now, she had three. That was more than enough.

"Well, Hermione and Harry, looking forwards to your second year then?" He'd adjusted quickly to calling her by the nickname, had instantly noticed her obvious disdain for regarding her given name the second his father had called her by it.

And while he'd seemed confused over it, Diggory had never the less gone along with her unspoken request.

"I'm going to look for a room to practice duelling in."

Wide grey eyes stared at her for a second before the Hufflepuff forcefully blinked, a grin spreading across his face.

"Sounds good, can I join you? Merlin knows last year's DADA was useless," he paused, looking slyly around before sharing a conspiratorial wink with the both of them, "and I don't hold much hope out for Lockhart."

"His books were riddled with inconsistencies," Harry snapped in quickly before Hermione could get started, watching as her bushy haired friend pouted beside her.

The muggleborn had formed something resembling admiration for their new DADA professor, until they had both sat down and actually read the books. So much hadn't added up that, in the end, Harry had ended up asking for a selection of Defence books to buy from Diagon and gone wild.

So her trunk was a little full right now.

At least she wouldn't be failing anything.

"Yeah," Diggory murmured, looking between the two of them with serious consideration on his face before he grinned, "let's share a compartment on the train. I could tell you what I learnt about last year, it's always good to be ahead, or in my case, recap things."

Though she wasn't quite sure how it'd happened, Harry had end up gaining another friend with an ease that startled her. That didn't mean she was going to relax around him though.

Not yet anyway.

There's something wrong Tom, the barrier to Kings Cross isn't working. What if I don't get to go to Hogwarts now?

I highly doubt that such a minor, ill-timed fluctuation would stop the Professors from getting students to Hogwarts. There are other students unable to pass through, correct?

Yes, there's got to be at least a hundred of us. It's a bit cramped really. Mom's making me wait with all of my family, so I can't really start making friends. But, I think I can see Hariel Potter from here!

Oh?

Yeah, she's with another girl and a boy a bit older than her. The girl's got really bushy hair and her front teeth are pretty big. I think maybe I'm a bit prettier than her. But the boy's really handsome and he's smiling at her. He must have said something funny because the other girl is laughing but Hariel isn't.

And Hariel? What about her? What do you see Ginny?

She… She's not frowning, but she's not smiling either. It's kinda like, she doesn't care. The books were right about the scar, it's just above her left eyebrow, but I can barely see it. She's got really dark hair and a fringe that covers her forehead.

And magically? Ginny, can you see what she's like magically?

Her spoon is stirring her tea on its own! That's underaged magic though! Shouldn't she be getting expelled?!

…Not if it's wandless Ginny. Not if it's wandless…

.

Things didn't improve much from there. Though they managed to get the barrier working once again, the Hogwarts Express only got three miles out of the station before it suddenly came to a screeching halt.

Harry, who had been nose deep in her theories and musing on the Patronus Charm and it's possible improvements, was sent flying from her seat. She hit the floor with a thump, elbow jarring at the sudden impact and notes sprawling out all around her.

Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Harry frowned, accepting her papers -collected by a wave of Diggory's wand- with a nod of thanks.

"What is going on? There wasn't a problem with the Express last year."

Hermione's frown was mutinous, her arms folded across her chest and looking very much like a petulant child. An odd fondness flare within Harry's chest at the sight but she pushed it back, instead focusing on Diggory's response.

"It's never had any problems while I've been a student either. I'll go find a prefect and see what's going on." The older magical got to his feet, disappearing from the compartment room at the same time Neville Longbottom appeared.

"Oh! Harry, Hermione! I'm glad I found you. I need some help…"

.

Neville's Potions essay was swiftly completed between the four of them, -Diggory proving to be a rather adapt mind- and once the train was moving again, all was going smoothly. They even managed to make it into the Great Hall without any more strange happenings.

Following after Hermione, Harry offered Diggory a wave goodbye, because he was polite enough company and both Hermione and Neville liked him. Hell, she could tolerate him, which was practically a 'like' in anyone else's book.

Running a hand through her hair, Harry sat herself down between Neville and Hermione, offering the Weasley twins a tense nod as she did so. Their younger sibling, Ron, was a menace.

But Harry could appreciate the artful brilliance that was the Weasley twins. With their reckless creativity and outrageous, devil-may-care attitude, they effectively pulled in the vast majority of Hogwarts' attention. Thus keeping it off her.

That, and they seemed far too busy plotting whatever magical madness they were going to come up with next to bother her about this or that. In fact, they only time they'd approached her at all was to see if she could help them turn everything in Snape's office into carrot cake.

If she just so happened to create a brand new spell with the aid of her 'strange' magic, just to get back at the teacher who seemed to hate her without reason, then so be it.

Turning to the newest Gryffindor that was approaching their table, Harry suppressed the urge to wrap her hair around her neck and strangle herself. Because damn it, he had a camera and was looking straight at her.

Would they ever get the damn message?

Tom, she was really mean! I went over and said hi and that I was Ron's sister and she sneered at me. Ron's ruined everything, she'll never want to be my friend now.

It's quite alright Ginny, you'll just need to prove you are cut from a different cloth than your brother.

What does that mean?

Impatience, one of the few emotions that'd been steadily growing strong as this went on, surged.

It means you have to show her that you are nothing like your brother. What does The Girl-Who-Lived seemed to value? Look at the people who she surrounds herself with, what qualities do they share, what does she respect about them? Once you have that answer, you just need to highlight that feature within yourself by adjusting your behaviour.

Okay. Thank you, Tom.

"Morning Harry?"

Looking up in a startled manner, Harry's brows furrowed upon noting that Cedric Diggory was indeed sat across from her. Up to the Gryffindor table. She wasn't the only one who seemed highly confused by this, because several other Gryffindors were being pretty blatant in their staring at this oddity.

Teeth digging into her lower lip, Harry swallowed the mouthful of scrambled eggs before turning her attention to Gryffindor's sudden interloper.

"What are you doing Diggory?" Harry watched, not quite in dismay but perhaps a bit of awe at the sheer guts Diggory was displaying by sitting up to the table of lions, buttering his toast as if it were a completely normal day and nothing was wrong.

"Having some toast," he finally answered, reaching for the raspberry jam once he was done with the butter, "You do know you can call me Cedric, right?"

She wouldn't feel right calling him Cedric, not when she'd only known him a day. The grey eyed teenager just smiled at her, as if he could read the very thoughts running through her head and found them a completely acceptable thing to be thinking.

"Why are you here Diggory?"

At this, the Hufflepuff hummed, putting on a thoughtful look before smacking his lips together as his fingers clicked.

"Maybe because I just like your company." There was a lull in the conversation around them.

No doubt the Gryffindors were mentally asking themselves why Cedric Diggory, the popular, friendly Hufflepuff would want to volunteer to spend time around the least sociable, least likeable Gryffindor that there had ever been.

Ever.

Harry wasn't quite able to wrap her brain around it either, so instead settled for scooping more eggs onto her fork, only looking up thoughtfully at Diggory twice until Hermione and Neville appeared. Both had agreed to join her morning runs, but had wanted the first day of school free of such a commitment. Considering Harry had been up since six, she supposed she could see why.

Their heads of houses came by with schedules, Professor Sprout looking a bit stumped but happily awarding the four of them five points each for inter-house unity.

It wasn't until Diggory put his timetable down beside his empty breakfast plate that Harry realized what he'd been intending all along. He did seem to be taking this friendship thing he'd set his sights on quite seriously. Which was- well, nice, she supposed.

"So, I've got a free today after lunch?"

Glancing down at her own lesson plan, Harry dully realized that she too was free after lunch and found herself turning her gaze back up to the Hufflepuff in their midst.

"So have I."

"Then we can do look for a room to practice duelling in, right? I've heard a rumour about empty rooms on the fourth floor, but we can always ask the House Elves, see if they know anything."

Drumming the tips of her neatly trimmed fingernails upon the table top, Harry worried her lip between her teeth.

"I suppose that would be a good idea. Hermione, Neville?"

Her fellow Gryffindors paused, one halfway between taking a bite of his bacon sandwich and the other already colour coding her schedule.

"Er, yeah. Sounds good Harry."

With Hermione's shy nod of her blushing head proving her agreement with Neville's words, Harry stretched her arms above her head and climbed out from beneath the table.

"Well, I guess we'll see you at lunch then Diggory."

.

She did find Diggory at lunch, having had Herbology right after breakfast, in which she'd been forced to duck out from under Gildeory Lockhart's ever fame-hungry gaze.

The Fourth Year Hufflepuff had already been forced to sit through a lesson with the glory hound and had come out bemoaning how terrible it really was. While it had appeared that DADA could get no worse after the disaster that was Quirrell, they had most certainly been proven wrong. Dumbledore was evidently scraping the bottom of the barrel right now, because Lockhart didn't have the slightest clue what he was talking about.

In fact, according to Diggory, he just seemed happy enough to waffle on endlessly about his favourite topic; himself.

Disgusted, Harry found she was still significantly irritated by the lack of real teaching in a very important subject as she followed the House Elf up to the Seventh Floor.

"Yous is walking here for the roomie, and the roomie be giving yous what yous need." The little creature chirped, squeaking in delight when Diggory offered it a polite thank you.

Now, Harry may have been standoffish towards all those in the Wizarding World that wanted to use her for her fame, or her connections, her magical power and her money, but these little House Elf creatures honestly didn't seem to care.

So, she offered her thanks, ignoring the fact the little thing looked like it wanted to faint.

Instead, she pushed open the door that Diggory had summoned with his pacing, letting out a low whistle as Hermione and Neville gasped behind her. Observing the room, which had books and a duelling platform and a warded 'free-for-all' fighting arena, Harry found herself grinning.

.

Yeah, she could work with this.

Got about 1,200 words of this wrote and then just kinda spluttered to a stop. But I finished it now, so here you go,

Tsmue

xxx