Nied is Not Enough

Chapter Four

Harry took a deep breath as he looked around the grounds. Moonlight glistened on the lake and caught the hundred or so windows along the castle's main hall. Harry noticed immediately that the astronomy tower had been rebuilt after the war. He remembered the horror of it crumbling as Voldemort and the Death Eaters ate away at its base with spells. He tried to shake the memory, feeling in his pocket for a tiny shrunken skull.

He and Ron walked in silence up the path toward the main doors of the school. Professors McGonagall and Flitwick stood at the great wooden doors.

"Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley! How wonderful to have you back!" Professor McGonagall said with as much excitement as she could afford. She gave them both a quick grin.

"Boys..." Professor Flitwick motioned for them to enter the school.

"It's nice to be back here, Professor McGonagall," said Ron with an air of superiority.

Professor McGonagall stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Ron with one eyebrow raised. "I certainly hope that being a professional Quidditch player hasn't ruined your demeanor, Mr. Weasley. The last thing we need here is another peacock."

Ron's cheeks turned a slight shade of pink at this. Harry chortled under his breath. The way Ron could blush.

"By the way, you may call me Minerva when the students are not present." She led them into the Great Hall. Harry found himself as nervous as the first day he ever set foot in Hogwarts.

The other teachers sat along the head table, talking amongst themselves. They barely noticed the four who had just entered. Harry looked at the ceiling, candles floated above the four long tables. Green and silver flags waved from an enchanted breeze. "I see that Slytherin is still at it." He elbowed Ron and pointed up. Ron just rolled his eyes. Harry thought he heard Ron mumble "gits."

McGonagall snickered in front of them as she walked towards the head table. "Professors." The talking stopped. "I would like you to meet your new colleagues. This is Mr. Potter taking over for Professor Lupin and Mr. Weasley taking over for Madam Hooch."

Harry scanned the table for the faces he knew as a student. Binns was till there, as was Firenze, Trelawney, Madam Pomfrey, and Professor Sprout. Harry didn't recognize the others and didn't listen much as McGonagall introduced them. He was too busy wondering where Snape and Dumbledore were.

"The Headmaster, Potions Master, Professor Granger and Hagrid will join us shortly. Gentlemen, you may take your seats." McGonagall pointed the men to their places at the table. Harry was to sit second from the left end and Ron, third from the right.

"They're separating us already, mate," Ron said as he beamed at Harry and walked to his end of the table.

Harry made let no emotion show in his face as he headed around the end of the table to his seat. His guts were twisting around inside him, but he remained calm and focused on the outside. He checked his pockets again for the shrunken skull and rubbed his thumb across its stark forehead.

The doors to the main hall burst open as all the second year and above students filtered in. Harry watched with a slight bit of fear as the tables began filling. He assured himself that this wasn't going to be so bad and kept his jaw clenched tightly. We were never this loud, he thought to himself as the echoing shouts and hellos filled the hall.

McGonagall made her way around the outside of the tables toward the door to wait for the first years. Hagrid and Hermione walked in the right hand side door and took their places at the head table. Harry leaned forward slightly to see where they would sit. Hagrid sat at the end on the right, and much to Ron's obvious surprise, Hermione sat next to the redhead. She didn't look at him as she sat gracefully down beside him, but instead looked straight forward. Harry gave Ron a slightly pained look as his old friend returned a look of true fear. Hagrid beamed at Harry from the end of the table. Harry smiled and sat back in his chair, clenching his jaw as he did so.

Dumbledore entered from the door behind Harry. Harry turned as the door clicked. The Headmaster was trying his hardest to stand as straight as he could with the help of a large, ornately scrolled staff. Harry stood as Dumbledore slowly walked toward the table. The wizard looked over the top of his half-moon glasses with tired blue eyes. His silver beard and hair had grown at least another foot since Harry had last seen him. Harry was surprised to see the man looking so withered.

"Don't worry, my dear boy. I've made this trek a thousand times. Once more surely won't kill me." The old wizard tottered up to Harry and placed his hand on the shoulder of his old student. "I'm glad to see you've found your way back home, Harry. We didn't know if you ever would." The man's eyes showed the slightest sparkle. "We'll talk later. I need to keep walking now, or I'll never make it before the sorting ceremony." He winked over the top of his glasses and stepped forward.

Harry sat back down and watched in painful silence the once-great Albus Dumbledore slowly creep to his chair at the center of the head table. Within a minute, the doors to the Great Hall again opened as Professor McGonagall led thirty or so frightened first years to the front of the hall.

Harry grazed the sea of wide-eyed faces for Morgan Wolfe and spotted her, much to his amazement, at the front of the group. Dobby stood next to her and had taken off his little cowboy hat to hold it in front of his chest. He saw Harry at the table and grinned. Harry winked without changing his expression. The little girl was looking all around her, at the candles, the flags, the sconces, and the tables. She smiled so widely, Harry thought her face would just about burst. He clenched his jaw tighter to keep from smiling himself as she found him at the head table. He loosened his jaw and let the slightest twitch of a grin slip. She continued looking around as McGonagall began the ceremony.

These children are so young, he thought as each one made their way to the stool in front of the head table and were sorted into their houses. At last, Morgan's name was called. She let go of Dobby's hand and walked slowly to the stool. Harry straightened as the child sat down. McGonagall placed the old withered hat on the child's wispy blond hair. It seemed to be taking the hat quite awhile to decide which house to place her in. Harry was too far away to hear what the hat was saying to the child but leaned as far as the table would allow. Finally, the hat shouted, "Slytherin!" and the Slytherin table erupted with applause.

That can't be right! Harry thought to himself. That girl is a Gryffindor if I ever saw one!

McGonagall had taken her place next to Dumbledore at the Head table and clinked her spoon on her water goblet. "Your attention, everybody."

Professor Dumbledore stood with the help of his staff and looked over the eagerly awaiting faces. "Yet another year begins at Hogwarts. I trust that you all made it safely." He continued with the beginning of the year announcements. Harry barely listened to the speech for it was quite similar to those he heard so long ago.

"And finally," Dumbledore continued, I would like to introduce you to our newest staff members. Professor Ronald Weasley will be your new flying instructor." As Ron stood, he made a face that was quite reminiscent of Gilderoy Lockhart. The students clapped wildly and some of the girls even whistled. Ron broke into a cheesy grin which made some of the older girls swoon. Harry couldn't help but roll his eyes.

After the applause died down, Dumbledore resumed. "Your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor will be Mr. Harry Potter." One could hear a pin drop in the silence which followed the announcement. The students looked back and forth at each other then at the now standing Harry. Ron began clapping madly as did Hermione, Hagrid, McGonagall and Morgan. The other students joined in and Harry sat back down.

"And finally..." The door behind Harry swung open and a tall blond man stepped into the Great Hall. Harry's breath caught in his chest.

"Professor Malfoy, I was just about to announce you to the students," Dumbledore said, again looking over the top of his glasses. Draco made his way to the chair next to Harry. He smirked as he looked down at Harry's slack jaw. "This is your new Potions Master as Professor Snape has decided to take the position of Potions Minister at the Ministry of Magic." A collective sigh of relief passed over the students as they began clapping. Harry leaned forward a bit to look down the table at Ron, who, in return had a slack jaw and wide eyes.

"With that out of the way," started Dumbledore, "let the feast begin." The tables blossomed with a grand array of food and the students dug in.

Harry closed his eyes tightly and his palms began to sweat. A flash of one night ago lit his mind. Not him. Not Draco. Not now. Not here. Oh, gods.

"Everything alright, Mr. Potter?" a deep silky voice slid into his ear. "You look like you've just had the shock of your life."

Harry fought hard the urge to touch the man sitting next to him. His jaw clenched so hard, he thought his teeth might crack. "I'm fine, Malfoy. Just never expected to see you again."

Harry thought back to the night at the Leaky Cauldron when Malfoy said he was going somewhere he hadn't been for a long time. Why didn't I think that he meant Hogwarts? It was so obvious. He was careful not to let his arm brush up against the man sitting next to him. Communication magic left a residual signature and he certainly didn't want Malfoy to know it was him that night in front of the fireplace. Harry concentrated on eating the rack of lamb, but found it difficult. He instead pushed his food around his plate with a fork. He was leaning as far away from Malfoy as he possibly could, almost far enough to slide off his chair.

Draco kept glancing his way, but Harry refused to look into the man's eyes. Wait a minute, Malfoy's eyes are supposed to be BLUE, not that I noticed, but they used to be blue, Harry thought.

"Something troubling you, Potter?" the silky voice slid in again. Harry fought the urge, but let it go. He looked directly at the man's face as he let his fork drop onto his plate.

"Actually, yes, Malfoy, I was just wondering how it is you can be trusted enough to be at this school," Harry gave him a look of indignation. "And since when do you care about what's troubling me?" He forced himself to glare although all he wanted to do was to touch the man's cheek.

Draco's face lit up slightly and his eyebrow rose. "Still on about those silly old games, are we, Mr. Potter? Well, I assure you that you have nothing to worry about from me." He reached in front of his plate for his water goblet. Harry continued staring at the man next to him. Draco's arm lightly touched Harry's jacket. Harry jerked his arm away. "My, my, we are jumpy tonight, aren't we?"

Harry went back to pushing the food around on his plate. The feast couldn't end quickly enough, in Harry's opinion.

Draco took up his glass again and brought it to his lips. "By the way, we have a staff meeting after the feast. If you need help finding the staffroom, I'd be glad to..."

"I can find it by myself, thank you," Harry cut him off and threw his napkin onto his still full plate.

"As you wish," Draco shook his head. Harry watched from the corner of his eye as Draco took his napkin and dabbed the corners of his mouth then set the napkin to the side of his plate. He stood and his chair slid behind him with wandless magic.

"Showoff," Harry mumbled, trying to keep up his façade. He then stood as his chair slid behind him.

Draco simply smirked and disappeared through the door he had entered from. When it clicked shut, Harry turned and noticed the entire population in the Great Hall was staring in his direction. He looked down the table of teachers and McGonagall glanced in the direction of his chair. Harry turned around and saw that his chair had slid behind him with such force it had shattered against the stone wall. He felt his face get hot and without a blink was out the door Malfoy had gone through.

Gods, I am such an idiot, he berated himself. Control, Harry, control. He squeezed his hands into fists and let his fingernails dig half-moons into his palms. He took in a deep breath and found his center as the door from the Great Hall opened. Ron poked his head into the dimly lit hallway.

"Hey, Harry? Is Malfoy already giving you hell?" he asked with a bit of trepidation.

"No, Ron. It's nothing. We need to get to the staff meeting. I have no clue where the staffroom is. You?" Harry said coldly.

Ron shook his head. The two men started down the hall in search. Twenty minutes passed as they wandered the halls. Ron had made several attempts to find out what happened with Malfoy, but Harry wouldn't budge. He kept saying 'nothing.'

Ron finally stopped in the middle of a remote hallway. Harry kept walking. "Malfoy is a bloody bastard!" Ron shouted down the hall towards Harry. Harry held his eyes closed for a moment then turned to look at his friend down the hallway.

"This is not about Malfoy," Harry calmly retorted. "Drop it, okay? We need to find this staffroom."

Ron caught up to the noticeably tense man and they continued. At last, they found the staffroom entrance hidden behind a statue of the four founders of Hogwarts on the fourth floor. It was a hardly noticeable darkened arch with a small, handwritten sign that said, "Staffroom." A cobweb stretched across the top of the arch. The two looked at each other and Ron said, "You first, mate."

The staffroom was like no other room Harry had seen during his time as a student. Each of the walls had a fireplace with different colored flames and either a small gathering of chairs or a large comfortable-looking couch were placed in front of them. The fabric covering the furniture was plush, black velvet. A sizeable liquor cabinet stood in the far corner of the room filled with at least a hundred different glass decanters. In the center of the room stood a large round table surrounded with wing-back chairs. Beautiful plants draped the bookshelves and decorated a number of smaller tables.

"Gentlemen, how nice of you to attend." McGonagall had risen from her wing-back chair and given the two a reproachful look.

"We got lost," Ron managed to get out.

"Where have I heard that one before?" She looked over her small glasses and motioned for them to sit. Harry saw Hermione shaking her head from the corner of his eye.

"We were just discussing the arrival of Miss Wolfe. I believe Harry has already had the pleasure of meeting our youngest student," Dumbledore said. Harry nodded his head, trying not to notice Draco sitting directly across from him. "This child," Dumbledore continued, "is the second Illusionary that Hogwarts has ever had the pleasure of calling a student. I trust you all know about this extraordinary kind of gift?"

All but Ron nodded their heads. "Later," Harry whispered.

"She comes to us from a very small island off the coast of Ireland called Inish Mann. She is the great, great, great grandchild of Ghislaine Wolfe, the first Illusionary at this school. She must be looked after by all of our staff, seeing as she is much younger than the others in her class. It is important that we urge her forward in her studies as much as possible."

Dumbledore looked at each of his staff members in turn. Harry let his eyes focus on Draco and he noticed a slight nervousness come across the blond man's face when Dumbledore looked at him.

"That is all for tonight. Your schedules have been sent to your rooms and you have all day tomorrow to prepare for Monday." With this, the staff members rose and headed for the door.

"Harry," Dumbledore said. "I need to speak with you and Mr. Malfoy for a moment, if you don't mind."

He glanced at Draco and returned with, "Not at all Headmaster." Focus, Harry. Focus. You'd think that I've never been trained to handle such situations.

"I realize that there may be some tension between the two of you after all these years, but for the sake of the students, I hope you will find a way to work things out. Especially since..." He looked over the top of his glasses at the two men. "Mr. Potter, I've decided that you will join Mr. Malfoy as the heads of Slytherin House."

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. Him! Head of Slytherin House!! "But Professor Dumbledore, sir, I am a Gryffindor!" Harry blurted out with shock.

Malfoy looked at Dumbledore with such surprise that the Headmaster almost laughed outloud at the both of them.

"Sir, you can't possibly let him be the Head of Slytherin with me!" Malfoy's tone was harsh.

The twinkle had come back into the Headmaster's tired eyes as he held up his hands to the two men. "Ah, ah, ah. Now boys. Minerva and I decided it would be the best since Severus left the position that the two of you would take over. No one else wants the position as Head of Slytherin and, Harry, you know as well as I do that you are nearly as much Slytherin as you are Gryffindor."

"But, sir!"

"But nothing, Harry. The decision has been made and the two of you shall find a way to bring a truce between you."

Harry glared at the Slytherin. Malfoy glowered in return.

"Besides, gentlemen, that child needs the both of you. You will find your rooms in the dungeons have already been prepared. You are dismissed." With that the Headmaster stood and walked away.

Both Draco and Harry were seething at the thought of having to spend the next year living in the same area of the castle, for different reasons, of course.

Draco had obviously calmed down more quickly than Harry. He turned his tall body toward Harry. "Well, Potter, it looks like you'll be seeing much more of me than you ever anticipated." He turned on his heel and walked out the door.