Uncomfortable

Sarah stood beside Eric, looking over the train tracks at the mess before them.

"Those certainly look like the remains of Inferi," she said. "Did you need me to tell you that?"

"Probably not, but you know me, boss," Eric replied, "I just love to have you to myself."

Sarah glowered at him for a moment.

"Don't let your partner hear you say that. They've always struck me as the jealous type."

Eric looked up at the sky as though looking for something.

"Ministry's cleanup crew is supposed to be on their way."

"When did they tell you that?" Sarah asked, knowing she wouldn't like the answer.

"About two hours before you got here."

Sarah rolled her eyes. Typical of the Ministry.

"And they wanted me here because…?"

"You're the boss, boss."

Sarah took another sip of coffee.

"Voldemort's dead. Lucius is supposed to be cleaning up. Why are we still dealing with leftovers?"

"When the Ministry arrives, you can ask them," Eric said.

That concerned her. It meant they didn't have an answer, and she didn't like not having answers. If there was fresh havoc being wreaked, that meant someone else was out there to wreak it. They should've had answers by now if that were the case.

"Why the train tracks?"

Eric approached the tracks. They'd halted or diverted any trains, which hadn't been an easy task. Having favors all over England never failed to pay off when you wanted to do things quietly.

"Look at the way they're spread out. Inferi are durable, but not like a living person. A person wouldn't blow apart like that unless they were hit, but then it would've spread out more. These fell off the train."

Sarah took another sip of coffee and looked over the damage. It made sense, but it often did when Eric explained it. She looked up, imagining Inferi on a train. They weren't smart enough for that, and they'd always have someone commanding them.

"What good would putting Inferi on a train do?" she asked, a few ideas forming in her head.

"Haven't got anything definitive."

That was Eric's way of telling her that he was waiting for her to tell him.

"We'll add it to the list of weird things we've seen this week," she said.

"Speaking of weird things," Eric said, "how's the family?"

Sarah raised an eyebrow at him.

"Care to rephrase that?"

"That might be a good idea," he said. "But until I think of something, you can tell me how she's doing."

"She's ever so thankful that you noticed. In your debt, you could say. You've become her hero, her knight in shining armor."

"Should I not have said anything?"

"She's dedicated her life to yours."

"I think I get—"

"How can we ever—"

"I get it."

Sarah took another sip of coffee, feeling that she'd bugged Eric enough.

"Husband says she'll talk about it when she's ready," Sarah said. "I tried bringing it up last week before she left, but she shut down. I should've known better, in hindsight. Teenagers are… difficult."

"Speaking of difficult…"

Several people popped into existence near the tracks. Lucius Malfoy was among them, clearly the one in charge.

He walked over to them.

"Parliament," he said, knowing better than to use her name in the field.

"Ministry," she replied, granting him the same courtesy.

"What happened?"

"Looks like someone was smuggling Inferi on board. The things fell off and blew apart on impact."

Lucius looked back at the remains that his team was cleaning up.

"That's it?"

"The question is why," Sarah said. "This train runs into the countryside. Not as much regulation, and more importantly, not as many prying eyes keeping tabs on things. It's likely someone was trying something where no one would see. Something that involved Inferi."

Lucius glowered at her, his default response to everything she said. She could see that he was considering it. After working more or less together for years, it still struck him as foreign to consider her his equal.

"Keep us informed," he said.

"Ditto. Anything on the train car that disappeared last week?"

"No," he muttered.

He turned back as his team finished the cleanup, and barked orders to them. A minute later, they were gone.

"Should we be worried?" Eric asked.

"It's the Ministry of Magic. Of course we should be worried. It's our job to be worried." She took a sip of her coffee and found that she'd finished it. "We're finished here. Enough fresh air, let's get back to work."

Harry, Ron, Sally-Anne, and Ginny ran through the portal to Platform 9¾, then set off towards the train.

"It's too good to be true," Ron said. "When was the last time someone wasn't trying to kill us when we got to Hogwarts?"

"Maybe the Monster of Ravenclaw will come after us," Ginny said. "A giant eagle or something."

Harry chuckled at the joke, happy to see Ginny making jokes again. He knew she wouldn't return to her old self; like Hermione said, being beaten nearly to death wasn't something one overcame easily, if at all. Still, she was certainly looking better.

When they boarded the express, Harry immediately noticed the rush of noise.

"There are more people," he said. "Must have returning students."

"Sure," Ron said, "now that there's nothing to fear, most students are back. The Ministry's stopping by to inspect the castle's security."

"I'm sure that will go well," Ginny said. "Anyway, we should find a seat."

"We'll meet you both at school," Sally-Anne said. "We've got to instruct the prefects."

"Remember," Ron said, puffing out his chest and sounding like Percy, "I'm Head Boy."

Ron turned, chest still puffed out, and started walking down towards the Prefect car, all the while saying "Excuse me, Ron Weasley, Head Boy, coming through."

Sally-Anne covered her mouth to stifle a small laugh, then bid them farewell and walked down the train after him.

Harry nodded to Ginny, and they found an empty compartment and sat down.

"It's so empty without them," Ginny said.

Harry looked around the compartment. They were the only two left, with Ron and Sally-Anne in the Prefect car.

"It's alright," he said. "There's still us." He grinned at her, hoping to cheer her up. "Excited for Quidditch practice?"

Ginny cracked a small smile and nodded.

"Thanks again for—"

"You don't need to keep thanking me for not kicking you off the team," he said. "So long as you can work with Demelza Robins, we won't have a problem."

Ginny nodded again, although Harry sensed hesitation. He knew they weren't going to have problems. There were no dark lords out to get them, no psychopaths popping up and murdering them. Only normal school problems, like homework and exams. They could handle it.

He smiled to himself. A normal, boring life. He only wished Alavel were still alive to see it.

Harry waded through a sea of people when the train stopped. It surprised him to see so many people returning. He'd known the Ministry had deemed Hogwarts safe again, but hadn't realized so many people would simply listen.

"Head Boy, coming through, I'm terribly important."

Harry smiled when he heard Ron's voice from up ahead.

"Excuse me, Head Boy's best friend, I'm important too."

They met up, and with Ginny and Sally-Anne behind them, repeated the same thing until they reached a carriage. Once they sat down, the four of them burst out laughing.

"Are you two going to do that all year?" Sally-Anne asked.

Harry and Ron exchanged glances, then turned to Sally-Anne.

"Yes."

"You're so embarrassing," Ginny said, kicking Ron.

"I'm sure the Twins will be delighted to hear about all this," Sally-Anne said. "They'll be so proud."

They rode in relative silence up to the castle. Harry couldn��t shake the feeling that the carriage was empty. It was hard not thinking about Hermione, Neville, or Luna.

"Anyone heard from Hermione or Luna?" he asked.

"Hermione responds sometimes," Ron said as Sally-Anne started rubbing her hands together. "Can't get a response from Luna."

Harry nodded. Without Sally-Anne cheering them up, he decided he'd have to.

"She'll turn up eventually. I mean, it's Hermione; I doubt she'll stay away from Hogwarts long. They're just… trying to clear their heads."

Harry glanced at Sally-Anne's hands. She'd become more fidgety over the summer, specifically with her hands. It worried Harry that something was wrong with her. He'd also noticed her taking a particularly long time to wash up before every meal. He wasn't sure what she was doing yet, but he hoped it wasn't something too bad, and that she'd talk about it when she was ready.

They rode in silence to the castle, where they were led to the Great Hall. Taking seats at the Gryffindor table, Harry eyed the new professors. There were three new ones, to replace the three they'd lost.

One was a woman that looked like she could've been Professor Babbling's sister. Like Babbling, the new woman was stout, even with a similar face. Harry wondered if they were related.

The next new person he noticed was a large man wearing expensive looking clothes. Harry didn't have a guess as to which position he was filling, but the man looked well off enough that he didn't need to be working. He had a grin on his face as he talked loudly with the other staff.

The last man was old, old enough that he probably could've had grandchildren in Hogwarts. He smiled kindly to the rest of the staff, but didn't say much.

Once the first-years — Harry counted at least sixty of them — filed in, the Sorting Hat was placed on its traditional stool. Ahead of the first-years was another group of older students.

"We will begin this year's Sorting with the sorting of new transfer students," McGonagall said. "The Ministry performed a thorough investigation in the wake of last year's events. I'm proud to say that Hogwarts is once again a safe place for all, and we welcome over one hundred new students this year."

"Dad said Scrimgeour's been dumping funding on Hogwarts," Ron whispered. "A sort of thank you for stopping Voldemort, probably."

Harry looked over the new students as the Sorting Hat sang its song. It was odd to think of so many new students coming into Hogwarts after the past six years. Monsters in the school, dementors on the grounds, the castle being nearly destroyed, Umbridge… they'd been through a lot, and adding what had happened last year to all of it, he was surprised so many of the old students came back.

Some small part of him wished Ellie would come back, but he knew they'd driven her away. Even with people thinking she wasn't involved — he still didn't know exactly what had happened, but he hoped she'd been under the Imperius Curse — she didn't want to go anywhere near Hogwarts.

"Welcome everyone," Professor McGonagall said as the last of the students were sorted, "to the start of a new year at Hogwarts."

She paused while the Great Hall erupted into applause.

"A variety of changes have been made from last year. With the regrettable losses we suffered last year, we've altered the staff."

Harry did another scan of the staff table. It'd hardly changed in seven years, and now it felt so different.

"First and foremost, I've taken over the role of Headmistress."

There were a few cheers, most of which came from Gryffindor, but McGonagall silenced them.

"I will continue to teach Transfiguration. However, taking my place as head of Gryffindor house will be Professor Lupin."

This time the entire Gryffindor table applauded, which McGonagall did nothing to stop. In fact, she herself applauded.

"Alchemy has been opened to third years and above," she continued, "taught by Professor Kemra."

There was a polite applause as Professor Kemra, the new woman, stood up and bowed before taking her seat.

"Arithmancy will be taught by Professor Rix."

The old man stood up and tipped his hat to the crowd. That meant the other man was Professor Slughorn.

"Taking over Slytherin house and the role of Potions Master, we welcome Professor Slughorn back to Hogwarts."

Slytherin gave a quiet applause. Harry looked at Sally-Anne, who held a neutral expression. He'd noticed her looking over at the Slytherin table. It'd taken him months to stop looking for Ellie at the Hufflepuff table, and she'd only dumped him, not died.

"Before we begin our feast," McGonagall said, "I'd like to hold a moment of silence for those we lost last year."

Harry bowed his head in respect for everyone Rose had killed. Lavender… Taltria… Draco… Dumbledore… Vector… Snape… Neville. It felt surreal, them all being gone. He heard sniffles and muffled sobs all around the Great Hall.

After nearly a minute, Professor McGonagall bid them to eat, and a new year at Hogwarts began.

Sarah walked to the door when the doorbell rang. Sure enough, there guests had arrived.

"Dan, Emma," she said, welcoming them inside. She glanced around. "No Hermione?"

"No," Emma replied.

Sarah considered the looks on their faces. Dan seemed annoyed, and Emma seemed worried. Eric would've pegged them better, but she hadn't invited them over to poke her nose in their business. Not this time.

"Well, I suppose you're welcome anyway," Sarah said, motioning them inside.

They walked into the kitchen where Wilfred was preparing dinner. They made small talk until he was finished, then he served them and sat down with them.

"We heard that Hermione's not going back to Hogwarts this year," Wilfred said. "Was last year too much for her?"

Their guests glanced at Sarah, who knew that look. It was the look of people wondering what she already knew.

"Don't mind me," she said. "The only person on whom I keep tabs is Sally-Anne. We're only concerned for her friend."

Dan and Emma exchanged glances, and Sarah caught another familiar look. They didn't know what they were allowed to tell her.

"It's… complicated,�� Emma said.

Sarah leaned forward over the table and looked her in the eye.

"Try me."

"We can't," Dan said. "We may not entirely believe Hermione, but she's never been completely wrong. If she's even half right, it could be dangerous to tell you anything."

Sarah frowned. That didn't sit well with her at all.

"Dangerous how?"

"She told us," Emma began. She paused, evidently searching for the right words. "Even Dumbledore was afraid of telling anyone."

"That is interesting," Sarah said. "And this has got something to do with Hermione?"

"She thinks there's something inside Hogwarts that no one can remember," Dan said. "Something that will kill her if she goes back."

Wilfred swallowed his food and spoke up.

"No offense," Wilfred said. "But when you say it like that, she sounds paranoid."

"There's more to it than that," Emma said, glaring at her husband. "But it does sound mad, even when she did explain it."

"You might be surprised to know that that is not the maddest thing I've heard," Sarah said. "Knowing Hogwarts, I'd be surprised if something weren't living in it."

The Grangers eased up a little at that. Sarah was glad, although this changed things for her.

"Is this thing a danger to anyone else?" Wilfred asked, being the sensible parent he was.

Emma, being the one without food in her mouth, answered first.

"She doesn't seem to think so. It doesn't like Hermione because… erm…"

What Sarah thought originally was lack of information, she quickly realized was hesitance. Emma knew why, but she didn't want to say.

"She can remember it," Dan said. "It… it can make people forget it exists."

"Common tactic in their world," Sarah said, choosing not to mention that some people wiped others' memories for fun.

After that, they didn't want to talk about it. That worked for Sarah, because it gave her time to think. If this thing would edit itself out of her memory upon entering Hogwarts, then she resolved to be careful about meeting people from Hogwarts. Hermione thought it posed a threat, enough to leave home. Sarah hadn't believed for a second that Hermione had decided to stay home, not after the looks Dan and Emma kept giving each other. Something else was going on.

How had something existed inside Hogwarts without her knowing? Without anyone knowing? That meant that this thing had something few in the Magical World understood: subtlety.

Sarah needed more information on this thing if she expected to handle it if and when it became a problem. She could tell she wasn't about to get the information from Dan or Emma, but Hermione seemed to have all the answers. It was possible that what she didn't have she was finding at that moment. Sarah decided to leave the problem until later; for now, she tried to enjoy the rest of her friends' visit.

After they left, Wilfred turned to his wife. She didn't need to consider why; he could always tell when something was on her mind.

"Is everything alright?"

Sarah arched an eyebrow at him.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"There's something in Hogwarts you didn't know about. I know it bothers you when you don't know things."

"It does, and to be honest, I'm not sure how to deal with it. If whatever that thing is is making a move, I'd like to know what it's planning. Especially since we haven't got most of our backup plans anymore."

Wilfred nodded, walking with her to their bedroom. She knew she'd have a long road ahead of her, and she would need rest before she dealt with any of it.

"You'll figure it out," he told her, kissing her cheek. "You always do."

Sarah smiled at her husband, being reminded once again why she'd fallen in love with him. And why she tolerated his bad jokes.

After the feast, Ron and Sally-Anne met with Professor McGonagall and followed her up to her new office.

"How are you two doing?" she asked, her stern expression easing up somewhat.

Ron glanced at Sally-Anne, gathered that she wasn't going to answer, then said, "We're holding up."

McGonagall nodded. She led them past the gargoyle, then walked up the staircase into the Headmistress's Office.

Dumbledore's collection of trinkets was gone. Fawkes was gone. The only thing that looked the same were a few books Ron recognized.

"Who's taking care of Fawkes?" Sally-Anne asked.

McGonagall shook her head.

"We have been unable to locate him. Knowing Peta-Lorrum, we've come to accept that she likely turned the bird to dust. We aren't sure, but we figure it can't come back from that."

Ron let out a small breath. One more to the list of casualties.

"How are you getting on?" Sally-Anne asked.

"I'm managing, Sally-Anne," McGonagall said.

Sally-Anne and Ron exchanged quick glances.

"You used my first name."

"As I have always done with the Head Boy and Girl, and no one else. The only exception to my rule has been Alexandra, who was familiar enough with the staff that I deemed it appropriate. Speaking of, I hope you informed her of your position."

Sally-Anne smiled, and Ron was glad to see something would cheer her up.

"I did. She was proud."

McGonagall nodded.

"Have you reviewed the list of duties you are expected to perform?"

"We have," Ron said, "and of course Percy gave an itemized list of what he was expected to do."

"I can't say I'm surprised, but this will be different than your brother's time here. As much as I am striving to maintain Albus's regime, things will be different. For the better, I hope, but one can never tell."

"You'll do great, Professor," Sally-Anne said. "There's no doubt about that."

"I have few doubts, but I appreciate your kindness, Sally-Anne." She directed her attention to both of them. "Do either of you have concerns about maintaining your duties as prefects on top of your new duties?"

"No," Ron said.

Sally-Anne shook her head, but Ron noticed her rubbing her hands together. Was it just him, or had she started doing that a lot?

"Good. That will be all for now. We shall be meeting at least once a month. And of course, you now represent the best of Hogwarts. Please do not go looking for trouble."

"Rose and Voldemort are dead," Ron said. "There isn't trouble to be looking for."

Even saying it didn't ease his nerves any. Something was wrong, but he couldn't work out what.

"Let's hope it stays that way," McGonagall said. "And again, on behalf of Hogwarts, I am very sorry for the loses you both suffered last June."

"Thank you, Professor," Sally-Anne said. "Neville was our friend, and we miss him dearly."

"I believe I used the plural, Sally-Anne. While I'm sure Ronald didn't care for Mr. Malfoy, the staff are aware that you did."

Despite looking like she was about to cry, Sally-Anne still smiled.

"That's kind of you to say, Professor."

McGonagall nodded, then motioned towards the door.

"You should best be off. Have a good night, both of you."

Sally-Anne returned to Gryffindor Tower with Ron. Every corner of the castle had another memory of Draco hidden in it. A time he met her outside Gryffindor Tower, or a time they snuck around a corner for a quick kiss, or even a smile.

Ron ordered the portrait open, and they walked inside to a wall of noise. People were milling about everywhere, although the common room looked bigger than it had in previous years.

People came up to both of them, asking about Hogwarts and introducing themselves. They were students from private schools or home school, or people that couldn't have afforded school without the Ministry's new education initiative. Mr. Malfoy had kept Sally-Anne informed of goings on at the Ministry. She wasn't sure she entirely understood why he'd taken such a shine to her; if she hadn't been friends with Draco, he would've taken down the ward and followed Voldemort.

Was it because of that? Was he grateful to her for her part in what had happened? Was it gratitude for speaking up for him when people questioned his loyalty? She wanted it to be for loving Draco as she had, but the thought must've been revolting to Draco's parents.

When curfew began and Ron called "lights out", the prefects all trudged up to check on their charges. Sally-Anne found hers all tucked into bed already, including (to her surprise) Loretta, who didn't even look as though she intended to sneak out the moment Sally-Anne turned her back.

"I hope you're all settling in," Sally-Anne said. "I want you all to know that even though I'm Head Girl, I'm still your prefect. You can always come to me with your problems."

No one said anything to her, so she turned to leave.

"Sally-Anne?"

Sally-Anne turned back and looked through the dim light at Loretta.

"Yes?"

Sally-Anne waited patiently, but no one spoke up. She could faintly make out the nervous expression on Loretta's face. It wasn't like her; Sally-Anne had never seen anything apart from confidence or defiance on the girl's face.

As Sally-Anne turned to go, she heard Loretta squeak "I'm sorry about your friend."

Sally-Anne smiled at her softly, hoping none of them could see her sadness.

"Me too. I'm sorry," came another voice.

"Me too!"

"And me!"

Every voice in the room chimed in. Sally-Anne felt the warmth, but it made her a little sad to know they wore only talking about Neville. None of them knew about her relationship with Draco.

"Thank you, everyone," she said, rubbing her wrist. "That's very kind of you all. I'd best get going."

She brushed herself down and smiled again.

"Sleep well."

She turned around again and walked down the stairs. With each step, she felt more tears welling up. She hoped no one was in the common room, otherwise she'd make a fool of herself, and the fear of that only made her worse.

She was somewhat lucky. The only person there was Ron. She was happy to see him; the thought that he'd learned to live with Lavender's death gave her hope that she'd learn to live with Draco's.

"Hello, Ron." She took a seat beside him as he looked up. "How are your boys?"

"Interested in what happened last year. It's a little annoying."

"Really?"

"They keep going on about everyone that died, wanting to know more. I thought they'd never stop asking about Lav, but now they're on about Neville."

"I'm sorry."

Ron shrugged.

"They'll get bored eventually and move on."

She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"How's your lot?" he asked.

"They're alright. Perhaps a little shaken up. The real trial is going back to my room. Parvati didn't come back, so it's only me there. I keep thinking of the day we first moved in and… I'm sorry, I shouldn't ramble on about such things."

"It's fine. It… It isn't easy seeing Neville's bed either. I keep thinking that there must've been something I could've done, but then I remember Lav and realize there was nothing. Rose would've been one step ahead of me, like she was with Hermione."

Sally-Anne smiled at him, hoping it'd cheer him up. He blushed, saw something terribly interesting in the clock, and turned his attention to it.

"It will be alright," she said. "For both of us."

She laid her hand on his. His face grew more red.

"You're keeping a clear head still, and that's what's important."

He turned his attention back to her, then smiled.

"Thanks, Princess."

He squeezed her hand, but she winced and pulled it away.

"I'm sorry!" he exclaimed. "I—"

"It's fine, you… you startled me, is all."

"Right, of course. Obviously. What else would it be?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"Why would it be?" Ron glanced at the clock again, his face redder than ever. "I'm sure I've got rounds tonight. I'll see you later."

"I look forward to it."

She smiled at him as he walked quickly out of the common room. Once he was out, she lowered her guard.

What was I thinking?

"How long have your hands been like that?"

Sally-Anne closed her eyes and regretted encouraging Harry to sneak about.

"'Hello, Princess, do you mind if I join you?' 'Of course not, Skyeyes, I'm always glad of your company when you're so polite.'"

Harry smiled to himself, chuckling a little under his breath.

"You sound like him sometimes."

Sally-Anne frowned.

"Do you mean Ron?"

Harry shook his head.

"Draco."

Sally-Anne shrunk in her seat, but lightened up when she realized what Harry had just said.

"You called him Draco. I thought you didn't like him."

Harry walked over and took Ron's spot on the couch.

"He had a problem with me from the moment we met on the express, but you liked him a lot. Is that why you're burning your hands?"

Sally-Anne shifted around, glancing at her hands to ensure they were hidden.

"I…"

She couldn't bring herself to lie to him. She figured he'd worked it out after watching her react to Ron, if he hadn't before, but she didn't want to talk about it.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Harry looked knowingly at her, but said nothing more about it.

"Everything feels different," he said. "No Voldemort. No Rose. I didn't even need to stay at the Dursleys this year."

Sally-Anne smiled, happy that someone was feeling better.

"I'm glad to hear it."

Harry smiled back at her.

"If you ever want to talk about it, let me know," he said. "I… I know what it's like to lose someone you care about."

Sally-Anne nodded, recalling how out of it Harry had been when Alavel had died.

"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

Ron could feel his face burning as he slipped out of the portal. After walking a ways, he stopped for a breath.

"Idiot. Of course she didn't want you holding her hand. Why would she? She's mourning."

It bothered him that he felt something for Sally-Anne. He recognized the feeling, although not from Lav, but from Hermione. Flustered, embarrassed, unable to do or say anything right.

"Leave it. She's obviously not interested."

Memories of Hermione from long ago brought memories of Rose with them. She didn't seem different. He couldn't understand why Hermione thought Rose had changed. She was still violent, unpredictable. He couldn't shake the feeling that they should've found a body.

"Never mind."

He shrugged off concerns of his friends and started through the castle. He didn't need much sleep.

Shouldn't I?

Not for the first time, another thought crossed his mind. He had the ring and bracelet, which Rose had made. Rose. He was wearing something she'd made. He relied on them.

He reached for the ring to take it off, but stopped. Without it, he was nothing. An ordinary person. Like everyone else.

He shook his head. They'd simply have to be something with which he'd have to live. If he wanted Sally-Anne to notice him like he did her, he'd have to live with them. If he wanted his parents to be proud of his studies, to be proud of him, he'd have to keep them.

That didn't stop him from feeling uncomfortable with them on.