Welcome Home
Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny went with Tonks and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to Platform 9 ¾. Goodbyes were said and soon they were off past the countryside to Hogwarts. Harry went to sit with Ginny, Neville, Dean, and Luna, while Ron and Hermione headed to the front car for their prefect meeting. Ron sighed as he and Hermione sat down in the prefect car. This was not his favorite part of being a prefect; as a matter of fact it was quite annoying actually. He and Hermione were the first prefects there, then everyone started piling in the car: Hufflepuffs next, Ravenclaws, and finally Malfoy and Parkinson filed in last. But they were still without a teacher. Malfoy avoided eye contact with Ron and Hermione. This made Ron grin and swell with a certain sort of pride. But that pleasant feeling did not last long, changing as soon as Snape swept into the compartment, looking bitter and angry. He glared at all of them meeting each person’s eyes; he nodded cordially to Draco and Pansy. Then he started talking.
“I am the prefect supervisor this year,” he said coldly, looking them over. “I will not waste your time or mine, telling you that you need to set good examples for your fellow students. You know that, that’s why you were chosen, or so it would seem,” he continued, resting his eyes on Ron for a minute. “Last year, we had a problem with prefects misusing their power over the students. And if I hear about anything of the sort, while I am in charge, there will be hell to pay.” Draco and Pansy grinned coldly around the compartment, knowing they were practically exempt from that statement.
“Now,” continued Snape loudly, “ Weasley, Granger, you have the first car, Draco, Pansy you have the second…” and Ron and Hermione were out of there before they could hear anything else.
“Well, this is perfect,” muttered Ron grudgingly.
“It won’t be too much trouble unless Malfoy catches you doing something wrong. Which you won’t be doing,” said Hermione simply. Ron sighed and they walked down the train corridors, peering in the compartments. Then after a while Ron smiled and turned to Hermione.
“So, are you going to ask him?” he asked, and she turned around looking at him as if he had just asked her something in Dutch.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” she said turning away from him and looking at more detail at one of the compartments.
“I think you do,” he said almost in a singsong voice, peering in the compartment where she had paused. Everyone in the compartment was either sleeping or reading. He smiled again and laughed, “you can’t avoid it forever, one day it will be too much, for even you to handle. Believe me I know.” She looked at him again harshly.
“You don’t know what you are talking about,” she said coolly, then quickly changed the subject, “I think we’re done now, let’s go back with the others.”
“I’m telling you for your own good,” he said quietly but followed her back to the compartment, and he didn’t say another word. Ginny was sleeping on Dean’s shoulder, Luna was reading the Quibbler, and Harry was staring out the window blandly. Hermione pulled out Harry’s quidditch book to read, and Ron talked Harry into playing wizards chess. After another hour, the train started coming to a stop, and everyone groggily stretched and moved off the train, into the crisp night air. Harry, Ron, and Hermione piled into a carriage, Ron saw Harry smile sadly at the front of the carriages.
“Ooh, it’s cold tonight,” said Hermione crossing her arms across her chest.
“Want my coat Hermione?” asked Ron handing her his jacket he had worn on the train.
“No, I’m okay,” she said, looking at him. He grinned and laughed.
“Alright then,” he said shaking his head. Harry looked between them, curiously. After another minute, the carriage pulled to a stop by the entrance of the great castle. As they got out of the carriage, Ron looked up, and a raindrop landed on his nose. It was starting to drizzle.
“We better get inside,” he said pulling his robes around him tighter. Hermione and Harry nodded, and they went through the doors into the castle, and slowly but surely made their way into the Great Hall. Ron breathed out, as soon as he walked in, it was so warm, and his robes felt dry. The three of them sat at the back of the table. He scanned the teacher tables, for the new DADA teacher, and sure enough Ron saw the new teacher on the end of the table, but before he could say anything Hermione did.
"There is the new teacher,” said Hermione pointing and Harry now turned to look at the DADA teacher. The new teacher appeared pretty young looking but very stern. His hair was combed back, almost like Professor Snape’s, with not a hair out of spot. His charcoal black robes were clean pressed and his shoes were polished under the table. He was talking very uneventfully with McGonagall. His face almost looked forced like he was trying to be stern. But the thing that bothered Ron was that there was something familiar about the new professor. He just couldn’t put a finger on where he had witnessed him before, but he was almost sure he had seen him before. Professor McGonagall then went back to get the first years from the hallway, and the sorting hat. After the sorting hat sang a new song, the first years were sorted. Usually the sorting was fairly even but their seemed to be more kids sorted into Slytherin, or at least that’s what it seemed like to Ron.
Then Dumbledore went through his start of term notices and after that introduced the new teachers. "We have a new addition to Hogwarts and I assume all of you will make him feel very welcome. This year we have Professor Blanchet who will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts,” said Professor Dumbledore, motioning to the teacher on the end who smiled curtly and nodded. There was a minor applause mostly because he had this look Snape did when he was going to deduct house points. "Now before I think of anything else to say, enjoy your meal." After Dumbledore said this food appeared on the platters around them and they enjoyed their dinner.
“That new teacher looks like someone I used to know,” said Harry frowning as he helped himself to gravy on him potatoes.
“I know,” said Ron, drinking some pumpkin juice, “I was thinking the same thing myself, I’m just not sure where I know him from.” Harry shrugged and they both finished their meals, and slowly around them everyone else did as well. Ron and Hermione ran off ahead to lead the first years to the common room. Harry hung back by himself.
“Come on guys, you’ll have a whole year to goggle at the pictures,” groaned Ron as the first years walked slowly behind him.
“Ron!” shrieked Hermione. “Leave them alone! Some of them have never seen the Wizarding world before!”
“Still they have a whole year to get used to it, I know we weren’t this slow first year,” he then turned back to the first years exasperatedly, “come on, we are almost there.” Ron sighed thankfully as he saw the Fat Lady in sight, and a bunch of frustrated students waiting at the entrance for the password.
“The password is ‘Lumos Lenora’,” said Hermione as they reached the entrance. There were a lot of groans and sarcastic remarks as the herd of Gryffindors piled into the common room. She and Ron had to stand on chairs to be seen over everyone in the common room and announce instructions to the first years. Ron let Hermione do that, she was so much better with kids then he was. After of a few minutes, of the usual first year instructions, the first years all scattered about excitedly to their rooms to unpack and gossip about their new school.
“A man of many words you are, Ron,” joked Harry nudging Ron as they both slumped onto the couch in front of the fireplace.
Ron sighed and tilted his head back,” Honestly Harry, you are lucky you aren’t a prefect. Dealing with those little buggers is a hassle, and painfully annoying.”
Harry laughed, grinning at Ron, and then Harry yawned, “You know, I think I’m going to call it a night.”
“Harry! It’s only eight o’ clock! You can’t be serious! You don’t even have homework yet!” cried Hermione in surprise.
“Actually Hermione I think he’s right. I’m really tired too, not to mention we have classes tomorrow, I’d rather be refreshed to take on whatever classes I have in the morning,” Ron replied stretching and grinning at Hermione almost mischievously.
Hermione gave a deathly glare at Ron and sighed hopelessly at the both of them. “If you must, I guess I’ll see you in the morning,” sighed Hermione who headed up the stairs to the girls dormitories.
“What was that about, since when has she been an advocate for staying up late?” asked Harry raising his eyebrows watching her disappear from sight.
Ron shrugged, though really knowing more then he let on. “Maybe she just wants some company,” he answered doubtingly.
Harry just shook his head, and he and Ron went upstairs, they were the only ones up their dormitory. Everyone else had dispersed around the school and commons room. Harry and Ron changed and climbed into their respectable beds. Harry fell asleep right away, apparently not kidding about being tired. Ron however, lay awake with a smile on his face, thinking of things beyond his control.
***
Ron awoke reluctantly in the morning to Neville’s new alarm clock. It made a loud noise that sounded like a banshee, and wouldn’t shut off until you preformed the right spell to turn it off. Unfortunately for everyone, Neville couldn’t remember the right spell to shut it off. Soon everyone in the room was throwing jinxes and curses at it, some of them back firing just making the sound worse. Finally Neville located the correct spell (Dozona) and shut it off. By this time everyone was up and on their feet, on the bright side no one was tempted to go back to sleep, but no one was in a very good mood. All five boys pulled on their clothes and grumbled as they went to breakfast. When Harry and Ron arrived in the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, Hermione was sitting there reading her paper.
“What took you guys so long?” she inquired, glancing up over her paper.
“Neville’s alarm clock,” said Harry sighing and slumping onto a seat and helping himself to some eggs and toast. Ron just nodded fervently at his side, pouring some orange juice. As most of the table was finishing breakfast, Professor McGonagall was gliding by the tables and handing out schedules. Ron looked at his and disappointment rose within him. His schedule was hardly fancy and lacking in anything officially important. He was taking N.E.W.T. level DADA, Charms, and Herbology, and that was it for anything important. Also on his schedule were regular Potions, Astronomy, Care of Magical Creatures, and Transfiguration classes.
Ron’s eyes scrolled across the paper a couple times, as the gears in his brain whirled around. What am I going to be with these lousy classes? I’ll never be able to do anything worthwhile with three N.E.W.T level classes. What is worthwhile? I don’t even know what I want to do. I’ll never be brilliant like Hermione or Harry. Ron sighed and stuffed the schedule in his bag. He finished up his orange juice and heaved a sigh. Ron reflected on his future and thought about his former years at Hogwarts. He was starting to get worried what was going to become of him. Having Hermione help him with everything, not doing his homework, scraping by on tests, he wondered how he could amount to anything.
“Well I have to go to Potions, I’ll catch up with you guys later,” called Ron over his shoulder, Harry waved and Hermione nodded his way as he left the Grand Hall in pursuit of the dungeons. Ron sauntered into Professor Snape’s classroom and sat in the far back, he glared around the classroom at the other students. At first he was surprised to see Hufflepuffs, Ravenclaws, and Slytherins all in the same class, but as the class started Snape was quick to remind them of why it was this way.
“Since you have taken your O.W.L.’s, classes are separated into classes of higher and lower intelligence, this class is one of the latter. So because of scheduling conflicts we will be having all houses combined in whichever class they belong in, the N.E.W.T level classes or this class,” Snape sneered around at all of them as if he had gotten great joy out of making that speech.
Ron rolled his eyes and sunk lower in his chair, this was going to be a long year without Hermione and Harry. It was a long potions class for Ron. As usual, Snape started straight to work on new assignments and a project on the first day. Ron was just bottling his Silencing Draught, and taking it up when a Ravenclaw girl stumbled behind him on the stairs, falling on to him and knocking his potion out of his hands and crashing to the ground in front of him. Broken glass and a silvery potion gleamed up from the stone floor. Ron looked at the potion in dismay; he had worked hard on that, and without help from Hermione. He picked himself and turned around to help the Ravenclaw girl to her feet. She was already standing up behind him. She didn’t say a word and walked straight pass him, crushing the broken glass under her feet. Ron watched her walk to the front of the class and hand her potion in, like nothing had happened.
“Weasley! Clean up that mess!” snarled Professor Snape from his desk. Ron bit his tongue and started picking up pieces of the broken glass up off the ground. Didn’t he see her too? Oh but of course it is only right that he blame me. I should be worried if he didn’t. Ron fumed while cleaning up the mess; luckily for him he didn’t clean up his potion and bottled up a second vial to turn in. Snape glared as he came up to turn his in, Ron smiled politely and set in on his desk, this made Snape all the more angry. Ron smiled smugly as he cleaned up his mess; the Ravenclaw girl kept looking back at him angrily as if hehad done something. After class was dismissed, Ron quickly left the dungeon and reached the main floor. It was wonderful to get a breath of fresh air. He dug his schedule out of his bag again, not remembering last class he had next. He grinned and headed to Professor Flitwick’s room for Charms.
Harry and Hermione were already in there when he got there.
“Hey Ron, I hope Snape didn’t get you too bad,” said Harry consolingly.
“Not Snape as much as this dumb Ravenclaw who knocked me down, my potion went everywhere,” related Ron, growing frustrated at the thought of it.
“I’m sure she didn’t do it on purpose Ron,” Hermione quipped from his left.
“Well it was sure bloody annoying,” retorted Ron.
“If you weren’t such a klutz,” came a cool female voice from behind him. Ron’s face went pale a minute and then flushed red, as he turned to face her.
“Are you kidding me?” he replied accusingly. It was the same girl from his Potions class. The girl just shook her head as if she were punishing Ron. Ron had never gotten a good look at her. She was tall and had long straight black hair that fell behind her shoulders. Her sapphire eyes gleamed and bored into his with a hint of enjoyment. A smile crossed her thin red lips as if she were waiting for him to react, her arms crossed over her chest. Ron wasn’t about to let her get the best of him. “You fell into me, knocking my potion everywhere, making me clean it up, and without even a mutter of an apology,” he retorted through gritted teeth.
“It wasn’t my fault,” she maintained in a shocked tone looking almost amazed to be accused.
“You know what, never mind,” Ron muttered shaking his head and turning back around, “it’s not worth my time.” She smiled coldly behind him and sat down next to her Ravenclaw friends. Ron smoldered through all of charms, earning himself more homework, but he didn’t really care by that point in time.
***
The rest of the day ran by smoothly, and he didn’t have another class by himself, for the first day anyway. After dinner the three of them were up in the commons room. Hermione was helping Harry and Ron on their Charms homework.
“You know Ron,” started Hermione, “you were really lucky today.”
Ron looked at her with a look of confusion and doubt, “Oh really.”
“Yeah, that run in you had with Kira Sideria today could have been really ugly,” Hermione pointed out as casually as if she were talking about the weather.
“Who?” asked Harry and Ron at the same time.
“Kira Sideria, the Ravenclaw girl?” reminded Hermione, once she realized she had their attention she continued, “I’ve had her in my Arithmancy class in the last couple years, and she is no peach. You’re lucky she didn’t curse you or something; she is definitely not a people person.”
“You’re telling me,” said Ron. “She didn’t think she had done anything, I’m glad I didn’t lose my temper.”
“You should be glad, if she had tried to curse you it wouldn’t have been pretty. She is one of the best witches in this school, I wouldn’t go stepping on her toes,” shuddered Hermione.
“You’re serious?” Harry asked blandly.
“Of course I am,” remarked Hermione sharply.
“It’s not a big deal,” shrugged Ron, “it’s not like I’ll ever talk to her again anyway.”
“I suppose not,” responded Hermione, pondering it a minute and then continuing with her mini-lesson. “Right, now for that wand movement Ron…”