Okay, okay. I am SO sorry I haven't updated, and even after all the wonderful feedback! I have some good accuses though, just to name a few, school, work, ER, sickness, and finally my own laziness. So I hope you like this chapter!

Harry

Dumbledore was acting strange. He was slightly fidgety, which was definitely not like him. As he walked he seemed to be careful, as always, but for some reason today it was just weird.

"Until we meet again," Dombledore said to the Dursleys, worry etching into his usually passive face.

"Bye," I said, more than a little bit of disgust leaving my voice.

"We do not want to be encumbered by these just now," he said, pulling out his great wand. "I
shall send them to the Burrow to await us there. However, I would like you to bring your Invisibility Cloak… just in case."

I gave Dumbledore my trunk carefully, holding on to my invisibility cloak. Dumbledore waved his wand and the trunk, cage, and Hedwig, my beautiful owl, vanished.

"And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure."

I smiled at his dreamy words. He may have been acting strange, but he always knew what to say.

XxXxXx

You have not, of course, passed your Apparition Test," Dumbledore said.

"No," I replied. "I thought you had to be seventeen?"

"You do," said Dumbledore. "So you will need to hold on to my arm very tightly. My left, if you
don't mind — as you have noticed, my wand arm is a little fragile at the moment."

I took his right arm.

"Very good," said Dumbledore, warily. "Well, here we go."

Everything went black, and I felt my body compressing on in itself. I kept thinking, I'm dying. Oh god, I'm going to die. And then I was in a village square with no one in it, trying to catch my breath. That was the first time that I Apparated; not the best experience I'd ever had, with my sixteen-year-old self.

XxXxXx

"Wuzzgoinon?"

"We didn't know you were here already!" said an excited voice, as I got hit on the head.

"Ron, don't hit him!" said a girl's voice that I knew very well.

I put my glasses on. I blinked for a moment, and Ron Weasley came into view, grinning at me.

"All right?" he said.
I smiled and rubbed my head. "Never been better. You?"

"Not bad," said Ron, sitting on his box. "When did you get here? Mum's only just told us!"

"About one o'clock this morning."

"Were the Muggles all right? Did they treat you okay?" Ron asked, worried.

"Same as usual," I said as Hermione sat on the edge of my bed. "They didn't
talk to me much, but I like it better that way. How're you, Hermione?"

"Oh, I'm fine," said Hermione, trying to find some grief in my eyes.

I did want to talk about it. "What's the time? Have I missed breakfast?"

"Don't worry about that, Mum's bringing you up a tray; she reckons you look underfed," said
Ron, rolling his eyes. "So, what's been going on?"

"Nothing much, I've just been stuck at my aunt and uncle's, haven't I?"

"Come off it!" said Ron. "You've been off with Dumbledore!"

"It wasn't that exciting. He just wanted me to help him persuade this old teacher to come out of
retirement. His name's Horace Slughorn."

"Oh," said Ron. He looked a little downcast at the news. "We thought…"

Hermione flashed a warning look at Ron. He stiffened.

"…we thought it'd be something like that."

"You did?" said I said, trying to hold back my laugh.

"Yeah…yeah, now Umbridge has left, obviously we need a new Defense Against the Dark Arts
teacher, don't we? So, er, what's he like?"

"He looks a bit like a walrus, and he used to be Head of Slytherin," I said, holding in my grin. "Something wrong, Hermione?"

She watched me as if she expected me to sprout a second head.

"No, of course not! So, um, did Slughorn seem like he'll be a good teacher?" She caught herself just in time.

"Dunno," I said, shrugging. "He can't be worse than Umbridge, can he?"

"I know someone who's worse than Umbridge," said a voice behind me. Ginny. "Hi, Harry."

"What's up with you?" Ron asked, face pulled a little.

"It's her," said Ginny, sitting on my bed. "She's driving me mad."

"What's she done now?" asked Hermione sympathetically.

"It's the way she talks to me…you'd think I was about three!"Ginny exclaimed.

"I know," said Hermione, becoming quieter. Oh no. Gossip. "She's so full-."

"Ronald, Fred, George please bring the others down!" a motherly voice rang.

"Why mum?!" a voice I recognized as one of the two twins yelled from across the hall.

"Because I'm your mother, Fred!" Mrs. Weasley yelled back up to us.

So we all walked down the black staircase, not knowing what to expect. When we got down we saw tree teenagers. Two seemed to be the same age, a boy and a girl, while the other seemed to be a tad younger.

As I saw their faces I stopped. There stood my cousin. Perseus Jackson.

I faintly heard him whisper something as I stood frozen like I was petrified.

Then came Ron's voice. "Who the bloody hell are these guys?"

There's my second chapter. I know it really just was the same thing as Percy's, but I felt as thought it needed to be added.

Please try to follow, favorite, or review! I'm so thankful for all the good comments and stuff for my last chapter! Soooooo THANK YOU!

Thanks for taking time out of your surely busy schedule and reading this (I feel so official writing that),

Lovetheday