Many thanks to those who eft me reviews, i love reading them!! I hope you like this chapter, because i had fun writing it!
All too soon Harry and the others were lugging their trunks down the stairs of Grimmauld place, apprehensive about starting another year at Hogwarts.
"I wonder what our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher will be like?" said Ginny, as they all hopped into a car with Remus. The malicious grin on her face clearly said that she was prepared to cause as much mischief as possible if that person didn't meet her expectations.
"Well we can't get much worse then Umbridge was, can we?" said Harry, shuddering at the thought. He didn't think he could survive another year with someone like Umbridge.
"Oh", said Remus mysteriously, "I think you'll be surprised when you see this year's teacher." The others pressed him for information, but he would say nothing more on the topic.
They were all sitting in a magically enlarged car, being driven to King's Cross station by Kingsley. It was a rather uneventful ride, which must have been due to the magical charms placed on the car, keeping it safe, rather then Kingsley's driving; he worse then an intoxicated learner driver.
Soon they were unloading their trunks and putting them onto trolleys, before crossing through the magical barrier onto platform 9 ¾. They all went to store their luggage in a compartment and then came back out again to say their goodbyes.
"Goodbye Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny", said Remus, shaking each of their hands in turn. "Have a good year, wont you? And please at least try to keep out of trouble!"
Harry laughed. "That's rich, coming from a marauder!" Remus laughed too.
"Well I said try", Remus said. He looked at all of them and realized that they were looking rather upset at leaving. "Don't look so down, I expect we'll be seeing each other sooner then you expect...what with one thing or another." Again they pressed him for information, but again he would say nothing more.
At lunch time the trolley lady came around with a trolley full of food and lollies. Harry brought them all a stack of cauldron cakes, chocolate frogs, and Bertie Bott's every flavor beans. The morning had passed quietly. With Ron and Hermione on prefect duties, Harry and Ginny were left alone to continue working out plans for Halloween. Some of their friends had dropped by to say hello, and Neville stayed for a while, talking with them about the summer. Hermione and Ron had returned just before lunch, looking exhausted after checking on all the excitable first years.
"I swear", said Ron, biting into a Chocolate Frog, "That those first years get littler every year. They're midgets!"
Hermione looked like she was trying not to laugh. "Ron, you can't call them that, it's not their fault they're still little."
"Yeah well, at least I don't torture them like Malfoy does", Ron said darkly. "Do you know I just found him in the corridor, pushing around a first year Hufflepuff, making him clean the floor with his own robes when there wasn't anything on the floor in the first place!"
Hermione looked grim. "Well at least he's not a prefect anymore."
"What?" said Harry, a grin spreading across his face.
"Yeah well apparently on Dumbledore's orders, Snape took his badge off him because he was helping out Umbridge with the Inquisitorial squad", said Ron, a look of absolute glee on his face.
Harry smiled. The year ahead might not be so bad after all.
When the skies fell dark they all changed into their Hogwarts robes, ready to get off the train. For once it wasn't raining, so they didn't get wet trying to get into the thestral drawn carriages. Harry managed to get into a carriage with Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Neville, Dean, and Seamus. Both Dean and Seamus bombarded Harry with questions about when or if the DA would be starting up again. Harry told them both with enthusiasm that they would be starting up as soon as he could find a day to suit everyone.
When they reached the front step, they joined the crowed squeezing through the oak front doors and into the Entrance Hall. Peeves was there, busy trying to drop water bombs filled with black ink onto unsuspecting students. Quickly seeking refuge in the Great Hall, Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table, in between Ron and Ginny. Hermione, who sat opposite them, was busy scanning the teacher's table. Harry and the others quickly did the same.
"Where's the new Defense teacher?" asked Ginny, who had spotted the empty seat.
Harry didn't have time to ponder this question more, before Dumbledore stood up. There was immediate silence as everyone waited for Dumbledor to speak. "Let the sorting begin", he said, as McGonagall placed the three-legged stool in front of the teacher's table.
"Abarmly, Eric", called Professor McGonagall, as a nervous and slightly green looking first year stepped forward to be sorted into Hufflepuff.
"Wait on", said Harry, to the other around him, "What happened to the sorting Hat's song?"
"Didn't you all hear?" asked Nearly Headless Nick, who was sitting a little way down from Harry. "See, the sorting hat thinks it's wrong to break every one up into different houses, because it just causes inter house arguments, so it nearly refused to even sort the first years. Dumbledore forced it to sort them all, after reminding it of it's duty to the founders, but it flat out refused to sing a song, and nothing Dumbledore could say would make it reconsider."
Harry turned his attention back to the sorting, and groaned when he realized they were still only up to the D's. He was hungry. Slowly, very slowly, the line of first years got shorter, and eventually Dumbledore stood up again.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I understand some of you are excruciatingly hungry (Ron's stomach had just given a particularly audible grumble) so for now, all I have to say is; the chicken is delicious." With that, the tables were suddenly covered in every sort of culinary delight imaginable.
Ron began to eat at an astronomical rate, and the others followed, though at a much slower rate. Harry took Dumbledore's advice and ate some of the chicken, which was as good as the headmaster made it sound.
Just as everyone was finishing off their dessert, the doors to the great hall opened. Seeing who it was, Harry nearly choked on his custard pie. It was Remus.
"What's he doing here?" whispered Ginny, to which the others merely shrugged. Hermione, on the other hand, looked like she had just realized something important, and was now smiling satisfactorily to herself
"What?" asked Harry.
Hermione rolled her eyes, still grinning. "If you haven't already figured it out, you can just wait until Dumbledore tells you."
"Tells me what?" pressed Harry, but Hermione was prevented from answering when Dumbledore stood up and met Remus just in front of the teacher's table. They shared a few quiet words before Remus sat down between Professors McGonagall and Vector. Dumbledore returned to his position and waited for every one to be quiet.
"Once again, I welcome you all back to Hogwarts. I hate to spoil such a lovely evening with a lecture, but it is something I must do." Harry had a feeling that he knew what Dumbledore was going to say. "I know most of you are aware of the current situation. For those of you who may have been living under rocks for the last year, let me inform you. Voldemort has returned." Dumbledore waited patiently as nearly everyone in the hall winced or gasped at the mention of the most feared dark wizard of all time. "Voldemort has returned, and the entire wizarding world is once again living in fear. If you all look around you at the people in this room, you can see the relatives of the victims of the last war. Well this is another war, and there are going to be even more innocent victims. I know you do not wish to hear it, but you must realize the truth. We are not safe. No one is. While Voldemort still stands, every one is at risk." No one said a word. A lot of people appeared not to be breathing. "The only way we can stand against external penetration is to stand together. United we must fight, for if we are divided we will fall. Look around you. What do you see? 'Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws and Slytherins' is what some of you will say. That is not what I see. I see sitting in front of me not four divided masses, but one bunch of students. Every single on of you is a student, but not just that; every single one of you is a person. You all have different personalities yes, but on the inside, you are all the same; made out of the same stuff. Remember that. Remember the sorting hat's warning last year. Stand united!"
Nobody moved. Nobody said a word for a long time. Eventually Dumbledore decided it was time to move on. "On a happier note", he said, "I have another announcement. Please join me in welcoming back Professor Lupin, who will once again be taking up the position of Defense against the Dark Arts teacher."
There was a round of applause, in which Harry and his friends clapped hard, but they were the only ones showing enthusiasm. A lot of people were looking at Remus like scared little rabbits. Of course, thought Harry, they all know he's a werewolf!
Once the very quiet applause had died down, Dumbledore was about to speak again when he was interrupted by a sneering, cold voice from the Slytherin table.
"Wait 'till my father hears about this, letting that werewolf teach again." It was Malfoy. Those who hadn't been taught by Professor Lupin before and hadn't known he was a werewolf were now looking like he was going to eat them right then and there.
"Scared Malfoy?" Harry shouted across the room at him. The Gryffindors chucked appreciatively.
"Draco isn't scared of anything!" said Pansy Parkinson, standing at Malfoy's defense. "Especially not an overgrown dog like that one", she continued, nodding towards Remus.
Ginny stood beside Harry. "Well he should be scared", she said. "Who has he got to hide behind now? His father's in Azkaban- he was a death eater, just so the rest of you know" she said, addressing the rest of the student body, before turning back to Malfoy and Pansy. "Besides, Professor Lupin is a bigger man then you'll ever grow up to be, so get lost, you slimy little ferret!" Harry joined in the rest of the Gryffindors and some of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs as they laughed at Malfoy.
"That's enough!" said McGonagall, rising out of her seat. "Quiet! Potter, Weasley, Malfoy and Parkinson, you will meet here when everyone else has been dismissed."
After a few minutes silence, in which Ginny and Harry grinned at each other, Dumbledore stood cleared his throat and began to speak again. "Students are reminded that the forest on the edge of the school grounds is forbidden, and Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you all about the long list of banned objects which can be found outside of his office. This year that list has grown by about 105 things, thanks to the hard work of Fred and George Weasley." Dumbledore waited as the applause for the two troublemakers died down. "Also, another year marks the start of another Quidditch season, so anyone interested should see their house captain about try-out times. Now I am sure you are very tired, so please head of to your dormitories, ready for a fun filled day of learning tomorrow. Good night."
Harry and Ginny remained seated as all the students stood up to leave. Hermione shot them a warning look that clearly said she didn't approve of what they had done. Ron patted them on the back jokingly, pretending to be sympathetic. Finally, when everyone had left, including all the teachers apart from Snape, McGonagall, Remus and Dumbledore, Harry and Ginny went to stand in front of them. Malfoy and Pansy joined them moments later, looking grumpy.
"Did you listen to nothing I just said?" asked Dumbledore, though Harry didn't think he was really looking for an answer. "After all I just said about house unity, about standing together, and you go and start shouting at each other across the Great Hall. Act you age. You are fifth and sixth years, I look to you all to set an example for the younger students. A fine example you set, acting so immaturely." Dumbledore wasn't shouting; he didn't need to. He got the message across well enough just by the angry glint in his eyes, and the disappointment in his voice. "You will all be docked 25 house points for your serious lack of maturity." It sounded like they had been dismissed, so they all turned to go.
"Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Parkinson, wait a moment please," said Dumbledore, before he turned to Harry and Ginny. "You two may go". Both Harry and Ginny quickly ran out of the hall and shut the door behind them.
When the both started looking through their pockets it appeared they both had the same idea. When they had both found their sets of extendable ears, they placed them under the door and listened.
"Your behavior was nothing short of inexcusable", they heard Dumbledore say. "How dare you speak that way to a teacher? I will take a further 50 points each from Slytherin in the hopes of teaching you some respect, and you shall both serve detention with Professor Lupin tomorrow night at 5. You needn't worry Mr. Malfoy, it's not a full moon." Harry and Ginny grinned at each other.
From the sounds of it, Dumbledore had just dismissed Malfoy and Pansy, because they heard footsteps approaching the door. Quickly they dashed to the nearest statue and hid behind it. They waited silently until the Slytherns headed off to the dungeons, before they in turn headed up to Gryffindor tower.