(For disclaimer, see chapter 1)
AN: Sorry it took so long, I was at my parents house, where the use of the computer is heavily monitored by a Harry hating muggle (that would be my father). Anyway, I'm back home now and I've finally managed to translate this chapter. It's long, and I think it's a bit boring, though in my behalf I have to say that it's more like an extended summary than a chapter. It will tell you what to expect from this ff, as well as introducing the first relationships that will be forged.
I was stunned to see I had three reviews. Honestly, that's three more than what I expected! So:
Thank you Terri for being my first reviewer.
Thank you Miss Lesley, though I don't share your expressive opinions on Dumbledore, I think you'll like how the events will turn out for him. Still: yes, James Potter was (is) a prat, and Harry won't take long to notice. And yes, I also think that Peters betrayal was in part because of how they treated him. But then again, this fic is about second opportunities, and I'm a firm believer of happy endings – for everyone (except maybe Cho Chang).
Thank you Stina. I said I was stunned to have three reviews: you can imagine now my face when I found this fic among your hundred and something favourites. I was in such a shock that I only reacted when my sister collected my jaw from the floor and tried (unsuccessfully) to fix it back on my face. So: thank you. I think I'm blushing.
And, well, here goes the chapter. Hope you'll enjoy it!
The Sorting Ceremony (2)
"We're dead, Snivellus is old and my favourite sexy kitten is all wrinkled and… decrepit! What will I dream of tonight?" was yelling Sirius.
"I really hope you're not talking about McGonagall" said someone behind him.
Sirius turned around and saw a red-head guy looking disgusted.
"She was hot" he told him "And, she was kinky"
"I really didn't need to know that." Said the other, looking ill. "Anyway, I'm Ron Weasley" he added.
He held out his hand and Sirius shook it. "Sirius Black. And those are…"
"Mmm… yeah… it's not really necessary…"
"Oh." Sirius looked at the embarrassed face of Ron Weasley for a second, and then he realized. " Oh, yeah, we're famous."
"No!" shouted Ron, alarmed by the animagus suspicious tone "No, is not that. Eeeh… I knew you. Well, I didn't knew James, but I knew the others…" he trailed, giving them a weird look.
"Something you'd like to share?" asked James, badly.
"Well… I rather not talk about it, you see: Harry's my best friend." The others looked puzzled "You'll know him later…" He trailed, turning to the other side of the table, where a bushy haired girl was looking intently at him. Recovering his confidence, he added "Anyway, I came to tell you that, as we're going to be in the same class, we could all sit together, and, well, at least we can explain about Lupin…"
"Professor?" shouted Sirius incredulously "Our Moony a teacher?"
Sirius and James were laughing like mad with the news, while Peter was discretely sniggering and Remus was stunned.
"He's the best DADA teacher we've ever had" said loyally Neville.
Remus blushed and answered uncertainly "Thank you?"
"Why did he quit then?" asked Peter.
The 'future guys' looked uncomfortably at their meals until, finally, Hermione answered: "There was an… 'incident'"
Remus paled. "That's why I'm dead, isn't it?"
There was a general blinking in the 'future area', but the Marauders were waiting expectantly. The tension grew for a few minutes, and suddenly Hermione shouted:
"No!" she laughed in relief "Merlin, no. It's got nothing to do with that. Well, yes, it does, but you didn't kill nor bite anybody. It's just that there was that 'incident', I can't tell you what, sorry, but it was something big enough to make you forget about your potion, and the next day, you resigned."
"An… 'incident'?" tried to pressure them James
"Why, yes" answered Ron, trying not to laugh "It happened to be June…"
The others started laughing wholeheartedly, like suddenly realizing something, and Ginny muttered "Can't believe he was right"
"Care to explain?" asked finally Sirius.
"Of course" said Hermione, taking some deep breaths to calm herself "It's just that, last year, we were all so worried about Voldemort attacking, and, well, I think we were a bit hysterical, and Harry was so calm, and he kept saying that there was nothing to worry about until June…"
"Can't believe he was right…" repeated Ginny.
"He's a Seer?" sceptically asked Remus.
Ron burst out laughing again "Oh, Merlin" he said "When you meet him: ask him that!"
The others looked amused.
"So, he isn't" concluded Remus. "Why would he know then?"
"It's all about predictability." Said Hermione "Harry always has some kind of adventure in June. First year, it was the Philosopher's Stone. Second year…"
Ginny raised her hand and said "Chamber of Secrets"
"The Shrieking Shack for third year…" kept going Hermione.
"Fourth year: the third task" said Ron
"The Battle of the Department of Mysteries for our fifth year" said Neville. "And…"
"The Battle of Hogsmeade last year" completed Ginny.
"Battles?" said a scared Peter.
The 'Future guys' shot him weird looks. Ron looked specially disgusted.
"What?" asked them James loyally.
"Nothing" said Neville, and the others closed their mouths before they could say anything.
"Am I to understand" asked Remus to Neville "That your friends reaction to your negative means that you are one of those 'with the right to tell us personally' what happened with our lives?"
"Geez!" intervened Hermione brightly "We were forgetting to read Dumbledores parchment!"
"No" said Sirius, looking intently at Neville "Tell us what happened"
"Hey! Listen to this!" said Ginny, parchment in hand.
"Harry has the priority" sentenced Neville to the Marauders.
"Balls!" said Ginny excitedly.
Sirius forgot completely about anything else.
"Balls?" he said, his eyes bright with excitement.
"Listen this!" she repeated "Dear students: As you know, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been during the last six years the most affected place by the plots of the Dark Lord Voldemort."
"You don't need to swear it" muttered Ron.
"Shut up when I'm reading, Ronniekins" she told him "Monsters,"
"That would be me" said bitterly Remus.
"No, that was Salazars pet" cut in Ginny "I'm reading! Psychopaths,"
"Now that would be you!" laughed Sirius.
Remus and Ginny glared at him.
"And battles" she said, raising her voice "have lashed many times our school (and have forced us to yearly change our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher).
"I thought we weren't commenting the letter" cut in Sirius.
"That's what's written" she said, and, seeing his sceptical glare, she added dangerously "Want to see?"
"We understand" said Hermione, before the other two could start bickering "the stress that all those situations have supposed for you"
Ron visibly shuddered.
"Don't think of the brains, Ron, it does you no good." chided Hermione, and, taking a deep breath, she kept reading "That's why the staff and myself have decided to make it up for you by celebrating the end of the War and the fell of the Dark Lord for a whole year! A whole year?" she repeated "Have they all gone nuts?"
"A whole year!" shouted Sirius at the same time, jumping on the table.
"But…" she tried to protest.
"We've got NEWTs this year!" she and Ron said at the same time.
"RON!"
"Did I say something?" he said sweetly
"Are you mocking me?"
"I'd never do something like this to you, Hermione" he answered, trying and failing to look convincing.
Hermione frowned and muttered "I can't believe professor McGonagall agreed to something like this"
"Yep." Said an extremely cheerful Sirius "She has disappointed me too."
"The traditional festivities" intervened James, opening his own parchment "(Halloween and Yule) will be prolonged for days, and we will have some 'special activities' for the occasion. Wonder what it will be…" he trailed off.
"Probably sex"
"Sirius!" call to order Remus.
"Now, love, don't be shy…"
"It's not that, Rosy Raindrop, but I'm eating."
"Remus!" yelled in faint shock his friend "Are you insinuating that the mental image of my quidditch toned body in action gives you nausea?"
"What? Never!" he answered in the same outraged tone "I was just pointing out, oh my love and sex god, that at this moment my blood is required on my stomach, and not on That Who Must Not Be Named In Front Of The Ladies"
"Also known as…" started to say Sirius, and the other two joined in to end "Remus Lupin's Impressive Cock!"
Hermione and Ginny blushed, and Lavender appeared out of nowhere and sat by the owner of said member.
"How are you, Professor?" she asked, using her best sensual voice.
"Flattered. Are you hitting on me?"
Ron spitted his pumpkin juice on the table, and Hermione took it as a cue to keep reading "We will have, in addition, a celebration of Lupercalia"
"That's your feast, Moony!" smiled Peter
"It's not funny" he answered. The other two shook their heads.
"Why?" wanted to know Ron.
The other three put the 'I'm not saying nothing if not under the presence of my lawyer' look, but Hermione was faster: "Lupercalia marks the beginning of the werewolf heat period. You'll live together, you'll see…"
"Thanks, Hermione" cut her Sirius.
"Oh, don't be such an hypocrite. If it's ok to talk about his members length, why not to add that he only uses it too…" and she made a very obscene gesture with her hand.
"Hermione!" yelled in shock Ron. And he wasn't feigning.
"Ron!" she mocked "Honestly, what planet do you think I live in?"
"The library?"
"(Or Valentine's Day, as the muggle call it)!" started to read Ginny, before her brother and her probably future sister-in-law started bickering again "for Merlin's Day and a whole week of festivities to celebrate the Summer Solstice – Fell of Voldemort – End of Term. And" she added, making a gesture at James to make him silent "Wait, that's not all. For all the students from fourth to seventh year, in addition to the traditional feasts, there will be balls held!"
"Seems like things are a bit more interesting in your times…" said Remus while he tried to make sit down Sirius (who was actually showing his enthusiasm by dancing with James) and pushing Lavender out of him, as she had used the sudden commotion to sit on his lap.
"Why, yes." Answered bitterly Ginny "After all, we vanquished old Tom"
"And that's a bad thing?" asked Peter, and then, on a second thought, he added "Who's Tom?"
"Tom Riddle" said Neville "It was Voldemort's name"
"You were on first names?" asked a very frightened Peter.
Ginny was saved of answering by Hermione's indignant squeal.
"I can't believe it!" she muttered, and then she read out loud for everyone to empathise "The topics for those balls will be chosen by a Party Commission of eight members, directed by our Head Students, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, under the supervision of professor Flitwick. Anyone interested in being part of this Commission should contact our Head Students before September 10th. Honestly! They should have warned us! Stop ogling me!"
Sirius had stopped his frenetic dance and was grinning madly at her.
"You are Hermione Granger" he told her.
"And you are Sirius Black"
"No, I mean: you are the Head Girl, and you need people for the C…"
"I perfectly know what you mean, and, as I was saying: you are Sirius Black. If you'd seen the fuss over you made two Christmas ago at thirty-six, you'd understand why I'm saying no."
"I had fun" said Ron on his behalf.
"But…"
"And I'm the Head Boy"
Hermione frowned. "Fine. Go ahead, Mr. Party, convince me."
"Okay." Said Sirius, adopting a professional look. "We should have a masquerade for Lupercalia. It's a classic, but it never fails. Though, it's a bit snob, so, to compensate, we could throw a muggle topic dance. I'd say for the end of term, but it's a bit too late. Muggle wear is so tight, I suspect most of the students would rather wear it in winter… What?"
Hermione studied him for a second before she kept reading "The Party Commission will also be in charge of the 'special activities mentioned above"
"The sex?" said Sirius
"You just smashed every good impression you could have made" informed him Ginny.
"Oh. Just kidding, Hermione…"
She arched him a brow and read: "There will be some contests or demonstrations held during the festivities. The Party Commission will be in care of the organization, while the staff will make sure to find some juicy prices for the winners. Go on, Sirius"
"K. Contests… Singing contest, dancing contest? Mmm… We could make a theatre group, so they can demonstrate for one of the festivities… something romantic, Moony, what was the name of that play?"
"Romeo and Juliet?"
"Yeah. Something like that. We'd have a lot of girls for the auditions, and it would be easy to convince the boys that it's a good way to flirt…"
"Sirius" said icily Hermione. Ron shrank on his chair in anticipation, but Hermione's voice warmed suddenly. "Welcome to the Party Commission".
"YES!"
Sirius jumped over the table to hug Ron and Hermione. James looked at Ginny, Peter and Neville (Remus was busy avoiding Sirius's kicks) and shrugged. "So… I read? We understand that all of this will need lots of preparation, as you'll have to make yourselves very pretty for the Balls. Oh, Merlin…"
"Something wrong?" asked Ginny.
"Sirius" said Peter, looking depressed. She made him a gesture to encourage him "He's a fashion freak. Worse than a girl. But he's not queer!" the last part was said in sheer alarm.
Ginny and Neville shared a worried look.
"Honest!" insisted Peter "Sirius is very manly! He's done more girls than the rest of Hogwarts put together! I'm sure he still holds the record!"
Ginny and Neville's faces went from worried to gloomy.
"There's something you should know" she said.
"What?" answered a scared Peter "What's wrong?"
"Remus died from love"
A pause, and then "Excuse me?"
"Talking about me?"
"Ginny" said Peter quickly "She says you're someone to love"
"Yeah, mate. She likes you" corroborated James.
Ginny blushed, like the sister of the Weasley twins she was, and shyly said: "Mmm… I'll keep reading. We have decided that for this year and only this year, the Hogsmeade visits will be slightly extended."
"Extended? Let me see…" he trailed. He read for a moment and informed happily "Right. We'll have seven Hogsmeade visits this year!"
"Something about the first years…" muttered Ginny. "The man's gone nuts! The sixth and seventh years will be allowed to visit the village whenever they want, while they come back before dinner! Did you hear this?" she asked the others.
"Wait!" cut her of James. "You haven't read the best! Listen to this Exceptionally, and professor McGonagall asked me to stress the exceptionality of this fact, on the official visits to Hogsmeade, the sixth and seventh years, and only the sixth and seventh years, will be allowed to stay in the village until one o'clock (and don't you dare comeback late)"
James ended this little speech shouting, because Ron and the other Marauders were already planning on going out, getting drunk and coming back to the castle with a girl on each arm, while Hermione shot them daggers with her eyes and ranted about chauvinism and (for some unknown reason) the House-Elves rights.
When Ron realised this last thing, he decided the time had came to change the subject, and took the parchment to read:
"Let's talk about a lesser polemic matter. Says Dumbledore, not me. The Quidditch Season will also be slightly different this year. There we go…"
"What do you mean, 'there we go'?" asked the Marauders.
"To put it lightly" answered them Ron "We've only had three complete Quidditch Seasons on the last six years. In our second and sixth years, it was cancelled before the last match, and in our fourth year it wasn't even held".
"Why?" yelled James.
"Hogwarts was holding the Triwizard Tournament"
Stunned silence.
"Even if this is not how the professional league works" said Ron, taking the silence as a cue to continue "this year the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup will be played in a double-match system (like in so many muggle sports). This means that our quidditch season will be more intense than usual! Double-match system?
"I suppose he means like in the Football league" answered Hermione "It means you'll play twice against each team"
"More quidditch then?" asked James
"Yes"
"Yes! I have to plan the training!"
"mmm…James?"
"Ron?"
"Eh… Sorry mate, I know you're a legend, but our Captain is Harry"
James seemed to think for a moment.
"Well" he finally said "As you so eloquently said, I'm a legend" Peter agreed with enthusiasm, and James continued "I'm sure your friend will be more than happy to give me back my place"
"Sure." Said Ron defensively "The thing is: Harry is a legend too. Youngest Seeker of the century, you know? And Gryffindor has only lost a single, lonely, miserable game with him on the pitch. And it was on a storm and under the influence of the dementors."
"Yeah, sure. But a Chaser Captain is always better than a Seeker Captain"
"Yeah. But Harry knows the rest of the team"
"Are you on the team?"
"Yes"
"Position?"
"Keeper"
"Then we know the same number of team members. Remus and Sirius are also on the team. They're our Beaters."
"That will be if they can take Andrew and Jacks places!"
"Slow down, Ron" Cut him off Ginny. "Everyone is better than Jack and Andrew. And stop arguing. We'll talk about it with Harry"
"You're on the team, too?"
"Central Chaser, and if you don't like it you can retire, legend"
James smiled at her "Left Chaser"
"Perfect" she smiled in return "That was Katies position"
"Oh! Listen!" said suddenly a very exited Hermione "Academically, to cheer up a little your timetables, the staff and myself have decided that all of you will have to take two new lessons! Oh! I'm so happy!"
"Just ignore her." Said Ron to the Marauders, and he added "She's a bit weird, but a good girl."
"Rooooon…" she called him in a warning tone.
"Yes?" he tried to smile at her.
"Were you saying something?" she asked sweetly.
"I was going to read" he lied "You'll have to take two new lessons, to chose between… (lessons introduced by their teachers): See? Let's see what they propose us…" he added, smiling forcefully.
Sirius laughed at their antics, and, finding himself at the other end of Hermiones glare, he took the parchment from Ron and read: "Magical Art – Professor McGonagall: Painting, sculpting and magically decorating. The main part of this course will be centred in the basic drawing techniques and the charms required to bring a painting to life. A knowledge in the subject will be preferable in the upper grades"
"That's for people like Dean, I'd say" commented Neville.
"And this one for people like Sirius" answered James, keeping himself from laughing "Robes Designing – Professor Dumbledore: Do you like my bright colourful robes? I design them myself! If you choose Robes Designing, you too will be able to create your own wardrobe. Don't follow the others style, let them follow yours! With Robes Designing, it's possible."
"SEE?" shouted in triumph Sirius "Dumbledore is also a clothes freak and he is not GAY!"
"I wouldn't like to disappoint you, Sirius" corrected Hermione "But I'd say that's a risky affirmation, knowing that the man is like 150 years old, has a song bird and has never been on a public relationship"
"Thank you for your excellent analysis, Hermione" said Ron.
"You're welcome"
"No, really. I always wanted to have those mental images about our headmasters sex life"
"Oh! Look!" Cut them off Ginny. "That's Bill! Music With Musical Instruments – Professor Weasley: Even if the electric guitar is my speciality, I can also play the bass guitar, the drums and the keyboard, so I think I can teach you whatever you want to learn. You just have to really want to. I haven't heard him in a while, but…"
"I know what you're thinking off…"
"Bill is your brother?" asked politely Remus
"Unfortunately" said Ron.
"I'll take it he plays like Sirius…"
"And I'm going to ignore this last comment" answered the above-mentioned, and smiling mischievously, he added "Manners and Dancing: Survival in the Highest Spheres of the Wizarding World – Professor Snape. Honestly! And I am supposed to be gay? Listen to this poof: You will be here to learn the subtle science of manners and the exact art of formal dancing. As there will be little of foolish wand-waving here, many of you will hardly believe this is magic. I don't expect you will really understand the beauty of a six courses dinner, with it's twelve shining cutlery sets, the delicate power of an Italian wine that creep through human veins, bewitching the mind, ensnaring the senses… I can teach you how to dance tango, fox-trot, waltz, merengue, the Swann Lake… if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as you prove to be in Potions"
For some unknown reason, the "future guys" had tears on their eyes from laughing, specially Ron, who had fallen from his chair and was holding his belly on the floor, moaning.
"It's!" he was saying "It's! It's the first year speeeeeeeeech!"
And he started again. Remus arched a brow and decided to read, hoping that it would calm them somehow. "Breeding and Crossbreeding of Magical Creatures. Oh, Merlin."
"What?" asked Peter, seeing his worried face.
"Do you think" whispered Remus "That they will talk about werewolves?"
And he blushed.
"Worse than that. They will take you there and make you share your experience." Answered James "Look who's the teacher! Professor Hagrid: Err… Professor Dumbledore asked me to show you how the little magical creatures babys are made, and, err… That's what we'll do."
"Sweet Merlin" whispered Sirius "Hagrid had a three-headed dog"
Ron, Hermione and Neville nodded vigorously.
"Let's just keep reading, right?" said James looking at Remus who was paling by seconds "Housekeeping – Professor Flitwick: This subject will show you the basic spells needed to keep a house clean (or a bachelors flat). We will learn to cook, and I will show you how to make some of my favourite specialities! (lemon cake, chocolate muffins, sugar quills, homemade chocoballs…)" James sighed sadly "I'm gona take this subject"
"Housekeeping?" repeated Sirius, not wanting to believe it.
"I'll have to" defended himself the other "I'm here, my Lily is not… I'll have to learn to take care of myself"
"Oh. Sorry, mate"
"It doesn't matter. I'll have to find someone else. Or I'll live with Moony. Or I could do both…" he turned to look at his friend with puppy eyes "Would you fall in love with me?"
"I can't, sorry. Come with me to Hagrids lessons and I'll tell you why…"
"Muggle Football!" cut in Ginny, trying to brighten up the moods "Professor Hooch: Though Quidditch is obviously a thousand times better, muggle football can be entertaining. If you don't know what muggle football is, ask a muggleborn. She doesn't seem that happy to teach it…"
"Don't comment the letter now" intervened Sirius showing the first signs of death by boredom "We're nearly at the end of it. In addition to all of these, two new subjects will be available for our NEWT students. For those who passed their Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL, professor Weasley will be teaching "The Obscurer Branches of Magic", that is to say: Charm Chants, Legilimency, Occlumency, Papyroflexy…"
"That sounds good" said Remus thoughtfully.
"Well, I sure won't be taking that subject, with or without an impending Auror Training on my future" said Ron "I don't need more classes with Bill than those strictly necessary"
"You have all my support" told him Ginny.
"Why?" asked them Sirius, shocked "Your brother seems a good guy. I mean, he's even nice with Snivellus… He's like… cool" his face took a dreamy expression "I wouldn't matter more classes with him"
"I see…" told him Hermione "He's hot, isn't he?"
"Hermione!"
"Ron!"
"Hermione!"
"James!"
"I'm not gay!"
"Keep telling yourself that…"
"For those who succeeded in their Transfiguration OWL" cut them off Ginny, desperate to finish the bloody letter "professor McGonagall will offer an Animagus Training. Before you throw yourselves into that subject, the professor will submit all the interested to the Animagus Revelio Test, so you know which form you'll be taking. Of course, you wouldn't need that" she added, banishing the Marauders smug look.
"What do you mean?" asked James, alarmed.
"She means" answered Ron bitterly "That I would recognize Wormtail among a million rats"
"Come on" cut Hermione in a nervous, high-pitched voice "Just two little paragraphs! And, speaking of tests, from this year on, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be offering an Apparition Test Training course for our 16-17 year old students. Well, that's one we won't need" she ended to herself.
"We learned last year" explained Neville, seeing the Marauders puzzled looks.
"In sixth year?" asked James, hurt by being bested at something.
"And fifth" added Ginny to his grief.
"Isn't it illegal?" asked curiously Remus.
"Yes" shrugged Ron "But, as we keep telling you, we're Harrys friends"
"There we go again" said Sirius rolling his eyes in despair "What so special about Harrykinns anyway?"
"He was the one destined to do in Voldemort" answered Hermione matter-of-factly "Anyway: Finally, and as a permanent change too, all our fifth years will receive a Sexual Education short course. As our sixth and seventh years didn't receive it in their due moment, they will be taking it along with our fifth years. And that's how what should have been the Welcoming Feast Announcements end. Wishing you all an exciting year, Albus Dumbledore. Fin!"
A chorus of 'about time' received this last word.
"Is my perverted mind playing a trick on me?" asked James "Or is Dumbledore developing a sex fixation?"
TBC
AN (again): I wanted to explain some of the characters attitudes. First of all, as I said to Miss Lesley, this is a fic were everyone (except Cho Chang) gets a second chance, and Peter won't be an exception. Still, the "future guys" have a very marked prejudice against him, and it had to show, though things are bound to change when they get to know him.
I will now proceed to a brief explanation about their sixth year, as to explain Dumbledores smug attitude:
After Voldemorts return, the wizarding community went hysterical. Specially the parents of the Hogwarts students: everyone said that being near Harry Potter was volunteering for a death sentence, and they asked for him to be retrieved from the school. Dumbledore stood by Harry, guaranteed that no arm would be done to the students, and, in a similar speech as the one he gave for Remus, told them that if they didn't feel safe, they were free to live.
In that occasion, and through all the year, the students got away from Hogwarts. In the end, Dumbledore succeeded in keeping the safest wards in the world: the last battle was held in Hogsmeade, not Hogwarts, and none of the students got a single scratch, except those who willingly fought on it (that's to say the remnants of the DA and the insurrected Slytherins). With all of them safe, Albus has earned the right to smugness. Specially in security matters.
Hogwarts is, however, drained of students. First of all, not all of the students have returned to attend the year they missed. For the fifth and seventh years, an extra summon for the OWL and NEWT exams was made on late august (and the Weasley twins were forced to attend by a furious Molly: they passed with five NEWT each). As a result, there are not oldest students dropping onto Harrys year, the only exception being Cho Chang (I feel the need to torture her). I'll give you the numbers: there are only 28 students in seventh year, while there are more or less 200 sixth years. The most pathetic situation is found among the Gryffindor sixth years: as there weren't deserters in Harrys year, but most of Ginnys left, there are now only two students: Ginny and Colin (but don't worry: he'll spend most of his time with his brother).
The most affected House by the drain of students is, of course, Slytherin. Not only are they the group with a highest self-preservation instinct, but also, everyone with the slightest dark connection knew that Hogwarts was going to be attacked, which of course produce a massive exode. Add to this that some of their eldest students joined Voldemort and the other houses fierce hostility and you'll understand their reluctance to come back. There are only four seventh year Slytherins, but… I'll let you guess who they are (you'll get to know it on next chapter!).
And that's all for now, Chapter 4 will be updated very soon: I've already written it (it's oh so much short than this one!), it's just waiting to be translated. We'll get our first Malfoy Sneers ™ before the end of the week. Promise.