The Next Dark Lord

Hoggy Hoggy Hogwarts

"And when I call your name, you will come forward and sit on the stool. I shall place the hat on your head and you'll be sorted into your houses", said Professor McGonagall.

Hermione could see the relief on the faces of many students. 'Some idiot must have frightened them about wrestling trolls', she thought as she looked around her yearmates.

Ron was looking at the empty dishes hungrily. Neville was lost in some deep thought starting at the head table. Lavender and Parvati were giggling and whispering to each other. 'Must be comparing notes about the boys they made out with over the summer', she thought. Dean and Seamus were arguing silently 'and judging by the gestures, it must one of those infamous quidditch vs football debates Harry told me about'. Thinking of Harry made her look to her left side where a single space was left where Harry usually sat.

She half expected Harry to make a late entry into the Great Hall and take the empty seat just because he was Harry Potter, the boy who constantly battled against the odds and came on top always. 'Not this time', she thought. 'This time Harry is relying on his friend, and I'll not disappoint him', she thought with determination.

Looking around, she spotted the Creevey brothers sitting at the other end. 'They look as though somebody cancelled their Christmas', she thought. A loud rumble from beside her was the indication that the ever hungry Weasley was hungry again. She tuned out his mutters about speeding up the sorting so they can start the feast. Looking to the front of the hall, she saw that about half the firsties were yet to be sorted.

She slowly looked around the hall looking out for the main players in the aftermath of Voldemort's return, a.k.a. the junior death eaters. Crabbe and Goyle, relieved of the duty of being Malfoy bookends, were mirroring Ron with even lesser subtlety. Nott was doodling something on a piece of parchment. Pansy, with her head of Draco's shoulders, was talking a mile a minute without even noticing that he was not paying attention. Draco Malfoy was looking around the hall just like she was, but the similarities ended there. There was something disturbing with the expression on his face. Following his gaze Hermione found herself looking at Susan Bones who was chatting with her friend Hannah Abbot. Looking back at to Malfoy, she found that he has switched his sight some place else. Following it, she found herself looking at Katie Bell.

Then she realised the look on his face. 'It's lust', she thought. Staring back at him she saw his gaze turn towards her. His lip curled up in a savage smile before his expression dropped to be replaced by fear. In a second he rallied back with the trademark sneer that he reserved specially for her. He mouthed 'mudblood' and turned around in time to see Professor McGonagall roll up the scroll and exiting the hall with the sorting hat.

It all happened so fast that she wasn't sure what it meant. "I think Malfoy is still afraid of your right hook I guess", Neville muttered to her. Smiling a little she replied, "Maybe, but I don't like his look when he was looking at the other girls".

"Can I have everyone's attention please?", announced Dumbledore from his podium. Every head in the hall turned to the head table. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. I hope you haven't forgotten everything you learnt last year", he said to a smattering laughter. "There is a time to make announcements, but I can see some of you would like nothing more than the feast to begin", he said looking straight at Ron making him turn red at his ears. "Let the feast begin", he said with both hands open in a welcoming pose.

"About bloody time", muttered Ron and he started digging in. The conversation over the dinner was light and about the holidays. Once last piece of dessert vanished Dumbledore climbed to his feet and said "Now that we are fed and watered, I would like to give out a few important start of the term notices. Please bear with me and I won't be long".