The next morning Grace woke up before anyone. She got dressed and walked down to the common room. It was a cozy round room filled with red and gold tapestries that had pictures of wizards and animals and squishy armchairs. Numerous windows looked out onto the grounds of the school and a large fireplace that dominated one wall. The mantle of the fireplace was decorated with a portrait of a lion. The fireplace was also connected to the Floo Network, which closed at night. After taking in the beauty of her common room Hermonie cane down the stairs.
"Good morning Grace. Have Harry and Ron left?"
"No. They're still sleeping. I was going to wait for them. Would you like to join me?"
Hermonie sat down and they started talking about her classes. By the time Harry and Ron came down most of Gryffindor had already left. The four of them walked to the Great Hall and the first thing that they saw was Draco who seemed to be entertaining a large group of Slytherins with a funny story. As they walked by he did a ridiculous impression of a swooning fit and there was loud laughter.
"Ignore him," Grace said, who was next to Harry, " he's not worth it."
"Hey Potter!" shrieked Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl with a face like a pug. "Potter! The dementors are coming, Potter! Woooooo!"
"Parkinson!" barked Grace. "Another word and you will be sent to Professor Snape!"
At that Pansy turned pale and shut her mouth. Harry and his friends dropped into seats at the Gryffindor table, next to the Weasley twins.
"What's wrong with you Harry," asked George.
"Malfoy," said Ron, who was sitting on George's other side and glaring at the Slytherin table.
"That little git," he said calmly. "He wasn't so cocky last night when the dementors were down at our end of the train. Was he Fred?"
"Came running into our compartment, nearly wet himself," said Fred with a contemptuous glance at Malfoy.
"I wasn't so happy myself," George said, "They're horrible things, those dementors..."
"They sort of freeze your inside, don't they," Fred finished.
"Yeah, but you didn't pass out thought did you," Harry said in a low voice.
"Forget it, Harry. Anyway, we'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match," Fred said. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin, the first game of the season, remember?"
Grace remembered the only time Harry and Malfoy had faced each other in a Quidditch match. Malfoy had definitely come off worse. Harry, feeling slightly more cheerful helped himself to breakfast. After the golden trio had talked about Hermonies class schedule an owl swooped down and landed in front of Grace. She untied the letter attached to its leg and read it.
Ms. Malfoy,
Please see me in my office at your earliest convenience.
Thank you, Professor McGonagall.
"What's that," asked Harry.
"McGonagall wants to see me. Probably something head girl related."
Grace got up from the table and walked out of the Great Hall. She headed up the stairs to McGonagall's classroom. Went in and knocked on the office door. A stern-looking witch opened the door and beckoned Grace to come in.
"Good morning, Ms. Malfoy. I trust you had a good holiday."
"Yes, Professor."
"Good. The reason I called you up here is that due to last years end of term events, you never picked out your classes."
"Oh. I forgot about that. Yes, what are my options?"
"Well, you have to take the required classes. Transfiguration, which I will let you skip seeing how you mastered something even the brightest wizards have a hard time doing."
"Ah yes turning into an animagus."
"Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms, History of Magic, and Herbology."
"So five mandatory classes? What are the electives?"
"You have to choose based on what you want to do when you leave Hogwarts."
"I don't know what I want to do. My parents are going to have me marry as soon as possible. I won't have time for anything."
"But do you want to marry?"
"No, but you can't really stop the Malfoys can you Professor?"
"No. Well, might I suggest taking this to Professor Dumbledore?"
"Oh, I don't want to bother him over this."
"Nonsense he would love to help."
They got up and walked silently to the Headmasters office. McGonagall told Grace to wait outside so she could tell him what was going on. But Grace had a feeling that this was planned. After a few minutes, she was told to enter.
"Ah, hello, Ms. Malfoy. I hear you're having trouble picking extra classes."
"It's not that big of a deal, Headmaster."
"Rubbish. Might I suggest you only pick one?"
"But I need two!"
"We have a teacher in our midst that would like a teaching assistant. Could you do that?"
"If it's Snape, no. I spend enough time with him as it is at home."
Dumbledore laughed and his eyes twinkled. "Yes, you do. No. Professor Remus Lupin, the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. He could use some help."
"Yes, I could do that. So that would take up one of my classes?"
"Yes, and also. If you could report to him during your free hours just to see if he needs help. That would be great."
"Of course thank you! Have a good day Professor."
Grace got up with her new class schedule and was about to wark out. But Dumbledore spoke up.
"Don't bother going to your classes today. I'll give your teachers a note."
Grace walked out with a nod of her head and went to the Gryffindor common room and looked at her schedule.
Monday
7-9 Breakfast in Great Hall
9-12:30 Herbology
12:30-1:30 Free/DADA Help
2-3:30 Potions
3:30-5 Free/DADA Help
6-8 Dinner in Great Hall
8-11 Partroling Hallways with Prefects and Teachers
Tuesday
7-9 Breakfast in Great Hall
9-10:30 Divination
11-2 Free/DADA Help
2-3:30 Potions
3:30-5 Free/ DADA Help
5-9:30 Astronomy
9:30-10 Dinner in Great Hall
10-11 Partroling Hallways with Prefects and Teachers
Wednesday
7-9 Breakfast in Great Hall
9-10:30 History of Magic
11-2 DADA
2:30-3:30 Divination
6-8 Dinner in Great Hall
8-11 Partroling Hallways with Prefects and Teachers
Thursday
7-9 Breakfast in Great Hall
9-12:30 Charms
12:30-2 Free/ DADA Help
2-3:30 Divination
3:30-5 Herbology
6-8 Dinner in Great Hall
8-11 Partroling Hallways with Prefects and Teachers
Friday
7-9 Breakfast in Great Hall
9-12:30 Free/ DADA Help
1:30-2:30 Herbology
2:30-3:30 Potions
3:30-5 History of Magic
6-8 Dinner in Great Hall
8-11 Partroling Hallways with Prefects and Teachers
Grace could already tell she was going to lose sleep this year, and fast. She usually slept when she had free hours, but now she had to report to DADA. She had just settled down in front of the fireplace with a book when none other than Harry, Hermonie, and Ron came bursting through the Fat Lady's Portrait.
"You will never believe the class we just had," Harry said.
"It was so ridiculous. Apparently, Neville's Grandmother isn't well. And Harry has the Grim," Hermonie said.
"The Grim? Really? The 'big dog that haunts a churchyard with an omen of death' grim? "
"According to Professor Trelawney," Ron said.
Grace laughed nervously. "Harry will be fine." But Grace couldn't be sure. With this Sirius Black stuff going on she didn't know what to think.
"Why aren't you in any classes," Hermonie asked.
"Dumbledore said I could have today off. Last year because of what happened I never picked my classes. So I did."
"What are you taking," Harry asked.
Grace read them her schedule.
"Your only taking six classes? Where are the other two."
"McGonagall let me of Transfiguration because I'm an animagus. And instead of another extra class, I'm helping Professor Lupin in DADA."
"Lucky."
"Yes, I suppose I am. You guys have to tell me about Lupin if you have him today."
The trio nodded and went to class. They didn't have DADA but Grace was rushed to the hospital due to an accident in the Care of Magical Creatures with Draco. Apparently, he had insulted a Hippogriff and got his arm cut. Draco had already written a letter to their father about it telling him to do something. Harry, Ron, Herminie, and Grace went down to Hagrids hut to talk about what happened later that night. Hagrid wasn't his usual cheery self and he was worried about what would happen to his animal.
Grace's first day back at Hogwarts had been an eventful one. But Hogwarts had not heard the last of trouble just yet.