CHAPTER TWO -RAVENS AND SNAKES
Harry, Ron and Hermione found to their surprise they actually enjoyed having the run of the school to themselves. They could visit Hagrid at night and wander around after hours since even Filch, the caretaker was away for the summer. They spent pleasant afternoons sipping butterbeer at nearby Hogsmeade, popping down to the kitchens to visit the house elves and exploring the castle grounds. Professor Seraphim was nowhere in sight and except for the small talk they had with her on the train, didn't have much opportunity to talk with her much to the disappointment of Ron who kept stealing furtive glances around the corridors.
The first day of term came swiftly and soon the three along with the rest of their fellow students were in the Great Hall for the start-of-term feast. The sorting had just been carried out where the first years were sorted into one of the four houses: Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Harry clapped and cheered along with the rest of the Gryffindors with each new addition to the table. Ron's eyes however seemed to be glued to the teacher's table where Professor Seraphim was seated next to, of all people, professor Snape who loathed Harry and never missed an opportunity to give Harry or his friends a hard time.
Ron wasn't the only one distracted. Even Malfoy was seen staring raptly in front at the new addition to the teaching staff, prompting Hermione to mutter to Harry, "Now they actually have something in common." If he didn't know better, Harry would have thought that Hermione was acting almost jealous.
Albus Dumbledore then stood up after everyone had eaten. "Before I go on with the notices, now that you are all as stuffed as Christmas turkeys, I say welcome again to our new batch of first-years!"
"Hear, hear!" Plenty of cheers and many poundings of tables later, Dumbledore continued. "First, a reminder to all students that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to any of you as is Hogsmeade to below third years. Also, some applause for our new prefects."
"New prefects? They don't usually announce them, they usually get owls before the term starts." Ron looked slightly excited before his face fell again. "Don't suppose I'll get made one. I don't really want to be one, just, well, it'd make my mum proud." Having had two former head boys as brothers wasn't something that Ron felt comfortable living up to. As if he had heard Ron, Dumbledore went on, "Usually new prefects will be told beforehand but just for a change, I decided to give the announcements after the feast to have the first years have a chance to know who you are first thing. Stand when your names are called. Minerva?"
Professor McGonagall took out a scroll of parchment and began to read out names. Every year, new prefects would be selected from the fifth years, four from each house and normally, owls would be sent to each new prefect during the holidays to inform them of their appointments. It was rather uncommon for the announcement to be made at the start-of-term feast and there was much excitement and anticipation in the hall.
The first name to be announced was Hannah Abbot's.
There were cheers from the Hufflepuff table as their house ghost, the Fat Friar sailed up to her and handed her a prefect badge. The names were in alphabetical order and McGonagall rattled down the list till she came to, "Hermione Granger", where she flashed a rare smile to the student who had consistently held top place in all the exams. Genuinely stunned, Hermione was unable to say a word when Nearly Headless Nick congratulated her.
Even more flabbergasted was Neville Longbottom when his name was announced. "Gran will never believe this." When Draco Malfoy's name was called out, Ron looked decidedly ticked off. "Great, guess who'll be taking off marks from Gryffindor every chance he gets? Snape's little helper." He sank lower in his chair. It would be bad enough not to get chosen but to see the boy whose guts he hated more than anything made it worse. "Harry Potter." Harry was amazed, after all the scrapes he had managed to get into for the past four years, he was being made a prefect? Unbelievable, he thought, but as he looked at Ron, he hoped that they would make Ron one too. After reading out the names of the two last Ravenclaw prefects, McGonagall paused, looking straight at the Gryffindor table."And last, but not least, Ronald Weasley." Harry gave Ron a thump on the back and sighed in relief. He was quite sure he saw Professor McGonagall flash another smile. Two smiles from McGonagall in a day, he must be dreaming.
"Now, for my next announcement I am very pleased to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
Dumbledore had barely finished talking before the applause started. "Yes, a certainly warm reception for our new teacher, Professor Seraphim.Snape."
The applause died down fairly quickly. The first years were bewildered at the stunned reaction of their seniors as the hall was silent, the students looking from Professor Snape to the new teacher. Dumbledore smiled as he went on. "If you are all wondering, yes, she is professor Snape's sister and also the youngest student ever to enter Hogwarts. At nine years of age, no less, which of course earned her an almost assured place in Ravenclaw." A sudden burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the Ravenclaw table for which Seraphim returned a most engaging smile while the rest of the houses, Slytherin especially, looked glum. Ron only consoled himself with, "Well, at least she isn't in Slytherin."
As Harry looked over at Cho Chang, the pretty Ravenclaw seeker, he was beginning to think that perhaps Ravenclaw favored looks as well as brains. A rather irritable Hermione soon snapped him out of his reverie. Now they were prefects they found themselves walking on either side of the line of Gryffindor students as they marched up to the Gryffindor tower, making sure the first years didn't accidentally stray and get lost, which was very easy to do in the castle. On the way out of the hall, he saw Snape walk off with Seraphim. He still looked the same as ever with that scowl but as Harry watched, his eyes almost seemed to soften when his sister smiled up at him and took his arm as they walked off to the teacher's quarters. Harry resolved to see Madam Pomfrey the next morning to have his eyes checked. Maybe his glasses needed changing for he had certainly never seen Snape's eyes soften towards anyone or anything, even that insufferable pet of his, Malfoy. For now, all Harry wanted was some catching up with his Gryffindor chums and a good night's sleep.
Harry, Ron and Hermione found to their surprise they actually enjoyed having the run of the school to themselves. They could visit Hagrid at night and wander around after hours since even Filch, the caretaker was away for the summer. They spent pleasant afternoons sipping butterbeer at nearby Hogsmeade, popping down to the kitchens to visit the house elves and exploring the castle grounds. Professor Seraphim was nowhere in sight and except for the small talk they had with her on the train, didn't have much opportunity to talk with her much to the disappointment of Ron who kept stealing furtive glances around the corridors.
The first day of term came swiftly and soon the three along with the rest of their fellow students were in the Great Hall for the start-of-term feast. The sorting had just been carried out where the first years were sorted into one of the four houses: Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Harry clapped and cheered along with the rest of the Gryffindors with each new addition to the table. Ron's eyes however seemed to be glued to the teacher's table where Professor Seraphim was seated next to, of all people, professor Snape who loathed Harry and never missed an opportunity to give Harry or his friends a hard time.
Ron wasn't the only one distracted. Even Malfoy was seen staring raptly in front at the new addition to the teaching staff, prompting Hermione to mutter to Harry, "Now they actually have something in common." If he didn't know better, Harry would have thought that Hermione was acting almost jealous.
Albus Dumbledore then stood up after everyone had eaten. "Before I go on with the notices, now that you are all as stuffed as Christmas turkeys, I say welcome again to our new batch of first-years!"
"Hear, hear!" Plenty of cheers and many poundings of tables later, Dumbledore continued. "First, a reminder to all students that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to any of you as is Hogsmeade to below third years. Also, some applause for our new prefects."
"New prefects? They don't usually announce them, they usually get owls before the term starts." Ron looked slightly excited before his face fell again. "Don't suppose I'll get made one. I don't really want to be one, just, well, it'd make my mum proud." Having had two former head boys as brothers wasn't something that Ron felt comfortable living up to. As if he had heard Ron, Dumbledore went on, "Usually new prefects will be told beforehand but just for a change, I decided to give the announcements after the feast to have the first years have a chance to know who you are first thing. Stand when your names are called. Minerva?"
Professor McGonagall took out a scroll of parchment and began to read out names. Every year, new prefects would be selected from the fifth years, four from each house and normally, owls would be sent to each new prefect during the holidays to inform them of their appointments. It was rather uncommon for the announcement to be made at the start-of-term feast and there was much excitement and anticipation in the hall.
The first name to be announced was Hannah Abbot's.
There were cheers from the Hufflepuff table as their house ghost, the Fat Friar sailed up to her and handed her a prefect badge. The names were in alphabetical order and McGonagall rattled down the list till she came to, "Hermione Granger", where she flashed a rare smile to the student who had consistently held top place in all the exams. Genuinely stunned, Hermione was unable to say a word when Nearly Headless Nick congratulated her.
Even more flabbergasted was Neville Longbottom when his name was announced. "Gran will never believe this." When Draco Malfoy's name was called out, Ron looked decidedly ticked off. "Great, guess who'll be taking off marks from Gryffindor every chance he gets? Snape's little helper." He sank lower in his chair. It would be bad enough not to get chosen but to see the boy whose guts he hated more than anything made it worse. "Harry Potter." Harry was amazed, after all the scrapes he had managed to get into for the past four years, he was being made a prefect? Unbelievable, he thought, but as he looked at Ron, he hoped that they would make Ron one too. After reading out the names of the two last Ravenclaw prefects, McGonagall paused, looking straight at the Gryffindor table."And last, but not least, Ronald Weasley." Harry gave Ron a thump on the back and sighed in relief. He was quite sure he saw Professor McGonagall flash another smile. Two smiles from McGonagall in a day, he must be dreaming.
"Now, for my next announcement I am very pleased to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
Dumbledore had barely finished talking before the applause started. "Yes, a certainly warm reception for our new teacher, Professor Seraphim.Snape."
The applause died down fairly quickly. The first years were bewildered at the stunned reaction of their seniors as the hall was silent, the students looking from Professor Snape to the new teacher. Dumbledore smiled as he went on. "If you are all wondering, yes, she is professor Snape's sister and also the youngest student ever to enter Hogwarts. At nine years of age, no less, which of course earned her an almost assured place in Ravenclaw." A sudden burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the Ravenclaw table for which Seraphim returned a most engaging smile while the rest of the houses, Slytherin especially, looked glum. Ron only consoled himself with, "Well, at least she isn't in Slytherin."
As Harry looked over at Cho Chang, the pretty Ravenclaw seeker, he was beginning to think that perhaps Ravenclaw favored looks as well as brains. A rather irritable Hermione soon snapped him out of his reverie. Now they were prefects they found themselves walking on either side of the line of Gryffindor students as they marched up to the Gryffindor tower, making sure the first years didn't accidentally stray and get lost, which was very easy to do in the castle. On the way out of the hall, he saw Snape walk off with Seraphim. He still looked the same as ever with that scowl but as Harry watched, his eyes almost seemed to soften when his sister smiled up at him and took his arm as they walked off to the teacher's quarters. Harry resolved to see Madam Pomfrey the next morning to have his eyes checked. Maybe his glasses needed changing for he had certainly never seen Snape's eyes soften towards anyone or anything, even that insufferable pet of his, Malfoy. For now, all Harry wanted was some catching up with his Gryffindor chums and a good night's sleep.
