The next morning, when Sirius and his friends sat down to eat, they noticed that the food wasn't out yet like it normally was. Everyone but Sirius was confused. Sirius assumed there would be announcements before they ate. He looked at the Head table to see Arcturus sitting in the headmaster's chair, with McGonagall next to him. He then saw two people he wasn't expecting. Melania was sitting next to Regulus.
Sirius was shocked. What were those two doing here? He didn't have to wonder for long, because Arcturus raised his wand and a loud bang nearly shook the hall.
"Good morning," he said once everyone had quieted. "Last night, Albus Dumbledore was sacked by the Board of Governors for failing to do his job as the headmaster of this school. They voted to appoint me as your new headmaster. For those of you who perhaps don't know me, I am Lord Arcturus Black, the head of the Black family." He had to pause here because there were too many whispers.
"The last time a Black was headmaster, it was the worst headmaster in history!" James exclaimed quietly.
"I think Dumbledore's tied there," Sirius corrected him.
"Let's give our new headmaster a fair chance," Lily stated.
Finally, Arcturus called for silence. "I would like to let you know of a few changes. First of all, Professor Binns is no longer teaching here." He had to stop again because there were loud cheers going throughout the hall.
"It's about time!" some were shouting.
"He was boring!" some were saying.
"Who's our new professor?" Remus asked.
It took another bang from Arcturus' wand in order to silence everyone again. "The new History of Magic professor is Melania Black. Please give her a warm welcome!" Everyone applauded her. Sirius whistled. That explained why she was there, and of course, they couldn't just leave Regulus behind, so he was there too.
"Hello everyone, I am honored to be your History of Magic teacher," Melania said, standing up. "I promise not to put any of you to sleep." The students laughed.
"And as you may have noticed, my younger grandson, Regulus Black, is with us," Arcturus said. "He will be starting his first year next year, but in the meantime, he will be staying here with Professor Black and myself. He will be allowed to sit at any house table he chooses, since he is not yet sorted, but I expect you to respect him like you would any other student and staff."
Sirius waved Regulus over to his table. Regulus whispered something to Melania, and after receiving a nod, he walked over to the Gryffindor table. Remus moved down the table a little so Regulus could sit next to Sirius.
"I never thought I'd be sitting at the Gryffindor table," Regulus whispered. Sirius smirked.
"Starting today, Divination is no longer an available class," Arcturus continued. "You cannot learn Divination. You either have the gift or you don't. Plain and simple." Some were cheering, and some were booing. "For those of you who used this class as an easy way out, that is not what Hogwarts is about," he said once the noise died down. "But in its place, Professor Jones will be teaching a brand new class called Magical Studies. This class is required for all Muggle-raised students during their first year. Your timetables have been adjusted accordingly. Furthermore, this year, Muggle Studies is mandatory for ALL magical-raised students from first through seventh year. Next year and beyond, it will only be for first years."
Many pure-bloods were throwing a fit about this new requirement. Lucius Malfoy could be heard saying, "My father will be hearing about this! He's on the Board of Governors! He won't stand for this!"
"SILENCE!" Arcturus shouted. The noise level immediately dropped. "I will not be threatened in that way, Mr. Malfoy. Your father is only one person. He doesn't control the Board of Governors. It would take a majority vote in order to overrule my decisions, and they recently passed a resolution saying that all decisions regarding adding or removing classes are up to the Headmaster, and the Board will not interfere." Lucius looked furious. "If you want to tell your father, be my guest. But I can assure you that he will not be able to do anything about it." Lucius looked defeated. "Now if there aren't any more complaints, I would like to hand things over to Madam Pomfrey for her to give her own announcement."
"Thank you, Headmaster," Madam Pomfrey began. "Starting today, and for the next six weeks, each student will be required to receive a health screening. After this year, it will only be first years. But we just want to make sure that everyone is healthy so they can do their best in their classes and activities. Your Head of House will be notifying you soon of your appointment time. If you do not show up for your scheduled appointment, your Head of House will find a way to get you there, and they may even have to take points, but hopefully that will not happen. Thank you, and have a great morning." She sat down again, and nodded to Arcturus. Most students were fine with this announcement, but there were a few that looked scared.
"Thank you Madam Pomfrey," the headmaster said. "With that being said, I believe you are all ready to eat. If you need anything, just ask. Your professors and I are here to help. Have a good day!" With that, the food appeared on the tables and everyone started to eat and chatter about what they had just learned.
"Wow!" James exclaimed. "Headmaster Black roasted Malfoy! That was AWESOME!"
"Yeah, that was great," Remus agreed.
"The defeated look on his face is something I'll never forget," Severus added.
"When did you get here, Reg?" Sirius asked.
"Early this morning," Regulus answered. "Grandfather came home last night, and once Grandmother accepted the History of Magic position, we started packing. Grandfather came back here last night, while Grandmother and I came this morning."
"It must be weird to have your grandparents here at school all the time," Lily said.
Sirius and Regulus both shrugged. "I'll get used to it," they said in unison. They burst out laughing.
"Mr. Lupin, the headmaster, would like to speak with you," McGonagall said, cutting off their conversations. Remus looked nervous. Sirius realized what was going on. They had to figure out where Remus could transform. Thankfully, Sirius had told Arcturus about the Shrieking Shack.
"Er, sure, Professor," Remus said, standing from the table. "Er, see you all later." Sirius sighed. He didn't know how to help Remus without giving it away that he knew.
"What do you think is wrong?" James asked.
"Dunno," Sirius said with a shrug.
Sirius looked over to see Arcturus, McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, and Remus walking out of the Great Hall.
"Come on, let's go exploring!" James declared.
"Where do you want to explore?" Lily asked curiously.
"There's a passage I found the other day, and I want to see where it leads," James explained. Sirius wondered which one it was.
"Well, shouldn't we wait for Remus?" Severus asked.
"Oh, fine, we can wait," James grumbled.
They didn't have to wait long. Before they knew it, Remus was heading back to their table with a skip in his step.
"Can I come exploring with you?" Regulus asked.
"Oh, are we going exploring?" Remus asked.
"Is everything alright, Remus?" Lily asked.
"Oh, yeah, everything's great," Remus said with a bright smile. "Now, did I hear something about exploring?"
"Yes, you did! And yes Regulus, you can come too," James announced.
"Then let's go!" Sirius exclaimed. They left the Great Hall to go exploring.