A month passed and Lanie grew more and more frantic. She finished Magick Moste Evile, as I found out when I discovered Expanding and Upgrading Spells by Viscounte Whyting under the armchair cushion, and apparently neither of those helped. By the week of November 16th, we were both falling asleep in class- her because she was staying up late trying to find the counter-curse to Headmaster Damien's border spell, me because the nightmares kept torturing me whenever I tried napping. Even in class, I'd bolt upright with the bloody faces of Margaret and Arthur running through my mind.

Because of this, my grades started to slip. I couldn't take notes during class if I was dozing, so I often left lessons empty-handed (as did Lanie). Millie, Helen, Polly, Shawnee and Lynne lent us their notes- we studied during free periods, at meals, and I studied late at night- but it wasn't the same as being alert and learning from the teachers themselves, and I found myself getting mediocre grades on quizzes and homework for the first time ever.

It only went downhill from there. Near the end of my first class (which happened to be Herbology) on Wednesday the 18th, a second-year girl with dark hair and pasty skin ducked into Greenhouse Three and spoke with Professor Longbottom. I recognized her as Sara Tabard, the Damien-follower from Slytherin who was under Peggy's command.

"Aly?" Professor Longbottom said quietly when they had finished speaking. "You're wanted in the Headmaster's office."

Not again.

I gathered my things- after all, Herbology was almost over- and followed Sara out of the greenhouse. When we were inside the castle, Sara looked at me with an expression of disbelief. "I can't believe you let the professors call you by a nickname," she said in a high-pitched, snide voice. "Not only is it your first name, but it's so disrespectful."

I shrugged. "My name's Aly. That's all there is to it."

She pursed her lips. "Still."

We didn't speak the rest of the way to Headmaster Damien's office. However, when we arrived, she faced me and smiled a little. (Well, it was more like she bared her teeth… but maybe that was how she smiled. Who was I to know?) "You're so lucky, you know. I want to be you in two years."

Don't be! I screamed in my head. Even I want to be someone else. Why would you want to be me?

"You're so smart," she continued, "and even Commander Damien likes you. Everyone does. I want to be like that."

A pang of sadness shot through my heart as the faces of Nicole, Nick, Kayla, Ana, and Professor Fourier popped into my head. "Not everyone likes me," I found myself saying.

She looked surprised for a moment before her face morphed back into a look of half-boredom, half-acceptance. "Oh, you mean the rebels. Well, they'll have to learn to like you. Especially if what Peggy said is true." She smirked and bounded off.

"Wait!" I shouted after her. "What did Peggy say?"

"It's a surprise!" she called over her shoulder.

Accepting that she wasn't going to tell me what Peggy said and making a mental note to ask Peggy what she'd said to Sara about 'rebels' liking me- oh, tell me one of these people they know are rebels isn't Lanie!-, I mumbled "It's me" to the suits of armor guarding Headmaster Damien's office and they let me pass.

The headmaster was sitting behind his desk writing something on parchment. He dipped his quill in a pot of dark green ink, thought for a moment, and wrote something else down.

I cleared my throat.

His head shot up; upon seeing me, he smiled. I was coming to realize that the kind Professor Damien I had known for the past three years was gone- in fact, he may have never existed at all. But even his smile was different. It was a ruthless and vicious grin, more like a grimace now.

"Alyssa," he said softly, glancing down at the parchment he'd been writing on. "Just in time."

I asked, "For, Commander?"

"It has come to my attention that there are some students who are attempting to rebel against me." He coughed into a fist and then continued, "As my… acolyte, I am calling upon you to make a speech tonight at dinner."

"Oh?" I looked up at him, surprised. "Yes, sir. I can start writing it now, if you like."

"No need," he dismissed. "I have written it for you." He reached down and picked up the parchment, waited until the ink seemed dry, and handed it to me. I hunched over the scroll and began to read.

Students of Hogwarts! The time spent at Hogwarts is normally very short. But now you are going to spend your entire lives here, and you must become accustomed to that idea. In the past, you have been allowed to go about as you please. The Hogwarts you have known has changed- for the better!

This could have been prevented if you had not rebelled. It is your fault. You are the ones who decided to defy our Commander. More things like this will happen if you choose to continue to resist. You have been warned.

It will be easier for you if you join us, if you support our grand Headmaster-

There was a lot more, but I stopped reading there. It took me a moment to compose myself- I didn't trust my face to not betray the emotions I was feeling. Shock. Horror. Disgust. How could he think this was right?

I couldn't make this speech. There was a limit to what I could do without feeling like I was truly on the evil side. So I straightened up and stared Headmaster Damien in the eye. "Sir, are you trying to recruit people?"

"I am forcing them to stop their silly revolt," he corrected me.

I tried to think. "If you're trying to do that, isn't this a bit extreme? Don't you want them to like you? I think I can write a speech that will make them want to follow you a bit more."

He looked at me with such a look for a moment that I was sure I had just compromised myself; then he began to laugh. "This! Alyssa, it is ideas like this that make me sure I have chosen the right successor. You are suggesting that you pose as a double agent of sorts? Get on the good side of the rebels and then report any valuable information back to me?"

I nodded. I can be a double agent for both sides! Only I'll really be on the side of the rebels. This could save a lot of people. And now if anyone hears me discussing compromising information with Lanie or any one of my friends and they tell Headmaster Damien, he'll think nothing of it. "Yes, Commander, that's exactly what I'm suggesting."

He reached over the desk and clapped my shoulder hard. "Excellent. Write your own speech, then. Whatever you think will work, Alyssa."

It seemed to be a dismissal, so I nodded, thanked him, and excused myself. I was on the way back to Ravenclaw Tower, reading the speech he'd written over again, when I suddenly rounded a corner and slammed into someone.

It was Brooklyn, and with her was Leja. The latter helped the former up, then noticed me. Of course, me she left on the floor. I had to pick myself up, slowly but surely.

Leja mumbled something I couldn't hear to Brooklyn, to which my cousin replied: "No, you go on without me… I want to talk to my dear cousin."

Something about the word dear and how she said it tipped me off. Brooklyn was furious.

We watched Leja round the corner I'd just come around, and I was turning back to Brooklyn- ready to explain everything, since we hadn't really talked in weeks- when she slapped me across the face.

I stumbled backward, too shocked to say anything.

"What the hell, Aly!" Brooklyn hissed. "How could you do this? I thought I knew you better!"

"Listen, Brooklyn," I said quickly in a hushed voice, "I can explain, trust me-"

My eyes alighted on the piece of parchment that Headmaster Damien had scrawled the speech on.

This could have been prevented if you had not rebelled.

This could have been prevented…

"It's a surprise!" Sara had told me.

"Oh, no," I whispered, snatching the parchment from the floor. "No, no, no. Brooklyn, I'm sorry- I have to go- I'll talk to you later-" and then I was careening through the corridors because something was going to happen at dinner, and Peggy knew, and I had to know.

I know it's short but I'll post Chapter 9 later tonight too.

As for the Salinger Year forum... well, I know none (or few) of you have visited it. So maybe it wasn't such a good idea. Okay, then! I'll leave it up in case people decide they want to check it out, but I won't press anyone.

I've also gotten a lot of anon hate lately. I overreacted to some of it, but others... well, if you want to leave anonymous hate messages, try to make them constructive criticism instead of pure flames. That's not my rule, it's Fanfiction's. If you DO want to leave constructive criticism, please check the previous guest reviews. If someone has already left an anonymous review saying whatever you want to say, please don't repeat it! I try to fix everything people have problems with. My main two issues are Aly being a Mary-Sue and having seemingly no faults, and long chapters. This, Chapter Nine, and Chapter Ten were originally going to be one long chapter, so you can see that I'm working on that- and as for Aly's faults... well, she's kind of panicking throughout this entire story. Is that good enough? If not, I'm still working on it, so thank you for your patience.

Finally, I'm sorry for not having posted for so long! I've had a ton of homework and I just joined a sports team that has a LOT of practices. Once again, thank you guys so much for your patience and support.