Chapter 29: September 1st

The following day, Harry, Ginny, Albus, and Minerva all took an international portkey to a rather long meeting with the ICW in Geneva, Switzerland.

Since Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was now chartered with the International Confederation of Wizards or ICW for short, Harry had to attend a number of official functions and meetings every year.

The good thing was that Albus, who the Grand Sorcerer of the ICW, attended most of these functions as well. Harry, as the High Lord of Hogwarts, was required to attend the ICW General Assembly Meetings, Committee on Wizarding Education Meetings, and was the vice chair of the ad-hoc committee on Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The chairman was Albus himself.

On this particle trip, Harry and Ginny really wanted to get a way for a few days by themselves since they had so little time lately, unfortunately, time was against them since school started in less then a week. So instead they settled on staying in a private chalet that Albus and Minerva owned. It had been a gift from Aberforth, Albus' brother, shortly after the fall of Grindelwald.

Abe, as liked to be referred to, said it was to make sure that they could relax when they were meeting the ICW. So far the plan worked flawlessly, twice a year, Albus and Minerva would disappear for a few days and enjoy being married; of course this practice had dropped off quite a bit over the last few years.

So after a very long day of meetings and another day relaxing, the Potters and the Dumbledores returned to Scotland and Hogwarts for the last round of meetings and preparations for the upcoming school year.

After they returned, Harry had a number of meetings with the Gringotts, the Ministry, and of course the staff and apprentices.

The Gringotts board meeting went very well until Bill spoke about some expansion they were getting ready to proceed with. Bill had laid out the plans for an expansion of curse breaking in Egypt and in South America.

It called for an additional 100 curse breakers and ward masters split into 30 of each for Egypt and 70 of each for South America. Harry, knowing what was currently in South America, objected stating Voldemort's involvement in the region. The plans for South America were put on hold until Voldemort was dealt with.

The meeting with Minister Bones was a very happy, bright meeting. It consisted of addressing a few concerns from the ministry bearcats that Madam Bones hadn't dumped yet, and a plain nice chat with one of the nicest people Harry had met.

Finally, it was late at night on the evening of August 31st and Harry had decided to go for a walk around the castle and grounds since he couldn't sleep. As he left his suite, after making his young wife was sound asleep; Harry began to walk around castle with no where in mind. He noticed the entire castle had been cleaned stem to stern, every suit of armor had been greased and oiled, the floors scrubbed and all of the new equipment for the classrooms was ready. Harry realized that it had been a very busy summer all the way around.

From Albus taking Harry from the Dursleys, to the magical block and learning about his heritage, to his bond with Ginny, Harry knew that his life would become that of legends one day, more so then what it is now.

Harry's thoughts traveled over the fight he had with Albus, the closet thing he had to a grandfather, and the subsequent battle in Diagon Alley where Harry beat the snot out of Tom Riddle. That led Harry to think about the reason why they drew out Tom, to record his magical signature. They had indeed recorded it and between Filius, Hermione, Bill, Fleur, Severus, Remus, and the Unspeakables from the Ministry of Magic, they had made some progress. Harry hadn't gotten any updates lately and decided to check in with Hermione the first chance he got.

As of the last time Harry heard, they group had categorized approximately 60% of the spells and rituals that Tom had done to himself, including the one that gave him his body back and had also devised how to undo the magic he did to himself.

As Harry walked the grounds, he was still amazed at the work the goblins had done on the construction projects around the castle. The stables were the best in the world and housed some of the most interesting creatures on the planet. Sure there were thestrals and horses, but there were also a pack of Griffins, Chimeras, and Dragons to name a few.

The castle herself had been repainted, inside and out, and according to one of the oldest engineers, looked very similar to how she looked when she was first built.

Harry eventually found himself up on the cliffs that were behind the castle. There was a small foot path that led up here; Madam Sprout sometimes came up here searching for different plants. As Harry stared out over the castle and grounds, a thought hit him, 'My god it's beautiful.'

Harry was staring out for a long time but was brought back to reality by the snapping of a twig behind him. Harry spun around and pointed his wand at the sound only to discover Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore both holding goblets of wine, dressed in dressing gowns, just like Harry.

"Sorry to startle you Harry, Albus and I were just engaging on a very old tradition we started when I started to teach here. We come up here and drink till the guilt goes away, or until we are out of wine. Over the last 14 years, we have yet to drink our guilt away, but we have gone through a lot of wine. Would you care to join us?"

Without a word, Harry conjured a goblet, three squishy arm chairs, and small fire and joined the two other men in drinking the night away. After the 6th glass of wine, they all began to get loose lipped and began to tell stories about their days in school. When the last wine bottle emptied, for the 8th time, they found that they were too drunk to walk and called on Fawkes and Apollo to transport them back to the school where Dobby handed them the hang over potion and then left for bed.

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The next morning found Harry and Ginny Potter flooing to the Leaky Cauldron. From there they were driving to King's Cross Station to help oversee the students boarding the Hogwarts Express. Since many of this year's 6th and 7th year prefects were now in the apprentice program, Harry and Albus decided it might be prudent to send some help, but first Harry needed to swing by a few shops in Diagon Alley before they made it to the train station.

Ron and Hermione Weasley were already at King's Cross thanks to Mercury, normally Apollo would flame Harry and Ginny over too, but Apollo had just had his burning day and it normally took ten days for a phoenix to grow to maturity and be able to flame around without any issues. Harry and Ginny's Phoenix forms had burned a little over a week ago. During the burning day process, Harry and Ginny both looked a little tired and drank some of Bill and Charlie's Super Up Potion. This had the side effect of making the Phoenixes inside them mature faster then normal.

At 10 minutes to Eleven, Harry and Ginny Potter crossed thru the barrier onto Platform 9¾. It was chaos as usual. Cats were meowing, owls were hooting and the general noise of hundreds of students, parents, and younger children all crammed into a small location assaulted their ears.

Harry immediately made his way over to Kingsley Shacklebolt, the head Auror for today. "Good morning Lord Gryffindor, how are you doing?" The tall black Auror smiled at the young man and woman whom he had the utmost respect for.

"Very well Kingsley, have there been any issues so far?"

"No Harry, everyone has been really good. Of course with the known Death Eaters dead or in hiding, I wouldn't worry too much."

With a final nod, Harry and Ginny made their way to the train and headed for the Prefect's Carriage where they would be riding. When they entered, Harry saw the Headboy and Headgirl along with the apprentices were already sitting there, waiting for the prefects.

At 11:30 am, All the prefects had arrived and the meeting started. Harry for his part remained somewhat quiet, only speaking when spoken to. That was until Michael Corner, whom had been using the Hogwarts Needy Student Fund even though his family had more than enough money, decided to taunt the boy wonder.

"Hey, why in the hell is Potter in here anyway? I mean he's a dark wizard, just look what he did to get Hogwarts—"

Corner never finished his thoughts as he was lifted from his seat by some unseen force. He then noticed Harry was standing and everyone could feel the power radiating off of him.

"Listen you little shit, because I am only going to explain this once. I AM NOT A DARK WIZARD!! When Godric's daughter married, she married a Potter, then their son married Helga Hufflepuff's granddaughter, who then married whom they thought was a muggleborn, but was really Salazar Slytherin's Great Granddaughter. Her grandfather was disowned because he was a squib. So now you understand that I am the heir of the four founders and if I ever catch you talking about me like this again, you'll wish that you were experiencing your master's Cruciatus Curse."

The entire compartment was deadly quite, no one spoke or moved. Everyone looked at Michael Corner and saw that he had wet himself. As he made to run from the carriage, Neville and Blaise Zabini grabbed him and raised the sleeves of his robes. Right there, on his arm was the dark mark. Without a word, Ginny stunned him while Susan conjured ropes around him. Harry launched Prongs, his patronus, towards Hogwarts with a message about Michael.

Less then 10 minutes later Albus, who was brought by Fawkes, Remus and Tonks, who were brought by Mercury, and an almost mature Apollo all flamed into the compartment. Tonks clamped a set of shackles on the boy and they both disappeared. After learning everything he could, Albus dismissed the entire group except for Harry and Ginny.

"Harry, I believe that you and your wife should make a grand entrance when arrive for the feast. I believe that there will be many, many people who need to actually see and feel what you can do."

Harry turned to his wife who simply nodded her head then wrapped her arms around Harry. "Alright Albus, we'll make an entrance tonight and show off some power, now if it is alright with you, we are going to disappear for a while."

Albus simply nodded as Harry and Ginny both were enveloped in flames and were gone. Albus looked at the spot they had just been for a moment, completely dumbfounded. Fawkes was laughing, 'They finally learned how to flame in their human forms!!! Wait until Mercury and Apollo hear about this!' Then without another word, Fawkes too flamed away; Albus shook his head then changed into his phoenix form and flamed away as well.

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Harry and Ginny appeared in the entrance hall of Lionfire Hall and were greeted immediately by Brent and Brianna. "Lord and Lady Gryffindor! Welcome home!"

Harry smiled at the two elves. They were both dressed in casual business attire. Brianna was wearing a beautiful red blouse and khaki pants while Brent was wearing a red dress shirt with black slacks and a black sports jacket. Overall Harry was very impressed with their outfits.

"Hello Brent, hello Brianna, I see you are dressed very well today. Is this some new clothing or are you going out?"

The elves blushed and began to apologize for being out of uniform, but Ginny stopped them. "Its fine you two, we both love how you look. But just to satisfy our curiosity, do you have many others clothes?"

Brent, who regained his ability to talk spoke up, "Lady Gryffindor, we are not like most House Elves that you have ever met. We is well educated and have been trained in many customs, including 'Dressing the Part' as wizards say. As I is the General Manager, I is giving many meetings to attend and Mr. Griphook believes that I should be looking professional. So I be having Brianna, Tana, and Anga look through many pictures of proper attire. I is finally asking some of the employees what they thought I should be wearing, and this is what they be thinking. Brianna being dressed like she is because she is sitting in a meeting earlier. Did Brent do good?"

The elf looked like he was ready to cry. He thought he over stepped his authority as the General Manager and they were going to take it away from him. When he looked up into Harry's eyes, he saw acceptance and even laughter. "Brent, the clothing is fantastic, and I don't care what you guys wear most of the time. However, I do believe we need to update the official uniform don't you?" Brent and Brianna both nodded.

"Ok so here is what we are going to do, when we are not in residence, you may wear whatever you wish. When we are in residence, just the two of us, or if we have children here, then you may wear anything you wish as long is it has the family crest. When we have guests over during the day and at night I want any elf who is inside to be wearing business attire. That means either suits or robes for the male elves, and the equivalent for the females. When we have official functions here that require you to work as house elves, I want formal attire. The only other thing I ask is that everyone match in style whenever there are other people here then us."

As Harry finished explaining, there was a bright flash of light the filled the entrance hall. When it faded, Harry noticed that both Brent and Brianna had the family crests on their clothing just over their hearts. "Thank you Lord Gryffindor, we now have our official uniforms. Is I may ask, why is you both here today? You both should be at Hogwarts?"

Harry and Ginny both laughed at Brent, "Well Brent, we decided to check up on you before you headed back to the castle and greet the students tonight." Brent nodded and escorted Harry and Ginny into another room that Harry had never seen before. As they entered the room, they noticed that it was an office of some sorts. There were filing cabinets, bookcases, and a large desk.

"This is Brent's office. It was a storage closet, but when you be making me the General Manager, I learned I needed a place to work. Did Brent do wrong?"

"NO Brent this is great, but for us to be clear, from now on you can make any decisions you want in order to complete your duties as the General Manager. Now, how is Lionfire Hall doing?" For the next couple of hours, Brent and Brianna gave a complete overview of what was happening. Finally Harry and Ginny gave their goodbyes and flamed to their suite at Hogwarts. _________________________________________________________________________________

By the time the Hogwarts Express arrived at Hogsmeade Station, all of the students were in their school robes and all of the apprentices who had gone to escort the train were getting very antsy. They knew Harry and Ginny had left the train, Dumbledore told them, and that they were going to make a 'grand entrance' whatever that was.

The last people off the train were Hermione, Ron, Blaise, Daphne, and Remus Lupin. Remus decided to remain on the train after the other professors left so that he could keep an eye on everything. He knew that even though Voldemort was in hiding, there was still dangers out there.

As they exited the train, they all saw a rather large display of Fred & George's Fireworks burning in the air over the castle. There were Lions done in Gryffindor Red and Gold, Eagles in Ravenclaw Blue and Bronze, Badgers in Hufflepuff Yellow and Black, and Snakes in Slytherin Green and Silver. All the animals were playing with each other and running thru the other fireworks.

Suddenly a large golden snitch firework exploded and headed for the Quidditch Pitch. Once it arrived, it exploded again showing smaller versions of the house mascots playing Quidditch. However there was also a phoenix firework playing seeker. When the phoenix caught the snitch, all the fireworks exploded sending huge multi colored flames into the air.

Everyone who was outside was laughing and enjoying the fireworks. As the fires began to burn out, a message was painted across the sky by what looked like two weasels:

Tonight's Fireworks

Provided By

Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes

Diagon Alley, London

Enjoy The School Year…

And Remember…

…When In Doubt…

…Have A Laugh!!

Remus was doing his best to keep standing, but finally gave up and fell to the ground laughing harder then he had in years. Right along side of him were many of the Apprentices and students. After 15 minutes of laughter, everyone made it into the Great Hall for the Sorting Feast.

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The Great Hall was arranged differently then it had been in years past, there were no longer the four house tables or the single teacher's table. There were instead huge round tables that were lined up in rows where the old tables used to be.

Everyone also noticed that there were names tags in front of seat. Quickly everyone settled down into their assigned seats as Professor McGonagall entered the Great Hall with the terrified first years. Unlike previous years, she did not carry the sorting hat, just the stool that was used in the ceremony. After a few moments, the doors to the Great Hall opened and the Hogwarts Ghosts entered the Hall.

The first to enter were the house ghosts: Sir Nicholas who was the Gryffindor Ghost, the Fat Friar who was the Hufflepuff Ghost, then came the Grey Lady who was the Ravenclaw Ghost, and then the Bloody Baron who was the Slytherin Ghost.

After them came the remaining ghosts with Moaning Myrtle and Peeves coming in last. Both Myrtle and Peeves were looking around staring at everything in the hall since this was their first time to be invited to a feast. Following the ghosts were five animal forms. They looked like Patronuses, but they were more solid looking and colored.

The first animal to enter was a large green snake with a silver belly, which was the totem of Slytherin House. He looked around the room, and seemed to make eye contact with everyone, and yet no one. Many of the students seemed to feel uncomfortable when this happened for some unknown reason.

Behind him was a yellow badger was large black eyes, whom was the totem of Hufflepuff House. She, for that was what she was, also made eye contact with everyone and yet no one. The students seemed to swell with pride and had huge smiles on their faces.

The next animal in the procession was a Blue and Bronze Eagle, she was the Ravenclaw House totem. She was the first of these animals to make any sort of noise. Her squall made everyone, regardless of house, think about their studies. Many needed to study harder, but there were also a number, mainly in Ravenclaw House, that needed to get out of the books for a while and experience life.

Everyone suddenly heard a large roar coming form the Entrance Hall and looked towards the doors as a Large Lion entered the hall. He was golden in color with a mane of red hair. He was 6 feet tall and 9 feet long. As he walked, he growled again, causing many in the hall to back away with fear in their hearts. He carried himself like the King he was, with grace.

The four animals stopped in front of the Great Hall and looked towards the doors as a phoenix entered the room. They phoenix sang his beautiful music, filling many people with hope. Hanging by his talons was the old sorting hat. Except the hat was no longer old looking. The coloring had returned to bright and crisp and the frayed edges were no more.

The phoenix dropped the sorting hat on the stool and began to fly around the hat. As this happened, the other animals did the same thing as the Sorting Hat began, for the first time ever, to speak not sing:

"Many Years Ago, four powerful witches and wizards came to build a hope, a dream, a vision, which became our dear Hogwarts.

"Over the course of time, many things have changed. Slytherins are now considered evil, while Gryffindors are praised above the rest. Ravenclaws are thought to be the smartest, while Hufflepuffs are known for their loyalty.

"But now the Heir has claimed his rightful place, and will set the history books straight, but before that happens, we all must remember why we are here.

"We all may be from different houses and backgrounds, but we all came here to learn. We learn not just from our professors, but from our fellow students too. So from here on out, we must stand together against the approaching darkness, because above all we are Hogwarts, a beckon of light and hope too many.

"So while I sort into your houses, please remember this, you are not just a Gryffindor, or Hufflepuff, or Ravenclaw, or Slytherin, you are a member of the Hogwarts family, and even though we may disagree, we are family.

"So at this time, I will ask the newest members of our family to place me on their heads, for even though we must work as one, I still have a job to do."

As the sorting hat finished it's speech, it rose into the air and the five animals merged into a single ball of light which engulfed the hat. Once the aura faded, the hat sat down onto the stool.

The sorting from there went as it has gone for a thousand years. Once it was finished, Headmaster Dumbledore stood from seat and addressed the crowd.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! As you can already see, this is going to be a very interesting year indeed. Now before we begin with the announcements I have, I feel that they would be better received on full stomachs."

With a wave of his hands, the Great Hall was filled with food and everyone began to feast of the food in front of them. The food was fantastic and conversations were heard through out the hall. After the last bits of food disappeared, Dumbledore stood up and addressed the assembled masses in front of him.

"Now that we have had our fill from our house elves, I have a number of announcements to make. First off, the Forbidden Forest remains, as always, out of bounds. A number of students should remember that fact." Dumbledore looked directly at Ron and a few others in the hall. "Second Mr. Filch has informed me that all products from Weasley's Wizarding Wheeze's are banned from school.

"Anyone who wishes to tryout for your house Quidditch team, please contact your Head of House." Dumbledore paused and looked over the crowd before he continued, "This year we have a number of staffing changes here at Hogwarts.

"First off I would like to reintroduce Professors Sybil Trelawney and Firenze who will team teach Divination. Professor Firenze will also be a Guest Lecturer for History of Magic." A number of people looked around and spotted both the centaur Professor Trelawney. Trelawney didn't look happy to be working with the centaur, but she wisely remained quite.

"Next I am honored to reintroduce one of the best Defense Against the Dark Arts we have ever seen here at Hogwarts, he has my complete confidence and those of the High Lord of Hogwarts, students I give you Professor Remus John Lupin. Professor Lupin is the only person who has been cured of Lycanthropy and so will not miss any class time due to the Full Moon. He will also be serving as a Guest Lecturer for History of Magic as well." Almost every student in the hall rose from their seats and applauded. They all liked Professor Lupin, and they wanted him to know it.

"Arabella Figg, who is a squib, has agreed to serve as Professor of both History of Muggles and Muggle Studies. Professor Figg has lived in the Muggle World for over 15 years, and comes to us with a wealth of knowledge." Many of the purebloods looked at the Professor with loathing. They felt like having to learn about muggles was beneath them. Dumbledore knew this would happen, so he already planned on spending some time in Arabella's classroom.

"Molly Weasley has agreed to return to Hogwarts, now as a professor, to teach a new class called Living in the Magical World. This class is required for all students. Molly also will be serving as our School Moral Officer." The Matriarch of the Weasley Family was very well known around Hogwarts, thanks to her seven children and the Howlers she had sent over the years.

"Our next new staff member comes from the Ministry of Magic. And before you begin, she is not a fan of the late Delores Umbridge. She is an Auror and also a Metamorphmagus, I give you Professor Nymphadora Tonks. Professor Tonks will be teaching Physical Education." Tonks received a well rounded reception.

"Our next new staff member is also a former professor here. However due to Lord Voldemort, he was never able to teach. He is one of the most respected and feared Aurors in the history of the Auror force, he now spends his time training Aurors and running a private security business. He is our new Professor of Magical Training and the Beginning Auror Training Coordinator; I give Alastor, 'Mad-Eye' Moody." The entire hall was quiet as Moody stood up from his chair. Thanks to his surgery, he looked almost normal again, and this threw off many people.

"Finally, I am aware that many of you have learned that Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is no longer under the influence of the Ministry of Magic. This is due to the Heir of Hogwarts returning and taking his rightful place.

"I am deeply honored to introduce the High Lord of Hogwarts, Harry James Potter, and his wife, the High Lady of Hogwarts, Ginevra Molly Potter."

At that moment, the sounds of trumpets, drums and bagpipes filled the Great Hall as the doors to the Great Hall opened and in walked Harry & Ginny Potter. Like other times when they were being introduced, they wore their formal Robes in Gryffindor Red and Gold. Behind them walked Dobby and Winky Potter. When the arrived at the podium in front of the hall, Albus graciously stepped aside and let Mr. and Mrs. Potter have the floor.

"Thanks you Headmaster, for that introduction, it was rather nice." Harry then turned towards the students, "Hello everyone. As you already know, I am Harry James Potter, and this is my wife and soulmate, Ginevra Molly Potter. As you have read in the Daily Prophet, I am the heir of Hogwarts and have taken my rightful place here. The duties and responsibilities of former board of governors now fall to my wife and I.

"Now, I would like to introduce a few more members of staff. First off is Professor Charlie Weasley, who will be working with Professor Hagrid. Professor Weasley is an ICW certified Dragon Handler and Magical Creature Veterinarian. Unfortunately, Professor Weasley was detained this evening and was unable to join us. One of his charges, the Hungarian Horntail that I faced in the TriWizard Tournament, has taken ill. You will all meet him later, just look for the red hair and many burns." There was a smattering of laughter thanks to this comment.

"Also, as you saw when you approached the castle, we are honored to have two battalions of goblins protecting and guarding all of us. These are not just any goblins; they are the Gringotts Black Brigade Goblin Warriors. For those of you who do not know, the Black Brigade is the longest running military unit in the history of the world. Please do not try to sneak out or upset these individuals, they have been authorized to use deadly force, so please don't push them."

Harry stepped back and allowed Ginny to step up to the podium and address the crowd, every pair of eyes in the Great Hall was glued to her. "As you have already seen, we have made a number of changes to the way this school operates, starting with new professors and facilities. We have built a new dragon habitat and support structures as well as new stables for horses, hippogriffs, Griffins, Thestrals, and many other animals. We also have built five new state of the art greenhouses, new potions labs with equipment, and also a completely new hospital wing with additional help for Madam Pomfrey." Everyone applauded at the news of the capital improvements, especially the new hospital wing. It was the one thing that Hogwarts had always been lacking. It spoke a great deal about Madam Pomfrey's level of care that so few students were sent to St. Mungo's even though the Hospital Wing was undersized, understaffed, and ill equipped thanks to the Board of Governors.

Ginny called the attention back to herself as she continued, "This year we also have added a number of classes that are offered here. Some of them include new mandatory classes like Muggle Studies, History of Muggles, Physical & Magical Education, and Living in the Magical World. Other classes are by invitation only, such as Divination, Animagus Transformation, and Magical Law & Government. The existing core classes and elective classes have been overhauled and updated as well. Also, if you wish to study a field as an independent study course, please contact the Deputy Headmistress.

"The next big change is that we have brought back the Hogwarts Apprenticeship Program. The apprentices are assistant professors and will be treated as such. They will be bound to Hogwarts for ten years and will be teaching a number of classes for the lower year students.

"The Apprentices are: for Ancient Runes Assistant Professor Orla Quirke, for Arithmancy Assistant Professor Luna Lovegood, for Astronomy Assistant Professor Susan Bones, who will also serve as the Deputy Head of House for Hufflepuff House, for Care of Magical Creatures Assistant Professor Rachael Dawes, for Charms Assistant Professor Cho Chang, who will serve as Deputy Head of House for Ravenclaw House, for Defense Against The Dark Arts Assistant Professor Ron Weasley, for Herbology Assistant Professor Neville Longbottom, for History of Magic Assistant Professor Daphne Greengrass, for History of Muggles Assistant Professor Colin Creevey, for Muggle Studies Assistant Professor Ernie McMillan, for Physical Education Assistant Professor Jonathan Davies, for Magical Education Assistant Professor Elizabeth Marie Kilpatrick, for Potions Assistant Professor Blaise Zabini, who will serve as the Deputy of Head of House for Slytherin House, for Transfiguration Assistant Professor Hermione Granger, who will serve as Deputy Head of House for Gryffindor House, and for Magical Healing Assistant Professor Hanna Abbott." As each of their names was announced, the apprentices stood up and were recognized. Finally after Hanna Abbott was announced, there was a rather large round of applause once again.

At this time, Harry retook his place behind the podium. "The last few things that I would like to talk to you about are some of the new rules that have been put in place here at Hogwarts. ALL creatures within Hogwarts, whether or not they are on the grounds or in the castle, will be treated with respect and dignity. Anyone who is caught, abusing any creature, this includes the house elves, will be immediately expelled and sent to the Ministry of Magic for trial.

"Also, any inflammatory names based of blood, social, or other status will not be tolerated. Any student who uses the name 'Mudblood' or 'Dirty Blood' will be automatically fined 500 points and 6 months worth of detentions. They will also be banned from all clubs and activities, including Quidditch. And do not worry about saying it in your dorm rooms, if it is said anywhere within Hogwarts, I will find out about it.

"Now I would like to introduce the last two permanent members of the Hogwarts staff. I would like to introduce Dobby and Winky Potter." The two little elves had remained by the doors to the hall when Harry and Ginny made their entrance, made their way to stand beside Harry and Ginny.

"Dobby, as you may call him, is my Chief Steward. What that means is that Dobby runs the day-to-day operations of the castle itself. This includes meals, cleaning, special event setup, etc. Dobby does not have any control over the classes or educational side of Hogwarts. That power remains with the Headmaster and the teaching staff. He does however have the power to assign detentions and take house points.

"Winky, Dobby's wife, was in charge of what I called hospitality. She will now share the same duties that Dobby does. She has asked me to inform everyone to please wipe their feet before entering the castle, you all cause huge messes when you walk in.

"Lastly, Mr. Argus Filch has taken a new position here within the castle. He is now the Senior Caretaker for Hogwarts. This means that he has is own staff to help keep the castle in working order.

"Lastly, for I can see that many of you are getting tired, please remember, CONSTANT VIGILANCE!! Lord Voldemort is not dead, yet, and will return. We must stand together to beat the on coming storm. Good night everyone!"