Ever After
Chapter 1: Welcoming Feast
The train arrived at the same time as the previous 6 years. The students filed out with the first years all finding themselves scattered, and the others heading off to their respectable areas. Going to the carriages the second thru 7th years loaded up and headed off for the school. They arrived at the large Castle and filed into their respectable house tables. The first thing anyone did was look up to staff table to find that once more that was a new face. No one knew who she was, nor gave her a second thought. She was obviously the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher. She didn't look much older then the 7th years, but this was none of their concern.
Hermione, Harry, and Ron all looked between each other. "I see we have yet another D.A.D.A. professor," chimed Ron. He was the youngest male Weasley and aside from his younger sister, the last Weasley in Hogwarts. He had the Weasley marks though; red hair, freckles, lanky form, and of course the trouble making gene.
Across the table another voice chimed in, "I hope she is better than Umbridge." The voice was one of Ron's best friends, Harry Potter. Harry's hair was still dark, and uncooperative. His lightning bolt scar still marked his forehead, and his round glasses still perched on his nose. He was not a big fan of the previous Defense professors and hopped that this one would be better. Yet for some reason he highly doubted this.
Both males looked over at Hermione Granger, the third member of the trio, but to their dismay she had not been paying any attention to their conversation. Instead the bushy haired female was gleaming up at the staff table. The two boys coughed as an attempt to catch her attention. Hermione looked back to them and looked between the two. "What? Yeah, great." She hadn't even known what she was saying this two but her attention turned away again.
Before the boys could say anything more another form joined them at the end of the table. The redhead looked from the three friends up to the table, and then back to the group. She had freckles on her face and her head kept low. The males looked over at her as she seated herself. "Hello Ginny," the two male said in unison. Unfortunately nothing much was being said by Hermione. Ginny nodded to the two and then looked up for a moment before her head fell back down to watch her lap.
They sat silently as the sorting began, and up until the feast began. When Dumbledore finished his speech and the feast began the three looked around for any knew faces. Harry looked to the Ravenclaw table, but the face he was looking for was not there. Ginny looked to the Slytherin, her enemy's, for any sign of a new threat, Hermione was looking at the Staff table, and Ron was watching his plate. He looked at the food vanish and then replaced it and finished it off again. The four were interrupted as a well known voice was heard at the table edge. They all looked up, except for Ginny, to see their worst enemy smirking down at them.
Draco Malfoy was standing at the head of the table as he watched the Gryffindor members. "A year of you four," he began "would make any professor leave in a year." His comment was of course based on the new teacher. Draco looked between them and their expressions of dumbfounded-ness before turning away and leaving them. He hadn't changed much, he grew a bit, and his hair was its usual length that went just over his eyes, but he was still pale with white blonde hair, and silver gray eyes.
As the feast came to an end, the tables were dismissed to their dormitories and the Great Hall was cleared. The Ravenclaws all left, followed by the Hufflepuff, then the Gryffindors, and followed out by the Slytherin. As each house went to their towers the corridors were empty except for Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle and Hermione, Harry, Ron, and Ginny. Malfoy had turned away from his bodyguards and Ginny had been walking much farther behind the trio. Neither were watching where they were going until they both hit. Ginny had been watching her feet, and Malfoy had been watching behind him as they went to turn a corner.
Ginny would have fallen back had she not been caught around the waist. "Thank…," she trailed off as she looked up to find who she had hit. Seeing Malfoy she cut herself off and stood back up, trying to seem tough.
"Watch yourself, weasel," spoke the cruel voice of Draco Malfoy. However, there was a lack in the enthusiasm as he let her go quickly and continued to walk hastily away, behind him stood a bewildered Ginny. She watched him with a blank expression as he walked off, thinking to herself. Not even a insult? Nothing but a weak little 'weasel'?