After the first few days, the meals stopped being tampered with, and for the rest of the week, they slowly relaxed into close to how they’d spent the time at the Burrow previously. Ron and Ginny continued to bother Hermione and Harry, trying to get them each to admit they wanted to be in a relationship. Harry continued to act subdued and brushed everything off, but Hermione had several screaming matches with Ron after he groped her one afternoon and threatened to go home before he would back off.
Harry couldn’t believe his friend was acting so dense, was it all potions, or had Ron always been this stupid and Harry just never noticed? Sure, Ron and Hermione had always fought, but now it seemed to be non-stop. Yes, Ron had always been lazy in classes, preferring to talk quidditch or play chess; he was forever trying to bum homework off on Hermione or even Harry, given the subject, but now it seemed a hundred times worse. Harry was pretty sure he’d be doing his summer homework the night before classes started.
Why had he never said no? Sure, Ron was the first friend he’d made coming to Hogwarts, but he’d also managed to insult most of Harry’s other friends at one time or another over the years. He’d been perfectly willing to leave Hermione to the troll and had only gone because Harry had insisted he was going with or without him. He’d outright abandoned Harry during the Tri-wizard tournament and hadn’t bothered to tell Harry about the Dragons when Charlie sent word. He’d been willing to fight at Harry’s side in the ministry but had been sidelined by the brain attack, had that affected the boy more than they realized?
All Ron seemed to do now was complain about his life, family, school work, Hermione’s lack of interest in him, Harry’s lack of willingness to help him in getting Hermione to date him, and, of course, eating. Harry hated how short he was sometimes, and Ron seemed determined to rub the extra inches he’d grown in his face, commenting at most meals that he needed more since he was a growing boy, after all. Harry had heard nothing but short jokes for the last two days, and he was ready to smother the other boy in his sleep.
Ginny was even worse. He’d hoped that she was getting over her infatuation with him last year when she buckled down and excelled in the DA. Now it seemed what little ground they’d made as friends had been lost. She’d even sat in his lap today after lunch, brushing it off as missing the arm of the chair only to shove her breasts in his face as she got up. If it wasn’t for his Occlumency training, he would have called her a whore or worse on the first day.
With a last sigh, he started putting everything away. They were leaving in the morning, and with how late the family tended to run, they would probably barely make the train. He was going to let Hedwig fly to Hogwarts instead of forcing her to endure a cage for the long trip. She could take her time since he had the letterbox to send or receive any messages he needed.
The next morning, Harry got up while Ron was still snoring and took a shower before making sure everything was ready. He brought his trunk downstairs and settled on the couch with a book to wait for everyone else to wake up. Hermione joined him soon after, and he helped bring her trunk down while Mrs. Weasley was screaming everyone out of bed.
They had a quick breakfast that Hermione and Harry pretended to eat since it was yet again heavily potion-ed. Ron plowed through most of his plate and was reaching for Harry’s when his mother spelled the table clean, snapping at them to finish packing so they could floo to the station.
It was still almost an hour later when they finally reached the station and rushed to the train, shoving their trunks on board. Ginny disappeared to find her friends while Ron and Hermione left to find the rest of the prefects for their meeting, leaving Harry alone in their compartment with Crookshanks, who was sleeping on one of the seats.
Harry wasn’t sure why Crookshanks seemed to be spending more time around him, even when Hermione wasn’t there. The cat had joined him most of the nights he stayed up to work on business or studying while he was at the Burrow. Maybe it was his animagus training intriguing the half-kneazle or simply the fact that it understood that Harry was one of the few trying to protect its master.
He absently wondered who from the Slytherins would try and step up to fill the hole that Malfoy left. He kind of doubted that most would have the guts to openly confront him the way Draco always had. It had been his act of rebellion, saying exactly what his father expected him to say while constantly getting his House snubbed in the process.
“They’re saying that a lot of Slytherins aren’t on the train.” Hermione said as she and Ron came back in the compartment, “Malfoy was supposed to be a prefect this year, and he wasn’t in the meeting. Pansy was there, and she was livid that he’d stood her up.”
“So she got left behind?” Harry asked, rolling his eyes as Ron muttered something like ‘Good riddance to the stupid snakes.’
“If that’s what happened," she said with a shrug, “Have you heard anything?”
“No, no one’s even poked their head in. I’ve been reading since you guys left.” Harry said, scratching behind one of Crookshanks’ ears until the cat stopped staring at Ron like he was a fat rat.
“You’re turning into a right bookworm, mate,” Ron said with an air of disgust. “How about a game of Snap?”
“No, I’m good. I want to try and catch up on runes before my test tomorrow.” Harry said, holding up his book.
“We don’t have class tomorrow, Harry. It’s a weekend.” Ron said slowly, like his friend was brain damaged.
“I’m taking a placement test for Ancient Runes, Ron. I owled Professor McGonagall this summer, and she’s letting me try.”
“You’re adding a class? You’re barmy. Why would you want even more homework?” Ron asked, stepping up onto the seat next to Harry and digging around for something in his trunk.
“It won’t be that much, and I decided to drop divination,” Harry said, keeping his eyes on his book.
“But we were taking that one together? You’re going to leave me by myself?” Ron asked, dropping down and looking at Harry in shock.
“We still have everything else together, and you’re there with Neville and the others.” Harry pointed out.
“It’s not the same, Neville’s just so boring,” Ron said with a groan, collapsing back into his seat.
“So you just want me there so you’ll have someone to goof off with,” Harry said, voice flat as he fought back the urge to hit the idiot.
“Of course!”
“Well, I want to take a class where I’ll actually learn something.” Harry snapped, fed up with Ron’s laziness, “You might remember I have a not-dead Dark Lord trying to kill me! I need to work on things that can help me protect myself!”
“We didn’t even hear what the prophesy said, mate. He might give up.” Ron said with a careless shrug.
“He hasn’t yet, Ron. I’m changing classes, and nothing you can say will change it.” Harry said, picking his book back up and trying to ignore the boy who was quickly becoming a former friend.
“Still say you’re barmy,” Ron said, climbing back up and digging through his trunk, pulling out a handful of candies that he quickly crunched through. “Can I borrow some money for the trolley? I’m starving.”
“No, sorry; I’ve only got a few knuts,” Harry said, eyes on his book.
Ron turned to Hermione, but she shook her head, “Only some muggle bills, sorry.”
“Rotten luck, Mum refused to give us any pocket money for the trip, said the accounts are still messed up. We even had to make do with our robes from last year. Mine’s inches short; I’m going to look like an idiot." he said with a groan, glancing around the room like he would find some random change scattered around.
“Maybe one of the seventh-year girls could spell them longer for you if you asked.” Harry offered, not wanting to cast the spell for him, “Or we could try and find the spell when we get to school.”
“Do you know it, Hermione?” Ron asked, sorting through the random bits in his pockets and tossing a few candy wrappers to the ground.
“Sorry, I never learned the ones for clothes. I’ll try and remember to ask my roommates when we get in.” Hermione said discretely, cleaning up his mess with a spell.
“Useless, the lot of you,” Ron huffed, ignoring the glare Hermione gave him, “I’m going to see what Seamus and Dean are up to.”
“Alright, you might want to take your robes with you so you’re ready when we arrive.” Hermione pointed out, “Maybe one of them knows the spell.”
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Yes, Mother." he snapped, snatching up a robe from his trunk and storming out. Once the door slammed shut behind him, she spelled it locked and imperturbable with a sigh.
“I swear he’s a hundred times worse than in the first year.”
“He did take some damage from those brains in the Ministry. They could have damaged something and made his mood swings worse.” Harry offered with a shrug.
“How could we make sure? We’d have to get him checked by a mediwizard who’s not under Dumbledore’s thumb, which would probably mean taking him to Gringotts, and if he’d not be forced to act this way, he’d go straight to him once we let him go. We wouldn’t even be able to go until next summer at the earliest.”
“I don’t think there’s anything we can do, not unless he proves that he’s not affected, and I don’t think he would or maybe even could right now.”
“It’s something to add to the list.” Hermione said with a sigh, “How to unspell the rest of the population whether they like it or not.”
“And to keep the rest of the school safe from food that’s been tampered with; that reminds me, I have a book for you,” Harry said, getting up and digging two books out of his trunk.
“Liege Bonds, Rituals, and Protections? The Gifts of Ritual Gifting? What are you thinking, Harry?" she asked, starting to flip through one of the books with a frown.
“I’m thinking that you need more protection than your family can give you. I can offer you protection as a member of House Potter, or we can start a House friendship ritual so that everyone knows you’re under my House’s protection.”
“What are the downsides?”
“If you swear loyalty to House Potter, then you’re essentially swearing it for life. The House magic will force you to act loyally to my House and support its goals. I’d rather not use the pledge because it forces you into the status of a servant of the House. If I order you to do something, the magic will force you to comply.”
“And the gifting ritual?”
“We’d be acting like you were an equal member of a pureblood House, and you’re sure to get flak from the pure-bloods at school. You would be bound to continue the ritual until at least the next magical holiday after we graduate, but you would be an equal, not a servant, and would have the same magical protections, they would just be given to you as gifts instead of by the House magic.”
“The gifts have to be exchanged in public?”
“Yes, the gifts have to be given and acknowledged in public, and the media will probably have a field day with us using a pureblood ritual that’s mostly fallen out of favor. They can also be expensive since the gifts have to follow the ritual, and each gift must escalate what the last emphasized in some way. It’s another reason the rituals fell out of favor since you either have to make every gift yourself or buy and customize them.”
“Why else do you want me to read the book on bonds? You never gave me a reason to want to pursue the liege bond.”
“You never miss anything, do you?” Harry asked with a fond smile.
“Harry,” she said with a huff grinning back.
“The twins might be swearing a liege bond to House Potter if things don’t work out. Their Prewitt House magic is pushing them to atone for the harm their family did to mine, and we need a way to even the scale soon after they claim their seats. Since they’re going to be the Heads of House Prewitt, it would force all its members to do the same.”
“But not House Weasley?”
“No, they’re probably breaking from House Weasley once we know if Bill is going to step up or not as Head of House. If he refuses, it falls to Charlie, and he hasn’t been scanned yet.”
“When will they be scanned?”
“Hopefully soon, Gold Kris is trying to get them both brought in together to be tested.”
“You still haven’t told me the whole story, Harry.”
“Leave it until tomorrow, Hermione. After my test, I’ll meet you at the Room of Requirement, and we can talk. Part of the problem is that I can’t tell you everything until your Occlumency shields are strong enough. I have House magic reinforcing mine, but we need a way to check that yours are up to snuff.”
“You think the Headmaster is going to start reading our minds?" she asked, worrying at a lock of hair.
“If he gets a whiff of a rumor that I’m not under his control anymore, I think he’d do anything, even kill, if it meant I’d complete whatever he’s planning. He’s already sent Sirius to prison without a trial, Hermione, and my parents to their deaths on the word of a prophesy only he knows. Who’s to say he hasn’t done worse?”
“Alright, you can wait to tell me, but you need to tell me what I can do to help.”
“Right now? Help me figure out how we are going to keep the DA going and learning something useful without Dumbledore sticking his nose in. We also need a way to get wizards thinking critically again, some kind of game or contest that will force them to research questions they should have been asking all along.”
“We couldn’t just ask about spells and Dumbledore; we’d need to mix the questions up as well, maybe have some from homework, some from extra credit questions.”
“Exactly, I was thinking of a kind of club where you post questions, and you get paid so much for each answer. Some questions might never be answered, but it would get students thinking at least.”
“We’d have to monitor the questions to make sure no one was asking something that could cause harm if someone else knew the answer, like asking what color underwear a girl wears or something.”
“We’d also have to monitor the answers. How do we judge that the answer’s correct and the person should be paid?”
“That could be a lot of work, Harry.”
“I know, but I can’t think of another way to get information we might need and force people to start thinking for themselves. We could even post some of the questions as an ad in one of the papers saying we’re paying for responses or answering riddles.”
A tone sounded through the train, letting them know they had five minutes until they arrived at Hogwarts. They exchanged a weary glance and undid the locks on the door in case Ron needed to get back in before pulling their robes on. Crookshanks was coaxed back into his carrier with a promise of treats after dinner while Harry put up the books they’d both had out.
Locking everything with as many spells as he could think of that wouldn’t outright hurt anyone who tried to open the trunks, they left the compartment as the train screeched to a halt. Outside, they joined the line of students heading towards the carriages. It looked like Ron hadn’t even bothered to wait for them, but they managed to get a ride with Neville and Luna, who greeted them happily.
They headed into the Great Hall and took a seat, turning to watch as the first years were guided in. Harry couldn’t believe that, at one point, they’d all been that small. Surely, they’d done too much over the last five years to have even been so hesitant and awkward.
Two new teachers watched with polite smiles from the head table. One was a portly-looking wizard who was glancing around the hall with a sly, covetous look that made Harry wary. The other was a taller gentleman in maroon and black dueling robes who scanned the rooms while talking politely with Professor Flitwick; Harry figured this was the new defense instructor, while the other must be Snape’s replacement.
The Slytherin table was over half empty even when the last student was sorted and trotted into a spot along the long bench. Other students were missing from every house, but Slytherin had lost the most, the other houses seemed to have lost between five and ten students each.
“Welcome everyone back to another year of study.” Dumbledore said with a welcoming grandfatherly smile, “I won’t keep you from your dinners long. Allow me to introduce our new potions master and Head of House for Slytherin, Professor Horace E. F. Slughorn. He will be replacing Professor Snape, who is taking a sabbatical to continue his potions research.” Slughorn stood and gave a small bow before retaking his chair with a satisfied look when he got a smattering of applause while most of the students were in shock that Professor Snape had left his position.
“Please also welcome our defense professor for this year, Professor Grimaldo Richmond, a dueling master and champion of the eastern dueling circuit during his youth.” The tall professor stood and gave a bow to both the students and Dumbledore before retaking his seat.
“With the introductions complete, I have just one last announcement. Enjoy the feast!" he said, waving one hand and causing the plates to fill in a wave of golden light that left the new students gasping in delight.
“Have a good summer, Harry?” Seamus asked, pouring himself a goblet of pumpkin juice.
“Not too bad, Seamus. Do anything interesting?” Harry asked as he poured himself a glass and sighed when his bracelet burned his wrist. He caught Hermione’s eyes and pretended to take a sip before putting his goblet to one side untouched.
The other students chattered around him while Harry nibbled at the few untouched food items. He dished several of the contaminated dishes on his plate but mostly moved them around once he was done eating. He gave Neville a nod when he saw the pale boy doing the same further down the table. Ron ate like he was starving to death as usual, and Hermione picked at his manners, which they all ignored like always. Hermione and Harry stayed after the meal to help the new students in their House while Ron disappeared with the rest of the students.
“Need a hand, Harry?” Neville asked as the rest of the house streamed away.
“Sure, Ron seems to be forgetting that he’s a Prefect now,” Harry said with a snort.
“First years, this way!” Hermione called with a grin, making the younger students laugh. “Everyone, I’m Hermione Granger, the sixth-year prefect. If you have any problems or need help finding your classes, ask one of the prefects. The Head Boy and Girl can also help; they have badges with an H while ours show a P.”
“Save the rest of the lecture for the morning, Hermione.” Harry said with a grin to show he wasn’t trying to be mean, “They look dead on their feet.”
“You’re right. Let’s get to the common room, and I can show you to your rooms," she said, looking over the sleepy students with a frown.
They made the long trip to the Fat Lady’s Portrait, and Hermione gave the password, reminding the others to remember and not to share it with any other house. Neville and Harry took the boys and made sure they got settled in their rooms before heading to their beds.
“Harry, do you mind casting a few spells on my bed?” Neville asked softly when Harry pulled out his wand to check his belongings. “I’ve been brushing up on detection spells, but they’re not my strong suit.”
“Sure.” Harry agreed, keeping his voice low so as to not wake the snoring students. “Want me to add a silencing spell?”
“Please," he said with a grin, pulling out his pajamas and bath kit while Harry checked everything with his black wand.
“Someone tried to get in your trunk, but it looks like the wards held. There was a spell on the bed to force you to sleep that I removed. How’s your Occlumency?” Harry asked as he followed the other boy into the bathroom.
“I’m still learning, but my House Heir ring blocks hexes and mind-altering spells. Grandmother insisted I start wearing it this year.”
“Good, I’m going to be teaching Hermione soon if you want to get some practice.”
“Thanks, could I bring Luna?”
“Of course, I’ll let you know once we start. We need to figure out a safer place to practice.”
They quickly showered and cleaned up before retiring to bed. Harry cast a few extra spells over his bed, pausing to carve a few discrete runes into the wood of the bed and adding a few drops of blood to power the ward for the night, hoping it would work to confuse anyone ordered to approach him during the night.
It was early the next morning when the alarm on the door tripped, waking him as an elf crept in and started placing belongings back into each of their trunks. The elf met his eyes and raised a hand to its lips to mime silence before continuing its duties, shutting its hand in a trunk as punishment for ignoring whatever order it had about students found awake. The elves knew what they were doing was wrong, but they had no real way to fight back. Harry might have to do something about that.