XXVIII

When Dorothea received a letter during the daily owl swarm almost a week later, her heart leaped at the thought that Hermione might finally be able to see her. Instead, the handwriting on the thick paper flowed and soared- very different than her friend's neat and precise lettering.

Miss Nott,

I would love the pleasure of your company this evening before your astronomy class. The password today is cockroach cluster.

Albus Dumbledore

Dorothea stared down at the letter in her hand, a knot of worry forming in her stomach. Why was Dumbledore summoning her now? The potion wasn't supposed to be done until spring. Had they found a way to brew it sooner? The worry intensified into a sharp ache that killed her appetite. Dorothea pushed away her bowl of oatmeal and covered her face with her hands- trying to settle her racing heart before it burst from her chest.

No- no! She couldn't go back to being Harry. Not yet. There was still so much to do as Dorothea! Theo didn't have any good friends who weren't dark wizards. The Nott's didn't have any good allies. Plus, Theo had just been telling her about all the important rituals coming up over the course of the year. Apparently, Imbolc was less than two weeks away and her brother was particularly excited for this one because the holiday fell practically on the new moon which meant the energy of their rituals would be particularly potent.

Maybe she could reason with Dumbledore? Dorothea thought wildly. Maybe she could convince him to let her be her for a while longer-

Her frantic thoughts stopped when a soft hand landed on her shoulder. Dorothea glanced up to see Morag peering at her in concern. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes," Dorathea lied. Morag was proving to be a steady if unassuming, companion but not someone to whom Dorothea could confess her concerns. Especially in such a crowded hall with so many listening ears. Some interesting piece of conflict or diversion had better happen before the end of breakfast, lest the school's gossip mill turn Dorothea's reaction to the letter into some monumental tragedy. The death of Lord Nott or her long lost lover in America (one of the favorite reasons for why she turned down the Malfoy) or-

As though answering her prayers, an explosion sounded from the Gryffindor table as one end of it disappeared in a glittering cloud of pink confetti. Dorathea sent a brief prayer of thanks for the Weasley twins' antics and gathered her bag. It wasn't like she'd be eating anything else today.

"I've got to go," She told Morag quietly, as the rest of the great hall erupted into a general hubbub over the explosion, "Thanks for checking on me." Then she slipped out to take a long walk around the grounds and try to calm her mind.

…

Dumbledore's office was much the same as the last time Dorothea had visited. The same whistling and whirling knickknacks lined the walls creating an ever-distracting mirage of movement right in the corner of her vision. It put Dorothea on edge, more than the moving portraits in Hogwarts hallways ever did. Which might be exactly the point, she realized. A quiet way to put his visitors on the back foot.

"How have you been adjusting to your second homecoming, Harry?" The headmaster beamed at her. Clearly, he was going for the grandfatherly act today, which set her teeth on edge almost as much as being called Harry. Dorothea wished he'd just get to his point.

"It's wonderful, sir," She said, pasting on a smile that was more false than the words. No reason to let him know how uncomfortable she was to be here. "Ravenclaw is so different from Gryffindor, but I'm really enjoying meeting all my housemates and making friends."

"Of course," Dumbledore agreed. With a wave of his hand, the teapot rose and floated over to her. She waved away the offer of a refill. "You are integrating yourself expertly into the social fabric and are proving yourself to be quite a deft hand at managing people."

Dorothea demurred and dipped her head as she took a sip of tea. Was that surprise in his voice? Had he not expected Harry to be able to make friends outside of Ron and Hermione? Or was it because Nott's were usually secretive and loners? When had she become so suspicious of him? Dumbledore continued, quite oblivious to her quiet suspicions.

"Yes. Quite deft. I must say I appreciated your neat handling of the Malfoy and Parkinson's situation."

Dorothea's head shot up in surprise, "You knew about that?" She asked, staring at his twinkling blue eyes. "But that's - why would you keep track of all the student's crushes?"

"The potential merging of two Ancient and Noble houses is of concern for all of the wizarding world," Dumbledore said mildly and Dorothea flushed in embarrassment. The whole debacle had just been a stupid mistake- hardly something to make strangers in distant corners of England perk up their ears in interest. "Especially when it leads to a duel between two heirs of such esteemed houses."

"How-"Dorathea's flush deepened as she suddenly realized the extent of Dumbledore's knowledge of the school. The student's claim to his omniscience made a great deal more sense now. He almost certainly knew about Lady Malfoy's visit- maybe even the content of their conversation. Dread coated her stomach as she twisted the teacup between her fingers. "Well, it's all over now, sir. Draco won't try something like that again."

"I imagine not," Dumbledore said with a proud smile. He leaned back in his chair and seemed to consider her for a moment. "Harry, I'm wondering if we might take advantage of this unique situation."

Dorathea felt a wave of relief- despite the wrong name. If Dumbledore had something for her as Dorathea to do, maybe he wasn't about to announce she'd go back to Harry. "What would that be, sir?"

"Well, you've managed to integrate yourself with the Slytherins very well." Dumbledore continued, resting his hands on his stomach as if they were merely discussing the weather. "I've always thought, Harry, that the sins of the father should not be born by the son. A rare view in the wizarding world, of course, but it seems to me that our job as educators is not only to expand the mind with practical and theoretical knowledge but to help guide the heart as well."

Dorathea looked at Dumbledore blankly, not quite able to follow his logic. Luckily, he wasn't finished- seeming to enjoy the chance to muse to himself.

"Hogwarts is one of the few- possibly the only time in a wizard's life when he might mingle with so many different personalities and backgrounds. After all, in the classroom, it doesn't matter if one is pureblood or muggle-born. From England or Ireland. Rich or poor. The sorting into houses obviously brings its own set of divides but this need not be a law of nature. Look at your friend Miss MacDougal."

Dorothea thought about how Morag often spent her study hall time with the Hufflepuffs and gave a shrug. Sure- there could be friends between the houses. Just because Harry had never considered befriending - much less meeting- his other classmates, didn't mean other students were so blinded by his lack of social curiosity. She still didn't get his point and said as much.

"Well, Harry, the point I am trying to convey is that students, particularly young students, take on the attributes of their friends. Should one's friends be courageous and good-hearted, one might be inspired to do the same. Should one hear one's friend tell lies or spread mistrust, one might be led down that path as well."

Dorathea personally didn't think Dumbledore had done any better of a job converting his point, but this time she bit her tongue and simply nodded. Sure. It was true enough. People took on the attitudes of the people they spent time with. Like how Harry and Ron would never have cracked open a textbook without Hermione there bullying them into studying. It was just another reminder of why she needed to find Theo some better friends and-

The point of the conversation finally clicked.

"You want me to make my Slytherin friends… nicer?" She asked, casting about for the right adjective. It wasn't that Daphne and Pansy weren't nice- it's just that their version of nice didn't fit the conventional definition. Dumbledore shook his head.

"Not quite, Harry. Though your presence would undoubtedly do them some good, we need to think in the long term. The Malfoy's, Parkinson's, and Greengrasses may accept a Nott with open arms. A Potter though?" He let his voice trail off delicately and shook his head in regret.

What he said was true, but it still sent a chill down Dorathea's spine. Ron and Hermione at least knew she had been Harry before and Ron, at least, had tried to treat her the same. But after the poly juice potion was finished, she doubted that any of the Slytherins would be so welcoming to Harry Potter. No matter how she acted. After all, Daphne wouldn't promise to give specialty hand lotion to Harry Potter!

Or, she considered further, they might accept Harry - but only because someone like Lady Malfoy understood the importance of having The Boy Who Lived as a chess piece. It wouldn't be real. Plus, they might start questioning why Dorathea disappeared right as Harry returned and why Harry was acting like Dorothea which might make them question Theo which might make them hate Theo-

"No." Dumbledore said, interrupting her spiraling fears, "Nothing so dramatic, Harry. If you could just encourage them to make friends outside of their social circle. Give them a chance to see the world from a less Slytherin perspective." The man shrugged and smiled genially, "Who knows what benefit that may have down the road? Lemon drop?"

…

"Ron!"

The red-haired Gryffindor slowed on the steps leading up to the astronomy tower and waited for Dorothea to catch up to him.

"Hey, Har- Dorathea." He corrected at her glare. After nearly a month at Hogwarts, Ron had finally resigned himself to her circumstances and the requisite distance between them, though he still stumbled on her name every now and then. Luckily, the staircase was free of other students or gossiping portraits. "How are you doing?"

Dorathea shrugged. Honestly? Despite a few worries and dark spots, she was doing wonderfully. Ravenclaw was a natural fit for her more studious nature and she was earning higher marks than Harry with seemingly half the effort. Daphne and Pansy had adopted her into their friend group, so Dorothea had spent many pleasant afternoons lounging with them in the Slytherin common room and reading Witch Weekly. Theo was doing well - especially whenever they received a care package from Euphie, who continued to assume that they would be neither fed nor adequately clothed in the castle. But she could hardly say that much to Ron.

After the Weasley's aborted proposal, she'd made good on her promise to sit with him during one meal- much to the consternation of nearly all the houses. The conversation had been stilted at best, with Dorothea unable to comment on Ron's speculations about the Quidditch matches and Ron growing increasingly uncomfortable as Dorothea tried to fill in the silence with thoughts on schoolwork or the latest scandal of the Weird Sisters. Afterward, they'd come to a mutual, if unspoken agreement, to just wait to reconnect until after the polyjuice potion was finished. Still, Dorothea tried to greet the boy when she could so that Harry didn't have to restart their friendship entirely from scratch.

But tonight, something was nagging at the corner of her mind; one of the dark points of her life finally starting to eclipse the good.

"Have you heard from Hermione?" She asked once they'd finished the necessary pleasantries. "I've gone by to see her several times, but she's never open to seeing visitors."

Ron shook his head, "I haven't seen her since the start of the term," He confessed, shoving his hands into his pockets. A line of worry marked his forehead - which promised to turn into a premature wrinkle if he wasn't careful. Dorothea bit back the suggestion to send Ron an article on at-home facial massages to prevent wrinkles. It wouldn't be appreciated. "Dumbledore said that she was being sent to St. Mungos for more testing."

"Dumbledore?" Dorathea asked in surprise. Why hadn't he mentioned this at their meeting earlier?

"I saw him when I was arguing with the house elf to try and see her. I had figured that she couldn't be so tired and sick, I couldn't at least just sit next to her bed or something. But then Dumbledore showed up and said that she was fine but had been transferred."

"Oh, well." Dorothea didn't know which part of the information to focus on much less what to say. What tests need to be done? Why did they have to be done at the hospital? Didn't Dumbledore trust her enough to mention that? Did Ron have any idea how cute his devotion to Hermione was? Finally, she settled on, "Did he say when she'd be back?"

Ron shook his head. "I bet he'll tell us when she does, though. So don't worry, ok?"

Dora wasn't sure she shared either Ron's optimism or his trust in the headmaster, but she kept her concerns to herself and put a smile on her face at Ron's urging.

"I'm sure you're right," she said, and, as though right on cue, voices of their fellow second years echoed up the stairs. "I'll see you around, Ron," She told him and quickly hurried up the stairs to her astronomy class. Her previous good mood had quite evaporated- leaving her worried not only about Dumbledore's latest instructions but also about what had happened to Hermione.