Chapter 2 Harry
The rest of the train ride was fairly quiet between the four of us. Personally, my mind was too busy spinning with the prospect of a "boring" year. What would it be like? The only year I'd ever had at Hogwarts that was even remotely boring was first year. And even then, we fought a troll, dodged a three-headed dog, escaped Devil's Snare, and played on the world's most dangerous chess board. The usual.
So, what did boring even mean at Hogwarts? What was it like to not fear for your life, even once, throughout the year? Would I be able to just worry about my studies and play Quidditch? I'd missed being Quidditch Captain and looked forward to returning to the position.
I was jerked from my thoughts as the train finally halted. I looked to the others, "Here goes." And with that, I led us from the train.
Ginny crept up to my side and slipped her hand in mine, I accepted it graciously, as I was terrified to see everything- the castle, Hogsmeade, the station, all of it. It was all damage I had caused.
But when we reached the ground and looked around, there were no signs of previous battles, the station looked the same as it always had. I breathed a sigh of relief and the four of us started towards a nearby carriage.
As I began to climb in, I noticed the others frozen, staring at the thestral pulling the carriage. I thought nothing of it, until I realized why they were so shocked- they had never seen a thestral before.
"I told you they were real."
Hermione was the first to come out of the stupor, "We never said we didn't believe you Harry. We may have just, um, believed you were exaggerating slightly."
I chuckled to myself and scooted over to make room. Ginny followed Hermione, and then Ron. They each climbed into the carriage and continued to stare at the thestral. I couldn't help but frown.
Ginny leaned forward and whispered softly, "It's not your fault Harry. It was Voldemort."
I nodded slowly and fixed my eyes on the sky. The stars were beautiful. They shined and twinkled, almost seeming to wink at us as our carriage neared the castle.
We arrived at the castle and I couldn't help the familiar smile that crept upon my face. Hogwarts hadn't changed at all. There wasn't a battle scar in sight. The torches lining the walkways danced in the wind and the trees seemed to whisper of our coming. We were home. The same home as it had always been. Ginny took my hand and smiled at me as we started for the castle, followed by Ron and Hermione.
The group entered the Great Hall and I couldn't help the pang of sadness I felt at seeing Professor McGonagall at the head of the room as opposed to Professor Dumbledore. In the year we had been on the run, I nearly forgot about Professor Dumbledore being gone. I knew he was, but it always seemed to slip my mind. But being in Hogwarts, it was just so odd not to see him.
We found our seats at the Gryffindor table and I began to look around for familiar faces. I instantly spotted Luna with her bright blonde hair bobbing around in her seat. She seemed to notice my eyes on her and waved profusely. I chuckled and waved back. Ginny noticed Neville entering the hall and waved for him to sit with us.
He smiled brightly and took a seat across from us. "Hello everyone. Did you all have a happy Summer?" We nodded and he added, "It's so odd to be back isn't it? What do you suppose we should expect this year?"
Hermione answered that question before any of us could ruin her chance, "We can expect to study hard and take our N.E.W.T exams at the end of the term. Followed by each of us going forward into our careers."
Ron stared at Hermione, his mouth nearly agape, "Can we not just have a year of fun Hermione? Maybe some of us don't desire to score outstandingly on the N.E. . Some of us just aim to pass them."
Ginny rolled her eyes, "Ron, the title is Nastily Exhausting Wizard Test for a reason. Meaning you're not going to pass if you just have a year of fun." He rolled his eyes and began to grumble under his breath.
Each of the tables finally filled and students quit filing through the large gold doors. It was time for the Sorting Ceremony to begin.
The first years filed into the room, led, unsurprisingly, by a Professor Flitwick. Well, it was unsurprising that he was the new Deputy Headmaster. It was, however, surprising that his short legs could carry him fast enough to stay ahead of the eleven year olds.
Their eyes were wide as they stared around the room, a feeling I remembered all too well- the wonder and amazement of seeing Hogwarts for the first time. The Muggleborns were even more amazed than the rest, having never seen magic on such a large scale before. There were no Hermione's among the group. Nobody being too busy explaining the magic behind the ceiling to be amazed. They were all amazed.
The small crowd, only three quarters the size of a usual class, stopped in front of the Sorting Hat. Professor Flitwick addressed them with the speech that I had always associated with Professor McGonagall. I suppose it was a traditional speech, not just hers.
First years began being called to the stool, followed by the Sorting Hat being placed on their heads to shout out their house. With each shout, the room erupted into cheers from the table whose name was presented to the small first year.
Each child was sorted and slowly, cautiously, made their way to their table. Most likely, they were terrified about sitting beside the wrong people, I know I had been.
Professor McGonagall finally rose and presented the welcome back speech to the school. And, as usual, the older students were more interested when the feast appeared than when she had spoken.
We all began filling our plates, reaching over and under each other's arms to get to the best food. Ginny nearly flung her spoon full of pudding at her brother when he barely missed hitting her with a turkey leg.
We were home at last, surrounded by the people we loved and even those we hated, but it was home. And it was happy.
As many of the students finished their plated and stopped reaching for food, Professor McGonagall rose from her seat again, "I should wish to present some unusual announcements to the school, particularly our students presiding in Hogwarts for their last year."
"I shall begin with the fact that when I say students in their last year at Hogwarts, I mean both seventh and this year's special circumstance eighth year students. Even if you have technically undergone seven years at Hogwarts, this will be considered your seventh year. So you are now one class.
"Now for the main announcement to you all. The Ministry of Magic has devised a new wizarding competition. They have not yet released the details, only that names shall be drawn from a magic goblet, quite similar to that of the Goblet of Fire. Each seventh year student's name shall be entered once. Although each student has the ability to enter their name one additional time for each year they have spent at Hogwarts. This does include our dark year this past term. The Minister has chosen not to disclose the details of the tournament to me, other than the fact that each house will have three men and three women selected to participate. Along with the fact that the winner of this challenge shall receive untold wealth and fame."
There was a collective gasp throughout the room. McGonagall continued, "There shall be a goblet placed here tomorrow for eligible students to place their additional entries in. And, before any students think to try any funny business, allow me to add that there shall be an age line surrounding the goblet. And the goblet will also be enchanted to know how many years a student has attended Hogwarts as well."
There were grumbles of irritation around the room and continued thumps as people dropped their heads and or fists onto the tables. Many of them had just had their plans thwarted.
"You are now dismissed to your common rooms for the remainder of the night. And an additional note to our seventh years- you have until tomorrow evening to insert your names in the goblet. And they will be drawn at dinner tomorrow."
I couldn't shake the feeling that she was looking at me, and not the Gryffindor table as a whole.
