Rachel checked that she had her wand - again - and tried to take slow breaths like Torey had taught her to do when she was nervous.
"You'll do fine," Professor Snape said, not for the first time that day.
She swallowed hard. "What if I go in there and I can't make myself talk?" she whispered.
"Then we'll try again another day when you're feeling more comfortable with speaking to Minerva and Filius," Professor Snape said evenly. "Would you like me to be there with you?"
Rachel hesitated. She wasn't sure if that would be better or worse. Better, because she knew she could talk in front of Professor Snape. Worse, because it would be one more person watching her.
"There's no right or wrong answer. Pick whichever would be more beneficial to you," Professor Snape said when she didn't answer.
"Yes," Rachel said. She could look at Professor Snape and pretend he was the only one there. That would probably work.
"Alright," he said. They came to a stop in front of a door on the ground floor. A pair of stone gargoyles were flanking the door. "Take a couple of breaths if you get nervous. Remember that you've practiced and you know you can do it."
She took a few more deep breaths and then nodded.
Professor Snape opened the door and led her inside. Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick were both there, seated at a long table. Professor Dumbledore was sitting at the head of the table and was looking through some loose parchment.
"Good to see you, Severus. You as well, Miss Snow," Professor Flitwick said.
"Thank you, Filius. Minerva. We appreciate you taking the time to administer Rachel's exams today," Severus said. He took a seat across from them.
Rachel stood in front of the table, trying not to feel her knees shaking.
"Miss Snow, why don't we start with Charms. Are you ready?" Professor Flitwick asked.
"Yes," Rachel whispered, swallowing as she felt her stomach churn again.
"Start with levitating this feather, if you would," he said, pushing a white feather across the table to her.
Of course he would start with the charm she had the most difficulty with. She pointed her wand at the feather. "Wing. Wingardium leviosa," she said. To her great relief the feather rose as she slowly brought up her wand.
"Very good. Wand lighting and extinguishing," Professor Flitwick directed.
"Lumos," Rachel said, grateful for something she knew she could do. "Nox."
They went through the entire list of spells that they'd learned in Charms last year - including using incendio in the fireplace - and Rachel was glad she'd spent so much time practicing.
"Full marks, Miss Snow. I'll have your grade changed to an Outstanding," Professor Flitwick said.
"Thank you, sir," Rachel said, exhaling slowly.
"Miss Snow. If you're ready, start by transfiguring this match into a needle," Professor McGongall said, getting up to place a match, a water glass, a rock, and a cage with a mouse in it in front of Rachel.
Rachel turned the match into a needle, the rock into a matchbox, the mouse into a snuff box, and the water glass into a bird. The only mishap was that the bird was still somewhat translucent in its wings.
"Well done, Miss Snow. I have to take some points for the bird, but I will have your grade changed to reflect an Exceeds Expectations," Professor McGonagall said, making a note in the book in front of her.
"Thank you, Ma'am." Rachel didn't even care that she'd messed up on the bird. She was just glad she'd passed and the exam was over with.
"Very good indeed, Miss Snow," Professor Dumbledore said, looking up from his pieces of parchment. "You seem to have inherited your mother's gifts for Charms. Do you believe you will be able to speak in the classroom?"
Rachel bit her lip. "I hope so, sir," she managed to say.
"It may take her some time to acclimate before she is ready to speak in a room with a large number of people in it," Professor Snape said. "I suggest that the professors still ask yes or no or true or false questions for the time being."
"I see, very well," Professor Dumbledore said with a nod. "If you run into any trouble, Miss Snow, please let Severus know."
Rachel nodded while wondering what type of trouble Professor Dumbledore thought she was going to encounter. "Can I go fly on the pitch?" she asked Professor Snape.
"Yes, go. Come back in for lunch in the Great Hall," Professor Snape said. "I'll either be here or brewing in my private lab if you need me."
"Okay," Rachel said and she hurried out of the staff room and away from all the eyes that were watching her.
It was a huge relief to have the exams finished, even as worries about what would happen during the school year were burrowing their way into her mind. She wanted to be able to talk during class and answer questions like a normal student, but she wasn't sure she was going to be able to. She wasn't entirely certain she was going to be able to speak at all outside of talking to her friends, Torey, and Professor Snape.
She supposed she would just have to try when the time came and see what happened.
She accessed Professor Snape's quarters through his office and went into her bedroom. She stopped long enough to write a message in her two-way book. 'I took my practical exams. O in Charms, EE in Transfiguration.'
She put the book away without waiting for a response and grabbed her broom from where she'd left it in the corner of the room and got her Quaffle out of her trunk. Now she actually had goal hoops to practice on. She resisted the urge to fly her broom out of the dungeons and forced herself to walk all the way back up to the front doors. It wouldn't do to get into trouble before the term even started.
Much like when they'd stayed at Hogwarts at the start of the summer, Rachel spent most of the week before school started flying and reading. On Friday morning she had to return to Professor Snape's quarters with her broom shortly after she'd left. It was pouring outside in a late summer storm. While she knew from attending Quidditch matches last year that it was important to practice in bad weather, she thought it would go over better with Professor Snape if she waited until she was actually on the Quidditch team to do so.
Strangely, she wasn't half as nervous about Quidditch try-outs as she had been about the exams. She wasn't sure that she would make the team, the only experience she'd had playing a real game of Quidditch had been at Draco's birthday party and there hadn't even been Bludgers. But flying felt easier to her than talking did and she knew Professor Snape wouldn't really be upset if she didn't make the team. At least, she thought he wouldn't be.
Back in her room, she put her broom and the Quaffle away, and then packed her bag with the Lockhart book she'd been reading and her two-way book. She then went back out, made her way up the staircases and used the unlocking charm to unlock the room their study group had been using last year.
It was a little bit dusty, and somewhat grim with the rain pouring down outside, but it felt nice to be back. In a few days her friends would be back here.
She used incendio in the fireplace to lighten and warm the room up a bit and then began using scourgify where the dust had gathered. Before long it looked just as they'd left it. Rachel dragged one of the armchairs closer to the fireplace and then opened up her Lockhart book. She'd made it to Gadding with Ghouls and she was having doubts.
Over the past week she'd read Voyages with Vampires, which had been okay, if a little odd given that Lockhart had cursed the vampire into only eating lettuce. She thought Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst The Vampires, which she'd read last year, was better and seemed more realistic.
She'd also read Break with a Banshee, which was at least a little more instructive. She'd learned that their screams could be deadly and that they were impossible to kill as they were classified as spirits. It was however possible to banish one using sigils and spells, which Lockhart had done. Otherwise the book had been mostly about Lockhart's adventures in the town of Bandon, Ireland as he got to know the townsfolk who were afraid of the banshee.
Gadding with Ghouls was alright so far, though she'd had to look up the meaning of the word 'gadding' - which meant to go from one place to another in pursuit of entertainment. While Lockhart did travel about as he caught the ghouls, she hardly thought poisoning and trapping ghouls was a means of entertainment.
Partway through the book she opened up her two-way book and wrote 'Do you really think it's possible to catch a ghoul with a tea-strainer?'
'I suppose, if it's a small enough ghoul,' Hermione wrote back.
'Usually when people have a ghoul problem they just ask the Ministry. Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures can remove them without a problem,' Theo wrote.
Rachel frowned. She couldn't tell if either her experience with Lockhart or Professor Snape's dislike of him had biased her against him. His books just seemed off somehow.
'I've been reading his books too. Do you really think he did all the stuff in them?' Millie asked.
'They are very specific. He names people he spent time with and places he was at. You would think that the people he mentions in his books would say something if the books were made-up,' Hermione wrote.
It would be hard to make something up that required that many people to agree with it, especially since Lockhart was famous. All it would take was one person from Bandon saying there hadn't been a banshee.
'I guess so. But I don't know how instructive the books are either. The books seem to be more about his adventures than about how to defend ourselves against dark creatures,' Theo wrote back.
'True, but it does give us a more realistic idea of how attacks from dark creatures happen than just reading about them in a textbook. There's advantages and disadvantages to his method,' Hermione wrote back immediately.
'The advantage is that he gets 35 Galleons per student who had to buy his books,' Theo wrote, little splotches appearing as he moved his quill too quickly.
'We'll see what sort of teacher he is. That will tell us whether he's for real or not,' Millie interrupted before Hermione could write back.
'Yes, we'll see. I can't wait for Tuesday. I'm already packed!' Hermione wrote.
Rachel smiled. She would be glad to have her friends back at Hogwarts.
Rachel opened her eyes and let go of Professor Snape's arm. They had just apparated to Platform 9 and 3/4 and it was an absolute circus of people. Professor Snape had offered to let her simply stay at Hogwarts, but Rachel had elected to take the train so that she could spend the day with her friends.
"I believe I see Augusta," Professor Snape said after a moment of looking around the station.
Rachel, who was still too short to see over most of the crowd, had to take his word for it. She stayed close to Professor Snape as they made their way toward the Hogwarts Express.
"Severus," Neville's Gran said, nodding as she handed Trevor's wicker cage to Neville.
"Augusta," Professor Snape said, inclining his head. "Good to see you again."
"Hi Rachel," Neville said.
Rachel smiled and waved. It seemed pointless to talk when no one would be able to hear her over the noise.
"Well, onto the Express with you. I will see you over Christmas," Neville's Gran said.
"Bye Gran," Neville said, struggling to balance both his trunk and Trevor's cage at the same time.
Since Rachel had left her trunk at Hogwarts - after putting her things away in the second year girls dorm this morning - she reached out for Trevor's cage. Neville handed it to her, looking relieved.
"I'll see you at Hogwarts in a few hours time," Professor Snape said to Rachel.
"Okay," Rachel said, though as she'd predicted no one was able to hear her. She nodded so that Professor Snape would know she was alright.
Rachel and Neville boarded the Hogwarts Express and began walking down the aisle looking to see which compartments already had people in them. They didn't have to go far before they saw Hermione leaning out of a compartment and waving at them.
"I got us a compartment," she called.
They joined Hermione and together they helped Neville fit his trunk up on the racks above the seat.
"Hopefully Millie and Theo will be here soon," Hermione said, sitting on the edge of one of the seats so she could keep looking out into the aisle.
Rachel handed Trevor back to Neville and sat down next to Hermione. It was strangely exciting to be on the train and going to Hogwarts, even though she'd just apparated from Hogwarts a few minutes ago. It was different somehow when she was looking forward to studying with her friends, and going to classes, and maybe even playing Quidditch.
"Theo!" Hermione called as she stood up.
A few moments later Theo came in, pulling his trunk behind him. "You have no idea how glad I am to see all of you," he said.
"We're glad to see you too," Hermione said earnestly.
Neville helped Theo hoist his trunk into the rack and then they sat down together in the seat across from Rachel and Hermione.
"Your two-way book was a life saver this summer. I would have gone insane if I'd been stuck completely alone with my father for two months," Theo said.
"I'm glad it helped," Hermione said.
"Hey," Millie said, smiling brightly as she stopped in front of their compartment. "Someone help me with my trunk and someone take Midnight."
"Midnight?" Hermione asked as Theo and Neville got up to help with Millie's trunk.
Rachel took the wicker carrier and peered inside to find a black cat with green eyes staring back at her. "Kitty," she whispered, smiling automatically.
"My cat. My mom and dad said I could have something since my grades were so good. I think they were hoping I'd ask for a broom," Millie said, sitting down next to Rachel. "This is Midnight. She's part kneazle."
"I've always wanted a cat," Hermione said, leaning in to peer inside the carrier.
"Me too," Rachel said, watching Midnight's unblinking eyes.
"Witches and their cats," Theo said, closing the door to the compartment.
"Boys can like cats too," Hermione said. "How was France, Millie?"
"Really good. We went to some of the muggle tourist spots, but mostly stayed in the magical quarter in Paris. It was quite warm. We went to the beach, but I didn't go in the water," Millie said, taking the cat carrier back.
"That's great. We spent a week in Luxembourg and did some tours of the castles. Nothing as nice as Hogwarts, of course," Hermione said.
Their conversation paused for a moment as they felt the Hogwarts Express start to move and they all looked out the window to watch as they left the train station behind.
"I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad we're going back to school," Millie said.
"Me too," Neville said.
"And me," Theo said.
"I think we all are," Hermione said. "And now we can do magic again."
Neville immediately pulled out his new wand. "Unicorn hair and cherry," he said proudly. He pointed it at Trevor's cage. "Wingardium leviosa."
The cage rose into the air and they all clapped and cheered.
"I'm so glad your Gran let you get a new wand," Millie said.
"I looked through The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2. We learned a lot of the charms in our research last year, but the transfigurations are all new," Hermione said.
They talked about what they thought they were going to learn that year and Hermione had a list of topics that she'd been waiting to use the library to look up.
After a while the door to their compartment opened. "Something off the trolley, dears?" the witch pushing the trolley asked.
As they got to their feet, Rachel opened her pack and took out a number of wrapped sandwiches. "Professor Snape said we shouldn't eat just sweets."
"He's probably right," Hermione said.
Rachel was the last one to reach the trolley and she steadied herself and focused on being audible. "A chocolate frog, an iced pumpkin juice, and a cauldron cake, please," she said.
"That will be fifteen Sickles," the witch said.
Rachel counted out the coins from her money pouch and accepted the sweets and the drink. "Thank you."
"Of course, dear," the witch said absently.
Rachel closed the compartment door behind herself and sat back down between Hermione and Millie.
"She was out of sugar quills," Millie said, unwrapping one of the ham and cheese sandwiches. "And I ran out a month ago."
Rachel put her food aside and dug down in her bag. She pulled out two sugar quills, which she'd packed for Millie.
"Thank you! And they're the deluxe ones. How did you know?" Millie asked, grinning as she accepted the sugar quills from Rachel.
"They're your favorite," Rachel said, shrugging slightly.
"Still!" Millie said, throwing an arm around Rachel's shoulders and squeezing.
Rachel smiled and accepted the sideways hug. It was a little weird, but it was okay.
They settled in with their food and continued to idly chatter about their summer and their classes as the Hogwarts Express flew through the countryside.
It was dark when they disembarked at the Hogsmeade station and the five of them crowded together in a single carriage.
"Does anyone know what the creatures are that pull the carriages?" Rachel asked, squished between Hermione and Theo.
"It's just magic," Hermione said at the same time as Theo said "Thestrals."
Hermione and Theo peered at each other.
"I don't see anything pulling the carriages," Hermione said. "But you do?"
Neville, Theo, and Rachel all nodded, while Millie shook her head.
"You can only see thestrals if you've witnessed death," Theo explained. "I saw my mother die when I was seven."
"My grandad. He was sick and wanted to die at the Manor," Neville said.
Rachel felt the curious eyes of her friends on her. She didn't know how to begin to explain the death she'd witnessed, nor did she really want to think about it.
"Maybe you saw one of your parents die, when you were an infant," Millie suggested.
"That's probably it," Rachel said, quickly latching onto the idea. She didn't like lying to her friends, but there were just some things that couldn't be explained.
"What do they look like, the thestrals?" Hermione asked.
"Kind of disgusting, actually," Theo said. "They look like black skeletal horses, with big bat-like wings."
Rachel rather agreed with that assessment. They did appear rather monstrous, though they were apparently docile enough to pull carriages.
It wasn't long before the carriage came to a stop in front of the castle and they joined the stream of students entering.
"See you tomorrow," Hermione called as she and Neville headed in the direction of the Gryffindor table once they were in the Great Hall.
Rachel and Millie waved and went with Theo to sit at the Slytherin table. Once seated, Rachel leaned back to look up at the staff table. Sure enough, Professor Snape was there, sitting in between Professor Flitwick and Professor Dumbledore.
Pansy and Daphne sat down across from Rachel and Millie. "How was your summer?" Daphne called to them.
"Good. And yours?" Millie asked.
"Passable. Didn't do much," Daphne said. "How about you, Rachel?"
Rachel froze. She had just been talking a few minutes ago. She'd talked with her friends on the train and in the carriage. She took a deep breath and tried to say "Good" but even in the noise of the Great Hall she could tell that no sound had come out.
"Was being around Professor Snape all the time boring? Did he give you extra homework?" Pansy asked.
Rachel sighed and shook her head. Maybe she'd be able to talk with Daphne and Pansy once they were in their dorm room and away from all the students.
"Did Professor Snape really threaten Professor Lockhart?" Daphne asked.
Rachel nodded. The picture had been on the front page of the Daily Prophet, with Lockhart looking terrified, while Professor Snape had his wand at Lockhart's throat, and Rachel looking oddly blank as she tried to get out of the frame of the photo.
"Lockhart grabbed Rachel!" Millie said. "It's good that Professor Snape was there to protect her."
"I suppose. Hopefully Professor Snape leaves Lockhart's features intact, he looks very nice," Pansy said. "I can't believe Dumbledore got him to teach here."
"I know. Did you see the Witch Weekly issue with him on the cover?" Daphne asked.
Rachel took another look at the staff table and found Lockhart sitting near the end chatting with Professor Sprout. She supposed he looked alright, though she did not understand why people were drawn to him. His books were okay, but his adventures were definitely a little lacking.
The Great Hall grew quiet as Professor McGonagall came out with the group of new first years.
Rachel had to admit it was much better sitting out here as a second year than it had been standing up there as a first year. She listened as the Sorting Hat sang its song that detailed the virtues of the different Houses and then the Sorting began.
Most students didn't take very long, some less than a minute. Rachel joined the polite applause when someone was sorted into Slytherin House. When Michael Pike was sorted into Slytherin, Theo leaned around Millie to whisper to Rachel "Pike's father is a Death Eater too."
Rachel nodded and thought of the list that Theo had written in their two-way books. She peered down the table. The Carrow twins were easy enough to pick out. She also recognized Jacob Turner and Avery Acker, who were sitting with the fourth years. She didn't know enough of the upper years to recognize the ones Theo had listed, but she decided she'd ask him to point them out another day in the common room.
"I only have one thing to say to all of you. Enjoy," Professor Dumbledore said, raising his hands from the podium.
The food appeared and multiple people - mostly from the Gryffindor table - cheered.
"I've missed Hogwarts cooking," Millie said, reaching for the mashed potatoes.
Rachel smiled and served herself a slice from the nearest turkey. Conversations continued around her as she ate and she decided she would have to work on speaking in front of people. Her new goals were to be able to answer questions in class and talk to people at the table in the Great Hall. She knew Torey would be telling her to give herself time to adjust, but that didn't mean she couldn't start trying.
She saved enough room for dessert, even though she'd already had a cauldron cake and a chocolate frog that day, and had a piece of custard tart.
Professor Dumbledore went up to the podium again as the last of the desserts disappeared. "I have a few announcements to make. First, I'd like to announce that Professor Gilderoy Lockhart has taken the Defense Against the Dark Arts position."
"Good luck with that," Theo muttered through the scattered applause.
"Second, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, would like me to remind you that no magic is to be used in the hallways. Ink-spitting tops have been added to the list of banned objects. Please see Mr. Filch in his office for a copy of the complete list," Professor Dumbledore continued. "And finally, yet another reminder that the Forbidden Forest is forbidden. Goodnight."
Rachel stood up with Millie and Theo and they began to make their way along with the crowd out of the Great Hall while the prefects called for the first years. It was good to be back.