Chapter Eight - Educational Decree Number Twenty-Two
Harry went back to school today.
He woke early and bathed quickly. He dressed neatly, glad he'd laid out his clothes last night. New robes fit him perfectly, and the silver prefect's badge gleamed on his chest. His hair was neatly cut but messily styled. He ran his fingers through it a few times, having packed his comb neatly at the bottom of his trunk.
"Oh, very handsome!" the mirror gushed. He had laughed when he'd first opened Elan's birthday present, but to his surprise the Reflective Friend (TM) was anything but a flatterer. It offered the occasionally harsh criticism of one's appearance but also expert techniques and spells for improvements.
"Thanks, Shoshi," Harry said, and he headed down to breakfast.
Sirius and Mr. Malfoy were sitting at the dining room table drinking tea and eating pastries.
"Harry, good morning." Sirius paused. "I wish your parents could see you now."
Harry nodded. He didn't trust himself to answer that, but he wished the same thing.
"I'm excited," he said instead. "Maybe a little worried. I want to do it well, after all. Don't want to be a swot of it, right?"
"Certainly not."
Remus came into the dining room and sat down. He buttered himself a roll and began to eat. When he'd gotten at least a bit of food in him, he said, "Good morning, everyone. Today's the big day, eh, Harry?"
"It is. I hope I'm as good to the firsties as the prefects were to me."
"You're going to be fine," Remus replied confidently. "I know Sirius has been teasing you a lot about enforcing the rules, but I will one final time implore you to remember your responsibilities. Do try to not let the fun get out of hand."
"I will, Remus."
Harry knew it would be impossible to keep all of his friends from abiding by all school rules all of the time in the strictest fashion. He wasn't quite sure where his limits were going to be. Truth be told, he was going to play the whole thing by ear and judge any situation on its own merits. He'd been on the receiving end of summary judgment several times, notably by Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House. It was no fun to not have a chance to explain.
"I wonder who the other prefects are going to be."
"Who's the other from Slytherin again?" Remus asked.
"Pansy."
"Ah, yes. She hasn't heard who the others will be?"
"Not that she's said, anyway. She might be holding it for gossip on the train."
"Who's the Head Boy and Girl?"
"Cedric Diggory, from Hufflepuff, and Alicia Spinnet, from Gryffindor."
A few days beforehand, Harry had gotten a thick envelope by owl from the pair informing him of their new positions, welcoming him to the prefects council, and detailing how they would all work together for the betterment of the school. He'd read it eagerly, feeling more excited about his new responsibilities when learning that he might be called on to teach a lesson to younger students if a professor was ill or called away.
As a sixth year, Diggory'd been chosen as the Triwizard Champion from Hogwarts. He'd found his way to the centre of the maze in roughly the same amount of time as Harry. He was the best; surely nobody would be surprised he'd been selected as Head Boy.
Spinnet was one of Gryffindor's Chasers, and she might even be the team captain this year. Wood had left school after Harry's third year, and with no Quidditch because of the Triwizard Tournament, there had been no need to replace him. Would Spinnet be able to handle being captain and Head Girl in addition to the N.E.W.T.s?
It was going to be an interesting experience being a prefect, no doubts about it. He wasn't all that close with the other Slytherin prefects. Now they'd be having council and such, looking out for the interests of the house. It was a little daunting, but Harry knew the others would help him cope.
"Are you all packed?" Sirius asked.
"Just about. Only a few last minutes. All the important stuff is in there."
"All your homework done?"
"Yes, Sirius," Harry said, trying to avoid smiling. "I've been done for forever."
"Just checking."
After breakfast, Harry went back up to his room. He had grown to like his room very much. It had been his for over a year now, and he had arranged things to his liking. He had decorated as he saw fit.
Posters of his favourite Quidditch team, the Montrose Magpies, re-enacted the Scottish Cup final of 1992, when O'Ryan had caught the snitch whilst interfering with a shot on her team's hoops and managing to make it look like an accident. The lack of that goal had made the final score 300 to 290 with the victory going to Montrose.
Posters for some of his favourite bands silently jammed out. Wand Smasher was prevalent, with Edgar, Agatha, Emma, Stan, and Kevin all going absolutely wild. It was a scene from Harry's first show, when they'd finished their last song of the night and vanished off the stage in a tidal wave of flame.
It was a far cry from the empty room that he'd been allowed to have at Number Four once the Hogwarts letters began arriving. It was even further from the cupboard under the stairs where he'd slept for the ten years before that. Every time Harry looked around his room now, he thanked his lucky stars, even though Professor Sinistra had debunked the concept for them back in first year.
He had always been excited on the morning of 1 September. It had meant escaping from the Dursleys and going back to Hogwarts where he'd met his real friends. Now that he'd come to live with his godfather, going off to school was touched with sadness and regret for the first time.
Last year had been somewhat easier to deal with than this year was. They'd only had the summer together before Harry had to board the Hogwarts Express and head back north. Then the damned tournament had happened, and Sirius had moved into a cramped room at the Hogs Head inn in order to be near Harry during his trial. This past summer, they'd been cooped up together every day, and they'd run in the night as Animagi. By Merlin, Harry was going to miss Sirius something awful.
Homesickness was entirely new to Harry, and he found he didn't care for it very much. While living at Number Four, he'd always wished for a long-lost relative to come and take him away. It had finally happened, and now Harry didn't want to leave his home. His eyes seemed to want to linger everywhere, soaking in every detail, preparing himself for the months when he would have only his memories.
Harry gathered his toothbrush and bath kit and put them in his trunk. Shoshi the Reflective Friend (TM) was carefully packed away in her box and securely stowed. He took one last look around.
"Okay, then," he said aloud.
The Shrinking Charm was one of the most useful bits of magic Sirius had ever shown him. With a quick wave of his wand, his school trunk was in an inner pocket of his robes. All he needed otherwise was his helmet and a moneypouch.
He sheathed his wand and picked up his helmet, running his fingers over the stylized flames. He hadn't been able to go out on the motorbike hardly at all this summer. He'd been so busy he hadn't noticed, but now he missed what could have, should have been.
He took the stairs two at a time down to the ground floor. Remus met him at the bottom, a light brown cloak wrapped around his shoulders. He looked ready to be going out.
"Good luck on the sales, Remus."
"Thank you, Harry. It's supposed to be nice out. Have a safe journey. I'll see you on the Hogsmeade weekend."
"Bye."
Mr. Malfoy, who had been very quiet during breakfast, was still in the dining room, nursing a cup of tea. Harry poked his head in.
"We're going now, Mister Malfoy. Good-bye."
"It's so very unfair, isn't it?" Mr. Malfoy said, not looking up. "I can't even go to the station to bid my son good-bye. I will no longer even be able to visit Hogwarts without drawing undue danger upon the students."
"There'll be holidays," Harry said, trying to stay positive. "Christmas, Easter. Maybe Sirius can bring Draco back during a Hogsmeade weekend."
"Perhaps."
There was an uncomfortable silence for several moments.
"I have to go."
"Please give Draco my greetings and affections. I am sorry to not be there in person."
"I will."
Harry left Draco's father sitting at the dining room table, holding his cup of tea, which he hadn't touched.
Sirius had the motorbike revved up and ready to go. Harry strapped his helmet on and ran down the steps. He threw his leg over the seat and settled into place behind Sirius. With a roar of the engine, they sped out into the streets of London. The ride to King's Cross station was very short by the motorbike, and Harry climbed off regretfully after Sirius brought the bike to a complete and total stop. After Harry had locked his helmet to the seat, Sirius magic-locked the motorbike to prevent ambitious Muggle hijackers, and they walked into the station.
Finding the space between Platforms Nine and Ten, they crossed over to Nine and Three-Quarters. On the platform, Harry reversed the Shrinking Charm on his luggage. They headed for the train.
"You've gotten quite good with that."
"I've had practice."
"Practice makes perfect."
"Actually not true," Harry said. "Practice makes permanent. You do something over and over again and you'll do it the same way every time, but only perfect practice will make perfect permanent. Then you'll be perfect every time."
"Speaking of perfect every time, here comes someone who thinks he is."
"Perfect? Did someone say my name? Hello, Harry. Hello, Sirius."
"Hi, Draco."
"Hello, Draco. Where's your mother?"
"There was an unexpected situation that needed her attention at home."
"She left you?"
"No, not really."
"Well why are you just walking around where anyone can see you?"
Draco looked ready to burst. "Just let it go, please, Sirius."
"I can't believe she's so irresponsible."
"She's not! Look." Draco sighed. He leaned in close. "Sheputahouseelfonme."
"What?"
"She put a house elf on me. Dobby's hiding in my pocket. At the first sign of trouble, he's to leap to my defence."
Draco sounded utterly disgusted at having a house elf protecting him.
"I've found a compartment. Let's go."
Harry and Sirius embraced almost fiercely.
"Remember your mirror. I'm a moment away if you need me."
"Things should be back to normal this year."
"Define 'normal'."
Harry snickered. "You win. You take care. Whatever missions you go on, make sure you come back from them."
"My most important mission is to raise you, Harry. I'll never abandon it."
Harry felt himself choke up. He hugged Sirius again.
Draco led the way on to the train and to the compartment he had claimed for the now fifth year Slytherins. Harry stacked his trunk with Draco's on the overhead rack.
"Anyone else around yet?"
"Theo is already at Hogwarts," Draco said. "Crabbe and Goyle are three cars down. It was the only other empty place we could find."
Pansy and Daphne were the next to arrive. They both wore their school robes over casual clothing. Pansy wore a nice black jumper and a grey skirt. Her black hair was loose and held back from her face with a headband. Daphne had on a pair of dark blue slacks that seemed a bit tight, particularly along the legs. Her beige jumper could not hide the figure Harry had seen in the swimming pool. The two girls were giggling uncontrollably.
"What is it?" Harry asked.
"We just overheard Angelina Johnson tell Katie Bell that she went all the way with Fred Weasley."
Harry felt his face get hot. "That's funny," he said, chuckling weakly. "Good for them."
"What, on the train?" Draco asked cheekily.
"No, over the holiday," Daphne said, still giggling. "They're seventh-years, and they've got their Apparition licenses since last spring. Apparently they wrote a few letters, set up a secret rendezvous, and had a short evening of torrid passion before they had to take a break, and-"
"Oh my!" Draco said, raising his eyebrows. "Well, I know I'll never sleep well again. Thanks so much, Daphne-love."
"Pain shared is pain lessened."
"So you say every time."
"You never seem to remember."
The whistle blew loudly as the steam engine revved up. The train began to chug slowly forward, gradually picking up speed. Parents and guardians waved from the platform that was fast being left behind. Teenage faces were pressed to the glass windows, looking for one last glimpse. The train kept moving, and the station quickly faded from sight.
Pansy stood up.
"Harry, we need to go to the prefect's meeting."
"Meetings? Already?" Daphne asked, wrinkling her nose.
"Yes. Diggory wants to have some organization bit before we even get there. Probably going to be the same rubbish they sent in that packet."
"You didn't read it?" Harry asked.
"No, did you?"
"Yes."
Pansy shook her head.
"Waste of time, Harry. We've seen our prefects in action for the past four years. I know what they do and how they do it. If I have any questions, I can ask, right?"
"You're going to be lots of fun," Harry observed.
"Now, don't you kids get up to anything while the prefects are gone," Pansy cautioned Draco and Daphne, whom they were leaving alone.
"What, snog this pillock?" Daphne said, giving Draco a playful shove. "Not unless there's money for charity involved. One charity deserves another, don't you think?"
"Don't be surprised if Daphne's not here when you come back," Draco said. "She's getting herself in lots of trouble already, and will doubtless do even moreso once you're gone."
"Have fun," Harry said, feeling sorry for Draco.
Coming up the corridor were Miles Bletchley and Heather Chandler, the seventh-year prefects, followed by David Palce and Samantha Warrington who represented sixth-year.
"Good, you're on the way. We were just coming to find you," Heather said.
"How are we all going to fit in one compartment?" Pansy asked.
"There are spells to expand it," Heather replied. "Good thing, too, otherwise we'd have to wait until tomorrow at the soonest to have our first meeting."
"Hang back after," Bletchley said. "We'll have one of our own."
The prefects compartment was at the very front of the train. It looked no bigger than a normal car from the outside, but inside it was very spacious. Harry had seen these spells once before, when Elan Malfoy had cast them in order that all the Slytherins could ride together with him.
The prefects council was comprised of two members, one male and one female, of each form from each house. There were twenty-four members in total. Harry knew from hearing older students talk that meetings could be lively affairs unless the Head Boy and Head Girl kept a firm control of things.
This year's Head Boy stood up as the last of the Slytherins entered the room.
"Good. Close the door, please, and let's begin. Welcome back to Hogwarts, everyone. I'm glad to find you all in such good health. For our new members who may not know me by sight, I am Cedric Diggory, and I am the Head Boy. The Head Girl here is Alicia Spinnet, and she would like to say a few words of welcome as well. Alicia?"
"Thank you, Cedric. Hi, everyone! Glad to be back and all that. There's a lot going on this year, so let's get down to it. First things first, the introductions."
Harry was pleased to see that Ron Weasley was not present. That meant Harry could dock him points and give him detention. He couldn't wait for the first confrontation.
Instead of the Weasel, Gryffindor was represented by Neville Longbottom, of all people. He looked very nervous sitting amongst all the rest of the prefects, as though he felt he didn't really belong.
In all of his excitement over being a prefect, Harry had forgotten that Padma was likely to be a prefect as well. When she announced herself, Harry felt his stomach lurch a bit. Hopefully they would manage to be discrete about their break-up and not have an ugly scene here in the prefect's council.
The last person he knew was Hannah Abbott. The blonde Hufflepuff had gotten even prettier over the summer, and she'd been quite fetching to start with. He smiled at her as she acknowledged the roll. She glanced over at him, and her eyes widened. She smiled back. Harry felt a surge of something he couldn't quite define. It was that feeling he'd come to associate with pretty girls.
Some names he recognized from Quidditch, like Vicky Frobisher, Airen Summerby and Roger Davies. Harry tried to keep all the others straight. Really, he tried, but he couldn't tell Connie Rookwood from Stephanie Atkinson or Janet Newman.
When it was his turn, he rotely said, "Harry Potter."
"Pansy Parkinson," she said immediately, not giving anyone a chance to react to Harry's name.
"Miles Bletchley." The roll call went on.
Harry looked over at Pansy and smiled. She was smooth. She fluttered her eyelashes at him.
The roll call concluded.
"Now then, let's go over the duties of your office. You all should have received a letter from Alicia and I over the summer, yes? How many of you actually read it?"
All of the Ravenclaws and Gryffindors, but only some of the Hufflepuffs, raised their hands. Harry was the sole Slytherin.
Diggory sighed. "I had hoped to find myself mistaken. Okay, congratulations. Now we have to waste time on this, and the meeting will go even longer."
"In that case, can we hold it to the end, and we who read it can leave early?" asked Goldstein, a fifth year from Ravenclaw.
"No," Diggory said. "This is important stuff, and I want to say it before everyone goes to sleep. I remember last year's meetings. There will be order in this chamber. Alicia and I will co-chair this assembly with equal authority. We will recognize individuals to speak and may revoke that recognition at will."
Spinnet continued. "Any motion put before us must be seconded. There must be discussion on all motions. Any member may seek recognition and call for a vote at any time. Such a motion must be seconded. Cedric and I will vote as representatives of our respective houses on any motions before the council. In the event of a tie, Cedric and I will issue a tie-breaking vote as Head Boy and Girl. In the event that we cannot make agreement, the issue is regarded as too divisive and fails."
Diggory switched topics. "Our mandate is to provide leadership to the students and assistance to the staff. You may be called upon to assist a teacher by taking over a lesson in a pinch. You are responsible for the conduct of other students when a teacher is not present. You are authorized to award or take house points and assign detentions. You are also permitted to use magic to enforce the rules if you deem such action necessary.
"Are there any questions so far?"
There were none.
"Good. This is going to be a good year," Spinnet declared. "We're going to see Quidditch again, and I know we're all happy about that."
"Hear, hear!" said those prefects who were also on the house teams.
"Once the Welcoming feast is over, it's the job of prefects to escort firsties to the common room. Make sure you count them during the Sorting and don't lose track of any.
"The password to the prefect's bathroom is 'dragon tamer'. For the fifth years who may not know, it's located on the fifth floor. Find the statue of Boris the Bewildered and try the fourth door to the left. Yes, there is only one entrance, but the magic of Hogwarts prevents boys and girls from co-mingling. Even if a boy and a girl try to walk in at the same time, they'll wind up in different rooms. Inconvenient? Yes, certainly, but not unreasonable."
Harry snickered at that, as did most of the rest of the prefects.
Diggory cleared his throat to restore order. "Your Heads of House will have the class schedules. Make sure all the first year students get them. Remember that Hogwarts is a big place, can be kinda scary, and that these firsties might get lost. Help them out wherever you can.
"Last thing, and then you can go. The world is a pretty scary place right now with the war back on. Remember that your fellow students may be affected by events that take place outside the castle walls. Offer to listen if they want to talk. We've got to help each other find a way through this."
"We're going to have our next meeting in ten days," Spinnet said. "That's all we've got to say. Anyone have anything they want to say?"
Nobody did.
"Motion to adjourn," Spinnet said.
"Second," Diggory said. "All in favor?"
Everyone stood up and began to move for the door of the compartment without bothering for the vote to be tallied.
"Hi, Harry," Hannah said, smiling at him as she walked out of the compartment.
"Hi, Hannah," he replied. "Good hols?"
"Nothing too different than last summer, really. Spent most of my time out by the pool."
It showed. Her blonde hair was very sun-bleached, contrasting sharply against her dark tan.
"Wish I could have come over for a dip. I couldn't leave the house, what with Voldemort being back and all."
Hannah shivered as he said the forbidden name. "I would have liked to have had you over."
"Oi, Potter, Parkinson," said Bletchley. "Wait up a minute."
"Excuse me, Hannah," Harry said, silently wishing Bletchley had a better sense of timing.
"Of course, Harry. See you later."
Heather Chandler waved her wand, and a door shimmered into existence. She opened it, and all the Slytherin prefects stepped into an empty compartment.
"Welcome to an august company," Heather said. "You are Slytherin prefects. Slytherins are the best. Our prefects are the best of the best. You are here not just because of marks, or sport, or any other single factor, but because you are fine examples of what it means to be Slytherin. Professor Snape chose you both. Do not disappoint him or us. If you get caught breaking rules, do your utmost to spin it around and make it look like you are catching rule-breakers. My advice is not to get caught. Do nothing to dishonour the silver badges you wear."
"The password to the common room is 'unity'," Bletchley said. "We must remember our unity as a house and not let outside forces tear us apart. War has come. We will think and move as one. We are Slytherin, and our first duty is to each other. I will not tolerate any dissension this year. Too much is at stake. If we step wrong, we will be destroyed, and I will not see it happen. We will protect our own. We will not let any harm come to our children in our great house.
"Blood has already been spilled. This information is strictly confidential, but Professor Snape thought we needed to know. Theo Nott poisoned his father rather than serve the Dark Lord."
Pansy gasped and looked to Harry. He nodded gravely. Her eyes narrowed sharply in thought.
"Who knows what's going on with most of our friends and the littler ones? House policy is that we look out for each other, and you are the instruments of that policy. Things have the great potential to get out of hand very quickly this year. We must keep the war from tearing the house apart."
Miles pointed at Harry. "This fellow here has been targeted by the Dark Lord. Like any good Slytherin, I expect him to fight back. I expect most of his friends will join him, but there are others in this house he isn't close to."
"I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen you speak with Thomas and Michael," David Palce said.
"Ronnie exchanges gossip with me, but I never speak to Chabré or duMonde," Pansy said.
"Exactly," Miles said. "Same for Courtney and Bole's sister. Some people have absolutely no motivation to keep from setting a trap for Harry other than the ties of the house. Me, I've played Quidditch with Harry for the last four years-"
"There wasn't Quidditch last year," Samantha interjected.
"Don't remind me! Harry's my teammate, and that's enough for me. We defended him from the Heir of Slytherin garbage, and we defended him during the Triwizard Tournament. He earned my trust, and now's no reason to break it. As I am senior to anyone else in the house except my lovely, beautiful, exquisite, lady Heather who is exactly as magnificent as myself, I am setting policy. We will highly encourage taking up wands against the Dark Lord. Absent that, support for the war effort is mandatory. Now next year when I am gone, Palce could lose his mind and convince Sam that she needs to seduce Harry and capture him instead. I can't control that, but while I am here, the Dark Lord is the enemy. Is that clear?"
Sam Warrington blushed horribly, glancing over at Harry and turning even redder when she met his eyes.
Bletchley let them go at that point. He and Heather stayed behind in the compartment, and when Harry glanced back to see if they were following, the door had disappeared again.
Palce and Warrington were sizing Harry up.
"So you're going to fight him?" Palce said.
"That's right. I think I've got a fair shot of it."
"You seem pretty confident."
"You could say that. He must have been pretty threatened to have gone after me as a baby. Why didn't he abduct me, raise me as his own? Because he knows I'm the one who can destroy him."
"Think about it," Pansy urged. "Harry's a threat to You-Know-Who. At least he thinks so. Seeing as how he's a great towering Dark Lord, I think we can acccept his opinion on the matter."
"That's not logic I'm all-together comfortable accepting, if you don't mind my saying so," Sam said, "because it involves trusting a Dark Lord, and that's just dumb."
"I'll go along with this for now," Palce said. "I'm fairly sure a few of my more distant cousins will be interested in signing up with the Death Eaters, but my parents don't quite agree with their tactics. Great believers in democracy, my folks. 'If You-Know-Who really does believe his policies are the best for the Empire, then let him campaign on them,' my dad said."
"He does realize the Empire hasn't existed in decades."
"Try and tell him that, and don't even get him started on how the Wizarding Empire could have saved it all if only they'd had the guts to repeal the Statute of Secrecy."
"What about you, Palce? What do you believe?"
"I believe in making my own decisions, and I don't want to see my family get hurt. So yeah, I guess that means I'll fight."
"There is no better reason to fight than to protect the people we love," Harry said softly. "If that is your cause, then it is just. That's exactly what this is about: family. To make the world safe for our families, we must oppose his tyranny."
"We'll tell the others," Sam promised. "See you at the feast."
"Well done," Pansy said to Harry. "Two more at least, and probably more."
"It's not these lot here at school I'm worried about," Harry said. "It's all the brothers, sisters, and cousins who aren't at Hogwarts."
"Don't be so cheerful. So what's this about Theo?"
"Yeah, keep it quiet. We found out this summer. Theo was supposed to set a trap for me. He refused, and his dad used Cruciatus on him."
"That's disgusting!" she gasped. "Mister Nott tortured his own blood?"
"Yeah. Well, Theo didn't stand for it and poisoned him."
She shook her head sadly. "I don't doubt you, but it's so incredible. Mister Nott was always so nice to me. He used to tutor us. He taught us about magical theory, about history, our sums, and so much more. He was always very patient with me. He was so smart."
"Well he was dumb enough to pick Voldemort's side."
Pansy considered that for a moment, her eyes haunted. "I wonder if many other Slytherins will have to make that same choice?"
Harry wondered the same, and the answers were often troubling.
"This is why you and Draco wanted me to lay off him, isn't it?"
"Yeah. Poor fellow's got enough to cope with as it is, wouldn't you say?"
"It's a good reason. You know, I think Theo's not all that bad. When he's keeping a civil tongue in his head, he can be quite tolerable."
Draco and Daphne were waiting in the compartment. They were seated on opposite sides. Daphne had a book open, but she didn't appear to be reading it.
"You just missed your favourite person," Daphne said.
"The Weasel?"
"The same."
"What did he want?"
"Oh, the usual rot," Draco said with some heat. "Glad that Quidditch will be back on this year. He can't wait to see the Champion fly again."
"Again with the Champion bit."
"He's technically correct. You are the Champion. You're the Champion of Champions."
"That just makes it worse. I know he doesn't mean it. He's using it like an insult."
"Well, we'll figure out a way to fix him good this year. I'll start working on a plan."
"Oh goodie!" Daphne said. "A plan! I like plans."
"Ginny was saying that she's had enough of him too. I think she'd like to help."
"She's a devious one," Pansy said. "She did know exactly what she was doing with that dress at the Yule Ball."
"Half a dress," Daphne quipped.
"Oh, yes," Pansy agreed, "but what a half it was, and she pulled it off. I was as surprised as anyone else."
"Her brothers certainly did turn funny colours that night," Harry remembered. "I don't think her taunting them helped."
"Most assuredly not."
"So how do we get them?" said Daphne. "Are you going to ask Ginny out, Harry? That would really make his head explode."
Ask out Ginny? She was very nice, and certainly spunky enough for his tastes. Harry recalled her image. She had red hair that was rather long and curly. Her eyes were brown and often laughing. Yeah, she was pretty. He thought about the dress she'd worn to the Yule Ball and gulped. Was it warm in here?
"It probably would," he said. Ron Weasley hated Harry, and if her mere association with Slytherins was enough to drive him insane, the possibilities if she started dating one of them were endless. He'd nearly flipped his top when she'd gone to the Yule Ball with Crabbe.
"You sound very enthusiastic," Daphne said slyly.
"I don't know if I want to start dating again."
"It's been two months, Harry," Pansy said.
"Yeah, but we weren't at school."
"You're going to be quite the catch this year. Triwizard winner; prefect; Captain-in-Training. They'll be throwing themselves at you. Look at how Abbott was acting just now."
"Hannah Abbott was flirting with Harry?" Daphne said. "Good on her for getting prefect."
Pansy filled her in about the exchange of glances as the meeting broke up. Daphne giggled at Harry's expense throughout the tale. He tried to ignore them, but with every giggle or mirthful snort, Harry's blush grew brighter and deeper.
"Daphne!" he finally protested, when he could take it no more.
"But it's so cute," she said defensively.
"I think it could work," Pansy speculated, "but before we put together a plan in that regard, would it interfere with your own designs?"
"Well, Charles hasn't written me very much this summer, so I've decided to tell him to forget any ideas of going out this year. I suppose Harry would make a worthy substitute."
Now Harry's ears felt like they were on fire.
"I see. Talk to him later about that. I don't think he's capable of speech just now."
Mercifully, the lady with the candy trolley came by just then. Harry bought a dozen Chocolate Frogs, three boxes of Every Flavour Beans, two Sugar Quills, and a bottle of pumpkin juice.
Harry pulled out a deck of exploding cards to distract Daphne, as she generally stopped laughing when she started swearing.
"So is there anything going on that hasn't been reported in the Prophet?" Pansy asked. "I've been starved for real news."
"Nah, not a thing," Draco said. "Father told me to worry about classes. 'Classes lead to OWLs, OWLs lead to NEWTs, and NEWTs lead to success in life.' It's been bloody awful with only homework and studying to do."
"Same here," Harry said. "I missed you guys all summer. Has anyone seen Tracy?"
"Not yet."
Conversation stayed pretty neutral as they played. Mindful of their promise to Professor Moody, neither Harry nor Draco discussed any Order business. It wasn't easy to fake irritation and frustration; they'd had plenty of it.
"Any idea who's going to be teaching Defence?" Harry asked. It was his favourite subject.
"Maybe Professor Moody will come back," said Daphne.
"No, they're sure to need him with the Aurors," Draco replied.
"Maybe Dumbledore will teach us himself," Harry wondered. "Who better than the only one Voldemort ever feared?"
That made a lot of sense. Dumbledore's mighty reputation was formidable.
One game ended. Another began. Goyle came by with Mandy Brocklehurst to say hello. As they were leaving, Millie arrived.
"Where've you been?" Pansy asked.
"Had to sort out a situation with Arcen. Seems he and Lucas got caught trying to spy on Laine and the girls."
Pansy sighed. "Boys," she said, in a tone that said everything.
"Are they going to be okay?" Daphne asked.
"Their bones will heal eventually."
"I meant the girls."
"Oh, they were quite upset. I actually had to save Arcen from them. Family and all. Laine says hi, Harry."
"Oh. Hello."
"So deal me in."
They kept playing cards as pastures and fields passed into forests and trees. The sun moved steadily towards the west.
There was a knock on the door of the compartment. Tracy didn't wait for an answer before entering.
"Hey, guys."
"Hi, Tracy."
"Where've you been?" Harry inquired.
It was good to see Tracy hanging around with the group again. Harry smiled at her. She was still really pretty, and she'd worn a pair of dangling earrings that shimmered when she moved her head. She wore green eyeshadow and that combined with her blue eyes was set off by the greens and blues in the earrings. She'd cut her hair since Harry had seen her at his birthday party. It was now only down to her chin. Her older sister Jamie had styled it that way during her own fifth year.
"I was chatted up by a couple of boys from Hufflepuff."
"Oh yeah?" Pansy said, sounding interested. She was always curious about gossip.
"Alex Stebbins and Airen Summerby. Sixth years. They were quite nice. Well, Airen had to go to the prefect meeting, but Alex and I started talking about runes, and before I knew it, two hours had passed. He asked me if I'd like to go to Hogsmeade with him. I said yes, of course."
"Good for you!" Daphne said enthusiastically.
"I was so surprised. I don't think I'd even seen him before today."
Harry whole-heartedly approved of Alex Stebbins. If he could help Tracy get over her crush on him, Harry would give the man a job sharpening quills for ten Galleons a day.
An announcement came over the speaker.
"We will be arriving in Hogsmeade in approximately five minutes. Please gather your belongings and prepare to depart the train. Leave your luggage, as it will be taken to the school separately. Please be aware that all bags and trunks will be searched for Dark objects."
"Come on, Harry. We've got to go make sure the firsties get to the boats."
The train was just slowing down when they got into position with the rest of the prefects to be the first off the train. The train lumbered to a rumbling stop and the great steam engine hissed loudly. The prefects spread out down the length of the platform.
"First years, down the platform and to the left! Everyone else, off to the right and to the carriages!"
It was not Hagrid doing the directing. Professor Grubbly-Plank, the on-call substitute teacher, was urging the new students down to the boats. Harry raised a mental eyebrow at this change, but he had little time to ponder as he had to break up a group of third year Slytherins and Gryffindors who were exchanging words.
When at last the crowd had dispersed, the prefects piled into the last four carriages (separated by house) and rode up to the castle. They rolled to a stop in front of the main gate, which was still open to admit the students. They entered the Great Hall, and the doors closed behind them. They were the last to arrive.
Harry and Pansy sat down next to Daphne and Draco. The hall was extremely noisy, filled as it was with students chatting and yakking, sitting and waiting.
The doors from the Entrance Hall opened. A long line of scared-looking first-years entered, led by Professor McGonagall, who was carrying a stool on which sat an ancient wizard's hat, heavily patched and darned with a wide rip near the frayed brim.
The buzz of talk in the Great Hall faded away. The first-years lined up in front of the staff table facing the rest of the students, and Professor McGonagall placed the stool carefully in front of them, then stood back.
The first-years' faces glowed palely in the candlelight. A small boy right in the middle of the row looked as though he was trembling. The whole school waited with bated breath. Then the rip near the hat's brim opened wide like a mouth and the Sorting Hat burst into song:
In times of old when I was new,
And Hogwarts barely started,
The founders of our noble school,
Thought never to be parted,
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame yearning,
To make the world's best magic school,
And pass along their learning.
"Together we will build and teach!"
The four good friends decided,
And never did they dream,
That they might some day be divided,
For were there such friends anywhere,
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have gone so wrong?
How could such friendships fail?
Why, I was there and so can tell,
The whole sad, sorry tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those whose
Ancestry is purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose
Intelligence is surest."
Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those
With brave deeds to their name."
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,
And treat them just the same."
These differences caused little strife,
When first they came to light,
For each of the four founders had
A house in which they might
Take only those they wanted,
So, for instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood wizards
Of great cunning, just like him,
And only those of sharpest mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,
And taught them all she knew,
Thus the houses and their founders
Retained friendships firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in harmony
For several happy years,
But then discord crept among us
Feeding on our faults and fears.
The houses that, like pillars four,
Had once held up our school,
Now turned upon each other and,
Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed the school
Must meet an early end,
What with dueling and with fighting
And the clash of friend on friend
And at last there came a morning
When old Slytherin departed
And though the fighting then died out
He left us quite downhearted.
And never since the founders four
Were whittled down to three
Have the houses been united
As they once were meant to be.
And now the Sorting Hat is here
And you all know the score:
I sort you into houses
Because that is what I'm for,
But this year I'll go further,
Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it's wrong,
Though I must fulfill my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether Sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we'll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you…
Let the Sorting now begin.
The Hat became motionless once more; applause broke out, though it was punctured, for the first time in Harry's memory, with muttering and whispers. All across the Great Hall students were exchanging remarks with their neighbors, and Harry, clapping along with everyone else, knew exactly what they were talking about.
"Branched out a bit this year, hasn't it?" said Draco, his eyebrows raised.
"Too right it has," said Harry.
The Sorting Hat usually confined itself to describing the different qualities looked for by each of the four Hogwarts houses and its own role in Sorting them. Harry could not remember it ever trying to give the school advice before.
"I wonder if it's ever given warnings before?" said Pansy, sounding slightly anxious.
"Oh, yes," said Tracy knowledgeably. "The Hat feels itself honour-bound to give the school due warning whenever it feels –"
Professor McGonagall, who was waiting to read out the list of first-years' names, was giving the whispering students the sort of look that scorches. The hall quickly grew silent. With a last frowning look that swept the four house tables, Professor McGonagall lowered her eyes to her long piece of parchment and called out the first name.
"Euan Abercrombie."
As the first new student sat on the stool and put the Sorting Hat on his head, the whole Hall was hushed. This was always a very exciting moment. Who would claim the first?
"RAVENCLAW!"
Whoops and cheers burst out from the Ravenclaw table. Around the Hall, several students exchanged currency.
"Patricia Aronstein." "SLYTHERIN!"
"Wendy Ashland." "SLYTHERIN!"
Two giggling blonde girls were welcomed to the table by some of the many giggling girls of second year.
"Lucy Berry." "RAVENCLAW!"
"Grace Clark." "RAVENCLAW!"
"Regina Clark." "RAVENCLAW!"
Three students in a row was a string of luck for Ravenclaw. They were getting pretty rowdy. They'd gotten four of the first six new students so far.
"Collette Dashwood." "GRYFFINDOR!"
The first new Gryffindor was greeted with a storm of applause and foot-stomping.
"Fiona Dee." "SLYTHERIN!"
So far, Harry didn't recognize any family names. He clapped loudly for all the new Slytherins anyway.
"Warren Dwight." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Randy Dyer." "HUFFLEPUFF!"
As Hufflepuff claimed their first, their table exploded with noise. Not content with clapping and foot-stomping, someone let off a few shrill whistles.
"Chelsea Finch." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Eric Frobisher." "HUFFLEPUFF!"
Frobisher was a Beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He wondered if this firstie was a sibling or a cousin.
"Jasper Goodwinter." "SLYTHERIN!"
Goodwinter was one of the old Slytherin families. One of the fourth years, Jeremiah, welcomed his relative to the table.
"Gladstone Halaiko." "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Adam Harker." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Jack Isham." "RAVENCLAW!"
"DeeDee Kelvar." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Jack Kivaral." "SLYTHERIN!"
Harry applauded with his housemates. A third year, Benedict, waved frantically to summon the new arrival over.
"My brother," Benedict said to everyone.
"Welcome to Slytherin," Harry called.
"Prem Koothrapali." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Olivia Lang." "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Jiayi Li." "RAVENCLAW!"
"Chelsea Loxton." "RAVENCLAW!"
"Quentin Madley." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Susan MacMillan." "RAVENCLAW!"
"Cecilia Moor." "SLYTHERIN!"
"About time we got another one," Draco grumbled to Harry under the applause.
"Bevan Napier." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Justin Newman." "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Basil Orme." "SLYTHERIN!"
"See, Draco? We're flagging early but finishing strong."
"Harriet Polk." "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Llyod Price." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Caradoc Reed." "RAVENCLAW!"
"Geoffrey Rosati." "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Pamela Ruthven." "SLYTHERIN!"
"I was starting to think we were out," Draco muttered.
"Shut up," Harry replied good-naturedly.
"Ava Shahi." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Adisa Shane." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Clara Steinbeck." "HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Thatcher Sunderland." "RAVENCLAW!"
"Florance Tucker." "GRYFFINDOR!"
"Tobias Weiss." "SLYTHERIN!"
"Rose Zeller." "HUFFLEPUFF!"
All in all, there were not as many new students as last year. Harry was just as glad for that. It meant they could start the feast sooner.
"Before we may begin our feast, there is one other small matter to attend to. I'm sure you will all recall the friendships made during our last year together. We have a friend joining us again this year. I'd like you all to please give a warm Hogwarts welcome to Mister Blaise Zabini, who has returned to us from Beauxbatons."
A tall boy with ebony skin walked out from the antechamber where Harry had gone after his name came out of the Goblet of Fire. He stode confidently to the Slytherin table and sat down.
"To our newcomers," said Dumbledore in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his lips, "welcome! To our old hands – welcome back! There is a time for speechmaking, 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 and sauces and flagons of pumpkin juice.
"What were you saying before the Sorting?" Harry asked Tracy. "About the Hat giving warnings?"
"Oh, yes," said Tracy. "At several times during the school's history, and always during periods of great danger, the Sorting Hat has delivered a warning. According to Hogwarts A History, its advice is the same: stand together, be strong from within."
Goyle asked, "How can it know if the school's in danger if it's a Hat?"
"I have no idea," said Tracy. "Of course, it lives in Dumbledore's office, so I suppose it might pick up a thing or two there. I mean, it's only been around since the time of the Founders. We know it can think and communicate. I wonder what you'd know if you lived a thousand years."
Tracy paused and considered who she was talking to. "Then again, probably not a lot would change."
"Hey!"
"It wants all the houses to be friends?" said Harry, looking over at the Gryffindor table, where Ron Weasley was shovelling food into his mouth as quickly as he could, barely pausing to chew. He bore a remarkable resemblance to Crabbe, in fact. "Fat chance."
The feast was magnificent, as it always was. Harry cleared his plate and took another helping of mashed potatoes. He poured a third glass of pumpkin juice to wash down another slice of roast. His steak and kidney pie was just too good to stop.
When he could not possibly eat another bite, the food vanished to be replaced by the desserts. There was too much to choose from. Harry ate his way steadily through a large plateful of treacle tart, his favorite.
When all the students had finished eating and the noise level in the Hall was starting to creep upwards again, Dumbledore got to his feet once more. Talking ceased immediately as all turned to face the Headmaster. Harry was feeling pleasantly drowsy now. His four-poster bed was waiting somewhere below, wonderfully warm and soft.
"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 even allowed in the castle, 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 back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."
There was a round of polite but fairly unenthusiastic applause. Harry wondered where Hagrid had gone to. The big man loved being a teacher. For him to pass up on the chance to share more "critters" with the students would have required something of sublime importance. Dumbledore had not said for how long Grubbly-Plank would be teaching.
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 cleared her throat, "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 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, who was normally very stern anyway, looked as though someone had mouthed back to her in class. No new teacher had ever interrupted Dumbledore before. Many of the students were smirking; this woman obviously did not know how things were done at Hogwarts.
"Thank you, Headmaster," Professor Umbridge simpered, "for those kind words of welcome."
Her voice was high-pitched, breathy and little-girlish. There was something not quite right with her, though Harry couldn't put his finger on exactly what. Maybe it was just the audacity she had to break tradition. She 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. "I am ever so thankful to have the chance to contribute back to the institution that holds such happy memories for me.
Professor Umbridge cleared her throat again ("hem, hem"), but when she continued, some of the breathiness had vanished from her voice. She sounded much more businesslike and now her words had a dull learned-by-heart sound to them. She intended to speechify.
"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 to her. Harry distinctly saw Professor McGonagall exchange a significant glance with Professor Sprout as Umbridge gave another little "hem, hem" and went on with her speech.
"That is what we will achieve together this year. I have reviewed the recent history of my particular subject and have found it," she paused, "unimpressive. Curriculum has been haphazard and spotty, and it simply will - not - do. There must be order, and I will bring it. High standards will be set, but I believe each and every one of you can meet them if given the chance.
"Never has the need for strong wizards and witches been greater. The Ministry recently passed Educational Decree number twenty-two, taking un to itself the power to appoint professors in the event that no suitable candidate can be found by the headmaster or the governors. It is the responsibility of the government to ensure the safety of its citizenry, but we cannot be everywhere at once. Each and every one of you may have to defend yourself or your families from Death Eaters. I mean to see that you can fight back. The return of the Dark times will test us all, far more intensely than the OWLs and the NEWTs that some of you will take in the spring. I look forward to seeing you all in class."
She sat down. Dumbledore clapped. The staff followed his lead, though Harry noticed that several of them brought their hands together only once or twice before stopping. Harry clapped a few times. She definitely had the right idea, but her presentation could have put a certain three-headed dog to sleep. A few other students joined in the applause, 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. "If I may spin a thread off from you, with the return to the Dark times, there will be increased security here at Hogwarts. For reasons of safety, Hogsmeade weekends will be announced last minute and may be cancelled entirely."
There was a loud moaning from every table.
"I know this will make romantic relationships difficult to plan," the old wizard said with a twinkle in his bright blue eyes, "but a bit of spontaneity can be nice as well.
"Now, as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held..."
"Well, that was inspiring," Draco said dryly. "What a boring old bag, and what awful fashion sense."
"Which designer would you recommend, oh discriminating one?" Daphne asked.
"Anybody but what she's wearing."
Professor Umbridge did have the most horrible taste in colour. She wore an obnoxious amount of pink. Her fluffy cardigan, her stupid hat, and her long skirt were all like daggers right in the eyes.
"Sounds promising, I guess," Millie speculated.
Pansy agreed. "She recognizes Lockhart at least was useless. Quirrell too, for that matter. Lupin and Moody weren't too bad."
"I hope she teaches better than she speeches," Daphne quipped.
Harry groaned. "Daphne!" he protested.
"What?" She fluttered her eyelashes innocently.
"Bad!"
"Aw!"
"What was that bit about her being appointed by the Ministry?" Draco asked. "Couldn't Dumbledore find anybody to volunteer? Nobody who doesn't want to get caught up in the fighting again, so he'll do his part by passing on his knowledge to the next generation, and then wakes up one night to be slain by a gang of assassins?"
"You've been reading too many Martin's Mage Tales lately," Millie said.
"I was trapped in the house all summer. I read a lot of my old books. It was actually quite enjoyable once I got past the irritation."
"Well, there is a curse on the position, isn't there?" Pansy said. "Nobody lasts more than a year. You can even wind up dead! The Ministry had to do something."
"It means the Ministry's interfering at Hogwarts," Tracy said.
"It means Umbridge won't last out the year if the job really is jinxed." Draco snapped his fingers. "Ooh, I've just had an idea. Let's start a betting pool for when she finally gets done in."
"That's creepy! That is so wickedly creepy!" Daphne protested. "Malfoy, you are not a nice person."
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. Pansy jumped up.
"Come on, Harry, we're supposed to show the first-years where to go!"
"There were four boys and five girls," Harry said. "I wrote their names down. Slytherin first years!"
The other prefects joined them in guiding their new housemates to their new second home in the dungeons. The pack of nine gathered around the prefects, looking up with wide, expectant, nervous faces. Had Harry ever been that young? He grinned. Yes, he had, and he still felt similarly starry-eyed quite often in the magical world.
Out from the Great Hall to the entrance hall to the steps leading down to the dungeons they went. They took the long, circuitous route, the one that didn't require any secret passages.
When they came to a T intersection, Pansy gestured to the left. "That is the way to the Potions lab." She turned to the right and kept walking. "This corridor has a lot of branches," she continued, walking past them all, "but don't take any turns or you'll never find the wall. At several places you'll see paintings of famous Slytherins or statues and so on. The other houses think the entrance to our common room must be connected to one of them, but that's silly. They move around in order to keep everyone else confused. The password is 'unity'."
The bricks of the wall folded back to reveal the entry to the Slytherin common room. The first years slowly made their way inside, marvelling at the great fireplace, the greenish lamps, and the decadent chairs.
"First years, welcome to Slytherin," Bletchley said. "I'm Miles Bletchley, and I'm a seventh year, as well as being Quidditch Captain. You've been Sorted to the best house at Hogwarts. Isn't that right, Heather?"
"Yes, Miles, it is. Hi, guys. I'm Heather Chandler, and we are here to help you out in any way possible, but first and foremost, please understand that we seventh years and also the fifth years have a very important test at the end of the school year. The results can help determine if we get good jobs once we finish our time at Hogwarts. So the sixth years are really the ones you want to try talking to first. If you can't find them, then you come to us. What do you say? Deal?"
The firsties nodded.
"Those wonderful sixth years will now introduce themselves. Take it away, Dave!"
"Hello, first years. I'm David Palce. I had a joke, but it wasn't very funny. I was going to tell you anyway, but now it's been built up too much and will sound even more dumb and more fake than before. I like collecting Chocolate Frog Cards, so if you want to trade, let me know, and I'm looking forward to not having a big test at the end of the year."
"I'm Samantha Warrington. I like Charms and Transfiguration. I'm part of the Charms Club, if anyone is interested in joining."
"The fifth years."
"I'm Pansy Parkinson. If any prefect tells you to do something, you do it. The password to our common room is 'unity', and we mean it. We prefects are looking out for the safety and well-being of every single one of you. You will obey out of self-interest. In the common room, you'll all have to wear elf caps. If one of the older students tells you to do something, you do it. It's a grand old tradition, and in several years, you'll be able to boss around the firsties. We may tease you, but it's all in good fun. You truly are our fellows, and we care for you."
"I'm Harry Potter."
The gasps were mildly irritating but expected.
"You're not allowed to drag me into your arguments with the Gryffindors. You're not allowed to come back with 'I'll have Harry Potter hex you', or anything like that. I won't do it, and I'll probably give you detention."
"Harry was the winner of the Triwizard Tournament last year," David said. "I wouldn't cross him, but otherwise he's perfectly all right."
"No classes tomorrow, as it's Saturday," Samantha said. "Even so, look sharp in the common room by half-seven. We'll go up to breakfast and give you the tour. Until then, good night."
"Bedrooms are down those halls," David added. "Boys turn right, girls turn left. You'll see a plate marked 'First Years'."
The first years shuffled off to bed, leaving the prefects lounging in front of the fireplace.
"They're so ickle!" Pansy gushed.
Heather giggled. "We said the same thing when we became prefects."