Dreams Are Falling Short

Mrs Weasley had thrown Ron and Hermione a party in the kitchen of number twelve, Grimmauld place. It was the first of September, and Mrs Weasley was now complaining that we were going to miss the train to Hogwarts.

“It’ll be fine,” said George, as he pointed his wand at his trunk.

Both the twins bewitched their things to fly downstairs to save the bother of carrying them, with the result that they had hurtled straight into me, and knocked me down two flights of stairs into the hall; Mrs Black and Mrs Weasley were both screaming at the top of their voices.

“ – COULD HAVE DONE HER A SERIOUS INJURY, YOU IDIOTS –“

“ – FILTHY HALF-BREEDS, DESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS –“

Despite the handful of bruises and scrapes I got from the fall, I couldn’t help but laugh at the twins’ stupidity and clumsiness. They both had to go upstairs again to grab my trunk, since I was too small to carry it down all the stairs myself. Calandra was already safely placed in her cage in the hallway, and didn’t suffer any injuries from my tumble.

“WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!” Molly bellowed.

Nobody bothered to close the curtains over Mrs Black’s portrait, which was still howling with rage, because we were just going to rouse her again anyway.

“Harry, you’re to come with me, Corey and Tonks,” shouted Mrs Weasley - over the repeated screeches of “MUDBOODS! SCUM! CREATURES OF DIRT!” – “Leave your trunk and your owl, Alastor’s going to deal with the luggage... oh, for heaven’s sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!”
A bear-like black dog had appeared at Harry’s side as he was clambering over the various trunks cluttering the hall to get to Mrs Weasley and I.

“Oh honestly...” said Mrs Weasley despairingly. “Well, on your own head be it!”

She wrenched open the front door and stepped out into the weak September sunlight; Harry, the dog and I following her. The door slammed behind us and Mrs Black’s screeches were cut off instantly.

“Where’s Tonks?” I asked, looking around as we went down the stone steps of number twelve, which vanished the moment we reached the pavement.

“She’s waiting for us just up here,” said Mrs Weasley stiffly, averting her eyes from the lolloping black dog beside Harry and I.

An old woman greeted us on the corner. She had tightly curled grey hair and wore a purple hat shaped like a pork pie.

“Wotcher, Harry,” she said, winking. “Better hurry up, hadn’t we, Molly?” she added, checking her watch.

“I know, I know,” moaned Mrs Weasley, lengthening her stride, “but Mad-Eye wanted to wait for Sturgis... if only Arthur could have got us cars from the Ministry again... but Fudge won’t let him borrow so much as an empty ink bottle these days... how Muggles can stand travelling without magic...”

But the great black dog gave a joyful bark and gambolled around us, snapping at pigeons and chasing its own tail. I couldn’t help laughing. Sirius had been trapped inside for a very long time. Mrs Weasley pursed her lips.

It took us twenty minutes to reach King’s Cross on foot and nothing more eventful happened during that time than Sirius scaring a couple of cats for Harry and I’s entertainment. Once inside the station we lingered casually beside the barrier between platforms nine and then until the coast was clear, then each of us leaned against it in turn and fell easily through on to platform nine and three-quarters, where the Hogwarts Express stood belching sooty steam over a platform packed with departing students and their families. I inhaled the familiar smell and felt my spirits soar.

“I hope the others make it in time,” said Mrs Weasley anxiously, staring behind her at the wrought-iron arch spanning the platform, through which new arrivals would come.

“Nice dog, Harry!” called a tall boy with dreadlocks.

“Thanks, Lee,” said Harry, grinning, as Sirius wagged his tail frantically.

“Oh good,” said Mrs Weasley, sounding relieved, “here’s Alastor with the luggage, look...”

A porter’s cap pulled low over his mismatched eyes, Moody came limping through the archway pushing a trolley loaded with our trunks.

“All OK,” he muttered to Mrs Weasley and Tonks, “don’t think we were followed...”

Seconds later, Mr Weasley emerged on to the platform with Ron and Hermione. We had almost unloaded Moody’s luggage trolley when Fred, George and Ginny turned up with Lupin.

“No trouble?” growled Moody.

“Nothing,” said Lupin.

“I’ll still be reporting Sturgis to Dumbledore,” said Moody, “that’s the second time he’s not turned up in a week. Getting as unreliable as Mundungus.”

“Well, look after yourselves,” said Lupin, shaking hands all round. He reached Harry last and gave him a clap on the shoulder. “You too, Harry. Be careful.”

“Yeah, keep your head down and your eyes peeled,” said Moody, shaking Harry’s hand too. “And don’t forget all of you – careful what you put in writing. If in doubt, don’t put it in a letter at all.”

“It’s been great meeting you all,” said Tonks, hugging Hermione, Ginny and I. “We’ll see you soon, I expect.”

A warning whistle sounded; the students still on the platform stared hurrying on to the train.

“Quick, quick,” said Molly distractedly, hugging us at random and catching me twice. “Write... be good... if you’ve forgotten anything we’ll send it on... on to the train, now, hurry...”

“See you!” I called out of the open window as the train began to move, while Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Harry waved beside me. The figures of Tonks, Lupin, Moody and Mr and Mrs Weasley shrank rapidly but the black dog bounded alongside the window, wagging its tail; blurred people on the platform were laughing to see it chasing the train, then we rounded a bend and Sirius was gone.”

“He shouldn’t have come with us,” said Hermione in a worried voice.

“Oh, lighten up,” said Ron, “he hasn’t seen daylight for months, poor bloke.”

“Well,” said Fred, clapping his hands together, “can’t stand around chatting all day, we’ve got business to discuss with Lee. See you later.”

“Don’t flatter yourselves too much, I’m sure they don’t want to talk to you that much,” I retorted, but followed them down the corridor to the right anyway. “I’ll find you guys later,” I called over my shoulder.

-

“Wake up,” George said, as I stirred out of my sleep. “We’re going to be there soon.”

My eyes snapped open, and I sat bolt upright. Lee, George and Fred all laughed at me as I basically crawled over Fred to get to press my face against the window; it was a moonless night and rain-streaked the glass.

“I was going to meet Harry and stuff this afternoon,” I sighed in disappointment.

“Go now, we’ll take Calandra,” Lee said helpfully.

“Thanks,” I said, rushing out the door and running down the train’s corridor, looking into every compartment as I went. Everyone was already starting to leave their compartments, and I found Harry with Neville, Ginny and a Ravenclaw girl, whom I didn’t know. She had straggly, waist-length, dirty blonde hair, very pale eyebrows and protuberant eye that gave her a permanently surprised look.

“Hey guys,” I panted when I reached them. “Sorry I didn’t come earlier; I fell asleep.”

“That’s alright,” Harry said with a faint smile.

Slowly, we moved towards the doors. I could smell the pine trees that lined the path down to the lake. I stepped down on to the platform and looked around, listening for familiar call of “firs’-years over ‘ere... firs’-years...”

But it didn’t come. Instead, a quite different voice, a brisk female one, was calling out, “First-years line up over here, please! All first-years to me!”

A lantern came swinging towards us and by its light I saw the prominent chin and severe haircut of Grubbly-Plank, the witch who had taken over Hagrid’s Care of Magical Creatures lessons for a while the previous year.

“Where’s Hagrid?” I heard Harry ask.

“I don’t know,” I said, “but we’d better get out of the way, we’re blocking the door.”

“Oh, yeah...”

I lost everyone as I moved off along the platform and out through the station. I allowed myself to be shunted forwards on the dark rain-washed road outside Hogsmeade Station. Here stood the hundred or so horseless stagecoaches that always took the students above first year up to the castle.

“Samuels,” I heard Malfoy’s foul drawl beside me.

“Malfoy,” I nodded curtly.

“Would you like to join me in my carriage,” he said, in a tone which implied that I really didn’t have a choice.

“I’d rather not, actually,” I said, moving away from him.

“I think you do, Samuels,” Draco said, grabbing my arm with more strength than I thought he was capable of. “Follow me, or I’ll jinx the Weasels,” he nodded towards the two tall figures who’s flaming hair stood out clearly, even in the darkness of the night.

I let out a sigh of defeat, slumping my shoulders but pulling my arm away from the Slytherin. He led me over to Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy, and I walked beside Malfoy as he pushed some timid-looking second-years out of the way so that we could get a coach to ourselves.

“Draco, why is she here?” Pansy said, touching his arm affectionately.

“Shut up,” Malfoy said, shrugging her off.

“What am I doing here, Malfoy,” I hissed, crossing my arms across my arms and I stared at him.
“Well, if you really must know, my father has insisted that I get to know you,” Malfoy said, not seeming all too interested, “in light of recent... discoveries.”

“Of course; you live to please your father, don’t you, Draco,” I said, causing his lip to curl slightly. “Also, what ‘recent discovery’ would that be?”

“You have to wait and find out yourself,” Malfoy said, though he narrowed his eyes.

“Does it, by chance, have anything to do with what Snape said last year?” I inquired, surprising myself with how polite I was being.

“That we were family?” I nodded. “Naturally.”

“Excellent, bloody excellent,” I muttered.

I stayed quite the rest of the time, ignoring the conversation that quickly picked up between the four Slytherins. Rattling and swaying, the carriages moved in convoy up the road. When we passed between the tall stone pillars topped with winged boars on either side of the gates to the school grounds, I sat and watched Hogwarts Castle, looming ever closer; a towering mass of turrets, jet black against the dark sky, here and there a window blazing fiery bright above us.

The carriages jingled to a halt near the stone steps leading up to the oak front doors and I quickly jumped out, wanting to put as much distance between me and them as possible. I just wanted to think at the moment; to figure out how I could possibly be related to the Malfoys. Maybe I was a distant cousin... but then why would Lucius care so much about me?

“Corey!” Hermione called behind me, when I was halfway up the steps. I stopped and waited for them all to catch up.

“Why did you get into Malfoy’s coach?” Ron said instantly.

“Because of reasons,” I said, not bothering to look at him.

“But –“

“Just drop it okay?” I snapped, storming off into the Entrance Hall.