The next morning found Ellen being jerked awake by the sound of Molly's voice. "WILL YOU LOT GET DOWN HERE NOW, PLEASE!" Molly bellowed. Ellen jumped up and grabbed her duffel bag, quickly performing all the hygienic charms that she knew to make herself presentable. She scooped the doxy into her pocket and stormed down the stairs where the others were standing.

Mrs. Black's portrait was howling with rage but nobody was bothering to close the curtains over her; all the noise in the hall was bound to rouse her again anyway.

"Harry, Ellen, you're to come with me and Tonks," Molly shouted to the boy over the repeated screeches of "MUDBLOODS ! SCUM! CREATURES OF DIRT!"

"Leave your trunk and your owl, Alastor's going to deal with the luggage...Oh, for heaven's sake, Sirius, Dumbledore said no!"

A bearlike black dog had appeared at Harry's side as he climbed over all the trunks that were cluttering the hallway. Ellen grinned widely at the dog, reaching down to ruffle the hair on it's head.

"Oh honestly," said Molly despairingly, "well, then it's on your own head if you get caught!" She wrenched open the front door and stepped out into the weak September sunlight with Harry, Ellen, and Sirius following suit. The door slammed behind them and Mrs. Black's screeches were cut off instantly.

"Where's Tonks?" Ellen heard Harry ask as they walked down the stairs. Her eyes were busy scanning up and down the road looking for any sign of the other Noah. She sighed in relief when she spotted nothing.

"She's waiting for us just up here," said Molly stiffly, averting her eyes from the prancing black dog. An old woman greeted them on the corner. She had tightly curled gray hair and wore a purple hat shaped like a porkpie.

"Wotcher, Harry," she said to the boy, winking. "Better hurry up, shouldn't we?"

"I know, I know," moaned Molly, speeding up to walk next to the younger witch, "but Mad-Eye wanted to wait for Sturgis.. If only Arthur could have got us cars from the Ministry again, but Fudge wouldn't let him borrow so much as an empty ink bottle these days. How Muggles can stand traveling without magic..."

Her voice trailed off as she walked ahead of the group. Ellen and Harry laughed as Sirius gave a joyful bark and gamboled around them, snapping at pigeons, and chasing his own tail. The pair found great joy in picking up a larger stick from the side of the pavement and tossing it ahead of them, watching the dog race to catch it.

It took them twenty minutes to reach King's Cross by foot, lucky that they had not had a single incident. Once inside the station the group casually lingered next to the barrier between platforms nine and ten until the coast was clear, then each of them leaned against it in turn and fell easily through onto platform nine and three quarters, where the Hogwarts Express stood gleaming next to the platform packed with departing students and their families.

"I hope the others make it in time," said Molly anxiously.

Moody came limping through the archway pushing a cart full of their trunks not more than a second later, a porter's cap pulled low over his mismatched eyes. "All okay," he muttered to Molly and Tonks. "Don't think we were followed.."

Seconds later, Arthur burst through with Ron and Hermione directly behind him. The group busied themselves with unloading the luggage carts, everyone giving a collective sigh of relief when Fred, George, and Ginny turned up with Remus.

"No trouble?" Moody asked gruffly, tugging his cap further down.

"Nothing," said Remus. Ellen looked over at him as to make eye contact, but he avoided her gaze easily.

"I'll still be reporting Sturgis to Dumbledore," said Moody. "That's the second time he's not turned up in a week. Getting as unreliable as Mundungus."

"Well, look after yourselves," said Remus, shaking hands all round, clapping Harry on the shoulder with words of advice. He hesitated in front of Ellen before settling for a stiff hug, neither one looking at each other. Well wishes and goodbyes filled the air as everyone left.

A warning whistle sounded; the students still on the platform started hurrying onto the train.

"Quick, quick," said Molly distractedly, hugging them at random. "Write...Be good...If you've forgotten anything we'll send it on...Onto the train, now, hurry..."

For one brief moment, the great black dog reared onto its hind legs and placed its front paws on Harry's shoulders, but Molly shoved Harry away toward the train door hissing, "For heaven's sake act more like a dog, Sirius!"

Harry hollered out a goodbye, the other children waving out the windows. Ellen watched as the figures of Tonks, Remus, Moody, and Arthur and Molly shrank rapidly but the black dog was bounding alongside the window, wagging its tail; blurred people on the platform were laughing to see it chasing the train, and then they turned the corner, and Sirius was gone.

"He shouldn't have come with us," said Hermione in a worried voice.

"Oh lighten up," Ron rolled his eyes jokingly, "he hasn't seen daylight for months, poor bloke."

The twins quickly excused themselves, vanishing with the friend they had caught up with on the platform. The train was gathering still more speed, the world outside warping to a quick blur before their very eyes.

"Shall we go and find a compartment, then?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione, Ellen hovering behind him.

The pair exchanged uneasy looks "Er," Ron looked uncomfortable, his ears turning a bright shade of pink.

"We're — well — Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione said awkwardly. Ron was steadily avoiding making eye contact with his friend, staring down at his fingernails as if they were the most interesting thing he'd ever seen.

"Oh," Harry's voice was tight. "Right. Fine."

"I don't think we'll have to stay there all journey," said Hermione quickly. "Our letters said we just get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl and then patrol the corridors from time to time."

"Fine," said Harry again. "Well, I-I might see you later, then."

"Yeah, definitely," said Ron, casting a shifty, anxious look at Harry. "It's a pain having to go down there, I'd rather — but we have to — I mean, I'm not enjoying it, I'm not Percy," he finished defiantly.

"I know you're not," Harry grinned at him. But as they walked away, his expression fell to something sad and disappointed. Ellen reached out and gently grabbed his shoulder.

"Come on," she said, pulling him along next to Ginny, "we might be able to find an empty compartment if we go now."

They shoved their way down the corridor, peering in through the glass-paneled doors into the compartments they passed, which were already full. In the very last carriage they came along a round-faced boy who seemed to be struggling with a toad. Ellen felt her heart twinge as she looked at the spitting image of Alice Longbottom. That had to be their son.

"Hi, Harry," he greeted the two Gryffindors. "Hi, Ginny...Everywhere's full...I can't find a seat..."

"What are you talking about?" Ginny peered into the compartment. "There's room in this one, there's only Loony Lovegood in here-"

The other boy mumbled out an excuse about not wanting to disturb anyone, obviously uncomfortable.

"Don't be silly," The ginger girl laughed out, "she's all right." She slid the door open and pulled her trunk inside it, Ellen and the boys filing in behind her.

"Hi, Luna," said Ginny. "Is it okay if we take these seats?"

The girl beside the window looked up. She had straggly, waist length, dirty-blond hair, very pale eyebrows, and protuberant eyes made her look like she was constantly surprised by something. Ellen smiled at the way she had stuck her wand behind her ear. The girl was reading a magazine upside down and had a necklace of bottle caps gently clacking around. Her eyes ranged over Neville and Ellen before landing on Harry. She nodded.

"Thanks," said Ginny, smiling at her.

They all stowed their luggage above in the luggage rack, Ginny jokingly scowling at Ellen when she simply tossed her duffel bag on top of the heavy trunks. The girl called Luna watched them over her upside-down magazine, which was called The Quibbler. She did not seem to need to blink as much as normal humans. Harry looked distinctly uncomfortable as Luna stared straight at him from where she sat across from him.

"Had a good summer, Luna?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," Luna's voice was dreamy as she spoke, never taking her eyes off Harry. "Yes, it was quite enjoyable, you know. You're Harry Potter," she added.

"I know I am," said Harry. Neville chuckled at Harry's indignation. Luna turned her pale eyes upon him instead. "And I don't know who you are."

"I'm nobody," said Neville hurriedly.

"No you're not," Ginny's tone was sharp. "Neville Longbottom — Luna Lovegood. Luna's in my year, but in Ravenclaw."

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," said Luna in a singsong voice. "I know what you are." She looked pointedly at Ellen.

"You do..?" She asked slowly.

"Oh yes." Luna looked back down at her magazine. "You're a Noah. I can tell by the shadow that follows you. Really quite distinctive."

She raised her upside-down magazine high enough to hide her face and fell silent. Ellen's mouth dropped as she was suddenly very aware of Noah's shadow that drifted across the reflective glass. The boys looked at each other with their eyebrows raised in confusion, Ginny stifling a giggle at their expressions.

The train rattled onward, speeding them out into open country. It was an odd, unsettled sort of day; one moment the carriage was full of sunlight and the next they were passing beneath ominously gray clouds. "Guess what I got for my birthday?" Neville broke the silence.

"Another Remembrall?" asked Harry, frowning at some memory.

"No," said Neville, "I could do with one, though, I lost the old one ages ago...No, look at this..."

The boy dug the hand that wasn't holding his pet toad into his schoolbag and after a little bit of rummaging pulled out what appeared to be a small gray cactus in a pot, except that it was covered with what looked like boils rather than spines.

"Mimbulus mimbletonia," he said proudly. Ellen felt a sense of dread filling her as she recognized the plant.

"It's really, really rare," Neville continued. "I don't know if there's one in the greenhouse at Hogwarts, even. I can't wait to show it to Professor Sprout. My great-uncle Algie got it for me in Assyria. I'm going to see if I can breed from it."

"Does it — er — do anything?" Harry asked. She quickly started praying that Neville wasn't about to do what she thought he was.

"Loads of stuff!" said Neville proudly. "It's got an amazing defensive mechanism — hold Trevor for me..." He dumped the toad into Harry's lap and took a quill from his schoolbag.

Neville held the Mimbulus mimbletonia up to his eyes, his tongue between his teeth, chose his spot, and gave the plant a sharp prod with the tip of his quill. Ellen threw herself to the floor as liquid squirted from every boil on the plant, thick, stinking, dark green jets of it; they hit the ceiling, the windows, and spattered Luna Lovegood's magazine.

Ginny, who had flung her arms up in front of her face just in time, merely looked as though she was wearing a slimy green hat, but Harry, whose hands had been busy preventing the escape of Trevor, received a face full. It smelled like rancid manure. Neville, whose face and torso were also drenched, shook his head to get the worst out of his eyes.

"S-sorry," he gasped. "I haven't tried that before...Didn't realize it would be quite so...Don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous," he added nervously, as Harry spat a mouthful onto the floor barely missing Ellen's head.

It was at that moment that the door slid open. "Oh...hello, Harry," said a nervous voice. "Um...bad time?"

A very pretty girl with long, shiny black hair was standing in the doorway smiling at the boy. Ellen eyed her carefully, an oddly protective instinct filling her.

"Oh...hi," Harry said blankly.

"Um," The girl said, her hair falling gently over her shoulder. "Well...just thought I'd say hello...'bye then." She closed the door again, rather pink in the face, and departed. Harry slumped back in his seat and groaned, looking thoroughly embarrassed

"Never mind," said Ginny bracingly. "Look, we can get rid of all this easily." She pulled out her wand. "Scourgify!"

The Stinksap vanished without a trace, leaving the compartment as clean as it was when they entered. "Sorry," said Neville again, in a small voice while Ellen settled herself in a seat again

The five spent the next hour conversing and munching on the treats that they had purchased from the food trolley. Ellen was eternally grateful that Albus had thought to warn her to convert her American money into British Wizarding coins. The group was busy trading Chocolate Frog cards among them when the compartment door slid open.

Ron and Hermione walked in, their pets trailing behind them. "I'm starving," said Ron, stowing his tiny next to Harry's, grabbing a Chocolate Frog from Harry and throwing himself into the seat next to him. He bit the head off of the frog and leaned back looking like he'd had a tiring morning.

"Well, there are two fifth-year prefects from each House," Hermione looked thoroughly disgruntled as she sat down next to Ellen. "Boy and girl from each."

"And guess who's a Slytherin prefect?" Ron snarked, his eyes closed.

"Malfoy," Harry sounded like his worst nightmare had just come true.

" 'Course," said Ron bitterly, stuffing the rest of the Frog into his mouth and taking another.

"And that complete cow Pansy Parkinson," said Hermione viciously. "How she got to be a prefect when she's thicker than a concussed troll..."

"We're supposed to patrol the corridors every so often," Ron informed the group, "and we can give out punishments if people are misbehaving. I can't wait to get Crabbe and Goyle for something..."

"You're not supposed to abuse your position, Ron!" Hermione scolded him, tightening her grip on her book.

"Yeah, right, because Malfoy won't abuse it at all," said Ron sarcastically.

"So you're going to descend to his level?"

The pair continued to argue back and forth for a moment. Ellen slid her eyes closed and leaned against the window, hoping to get some rest. She could faintly hear the sound of the teens laughing, someone shrieking as though it was the funniest thing they had ever heard. The compartment quieted down for a few minutes and Ellen was almost asleep when the jarring sound of the compartment door opening jerked her awake. She heard Harry snap at someone before she finally opened her eyes.

"Manners, Potter, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled the blurry image of a teenage boy. She could see white blonde hair and rather prominent, pointy features as her vision started to focus. "You see, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Yeah," Harry said scathingly, "but you, unlike me, are a git, so get out and leave us alone."

The group laughed as Ellen rubbed the sleep out of her eyes to see the other boy curl his lip up in anger. "Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" he asked.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Hermione snapped.

"I seem to have touched a nerve," The boy smirked at them. "Well, just watch yourself, Potter, because I'll be dogging your footsteps in case you step out of line."

"Get out!" said Hermione, standing up.

The boy snickered as he finally left, leaving the compartment in an uncomfortable silence. Ellen could see how worried Harry was, but she knew that they couldn't talk freely with so many others around them. She would have to find time to catch them all in the Ark.

The weather remained undecided as they traveled farther and farther north. Rain spattered the windows in a halfhearted way, then the sun put in a feeble appearance before clouds drifted over it once more. When darkness fell and lamps came on inside the carriages, Luna rolled up The Quibbler, put it carefully away in her bag, and took to staring at everyone in the compartment instead.

"We'd better change," said Hermione at last. The group quickly changed into their uniforms, the boys excusing themselves to stand outside as the girls undressed. Ellen quickly slid the persistent doxy from Grimmauld Place into her robe pocket, patting it gently. At last the train began to slow down and they could hear people all up and down the train pulling their luggage down in order to depart.

Ron and Hermione disappeared from the carriage with the reasoning that they had to help supervise the whole event, leaving the others in charge of their pets. Ellen managed to wrangle Hermione's evil cat into her arms and stared expectantly at the others.

"I'll carry that owl, if you like," Luna said suddenly, reaching out for the tiny owl as Neville stowed his toad carefully in an inside pocket.

"Oh — er — thanks," Harry handed her the cage and shifted to get a better grip on his own owl's cage. They shuffled out of the compartment feeling the first sting of the night air on their faces as they joined the crowd in the corridor. Slowly they moved toward the doors. The scent of pine filled the air as they stepped down onto the platform.

Harry seemed to be looking around for someone while Ellen struggled to keep a grip on Hermione's demon of a cat. She could faintly hear someone calling the first years to them, but before she could really focus on the voice Crookshanks attempted to escape again.

"Where's Hagrid?" She heard Harry ask. So Hagrid was still at Hogwarts?

"I don't know," said Ginny, "but we'd better get out of the way, we're blocking the door."

"Oh yeah..."

Harry and Ellen became separated from the others as they moved off along the platform and out through the station. Harry kept trying to look around for people, so Ellen firmly gripped his arm with her free hand and began dragging him towards the carriages. They caught up with the others on the dark rain-washed road outside Hogsmeade station.

There were hundreds of carriages waiting, drawn by sets of thestrals. The creatures were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonesque, and their pupil-less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each wither — vast, black leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats. Ellen looked over at Harry, filled with sadness as the boy was obviously seeing them for the first time. She opened her mouth to explain everything when Ron interrupted.

"Where's Pig?" Ron's voice called out from behind them.

"That Luna girl was carrying him," Harry turned eagerly towards him. "Where d'you reckon —"

"— Hagrid is? I dunno," said Ron, sounding worried. "He'd better be okay..."

"Rubeus is tough, I'm sure he's fine where ever he is." Ellen reassured them, looking over the crowds for Hermione.

Only seconds later the witch emerged panting from the crowd, a frown on her face. "Malfoy was being absolutely foul to a first year back there, I swear I'm going to report him, he's only had his badge three minutes and he's

using it to bully people worse than ever...Where's Crookshanks?"

"Take him!" Ellen all but shoved the evil ball of orange fur at the girl. "That thing is evil."

"Thanks," Hermione cuddled the beast quickly. "Come on, let's get a carriage together before they all fill up..."

"I haven't got Pig yet!" Ron said, but Hermione and Ellen were already heading off toward the nearest unoccupied coach.

"What are those things, d'you reckon?" Ellen heard Harry say.

"What things?"

"Those horse —"

Their voices faded away as Hermione shut the door, sagging against the musty cushions of the carriage. Ellen smiled tiredly at her. "Rough day?"

"You have no idea." Hermione laughed.

The girls sat quietly and conversed for a minute or two, enjoying the easy atmosphere. The carriage door swung open and Ron squeezed in, owl in tow. Ellen could hear Luna's dreamy voice carrying on.

...don't worry. You're just as sane as I am." The blonde climbed in, followed by a disturbed looking Harry. She tried to catch his attention but he was too busy looking out the window.

"Did everyone see that man with the first years?" asked Ginny. Ellen frowned, trying to recall the voice that she had heard back on the platform.

"What's he doing here? Hagrid can't have left, can he?" Harry sounded concerned.

"I'll be quite glad if he has," said Luna. "He isn't a very good teacher, is he?"

"Yes, he is!" said Harry, Ron, and Ginny angrily.

Harry glared at Hermione; she cleared her throat and quickly said, "Erm...yes...he's very good."

"Well, we think he's a bit of a joke in Ravenclaw," said Luna, unfazed.

"He's a good man, you shouldn't speak ill of him." Ellen snapped, glaring at Luna who seemed completely unbothered by the whole thing.

Rattling and swaying, the carriages moved in convoy up the road. Hogwarts Castle loomed ever closer: a towering mass of turrets, jet-black against the dark sky, here and there a window blazing fiery bright above them. The carriages jingled to a halt near the stone steps leading up to the oak front doors. They all quickly made their way into the hall, Ellen's eyes widening as she took it all in.

The entrance hall was ablaze with torches and echoing with footsteps as the students crossed the flagged stone floor for the double doors to the right, leading to the Great Hall and the start-of-term feast. Ellen was speechless as she took the whole room in. The four long House tables in the Great Hall were filling up under the starless black ceiling, which was just like the sky they could glimpse through the high windows. Candles floated in midair all along the tables, illuminating the silvery ghosts who were dotted about the Hall and the faces of the students talking eagerly to one another. Luna drifted away from the group to go sit at Ravenclaw's table. All of the Gryffindors quickly found seats at their table, leaving Ellen standing at the entrance alone.

"Miss Walker!" She heard a crisp Scottish voice call her name. Turning around, Ellen was delighted to see Minerva McGonagall. She quickly walked up to the woman, resisting the urge to hug her old friend.

"Minerva, oh it's so nice to see you." Ellen smiled, quickly squeezing the other woman's hand in her own. "Do I need to wait out here?"

"It's good to see you too, love." McGonagall returned her smile. "The first years have just arrived, so you'll be going in after them. Once they've all been sorted Albus will announce the program and you'll come up and be sorted as well."

She nodded firmly, waving goodbye to the other witch as she casually leaned against the wall behind the first years. Her eyes widened as the sound faded around her, only her own heartbeat and a faster heartbeat filling her ears. She quickly scanned the room for Rhode's distinctive navy hair, sighing in relief when she saw nothing. It must have been her nerves getting to her.

It was only a minute more before the doors of the entrance hall opened, the long line of scared-looking first years trailing behind McGonagall who was carrying the Hat and a stool. The doors closed with a thud, the buzz from the Great Hall fading away.

A short while later, when the clapping from inside had faded, the grand doors swung open on their own. Ellen heard Albus's voice calling across the hall. "It is my pleasure to welcome the first recipient of the Creature Outreach Program, Miss Ellen Walker."

Ellen walked down the middle of the hall, keeping her eyes glued to the floor. She had never done well with so many people staring at her, that was part of why she had lived so many years in isolation. Taking a deep breath, she sat down on the stool as the first years had and let Minerva place the Sorting Hat on her head.

'So many things I see here...' The hat whispered in her ear. 'Such a long life lived, so many different faces you have worn. Difficult, very difficult.'

"Put me in Gryffindor." she whispered. "Please."

'Gryffindor, hmm? Yes, I see bravery, almost to the point of foolishness. To face the Earl himself.. Has to be GRYFFINDOR!"

Ellen leapt up off the stool, rushing to sit next to Harry and Ron. She grinned widely at the other teens before turning back to face Albus, who was speaking again.

"To our newcomers," said Dumbledore in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his lips as he was truly in his element, "welcome! To our old hands — welcome back! There is a time for speech making, but this is not it. Tuck in!"

There was an appreciative laugh and an outbreak of applause as Dumbledore sat down neatly and threw his long beard over his shoulder so as to keep it out of the way of his plate — for food had appeared out of nowhere, so that the five long tables were groaning under joints and pies and dishes of vegetables, bread, sauces, and flagons of pumpkin juice.

"Excellent," said Ron, with a kind of groan of longing, and he seized the nearest plate of chops and began piling them onto his plate. Ellen laughed and followed suit, piling as many vegetables on top of her chicken as she could. She completely immersed herself in the act of eating, having access to the most amount of food that she'd seen since her days in the Black Order. Even without her Innocence, the Dark Matter in her arm burned away at her energy in a similar way.

When all the students had finished eating and the noise level in the hall was starting to creep upward again, Dumbledore got to his feet once more. Talking ceased immediately as all turned to face the headmaster.

"Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices," said Dumbledore. "First years ought to know that the forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students — and a few of our older students ought to know by now too."

"Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four hundred and sixty-second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch's office door."

"We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome Professor Mikk, who has come all the way from Castelobruxo to teach Care of Magical Creatures; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Ellen's heart dropped as she slowly looked up at the staff table. Sitting at the very end, staring right at her was Tyki Mikk. All of the color drained out of her face when he smiled at her fondly.

Dumbledore continued, "Tryouts for the House Quidditch teams will take place on the —" He broke off, looking inquiringly at Professor Umbridge.

As she was not much taller standing than sitting, there was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore had stopped talking, but then Professor Umbridge said, "Hem, hem," and it became clear that she had got to her feet and was intending to make a speech.

Dumbledore only looked taken aback for a moment, then he sat back down smartly and looked alertly at Professor Umbridge as though he desired nothing better than to listen to her talk. Other members of staff were not as adept at hiding their surprise. Professor Sprout's eyebrows had disappeared into her flyaway hair, and Professor McGonagall's mouth was as thin as Ellen had ever seen it. Tyki simply looked amused at the whole situation.

"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome." Her voice was high-pitched, breathy, and little-girlish. Ellen felt the urge to reach into the woman's throat and rip her vocal cords out, one by one. Umbridge gave another little throat clearing cough ("Hem, hem") and continued: "Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!" She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. "And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!"

Ellen looked around, holding back a laugh at how disgusted all the students looked at the woman. "I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I'm sure we'll be very good friends!" Students exchanged looks at this; some of them were barely concealing grins. Ellen could hear some of the Gryffindor girls making snarky remarks about the woman's clothes.

"The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching."

Professor Umbridge paused here and made a little bow to her fellow staff members, none of whom bowed back. Professor McGonagall's dark eyebrows had contracted so that she looked positively hawklike, and Ellen distinctly saw her exchange a significant glance with Professor Sprout as Umbridge gave another little "Hem, hem" and went on with her speech. "Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress's sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation..."

Ellen narrowed her eyes as she heard the message underneath the flowery words that the toad lady was spewing. Discourage progress? The whole idea reeked of the dictator like control the Vatican had used during the last legs of the Holy War.

The teachers were still listening very attentively, and Hermione seemed to be drinking in every word Umbridge spoke, though judging by her expression, they were not at all to her taste either. "...because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment." Her beady eyes stared Ellen down, almost as if she was trying to intimidate the Noah. "Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited."

She sat down. Dumbledore clapped. The staff followed his lead, though it could be noted that most only brought their hands together twice before stopping, sneers firmly placed on the faces of some. A few students joined in,

but most had been taken unawares by the end of the speech, not having listened to more than a few words of it, and before they could start applauding properly, Dumbledore had stood up again.

"Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating," he said, bowing to her. "Now — as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held..."

"Yes, it certainly was illuminating," said Hermione in a low voice.

"You're not telling me you enjoyed it?" Ron said quietly, turning a glazed face upon Hermione. "That was about the dullest speech I've ever heard, and I grew up with Percy."

"I said illuminating, not enjoyable," said Hermione. "It explained a lot."

"Sure did." Ellen ground out, her fists tightly clenched.

"Did it?" said Harry in surprise. "Sounded like a load of waffle to me."

"There was some important stuff hidden in the waffle," said Hermione grimly.

"Was there?" said Ron blankly.

"How about 'progress for progress's sake must be discouraged'? How about 'pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited'?" Ellen snapped at him. "Those are dangerous ideals for someone in power to have."

"Well, what does that mean?" said Ron impatiently.

"I'll tell you what it means," said Hermione ominously. "It means the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts."

There was a great clattering and banging all around them; Dumbledore had obviously just dismissed the school, because everyone was standing up ready to leave the Hall. Hermione jumped up, looking flustered. "Ron, we're supposed to show the first years where to go!"

"Oh yeah," Ron said, obviously having forgotten that it needed to be done. "Hey — hey you lot! Midgets!"

"Ron!"

"Well, they are, they're titchy..."

"I know, but you can't call them midgets...First years!" Hermione called commandingly along the table. "This way, please!"

Ellen smiled at the little ones that crowded around the two before grabbing Harry's arm, pulling him out of the Great Hall. She marched ahead, mowing through all the people who were pointing and whispering about Harry. Her started to speak but she simply shushed him, hurrying up the marble staircase. The pair did not speak until they had reached the end of the corridor to the Gryffindor common room, coming to a halt when they realized that neither one of them knew the password.

"Er.." Harry said glumly, staring up at the portrait of a large woman in a pink satin dress. She frowned down at them.

"No password, no entrance," she said loftily.

"Mimbulus mimbletonia." A deep, accented voice spoke behind them. Ellen stiffened immediately, turning to glare at Tyki. "It would do you well to remember your password. You never know what kind of..threats are lurking in the dark." He motioned vaguely, strolling off before either of them could respond.

"Harry, I know it!" someone panted from behind them, Neville running up to them.

"No need, " Ellen smiled tightly, "A professor helped us out."

The three climbed through the revealed circular hole in the wall leading into the tower. The Gryffindor common room looked as welcoming, a cozy circular tower room full of dilapidated squashy armchairs and rickety old tables. A fire was crackling merrily in the grate and a few people were warming their hands before going up to their dormitories.

Harry and Neville told her goodbye as they made their way up into their room, leaving Ellen standing alone. She looked around awkwardly trying to figure out where to go. Luckily, Hermione walked up only a few moments later, tapping her shoulder to catch her attention.

"Our dormitory's this way." She smiled kindly at Ellen and lead her up the staircase to the left, passing a few doors before walking into the one labelled 'Fifth Year'.

There were four other girls already in the room settling in. Two of them appeared to have already unpacked and were sitting in one bed with the curtains drawn and a Silencing Spell in place. The other two, a pretty curly haired girl and an equally pretty darker skinned girl were unpacking and chattering away at impossible speeds.

Ellen gingerly sat down on the bed next to the curly haired witch, Hermione claiming the one next to her. She jumped slightly when her worn duffel bag appeared on the bed next to her with a slight thud.

She laughed at herself under her breath and set to unpacking. She kicked the trunk open and began to levitate things out of the duffel bag. Slowly her uniform and casual clothes began to flow out, folding themselves before they settled down in the trunk. While things were unpacking themselves Ellen quickly changed into a long sleeved shirt and pajama bottoms before tugging on a thick pair of socks.

Her robe began to struggle on the ground before the doxy popped up from under it, chattering angrily at Ellen. She laughed and scooped it up, conjuring a little nest between her headboard and the wall. The doxy climbed into it quickly and glared at her before falling asleep.

"Why do you have a doxy Ellen?" Hermione looked at her as if she was crazy.

"I told you that they liked me. Damn thing has been following me around since we cleaned the curtains." She rubbed a finger down its back. "I think I'm going to keep it though."

Hermione rolled her eyes before grabbing her things, excusing herself to go shower. Ellen lay there on the bed just staring at the canopy when she heard someone calling her name.

"It's Ellen, right?" The curly haired witch asked. At Ellen's nod she smiled brightly and stuck out her hand. "Lavender, Lavender Brown."

Ellen leaned across and firmly shook the other girl's hand. "It's nice to meet you Lavender."

"So," Lavender started, a bright look in her eyes. "You're really a Beast? No offense, but you look so normal!"

She stiffened slightly at being called a Beast but forced herself to relax. If she was going to survive this mission then she would have to get used to being labeled that way. "I'm a Noah." Ellen said smoothly.

Lavender's eyes widened. "Oh my god, that's so rare! Can you really read minds?"

The dark skinned witch was now leaning over Lavender's bed listening in on their conversation. "No," said Ellen. "That's not one of my gifts, though it would come in handy."

"Why do you look like us if you're a Noah?" The dark skinned girl asked, earning a smack on the arm from Lavender.

"Oh my god, Parvati, you can't just ask people why they look like us!"

Ellen laughed at how utterly normal the two girls were. "No, it's fine! Noah are all born as humans, we only become Noah if a memory chooses us. This is the way I was born."

Lavender twisted one curl around her finger as she looked at Ellen with something akin to amazement. "My mum always told me stories about Noah, aren't there supposed to be more of you?"

"There are." Ellen said, her face suddenly blank. "I'm sorry, it's been a long day and I really do need to get some rest."

She roughly yanked the curtains shut and put a temporary silencing charm around the whole bed. Placing her head between her knees she forced herself to focus on her breathing. In, out, in, out. That was the constant mantra playing in her head.

Tyki was there at Hogwarts. The one place that was supposed to be safe in the entire world suddenly wasn't. Everyone in the castle was in danger beyond what they could imagine.

All she could think was how she could get to Albus. It was his school, he had to know what kind of threat was being posed to his students. The only problem was that she had absolutely no clue where his office was.

Forcing herself to roll over, Ellen screwed her eyes shut tightly. Deep breaths. As she drifted off to sleep she could feel the charm wearing away, revealing the faint sounds of Hermione and Lavender arguing about something. Before she could even begin to wonder what it was, sleep claimed her and all was calm.

I totally just threw a Mean Girls reference in there bc I thought it was funny, no other reason.