Easier Than Trying - A Harry Potter (Drarry) Fanfic

Chapter 1 - The Hogwarts Express

Harry walks along the Hogwarts Express, watching as fellow students - some familiar, some not - say goodbye to their family and say hello to their friends.

With a sigh, Harry - with extreme difficulty - goes to the last compartment.

Before he steps inside, he notices a man there, asleep.

A professor..? No, it couldn't be.. But why would there be an adult on the train?

Harry sighed and stepped inside, silently deciding to sit beside the man, knowing Ron and Hermione would want to sit together.

After what seemed like hours of struggling, he manages to get his trunk and owl cage inside and at the designated spot, sitting down.

A few minutes later, the compartment door opens to reveal Hermione and Ron arguing as always.

Hermione rolls her eyes before shoving her trunk up on the designated spot, sitting down across from Harry, and Ron does the same, sitting beside her.

"Who's that?" Ron asks, looking at the strange man.

"Professor R. J. Lupin." Hermione responds quietly. "How do you know that?" He turned to Harry. "How is it that she always knows everything?"

She sighs, pointing to the suitcase beside Harry's trunk. "It's on his suitcase, Ronald."

"Hi Harry." Hermione says gently with a smile as she turns to him, and Harry gives a weak one in return.

He was glad he was wearing a baggy jacket - Hermione might have commented on his weight if he hadn't been. She was painfully observant, and he didn't want to have to explain to the two of them why he was so deathly thin.

"How was your summer? We were getting worried. You never returned any of our owls." Ron says, watching Harry with concern.

"Ah.." Harry looked out the window, watching as parents waved at the kids, saying their last goodbyes, as the children promise to send them an owl once they got to the school.

"Sorry, I... I didn't get them." Harry mumbles. He hated to lie to them, but what was he supposed to do? He couldn't tell them what was really going on. Especially not with how overprotective both Hermione and Mrs.Weasley are. They'd definitely make a scene.

"Of course.. It wouldn't be the first time Pig failed to deliver a letter.." Ron sighed in annoyance.

Harry gave him a weak smile in return.

He had, in fact, gotten the letters. He just simply couldn't send any back. He couldn't bring himself to lie to them over post, saying everything was fine. Because everything wasn't fine. It was far from it.

"What about yours?" He asked them, unaware of how hoarse his voice really was. "Anything interesting happen?"

Hermione shook her head a bit. "My mum and dad went to Paris again this summer, but I didn't want to come with them. There's only so many times you can go to a part of the world before getting bored of it. I stayed home and the neighbor looked after me."

"Charlie visited - even brought me a pair of dragonhide gloves." Ron dug through his chest, pulling out the of nice gloves, jet black with faded red spots now and then and practically shimmering under the light of the compartment. "Cool, aren't they? They're supposed to be real expensive, but Charlie got them cheap since he works there at the dragon reserve."

They spent over half the ride talking about anything Harry could think of. Quidditch, the feast, Ron's gloves, and finally..

"Harry, did you do your homework for over the summer?"