"Hermione!"
Harry blinked as a blur erupted from the crowded platform and glomped over Hermione.
"Luna?" Hermione looked down at the younger witch in surprise.
"Thank you!" Luna finally unlatched herself and smiled at the perplexed witch. "Thank you!"
"Hermione?" Harry asked and Hermione blinked.
"I… Luna?"
"Thank you, I didn't have to use those icky pads…" Luna began, causing Hermione to pale and clap her hand over the younger girl's mouth.
"Luna… you're welcome, but this is a thing that boys don't like to learn about," Hermione whispered urgently into Luna's ear.
Luna nodded and after giving her a long look, Hermione released the younger witch.
"Hermione!"
A second young witch glomped Hermione and both Harry and Neville fought down their laughter.
"Hello Ginny."
"Hermione, can you check my homework? Professor Tonks set it and I don't want to disappoint her."
"Of course." Hermione smiled. "Come on, the train will be departing soon."
Ginny turned to wave at her parents before following Hermione onto the train and into one of the compartments, not noticing the person watching her through the crowded platform.
"Crabbe, Goyle, let's go. Theo?"
"I'm coming." Theodore Nott replied as Draco stepped up into the next carriage along from where those he had been watching had embarked. Making their way down the corridor, they soon found an empty compartment and claimed it. Once the door was closed, Draco looked around.
"Crabbe, Goyle, sorry about this. Stupefy. Stupefy."
Both boys slumped against the wall and Theodore raised his eyebrows in curiosity as Draco returned his wand to his sleeve holster.
"Why did you knock those two out?"
"What they don't know, they can't tell," Draco stated. "Theodore, our Lord is on his way back… with five Obscurials, all of whom can control their powers!"
Theodore blinked. "Obscurial? Like in that book by Scamander?"
Draco nodded. "Yes. Soon, our Lord and his ally Grindlewald will be back. They will need access to the castle, so you'll have to recover the cabinet and move it to a new location. The Dark Lord has told me how to access a secret room just up from our common room. Where's the cabinet now?"
"Where I put it," Theodore replied with a smirk. "In the corridor leading to the Quidditch pitch, just by the old Broom lockers."
Draco stared at Theodore in shock. "You didn't even hide it?"
"I did… in plain sight." Theodore countered. "It's dark-colored and in the shadow of the lockers. Wasn't the other end in that no-magic thing that Potter did, though?"
"The doors had been taken off, so it wasn't active and thus wasn't affected." Draco shook his head. "The Dark Lord sent his Inquisitor to retrieve the other cabinet before he went on his journey. He had it shrunk down and hid it away."
"Why not take it with him?" Theodore asked curiously.
"It might have failed once the other end was overseas," Draco explained, recalling the conversations he and Voldemort had held. "He decided that not taking that risk was the wiser course."
Theodore nodded slowly. "Understandable. Should I begin sounding out the others to see who's on our side?"
"Please do," Draco replied. "I'd try, but I believe that I'm still being watched… by both my aunt and Lord Black, at the very least. And if Lord Black is watching me, so is the former werewolf."
"Huh." Theodore managed. "Okay."
Draco rose from his seat and cast a couple of renervates.
"Come. It is time for me to check that my other alliances are still holding."
The dazed duo scrambled to their feet and followed Draco out of the doorway.
.
.
"…no, no no!" Hermione managed not to facepalm as she looked at the card in her hand again. "A fruit that sounds like two at once!"
"Pear!" Luna half-shouted just as the sand finished running through the small hourglass.
"I think we'll let you have that one." Harry chuckled. "Okay, so that's… four spaces… and you get to spin."
Hermione reached out for the spinner set in the middle of the board and watched as it came to a stop. "Drat. Nothing."
"Okay, our turn." Harry took the box of cards and pulled a dozen out. "Ready on the timer? Places. Go! Capital of Scotland!"
"Edinburgh!"
"Yes! The royal family lives here!"
"Windsor Palace!"
"They're good at this," Ginny whispered as Neville continued answering correctly and both Hermione and Luna nodded in agreement.
"…also a pony!"
"Shetlands!"
"…and time!" Ginny shouted as the last grain landed in the lower portion of the half-minute hourglass
"That's… seven." Harry quickly counted the cards. "And I believe that we win."
Hermione glared at the small cone that Neville had moved across the finish line. "Yes. Yes, you do. Good game."
"Thanks." Neville grinned as he pulled the box out of his trunk while Harry tidied up the cards, slotting them back into their container. As he put it away, a knock sounded on the doorframe.
"It's Draco and his two shadows," Ginny reported as she moved to the door and slid it open. "Good afternoon, Lord-Apparent Malfoy."
"And the same to you, Miss Weasley," Draco replied politely, then he looked round the compartment. "Lord Potter, Heir Longbottom, Miss Granger, Miss Lovegood. Good afternoon. Lord Potter, my mother bid me to thank you once again for the invitations to the Potter Ball. She enjoyed herself very much."
"I'm glad to hear it." Harry smiled as he casually lifted Neville's trunk one-handed, slotting it into the luggage rack before moving to offer Draco his hand. Draco accepted it and shook it firmly before repeating the action with Neville. "Anything I can help you with?"
"Apart from possibly allowing me to finally score against you in Quidditch?" Draco half-joked, ignoring the confused expressions that Crabbe and Goyle were wearing. "Nothing springs to mind at this point. However, I admit to curiosity. I did not see Lord Black at the ball."
"He stayed at Hogwarts to help those remaining there over the holiday celebrate properly." Harry shrugged. "He mentioned that he'd be handing out gifts…don't be surprised if Professor Snape seems to be in a better mood than usual."
Draco's eyebrow lifted, but he declined the conversational path offered.
"Mother also told me to relay to you that she would be approaching your Financial Manager next week about investing in… a nose?"
"The Tegg's Nose caverns," Harry explained. "I managed to purchase the rights to it and will be re-opening it as a shopping area. Evans Enterprises will be running it and linking to both Hogsmeade and Diagon, making it possible to simply walk from one area to another, thus encouraging people to buy more. I've also had deserted shops in Diagon and Hogsmead purchased to provide somewhere to put the links needed and the Tegg's Nose site will have a special area for the rich families to connect to using special Evans Enterprises connection hallways."
"Gran was talking with Dad about putting a connection chamber just off the Floo room," Neville noted. "That's why?"
"It is." Harry confirmed.
"May I have some details?" Draco prompted. "I believe that my mother will want to take advantage of the opportunities offered… if only to spend more money buying things."
"I'll have the documents in question sent to her from Gringotts for her to peruse." Harry shrugged.
"Thank you." Draco nodded in a manner almost bordering on a bow. "That concludes the business I was tasked with, so I will take my leave, with your permission."
Harry gave a near-bow in reply and Draco stepped out of the compartment, closing the door behind him.
"That was… different." Hermione finally noted.
.
"Come." Draco commanded as soon as the door was closed and the duo lurched into motion as Draco walked up the corridor.
"What was that all about?" Goyle wondered and Draco smirked.
"Collecting information, Goyle. I intend to become the power behind the Minister like my father was and reclaim the position the Malfoys once had of being the wealthiest family in Wizarding Britain, but to do that, I need two things. Information and power. I have allies who will soon return to provide me access to the power, so for now I am concentrating on cellecting the information that will help me claim my rightful position at the apex of our society."
"I don' unnerstan." Crabbe rumbled and Draco gave a slight shrug.
"No, you do not, but I do, and that is what matters. Now, come. I have several others to meet up with, if I am to ensure my eventual supremacy."
The hulking duo exchanged confused glances, then followed Draco into the next carriage.
.
.
"Firs'year over here!"
Hagrid's bellow echoed across the platform as Harry and his friends descended from the carriage and made their way towards the Thestral-drawn carriages. As they settled inside, Hermione found herself sandwiched between Ginny and Luna, much to Harry's amusement.
"And why are you smirking, Harry?" Hermione asked suspiciously.
"Your hairstyles." Harry grinned. "I just noticed."
Hermione blinked, one hand going back to check her ponytail was still secure, then she glanced at her companions and face-palmed.
"Okay." She sighed. "I put my hair in a ponytail to try and control it as well as making it less of a target doing Torquasm Rao. Why did you two do the same?"
Ginny tried to look innocent. "Because it's a good hairstyle?"
"Our role model does her hair this way." Luna interjected with a wide grin. "We want to grow up to be just like her!"
Hermione sighed as Harry started chuckling. "Not funny, Harry."
Neville coughed several times and Hermione gave another sigh. "Dammit. Why am I friends with you again?"
"Troll?"
"Damn troll."
.
.
The sound of a fork on a glass echoed through the hall and everyone turned away from the wreckage of their meals to look at the Teacher's Table, where Headmistress McGonogall was standing.
"Now that you have finished eating, it is time for the announcements." She said firmly. "First of all, I must remind you all that the prohibition against spells being cast outside class or supervised practice sessions is still in force, but in response to the requests received, Fifth-year Prefects now also count as valid supervisors for anyone up to and including third-years, but no more than a dozen at a time.
"Secondly, I am reliably informed that Marcus Flint has received an job offer from the Appleby Arrows, contingent on his passing his Apprenticeship test at the end of the year. My congratulations in advance, Mr Flint."
Most of the Slytherin table erupted in applause, as did quite a few on the other tables while Flint held his head up proudly. After a moment or two, MacGonogall held up her hand for silence.
"Moving on, the third of tonight's announcements." She continued."Evans Enterprises will soon be publicly releasing mobile communication devices. The use of these is prohibited within classrooms or at mealtimes. Madam Pince has stated that no calls may be made or taken on them within the library and should anyone be spending enough time on them that it adversely affects their sleep or education, the device will be temporarily confiscated.
"There will be no complaints about this." She stated firmly, glaring at the assembled students. "While being able to contact your parents at any time may be a boon to almost all of you, abusing that privilege will not be tolerated!"
The silence that answered her was almost resounding and she gave a nod of satisfaction.
"Now, it is time for you to return to your common rooms and for most of you, unpack after your holidays. Therefore, I shall finish with these words.
"Welcome back."
Sirius started to clap and Remus joined in almost immediately. Before Minerva could react, all the teachers were clapping her speech, as were almost all of the students. Her glare failed to quieten those applauding her, although when she glowered at Sirius, he simply gave her an innocent grin that caused her to roll her eyes in resignation.