61 Uninvited Guest

"Professor Flitwick said we should ask Professor Lupin," Neville said during lunch. "He showed us the charm. It was amazing! He said it turns into an owl… or it did for him, but it's different for everybody."

"Rose, what are you planning on doing?" Ginny asked.

"I can already harm them," Rose said. "I'm worried about you lot."

"Where is Professor Lupin?" Sally-Anne asked, glancing at the empty chair at the Teachers' Table.

"He's ill."

They all looked up to see Cedric coming up alongside them.

"Is it alright if I sit here for a minute?" he asked.

"Sure," Hermione said before her friends could interject.

"Thanks. How're you feeling, Hermione?"

"I'm alright. Feeling much better now, of course."

"I'm glad to hear it," Cedric said, smiling. "Like I said, Professor Lupin was ill this morning. Professor Babbling subbed for him. She said he'd be out for a few days, but it was nothing to worry about."

"Why?" Ron asked.

"I was worried he'd been sacked," Hermione said. "After what happened on Tuesday."

"What did happen?" Cedric asked. "All we've heard is that it involved Rose and a dragon, although everything's getting mixed in with rumors that Rose stole something or someone from Ravenclaw Tower last night."

"Who's 'we'?" Ron asked.

"That was Luna," Hermione said. "It's a long story."

"Ah," Cedric said.

Ron turned to Harry. "You can hear me, right?"

"Yeah," Harry replied dismissively.

"When did you get here, Ron?" Ginny asked.

Ron glared at his sister as Hermione explained what she knew about the previous night to Cedric.

"As for Tuesday, we had the boggart lesson, and it turned into a dragon for Rose," Hermione explained to Cedric. "It shot acid for some reason, and I got caught with it."

"I saw the result of that, and I can say I'm glad you're alright," Cedric said, patting Hermione on the shoulder. "Arithmancy wouldn't be the same without you."

Hermione blushed as Cedric stood up.

"Lunch is almost over, so I've got to get going. I'm glad everyone's alright."

"See you later," Hermione said, smiling.

She turned back to her friends to see Sally-Anne smiling at her.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing," Sally-Anne said, the smile quickly vanishing from her face. "Absolutely nothing."

Sally-Anne glanced over at Rose, hoping she noticed it too, but Rose was too absorbed with keeping Luna company. Sally-Anne wasn't sure if it was possible to officially change houses, but even if it wasn't, Rose was making Luna an unofficial Gryffindor.

"So, Granger, I've heard your friend Peta-Lorrum is starting to kidnap students from Ravenclaw."

Rebecca would bring that up.

"No, it was just Luna, and only because Rose didn't feel Luna was safe in Ravenclaw Tower."

"That's not her call," Rebecca shot back. "It's Price's."

"Jackie didn't so much as ask if Luna was okay. She didn't stop and think that maybe she should tend to the girl that had just woken up kicking and screaming, but instead chose to go after Rose."

"That's what any prefect would do," Roger said.

"Alex didn't," Hermione said. "She knew Luna was there since around two in the morning."

"Sure she did," Rebecca said. "She just happened to be there at two in the morning."

"Alex checks on us during the night before and after her rounds," Hermione replied. "She's always done that."

"Why?"

"I do that with my boys," Cedric said. "I check on them at curfew, before my rounds, after my rounds, and when I wake up. Especially with them being first-years, I want to make sure they're handling Hogwarts life okay. My prefect did the same for me when I first started. I'm sure in two years when Hermione's a prefect she'll do the same for her girls."

Hermione didn't know what to say. It wasn't as if professors just pulled names out of a hat to select the prefects each year, although they typically had to pick from a small selection. It was an honor to be chosen, and the idea that Cedric thought so highly of her to think that she'd be chosen as a prefect was flattering beyond words.

"Granger, a prefect?" Rebecca scoffed.

"Sounds like a wonderful idea," Professor Vector said as she entered the room, once again at just the right time.

Hermione remembered Professor Vector saying she had an enchantment on her classroom that allowed her to hear when curse words were used. Could it also detect when students were starting to argue? Otherwise, Hermione couldn't think of how she always came in at just the right moment.

"I can't say I condone Peta-Lorrum's actions, but Price hasn't got the high ground either," Professor Vector said. "For that reason, to my knowledge, neither student has been punished."

"But–" Rebecca started.

"I think it's best to leave it, but I will ask this: For discussion's sake, does anyone know the preferred procedure for dealing with a student with such dreams?"

"Madame Pomfrey's got dreamless sleep potions," Alicia offered.

"How do you know that?" Roger asked.

"Alex told me," Alicia replied, shrugging.

"That sounds like something she'd know," Hermione said.

"If Jackie didn't know that, she could've to Professor Flitwick," Cedric said. "Professor Sprout tells us to go to her if we're not sure."

Hermione never realized just how dedicated Alex was to taking care of them. The boys hardly saw Percy anymore, and the current incident spoke for Jackie Price's ability to take care of her charges. The other Gryffindor prefects always seemed nice, even if Hermione had never learned their names. She knew Cedric would be amazing at being a prefect, because he was Cedric and amazing at everything he did.

Hermione soon found herself wondering about her friends. Two people from Gryffindor in their year would be picked to be prefects, and her friends covered most of their year. She didn't know the other two boys, Dean and Seamus, that well. She thought Lavender was a little too self-centered, but Parvati might be good at looking after half a dozen first-years.

Something else she realized about Alex was that she had the respect of most of Gryffindor. Even members of other houses respected her to some extent, the inter-house rivalry being what it was. In that regard, Sally-Anne would be the best choice. She was thoughtful and kind, but had a knack for getting people to listen to her. Rose could be all those things if she wanted to, but she'd get bored in seconds and wander off in search of trouble, and that was not the kind of person that should be a prefect.

As for the boys, Harry was always panicky and moody about the current year's problem, and Neville always seemed unsure of himself.

That left Ron. Hermione was almost quick to dismiss him, but then remembered a few nights ago. He was sedated by Madame Pomfrey so he would stop trying to help. Hermione had no trouble believing that Ron stubbornly did anything, since that was the only way he did anything, but she hadn't thought about exactly what he did. Why had he stayed there all night? Was it just guilt? If so, why would he keep trying to help Madame Pomfrey?

Maybe Sally-Anne knows, Hermione thought. The dirty-blonde girl always seemed to know what was on everyone else's mind.

Arithmancy improved from there, with Professor Vector keeping them on topic. At the end of class, Professor Vector quickly gathered up her belongings and followed Hermione to Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"Professor Vector, where are you going?" Hermione asked.

"Same place as you, Hermione," Professor Vector said. "Defence Against the Dark Arts. Professor Babbling and I have been alternating filling in for him. Professor Snape wanted to, but with the new schedules, he's been too busy."

Hermione had almost completely forgotten about the schedules. The previous year, she'd been told they'd have to pull in something special to help her with classes, but then over the summer, she'd received a letter telling her otherwise.

"How'd you and Professor McGonagall get the schedules to work out?" Hermione asked. "I thought it wasn't possible."

"It wasn't before, but there were some terms that professors insisted upon having regarding their work hours," she replied. "After discussing it with them, we all agreed that we could be a little more flexible. With no more restrictions on class hours, we moved office hours to Wednesdays, agreed that we could hold them on Saturdays for anyone that wanted them, and Minerva and I sat down and worked out a schedule that worked."

Until just then, it hadn't occurred to Hermione just how much effort her Head of House and favorite professor had put into ensuring her ability to take all of her classes. They had redone the entire schedule just for her.

"Thank you," Hermione said. "Oh! I've been working on wandless casting."

"Have you now?"

"I think I'm starting to get the hang of it," Hermione said. She held out her hand. "Lumana!"

Just as it had when she showed Rose, her hand lit up.

"A good start, but I think we both know you can do better."

"I know, I've been slipping in my studies," Hermione said as her hand went out. "I missed a lot while I was in the Hospital Wing, even if it was just a few hours."

"You were unconscious for most of the day," Professor Vector said. She scowled as she drew a piece of parchment from her notes. "Here are the base equations for the various types of spells. There are a lot of them, but with your memory, I don't think it will be a problem."

"Thank you," Hermione said, placing the parchment inside one of her notebooks after looking it over. "That will help a lot."

Harry was happy to see that Professor Lupin had returned to class on Tuesday, just as Professors Vector and Babbling had said he would.

"Ladies and gentlemen, settle down," Professor Lupin said to a noisy class of third-years.

Harry and his friends quieted down, but the rest of the students kept talking.

After Professor Lupin got no response, he tried a different tactic. "Oi, you lot! Shut up so we can start class!"

With the attention of every student, Professor Lupin smiled and took his normal place on top of his desk.

"Now we can begin," he said. "If you all don't mind, even though our last lesson was cut short, I think we can safely move on from boggarts. Anyone that's got any questions or concerns about them can see me during office hours tomorrow."

Harry almost didn't believe that they had a professor that didn't treat them like children. Or he did, but in a good way. He didn't talk down to them, and Harry was learning something. He was surprised to find that he enjoyed class. It made him more confident that Professor Lupin could help them fend off the Dementors, especially since it was clear that the adults weren't going to do anything about them.

Harry went to Professor Lupin as soon as class was dismissed, while his friends were packing up their things.

"Professor, we'd like you teach us the Patronus Charm," Harry said.

"Please," Sally-Anne added quickly, hoping to compensate for Harry's blunt approach.

"That's quite advanced," Professor Lupin said. "Are you sure you six–"

"Five," Rose said.

"–are ready for it?"

"Probably not," Neville said dejectedly.

"I am," Harry said.

Professor Lupin chuckled to himself.

"What?!" Harry snapped.

"Sorry, you just reminded me of your dad for a second."

"You… you knew my dad?"

"Both your parents were in my year at Hogwarts," Professor Lupin explained. "They were my friends."

Harry instantly forgot all about the Patronus Charm. Instead, he had loads of questions for Professor Lupin. What had his parents been like? Were they smart like Hermione or nice like Sally-Anne? Were they Quidditch fanatics like Ron or mad like Rose?

"Even if we can't do it, we want to try," Sally-Anne said. "Ginny and Luna too."

"Meet me here tomorrow, and–"

"I'm meeting with Professor Vector at nine," Hermione said.

"Professor Babbling at noon," Sally-Anne said.

"Okay, what about two o'clock, right after lunch?" asked Professor Lupin.

Everyone nodded their agreement, and they left the classroom.

On their way out, Rose dragged Sally-Anne to the back of their group.

"I'm going to tell you something because I know you'll find out eventually, but you can't tell Scarface."

"What?"

"Sirius was friends with Professor Lupin, who was friends with Scarface's parents."

Sally-Anne gasped.

"You can't think–"

"I do. Sirius was friends with Harry's parents, and he was in prison for taking part in their murder."

"Rose, what happens when Harry finds out?"

"You deny ever knowing anything about it," Rose told her. "You never figured it out, because you never knew that Sirius was Professor Lupin's friend."

"What about you?"

"That's my problem."

The next month dragged slowly by. Professor Lupin started teaching them the Patronus Charm, although only Harry was able to conjure even just a ball of light.

"I'll see if I can get something on which we can practice," Professor Lupin said at the end of one class. "I'm not sure I want to risk a boggart, but it's the next best thing. It won't be as effective, but it's better than nothing. Theoretical defence only gives you so much."

"Can't argue with that," Rose said.

Rose watched them during their lessons. It was common knowledge among their group that Rose couldn't cast the Patronus Charm, but none of them told Professor Lupin this. When he asked, she just told him that she had no interest in learning it, and they left it at that.

Their lessons were put on hold the week of Hallowe'en, as Professor Lupin was once again not feeling well. On Hallowe'en itself, the group found themselves at the Hallowe'en feast.

"So what's it going to be this year?" Hermione asked.

"Well, for the first time in two years, we're at the Hallowe'en Feast," Sally-Anne said. "So whatever it is, it's going to be horrible."

"Worse than a troll?" Hermione asked.

"Why does something have to happen?" Ron asked. "Aren't the Dementors bad enough?"

"They can't come inside, can they?" Ginny asked.

"If they come inside, then I've got Professor Dumbledore's blessing to tear through them like a first-level Wizard's spellbook," Rose said.

"That's comforting," Hermione said.

Sally-Anne turned to Harry, who was once again silent.

"Harry?" she asked. "Not hearing voices again?"

Harry gave her a crooked smile.

"Not this year," he said. "Just thinking."

"About what?" Sally-Anne asked, even though she knew the answer.

"About my parents," Harry said quietly, using the earpods to mask his speech. "I don't really know anything about them."

"Why don't we go and ask Professor Lupin about them tomorrow?" Sally-Anne whispered. "Just the two of us, so no one else tries changing the subject."

"Why do you want to go?" Harry asked.

"Erm… Well…"

Sally-Anne couldn't think of an answer. She wanted to shout "I'm in love with you, you moron!", but knew that it would only complicate matters. Sally-Anne wanted to be a part of Harry's life, and to help him through any difficult times he had, but he kept shutting her out, and she didn't know why. He wasn't consciously thinking about it, so she couldn't use her pendant to find out.

She knew there things he was keeping secret. She heard him thinking about them over the summer. His family abused, beat, and humiliated him. She wanted to hug him and tell him it would all be okay, but she was worried that it was too late. What if he just shut her out forever? What if she never got through to him?

"No reason," Sally-Anne said. "It was just a suggestion."

"Thanks, but I think I'll go on my own," Harry said.

"Okay," Sally-Anne said, forcing a smile and hoping Harry didn't notice. "Good luck."

"Thanks, Sally-Anne," Harry said, wondering why Sally-Anne was faking a smile.

He quickly dismissed it, figuring whatever it was, she'd be alright. Harry was more concerned about finding out more about his parents.

After the feast, the group walked cautiously back to Gryffindor Tower. When they arrived, they all saw it.

The portrait of the Fat Lady was hanging open, and there were slash marks across the canvas. The Fat Lady herself was nowhere to be found.

A sense of dread spread through the students as they arrived.

"What happened?"

"What do we do?"

"Was it Sirius Black?"

"Back up!" Alex roared, directing the students back. "Everyone, back away from the portrait!"

"But I wanna see!" shouted Brett.

"For all you know, Sirius Black is still in there!" Alex shouted. "If you're standing right there when he pops out, what do you think is gonna happen to you?!"

Both her cousins took one look at the portrait, then obediently took several steps back.

"Rose," Alex said, turning to the third-year. "Check the common room. Make sure he's gone, then come back out here."

"Why does she get to go in?!" one student asked.

"Because I said so!" Alex shouted, pulling out what she thought was the worst reason for anything. "If anyone's got a problem with that, take it up with me tomorrow!"

She nodded to Rose, who walked to the wall and vanished.

Next, we need teachers, Alex thought. She looked over the crowd and spotted Percy. "Percy! Fetch Professor McGonagall!"

"Already on it!" he shouted.

Where's the Fat Lady?

"Has anyone found the Fat Lady?!" she called to the group.

"She's over here!" another student called.

Alex looked around for someone responsible enough to keep people out.

"Sally-Anne," she hissed. "Can you contain them up here until Professor McGonagall shows up?"

"I can try."

"Good. Use that rune of yours if you've got to, just keep them out of the common room."

"You can count on us," Hermione said.

Alex pushed through the growing crowd and found the Fat Lady hiding in another portrait, looking as if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named himself had returned in front of her.

"What happened?" Alex asked.

"A dog! A big, black dog attacked me. I've never seen it before!"

"Where is it?" Alex asked. An image of Rose and the dog formed in her head, but she dismissed it.

She'll be fine. Merlin knows that girl can handle herself.

"I don't know," the Fat Lady said.

"Everyone to one side!"

Alex turned back and saw Professors McGonagall and Snape approaching them.

"Thank you," she said to the Fat Lady before moving to intercept them.

"Ms. Nertlyn, what happened?" McGonagall asked.

"The Fat Lady says a black dog attacked her," she said. "No mention of Sirius Black."

"Is anyone inside?" McGonagall asked.

"I sent Rose to make sure it's safe," Alex said.

"Stay back!" Sally-Anne called from in front of them.

"Ms. Perks, we can handle it from here," McGonagall said. "Thank you."

A tense minute later, Rose left the common room.

"Well?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"It's gone," Rose said. "It wasn't Sirius Black, but I think he sent it. It was a black dog."

"We know," Professor Snape said. "The Fat Lady already told us. How did you know?"

"Speak with anything," Rose replied as Professor McGonagall shrunk down to a cat and sniffed around the corridor.

"It went straight for the third-year boys' room," Rose said as she watched Professor McGonagall. "It looked around at Harry's and Ron's beds."

"Both of them?" Alex asked.

Professor Snape muttered something to himself that Alex didn't catch.

"If it were only after Harry, then it wouldn't have looked at Ron's bed at all," Rose said, "and if it were looking for Harry's friends, it would've checked out Neville's bed too."

"I can't find its scent," Professor McGonagall said, returning to normal. "Too many people have been here."

"Exactly why I can't use speak with anything to track it," Rose said.

"We need to lock down the castle. If we're quick, we can stop it." Professor McGonagall turned back to Alex. "Ms. Nertlyn! Get these students to the Great Hall at once!"

"Yes, Professor!" Alex shouted. "You heard her! Great Hall! Move it!"

"What about our things?" asked a little girl.

"The house-elves will bring them," Alex assured her. "Don't worry, I'll make sure of it."

She got Percy's attention again and they both stared shepherding the students. Alex didn't catch whatever it was that Rose was discussing with Professor McGonagall until she heard Rose shouting.

"I can help!"

"I've seen your 'help', Peta-Lorrum!" Professor McGonagall shouted at her.

Alex got the attention of Stacy Manning, one of the sixth-year prefects, and got her to take her place. Then Alex walked quietly back to Gryffindor Tower.

"I can bring them their things!" Rose shouted. "Why won't you let me help?!"

"You stormed into my office and spoke to me in the most disrespectful tone I've ever heard!" Professor McGonagall shouted back. "If Professor Dumbledore didn't like you so much, you'd have been thrown out of Hogwarts in an instant!"

"Professor?"

Alex knew she was speaking, but she couldn't remember willing her mouth to move.

"What?!" Professor McGonagall snapped.

"Can she help under my direct supervision?" Alex asked. "There are–"

"This isn't your concern!"

"With all due respect, Professor, yes it is," Alex replied, raising her voice. "You trust me to resolve disputes and stand up for younger students. Rose is far from responsible, but she can help."

Rose gave her a look that Alex had never seen on her face before: hope.

"Only if she apologizes for what she did first," Alex added, seeing the hostility in Professor McGonagall.

"As much as I hate to agree to any of this," Professor Snape said, "Nertlyn may be right. We've only got so few people to run around the castle. Peta-Lorrum can move a lot faster than we can."

Both professors exchanged looks amongst themselves and Alex, but after a moment, Professor McGonagall turned to Rose.

"Well?"

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For?"

Rose rattled off a series of actions that left Alex horrified.

"Rose!" she exclaimed at the end of it.

"You think you can keep her in line?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"If she steps out of line, I'll tell Hermione what she's done," Alex said with more disgust than she'd intended.

Rose perked up and her eyes went wide.

"Now I've got your attention," Alex said. "I need your help to gather up everyone's belongings. Think you can do that?"

Rose nodded, and the two girls got to work. They worked to collect everyone's things until Percy fetched Alex.

"What for?" she asked.

"Professor Dumbledore wants to talk to the prefects," he said. "It's not just the Gryffindors; everyone's going to be in the Great Hall tonight."

She followed Percy to an empty classroom where the other prefects were waiting. She caught Jackie glaring at her when she arrived, but stopped when Professor Dumbledore spoke.

"I'm glad you all agreed to meet on such short notice."

Twenty-four pairs of eyes stared attentively, patiently awaiting instructions.

"Students are in the process of being moved into the Great Hall," Albus said. "Half the staff are currently handling this, while the other half are searching the castle for Sirius Black. You are no longer to patrol the castle at night, but instead to patrol just the area around the Great Hall. Six of you shall be patrolling the area at all times, in two hour shifts. No one is to leave the area. Their belongings are being gathered as we speak. Anything anyone needs will be brought to them. If anyone requires the restroom, then they must have an escort. That goes for all of you as well."

He looked around at the 24 faces in the room, and waited until he saw some form of understanding on every face.

"Some students will give you trouble with this. It would be unfair to single out anyone in particular, so I'll just tell you that no one is above this rule. You are all aware of the existence of polyjuice potion, and thus should be on guard for any student acting different than usual. This is not permission to single out students you don't like. I still expect each of you to treat every student fairly. It is times like this when we find out what sort of people we really are, and I know I'll be proud of each and every one of you. You are dismissed."

As the other prefects got up to leave, Alex made her way over to Professor Dumbledore.

"Professor?"

"Ms. Nertlyn, how may I help you?"

"I don't think Rose is going to give us any trouble tonight."

"I don't think so either," Professor Dumbledore replied. "She's far too worried about her friends to chase after Sirius Black on her own, and unlike most of the students at Hogwarts, she understands the severity of the situation."

"I guess she does," Alex said. "I'm… I'm not sure if I can treat her the same."

"Why is that?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"I've… sort of been letting her out… after curfew."

Alex lowered her head to avoid Professor Dumbledore's gaze. She was a horrible prefect. She couldn't keep track of her charges, she kept letting them break the rules, she set a horrible example for them, and she had lost her temper too many times to count.

"I know."

Alex looked up. "You do?"

"I've run into her a few times. We have nice chats."

"But it's against the rules."

"So is letting a Ravenclaw sleep in Gryffindor Tower, but sometimes the rules don't make sense. In her case, she gets anxious being forced to stay in one place with little to do. If she moves around, she'll keep herself busy. She is unlike most of the students in that she doesn't need sleep, and thus has over eight hours during which there is nothing better to do. In this case, that works to our advantage, as she can keep a constant watch over the students."

Alex still didn't know everything about Rose, but she knew the girl didn't eat or sleep. Professor Dumbledore was right; Rose could use enchantments Alex didn't recognize, so she must know some way of keeping watch over a large group of people.

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask me while you've got my attention?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

Alex hesitated. She did have a question that had been burning at the back her mind for months, but now that she had the chance, she didn't want to ask it. When she gave it serious thought, she realized she knew the answer.

She didn't know the last time she saw Percy outside of meetings, and his boys were starting to suffer for it. Harry didn't have anyone to explain anything to him, and Percy could've at least tried; he was Head Boy, but he was still a prefect. Alex's first responsibility was to her girls, because that year, they needed her more than ever. She had made herself available to them, even at the cost of sleep and social time. She had turned down dates to guarantee she could keep track of them, because the thought of those girls dealing with the start of puberty, a serial killer on the loose, and soul-sucking demons from the pits of Hell itself on their doorstep was too much for her.

Alex knew being a prefect was about more than just taking care of a few students, that it was about handling disputes and being Professor McGonagall's eyes and ears in Gryffindor Tower, but there were five other prefects that could do all of that. Most of the students listened to Alex when she talked; even the Slytherins gave her some attention. Any of the other prefects could earn respect like she had, but that wasn't the hard part of the job. Making the judgement call to allow Luna to sleep in Gryffindor Tower, even though it was against the rules, or telling Professor McGonagall that she'd just threatened another student's life, that was hard. Had she been picked for Head Girl, she wouldn't have seen the third-years that often, which would've left them out in the cold. Worse yet, it would push those calls onto someone else, and even though Alex knew she had made the right choices, it might not be so easy for someone else.

"I did, but I don't anymore."

"Are you sure?"

"I am. For months, I wanted to know why you didn't pick me for Head Girl, but I know the answer now. As disappointed as I was at first, I understand why you did what you did, Professor, and I'm glad you did it."

Albus nodded approvingly.

"I'm not sure I've ever seen a more dedicated prefect, Ms. Nertlyn," Professor Dumbledore said as if he had heard her entire thought process just then. "You should be proud of yourself."

"Thank you, Professor."

"I'm sorry to have placed such a heavy burden on you, but those girls in particular needed a strong role model. They've got tough choices ahead of them, and I wanted them to have someone there to help them make those choices."

Alex blushed. This was Albus Dumbledore himself, the single most accomplished wizard in history, the only person in existence He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named feared, and he had an enormous amount of faith in her. Alex couldn't describe how wonderful it felt to be trusted so much by someone like him.

"I won't let you down, Sir."

"It never occurred to me that you would."

Alex returned to the Great Hall at one o'clock, after making rounds around the area for two hours. The only people she saw moving were the professors and other prefects, and, as they were all supposed to, everyone identified themselves to one another.

If they found Sirius Black, they were supposed to draw as much attention to themselves as possible. If none of the professors heard her, she knew Rose would.

Alex looked around, and sure enough, sitting in the exact center of the mass of students, was the girl herself. She had sat there all night, playing with a puzzle box Alex was pretty sure Hermione had gotten her last Christmas.

"Rose, are you going to sit there all night?" Alex whispered.

"I'm in the exact center of the students," Rose replied. "I've got blindsight out to 60 feet, portal alarms at every single entrance to the Great Hall, and prying eyes scanning the area at random intervals. Nothing is getting past me. I even know where Scabbers is right now."

"You're really worried about them, aren't you?"

"Sirius Black is here to kill one of my friends, and you've put us all in fireball formation. A single area spell in the center will take out most of the students. I'm here to make sure he doesn't get the chance."

Alex nodded.

"The mass of students also serves as bait. If I can just get a chance at him, he won't escape me."

"Your friends aren't bait, Rose," Alex whispered. "You know that."

"Yeah, I'm just running out of ideas," Rose said.

"That's got to be a first."

"Not really. Most of the spells I know my brother showed to me. Without him, I'm not much."

"You're kidding me," Alex said. "A few hours ago you were barking out orders like you've done it a million times."

Rose gave a faint smile.

"It's what Mum and Dad would've done. Whenever disaster struck, they were right there to help, even if no one wanted them there."

Alex looked at the little girl. Her typical broad smile disappeared, replaced by a smile so small it could've faded at any second, but remained determined to stay on the girl's face. Her eyes weren't bright, but instead looked like she should be crying. For a moment, Alex didn't see Rose Peta-Lorrum, the girl that punched out a basilisk or allegedly turned a professor to stone, but instead the little girl that missed her mum and dad more than anything in the world.

"Rose, you look like you could use a hug."

"I'm always happy to have a hug from a pretty girl," Rose replied.

Alex gently held her charge, then whispered, "I thought so."

"You get some rest, Alex," Rose said. "I've got them covered."

"Good night, Rose," Alex said. "Sweet… er…"

What do you say to a girl that doesn't sleep? Alex asked. How has this never come up?

"Sweet dreams, Alex."

Rose settled in and thought about her mum and dad. She remembered them running off into danger, leaving Mr. Grund or Sarista to look after her. Every time they did, they came back with a story to tell her. Every time except the one time they didn't come back.

I was going to see them in a few weeks, Rose thought, then Uncle Oz came through my door, sat me down, and told me I was never going to see them again.

On that day, Rose became an orphan.

She glanced over at Harry, who was fast asleep in his bedroll, then at Luna, not too far away. She had taken the liberty of arranging her friends' bedrolls around her, ensuring that she could keep an eye on them. Harry had lost his parents, and Luna had lost her mum. They were both like her. They were lost, alone, and scared, even if they didn't always admit it.

It was odd; Rose knew she didn't fit in with the Dwarves on Rontus, the Elves of Faera, even the Halflings in Luna. She was such a mixture of all of them that she didn't fit in anywhere, and yet, sitting amongst new friends in a world that wasn't her own, she felt a sense of belonging.

Maybe I fit in here.