Chapter 11Perfection

We returned to Number 12 Grimmauld the next day. It was decided that we needed to clean the place properly. Kreacher's efforts, like his attitude, left a lot to be desired. Before long, all of us were scrubbing, sweeping, sorting, and everything else that could be done to brighten up the place. I was a mess of dust, mould, and cobwebs, especially in my hair. Ron would not go near the cobwebs for fear a spider might still live among them. That night, it took an hour to sort myself out before I felt comfortable enough to go to bed.

The cleaning ordeal went on for several days. When Harry and Ron started complaining about it, I tried to point out how badly house-elves had it. I suggested we have a sponsored event to clean the Gryffindor Common Room with the proceeds going to S.P.E.W. It would be a great way to raise awareness as to how bad life is for the elves. Well, you would have thought I pooped in the middle of the room. The discussion was over in short order. I had expected better from my two best friends.

All of us were grateful when it was finally time to start preparing for Leaving Day. When I received my standard Hogwarts letter announcing the fall term and booklist, I opened it hoping the new books for the year were going to be interesting. The first page was just the standard announcement of the term starting on the first of September. Then, as I opened the second page, a small badge fell out and onto the floor. As I picked it up, I saw a scarlet Gryffindor crest with the words Gryffindor and a large P for Prefect written in bright, gold letters. " I can't believe it! " my mind screamed. " OHMIGAWD! I'm the new Girls Prefect! YES! YES! YES! "

I hurried out of my room and crashed into the room where Ron, Harry, Fred, and George were talking. Me, a muggle-born witch was a prefect. Was this even possible? Had it ever happened before? Was I the first? Draco and Pansy were going to be furious. My hair was flying and my cheeks were burning from the flush on them. "I made it! I'm a prefect!" I hollered as I saw a second Prefect Badge in Harry's hand. "And—and you, too, Harry. Congratulations! I knew it. I just knew it."

It was then that Harry did something unexpected. He handed the badge to Ron. "I'm not the new prefect," he said. "Ron is."

I froze up, unable to speak for a moment. My face felt hotter than ever. I am certain it was covered with embarrassment for all to see. "Cuh—cuh—congratulations, Ron!" I finally managed to get out. "That's wonderful."

By then, Ron was half scowling at me. I had been so quick and effusive with sending praise at Harry. Then, when I learned it was actually Ron who made prefect, I choked. I am certain my hesitation before congratulating him was received as expressing disappointment. My mind was crying "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Ron. Please forgive me," as I looked for a corner to crawl into and hide.

Once I settled down the fiasco, a new battle flared up inside me. My brain was convinced that Harry should be the new house prefect. Everything he had gone through for the past four years had prefect material written all over it. However, my heart was beating a different drum. Ron and me being prefects would mean we would be spending more time together as a team. Maybe, just maybe, he would finally give me real notice once he got over my unintended slight.

As the discomfort started to subside, Mrs. Weasley backed into the room carrying a stack of freshly cleaned laundry. She sat them down on the bed, and the pre-commotion started.

"You need new pyjamas, Ronnie," she said. "None of these will fit you. You're growing so fast. What color would you like?"

Before he could answer, George said in a smirky voice, "Get him red and gold to match his new badge."

"Wha—what?" responded their Mom with a confused look.

"His badge," said Fred. "His sparkly, new Prefect Badge."

She paused, looking confused until Ron held up his badge. Then, Mrs. Weasley erupted. I had never seen her this excited, except when she was angry about something. It was really quite a scene as she shrieked, gushed, hugged, and kissed Ron, as we all watched. I wished there was a way I could join in on the hugging and kissing. Maybe then, Ron would get a clue as to my real feelings for him.

All the while, Fred and George were prancing about like fools. Even Harry joined in with them. The only thing that was missing was a wisecrack from Ginny.

I felt really good about the entire scene. Ron was never one to get the praise. It was always someone around him. Seeing him glowing with pride and embarrassment was heartwarming.

Mrs. Weasley finally declared that Ron deserved a big reward for his achievement. Things like rewards around the Weasley house were rare and a big deal. Money was always tight. A lot of careful thought was needed.

Ron no longer needed a new wand. He had a very adequate 14-inch willow one with a unicorn hair core. Fred and George had given him a new set of dress robes, even though they were regretting it now that he was a prefect. Ron was also set with familiars thanks to the pygmy owl named Pigwidgeon given to him by Sirius Black to replace Scabbers. This left his Mom scratching her head trying to come up with something worthy of the event and at the same time affordable.

As I looked at Ron, I could see something in his expression. He wanted to say something but seemed to be holding back. It took him a minute. Finally, he cleared his throat and said, "If it's okay, I would really like a new broom". Mrs. Weasley's face tensed. Brooms are expensive. And she was probably envisioning him wanting a Firebolt like Harry's, or a Nimbus 2001. Either of them would cost more than a month or two's wages from his Dad. That was a big ask.

A moment later she was giving Ron another kiss and heading out of the room. "I need to get going if I have to add a broomstick to my shopping," she said.

No sooner had she left the room, than Fred and George started giving Ron, and eventually me, the business. 'I'm not going to kiss either of you,' said Fred as he looked at Ron. 'But we can curtsy to you,' added George as he grinned at me. 'It looks like our lawbreaking days are over,' said Fred. "We'll be in detention forever with these two on our cases," laughed George. Ron started to say something to them but was cut short when there was a loud crack as the twins disapparated.

A few seconds later, I could hear the twins roaring with laughter in the room directly above us. "Don't take them seriously," I said to Ron. "They're just jealous."

"I don't think so. They said only prats get to be prefects. They're going to start treating me like they do—uh—did—uh—Percy," said Ron, suddenly hesitating at saying Percy's name now that he had abandoned the family for the Ministry.

"Bill and Charlie were both prefects," I said. "Bill was the head boy. I do not think Fred and George would call them prats."

Yeah—right. Besides, Charlie would duff up both of them at the same time if they did. But—but I'm just sayin'."

"It's okay," I said, trying to sound confident. "You'll—uh—we'll both do fine. We'll make a fine team."

"Right—uh—well, I need to talk to Mom before she leaves," said Ron as he seemed to be shifting gears. "I don't want her thinking I want a Firebolt or a Nimbus. They're way too expensive. The new Cleansweep is out. That's a nice broom. I'll tell her I want one of them."

"That sounds very reasonable—uh—considerate," I said, admiring his thinking and willingness to compromise. He clearly would love to have either of those but knew it would not be fair to put that burden on his family.

As Ron left to find his Mom, Harry seemed to be ignoring me. He was most likely upset about not being picked as prefect. However, I imagine Dumbledore had his reasons, even though I am at a loss to figure them out.

Ron returned a short time later. He said his Mom was going to buy him a Cleansweep 11. I am not very knowledgeable about brooms because of my less-than-enthusiastic flying abilities. However, Harry and he agreed that it was a good, solid broom—still above average. It would serve him well as a member of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team.

The next morning, we were reminded that tomorrow was Leaving Day. We were very excited about that. Not only did it mean a return to school but it also meant an end to cleaning the house.

Once breakfast was finished, Ron, Ginny, and I found ourselves in a room at the furthest end of the top floor. It looked like no one, not even Kreacher, had been in it since long before I was born.

"Ron. Help me with these spiderwebs," I asked as I looked up at them over an ornate, but dust-covered armoire.

"I—I—I can't," he replied. "I'm—uh—busy with this mould."

"Don't worry, Ronnie," chirped Ginny. "I'll protect you if you're attacked by a big, old, nasty spider."

"Shut it, Gingersnap," barked Ron, obviously angry at her.

This was the first time I saw Ginny use what was destined to be her signature spell. "Nasus Vespertiliones," she snarled as she pulled out her wand and made an odd flick. Ron fell over on his back as ugly, green bats began flying out of his nose.

Try as I did, I could not help but bend over laughing as Ron was swatting at them and grabbing his nose. Ginny was giving him a look of smug retaliation.

The bats eventually stopped their exodus from his nose. A few moments later, they disintegrated as Ron sat up with an angry expression aimed directly at his sister.

"Bloody hell. That was uncalled for," grumbled Ron as he rubbed his violated nose.

"So was calling me that name," replied Ginny. "You know how I feel about it."

I stood by quietly, intent on staying out of things. " Ron. Ron. Ron," I thought with a smiley shake of my head. "When will you ever learn not to mess with Ginny's temper? "

By the end of the day, Number 12 was cleaner than it had probably been in decades if not centuries. We all enjoyed a festive dinner and turned in for the night. Tomorrow would be the train ride back to Hogwarts with our friends.

Breakfast the next morning was hearty and filled with excited chatter about the upcoming year. Ron and I endured a multitude of good-natured ribbing from everyone about our being prefects. Fred and George were still kvetching over their fear of the doom for their enterprises.

The trip to King's Cross Station was less than a mile, as compared to the usual three or four hours in three taxis when leaving from The Burrow. We arrived there at 10:30 am and were climbing onto the train five minutes early—a record for several of us.

Fred and George immediately bolted off into the masses of the passenger cars. They were most likely intent on plying their latest creations. Ginny joined a group of her friends, including Luna, Lavender, and the Patil twins. As Harry, Ron, and I made our way down the corridor of the car, Harry opened the door to an empty compartment.

"We'd better take this one," he said. The train is filling up fast."

"Uh—we—uh, can't" stammered Ron, unable to say what needed to be said.

"We—uh—we need to go to the Prefects' Car," I said, jumping in. "We have to check in and meet all of the others."

"Yeah. Sorry, mate," said Ron.

"I don't think we have to stay there," I added. "We'll come back as soon as we can."

"Brilliant. Great, guys," replied Harry. "I'll just go inside. I'm sure some others will join me.

Ron and I headed for the front car of the train. I gave Harry a look that felt like I was deserting him during a dire situation.

Ron and I walked through the cars on our way to the front. Several people, including a lot of fellow Gryffindors, were giving us and our prefect badges big looks. I found it very unsettling.

"Who do you think will be the other new prefects?" I asked, trying to distract my mind from the gawkers.

"Don't know. I hope they're cool. I hope none of them are prigs like—well—uh—Percy," stammered Ron, still not liking the taste in his mouth from saying his name. "He's my brother and all but—uh—you know."

"Yes," I responded with a chuckle. "He was full of himself. I am certain we will do a better job than he did. He was not very popular—even in our house."

We continued to chat nervously as we made our way forward. Several people gave us congratulations on our being made prefects. A few made smart remarks. When we finally entered the Prefects' Car, we were shocked. It had plush chairs, tables with delicious snacks and drinks, and fancy decorations.

I started walking toward a table with the other Gryffindor prefects. Suddenly, Ron snorted out "Bloody Hell".

"Wha—what's the matter," I asked.

"Look at the Slytherin table. There's Malfoy and Pansy. I wonder how much Draco's father paid to get him made a prefect?"

"I don't know. I imagine the Slytherins all wanted him to be a prefect. It would get them in good with his father. But who would want Piggsy Parkinson to be a prefect?" I'll bet that toad Millicent Bulstrode is furious."

We sat down with our fellow Gryffindors, whom we all knew, of course. Bella Thistlewood looked at me and said, "I'm glad you could join us."

"Thanks," I replied. "This is very nice."

"Yes. It's a nice perk. But wait until we get to the school and see our other stuff like the Prefects Bath."

"I've heard it's amazing," I replied with a wince. I wonder what Cynthia Fawley would think about me being able to use it legally.

Once all sixteen of us were in the car, the new Head Boy, Arach Dion Redips, stood up. He introduced all of us and then continued with a few remarks. He told us that we should all spend some time patrolling the corridors and other cars between now and our arrival at Hogwarts. Once he finished, Ron and I made a quick patrol of the corridors as we headed back to join Harry.

When we entered Harry's compartment, we found him talking with Neville, Fred, and George. Fred and George snapped to attention. Ron told them to bugger off. They both laughed and exited the car.

"How was it in the Prefects' Car?" asked Harry in a mocking tone clearly aimed at invoking a reaction.

"Nice," I replied, not jumping for his bait. "Fancy chairs, food, drinks."

"Why'd you come back here? Why wouldn't you stay there?"

"We are supposed to monitor the hallways and other cars."

"Yeah," added Ron. "And we didn't fancy all of the company. Draco and Pansy are the new Slytherin prefects. He was full of himself and she was fawning all over him. He's a total git."

"Who are the other new prefects?" asked Neville.

Anthony Goldstein and Padma Patil from Ravenclaw, and Hannah Abbott and Ernie Macmillan from Hufflepuff," I said.

"Oh. They're all nice," replied Neville.

We spent the rest of the trip to Hogwarts chatting in between sessions of Ron and me patrolling the hallways and open cars. About halfway to the school, we encountered Fred and George flogging their wares to a bunch of younger students. We had to pull them aside.

"Guys," said Ron. "You can't be doing that. The other prefects will see you. You'll get all of us in trouble."

"Don't worry, Ronnie," said George. "We aren't selling anything dangerous."

"Yeah," added Fred. "this is just the innocent stuff."

"Please," I asked, trying to be conciliatory. "Let us help you and you help us."

"What are you saying, Granger?" asked George. "Are you asking for a piece of our action? How much do you want?"

"We'll give both of you—uh—how about twenty percent?" said Fred after glancing at George.

"I'm not looking for a kickback," I said in a snippy, terse voice. "I just do not want you doing something to embarrass Ron and me—or—or—or to make us do something we do not want to do."

"Do not want to do?" chirped Fred. "If you don't want to do it—don't do it."

"You're a couple of real plonkers. We could just let Draco and Pansy catch you instead," snapped Ron.

"Malfoy—and—and Pug Face? Are they prefects, too," said George, suddenly sounding concerned instead of cocky.

"Yeah," Ron snapped back. "And I'll bet they're itching to make points for Slytherin at Gryffindor's expense."

"Okay," said Fred as both of them looked serious. "We'll be careful with our business."

"Thank you," I said.

With that, Ron and I headed off to finish our round.

"I don't trust Draco and Pansy," said Ron.

"Neither do I," I replied. "Draco is going to use their positions for personal gains, not for the benefit of the school."

"What about Pansy? I'll bet she is just as bad as he is."

"I think she is more of a follower. You see how she acts around him," I replied. "I think that one way or another he has her on a string. I will bet a lot of Slytherins follow him because of family pressures brought on by fear of Draco's father."

"Uh—yeah—maybe. Either way, I'll bet they are already plotting against Harry and the rest of Gryffindor," said Ron.

"Then we will have to keep our eyes open and our guard up. We need to use our positions to protect everyone from them."

The rest of the trip was peaceful. We returned to Harry's compartment and relaxed. Once we arrived at the station, we made certain everyone got into the carriages and made their way up to the school. For some reason, Harry thought he saw something pulling the carts. However, they were pulling themselves like always. " I wonder if the troubles over the summer are getting to him," I thought.

We eventually arrived at the castle and made our way into the Great Hall for the kickoff of our fifth year. Once we were seated, Harry gave out a big sigh like he was relieved to really be here. Considering the circumstances, it was understandable. The sorting of the first years took place shortly thereafter. Gryffindor received several new faces. They all gave off the impression of being excellent additions.

Suddenly, the tables were filled with the welcoming feast. Everyone's attention, especially Ron's, turned to the food. The first years looked both stunned and dazzled by the copious amounts of food. All conversations were soon lost among the sumptuous smells, the clatter of silverware on plates and bowls, and the frenzy of feeding.

Eventually, Professor Dumbledore approached the podium and raised his hands. After welcoming everyone, he introduced Professor Grubbly-Plank. She was resuming her role as professor of Care of Magical Creatures while Professor Hagrid was on leave tending to a special mission. This caused Harry, Ron, and me to share panicky looks as the announcement buzzed throughout the room.

Next, he asked us to welcome our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Her name was Dolores Umbridge. She was short, sturdy, and shrouded in enough pink for her to pass as the bottle of Pepto Bismol in my parent's medicine cabinet. We would later come to learn that wearing pink was her trademark dress.

"Hem—Hem—. Thank you, headmaster, for those kind words of welcome, " she said in a saccharine voice with a pitch more suitable to the ears of dogs or bats than humans. She proceeded to talk about how she was certain we'd all be great friends. She planned to change things by pruning away some of our previous teaching practices and to change things to a more Ministry-approved lesson plan.

Most of the school ignored her droning and turned to chatting, reading, and generally anything except listening. I, on the other hand, paid full attention. Once she was finished, I said, "That was very illuminating.

"Illuminating?" replied Ron. "How could you have liked it? That was the dumbest speech I ever heard."

"I did not say I like it," I responded. "I said it was illuminating."

"Then, what are you saying?" he asked.

I thought about it for a moment and then replied, saying, "It is clear from her speech that the Ministry has her here to monitor and interfere with the running of Hogwarts."

"Bloody hell," he grumbled.

Eventually, Dumbledore announced that it was time for Ron and me, along with the other prefects, to lead our houses to their dormitories. It was our first official action at the school. We gathered the first years and led them up the stairs to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Mimbulus mimbletonia," said Bella as Neville smiled at finally having a password he was certain to remember. The Fat Lady did not speak. However, she made an expression of disgust at the password as she swung open the door to the common room. As the members of the house filed in, the first years were singled out and led up to their dorm rooms.

Harry had received a lot of derisive comments and attacks from students in the Great Hall, especially from Draco and the rest of the Slytherin tables, about the articles in the Prophet. I am certain he was glad to be heading off to what could be assumed would be a much friendlier environment. However, that feeling was destined to be short-lived.

Once he entered the common room, Seamus Finnigan responded to Harry's greeting with comments about almost not being allowed to return to Hogwarts by his mother because of the articles. The looks on the faces of several of the others gave off the impression that they were supportive of Seamus. This led to a row and Harry stormed off to his dorm room with Ron following him.

My duties as a prefect were finished. I headed off to my dorm room a couple of moments later. I wanted to review some of my textbooks before classes in the morning. When I got to the room, Lav, Parvati, Sam, and Carpathia were already there and mostly unpacked.

Instead of reading, I busied myself unpacking and chatting. We talked until we were too tired to continue. Finally, we extinguished the torches and called it a night.

Classes started the following morning. When we arrived at Defense Against the Dark Arts, Professor Umbridge informed us that we would not be using the previously assigned book. Instead, we would be using one called Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard. She said the Ministry wanted students to learn in a 'secure, risk-free way'. Later, Ron called it a load of waffle.

As time progressed, Professor Umbridge presented herself as an egotistical disciplinarian. Her ego was equal to Lockhart's with her need for students to always affirm her by name. However, unlike Lockhart, who was a narcissistic, charlatan, she going to be a saccharine dictator.

I quickly determined that nothing out of the textbook was useful for real-world situations where a person would need to defend themself from an attack. As was later confirmed by Sirius Black, the Ministry was convinced Dumbledore was trying to raise an army to oppose it. They did not want us trained in magic to aid in his efforts. They were turning a blind eye to the fact they were also treating us like expendable cannon fodder for the forces of darkness to easily defeat.

Harry, in particular, quickly ran afoul of Umbridge. He tried to stand up to her concerning Voldemort having returned. This was counter to the Ministry's self-serving line. I think he was also upset at her draconian methods, and attitude, and at his being ignored by Dumbledore. He received detention.

I started my efforts to give the house elves at Hogwarts. I started making hats for them over the summer. Now that I was back at school, I started distributing them in places where the elves would find them. I tried to get Ron and Harry to help but they resisted.

Harry's detention caused him to miss quidditch tryouts and left his hand scarred with the words 'I must not tell lies'. Ron and I tried to get him to go to Dumbledore. He said he did not want to bother him and give her the satisfaction.