Dawn Rivera

Snape Victorious

The Great Hall, with its four long house tables and its staff table set at the top of the room, is decorated as usual with floating candles that makes the plates below glitter and glow. It is all a shimmering blur to me, however, for I am focused on Harry, who is walking so fast that he is passing the Hufflepuff table before people really start to stare, and by the time they are standing up to get a good look at him, he has spotted Danny, Ron, Hermione and I, speeds along the benches towards us and forces his way in between us all.

"Where've you - blimey, what've you done to your face?" says Ron, goggling at him along with everyone else in the vicinity.

"Why, what's wrong with it?" says Danny, who is looking up at the staff table at the new Professor. He turns around and looks startled.

"You're covered in blood!" says Hermione. "Come here - "

I raise my hands, think, "Torgeo!" and siphon off the dried blood.

"Thanks," says Harry, feeling his now clean face. "How's my nose looking?"

"Normal," says Hermione anxiously. "Why shouldn't it? Harry,Megan happened, we've been terrified!"

"He'll tell us later," says Danny curtly. I am suddenly very conscious that Ginny, Misty, Dean and Seamus are listening in; even Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost, has come floating along the bench to eavesdrop.

"But - " I say.

"Not now, Dawn," says Harry, in a darkly significant voice.

He reaches across Ron for a couple of chicken legs and a handful of chips, but before he can take them they vanish, to be replaced with puddings.

"You missed the Sorting, anyway," says Hermione, as Ron dives for a large chocolate gateau.

"Hat say anything interesting?" asks Danny, taking a piece of treacle tart. "I zoned out for most of it."

"I know," I snap. "You were drooling." I turn back to Harry. "More of the same, really...advising us all to unite in the face of our enemies, you know."

"Dumbledore mentioned Voldemort at all?" Harry says.

"Not yet, but he always saves his proper speech for after the feast, doesn't he?" Hermione says. "It can't be long now."

"Snape said Hagrid was late for the feast - " says Danny.

"You've seen Snape? How come?" says Ron between mouthfuls of gateau.

"Bumped into him," says Harry evasively. Then he frowns. "Danny, how did you - ?"

"Hagrid was only a few minutes late," I say. "Look, he's waving at you, Harry." To my relief, he doesn't ask any more questions. The truth is, Danny's found the ability to be able to listen to things across distances; that's why he was zoned out in the first place. I asked him to try and find Harry.

I look up at the staff table and grin at Hagrid to hide my hasty excuse, to find that he is indeed waving at Harry. Hagrid never quite manages to comport himself with the dignity of Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House, the top of whose head comes up to somewhere between Hagrid's elbow and shoulder as they are sitting side by side, and who is looking disapproving at this enthusiastic greeting. I am surprised to see the Divination teacher, Professor Trelawney, sitting on Hagrid's other side; she rarely leaves her tower room and I have never seen her at the start-of-term feast before. She looks as odd as ever, glittering with beads and trailing shawls, her eyes magnified to enormous by her spectacles. Having always considered her a bit of a fraud, I was shocked to discover at the end of my previous term that it was she who made the prediction that caused Lord Voldemort to kill Harry's parents and attack Harry himself. Her beacon-like eyes swivel in my direction; I hastily look away towards the Slytherin table. Draco Malfoy is miming the shattering of a nose to raucous laughter and applause. I drop my gaze to my dessert, my insides burning. What I would not give, in this moment, to fight Draco one on one...then I blink. I know I could never do that, no matter what he's done.