September 2nd 1997

For a few seconds, there was a silence as everyone looked at Ginny, who thought for a second, then shrugged. "Strangely, it doesn't bother me anymore."

"Dumbledore certainly wouldn't consider it," Draco added.

"True," Cedric conceded. "I'm inclined to agree, just to see it."

"You can see it anyway," Harry said. "I'm happy to give tours."

Cedric grinned. "Well, maybe we should vote on it."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Susan agreed.

"Must be a Hufflepuff thing," Daphne said. "All in favour?"

Ten hands went up, although Ron and Neville's did so a little hesitantly.

"It's creepy down there," Ron said, by way of explanation.

Neville's reason was a little more practical. "Harry's the only one who can get in."

"Hmm …" Hermione stood up and began pacing, having admittedly not considered that little snag. "I wonder …" She stopped, just after her second circle of the room, thinking back to the previous Christmas in Dumbledore's office. That time, Rowena had just appeared, but she couldn't see any reason why … "Grandmother?"

Draco jumped to his feet with a bow, as the ghostly figure of her great-great-great grandmother appeared in front of them. "Lady Ravenclaw."

Hermione could see from the bewildered expressions on everyone else's faces that they were the only two who could see her. "Still invisible? I thought you said you'd become like ghosts."

Rowena sighed. "Maybe in time, dear, but not yet. What's wrong?"

"I know Lady Helga said we should, but how can we create another entrance to the Chamber of Secrets?" Hermione asked.

Rowena chuckled. "Hermione, you know where you are, don't you?"

"The Room of Requirements," Hermione answered. "But … Oh. I can ask the room for another entrance, can't I?"

Rowena nodded, still laughing. "Always remember to deploy logic first, dear. Sometimes the answer really is that simple."

Hermione nodded as she faded away again, her face flushed red. She glared at Draco, who was sniggering at her. "Oh, shut up. You didn't think of it either. Apparently, the only time they're visible to everyone else is in the Chamber." Or in the weird room that no one else can find, she added mentally. "Harry, could you …."

"Done," Harry said with a smile, gesturing to a portrait in the corner of the room.

It was just like the one he and Hermione had given the Marauders for Christmas: a full moon in a forest clearing, just without the animals.

"Nice," Hermione said. "Is the password the same?"

"Same as what?" Cedric asked.

"Marauders' Map," Susan answered.

Cedric grinned. "Do you have it on you?" He asked Harry eagerly. "I'd love to see it."

Harry pulled a piece of parchment from his pocket and tapped his wand against it, as Hermione touched hers to the frame of the portrait.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Credit's muttered exclamation as the Map began to form was drowned out by Hermione's gasp as the full moon in the painting grew to form a hole in the wall.

"Does anyone have the journals?" Hermione asked.

"I do," Ginny answered. "They're in my bag, charmed to look like text books. I don't know how we're going to work through them though."

"Maybe we should split up," Daphne suggested. "You two take the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor ones, and Sue and I will take the Slytherin and Hufflepuff ones."

"That sounds like a good idea," Luna agreed, making all three girls jump (they had thought she was still talking to Ron on the other side of the room). "I can research Ravenclaw's diadem and find out where that could be. Daddy's trying to recreate it; I could ask him."

Hermione and Daphne exchanged a look. While they all appreciated Luna's open-mindedness, they also knew that she, at least, left the magical creature hunting for more appropriate times; her father had no such restraints.

"Luna, why don't we start with irrefutable fact first," Hermione suggested gently, "and then start … speculating?"

Luna smiled at her. "Fair enough. Daddy's looking for the Crumple-Horned Snorcack at the moment anyway; he won't be home."

"Alright then." Hermione glanced over at where the boys were all huddled around the Map, sniggering at something. "Gentlemen? Are you coming?"

"Right behind you, 'Mione," Ron said, still chuckling.

Daphne sighed. "What's so funny?"

"Theo's stuck in a broom closet with Millicent Bulstrode," Draco said.

Daphne's mouth twitched. "He might be in there willingly."

Draco's grin widened. "That's even better."

"I'm sure Millicent is very nice," Hermione said, a little dubiously. "Headlock-tendencies aside." She climbed through the hole into a dark tunnel. "Lumos."

"Not exactly a holiday destination, is it?" Susan muttered, waving her wand and conjuring lanterns for the walls.

Hermione carefully lit each one with the bluebell flames she'd mastered in first year. "Come on, then," she said. "That way."

The ten moved along the passageway, creating lanterns as they went.

"Do you think this passageway will stay here, even when the entrance disappears with the room?" Ginny asked, slipping a hand into Draco's.

He started, as he always did when she was spontaneously affectionate (or rather, more likely, when someone showed him spontaneous affection), but relaxed a split-second later, squeezing her fingers lightly.

"I don't know," Hermione admitted. "I think so."

"I hope so," Susan said. "Then we won't have to do this every time."

"Watch out," Harry said sharply. "Dead end."

They all pulled up short, staring at the solid stone in front of them.

"That can't be right," Draco said, frowning.

Harry tapped his wand against the wall, but nothing happened. "Maybe I made a mistake in the Room of Requirement."

"Or maybe," Hermione said, tapping her own wand against the wall, "you don't know the right password. As blood heir of Rowena Ravenclaw, I request you reveal your secret."

The ground shuddered and one of the stones on the floor rattled.

"Ah." Hermione stepped on it and it sank into the ground slightly. A few seconds later, the floor began to slowly descend, like a huge elevator.

"It makes sense, really." Susan said. "We were on the seventh floor and the Chamber's all the way beneath the castle."

"Why did that password work?" Cedric asked curiously.

Hermione shrugged. "It's my castle, technically."

"I thought Hogwarts was originally Gryffindor Castle," Cedric said as they stopped, and the wall opened up in front of them.

"No, dear," Rowena said. "Ravenclaw Castle. Close your mouth, Mr Diggory; you're catching flies."

"Cedric, this is Rowena Ravenclaw, my great-great-great grandmother," Hermione said, smiling at Cedric, who had stopped dead, gaping in shock. "It's not that weird."

"It's very weird," Cedric said faintly, shaking the hand Rowena offered. "Lady Ravenclaw."

"Call me Rowena, dear," Rowena said. "The others should be along soon to help; it'd be nice to get this place cleaned up a bit."

"Good idea," Susan said, drawing her wand. "C'mon, Daph, Luna."

Neville joined them as well, as they began casing cleaning charms at the floor and the walls.

"Where's my friend?" Salazar asked as he and Godric emerged from the shadows. "Esmerelda, I think you called her."

"I had to leave her at home," Harry said. "Snakes aren't allowed in school." He grinned. "Jen's reaction was priceless though."

"Well, there's really no need to be concerned," Hermione said logically, transfiguring one of the stones on the floor into a desk. "Esmerelda loves you; she can catch her own food, so they don't need to feed her; she's happier in the garden than in a cage; and she doesn't bite." She spread the Marauders Map out on the desk and surveyed it with a frown.

"Do you know how to do this?" Ginny asked curiously.

Hermione grimaced. "I know the theory."

"So do I," Draco agreed.

Hermione glanced at him. "Do you mind?"

"Not at all."

The two waved their wands over the Map, chanting under their breath, and a ghostly copy of the Map rose from it and expanded, before attaching itself to the wall and becoming solid.

"Nice," Harry commented.

"Thank you," Hermione said absently. "We can work out a rota for when we're not in class. I think it might be a good idea to get Addie to teach us that Patronus Charm."

"We know the Patronus Charm," Harry said, flicking his wand and causing Prongs to appear.

The ethereal stag looked around, fading into nothing when it didn't find any danger.

"Show off," Hermione said fondly. "I meant the variation of the charm the Order uses to communicate. I'm surprised they didn't teach us over the summer."

"They probably didn't think about it," Harry said. "We've got the mirrors after all, and they're much quicker."

"Yeah, but a Patronus would shut everyone up," Ron said, "especially if we're in the middle of dinner or something."

"And we probably will be," Draco said darkly. "If he attacks the school, he'll want the optimum panic – which will be if everyone's in the Great Hall when he bursts in."

"Well, we'll just have to burst his bubble, won't we?" Hermione said.

"Can we get help from anywhere else?" Susan asked. "Probably not the Ministry, obviously."

"The goblins will help," Hermione said. "I've had that assurance."

"The centaurs?" Susan asked.

Harry snorted. "Not likely. They've become more and more pissed off with humans since Firenze helped me in first year."

"Yeah, I think we can count them out," Hermione said. "The house-elves might help …"

"We can't order them to die for us though," Ron protested. "That's not fair."

Hermione stared at him for a second. "That's … You … We …"

Luna appeared at her side, leaned in and planted a kiss on Ron's mouth.

"Um, Luna?" Hermione asked, bewildered.

Luna pulled away, leaving Ron gaping at her. "Well, you couldn't kiss him, Hermione. Harry wouldn't be very happy."

"I … wasn't thinking about it," Hermione said, turning to Harry.

Harry just shrugged. "She is right though."


September 7th 1997

A few days later, Addie was sitting in her office, checking over her lesson plans for the following day. Her necklace was warm against her chest and she smiled, wondering if Sirius's mind was in the same place hers was. She would have to make a mirror call when she was done.

She tended to stay out of her private quarters until curfew it, in case any of her students needed her; her speech to all of her classes about her door always being open had not been an empty promise.

So far, there had been no reason for it, and she wasn't surprised.

It would have taken her months to feel like she could talk to one of her teachers about anything personal, even Professor McGonagall.

Personally Addie felt that Hogwarts would benefit from having Heads of Houses that were not teachers so they were less intimidating, but Hogwarts had run this way for a thousand years; it was hardly likely to change now.

She had a feeling, though, that the first child to come to her would be one of the Muggle-borns, since they were more likely to have problems their parents couldn't help with.

She was proved right, when a soft tap on the door signalled the arrival of Catherine Barter, who hovered in the doorway as though she was afraid the room would eat her.

"Good evening, Catherine," Addie greeted with a smile. "You can come in, you know." She only ever used last names in the classroom; it seemed to make her more approachable.

With a shy smile and a hint of a blush, Catherine trotted inside and took the seat on the other side of Addie's desk. "Thank you Professor."

Addie put aside her lesson plans and offered the girl a box of chocolate frogs. "How can I help?"

"Mum and Dad wrote this morning," Catherine whispered, holding out a sheet of Muggle paper in a shaking hand.

Addie took his hesitantly and read it through, sending up a silent prayer that Mr and Mrs Barter weren't 'doing a Petunia' as Lily had called it.

Darling Catherine

We're so glad you're settling in at Hogwarts – we were a little worried about sending you to learn magic, so it's good to hear that you're happy.

We had an interesting visit from Mr and Mrs Lupin the day you left. They explained to us all about the war and we're a little worried. While we believe that you are safest where you are and trust in the measures they've put in place to protect us, we are concerned for your safety if you come home.

So we'd like you to stay at school over Christmas, though we'll miss you a lot. Keep in touch, sweetheart.

Lots of love,

Mum and Dad

Addie glanced up from the letter, just in time to see Catherine's eyes fill with tears. "Dear, what …?"

"They don't want me anymore," Catherine sobbed, beginning to cry.

In a second, Addie had rounded her desk and pulled up a chair beside her. "Catherine, that's not what's happening." She sent a quick non-verbal spell at the classroom door to close and lock it, and drew the girl into a hug. "Sweetheart, your parents are worried about you; they know you're safest here and they want to make sure you're safe. Why do you think they don't want you?"

"M-My auntie says I'm a freak," Catherine managed to tell her, through heaving sobs.

Once again, Addie found herself flashing back to her own time at Hogwarts, this time to first year, comforting a young redhead in front of the fire because her sister had sent her yet another awful letter.

"You know," Addie said quietly, "when I was at Hogwarts, I was best friends with a girl named Lily. Her parents loved her very much, but her older sister, for some reason, hated her and would tell her things like that. And I'm going to tell you what I used to tell Lily: if she has a problem with your magic, it's her loss, not yours."

"What happened to her?" Catherine asked, her tears beginning to subside.

"Lily Evans was one of the brightest students in our year, and one of the most powerful witches of our generation," Addie said with a smile. "She was Head Girl, married a wonderful man, and had a son who has done her and his father proud." She conjured a tissue and gently wiped the girl's tears away. "Your mum and dad love you – that's all that matters. And, honestly – Christmas at Hogwarts is one of the most amazing things you will ever experience."

Catherine smiled shakily. "I guess it would be interesting to have a magic Christmas."

"That's the spirit," Addie said cheerfully. "With any luck, the whole thing will be over by the summer, and you'll be safe."

As the young Lion's smile became wider and more genuine, Addie couldn't help but worry that she was making promises she couldn't keep.


September 18th 1997

Several weeks in to the term, Harry, Hermione and their friends were almost swimming in homework, but Friday evening still found them waiting in the Room of Requirement.

"Are you sure you set the coins to the right date?" Draco asked, examining the books.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but she was spared from answering when the door opened and a whole army of people flooded in.

She and Harry exchanged a startled glance; there definitely had not been this many members before the summer.

When the door had closed behind the last stragglers – and the room had expanded to fit everyone in – Harry climbed onto a table and blew his whistle loudly, effectively getting everyone to shut up.

"Wow," Harry said into the silence. "First of all, thanks for coming. Secondly, this is going to run a bit differently this year, because Professor McKinnon has the job down …"

"She's been trapped with Death Eaters for fifteen years," a voice said from the back of the room.

Harry sighed. "Eighteen years, actually," he corrected quietly. "Professor McKinnon was a good friend of my parents. I have complete faith in her ability to teach and she taught me a few new tricks over the holidays, so trust me on that." He cleared his throat. "Now this is not a story-telling class. If you're here to hear about the graveyard or the fight at the Ministry, or whatever rumours you may have heard about other things I may or may not have done, then I suggest you leave now. No one's going to think any less of you. I certainly won't."

No one was really that surprised when half the students filtered out, but it still left about sixty behind.

Hermione did a quick tally: all the seven years from Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, as well as all the sixth years from the latter two houses – and a few Ravens – and a handful of fifth years from all houses – Snakes included.

Harry nodded. "Okay, now we're working on the basis that there might be an attack on the school. Hopefully, we'll end up wasting our time, but I'm not taking chances. If you are not prepared to die for this cause, then please let yourselves out. Again, no one's going to think any less of you."

This time, no one moved.

"Brilliant." Harry glanced at his girlfriend. "Hermione, could you?"

Hermione waved her wand at the door. "The charm I just cast is a Secrecy Charm," she explained. "Nothing we don't want repeated outside this room can be."

"Where did you learn that?" One of the Ravenclaws asked eagerly.

Hermione just smiled. "Not important." The answer was in Rowena's journal, but she wasn't about to reveal that.

It had another charm woven into it that meant Dumbledore couldn't find out what was said during his daily mind rapes

"It looks like Hermione's going to have to produce some more of those coins, so we'll give those out at the next meeting. We're also give you each an emergency Portkey, which will automatically take you somewhere safe if you get knocked out. Obviously, we'll ask you to keep them somewhere safe while you're training, just in case there are any accidents."

One of the Ravenclaw fifth years put her hand up.

"Yes?"

"Portkeys don't work inside Hogwarts though," she said a little nervously.

Harry gave her a kind smile. "You haven't met my godmother."

Once Addie had been able to take a proper look at the wards, and passed the details along through the mirror, it had been fairly easy for Jen to bypass them using the portkey spell. Amending a portkey so it was triggered by the wearer's heart rate, blood pressure and breathing was a little more complicated, but not impossible.

"Now Harry lied a minute ago," Draco said, "because this session is a story-telling one."

"Why?" Zacharias Smith asked.

"Because there are things you need to know," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "That's why."

"Addie … er, Professor McKinnon," Harry amended, sheepishly, "is perfectly capable of teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts, but I do not trust the Headmaster and you need to know," he continued, raising his voice above the outraged muttering, "why that is."

"You're about to tell us everything, aren't you?" Katie Bell asked quietly. "That's why there's a charm over the door."

"Yes," Harry answered simply, chairs popping up all over the room. "I am."