Stumbling in a War

Chapter II: Two surprises usually come with a third.

"Surprises, like misfortunes, seldom come alone." ~ Charles Dickens

'A-Ariane?' stuttered Lance, straightening in his seat and feeling his face turn hot. He gripped the edge of his seat hard and found his palms sweaty, the moisture on his skin making them slide over the seat's maroon leather.

He noticed a figure behind the blonde standing in the doorway, sudden fear rose within him in anticipation to what lay before him. A sigh of relief escaped his throat as he saw an old woman with a kind face and a tea-cart peering over the girl's shoulder into the compartment.

'Would you like anything, dears?' she asked, pointing to the cart and looking from Lance's face to Ariane's and back again. The German said nothing, turning to look at Lance with a painfully familiar tilt of her head, obviously waiting for him to do all the talking.

Lance was forced to take his eyes off Ariane's smirking face to look at the trolley lady. He tried to swallow the knot forming in his throat.

'Um... we're fine. Thank you very much,' he answered, feeling the muscles of his face protesting with a strained smile on his lips and an overload of blood in his cheeks. The woman looked at Ariane inquiringly and only met a polite, slow shake of the girl's head. She smiled, nodded and went away with Ariane's attentive gaze on her back.

That was Ariane... wasn't she? The more Lance stared and observed the tall woman in front of him, the more he thought that he had entered another world. Yes, that was Ariane: the features, the golden complexion that confused many people once they were told about her nationality - it was all there, the same little details that he knew so well in his childhood. He strained to see a tiny mole right next to her left eye. Right there. Yes, that was Ariane.

But she looked so different...

He had met a brash girl that oozed enthusiasm from every pore of her being, with a keenness to prove herself that could reach the point of annoying. She would have grinned happily with the smugness that was usual in her once she'd found him out. Now, the Ariane he found was austere in her stance. Her lips didn't budge from the expressionless line they drew. If there was anything that could hint about the radiance that she emanated as a child, he couldn't see it. She looked passive.

His analysis was interrupted as he started to feel panic overwhelming his senses and numb most of his rational thought. He suddenly wanted to leave. His legs complained, and his nerves told him through the shuffling of his feet that he ought to leave now or face the consequences.

Those consequences were named Ariane Hauer.

And Ariane Hauer was blocking the door, the only way to escape, and he wasn't very eager in jumping out the window.

Damn.

After a while and with a hand in the pocket of her trousers, Ariane slowly slid the door closed behind her. Lance watched the door close ever so slowly. He remembered one of those Muggle horror movies he had seen when he was learning about vampires in his third year.

'Even before the Middle Ages, Muggles have seen vampires as very vicious creatures, diverging to their true harmless nature,' his Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher said, while tapping his wand on a weird-shaped contraption named "video-camera". 'As you can see in the following scene, vampires are portrayed with a blood-thirsty, and murderous demeanour. 'Take a look,' he ordered the class while moving pictures were projected over a silver cloth. The scene showed a beautiful red-haired woman in a white dress, entering with trance-like fascination inside an old and dirty mansion, followed by an awfully pale man clad in black and red. The man held the heavy wooden door with his bony hand and closed it slowly with a screech. He looked over his shoulder to the audience of students and laughed. His hollow, unnatural voice echoed in the stone walls of the classroom and suggested the terrible future laid for his candid victim. The students laughed, although those with muggle origins with a sense of uneasiness.

It was that same manic cackle Lance had in his mind as he watched the compartment door slide and shut with a soft clicking sound. He caught himself mentally scolding himself for wearing a white dress-shirt that day, and gave that part of his mind a nice kick for making such a stupid comparison.

Idiot.

Where did this feeling come from? Here he was meeting an old friend, and all he could concentrate on was the way he moved so Ariane wouldn't be able to tell he was shaking! What a wuss, his mind taunted.

Ariane's hand moved from the door-handle to slip into another pocket, and Lance was forced to look at her face. However, he did not meet her eyes as he thought he would. She wouldn't let him. She was looking at the floor instead, and contemplating the beige carpet under her.

'I was expecting you'd have forgotten me,' she said calmly, and he had to wonder about how much time passed since he had last heard her speak. Her voice was not quite the same back then. It had been a childlike chirp that, if memory served him well - which it did - she could elevate deliberately to a higher pitch and become irritating whenever she wanted to. Now it was deeper - still high-pitched, but softer - and her lilt was calm and guarded...

She looked up at him and Lance saw reality crumbling down when he realised he had been staring for quite a while. He cleared his throat.

'How could -' he stopped, deciding that was not the best way to approach the subject, and instead settled on an awkward, 'I-I didn't.'

A hint of a smirk appeared at the corner of her mouth.

'I can see that,' Ariane commented as she looked again at the floor and sat across him. Her gaze moved to the window, and her eyes reflected the blurred landscape the train left in its wake.

'How are your parents?' she asked, never ceasing to watch the whirl of colours.

'They are very well,' he answered, finding comfort in the fact that she wasn't looking at him. 'They will be delighted to know we are sharing classes,' he paused, suddenly unsure. 'Aren't we?'

Ariane scoffed quietly and Lance knew why. She always made fun of his elaborate speech ever since he was little. He cursed rather colourfully in his mind when he realized he was blushing again. It wasn't his fault that his mother taught him "proper language", as she called it. It came naturally to him and no one but Ariane complained about it. He couldn't help but recall the first time he met her, next to his villa's portico.

'I am very pleased to meet you, Ariane Hauer,' he had said under the appreciative stare of their parents when they first met in the garden of his house.

The girl in front of him frowned with suspicion and didn't answer back. Once they were out of hearing-range, she turned to him. 'How old are you?' she had asked, eyeing him haughtily.

'Nine,' he stammered.

The little girl scoffed. 'Then stop trying to talk like a grown-up,' Ariane chided loftily. 'It sounds stupid.'

A part of Lance wanted to answer that he was "disinclined to acquiesce her request", but his shame took over and he said nothing, tears prickling his eyes. They said nothing else, because Lance's mother called them to dinner and Ariane went eagerly inside the house, not looking back.

'Good to know. You're in seventh year, aren't you?' the older Ariane asked, breaking his train of thought. He nodded perhaps a little more eagerly than he intended. She didn't seem to notice. 'Then yes, we're in the same class.'

Lance shifted in his seat. An uncomfortable silence filled the room, although Ariane seemed unaware of his restlessness. She just returned to staring out the window. For the black-haired boy, the air suddenly appeared too warm and too oppressive. It was unsettling.

'I can see you're speaking English,' he noted through the impulse of ending that silence, and knowing from experience that the easy way to make a relaxed environment with Ariane was, unfortunately, through flattery. 'You speak very well.'

Suddenly he wished he hadn't tried to do that, as he watched her eyes flashing a cold glare to the woods on the landscape.

Great move, lad. Now why don't you just ask her if she gained weight or something? She'll definitely find that smashing! An eerily familiar voice, which sounded like that of his Uncle William, taunted him. He almost winced when he saw her finally moving her head to look at him.

He sighed in relief when the coldness in her eyes went away as quickly as it had appeared.

'Danke,' she replied, eyes dancing with contained laughter and a trace of a smile on her lips. Lance grinned more with relief than with laughter, savouring the nostalgia the familiar language brought.

The German lilt flowing out of that single word made Lance once again visualise the little girl he met in Hamburg and compared her with the grown woman sitting in front of him. Ariane's eyes had once been wide open, curious, and with a strong-minded glint. Now her lids framed a calm but calculative stare. The gleam was gone.

Thinking about the girl his parents had kept under his roof in Hamburg for two years of his childhood, he remembered what he felt when she had to leave. After she left, following her father to Merlin knew where, he couldn't deny he had imagined what it would be like to meet her again. He wouldn't tell it to anyone but Ariane even appeared in some of his dreams. At the beginning he never thought that she was going to scar him so.

And now she was here. The moment he had been waiting for so long...

And you're scared shitless, without even a reason to be. Really, lad, it's just a bird. The same voice reasoned. Lance frowned at his uneasiness.

He found the scars tickling, an annoying itch somewhere in his body, - or was it his head? - That he couldn't scratch because he didn't know where it was.

Ariane cleaned her throat and tilted her chin up, ending the eye contact. Lance looked down, trying to conceal his embarrassment, and saw what could save him from this awkward moment.

'How much do you know about this school?' he asked, pointing to the book on his lap and trying to sound casual. Ariane leaned forward and turned the book to read the title on the cover of his safe haven.

'Hogwarts, a History,' she muttered to herself. Then, she leaned back on her seat. 'I'm tired of knowing about the history of every school I go to. I know absolutely nothing at all,' she replied, seeming to be very proud about it. Lance couldn't stop thinking resentfully that the saying "Ignorance is bliss" should be her life motto.

'Well,' he said, adjusting his book for a better position to read it. 'If you wa-'

He said nothing more, because he was interrupted by the sound of a sliding door.

Ginny decided that the most amusing part of searching for Ariane Hauer was watching Hermione stagger while she was trying to walk in the most authoritarian way possible. After all, walking in a swaying train is not an easy task when you walk so stiffly. The brunette was brandishing her new Head Girl badge with a look that would make McGonagall bite her nails with envy. Ginny had stuffed her fist into her mouth several times to muffle her grins as funny images of the Transfigurations Teacher watching Hermione's every move and taking notes for further moments came to her.

Hermione, however, looked extremely focused on searching for the new comer and paid very little attention to the Weasley trailing behind her. What was also in her head was the little quarrel she had with the German girl. She had quite a character, Hermione reckoned. She had never seen a person get so fired up over a simple question concerning a tiny element like her accent. Maybe she had been too aggressive during the conversation? Hermione replayed the scene in her head and determined that it was not the case. She had managed to sound casual, but apparently Ariane saw right through her and spotted her suspicion.

Still, she didn't need to get so irritated about it. Who did she think she was, anyway?

All blame went to Ariane, really, and Hermione wondered why she should even bother. She even considered stopping her quest and waiting for the blonde to apologise herself. Even so, Hermione hated making a mistake, and whenever she made one - which, she noted with pride, was becoming a very rare occasion - she tried to amend it as fast as possible.

Her self-explanatory current of thought was interrupted by a disturbing sight after opening the door of yet another compartment. She heard Ginny yelp when the red-haired girl peeked inside the small room.

The Gryffindors had caught a very dishevelled Pansy Parkinson grabbing Terry Boot's shirt rather violently. They were so entangled in each other you couldn't figure out where. They were tangled in such a way, you couldn't figure out where one started and the other ended. Pansy was almost literally entwined around the Ravenclaw boy.

Slytherin snake indeed.

Ginny rapidly put her hand over Hermione's and shut the door in a heartbeat. From the muffled sounds coming from inside the compartment, they figured the couple hadn't noticed them.

'I thought Pansy was dating Malfoy,' said Hermione when they resumed their search, passing a hand on her forehead with a disgusted frown. Ginny snorted.

'Well, there is only one word coming to my mind which I can relate to Pansy Parkinson,' she answered. Hermione turned to face the sixth-year.

'Oh, yeah?' she eyed the girl beside her. 'Such as...?'

Ginny smirked with mischief, definitely channelling the twins Fred and George.

'It starts with an "S", ends with a "T", and has an "L" and a "U" in the middle,' she finally said, her freckles standing out with her cheeky grin.

Hermione's eyebrows shot up in mock innocence.

'She's a "sult"?' she asked with a curious expression. Ginny snorted.

'All that time in the library and you still can't read properly,' she answered. Both girls started laughing.

They resumed their search and still no sign of the German girl. Ginny wondered in a half-joking, half-impatient tone if the blonde had decided to jump off the train. In a better mood than before, Hermione laughed at it and told the redhead it seemed inane. Even more when they thought of the struggle she made to get in it. Both got to an understanding, and Ginny slapped herself mentally. A sugar-induced brain was not very reliable, she gathered.

They had arrived at the first carriage, the one right before the engine. The bold smell of charcoal and smoke filled their nostrils, mixing with the sweet scent of snacks and pumpkin juice from the trolley-lady's pantry. If it wasn't for her chocolate frog-filled stomach, Ginny would have considered nicking some other treats for the way back to their compartment. Even if she did suggest it out loud, the Weasley considered, Hermione wouldn't let her.

They had started their search at the bottom of the train, passing by the ever faraway Luna Lovegood and a locked compartment where, the girls presumed with merriment, Malfoy was probably trying to get rid of Neville's hex. This meant that Ariane was staying somewhere in there, otherwise they would have to consider Ginny's idea of the German jumping off the train, which, Ginny noted again, was ridiculous.

Hermione leaned her head and (the shock! Ginny thought mischievously) eavesdropped on the first compartment. She heard two familiar voices giggling from inside. In fact, Hermione shouldn't have been troubled: the voices were downright shrilly and easily audible from where Ginny was standing. They were instantly recognisable, at least for the Gryffindors. They belonged to Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown.

'Gossip Duo,' Ginny mumbled, remembering the nickname Luna and she had used to dub the two girls. She decided to see the second compartment while Hermione straightened up.

'- nothing at all,' the redhead heard from inside, and promptly slid the door open. Finally! She thought as she spotted a blur of dark gold. They had found Ariane and... whoa!

'Ginny, did you find her?' Hermione asked, joining her side and looking around the compartment. Yes, there was Ariane, but Hermione never thought she would have company.

The boy who was with Ariane shifted with uneasiness under Ginny's scrutiny. He was staring shyly at a copy of what seemed Hogwarts, a History on his lap with a fierce blush. Hermione glanced at the girl beside her and immediately remembered when Ginny had stared in wonder at the crystal bell in the Time Room of the Department of Mysteries. That huge bell had stricken her interest, and so had the boy sitting across Ariane, if the stare was anything to go by.

It seemed that he was new to Hogwarts, like Ariane. She had never seen him before. Shiny dark brown hair that was caught in a small ponytail crowned a face with pale features. The eyes that were staring resolutely at the old book were pitch dark and his red-tinted cheeks gave him a cute boyish look.

'What is it now?' prompted an annoyed voice after a low growl. Hermione turned to Ariane, who was looking, no, glaring at them with slightly narrowed eyes and an arched eyebrow. Hermione was suddenly reminded of Crookshanks' glare when she wanted to snatch a ball of wool from him.

The Head Girl felt a nudge in her rib, probably from Ginny who had snapped out of her reverie when the blonde spoke. Hermione straightened and cleared her throat.

'Er...' she started, a bit unsure of what she was about to say. She wasn't given a chance to say anything else either, as Ariane got up and took two steps towards them. She stopped slightly to glance at Ginny and mumbled something that finished with "last longer", and then hurried past them, roughly jostling their shoulders with the ease provided by her height.

'Hey!' Hermione called after the girl, the actions of the girl finally dawning on her. 'I want to talk to you!' the brunette exclaimed, angry at the newcomer's attitude.

Ariane stopped in her stride and turned so she could look at the Gryffindor from the corner of her eye.

'Trying to get dirt out of me again?' the blonde asked, her heated glare a stark contrast against her cold voice. The head girl noticed that the German accent she had looked for in the compartment was there. A slip of her tongue, perhaps?

Hermione was taken aback by such an approach, but quickly regained her composure.

'No,' she declared firmly. 'I came here to apologise.'

The blonde turned herself so that she was fully facing the Gryffindor. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest and by the creases forming in the garment, Hermione made out that her fingers were clutching the sleeves of her dark-brown jacket in a powerful grip. Even though the girl was a complete stranger to her, Hermione immediately sensed that she was treading on thin ice.

Whatever that meant.

The head girl took a few steps towards the tall German like one would do with a hippogriff - with slow, careful strides, the eye contact between them never wavering. When she finally reached her side, the air seemed tense around Ariane, and it made Hermione uneasy.

'A person who trusts no one can't be trusted,' the girl replied, peering down her nose at Hermione with a tilt in her head and a cynical stare. The curly-haired girl's eyebrows shot up instantly.

'Jerome Blattner,' she identified. Ariane just made sure she showed her displeasure by shifting the weight on her feet and looking around at everything, but the petite girl in front of her. The message was clear: get to the point. Hermione huffed; why would she quote someone if she didn't want the author to be recognised?

She sighed, knowing full well that beating around the bush would get her nowhere.

'Listen,' she insisted, her voice hinting tiredness and a bit of hope. 'I'm sorry I suspected you. What I did was wrong. I shouldn't have questioned you like I did back there.'

Ariane lifted her eyebrows, silently answering that she wasn't satisfied with such a simple apology. However, the Gryffindor didn't give up.

'It's just that I was worried about Harry, and...'she sighed. 'And this... this War.' She let the last word fall from her mouth in a frustrated huff. 'There's this rumour about foreign wizards joining Voldemort's ranks,' - at this Ariane turned to look sharply at Hermione - 'and... things have gotten completely out of control!' She was breathing quite hard when she finished her small vent. Just then she realized how much stress spending the summer without news of Harry in Grimmauld Place was for her.

Ariane turned to look at the end of the hall, her angry and demanding expression changing to another of thought.

'Well, war has a tendency to do that,' she muttered, and Hermione couldn't help but find a hint of sarcasm. Before she had time to scold her for that, Ariane moved her eyes to rest on Hermione's. 'You shouldn't let your impulses take control of your actions. One day you'll do something you'll regret.'

With that, she turned around and started resuming her walk.

Hermione bristled at the unwanted advice. In a fit of anger, she stomped forward and placed herself in front of the German, blocking her way. The girl just stared at her with her hands in her pockets.

'What about my apology?' she demanded. Ariane's eyebrows, the same dark shade of the roots of her hair, shot up with surprise. Hermione hoped that that stare meant that she was impressed. Either that or she was getting beyond the point of annoyed.

'Fine. Apology accepted,' she answered quickly. Too quickly, Hermione realized as Ariane sidestepped her and started walking away once again. The brunette suddenly felt frustrated; that final surrender was not what she was aiming at. She had wanted Ariane to forgive her and understand her motives. Not to give up by pure pressure.

'I know about your parents,' she blurted out to the weird tribal drawing etched on the back of Ariane's jacket, pulling out the last card, not knowing why she said it but hanging on to the last bit of information that could lead her to her goal. She was turning to Ginny to tell her they were leaving, knowing fully well that she had failed her mission and feeling very tired for the first time in a long while.

However, she wasn't expecting to hear Ariane's voice so close to her, right behind her, when she heard, 'what about them?'

~*~

Ginny, who was standing at the compartment's doorway, glanced at the dark-haired boy who had stood up to look at the German girl storm away. Both had watched Hermione's failed attempts to apologise. Ginny felt slightly sympathetic at the bushy-haired girl's rant and honest sincerity, but she couldn't help but feel somewhat intrigued at the German's passivity instead of being downright angry. The boy had sighed at a certain moment when Ariane started walking away only to be stopped by an irate Hermione, standing in front of her with her hands on her hips. (Ginny giggled, she looked adorable in that particular stance.) When she looked at him, she could tell by the look on his face that he was just as disorientated as she was. Her wine-red eyebrows knitted in thought; had he and Ariane met before?

The boy noticed her staring at him and cleared his throat, looking around him uneasily and shifting his feet. Ginny took pity of him and shot the kindest smile she could manage.

'I'm Ginny Weasley. Nice to meet you,' she introduced herself, stretching her hand towards him.

The dark-haired boy wiped his hands on his trousers to get rid of imaginary dirt and shook her hand. She noticed his hand was somewhat clammy, indicating his nervousness.

'Lance Stevens,' he answered. 'Charmed.'

Ginny tilted her head intrigued at the somewhat archaic way he introduced himself.

'You're new here, aren't you?' she moved her hand from his to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, forcing his eyes to follow it and stop at her face. He looked uneasy as he nodded.

'Wicked,' Ginny grinned. 'If you want, I could show you around,' she offered. She didn't get to hear his answer as a hand was placed over her shoulder. She turned.

'Yes, Hermione?' Ginny asked as she narrowed her eyes, taking in the Head Girl's expression; by the looks of it, Hermione hadn't been that successful at apologising.

'What about them?' a voice asked behind them both. Ginny turned her body a little more to see Ariane standing in the middle of the corridor with a confused expression on her face.

'What about what?' the redhead asked, looking at Hermione, then at Ariane, then at Lance, back at Hermione and Ariane again.

'My parents,' the German answered curtly. 'What about them?'

Hermione had backed up one step, somewhat fearful of the piercing gaze the tall girl was sending her way. Ginny stepped in the middle unconsciously.

'They used to visit Neville's parents at St. Mungos, right?' she answered. 'They're from the Order, right?'

'Ginny!' Hermione exclaimed, her brown-eyes wide.

'What?' she asked over her shoulder, frightened at the shortest girl's shrill voice next to her ear.

'Care to speak a little louder for all of the train to hear? Why don't you go and hand over leaflets as well?' the Head Girl hissed sarcastically. The Weasley scowled.

'Oh, come on, Hermione, there's no one here but us, and we already took care of Malfoy.'

'Malfoy?' Ariane's voice chimed. Ginny turned to look at the girl tilting her head.

'School bully,' she answered, a soft smirk appearing on her lips. 'Here's a word of advice - stay away from him. He's nothing but trouble.'

The blonde nodded, glancing at Lance. He nodded too. 'Point taken,' Ariane looked down to the floor, and then looked back at Ginny, 'Mom,' she added, seeming unable to hold back and add that particular leering term. Lance rolled his eyes.

~*~

'I wonder what's taking them so long,' Ron pondered right after he swallowed a surprising pineapple flavoured Bertie Bott's Bean. Neville, who had been silent while reading a book, lifted his head with an expression as clueless as his. Harry, who had been staring out the window, turned to him with his eyebrows lifted.

'You think Hermione found her?' the redhead continued; Harry noticed he looked worried. 'What if you were wrong?' he turned to Neville. 'Are you sure her parents were your parents' colleagues?'

'I'm sure!' Neville protested with his hands in the air. His book fell on his lap with a loud tap!

'Looks like you're worried,' Harry pointed out. He had never seen Ron so distressed over something as small as this before. The Weasley turned to him with a tinge subsiding from his neck to quickly meet his already red hairline.

'Well,' he stuttered, 'you know, we don't know that girl, now, do we?' He asked rhetorically, and Harry had to consider that statement. 'Besides, you saw how she became a spitfire back then. Merlin knows how she's going to react to Hermione-'

'-she threw her out the train,' a voice answered from the door.

'Oh, now, that's not so bad.' Ron said, nodding to the girl who had opened the door. It took a while for the words to sink in. 'WHAT?' he spat.

Ginny grinned mischievously.

'Yeah, and she made sure she threw her off the bridge too,' Ginny teased even further. 'That girl had quite a lot of strength. Maybe she does weight-lifting or something.'

Harry turned from the grinning girl to face the boy sitting across him. Ron was staring at his younger sister with an award-winning impression of a fish. Harry cleared his throat, which made the Weasley snap out of his reverie to look questioningly at him.

'You really believe that's possible?' Harry asked, leaning back on his seat with his arms crossed. 'Wake up, mate.'

'He has always been the most gullible of the family, so it's no use.' Ginny strode forward with a smirk on her lips. She sat right beside her brother and patted him on the head. 'Don't worry Ronnie-poo, your pwecious Hermione is safe,' she cooed.

Ron shook her hand away. 'Don't you have a Slytherin to snog somewhere? Where is Hermione anyway?' he asked with a scowl.

Harry lifted his brows, waiting for Ginny to answer that first retort. She decided to ignore it, however.

'She's out there telling the rest of the students to get ready. She asked me to warn you guys that we're arriving,' the sixth-year answered plainly. Only then Harry did notice that she was already wearing her school robes. She stood up with a small hop. 'I'll leave you three to dress. I promised Luna I'd meet her.'

'Eager to find out the latest sightings of Blibbering Humdingers?' Ron asked sarcastically. Ginny only scowled and closed the door behind her as she left.

'Really, I don't get how she manages to hang out with that Loony,' Ron muttered.

'She's a nice girl,' Neville commented, defending the Ravenclaw. 'Only... different,' he tried to describe.

'I guess,' Ron replied, shrugging indifferently.

Only then did Harry realise that they didn't know if Hermione succeeded in apologising.

~*~

Hermione stopped her stride the moment she saw Malfoy coming out of a compartment and headed towards him. To say that she was surprised seeing him without Crabbe and Goyle tagging along must have been an understatement, as the blonde boy commented once he stopped right in front of her.

'I do have a private life, you know,' he scowled, reading her surprised expression like an open book.

'I didn't say a thing,' the head girl answered, her eyebrows going up in mock wonder.

'Right,' the Slytherin scoffed, his trademark sneer only leaving his pale features to look around. 'Look, Granger, I want to do this with you as much as you want to do it with me, so let's make this quick and effective, shall we?'

'Right,' she echoed him subconsciously. To be honest she was definitely stunned that Malfoy would want to do his job correctly. She had been ready for a heated argument about slacking and her doing all the work. She hadn't been expecting this reluctant cooperation. 'You warn the students in those compartments,' she pointed to the front, 'I'll warn the students in the rest,' she pointed over her back with her thumb.

His sneer was back and Hermione had to fight the urge to slap that annoying smugness off his face once again. She didn't know what inner strength kept her from repeating the scene from their third-year, but she knew that doing it would only be the catalyst for the destruction of Malfoy's "team spirit", though it would've made her feel better. This train trip was starting to become one of the most stressful rides ever.

'How about this: you go this way, and I go that way,' he suggested, motioning to the opposite directions she had proposed.

'Fine, as long as the work is done,' Hermione huffed, sidestepping him and starting her task. Even with her back turned, she could feel the triumphant smirk on Malfoy's face.

~*~

As the students milled around and entered the Great Hall, Harry could not help wondering how many students had left Hogwarts since last year. There was a significant lack of students in the large room, he noticed sadly. Harry just hoped that the first-years would help to compensate the gap. But some part of him comforted him with the thought that at least the school would be quieter and there would be less students gaping at his scar.

At least that was what he was trying to tell himself.

The trio headed to the Gryffindor table to watch the Welcoming Ceremony unfold. Ginny was chatting with Luna Lovegood at the Ravenclaw table and she would meet them right before the ceremony began. He noticed a boy he knew was called Terry Boot turning to speak at her as well. At this, Harry lifted a sceptical eyebrow. It seemed that Ginny was much more popular among that House than her own.

He was interrupted by bumping against the back of the only other Weasley in that school. Ron, who had been walking in front of him, had stopped abruptly and his tall build didn't budge even when Harry bumped into him.

'Ron!' Hermione called, looking over her shoulder once she no longer heard her friend's footsteps behind her. 'What is it?'

The red-haired boy stood, staring in amazement, his mouth agape.

'Bloody hell!' the Weasley let out, loud enough for everyone to hear... Harry leaned to the side so he could follow Ron's line of vision. Apparently he was looking to the staff table, and a flame of hope rose in Harry's chest. Did Snape finally leave? He thought as he scanned the table.

It was with great disappointment that he noticed that Snape was still there, sitting in his usual place, wearing black robes and a grimmer expression than ever, a result, Harry suspected, of the work he had been doing for the Order. He continued scanning the rest of the table, and saw Dumbledore with the weirdest robes he had ever seen. They were of a bright green and short-sleeved, with a pattern, which seemed to Harry from that distance, to be of palm trees. Harry shook his head as he watched the twinkle in Dumbledore's eyes. Just as he had thought on the train, Dumbledore was proving the rumours about his insanity to be true.

Harry prodded Ron to make him move but Ron was rooted to the spot. Even Dumbledore's robes were not exotic enough to make Ron a statue, Harry thought as he peered at Ron's face to see what had shocked him. Ron's eyes didn't move from the table, and only when he moved a step forward, did Harry notice the same shade of Ron's red hair adorning the staff table.

His previous thought of Ron being the only Weasley in the school besides Ginny was quickly cast aside when he saw Bill Weasley, Ron's older brother, grinning and winking from the High table, leaning back on his seat and looking relaxed and amused at his brother's reaction. Harry turned to look at Ginny at the Ravenclaw table, but found out that she wasn't there.

'Honestly, Ron. And to think you didn't hear Mom ranting about Bill's new job for the last week,' said a crystalline voice from his right. Harry jumped. The person he was looking for was right in front of him, pushing the lanky boy to his usual seat in the Gryffindor table.

'What?' Ron turned to look sharply at the girl beside him. 'No she didn't. I would've known if she did.'

'Ron. She did,' the youngest Weasley insisted like she would do to a child. 'You were the one who was too busy staring at a certain someone to even notice,' she motioned to her left, at Hermione, who was striding towards them and was still out of ear range.

From his position behind Ron, Harry could see Ron's ears becoming pink.

'I was not staring at anyone,' he protested. 'You are the one who reads too many novels and tries to make a romance out of everything.'

Ginny tilted her head, a thoughtful expression on her face.

'Hmm... and I thought it was you who did that,' she mused, but then shrugged and grabbed Hermione's arm right before the brunette had the time to open her mouth and ask what was wrong. Harry didn't miss the wicked smile forming on her lips right before she twirled the Head Girl away and literally dragged her to her seat. Ron spluttered.

'Why that...' he started, stomping angrily to the seat across the two girls. He glared at his younger sister. Harry was unable to be passive and smiled.

'Novels, eh?' Harry asked as he sat beside him, an amused tone on his voice. 'What are your favourites, Pride and Prejudice? Lady Chatterley's Lover?'

'Hey,' Hermione called him with a serious expression, her finger pointed up to call for attention. 'I'll let you know that both of those books are quite interesting. Who's reading them?' she asked.

'Ron is,' Ginny giggled.

Her lips curved into a small smile for just a moment. 'You can't really blame Ron if he likes to read them; they're very interesting pieces of work.'

'I would answer you two if I had at least an idea of what you're talking about,' answered Ron bluntly. He was not looking pleased at this collective teasing. Harry chuckled, reminding himself that he had only mentioned muggle authors.

'Okay, okay, mate. I was joking, you know?' he said, ceasing his taunting.

Ron opened his mouth to answer with some remark, but he was cut off by the opening of the Hall doors. Little first-years entered to start the sorting, some looking around with curiosity, others with alarm and all with anxiety. Harry noticed that, unfortunately, there weren't many of them. In fact, this had to be the smaller group of freshers in his school years.

'They're so few,' he heard Hermione sigh. And he knew by the worried look in her eyes that she was thinking along the same lines.

Dumbledore stood up from his seat. Harry blinked. When did he change robes? They were now yellow and the pattern had changed to become little blue cocktails with umbrellas.

'Welcome to yet another year at Hogwarts. I have some announcements to make before we start the sorting. I'm sure that you are all as hungry as myself, so I'll be direct. It's strictly forbidden to use magic in the hallways unless truly necessary. Mr. Filch be in charge of surveillance between classes and after curfew, along with the prefects. It's not allowed to go into the Forbidden Forest, as the name certainly implies,' he looked around, amused. 'I would like to welcome Mr. Weasley in the job of Defence Against the Dark Arts.' at this Bill stood up and flashed a charming smile to the clapping students. Somewhere on Harry's right, there was a small rumpus.

'Ron!' Lavender Brown squealed. 'That's your brother?' she asked, clearly impressed, leaning over the table to look at the Weasley.

'So?' the boy asked back. 'What about him?'

'Oh, nothing, Mr. Grumpy.' Lavender rolled her eyes, to turn again and start giggling next to Parvati Patil.

'Gossip Duo on the run, I see,' Harry heard Ginny scoffing quietly. He chuckled; that had not been the first time he had heard that title. Apparently Ginny and Luna together had quite a good imagination in giving titles to people. He vaguely wondered if he had been dubbed something to add to his other titles. He hoped it would not be something like "The-Boy-Who-Fainted". He shook that idea away. That would be something Malfoy would do.

And speaking of Malfoy...

His eyes drifted to the Slytherin table to find Malfoy's back looking straight and proud. Ron followed his line of vision.

'Damned git should be floating around with that swollen head of his,' the Weasley commented and Harry chuckled at the mental image of Malfoy with a too-large head floating about the enchanted ceiling in the Hall. 'I have no idea how the hell he got the position. You think his father had something to do with it?' he asked.

Harry shook his head. Lucius Malfoy was believed to be dead since last summer, when shortly after the end of Harry's fifth-year there was an attack in Azkaban Prison by Death Eaters. Malfoy, among others which included Bellatrix Lestrange, had disappeared. Harry had the feeling that Lucius Malfoy was far from dead, actually, as most of his friends did.

'I doubt it,' Hermione reasoned. 'Dumbledore isn't anyone to accept bribes. He's the one who selects the positions. My belief is that he has a trick up his sleeve.'

'Who? Ferrety over there or Dumbledore?' Ron asked.

'Dumbledore of course,' Hermione straightened in her seat. 'Don't forget that he always plans more than he lets on,' she stated. Harry had to consider this. But he couldn't believe that Malfoy, of all people, had to have one of the most prestigious positions in the school.

'I wouldn't be surprised if Ferret-boy had some tricks up his sleeve too,' Ron commented bitterly. 'I bet he's plotting something evil right now.'

Harry observed the said Slytherin and, to be honest, he didn't think that Malfoy would be plotting anything evil. The blonde boy had his arm around Pansy Parkinson, and was laughing loudly at something Goyle had just said. He shook his head. He definitely didn't want to know what Goyle had said.

The sorting was uneventful, and in the end, Dumbledore's voice boomed over the chattering of the crowd.

'Now that that's settled, Professor McGonagall will say a few words, but not before I say some as well - can't ruin my reputation, now,' the old man asked jovially. 'Don't let schooling get in the way of your education. That is all.'

'Now, just before we start eating,' Professor McGonnagal stood up as soon as she got the cue from the Headmaster - who was now wearing pink robes with sunglasses scattered around , 'I've got another announcement to make. There have been a big number of foreign students applying this year, and I'd like for you to treat them with the same hospitality they'd treat you if the tables were turned. Please be patient and be attentive to Professor Flitwick's classes that would prove useful to all of you,' she paused, flicked her wand, and the door from the antechamber right next to the teacher's table opened. From inside the room came out a group of several students already wearing the black school robes. Harry's eyes opened wide. Well, at least there are more students to compensate the missing ones. He noticed several younger ones, along with some who were about his age.

'Look! There's Lance!' Ginny exclaimed, nudging Hermione with her elbow and pointing to a black-haired boy who wore a ponytail similar to Bill's. Harry heard the same rustling in his right as before.

'You know him?' Parvati Patil asked, mouth open wide, as she took notice of who Ginny was talking about.

'Yes,' the redhead answered as she flashed a smug smile at the two girls.

'You'll introduce him to us later, won't you Gin?' Lavender gushed and reached to Ginny. The sixth-year recoiled in her seat.

'I'll only introduce him if he wants to know you,' she answered with a scoff. The other two girls turned their noses up and turned away from her, gushing and cooing at the boy standing in the middle of the crowd. Harry wondered if he should let his hair grow. And put it in a ponytail. And get a tattoo while he was at it. He shook his head. Where did those thoughts come from?

'I wonder where he was sorted to...' Hermione mused. Ron turned his neck so fast that Harry heard his neck bones snap.

'Why do you care?' he asked, somewhat concerned and angry.

'He seemed a nice guy, is all,' Hermione bristled at Ron's harsh voice, but she couldn't help but hint a smile. Ron's jealousy was blatantly obvious.

'Oh, look, he was sorted to Ravenclaw. The lucky girls,' they heard Lavender sigh in disappointment. They all turned to see him walk towards the Ravenclaw table and sit at the far corner of the table, along with other five foreign students.

'Where did you meet him, anyway?' Parvati asked Ginny, but not without a scowl on her lips.

'On the train,' she answered, simply. Hermione turned to them, specially looking to Ron to make things clear.

'He was with Ariane when I went to search for her,' she explained ever so slowly, willing for the red-haired boy to understand.

The moment the name was uttered, all of them sat upright. Ariane. Where was Ariane? They turned to watch the remaining foreign students who were also looking around to find out where they should sit and spotted a tall figure leaning against the door frame.

'There she is!' Ginny exclaimed. Ron looked at the German in the far back of the crowd, obviously not wanting to be noticed.

'Is she the snooty brat she made the impression to be?' Ron asked somewhat sceptically.

'Well, she has a bit of a thick skull, but she's okay, I guess,' Hermione answered, shrugging and looking at the girl with a small smile on her lips.

Ariane had stood up when she noticed Ginny's outburst and turned to look at the source of the voice. She smirked and gave a two-fingered salute as she turned around and moved to the trio's left. Harry frowned. For once he had been convinced she would be sorted to Gryffindor. He then thought about Hermione's explanation. She had been with that Lance fellow when the Head Girl found her. She probably had been sorted to Ravenclaw. His attention was diverted as he noticed the food appearing on the long tables.

'Bloody hell!' Ron exclaimed for the second time that day. Harry turned to ask what was wrong this time but found Ron's face turned to his other side, to Neville. 'Are you positive her parents were colleagues of your folks?' he almost seemed panicked.

Neville was not pleased about being questioned twice. One thing he had acquired over the years was some sense of pride.

'I told you I am SURE. What part of S-U-R-E did you not understand?' he snapped. But Ron, instead of looking taken aback from this unusual outburst, spluttered even more.

'Then how the hell do you explain her being there?' the Weasley pointed out in front of them, to the far side of the Hall.

Harry and the others turned to look at the place where Ron was indicating. Hermione gasped, Ginny's eyes went wide and Neville let out incredulous sound. Harry just stared.

Ariane was sitting at the farthest table from them. Five seats to the right of Draco Malfoy.

She was a Slytherin.