On the thirty-first of August, Rebekah found Ron and Hermione sitting outside of Mr Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.

"Hello!" Rebekah said as she came up to them.

"Hey, Rebekah," Ron said as he had his ice cream.

"Hi, how was your summer?" Hermione waved before plunging her spoon in the ice cream.

Rebekah grinned as she sat down. "Well, I blew up my aunt, my uncle's sister, up and had a word with the Minister of Magic when I ran away after."

"Really?" Hermione gasped.

Mr Fortescue came up to the table. "Your usual, Miss Potter?"

"Hmm, yes please," Rebekah nodded once and smiled as Mr Fortescue did the same then left.

Ron looked shocked and confused, leaning forward as Rebekah sat next to Hermione. "You've got a usual?"

"I've gone here for three weeks straight now,"

"Yeah, we heard. We tried to find you at the Leaky Caldron but you weren't there, nor Flourish and Blotts, or Madam Malkin's," Hermione said and had a spoonful of her chocolate banana split.

Rebekah scoffed. "Yeah, well, I got my books last week and I don't shop at Madam Malkin's."

"Where'd you shop for your robes then?"

"At Twilfitt and Tattings," Rebekah paused to thank Mr Fortescue when he placed her Magical raspberry ripple in front of her. "I live with wealthy Slytherins, I need to look the part. It's better quality and so the robes last the year, but I do buy a new set every year or I get one owled when needed."

"Twilfitt and Tattings is expensive," Ron complained, waving his spoon. "Like really expensive."

"Last Potter," Rebekah said and flashed her ring, before stroking the bottom with her thumb. "I have full access to the vaults. Since I hadn't touched the vaults until I was eleven, there was a higher interest rate on my savings. Merlin's beard, Hermione. What is all of this?"

Rebekah saw the three large and heavy bundles of books next to her. Hermione shrugged and said, "Well, those are my books for Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Divination, The Study of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies."

"What are you doing Muggle Studies for?" Ron rolled his eyes.

"It'll be fascinating to study them from the wizarding point of view,"

"Does that mean you got into all the classes you wanted?" Rebekah said and watched Hermione nod. "So did I. At least, I know what to get you for your birthday now."

"I really want an owl. I mean, Rebekah's got Hedwig and you've got Errol," Hermione said after taking a look in her purse.

"Errol's the family owl, Scabbers is mine," Ron said and pulled his rat out of his pocket."And I want to get him checked over. I don't think Egypt agreed with him."

Rebekah gestured to the rat, asking if she could pick it up. Ron nodded and handed her Scabbers. She brought the Animagus closer to her face and inspected its arms and fingers. She tightened her grip and watched it shake as it tried to get away, she refused to until she gripped the criminal tightly in her hand before letting it drop. It ran straight back to Ron and cowered into his lap.

"You go and get your owl, Hermione, and get Scabbers checked out," Rebekah suggested. "I'm going back to the Leaky Cauldron, I need to get Emperor, Hedwig and Fidele fed. They'll go for Tom's kitchen otherwise."

After half an hour, Mrs Weasley came into the Leaky Cauldron with a horde of shopping bags and her younger children. Fred and Goerge sneaked a little powder of something into a cup of a customer and watched them turn purple without noticing. Mrs Weasley scolded them and said that they needed to behave like Percy. Ginny, the youngest and the only girl, said hello to Rebekah as she came into the main area.

"Potter, nice to see you," Percy Weasley said and shook her hand with a timid smile.

"Hello, Weasley," Rebekah said back. "You do know you can call me Rebekah?"

"Only if you call me Percy. I hope you're well?"

"Very, thanks,"

"Rebekah!" Percy was shoved out of the way for Fred to replace him with a large bow. "Simply splendid to see you, old girl."

"Marvelous," Then George elbowed Fred out of the way and took her hand, giving the knuckles a fake and exaggerated kiss. "Absolutely spiffing."

All of this made Percy scowl and Rebekah sent him a sympathetic smile, but she found it just as funny. Mrs Weasley scolded the twins again and Percy dismissed himself.

"Hello, Rebekah, dear. I suppose you've heard our exciting news?"Mrs Weasley turned to the Potter Witch and smiled softly at her. "Second Head Boy in the family!"

"And last," Fred mumbled under his breath as George nudged him.

"I don't doubt that," Mrs Weasley said and frowned. "I notice they haven't made you two prefects."

"What do we want to be prefects for?" George was revolted and absolutely disgusted at the idea. "It'd take all the fun out of life."

"Yeah, if you're Head Boy or Girl, everyone knows who you are and they'll keep an eye on you," Rebekah said quietly so Mrs Weasley wouldn't hear. "Stay under the radar and you can do whatever you want."

Fred and George both had a wicked smile on their lips.

Hours later, Rebekah found herself hiding behind a door and listening to Mr and Mrs Weasley arguing about her.

". . . makes no sense not to tell her," Mr Weasley said "Rebekah's got a right to know. I've tried to tell Fudge, but he insists on treating her like a child. She's thirteen years old and —"

"Arthur, the truth would terrify her!" Mrs Weasley retorted, "Do you really want to send her back to school with that hanging over her? For heaven's sake, she's happy not knowing!"

"I don't want to make her miserable, I want to put her on her guard!" Mr Weasley said. "If the Knight Bus hadn't picked her up, I'm prepared to bet she would have been dead before the Ministry found her."

"But she's not dead, she's fine, so what's the point —"

"Molly, they say Sirius Black's mad, and maybe he is, but he was clever enough to escape from Azkaban, and that's supposed to be impossible. It's been a month, and no one's seen hide nor hair of him, and I don't care what Fudge keeps telling the Daily Prophet, we're no nearer catching Black than inventing self-spelling wands. The only thing we know for sure is what Black's after —"

"But Rebekah will be perfectly safe at Hogwarts."

"We thought Azkaban was perfectly safe. If Black can break out of Azkaban, he can break into Hogwarts."

"But no one's really sure that Black's after Rebekah—"

"Molly, how many times do I have to tell you? They didn't report it in the press because Fudge wanted it kept quiet, but Fudge went out to Azkaban the night Black escaped. The guards told Fudge that Black's been talking in his sleep for a while now. Always the same words: 'At Hogwarts...At Hogwarts.' Black is deranged, Molly, and he wants Rebekah dead. If you ask me, he thinks murdering Rebekah will bring You-Know-Who back to power. Black lost everything the night Rebekah stopped You-Know-Who, and he's had twelve years alone in Azkaban to brood on that..."

There was a silent pause.

"Well, Arthur, you must do what you think is right. But you're forgetting Albus Dumbledore. I don't think anything could hurt Rebekah at Hogwarts while Dumbledore's headmaster. I suppose he knows about all this?"

"Of course he knows. We had to ask him if he minds the Azkaban guards stationing themselves around the entrances to the school grounds. He wasn't happy about it, but he agreed."

"Not happy? Why shouldn't he be happy, if they're there to catch Black?"

"Dumbledore isn't fond of the Azkaban guards. Nor am I, if it comes to that . . . but when you're dealing with a Wizard like Black, you sometimes have to join forces with those you'd rather avoid."

"If they save Rebekah—"

"— then I will never say another word against them," Mr Weasley yawned. "It's late, Molly, we'd better go up. . . ."

Did they actually believe that she couldn't look after herself? She escaped Voldemort three times, killed Quirriel, and tamed the Basilisk. She wasn't useless. If people stopped withholding information from her, she could do so much more than they could ever imagine. But they didn't believe it, or her.

After a rather dull journey to the station, Mr Weasley pulled Rebekah aside. He waited for the rest of the Weasley family to move along before he spoke.

"There's something I've got to tell you before you leave —" Mr Weasley said, furrowing his eyebrows sternly as his eyes glanced cautiously to his wife.

"I already know," Rebekah said, nodding once. "I overheard you both speaking last night, then I heard my name and I couldn't help but listen. Sorry."

"That's not the way I'd have chosen for you to find out," Mr Weasley wiped his hand against his robes. "Rebekah, you must be very scared…"

"I'm really not, sir," Rebekah inclined her head towards him a little. "I'm staying at Hogwarts and that place is a fortress. My dorms are warded against any malicious attempts of entry since last year's rumours of me opening the Chamber. I either stay with my friends, or Hermione and Ron, or I'm with Snape doing work."

"I'm obviously pleased that you're not scared, but —"

"—But nothing," Rebekah said as the whistle on the train hooted. "I need to go. I'll be safe, or I'll tell Dumbledore if anything is amiss."