The next morning Harry work up, feeling exhausted. He had gotten the worst nights sleep he had had in a while. Mrs. Weasley had kept everyone up all night wailing for her lost son. No one had thought to send the teens to bed until early in the morning, and they hadn't been able to sleep anyway.

"Are you up Harry?" He jumped at Ron's voice, and then turned to look across the room at Ron, who had apparently just woken up too.

"Yeah." No more words were spoken between them, and five minutes later, the awkward silence was broken by the noise of tapping on the window. A large barn owl was carrying a heavy envelope, and looking very impatient about being kept outside. Ron muttered about stupid owls not respecting sleeping hours, but went to get the envelope.

"It's from Hogwarts. I bet our O.W.L. scores are in here." Harry groaned at the prospect of seeing his score but caught the envelope as Ron threw it to him.

"You open it." Harry did as Ron commanded, and found four smaller envelopes inside the large one, One for Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione. Harry tossed the one labeled Ron Weasley at its owner, then set to work opening his own. He pulled out four pieces of parchment. The first said,

Dear Hogwarts student,

Due to the knowledge that Lord Voldemort has returned, we are giving all Hogwarts students the choice of staying home this year, as some people feel certain risks are involved with staying at Hogwarts. We can assure you that the school is possibly the safest place in the world to be right now, but the decision is yours. Please think this through before responding, and send an owl back with your decision.

Minerva McGonagall Deputy headmistress

"Ron? Did you get one of these too?" He held up the letter to show Ron, who put down his new prefect badge before nodding his head and reading it. When he was done he looked slightly curious.

"How many do you think will stay home? Maybe Malfoy will, we can always hope!" Harry didn't say anything at first, when he did he was serious.

"This could be really bad Ron, Muggles won't understand, some of them might make their kids stay home because their scared or something. Then they won't stand a chance." Ron looked up and said,

"Well, we'll just have to see what happens." Harry nodded and looked at the next piece of parchment.

Results of the O.W.L.

Transfiguration: O

History of magic: A

Potions: A

Divination: P

Charms: E

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O

Herbology: E

Astronomy: P

Care of magical creatures: E

"Well," thought Harry, there go my chances of being an auror. It was a little bit comforting to know he wouldn't be taking potions though. Still, he wanted a way to get revenge for Sirius, and becoming an auror seemed the best way to go about doing that. Ron's voice broke into his thoughts,

"What did you get?" Harry traded scores with Ron, and was pleased to see his friend had also done fairly well, although he had gotten a P in history of magic, and an A in astronomy. Harry handed the parchment back to Ron, and turned his attention to the other two letters. The first was his supply list, which he didn't pay to much attention to. The second, he was surprised to see, was a note hand written by Professor McGonagall.

Mr. Potter,

I have no doubt you have already seen your OWL scores. I know you intended to become an auror, and you still will. I made a promise to Delores Umbridge and I intend to keep it. I will do everything in my power to make you an auror. Professor Snape refuses to teach you, but if you would like, I can tutor you in potions, then at the end of your seventh year, I will arrange for you to take the NEWTS. Please respond as soon as you can.

Professor McGonagall

"RON! Ron, look at this!" He jumped up and shoved the note into Ron's hand. He read it, and looked up at Harry with a wistful look.

"Wow, your really lucky Harry! Do you think. when you owl her back, could you ask if she would teach me as well?" Harry was now double as excited as he had been before,

"Yeah! This is great, we're going to be aurors, and Snape isn't going to teach us!" He quickly scribbled out a note to McGonagall on the back of her letter, saying he would like to get tutored in potions, and asking if Ron could be too. After attaching it to Hedwig, and sending her outside, he had a shower and got dressed. Then he waited for Ron to do the same before scooping up Hermione and Ginny's letters.

"Well, I suppose we should give these to the girls, and bring your OWL scores; you know everyone will want to see them." Ron grabbed them, along with his prefect badge, and they went downstairs.

By the time they got to the kitchen Ginny and Hermione were already there, talking with Lexi and Tonks.

"'Morning Harry, Ron!" said Tonks when she spotted them at the doorway. "Would you like some toast?" She reached for it, and knocked over her glass full of water. "Oh, Sorry Ron." She added to a very wet Ron, who had just been trying to sit on the chair next to her. "Obliqua" she said with a yawn, and dried up all the water.

"Here." Harry gave Hermione and Ginny their envelopes, "got these this morning."

"OH!" Hermione squealed, "OWL scores!" She looked very tense as she opened it, and then went a bit red after looking at her scores.

"Well?" asked Ron, "What did you get?"

"Er," She looked very embarrassed, "All O's" Lexi smiled down at her,

"Wow, Hermione, that's really good!" Hermione flushed a bit more, and asked for their scores, which they showed her.

"Oh, that's too bad about potions; didn't you both want to be aurors?"

"Er, yes, but Professor McGonagall is going to tutor us." Harry explained.

"Well, she's tutoring Harry anyway, hopefully me too." Ron corrected. Hermione looked worried,

"Should she be doing that? I mean, she must be breaking some rules or-"

"I assure you, it is ok." Came a new voice, they all turned too see Professor Dumbledore standing in the doorway.

"Professor!" Tonks said, surprised, "What are you doing here?"

"It's Albus, Tonks, unless you would like me to call you Nymphadora." His eyes twinkled as he spoke. "Actually I am here to talk to Alexandria, may I have a word?" She nodded and they stepped outside. Harry vaguely wondered what it was about, but then dismissed it as being order business. Instead he listened to the conversation Ron, Hermione and Ginny were having,

"So all three of us are prefects, that's wonderful Ginny!" Harry saw that a prefect badge had fallen out of Ginny's envelope. Ginny, however looked slightly confused, and Harry was too, after all she was following in the footsteps of Fred and George.

"Oh well," she said, as though reading Harry's thoughts, "What I'm more worried about is this." She held up the letter explaining that students could stay home. "I wonder why they sent this."

"Let me see that!" Tonks grabbed the letter, and read it, apparently very unhappy by the look on her face.

"ALBUS! What in the world are you thinking?" She yelled toward the hall where he and Lexi were. Dumbledore stepped into the room, looking almost amused. "Why are you giving them the option of staying away? You should command them to stay!" She was very worked up now, and stormed out of the room.

"She is right you know." Hermione spoke up, "For everyone's own safety, we should all be at Hogwarts." Dumbledore smiled,

"I appreciate your confidence Ms. Granger." And with that he left.

"What did he want Lexi?" Ginny asked, apparently distracted from the letter.

"Well," Lexi looked around; as if unsure she should say something. "The Defense against the Dark Arts teacher Dumbledore hired was to scared to stay, she thought the position was cursed. Some witch named Fleur something or other." All four of them almost burst out laughing at this, Lexi continued, "So, he wanted to know if there would be a possibility that I would teach, and I said yes. Now if you will excuse me, I have to make a selection of which book I would like my students to get, Professor McGonagall needs the information right away.

Once she was gone, the four left in the kitchen grinned at each other, this would be an interesting year.