August went by relatively quickly. The day after Diagon Alley, they celebrated Ginny's fifteenth birthday. She had seemed pleased with Harry's present and she had cheekily asked whether the book meant that she was guaranteed a spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Harry had answered with a stoic "no comment" that made them all laugh. Luna had been there, as had all the Weasleys except for Percy. Fleur, Tonks, Remus and Hagrid had also been present. Ginny's gifts included some sort of basic make-up package, which Bill and Fleur had given her. Harry couldn't quite read the look on her face. There was a hint of disapproval, and he thought maybe Ginny just didn't like make-up. She never seemed to wear any, in any case. But when she got a similar package from Fred and George's WonderWitch-line she had seemed happier. She had seemed a bit emotional opening Luna's present, a small painting of the two of them looking at the sunrise from the top of a hill. She laughed fondly at Ron's gift of chocolate frogs.
Two days after he had quite directly asked her why she didn't like Fleur. She had defended herself by saying she thought Fleur was arrogant and snooty but Harry just got the feeling she didn't like Fleur for "taking away" her favourite brother. He tried to tell her that she just hadn't gotten to know Fleur well enough, and he encouraged her to sit down with the French witch and get to know her better. She had not given a definitive answer to whether she would, but Harry had good hope she'd be a bit more open-minded towards Fleur.
The week after Ginny's birthday had been a weird day at the Burrow. First of all, it was Percy's birthday, which meant that Mrs Weasley had looked sad most of the day, while Mr Weasley looked slightly angry. In hushed whispers between Harry, Ron, and Ginny they had come up with some creative insults for the black sheep of the Weasley family. The other reason it had been a weird day was that Ginny had broken her promise to Harry, sort of, by pranking him, probably do as a means to distract everyone from the fact that it was Percy's birthday.
It had started with her suggesting a dip in the pond after they had been playing Quidditch again. They had been playing Quidditch a lot. They had even started drawing up training schedules and discussing possible team members. As Harry had only ever needed to catch the snitch, which didn't involve the same kind of strategy that Chasing or Beating did, Ron and Ginny had given Harry a crash course in Quidditch strategy. As captain, he would have to have a better grasp on chaser and beater tactics. Of course, he had picked up a basic understanding from Angelina and Wood, but he could always improve. After they had cooled off in the pond, Ginny had managed to ensure that Ron was the first to shower, and she was second.
Ginny's prank began when Harry's washed his hair with the shampoo that all the male Weasleys used. First, he had noticed that the shampoo smelled funny but he hadn't thought anything of it. This had proved to be a big mistake as only a minute or so later, he felt something tickling his upper back. He had tried to slap whatever it was away only to find that it had been his hair, which had grown to touch his shoulders in the time it took him to wash it.
Having accepted he'd been pranked, he finished his shower chuckling, but after he had used a towel to try to dry his hair, he'd been bemused to find it had returned to its normal, messy state and length.
Coming into the kitchen, he had found a welcoming committee of Ron, Ginny and the Twins all waiting for him with big grins on their faces. Their smiles slipped off when they saw his hair looked normal. Harry self-consciously scratched the top of his head, they were staring at him after all, messing up his hair even more.
"Well, well, well, brother of mine," George said, shaking his head, "It looks like we have come for a show that won't be happening!"
"Indeed, brother of mine," Fred agreed. "It seems our dear sister still has lots to learn!"
"Now the question remains, who is at fault?" the twins asked at the same time.
As it turned out, Ginny had used an experimental hair growth potion that the Twins were developing to spike the shampoo Harry had used.
She grinned evilly when she reminded Harry she had only promised to not use the items she had made him get, and that this wasn't one of them. As the Twins and Ginny were blaming each other, Ron had asked Harry whether it had worked at all. Harry explained it had, but only for a short time.
When Fred & George wondered how that happened, Ron had turned thoughtful, an expression that had led to immediate jokes from them (Don't pull your face like that, it might get stuck!). Ignoring his older brothers, he had asked one simple question.
"When is the last time you had a haircut?"
Harry had laughed at first, but as he tried to remember the last one, he was shocked to realize it had been more than four years! He remembered how his hair had grown overnight that time Aunt Petunia had given him that horrendous haircut, but this was the complete opposite. The mystery of Harry's hair had not been solved until a couple of days later when Remus returned for the last time that summer.
Apparently, the fact that the Potter-hair had been inherited down the generations was because centuries ago someone cursed the family to always have this unruly, messy mop of hair. Fleamont Potter's invention of Sleekeazy had been a last-ditch effort to do something about it, as it had proven impossible to lift the curse.
According to Remus, the curse kicked in fully somewhere during early puberty, which explained why Harry remembered having haircuts when he was still living at Privet Drive. Remus had also theorized that prior to puberty, the curse probably sped up his hair growth.
That night, Harry had joked to Ron that his newly realized hair-stasis powers might be "the power Voldemort knows not", but Ron hadn't thought the joke was very funny.
The day after had been the last day that Remus was at the Burrow. It was time for him to contact the Werewolf packs, which meant he wouldn't be able to write Harry. They had hugged goodbye, with Remus promising Harry he would be there for the holidays. After he had left Harry had asked Ginny whether she knew if, or what was going on between Remus and Tonks. She'd said she thought Tonks fancied Remus, but she didn't know for sure if that feeling was mutual. Tonks had come around to Burrow a few times, which Harry had interpreted as Mrs Weasley trying to hitch her to Bill but maybe it was about Remus after all. Not his business, anyway, he decided.
Harry and Ron had also begun reading the Animagus books, but a lot of the theory went over their heads. It had become very clear, very quickly that Ginny had been right. It would be very, very difficult to accomplish it. Five days after Ginny's birthday, Harry had summoned Kreacher to ask whether he was done his task.
He had been done for almost two days, but because Harry hadn't specifically told him to come to him when he was done, Kreacher had just returned to Hogwarts. Harry didn't know what he would do about Kreacher. He didn't trust him, and Kreacher didn't like working for him, something he was still vocal about, albeit decreasingly so. At least, Kreacher had managed to make Potter House elf-proof, as Dobby had been unable to go back there. Having discussed it some more with the wary elves, he had decided to not allow Dobby access. While they couldn't outright say anything, Harry understood that the wards Kreacher had set up only allowed house-elves through that were bonded to Harry, in this case only Kreacher. Though Harry suspected Dobby would give up his freedom to bond himself with Harry, Harry didn't want to ask that of the Elf. He could not in good conscience enslave another house-elf. He had been secretary for S.P.E.W. after all, if only in name.
The week before they went back to Hogwarts, Ginny had approached Harry in his position as Quidditch Captain to present her idea for a full Gryffindor reserve team. There were two major advantages to her plan, she explained.
First, as Harry had embodied himself multiple times: you could never be certain all players would be available for all three matches, so it made sense to have a trained backup. Also, she thought it was incredibly stupid that Quidditch players in Hogwarts only got to play three games a year. That made the jump to the professional teams that much harder, as they had to play 24 games in a year! So, Ginny reasoned, a reserve team would allow each Gryffindor player to play more games, as they could play a full game against the reserves every week. This is how the professional teams trained in the offseason after all. Harry had agreed with her immediately and when they told Ron, he was also on board.
-In Her Memory-
Harry stood on the train platform, eyeing the scarlet steam engine with trepidation. He had just been frogmarched through the barrier by a sour-looking Auror. No cheery Hagrid as protection detail today. Their departure that morning had been smooth. The only blemish was when Ginny had stuck out her foot to try to trip him up after Fleur had kissed him on the cheek. Having been tripped up on the daily back in primary school, he had enough experience to save himself. Any annoyance he may have felt towards Ginny had washed away at seeing her trying her best not to laugh out loud. He had just laughed himself.
"You okay, mate?" Ron inquired grimly from behind him on the platform. Harry nodded. They both thought the same. This year was going to be hard.
They said their goodbyes to Mr and Mrs Weasley, who told Harry that he'd been spending Christmas at the Burrow, as would Remus. As they entered the train, the second painful moment of the day presented itself: Ron had to go to the prefects meeting.
Without Hermione.
Ever since Ron had confessed that he had thought of Hermione in a different way than Harry had, he had known Prefect duty would be hard on Ron. He swore to himself to keep an eye on his now only best friend. He was pulled from his contemplation as he suddenly felt danger encroach him. He blinked and looked around: a few girls were staring at him. They seemed to be mostly fourth years if he guessed correctly. Before he could say anything, Ginny made his way over to him. "Let's go find an empty compartment." Harry gladly led the way, not seeing the glares the other girls shoot Ginny, nor the way Ginny glared back.
As Harry made his way into a train compartment, carrying both Ginny's and his trunks while Ginny carried Crookshanks, the first wave of memories came unto him. As he sat down he could see Hermione opening up the doors to ask them whether anyone had seen Trevor, as clear as if it had happened yesterday. He grimaced slightly at the other memories that threatened to overwhelm him. If only he had tried harder with practising occlumency, then he would have been able to hide these thoughts from himself. He snorted in self-contempt. If he had practised more, then Sirius and Hermione would still be alive, and these memories would only be happy ones to reminisce on.
"You all right, Harry? You look funny," said Neville Longbottom, whose entrance into the compartment he had missed completely. Harry started and looked up at the boy, while Luna entered the compartment also.
She looked at Harry sympathetically, "Bad case of Furry Nesters, Harry?" she asked. "That makes sense, I assume they will be swarming the school for the next couple of days." Harry had to a double-take when noticing the enormous coloured spectacles Luna was wearing.
"Furry Nesters?" Neville questioned.
Luna nodded solemnly. "They are minuscule creatures that are attracted to blue places. However, contrary to Nargles, you shouldn't chase them away, as they can transform into Hornless Snorkacks over time." As always, she said this in a manner that left no doubt on whether she believed herself.
Harry couldn't quite follow what she was saying but shared a smile with Ginny, while the train left the station.
He was soon distracted from his memories by a disturbance outside of their compartment door; the same group of girls that had been staring at him were whispering and giggling while looking into the compartment.
Ginny huffed and stood up. "Just a second," she said and walked out of their compartment pulling her wand. Neville and Harry looked at each other, while Luna had grabbed the latest edition of the Quibbler, obviously not concerned with what was going on.
"What's going on?" Neville questioned, as the whispering in the corridor increased in volume. Harry, now having more experience with her temper, saw the warning signs in how Ginny clenched her jaw. She was listening to a bold-looking girl with large dark eyes, a prominent chin and long black hair, who seemed to be trying, and failing, to argue a point.
As the discussion continued, the voices rose to the point Harry, Neville and Luna could hear them clearly.
"…friends? Do you honestly expect me to believe Harry Potter is friends with Loony Lovegood? And don't think I don't know what you're trying to do, Weasley! You finally see your chance with him, don't you? Now that that Granger girl is out the way and –"
Anger blossomed in Harry's entire being. He sprung up to confront the black-haired girl but before he could make his way outside, Ginny had pulled out her wand, aimed it right in the face of the girl, made a complicated wand movement and screamed Volamucus. A flash in a khaki colour and a loud BANG followed, and, being hit in the face from such close range, the girl that raised both Ginny's and Harry's ire, flew back and knocked over her friends.
"You bitch!" one of them screamed, as they looked in horror while large blobs of mucus started flapping around the girl's face. Unsurprisingly, considering the shrieks of the girls as they tried to get rid of the bats, it didn't take long for a person of authority to show up.
Slughorn waddled into view of the compartment, and Harry quickly opened the door. "Hello, Professor!"
"Harry, m'boy! Good to see you! How are you?" said Slughorn with a sort of youthful exuberance, quite unbefitting a man of his stature.
"I'm doing fine, Professor, how are you?" Harry asked cautiously but outwardly friendly. He hadn't liked the man on his first meeting, but Dumbledore said he was important, and Harry wanted to protect Ginny from detention as much as possible.
"Quite well, m'boy," the professor answered easily. "Now, what do we have here," he said looking at the girl on the floor still being attacked by flapping bats, surrounded by her three friends. Slughorn waved his wand and the bats disappeared. He looked around, "Would anyone be so kind to explain what has happened here?"
Before Ginny could say anything, one of the other girls, quick on the uptake that this unknown man was a new professor, exclaimed "Weasley attacked Romilda, sir!", pointing at Ginny. Ginny looked completely unrepentant.
"Weasley?" Slughorn asked, interestedly. "Daughter to Arthur Weasley, Head of that new department within the DMLE?"
"Yes, sir," Ginny answered unperturbed and unsurprised. Harry had told both Ginny and Ron what kind of person Slughorn seemed to be.
"And did you cast that spell on Miss…?" he trailed off, looking at the girl Ginny had hexed askingly.
"Romilda Vane, professor, and yes she did attack me, unprovoked!" the girl said, rubbing her nose.
Slughorn turned to Ginny. "What did you hex Miss Vane with, Miss Weasley?"
"It was a Bat-Bogey Hex, sir."
"Oh-oh!" Slughorn said, "A spell created by Miranda Goshawk herself! But it does not appear in her Standard Spells book series if I'm correct. Wherever did you learn it?"
"My brother Bill taught me, he learned it from a colleague in the Curse-Breakers division of Gringotts, Sir," Ginny said, sneaking a confused glance at Harry.
"Marvelous!" Slughorn exclaimed. "Excellent casting, Miss Weasley!" He turned to look at Romilda and her friends. "Well, no harm no foul, I say! I suggest you return to your carriage before someone steals your seat!" the professor said good-humouredly. The absolute fury on Romilda's face, as she turned to leave, promised nothing good.
Slughorn turned towards Harry again. "Now, Harry, m'boy, I was hoping to run into you. You see, I wanted to invite you to join me for a bite of lunch, in compartment C!" He turned to Ginny, "And Miss Weasley, I'd be delighted if you would join as well!"
"Er… sure," Harry said. Ginny nodded her agreement as well.
"Great! Now, if you perchance run into Neville Longbottom, would you pass on that invitation?"
"That won't be a problem, sir," Harry said, opening the door of their compartment further. He turned and gestured to Neville, "he's right here"
When Neville stood up to shake hands with Slughorn, Harry noticed that the summer had been good for his dorm mate. He had seemingly lost a lot of weight and gained some muscle. While his face was still round, he now had a visible jawline and he looked more comfortable in his skin. Harry wondered what he had been doing that summer.
As Slughorn and Neville finished their small talk, Neville said he wasn't sure if he'd make it to the luncheon. "It depends on whether our other friend Ron, Ginny's brother, will be here to keep Luna company," he said by way of explanation, nodding towards Luna who was still engrossed in the new edition of the Quibbler.
As he said this, Luna lowered the magazine a bit so she could peer over the top. "oh!", she said in surprise, apparently having first missed all the commotion and subsequently the fact that there was a professor in the compartment.
Slughorn chuckled jovially. "Interesting article, my dear?"
"Oh, yes!" Luna said happily, "That's why I wrote it! It's about the best ways to fish for blimpies!"
"You write for The Quibbler? What did you say your last name was?" Slughorn asked.
"Lovegood, sir. My father's the editor."
"Ah yes, Xenophilius Lovegood," Slughorn said, "An… interesting man. Just like your mother Pandora! She had one of the most inquisitive, creative and curious minds I have ever seen, always changing up potion recipes and tinkering with spell designs!"
"Yes, we were very sad when she died," Luna agreed quite bluntly, smiling dreamily towards the man while still wearing her enormous coloured glasses.
A moment of silence. Harry might not particularly like Slughorn yet, but he felt a fond sort of sympathy for anyone meeting Luna for the first time. She was one of a kind.
"Well, then," Slughorn said, breaking the awkward silence. "Mr Longbottom, if I don't see you for lunch, please feel free to drop by my office anytime, since you're not taking potion class! Miss Weasley, Harry, I hope to see you –" he glanced at his expensive-looking watch "- in about 2,5 hours in compartment C!"
With that, the man left the compartment.
"Quite interesting man, he is," said Luna. "I'm not sure I like him," she concluded baldly.
"You've met him before, Harry?" Neville asked.
So, Harry told Neville and Luna about his first meeting with the new Professor. Afterwards, the conversation drifted from topic to topic. Harry was glad to hear that Neville agreed with the others and that he didn't blame Harry himself for what happened. Neville also proudly presented his new wand.
Neville was telling them what he'd been up to that summer. Apart from Herbology experiments in his greenhouse, he had spent time with his cousins from his mother's side of the family. They had introduced him to muggle fitness magazines and he had taken up weight training and jogging. Ginny complimented him on his progress so far, whereas Luna just seemed to study him, making Neville embarrassed from all the attention.
Luna suddenly turned toward Harry. "Are we still doing DA meetings this year, Harry? I really enjoyed them, it was like having friends," she said with that unnerving mix of brutal honesty, social ineptitude, and her dreamy voice. Last year, it had always made Harry feel pity as well as embarrassment. But now he only felt anger at the fact that she thought she didn't have any friends.
Ginny clearly agreed. "Luna, we've been friends for over ten years now, how can you think you don't have any friends?" she asked with well-trained patience.
"Yes, we have been friends for a long time, haven't we?" Luna answered happily.
A beat of silence.
"So, why did you say you don't have any friends?" Ginny tried again.
"I meant that I don't think I have friends. I have a friend, which is you, Ginny." She said, clearly not understanding the confusion.
They all got it at the same time, after a couple of seconds. Singular versus plural.
Harry looked earnestly at Luna. "You don't consider us friends?"
"Well, we've never said out loud that we are, and it is my understanding that relations work best when they are openly defined by all people involved," she answered like she thought everyone knew this.
Oh. That sounded surprisingly like something Lavender had once loudly recited from a Teen Witch magazine in the Gryffindor common room, Harry realized.
"Luna, we are friends," Harry stated with as much formality as he could muster.
"Yeah, Luna, of course, we are friends," Neville added.
"See, you do have friends," Ginny added, emphasizing the 's'.
"I do now!" Luna said, a bright smile lighting up her face and eyes. Harry didn't think he had ever seen her so happy.
"Ron is also your friend, and Hermione was as well," Harry stated, wanting to keep that happiness on Luna's face, but forgetting the fact that mentioning Hermione might do the exact opposite.
Neville gulped, Ginny glanced away, and Luna looked at Harry for a moment. "The Furry Nesters are back," she said softly. She hid her face behind her Quibbler.
Silence reigned until Ron came back from the Prefect meeting.
"Hullo," he greeted them all. 'Hellos' greeted him back.
"How was the meeting? Who are the prefects for our year, Ron?" Ginny asked.
"The Gryffindors are Julia," Ron said in a questioning voice, he clearly had no idea who she was, "and Andrew, from the quidditch team last year."
"Fair," Ginny said, nodding.
Ron turned toward Luna. "The 'Claws are some guy named Edward and a girl named Alison."
Luna's eyes narrowed at the girl's name. Harry gathered she wasn't a fan, which probably meant the girl had been mean to Luna. He should keep an eye on that, he thought to himself.
"The Slytherins are Shane ('Harper? He's an idiot!' Ginny interjected) and a girl called Signal, or something?"
"Signe," Ginny corrected, "it comes from Sigr, which is Old Norse for victory." She met the scowl she received from Ron, "What? Her family is from Norway," she added.
"She's pretty and nice," Luna said with a smile.
Harry, Ron, and Neville looked at each other. They had not yet met a Slytherin they would describe as "nice".
Ron cleared his throat. "Oh and erm… Parvati is also Prefect."
Right, Harry thought. Someone had to replace Hermione, of course. Just more reminders that she's gone. He sighed.
A minute or so later, Ginny stood up. "I promised Dean I would join him on the train for an hour or two, and considering we're having lunch with Slughorn, I'd better go see him. Luna, can you keep an eye on Crookshanks? Thanks!"
With that, she left the compartment.
Ron grumbled something about Ginny being too young to date, while Neville and Harry hid their snickers. Harry explained about Slughorn to distract Ron from his overprotectiveness.
As the train passed through the midlands, Neville brought up the DA again. Harry was glad to see that Neville treated him like he always did, even a bit more openly friendly. So he shouldn't have worried about whether Neville was angry at him.
"Ron and I are planning on it, yeah. We were thinking about expanding the stuff we learn, maybe get some help from the teachers."
"What kind of stuff are you thinking about?" Neville asked, interestedly.
"Well, Healing is a big one," Ron said, "with how many accidents Harry has, it's stupid we never really looked into it, you know."
Harry shook his head in denial, while Neville laughed. Luna just looked amused, shooting glances over her Quibbler.
"And teachers?" Neville continued.
"Well, Pomfrey for one. And I think Flitwick used to be a duel champion, so he could give us some tricks," Harry explained.
"And that Slughorn guy? Makes sense to ask the Defence professor right?"
"He's teaching potions, remember?" Harry grumbled.
"Snape's teaching Defence this year, mate," Ron said, his expression making it clear what he thought of that.
Neville groaned. "Bugger. I just realized that, yeah, just when I thought I was well shot of the bastard," he groaned.
"I don't think it's a good idea to give such an important position to such a bad teacher. That's like trusting a Blumdinger with a Flobberworm," Luna said, making herself laugh.
"Though I wonder how he will teach, I can't say I have experienced him teaching all that often," Luna continued after having calmed down.
"Don't you take Potions?" Ron asked.
"Of course I do, Ronald," she said, now staring unblinkingly at the redhead, "but I don't think copying instruction on a blackboard and subsequently trying to intimidate the students, should be considered teaching."
'That's a fair point', Harry thought. 'I wonder how he'll be in Defence'.
"Anyway," Harry said, "I won't be asking Snape to help us with the DA, but we were thinking of asking an Auror, probably Tonks or Mad-Eye, to maybe give some lessons."
"Tonks is the one that fancies Professor Lupin, right?" Luna asked from behind her Quibbler.
"Wait, what?" Ron asked bewildered. Harry couldn't blame him, if not for Ginny he wouldn't have had a clue either.
"Apparently. That's what Ginny said anyway," Harry told Ron.
"She didn't look very happy, the times we saw her," Ron noted.
"Maybe Professor Lupin doesn't like her back?" Neville suggested.
Harry shrugged, "Not sure, I didn't talk with him about it."
"Did you see him a lot during the summer?" asked Neville questioningly.
"Yeah, he and Harry both spend almost all summer at our house," Ron answered.
"I think I'm missing something, why would Professor Lupin stay with you?" Neville asked.
Then, it hit Harry that Neville probably didn't know about the Marauders and the story with Sirius. He hadn't known Sirius was his godfather, after all.
So he told him.
-In Her Memory-
When Harry walked into the Great Hall, he expected Luna to leave them for the Ravenclaw table but to his surprise, she simply sat down at the Gryffindor one. Come to think of it, he thought, is that actually a rule? Or is it just never really done?
It was the first time Harry sat down for the Start-of-Term Feast that he wasn't hungry. Slughorn's expansive lunch had made sure of that. Harry had not felt at home in that collection of people but luckily, Neville and Ginny had been there.
As he looked throughout the Great Hall, he noticed a lot of people quickly averting their gaze. People had been watching him, as they had been on the train. Apparently, when Harry was at the Slughorn Lunch, people had kept coming into the compartment to ask Ron and Luna, about Harry. Most people had a somewhat clear idea of what happened in the Department of Mysteries, considering the Headmaster had had to tell them something when announcing Hermione's passing. But, everybody also knew there was more to the story. This had been one of the reasons why Slughorn had invited him to the Lunch, besides being the Boy-Who-Lived, of course.
As McGonagall walked into the hall with her gaggle of anxious-looking first years, Harry thought back to the three sorting ceremonies he had attended. He missed both Ginny's sorting and the one the year after, and he hadn't been the most attentive during his own. He wondered what the Sorting Hat would say, just as McGonagall put it on the stool.
An expecting silence fell over the Great Hall. Would the Hat offer motivation? Would it warn people about the war? A feeling of dread bloomed in Harry's stomach. Would he mention Hermione? The hat came to life and began the Sorting Song.
Welcome, young and old, to Hogwarts,
where we all try to expand our brain!
To sort you where you can do so,
Is my job, from all else I should abstain.
But when friends fight with friends as well as foes,
As they do in times of war and upheaval,
I feel pressured to also tell you,
Where you can find true evil.
Is it the house of Hufflepuff,
Where hard-working folk in yellow and black stand strong.
Back to back with their loyal friends,
what would they do when a friend goes wrong?
What about those dressed in blue and bronze,
Seeking wit and knowledge beyond measure?
Ravenclaws dream of understanding the world,
But to what extremes will they go to find this treasure?
Gryffindor, where dwell those brave of heart,
These warriors in gold are not afraid of strife.
Seeking glory and heroics in brave and noble manner
but just remember: crimson is the fluid of life.
But surely evil is the house of silver and green,
These cunning snakes only care about their own.
Ambitiously seeking power they may be,
But without them, few great leaders we would've known!
So listen closely to my song,
now is the time to stand united.
Variety is the flavour of life,
Over it, we shouldn't be divided!
No single house can be described as evil,
It would have been abolished long before this year.
Different people appreciate different virtues,
Keeping them in balance is why I'm here!
All virtues in their extremes can be vices,
and every vice tempered can be a virtue.
The house in which you will feel most at home,
Is the one to which I'll spur you!
The hat stilled and immediately murmurs started up. This message was very different from the one the hat had given in Harry's first year. He also couldn't help but wonder whether the Hat had meant him when he alluded to the fact that brave warriors were made with blood.
The murmurs faded away as the sorting started. After a girl named Autumn Andrews was the first to be sorted (Hufflepuff!), Neville said: "Small class this year."
Harry looked at him in surprise, and while looking back at the new first years, he said "Small? Seems like a normal number of first-years to me? About the same size as our year."
"Our year isn't a normal-sized year, mate," Neville said.
"It isn't?" asked Harry.
"Haven't you ever noticed?" Luna said, while not looking at Harry or Neville, which meant that it took a second for them to realize she was contributing to their discussion. "Your and my year, and the current seventh year, are relatively small, compared to the next two years. My father suspects the Great Nargle and Hornless Snorkack Invasion of Britain of late 1981 and early 1982 has something to do with it."
Harry and Ron looked at each other. Neville shook his head, "I have noticed our years are smaller in size but I'm not sure why. Aside from Luna's dad's explanation, that is," he hastily added when Luna opened her mouth.
They quickly shut up when professor McGonagall coughed and shot them an annoyed look.
The sorting continued in the normal fashion until a kid called Harry Lambert was sorted into Gryffindor. Ginny leaned across the table to tease Harry.
"Hey, Potter, I bet this Lambert kid is the little brother of James, he's in Gryffindor as well!"
"What do you mean?" Harry whispered back.
"Isn't it obvious they were named after you and your dad?" Ginny whispered with a big, evil grin.
Harry groaned. He really, really, hoped that that wasn't the case, but it probably was. Neville and Ron snickered. Luna seemed to have missed the entire conversation.
After the sorting was done, and Dumbledore gave his typical very short message (Tuck in!) the feast began.
Neville began wondering about the difference in year sizes again.
"Isn't it obvious?" Ginny asked from her seat next to Dean. "I'll give you a hint. The 7th, 6th and 5th years are all dominated in size by Slytherin and Gryffindor."
"Yes, that's what I said," Luna nodded. This didn't help Harry, nor did it seem to help Ron, Neville, Dean or Seamus. To his chagrin, he kept waiting for Hermione to butt in and explain.
From the left side, he heard Lavender giggle. "What she means, boys, is that there was a so-called baby-boom between July 1982 and 1983."
Parvati and Lavender giggled at that, while Ginny just smirked. "Yeah, I guess they had something to celebrate."
"You mean people celebrated with sex?" Luna asked of Lavender, who immediately went into another giggle fit. Luna looked at her and Parvati in that way she had, looking curious about something she did not understand but also missing why her blunt question had set people off. Harry hid a smile, while Dean was trying to save Seamus from choking on a chicken wing. Ron seemed focused solely on the food.
"Yes, Luna," Ginny confirmed, "That's why the years after us are much larger than ours, lots of kids being born in those two years." Ginny had told Harry during the summer that Luna liked being told things very directly. Luna herself was always either very direct and blunt or incredibly vague and accidentally cryptic.
Luna just nodded. "That is also a symptom of a Nargles and Hornless Snorkack invasion, you know."
"But the Gryffindor groups of that year aren't much bigger than ours right?" Harry questioned.
"No, the difference is mostly visible in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw," Ginny said, "Just look at Luna, there are just two other girls in her year. But the fourth and third year Ravenclaws of this year are almost double in size from our years."
"How come this baby boom mostly resulted in Puffs and Claws?" Dean asked his girlfriend.
It was Lavender who answered. "Because House placement is very dependent on upbringing. Gryffindor parents rear Gryffindor children, generally speaking. The same is true for the other houses."
"While my mum didn't go to Hogwarts, she would probably have been a Gryffindor, while my dad was a Ravenclaw, which explains why Padma and I are in different houses, even being twins," Parvati added.
"Slytherins had nothing to fear during the war, and we Gryffindors don't care if there's a war going on," Ginny said, "which is why mostly Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had smaller years."
"That's right," Lavender agreed.
The conversation continued about the different stories Harry's housemates' parents (and Luna's) had told them about the festivities surrounding the end of the previous war.
While Harry could understand why people would want to celebrate the fall of Voldemort with their loved ones, it also just reminded him about the prophecy and his parents. He just listened to the ensuing talk and quietly ate his dinner. He thought it was kind of morbid to think about celebrating a victory when he wasn't sure at all whether he'd be there to celebrate with them or whether they'd be one at all.
When they were all sated and tired from the conversation and food, Dumbledore finally stood up for his begin-of-term speech.
"Welcome, one and all, to another year at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" he said, grandly spreading his arm as if to hug the whole student body. Unfortunately, this had the side effect of putting his blackened hand in the spotlight and Harry could hear whispers and gasps sprout immediately.
Dumbledore noticed also, as he shook his robe sleeve over his hand and said it was nothing to worry about. This didn't assuage the rampant rumour mongering now going on along the tables. Harry furrowed his brow, he had expected it to have been healed by now. Perhaps it was more serious than he'd imagined.
Dumbledore continued unwaveringly. "I'd like to give a few start-of-term notices. First, as all our returning students know, some staircases move according to which day it is. Our caretaker, Mr Filch, informs me that approximately half of these staircases have decided to change their schedules over summer break. We have not yet found a reason why this is the case. Secondly, Mr Flich also informs that there is a blanket ban on all Weasley Wizard Wheezes products – "
Harry, Ron, and Ginny looked at each other and snickered.
"- thirdly, I'd like to welcome, yet again, a new member of staff this year. Please welcome, my old colleague and friend, Professor Slughorn, who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."
This certainly piqued the interest of some of the more quickly-witted students.
"Professor Snape, meanwhile, will be taking over the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," Dumbledore continued, over an increasingly loud discontent chatter from three of the four house tables and cheers from the other one.
Snape stood up and nodded his head to the Slytherin table and gave a sardonic wave to the other three houses.
Dumbledore cleared his throat again. "This also has ramifications for our NEWT students, as Professor Slughorn will accept students that have achieved an Exceeds Expectation on their Potions OWLs. Please contact your Head of House if you wish to partake in these classes if you haven't already communicated this desire previously."
"Now," the Headmaster said, immediately silencing all the murmurs, "as you all know, for certain this year, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength. I cannot emphasise strongly enough how dangerous the current situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's wards have been strengthened, and we will be playing host to several Aurors throughout the year. However, the staff and the Aurors cannot watch every part of this great castle at all times. If you see something, please tell the nearest person in an authoritative position, be they Professor or Prefect or Auror, even the Ghosts will be on high alert. If you see something, please say something. If you have thought of a way to infiltrate this castle please tell us so we can defend against it. I will not leave it unsaid that we will do everything, everything, we can think of to make this castle as safe as possible. However, due to the nature of magic, one can never be safe enough. In this context, I will also hereby announce that this year we will practise evacuation drills. The Heads of Houses will meet with the Prefects this week, and together they will explain the plans to all of you. Let me be very clear. Any student found not taking these drills seriously will be punished harshly, with immediate expulsion being the highest form of punishment for those who are found to have been actively undermining these drills."
He was silent for a moment. "I am quite certain I do not have to remind you we have lost two of our own in the last two years." The Headmaster's blue eyes, twinkling in a sad rather than joyous manner, swept over the student body like he was scanning people's reactions to that statement. Then he smiled.
"But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us, therefore, say goodnight!"
AN: -
- Yay, they're finally at Hogwarts! It only took 9 chapters to get there...
- I always felt that it was weird for Slughorn not to remember Ron's name. To me, he seemed like somebody who knows everyone, because you can never know where you can find something or someone beneficial for yourself.
- The thing about Harry's hair being stuck like that because of a Family curse is just a headcanon I've had for a long time, and it won't influence the story in any way. I just wanted Ginny to prank him, to be honest.
- I spent way too much time on writing the Sorting Hat's song, and I realized after that almost everybody just skims through it. Oh well.
- Good News: Since I started posting In Her Memory I've finished 8 chapters! So I'm almost writing a chapter a week, hopefully, I can keep that up :)