Rowena Ravenclaw's Visit

Hermione:

No sooner was the chaos over than Hermione met Rosalie's eyes. "I don't know what that was," she mouthed. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't understand you." She mouthed back. "Talk later."

Hermione glanced to her left and saw that Harry had passed out again. She put her wand to his shoulder and whispered, "Ennervate", but nothing happened.

"Is he alright?" Sirius asked, getting to his feet.

"I think it's his scar," Hermione said. "The same thing happened earlier." She turned to the group. "Maybe we ought to get him back to the castle. Let's summarise real fast…"

"If anyone can find this cup, we need it," Rosalie said, pushing the second image forward. "There's also a stone… but we don't have any idea what that could look like, unfortunately. And then Draco has an idea…" she turned and, well, Hermione couldn't tell with the table in the way, but it looked as if she'd just laid her hand on Draco's knee. Kinda sweet.

"Yes," Draco said, leaning forward and moving a hand to be on Rosalie's. "The Dark Lord is planning on invading Hogwarts. He's set a tentative goal for June, but I'll keep you in the loop on that."

Dumbledore hummed. "You four are always full of surprises," he said.

"Did you not know?" Arthur Weasley demanded.

"How could the Dark Lord possibly?" Mrs. Weasley demanded. "Hogwarts is one of the safest places on earth!"

Rosalie made a face. The same face she usually made when she was cataloguing a lot of facts. Hermione shook her head at her.

"Well, we have a plan to sabotage this plan… but after some thinking, it'd be best to get the order involved," Draco said. "Does anyone in here not know what a vanishing cabinet is?"

"Ah," Dumbledore said. "Is there a pair to the one in the Room of Requirement?"

"There is," Draco affirmed. "And we actually moved the one in the room of requirement into the Founder's room."

"The Founder's room?" Lupin asked.

"A new room. Anyway, I'm in the process of repairing it and then both of these…" Draco glanced between Hermione and Rosalie. "Equally brilliant… equally bright… equally smart people are going to help me sabotage it. We were thinking we could apply a sleeping charm, or something else. We could potentially take down a lot of Death Eaters with minimal problem."

Hermione's cheeks flamed. She couldn't deny that she hadn't ever thought those things about Rosalie, but they were not as present as the locket had made them seem.

"Anyway," Draco said. "That's all. Unless Hermione or Rosalie has anything else?"

Both shook their heads. "Great. We'll be on our way, then."

Sirius got to his feet and made to pick Harry up. Hermione scarcely had time to put a feather-light charm on him before her boyfriend was hoisted up. "I'll see them out," Sirius said. "Be right back."

They headed back in the way they'd come. Sirius was strangely quiet on the way. Hermione sensed he was waiting to say something.

"Oi, real quick!" Tonks called back at them from the meeting room. She pointed at Rosalie. "Any chance you were in a Muggle movie, like ten years ago?"

Rosalie laughed, the idea seemed so ridiculous. "Um, not that I know of?"

"Right," Tonks said. "Sorry, I thought you looked familiar."

Rosalie shrugged uncomfortably and turned away. They left without further fanfare.

Before they crossed into the front room with the fireplace, Rosalie broke the silence. "It's been wonderful to meet you, Sirius. Harry's told us a lot."

"Oh, the pleasure was mine," Sirius said. "Harry's mentioned you as well. Though I must say, I wasn't quite expecting you." He said this very cautiously, and Hermione could tell he was afraid to offend her.

"Well, Sirius, before we go… if you don't mind me saying… you don't seem very fond of Kreacher, your elf." Rosalie stopped in front of the coals of the fireplace and put her hands together. She rolled on her feet, from her toes to heels as she waited for his reply.

"I'm not," Sirius sighed. "He comes with the house. But we can't give him clothes because he knows too much."

Rosalie listened to this and nodded in all the right places. "And… I noticed he didn't like Hermione much. Is he similarly indoctrinated against squibs or Muggles?"

"Oh, gods, you can't imagine the horrible things he says when we get reports of Muggle Killings." Sirius shook his head. "Honestly, he's awful."

"Right…" Rosalie nodded. "And… would you ever consider selling him?"

"Selling him?" Sirius didn't understand.

"To me?"

Sirius practically burst into tears at the idea. "Well, yes! I would! I'd give him away for nothing! Are you interested?"

"I wouldn't be able to take him tonight," Rosalie said. "And I'd hate to rip him out of his home, so I'd like to talk with him first, but it could be a better situation all around… yeah."

"And you're a Pureblood," Sirius said. "He'd love you!"

"Exactly," Rosalie said with a smile. She took some Floo powder from the holder above the fireplace. "I'll write you. We'll work it out over Owl."

"Er, I'm heading to Hogwarts too," Sirius said. "And you can't floo to Hogwarts. Aren't you calling Dobby?"

"I'm heading to Ravenclaw," Rosalie said. "Floo has worked just fine for us. I think we get special privileges." She looked between Hermione and Draco. "Goodnight, Hermione," she said a bit awkwardly, shifting her weight.

Hermione paused and then stepped forward and gave her a hug. She couldn't remember ever giving Rosalie a hug before. And she couldn't tell if Rosalie even enjoyed it. She seemed very withdrawn. But it gave her the opportunity to whisper "ten minutes," into her ear.

Rosalie then turned to Draco. "Goodnight, love," she said, and leaned up to kiss him quickly. Then, before she stepped up to the fire, she messed with his hair quickly. He batted at her, feigning annoyance, but still whispered Goodnight as she threw the powder in and said, "Ravenclaw Tower, Hogwarts."

Draco stepped up, then took a bit of the floo powder as well. He tossed it into the fireplace, saying "Hufflepuff Common Room, Hogwarts," only as loud as he needed to to get it to work.

"Hufflepuff," Sirius muttered, after Draco had left. "Never would have guessed a Malfoy could end up there."

"Don't tease him," Hermione said. "He's still not very happy about it. But yes, he is a Hufflepuff. Through and through." She took a handful of the floo powder. "Want to see Gryffindor, real quick?"

"Do I?" Sirius perked up. Hermione took a second, smaller bit in her hand for his return trip and threw the large handful into the fire. "Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts."

They were both blasted through space and time and then able to step out of the fire and into a group of extremely surprised students. Hermione recognised Fred and George, and also recognised their skiving snackbox creations. She put her hands on her hips. "If you two don't knock this off, I'm going to have Hogwarts boot you to the forest like Umbridge!"

They cleared out, Fred and George with sour expressions.

Hermione turned back to Sirius and momentarily panicked, realizing everyone would recognise him. However, he was putting his wand back and had blonde hair – thanks to a charm. "Nice to see the place again," he said. "It's been a long time." He noticed Goodrich Gryffindor's door. "Oh, that's new."

"Yes, and I'm going to open it up for a moment so I can go to the Slytherin common room," Hermione said. "Sorry, Harry… Let me borrow your hand." She guided Sirius around some furniture and then to the door, where she took both his hands and checked them for the Gryffindor mark. When she found it, she took his hand and wrapped her fingers in between his. She opened the first door and, to her relief, saw the second was open.

"Oh," she said. "They've put some furniture in here!"

"Can we see?" Colin Creevey asked, crowding by the entrance with a few other students.

"I'm super sorry, but we're not having a party tonight," Hermione said. "But you can take a look at the furniture if you want."

Sirius set Harry down on a couch with almost no back or arms. It had a thick red cushion and was slightly longer than he was tall, so Hermione figured it would be a fine place for him to rest. Also in the room was a dresser and a desk in maple wood. The same thick red carpet that was in the common room and one circular patterned rug. That was it. But Hermione wondered what else they'd bring in.

Sirius patted Harry's shoulder. "Rest well, Bambi," he said, then looked around the circular room and asked, "So, what's this?"

"Well," Hermione began, "This is Godric Gryffindor's old bedroom. That's Helga Hufflepuff's across from us, and Slytherin and Ravenclaw are that way. And in behind each of the rooms, are the common rooms." She walked over. There wasn't any change to the middle room. She pointed across the way, to Slytherin. "So I'll head that way to change into my pyjamas."

"That's crazy," Sirius said. "Would have been great for pranks back in the day."

"Except for Harry is the only person who can open the Gryffindor doors and I'm the only person who can open the Slytherin doors."

Sirius deflated, and Hermione held up the floo powder with a smile. "Better get back soon," she said.

"I know. But, uh.." He gestured her away from the other students. They stepped into the circular room and closed the Gryffindor room door most of the way. "Hermione, how many are there?"

"We have most of them," Hermione said. "We only need two, we think."

"You think?"

"I mean, it's not like the Dark Lord gave us instructions."

"And one is the cup and the other is a stone?"

"Yes."

Sirius nodded, but she could tell something else was troubling him. He thought about it, then leaned forward. "You and Rosalie… didn't seem to want that detector near Harry."

Hermione had no idea how to reply. She really felt that she should be saying something to Harry first. "It… works…" she said slowly. "But he causes it to wig out."

"And then he knocks out when you begin pulling one out?" Sirius whispered.

"Yeah." Hermione kept her poker face as valiantly as she could. "We need to do further research. We only noticed it today."

Sirius nodded. "Okay. Keep me posted."

He pulled the Gryffindor door back open and headed back to the common room. Hermione followed him back. She didn't think Sirius would be able to activate the Floo system without her. She spoke the secret and sent him on his way, then went back into Godric's old bedroom.

Dumbledore had said that he didn't want them sleeping by themselves. Hermione was at a loss as to whether or not she should leave him or not. After some deliberation, she picked him up. The feather-weight charm made him weigh about the same as one of her textbooks. It may look a little funny, but oh well.

She stepped into the common room. Colin was still there. She paused, then said, "Colin, can you hang out for a moment? I have a question for you."

Colin looked up. "Yeah, sure," he said.

Hermione carried Harry up the stairs. She knocked on the fifth-year boy's dorm before entering. Lucky she did, because Ron, Neville, and Seamus were there. Seamus had a copy of the Quibbler open, though he had hidden it when she knocked in.

Ron looked up and his mouth fell open. "Oh, your hair looks… big."

Hermione snorted. "Ever one for words," she said.

"Sorry. It's… curly. Must have taken you a long time."

"Thanks, Ron." She set Harry down on his bed and set about removing his shoes. "When he wakes up, tell him he needs to come find me. I may have some bad news for him." She pulled his glasses off his face and set them on his bedside table before pulling the duvet out from under him and then over him.

"Right," Ron said.

Hermione kissed Harry's forehead, opposite the scar, and then made to leave. "You alright, Ron?"

"Fine?"

"Homework not killing you?"

"OWLs, y'know?"

"Yeah. And you and Lavender still alright?"

"We're on a break," Ron said in a very dismissive tone.

"Oh," Hermione said, and suddenly felt uncomfortable. "And… are you pleased with that, or…"

Ron shrugged. "It's whatever."

"Right." Hermione said. "Well, don't be a stranger." She headed for the door, very worried that the conversation would take a trip south before she could make it out.

She hurried back down the stairs and found Colin Creevey dutifully waiting for her. "Colin!" she said, grateful to see him for the first time since Umbridge had been hauled out. It wasn't that he wasn't nice… it's just that he was always hauling his camera around and idolizing Harry. "This is a bit of an odd question, but do you remember the name of the actress who looks a lot like Rosalie?"

She nearly had a heart attack when Colin said, "Who?"

"Brown hair, blue streak, Ravenclaw," Hermione said, and Colin's eyes lit up.

"Oh! Marilyn De'Armeen."

"That's it," Hermione agreed. "Thanks, Colin."

He shrugged, obviously not very sure how he'd helped. "No problem."

Hermione checked the two rooms to make sure no Gryffindor's had snuck in before she shut the door to the common room. She didn't change into her robes. Just went to the Ravenclaw room. Rosalie was sat there with a Jane Austen book, waiting.

"Hey," Hermione said, and waited til she'd looked up. Rosalie had a little furniture too. A circular table and two little chairs that were low to the ground, rocked, and had high backs. She also had a few empty shelves.

Rosalie put a bookmark into her book and stood. Hermione quickly stepped in and went straight to her. "Listen, I just wanted to come tell you that I don't know why the horcrux used your image. I don't think any of those things about you. I swear."

"Oh," Rosalie said. "I mean – I'm glad! Honestly! I just-" She exhaled. "I was trying to figure out what I was going to say all this time."

"Yeah, I get it." Hermione was relieved as well. She felt her whole body relaxing. "Like, you're clever. You're the only person who really thinks on my level. And yes, you're smart, but I don't look at it as you versus me."

"Good!" Rosalie said. "Because I'm not in the running. I mean… I'm not in the running for the new Hermione. I don't want what you want. The pedestal and everything…" she waved her hand. "And you're the brightest witch of our age, easily."

"Oh, don't sell yourself short!" Hermione said. "You are so, so clever. And again, it's refreshing. Nothing the horcrux said is true."

Rosalie paused with her hands up slightly and offered half a smile. "Right," she said, then put her hands out for another hug. Hermione obliged, though she still wasn't sure Rosalie really liked hugs.

Hermione headed back to Slytherin and wrote down the actress's name before she fell asleep.

Early the next morning, Hermione was back at work at her personal war. Assuming the cup was in Bellatrix's vault, how could they get it? She'd never take it out herself. Hermione put every option on the table, from Polyjuice to the imperious curse.

The Gryffindor room opened and Harry appeared in a set of new clothes. Hermione jumped the moment she heard the door opening. "Hey!" she said, and hastily finished sticking her ideas to the wall of her workspace. "Good morning!"

"Good morning!" Harry said. He was holding two plates of a complete English breakfast. Everything from beans to sausage links. He made for the table in the middle of the room, but she met him a bit before and they kissed hello quickly. "Good morning. I brought you breakfast. Draco said he hadn't seen you yet."

"I've been working," Hermione said. "Just… more horcruxes."

"Ah," Harry nodded. Hermione did feel guilty though. She should have been planning the safe removal of the horcrux from his head. They only had Nagini to experiment on to get it right. "Ron said you wanted me to meet you? Also, he said you took off my shoes and glasses. I'm glad the smell didn't knock you out."

"I didn't even notice," Hermione said. "But… I don't really want to talk about it over breakfast. How about we eat first?"

"Sure." They sat down and began to eat. But as habit would have it, it wasn't long before another conversation began.

"Are we going horcrux hunting soon?" Harry asked. "The two of us?"

"Probably, yes. Sounds romantic, don't you think?"

"Oh, yes, especially the part where I pass out." He rolled his eyes. "I can't believe I did it twice. I thought I was ready the second time."

Hermione paused. She didn't want to really start the conversation but knew it should come up. "What does your scar do?" she asked.

"Hot flashes," Harry said. "Honestly, it comes on so fast that I don't remember much of it."

"And did you have any dreams last night?"

Harry smirked. "What, is this therapy?" He reached out and put his hand on hers. It was warm and soft. "I'll be alright Hermione, honest."

Hermione couldn't stand it anymore. She took her wand out of her pocket and flicked it at Nagini's cage, which was behind Harry's head, and muttered a disillusionment charm. "Do me a favour," she said, then paused to wipe her mouth and push her plate, finished except for the eggs, away. She then got up and found the detector exactly where she'd left it before Rosalie had used it last night. She brought it over to Harry and said, "Help me test my theory and find Nagini's cage. I put a disillusionment charm on it."

Harry finished his sausage and picked up the detector. "You'll have to help me turn it on," he replied.

Hermione showed him where the button was and then walked back to her work. She figured the best way to break the news to him was to let him figure it out, but the anxiety was killing her. She listened to the full beeping and then dared a glance over her shoulder. He hadn't left the table area and was just looking around, confused.

When he looked up and saw her looking, he said, "I think I broke it."

"What are you seeing?" she asked, trying to swallow the hammering in her heart.

"It keeps saying it's behind me," he replied.

"Turn the box around," Hermione suggested.

Harry did and frowned deeply at the box. He turned in a circle, took a step forward and a step back, and then turned the detector on its side. Then finally took a seat again. Hermione, who had done nothing more than pick a pen up and set it back down, walked over and sat down beside him. He set the detector on the table and spun it slowly.

"This is your last chance to tell me this is a prank," Harry said softly after a moment. "I mean… if you messed with the tech or something."

"I noticed it yesterday, after you passed out the first time," Hermione said. "And… I didn't have time to tell you before the Order meeting."

"I mean…" Harry trailed off, "I would have hated that Order meeting if I'd known. Do Draco and Rosalie know?"

"I mean… I didn't announce it to them, but they were there watching me piece it together, and Rosalie didn't want Dumbledore to hold the machine because of how close you were sitting to him and such."

"That's why you pushed me down."

"Yeah."

Harry switched the machine off and put his head down on the table. "D'ya reckon… it was in first year or something?

"I actually reckon it was the night you became the Boy Who Lived," Hermione said.

Harry swallowed. "D'ya reckon… I mean, each horcrux has a victim, right? Moaning Myrtle for the diary. So on, so forth. D'ya reckon that the horcrux in me is, like…"

"Your mum or dad?" Hermione finished, softer than she'd ever spoken before.

"Yeah."

She didn't know. If horcruxes worked in linear fashion, then yes, it should be Lily Potter. What a horrible, horrible thing. She scooted closer to Harry and put a hand on his back. Then, when he did not react, she walked her hand to his side and let it rest there. Then laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

Until a door opened with an abnormal amount of force behind her.

Hermione and Harry both turned and saw Rosalie and Draco in the doorway to the Ravenclaw door. Both were red in the face and panting. "Sorry to interrupt!" Rosalie shouted down to them in between breaths. "But Professor Umbridge and Minister Fudge are here to sack Dumbledore!"

Since Umbridge was not able to pass through the wards to Hogwarts Castle, she and Minister Fudge stood at the edge of the property in the mud. Umbridge was dressed in her normal pink, but her composure was not what it had been. She was a bundle of nerves, flinching and startling easily.

Their arrival had apparently not been announced. There were no other students around. Which made Malfoy extremely anxious. He hung back. Harry offered up his invisibility cloak, but it was too far a run in too pressing a situation. Rosalie hesitated, holding her hand near one of her robe pockets, and then Hermione drew her wand. She applied a quick glamour charm, turning Draco's hair the same colour as Rosalie's and giving him a mole on his chin and a less pale pallor. Then the four sprinted down.

Dumbledore was mid debate with Umbridge and Fudge and the aurors. Hermione recognised Kingsley Shacklebolt in the group behind the minister.

"-sorry," Dumbledore was saying, "But I cannot – not won't – but cannot let you on the grounds. After Professor Umbridge struck a student, Hogwarts decided it would no longer tolerate her presence."

"Professor Umbridge is still Hogwarts High Inquisitor!" Fudge declared, quite red in the face.

"Any person who has an open legal obligation which involves mistreatment of children is automatically barred from employment at Hogwarts," Dumbledore explained, calm as a summer's breeze. "As you know, that's a policy set by the Board of Directors. I have no control of it."

"What good are you as Headmaster if you cannot control the wards to allow a ministry employee on the grounds! No, Dumbledore, your days are up." Fudge snatched a paper from Umbridge's hand. "This is your official notice to vacate the castle!"

"I see it," Dumbledore said. "But I warn you, Cornelius, that problems may get worse if you choose this course."

"Ha!" Cornelius spat on the ground at Dumbledore's feet and Hermione felt anger bubble in her gut. With a glance at Harry and Rosalie, she could tell they were feeling the same. But Draco remained closed off… he was such a hard person to read! "I will make a motion with the Board of Directors to have Professor Umbridge instilled as Hogwarts Headmaster today. She'll take the education here in both hands and get things going!"

"I sincerely doubt," Dumbledore said, "That even if the Board approves that motion, anyone will be able to help Professor Umbridge back onto the grounds. Those who pay prices must receive their dues, after all."

"Dumbledore, I order you, as Minister of Magic, to stand down immediately!" Fudge said. "You are no longer the Headmaster."

"But of course." Dumbledore gave a little bow. "Anything else?"

"Wait, Professor!" Harry yelled. "You can't leave! No!"

Fudge had not noticed the four students, as enraptured as he was with firing Dumbledore. But now he examined them and frowned at Harry. "Now, children," he said, then paused. "Ms. Granger, have you lost another bet?"

"Yes, Minister," Hermione said blandly. "And I must say, if you remove Dumbledore and install Umbridge, this place will go to the dogs!"

"Minister Fudge, that's the girl," Umbridge said, pointing towards Rosalie. "She's controlling the wards."

"How could I?" Rosalie asked. "I'm just a student."

"Don't play coy with us," Umbridge said. "I may not be able to say who's changed what house, but I've told Cornelius all about these fake heads of house. Of course, you should know that that position doesn't exist!" She glared quite fiercely at Draco, who Hermione supposed she could guess the identity of. Still, that brought up a very important question.

"You're able to tell Cornelius the identities of the Heads-in-Training?" she asked.

Umbridge looked as if she were filling with very hot water. "Well, no, but you're here now, aren't you?"

Draco was taut as a coiled wire. His breathing was very shallow. Hermione understood. His relationship with his parents, the security of his plan to sabotage the Death Eaters, and his entire life was riding on what Umbridge and Fudge could potentially tell his parents. And Fudge and Lucius Malfoy got on like a house on fire most days.

"Fair," Hermione said shortly, not wanting to draw more attention to the matter. "Now, Minister Fudge, you trusted Dumbledore for many years! He has always guided the school in a noble and prestigious way. Under his care-"

"Ms. Granger, the paperwork is signed," Fudge waved the papers. "And just because I can't step onto the grounds doesn't mean that Dumbledore hasn't been dismissed."

"You can't step onto the grounds?" Harry asked, then looked at Rosalie before he realised he ought not to have. But Rosalie was the only one of the four with a deep enough connection to Hogwarts to be able to use the wards yet.

"I accept my dismissal," Dumbledore said, "If you feel you clearly see the whole picture, Cornelius. Hogwarts's wards have acted up as a result of the ministry exuding a heavy hand. Replacing me is sure to have consequences."

"Paperwork, Dumbledore." Fudge waved the paper again. "Go begin cleaning out your office."

"Certainly," Dumbledore said. "Ms. Umbridge, would you like for me to have your things sent to the Ministry for you?"

"Oh no, Mr. Dumbledore," Umbridge said, positively nasty. "I'll move them to the Headmaster's suite by the end of today."

"Well, Ms. Umbridge, you will not be occupying the Headmaster's suite. The wards will not let you in. And I have a feeling that, with Cornelius's declaration, that the Headmastership will simply be dissolved," Dumbledore said.

"It'll wot?" Harry asked.

"Who will be Headmaster?" Hermione asked.

"Oh," Rosalie said. "You can't be serious."

"Yes, Ms. Spinks," Dumbledore said. "You see, Hogwarts has a special failsafe in place for if a corrupt Headmaster is ever put in, or if an outside force causes the education to be degraded. The school will simply select four people to represent the founders, and the founders four will be Headmasters again. I expect we'll hear from one of them very soon."

"But Professor!" Harry said, who had not grasped the situation the way Rosalie had and the way Hermione was beginning to. "We need you here! You can't leave!"

"I won't be going anywhere, Harry."

"Ho-hum!" Fudge said. "I say you will, Dumbledore!"

Dumbledore looked down his crooked nose at the minister. He did not seem put off in the slightest by being sacked as Headmaster. "There is a vacancy for Defence Against the Dark Arts," he said, "And I have the feeling I will do much better in my interviews for the position than Ms. Umbridge will do in hers."

"Well, you have all the proper qualifications, don't you?" Rosalie said. "Hogwarts professors are required to be highly knowledgeable and skilled, with experience and reputation, and must have approval by the Headmaster. He previously held the position of Transfiguration, and his personal exploits in the subject include the defeat of a powerful Dark Wizard and significant other exploits."

"Gellert Grindelwald," Hermione said. She realised Rosalie was being long-winded because she was trying to trip the spirit of Ravenclaw, but she had no details with which to present.

"Gellert Grindelwald," Rosalie repeated, but the significant detail did not bring on the blue glow.

"What're you on about?" Fudge demanded. "You can't appoint a professor!"

"Minister Fudge, your community may be two hundred and twenty-three years behind on the times, but that doesn't mean you have to be," Rosalie said, and a dim blue glow began behind her ears as she rattled off that number. "Professor Umbridge tanked the trustworthiness of Hogwarts and transformed it from an institution honouring education to an institution honouring her and her opinions. If she is allowed to continue, then not only will the student's education be irreparably damaged, but the safety and security of the Wizarding World and Britain as a whole will be damaged."

Hermione was not sure if it was the vocabulary, the claims, or the presentation of facts, but Rosalie had managed to bring on the blue light more fully.

"What's she doing?" Fudge demanded. Umbridge, beside him, was shaking in her shoes.

"We're outside the castle," she said. "We're outside… you can't-"

"You are outside, and outside you'll stay," Rosalie said. But the voice was not quite her own. Her eyes suddenly rolled down into her head. The blue light began to look misty around her. And then all at once, it stepped away from her. Rosalie stayed in one place, looking dizzy as her irises appeared again. A different person's image appeared in the blue fog, like a ghost. She was, like Salazar Slytherin, not as tall as Hermione had been expecting. Just about her height. Black hair and sharp eyebrows. She looked Asian. And she had very broad shoulders and a pointed nose and chin. And she wore a beautiful blue dress, hitched at the side, knee-high boots, two large bags, and the deepest frown Hermione had ever seen not in a children's drawing.

"I am Rowena Ravenclaw," the ghost said to the shaking minister and Umbridge. And that about did it for them. Umbridge collapsed into the mud, splattering her pink clothes. Fudge slowly got to his knees, letting the mud soak into his clothes too. He didn't seem to have the strength to stand, or to care about the mud. Behind him, all the aurors were backing away as a single unit. Which was a little funny because every one of them was taller than Rowena.

"I can respect your distaste for another person," Rowena said. "It's a common emotion. But whatever qualms you have with Albus Dumbledore, they are interfering in my school. It is neither logical nor wise to allow it to continue. You are treading on castle soils. Whatever your politics are, you may not endanger my students by making Hogwarts into war spoils. You claim the education had deteriorated under Albus Dumbledore. I inform you now that the education deteriorated more in the first week of Professor Umbridge's internment than it had in the forty years prior. It is because of her that Helga's prophecy began to pull through and bring the people of the prophecy into a group."

Rowena put her hands on her hips and glared at the two on the ground. "Albus Dumbledore will stay on as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. The founders will manage the school. And neither of you will ever put a toe over the wards I created for the rest of your lives." She pointed at the ground, where the wards apparently began, and a straight line appeared in the earth. It ran in both directions along the borders, only about a quarter of an inch wide.

And then Rowena Ravenclaw began to blow away. Parts of her turned into mist and dissipated. Bits of blue fog drifted away and headed to the lake. She left nothing but a line in the ground and the memory of her frown.

The next chapter will be called The Pseudonyms.