My Godfather

Chapter XLII: Term Begins

"I'm going to go and find Blaise," Draco mumbled once the train had picked up speed. Harry rolled his eyes at the other boy.

"Honestly Draco, just because were going back to Hogwarts, doesn't mean things need to go back to the way they were. We don't need to keep hating each other. Stop being such a prat and help me find an empty compartment."

"You find the compartment, I'll find Blaise and meet you. I can't leave Blaise to fend for himself when Parkinson comes knocking. Don't worry, Potter. I won't leave you alone. We'll hold hands along the way, okay?" Draco teased but his eyes were grateful. He ducked just in time to avoid Harry's shove before walking away.

Harry didn't find an empty compartment but he did find Hermione sitting in one of them. She was the only occupant. "Where's Ron?" Harry asked as he sat down. "Ron and the twins hid Percy's head boy badge and now they are hiding from Percy."

Ten minutes later, Draco found Harry's compartment and slid inside with another boy in tow. "Granger," Draco nodded at Hermione before gesturing towards the other boy. "Potter, Granger— Blaise Zabini." The new boy seemed far more cheerful than Draco and surprisingly friendly for a Slytherin. He smiled at the duo and waved cheerily. They'd all get along just fine.

"So tell me, Granger, have you already learnt all the textbooks by heart?" Draco smirked at Hermione, completely ignoring her glare. "Of course not! I've merely gone through them and gotten a gist of this year's curriculum."

"Of course, how foolish of me. Do forgive me, milady." Harry observed their exchange with a fond smile. Truth be told, he was surprised by how well the two of them got along now. One could forget that they had spent the last two years despising each other. He only hoped Ron and Draco would eventually get along.

"Where's your luggage?" Harry asked. Neither Draco nor Blaise had brought their trunks with them. Draco shrugged carelessly. "Crabbe and Goyle will see to the heavy lifting. It's the one thing those two oafs are good at." Hermione glared at him disapprovingly but didn't say anything.

"Harry, did Sirius tell you anything about the new professor?" Harry struggled to hide his smile at Hermione's question. He'd known that his father knew the identity of the new professor After a lot of begging, he'd finally managed to get Sirius to reveal the name of the new DADA teacher. "Not a clue."

Their compartment door was suddenly thrown open and Percy Weasley stepped inside, his face as red as his hair. "Where are they? Those good-for-nothing buffoons! I swear I'll skin each one of them alive!"

"I need my head boy badge! I told Penelope that I'd meet her and now I'm getting la—"

"There not here, Weasley. If we do see them, we'll be sure to send them your way," Draco drawled sarcastically. Fortunately, the red head didn't notice the sarcasm and merely nodded before walking away.

About an hour later, Ron poked his head into their compartment, along with the twins. When there was no sign of his enraged older brother, the three of them slid inside. Ron scowled when he noticed Draco but didn't say anything about it.

"Wonder what's in store for us this year," Hermione mused. "I think it's going to be one very boring, uneventful year."

Oh Harry.

*******

"So, Auror Black, you're telling me that Bellatrix Lestrange escaped from Azkaban last night? That she successfully got past the dementors, a dozen aurors without either of them noticing a single thing?" Sirius resisted the urge to sock the minister in the face.

He must have answered this question at least thrice. "Yes, Fudge. That's exactly what I'm telling you." He shared a brief glance with Amelia Bones, head of the DMLE. She was also getting equally frustrated by the minister's idiocy. It seemed as though the two of them were the only sensible ones in the room.