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One of the nice things about the students being back, Harry reflected, was not having to Disillusion himself as he made his way through his castle. In his plain back robes and with his scar covered, he looked just like any other first year, albeit one that was a bit smaller than usual. The portraits took no notice of him, and the other students accepted him as one of them without question. He did have to be more careful with the teachers, but they were easy enough to avoid. He still had to Disillusion himself once he got to the library, or run the risk of getting drawn into conversation, but that was good practice.

It was in the library that Cedric found him after their first day of lessons. Harry had hidden himself among the advanced Runes books right at the back, and was happily catching up on everything he'd missed when his friend dropped his bag next to him.

"Binns has to go."

Harry bade a silent farewell to Leonardo da Vinci, and set the book aside in favour of peering at his friend. "Which one is that?"

"History of Magic," said Cedric shortly. "It was the worst lesson I've ever had in my life."

Harry frowned. History was too important a subject to be neglected. The Muggle-borns in particular needed to understand the world they had become a part of, but it was equally important for those raised in the magical world to get a proper, unbiased education.

"In what way?" he asked. "Was he a bad teacher, or…?"

"He spent an hour droning on and on about the goblin rebellions! He didn't introduce himself, he didn't lay out a proper lesson plan, he just started talking and didn't stop! I knew some of what he was talking about from my grandmother, but everyone else in there was completely lost. If I was a Muggle-born and that was my first exposure to magic I'd leave and never come back!"

"Calm down," Harry hissed. They were well away from curious ears, but Cedric's shouting wouldn't go unnoticed. Cedric lowered his voice, but he was still fuming.

"And he even manages to make goblin rebellions boring. I tell you, Harry, half the class was asleep within twenty minutes. He's the least inspiring person I've ever met! I'm amazed anyone passes any exam in that class, let alone their OWLs and NEWTs."

Harry blinked, thrown by the sudden detour to animals. "Excuse me?"

Cedric opened his mouth, then paused and shook his head. "Sorry, keep forgetting you didn't grow up with this stuff. Students take OWL exams in fifth year, and more advanced NEWTs in seventh year." Harry nodded in understanding, and Cedric returned to his diatribe, "But hardly anyone takes History to NEWT level, and Binns' lessons are considered a chance to catch up on sleep. It cannot continue."

Harry shook his head. "I agree. We'll think of something." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Any chance he could be persuaded to resign?"

Cedric gave him a peculiar look. "If no-one has been able to manage it in the last two hundred years, I doubt we'll have much luck."

Harry nodded, then blinked and stared at him. "What?"

He had to have misheard. Cedric stared at him in complete confusion for a moment, then his expression cleared and he laughed. "Oh, Harry."

"What?" Harry demanded. He raised his wand. "I have enough control over my magic to hex you, you know."

Cedric controlled himself, and shook his head. "Sorry, I needed that. Harry, Binns is a ghost."

Harry opened his mouth, then closed it again. "Having a ghost teach History is actually quite a good idea."

"Of course you would say that," said Cedric fondly, but his expression soon turned serious. "The problem is, Binns refuses to accept that he is a ghost. As a result, he refuses to adapt to his circumstances in any way, including updating his curriculum. From what I can tell, he doesn't cover anything more recent than the mid-nineteenth century, not even the times of Grindelwald or Voldemort." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "And he really is a dreadful teacher."

Harry tapped his wand thoughtfully against his knee. "I wonder why Dumbledore hasn't asked him to move on. He must realise that our students' education is more important than being able to claim a ghost as a professor."

"It's probably more a case of misplaced loyalty than any sense of prestige," Cedric suggested. "But you're right. Things can't continue."

There was a logical solution, and Harry didn't hesitate to suggest it. "I'll have a talk with him. I will try to talk him into moving on first," he added quickly, when Cedric raised an eyebrow. "I'll save those...other measures for later."

"Like Peeves," Cedric muttered. "I still can't believe no-one's gotten rid of him yet."

Harry pulled a face. As amusing as they had found the poltergeist at first, he was absolutely impossible to control. At least he was as protective of the castle and students as they were, in his own unique way. Harry shook his head and returned to the matter at hand.

"When should we do it?"

Cedric pursed his lips thoughtfully. "This weekend."

"Thank you, that gives me so much time to prepare."

Cedric nudged him with the toe of his boot. "It also gives our students time to get a decent teacher this year. Besides, since when have you struggled to exorcise a ghost?"

"It's the principle of the thing," said Harry, with a sniff. "Will you be helping?"

Cedric nodded. "I'll find someone to cover for me. I doubt they'll suspect a first year anyway, but there's no point taking risks."

Harry smirked at him. "So you were listening all those years. I was beginning to wonder."

Cedric shot a light hex at him, that Harry deflected with flick of his wand. It hit the nearest bookshelf, and they winced as one.

"Maybe we should stick to sparring in the Room of Requirement," said Cedric sheepishly. "Rowena will murder us otherwise."

Harry snorted in agreement, and cast a quick Cleaning Charm at the shelf. "We'll add it to the list of things not to tell her." He glanced round to check they hadn't attracted any unwanted attention, before returning to the topic of discussion. "So Binns needs to go. Any other areas of concern?"

Cedric twirled his wand absently as he thought about it. "I've had Flitwick, Sprout and McGonagall today, and they were all excellent. Astronomy isn't until Wednesday night, but I haven't heard any complaints about Sinistra." He paused, and looked at Harry. "The upper years did warn us all that Snape is incredibly biased towards Slytherin."

Harry had to force his fingers to relax on his wand. "I have observed him in passing," he said quietly. "There is a darkness in him that I do not like." He was silent for a moment, then sighed. "I will try to observe his classes, and see how he interacts with each of the houses." Some favouritism was understandable, but none of the other heads of house had the reputation that Snape did.

Cedric's lips thinned. "Be careful. He isn't one to cross." Harry nodded, and after a moment Cedric continued, "I will try to talk to the older students about the elective teachers, when it won't be too suspicious, but I did hear a couple of people talking about taking Divination just because it was an easy OWL."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Students. I don't know why Divination was ever added to the course list, it's completely pointless for anyone other than a true Seer." He shook his head. "We might have to leave that for Rowena to deal with."

"Neither of us would have any idea about assessing a teacher's competence in that area," Cedric agreed. He grinned suddenly. "And I wouldn't want to deprive Ro of the satisfaction."

Harry snorted. Their friend had always been rather eloquent on the subject of charlatans. Cedric's grin widened at the memory, but after a moment he shook his head. "All right. That should be enough to keep us going for a little while." He shot Harry an appraising look. "Will you be up for sparring this evening?"

"If you think you can get away without being noticed," said Harry, with a nod. "I know Helga's lot were always the most protective of new students."

"Trust me, nothing has changed at all," said Cedric fondly. He slipped his wand back into its holster, and stood up. "I should get back though. They'll be wondering where I got to."

Harry didn't like having to catch odd moments with his best friend, but that couldn't be helped. He started to reach for another book, but suddenly paused. Something in Cedric's expression told him that there was something else. He raised an eyebrow, and after a moment of silent consideration, Cedric surrendered.

"Harry, Helena isn't the only one here."

This time, Harry did Disillusion himself as he made his way through the corridors. It wasn't quite as effective as normal though. Try as he might, he couldn't keep his emotions, or his still-developing magic under control. He avoid the students as best he could, but he still saw the more sensitive among them start and shiver as he passed.

Under normal circumstances he would be appalled by his lack of control, but for the moment he simply didn't care. As far as he was concerned, the cause was sufficient.

Cedric hadn't tried to dissuade him from his course of action. In all likelihood his friend would have joined him, but this confrontation was better held while the students were at dinner in the Great Hall, and Cedric's absence would be noticed. Hufflepuffs were protective of their first years.

Besides, this conversation would go better with just the two of them.

A flicker from up ahead warned of Professors Flitwick and Sprout, and Harry paused just long enough to confirm with Hogwarts that his target hadn't left the dungeons before ducking into a secret passage. The students might notice his magic if they were paying particular attention, but a teacher certainly would. The slightly longer route was acceptable, if only because it gave Harry a chance to process the information.

It was no wonder Helena had been so reluctant to talk to him.

The dungeons were deserted by the time Harry got there. All the Slytherins were in the Great Hall, and Harry took a moment to catch his breath before heading into the labyrinth of passages. The familiar surroundings soothed him, and his fury cooled to something quieter, but no less dangerous. He was Slytherin, and would deal with this as he ought.

The Bloody Baron was exactly where Hogwarts had told Harry he would be. He recognised the little alcove immediately, and nostalgia threatened to overwhelm him. He cancelled the Disillusionment Charm with a thought, sat on the stone bench, and looked at the spirit of the man who had been one of his first students.

"I did not expect to see you again, Edmund."

Edmund gave no sign of having heard, but after a long moment he turned blank silver eyes to Harry. "Likewise. Sir."

That answered the question of whether Helena had spoken to him. Harry nodded, but kept his own face expressionless. "Tell me."

His expression was one thing, his magic quite another. Edmund flinched, and looked away. "I refused to listen. I ignored everything you taught me. I was a fool."

"Foolish was continuing to pursue Helena, despite our objections," said Harry coldly. "What you did-"

"Was unforgivable," the ghost interrupted. "I know, sir." He looked back, and this time the pain was clearly visible in his black eyes. "I was blind with rage. I regretted it the moment it was done, and I knew there was no way to atone for it." He stared round at the alcove where Salazar had set with him, and where he had set with younger Slytherins in turn. "I returned in penance, and here I will remain a long as Hogwarts endures."

Harry nodded slowly. "And Helena?"

Edmund's face twisted in ancient grief. "She returned for the same reason, but it was too late. Her mother..." His voice faltered, and he looked down for a moment before continuing, "She needs forgiveness, but she cannot move on. She is afraid."

Harry closed his eyes. He had half-expected as much. He shook his head, and looked back at Edmund. "And now?"

If ghosts could pale, Harry had no doubt that Edmund would have, but he met Harry's gaze without flinching. "She will wait for her mother. She has much to say to her. As do I."

He fell silent, but there was a tension to him that told Harry that he had more yet to say. Harry waited, and finally the ghost spoke again, "And I failed you."

"You did," said Harry. He tried to keep his voice level, but his magic crackled in the air. "I trusted you to protect her."

Edmund flinched, and looked away. "Everything changed after...after your death," he whispered. Harry's stomach twisted painfully, but the Baron wasn't finished, "They all changed. The students didn't know what to do." His mouth twisted into a bitter smile. "Neither did I." His shoulders slumped, and he bowed his head. "We missed you."

Harry didn't reply. He couldn't. Even after years of being with his friends, and being known and respected as one of the founders of Hogwarts, he had ever quite been able to abandon the fear of being forgotten. He had dreaded the thought of his death passing unnoticed. Years with the Dursleys had only reinforced those feelings.

He really should have known better. Hogwarts was a steady presence in the back of his mind, and he thought of Cedric's rib-cracking hugs, and managed to clear his throat.

"Likewise."

Edmund relaxed a tiny fraction, and Harry knew he understood. He took a moment to collect himself, then coughed. "What is your role within Slytherin House?"

The Baron paused, but more in thought than out of a reluctance to answer. "I try to guide them, as you guided us. I support them when faced with the other students." He paused, and then there was reluctance. "But...things are not easy for Slytherins. And not all of it is undeserved."

The thought sent a familiar pulse of anger through Harry, and he checked himself when Edmund twitched. "I am aware. And when I am old enough, I will set things right."

Edmund said nothing, but he bowed with every ounce of his old respect, and Harry let himself relax a little. He could not change the past, and he did not know if he could forgive. All he could do was help the people he loved as best he could.

"Rowena will come," he said quietly. "You will wait for her, and you will accept whatever judgement she proclaims."

Edmund just bowed again. Harry sighed. He didn't envy his friend at all. He shook his head firmly; Rowena needed the truth, and they all needed some form of closure. In any case, Rowena wasn't here yet. They would deal with this mess when the time came.

In the meantime, there was another ghostly problem to deal with.

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