Chapter 5: School Begins Again
The remaining days of August flew by like the wind. The portraits arrived and Mrs. Weasley took down some of the old ones, which happened to yell and scream at her, and put up the new ones. Harry thought it was odd seeing himself in a portrait.
"It's okay seeing others, but when you see yourself it's weird," he had said when Mrs. Weasley hung the portrait of him and Ron up in the den.
The first of September was drawing closer and Harry's anticipation was driving him insane. He could not wait to board the Hogwarts Express and return to the place he thought of as his rightful home.
The night before their departure for the Hogwarts Express finally arrived. Mrs. Weasley made a large dinner.
"You all better be ready in the morning," Mrs. Weasley warned as she placed plates on the table. "We won't have time to lollygag around. We can have a quick breakfast and then it's off to the subway station."
"I've been packed for days so I'm not worried," Ron whispered to Harry when Mrs. Weasley was not paying attention.
After dinner, the Weasley children, along with Harry and Hermione, went upstairs to prepare for bed.
"I can't wait to see the new Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic teachers!" Hermione said anxiously with a toothbrush in her mouth.
"Let's just hope you don't get all mushy with these two like you did with Lockhart!" Ron said as Harry began to laugh.
"For your information," Hermione snapped, removing the toothbrush from her mouth, "we don't even know if it is a wizard or a witch!"
"Hermione," Harry said trying to keep from laughing, "he was only joking. No need to get all serious! Not to mention we don't even know if we have a new History of Magic teacher."
Hermione glared at both of them before she stormed off to her room. Ron and Harry could not help but laugh.
"Well, good night, Harry," Ron said as he went to his room.
"See you in the morning," Harry called back.
Harry jumped on top of his bed smiling. His thoughts were running wildly. He thought of life at the Dursleys, of Sirius, of his new house, of school, and of the new school year. He thought continuously until he could think no longer because he was fast asleep.
The next morning Harry was the first one to get up. He grabbed his trunk and heaved it down the stairs and placed it by the front door. He then ran back up the stairs, grabbed Hedwig's cage, and ran back down stairs to put the cage by his trunk.
"Ready to leave so soon?" a voice said from behind Harry.
Harry jumped and spun around to find that it was Lupin. Lupin was standing in front of the kitchen door, smiling as he looked at Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage.
"I can remember when I was a kid," Lupin began to laugh, "and I would always look forward to the first day of school. I always heard muggle children usually dread the first day of school." He gave a slight chuckle.
"Well, Mrs. Weasley said to be ready, and you know how she is," Harry laughed.
"No, tell me!" Mrs. Weasley said from behind Lupin.
Harry gulped before he said, "I only meant that you like to be prompt. I find nothing wrong with it."
Mrs. Weasley stared at him viciously before she cracked a huge grin, "Only joking, dear."
Laughing, Lupin, Mrs. Weasley, and Harry all walked down the stairs and into the basement kitchen.
Soon, Hermione and the rest of the Weasleys, one by one, came into the kitchen. Each one looking more tired than the person before.
"Mom, can I go back to sleep until we leave?" Ron moaned as he plopped down into a chair.
"We only have twenty minutes to eat before we leave," Mrs. Weasley said as she placed the food on the table. "We have to be there early with everyone."
"What do you mean everyone?" Ginny asked. "We're all here!"
"Tonks, Moody, and Lupin will be traveling with us," informed Mrs. Weasley. "Dumbledore requested that they come to the school to discuss – er – certain matters."
"You mean matters for the Order don't you, mom?" George asked.
"When will we be old enough to join the Order, mom?" Fred asked.
"Enough questions for now!" Moody barked as he entered the room.
No more was said until it was time to leave. It was eight o'clock and most of the travelers were tired; mostly the children. They had to walk to the subway station. Harry groaned at the thought of having to carry all of his belongings that far. Tonks winked at Harry as she waved her wand at the trunk and cage. Harry went over to pick up the trunk and found that it was as light as a feather.
It took only thirty minutes to get to the station and then another fifteen to get to London. It was pouring down with rain outside when they had arrived. They all walked towards the station as Moody complained about all the rain.
They arrived at the train station soaked from head to toe. Tonks helped Harry load his belongings on a trolley while Lupin, Moody, and Mrs. Weasley helped the others. They walked towards platforms nine and ten in groups.
"Better go a few at a time or it will look odd," Moody had suggested.
Lupin, Harry, Ron, and Ginny went first. They walked side by side until they reached platforms nine and ten, in which they walked one by one between the barriers. The platform only had a few people on it as it was only nine o'clock.
"I've never been here this early before," Ron said laughing as he, Harry, and Ginny made there way to the back of the train. "I'll put my stuff here now, but I still have to meet in the front with the other prefects first."
"I almost forgot you were a prefect," Harry said as helped Ginny load her trunk into an empty compartment.
"Why did we have to be here this early?" Ginny moaned as Hermione and Tonks walked into the compartment.
"Because we're on guard!" Tonks said as she waved her wand, making Hermione's trunk fly up into the air and into an empty luggage space. "Security needs to be tight everywhere now that Azkaban has been blown to a pile of rubble."
"So that's why you all had to come," Hermione said as they all ventured off the train. "Dumbledore wants you all to guard the platform."
"I think it might go further than just the platform," Tonks whispered so no one else could here. "Dumbledore seems worried that You-Know-Who might actually try and attack Hogwarts."
"Oh no," Harry said to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny as Tonks walked towards the platform entrance. "If Dumbledore is worried then you know everyone should be worried."
"True," agreed Hermione, "but Dumbledore is the only wizard You-Know-Who fears. He wouldn't be foolish enough to attack Hogwarts."
"Unless he had an army," Ron murmured as he shuddered at the thought.
No more was said about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The arrival of many of their friends got their minds off the subject. Dean Thomas had shown up with dread locks and a weird looking hat.
"My family went to Jamaica for vacation," he had explained.
Neville and Seamus arrived looking the same. They said their greetings to Harry and the others as they boarded the train.
Eleven o'clock came quickly and the train began to depart. Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny waved to the other Weasleys as the train began to move. The four of them were in a compartment by themselves until two of their friends showed up.
Neville appeared, once again, looking for his toad. Ron could not stop laughing when Neville found his toad, Trevor, in his pocket. "I thought it was a chocolate frog," Neville said as his face turned a bright red.
Luna Lovegood had showed up almost seconds later with the latest copy of the Quibbler. Ron gave a small yelp when Hermione had hit him for almost saying, "Hey, Loony."
The trip to Hogwarts was fun. Harry watched Ron and Neville play wizard's chess while Ginny, Hermione, and Luna all read through the Quibbler.
It was a clear, dark night when the Hogwarts Express arrived at the Hogsmeade station. Harry could hear his friend Hagrid call for the first years. He waved to Hagrid and ran with the others to get in a free thestral driven carriage. The carriages carried the students up to the stone steps leading into the entrance hall of the castle.
The students filed into the entrance hall, most of which ran because they were so hungry. As Harry and the others entered the hall, Professor Flitwick had stopped Harry.
"Need you to come with me for a quick moment please," Flitwick squeaked as he began to climb the grand staircase. Harry followed him, taking tiny steps as not to walk on top of Flitwick.
"Dumbledore wanted me to give you this first thing so no one can say anything," Flitwick was explaining as they entered a room on the second corridor. It was the charms classroom. "Now where did I put it?"
"Excuse me, sir," Harry interrupted, "but what is it that you must give me?"
"Oh yes, here it is," Flitwick said as he walked out from behind a stack of books. "Keep it safe, Potter. It's an official note from Dumbledore himself giving you permission to use the Room of Requirement for your Dumbledore's Army meetings. Of course, a curfew has been set for midnight and the request that it not interfere with other school work."
"Thank you, sir," Harry said as he put the parchment into his pocket.
"Now off you go," Flitwick said urging him out of the classroom, "down to the feast!"
Harry ventured down the corridor, back to the marble staircase, and set off for the Great Hall. He was almost to there but he glanced a quick look at a moving portrait of a woman in a white dress when he ran into something solid and fell backwards.
"Shouldn't you be at the feast, boy?" a strong voice came from above Harry.
Harry looked up and saw a man dressed in a dark red cloak and a cane with the emblem of a dragon on the top. The man had short black hair and his eyes were, to Harry's surprise, a deep burgundy. He looked young, but terrifying at the same time.
"Sorry, sir," Harry muttered as he got to his feet. "I was just–"
"How are you Rufius?" Flitwick called as he walked down from behind Harry. "Potter, why aren't you at the feast?"
"I was on my way, sir," Harry tried to explain, but the man named Rufius interrupted.
"Potter? The Harry Potter?" he said with curiosity. "Forgive my rude behavior, Mr. Potter. I am Rufius Draconis. Enough of this now, it is time to eat. Potter, Flitwick, I shall see you down in the great hall."
With that, he walked off and Harry and Flitwick walked towards the great hall. When Harry had entered the great hall, he noticed that the sorting had already occurred and the golden plates were full of food. He found a place between Ron and Hermione and began to tell them what had happened until he was interrupted.
It happened so suddenly that every head in the great hall turned. Both large doors flung open to reveal two men; one Harry had met earlier, but the other he did not know. The new wizard wore dark gray robes. His hair was black just like Professor Draconis's, but his eyes were gray. Draconis was standing quite stiff with his cane in front of him. He picked it up and began to walk towards the staff table, closely followed by the other man. Their eyes stayed straight ahead the entire time. When they reached the table they stopped and bowed to Dumbledore.
"Might I introduce your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Dumbledore said as he stood up to announce the room. "Professor Rufius Draconis. And your new History of Magic teacher, Gideon Blackheart. Professor Binns has decided to take a vacation."
Professor Draconis and Professor Blackheart turned to face the students and bowed in unison. With a swish their cloaks, they went to sit down. Draconis in deep conversation with Dumbledore and Blackheart in deep conversation with Professor McGonagall.
"They look scary," Neville stammered as every eye in the hall was on the new professors.
"I've heard that name before," Hermione said, tapping the table. "Rufius Draconis."
"Let me guess," Ron sniggered, "you read it somewhere?"
Hermione gave him a look of disgust before she continued, "I'm not sure if he's one of them, but there is a family known as the Draconis's that are well renowned. I'll have to find the book again and see if he's in there. Anyway, the Draconis family are dragon lovers and have built many reserves for dragons."
"I bet Hagrid's happy then," Harry said as he saw Hagrid get up from his seat to go and shake Professor Draconis's hand.
The end of the feast finally arrived and Professor Dumbledore stood up to make everyone silent.
"Welcome new and old," he began, "to, what I hope, another productive year." He winked at the students. "As usual, the Forbidden forest is out of bounds to all students, unless you are accompanied by a teacher. No corridor has been restricted this year. Also note, no magic is to be used in the corridors. We have opened some unused classrooms this year for practicing magic if you wish; just notify a teacher of your whereabouts. With having that knowledge, which will soon leak out of your ears, I wish you all a good night."
They students filed out of the great and went to their common rooms. Ron and Hermione had to lead the first year Gryffindors to the common room.
"Now, you can not give the password to anyone, or tell them where this place is," Hermione warned them.
"Oh, and try to remember the password," Ron said as he glanced over at Neville.
"The password is Locomortis," Hermione said.
"That's almost the incantation for a Leg-Locker Curse," a short little first year with long, brown hair said.
"Oh great," Ron muttered to Harry, "another Hermione."
They all entered the common room; Hermione told the first years where to go as Harry and Ron went up to their dormitory to go to bed. Their belongings, like always, were already by their four-poster beds.
"Good night," Harry said as he fell onto his four poster bed and went to sleep.
