"Welcome, all of you, to another year at Hogwarts!" Dumbledore boomed cheerfully out over the half full Great Hall. A hush fell as all of the students steadied their eyes on the wizened old wizard. "Now that the sorting has been sorted and hunger has been sated, I would like to make a few start-of-term announcements. Firstly, Mr. Filch would like me to remind you of the newly updated list of banned items has been expanded to include several products from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. The complete list is posted outside of Mr. Filch's office and you are all free to peruse it at your leisure. Secondly, the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students as is the village of Hogsmeade. Lastly, I would like to take a moment to warn you that standards have been raised this year at Hogwarts. Because of the strain that has been put upon the school, we will no longer be able to tolerate low marks in classes. Those of you who cannot apply yourselves in regular courses will be moved into remedial classes. You will only be able to pass back with your class once you have passed both written and practical exams and can prove that you are able and willing to deal with the heavy course load.

"These are dangerous times we are living in and though we all hope that soon there will be light at the end of the tunnel, it would be naive of us not to prepare you for the worse. Real danger lurks outside the walls of this castle. Use Hogwarts as your armory.

"Now, without further filling your minds with worry, I would like to remind you that your featherbeds are quite devoid of dark wizards. So off to bed! Pip pip!"

It was as if someone had turned on the water faucet of noise as a ruble of voices filled the hall. Hermione immediately stood up, and shouted over Gryffindor table. "First years! My name is Hermione Granger and I am Head Girl! Please, follow me and stay close! Everyone else, stay close so you can hear the password!" Along the hall prefects were following her example and gathering their first years. Harry could just make out David, his chest puffed up with self-importance a gleaming new prefects badge pinned to his Ravenclaw robs. It was only here that his brother, looking so unlike the Potters and so much more like Aunt Petunia, came out of his shell and truly shone.

Ron hung back and walked flirtatiously next to Kate, his prefect's badge slightly more smudged. Absentmindedly, he prodded a few slow moving first years in the back of the head as he let his attention drift back to Harry's sister. Quietly flexing his quidditch-toned muscles in anger, Harry resisted socking his best friend for looking at his sister only restraining himself when he saw that his sister seemed to reciprocate the emotions with a light blush. Though he had been trying to ignore the obvious exchange of feeling between the two, Harry was finding it hard to pay no heed. His protective brother bear side growled angrily at them.

"—to skip this step!" She was projecting over the crowd. "If you get stuck in that one, you will be there until someone can pull you back out. This is yet another reason to travel in pairs in the castle when you can." Turning to Harry she flashed him a smile, thoroughly enjoying herself. Harry smiled back, giving her a wink and looked quite pleased with himself when she blushed prettily. "We are almost to the common room now," she continued pulling back a tapestry and turning down a corridor that seemed to lead to nowhere. "The password for this quarter is 'Ursa Major'." With that, the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open to reveal the common room of Gryffindor Tower.

Harry caught sight of his youngest brother following the first year boys up their dormitory. His chest puffed up at the site of him. He was so proud of his younger brother for making Gryffindor. The house was a proud family tradition that went back generations--well, save for David. A sigh escaped Harry as he sat down in a chair next to the fire. There was something about that first year, discovering all the things that you had been told about, but could never quite believe. It almost made Harry envy his younger brother with his life stretched out before him.

If Voldemort doesn't take it away, he thought morosely. The shaddow of his parent's sudden move ghosted over the room's warm atmosphere turning Harry's insides to ice. He let his thoughts wander, barely noticing when the common room was almost empty.

"So," said Ron, sinking into a chair across from Harry next to the fire, "another year, eh?"

Harry nodded and shifted as Hermione sat next to him. "Everyone's in bed, finally," she said absentmindedly, not noticing Harry's stupor.

Ron was examining his best mate's face quizzically. He could see the wheels turning in his mate's mind. "What are we going to do?" His mind was on the previous year when Mr. Weasley had been killed in the line of fire. Things then had started out the same way that things were going for Harry. If he could have done anything to save his father, Ron would have, so he could understand the determined look he wore.

"I don't know how much time we will have to do anything. With the doubled studies, Quidditch, and everything else, I have no idea how we are going to do anything." Harry ran his hand over his scarless forehead and through his messy hair.

"Have you tried speaking to your father about this, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah right!" Ron snorted. "Obviously you have no idea how tight lipped they can be about Order business. We would be more likely to find out what's going on from a Deatheater."

"He's right, I tried, but..." Harry let his sentence fall off as he saw the look on Hermione's face.

A light seemed to flicker behind her eyes. Harry loved that flicker when he was out of ideas. "Actually," Hermione said biting her lip. It pained her to think she was about to propose the rule breaking she was about to suggest. "I think I might have a plan. It is kind of long term though."

They waited for her to finish before Ron finally prompted, "Well??"

"I think that we should do some night time prowling around Hogsmeade."

"Hogsmeade?" Harry looked at her sideways. "Why?"

She rolled her eyes at him in a very Hermione-ish way. "Honestly, Harry, don't you see it? Hogsmeade is a major hub for Death Eaters. Now that they don't have to hide, they are getting cocky. Plus, since Dumbledore preformed those enchantments on Hogwarts to make it invisible to all those who aren't in the resistance, they have been hanging around an awful lot, just waiting for someone to slip up and reveal its location."

"So if they are getting careless—" Harry began.

"—then they might let something slip!" Ron concluded excitedly.

"Exactly! So if we can patrol Hogsmeade, we might be able overhear something and send word to your parents!"

"We would be in loads of trouble if anyone were to find out what were doing. You know that they don't want us in harms way," Ron said with a smile that indicate he couldn't care less how many rules they were breaking. "Not to mention if anyone in the castle catches us and they are on the other side of the fence. I mean, some of the Slytherin guys in our year are questionable at best. I wonder myself sometimes if they are spying on us for their parents."

Harry nodded. "I think it sounds brilliant, 'Mione!" He gave her one armed hug. "We can only go out once a week or so, but this could be it!" But as quickly as the happiness came, it was nearly snuffed out. "There's only one problem."

"What's that?"

"Sirius. He's going to be our DADA teacher this year."

"Do you think he told Dumbledore about the passages?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know." Harry let a mischievous grin spread across his face. "But there's one way to find out!"

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