Hogwarts
Diana stepped out of the teachers' compartment wearing her new dress and robes. They were deep red and made of a nice material; the fit was comfortable too. She decided she didn't mind wizards' robes so much.
"Though I'll still take a nice pair of jeans any day," she said to herself. She followed the crowd of students off of the train and began looking around to see where she needed to go.
"Madame Prince! Over Here!" Diana turned around to see an older woman walking towards her.
"Yes?"
"I am Professor Grubbly-Plank. I am to take you to a reserved carriage to get you to the castle ahead of the students."
"Oh, well thank you. You can just call me Diana, by the way."
The woman smiled slightly. "Very well, Diana, follow me."
"What about my things?"
"All of your luggage will be taken care of. Do not worry."
"Okay," said Diana. She began walking behind the woman.
They walked to the opposite end of the train station, away from the students. They approached a solitary black carriage parked near the station. There was no driver, so Diana peeked around the edge. She was mildly surprised to find the skeletal black horses with leathery wings harnessed to the carriage.
"We've brought our finest and fastest thestrals for your use this evening," said the woman admiringly.
"Well they're… very nice," said Diana, getting over her shock at the grim creatures.
Grubbly-Plank chuckled and opened the carriage door for Diana. "Watch your step."
Diana held up the front of her dress as she climbed in. "Thank you."
She nodded in reply. "Professor McGonagall will meet you at the castle's entrance. Enjoy your journey."
At that, she shut the door and the carriage took off.
"I wonder if they make these out of pumpkins," Diana muttered to herself as she examined the interior of the carriage.
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After some time, and a very bumpy ride, the carriage came to a stop. Looking out the window, Diana saw a set of stone steps with winged boars on either side leading up to a pair of large oak doors. She opened the door and stepped out of the carriage.
"Good evening, Madame Prince."
She turned to see a tall, stern-looking woman standing there wearing green robes. She wore square glasses and had dark, grey-streaked hair that was pulled back into a tight bun.
"You must be Professor McGonagall," she said, holding out her hand.
McGonagall shook it firmly, "Yes, pleasure to meet you; now come with me. I'll show you inside."
Diana followed up the steps and through the doors, which opened on their own.
"This is the Entrance Hall. The first-year students will line up out here while everyone else is seated in the Great Hall. Then they will be led into the Hall to be sorted."
"Why are they sorted?" asked Diana.
McGonagall surveyed her for a moment, "More than a thousand years ago, the founders disagreed on the requirements for selecting their students, so they began dividing them up based on their desired qualities. We keep the tradition going because we feel it creates a sense of unity among the students in each house as well as a sense of friendly competition between the houses."
Diana wasn't sure of how she felt about this sorting business.
"I must say that I disagreed with Albus when he decided to appoint a counselor for the students. However, I realize how important it is for the students to have a trusted adult with whom they can discuss their personal matters."
"Especially when it's still so soon after the death of a classmate," Diana agreed.
McGonagall nodded. "I wasn't particularly close to Diggory. Still, it's hard to teach someone, and watch them grow over seven years just for it all to come to a sudden and tragic end. I know from experience that it is even harder when it is a friend," she said sadly.
Diana put a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder. "I know I'm here for the students, but my door is always open if you need to talk."
McGonagall smiled slightly, "I repeat, I don't always agree with Albus about certain things, but he seems to have made a fine choice in appointing you."
"Thank you," Diana beamed.
McGonagall smiled a second longer before schooling her features. "This way."
She led Diana through another pair of oak doors.
"Oh my," said Diana, wide-eyed. "It's so beautiful."
She stared in wonderment at the candles floating in the air, casting a warm golden glow on four polished tables set with gold plates and silverware. The ceiling above reflected the heavens above, glistening with stars.
"Staff members sit up there," McGonagall pointed to a fifth table set on a raised platform overlooking the rest of the hall. "I must wait for the students. Yours is the third seat from the right:"
McGonagall began walking out to the Entrance Hall. Diana walked between the tables and took her appointed seat.
She had only been sitting a few minutes when she heard a door open from behind her. She turned to see more teachers and staff members filing in. Among them were a greasy-haired man in long, black robes, a strange-looking woman wearing lots of beads and large glasses, and a short, toad-like woman.
She was at Harry's hearing. She began wondering what this could mean, her being here at Hogwarts so far from the Ministry.
The last staff member to enter was Professor Dumbledore. He stepped lightly over to his high-backed chair at the center of the table.
When he spotted her, he gave her a slight smile and tipped his hat. Diana smiled back politely and nodded. Soon, the sound of voices filled the Entrance Hall and drifted into the Great Hall. The doors were pushed open and all of the students from second year up clambered into the Hall.
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Diana scanned the crowd throughout the Sorting Ceremony, and finally found Harry. He was only partially paying attention; he seemed troubled by something. She saw him glance briefly at the toad-faced woman, and she realized that he was wondering the same thing as she was: what the Hell is that woman doing here?
After the Sorting, and a delicious meal, Dumbledore stood up to address the Hall.
"Welcome all, student and staff, new and old, to another splendid year at Hogwarts!"
"Before we flee to the comfort of our beds, there are a few start-of-term notices that need addressing."
He paused briefly before continuing, "Firstly, Professor Hagrid is on temporary leave, and Professor Grubbly-Plank will be taking over his classes and grounds-keeping duties until he returns." Diana heard the toad-faced woman snort quietly.
"We also have two new staff members for this year. Professor Dolores Umbridge," he gestured the toad-faced woman, "will assume the role of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor. I'm sure that we all wish the professor good luck." There were a few chuckles among the students.
"Due to the events of the end of last year, I have appointed Madame Diana Prince," he gestured Diana. She smiled kindly, looking over the crowd briefly, "to the roll of school counselor. For those of you who do not understand, a counselor is one to whom a person can talk and consult on personal or mental issues. If any of you wish to speak with her in regards to the death of Cedric Diggory, or if you have any other woes that may trouble you, please do not hesitate to…"
"Hem, hem…" Diana and the other staff members turned to see that Professor Umbridge was standing.
Diana glanced between the woman and the headmaster in slight confusion. Dumbledore seemed equally perplexed, but then he sat down and looked at the new teacher in polite interest.
Umbridge walked around to stand in front of the teacher's table.
"Thank you, Headmaster, for those kind words of welcome. I must say that I am glad to be back at Hogwarts and to have so many bright, happy faces looking up at me."
Diana fought back a snort. There wasn't a happy face to be seen in the entire Hall.
The professor rambled on for well over ten minutes. Many of the students had lost interest. Some of the teachers feigned interest. A few, however, McGonagall included, stared at the woman in ire at her daring to interrupt the Headmaster's speech.
When she was finished, nobody moved or made a sound. Some of the students had even fallen asleep. Then Dumbledore began clapping and the hall erupted in a chorus of reluctant applause. Umbridge bowed and turned to head back to her seat. On the way, however, she spared Diana a brief, gloating smile. Diana merely frowned.
"Thank you, professor. That was a most illuminating speech," Dumbledore said, standing back up. "Now Mr. Filch has asked me to inform you that there are a few new additions to the list of items prohibited at Hogwarts…"
Diana glanced in Harry's direction to see him talking with his friends. They seemed to be contemplating the meaning behind the woman's speech.
"Now off to bed, pip-pip," said Dumbledore. A murmur spread through the hall as everyone stood, their chairs scraping the floor, and began leaving for their dorms.
Diana stood up, thinking to ask where she would be staying, when she felt a tug on the hem of her dress. She turned around to find another house-elf. He was wearing a pillow case and a stack of odd-looking hats.
"Hi."
The creature bowed. "Dobby is glad to be meeting Miss Prince. Dobby was told by Professor Dumbledore to take Diana Prince to her quarters."
"Oh, thank you… Dobby. You can just call me Diana."
The elf smiled, "Miss Prince is very kind, but if it is all the same, Dobby will continue calling Miss Prince Miss Prince."
"Well alright," she said with a shrug. The elf took her hand and led her through the teachers' exit.
He lead her up a staircase, and then down a hall then up two more stair cases.
"This is Miss Prince's door." Dobby opened said door and bowed, allowing Diana to enter first.
Diana didn't know what she was expecting, but she was pleasantly surprised when she saw her quarters for the first time. It resembled a small apartment, with the main room split into a sitting room and small kitchen. The floor was stone like the rest of the castle, except there was a large rug in the sitting room. There was a large, comfy couch with matching recliners, a book shelf, a coffee table and a wood-burning fire-place.
The kitchen had been lined with wooden counters, except where the kitchen and living room meet. There was a dining table with matching chairs in the center, topped with a table runner and candelabra. On the counters were several 'muggle' items that she was familiar with, like a toaster and coffee maker. There was also a simple stove/oven and a refrigerator.
"Professor Dumbledore wanted Miss Prince to feel at home, so Professor Dumbledore made sure it would resemble something Miss Prince is more accustomed to. Does Miss Prince like it?"
Diana smiled at the elf as he began shuffling his feet nervously. "I like it very much. I'm sure I'll be comfortable here."
His ears perked up and he smiled widely. "Miss Prince's bedroom is through that door," he pointed to a door at the far left of the room, "And there is a connected bathroom. And that door," he pointed to another door to the right, "connects to Miss Prince's office. If Miss Prince needs anything at all, she should only call Dobby and he will come."
"Thank you so much, Dobby." The elf bowed one more time and then popped out, leaving Diana alone in her new surroundings.
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Authors Note: I'm sorry it took so long to update. I started another Wonder Woman crossover that I wanted to finish before Halloween, but that didn't happen and I've been so busy with work. Anyway, you probably noticed I skipped over Umbridge's speech. I'm trying my best to give you a new story instead of just rewriting what you read in the HP books. It's kindof hard when you want to give a new take, but not leave anything important from the source material out and then not take forever getting it written because of all the information. I hope I did alright here, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter.