Chapter 2
***
Hermione had to laugh. Slipping away from the Weasley's really had been too easy, even with all their extra security measures. Apparating back at the Burrow just after dawn, she deftly slipped inside making her way up to her shared room with Ginny and no one was any the wiser that she had ever left.
Lying back down on her bed she allowed herself to relax for the first time since she had heard the news a week ago. After finally showing his face at the Ministry last year, Voldemort and his Death Eaters had disappeared from Britain all together, not that any of the British wizarding community would believe such news. Hermione, however, knew better; the Dark Lord had a greater prize in his sights. Germany had been the first target, a ruthless attack landing on a secret wizarding society within Luxemburg. From there the attacks spread south down the European continent, but with the British Ministry still keeping a rather tight lid on things, no outside news was coming into the country. The new minister didn't want to raise panic.
However, the worst attack so far had occurred in Australia; Hermione's homeland. Hermione snorted when she thought about it. Not even Dumbledore knew of her life before Hogwarts. Now she believed if the truth were told no one would believe it. It hadn't been that hard to fake a British accent after all.
Hermione sighed, shifting on her mattress. She was worried about Arielle; the only real friend she had who knew each and every one of her secrets. Arielle was not ok, but at least she was finally coming to Hogwarts where Hermione could keep an eye on her.
Glancing across the room, her gaze rested for a moment on Ginny. Deciding she was still deeply asleep, Hermione let herself close her eyes and joined her in the land of nod. She would need her energy for the day to come.
***
Hermione sighed as Harry finally settled into his seat beside her in the Great Hall. It had been one of those days, just as she had expected. Trying to keep her mind on the job, she had had a tough time concentrating on the long train ride to Hogwarts. Just knowing that Arielle was sitting in one of those compartments was enough to distract her from her prefect duties.
She had done what she could for one of her oldest friends; however, even she had no idea how to reassemble a girl who had literally been torn to pieces by this war. A war that was far more devastating and dangerous than anyone in Britain, even Harry, could comprehend.
Her mind had wandered so completely that she had even lost track of Harry for a time. It had been such an inconceivable act of stupidity that she knew she would berate herself for weeks to come. She had let Malfoy attack him. Who knew what would have happened if Tonks hadn't found him?
Giving herself a mental slap on the wrist she pulled herself together. She would just have to re-adjust to protecting two people instead of one.
She brought herself back to the present just in time to hear Dumbledore announce the arrival of two sixth year transfer students. Following the gaze of the rest of the school, she desperately tried to hide a smile as the entire Great Hall fell into silence upon their entrance. Quite apart from their grace and posture which simply screamed pureblood upbringing and wealth, they were easily two of the most stunningly beautiful people in the hall.
On the left strode a tall and clearly well-muscled youth. He gave the impression to those around him of an overgrown wolf. His blond hair was streaked with dark brown and flew wildly around a well tanned face due to the fast pace at which he approached the staff table. A clear sense of raw power radiated from him, and his sharp liquid amber gaze left no doubt in anyone's mind that this was not someone to mess with.
However Hermione's attention quickly transferred, along with the attentions of every other male in the Great Hall, to the slightly shorter figure striding beside the youth. A curtain of sleek dark brown hair flowed gracefully behind the porcelain features of the most beautiful girl Hermione had ever known. Her ivory skin glowed in the candlelight contrasted by the deep black robes which billowed around her revealing a rather slender figure. Despite this, she easily kept up with the powerful youth beside her.
Both had their attention directed determinedly at Professor McGonagall, shabby hat in hand, whose widened eyes betrayed a great deal of surprise. However, as they passed the sixth years seated at the Slytherin table, the focus of Arielle's attention shifted. Arielle's clear silver eyes stared directly into the mirror image of Malfoy's. Even from Hermione's seat across the Great Hall, the energy between them was tangible. Hermione hid her surprise as she realised with a start that Harry had been right in his suspicions about Malfoy. Not that she was going to tell him that.
As suddenly as it had come, Arielle's attention shifted away from Malfoy as she resumed staring directly ahead. Hermione saw him nervously pull at the edges of his sleeves, further confirming her realisation. The two students now stood before Professor McGonagall, patiently waiting to be sorted, however the Professor seemed to have forgotten herself. She stared intently at both of them as if trying to piece together a particularly difficult puzzle. After a rather awkward pause, a light cough from the centre of the high table seemed to bring her back to her present duty.
Unrolling a scroll which was comically short when compared to the scroll containing the first years' names, she eyed them once more before beginning the sorting.
"Stevenson, Arielle"
Arielle ascended the stairs before her with a cat-like grace to stand in front of Professor McGonagall. Carefully ignoring the tiny stool upon which the first years normally sat, she gave the Professor stare for stare until McGonagall whipped out her wand in a rather irritated movement and conjured a miniature stool upon which she could stand to place the hat on Arielle's head. Hermione, along with most of the Slytherins, she noticed, could not suppress an amused grin at Arielle's cheek.
McGonagall, now standing upon the stool, prepared to place the hat on Arielle's head, however the hat was still a foot above Arielle's head when it suddenly let out a deafening shriek.
"SLYTHERIN!"
A wave of whispers swept through the hall as students betrayed their complete shock at the clearly unexpected outcome. Hermione catching Arielle's eye gave her a nearly imperceptible nod and slight smile. The outcome had not surprised her in the least.
Ignoring the whispers and the stir she had created, Arielle calmly descended the stairs and headed towards the Slytherin table. However she stopped near the head of the table and stood, clearly waiting for the sorting of the youth.
After giving her a rather irritated frown, McGonagall returned her attention to the wolfishly hansom boy. Hermione could clearly sense the Professor's unease as she called out a rather high pitched
"Greyback, Edouard"
Most students did not bother to lower their voices this time as the silence was once more disturbed by an outbreak of surprised exclamations.
"Greyback? As in Fenir Greyback?" Harry whispered from beside her.
Seamus, however, could be heard all the way down the table. "He's a Slytherin for sure! No wonder she's waiting..."
"What's Dumbledore playing at, letting him in the school?" Ron, too, did not bother to lower his voice. "He's probably a werewolf too! Just look at him..."
"Ron, Professor Lupin was a werewolf" Hermione reprimanded, slightly irritated at her friend's callous remark. Ron's red cheeks reflected his embarrassment as he mumbled a response Hermione was too preoccupied to hear.
The wild speculations continued as Edouard ascended the stairs with obvious ease, even the least observant in the Great Hall could no longer have failed to notice his aura of power. McGonagall, still standing on the stool, looked positively frightened as she once more lowered the hat, however, this time the hat made it all the way resting on his head for a few seconds before
"SLYTHERIN!"
"Ha, no surprises there!" Ron laughed darkly.
"You don't suppose he's actually related to Fenir though?" Harry asked again.
Hermione allowed herself a small smirk before replying. "Not directly, no."
***