HARRY POTTER :Dark Kingdom

Oh, but look at how tall you've grown! The photographs just don't do you justice! Did you see mum when you came on?"

Here the other boy smiled a bit.

"Yeah. Ginny too."

"Little nymph, isn't she? We'll be beating the boys off her next year!"

It suddenly occurred to Harry that not only were there a lot of Weasley's, but none of them apparently lived together. Harry, who had never had siblings, had a hard time imagining that many children in a single home (WYRA didn't count. They cheated with spells) and yet even more problems imagining so many related children in different homes.

"Oh now, Ronniekins, this is your nephew Clydiekins and his friend Harry Potter. They took those wretched wizarding culture classes this summer. If you have any questions, you can ask them!"

"Yeah, if you want to know about the outside of the castle," Clyde groused. "The entire school is closed off during the summer. Something to do with re-warding the castle."

"You're muggleborns?" Ron asked, looking suddenly hesitant.

"Technically, I'm half and half," Clyde said. "Harry on the other hand, is a muggleborn, I think. German raised too. Go ahead, spout something off in German!"

"Das ist kein Taschenspielertrick, du Idiot!" he said, rolling his eyes.

"Ooooohhhh..." the twins said in unison. "Brilliant!"

Ron, however, didn't look like he agreed. His expression darkened, his jaw set. Harry, who was becoming well versed in spontaneous animosity being directed at him, didn't even bother wondering why. He met the other boy's gaze openly, daring him to spit out exactly what he was thinking. When the boy said nothing, Harry stood. Ron moved back abruptly, posturing as if he was expecting a fight.

"There's not a lot of room in here," Harry said. "You guys are family, and should sit together. I'll go find another compartment."

"Ah! Don't let Ron's attitude scare you off! He's just got family issues of a different kind!" George said.

"Yeah! You can sit in my lap!" offered Fred, patting his leg in invitation.

"Was that suppose to encourage him so stay?" Clyde asked.

Shaking his head, he shuffled passed Ron, who made it a point to avoid touching him and glared as he walked away. Once he was outside, the door was slammed behind him and Harry flashed the door a rather uncouth gesture. He wandered up and down the hall, but it seemed all the compartments were either filled with strangers or older students. He was almost ready to give up and return to the Weasley's compartment, when one opened and he was pulled inside.

"Natalie! I didn't even see you get on," Harry said, smiling at her. She gave him her patented wry smile. The compartment was even more full than the Weasley's, this time with people he recognized from summer school. Someone had left a trunk on the floor for extra seating and he perched himself there..

"I'm surprised you're even on board. Isn't it kind of silly making you take the train?"

Harry just shrugged.

"And why isn't Hermione with you? You're normally inseparable," the blonde girl said, not without a little bitterness.

"She's sitting with her brother and their friends. Clyde's sitting with the Weasley brothers. Did you know there were so many?"

"Ha! They've got two more brothers out of school and a little sister who starts next year. They're a family of bloody rabbits."

Everyone laughed at that, and Harry smiled weakly.

"What is the deal with that anyway? I got the impression that they don't live together, but I know they're not muggleborns or halfblood or Ron would have been in summer lessons, right?"

"Oh, now that's a bit of a scandal," said Westfield, grinning. Natalie nodded in agreement.

"I used to go to primary school with Ron. He was ok when I first met him," began Natalie. "But then there was this big scandal with his father. Something about muggle contraband. You know, nothing that would be that big of a deal except it was like his fiftieth violation or something. Apparently, he'd pissed off some of the Wizengamot, and they complained to You-Know-Who, who had him thrown in Azkaban."

Harry shivered at the thought. They had learned about Azkaban in summer school. A miserably stormy isle, designated a maximum security prison, with soul-sucking wraiths known as Dementors set as guards. That anyone, for any reason, should be sent there had struck him as beyond cruel.

"After that, Ron turned into an utter bigot. Their mother, poor thing, was a house wife- what else could she be with that many children needing her?- and couldn't find work with enough pay to support them all and still take care of the baby girl's needs. WYRA ended up stepping in and taking all her kids except the daughter, and had them divided up and sent to other homes. I guess I can understand him being bitter, but he's turned into such a rotter. One day he's going to start a fight with the wrong muggleborn, and I can't wait to see it happen."

Now Harry could see the twisted logic in hating muggleborns. After all, since they were all completely isolated from muggles, muggleborns were the next best thing. However, he couldn't condone it and wouldn't tolerate it. His father used to say the men who bow to injustice and cruelty only welcome more of it onto themselves. His mother used to say no one had the right to make anyone feel like they were born inferior. If Ron came after him or Hermione or any of his friends, then he was determined Natalie would see that prophesied fight.

They went on to talk about the coming school year, about the past summer, of birthdays, and holidays, Quidditch and fashion, traveling and weather. They played exploding snaps, poker, and wizarding chess. The ate too much junk food, and they all started Harry his first collection of chocolate frog cards. He got Helga Hufflepuff, Bellatrix Lestrange, Bartolome Suigi, Horace Slugworth, and Hedwig Vance.

By the time their arrival at Hogsmeade was announced, Harry was glad he had taken the train after all.

Harry sat in a boat, staring up at the castle set aglow in the storm. His eyes were as wide and enchanted as everyone else's. As if it were his first time seeing Hogwarts. As if he hadn't lived in its shadow for the better part of the summer. Staring out his window at night, it always seemed more like the dark silhouette of a hulking mountain than an enchanted castle. But now that dark silhouette was alight with a hundred thousand torches, glowing like a torch itself in the gloomy rain. His insides twisted with a hopeful longing as they drew across the inky lake, holding the castle's wavering reflection, everything enveloped in a sacred silence.

At last they passed under a low tunnel, curtained with ivy, and entered into an underground harbor dimly lit with torches. They scrambled out of the boats and onto the stone steps, aided and directed by the Sleuw's. Professor McGonagall was at the top of the steps waiting for them, and quickly ushered them into the school itself. The corridors were huge and echoed with their muffled footsteps. The first years were huddled closer together than usual, all feeling a bit overwhelmed as they passed endless rows of moving portraits, armors, and display cases. They followed the witch up a large staircase to the upper floors, and suddenly the distant sound of many voices could be heard.

Yet there was one voice much closer that drew Harry's attention.

"Run, run, run, little mousey. Nagini knows every tunnel. Nagini knows every hole. Run, run, run, because you can not hide..."

Harry looked around, seeing if anyone else was wondering about it. By all accounts it did not appear as if anyone had heard. Which seemed impossible since they were silent enough that Harry could hear the faint ticking of his pocket watch.

And hadn't he heard the name Nagini somewhere before?

"Crunch, crunch, crunch, grinding bones on which to munch. Come, come, come, little mousey," it continued to sing in a syllabant hiss.

He fell back from the others, taking a moment to peek down a hallway the voice seemed to be coming from. At first he saw nothing. Then he spotted a little brown rat turning a corner and scampering towards him. It was followed soon after by the largest snake he had ever seen. It was at least nine feet long and almost as thick around as he was. The rat was obviously running from it, but when it finally took notice of Harry, it stood up on its hind legs and froze.

"Look out!" Harry cried as the snake came up on the little creature.

The rat jumped out of the way, barely missing the snakes enormous fangs. It hopped about in a blind panic for a moment, unsure of which way to flee, before heading back towards Harry. He stood frozen, watching transfixed as both creatures made their way towards him. The rat reached him first, and amazingly dived beneath his robes, where he felt it climb up his leg and into his pocket.

This must be someone's pet rat, Harry concluded. He didn't get past that thought before he found himself staring face to face with the snake, who reared up to stand taller than Harry. They stared at one another, wide emerald eyes to glowing slitted yellow.

"Give it here, boy," the snake commanded. "Give it to Nagini."

Oh. So that's where the voice was coming from. A talking snake. Sure. Why not? Was it any stranger than the bathroom mirror that told him his hair looked silly in the Sleuw's house?

"Er... what?"

The snake looked startled- how he could tell, Harry wasn't sure- then, angry again.