After the wedding, Harry, Hermione, and the Weasleys had only a couple of days left before they were to catch the Hogwarts Express at Platform 9-3/4. They passed these days much as they had passed the days before the wedding, except that now Hermione was less interested in reading about wizarding etiquette, and took up Harry's copy of Quidditch Through the Ages instead.

We're short a Keeper this year, aren't we?" she asked Harry and Ron over lunch one day.

"Yeah," Ron answered. "I'm thinking of going out for it myself." A thought suddenly struck him. "Hermione, you're not considering trying out, are you?"

Hermione bristled. "No, but if I did, would you be surprised? As far as you know, I might make a brilliant Keeper."

"Yeah, I suppose so." Ron took a bit of his sandwich. "Ugh, corned beef! Harry, what've you got, egg sald? Trade me." Harry handed Ron his untouched egg salad sandwich eagerly, and took Ron's corned beef in return.

"No," Hermione continued, "I expect I'll be too busy this year for Quidditch."

"Why?" Ron asked. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You're not getting one of those hourglass things again, are you?"

"Of course not. I told you, I decided I was running myself ragged with that Time Turner. It's just ... I'll be busy, that's all."

Red-faced, she took up Quidditch Through the Ages again and pretended to read. Ron gave Harry a quizzical look, but Harry just shrugged his shoulders.

The morning of September 1 dawned bright and clear. "Perfect day for a game of Quidditch," Ron sighed as they walked through the barrier to Platform 9-3/4.

Fred, George, Ginny, and Mrs. Weasley came through the barrier behind Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Now, you boys behave!," Mrs. Weasley told Fred and George sternly. "I hope you've got pranks out of your system for a while. You're very lucky no one was hurt in that--incident at the wedding."

"Oh, Mum." Fred tried not to smile, but couldn't help it. "We told you, those flames are harmless."

"Just the same!" she exclaimed. Fred and George promised to be good (though they had their fingers crossed behind their backs, Harry noticed), and loaded everyone's trunks onto the train. Mrs. Weasley hugged each one of the children in turn. It seemed to Harry that she held onto them all a bit longer than usual.

"It's alright, Mum, we'll see you again soon," Fred said in a tone that was uncharacteristically serious. They all said goodbye to Mrs. Weasley and boarded the train. She looked as though she were fighting back tears.

"She must really be worried," Ron said, waving out the window to his mother as the train rolled out of the station.

"Can't blame her, really," said Hermione.

The Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione shared a compartment.. Before long, Fred and George challenged Ron and Harry to a game of Mummy Gin Rummy.

"Ginny, why don't we go see if we can find the dessert cart?" Hermione asked pointedly.

"No thanks, I'm not really hungry," Ginny answered, watching the card game with interest.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Maybe someone else would like something ..."

"Yeah, I'll take some pumpkin juice!" Fred interjected.

Ginny frowned. "Alright," she sighed as she and Hermione left the compartment.

"Wonder what that was about?" Ron mused.

"You'd better start wondering about your hand, I'm getting ready to beat you," George answered.

After a few minutes, Ginny and Hermione returned to the compartment with bottled pumpkin juice for everyone. They had changed into their school robes, and a large letter "P" was pinned to Hermione's chest.

"Hermione! You're a prefect?!" Ron exclaimed.

She blushed. "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Harry asked.

"Well ... I was afraid you wouldn't want to ... you know ... hang around with a prefect." She quickly took a seat next to Harry.

"Are you joking?" asked George. "This is brilliant! We've got an in with a prefect!"

Fred nodded. "You can get us out of all kinds of trouble this year!"

They all laughed. "Don't count on it," Hermione answered.

"Don't worry, we'll still let you tag along with us," laughed Ron. "Won't we, Harry? Even if you don't do us any special favors." Hermione looked relieved, but didn't respond. They all sat in silence for quite a while, the four boys continuing their game.

"Oh, we almost forgot," Ginny said at length. "We ran into Draco Malfoy in the corridor." She wrinkled her nose.

"Yeah," Hermione said. "He made it a point to ask us if we had heard anything about You-Know-Who."

"Yeah!" Ginny responded eagerly. "Said something like, 'No news?'" She perfectly imitated Malfoy's lazy drawl. "'Don't you think that's odd?'"

Ron snorted. "That slimeball. Bet he knows something, what with Daddy being a Death Eater and all."

Just then, as if on cue, the compartment door slid open. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle stood in the doorway.

"Look, it's a weasel convention," Malfoy drawled. Crabbe and Goyle snickered.

"How was your summer, Malfoy?" George asked. "Have the Dark Lord over to the mansion for afternoon tea, did you?"

Malfoy chuckled in response. "Think you'll find out something about him from me? If I did know anything--" Malfoy's eyes flickered toward the "P" pinned to Hermione's robes. "Well, well. Look at this. They've gone and made a Mudblood a prefect."

Everyone in the compartment stood up and drew their wands at the word "Mudblood". Ron, an expression of intense hatred on his face, took a step toward Malfoy, but he was intercepted by Ginny. She stepped in front of him and faced Malfoy.

"Don't you ever get tired of being a prejudiced, hateful little worm?" she spat.

Malfoy laughed. Crabbe and Goyle followed suit, a bit apprehensively. "So, the baby weasel speaks," Malfoy snarled.

"Just beat it, Malfoy," Hermione cautioned. "No matter whether you think I'm a real witch or not, according to the school I am a real prefect. And I'll report you if you don't move on."

"Oooooh, I'm scared," he responded, but he closed the compartment door and left, with Crabbe and Goyle in tow.

Ron was fuming. "Sometimes I just want to smash his face in! One of these days ..."

"Just forget it, Ron," Hermione said as everyone took their seats again. "When are you going to learn? He's just not worth it."

"Nice work, Ginny! You really told him." Fred beamed at Ginny with approval.

"Yeah," Harry agreed.

Ginny looked down at the floor. "Oh, well, you know ... he just made me angry, that's all."

They resumed their card game, only this time all six of them played. A couple of hours later, when the food cart came around, they bought more pumpkin juice, along with Chocolate Frogs and Bertie Bott's Every-Flavor Beans. Fred and George tried to sell Canary Cremes and Dragon Breath Drops to the witch pushing the cart, but she wasn't keen to buy candies from two seventeen-year-old students.

Slowly, the train made its way north. The green meadows and farms outside the window gave way to dark and wild-looking forests. The boys left to change into their school robes, and by the time they re-entered the compartment, the train had pulled into the station at Hogsmeade.

The students all crowded onto the platform, and Harry saw Hagrid leading the first-years down a path to their traditional boat ride. As he led the wide-eyed students, Hagrid turned around and waved at Harry, Ron, and Hermione. They waved back as they climbed into a horse-drawn carriage with Ginny.

It was a cloudy, starless night, threatening rain. When the students entered the Great Hall, its ceiling looked as though it were painted with puffy, dark gray clouds. They all took their places at the Gryffindor table and waited for the Sorting to begin.

Next to Harry, Ginny gasped. "Look! Look who it is!" She was pointing at the staff table.

There, talking animatedly to Professor Flitwick, sat Persephone Green.

"What's she doing here?" Ron asked incredulously from Ginny's other side. "You don't think she's ..."

"She must be!" Hermione exclaimed. She looked across the table at Harry, Ginny, and Ron. "They didn't tell anyone who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was, not even us prefects."

"Excellent!" Fred and George cried in unison.

"First, a friend who's a prefect," Fred said as he clasped Hermione on the shoulder, "and now, a sister-in-law who's a teacher! This is going to be our best year yet!"

Persephone caught sight of the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione, and waved at them. They waved back excitedly.

"Isn't she amazing?" whispered a voice to Harry's right. Harry hadn't noticed that he had sat down next to Neville Longbottom.

"Hello, Neville," he answered. "You know her?"

"Yeah!" Neville replied breathlessly. "She was--is--friends with my parents. Comes over to visit my Gran every once in a while." He stared at Persephone, and she waved at him. As he waved back, his eyes took on a glazed look. Harry laughed and told an intensely attentive Neville about the wedding, and his dance with Persephone. Neville gaped in amazement at Harry's good luck.

Soon Professor McGonagall appeared, leading the first-years to the head of the Great Hall. The Sorting, and the feast after it, proceeded just as they had every year since Harry had begun his education at Hogwarts- though he had missed two Sortings inadvertently. Once everyone had finished their dessert--pumpkin cheesecake and treacle tarts--Professor Dumbledore stood up and addressed the crowd.

"Another year begins!" he started. "It is very good to see you all again. I trust that you have emptied your brains properly over the summer, and are ready to fill them up again over the next three terms.

"As always, I have a few announcements to make. Considering the- events of last term--" his voice lowered at this mention of the death of Cedric Diggory at the hands of Voldemort, "--I trust that you will not be surprised when I tell you that the Forbidden Forest is, as always, off limits. I'm afraid that, considering the danger abroad, the punishment for straying into the Forest is going to be even stricter this year. This is for your own good.

"In a related announcement, after much debate it has been decided that students in their third year and above shall be permitted to visit Hogsmeade on designated weekends, accompanied by teachers as usual." As he said this, Professor McGonagall's face tightened.

"And, finally," Dumbledore continued, "we have a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year. Please join me in welcoming Professor Persephone Green." ("Say that three times fast" George whispered to Fred.) "It will be her very grave responsibility to teach you to defend yourselves. Considering the raised stakes this year," Dumbledore looked around pointedly, "I trust that you will all give her your full attention and respect."

Everyone looked at Professor Green, and she smiled at them all. Ron reached around Ginny and poked Harry in the side.

"Look at Snape!" he mouthed. Harry looked back up to the staff table. Down the table to Professor Green's right sat Snape. But he looked different somehow; instead of wearing his usual sour expression, he seemed to be staring absently at Professor Green. When she turned to look at him, he looked quickly away.

Harry shot Ron a perplexed look. "What does that mean?" he mouthed. Ron shrugged.

Professor Dumbledore dismissed the students to their respective houses. Hermione gathered up the Gryffindor first-years and herded them out of the Hall. As Ron and Harry prepared to walk over to the staff table and greet Hagrid, someone tapped them from behind.

"Hey, you two," Professor Green's voice came from behind them. They turned around. She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "I've brought my dog Snuffles with me--" she winked "--would you two like to come and meet him?"

Harry could barely contain his excitement. He and Ron looked at each other. "Yeah!" was all they could say in response.

They followed Professor Green to her office. When he entered it, Harry barely recognized the room. Last year, Professor Moody's Dark magic detectors had been scattered all around it; the year before, Professor Lupin had kept Dark creatures in here. Interesting as they were, none of the previous contents of this room were anywhere near as fascinating as what Ron and Harry were now busily taking in. Weapons of all kinds were mounted on the walls--spears, swords, knives, funny-shaped throwing stars, and a boomerang. In addition, three guitars leaned against the wall behind the desk.
"Wow!" Ron exclaimed.
"Don't touch anything!" Professor Green warned him. "Just a second." She opened a door to an adjoining room and signaled to someone inside. A very large black dog bounded into her office, and promptly transformed into the exact person Harry had been most anxious to see--his godfather, Sirius Black.

"Harry," Sirius said as he embraced him. "I'm very glad to see you."

"I didn't know you'd be here!" Harry replied.

"No one did. Dumbledore arranged it. Thought I would be safer here now--as long as I kept my dog form around people, that is. He figured this would be the last place the Ministry would expect me to be, now that they're convinced I've fled the country."

"So you're staying? Here, at Hogwarts?"

"Yeah," Sirius smiled. "Some of the time, anyway. I'm going to be helping Dumbledore try to figure out what Voldemort's next move is." Ron grimaced upon hearing the name.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. They all jumped. Sirius transformed back into a dog instantly. After ensuring that he was safely disguised, Professor Green opened the door. Dumbledore walked in.

"Ah, I thought I might find you here," he smiled to Ron and Harry. "Persephone, I was going for a walk around the lake, and wondered if I might take Snuffles with me."

"Of course," she responded.

"Thank you." Dumbledore smiled as Sirius the dog licked Harry's and Ron's faces, then bounded to his side. "I trust that you won't keep these boys up too late? They'll have a busy day tomorrow. But I'm sure you know that better than anyone."

She laughed. "Yes, I'll be sure to get them back to Gryffindor tower at a reasonable hour." She, Harry, and Ron said goodnight to Sirius and Dumbledore. Professor Green closed the door.

"So you know he's here," she began, walking over to her desk and taking a seat behind it, "but no one else besides Hermione is to find out. You understand how dangerous things could get for him if anyone does. It's very important that you keep this in the strictest confidence. We're to mention him in conversation only as my dog Snuffles. Can I trust you to remember that?"

Harry and Ron nodded. "Of course. But listen--why didn't you tell us you were teaching here?" Ron asked.

Professor Green smiled. "I was going to mention it, but I'm afraid I forgot. At the rehearsal dinner, I was too interested in hearing all the stories of your adventures here--wanted to get a good idea what kind of mischievous troublemakers I was going to be up against." She smiled. "I was going to tell you at the wedding, but I guess I forgot, what with your brothers' little joke and all."

Harry and Ron returned Professor Green's friendly smile. As she spoke, Ron had been distracted by a luminous golden dagger hanging on the wall behind her head. She followed his gaze and turned around.

"Ah, yes," she said as she took it down from the wall, "This dagger is one of my favorites." She looked up from it unexpectedly, with an excited smile, like a child with a favorite toy. "Check this out."

She picked a piece of parchment up off her desk and held it by a corner with her left hand. With her other hand, she ran the dagger down the middle of the parchment. It split instantly and soundlessly, as though it offered the blade no resistance at all.

"Woah," Harry said quietly. He tried not to imagine what would happen if the dagger came into contact with a person's skin.

"That's nothing," said Professor Green. "Ron, will you hold up these two pieces of parchment?" She gave the two parchment halves to Ron. He held them up next to each other.

She placed the dagger between and below the two pieces, and began to move it upward. As she did, Harry gasped--the two halves of parchment mended as the dagger passed between them, like a zipper joining two pieces of cloth.

Professor Green set the dagger on her desk and took the parchment from Ron. She grasped either end and pulled it taut so that they could see that it was mended seamlessly.

"This is a Healing Dagger," she explained. "Very handy for defending yourself against Dark wizards, if you don't wish to do them any lasting harm. Just as long as they don't get it away from you ... That's how I got this." She turned her head to the right and pointed at the long, thin scar on her neck. "But that's a whole other story. I may tell it to you sometime. But not tonight. It's late, and about time you two headed up to bed."