Second chapter.....sorry hardly any Draco. And to Leithenindel, I know that the head people are seventh year but this year they made an exception....None of the 7th years were ready :-D.

"Firs' years this way!Firs' years this way! Hullo Harry, an 'ermione. Where's that red headed comrade of yours?"

Harry and I grinned. Ron had 'accidentally' left Pigwideon in the compartment. "How's everything Hagrid?" I questioned when we finally reached his hearing range. From the uncomfortable silence that followed, everything wasn't good. Lowering his voice and leaning down (did we grow?) so that we could only hear, he murmured,

"Hate to tell ya but the giants finally acted this summer. Wasn't such a good thing....wreaked havoc for the Ministry all summer. Members of the ministry went missing.....some found insane, jabbering and 'soulless'. Weren't only the giants who done action....dementor sightings have been reported. Dumbledore already...."

"Well if it isn't the overgrown halfling. Raised any dragons lately?" Hagrid stiffened, flushed and muttered something that was unintelligible. "Pardon me?" repeated the speaker.

"Nothin'" muttered Hagrid before he straightened up again and repeated his call, with the first years looking frightened and anxious. Whipping around I glared at Malfoy who smirked and said,

"What, had a little trouble hearing the conversation? I can repeat it word for word...." he trailed away, turned around and disappeared into the crowd. Finally taking a moment to calm myself I felt a shaking next to me and turned around to see Harry trembling with anger.

"Calm down. He's being such a git this year."

"Hey Hermione! Help me with this darn bird!" I sighed and helped Ron load his cage into the carriage while Harry stopped to pat the thestrels. Finally, when everyone was done with their last minute arrangements, the carriages started with a jolt. Harry, facing the window, sighed.

"What's wrong pixies got your tongue?" I grimaced at Ron's lack of tact and elbowed him.

"Hush Ron!" Lowering my voice I whispered, "Give him time over Sirius you dolt!" Ron's mouth formed an 'o' and he shut up.

While the carriage rattled nearer and nearer to the castle, I kept shooting anxious glances at Harry and Ron, and then finally, gave up and looked out the window.

It was a glorious night. The dark path ahead of us swayed with the lights of the previous carriages looking like trapped fireflies in a jar. The occasional slap of the lake against its shores drew my attention to the bobbing boats. I heard a "Splash!" jerking me out of my contemplation. As I dimly heard Hagrid say,

"Gotcha. Tol' you to stay away from th' side." I grinned and turned my attention to the silent statues I had for companions. Finally, we came to a halt outside of the castle.

Scrambling to get out and retrieve my wand, Ron and Harry sat glumly until I popped my head into the carriage and said,

"Guys. There's food. Come on!" That jerked Ron out of wherever he had been and Harry looked at me bleakly. Without turning around to see if they followed, I hurried into the hall right next to Luna. Then,

"Sir! Harry Potter, sir!" Twirling around to see if Harry was really near the entrance of the hall, I saw a house-elf head, covered in many bobble knitted caps, which I recognized as my previous year's work. So that's where they all went....

"Yes Dobby?" Harry sighed.

"Sir, I just wanted to say Gryffindor room is much different this year! Rooms changed. Yes, sir, Dobby put your luggage there already. New people coming. Dear oh dear, must get back to...."

Dobby never finished his sentence. Peeves had appeared, wielding a rather familiar-looking broom. Oh bloody hell....it was Harry's firebolt. Dobby saw this too, just as Harry reacted.

"Peeves! Give my broom back! NO!" Harry cried as Peeves drew back his transparent arm back to throw it. Just then Dobby stepped forward.

"Bad ghost will put down Harry Potter's broom. Bad, noisy, ghost will listen or else."

Peeves cackled, "Or else what? What can a meddling traitor elf do to me? Kill me? I'm dead!" then threw Harry's broom. As I watched in horror, I heard someone mutter, "Accio broom!" It flew straight into Harry's hands just as Dobby let out a yell and there was a crack! In the midst of it all I heard someone say, "You owe me big Harry." Was it that cool smug voice from earlier? I didn't think about it then because

PEEVES HAD DISAPPEARED.

"What is going on here? Where has Peeves gone? You!" Turning, I saw Professor McGonagall striding towards me followed by a straggling group of first years.

"Hermione! Where is Peeves? Who is the perpetrator of this deed?" I raised my finger and pointed to the trembling house elf. "Surely you are joking! Now, now, what did you do with Peeves?" Dobby mumbled something. "Please speak up Dobby." Even with the crowd silent, and the occasional clatter of the plates in the Great Hall, Dobby's whisper didn't penetrate the crowd.

There was a snicker. "Peeves is in the lake?" McGonagall nodded. Then her eyes widened. "With no hair whatsoever? And mute? Goodness what did he do? Oh." Nodding her head in satisfaction McGonagall turned to the crowd and said, "No one is to ever speak of this in front of Peeves or he'll do what Poltergeists do best---wreak havoc. Now everyone go to your House tables and first years come with me!"

As the first years shuffled along in a line in their dark Hogwarts cloak, we entered the Great Hall. As the ceiling flickered with lightning, the welcome site of it took my breath away. The long tables were still their dark lovely brown, and the candles that were floating in midair were extra bright as we entered from the dark hall. The stain glass windows flickered with hidden light, and at the head table, in the middle, there sat Dumbledore.

By golly, he looked older, strained. But as we entered his eyes lit up with the famous sparkle of blue and his face relaxed. Snape looked his same old threatening self, his hair a bit shorter from last year and his normally narrowed eyes jumping from teacher to teacher, as if he expected them to yell out that, "Snape is a Death Eater!" Hagrid emerged from the side room, a bit damp, but still with his famous ruddy complexion, and his sparkling black eyes all hidden under a beard. Then there was Professor Sprout, Madame Pomfrey, and the New Defense Against the Dark Arts? Not so new.....thank god for Professor Lupin! As the Great hall doors clanged shut, McGonagall put the Sorting Hat on the Stool. What would it sing this year? It opened its brim and started,

"It was a time of deep dark secrets,

A time of fear and darkness too,

A time without Hogwarts and prefects,

A time that had nothing due.

Many wizards feared another,

Hiding, waiting, betraying, hating,

No one trusted like a brother,

When four wizards came forth stating,

'We need to form a school

With young ones with talent,

Teach them to defend and duel,

And the true meaning of the word gallant.'

These four formed this school,

With the four houses of each,

Forming friendships between wise and fool,

Not learning just lessons of rhyme and speech.

Wise Ravenclaw chose the brightest,

Gryffindor chose the bravest,

Slytherin chose the mightiest,

Which left Hufflepuff with all the rest.

Whether you are brave or sure,

Caring or wise,

We're the mixing pot which I stir,

And break through what's in disguise.

Now step forward and put me on,

And learn about each other,

I'll put you where you belong,

So that one day you unite and stay together.

A hush filled the hall, unsure whether what the tattered, black hat sang was true. As McGonagall (not the least bit perturbed) pulled open the scroll and read out the names, Harry had snapped out of his trance. I whispered, "Do you understand what the hat said? It's warning us that we have to stick together..."

"Doh Hermione." Interrupted Ron. "Where's the food?"

Dumbledore stood up. Raising his arms he spoke. "Welcome one and all to a new year! Some beginning of the year announcements to make. First of all, NO ONE is allowed in the Forbidden Forest," He flashed a look at Lee Jordan and his colleagues, "And Mr. Filch has kindly reminded me about his list of Forbidden objects in the hallways. If you want to see the complete list, it covers his office door," There was a flash of amusement in his eyes, "And lastly, Buttercup whiz!" With that, platters of food appeared on the table. Ron was soon lost in the piles of food, which were on ceramic platters. As I looked closer, I realized that the plates were magicked to stay warm, and that the goblets on the table were charmed to refill. That's when I felt a premonition of someone watching me. Looking up from my plate, my eyes met cool grey slate eyes which quickly returned to his plate. How long had he been watching me?

Then I noticed that Harry had very little on his plate. "Goodness Harry! Eat something. No, don't just spoon around your food on your plate to look like you ate something!" Harry's glum face brightened for a moment before returning to its unusually pale visage. Harry was slowly turning into a ghost. I thought for a minute and said sweetly, "Of course, if you aren't strong or fit enough to play quidditch, I could always talk to Ginny (who was that years captain)." He grimaced but started to spoon his normal serving onto his plate. That's more like it..... I felt that gaze on me again.

God! What was wrong with Malfoy? Do I have a bit of mashed potato on my hair? Malfoy grinned a smug smile just as he pointed to something on his forehead. Jerk! He had noticed my zit....well no one's perfect. As the last minute belches (gross) and clattering of utensils on their plates finished, Dumbledore stood up again.

"First years, please follow your prefects," Who had just stood up, "And students, have a good night's rest for learning begins tomorrow!" A collective groan went up and everyone started to leave their seats.

Fifteen minutes later, I flopped into the warm, maroon couch in the Gryffindor Common Room moaning, "Bloody hell. What is up with this Head Girl business? I must have talked to more than half the staff about that darned trip." As everything faded, my last thought was, "Where was Malfoy? He was supposed to help me with that briefing."

"Enter Avery." A cold wind whipped through the room as a cloaked Death Eater stepped into the room. "Have you completed your plans?"

"Yes My Lord." Came the answer from the dark cowl. The unlit room made Avery uneasy. The large snake was gone from its normal position, and as the thin, white spiderlike hands drummed its fingers with impatience, Avery's palms began to sweat.

"Has our spy infiltrated the castle yet?" The cold voice suddenly went deadly.

"Yes My Lord. It wasn't as hard as I predicted. The disguised spy is now working in the kitchens, and as you suggested My Lord, the spy has an occupation that will allow him to travel freely throughout the castle." There was a silence before,
"Very good. You may leave now Avery. I don't expect you back until you have information on this school trip." As the Death Eater bowed and walked out of the room, Voldemort stood up from his chair.

"Wormtail." A short sniveling man appeared from the darkness playing with a twig in his glove-white hand. "Have that man tracked. I do not trust him anymore. There was a lie hidden in his words."

"Yes Milord."

"Have you contacted your son yet?" Another Death Eater stepped out of the shadows. With the moonlight glinting on his ringed hand, he answered,

"No Milord. However, I will send an owl tonight to get your answer." Voldemort let out a rattling breath,

"Very well. Leave me!" As Wormtail and the Death Eater left the room, Voldemort looked out his windows. Like the giants, he hid in the mountains. Right outside of Hogsmeade. The lake glinted in his looking glass, and the peaceful village sparkled on the horizon. He nodded. Things were going as planned, and they would soon have another Death Eater join their ranks.

Oooooooo. What is wrong with Harry? Is it more than depression? Is Malfoy irritating Hermione on purpose or is there more? What will happen when Peeves returns? R&R please!

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