A week had passed since the parents had dropped the bludger of a prophecy on them. Harry was handling it remarkably well.
"So… he'll come for him eventually," Ange said, none too happy.
Marina and Carmen had owled all their friends, and now here they all were, discussing the problem. Elvira still looked no better.
"That wasn't as much of a surprise as that damn prophecy."
"I still can't believe He believes in them."
"I'm not convinced he does," Marina mumbled grimly. "He probably just wanted to make sure."
Angela, Patricia, Katie, Sam, Jolene and Elvira were more shell-shocked than her brother had been. That should probably worry her.
Before anyone could say anything else, the protective wards rattled the house lightly.
"Owls," Carmen explained helpfully. "Anything else wouldn't have gotten through."
And it was time for the book lists from school to arrive.
An entire parliament of owls swooped inside through the open windows, dropping letters when circling back.
"How does Dumbledore always know where we are?" Trish asked while opening hers.
"Pretty sure the parents tell him. He is the head of the Order after all."
Marina ripped the envelope and found the usual letter plus book list, along with the reminder that, as a seventh-year prefect, she would be on detention and patrol duty this year. As would Carmen, Jolene and Elvira. Katie and Sam, and the other sixth-years, would be on chaperone duty this year.
Trish gasped, loudly, and everyone looked at her. She had an odd mix of dread and excitement on her face.
"What is it?"
In response, she emptied the content of her envelope: a badge with the school crest and the letters HG stamped over it. She'd been appointed Head Girl.
"Congratulations…. or condolences. Depends how you look at it."
She tossed the empty piece of paper at Carmen while everyone laughed.
Ange, to no one's great surprise, was holding the Gryffindor captain's badge.
"Well, now that we have the lists, we can go to Diagon Alley," Marina decided. "I'll tell Dad, since I'm sure he'll insist on a protective detail for Harry and the others."
As if mentioning him had summoned her brother, the door opened with a bang and the foursome came running in.
"Whoa, what's the hurry?" she asked, surprised.
Hermione, oddly fidgety for a girl who could sit and read all day, was apparently too excited to speak. So Susan did.
"Hermione, Harry and I were appointed prefects."
She would not comment on how backwards it was to make someone prefect who spent a great deal of time breaking the rules. She would not.
"Nice. Dad's gonna tease you to no end," she warned Harry.
Remus on the other hand would praise him to the heavens. Moony had been a prefect himself after all.
"Padfoot is already flooing everyone to meet in Diagon Alley. He says it's safer if we all go together," Harry told her. He was doing a valiant job of hiding his grin and excitement at his new job, so to speak. And he kept peeking at Ron when the redhead wasn't looking.
Oh boy.
Maybe she needed to owl Bill to help her with this one. Marina doubted that Ron actually wanted to be prefect, but his best friend being the favourite once again…
She shook her head and focused.
"Well, that and it's less of a security nightmare if we only do this once."
Susan and Hermione, impatient, grabbed the boys' arms and pulled them out, clearly in a hurry to get ready.
Marina and the other followed. But she couldn't help but wonder if there was a reason so many of their inner circle had been appointed.
In times of old, when I was new,
And Hogwarts barely started,
The founders of our noble school
Thought never to be parted.
United by a common goal,
They had the self-same yearning
To make the world's best magic school
And pass along their learning.
"Together we will build and teach"
The four good friends decided.
And never did they dream that they
Might someday be divided.
For were there such friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw,
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there, so I can tell
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those
Whose ancestry's purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest."
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name."
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot
And treat them just the same."
These differences caused little strife
When first they came to light.
For each of the four founders had
A house in which they might
Take only those they wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning just like him.
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest
and taught them all she knew,
Thus, the houses and their founders
Maintained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
for several happy years,
but then discord crept among us
feeding on our faults and fears.
The Houses that, like pillars four
had once held up our school
now turned upon each other and
divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
must meet an early end.
what with duelling and with fighting
and the clash of friend on friend.
And at last there came a morning
when old Slytherin departed
and though the fighting then died out
he left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
were whittled down to three
have the Houses been united
as they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
and you all know the score:
I sort you into Houses
because that is what I'm for.
But this year I'll go further,
listen closely to my song:
though condemned I am to split you
still I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfil my duty
and must quarter every year
still I wonder whether sorting
may not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
the warning history shows,
for our Hogwarts is in danger
from external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you...
let the Sorting now begin.
Marina, sitting with Harry and their Gryffindor friends, looked across the Great Hall. Their friends across the houses met her eyes, a sort of grim understanding marking their faces.
Ron and Harry, discussing this year's rather solemn song, likely had the right of it. That hat spent all year coming up with a new song, sitting in Dumbledore's office like an ornament.
What had the hat heard, to attempt such a warning? Or rather, was there anything he hadn't heard?
The applause was decidedly more sedated than usual, as McGonagall started the sorting ceremony. Marina turned to her brother.
"What's up?" she asked him, sensing his bewilderment.
"Can you see the thestrals?" he questioned quietly – and she almost dropped her goblet.
"Yes. I've always seen them," she answered him. "But how on earth can you?"
A person could only see the horse-like, and normally invisible, creatures, if he'd seen someone die. Like Marina had her mother and Lily.
"I can't," he replied in surprise. "I thought Luna was…"
Ah. Luna definitely took some getting used to. Most of the time she talked about creatures that most certainly didn't exist, because her father insisted on writing about them in his magazine The Quibbler.
"No, this time she's right. The only way to see them is to watch someone die first." In the Ravenclaw's case, it had been her mother, according to Astoria.
Once everyone had stuffed themselves with the feast, Dumbledore made his obligatory speech, warning students away from the Forest and such.
The he introduced Hagrid's replacement, Professor Grubbly-Plank. And the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher; Dolores Umbridge. Fudge's right hand.
The Headmaster was about to continue, when Umbridge stood and cleared her throat loudly, interrupting him. This had to be a first in history; no one interrupted the Headmaster at Hogwarts.
Marina looked to her friends. Elvira had a very hard time holding in her sarcastic smirk, unimpressed, Jolene had her head on her crossed arms and was obviously laughing, and Carmen looked more indignant than she'd ever seen.
Meanwhile, the witch gave the most boring and longwinded speech anyone had ever written, and all the students – except Hermione – started talking with each other, not paying attention.
But at the end of it all, Marina agreed with Hermione, and the few others that had managed to pay attention: the Ministry was trying to interfere at Hogwarts. Fudge really had to be desperate to discredit Dumbledore.
All the seventh-year prefects assembled at the teacher table once the rest of the school was headed for their dormitories. So did the Head Boy, Kevin Sterndale, and Trish.
Meanwhile, the fifth-year prefects corralled the first-years to follow them. Draco and Daphne had been appointed in Slytherin, Susan and Ernie MacMillan in Hufflepuff, and Padma Patil and Anthony Goldstein in Ravenclaw.
They were all children of Order members or supporters. Dumbledore was closing ranks.
McGonagall and the other Heads of House gave them a list of detention tasks for when they were needed; at least no Forbidden Forest. Then they worked out the patrol schedule.
During all of it, Umbridge was standing close-by, staring.
"I should not think it necessary for students to patrol the school at night."
Dear Merlin, her voice was grating. As if the bow on her head wasn't bad enough.
"I disagree, Dolores," McGonagall told her without looking at the offending witch. "Students always roam the castle at night. It is the prefect's duty to sanction them and send them back to bed."
"And we cannot be everywhere at once," Sprout added with a nod.
"Then it is hypocrisy, is it not, to appoint Mr Potter. No one breaks rules more."
Snape smirked, but surprisingly didn't say anything. McGonagall couldn't argue the point, in spite of really wanting to.
"To stop Quirrell from stealing the philosopher's stone, to stop a basilisk from petrifying more people and to catch the traitor that got his parents killed," Marina listed through clenched teeth. "Those are the reasons my brother broke the rules. It's hardly the same as other kids sneaking out to vandalise Filch's office or score some candy from the kitchen."
She ignored the twitch of guilt at throwing Fred and George under the bus.
"He's breaking them all the same."
"If that's all, Professor," she addressed McGonagall, so she wouldn't say something unfortunate – albeit true.
"Indeed. Except, it might be wise to ask Mr Potter and the others about their future plans. It's time they started planning."
"You might have more success on that score, Professor. I doubt he'll be honest with me. He'll tell me what he thinks I want to hear."
But Marina knew. Despite the fact that a Death Eater in disguise had first mentioned it, her brother was keen on following their father's and her footsteps. He wanted to become an auror alright. Mad-Eye's confirmation that he had talent for it hadn't helped any.
Harry knew she really didn't like that fact and wouldn't want to worry her.
Just as well, his grades were certainly up to par.
"Very well. Dismissed, everyone," McGonagall sent them off with a wave.
On their way out, Marina had a prickling sensation in her nape and looked back, only to find Umbridge staring at them.
She didn't need her Sight to know that witch was trouble. Just how much remained to be seen.