Sorry for going so long without an update. I have been busy, but here is more of chapter one. Enjoy!

The rest of the train ride went rather smoothly minus the snide remarks from Draco Malfoy and his two goonies. As much as I despised Draco I couldn't help but feel that it was not really his fault. His father was constantly being belittled by the people who's opinions he truly cared about, and in return I believe his father took out his frustrations on him. Still I found it inexcusable the way he constantly referred to Hermione as "The MudBlood", and the way he threw Ron's lower financial status around like a hot potato.

"You know Harry, people might treat you a little differently this year," Hermione said, leaning forward on the seat to whisper it.

"Why do you say that?" Harry asked, coming out of his day dream out the car window.

"Well it's just that I am not sure everyone is quite as willing to believe in what you have to say as we would like them to be."

Harry stared at Hermione as if she had just slapped him in the face. Hermione leaned back in her seat, and took a quick swallow before turning to look at Ron and me for moral support.

"What she means mate is that people are going to be the usual gits that they are," said Ron with a small smile.

"What you both are saying is that I shouldn't get angry at the people who think I belong in a loony bin," replied Harry, keeping a completely straight face.

"No Harry," I said, turning to look at him full on. "What we are trying to say is that people are dense, and sometimes they have to see something with their own two eyes before they can even consider the possibility of it being true. I reckon most are going to whisper about you like they did our second year, but just wait, they will come around."

Harry stared at me for a moment or two before nodding his head, and standing up to get his luggage out of the storage rack above us. Hermione smiled at me appreciatively as we got down our things as well. While Hermione admired my ability to word things exactly how people needed to hear them, I told her the admiration was misplaced. I was at an extreme advantage being able to hear people's thoughts as well as sense their emotions. With Harry I had always been somewhat more in tune to the way he was feelings than anyone else, and because of that I have found over the years the right ways to stand beside him through the difficult times. I knew Hermione and Ron would stand by Harry until their death, just like me, but we all knew that I was the one who could put what we were all feeling into the right words.

"Careful boys, don't want to get too close to Potter. It was already bad enough having to walk past him on the train," came the slimy voice of Draco Malfoy.

Out in the more open space of the woods Harry seemed more willing to make a physical move against Draco. Harry started to make his way towards him when Ron grabbed both of his arms from behind and held him back.

"It's not worth it Harry. A reaction is what he wants," muttered Ron as Malfoy and the goonies speed walked away, chuckling now that they were out of Harry's reach.

Harry shrugged Ron off of him and started to walk towards the carriages. The three of us looked at each other hesitantly before following behind Harry. As we got closer I could see Cho Chang sitting in the back of the cart smiling shyly at Harry as the carriage pulled away. I immediately felt Harry's spirits lift. Try as I might over the years to just see Harry as a friend, it hadn't exactly worked. I had found myself developing a small crush on him at the middle of the second year, and as time has progressed it has only increased. I had nothing against Cho Chang, but at the same time I couldn't but wish that she wasn't interested in Harry at all, but alas that was not the case.

"You should just tell him," whispered Hermione in my ear.

"The day you tell Ron is the day I will tell Harry," I whispered back.

Hermione and I chuckled as her cheeks went red from my remark. It was very obvious that Ron and Hermione should be together, but Ron apparently was a bit slow when it came to seeing the light.

"What is that?" asked Harry as the carriage pulled closer.

"What is what?" asked Ron.

"That thing pulling the carriage," Harry said, stepping closer.

"Harry, the carriage is pulling itself like it always does," said Hermione, starring at him skeptically.

"You're not crazy. I can see it too," came the airy voice of Luna Lovegood from the carriage.

"You can see it?" asked Harry.

"Yes. It's called a thestral."

Luna looked a person who spent most of her time off in the clouds. Her long blonde hair came down in waves, stopping midway down her back. She was extremely pale, and her blue eyes had such a look about them that you wondered whether or not she was both physically and mentally there. Harry and Ron had no idea who she was, but I had seen her around at Hogwarts and found myself chuckling whenever I caught a whiff of her thoughts.

We climbed onto the carriage, Hermione sliding in next to Luna, but still keeping a somewhat safe distance. In light of admiring the eccentric Luna (specifically her dangling beat earrings) we hadn't noticed that Neville Longbottom was sitting on the carriage as well. He was holding a plant that moved every now and then, in a very spastic way, like someone who had the sensation of being jerked awake from a dream of them tripping and almost falling.

Neville was another person who was constantly struggling to live up to another person's expectations, and unfortunately for him I don't think he ever would meet his Grandmother's expectations. However he didn't let that keep him down, and his determination to do his best shone in his somewhat scared looking brown eyes. The rest of the ride was felt with small chat and the occasional strange comment from Luna. I let myself drift, but wished I hadn't when the image of Harry kissing Cho came flashing into my head.