Hello everyone! I hope you like this new chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to review! I am happy that you like where the story is going, and hearing your thoughts keeps me motivated.

DISCLAIMER: I don t own the HP Universe, JK Rowling does.

IMPORTANT: The passages written in italics within the chapter are direct quotes from the books.

Also, just a heads up to avoid confusion, I updated a detail in Chapter 16. I had previously written that Fred s 3 OWLS were Transfiguration, Defense and Herbology, but I changed it to Transfiguration, Defense and Ancient Runes, which makes more sense according to the products the twins create.

As this story is cannon according to the books, without considering the extended Pottermore universe (I have no idea if JK Rowling has ever specified which OWLS each of the twins has), both options are plausible, since all the book details is that both of them take Defense NEWT classes.

And now, let's move on to the fun part!

Chapter 20: Back to Hogwarts

"Well," said Fred, clapping his hands together, "can't stand around chatting all day, we've got business to discuss with Lee. See you later," and he and George disappeared down the corridor to the right.

The train was gathering still more speed, so that the houses outside the window flashed past and they swayed where they stood.

"Shall we go find a compartment, then?" Harry asked Ron and Hermione. Ron and Hermione exchanged looks.

"Er," said Ron.

"We're - well - Ron and I are supposed to go into the prefect carriage," Hermione said awkwardly. Ron wasn't looking at Harry; he seemed to have become intensely interested in the fingernails of his left hand.

"Oh, right, I totally forgot! No worries," Harry said back, wondering who to sit with. He had planned to get to know different people after all, maybe this was a nice opportunity. He waved away Hermione's comment that they would be able to be with Harry for most of the journey, and Ron's defensive comments about not enjoying the new position. He absentmindedly wondered who on earth would have made the decision to make Ron a prefect. Hermione was a shoe-on, of course, but nothing about Ron seemed to suggest he would be a good rule enforcer, or a positive example for younger students. Harry mentally shrugged, figuring that maybe Ron had simply been the lesser of five evils. Harry himself was definitely a terrible choice for prefect in general, as self-absorbed as he'd been for the past few years. He had never interacted voluntarily with any students besides Ron and Hermione, and he was sure building rapport with others was a pretty necessary condition to being a prefect. Harry supposed Ron was as antisocial as him, but at least the redhead could tell others more facts about the magical world, and the news weren't painting him as an attention-seeking liar. Ron was definitely not the ideal prefect, Harry reflected, but neither were the others. Neville was scared of his own shadow, Seamus constantly made things explode and smuggled almost as much food and butterbeer as the twins into the common room, and Dean… Well, Harry wasn't sure what exactly was wrong with Dean, but there must be something if Ron had been chosen over him. He shook his head mentally, ashamed at how he barely knew his three roommates. How had he spent four years in the dorm with them and learnt so little?

"Come on," Ginny told him, "if we get a move on we'll be able to send them places."

"Right," said Harry, picking up Hedwig's cage in one hand and the handle of his trunk on the other. He had resolved to get to know new people this year, so why not start with Ginny? He followed her down the corridor, noticing that many people were staring at him in interest and pointing him out to their friends, which after a summer of anonymity, felt extremely uncomfortable. He hadn't realized how used to feeling free he had become. He fervently hoped he could call Anto, but she was at school right now, and he didn't have the necessary privacy anyway.

Ten minutes later, Harry found himself in a compartment with not only Ginny, but also Neville and a strange Ravenclaw named Luna Lovegood, who introduced herself to Harry by announcing that she knew his name, but was otherwise all right.

"Guess what I got for my birthday?" Said Neville.

"What did you get?" Harry asked interestedly, figuring it was as good as any to start a conversation. Neville was also one of the people that Harry was interested in getting closer to, so their compartment arrangement had worked perfectly. Neville dug up the hand that was not keeping a firm grip on Trevor into his school bag and after a little bit of rummaging pulled out what appeared to be a small gray cactus in a pot, except that it was covered with what looked like boils rather than spines.

"Mimbulus Mimbletonia," he said proudly. Harry stared at the thing. It was pulsating slightly, giving it the rather sinister look of a diseased internal organ. He listened to Neville explain about his new plant and asked him a few questions, wondering how he had never thought to ask for his help at the second task. Harry had known that his shy roommate was a fan of herbology, but he had never noticed quite how knowledgeable Neville actually was at it. He could have probably detailed all the potential herbal threats in the lake in under ten minutes.

"I've heard it has some kind of powerful defense mechanism. What does it do?" Ginny asked curiously. Harry obligingly held Trevor for Neville while the other boy picked a quill and held the plant up, giving it a sharp prod. Liquid squirted from every boil of the plant, thick, stinking, dark green jets of it; they hit the ceiling, the windows, and spattered Luna Lovegood's magazine. Ginny, who had flung her arms up in front of her face just in time, merely looked as though she was wearing a slimy green hat, but Harry, whose hands had been busy preventing the escape of Trevor, received a face full. It smelled like rancid manure. Neville, whose face and torso were also drenched, shook his head to get the worst out of his eyes.

"S-sorry," he gasped. "I haven't tried that before. Didn't realize it would be quite so… Don't worry, though, Stinksap's not poisonous," he added nervously, as Harry spat a mouthful onto the floor. At that precise moment, the door of their compartment slid open.

"Oh… hello, Harry," said a nervous voice. "Um… bad time?" Harry wiped the lenses of his glasses with his Trevor-free hand. It was Cho Chang, his rival seeker and previous crush. Harry laughed involuntarily at the situation, thinking of how awkward he would have felt had he still fancied the girl. He felt incredibly thankful that he didn't feel anything but amusement about the pretty Asian girl seeing him covered in Stinksap.

"Nah, perfect timing. D'you want some?" he joked, offering a little of the Stinksap in his hand. Cho's lips twitched into a smile and declined his offer.

"Well, just thought I'd say hello… bye then." She closed the door again, rather pink in the face, and departed. Harry figured she might have felt awkward about catching him in such a situation. She would probably try to speak to Harry at some point, he reflected, after all, her boyfriend had just died a few months ago, and Harry had been the only one to witness it. He hoped Cho was doing all right. He had realized through Sirius that mental healing did not exist in Wizarding Britain, and doubted the Ravenclaw seeker was getting the help she probably needed, as he himself was.

"Sorry," said Neville in a small voice, as Ginny vanished the mess with her wand.

"No worries, though I was hoping for a more tasty second breakfast," Harry joked lightly. Neville and Ginny were looking at him in surprise, and Harry wondered what image he usually projected to his classmates. Though it was true that he used to be more serious, Harry mused, he had gotten used to imitating Anto's constant ironic humor.

"You seem more relaxed than last year," Neville commented, slightly apprehensively.

"Yeah, I met my girlfriend this summer, and she jokes all the time. I guess her humor stuck with me," Harry replied, grinning sheepishly. He noticed that Ginny frowned at the mention of Anto, and suppressed a groan. It seemed like her crush on him was not completely over, though obviously, he didn't know her well enough to be sure. He resolved to keep mentioning his girlfriend, no matter what Ginny thought. He wanted to get to know the redhead as a friend, she seemed fun and interesting. But in order to do that, she would have to accept that he was in a relationship.

"You have a girlfriend now? Congratulations!" Neville said sincerely. Harry detected no jealousy at all in his tone, which was a welcome change from Ron. Harry enthusiastically replied, and they shared experiences about their summer. He noticed Ginny grinning again once she got used to him mentioning Anto a few more times, and was thankful that the redhead at least appeared interested in getting over her discomfort. Luna joined in in their discussion about the holidays, talking about her trip with her father in search of some mythical creatures. She also seemed fun to know, Harry mused, at least she seemed to not be swayed by what others thought, which was more than he could say for most of his classmates.

"Can I have a look at this?" Harry asked Luna eagerly, gesturing to the quibbler. He had never realized a newspaper with that name existed, which reminded him of how much about his society he was still ignorant of. To his surprise, it was an article stating that it had always been obvious that Sirius was innocent, since he was apparently a secret singing star. Harry thought that Sirius would love to have the article, thinking it was hilarious, though of course, he didn't know his godfather very well yet. Maybe he could frame it and give it to Sirius for Christmas.

"Where can I buy a copy of this?" Harry asked Luna.

"Why would you want that?" questioned Hermione, who had arrived while he was reading, Ron in tow. "The Quibbler's rubbish, everyone knows that."

"Excuse me," said Luna; her voice had suddenly lost its dreamy quality. "My father's the editor."

"Well, I understand the Daily Prophet is trash these days, so I think it's good that there are other sources of information out there," said Harry, mostly to pacify the blonde. If the article about Sirius was any indication, he wasn't sure he disagreed with Hermione's assessment, but at least it seemed more entertaining rubbish than whatever lies were being spread about him and Dumbledore. "Actually, I'm sure Sirius would love to have the article about him, how do I purchase a copy? Do I just subscribe or is it an old issue?" Harry asked Luna. Luna, who had reached to grab the newspaper back from Harry, looked at him narrowly, as if evaluating whether he was telling the truth. Then, she must have decided to trust his intentions, because her tone went back to its dreamy quality.

"It is not the most recent issue, but you can have this one when we leave the train, I am almost done," she replied. "It is good to keep your mind open to possibilities, Harry Potter."

The strange conversation was interrupted by Malfoy and his cronies, who to Harry's bemusement just looked at them, smirking. Harry's temper flared up at the sight of his school rival, but he managed to control his expression, realizing that it wasn't worth it. He wondered what Malfoy could possibly want. He always seemed to seek Harry out for some reason, and drive insane pleasure in riling him up. There wasn't any train journey that was devoid of his presence.

"What do you want?" Ron said aggressively.

"Manners, Weasley, or I'll have to give you a detention," drawled Malfoy. "You see Potter, I, unlike you, have been made a prefect, which means that I, unlike you, have the power to hand out punishments."

"Er… congratulations?" Harry replied, not knowing what it was that Malfoy wanted from him. Ron and Hermione were looking at him in shock, as if they had expected him to say literally anything else, and Malfoy, too, seemed stunned at his indifference. Did the Slytherin really think that uninspired taunt would bother him? Harry did not have the slightest wish to be a prefect. He had already resolved to learn as much magic as he could and focus on his studies, and he had two new electives. He also wanted to do things he enjoyed, like keep up with studying Spanish and play quidditch. He had quickly figured out that doing rounds and going to boring meetings would probably take time away from everything else.

"Tell me, how does it feel being second-best to Weasley, Potter?" Draco tried to goad him again.

"Shut up, Malfoy," said Hermione sharply, as if Malfoy's ridiculous question would have somehow hurt Harry's feelings. Ron was looking at Harry, stricken, as if Malfoy's statement about Harry being second best to the redhead simply because of the prefect position was somehow true. Harry wondered if, had he not gone to Spain, Ron being prefect would have actually mattered to him. He didn't think so.

"Malfoy, while I'm really flattered that you care so much about my feelings, I don't particularly like you, so you'll excuse me if I confide in more pleasant people," Harry said, adopting a politely apologetic look. Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Neville laughed. Malfoy's lip curled.

"I couldn't care less about your feelings, Potter," he spat snottily.

"If you say so," Harry replied mildly, "in that case, you should probably stop looking for me on every train ride. It sends the wrong message, you see." His friends burst out laughing louder than before, Ron accidentally spitting his pumpkin juice, conveniently all over Crabbe's robes. Malfoy turned puce, and left along with his minions, slamming the door of the compartment after him.

"That was really well handled, Harry, I'm proud of you," said Hermione approvingly, once the giggles had subsided. Harry frowned, confused at her condescending tone. It almost seemed like she had expected him to fly off the handle, or at least be bothered by Malfoy's taunts. Maybe he would have, Harry mused, maybe he really had matured. He thanked Anto and Carmen silently. Yoga had been really helpful with managing his emotions, even though Harry knew he still had a long way to go. Or maybe it was simply his situation. After having achieved things such as freeing his godfather, learned Spanish and Yoga, and taking care of his mental health, his life had changed in ways that made him much happier, like finally having a real home, a great girlfriend, and a clearer mind… after all that, getting riled up by Malfoy seemed simply childish.

"Every train ride, really?" Ginny asked, amazed.

"Unfortunately," grumbled Hermione. "He does seem to have a weird fixation with Harry, now that I think about it."

"I agree, Draco's wrackspurts seem to become unusually active when he talks to you. I wonder why that is," contributed Luna, still flipping through her magazine. Ron and Neville looked at the blonde as if she had three heads, and Hermione looked exasperated. Harry didn't know how to react to such an odd statement, but decided to say something before Hermione countered with factual information and they got into another argument.

"Well, too bad I'm taken," he sighed, feigning resignation. Ron and Neville guffawed, while Ginny and Hermione dissolved into a fit of giggles, and even Luna's lips twitched in amusement. Harry laughed freely too, and suddenly realized how odd it was. He didn't think he had ever been the funny one of the trio, that role usually fell to Ron. But now, humor seemed to come naturally, in situations which before would have simply made him uncomfortable. Anto's habits had stuck with him, he thought, smiling, but it was more than that. Harry recalled several occasions before the past summer in which he had said something completely unexpected or sarcastic that made everyone laugh, but it always happened when he was too distracted, or didn't have time to mull over what his friends would think of him. He was glad he was becoming less self-conscious, at least enough to let his humor slip out more often. He had talked endlessly with Carmen over the importance of giving more value to what he thought, and less to others' opinions, but until now, he hadn't realized that he was actually succeeding. Well, at least in simple situations, which was progress, and made him satisfied. It felt freeing.

OoOoOoOoOo

Hermione closed the curtains of her four-poster bed, rolling her eyes in private at her roommate's ridiculousness. Parvati had a minimum of common sense, thankfully, and believed Voldemort was back. Lavender had been inclined to believe the lies of the Daily Prophet, but had now been having second thoughts because Harry looked more handsome, of all things. Hermione had known the girl was shallow, but thinking Harry was more likely to be telling the truth because he had new clothes and glasses was a whole new level of ridiculousness. At least Hermione could be comforted in the thought that Harry would have an easier time with the gossip than expected, if more girls were as easily swayed as Lavender.

To be honest, Harry seemed to have been having a surprisingly easy time. She had completely expected him to be moody at having been left in the dark all summer, and at everyone saying unkind things about him. Last year, when he had been forcibly chosen by the goblet, he hadn't dealt well with everyone's opinions at all. But now, he seemed shockingly careless about it, and his demeanor was calmer than she had ever observed, but at the same time, seemed much more assertive and self-assured. Ron had probably not even noticed, as oblivious as he was, but Hermione definitely had.

She expected that having a vacation abroad would do him good, of course, and obviously having a girlfriend, even if long distance, explained some of Harry's positive attitude and increased self-confidence. But such a big change? It was evident that something more had happened, that Harry was not telling them. Or possibly, Hermione considered worriedly, he was still in shock from his trauma.

That was probably it, she reasoned, Harry hadn't dealt with what had happened to him just yet, which explained why nothing seemed to bother him. He might be forcibly suppressing his negative emotions. She hoped her friend found a healthy way to deal with all of it soon, instead of exploding, like he usually did. She wasn't looking forward to that backlash.

Hermione got under the covers and closed her eyes, trying to block the noise of Parvati and Lavender's giggles. She had already heard much more than she wanted to know about Harry's "hint of muscles", and wanted to focus on the start of classes tomorrow. It was the most important year she'd ever had after all, what with the OWL exams that would determine her future. She fell asleep smiling, thinking of all the new things she would learn. Magic offered so many possibilities.

OoOoOoOoOo

Later that evening, Harry's plans of going straight to bed after the feast were derailed as soon as he arrived at his dorm and Seamus announced that his mother hadn't wanted him back at Hogwarts when asked about his summer.

"But - why?" said Harry, astonished. He knew that Seamus' mother was a witch and could not understand, therefore, why she should have come over so Dursley-ish. Seamus did not answer until he had finished buttoning his pajamas.

"Well," he said in a measured voice, "I suppose… because of you."

"What d'you mean?" said Harry quickly. His heart was beating rather fast. He thought he knew what Seamus meant, but at the same time, he was genuinely confused. Hogwarts was a school. As in, the source of Seamus' education. How could the Irish boy's mother base her son's attendance on whether or not Harry was lying about something completely unrelated to the education they were receiving?

"Well," said Seamus again, still avoiding Harry's eyes, "she… er… well, it's not just you, it's Dumbledore too…" This at least made more sense to Harry, that Mrs. Finnigan would not want to send her son to a school in which she distrusted the headmaster. Actually, it made a lot of sense, but it still shocked Harry to the core. He hadn't realized until now how big the campaign against him and Dumbledore was. Had Fudge really managed to drag Dumbledore's, and his own, reputation so badly that parents were considering withdrawal from Hogwarts?

"Oh," Harry managed to say, still caught off guard. He didn't know what else he could say. Why were the people believing the first thing they read? It was ridiculous. They had no idea how their stupid gossip and looks affected Harry, when all he had done was warn Dumbledore about Voldemort's return. He was sick of it; sick of being the person who was stared at and talked about all the time. If any of them knew, if any of them had the faintest idea what it felt like to be the one all these things had happened to… Mrs. Finnigan had no idea, the stupid woman, he thought savagely.

He stopped his thoughts in his tracks, trying to think through everything calmly. It wasn't even Mrs. Finnigan's fault, he reflected, sighing internally. Obviously the lady could have been smarter, but it wasn't unreasonable to believe the newspapers. The point of the news, after all, supposedly was to inform the masses. It was stupid Fudge and his lackeys, including that awful witch dressed in pink that had interrupted Dumbledore's welcome speech. Harry couldn't believe they would make a hate campaign against other people simply because they were scared to face the truth. It was completely unnecessary, and cruel. And what was worse, is that they had the power to do it, to dictate what the Daily Prophet said. Wasn't it ridiculous for a government to have power over what was written in the largest newspaper of their society? Didn't that go completely against the assumption that the news were impartial?

"Look… what did happen that night when… you know, when… with Cedric Diggory and all?" Seamus sounded nervous and eager at the same time. Dean, who had been bending over his trunk, trying to retrieve a slipper, went oddly still and Harry knew he was listening hard. Harry's first impulse was to snark at Seamus to read the Daily Prophet like his mother. He couldn't believe his roommate of four years could possibly think Harry was lying to attract attention. Didn't they know him enough to know he wouldn't do that?

A moment later, he reconsidered, and tried to look at the situation from Seamus' perspective, as he had done in a few exercises to manage his emotions with Carmen. Dumbledore had simply announced that Voldemort had returned and killed Cedric, leaving it at that. No explanation, no details. Obviously, it would sound like a lie to anyone who had believed the wizard had been dead for thirteen years, especially without the full story. And Seamus was not automatically believing Harry was a liar. He was actually asking the boy-who-lived to explain, giving him the benefit of the doubt until he had the two versions to decide what he believed. He hadn't said one rude word to Harry. Honestly, his roommate was being more decent than anyone else that had been talking behind his back. Harry sighed. He didn't actually want to talk about the graveyard. It had been traumatizing enough to live through it and to tell it the times he already had. But how could he possibly expect his classmates, and other citizens, most of whom didn't know him at all, to believe him over the papers, especially since he hadn't told them his version in the first place? He steeled himself with resolve. If he wanted people to believe him, the first thing he had to do was to actually tell his story, even if it was unpleasant.

"It's not easy to talk about, but I'll do my best," he replied to Seamus. Seamus and Dean sat on Seamus' bed, as did Neville. Harry told them the whole story, from when he had grabbed the cup alongside Cedric, and by the time he finished, Seamus was as indignant about Fudge as Harry was.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you, mate," The Irish boy said. "That must have been awful." Ron, who had come in at some point of the story, scoffed at their Irish roommate, but Harry was pleasantly surprised at Seamus' instant belief in him. He had simply been aiming for his roommate to adopt a more neutral position than his mother's. It seemed like telling his version actually worked to make people believe him, even though of course, Seamus was more likely to, since they had shared a dorm for four years. But still, if Harry wanted everyone to stop thinking him a liar, it looked like he would have to tell the story to a lot more people. He was startled at the sudden thought. He didn't want to relive the story every time someone asked, just to make one less person believe he was lying. But what if he didn't have to? Skeeter had interviewed him last year, albeit inaccurately, and published it for all to see. And he had considered pressuring her to write about Sirius' lack of a trial… There was nothing stopping him from telling his whole version in an interview for some newspaper, so there would be a counter story from the Daily Prophet's lies. At least, then the people would be deciding what to believe from the two versions, instead of only one.

"Yeah, it was pretty traumatizing. I actually went to a psychologist this summer to deal with it, it helped," Harry replied. He didn't tell them he was still going, just in case they spread the story. He didn't know them that well yet, and he didn't want all of Hogwarts thinking he was actually nuts instead of lying.

"That's was a good call, mate, after an experience like that, anyone would need to," said Dean understandingly, making Harry remember that his parents were muggles.

"What's a Psychogist?" asked Seamus, confused. Neville and Ron were similarly clueless.

"Psychologist. It's a person that you talk to about your traumas and they help you deal with them. Like a healer, but for the mind," Dean attempted to explain.

"But Harry's mind is just fine! You don't need that, mate" Ron said dismissively. Harry felt a pang of annoyance at Ron's ignorance, until he remembered that his own initial reaction had been similar.

"Actually, it helped a lot. I used to feel like it was my fault that Cedric died, and thanks to the psychologist I don't anymore." he countered. Ron looked unconvinced about the therapy, but told Harry supportively that of course Cedric's death wasn't his fault. Seamus and Neville seemed merely surprised at the new information about the psychologists' profession, but seemed to accept its utility, especially when Dean rolled his eyes at them.

"How did you do it with the statute of secrecy? I mean, was the healing as effective when you had to avoid mentioning the magic stuff?" asked Dean interestedly.

"Actually, it was a witch. I was in Spain for the summer, and they have wizarding psychologists there," Harry told him.

"Really? I've never heard of mind healers," commented Seamus, surprised. Harry kept his thoughts to himself. It seemed like most people in Wizarding Britain hadn't heard of a lot of things that would be useful.

"Oh, so it's not just a muggle thing? That's good," Ron said, seemingly relieved. Harry felt a real pang of annoyance this time, at Ron's casual dismissal of muggles.

"My girlfriend is a muggle," Harry reminded him coolly. Ron went red in embarrassment instantly, and apologized hastily.

"You have a girlfriend?" Seamus asked. The boys instantly forgot about Dark Lords and psychologists in favor of talking about Anto, girls, and relationships in general, which Harry surprisingly enjoyed. Apparently, Dean had been dating Parvati Patil since Easter, which Harry was ashamed not to have known, and Seamus had had a brief dalliance with a girl from Beauxbatons last year. Neville hadn't had any relationship, but blushed furiously when asked about who he fancied. He refused to say who it was, though that didn't stop Seamus and Dean's attempts to give him several tips. Ron fervently denied fancying anyone and asked them what snogging was like. Harry was just surprised that his roommates were actually all fun to talk to, and that he had never bothered to sit and have such a normal conversation with them before. Why had he limited his friendships to only Ron and Hermione? This was nice, and easy too.

All in all, Harry was glad he had decided to answer Seamus' question, instead of exploding in anger like he would have if he had followed his initial impulse. It would make life in his dorm a million times easier.

Honestly, the experience had also given him an idea of something he could do to stop at least some people from thinking he was an attention-seeking liar. He would definitely start looking into publishing an interview telling his version of the story. The Daily Prophet would never publish it, but there were other newspapers, if The Quibbler was anything to go by. And Harry was sure he could find a journalist who would publish it, but if he didn't, there was always Hermione's sway over Rita Skeeter. He had no idea how the process of putting an interview together worked, or what it entailed, Harry thought frowning. Where would he have to start?

He could ask Sirius, he suddenly realized, wondering how he could have forgotten. He was still not too used to asking help from adults, he mused, but this time he had at least thought about it early enough. He would get better. He just had to give it time.

OoOoOoOoOo

The next morning, Harry sat half asleep as Hermione read the daily prophet and Ron stuffed his face full of breakfast. They had stayed up late with his roommates talking and catching up, and the lack of sleep was catching up to the boy-who-lived. He took his schedule for McGonagall without looking at it, and munched on a scone, for once barely noticing the stares from the many students from the four houses.

"Look at today!" groaned Ron. "History of Magic, double Potions, Divination and double Defense Against the Dark Arts… Binns, Snape, Trelawney, and that Umbridge woman all in one day! I wish Fred and George'd hurry up and get those Skiving Snackboxes sorted…" Harry looked at his own schedule, noticing that he had Ancient Runes instead of divination, which hopefully would be better than the rest of his Monday classes. He suddenly startled. He had completely forgotten to tell Ron about his switched electives! He wondered how his friend would take it; he surely wouldn't be happy about going alone to Trelawney's tower.

"Do mine ears deceive me?" said Fred, arriving with George and squeezing onto the bench beside Harry. "Hogwarts prefects surely don't wish to skive off lessons?"

"Look what we've got today," said Ron grumpily, shoving his schedule under Fred's nose. "That's the worst Monday I've ever seen." Harry tried to gather his courage, knowing it would be worse the more he waited. The possibility of disappointing or angering Ron gave him an uncomfortable churn in his stomach, but he knew he had to do it anyway. Obviously, his education was more important.

"Mate, I forgot to tell you, I'm not taking divination anymore. I switched it for Ancient Runes and Arithmancy." Harry said quickly, deciding that the more he thought about how to say it only made his anxiety worse.

"Wait, what? Seriously? You're leaving me alone?" asked Ron, outraged.

"Don't be ridiculous Ron, obviously Harry didn't make that decision to spite you. I think it's good that you are prioritizing your education, Harry, honestly, Divination is a complete waste of time," Hermione interjected.

"Yeah, it's just, I don't really know what I want to do after Hogwarts, and it turns out Runes and Arithmancy are useful for a lot of jobs," Harry told Ron apologetically. Ron looked slightly mollified.

"Oh…fine, I guess," the redhead replied unsurely. "But why did you have to do it when we have this schedule? Now Mondays will be even worse!" he complained gloomily. "And you guys will be together while I suffer with Trelawney!"

"Harry, I'll help you catch up, of course! But two years is a lot, I'll add tutoring sessions to my study schedule. We'll have to cover a lot of material to get you ready for the OWLS in a year!" said Hermione excitedly. Harry's eyes twitched in amusement. Trust Hermione to be excited at the prospect of extra studying.

"Hermione, I won't be in your class, it would be impossible to catch up. I'll be with the third years," clarified Harry.

"You'll have to take classes with the third years?" Ron asked, horrified. "Mate, why would you put yourself through that?"

"Because my education is kind of important… what's wrong with the third years, anyway?" asked Harry, annoyed. It had seemed to Harry these past few days like everything new or different bothered Ron. What did he care about being with younger students? Anto was the equivalent of a third year at her muggle school, as she wouldn't turn fourteen until november, and she was perfectly mature as Harry was concerned.

"Nothing, I guess, they are just small. better you than me, mate," Ron replied, shrugging his shoulders. "But people are going to talk about you going to classes with them, Malfoy's going to have a field day," the redhead shuddered, as if the gossip was a terrifying prospect.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but people are talking about me quite a bit already," Harry said drily, his lips twitching in amusement.

"Oh, yeah… I'd forgotten about that," Ron said, sheepishly. Harry's annoyance turned to relief. All in all, the conversation had gone much better than I expected.

"But what about the OWLS for those subjects, Harry?" asked Hermione, anxiously. "If you are with the third years you won't be able to take them!"

"Oh, I'll just take the OWLS for those two subjects later, along with our NEWTs," Harry told her. "By then I'll hopefully know what I want to do, and if I need one of those two NEWTS I'll just prepare through independent study and take them later."

"Wait, you can take the OWLS and NEWTS more than once? Is that only because it will be your first time taking them, or does it also apply if you failed them before?" Fred interrupted suddenly. It seemed like he looked much more interested in that piece of information than Harry would have ever expected from the twins, but the boy-who-lived quickly shook the thought away. It was probably his overactive imagination.

"I have no idea, actually, McGonagall gave me the solution" Harry answered, shrugging. "But you should be able to take them again if you failed them, right? Muggles can do that with their exams."

"Yes, actually, you can attempt the same OWL of NEWT a maximum of three times. I read through the guidelines this summer, I wanted to be prepared for all eventualities," Hermione informed them primly, ignoring the boys scoffing and rolling their eyes at the possibility of her failing an OWL. "But Harry, the first time you take your OWLS you need to be tested in at least two electives! Did Professor McGonagall consider that when she let you drop out of Divination?"

"Yeah, she told me that I can take the Muggle Studies OWL to fulfill that requirement," Harry supplied. "Apparently, you don't need to take the class to sign up for the exam, and since I was raised muggle I shouldn't have any problems."

"Seriously? So I could take the Muggle Studies OWL too, even if I don't take the class?" Hermione asked. "I didn't know that was an option, it's not in the guidelines!"

"Yeah, I think you just need to talk to McGonagall and she'll sort it out for you," Harry replied, bemused. It was strange that that fact wasn't readily available, Harry reflected, taking the muggle studies OWL without taking the class could benefit all the muggleborns, not just Hermione. Then again, maybe that's why the information wasn't readily available, he thought cynically.

"Oh, thank you, Harry! I'll do that as soon as possible!" Hermione said.

"You want to voluntarily take more exams?" Ron asked Hermione, scandalized. "You need to sort out your priorities."

"Why are you surprised at Hermione wanting to take more exams? I'm more surprised that you know what 'priorities' means," quipped George. Ron stuck his tongue out at his brother, and Harry laughed freely. He didn't know why he had been so stressed at communicating his change in electives to his friends. Everything had gone quite well, all things considered.

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"Ah, Messers Weasley, what can I help you with?" McGonagall asked, not too surprised to find the twins skipping their first class of the term, though seeking her out in her office was not one of their conventional means.

"We wanted to talk to you about something, Professor," George Weasley replied, uncharacteristically serious.

"Of course, come in," she replied, wondering what they wanted. She offered them tea and biscuits, as she had been readying to have some before they had interrupted one of her scarce free periods, and gestured for them to go ahead.

"Harry and Hermione told us that it's possible to retake failed OWLS, is that true?" Fred asked her. She confirmed the information, wondering how it could possibly be relevant. She had heard through the rumor mill that the twins wanted to open a joke shop of their own, though of course, the gossip at Hogwarts wasn't always accurate. Was it possible that they were considering an alternative career?

"Is there an OWL you would like to retake?" she asked them seriously.

"We want to retake four OWLS each, professor. And in two of those subjects we would like to take the NEWT as well. Is it possible to take the OWL and the NEWT of a subject in the same year?" asked George. Minerva blinked uncomprehendingly at the identical redheads in front of her. Of all the possible topics she imagined the Weasley twins would want to discuss with her, this would not have been within the top 100 was probably the most surreal discussion she had ever participated in. In fact, she was reasonably sure that it was merely just a dream.

"Unfortunately, that is not possible, you have to wait at least a year after the OWLS to take the NEWTS," she replied, trying to sound as unsurprised as possible, just in case this conversation was actually happening. "Which exam would you like to retake?"

"We both want to take Potions and Care of Magical Creatures. Additionally, I'd like to take Charms and Arithmancy, and George wants to take Ancient Runes and Transfiguration," replied Fred, completely seriously. Minerva raised an eyebrow, trying not to betray her incredulous expression. One extra OWL she might believe, but four each? She wondered if this was one of the Weasley Twins' famous pranks, though this kind of joke wasn't really their style. What could have possibly prompted them to take their education seriously? Was it the war that had affected them so much? First Mr. Potter and now the Weasleys… it couldn't be a coincidence. The idea that Voldemort's return was capable of making the twins behave like this was more frightening than she wanted to admit.

"If you are serious about this endeavor, I would suggest that you join the fifth year classes in those subjects. As you probably remember, in fifth year there are a lot of review sessions and assignments that would help you prepare for the exams much more effectively than independent study would," she suggested.

"We can do that?" asked George interestedly. "Respectfully professor, we wouldn't take the offer in Potions or Care of Magical Creatures… but joining Runes and Transfiguration would actually be very useful." Fred agreed, expressing his interest in joining the Charms and Arithmancy classes, which finally convinced Minerva that there was a possibility that the twins were being serious.

"So, just to confirm, are you completely sure that you would like to retake four OWLS and two extra classes, in addition to your NEWTS?" she asked. To her shock, the twins confirmed it, once again seriously. She couldn't imagine them signing up for unnecessary classes just for a prank, which only left the conclusion that they genuinely wanted to prepare for the exams. She decided not to ask, instead taking the win. The Weasley Twins were finally taking their education seriously, which she had never thought possible. It would be better not to comment on it, lest they get embarrassed and change their minds.

"Fifth year Ancient Runes is at the same time as seventh year Defense Against the Dark Arts" Minerva told George, "which one would you like to attend? You can take the Defense NEWT exam regardless."

"Eh, I'm sure missing the class with Umbridge won't be such a big loss," George replied enthusiastically.

"Can I drop that too, Professor?" Fred asked eagerly. McGonagall smiled involuntarily, and tried to school her expression as soon as possible, lest she look unprofessional.

"Yes, that's possible. Here are your new schedules. I'll see to it that you are signed up and that your teachers are informed," she said briskly. The twins thanked her enthusiastically and left. Minerva took a sip of her tea, wondering how to explain this to the other teachers without them looking at her like she had lost her marbles. She debated whether it was too early for a brandy.

"Excuse me, Professor, may I come in?" Hermione Granger interrupted Minerva's internal conundrum.

"Of course, Miss Granger, what is it that you need?"

"Harry said I can take the Muggle Studies OWL, is that true?" Hermione asked eagerly. McGonagall sighed, but smiled. When Mr. Potter had decided to change his electives, he had probably not realized the chaos he would unleash.

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That s all for now folks! Please tell me your thoughts.

Extra note: I apologize for the possible grammar mistakes, as English is not my first language. Also, my apostrophe doesn t work on the fanfiction chapter editor for some reason, so I apologize for the missing apostrophes :)

I hope you enjoyed it!