Disclaimer: Nope.

Author's Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! I was really nervous about the last chapter, and I'm so glad it went over so well. I can't wait to write more about the parent-teacher conferences. I have always believed highly in good education - I have been extremely lucky to grow up in a family that truly cherishes it. My mum used to be a teacher, so she has been on both sides of parent-teacher conferences. I do think those are extremely important so that parents can help their children get through school, both academically and emotionally.

And I always found it sad that Muggle-borns seem to become so integrated into the wizarding world that they leave their old world far, far behind them. Not that them becoming immersed in magic is a bad thing - not at all. I just find it disconcerting that Hermione's parents are barely ever mentioned, and she always seems to give them up for the Weasleys. And when they're mentioned in Book 7, it's because she's taken their memories away from them. That scene has become very, very controversial. Some people think her heart was in the right place, wanting nothing more than to protect them, while others think she played God and didn't even ask their permission before taking away their free will. It's a complicated issue. I adore Hermione, I truly do, but I think she has a streak in her that believes she knows what's best for everyone. There are plenty of people in real life that act that way, too. For me, what she did makes me extremely uncomfortable. I know that if someone did that to me, even if they could prove that it was for my own protection - I'd be very, very angry. I mean, extremely so. I'd have a very hard time finding forgiveness for something like that. I really want to show that Muggles with magical offspring should be able to understand the wizarding world better - anything else is entirely unfair to them.

As far as people simply referring to Voldemort as "Riddle" and that driving him bonkers, that's very true. I can definitely find a way to bring that into the story. Unfortunately, as often happens in real life, many of his supporters would deny that Voldemort is a half-blood even if they're told so. They'll say it's filthy lies and propaganda that's just said to hurt their Dark Lord. It's sad, but I've seen it enough in the real world to know the truth of it.

And in regards to McGonagall kicking all the Slytherins out of the final battle, that's an interesting angle I'd never thought of before. Some Slytherin parents were Voldemort supporters, and pitting family members against each other is, indeed, something McGonagall wouldn't go for. Still, though, I'm uncomfortable with that scene, as that interpretation implies that every single Slytherin had parents who supported Voldemort, and I don't believe that to be true. However, I do like that explanation - it doesn't make McGonagall look quite as horrible in that scene.

Don't worry, you're not making me look like a spectacle at all. I'm always receptive to answering questions about my disability. It always leads to a better understanding, after all.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. You'll notice that when Benjamin Podmore talks about his dad tutoring Harry in DADA and History of Magic, he says nothing about Muggle duelling. I'm sure it'll be obvious why the wider wizarding world shouldn't know about that. In fact, Ben doesn't know either, and it makes sense why Sturgis didn't tell him - it's for his safety.

I really hope you enjoy this excursion into the Hufflepuff common room.

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The Hufflepuff common room had always been a place Susan Bones loved. From the first moment she stepped into it on her first night at Hogwarts over four years ago, she knew she had found her second home. She had sat in a luxuriously soft armchair, and her new friend, Hannah Abbott, sat beside her. The two girls had struck up a conversation, the smiles bright on their faces as they began a new chapter in their lives.

There had been so many ups and downs since then, so many trials and tribulations. It was unfortunate, but Susan couldn't say that as she sat in the common room tonight, she felt the same level of comfort. The horrific, cruel murder of Cedric Diggory had cast a shadow over Hufflepuff House that Susan was frightened would never lift. There was an air of tension and sadness that seemed to permeate the room now, and the armchairs and couches had soaked up too many tears to count as students hid their faces in the fabric and sobbed for their champion, their idol, their friend. Cedric was everything that so many Hufflepuffs strove to be - the complete embodiment of a good person.

This summer had been exceedingly hard. Susan and Hannah spent nearly all of their time together while Hannah's parents and Susan's Aunt Amelia were at work. Susan was very grateful to have such a good friend - she had someone to lean on through tough times. They spoke candidly of their feelings and fears regarding Voldemort's return. They mourned Cedric together. They spat vitriol against the Ministry together. And they had many conversations over the unjust treatment of Harry Potter.

Guilt. Hannah Abbott wore it like a second skin. She was so ashamed of her past judgment of Harry during their second year at Hogwarts, when she'd been so quick to believe him capable of harming other students. So many students had walked on eggshells around the halls, always looking over their shoulder for fear of attack - it had been especially true of Muggle-borns, and for good reason. Relations in the Hufflepuff dormitory between Susan and Hannah had been strained, to say the least - Susan had been disgusted that Hannah could come to that conclusion about Harry.

Now, though, Susan would do anything to take that endless look of guilt out of her best friend's eyes. Hannah now seemed to think that she was somehow responsible for everything bad that was happening to Harry - it was like she thought she'd jinxed him somehow. Susan had spent all summer telling her she'd redeemed herself and that there was nothing to apologize for anymore. It was one thing to regret a mistake - it was quite another to let the guilt consume you so much that you were incapable of moving on.

Hannah Abbott wasn't the only one that Susan saw walking around with guilt clinging to every pore. Her Aunt Amelia had walked around with that same air about her, although she hid it much better than Hannah did. The trial of Sirius Black had sent the woman into a downward spiral of regret that shook the foundations of her world, because how had she not seen? How had she not known? How had she not stood up for Sirius simply on principle? Even if someone looked guilty, and there seemed to be no doubt about it, wasn't everyone entitled to a fair trial? Even Bellatrix Lestrange had been allowed to say her piece - granted, the words had been vile and monstrous, but she hadn't been barred from speaking them.

So Susan had spent all summer trying to comfort two people she loved, and receiving comfort in return from them. She never thought she'd feel so much emotion all at once. Fear, anger, sorrow, hatred, love, gratitude - it all swirled inside her in a jumbled mass, making the entire summer feel surreal.

The two trials she'd attended changed how she viewed the world forever. At Cornelius Fudge's, she'd learned what had truly happened to Cedric, and it made her sick. Maybe she was a coward, but she couldn't stay after seeing Cedric fall. It made her feel better that Hannah couldn't, either. She rubbed her best friend's back as she was violently sick outside the courtroom, and it took everything in her not to follow suit. Both girls had sobbed for their fallen friend, unable to forget Cedric's glassy stare or Harry's horrified, stricken face.

Harry. If there was ever a time to support him, it was now. If that memory had shown Susan anything, it was that. It only made her more disgusted with the former Minister of Magic, and she hoped he rotted in Azkaban for the rest of his life. Despite her misgivings about Dumbledore, what had happened to him made Susan nauseous. No one deserved to be violated in such a heinous fashion.

She'd heard later about the rest of the memory, about that monster slithering out of the cauldron, about Harry almost falling to the Killing Curse, about his bravery as he grasped onto his wand tightly while the ghosts of Voldemort's victims prowled around the two combatants. And Cedric had helped Harry. Her friend helped people, even after his death. It made Susan's throat and eyes burn - that was such a ... Cedric thing to do. She was exceedingly proud of her friend. She knew he would have been gratified to know that Harry escaped back to Hogwarts.

The false memory of Harry murdering Cedric had affected her deeply as well, but in a different way entirely. That those so-called Healers had gone to such lengths to malign Harry was sickening. She didn't even know Harry that well, but even someone like her knew that the boy in that memory was not the same one who smiled at her in Herbology, his green eyes sparkling with interest as Professor Sprout explained the properties of certain plants. Anyone who thought that memory was genuine was a complete and utter fool.

And if that trial hadn't been emotional enough, the trial of Sirius Black shook the wizarding world to its core. There had been so much feeling packed into that courtroom that it was a wonder the entire Ministry didn't crumble from the force of it all. Tears had streamed down Susan's face as she listened to the heartbreaking testimony from both Harry and Sirius. She had seen the same guilt on the face of Sturgis Podmore that constantly resided on the faces of Hannah and Aunt Amelia. And Ron Weasley, someone who she had once thought jealous and immature, had truly stepped up and shown that the summer had changed him, too.

And then ... Merlin ... in the middle of the night before school had started, Susan and Hannah woke up to the news that Hannah's mother had been brutally murdered by Voldemort. Both girls had been spending the night at Amelia's, and it was only that which had saved Hannah's life. It shook Susan to her core, shattering her in a way that still chilled her bones, and caused Hannah to wrestle with emotions no one should have to experience. Her father would have also gone the same way as his wife, but he happened not to be home at the time. He'd returned from a night out with his friends to find the Dark Mark hanging over his home, his wife cold in a way she had never been before. Needless to say, Hannah had spent the next week at home with the heartsick man as they gathered with family and planned the funeral.

Susan had walked around in a numb haze for the entirety of that week. As well as being completely devastated for her best friend, she had been heartbroken for herself. Mrs. Abbott had been like a mother to her - they had spent the last four Christmases and summers seeing much of each other, when Susan would come to Hannah's house to spend time with her. There had been many enjoyable dinners, and weekends spent in Diagon Alley or Muggle London. Every day, Susan and Hannah exchanged owls, with Susan trying desperately to comfort her friend despite her own unbearable sorrow. Plus, there was the inescapable knowledge that she could have lost Hannah, too. She felt extraordinary relief that she hadn't, but she knew that Hannah felt horrible, as she thought she should have been there with her mother.

The two girls had leant on each other as Susan was allowed to leave Hogwarts to attend the funeral that Saturday. It had been brutal. Susan didn't know what was worse - seeing Hannah totally break down as she attempted to give a eulogy that would do her mother justice, or Mr. Abbott falling to his knees and weeping uncontrollably as they lowered the coffin into the ground.

It was a day Susan never hoped to repeat, but with the war going on, it seemed all too likely that another tragedy would rock their world. Susan truly felt that she and Hannah's innocence had been lost, and there was no way to regain it. Things were only going to get worse.

The one silver lining that Susan could cling onto was the fact that through cruelty and unfairness, justice could still prevail. She'd never forget when Rebecca Hardman had contacted her and Hannah over the summer. Rebecca, who was a year above her, was known for her altruism and her wish to right any wrong. What had been done to Harry was unforgivable, in her opinion, and both Susan and Hannah agreed. Rebecca and her boyfriend, Matthew, had known their views on the matter and had therefore contacted them to help with a counterpetition to allow Harry back at Hogwarts. Both girls had jumped at the chance to fight for justice for a boy that had done nothing wrong.

Did Susan have nightmares of Cedric's body? Yes, constantly. Did she miss him every single day? Yes, without a doubt. But was any of this Harry's fault? No, absolutely not. Were there others in this school that VOLDEMORT would want to lay his hands on? Yes, that went without saying. Was it fair that the world expected Harry to always be the hero, to never step a toe out of line, to never falter, to never actually be human? No, Susan thought adamantly. It was entirely wrong.

And now, as she sat in the common room with Hannah by her side, which was such a familiar position to be in, everything around her had changed. Gone was the sweetness and light and innocence of four years ago. In its place was tension and grief and strife. But tonight was different from any of those that had come before it this school year - tonight, Susan truly felt like she'd done her part in securing a victory.

There were mixed emotions around the common room, but Susan was gratified at the fact that there were more students that had taken well to the most recent news than not. The ones who weren't so happy had their tails between their legs, however, and Susan felt an uncharacteristic bout of vicious pleasure at that. They had finally been put in their place and were keeping their heads down and their lips zipped. Their opinion wasn't the popular one anymore.

In the center of it all was Rebecca Hardman, who looked quietly triumphant. Susan and Hannah had, only moments ago, spoken words that conveyed just how thankful they were for her and Matthew Banner's actions. Susan felt her heart break for Matthew, who had experienced his own family tragedy just as Hannah had. She had glowered fiercely at several snide comments she'd overheard about how Matthew wasn't really grieving - he was a slimy Slytherin, after all, and was looking for the perfect opportunity to get in good with Voldemort. She'd heard about how Nancy Drelmer had said something similar directly to Rebecca's face, resulting in a punch to the nose and a slew of detentions for Rebecca. Susan couldn't say she blamed the older girl. She remembered how, on the morning after Cedric's death, Nancy had been one of those who was all too happy to agree with Jeffrey Bushman's petition.

Jeffrey. Susan looked around the common room, and couldn't see him anywhere. Good. She supposed this had finally shut him up. She truly couldn't have cared less if she never saw that bastard's face again.

But, unfortunately, Nancy was there, and she sat on a chair, her stupid friends Amy and Louise by her side. Amy had been one of those who had accused Harry of murder. Amy's eyes were on the ground, as she had been unable to truly look at anyone since the start of the school year. Louise and Nancy, however, were still attempting to hold their heads high - not that they were succeeding. They hadn't thought Harry a murderer, but felt the need to blame him for every misfortune that had befallen this castle.

At that moment, Ernie McMillan stood. Ernie always meant well, even though he drove Susan bonkers at times with his pomposity and know-it-all attitude. He, too, had not treated Harry well during their second year at Hogwarts. But he, like Hannah, had seen that he was wrong and was still atoning for it. Now, Susan could see his heart in his eyes as he cleared his throat, and the room went completely silent.

"I would just like to say congratulations to someone who has always striven to do the right thing," he said, the look in his eyes intense. "Rebecca Hardman has truly achieved a victory today."

There was a round of applause from many in the common room, and Rebecca blushed. Susan and Hannah heartily joined in with the applause, and as Susan looked around, she felt another bolt of satisfaction fly through her at the sullen expressions some of her housemates were wearing.

"Thank you, Ernie. That means a lot." Rebecca stood and faced the room as a whole. "It's about time everyone faces the truth," she stated, her eyes flashing. "Harry Potter deserves the same rights as we do."

"I wish the governors had allowed him to come back before January," Justin Finch-Fletchley grumbled.

"I agree," Susan said, feeling bolstered to speak up. "But I see where the Headmistress is coming from - if he's being tutored this term, it makes sense for him to finish things out on a proper note, you know?"

"And he's been through a lot," Hannah murmured, guilt and compassion shining in her eyes. "I can't imagine how he feels."

There was an unmistakable snort of derision that came from the corner of the room. Rebecca whirled to face the culprit, and glowered viciously at the roommate she'd recently had a physical altercation with. "Do you have something to say, Nancy?" she asked in a dangerous voice that just dared the other girl to speak.

"No." Nancy muttered, her head hanging down.

"Careful, Becca." There was a syrupy sweetness in Amy's voice that dripped with condescension. "Don't want to land yourself in another detention, do you? Or better yet, get your beloved Prefect badge removed?"

Ernie straightened, his expression fierce and uncompromising. Raising a hand, he said loudly, "This has to stop, and it will stop right now. I'm sick and bloody tired of things being like this."

"Whoa, mate," said Justin; swearing was, honestly, a very uncommon occurrence for the usually bossy, serious Ernie, who got on others for doing the same.

Nancy suddenly lifted her head, and her cheeks were suffused with red. She glowered at Rebecca and snarled, "I see that you now think yourself so high and mighty. What are you going to think in January when you can't even snog your boyfriend without an Auror seeing you do it?"

Indeed, McGonagall had announced at dinner that Aurors would be monitoring the security at Hogwarts. Though the news was a little disconcerting, the Headmistress had assured everyone that they would make themselves discreet and wouldn't interfere in the lives of the students and staff unless they had to. Everyone had also been assured that the Aurors would be trustworthy ones, as a man named Kingsley Shacklebolt was now head of the Aurors and would only pick those he trusted to do the job. McGonagall spoke of Kingsley in warm tones, as had Aunt Amelia, which could only mean good news. Thank Merlin - Susan wouldn't want any of the Aurors who had taken Dumbledore away to be part of this endeavor. It hadn't taken Susan long to come to terms with the idea - in fact, with the lapses in security that had been so rampant lately, she was grateful for it.

"Did you not hear anything McGonagall said, you narrow-minded, shallow shrew?" Ernie's uncharacteristically harsh words echoed through the common room, stopping Nancy cold. "The Aurors will be starting their shifts next week, not in January. You're just looking for any reason to blame Harry for everything."

This made Nancy shut up, and she hung her head again and didn't say anything.

"If there's anyone else here who wants to continue to smear Harry, I'd steer clear," said Ernie, his unforgiving stare landing on Zacharias Smith, who couldn't meet his eyes. Susan could gather that things in the fifth-year boys' dormitory were highly unpleasant, to say the least.

It was then that a first-year stood up. "I wish I could have signed the counterpetition," Benjamin Podmore stated. "My dad explained everything that happened, and I didn't think it was fair either."

Rebecca smiled apologetically at Ben. Susan liked the young boy - it was clear that he thought his dad was the sun, moon, and stars. He had explained that the man had been in Ravenclaw and had not been disappointed in the least by his son's House placement. "He always thought I'd be in Hufflepuff anyway, but said he'd be proud of me no matter what House I got put in," he'd said with a smile that was contagious.

"I know, Ben," Rebecca said gently. "I'm sorry I had to leave you out. It's just that ..."

"No, it's okay," Ben said with a genuine maturity and understanding in his voice. "I get why you didn't ask any first-years. It's not like you knew us before a few weeks ago, and could make a sound judgment about how we felt. And you had to trust that no one would rat you out and tell anyone about the plan before it could be put into action."

Rebecca was very relieved by Ben's acceptance. "Will your dad be one of the Aurors coming to Hogwarts?" she asked with interest.

"I dunno." Ben grinned. "I'm going to owl him and ask him."

"What a nightmare," Louise muttered. "Kids go to Hogwarts to get away from their parents, not have them hanging around."

"I don't feel that way at all," Ben proclaimed, his eyes hard as he stared at Louise. "And I think Ernie's right. You and Nancy are just looking for reasons to blame Harry for stuff he didn't do. It was my eleventh birthday on August 31, and Dad threw me a birthday party. I met Harry there, and he was really nice. Dad's tutoring him in Defense Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic, you know." His eyes lit up.

"Wicked!" exclaimed a second-year named Michael. "Potter's being tutored by an Auror?"

"Not just any Auror, Mike," Ben beamed. "He's one of the best in the entire division."

"You sound too much like Malfoy for your own good," Nancy muttered mutinously. "Is there anything you talk about other than your dad? Well, I suppose Malfoy's been taken down a peg or two. Not quite so smug and smirky anymore, is he?"

"Five points from Hufflepuff for being so nasty to your fellow housemate," Hannah snapped. "For one thing, Ben doesn't sound anything like Malfoy. For another, whose memory allowed the Aurors to put Malfoy's dad in Azkaban in the first place? Oh, that's right. Only the memory of a boy you hate for no good reason."

"Nancy." Rebecca's voice was strained with held-back fury. "Please leave this room. And do me a favor - take both Amy and Louise with you."

"Fine. Have it your way." Nancy got up, beckoning her two companions to do the same. Without saying another word, they stomped up the steps to their dormitory.

"Well, now that that's out of the way," said Ernie as he turned to look at Ben. "Sorry about that."

"Why?" Ben asked. "You didn't do anything." He smiled.

Susan was surprised, yet pleased, by how easily Ben was able to shake off Nancy's insults. "How is Harry doing?" she asked, honestly curious. She hadn't been aware before that Ben had seen him.

Ben looked a little unsure of himself then, and it was clear that he was wondering how much to say. "He's recovering," he finally said quietly. "Sirius is taking good care of him."

Michael looked intrigued. "Oh, right! You must have met Sirius, too!" he said excitedly. "What's he like? He's not ... not scary, is he?"

Even though she didn't like it, Susan could understand Michael's question. So many witches and wizards had spent so long thinking of Sirius as the mad, unhinged, laughing maniac from that picture in the Daily Prophet. The trial had changed many perceptions, of course, but there was something about that picture that stayed rooted in the mind.

But so many had rushed to judgment about Sirius, just as they had done with Harry. And if Harry was happy with Sirius, Susan was perfectly willing to accept it. And after the implications at the trial about Harry's home life ... she shuddered, many nasty possibilities flitting through her mind.

"He's not scary at all. He loves Harry," Ben proclaimed in a tone that brooked no argument. "And Harry loves him. They're like father and son, you know."

"Good," Justin said. "Those Muggles Harry lived with ... what was said at the trial gave me the creeps," he murmured, echoing what Susan had just been thinking.

There was silence in the common room for several seconds while many of its occupants were lost in thought. Eventually, a girl named Eloise Midgen spoke up. "Is it really true that ... that Cho Chang stood up for Harry in the meeting this morning?" she asked quietly.

Indeed, McGonagall had recognized Rebecca, Matthew, and Cho for their part in getting the Board of Governors to see reason.

"Yes, it is." Rebecca smiled. "I told her that Cedric would be very proud."

"He would be," Eloise murmured in agreement.

"Has anyone from here reached out to her lately?" asked Ernie seriously. "Poor thing - she looked so terrible at the beginning of the year."

"She still doesn't look great," Justin agreed. "Nightmares, I suspect. And she's obviously still grieving badly. It was incredibly brave of her to come forward like that."

"Granger's apparently befriended her," said Sally-Ann Perks, one of Susan's other roommates. She was a very pleasant person, and although she kept to herself most of the time, she was always there when it truly mattered. She, too, had signed the counterpetition. "I think she looks a little better these days."

"Most of her friends have been beastly to her," Rebecca said disgustedly. "And we all loved Cedric here. I think it's on us to look out for anyone else who did. Cho deserves for people to reach out to her."

"We're all here for each other," Hannah said, wiping away tears, and Susan knew she was thinking about her mother. "I'll reach out to her, I promise."

Ernie smiled. "Me, too," he said, with Justin agreeing to as well.

"She's in my year," Rebecca said. "We have several classes together, and after today, I'd like nothing more than to be her friend. She won't need those stupid bimbos anymore."

Susan smiled sadly - even in a situation like this, Rebecca's spunk was showing. She was exceedingly proud to have her as a housemate.

"So ... what now?" asked Melissa quietly, and Susan fought not to scowl viciously at the soft, timid, stricken voice. Melissa had been one of Cedric's best friends, but instead of doing what he would have wanted, she had been one of the major ringleaders of the "Harry murdered Cedric" campaign. It couldn't have been more apparent that she was guilt-stricken, but Susan couldn't find any forgiveness in her heart for her. Her words and actions had done so much damage.

But you forgave Hannah, she reminded herself. Could you only forgive her because she's your best friend? Why can't you find it in yourself to forgive Melissa? Cedric would have.

And that was the crux of it. That was why Susan needed to do better, to be better. Cedric had always been a better person, and he was the one so many Hufflepuffs wanted to emulate. He had been their leader, their role model. Sure, he'd gotten angry. Sure, he'd lost his temper on occasion. Sure, he'd said things he hadn't meant - he was only human, after all. But he was honestly the closest thing to perfection Susan had ever come across. It was stupid, and Cedric would have told her so in no uncertain terms, but to Susan, it was true.

So, thinking of Cedric's warm gray eyes, handsome face, and gentle smile, she answered Melissa. "We go on," she said quietly. "We regret our mistakes and try to do better in the future."

Melissa's tear-filled eyes widened at Susan's statement. "But you were so angry with me," she murmured.

"Yes, I was. I was furious." Susan had no compunctions about stating the truth. "I still am, actually. Very angry." She sighed, a surge of grief weighing her down. "But ... Cedric would have forgiven you."

"Yes." Ernie looked resolute as he, too, turned to face Melissa. "We can't all be Cedric, you know," he said quietly, "and this is so hard. But we can't let things in Hufflepuff stay the way they are."

Hannah nodded, her eyes shining with both sadness and determination. "I've made horrible mistakes, too," she said softly. "But I wanted to turn over a new leaf."

"And you have," Susan reminded her quietly, taking her hand. "And that means that everyone can."

Melissa stared around the room, trembling, her face pale. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so, so sorry."

Her boyfriend, Jake, wound an arm around her. He said nothing, and Melissa took a deep breath, finding comfort in his support.

"It's not okay right now, Melissa," Justin told her. "But in time ... in time, it will be."

Melissa nodded, and swallowed. "I can accept that," she whispered. "It's more than I deserve."

The room lapsed into total silence as the Hufflepuffs contemplated the events that had transpired. "I think," Ernie said finally, "that I'm going up to bed. I'm tired."

That pronouncement broke the moment, and as quiet conversations broke out between friends and acquaintances alike, Susan still held onto Hannah's hand. "Are you all right?" she asked her best friend softly.

Hannah looked at Susan, their gazes meeting. "Yeah," she said truthfully. "Yeah, I am."