The Great Hall was as beautiful as usual as the students filed in, chattering noisily away. Hermione, despite her love of rules, was one of the loudest people there as she laughed at Ron's jokes and Harry trying to keep a straight face. Ginny had gone off with Fred and George, which made Ron very happy, and was now sitting with a transfer from Salem Academy in America and talking happily. Hermione was glad to see her make a new friend so quickly, but all Harry and Ron could think about was the Feast.
Dumbledore sent a cannon shot out of his wand for silence, and he got his wish almost immediately. He smiled. "Thank you for your cooperation. For the first years, welcome to Hogwarts! I do hope that you enjoy your stay here. If you ever need assistance with anything, ask a Prefect or a friendly face; we have plenty." Hermione could see Draco Malfoy fighting to laugh at that, which made her narrow her eyes and count to fifteen so she wouldn't curse him. "Also…a word on last year." The Hall fell silent. Dumbledore surveyed them all with his now somber eyes. "I don't think I need to tell you that the danger here and everywhere has increased dramatically. It's up to all of you whether to keep it that way or not." He let the silence fall for a couple seconds before sitting down and making a gesture with his wand. At once, the golden plates were filled with practically every kind of food one could think of.
Ron grabbed at once at a chicken leg and gnawed on it happily. Hermione rolled her eyes and poured herself some pumpkin juice while talking. "I think that this year will be all right, as far as years go." Harry raised his eyebrow (or at least attempted to), which made Ron roar with laughter.
"Nice try Harry," he spluttered, cleaning up the sprayed chicken with his napkin a little sheepishly. Hermione wrinkled her nose.
"Gross." Ron grinned; his grin was always irresistible to Hermione, as it always made her smile.
"Yes well, that's just me." Hermione laughed and started cutting up a steak into tiny little pieces. Harry, meanwhile, was eating a jacket potato with relish. "They really did starve you, didn't they mate?" Ron's voice had concern in it, and Harry looked up.
"Forget about it, I'm here now right?" he said grinning. Hermione and Ron grinned back, although both internally worried. The clang of a wand on glass made the room silent once more as Dumbledore stood up a second time.
"So sorry to interrupt, but I quite forgot something: there is a Prefect's meeting after the Feast in the Trophy Room. Please make it a priority to come. Thank you." He sat down again and the Prefects in the room glowed with pride. However, Harry groaned softly.
"Damn, I was hoping to unpack," he said, looking down at his Prefect's badge with distaste. Hermione clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
"If you really don't want it Harry, you should tell Dumbledore…I'm sure he's give it to Ron," Hermione said with a hint of a tease in it, looking at her own shiny Prefect's badge happily. Ron shook his head, mouth full of potato.
"No way! There is no way I'm being carted off to being a Prefect thank you 'Mione!" He replied indignantly (once he had swallowed his food). Hermione giggled.
"I was just joking Ron," she said lightly, looking more and more like she wished the end of the Feast would come so she could go to her meeting. Contrary to previous years, the Sorting would take place after the Feast and not before it. Professor McGonagall brought the hat out onto its stool and everyone ate the last bits of their meal quietly as it opened its brim and began to sing:
A year at Hogwarts
Is one to behold;
The coming of young
And the leaving of old.
But where do you fit?
Where to belong?
I'll tell you now
With this simple song!
In Gryffindor live the brave and the true,
With nerves of steel and good will.
If you love adventure
Here's the place for you.
Or how about Hufflepuff?
The loyal and steadfast:
Valuing friendship and honesty,
You'll find your friends here will last.
In Ravenclaw, my friends,
You'll find your students so bright:
Those with wit and like learning
Will have this house to them invite.
Last but not least, our slippery friends:
Slytherin houses those with ambition.
Cunning and sly like their mascots beholds,
Only those with these skills will gain admission.
The four houses of Hogwarts
Are varied and respected.
So don't fret, just try me on!
I'll tell you where you're expected.
There was much applause for the song (A/N: not for that sucky poem!!! J) and everyone watched as the first years started to get Sorted. Hermione turned back to Harry and Ron saying excitedly in a low voice, "I can't wait for this Prefect's meeting it should be fascinating!" Ron snorted.
"Yeah right-'how many points shall we take off if there is brawling in the corridors Professor?'" he mimicked, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy. Harry stifled his laughter and Hermione sighed with frustration.
"Honestly, no wonder you're no a Prefect!" Ron just pretended to gag, leaving Hermione very annoyed.
--
After the feast, everyone was too full and too tired to want to do anything. Ron yawned largely and then grinned at the equally exhausted Harry and Hermione behind him. "You two have to go to your meeting!" he said. Harry groaned, but was cut short when Hermione brightened up and then dragged him but his robe sleeve to the meeting room. Ron saluted to Harry laughing before running up the stairs with Seamus and Dean, who were talking animatedly about Quidditch starting up again.
Hermione let Harry go only once they were in the meeting room. It was entirely black, with the exception of the colorful chairs. Harry massaged his arm, in pain from Hermione dragging him, and watched in amusement as Hermione looked around with wide eyes. She selected two seats and motioned for Harry to sit next to her. He complied, and they waited for the rest to come in. They nodded to the Ravenclaw prefects (Padma Patil and Terry Boot) and the Hufflepuffs (Hannah Abbott and Justin Flinch-Fletchley) as they came in, looking apprehensive. Their jaws dropped however, when the two smug looking Slytherins walked in.
"What are you doing here Malfoy?" Harry asked tensely. Malfoy smirked.
"What you're doing here Potter- learning about the sacred duty of being a Prefect. I expect Granger here is salivating just thinking about it." Although he came alarmingly close to the truth, Hermione defiantly glared at him. Her gaze shifted to the very pretty girl standing next to him.
"Blaise Zabini. Pleasure, I'm sure." Hermione said sarcastically. Blaise shrugged.
"It's not, but whatever you want to think." They took a chair each and sat on them, Blaise with legs crossed and Malfoy slouching rather moodily. Hermione noticed that while Blaise had her pin placed prominently on her breast pocket, Malfoy didn't have his on at all. The temporary awkward silence was ended when Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick came in, looking around at them all critically. Despite her confident demeanor, Hermione squirmed under the inspection. Dumbledore beamed at them.
"The new Prefects of Hogwarts! Welcome! This will be very brief as I'm sure you all are itching to get some sleep." He smiled kindly and Hermione and Harry grinned back. "Now, the prefect bathroom is behind the statue of Boris the Bewildered on the fifth floor. The password this year is Riverdance." Harry, Hermione and the other Muggle familiar people in the room started laughing. Malfoy and Blaise looked confused; not a very flattering look for them. "So, as Prefects of your houses you must be a role model for all students. You must try to get along," he eyes flashed towards the Gryffindor and Slytherin prefects, "or pretend. And as the times are getting ever more difficult, you must be prepared to step in and help the staff at any time." The new Prefects nodded and Dumbledore dismissed them with a wave of his hand. Hermione was grinning like a kid at the circus as they left.
"This is going to be a fab year don't you think?" she asked Harry as they climbed up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower. Harry couldn't help but laugh at her excited face.
"Yup."
--
Draco and Blaise split off from the rest of the Prefects to start walking down the dungeons. Draco took his Prefect badge out of his pocket and started dragging it along the wall as he walked, making tiny sparks from the metal on rock. Blaise rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm.
"Do you want to get your bloody robes on fire?" she hissed. Draco scowled and pulled his arm away.
"I don't remember you asking to play Granger for me," he drawled, and got a not-so-light punch in the shoulder for his comment. "Jesus Zabini that hurt," he said, rubbing his shoulder scowling harder. She smirked in a very Slytherin fashion.
"That was the general point idiot." They got to the gargoyles and she said "Firebolt." The stone wall slid open and they walked through. "I hate that password," Blaise said as they were entering the common room. Draco raised an eyebrow.
"Why, because you've never made the team?" Blaise ignored him and went up the girl's staircase. "Priss," he muttered as he walked up the stairs to his own dorm. Home sweet home.
--
The next morning was hard getting up after a summer of sleeping in. Hermione groaned and rolled out of bed, hitting the floor with a 'thud'. Her bunkmates started laughing.
"Graceful Hermione," Parvati commented giggling. Hermione scowled, her hair a mess around her face.
"Thank you." She got up and walked straight to the bathroom, getting her wand out. She had just discovered a spell that did what Sleekeasy's Hair Potion did without the oozy gel she hated so much. A mumbled spell quickly made her hair tame, and Hermione patted it, satisfied. She pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt and slung her robes over her arm, walking out of her dorm room to bump into a petite redhead. They both fell back on the floor, still slightly sleepy. Ginny looked up at Hermione grinning sheepishly.
"Sorry about that," she said, getting up and offering Hermione a hand. Hermione took it gratefully.
"No problem." Hermione brushed herself off while Ginny waited patiently. She was dressed in a cute denim skirt, sandals and t-shirt. Her own robes were over her shoulder; clearly, neither was a big fan of the robes. Ginny sighed wearily.
"I suppose it's time to go down to breakfast now huh?" Hermione nodded, looking at her watch and then making a face.
"7:00. Way too early to be up and about!" Ginny laughed and nodded in agreement, and the two started down the stairs for breakfast.
They met Ron and Harry at the bottom of the stairs, talking to the Salem transfer interestedly.
"So you mean to tell me they play rugby with padding?" Harry asked starting to laugh. The blonde witch laughed.
"Yeah kinda wimpy," she said, blue eyes twinkling prettily. Ginny grinned at the sight of her new friend and took Hermione by the arm to introduce her.
"Hermione Granger, this is Nora Swanson. She's from California." Nora turned around and smiled at Hermione extending her hand. Hermione shook it.
"Nice to meet you." Nora was looking at her curiously.
"So you're Hermione Granger?" A little fazed, Hermione nodded. Nora smiled wider. "I've heard so much about you- these two can't stop raving, and neither can Gin." Hermione blushed and her friends laughed.
"Yes, she's brilliant," Ron put in. "Top of the class and all that." Nora nodded.
"I figured." She turned to Ginny. "Ready to go downstairs?" she asked, her American accent becoming ever more apparent.
"Yeah let's go." Ginny waved at the trio as they left and Hermione smiled.
"It's good she found a friend." Ron and Harry agreed.
"She's really interesting," Harry said as they started to walk down themselves. "Did you know that Americans eat cheese out of a spray can?" Hermione made a face.
"Gross!" Ron roared with laughter at her expression.
"I reckon Fred and George would love that; think of the pranks!" Hermione and Harry laughed with him, feeling happy now that school had started.
--
Draco swaggered into the Great hall feeling very confident with himself. He'd had a good long sleep, for the first time in a long time, and was reunited with his Slytherin friends. Yes, he had friends besides for Crabbe and Goyle. The atmosphere was amicable when everyone started to eat and the owls swooped in; everyone was glad to be back with their friends from school. Draco was just biting into a croissant when a huge black owl caught his (and everyone else's) attention. It landed in front of Dumbledore, and despite himself, Draco was interested. Dumbledore read the letter attached and then stood up.
"Would a Prefect from each house please come up?" Draco looked around for Blaise, but she was doubtless still sleeping. Scowling, he got up and walked to the Staff Table. Granger was already up there, along with Terry Boot and that kid who got Petrified three years ago. He scowled deeply and waited for Dumbledore to say something. They all waited patiently as he scanned the letter again, frowning. Draco watched people pass by him, already going to get ready for their next classes. The Weasley girl was walking by with the American blonde, talking. Draco thought up some new insults in his head out of boredom and then looked over as Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak.
The letter rose up and there was a huge flash of red light; it covered the entire Hall with an eerie red glow. Draco could hear the screams around him as he fell onto the floor. Then there was black.