Let live the innocent for us prey on.
Let live the strong for us to fight.
Let live the unique for us to study.
Long live the Malfoys.
Long live the Weasleys.
Long live the Muggle borns.
Hermione rubbed her temple as she stared at a stone in the castle's wall. She wasn't listening to anything Dumbledore was saying, even though she knew that she should with the war dawning closer. Hermione hung her head and stared at an empty place. It felt like she hadn't eaten in days, and it she was becoming very irritable with the old man's talk. Hermione began to pay attention after he introduced the new teachers, and then the feast began.
Hermione dug in the food, and didn't listen to any of the dinner table conversation. She picked up her head when Ron noted something about his steak. "It's still pink. Is that blood?" Ron asked in disgust.
"Can I try it?" Hermione asked, the first time she spoke since the train.
"Sure," Ron said as Hermione forked his steak.
Hermione cut a small piece and chewed it. She found it delicious. She cut a larger piece and used her canine teeth to tear at it greedily. She ate in a few seconds, to the amazement to everyone at the table. She looked up to meet their gazes. "What? It was good."
"You have a bit of blood dribbling down the corner of your mouth," Harry said, pointing to the spot on him.
Hermione brushed the spot with her thumb, and looked at her thumb. Yes, it was blood. Hermione grew very hungry, and licked the blood off her thumb. Everyone dropped their mouths, and lost their appetites. She shrugged at them, and went back to eating.
Hermione yawned as she led the first years to the Gryffindor tower. The sound of their nervous, mindless chatter annoyed Hermione, to the point where she wanted to leave them alone and watch them try to fend for themselves. Hermione felt a smile play across her face at the thought of the first years trying to find their way around the castle. Hermione quickly dismissed the thoughts, knowing they were wrong and harsh.
"What's the password?" a second year asked.
Hermione quickly said the password and explained the sleeping arrangement to the first years. Hermione yawned and stared out the window. It was a dark night, the stars and moon were covered by amass of clouds. Hermione stifled another yawn and closed her eyes. Once she reopened them she saw the lake reflecting the moonlight. Hermione looked up to the moon. It was only a small crescent shape, but it still shone enough to light up all of Hogwarts' ground.
As Hermione was looking around the moonlight grounds, something inside her stirred. Her eyes became focus and clear instead of being daze, which was her usually state of mind since the summer. All of her body became re-energized and it felt like she had electricity flowing through her veins. She was still very hungry, but for the first time since the summer she felt invigorated.
Ron and Harry were talking to Seamus and Dean on the couch. Hermione walked over to them and asked, "Any one up for a game of Wizard's chess?"
The shook their head, and Hermione asked, "How about a game of cards?"
"Nah, I'm heading to bed," Seamus said, heading up to the boys dormitories followed by Dean.
"Harry, Ron? A game of poker? Wizard's chess?" Hermione asked eagerly.
"I thought you were tired," Harry said.
"I got my second wing," Hermione said.
"Well, I'm heading to bed," Ron said.
Harry nodded and followed suit. Hermione sighed. She was all alone now. There was an eerie silence that filled the common room. The silence had a faint undertone of bedsprings squeaking from nervous first years that were too scared to go to sleep. Hermione walked over to the window and stared out it for a while. She was looking at the Forbidden Forest. The sylvan scene with no hint of life in it and no light intrigued Hermione. For the first time she felt a strong incitement to go in there with no one else.
Hermione shook it off and decide to try a sleep. However, before she went up to her bed, she looked on last time, longingly, to the Forbidden Forest.
Shannyn Styles was playing in her mother's garden. Her hair was knotted and tangled from chasing around her dog in the woods all day, and knew her mother would not like that. Shannyn didn't care though; she wanted to see the flowers and wasn't coming in till they bloomed. Yes Shannyn knew it was nighttime, and all of her mother's flowers only bloomed in the morning, but she didn't care. Shannyn always enjoyed her mother's garden, she even talk to the flowers when no one was listening.
"Come on and bloom just once for me," Shannyn pleaded with the flowers.
The wind whisked the request away, and soon all of the violets started to blossom. Shannyn smiled and the violets withered back into buds. "Shannyn, come inside dear."
Shannyn groan, it was just like her mother to ruin all of her fun. Shannyn stood up and asked, "Mum, can I sleep out here tonight?"
"Shannyn," her mother's voice said with annoyance. "It's been a long day, please come inside."
"But Mum." Shannyn wined.
Shannyn's mother stepped outside her house and looked at her daughter. Her clothes were covered in mud, and a stick was knotted in her head. Shannyn's mother let out a laugh and said, "Honey, if you come inside and let me give you a bath, then tomorrow you can have a camp out."
"I don't wanna." Shannyn pouted.
"Shannyn," was her mother's desperate sigh before she walked over and picked Shannyn up.
"I don't wanna! I don't wanna!" Shannyn cried out, before something grabbed her by the back of the neck and pulled her away from her mother.
Shannyn went to cry out when a hand covered her mouth. "Let my daughter go!" Shannyn's mother cried.
"You two are perfect," a hoarse, whisper voice said so quietly that the wind carried it away before anyone else would hear it.
"Hello class," the new Defense against the Dark Arts greeted the Gryffindors. "My name is Professor Roxanne Diotrephes, call me Professor Roxanne and I will be your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. I come from Las Vegas, and this is not my first teaching job. I know any trick you could ever pull, and I know how to give it back in tenth folds. I'm very willing to show off my skills at pranking, so don't give me a reason. That being said, I think we'll have a good year together."
Professor Roxanne did role call and went on to explain about this year and at the end of the class did a demonstration. Everyone liked the new teacher, except Hermione. Partly because she always got a migraine when she heard her voice.
"I think Professor Roxanne is nice," Ron said later that night a dinner.
"Acts nice or looks nice?" Hermione spat at him.
"Hermione, you ok?" Ginny asked her voice filled with anxiousness.
"Yes, just a bad migraine," Hermione said, rubbing her temples. "I think I'm going to bed."
"But it's still light out?" Harry said.
"I know, but I'm tired," Hermione told him and walked off.
A/N: I honestly didn't expect two people I didn't know to review first, thanks.