Author's note: This takes place in Harry's fifth year, ergo Professor Umbridge would be teaching the Defense Against Dark Arts class, however there hasn't been a character I detested more than Dolores Umbridge, so she is not in the fan fiction. I am going to say that Professor Lupin is still teaching the class and no one other than the faculty and Harry, Hermione, and Ron know about his werewolf status.

Oh and thanks to paprika90 & Michelle for reviewing!!!

Ch. 4

That Night

Rebecca was tossing and turning she could not sleep comfortably. The room was too hot one moment, and the next it was freezing cold. Hermione was sleeping peacefully in the bed across the room. Rebecca envied her, she was pretty sure that the sun would rise in about three hours, and she was also pretty sure she had gotten no sleep. She yawned and closed her eyes, and although she thought she was getting no sleep, she had a very vivid dream.

She was walking down a freezing hallway that was made out of a pearly surface. If she looked at one of the walls she could see a very distorted reflection of herself. She did not like looking at herself with an hourglass shaped head so she began walking faster and faster down the hallway trying to get somewhere. Suddenly she found herself on her front lawn, watching her house burn to the ground. She viewed with interest her own unconscious body being carried from the second story. Then she heard the paramedics talking to one of the firefighters,

"How many did you get out of there alive?" asked the female paramedic

"Only one, she's over there," The firefighter pointed at Rebecca laying on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance.

"Only one! How many others were there in there?" asked the other paramedic.

"Three others, most likely her parents, and a young child." The firefighter said quietly.

"What a shame." The female paramedic said, as the three of them watched the rest of the house crumble to the ground in flames. Rebecca's dream self began to run down the street until she found herself in the hallway again. She lay down on the ground and let the cold from the floor seep into her bones.

Rebecca woke up suddenly to see Hermione getting ready. She stretched and began to get out of bed. Hermione, noticing that Rebecca was waking up, turned around.

"There is a letter there, on the dresser. It came just this morning."

Rebecca nodded slowly and climbed out of bed. She saw the parchment sitting on the dresser and picked it up, it was addressed to her, Ms. Rebecca Reed, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Gryfindor Tower, Girls Dormitory. She opened the letter and read:

Ms. Rebecca Johnson, contrary to the previous plans, it has been decided that each subject that you were formerly going to take will tutor you for a week and at the end of that week, you will be tested and placed in a class more appropriate for you. Your first tutoring session will be with Professor Flitwick for charms. It will take place just after lunch. Professor McGonagall will be giving you your full tutoring schedule at breakfast today.

Sincerely,

Professor Dumbledore

Rebecca blinked, and showed the letter to Hermione before wandering into the bathroom and getting ready. She grabbed the uniform that she had dropped on the floor from the night previous and put it on. Making her looks even more disheveled than she already were.

Her brown hair was hanging down her back in a wet ponytail, her face was creased from sleeping, and there were dark circles under her eyes. She looked at herself in the mirror and cringed, her entire outfit was wrinkled and hanging off her like a sack. Her black robe made her look very pale, accentuating the dark circles. She blinked and rubbed her eyes again.

"What I wouldn't kill for a cup of coffee right now." Rebecca moaned.

Hermione laughed, "You'll get used to waking up this early, and besides they don't serve the students coffee."

Rebecca moaned again, and crawled back into bed, robe, uniform, shoes, and all.

"Then I'm not getting up until noon! My first lesson isn't until after lunch." Rebecca's voice was muffled by the pillow she was currently lying face first into.

Hermione laughed again and grabbed Rebecca's arm and pulled her out of bed. Rebecca fell out of the bed with a sight sigh, and stood up.

"You, Hermione Granger, are a bona fide slave master." She straightened her shirt and stalked out of the room, closely followed by a book-carrying Hermione.

Hermione and Rebecca climbed out of the portrait hole and began walking down to the Great hall for breakfast. As the got closer Hermione began to wave 'hellos' to various people walking through the halls. Rebecca smiled at Ron as he jogged up and joined them, closely followed by a very bedraggled Harry. She smiled at Harry too, she could tell he had gotten as much sleep or less as she had. Harry returned her smile, noticing the exact same thing about her. As the neared the entrance of the Great hall, a voice called out from behind them.

"Well if it isn't Potter, Weasel and Mudblood."

A smug looking blond haired guy stood behind them, flanked by two thug-ish looking boys.

"Can it, Malfoy!" Ron growled as Hermione put a hand in front of him to stop him from stepping forward.

"Poor likkle Ronnykins, did I hurt your feelings?" The blonde boy smirked at the four of them, just noticing that Rebecca stood with them, "And look another mudblood! This school is really going to the dogs."

Hermione whispered into Ron's ear, "Its not worth it, Ron! Malfoy's only being a prick again. Just leave it!"

Ron nodded at Hermione, and stepped back. Hermione grabbed his and Harry's arm and began pulling them into the Great hall. Malfoy's smug laughter followed them through the doors. The four of them sat down at the end of the table and began shoveling food onto their plates.

"Who was that kid?" inquired Rebecca

"Just a stupid little prat, who thinks he's better than everyone because of his surname." Hermione answered.

"He makes our lives living hells whenever he sees us." muttered Ron.

"Oh" said Rebecca, "Umm, what does mudblood mean? It sounds a bit insulting."

"It is" spoke up Harry "It means your blood is unclean, that you aren't as good as pure blood wizards. Malfoy has been calling Hermione that for ages now, even though everyone knows Hermione is ten times smarter than everyone else in the school. It seems like you'll be getting that special treatment too."

Hermione blushed and said, "Malfoy just says that to make himself feel better, it's a low insult and I've given up even caring that he says it to me. Coming from him, it means next to nothing."

Rebecca nodded, and began eating; Seamus and Dean quickly joined them.

"Hey Rebecca" Seamus greeted Rebecca with a smile and sat down next to her.

"Hey Seamus, how's life?" Rebecca smiled back at him and scooted over so he would have more room.

"Oh you know the usual, homework, exploding snap, more homework" Seamus smiled at her, "Oh and did I mention homework?"

Rebecca laughed, "Actually, no, I don't think you did."

Ron interrupted them, "The first Hogsmeade weekend is coming up, you going to go Seamus?"

Seamus nodded, "Yeah, I'm going to stop at Zonko's, nearly out of Dungbombs. You going to go, Rebecca?"

"I would if I knew what a Hogsmeade weekend was."

"Oh its when all the third years and up go down to Hogsmeade and get a break from all that is school." Ron said

"There are a bunch of cool shops there, I'll show you around if you like?" Seamus offered.

Rebecca smiled, "Sure, sounds fun."

Professor McGonagall came up then, to give Rebecca her tutoring schedule. The rest of Rebecca's friends began to stroll off in different directions to go to class. Rebecca decided to go to the library and see if she could do some extra studying before her charms tutoring session. As she walked over she looked at her schedule and saw it was:

Before lunch : Charms / Flitwick

After lunch : Herbology / Sprout

Before Dinner : Potions / Snape

Every other day after dinner : Transfiguration / McGonagall or Defense against Dark Arts / Lupin

She noticed that the only time she would have to study would be after breakfast. Which meant she could not sleep in. She sighed and walked into the library; enduring the severe stares the librarian threw her way again. Rebecca wandered into the charms section, and decided that, since Flitwick had seemed so nice, maybe studying for charms could be put off until later? She looked down at her schedule again, and decided the one teacher that she would really have to study for would be Snape. She left the charms section and walked to the back of the library, into the potions section. She was browsing books, when she found one that looked very promising. A guide to beginner's potions by Severus Snape! Rebecca was stunned; she had not known that Professor Snape had written a book. Deciding that, that book was perfect, it would teach her what she should know going into his class, she grabbed if off the shelf and found a secluded table amongst the towering shelves.

1 hour later

Rebecca put the book down; she had just finished the first chapter, and needed to get to her charms tutoring. She wondered if she could check it out. The librarian did not look like someone who enjoyed parting with her books. Rebecca picked it up, off the table and walked up to the librarians desk, and before she could say anything the librarian took the book out of her hand and stamped it.

"This is due back in a month." The librarian stated sourly, "Don't be late."

Rebecca took the book back and realized she had forgotten to bring her bag or her wand. She walked rapidly out of the library and broke into a run the second she was out. She reached the Gryfindor tower and dashed inside. Sprinting up to her bedroom she grabbed her wand off the bed-side stand, and dropped the book onto her bed. Grabbing her bag, with all her books in it, Rebecca rushed back out into the common rooms, and back into the halls. Knowing that she would most likely be late, Rebecca kept running until she reached the charms classroom. Professor Flitwick was waiting inside.

He smiled as she entered and said, "I believe we'll start with a basic levitation spell first."

After the lesson

Rebecca walked out of the charms classroom, quite pleased with herself. She had mastered all the charms Flitwick had issued. Flitwick had told her that she was now caught up with the rest of the first years, and if she continued this quickly she would be able to join the third or fourth years. Realizing that there was still about half an hour before lunch, Rebecca went back to the Gryfindor tower and grabbed the book she had checked out. The first chapter that she had read had been very difficult to read. Snape wrote constantly about the subtlety of potions and the concentration needed. Also in the book were small potions that Snape had claimed, were necessary for any witch or wizard attempting to learn potions to know about. The directions for them were in the book, and Rebecca had set about memorizing them, now she was sure she could make a shrinking potion, a calming tonic, and a wake-me-up brew. However, Snape also claimed that there was more to potions than the potions themselves, there was theory, and knowing about the ingredients. He wrote that any potions student should be able to know what the potion would be, simply by reading the ingredients and knowing what they would do when mixed together over the specified heat. Rebecca knew she would have to work hard if she actually wanted to stay in a potions class.

Suddenly noticing the time, Rebecca sprang up, and grabbed her bag and wand again. It was time for lunch.

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