Chapter4

The great hall was glowing with small candles floating over the tables, the trio took seats at their table and Lupin and Sirius continued up to the staff table where the teachers were waiting for the students.

"Harry, listen, lets put some fireworks over at the Slytherin table! You know, the ones that form a picture." Ron whispered, Harry dug through a hidden pocket until he found two dozen small fireworks.

"Alright, what picture?" He asked, counting out fourteen and putting the rest away again.

"The one with the Gryffindor lion biting the head off the Slytherin snake." Hermione responded, pulling out her wand she tapped each firework and muttered "Picarus Lion killing Serpent." Harry banished them to the Slytherin table and they all turned as the first years were led in. McGonagal placed the sorting hat on its stool and it opened its mouth.

(AN: for lack of skill I'm not writing a song.)

They all clapped and waited for the first years to be sorted.

"It says in the daily prophet that parents are sending their children to Hogwarts instead of private magic schools this year. They believe that Voldemort's back. Two private schools have closed, so the students will be transferring to other schools, maybe we'll get some." Ron whispered excitedly in Harry's ear. Harry nodded, there were a lot more first years then usual. Gryffindor got 15 new students instead of its average 10. Slytherin got 7, Ravenclaw 14, and Hufflepuff 12. Then Dumbledore stood to speak.

"Now we have some new students this year who have transferred to Hogwarts do to their old schools closing. Their parents, believing Hogwarts is the safest school if not building in the country, sent them here, please welcome them kindly. They will be sorted like the first-years are." He and everyone else applauded as over two score of students, 12-17, came in. They were sorted like the first years, again Gryffindor got the most of all the houses.

Gryffindor: Slytherin: Ravenclaw: Hufflepuff:

2nd year: 2 2nd year: 0 2nd year: 2 2nd year: 1

3rd year: 3 3rd year: 2 3rd year: 3 3rd year: 0

4th year: 4 4th year: 0 4th year: 0 4th year: 2

5th year: 5 5th year: 1 5th year: 2 5th year: 2

6th year: 2 6th year: 0 6th year: 3 6th year: 3

7th year: 1 7th year: 2 7th year: 2 7th year: 2

"Now, extra rooms will be added on to those years, genders, and houses that need them. I have a few announcements before we begin, teaching Care of Magical Creatures is Professor Lupin, don't worry about his being a Werewolf, he's taking a potion that makes him harmless. Many parents and students complained about his leaving and in light of Voldemort's return I thought it wise to accept him back. Teaching Defense is Professor Figg." They both stood up and waved to everyone too much applause and Sirius barking loudly. "Ah yes, Professor Lupin's magical dog will be around as well. Now first years and all new students the Forbidden Forest is, of course, forbidden. Quidditch tryouts will be held next Saturday and team captains elected. Due to a small mix up prefects didn't receive their badges this year, they'll be notified by their head of house. Now lets eat!" He sat down and food appeared on the plates.

"Hi, I'm Harry and these are Hermione, Parvarti, Neville, Ron, Seamus, and Dean. Your fellow fifth years." The five new fifth years took their seats, gazing around the hall in wonder.

"Hello then, I'm Tanya." A girl with very long straight brown hair introduced herself and sat down across from Hermione.

"Alexis, nice to meet you all. Does each house have a quidditch team? I'm a Keeper." The short blonde asked.

"Absolutely, and we need a new Keeper, tryouts are in a week." Harry said, happy that they finally had a keeper.

"Cassandra, call me Cass, this dolt is my twin brother Sam." The twins both had brown hair stripped with orange and bowed to the others, their only difference was hair length and eye color. Cassandra's eyes were brown while Sam's were blue.

"Hey, I'm Eldin, din not dim, call me El if you want, I don't care." The tall boy with thick blonde curls said, sitting down on Harry's left.

Harry looked over to Ron and Hermione and winked, they both winked back. He flicked his wand under the table and muttered the trigger charm. Bam! Fourteen sparkling fireworks flew up simultaneously and exploded, forming a picture of the Hogwarts Crest high in the air. There was silence then loud applause.

"Harry! That wasn't the picture we agreed upon!" Hermione said angrily.

"I know, I changed my mind. I don't want to make enemies of the new Slytherins, or any of the old ones. With Voldemort back I'd rather have them as friends." He replied, ignoring many people wincing at the name.

"Hey! You're Harry Potter aren't you?" Eldin said excitedly. Harry bit back a sarcastic reply, being famous sucked.

"Atleast that was my name the last time I checked." He answered, all other conversation with the new pupils had stopped and they were all staring at him.

"Is, is it true that you can talk to snakes? And that he-who-must-not-be- named is back?" Tanya asked in a whisper.

"Yes, I am a Parseltounge, not that I like it mind you. And yes, Voldemort is back, call him by his name will you? There's no harm in saying a name."

"And, you're Hermione, are you two really, well…" Eldin trailed off at Hermione's snort of disgust.

"No, I just happened to get on the bad side of that b**ch Rita Skeeter. We're best friends, but nothing more." She explained, Harry made a mental note to ask what exactly had happened to Rita Skeeter.

Cass had been humming constantly and Ron was getting annoyed.

"Would you stop that?" He finally snapped at her angrily. She calmly picked up a slice of turkey and threw it at him. Ron, Harry, and Hermione, instantly sensing a food fight coming tossed various things back at her. Soon all down the Gryffindor table people were throwing food.

"FOOD FIGHT!" Fred Weasely yelled, and the fight was on. Harry and Ron began coating the Slytherins with whipped cream and jelly while Hermione, Cass, and Tanya joined forces with several Hufflepuffs to pepper the Ravenclaws with fruit. Screams and laughter rang out and soon the entire hall was in chaos, Harry took advantage of the opportunity to enchant and entire chocolate cream pie with watery blue icing to fly straight in Snape's face. The laughter double and the potions master spluttered angrily, Ron clapped Harry on the back and sent a similar pie at Prof. Lupin, hitting him on the side of the head. Ravenclaw started an all out war with Slytherin, copying Harry and Ron by coating them with cheese and ice cream.

"I think we've been a bad influence on the school Ron." Harry said with false meekness.

"Since when have we ever not been a bad influence on it?" Ron asked with mounting delight. Harry laughed and hurled a huge spoonful of mashed potatoes at the headmaster, it got him right between the eyes.

Slytherin was fighting back, but losing as they tried to turn their fight on every house at once. Harry emptied a bowl of fruit salad down Fred's back and lobbed a spoonful of ice-cream at George before enchanting all the food the Slytherins threw at anyone to fly right back at them.

"GET THE TEACHERS!" Harry and Ron bellowed as one, instantly the fight turned on the staff. Harry smashed a cake on McGonagal and someone bounced an orange off Prof. Trelwany while others hit her with a slice of fruitcake and a huge gob of ice-cream. Professor Sprout got splattered with custard and Vector got smashed a treacle tart while Sinastra got a large slice of pumpkin pie in her hair and grapes bounced off her head. Finally Dumbledore managed to fight his way through the food to his feet. Harry conjured up a bowl full of eggs and enchanted it to dump itself on his head. When he'd finally wiped his eyes out he looked straight at Harry. His mouth twitched as he fought not to smile, Harry grinned and emptied a pudding on Prof. Snape.

"I'll never have my robes clean again." Hermione complained as the food spattered students made their way up to Gryffindor.

"That was so much fun! The Marauders are back and causing havoc!" Ron said joyfully, Harry grinned and pointed at the Slytherins headed towards their dungeon.

"Malfoy the pumpkin head!" Malfoy had tons of pumpkin juices, seeds, and junk in his hair. They all laughed at the sight and continued up to bed.