A/N book stealing friends have robbed both my beta and my own books, so I'm afraid some names may be a bit off, thank you to my dear beta for making my story readable and to all my reviewers who always make me smile and feel loved.
Harry stared down at Hermione, his mouth open in shock.
"You fucking elbowed her, what the fuck's your problem you bastard she was only trying to stop you," Ron stood up and screamed in Harry's face before helping Hermione to her feet.
"I-I-I'm so sorry, I didn't meant to, I just, I didn't realize," Harry stammered holding out an arm to help Hermione but Ron just slapped it away.
" Don't you fucking touch her," Ron growled, threateningly, before placing a protective arm around Hermione's shoulders and led her off to the hospital wing. A slow, deliberate clap behind him took him by surprise. Turning to face the applauder, Harry fumed to see Malfoy's smug though black and blue face.
"Well done Harry, the Mudblood bitch had it coming, couldn't of done it better myself," Draco slimed, swaying forward towards Harry, ready for another confrontation.
"I'm going to..." Harry begun before a hand fell heavily on his shoulder.
"What's going on here? Not fighting already potter? Only 5 minutes into a new school year? Tsk tsk, 10 points from Gryffindor." Snape's silky voice said in his ear. Harry heard the swish of Snape's cloak as he turned and walked off leaving a very pissed off potter with an incredible smug looking Draco.
Harry turned and followed Snape into the great hall, sitting himself at the very end seat of the Gryffindor table next to some awed looking second years. Harry rested his head in his hands and sighed. He ached all over from the blows Malfoy was able to land on his already tender body and now wracked with guilt about hitting Hermione. The sorting begun and Harry vaguely tuned in, clapping occasionally but mainly just staring straight ahead into space.
Eventually Dumbledore stood and addressed the hall, Harry sat up in his chair and focused all his attention on his seemingly ageless idol. No matter what he had said to Dumbledore last year, no matter what lies hew had told and what he had put him through, Harry had nothing but respect and love for the man standing before him. Dumbledore was everything Harry wanted to be. Wise, mysterious, powerful, loved, feared.
" Last year our perception of our world shattered. Our safety blanket has been torn to shreds and our lives will never be the same again. Lord Voldemort is back. I said this at the beginning of last year and you all disbelieved. I don't blame you, the thought of returning to how things where before he disappeared is terrifying, even to those who weren't old enough to remember it, but he is back and there are precautions we MUST take in order to keep ourselves and each other safe. First of all, trips to Hogsmeade have been cancelled except to do Christmas shopping, where you will go year group at a time for 2 hours. People caught in Hogsmeade out of these times will be expelled. We have also decided that we need to strengthen the bonds between houses, so we have developed an interhouse pen pal system. It will be compulsory to send at least 10 letters to the pen pal assigned to you throughout the year; those who don't comply will also be expelled. There will be an envelope awaiting you in your common room containing the Age and sex of your pen pal. Some will be male to male, some female to female and some co-ed, and you will not be aloud to change them so don't even bother asking." Dumbledore cast his eye over the mumbling crowd, hushing them instantly. "These measures seem harsh but I assure you they are necessary, we need to be strong and united against Voldemort or we will all crash and burn. On a more pleasant note professor Trelawney has decided to do personalized weekly horoscopes for 1 galleon for the entire year. They will be delivered to those who want them by owl at breakfast time every Sunday for the following week. To subscribe sign your name on the sheet in your common room and deposit one coin into the box attached. Well, that's all my announcements tonight, I realize we usually do this after the feast and I apologise for keeping you but I have a previous engagement, enjoy the feast and goodnight, have sweet dreams my dears," Dumbledore nodded before making his way off the stage and out of the hall.
The second the door closed behind Dumbledore the plates where filled to the point of almost overflowing with food, so many different varieties, textures and smells that Harry couldn't decide where to start first, his thoughts of Dumbledore and guilt about Hermione was pushed from his mind as he begun devouring platefuls of food.
Once the desserts had been served and devoured Harry pushed himself up from the table and headed towards the common room. Ron and Hermione had returned halfway through dinner, Ron glared at Harry as they went past, but Hermione just smiled softly and mouthed, "It's ok". Madam Pomfrey had completely healed her eye and Harry was so relieved Hermione seemed to have realized it was an accident.
He arrived at the common room and looked around at some of the familiar faces, no one he was good friends with so he made his way up to his room so he could hopefully be asleep before Ron came in, or at least pretend to be.
Sitting on his pillow was an envelope, his name neatly scrawled on the front. It took him a minute to realize what it was, his new pen pals information. Just what he needs, to write some bullshit to some random fuckwit just to keep himself in school. Sighing Harry opened the envelope; his knew pen pal was his age and male. Harry's mind ran through the males in his year but there were to many to narrow it down to a specific group, the only way he could eliminate some was to take away all the Gryffindors, considering it was made to build interhouse relationships.
"Uh fuck it," Harry said quietly before lying on the bed fully clothed, staring up at the ceiling. He wasn't sure how long it was, but he soon drifted off into a deep sleep.
