THE MOST FAITHFUL

SMALL SUCCESSES

"Where have you been?" Ron asked, rolling his eyes "Harry, what happened? We were so scared for you!" Hermione murmured anxiously.
"I'll tell you later" Harry cut in.
"But..."
"Not now, Hermione" Harry said, his tone deliberately threatening. He really hoped that they all thought he'd been involved in something heroic, preferably involving a couple of Death Eaters and a Dementor. Malfoy must have already spread his story as widely as possible, of course, but there was always some chance that he hadn't yet reached all the ears of Gryffindors. He reached past Ron to grab a couple of chicken legs and a handful of chips, but before he could reach for them, they vanished to be replaced with pudding. He looked up at the teachers' table. Snape had already sat down next to Byron and was murmuring something in his ear.
"You missed the Sorting, anyway" Hermione said, as Ron dug his hand into a large chocolate cake.
"Did the Hat say anything interesting?" Harry asked, taking a piece of treacle tart.
"More or less the usual things, really... advising us to all remain united in the face of enemies, you know." Just then Dumbledore rose from the teachers' table. The buzz and laughter echoing through the Hall ceased almost instantly. "I wish you all the best evening!" he exclaimed, smiling widely with his arms spread out as if he wanted to embrace the entire room. "What happened to his hand?" Hermione murmured breathlessly. She wasn't the only one who noticed.
The room was full of murmurs. Dumbledore, reading them correctly, only smiled and slid his purple and gold sleeve over his injured hand.
"Nothing to worry about" he said casually. "And now... to our new students, Welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you..."
"His hand was already like this when I saw him this summer" Harry whispered to Hermione "I thought it would be better by the start of school, but... maybe Madam Pomfrey isn't she was able to do it."
"It looks dead" said Hermione, looking sick. "There are certain wounds that cannot be healed... ancient spells... and there are poisons without antidotes..." "...and Mr. Gazza, our guardian, asked me to say that I am completely outlaws all pranks bought in the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes shop. Those who wish to play on their House Quidditch team, please provide their name to the Head of House, as usual. We are also looking for new commentators for Quidditch matches, if interested please do the same. We are pleased to welcome a new member of the teaching staff for this year, Professor Slughorn."
Slughorn stood up
"Who has agreed to retake his old position as Potions Professor."
"Potions?"
"Potions?"
The word echoed through the room as everyone wondered if they had heard correctly.
"Potions?" Ron and Hermione exclaimed in unison, turning to stare at Harry. "But you said..."
"Professor Snape, however..." said Dumbledore, raising his voice above the noise of the room. "will take the Defense Against the Dark Arts professorship." Harry quickly met the shocked Byron's gaze, the potions assistant on the other hand gave him a quick wink, nodding towards Snape next to him. "But Harry, you said Slughorn was going to be the new Defense Professor Against the Dark Arts!" Hermione exclaimed.
" I thought so !" Harry replied, racking his brain to try to remember when Dumbledore had told him, but, now that he thought about it, he couldn't recall whether Dumbledore had ever told him what Slughorn would teach. Snape, who was sitting to Dumbledore's right, did not stand up when his was done his name. He only raised one hand in indolent acknowledgment of the applause that was coming from the Slytherin table, Harry was nevertheless sure he had seen a flash of triumph on his face.
The entire Great Hall had erupted into a great buzz of intense conversation at the news that Snape had finally fulfilled his greatest wish. Apparently unaware of the sensational nature of the news he had just communicated, Dumbledore said nothing else about the teacher appointments, but waited a few seconds to ensure the silence was complete before continuing. "Now, as everyone in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are still one once in the wild and are regaining power." Harry peered at Malfoy. He wasn't looking at Dumbledore, but he was waving his fork in mid-air like a wand, as if he found the Headmaster's words not worthy of his attention. "The castle's magical defenses were strengthened over the summer, and now we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still scrupulously guard against negligence on the part of any student or faculty member. I therefore urge you to comply with any restrictions that your teachers impose on you for your safety. I strongly urge you, anything strange or suspicious you may notice inside or outside the castle, to report it immediately to a teacher. I trust that you will consistently behave with the utmost regard for your own safety and that of others." Dumbledore's blue eyes quickly scanned the students, then he smiled Once again. "But now your beds await you, warm and comfortable. So let me bid you goodnight. Go, go!" With the usual deafening screech, the benches were married and the hundreds of students they began to exit the Great Hall towards their dormitories. When Harry told Ron and Hermione what he had heard on the train in Malfoy's compartment he was disappointed by their reactions.
Ron seemed absolutely not impressed. "Come on Harry, he was just showing off with Parkinson's. What mission would he have ever entrusted You-Know-Who?"
"How do you know that Voldemort doesn't need to have someone at Hogwarts? He might be the first..."