FINALLY! well im back and feeling great- well, ok im just feeling okay...but still I'm back and ready to write. Im sure you have waited months for this installment so I will shut up.

Chapter 8

Harry and Ginny found seats between Ron and Seamus Finnigan. They had arrived in the Great Hall just as tiny Professor Flitwick had finished the sorting. Harry took notice how empty the hall seemed. Many students had not returned after Dumbledore's death, as Harry had planned.

"What kept you?" Ron asked and Hermione leaned over the table to listen.

"Well, put it this way, I now have indefinite power over you." Ginny said with a grin. When Ron continued to look confused, Ginny showed him her Head Girl badge. Harry held his up also.

"Well done you two!" Hermione beamed at them. Just then noise in the Great Hall subsided and Harry realized that Professor McGonagall had gotten to her feet.

"We embark on another year, another adventure. .We find ourselves in a war. I implore you to remember that You-Know-Who is still at large and to take care. As a precaution we will not be going on our trips to Hogsmede-" There was a roar of outrage, but Professor McGonagall continued. "The reason being that we do not feel the need to risk the health of our students. Also, you have only one half of the normal school year. To many of you, this is a blessing, and to others," She looked directly at Harry, and a faint smile flashed across her face. "It has been a curse to stay in your homes for that much longer. Now, I wish to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Kingsley Shacklebolt!" Kingsley stood, took a bow, and sat back down again. "Now, let the feast begin!" Professor McGonagall sat and food appeared all along the long house tables. Harry found it odd that she did not mention Dumbledore.

"She probably didn't want to draw attention to it and bring back bad memories." Ginny said when he stated this. Harry thought that she might be right, if he didn't have a strange feeling that it went deeper than that.

"So, Harry, what is the plan for this year?" Ron asked as he piled Mashed Potatoes onto his plate.

"Well, we have to find the Horcruxes, and we can't do that until we get a clue as to what kind of places Voldemort went to as a kid. And for us to do that, we need a pensieve." Harry said.

"What's a pensieve?" Ron asked but he was drowned out by Hermione's question.

"What will a pensieve do for us if we don't have the memories?" She asked.

"Who said that we don't have the memories?" Harry said with a grin. "What did you think I was meeting with dumbledore all last year for? Tea?" Hermione raised no further questions after this. After harry had explained what a pensieve was to Ron and Ginny, harry continued with his plan.

"When we see what we have to work with, we will work out where to go from there." Harry concluded.

"Well, where are we going to get a pensieve? They are really rare." Hermione asked. Harry pondered this thought.

"Hey, maybe McGonagall has Dumbledore's old one!" Ron said excitedly.

"it is worth a shot." Harry said. "I will try to get it out of her tomorrow."

a\n well, there it is, I know it is short but I am really tired. I will try to have the next 1 up soon.

Thanks

Hellyoukai