(A/N) Thanks for the review! Here's the next chapter, it's a little longer so enjoy :)
Chapter Two: Changes
Harry, Hermione and Ginny all stood up as the train started to slow and approached the door to their compartment.
"Ronald! Would you wake up! You are honestly the laziest person I've ever met," Hermione criticized as Ron jumped up.
"What's with all the yelling? Bloody hell I'm awake I was only err…thinking."
"With your eyes closed?" Hermione asked skeptically raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. It helps me concentrate you know..." he replied looking to Harry for help but Harry had already left the compartment with Ginny.
"And what, pray tell, were you concentrating so intensely about? Hmmm?" she said, looking pitifully at Ron. She could almost hear the rusty gears turning in his head as he tried to formulate an explanation for his pathetic excuse. Oh how she loved giving him a hard time.
"Um…well I thought maybe if I thought about it hard enough the house elves might…telepathically pick up my signal and hear my request for them to serve chicken at the feast. You know how I like my chicken Hermione," Ron said hoping his smile was convincing.
"Yes well I'm sure they got the message because oddly enough they always serve chicken Ronald," she stated in her usual, bossy tone.
He cringed at the sound of her using his full name again. "Well you know, I just thought a lot has changed…"
"And of all the changes your mind immediately goes to the food."
He looked up at her sheepishly expecting a glare, only to see her trying to suppress laughter and he relaxed and laughed too as they both left the train.
************
As they entered the great hall and sat down at their house table they glanced to the front to see Professor McGonagall sitting in Dumbledore's chair. They also noticed a couple new professors as well.
"Oh great I forgot McGonagall is headmistress now. I'll surly die of starvation by the time she sorts the first years and ends her speech," Ron complained.
Hermione shot him a disapproving glance and looked around the hall. She noted that the tables, all of them, were far more empty than usual which was understandable she thought. She then turned her attention to the staff table as she heard McGonagall.
"Good evening students. Welcome back to you all and welcome to all those who are new this year. We will start with the sorting now so please refrain from talking," she said sternly. The sorting hat was more optimistic now and had gone back to its original song about the houses and such.
As the sorting was going on Hermione looked from the smaller than normal group of first years to McGonagall whom she noticed looked a lot older than she used to. She leaned over to Harry and began whispering.
"Poor McGonagall, she's been through so much and now she has to take on the huge task of restoring Hogwarts to its former glory," she said sadly still looking at the new headmistress who seemed worn around the edges.
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "We have all been through a lot though Hermione. And she still has Dumbledore's portrait in her office to offer advice."
The sorting had finished and Hermione noticed that most of the students were sent to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.
"Since when does that happen?" Ron commented. "Gryffindor and Slytherin are usually the two most popular houses when it comes to sorting."
"No house is more popular than the other Ronald it's just that people are still a little scared and shocked and I imagine it's hard for some people to be brave quite yet. And obviously there are less people like Malfoy now that Voldemort is dead. Even some of the meaner people got scared," Hermione finished not knowing if this was completely true, but that's what she thought so of course she would express her complete opinion.
"Well good. I don't think I could handle more than one Malfoy," Ron said before turning to listen to McGonagall's speech with a resigned look on his face.
"I will keep this as short as possible," McGonagall said. Ron rolled his eyes and yawned and Hermione glared and shook her head at this.
"As I said before welcome back to Hogwarts. For those of you who are new I will be your new headmistress and I have a few new members of the staff to introduce. Now I hope this will not be a shock to you all. I'd like you to meet your new; well perhaps that's not quite the correct term. Um, your potions professor…"
Everyone followed her gaze and noticed that in Professor Snape's spot suddenly appeared none other than the infamous Professor Snape in the ever menacing, squalid form of a ghost. Some people gasped, but Harry was actually kind of glad to see him, but only kind of.
As Professor McGonagall directed the attention back to herself she began to introduce the other two professors that were joining Hogwarts this year.
"Taking the place of Defense Against the Dark Arts and also the head of Slytherin house due to Professor Snape's…rather unfortunate state of being."
At that Snape shot her a rather menacing sneer, seeing as how that was his way.
"…I'd like you all to welcome Professor Erich Avarus," McGonagall continued gesturing rather uncomfortably to a man who looked rather young compared to the other professors.
Professor Avarus was fairly attractive according to Hermione although she thought she detected a hint of arrogance in his features. He simply nodded not looking at the headmistress.
"Also we are pleased to welcome Professor Lamia Lepor who will be taking my place as the Transfiguration Professor and the head of Gryffindor house. Now remember the Forbidden Forest is Forbidden to all students. Well that's all I have to say so tuck in and enjoy the feast," she finished with a smile seeming to be pleased at the success of her first speech as headmistress.
As Hermione watched disgusted while Ron piled his plate she cleared her throat and gave him a meaningful look.
"Whaagh?" he said, already stuffing a biscuit in his mouth.
Hermione looked at a large pile of chicken that Ron seemed to have neglected to add to his tower of food that buried what was once a clean gold plate.
He looked from her to the chicken. His mouth formed that shape of an "O" and Hermione drew back and tried very hard not to vomit at the site of a half masticated biscuit and what she thought looked like carrots.
Ron swallowed hard and picked up a hand full of chicken and added it to his pile which began to teeter. "I was getting there. I just thought I'd…try a bit of everything, you know," he said in a thick voice.
She shook her head and scooped up some rice and poured a little gravy on it and delicately began to eat when Ron reached across to pick up his pumpkin juice and failed to notice his large mound of food was directly in the way.
Harry was the unfortunate victim who was interrupted in his chat with Ginny when none other than chicken, stewed carrots, roast beef, mashed potatoes, and those little weenies that everyone loves came crashing into his lap.
Surprised by this cascade of food Harry jumped back Regrettably there was a bench behind him and he fell over only to bump into the one person he despised most, now that Voldemort was dead.
"Watch it Potter. One begins to wonder how a buffoon like you managed to kill the Dark Lord when you obviously haven't even mastered the skill of standing," Malfoy shot at him brushing the filth off his sleeve.
"In case you don't remember Malfoy," Harry spat "I did manage to nearly kill Voldemort before I could even stand. I thought everyone knew that, but then again everyone knows you are a bit daft," he finished.
"I'd say more than a bit," Ron interjected as he swallowed another bite of food from his newly filled plate.
"Don't talk to me Weasel you are the most disgusting excuse for a human being. I do believe you've even managed to sink below your muggle-loving father. You are a complete disgrace to wizards and even if I was a dog I'd be offended by you," Malfoy said with that crude sneer on his face. With that he strode out of the hall.
The rest of the hall finished their dinner and dessert and then McGonagall said a few departing words to the first years and reminded them that they could pick up their schedules at breakfast. With that Ginny, now a prefect, led the Gryffindor first years to the common room and the rest of the students followed their own prefects to their respected houses.
(A/N) Review yes?