Disclaimer: My evil plan didn't work and I still don't own any thing that belongs to J.K. But I do own Rouge and Lilith Septimius and the plot.
Note to readers: I finally got this done! YAAY! It took me forever to get a name for the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor (which has been changed). But I got it done! So be happy! Chapter seven should be out later this week 'cause I already got it written out. This chapter is a result of too many cups of coffee at two in the morning so, ENJOY! Here are some more thank yous:
To Kiota - YAAY! More compliments! I don't think I've ever been called a terrific writer before. Thanks!
To LittleMaggie – How could you not know she's Voldemort's daughter?! I was sure I had given it away... Oh well... On with the story. You really deserve glorious reviews. You're a great writer. And I'm glad you like the cliffhangers I like writing cliffhangers.
To PotterGirl – Well, let's hope this chapter is as good as the others...
To Skade – I love your reviews. They're so helpful. I'm glad you like my fic. I don't know what I'd do if you didn't like it... probably quit... Oh, well. WRITE MORE!!! I WANT MORE RAIN!!!
To Captinnobody – YAAY! Yet again you read my fic, Alyssa. I was sure you, of all people, would hate it. I have another book for your list of books to read: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It's really, really good. It's your kind of book… A funny Sci-Fi. I'll keep you suggestions in mind . Oh, and for a good description of a Mary-Sue and a test to see if your character's a Mary-Sue, go to
To Feather – You must be the greatest reviewer of all my readers. You're specific in what's good and your not afraid to say when you want the next chapter out. So... Here you go!
To Gen Osbourne (OzzyroxIluvhim) ) – You must be the most impatient reader I have. Well here's the next chapter and no more reminder reviews! I'm glad you like my fic! Good luck on "Crazy Train"!
To Purple Ink – Well, it seems that you got me working. NO MORE POINTLESS REVIEWS!!!
Thanks for the reviews, everyone! I've got 33 so far! Remember: Keep an eye out for the next chapter because it WILL be out REALLY SOON! Thanks again!
Chapter 6: Change
Harry, Ron, and Hermione walked into the Great Hall among their classmates, just as the candles floated among the murmurs that drifted through the air. But as Harry's presence became known, the hall silenced, and all eyes fell upon him. But the little noise there happened to be was not particularly welcome to Harry's ears.
"...Look...! There he is...!" "You mean he actually came back...?" "How could he possibly show his face here...?""...After what he did to Cedric..."
"...We all know it was his fault..."
These accusing words rang throughout the hall, coming mostly from the Hufflepuffs, still mourning Cedric's death, and the Slytherins, taking any opportunity to point any accusations at Gryffindor. Harry did his best to ignore this as he always did, but he found it much harder than usual. Things tend to become harder when you're accused of someone's death.
Everyone found their seats at the tables and the first years made their way to the front of the Great Hall. They were quite a nervous-looking group. Harry wondered if they knew about what happened at the Tri Wizard Tournament. He wondered if they knew what troubled times and hardship awaited them here at Hogwarts. They were just children who happened to be unfortunate enough to be so young in such times, and so helpless.
The sorting ceremony began and finished quicker than Harry's brain was willing to follow. He hadn't paid much attention. He hadn't even heard the song. He had been detached from the rest of the world during the last weeks of summer, on the train, and even now. Ron and Hermione noticed this, but found it better not to mention, which happened to be for the best. How could they possibly know? How could they understand? They couldn't, of course, so Harry kept to himself.
The first years waiting to be sorted eventually thinned out and Dumbledore stood up to give his announcements. He gave his usual, "Stay out of the Forbidden Forest," and "Mr. Flich would like to remind you..." speeches, but Harry didn't pay attention to those either. He found himself expectantly looking up and down the staff table, looking for a new face.
His eyes soon fell upon a woman whom he had never seen before. She looked fairly young, mid-thirties, perhaps, from a distance. Her skin was unnaturally pale, as though she stubbornly refused to be in the light of day, locked up in a dark office. Her face was framed with glossy black hair that was thrown behind her, but her ebon eyes were tired, almost weary with experience. Yet the thing that really struck Harry as odd, was the long, thin scar going down her right cheek just below her right eye.
The final speech that Dumbledore gave was announcing the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. The teacher was this woman.
"I'd like you all to welcome," Professor Dumbledore said, "Lilith Septimius!"
The entire hall looked up at the staff table to catch glimpse of their new teacher, some even applauded politely. Professor Septimius nodded absentmindedly and turned her interest back to her goblet. There was no doubt that it was filled with something stronger than tea.
"Professor Septimius," Dumbledore continued, "took leave from her job in the Ministry of Magic when she heard there was an opening here at Hogwarts as Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor."
A few more people applauded politely, but Professor Septimius didn't nod.
"Wow," Hermione whispered to Harry in complete awe, "We're never gotten a woman Defense Against the Dark Arts professor before."
Harry nodded to appease her, and turned his attention to his golden plate, which had filled itself while Dumbledore was introducing Professor Septimius.
It was a splendid feast, as it always was, but Harry spent most of it looking over his shoulder. He wasn't sure if it was the whispers, where he'd occasionally hear the names "Harry" or "Cedric" that always made him jump no matter how many times he heard them among the din of talk and the clatter of cutlery, or just the unnerving sensation that something wasn't quite right. Maybe it was that Ginny only tried talking to him once before she retreated to Colin Creevy's side. Or that Ron and Hermione kept to themselves with tidbits of conversation and occasionally threw Harry worried looks out of the corners of their eyes. Whatever it was, it was not pleasing him.
Eventually when the dessert (or at least what was left of it) disappeared, Dumbledore rose to his feet and told the prefects to lead their houses to the common rooms. Only then did Harry remember that his two best friends had become prefects as both Ron and Hermione got to their feet and helped herd the Gryffindors out of the hall. They had told him, he was sure they had told him, but he had forgotten it like it was nothing. It just went to show how detached he was, even from his best friends.
The fire died slowly in the emptying Gryffindor common room. Most of the students had gone to bed, but some of the older Gryffindors talked amongst themselves into the late evening. And there, Harry sat watching the others with blank eyes. Hermione and Ginny were quietly talking together occasionally giggling while Ron and Seamus argued heatedly about... something to do with Quidditch, Harry didn't seem able to keep up with it. Nothing seemed to have changed. They were still the same people doing the same things they always did.
Except for Harry. He had changed.
He was isolating himself from the others. He didn't want their sorry looks. He didn't want their pity. He didn't want any of it.
Harry looked around the common room for no particular reason. He knew every inch of the common room, for it never changed, but maybe that was why he was looking. He wanted to find something to different. Something to tell him that he wasn't the only thing that had changed.
Change just happened to be sitting in a corner. Harry peered over at the darkened armchair, totally engulfed in shadow. As Harry stared his eyes slowly adjusted to the light and a person's figure came into view. He could tell it was a girl. She was reading, and her head was bent down looking at a book propped up in her lap. He couldn't see her face. Her blonde hair fell in front of her face, covering it like a curtain.
Harry's stomach gave a sudden lurch.
The hair around the girl's face had red streaks.
Harry looked away quickly and sank into his armchair.
No, he pleaded in his thoughts, please don't let it be her.
Harry summoned all his courage and looked around the back of his chair at the girl. The girl looked up and her endless, cobalt blue eyes washed over him like a wave of ice. Harry felt his insides turn cold.
It was the girl from Nocturn Ally.
Of all the places, Harry's thoughts complained, of all the wizarding schools, of all the common rooms… it just had to be this one…
Harry simply stared at her, no fear in his gaze, nothing trepid or craven about it in the slightest. He merely stared, his lips pulling back and thinning into a faint grimace.
No, Harry's thoughts tried to convince himself, It's not her. The lights aren't dimming. I don't hear screaming. My scar doesn't hurt. I'm not fainting. She's just a girl! Just like any ordinary girl. She's not doing anything to me. Nothing!
These were all lies, of course. And he knew it.
"Hey, Harry," a voice said from behind him. "What are you looking at?"
Harry snapped out of the girl's trance and spun around in his chair. Ginny was standing there, smiling down at him with that curious, oblivious, and innocent smile she always seemed to have. Harry blinked, feeling surprised and rather dazed, as though he'd just been shaken from the depths of sleep and dreams. Harry looked over at the girl's armchair just to see her walking over to the stairs to the girl's dormitories. Harry shook his head with a sigh that clearly said, 'Thanks a lot, Fate.'
"Nothing," Harry muttered to Ginny, "absolutely nothing."
Ginny blinked her oblivious blink.
"Oh," she said, trying to remain cheerful, "y'wanna play Wizard's Chess or something?"
Harry shook his head and forced an entirely fake yawn. "Uh, no thanks, Ginny. Er, I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go to bed."
Ginny's smile faded as Harry got up from his armchair.
"Oh," she said, her tone dripping with disappointment, "I guess I'll see you in the morning then. Goodnight, Harry."
"Goodnight, Ginny," Harry said looking over his shoulder as he walked up the stairs and toward his dormitory.
Hermione soon walked up the stairs to the girl's dormitories after saying a brief goodnight to Ron, who was acting sour since he lost miserably to Seamus in their argument. The first thing she noticed as she opened the door to the fifth year girl's dormitory was that there were four beds in their circular residence. Last year there had only been three: one for Lavender, one for Parvati, and one for herself. Why were there four?
The second thing she noticed was someone sitting on a bed, staring out the window, apparently the occupant of the mysterious fourth bed, being as Lavender and Parvati were still downstairs.
Hermione's curiosity overcame her and she cautiously cleared her throat. The girl looked back at Hermione without a moment's hesitation. They stared at each other in silence for what seemed like an eternity, analyzing each other, and Hermione took the burden of breaking the silence.
"Excuse me, but, are you lost?" she asked. "You see, this is the fifth year girl's dormitory and it's always been only three of us."
The girl spoke up, "Well, if this is the fifth year's dormitory, I'm in the right place."
Then Hermione did something she rarely did. She looked puzzled.
"My name's Rouge." The girl continued, "I'm a new transfer student."
"Oh!" Hermione exclaimed, looking politely interested. "Well, I'm Hermione Granger."
"Nice to meet you, Hermione."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, too... Rouge, wasn't it? So, where exactly did you transfer from?"
"Beauxbatons."
"Oh." Hermione felt a sudden impulse of great dislike at the name of the French Wizarding School. Images of Fleur from last year were still vivid in her mind. "Hmm. Well, it's late. I better go to bed. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Hermione."
Hermione found her bed among the other three and crawled into it. She soon fell into an uneasy sleep, but Rouge stayed awake. Long enough to meet Lavender and Parvati, if they had noticed her, that is. But Rouge wasn't thinking about being ignored or disliked by her roommates. Her mind was on someone she saw in the common room.
Who knows, Rouge thought hopefully, with Potter here, being Gryffindor could be an advantage.
Note to readers: I'm sorry that took so long to get out. It's been scattered through my different writing notebooks and I finally got around to putting it together. Hope you liked it. And I really hope it'll satisfy your reading needs until the next chapter...