star shopping ✰ d.m.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The rest of the train ride to Hogwarts was extremely uneventful. There were no more Death Eater appearances, and talk of Dumbledore's Army dwindled away as there wasn't really much else to talk about until they were able to take action. As they neared the castle, dread was in place of the usual excitement as they wondered what exactly awaited them.

Eventually, the Hogwarts Express stopped at Hogsmeade Station, and the group had no choice but to join the flow of students getting off of the train. As they stepped onto the platform, they couldn't help but notice the decrease in the student population, and knew it was due to the new anti-Muggle-born legislation. They could only hope that the missing Muggle-borns had left on their own and were remaining hidden from Snatchers.

The eight of them got into one carriage and sat in silence as the Thestrals pulled them closer and closer to the castle. It looked as ethereal and magical as ever, but they knew their experience that year would be far from that.

When their carriage stopped in front of the oak front doors, they all looked around at each other and solemnly climbed out and entered the castle. They had just stepped inside of the Entrance Hall when Arabella felt a shiver run down her spine and noticed that the temperature inside of the castle was much colder than usual. She exchanged a look with Ginny and continued on to the Great Hall with the others.

The group entered and some of them split off, Evelyn and Luna going to the Ravenclaw table and Duncan going to the Hufflepuff table, while the rest went to the Gryffindor table.

Sitting down at the table, Arabella felt her first big wave of loneliness of the school year, realizing that of all of the people she had hung out with the most in school, she now only had Seamus and Ginny. Of course, she loved her other friends that she would now be spending more time with, but it wasn't the same. She briefly wondered where Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Dean were at that moment and what they were doing before she was taken out of her thoughts by the feeling of being watched. She looked around for just a few seconds before she made eye contact with Draco for the second time that day. The two of them just looked at each other for a moment before a tapping sound against a goblet rang across the Great Hall took their attention away from one another to Snape, who was stepping up to the podium.

As Snape addressed the school, he sneered down at them all as if challenging them to misbehave now that he was headmaster. He only made a semi-pleasant face towards the Slytherins, who were the only ones who didn't seem completely outraged by the entire situation. For the duration of the speech, Arabella glared up at the man, hoping that if he happened to catch her eye, he would be able to feel just how much she hated him and know how much insubordination he would be having to deal with as long as he held his post, for the students of Hogwarts (most of them, at least) were not going to stand for this.

It became clear very quickly that the things included in the Daily Prophet published that morning were not the only changes happening at Hogwarts School. A few more staffing changes were announced, including McGonagall being replaced as Deputy Headmistress by both Carrows, who would share the post, and Slughorn taking over as Head of Slytherin House now that Snape could no longer hold that position. Along with that, Defense Against the Dark Arts was being changed to Dark Arts, and Muggle Studies was now compulsory for all students.

"Of course this all happens the year I have to take my O.W.L.s," Fraser muttered in a bitter tone. "One more damn class I have to study for."

The group looked around at him. "That's what you're worried about?" Ginny asked.

"Well, yes... but it's not the biggest thing. I'm just trying not to lose my shite here. Can I do that, Ginny?" As Fraser spoke, his tone became increasingly hysterical.