Harry Potter and the Order of Ashrien

Chapter Five

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The morning of September first rolled around bright and early at the Burrow, which was a beehive of activity even at this early hour. The rain, which had lasted for nearly three straight days, had finally ended the preceding evening and the morning was crisp and clear. After more than just a few shouts from Molly, Harry, Ron and Hermione managed to make it downstairs to breakfast, each of them looking like they hadn't slept a wink all night. Mumbling somewhat incoherently, the three of them sat down around a bustling kitchen table which was already occupied by Nick and Kim. The table was currently being filled by the various and plentiful breakfast dishes that Molly and Marelle were preparing. Sirius and Remus had left the night before to head to Hogwarts, to get settled into their quarters and prepare for the classes they would be teaching with Marelle as Assistant Defense Professors.

"Molly, does Ron always look like that in the morning?" Kim asked, as she placed a heaping stack of buttermilk pancakes on her plate.

Molly looked over at Kim with a smile, pausing for a moment from her ministrations on the stove. Molly had become rather fond of Kim over the summer and considered her another honorary member of the family.

"He doesn't look like that every morning dear, usually he looks much worse."

Ron looked up at his mom with bleary, sleep-laden eyes. "Mom... you're not helping."

"I'm always helping you out, Ron. It's what a mother does."

Marelle smiled as she finally sat down at the table with her own plate. "Molly has it right, I think. You should see what Nicholas looks like on some mornings. You want to talk about frightening, just look at him sometime right after he wakes up, I'm not sure if I should feed him or take a dust rag to him."

Nicholas grumbled rather loudly under his breath, but kept silent, having long ago learned not to get into such futile discussions with his mother.

Kim looked up from her plate and then at the clock on the wall. "What time will we be leaving for the train?"

Marelle looked over to her and checked her own watch as she responded, "You will be leaving for the train in about half an hour, so you had better eat quickly. I believe that Arthur has arranged for some Ministry vehicles to take you to King's Cross. I will be arriving at the school by alternate means and will meet you there later tonight. I want you and Nicholas on the train to keep an eye on our young friends here, so no teleporting ahead of them. I trust you will find the ride enjoyable in any event."

With that, quiet settled over the table for a time as the kids and adults ate heartily until they were interrupted by the coughing gasps of Arthur Weasley's mini and two other ministry vehicles, pulling up outside. With breakfast finally finished, the rather odd group assembled outside and loaded up the cars, headed for King's Cross Station and their last year at Hogwarts.

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The ride to King's Cross station had been blissfully uneventful for a change, allowing everyone to think about the upcoming school year. Arthur's small car was rather crowded, but with the two extra vehicles from the Ministry, they had managed to get everyone safely to the station. Everyone had to rush to get to the platform for the Hogwarts Express however; their delay was mostly due to a large fog bank over Manchester which everyone was forced to go around.

Ron looked out from the window of the train as it began to pull out of the station, waving goodbye to his mother in the process. After a few well placed threats, mostly from Nicholas and Harry, they had managed to secure the last large open compartment. "Bye Mum, see you at Christmas break!" he shouted, just barely audibly over the loud pops and hisses the train made as it struggled to pick up speed. As Molly and King's Cross platform slowly faded out of sight, he pulled his head inside the compartment and closed the window.

"Right then, we're on our own now. Think we will have any troubles on the trip?" Ron asked, pulling Hermione closer to him, mindful of the heavy book already open on her lap.

Across the compartment from where the Weasleys, Hermione and Harry sat, Nicholas sat against the window with Kimberly protectively curled up against him, already napping soundly.

"No, I certainly hope not. Kim really gets upset if she's woken abruptly, especially if it's due to someone's stupidity. I do hope that the ride will be quiet, but from what you've told us about your previous trips, anything is possible. But, if anything should pop up, I think that Kim and I should handle it. That's why our Mum sent us with you after all."

Ron thought about this for a moment. "Can I ask you a question Nicholas?"

"Sure Ron, go right ahead. What's on your mind?" Nicholas replied with a smile.

"What's it like? I mean being a Mage and all that. With such a powerful Mom to try and live up to; does she expect a lot from you?"

This question tore Harry's attention away from his box of Every-Flavor Beans, as Nicholas replied, "Well in a way she does expect a great deal from us. Being a Mage is an awesome responsibility, much more so than being a wizard or witch, no offense intended. We have to study very hard and for many years just to master our skills and we need to be careful not to make too many mistakes along the way. You have all seen what wizardly magic can do if improperly used, the damage it can cause. Mage magic is a direct control of the primal force of Magic itself. We don't just tap it as wizards do; we become one with its very essence and manipulate it with the pure force of our will."

Nicholas paused for a moment from his impromptu speech to allow what he said to sink in to his friends before continuing. "It's much more powerful that way, and potentially much more dangerous. A lot is expected of us, but basically we are expected to do the best we can, no more, no less. If we weren't capable of handling the energy we do, it would be detected before we even began training. That way, no potentially dangerous problems occur unless we do something unbelievably stupid. If we did that, Mum would have kittens and no one wants to be around her in one of those moods. It kind of keeps us in the proper mindset."

Harry's eyes flicked over to Nicholas. For as long as he could remember, he had been burdened with some form of responsibility. At the Dursleys' they consisted of housekeeping chores he had to complete in order to survive, and when he had begun his training at Hogwarts, he had been handed not only the responsibility of keeping up his grades and winning at Quidditch, but on a few occasions he had been forced into the role of saving lives and defeating the most evil wizard in several hundred years. Doing his best was easy compared to what he felt he had been given for responsibilities at times. He really liked Nicholas and Kim, having spent a lot of the summer getting to know them rather well, and they seemed to be honestly concerned for him and didn't try to lord their abilities in front of others of lesser talent. To them he was an equal, and this put him at some ease. He had several questions of his own to ask and was preparing to do so when the door to their compartment opened abruptly.

Nicholas looked up at the opening of the compartment's doors to see a white haired boy of about 17 years standing in the doorframe surrounded by two rather large, oafish looking attendants. Nicholas' people instincts kicked in and he immediately disliked the youth, who was standing in the doorway, an obvious expression of distaste on his features while sneering at all of the occupants of the compartment. Nicholas also felt Kimberly beginning to stir and hoped he could get rid of them before she woke up.

"So Potter, I see that you found some new friends this year. I see that you are still with the Weasel and the Mudblood I find it amazing that anyone would want to have anything to do with you at all," the boy spat out, his voice heavy and laced with venom.

The boy's gaze then looked over next to Harry where Hermione was looking up at him from a half finished chocolate frog. "Oh, and I see our favorite little Mudblood still has not improved her choice of friends."

Not giving any of them a chance to speak up, the boy continued his spiteful diatribe. Finally, he turned to look at Nicholas and Kimberly, who was still sleeping against Nicholas' shoulder.

"Oh, some new sport this year, I see. Starting a bit late in the game aren't we? And what is this pretty little thing's name? Perhaps she would like a night out on the town with me after I beat Potter here at the school Quidditch championship this year? I can think of all kinds of things we can do to keep occupied..."

Disturbed at the noise, Kim slowly opened her eyes and began to rise from her seat at the insult, but felt a restraining hand on her elbow as Nicholas rose to face Draco instead, his voice low and dangerous.

"Were I a betting man, which incidentally I am, I would not give any odds on your chances for surviving the next 30 seconds in your present form, scum."

"Do you know who I am? I sir, am Draco Malfoy. Son of Lucius Malfoy, a school governor and an employee of the Ministry of Magic. I eat little whelps like you for tea."

"Malfoy, eh. So that's who you are. Your attitude is not surprising since your father is a pathetic Death Eater. Oh yes Draco, we have met him, and we sent him scuttling back to his even more pathetic master on all fours, like the coward he is. And, I can see that the lack of manners and general slovenly disposition you have displayed here is a genetic trait. Oh well, I really don't have the time to waste on you right now. I will have to deal with you when we arrive at the school."

Malfoy turned a bright red; he was outraged at this affront and made one very badly timed mistake. As Nicholas was sitting back down, Draco reached into his pocket and brought out his wand. "You will pay for that you..."

Before Malfoy could utter another word, Nicholas had raised one finger and pointed it at him. A faint blue aura surrounded Malfoy for an instant and then he was gone.

Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys were amazed and shocked. Malfoy had been taken down with a simple extension of Nick's finger. True, Malfoy was a reprehensible troglodyte, but to just vanish him like that had them stunned. None of them had witnessed wandless magic before. Harry recovered quickly and was the first to speak. "You didn't um... err... I mean he isn't..."

"No, he isn't dead. Mum would have kittens about that, especially if that happened before school even started. Mr. Malfoy is back in his own compartment now, in a somewhat changed state shall we say. I am sure you will see him when you get off the train. As long as no one lets him out that is."

The rest of the train ride was uneventful and before everyone knew it, the Hogwarts express had pulled into Hogsmeade station and it was the start of their final year.

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Dumbledore watched with great interest as the seventh year students filed into the Great Hall for the Sorting Feast. This year's group of seventh year students had already made their mark on the wizarding world and the year was just starting. He noted with some surprise at the absence of Draco Malfoy from the Slytherin table and looked down the table to Severus with a question in his eyes.

"Severus, have you seen Draco? I did not see him come into the Hall for the feast."

Severus Snape looked intently at the now seated seventh year students at his house's table. The usual crowd was already seated there; Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson and Bulstrode, all whispering and throwing hate-filled glances at the Gryffindor table, which by now was nothing new to him. He noted with some alarm the absence of Draco at the table but Snape noticed that the Gryffindor table was crowded around something that they seemed to think was quite amusing.

"I don't see him at the table either, Headmaster. I strongly suggest that you check the Gryffindor table; they do seem rather entranced by something they have there. Perhaps they know where Mr. Malfoy is."

"Very well, Severus. Would you care to join me over there, while I question them? I know Draco is your most favored student in your house. We need not worry, for the first years won't be here for another twenty or so minutes," Dumbledore replied, standing up from his chair and beginning the short trek across the hall to the Gryffindor tables.

Upon reaching the table, Albus noticed a rather unusual sight. All of the Gryffindor seventh year students seemed to be crowding around a medium sized pewter cauldron which had a sign on the front of it, which was partially obscured from their sight by Ron and Nicholas. Sensing the arrival of Severus beside him, Dumbledore looked directly at Harry and asked, "Well Harry, have you seen Mr. Malfoy?"

Harry looked up at Dumbledore, unable to keep the huge grin off of his face. Upon seeing the expression on Professor Snape's face, Harry broke out into another fit of laughter which set off the rest of the Gryffindor seventh year students again. Snape scowled at the table, but for once, his long practiced menacing sneer had no effect on the students. Somewhat perturbed by this turn of events, he growled, "What in Merlin's name is so funny here, Potter? I would think that any student's disappearance would bother you, but I can see that I am wrong in this matter."

Harry took a huge breath and somehow managed to get his laughing under control for the moment. Wiping the tears from the corner of his eyes, Harry looked up at Snape and Dumbledore and replied, "Malfoy isn't missing Headmaster, he's right here." And then Harry pointed at the sign on the front of the cauldron. It simply read, Draco Malfoy.

Snape and Dumbledore looked at each other incredulously, then back at the contents of the cauldron. Upon closer inspection, they found a frantically wriggling, blue-gray colored blob of some unidentifiable substance, fully clothed in a Hogwarts uniform and bearing the house patch of Slytherin House. Snape looked at Harry, with fury in his eyes and ready to scream at Potter when a voice from just down the table said, "Before you burst a vessel Professor, which you can ill afford, Harry didn't do it, I did."

"I certainly hope there is a reasonable explanation for this Nicholas. Polymorphing students in that manner is not the best way to start a school year."

Nicholas looked up at his mum, seeing the amusement in her eyes and repressed a smirk of his own as he replied, "Malfoy here barged into the compartment we were sharing and started spouting off his usual diatribe. He first insulted Ron, then Harry and called Hermione a Mudblood."

"And this was enough provocation to do this?" Severus growled, his patience wearing very thin by this point.

"No, actually. He then proceeded to make a few comments about Kim and something about showing her his 'broomstick' or words to that effect. I took offense at these comments and told him to leave or else."

Marelle looked at Nicholas critically, studying her son's posture as he replied. She knew the depth of the relationship Nick and Kim shared and also knew that it would take something like Malfoy's comments to set him off.

"And then what?" Snape's voice hissed again, "You hexed a fellow student over some silly comments about a girl?"

Marelle saw the fire erupt in Nicholas' eyes and acted quickly before Severus suffered the same fate as Malfoy. Shooting her son one of her 'infamous' looks, she said quickly, "I would think that you knew better, Severus. After our initial discussion in the headmaster's office, I would have thought that things were clear on this matter. Nicholas, please return Mr. Malfoy back to his original state of being and unharmed. I think that should be enough of a lesson for him at this moment. "

Nick looked at his mum as she turned to leave, the fire in his eyes slowly dying down.

"All right Mum. I'll let it slide this time, but not again."

Nicholas stood up and took the cauldron over to where the Slytherin house table sat, ignoring the glares of the students as he arrived. Placing Malfoy's blob on one of the benches, Nicholas walked away as he gave the blob a flick of his hand. Draco reappeared after a second, looking quite humbled for the moment before sending a hateful glance over to the Gryffindor table.

Almost unnoticed, Marelle quietly slipped out of the Great Hall through a side door close to the left of the staff table. Harry almost immediately took note of her disappearance and asked Kim, "Where is your Mum? I thought she would want to be here for this?"

Kim looked at Harry as Nicholas sat down beside her before replying, "I think Mum left so she could make her grand entrance. Tends to impress the hell out of anyone and well, she likes to show off once and a while."

With an audible creak, the doors to the Great Hall opened and the second through sixth year students arrived, quickly taking their seats at their respective tables. They were followed not more than five minutes later by the new first year students, being led between the tables, all of them looking very frightened at the sight of the Great Hall and the Sorting Hat, which stood silently on a small stool in front of the large staff table.

It took almost an hour to sort all the first year students and after it was done, Slytherin had nine new members, Hufflepuff had eleven, Ravenclaw had ten and Gryffindor had twelve. It was an unusually large class of first year students and it heartened Dumbledore to see so many new faces at Hogwarts despite the very active threat of Voldemort that was hanging over the wizarding world.

Standing up from the table, Albus looked over the wide array of faces before him before making his traditional beginning of the year speech.

"Welcome to all of our new and returning students. Welcome to another year at Hogwarts. I see many new and returning faces this year. I daresay it will a most interesting year for all of you as well. As many of you may or may not know, we are facing a great threat to our way of life and now more than ever it is important to put aside house differences for the good of everyone. Now, onward to the announcements for this year. First, our caretaker Mr. Filch has once again compiled a list of prohibited items and a copy of this list may be obtained from him."

Dumbledore paused for a moment to let his words sink in over the assembled students and faculty before continuing.

"Second, we are fortunate to have two very special transfer students with us this year. They are part of the seventh year class and have already been sorted into Gryffindor. We will be starting a physical fitness and weapons club for our sixth and seventh year students which will be sponsored by our two transfer students. Notices will be posted in all of the common rooms as to when these new clubs will start. In addition, I would also like to welcome back to the staff, Professor Remus Lupin and joining him as an Associate Professor, Sirius Black. Both of these professors have extensive experience and we are lucky to have them with us as Associate Professors for DADA, for the first through fourth years. They will also be helping our special instructor for the fifth through seventh year students."

A low murmur could be heard rumbling through the student body as Remus and Sirius took their seats at the staff table, looking every bit the Marauders they once were and carefully leaving the seat for the DADA Professor empty. Dumbledore paused a moment and watched with great amusement as he listened to the students wonder aloud who the new Defense Professor was going to be.

"Now I am sure that you are all wondering who the new DADA professor Professor is for this year and why we are so privileged to have this person with us for this year. I think it might be best for our new colleague to introduce herself."

With that last statement, Dumbledore sat back down in his chair as Marelle made her entrance.

A low wind started up out of nowhere and began blowing through the Great Hall, ruffling the students' hair and making the floating candles that illuminated the Great Hall start to flicker wildly. As the students and staff looked back and forth at each other, the wind picked up in intensity and what appeared to be thunderclouds started gathering overhead. As the clouds formed, thunder and lightning joined with the windstorm and quickly gained strength and intensity. Most of the students looked around in panic, as the staff began looking increasingly concerned as well. The noise from the thunder and lightning quickly reached a crescendo as the storm clouds began forming a strange symbol directly over the empty chair. One last burst of violent lightning struck the empty DADA Professor's chair and when the students and staff were able to see again, someone was sitting in the chair, and the Guild symbol above the chair was glowing a shimmery platinum color as it slowly disappeared.

Dumbledore, as well as the staff, looked rather impressed at Marelle's entrance and was about to introduce her when she stood up and addressed the assembled students and staff.

"It is a great pleasure to finally meet you all. I have heard a great deal about Hogwarts and all of you from the Headmaster. My name is Marelle and I will be your new Defense instructor for this year. I can guarantee you all that this will be a very memorable year."

The Great Hall, which had grown silent as Marelle had made her entrance, slowly regained its usual Welcoming Feast volume as the students waited impatiently for the food to appear. Dumbledore clapped his hands softly and the feast appeared on the tables much to the students' delight.

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"Wow, your Mum sure likes to make an entrance, doesn't she?" Hermione said, while trying to eat and study at the table at the same time.

Nick looked across the table at Hermione and Ron, a wry grin on his face before he replied, "Yeah, she does, especially when she wants it showy. It was rather impressive, wasn't it?"

"You got that right," Ron replied, in between bites of food. "I don't think that Dumbledore could do something like that."

The rest of the Welcoming Feast continued quietly and the upper level students began filing out slowly, after the fifth year prefects lead the new first years up to the dormitories. As the students left the hall, the staff table slowly emptied as well, with the teachers leaving for their own quarters. The new Head Boy and Head Girl for the year would be announced on Monday morning at breakfast, which disappointed Hermione greatly. Hermione and Neville had left the table, headed for the small conference room just off the Great Hall as they were still prefects for the moment along with the other sixth and seventh year prefects.

As Kim and Nicholas were about to leave the Great Hall, with Harry and Ron right behind them, they were stopped by Pansy, Millicent, Crabbe and Goyle, along with a few other members of Slytherin House. Draco was notably absent from this group, having gone to the prefects' meeting with Professor Dumbledore and the heads of each house.

"How dare you do that to Draco, you simpering bitch! Just who do you think you are?" Pansy screeched in a shrill voice.

Ron and Harry looked at each other warily, not knowing how volatile Kim's temper was, but knowing all too well just how volatile Nicholas' temper was. Both Harry and Ron looked around for a professor, but were unable to locate one. Kim looked at Nicholas with a look that said 'Let me handle this one, dear' and received a slight nod in confirmation.

Kim looked at Pansy and her group with a calm expression and replied in a soft voice.

"I did nothing to him because I was taking a nap at the time. Draco said something that offended Nicholas however, so if you have a problem, take it up with him."

Kim nodded to Nick, Harry and Ron and they attempted to leave the Great Hall, but stopped when Pansy attempted to shove Kim into the door. Kim easily caught herself in time and whirled around to face Pansy, her robes billowing out around her. Ron and Harry weren't quite sure what to think about the sudden change in Kim's demeanor and started to worry as she slammed the doors heavily back against the doorframe. When Kim spoke, each word was carefully enunciated and her voice was cold and devoid of emotion.

"Look, Pansy. I will only say this ONCE and you had better understand it and understand it well. You leave me alone, I leave you alone. It's simple, really. I think even you can understand that. I have NO interest in Draco whatsoever. Nicholas and I are together and that is all. I strongly suggest that you take your little entourage elsewhere NOW."

"Is there a problem, Ms. Parkinson, Ms. Locksley?"

Pansy turned around at the sound of the voice. An oily smile crossed her face as she recognized her head of House, Professor Snape.

"I am waiting, Ms. Parkinson."

"Yes, there is, Professor. She assaulted Draco on the train and I won't stand for it."

Snape looked into Kim's eyes for a moment and saw her anger reflected in them. Having been recently reminded about Kim and Nick, he spoke quickly and his voice was harsh.

"I have already spoken to the headmaster about this incident. I suggest you leave well enough alone and proceed to the common rooms now. Potter, Weasley, I suggest that you escort your new housemates to the Gryffindor common rooms now."

Harry and Ron looked at the professor in shock for a moment, and then they looked at Nick and Kim. Harry spoke softly in Kim's ear and motioned for them to follow him and Ron. Snape waited for a moment, and then addressed Pansy one more time.

"Ms. Parkinson. That was very un-Slytherin like behavior I just witnessed. You are in your final year of studies here and I expected more from you by this point. Clearly I have misjudged you and those around you. Now, return to the common rooms immediately or I will have no choice but to take points off."

Pansy and the group of Slytherin students standing with her nodded their heads quickly and fled down the opposite corridor, headed for the Slytherin dorms. Snape inhaled deeply, inwardly relieved to have avoided a more violent confrontation on the first day back to school. As he turned around, he came face to face with Marelle, who stood there with an inquiring look on her face.

"What was that little fracas all about, Severus?" Marelle asked, her curiosity piqued as she sensed the volatile emotions of the potions master.

"Ms. Parkinson didn't take kindly to what your son did to Mr. Malfoy and proceeded to blame Kimberly for it. She seems to be under the impression that Kim has a fondness for Mr. Malfoy," Severus replied, having already made the decision to be completely honest with her.

"I see," Marelle replied, "Is that all she said?"

"No, unfortunately. Ms. Parkinson called Kim a 'simpering bitch' and attempted to shove Kim into the doors."

"SHE CALLED KIM WHAT???" Marelle growled as the air around the two of them crackled loudly with thunder.

"Please let me finish. Kim showed remarkable control and informed Pansy that if she had a problem she should take it up with Nicholas. Kim also said that she had absolutely no interest in Draco and advised Pansy to leave Nick and herself alone."

Marelle seemed to calm down at that point and the thunderclouds quickly disappeared. Snape watched as she took a deep, calming breath before continuing.

"You are extremely lucky tonight, Severus. You could have easily had a real problem on your hands, if Kim had decided to do something about it."

"I realize this all too well. I will do what I can to keep them contained, but there are bound to be a few incidents."

Marelle nodded her head as she replied, "I know and I agree with you on this matter. If you will excuse me now, I should be getting to my quarters. I have to go over lesson plans for Monday. Good night, Severus."

"Good night, Marelle."

With that, Severus turned and headed down to his quarters, still pondering the mystery of the mages.

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By the time Hermione finally reached the Gryffindor common rooms, having already made a trip to the library, a small party had been in motion in the common room for some time. There were cases of iced butterbeer and bags of treats from Honeydukes scattered about the room on various tables. But perhaps the most interesting sight was that the entirety of Gryffindor House was gathered around Nick and Kim, who were seated on the floor in front of the fire, playing some kind of game that hovered in the air. The light balls were moving around some kind of invisible game board at a rapid pace, often bouncing off each other causing both light balls to disappear.

Hermione moved over to where Ron and Harry were standing watching the unusual game, both of them were slightly mesmerized by the show going on in front of them.

"What's going on here? What are those two doing?" Hermione asked, with a bit more sharpness to her voice than normal.

"Nick and Kim are playing a game they call Mage Ball. Nick said it's an exercise in fine control and it increases in difficulty with more of those light balls," Harry replied, not looking at Hermione.

Hermione didn't seem too impressed as she replied, "Well, it's keeping the rest of the students up when they should be in bed. Just because classes don't start until Monday morning, doesn't mean the rules start as well."

Ron looked back at Hermione, a bit surprised at her unusually sharp comments. Shaking his head slowly, Ron replied. "Hermione, will you give it a rest? What's up with you anyways? Kim's a bit miffed after a run in with Pansy and she said playing Mage Ball was one of the best ways she knew to blow off some excess anger."

Hermione shot Ron a venomous glance before she said in a loud voice, "Okay, that's all for tonight. It's late and everyone needs to go to bed."

Most of the Gryffindor students groaned loudly as they slowly trudged up the staircases to their respective dorms. The only students left after the majority of Gryffindor House had left were Harry, Ron, Hermione, Nick and Kim. Neville had taken the first years up to the dorms and then turned in himself. Hermione looked at Nick and Kim impatiently as their 'game' showed no real sign of stopping any time soon. Frustrated, Hermione stood beside the two of them, her foot tapping impatiently on the stone floor.

Nick noticed Hermione's impatient tapping and asked, without taking his eyes off of the game, "What is it, Hermione? We'll be up to bed when we are finished with the game."

"It's late, Nicholas. Everyone needs their rest and it's my job to see to it." Hermione replied.

Harry spoke up, quickly seeing where this conversation was headed and not wanting to break up a fight between his friends.

"Hermione, why don't you relax. It's Friday night, there are no classes until Monday and everyone is just blowing off some steam."

"Harry Potter! If I needed your help, I would ask for it. I am still a prefect and it's eleven o'clock and it's time for everyone to be in bed."

"No Hermione," Kim said, not looking up from her game. "I am way too angry to be tired right now. Nick and I will be up when we're finished. Besides, we don't need a lot of sleep anyway."

Hermione turned around abruptly and left the common room, still muttering angrily to herself. Ron and Harry sat down on the sofa opposite to where Nick and Kim sat on the floor, playing their game.

"Nick, Kim, I'm sorry about Hermione, I don't know what's gotten into her lately. Every little thing just seems to set her off," Ron replied, settling deeper into the sofa.

"Hermione is just upset because they haven't announced the head boy and girl for this year. She's been striving for the head girl position since she started here. I think once the announcement is made, she'll calm down a bit," Harry replied, taking a long drink from his Butterbeer.

"I hope so, Harry. Because Ron, I won't put up with that attitude from her for much longer. I haven't done anything to deserve her negative attitude. She's been hostile towards me the entire summer," Kim replied.

"Kim's right, Harry, Ron. Hermione has been rather nasty to her since we pulled you out of Privet Drive. I hope you're right about the Head Girl thing too. If you think Kim's temper can be short, it's nothing when you compare it to Mum's. Mum doesn't tolerate that kind of stuff either," Nick replied, as the game ended.

"Just give her a chance, okay. Wait until Monday's announcements before doing anything," Ron asked.

"All-right, Ron. Nick and I will wait until Monday then. It's late, so I suggest that we all catch a couple hours of sleep. Meet you for breakfast at nine in the Great Hall?" Kim replied, standing up from her spot on the rug.

"Deal. See you at nine. Good Night, Nick, Kim," Ron said, as he headed up to the seventh year dorms with Harry following closely behind him.

Nick pulled Kim close to him and gave her a searing kiss as he led her to the spiral staircase leading to the dormitories.

"I'll see you in the morning, love. Get some sleep; it's going to be a long weekend."

"Later Nicky. Sleep well," Kim replied, pausing to glance over her shoulder as she ascended the stairs.

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The rest of the weekend passed by rather quickly for the students of Hogwarts. Most of the student body, especially the first year students, were grateful for the long weekend that enabled them to get settled into the school before classes began in earnest on Monday morning. The timetables for classes had been handed out at the welcoming feast, so the students were prepared for Monday.

Most of the students of Gryffindor house spent the weekend trying to get to know the two new transfer students better, especially after it had been discovered that the two new students were Mages as well as their new DADA instructor. Nick and Kim were kept busy answering all kinds of questions regarding Mages, and they had finally resorted to leaving out a couple of books on the subject. There was only one Gryffindor who seemed to keep their distance from Nick and Kim and that person was Hermione. She spent nearly the entire weekend either holed up in the library, or at one of the common room tables with books on various subjects spread out all across it. The other students noticed the animosity between the three of them and they did their best to keep the three of them separated at all times.

The only tension that everyone felt was that of the seventh year students who were anxiously awaiting the announcement of the new Head Boy and Head Girl which had been mysteriously postponed until just before the first day of classes on Monday. Everyone in Gryffindor house knew that Hermione was going to be named Head Girl, but the biggest speculation was on who was going to be named Head Boy.

By the time Monday morning rolled around bright and early, the tension in the Gryffindor seventh year girls' dorm was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Hermione paced back and forth across the room frantically, as she pulled on one set of school robes, only to change them with another. Kim watched the scene with some amusement along with Lavender and Parvati Patil and Ron's sister, Ginny.

"Just stop it, Hermione. You look fine, besides if we don't leave now, we'll be late for breakfast and the announcements," Ginny said as she stood up and headed over towards the door.

Hermione looked at her, exasperation clearly written on her face as she reached down to pick up her heavily laden book bag. Realizing that Ginny was indeed correct after looking at her own watch, Hermione brushed past Lavender, Kim and Parvati as she rushed down the stairs.

"I guess this means we're ready for breakfast then," Kim replied as she followed the other girls out of the dorm and down to the Great Hall.

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By the time the last of the students reached the Great Hall, the tension in the room was very thick and was noticed by the staff at the head table. Minerva leaned over and whispered in Albus's ear.

"Are you sure waiting this long to announce the Head Boy and Girl was a wise decision, Albus? Just look at the tension on all of the seventh years' faces."

"Trust me, Minerva. Although the two students have already been chosen, I do have my reasons for waiting. Everything will work out in the end, Minerva. I will admit that I am not pleased to see the tension between Ms. Granger and Ms. Locksley, though. That was rather unexpected."

"I was troubled about this turn of events as well. But when you make the announcements, maybe this situation will change," Minerva replied, as she took a long sip out of her goblet.

Without another word, Albus stood from his chair and motioned for the Great Hall to quiet down. All eyes were now focused on him as he smiled towards everyone. Clearing his throat, Albus spoke to the assembled students and staff.

"I trust that everyone is anxious for the year to begin. I have heard about the rumors floating around the castle regarding our new DADA teacher and our two new students as well as the speculations on who will be this year's Head Boy and Head Girl. I will not waste any more of your time as classes are due to start shortly. We are most fortunate to have three mages at the school this year, one of whom will be your DADA instructor for the fifth through seventh year students."

Dumbledore paused as that information sped through the Great Hall before continuing

"Now, to the announcements you all have been waiting for. I am proud to announce that this year's Head Boy is Terry Boot of Ravenclaw."

The Ravenclaw table let out a huge cheer as Terry was given his Head Boy badge by Fawkes.

Dumbledore tapped loudly on his goblet to regain the students' attention. Once he had it, Albus continued.

"The choice for Head Girl was difficult, but it has finally been made. I am proud to announce that this year's Head Girl is none other than Hermione Granger."

Gryffindor House let out a huge roar of approval as Hermione was presented with her Head Girl badge by Fawkes. Hermione proudly pinned the badge to the front of her robes and sat down with a smile on her face as she received congratulations from everyone sitting around her.

Dumbledore waited for a few moments for the noise level to die down before finishing his announcements.

"Now that we've all eaten our fill, I wish the best to everyone for this school year. Classes will begin in twenty five minutes."

All of the Gryffindor seventh year students quickly finished their breakfasts, gathered their books and left the Great Hall, headed for their first class of their final year. Defense Against the Dark Arts was the first class on the schedule and it was with the Slytherins. Harry looked at Nick and Kim as the left the Hall and asked, "How tough is your Mum?"

Nick and Kim exchanged a grin as they both put their arms around Harry.

"Wait and see, Harry. Wait and see..."

Continued in Part Six

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