The morning of September 1st came quickly, and with it, a mob of Witches and Wizards arriving at Kings Cross Station. Platform 9 ¾ was a whirlwind of activity as parents ushered their children towards the Hogwarts Express. While new and returning students began to board the train, a group of redheads stood out amongst the sea of people. Molly Weasley, mother of seven who had done this many times before, attempted to corral her children and make sure that they made it onto the train on time.
"Fred, stop giving Arnold sweets!" the Weasley matriarch shouted to the teen who was currently trying to feed Fudge Flies to the aforementioned Pygmy Puff. Suddenly, an identical looking red head appeared from behind her with a big smile on his face.
"He's not Fred, I am!" the boy exclaimed with glee, causing Molly to roll her eyes and sigh.
"You two do this every year! You are giving me grey hair!" the woman scolded. Shaking her head in exasperation, she turned to her two youngest children.
"Ronald, I expect you to help your sister get settled on the train. Ginny dear, don't give him any trouble." She leveled the two with a glare, receiving nods in response. Molly took a moment to praise her son before he got on the train.
"I am so proud of you and Hermione for being named prefects! I know you'll do well. Congratulate Hermione again for me, would you?" She smiled at her youngest son before allowing him to join his siblings.
Soon enough, a loud whistle sounded and the train began its journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ron made his way to the Prefect's compartment after making sure that his sister was alright. After placing his trunk on the overhead shelf, the Weasley flopped unceremoniously into the seat, waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. The two Gryffindors had become an official couple at the beginning of their summer holiday, having gotten closer due to the rumor that Cedric Diggory had been murdered by none other than the Boy Who Lived. While it wasn't normal for the pair to believe the Hogwarts rumor mill, it had been pretty clear to all who witnessed the end of the tournament that the Potter was at fault for the death of the Hufflepuff champion.
A few minutes passed before Hermione entered the Prefects compartment, taking a seat in the empty spot next to Ron. She paid no mind to the other Prefects talking amongst themselves in hushed voices as a question that had been nagging at her throughout the entire summer once again presented itself.
"I wonder where Harry is?" She asked softly, not surprised to see the immediate flash of anger cross the ginger's face. Hermione knew that Ron had a temper, and was bull-headed like no other. She sometimes wished that they had given Harry time to explain himself and his side of the story before abandoning him. However, her thoughts were interrupted by Ron's harsh response to her question.
"Hopefully the Ministry came to their senses and threw the git into Azkaban where he belongs." Came the venomous reply.
Hermione was taken back by the fury that laced her boyfriend's words. She had neglected to voice her thoughts ever since Ron had announced that he was kicking Harry to the curb. She did not want to invoke his anger by speaking her mind and contradicting him. While she knew that this was not healthy for a relationship, the girl felt that she could only handle the pain of losing one friend. She wouldn't know what to do with herself if she were to lose both of them. Deciding to hold her tongue so as not to start an argument, Hermione busied herself with a book she had brought with her to pass the time.
Meanwhile, the twins found themselves in a nearly empty compartment, giving them the privacy and freedom to speak about a certain bespectacled boy, whom they thought of as a little brother. The two teens had no doubt that the Potter was not responsible for the death of Cedric. However, over the summer, there had been numerous occasions where they had attempted to write to Harry, only to be scolded by their mother for 'fraternizing with a murderer'. The change in attitude towards the boy had taken the twins by surprise, as they had never once seen their mother so upset over something that was obviously false.
Every day, Fred and George silently wondered what Harry was up to, and if he was alright, as they didn't forget their little adventure to Surrey back in Third Year. If the bars on his window were anything to go by, the twins could only pray that nothing worse had happened to the boy. Now, in the privacy of their compartment on the Hogwarts Express, the two Weasleys knew this was the only chance they would have to freely talk about the subject.
"Just so we're clear, we both know Harry is innocent." stated Fred, locking eyes with his brother.
"Absolutely. Everyone seems to be buying this load of bollocks." George replied in an incredulous tone. "I can't believe Mum and Ron would just abandon Harry without a second thought!" He nearly shouted. George recalled the moment their mother had announced that the Weasley family would no longer associate themselves with Harry Potter. It was the day after the end of the school year, and all of the Weasley children were home when Molly had called a family meeting.
"Now that all of you are here, your father and I have something very important to speak to you about." Molly started, once all of her children had gotten settled in the living room.
"As you all know, Cedric Diggory was killed at the end of the Tournament, and it was obvious to those in attendance that Harry Potter had committed the despicable crime." Molly spoke with emotion in her voice. With tears forming in her eyes, the Weasley Matriarch sat down before reaching for a tissue to wipe at the moisture. Seeing the disbelieving looks on his siblings' faces, the youngest Weasley son took this moment to stand up and voice his thoughts.
"The git was laying on top of Cedric with his wand in his hand. Everyone saw it, so it's clear that he did it. To think, I shared a dorm with a bloody murderer!" The boy shouted, earning glares from the other children.
"You really think Harry would go so far as to murder a fellow student?" asked Ginny. "He didn't even want to compete in the first place!" She added, despite knowing that she wouldn't be able to get through to her brother.
"I can't believe you believed the waterworks that he put on!" Ron yelled, his face as red as his hair. "The prat had us all believing that he was such a good person. He should rot in Azkaban!" Ron bellowed.
"That's quite enough, Ronald!" came the uncharacteristically stern voice of Arthur. "Now, until everything is cleared up, I don't want any of you communicating with Harry. The investigation at the Ministry is still ongoing, so there will be no contact. Is that understood?" The man asked, looking at each of his children with raised eyebrows. All seven of the Weasley children immediately nodded their heads, though a few did so hesitantly.
Shaking their heads at the memory, both twins let out a sigh.
"Don't worry, Fred," George started, "I know things will work out in the end. Once we get to school, we'll find Harry and talk to him about it. I don't think he ever had the opportunity to explain his side of the story." The boy realized.
Fred nodded in response, slumping back into his seat as he silently hoped that Harry was alright. After a few minutes of silence, George dug around in his bag before pulling out a deck of Exploding Snap cards. The next hour was filled with multiple rounds of the game, though the atmosphere in the compartment was somewhat somber due to the previous conversation. Soon enough, the time had come to get into their uniforms and the cards were quickly stowed away.
Once the train had come to a complete stop, the twins wasted no time in extricating themselves and their trunks in order to begin their search for a certain raven-haired boy. The boys wore identical frowns when they failed to spot the boy in question, both hoping that they would find him during the Welcoming Feast. The carriage that transported them to the castle barely came to a full stop before the gingers vacated the vehicle, making their way to the doors of the Great Hall.
Focused eyes scanned the large room as students filed in and took their seats at their respective tables. Sharing a look of disappointment and worry, the twins decided to sit down and resume their search after the feast; hoping that Harry would be in the common room. The usual enthusiasm that the two Weasleys had during the sorting ceremony was replaced with a more subdued attitude as one by one, the first years joined their houses.
The sound of a spoon hitting the side of a glass caused everyone to look up towards the staff table. Standing from his chair, Dumbledore gave the student body a warm smile before beginning his annual Start of Term speech.
"Welcome back to another year at Hogwarts. I'd like to take a moment of silence to mourn the tragic loss of Hufflepuff student, Cedric Diggory. Gone too soon in such a violent manner. May his memory live on." Spoke the headmaster, his eyes twinkling. The Great Hall was silent as the older students remembered the horrific events that unfolded at the conclusion of the previous school year. Unsurprisingly, a spark of anger flashed on the faces of those who had once called themselves friends of the Gryffindor Champion.
Sitting at the end of the staff table, the Potions Master silently seethed as he watched the performance put on by the Headmaster. Appalled by the blatant lies that left the mouth of the older wizard, Severus once again forced himself to hold his tongue. The Slytherin's keen eyes scanned the room, only to widen in suspicion at the rather aggressive reaction of the youngest male Weasley. The probing eyes of the twins did not go unnoticed by the man, coming to the conclusion that the identical Gryffindors were searching for a boy who currently lay unconscious in the Hospital Wing.
The loyalty displayed by the two nearly indistinguishable siblings would hopefully be useful in raising the spirits of the Boy Who Lived. Severus never thought he would live to see the day when he would look at a Weasley child in a positive light, though if the last few days were any indication, life was full of surprises. Soon enough, the Opening Feast concluded, and the students began their journey to their respective common rooms.
Scaring the First Years had become somewhat of a tradition in Slytherin. If the fact that the common room was located in the dungeons was not enough, the looks on the faces of the group of eleven year olds when their Head of House emerged from the shadows, seemingly out of nowhere, was enough to instantly intimidate them. The Professor slowly scanned the crowd of students, his eyes lingering on a certain platinum-haired fifth year student, his godson, and arch rival of Harry Potter. He made a mental note to speak to the Malfoy alone, sometime in the next few days.
"Welcome to Slytherin house. Our motto is 'Slytherin will help you on your way to greatness.' There are several rules that are put in place not only for your individual safety, but for the safety of the house as a whole. The first, is that you will present a united front when not within the walls of the common room. Any arguments that occur will be saved for the dorms. Should you be caught in a vulnerable state, others may exploit that." Severus stated, having memorized his presentation of the rules.
"You will not walk the halls alone. Always have someone with you when traveling throughout the castle. There is strength in numbers. There is prejudice against Slytherin house, deeming us to be evil witches and wizards. Do not feed the fire by engaging in altercations. Should you find yourself in a conflict with another student, you will not raise your wand unless it is in self defense; in which case, you are to come to me immediately." He informed, giving his students a glare to make sure they understood the gravity of the rules.
"I am not above the act of taking points from my own house. If I see anyone breaking rules, you will be serving detention with me, scrubbing cauldrons until I can see my reflection in them. Do I make myself clear?" Severus asked in a dangerously low voice, making sure to level the fifth years with a look that dared them to object. Receiving nods in response, Severus took a moment before continuing.
"Curfew for First through Third Years is 9:00 with lights out being at 9:30. Fourth and Fifth years, curfew is 10:00 and lights out at 10:30. For Sixth and Seventh years, there is no set curfew, however, I do not want you up at all hours of the night." Snape added, not wanting to have to deal with sleep deprived Slytherins.
"If you have any additional questions, your Prefects can answer them for you. Now, go get some rest, as I do not tolerate tardiness due to oversleeping."
With a final nod, he bid his students farewell and took his leave, preparing himself for what would be a very eventful first day of class.