Chapter 4:

Elena crowded into a carriage happily with Astoria, Bridget, Draco, Pansy, and Teddy. She was so excited to be finally going to Hogwarts with friends already. The year was going to be amazing, she could feel it already. Excitement filled the air as they chatted in the carriage with smiles filling their faces. Elena was glad she didn't have to get sorted into houses first thing. Professor Snape had made an exception for her, she was presorted into Slytherin and that was how it was all going to stay.

The carriage came to a jolting stop and they all bounded out. Elena stared at the castle, it was so huge and beautiful. "Amazing," she breathed as she entered the school. The inside was equally as amazing as the outside. It was perfect filled with huge staircases and many portraits. She was still gazing through the castle when their walk to the great hall was interrupted by a woman who was at the meeting at the house also.

"Mr. Malfoy, Miss Black, Miss Greengrass, Mr. Nott, Miss Parkinson" the woman said. "The headmaster wishes to see you." Bridget sent Tori and Elena a pleading stare not to leave her, but they had no choice.

The group, minus Bridget, followed the woman while Elena was still trying to remember the name of the woman. The brown wavy hair that was paired perfectly with the piercing green eyes was extremely familiar, and the name was on the tip of Elena's tongue. She elbowed Draco slightly then gave a nod to the woman in front of them. "Alecto Carrow," Draco whispered in her ear knowing what Elena was asking of him. Elena gave him a smile as she continued to follow the woman, who she know remembered was Alecto Carrow.

They came in front of a magnificent mahogany door and Alecto spoke clearly. "Pumpkin Pastries." The door swung open to reveal a very large staircase. "The headmaster is waiting," she said before turning on heel and leaving them. They quickly climbed up the stairs to find another door which opened as soon as the reached it to reveal Severus Snape sitting behind a very large desk with five chairs sitting directly in front of it. He motioned to the chairs and they sat down quickly.

"First of all welcome Elena, I hope your train ride was well," Snape said as he looked over the rest of her friends. "Now I may ask you, why were you not at the prefects meeting. Mr. Malfoy you are Head Boy and you were supposed to help run the prefects meeting. Miss Abbott of Hufflepuff had to cover for you. I expected you to be a role model student."

Draco looked as if he had forgotten all about the meeting. "Professor, I'm sorry I was trying to help Elena feel welcome among the Slytherins," Elena was shot a look after those words that meant she was clearly supposed to stick with that theory. "Plus Tori, Teddy, and Pansy were the only people Elena knew outside of Hogwarts besides Bridget and we didn't want her to be alone. We would have felt to bad." Elena nodded along with all of the words that Draco was saying, because it was basically true. A couple of other Slytherins she had met, but she wasn't friends with them like the prefect squad plus Bridget.

Snape sighed and looked at all of the students. "Ok, well I called you all here, to welcome Elena, scold you, but also tell you about the reinstating of Inquisitorial Squad to help with discipline of Hogwarts. Unfortunately the Dark Lord wishes for Hogwarts to be turned into somewhat of a military school, it is not exactly what I had planned, but we must do as he says."

Elena looked at everyone shocked. A military school. That was not what Hogwarts was supposed to be. It was supposed to be fun and where she could get away from everything that was bad on the outside world. She really wanted to speak up and say that it wasn't fair, but she couldn't. This wasn't what she wanted out of her school. Tori started to speak, "But Professor…"

"Now now, I know this isn't ideal, but it is what we must do so we must deal with it. Now come, it is time for the feast," Professor Snape said as he swept out of the room with everyone behind them as they headed for the feast disappointed about what was to come with the new school year.