Chapter 26

As I sat glancing around at all the students settling themselves into their seats, greeting friends and piling up their plates with food, I saw the large dog like patronus peeking around the door.

I stood up and walked over to it and realised it was a message from Dora Tonks. It opened its mouth and told me in her voice that she had Harry and wanted someone to come down to collect him from the gates. I frowned as it disappeared and briefly wondered why her patronus had changed.

"It can't be Meghana Megera!" A booming voice came from behind me making me jump and I spun around and found myself face to face with Horace Slughorn.

"Oh, hello Horace," I said distractedly "I just need to-"

"I can go get Potter," Severus said, appearing seemingly out of nowhere and stepping around Horace.

"But-" I started but Horace slapped a hand on my shoulder and started to guide me towards the Great Hall as Severus smirked at me before he made his way towards the front entrance.

"How have you been, my dear?" Horace asked conversationally, his arm still around my shoulder as we walked towards the staff table again "I've no doubt you've been busy, the youngest member of the Wizengamot! Imagine! I always knew you would do well!"

"Really?" I replied uninterested, my mind on Dora's patronus and why Harry needed to be collected from the gates.

"Yes, of course, you were the smartest student I have ever had! Just such a shame you were in Ravenclaw." He said, chuckling.

"Yes, well-" I started to say but he cut me off.

"I know I'm not supposed to have favourites but you and Lily-," my heart clenched painfully at her name. "You two were the brightest stars," he looked reminiscently out of the window behind the staff table and then turned to look at me.

"We'll have to catch up over a drink later on!" he said, beaming once again.

I took in a breath and smiled "I-,"

"Excellent, excellent!" He said joyfully as he made his way to his seat at the staff table.

I shook my head slightly and closed my mouth. I spun around in time to see Severus and Harry enter the great hall. Harry was covered in blood and was walking very quickly towards the Gryffindor table.

I went down to meet Severus who was gliding back up to the staff table.

"What happened to him?" I asked in a hushed tone.

"No idea," Severus said simply as he stepped around me to continue up to the staff table. I caught up with him and he glanced down at me. "Had fun catching up with Slughorn?"

I rolled my eyes and scoffed "Oh please,"

"Imagine, the youngest member of the Wizengamot!" He mocked.

I scowled at him and muttered, "Shut up, Sev."

He smirked at me again as we sat down at the table, and as I faced the front my eyes fixed on Harry once again who was now stuffing pudding in his mouth. Behind Harry, Draco caught my eye who was dramatically miming something and his friends around him were laughing. I frowned as I picked up my goblet and took a sip of wine, making a mental note to speak with Dora to find out why Harry was late and why the hell he was covered in blood.

'The very best of evenings to you!' Dumbledore's voice brought me out of my pensive and I turned to look at him after whispers started to sweep the room and saw immediately what people had noticed. Dumbledore's right hand was blackened and dead-looking. He merely smiled and shook his purple and gold sleeve over his hand hiding it from view.

"Nothing to worry about," he said airily. "Now … to our new students, welcome; to our old students, welcome back!"

I looked at Severus who was staring out into the sea of students with an expressionless look on his face, and I frowned wondering if he knew anything about Dumbledore's injury. It looked as if it had been cursed.

Did that happen at the Ministry a few months ago? I thought as I racked my brain trying to remember.

"We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year. Professor Slughorn," Dumbledore continued and Horace stood up "who is a former colleague of mine and has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."

"Potions?"

The word echoed all over the Hall as people wondered whether they had heard right.

"Professor Snape, meanwhile," said Dumbledore, raising his voice so that it carried over all the muttering, "will be taking over the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."

"No!" Harry's voice came from the Gryffindor table, so loudly that many heads turned in his direction. I flicked my gaze to Harry, raising my eyebrows as he was staring up at our table, looking furious.

I glanced at Severus who merely raised a hand in lazy acknowledgement of the applause from the Slytherin table, a look of triumph on his pale face.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, seemingly oblivious to the sensational nature of the news he had just imparted, but waited a few seconds before resuming his speech.

"Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength."

The atmosphere seemed to tauten at these words. Draco once again caught my eye as he was not looking at Dumbledore, but making his fork hover in midair with his wand, as though he was bored and rendered this situation unworthy of his attention. I narrowed my eyes as I noticed Draco looked paler than usual, and a bit thinner than when I had last seen him. This seemed odd to me but I quickly brushed it off as stress from my uncle being incarcerated.

"- castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff." He paused and looked around before continuing "I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them - in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and each other's safety." Dumbledore's blue eyes swept over the students once more before he bade them good night.

Even for a welcome speech, that was heavy, I thought as I watched as the students filed out of the Great Hall. Once it had emptied, I hurried to the entrance hall to get to Hogsmeade to find Dora.

The night air was chilly as I walked the dark street to the Three Broomsticks where I knew Dora was staying.

I opened the door and walked inside, briefly glancing around at the people sitting around talking joyfully, laughing and drinking.

I approached Madam Rosmerta behind the bar and asked her which room Dora was in. Once I had this information I went upstairs and knocked on her door.

"Who is it?" Came Dora's voice from inside.

"It's Meg," I replied, my hand on the door handle.

The door flew open and she stood before me, pointing her wand at me until she saw my face and lowered it.

"Sorry, Meg - I just wanted to be ready … in case-"

"It's fine I understand - are you ok?" I asked as I noticed she looked like she had been crying.

"Yes-" she said quietly and sniffed.

I frowned at her as she rubbed her eyes while she asked what I needed.

"I just wanted to know what happened with Harry," I said but I was now more concerned with why she looked so sad.

She told me about how she had found him under his invisibility cloak and how Draco had broken his nose.

Well, that explains the blood I thought.

"I meant for Hagrid or someone else to get my message, not Snape," she added.

"Yeah… I got accosted by Horace Slughorn" I said apologetically.

She nodded and sighed sadly while she sat on the edge of the bed. I noticed that she looked tired and her hair was lacking the vibrant colours she usually wore. She basically just looked dull.

"Are you sure you're ok?" I asked again feeling as though I was pushing my luck as she looked up at me frowning.

"I should be asking you that," she said quietly.

I shook my head quickly, unwilling to even think about talking to her about Sirius.

"Well, if you're sure you're ok - I just wanted to check in," I said backing up towards the door determined to deflect the conversation.

"Meg, have you heard from Remus?" she asked hopefully.

I frowned at her and shook my head, "Not this week," I said, "Why?"

I watched her face fall as she mumbled "No reason."

I paused with my hand fumbling for the door handle behind my back, as I wondered what was going on with her.

"Well, you know where I am if you need anything," I said to her as I opened the door. She nodded and muttered "Thanks" and she laid down on the bed and rolled over, her back turned to me.

I paused again wondering if I should say something but then decided if she wanted to tell me, she would have already. I shook my head as I left the room, closing the door gently behind me.