Slytherin Princess

Nothing else of interest really happened for the rest of break after that. At least not directly with us.

A few days before we had returned to Hogwarts, Harry Potter had gotten in trouble for using magic outside of school while underage. Lucius said that he would go through a hearing in order to see what the punishment could be- and that Potter claimed the reason he did it was because there was a Dementor attack. Though that was hard to believe.

Thankfully, Voldemort did not return to the manor before Draco and I were to return to Hogwarts. I feared that he would just about every night.

I spent the last few weeks locked in my room, studying. Learning more about tranformation magic- more specifically more about animagi and how one would become an animagi as it is a learned trait and not something that is inherited like a metamorphmagus.

It was something that I had become more and more interested in over the past few weeks, and I was very tempted to attempt becoming an animagus myself. I didn't bother running the idea past my family, knowing that they would never approve and I doubted that they would understand my reasoning behind wanting to do it. In fact, even I didn't fully understand the thought process behind it; but I just knew that it was something that I had to do.

When we returned to Hogwarts, I knew immediately that things were going to be different- and I didn't think it would be different in a good way.

The train ride back to Hogwarts this year, just like every other year, was uneventful. We sat with our usual group, consisting of Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson. Meanwhile, Crabbe and Goyle sat behind us, trying to listen in on the conversation we were having. As always.

Pansy and I went to change into our robes about an hour before we arrived at Hogwarts, whereas the boys all waited until the absolute very last moment to do so. It was practically right as we came to a stop that they finally shot up to go change into their robes. Pansy and I left them alone while they were changing, and went ahead to the carriages in order to go to the castle.

As always, the carriages were being pulled by Thestrals, which I had come to find that not many students other than myself could see them- seeing as only those who had seen death could see the creatures it didn't come as a surprise.

Though, it did make me question when in my lifetime had I seen death?

Upon arrival at the castle, we all grouped up into our houses with members of the same year as ourselves while McGonagall went through the process of sorting the first years into their houses for the very first time. Sitting through this for now the fifth year was a very dull and boring thing. Draco and I were never ones to clap along with the rest of our house when someone was sorted into Slytherin.

Once the sorting was over, we were free to eat the feast of a dinner that had been prepared tonight. It had been a long day, a long train ride, and I was beginning to feel tired as if it were much later than it actually was. So, once I had finished eating the little bit of food I wanted, I leaned over just a bit to where my head was resting against Draco's shoulder.

My actions seemed to catch Pansy's attention as she got an ever so slightly shocked look on her face, but I did my best to ignore her. Instead, I looked to the front of the room where Dumbledore stood up to speak.

Everyone became silent in order for the headmaster to speak.

"We have two changes in starting this year, we are pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly Plank who will be taking over care for magical creatures while Professor Hagrid is on temporary leave." As he spoke, my eyes trailed away from him and looked over all the Professors that were sitting behind the table, listening to what the Headmaster had to say.

First, my gaze landed on Severus, who was sat next to a woman dressed in bright pink. I immediately noticed how awkward he looked sitting next to the woman that was dressed so brightly- but there was something about the woman that seemed to familiar to me. I could have sworn that I had seen her somewhere quite recently, I just couldn't figure out where.

My eyes trailed away from the woman, and I moved my gaze further down the opposite side of the table. I took in the appearance of the professors that were all lined up sitting next to each other- only stopped when my eyes landed on Professor Trelawney.

She was silently eating the pie that was sitting on the plate in front of her, while attempting to pay attention to what the woman, Delores Umbridge had stepped forth to say to everyone.

Although, after a few moments it seemed that she started to choke on the pie that she was attempting to eat. Her attempts to hide her coughing were in vain as a few Professors looked her way only for a brief moment. She grabbed the goblet that was sitting in front of her, and quickly tried taking a few sips from it. It seemed to work as her coughing stopped, and she set the goblet back down on the table.

That was the moment that I realized just how bad Trelawney's eye sight really was. I had never really paid attention to it until this moment.

She struggled a bit trying to place the goblet back down on the table, it first landing on the plate in front of her, she moved it to sit behind the plate. Then as she moved her hair away from her face, with the other hand she reached out and grabbed the spoon that resided in the bowl of whipped cream sitting next to her.

She didn't even watch her own movements, instead she paid attention only to what Umbridge was saying to everyone. So, instead of putting a spoonful of whipped cream on the pie that took up residence on her plate, it landed on the table directly next to the plate. As did the second, larger scoop of whipped cream before she moved to put the spoon in her mouth. Only realizing that it was the community spoon for all to use in order to get whipped cream for their own goodies.

Realizing her mistake, she moved and placed the spoon in the goblet that she had just been drinking from. Then in attempts to continue eating her pie, she was unable to find the fork she had previously been using.

So, instead, she found and picked up a rather large spoon that was sitting off to her right. Her first attempt to take another bite of the food was a failure, as she continued to pay attention to Umbridge. She looked at the spoon for a second before trying again, harder this time, to get a bite of pie. This time she succeeded in getting her mouthful of pie, only to end up knocking her hand against her plate and pushing the plate into her lap.

Realizing what had just happened, she put the spoon down on the table, before picking up the plate and setting it back down on the table as well. The pie was still sitting in her lap.

She tried to make it seem like nothing had just happened, only to end up setting her hand down in the pile of whipped cream that she had previously dumped onto the table. Looking absolutely pitiful, she tried finding something to wipe her hands on, and being unsuccessful with her attempts she ended up dipping her hands in the goblet in front of her.

She shook the liquid off of her hands over the now empty plate before once more trying to make it seem like nothing had just happened.

My heart went out to the woman as she reached over and took the drink belonging to the Professor sitting next to her. It was then that students started clapping, and my gaze was snapped away from Professor Trelawney and back to the people sitting around me. "What happened?" I hummed, sitting up from where I had still been leaning against Draco. "Weren't you listening Lennox? The Ministry of Magic is basically taking over at Hogwarts." Pansy said, looking at me as if I were simple.

"No, I wasn't listening Parkinson, actually I was caught in my thoughts." I snapped at the younger girl. Her eyes went wide ever so slightly as she looked at me. Instead of saying anything else, she instead turned away and started talking to Crabbe and Goyle.

I went back to not paying attention to anything that was happening around me, as I waited for us to be dismissed to our houses for the night.

And so begins another year at Hogwarts.