"What was Draco doing with that weird-looking cabinet?" Harry asked. So far, Harry had not shut up about Draco Malfoy, and why he was acting the way he is. And quite frankly, Annie began to regret going to investigate with him. "And who were all those people with him? Don't you see? It was a ceremony, an initiation." 

"Stop it, brother," Annie scoffed, finally looking down from the book she had been reading. She was flipping through her new Defense Against the Dark Arts book for the year. "I know where you're going with this." 

"It's happened," Harry declared, ignoring his sister. "He's become one of them!" 

Ron looked confused. "One of what?" 

Annie sighed and set down her book. She crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at her brother. "Harry is under the impression that Draco Malfoy has become a Death Eater." 

"You're barking, you are!" Ron exclaimed in disbelief. "My question would be, why would You-Know-Who choose a sod like Malfoy?" 

"And he's way too young to become a Death Eater," Annie added, giving her brother another glare. 

"Well, then. What was he doing in Borgin and Burkes? Browsing for furniture?" Harry asked teasingly, trying to brighten the tense mood. 

"Maybe. But wouldn't the Malfoys get their servant to do that for them?" Annie asked skeptically. 

"It's a creepy shop, he's a creepy bloke," Ron answered casually. 

"Look. His father is a Death Eater, isn't he? It only makes sense. His father failed to retrieve the Prophecy in the Department of Mysteries, so maybe they're punishing the Malfoys by getting their son to become a Death Eater. Besides! Annie, Hermione, and Dante saw it with their own eyes, as well!" 

"I'm telling you, brother," said Annie firmly. "I don't know exactly what I saw. And I highly doubt that Voldemort would let a sixteen-year-old become a Death Eater. You have to be out of school in order to become a Death Eater. It's as simple as that." 

Harry suddenly turned to Dante. "Dante, what year did your parents become Death Eaters before turning their backs on Voldemort?"

Annie gave her brother an appalled look. Her mouth fell completely open and she immediately began to get defensive of Dante again.

"Harry! You can't go asking Dante what year his parents became Death Eaters! That is not the polite way to go!" 

"It's okay, Annie. Your brother is only curious," Dante answered quietly. 

"No, it's not okay, Dante!" Annie fumed. "It's rude to ask someone that question!" 

Dante ignored her and turned to face Annie's brother. "To answer your question, Harry. My parents became Death Eaters the second they got out of their final year of Hogwarts." 

Annie gave her brother a look. "See? I told you so." 

"Well, things have changed, now," Harry concluded bluntly. "Maybe Voldemort had changed his rules." 

"Rules are not meant to be broken, brother," said Annie, just as bluntly. "And you know that." 

"We broke a lot of rules in the past few years, sis," her brother reminded her. "You must remember that." 

"Yeah? And that was only to defend the school. That's different." 

Harry went quiet. He finally huffed and got to his feet. "I'm going to get some fresh air." 

And with that, he grabbed his Invisibility Cloak before exiting the compartment. Now, everything felt awkward. Dante shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Annie immediately noticed. 

"Don't worry, Dante. Harry knows for a fact that you will never ever become a Death Eater. We've all heard it from you. He doesn't think badly about you." 

Dante sent Annie a small smile, grateful for her reassurance. At least he knew that she would stick by his side. At least she knew that he was not stupid. 

By the time they got off, Harry had still not returned from whatever he had been doing. Annie furrowed her eyebrows together and glanced back at the train, concerned. 

"Where's Harry?" she asked, concerned. 

"We assume that he had left without us," Ron answered flatly. 

"But that doesn't sound like Harry at all. He wouldn't leave without us, wouldn't he? But when we get there, and he's not there, we're not eating until he comes in." 

Ron gave Annie a wilted look, looking highly offended. 

"Really, Annie? Are you really going to torture me? You know that I'm starving! Those snacks on the train were not enough to fill me up!" 

Annie gently shoved her brother in the shoulder. "You'll be fine." 

Ron made a noise deep within his throat, clearly flabbergasted that his sister would suggest such a thing. 

Annie was not amused when Ron began to stuff himself down with food. 

"He'll be here at any minute," said Ron in an easy voice. "Don't worry about it!" Anni only gave him a withering, offended look in response. Ron swallowed down a mouthful of food. "What?" 

She grabbed her Defense Against the Dark Arts book and began to bang his head repeatedly with it. "Will you stop eating?! Your best friend is missing!" 

"Oi! Turn around, you lunatic," Ron whined, motioning his head in the direction of what he was seeing. 

They all turned to face Harry, who was walking down the aisle, with a tissue pressing against his nose, suppressing a nosebleed. 

"He's covered in blood again," said Annie quietly. To her friends, she added, "Why is my brother always covered in blood?" 

"Where have you been?!" Hermione hissed as Harry took a seat in between his sister and Hermione. "We've been worried sick about you!" 

"I dunno — I was with Luna, I guess," he answered, sounding distracted. "What have I missed?" 

"Nothing much," Annie answered as she gently tugged the tissue away from him in order to clean up his face, herself. "The Sorting Hat urged us all to be brave and strong during these troubled times. Easy for a hat to say, isn't it? He doesn't have to worry about a damn thing in his entire life, except for making long poems in his head for the entire year." 

"Thanks," said Harry in a stuffy voice. His nose clearly sounded broken. 

"Very best of evenings to you all," said Professor Dumbledore from the podium at the front. Sera immediately stopped and handed the tissue back to her brother, who shoved the tissue to his nose. "First off, let me introduce you the newest member of our staff, Professor Horace Slughorn. Professor Slughorn, well, I am happy to say that he has agreed to resume his role as Potions Master for the year. In the meanwhile, the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts will be taken by Professor Snape." 

Not everyone was amused. Annie knew that Professor Snape would make Defense Against the Dark Arts like hell. She was suddenly quite certain that the D.A group would need to start over again, if Professor Snape didn't teach them correctly. 

"Snape?" both Annie and Harry echoed, confused. 

The only people who seemed enthusiastic about this was the Slytherin table. Professor Snape often showed favoritism towards the Slytherins, as he was the head of Slytherin house.

Dumbledore clapped his hands together to get the school's attention. "Now, as you all know, each and every one of you have been searched upon your arrival here tonight. And, of course, you have the right to know why. There was once a young man who, like you, sat in this very Great Hall at one point. Walked through these castle's corridors. Slept under its very roof, like every one of you have done. He seemed to all the world, a student like any other. Except he was not what most people would expect him to be. He goes by another name in this world today. His name? Tom Riddle. Which is why, as I stand looking upon you all tonight, I'm reminded of a sobering fact. Each day, every hour, this very minute, perhaps, dark forces are attempting to penetrate through the very walls of this school. But in the very end, the greatest weapon is you. Just something to think about." He paused, glancing at each table before saying, "Now, off to bed. Pip-pip!" 

"That was cheerful," Ron grunted in disbelief as everyone began to stand up and leave. 

"Very," Annie muttered under her breath in disbelief.