The boys changed quickly and waited in their compartment to arrive on the Hogwarts platform. Both of them said nothing about what they had seen, yet kept up their conversation about being back at Hogwarts.
"I'm sure I'm going to regret this the second we have Potions…but I'm quite glad to be back." Harry said, though his idle chitchat was very false, even if he meant what he was saying.
"Or Divination." Ron rolled his eyes, pretending only a little better than Harry had.
Once the train had stopped, the two of them left the train and headed towards the carriages that would take them to the main site of Hogwarts so they could go to the Housing Ceremony for the First Year's on their returning night. Harry and Ron got a carriage with Luna and asked her how her summer had been, what she thought the new First Year's would be thinking, whether anyone new was starting. Apparently, for the first time since they had begun their education at Hogwarts, no one had.
Well, that stumped Ron for explaining what they had seen. He sighed and sat back, no longer taking part in the conversation between Harry and Luna until he was asked a direct question.
"Where's Lavender?" Luna asked in her soft voice, smiling genuinely.
"She's coming with her father tomorrow, she had a wedding today and couldn't come." Ron answered.
"That's a wonderful, joyous occasion. Who did she get married to? I thought you were together…"
Words failed Harry, and so, he laughed out loud and explained exactly what Ron had meant. They laughed together and Luna didn't even look embarrassed – her upbringing in the middle of nowhere with her father meant that she learnt very little slang, even in the Wizarding world, and expected everything to be phrased like it was by her father, or in books, which explained why she was the way she was. Ron's spirits were lifted and his mind was taken off of Hermione for the duration of their trip to the Great Hall.
"Students, old and new…I welcome you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Dumbledore said with a smile, lifting his arms to draw attention to the enchanted ceiling in the Great Hall to display something new for the year, as he always did. Of course, it would change considering what time of year it was but it was nice to see all the different things he could do with one simple enchantment. "Now, for the sorting ceremony…"
The Sorting Hat Ceremony was quick and simple, there were no complications or arguments like when Harry was placed and he smiled to himself at the thought. Once all of the First Years were placed where they needed to be, Dumbledore made his way to the podium once again and called for everyone's attention.
"Thank you." He muttered, opening a large, dusty book and rearranging his glasses on the tip of his rose. The hall was silent in respect for the old Wizard. "Now, for the new Prefects of every House. You may not be aware who they are and I would like to introduce them to the younger students." He said, offering his hand out to the Hufflepuff table and calling out two names. They both stood up and walked to the front; the same with Ravenclaw.
"Hermione…" Ron began to say but was cut off by his attention flicking to her name being called.
"Hermione Granger and Seamus Finnigan for Gryffindor." Dumbledore said.
The room fell silent as they stood and walked to the front; even the Slytherin's watched Hermione in astonishment. She walked with an heir of confidence and 'don't try anything' no one had seen in her before. Harry swore he could see a few gaping jaws. Dumbledore, however, didn't react and called the Slytherin prefects out.
"Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy for Slytherin."
Draco was his usual arrogant self, seemingly unaffected by Hermione's appearance. Pansy, however, was still gaping as she walked up, staring at the Gryffindor girl.
The usual ceremony continued and Dumbledore dismissed the prefects to take the first years' to their rooms for the night, since it was their curfew, the younger years would follow along shortly. Ron and Harry's year, since they were the eldest, were allowed to roam the grounds and school until ten on weeknights and midnight on weekends, so they stayed in the Great Hall and conversed with the people they hadn't seen over the summer months.
Immediately they were barraged with questions that even they didn't know the answer to. In fact, half of them they were asking themselves still.
"Was that Granger?"
"What happened to her?"
"She's hot!"
"Is this because of Ron and Lavender?"
"Is she single?"
