Chapter Nine: The Starting Feast:
Harry stowed his trunk on the train and took a seat, he waved to his mother and Sirius and sat back stroking one of the small Siamese cats that had taken residence in the car. They were not ordinary cats of course, no these were Mischief and Mayhem, otherwise known as Fred and George Weasley. In human form it was nearly impossible to tell them apart unless you looked very closely to see Fred had two Freckles over his right eyebrow where George had one. In cat form George/Mayhem had a kinked tail that Fred/Mischief did not have. They were here to offer extra security, Voldemort had not done much in the way of attacks so far but no one was going to let their guard down. There were Aurors on the train, those who were flying Animagmus followed the train as it started its journey northward.
The train was not the only place heavily protected at this time, Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley and other magical places were well protected. Sirius had rented out refurbished apartments in Grimmauld Square to magical families who were considered blood traitors, the muggleborn and the like. On the train Alastor Moody walked the train scaring many a student with his horribly scarred face, dragonskin robes and mithril armor, carved staff and carved wooden leg. He should be dead but Barty Crouch Jr. had really liked being him that year he had been locked in his own trunk and the minister had thrown him in Azkaban but did not have him kissed at that time (he had to deal with the fall out of Pettigrew being alive) so Crouch had escaped in the breakout the year before and had a few strands of hair from Moody. Bellatrix had not known this when she killed "Moody", it was really nice that she had taken time to torture Crouch, not that Moody was really for torture of course, but Crouch had not been nice to him.
"Ah Mr. Potter looking forward to a new year?" Moody said poking his head into the compartment Harry was cuddled up with Ginny, two cats watching them closely.
"Yes sir, this will be an interesting year." Harry replied. "Still quiet sir?"
"Aye an' I hope it stays this way." Moody replied. "Oh and you two make sure these lot behave."
Moody gave the too innocent looking teens a look and left and the two "cats" took to winding up Crookshanks to the point that it took the four teens quite a time to calm the poor cat down. By that time more friends came and they decided to have a game of exploding Snap. The lunch trolley came and the teens got food and a nice little party began in the compartment for the seventh years. Though they were at war they took this time to really enjoy their time heading to school.
Harry reflected back on the last month, he had gone from being an orphan to having his mother back, Severus Snape had not killed Dumbledore and he was his uncle to boot. The queen supported them and he had given his pledge to her as had many death eaters, Draco Malfoy being one very vocal against the dark lord himself. His mother was head of Slytherin and believing his father dead he had declared a blood feud against the evil dark lord Voldemort. Lily had made it known she stood with Severus and denounced both Voldemort and Dumbledore for how they had treated him. Harry had a lot of support and found many who wanted to stand behind him, though he stated he would rather they stood with him as he was not better than they, he just had a job to do and would do it when the time came.
"So what are you thinking of?" Hermione said looking over at Ron who was deep in thought.
"Aside from growing a beard along my jaw, nothing major, I would keep it trimmed and such, nothing like Dumbledore's for me." Ron said.
"Thought you were thinking of food." Harry said.
"No, I am worried, I mean why of all the people out there did Scrimgeour think I could make plans for the defense that could end up a battle today?" Ron asked, "I am not smart, I know that, why choose me?"
"My mum is right, you are very good with strategy, you don't just think of one plan but four or five backup plans, I see it when you play chess, it's why there are few, if any who can beat you." Harry said.
"Still why me?" Ron said, "what if all those plans I came up with don't work?"
"One will." Luna said looking up from where she was petting Mayhem, "you sell yourself short, you let the Nargles get you."
"I do?" Ron asked.
No-one here thought of Luna as loony anymore, not since they found out that the things she saw and named were normal, just very rare. Nargles were dark energy that attacked a witch or wizard, whackspurts were bursts of tiny energy that fed on magic. It was rare for any to see these and Luna was one of a few who could and it had earned her a lot of grief her first years at Hogwarts, that is until Neville had stood up for her first and introduced her to Harry and the rest as they say was history in a friendship born at that time. Animals that many believed were made up by the Lovegoods were real, extremely rare in most cases or given an old name that was not used in this day and age. Like the Crumpled Horned Snorkrack which was the "common" North American Jackalope, part of its name came from the horns on its head, the last was due to the sound it made.
"Yes you do." Ginny replied, "you don't use all the brains you were given, you may be a prat but you are far from stupid."
"I agree, you are good looking too." Hermione said.
"I agree." Luna added.
"I would not know, I don't swing that way." Harry said, "though I think a certain former now dead headmaster did…"
"He did?" Ron said.
"Yes he did, at least when he was much younger." Luna said, "silly of him really, how can you have a family that way?"
"Agree, it is silly, good thing his brother married, though his family is all in America." Hermione said, "I have seen Aberforth, he is well, okay don't laugh, he is kinda good looking."
"Glad I am not the only one who thinks that way." Ginny said, "headmaster Dumbledore was just old, Aberforth just did not seem so old and well, he is more down to earth."
"What is it with you girls and old men?" Ron grumbled.
"Who was checking out Rita Skeeter?" Hermione shot back.
"Narcissa Malfoy, now there is a hot woman." Harry said smiling a bit then adding rather quickly, "though not as good looking as Ginny here."
The teens were not homophobic, they were like most of the magical world in finding it strange someone would choose not to have a family and "beat for the other team". There were a few in high ranking jobs in the ministry and elsewhere in the magical world who were gay but it was not something they flaunted and as a rule sex was something mostly kept behind closed doors in the magical world. Though some would think this medieval in thinking it was not, witches in particular did not wish to have to deal with "hormonal men constantly in heat" in their work places or other places for that matter.
It was one reason that all magical schools had wards to prevent sex to protect the witches from the young wizards (though teen witches could be as bad as teen wizards in that department). The magical world had even been the first to outlaw sex before the age of consent which was sixteen and marriage before the age of seventeen in the middle ages. This was one of the other reasons the non-magical world had targeted witches, virgins were considered fair game in those days and witches did all they could to protect the innocent. The so called "Christian churches" of the day, far from being Christian they burned and persecuted witches and women so badly that when guns replaced swords and bows and arrows witches had managed to have the magical world withdraw in secrecy, and not for the first time, either. The teens enjoyed the rest of the train ride to school and wondered what this school year would bring for them.
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Severus Snape was nervous, he refused to show that though as he could to show any weakness before the students here. He was clad in new high collared back inner robes of fine wool with silver buttons that matched the silver trim on his black outer robes. He had tied his hair back with a silver clasp with a snake on it and that was all he would do to show his status as the new headmaster. There was no way in Hades he was going to wear bright colors like the old annoyance had before him. The new heads of houses were clad formally in the colors of their houses, Lily in crimson robes trimmed gold, Bertha in dark blue trimmed in bronze, Pomona in robes of yellow trimmed in black and Narcissa in robes of green trimmed in silver. They were at the head table, expanded to its full length along the dais with a full staff of teachers for the first time in a hundred years.
Severus watched as the students filed in and took their places at the student tables, the prefects were seated along the tables, not bunched together at one end as in past times. At least two were near where the first years would be so that they could answer any questions the children had and help them adjust to Hogwarts. Finally, once all but the first years were seated it was time for the sorting. McGonagall led the tiny first years into the hall and had them stand in a row at the top of the great hall. Severus realized, like he did every year how small they looked and mentally thought of all the torments he could put them through mentally to get them to toe the line. A look from Lily got him to arch an eyebrow at her but she was not having it, she knew him too well. Seated near Horace was Percy Weasley on one side and on the other Remus Lupin. Next to Hagrid was Tiberius Ogden, a tall stocky man with long brown hair that was tied back and hung to his waist, a short patch of hair on his chin and golden eyes. He was, like Percy and Remus clad in robes of navy blue while Horace was in velvet robes of dark green trimmed in dark orange.
"Merlin they are tiny." Remus said looking over at Severus as the first years were sorted. "Were we ever so tiny?"
"Oh yes, much smaller in fact." Pomona said, "you were so cute too, Remus and you Severus, so brave, you grew into your looks no doubt."
"I am ugly, my nose is too big, my hair is too greasy and I am too thin."
"No, I like everything about you." Charity Burbage, the tall shapely witch was going to teach not only muggle studies this year but wizard customs as well said, "you are my dark knight, you did save me."
"Well a light would have been lost to the world if I had not." Severus said looking over at the pretty shapely witch clad in robes of blue, her dark blond hair braided and put up, her blue eyes regarding him in a way that pleased him, "you are smart and good and lovely."
"Wow, Slytherin so far is ahead." Lily said, "good for them, house Slytherin is not all that bad."
Severus smiled, Lily had not ever been all that prejudice against any house and really she had never given up on him. Well there was that time in fifth year she refused to speak to him for two horrible weeks but in the end she could not stay away from her best friend. She had made James pay dearly for the prank by the tree, by the time she was done with him, Sirius, Remus and Peter the whole school knew why it was not wise to mess with her. It got Severus a small amount of protection as no-one wanted to mess with him for fear of gaining her wrath. Well that was all but four rather stupid boys, the next year Sirius had tried to feed him to Remus and it was this that finally got James to wake up and actually stop pranking him. They still hexed each other after but never again did James actively try to prank him and looking back Severus knew that it was his actions of nearly killing Severus that got Sirius to break from his family.
Now over twenty years later here he was head of Hogwarts with the most ancient and noble houses of Black, Potter, Longbottom, Diggory and the house of Windsor and the Queen of England supporting and backing him. Not too bad for a poor boy from the mills who had to fight hard to get to where he was now. Once the students were sorted Severus stood up and looked out at all the students here. It hit him then that he was fully in charge of all these children, that he was the one they would look up to for however long he chose to be headmaster. He had a speech prepared and was glad he did, he had a reputation to uphold and he was not going to lose that here. He looked out at the students, his eyes landing on Draco who sat near the first years and looked as if he was helping them. The last year had humbled the boy and he was taking his second chance seriously here. There were reporters here too, and Severus knew that what he said would end up in the papers tomorrow. With that resolve he stood and faced the students who stopped speaking and looked up at their new headmaster.
"I will not speak long as I know most of you are hungry at this time." Severus began, "first I would like to thank all the lovely ladies who have worked hard to bring Hogwarts back to full glory. I am honored to have been chosen of all people to be the headmaster of the greatest magical school on this world. Hogwarts is not the oldest that much is true, however we are the school that has furthered magical knowledge and power far beyond what any nation or school ever has. Our founders, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin and Godric Gryffindor took the knowledge and teachings of Merlin himself and expanded them and taught that knowledge to their students, a tradition that continues today.
"You are the best of the best selected for not only your magical powers but for your knowledge. You come from the best families in all the land, wither they are pureblood halfblood or muggle families. As such we will strive as teachers and heads of houses and I as headmaster to make sure you live up to your potential. It is not going to be easy to become the greatest witches and wizards in the world, you will be driven and worked hard but I promise it will be worth it. You will learn the magic, the etiquette and manners to become the greatest witches and wizards of your age. Those of you who have spent a year or more at Hogwarts will find many changes, in time you will get used to them and will realize that we are bringing Hogwarts to a new age and will show the world what it means to be a part of Hogwarts. With that said enjoy your feast, after you will be taken to your common rooms to be introduced to your heads of houses, thank you."
Severus took a seat and the platters before him and the students filled with food. He piled a steak, a mound of potatoes, vegetables and bread on his plate and began to eat. The only others at the staff table, in relative size that ate as much as him was Remus Lupin and Percy Weasley, Percy could pack away as much food as his brother Ron but did so in a polite and well mannered way. Severus had two plates of food and several desserts before full and content he rose again and bid the students good night and sent the heads of houses down to lead their students to their common rooms. He then went to his office and took a seat at the desk and poured himself a firewhisky. He drank only one, he could not get drunk even though he wanted to, his nerves were raw after all. The first hurtle was over, like it or not he was now officially and fully in charge of Hogwarts and the eight hundred plus students here.
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So I know some people may flame me for the stance that I have put in here on sex and all. Remember this is a medieval world, or advanced society in some things, take your pick. I would think that if there was magic that witches especially would want to protect other women. Guess who would take a disliking to that? Yea the so-called "Christian" men in the middle ages that made Christianity look bad. If they tried what they did in the middle ages today that would lead to their deaths for sure. Many of them were rapists and if someone had a power to keep them from raping they would do anything to stop that person, even declare them "evil" and have them killed.
Now here is an interesting fact, the main reason the Puritans were so uptight about sex and it being evil is the fact it was used for evil in the era they lived in. Rape was common, far more than now, where as one in eight women suffer this kind of abuse today back then it was far worse, one in three would be raped within their lives. So the Puritans, in trying to protect the innocent declared all sex as evil and that sex was only needed to have kids. This was also the reason the early Christian church was so against sex too as in the world they lived in, surprise, surprise sex was a weapon of power and humiliation not love and joy as it should be, if you were a slave in Rome there was an eighty percent chance of being used as sexual plaything and if you did not like it all the better for your master, made it more fun for him or her.
Anyway, just a bit of history, next time someone has a problem with sex don't be upset with them. Try to be understanding, there could be a good reason for it.
Anyway, enough of that, Severus here is going to be a good headmaster, he is what is needed for the school. There are now enough teachers for all the students in the school, the heads of houses now can take care of their students like they should and you can bet the inner-house rivalry is going to become more of a friendly competition as Severus will continue to deliver the "we are Hogwarts" speeches throughout the year.