There was a great clattering and banging all around us; Dumbledore had obviously just dismissed the school, because everyone was standing up ready to leave the Hall. Hermione jumped up, looking flustered. "Ron, we're supposed to show the first years where to go!"

"Oh yeah," said Ron, who had obviously forgotten. "Hey — hey you lot! Midgets!"

"Ron!"

"Well, they are, they're titchy. . . ."

"I know, but you can't call them midgets. . . . First years!" Hermione called commandingly along the table. "This way, please!"

Demelza shook her head in exasperation. "Midgets, honestly, he's so tactless!"

A group of new students walked shyly up the gap between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables, all of them trying hard not to lead the group. They did indeed seem very small, though I'm quite short myself, so I can't exactly say I looked any different at that age.

"See you later," Harry said to Ron and Hermione and he made his way out of the Great Hall with Demelza, Amy, Magda, Andrew and I. Harry led us quickly through some concealed shortcuts to Gryffindor Tower.

"Had to get away from the people staring at me" he said

I understood how he felt. He had emerged from the Triwizard maze two months ago clutching the dead body of a fellow student and claiming to have seen Lord Voldemort return to power. There had not been time last term to explain himself before everyone went home, even if he had felt up to giving the whole school a detailed account of the terrible events in that graveyard. We reached the portrait hole, only to realise that we didn't know the password. Luckily, we didn't have to wait for long, because Neville arrived just at that moment and told us that it was Mimbulus Mimbletonia, a plant he liked, something he'd actually be able to remember for once.

Mary Davison arrived in our dormitory about 10 minutes after we did, and I held my breath. What was Mary going to say about you know what?

"You'll be glad to know" she told us, "that I believe everything Harry and Dumbledore are saying"

I exhaled.

"Thank fuck for that" I said, and Mary smiled at me.

"That's not to say my parents do, my dad's very much behind Fudge. I think it's because he just wants to make sure he keeps his job and doesn't actually agree, but he won't hear any of it"

"Well mate, we're just glad you're on the right side in any case" said Demelza

"Your parents will see soon enough, once You Know Who reveals himself" Magda added

"How was your summer then?" Mary asked to us as a whole.

"Well, aside from all the lies being spread about Harry, not bad" said Amy

"Yeah, Magda's mum revealed herself to be someone we thought was dead!" I said

"Wait what?!" Mary exclaimed "you told me she was just some regular Swedish witch"

"Yeah... ah, I had to lie" Magda said, chewing on the inside of her cheek. She told Mary the full story about Marlene McKinnon.

"Well, that's... very unexpected, shall we say" Mary said

"You understand why she did it right?" Magda said

"Well, yeah, it was better for everyone if they thought she was dead. If the Death Eaters had known she was still alive, they would have gone after her or the others she knew for info. Glad she's back though" Mary replied.

The next morning, we caught up with Harry, Ron and Hermione in the common room. Harry looked angry again.

"What's the matter?" asked Hermione "You look absolutely — oh for heaven's sake."

She was staring at the common room notice board, where a large new sign had been put up.

"Pocket money failing to keep pace with your outgoings? Like to earn a little extra gold? Contact Fred and George Weasley, Gryffindor common room, for simple, part-time, virtually painless jobs" (WE REGRET THAT ALL WORK IS UNDERTAKEN AT APPLICANT'S OWN RISK)

"They are the limit," said Hermione grimly, taking down the sign, ("Don't do that!" I said to deaf ears) which Fred and George had pinned up over a poster giving the date of the first Hogsmeade weekend in October. "We'll have to talk to them, Ron."

Ron looked positively alarmed. "Why?"

"Because we're prefects!" said Hermione, as they climbed out through the portrait hole. "It's up to us to stop this kind of thing!"

"I'll certainly join you in that next year!" Demelza said

Ron said nothing; I could tell from his glum expression that the prospect of stopping Fred and George doing exactly what they liked was not one that he found inviting. I would of course, still be helping them to succeed.

"Seamus reckons Harry's lying about You-Know-Who," said Ron succinctly, when Harry did not respond. Hermione sighed.

"Yes, Lavender thinks so too," she said gloomily

"Seriously?" said Demelza, Amy and I simultaneously.

Harry nodded and told us that he and Seamus had argued about it the previous night, and that Seamus's mother had even been bought up.

"Been having a nice little chat with Lavender about whether or not I'm a lying, attention-seeking prat, have you?" Harry said to Hermione afterwards

"No," said Hermione calmly, "I told her to keep her big fat mouth shut about you, actually. And it would be quite nice if you stopped jumping down Ron's and my throats, Harry, because if you haven't noticed, we're on your side."

There was a short pause.

"That applies to us too" Amy said

"Sorry," said Harry in a low voice.

"That's quite all right," said Hermione with dignity. Then she shook her head. "Don't you remember what Dumbledore said at the end-of-term feast last year?"

We looked at her blankly, and Hermione sighed again. "About You-Know-Who. He said, 'His gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust —' "

"Which means" said Demelza, noticing Ron was about to interrupt, that we'd all be better off getting along, and not fighting amongst ourselves. We won't get anywhere doing that"

"I said it last night" said Harry "if that means we're supposed to get matey with the Slytherins, fat chance."

"Well, I think it's a pity we're not trying for a bit of inter-House unity," said Hermione crossly.

"Have you forgotten two of them left me minutes from death last year?!" I said incredulously

"No, but that doesn't mean they're all like that!" Hermione snapped back at me

"Hermione, the vast majority probably found it hilarious" Amy said

"You have no proof of that" Hermione said

"I think this is gonna prove to be one of your rare thick moments mate" I said