Changes

This chapter is not betaed, so please let me know if there are any major mistakes.
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The clatter of dishes over raised voices filled the great hall. Jammed around the four house tables, students enjoyed the always fabulous feast, and caught up on the details of each others summers. Nothing really seemed to have changed from the previous years.

How could Malfoy be let back into the school? Maybe his father paid of someone at the ministry to let him back in, but that couldn’t work because his father was in Azkaban. Well maybe he has connections and has someone blackmailing others to get back in, there aren’t any teachers in the school that would respond to blackmail though. There just has to be some way! Oh, maybe someone used an unforgivable spell to get him back in somehow, no that wouldn’t work either. In the midst of Hermione's thoughts she could feel eyes on her, when she looked up her eyes met with Ron and Harry's

“Harry, Ron I really wish that you two would stop staring at me like that,” Hermione stated, glancing up from her dinner, to see both boys sitting with plates heaping with food, however, neither had hardly been touched, since the two had just been watching her the entire meal. Ron had a clenched fist around his fork; without asking, Hermione knew the thoughts of revenge and pure hatred that were going through his mind.

“How can you say that?! Look at what they did to you; why haven't you covered it up yet?” Ron's voice cracked with emotion; as he tried to keep it low enough that the entire Great Hall would not hear.

Earlier, Ron and Harry were outraged at having becoming conscious to find their friend on the floor of the train compartment, in tears. Only a few moments passed before Hermione was broken away from her pain; forcing a mask to her show upon her face, clearing the emotion and tears. She looked around and noticed that Neville and Luna were standing in the doorway of the compartment with wands drawn. Harry and Ron picked themselves off the floor before each offering a hand to help up Hermione. At the time, there was nothing more than a red mark on her cheek, but the time before dinner it had gradually grown to a purple bruise and became swollen.

“I can't remember the spell exactly, and I am not trying something that I am not sure about on my face. I'll look it up as soon as we get upstairs.” Giving them both a look that meant that was the end of the conversation, Hermione went back to her dinner. What the boys did not know was that she remembered the spell perfectly, memorizing it in their second year. However, she would never tell them that, because then she would have to explain that she could not find her wand anywhere. That meant that someone else had it, or it vanished into thin air, she quickly glared at the Slytherin table to find Draco glaring just as intently in her direction. The look in his eyes gave her goosebumps and she quickly turned her attention back to eating. It was then that Hermione noticed that she didn't really have an appetite, and by the looks of Harry and Ron's plates, neither did they.

A few minutes passed painfully slow, but soon the trio heard the voices of the crowd within the Great Hall begin to die down. Looking up at the front of the hall, Ron saw Professor McGonagall standing at the podium, the same podium Dumbledor made his regular beginning of term speech. Low murmurs began to rumble throughout the student body, as they discussed what seemed to be the obvious new Head of the school. It was Hermione who noticed that something was off. McGonagall looked as though she was waiting for something, or possibly someone. Scanning the row of teachers she saw no one amiss, other than Professor Snape, but that was to be expected given the events of the year before.

Clearing her throat the murmurs died off, “I would like to welcome everyone to another year. I hope this year will bee as enjoyable as those that have passed. But be warned, many things have changed; the same rules from the previous years are till in effect, along with some additions. There will be absolutely no tolerance for students being out of their dorms after hours, as well as the curfew being at an earlier hour. To reinforce these rules, we welcome our new Head Boy and Girl, Miss Hermione Granger,” at her name being called Hermione stood slightly to make herself seen. “Along with Mr. Ernie Macmillan.” As he stood much in the same fashion as Hermione, Ron opened his mouth to comment, but before any vibrations from his vocal chords began the doors to the Great Hall slammed open with a deafening echo. All eyes shifted to the doorway where the tall figure draped in billowing black robes that was easily recognizable as Professor Snape standing in the doorway. Not a breath was heard as Snape stalked to the front of the Great Hall, his robes trailing behind him. When he reached where Professor McGonagall was standing Harry noticed the look of victory Snape shot in her direction before she stepped back.

“As new Headmaster of Hogwarts things will be changing, it's the start of year, a new age, an age of darkness.” Looking over at the Slytherin table Hermione spotted Malfoy with an all knowing smirk on his face. She knew that there had to be a reason as to how he was let back into the school this year, Snape being headmaster explained that perfectly. “One of the first things to change is attendance to this school. From this very moment it has become mandatory, by wizarding law, for all underage witches or wizards to attend Hogwarts. Any witch or wizard choosing to defy this law will be found and will face consequences for such an act.”

Looking around there hall Ron could not see a any other expression than shock or fear, even the Slytherins seemed to share those expressions. Looking at Hermione he felt a pang in his chest wondering what was going to happen to those who are muggle-born in the school.

Snapes speech continued on for several minutes, as he was finishing the dishes and food on the tables disappeared, but when they were are normally replaced with colourful, heavenly smelling deserts, nothing appeared. Not knowing what to do, many of the students, including all the Prefects, looked to Hermione and Ernie for guidance. Seeing the answers to their question upon their faces, slowly the students in the great hall began to rise from their seats and make their way to their respected Houses, with the Prefects leading the lost and terrified first years.

Hermione had never heard the passages and staircases so quiet; even when there were only a few students around, with the entire student body filling these areas it was a true representation of the fear gripping each student. Hermione felt absolutely naked and useless without her wand, throughout the bustle she tried to find the blond head of the Slytherin she suspected was currently in possession of it. Giving up, guessing that he was down in the dungeons already, she pushed along a few crying Hufflepuff first years.

The students found their way in record time, Hermione, being one of the last students in the halls, she made her way to the head dormitories on the fourth floor. The hair on the back of her neck seemed to be standing on end the entire time. Taking caution when she came across dark alcoves and corners, she was only a few feet away when a figured appeared from the shadows.