Chapter Four: The Return to Hogwarts

"Come, little snake. Come and die," the silky voice cackled. Hope ran away, tearing through trees and bushes, but the voice wouldn't stop speaking. "All your friends fear you. You'll never be accepted, so long as you're a snake."

"Shut up!" Hope yelled and drew her wand. The tip glowed an evil green and shot out silver sparks.

"Don't you know that you can't defeat me? I'm in your mind, Hope," the voice laughed and the darkness began to press in on Hope. She kept shooting silver sparks at nothing But then, a glowing bronze light appeared on the edge of her sight.

"Hope!" Rose's voice called out. Hope felt a hand touch her shoulder. "Hope, stop. Come with me." She turned and saw Rose's golden eyes.

"Huh?" Hope mumbled. The darkness closed in and Hope fell to the ground. Her dark eyes suddenly flashed open. She was standing over her friend, wanted pointed at her chest. "Rose?"

"Hope, what are you doing?" Rose whisper-yelled. She sat up on her bed and Hope stepped back. She looked at the wand in her hand and felt great shame.

"I…I don't know. I was having a nightmare. I'm sorry," Hope answered, shaking her head in confusion

"I know. I meant, why do you have your wand pointed at me?" Rose demanded.

"I... I heard Albany. She was telling me...things," Hope admitted.

"What sort of things?" Rose asked as she moved next to her friend.

"I don't know," Hope lied. "But the dream seemed weaker than before." Rose frowned but didn't press.

"Go back to bed. We have to leave early in the morning," Rose instructed her. Hope nodded and laid back down on the cot on the floor. Rose sighed and laid back down as well, the gears in her brain turning. Neither of them slept for the rest of the night but both pretended that they had.

"Are you sure she's okay?" Al asked Rose as they sat in their compartment on the Hogwarts Express, watching SS and Hope buy sweets from the trolley witch.

"I think so. I think she's a little on edge after yesterday, but then again, so am I. We just need to give her space," Rose whispered back.

"And be there for her," Al added. Hope looked back at them, eyeing them, as if she knew what they were talking about. And she didn't like it. SS came back into their compartment, hands full and pockets lighter.

"Look, we got cauldron cakes! My mum never makes these anymore!" SS cried in triumph. Al grinned and Rose shook her head. Hope leaned on the doorway and sucked a sugar quill, daring her friends to say anything. Her eyes stared into Al's soul and he felt sweat drip off his palms.

"We weren't doing anything wrong," Al said nervously. Hope raised an eyebrow. "We were just talking." The other eyebrow rose. "Just talking, talking 'bout stuff and things." Silence.

"What's going on?" SS mumbled through a mouth full of cake.

"Nothing!" Al declared, eyes glancing at Rose, who was rolling her eyes, and Hope, who was just staring and sucking on her sugar quill. "Nothing at all!" Hope walked in the compartment and sat next to SS, across from Al, still not saying anything. "Stop looking at me like that! We're just worried about you!" Hope pulled the sugar quill out of her mouth. Her lips were blue.

"Worried about me? Or about what I'll do?" Hope asked, voice a deadly calm. Rose rolled her eyes while Al's breathing got wheezy.

"About you!" Rose declared. "We're all a little stressed from tomorrow but we'll be fine."

"Will we?" Al whispered, voicing his fears for the first time. "I had nightmares about that night all summer. I would wake up screaming. James teased me constantly."

"Did you have any while we were at the European Cup?" Rose asked. Al shook his head. "Exactly. My theory is that Albany cannot send us dreams or nightmares while we're together. We're more powerful that way. That's how I know we'll be fine."

"Good. Because the constant threat of attacks would really put a damper on our second year," SS said and munched on another cake.

"Yes, SS, that is our biggest concern. That our second year gets dampened," Hope sighed sarcastically. Al chuckled and Rose laughed. Even SS smiled. The rest of the ride was filled with talk of the past and plans for the future with much laughter added into the mix.

The first years nervously congregated in the front of the Great Hall, all murmuring nervously. Heng Kim and Tristan Luff, two second year Gryffindors, laughed and made fun of them. SS and his one Gryffindor friend, Ferna Abell, rolled their eyes and cheered when new Gryffindors joined the table. A professor walked forward, placed the sorting hat on its stool and walked away. Everyone leaned forward.

"You expect a song do ya?

A jolly good ole tale,

Well I got one to sing aloud,

About a man so very pale.

His name? Well, it can't be said,

by any but the bravest of heart

for a weaker man will quake and wail

by memories making them fall apart.

Teaching lessons like might is right

And purebloods hold the true power

Even though he was a hypocrite

With followers that needed a shower.

He did hold true to his heritage

And taught those that followed him

How terrible those Slytherins could turn

When sly and cunning is made so grim.

However, they are nothing to fear

When used right they can bring cheer

One boy ended this plight

Harry Potter is the lad

Bringing light into the fight

Drawing strength from things so sad.

He showed the power of Gryffindor

Brave was he, to face his fear

Strong to last so long

And bold holding up to that jeer

However Harry couldn't have won

Without the wit of Ravenclaw

or those sturdy Hufflepuff

We may have fallen into evil's maw.

"There is no shame in any house

Nor in being a regular muggle

Everyone plays their part

In each and every struggle.

Everyone applauded and James began to boast loudly about his father. Al, bright red with embarrassment, put his head in his hands. His fellow Hufflepuffs patted his back in sympathy. Apparently everyone was a Harry Potter fan. Why?

The Slytherin's glared at the hat who had just dissed their house and Hope played with a fork. Everyone was a critic.

The first were called and the sorting began. Rose watched nervously as her cousin, Lucy, Uncle Percy's daughter, approached the stool. She was the last to be sorted, just like her. The hat sat on her red head, thought a moment, then yelled, "GRYFFINDOR!" Rose sighed, but she had expected that. Emmet Newland, a fellow Ravenclaw with sand blond hair and a tiny nose, looked over sympathetically and offered a mushed pumpkin pasty he had smuggled from the train.

Al grinned as he was reunited with his Hufflepuff friends, Leon and Emrys, who were eager to hear about his summer. And Hope laughed and sat alongside Rachel and Twyla, her two Slytherian besties.

Headmistress Caroban stood to give her welcoming speech. "Welcome students. I am sure you are all eager to begin another year of wonderful learning. To start the evening, I would like to start with a few announcements..."

Hope tuned out the Headmistress's speech and began to look at her fellow Slytherins. That's when she began to notice that their number was lower than last year. The two boys who had dueled on the second day of her first year of Hogwarts were missing even though they had only been six years. A fifth year who had been stressing about his owls so much he needed a calming draught was gone, as well as a girl and boy from her year, and many more whose names Hope didn't know. She turned to Twyla and Rachel.

"Did you guys notice how many students are missing?" she whispered to her friends. Twyla's looked up and down her table but Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Maybe their parents don't like Hogwarts anymore," Rachel suggested.

"Yeah, but I can tell that at least ten students are missing and that's just the ones I remember from last year. That's a lot more than the normal drop outs," Twyla contradicted. The new Head Girl gave the three second years a glare and shushed them.

"It doesn't matter," Rachel said, ending their conversation. Hope frowned but let the matter drop. Then she tuned back into the closing statements from the Headmistress.

"I hope we will all have another magical year at Hogwarts. Now it is time to enjoy the feast. Thank you," Professor Caroban finished her speech and sat back down.

Food appeared on all the golden plates, filling the long house tables. Some students cheered and immediately grabbed their favorite items. Others began to chat with friends while munching on bit sized treats on teetering towers.

Luff and Kim were delighting their crowd with magical pranks on the poor Slytherins. SS and Ferna rolled their eyes and laughed when a girl in green charmed the bullies' hair pink from across the room in retaliation.

"How was your summer?" Ferna asked in her familiar bubbly voice.

"Alright. I went to the European Cup in Spain," SS replied and smeared butter on his green beans.

"Cool. Are you going to try out for Quidditch?" she inquired.

"That dolt, playing for Gryffindor!" Luff yelled, his floppy hair dangling into his eyes. He had overheard Ferna and SS's conversation.

"Thanks Ferna, I haven't had this good a laugh all summer!" Kim, an Asian wizard added. SS growled and Ferna turned red.

"I bet you that he'll get on the house team and you two will be stuck watching from the stands! He's a better flyer than the two of you combined! Remember our flying lessons?" she shouted back. The other Gryffindor's nearby quieted to listen to the fight.

"He charmed his broom just like he hexed the Sorting Hat!" Kim replied angrily.

"That accusation is getting rather old," SS sighed and popped a berry tart into his mouth.

"So, Ferna, you said you bet that he'll get on the house team and we won't?" Luff inquired leaning forward eagerly. Ferna nodded briskly. "If you're so confident then what are you betting?"

"What do you want?" she asked him, disgusted.

"Ferna…," SS said softly in warning. Ferna was a sweet but very passionate girl. She had a tendency to get in over her head.

"If he doesn't get on the team then you'll go on a date with me," Luff offered. Ferna rolled her eyes.

"But if I win then you agree to leave me and SS alone for the rest of the year. And you have to admit that SS's better than you," Ferna declared. Luff narrowed his eyes.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"What have you gotten me into?" SS asked his copper haired friend. She just smiled and cut a piece of cake on her plate. But SS had lost his appetite.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Emmet asked Rose again. She gave a glare with her golden eyes and he shut up.

"Rose," a girl from their year named Mackenzie Shirk called, "can you tell us what happened in that tower last year? What happened to Albany?"

"Could you be more specific?" Rose asked the blond, trying to dodge the question.

"I heard a rumor that Asphodel Valle tried to kill you," Mackenzie said, face blank. Rose raised an eyebrow. "Is it true?"

"Listening to rumors is like getting your information for a research paper from Rita Skeeter," Rose replied and took a swig of pumpkin juice from her cup.

"You're not answering my question. Did Asphodel try to kill you?" Mackenzie demanded.

"Yes. She did," Rose answered simply. Emmet touched her arm in comfort. He had known about this and he knew how it hurt her. The old Head Girl had pretended to be Rose's friends, showed kindness and friendship, only to betray her in the end.

"Why you?" Mackenzie continued.

"Why do you ask? Jealous?" Rose said, smirking slightly. Mackenzie just smiled.

"Do you ever give a straight answer?"

"I believe that answers are never straight. They make you think as much as the question itself."

"So you don't know if Asphodel will attack you again?" Mackenzie demanded. Rose remembered the tale Hope had told her, how Asphodel had entered her home and nearly killed her. Asphodel was still out there. And she was out for her or her friends' blood.

"No, Mackenzie, I don't know," Rose lied and turned away.

"Hey, Al, tell us about your summer," Leon called to his friend. All the Hufflepuffs eagerly leaned in. Al shrugged.

"I went to the European Cup," Al told his admirers.

"Lucky," a third year moaned.

"Weren't the Spanish woods beautiful," another said.

"Is everything going to be okay this year?" a first year asked Al. Everyone grew quiet and looked at the black haired boy. They all knew about the attacks. And fear was settling into their bones.

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?" Al laughed nervously to the timid first year. The other students in yellow and black nodded and smiled and went back to their dinner. But Al had lost his appetite. He had lied. He didn't know if things were going to be okay. He just knew that Albany and Asphodel were still out there. And they would stop at nothing for revenge. Luckily, no one noticed that Al was so deeply lost in his thoughts.

Rose tossed and turned. She couldn't seem to get comfortable. She pulled her quilt over her shivering shoulders then tossed it off as sweat beads broke out on her skin. Sighing, she got out of bed and walked down the stairs to the common room. As she pushed the heavy secret door open she heard a swish of a curtain. Cautious, Rose pulled out her wand. But it was nothing more than a stray breeze.

Berating herself for her foolishness, Rose picked a book randomly off the shelf and sat in one of the poufy chairs in front of the fire place and began to read. But something still felt off, almost as if she were being watched. Rose looked up and saw the marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw glowing in the moonlight. Rose slid off her chair and walked closer. The statue was in a small alcove between two windows and was five feet tall, not including the pedestal.

Rose stepped up and stared at the founder's face. She had frizzy curly hair that was held back by her diadem and a large mouth that looked like the one Rose saw every day in the mirror. Albany's words came back to her as she examined the wise face. "You are the Daughter of Wisdom. The Descendent of Rowena Ravenclaw! Through your Mother's veins runs the ancient blood of Ravenclaw!"

But Rowena had only one daughter, Helene, and she died before she could have children. The Ravenclaw blood line had ended there. It wasn't possible.

"Lonely? Or trouble sleeping?" a soft voice asked. Rose spun around, nearly falling off Rowena's pedestal, her wand pointed towards the speaker. But it turned out to be Helene, the Gray Lady, ghost of Ravenclaw.

"I…I couldn't sleep," Rose confessed and stepped down, walking slowly to the chair that Helene was floating over.

"I never could either when I was your age. So much in this world muddles the mind," Helene mused and flicked her floating transparent hair off her shoulder.

"What are you doing here? I thought you hated Ravenclaw tower?" Rose wondered.

"How dare you?" Helene huffed and began to float away.

"Oh, I wasn't trying to offend you," Rose groaned and rolled her eyes. "I was just curious."

"Well I don't owe you an explanation!" Helene declared.

"Fine!" Rose cried out and fell back into a chair. As she did, she noticed Rowena's statue again. "Helene, did you have any children?"

"No. Spoiled, entitled brats. I don't know why anyone would want any!" the ghost snapped.

"Did you have any siblings?" Rose asked.

"Why do you care?" Helene demanded.

"You didn't answer my question," Rose observed. Helene shifted in the air nervously.

"So what?"

"You're not giving me an answer. Did you have any siblings?"

"I really don't see how it's any of your business!" The Gray Lady began to float away.

"Wait!" She paused. Rose sighed. "Last year Albany made an appearance when she attacked me. She said that I was Rowena's descendant. I'm just trying to figure out if she's right."

"Harriet was a Squib," Helene whispered so softly that Rose almost didn't hear her. "My mother sent her to live with her muggle father. I never knew what happened to her."

"Harriet was your sister, Rowena's daughter?" Rose inquired as she sat up straighter.

"Yes. I don't know if she had children. But if you want to find out if she's your ancestor then you should be looking at muggle records," Helene advised. "Her father's surname, the one she took, was York." Then Helene floated through a wall and was gone. Rose bit her lip as she began to think. How on earth was she supposed to get her hand on muggle records?