Hey Guys. So this is the first Fan fiction story i've ever posted, so I hope i've done okay. Please let me know what you think. I won't be offended, as long as it's the truth.

A quick note, the time I wait in between each chapter upload will depend on how popular my story is, i.e, if you like it, tell me and il try and upload chapters faster. Happy reading.

Chapter 2 - The feast

Harry, Ron and Hermione, all sat down on a bench at the Gryffindor house table in the great hall, getting ready for the sorting hat to put all of the new first years into their houses. Harry looked up to the main table at the front and grazed over the professors sitting there. He could see Hagrid off to one side taking up a large amount of space as usual, professor slug horn was on the opposite side of the table downing a glass of mead, and getting ready to pour another. Right in the centre of the table was the biggest chair, to signify where the head master sat, where Professor Dumbledore should have been sitting, but now belonged to professor mcGonagall. However, the seat was empty. For a moment Harry wondered where McGonagall was, until he spotted her in her usual seat right next to Dumbledore's chair. Respect for McGonagall rose out of harry like a blooming flower, as he realised that she had left the chair empty because it would never really be her chair, and in doing so kept the memory of Dumbledore alive through all of the students.

A ringing sound echoed through the great hall silencing everyone, and at the same time, the doors at the end of the hall burst open, and professor Flitwick entered the hall carrying a crusty old hat, and following behind him a small group of shivering first years.

"Hey Harry" Ron said, "you remember when that was us down there? I hope we didn't look that pathetic!"

Harry laughed inwardly and paid closer attention to the hat which was now sat on a stool at the front of the great hall. Everyone waited in silence, then all of a sudden sound erupted from the hat in the form of song:

"Once again you bring me out,

To sort you into four.

This new year, without a doubt,

I'll leave you waiting no more.

We have Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw,

The colours yellow and blue.

Then Slytherin and Gryffindor,

One of these of which il choose.

Now the danger's gone, I can safely say,

There's no more need to complain.

Voldemort's dead, and we got our way,

So Hogwarts will rise again."

Cheers erupted from the student, as for once the sorting hat's song, gave everyone some hope that this could be a good year. Once everyone settled down, the sorting proceeded and soon after Gryffindor table had acquired 12 new students.

"I wish the sorting hat wouldn't take so long, i'm starving" Ron said, just as a wide array of food appeared across all four tables.

"Trust you to always be thinking of your stomach Ronald!" Hermione replied giving him an amused look, whilst also digging into the crispy roast potatoes.

Harry himself was still riled up about the events that happened on the train, so didn't really feel like eating, but even so, piled his plate high so Ron and Hermione wouldn't question him. Instead of eating Harry was staring past the Hufflepuff table and the Raven claw table, at the Slytherin table where Malfoy sat also not eating. Harry couldn't help but wonder why Malfoy looked so down. His usual crowd still gathered round him but he did nothing to engage himself into the conversation.

All of a sudden, Malfoy looked up, and looked right at Harry as if he could sense that harry was staring. Pretending that nothing happened Harry tried to join in with what Hermione was saying.

"- all i'm saying is you need at least 4 NEWTs to even have a chance at getting a job next year, you can drop Potions if you really want to, I know I am, but I strongly suggest you don't drop Transfiguration as well."

" Woah, Woah, Woah, did I just hear you say your both dropping Potions?" Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing, after all these years together and they wanted to split up?

" I'm sorry Harry, I would keep it if I could but I really want to focus more on muggle studies, i've been told that the new professor isn't very good so i'm expecting to do lots of work to keep up. Also potions really isn't one of my strong suits and I really don't need it.

"Yea i'm sorry too Harry but I'm not smart like Hermione, I need all the help I can get, so I'm going to drop as many as I can. I was never any good at potions anyway." When Ron and Hermione finished talking they both looked down as if they were dreading the look on Harry's face.

" I can't believe it, who am I going to talk to now!"

"Hey, you can always make friends with Malfoy, I'm sure he'd love that" Ron Burst out laughing at his own idea, and Hermione tried not to laugh at first but ended up giggling into her pumpkin juice.

"I flippin' hope not! I've had more Malfoy than I can take already!" Harry realised that he had referenced their awkward conversation on the train and immediately shut up.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other with questions in their eyes but didn't say anything. Harry pretending to be annoyed with the two of them turned round and attempted to look at Malfoy again. He was still sitting doing nothing with that grumpy expression on his face. 'What was his problem?' Harry thought to him self.

As soon as the food disappeared, they all got up and began guiding people to the Gryffindor common room where they soon went to sleep ready for lessons the next morning. Harry couldn't help but lay awake for a while mulling over all of his thoughts. He thought of ginny on the train and how weird she as acting, and then of Malfoy and how he was acting even weirder. Was it Harry? Was he the reason why everyone around him was acting strange? These thoughts kept him awake a little while longer but eventually the tiredness of the day dragged him down into a deep pit of darkness where he stayed until the next morning.

When Harry awoke, he couldn't quite remember where he was, then all of a sudden all of his thought from the previous night hit hime like a hammer, which shocked him awake. He was at Hogwarts once again, with Ron and Hermione, nothing will go wrong.

Harry woke Ron up, then got dressed and they both made their way with Hermione to the great hall for breakfast and the handing out of the time tables.

"I'm so exited to see my new timetable! Aren't you guys exited?" Hermione exclaimed as they watched Professor Mcgonagall slowly make her way down the table.

"Ecstatic!" Harry replied somewhat sarcastically. He was almost dreading his timetable. Harry knew that he wanted to become an auror so in order to do that he couldn't afford to drop any of his subjects, unlike Hermione and Ron.

The three of them watched as McGonagall eventually made her way down to the 7th years and began to sort out their timetables.

"Right then, Granger, what have we got here, okay I see you have a very busy timetable this year, do you want to keep this going?"

" Professor, if its all right, i'd like to stop Potions and defence against dark arts classes, those are my worst two subjects and i'd much rather use the time improving my other studies." Hermione finished her plea with a sheepish glance at McGonagall's face to guess what she was thinking.

" Are you sure Hermione? I'm sure you could cope with all of them if you put your mind to it?" The professor, looked slightly worried at first but once Hermione said she had thought it through, Harry could see her face relax slightly.

Moving on to Ron, she altered his timetable so Ron would be dropping Potions and Herbology, leaving him with a good number of NEWTs left to study. Finally it was Harry's turn.

" Okay Potter, lay it on me, which subjects will you be dropping?

McGonagall looked skeptically at Harry while he replied: " I'm going to keep them all Professor, I still want to be an Auror." The Professor looked him up and down for a few moments, before leaning in so only Ron, Hermione and Harry could hear her.

"Good on you potter! You'll make one hell of an Auror someday." As she walked away to the next person, Harry couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. That must have been one of the nicest things she had ever said to him, and if filled him with a big ball of courage for whatever might face him.

As an afterthought, Harry peered round at the Slytherin table, and found Malfoy looking over, staring daggers at Harry. Immediately Harry turned away. What was that about? Harry thought. The thought came and went as Hermione and Ron both began chatting to him about their timetables.

" Guess what Harry, We've got a double free period first thing this morning! How lucky are we? What've you got?" Ron asked as he looked down at his time table.

Harry glanced down at his own timetable, the first lesson of the day, Potions - Double. "Great, I have double potions, have fun without me you lot, I can't believe your ditching me."

Harry was already not having a good day, and by the looks of his timetable, it was only going to get worse. He just hoped that Slughorn would go easy on him.