"I still don't see why we should be forced to teach an unwilling student." Snape complained. "The ones who actually want to be here cause more than enough problems. Mark my words, Dumbledore, whatever meddling you are planning on, it will blow up in your face."
"Have you suddenly become a seer, Severus?" Dumbledore asked, before his expression became serious once more. "I am willing to take that risk and I am asking you all to take it with me. I, for one, will not allow the anger he is carrying around to fester within him and warp him into something evil, the way anger turned another promising young wizard named Tom Riddle into Voldemort. We have a lot to make up to Mr. Potter for, not the least of which was our lack of faith in him last year, which led to his unjust incarceration."
Everyone had fallen silent at the mention of the Dark Lord's name and some of the teacher's flinched.
"So Potter is going to be given even more special treatment." Snape looked disgusted.
"No Severus he will not." The Headmaster countered. "He will be treated like any other student."
"You however might try seeing Harry as a person instead of as James Potter, Severus." Professor McGonagall put in. "It might help if you think of him as Lily's son instead of James'."
"I will treat Mr. Potter as he deserves to be treated." Snape declared loftily.
..... .....
Shortly after the train pulled out of the station, a steady stream of people began coming by the compartment Harry was sitting in. He managed to stop most of them from trying to come in, by giving them an icy stare worthy of Severus Snape. The only one it hadn't worked on was Luna Lovegood. She had just met his stare with one of her own and then sat down in the seat opposite him and began to read her copy of the Quibbler. He didn't bother to try and force her to leave partly because she had been Neville's girlfriend and partly because she wasn't trying to talk to him.
It had been an hour since the door last opened, but when it slid open again, Harry readied his icy stare to get rid of the intruder. It turned out to be a pair of them this time: Granger and the Weasel's kid sister who was standing slightly behind Granger wearing a cap pulled low over her forehead. Granger was already dressed in her school robes and he saw she wearing the Head Girl badge. No real surprise there, she been acting like she had it ever since first year. However that badge and those robes clashed with her pale thin face and the red-rimmed eyes.
Arrogant know-it-all, Harry thought to himself, just as bad as Percy. Always thinking she's right and that those in authority are never wrong. At least not til her face is rubbed in it.
When the pair remained standing in the doorway, despite the fact that his expression was clearly telling them they were not welcome, Harry began to wonder just what the traitorous Weasel was hiding under that hat. Giving into his curiosity, Harry waved his hand in the direction of the hat, knocking it off her head and smiled when he saw written in neon pink letters the words: 'I AM AN IDIOT!' So she was one of the ones who had sent him a letter or package.
As he watched the colour of the lettering changed one letter at a time from pink to orange as the girl's face grew beet red. He didn't remember adding a colour changing charm that was tied to a person's emotional state to the spell on the returned letters, but that didn't matter. He was quite pleased with the effect. Especially how quickly the colours changed as Miss Weasley started looking around for her hat.
"Were you wanting something?" Harry asked sarcastically, when they still made no move to leave.
"I… uh…" Ginny began before stammering to a stop and then trying again. "I… um…"
"Oh that was really intelligent of you." Harry sneered. "Is it actually possible for you to finish a whole sentence, or are you so narcissistic that the only word you can say is 'I'?"
If it were possible, the girl's face grew even redder.
Seeing that Ginny was too upset and nervous to say anything, Hermione spoke on her behalf. "We came to get you to remove the hex you put on Ginny."
"Sticking your nose into other people's business again, Granger?" Harry's voice was now filled with venom. "What's the matter? Couldn't a know-it-all like you remove the spell? I thought you knew everything. At least that's what you've had us believing. Nice to know it's not true."
Hermione's face flushed as she looked down at the floor of the compartment.
"The spell stays." Harry told them. "It's quite useful really. It lets people know right up front she's an idiot without having to figure it out for themselves, quite a time saver really. Now if that's all, why don't you just go on about your Head Girl business and take the traitorous idiot with you."
As the two girls left, Luna spoke up for the first time. "Nice spell. I liked the way you got the words to change colours depending on the person's emotional state."
Surprised by the comments, Harry said, "I take it they aren't two of your favourite people."
"Not anymore." Luna looked up from the Quibbler. "They are idiots. Anyone with brains should have known that you didn't kill Neville. Nor would you have joined the Dark Lord, no matter what he promised you. That would have betrayed your parents and your godfather who all died trying to protect you. I may not be a Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, but I can recognise an honourable person when I see one. I tried to speak up for you that day and wanted to speak up for you at your trial, but no one wanted to listen to Looney Luna."
Harry could see that she was telling the truth. "Thank you. I think you and Remus were the only two who didn't believe I killed Neville."
Luna nodded and returned to her reading.
..... .....
The next interruption was one that Harry had been expecting. It just wouldn't be a trip to or from Hogwarts without Malfoy intruding.
Malfoy burst in with Crabbe and Goyle behind him, wand drawn and his mouth open ready to utter his curse, but Harry froze them in place with a single thought. He had left Malfoy's head free to move around. He was interested in hearing the threats and posturing the little ferret had come up with this year, especially given that he couldn't threaten Harry with Voldemort or his father.
"Well, if it isn't Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret." Harry commented as he removed the wand from the blond's frozen hand. "What did you think you were going to do to me?"
"Let me go, Potter." Malfoy growled.
"Now why would I want to do that," Harry inquired. "You come in here intending to try and harm me, possibly even kill me, so what makes you think I would want to give you another shot?"
"You're going to pay Potter, for what you did." Malfoy spat out.
"Comments like that are definitely not going to encourage me to release you." Harry pointed out. "I wonder what Moldyshorts and your idiot father would have made of your current predicament? I thought Slytherin's were supposed to be cunning, but you're acting more like a Gryffindor than a Slytherin."
Malfoy's face reddened at the insult.
.....
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