-CHAPTER FOUR-
A Dismal ReturnIt was finally the day the Hogwarts Express would make yet another trip to Hogwarts. It had been official that Hogwarts would reopen its doors to its students again when Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all received their letters two weeks before the summer's end. Harry informed his friends that he was officially returning to Hogwarts and each of them were the happiest they had been all summer. They went out that day to Diagon Alley to pick up the necessities listed on their letters from Hogwarts. Though Harry's news was good news, not every event that summer was good. Ron and Hermione eventually broke up which, they decided, was because they were too close friends prior to their relationship. They did seem, to Harry, to resemble friends more than a couple even when they were going out, Harry had forgotten completely a couple times during the course of the summer that they were actually going out. Now, once again three best friends Ron, Hermione, and Harry were ready, with the help of Ginny and other school friends, to finally put an end to the evil magic threatening their lives.
"C'mon Harry, don't doddle," Mr. Weasley shouted up the stairs, "we've got to catch the train remember?"
"Down in a second," Harry yelled back, "just have to find my, ah, there they are." Harry plucked his black trousers from under his bed, packed it forcefully into his trunk and dragged it downstairs where Mr. Weasley was waiting with Hedwig in her cage. "Good morning," he groaned trying to drag his trunk across the dining room.
"Silly boy," said Mr. Weasley, "let me help you." With the swish of his wand, Harry's trunk rose and glided out, through the door, into the trunk of the Ministry car awaiting them, which slammed itself shut, "and good morning to you too," Mr. Weasley smiled playfully at Harry and guided him towards the car.
"Good morning Harry," said Ron, Ginny, and Hermione simultaneously.
"Good morning," Harry answered, "I wonder how many people are actually returning this year."
"Dunno, hopefully people will realize Hogwarts is the safest place for anyone to be," replied Ron, "personally, I'm not really that worried." Ron winked at Harry and he knew he was talking about Dumbledore.
Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys crossed over into platform nine and three quarters. Mr. And Mrs. Weasley said their goodbyes to Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny who had already loaded themselves train.
"See you all at Christmas," shouted Mrs. Weasley after the train, "be good, and stay out of trouble." Mrs. Weasley began to cry and Mr. Weasley walked over to comfort her.
"Honestly," Ron started, "you'd think after so many years of her sending her kids away to Hogwarts, she'd be able to deal with it by now." Ron shook his head, pulled his wand out of his robe, and began waving it around aimlessly.
"And she should also know by now that after five years, six for you, of constantly getting into tight spots, staying out of trouble just isn't possible for us," Ginny said this with a smile and wrapped herself around Harry's arm.
Hermione was still contemplating what Ron had just said, "what do you mean she should be able to deal with it? I'm sorry to bring up bad memories, but a Hogwarts teacher killed the most powerful wizard in the world only a few months ago, on school grounds. I think that it's perfectly alright for your mum to be worried about her children after that."
Ron stopped waving his wand but his eyes did not leave it, "I guess your right, nothing like this has ever happened at Hogwarts," Ron looked over at Ginny, "I'd be worried too," then a smile came to Ron's face, "but there's no need to worry, Dumbledore's returning."
"I dunno," said Harry, "we can't just bring him back." Ron and Ginny looked at Harry terrified at the thought that Harry did not seem to want Dumbledore to return.
"Harry's right," interjected Hermione, Ginny and Ron's looks were now shot over towards her, "I mean, who knows if Dumbledore will actually want to return? We can't just awaken him and expect him to be ok with it, also, would it not arouse suspicion if Dumbledore just started walking around after his funeral?"
Just then Neville and Luna entered through the compartment door, everyone immediately drew their attention away from Dumbledore and focused on Neville's bloody nose, "blimey Neville, what happened to your nose?"
Neville opened his mouth to talk but Luna spoke first, "it's bleeding." Harry looked over at Luna whose face was buried in the Quibbler; he was very familiar with this paper now, and was also quite familiar with the uncomfortable atmosphere Luna could set with only a few words. Everyone expected more to come from Luna but she stayed silent, head still seemingly stuck in her magazine.
"Ya, well, what actually happened?" Ron spoke up.
Neville was wise this time not to open his mouth and simply let Luna answer, "Millicent Bulstrode, Neville and I were walking looking in the compartments for the four of you and he accidentally peeked into one belonging to 'Salazar's Slytherins.'" Luna lifted her head, looked over at Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Ginny, and answered their confused expressions with a 'that's what I said,' face.
Ginny and Ron laughed loudly once the thought had processed, "are you serious? Salazar's Slytherins?" Ron gasped for breath, "and who are these Slytherins?"
"Planby, Clarb, Groybal, and Miblibcent," mumbled Neville, clearly trying to be helpful, through a blood-soaked handkerchief and congested nose.
Ginny grabbed a clean handkerchief for Neville, Hermione waved her wand causing Neville's bloody one to disappear and be replaced by Ginny's. Ron stifled a laugh into a loud snort causing Neville to snicker himself squirting blood all over the cabin which was cleaned at once be Hermione and her wand. Harry didn't partake in any of the laughing or cleaning but asked Luna to repeat Neville, in coherent dialogue.
"Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Millicent."
Hermione seemed to notice the look of discomfort on Harry's face, "oh, don't worry Harry, they're the most likely to follow in Malfoy's footsteps but least likely to actually succeed in it." Harry smiled at Hermione, and the five Gryffindor students and Luna squeezed into the train compartment and enjoyed their final ride to Hogwarts as students with a horde of sweets and no further incident, Ron and Hermione figured the train didn't need two more prefects running about the cabins and decided to stay put.
"Alright, firs' years with me!" Came Rubeus Hagrid's voice from the edge of the dark Hogwarts lake, "pile in, c'mon, four to a boat!" Hagrid caught Harry's eye with his own and beamed. Hagrid moved through, or rather forced his way through, the sea of startled first years, "Harry, couldn't wait to see you," the teary-eyed Hagrid scooped Harry up in a bone crunching bear-hug and set him back down. "Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Neville, Luna. How you all been?" Hagrid reached out to hug the rest of them but before he could Hermione reminded him that he had to tend to the first years.
"That was close, good thinking Hermione," said Ron, "almost got injured on my first day back. You alright Harry?"
"Ya, I'll be fine," Harry Wheezed, "shall we head to the castle?"
The Hogwarts 'unwelcoming committee' met the students as they entered the massive front doors of the castle, "alright all you mudbloods and pure-blooded traitors," came the scratchy voice of Pansy Parkinson, "Dumbledore is gone and there is no one left to save you filthy creatures from your inevitable demise!" With her were the three remaining Slytherins who were now known as Salazar's Slytherins.
"I'm surprised she can put a sentence together, let alone one with big words like 'inevitable', and 'is'," Hermione was proud of her joke as was everyone around her, but her joy was stomped on by Pansy's next remarks.
"So, mudblood, you think it's funny do you? You find it amusing that you and all your little friends will soon be met and killed by the Dark Lord? What am I saying, why would the Dark Lord waste his time on you puny parasites, he'll probably have one of his followers do it."
Ron had had enough and was about to shut Pansy up with the langlock curse he had learned over the break when Ginny spoke up, "you go ahead, you tell your precious master to send more Death Eaters after us, oh wait, I don't think there are any left! Didn't we finish them all off last year?"
"Funny Weasley, too bad for poor old Dumbledore you didn't finish off Professor Snape too," the sinister tone in Pansy's voice sent chills through everyone's spines, "yes, greatest wizard ever I must say, old fool got what her deserved!"
Harry had had enough, "don't you ever…"
"What's going on here?" Professor McGonagall, Gryffindor's Head of House, and Hogwart's new Headmistress, pulled the door of the great hall open from the inside, "well come on, everyone in, get to your tables, first years up to the front."
The great hall's enchanted ceiling was a blend of stars and planets all set on a pitch-black background. As everyone found their seats Hagrid walked down the center of the great hall with the ruddy looking sorting hat that had been used at Hogwarts to sort first years into their houses for many years. Professor McGonagall stood and spoke.
"Welcome everyone, to another year at Hogwarts!" The hall was filled with noise and was silenced at once with the wave of Professor McGonagall's hand. Harry remembered when Professor Dumbledore would do this; everyone would become silent out of respect, but for Professor McGonagall, it seemed to be out of fear. "We are about to begin another year and with this, unfortunately, comes other news. Students, fourth year and younger, shall be escorted to class by professors or prefects, students shall go straight to their dormitories when not eating, in class, or in the presence of a teacher, and anywhere out side the castle is out of bounds except when accompanied by a teacher. Other than this, Hogwarts is the same as it was last year, now, let the sorting begin!"
"How dare you!" Professor Slughorn had taken the word right out of Harry's mouth, "'back to normal'? Minerva, really. I can't believe that you of all people would allow Dumbledore's death to be forgotten." The great hall was silent but somehow became quieter when Professor Slughorn spoke of Dumbledore.
Professor McGonagall stood shocked for a moment, looking as if she were just hit over the head with a bludger, until she found her voice, "yes well, as all of you are aware, Professor Dumbledore passed away last year near the end of term," she paused and began to speak but was interrupted by Professor Slughorn.
"Allow me. Dumbledore was a great man, he did not deserve at all what happened to him," Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw that almost everyone sitting there was grinning. "Dumbledore was murdered by Severus Snape, former Professor and Slytherin Head of House." The Slytherin table began to buzz with excited conversation. "Now, Dumbledore will never be forgotten and I hope you will all make sure of this." Professor Slughorn gazed over the sea of students, "now, I believe we have some sorting to deal with."