Not the Same Hogwarts

"Hello, everyone. I'm Cedric Diggory, the Head Boy, and this is Angelina Johnson, the Head Girl. Welcome to Prefect orientation."

Sally-Anne glanced around the cart again. In addition to her and Ron, Max and Hannah were there from Hufflepuff, Terry Boot and Lisa Turpin from Ravenclaw, and (who could know why?) Malfoy and Parkinson from Slytherin. She didn't understand why Professor Dumbledore had picked those two, although she figured it was the same reason that she'd picked Malfoy for the Quidditch Teams. Professor Dumbledore was giving them the chance to improve themselves.

She was glad Professor Dumbledore thought like that. Everyone deserved the chance to do the right thing, didn't they? Sally-Anne resolved to follow through on that philosophy and give them their chance.

"There are three main duties of a prefect: caring for the first-years, resolving disputes, and being an extra set of eyes for your head of house. Each of these are equally important, so be sure to follow through on all of them."

Ron listened and took everything in. Being a prefect was a chance to prove himself. Even if Hermione and Neville were allowed to sit in on Order meetings, he'd been chosen as a prefect. Even Percy had said he was proud. Along with some Ministry propaganda that Ron had ignored.

Something else that Ron noted was Cedric and Angelina were both Quidditch captains. That meant he'd have no problem handling being on the Quidditch team when the time came. Tryouts were in a few weeks, and he'd finally convinced his parents to let him bring one of the brooms to practice. If he practiced and worked hard at it, he knew he'd be fine.

"One last thing," Cedric said at the end of orientation. "Many of you are aware of the dispute between Professor Dumbledore and Minister Fudge. Even though Professor Dumbledore is headmaster, Hogwarts's official stance is that it has none. If any of your students ask about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, please respond with 'We don't know at this time' or 'It's too early to tell'."

Sally-Anne raised her hand, but Cedric anticipated her question.

"Regarding Rose Peta-Lorrum, the only rule is don't speak ill of the dead. She was rather hard to ignore, so I know everyone's got an opinion of her, but she was a student, and now she's gone. Not everyone handles loss well, so we must remember to consider those people when speaking of her."

In spite of everything, Sally-Anne was glad to hear Hogwarts was taking a stand to defend Rose. Even if Sally-Anne couldn't give details about how she died, she could at least talk about how she'd lived.

After Cedric dismissed them, he went straight to Sally-Anne and Ron.

"If you two or any of your friends need to talk, you can always come to one of us."

"Thank you, Cedric. That's very thoughtful of you. We'll all remember that."

Once again, Cedric's kindness was reassuring, lessened somewhat by his next question. Fortunately, he'd waited until Ron had excused himself before asking it.

"Is Hermione alright? I know Rose was her best friend, so it can't be easy on her."

"She's coping." Sally-Anne forced herself not to glance at Ron when she spoke. He wouldn't thank her for putting him on the spot about his relationship with Hermione, no matter what Sally-Anne's opinion of it was.

"Honestly, I'm more worried about Neville and Luna. They practically depended on her. Neville's already… I don't think he's coping well."

"He's survived worse." Cedric gave a reassuring smile. "I know he'll be alright, but I'll make sure someone keeps an eye on Luna."

Sally-Anne thought back to the Triwizard Tournament, watching Neville take on task after task, then smiled. Neville had survived worse, although she wasn't concerned about his ability to survive. She was concerned that all her friends were going to do exactly what Rose always did: put themselves right in the middle of everything. Sirius was one person, but these were trained killers, not to mention a man whose name people were scared to even mention.

"I hope so."

While Sally-Anne talked with Cedric, Ron made his way over to Angelina. Not only could he hardly stand to talk to him, he had a question for Angelina.

"Tryouts are set for the middle of September. I don't know the exact date yet, but Professor Dumbledore will be giving that during the opening feast." She grinned slyly at Ron. "Thinking of filling Wood's place?"

"Yes," Ron replied without hesitation. A year ago he would've been scared to admit it, but since then, he'd stared into the cold face of death, beaten and broken. He'd survived that, and reminded himself that he was good at what he did.

"That'll happen, Weasley. They only let talent into the Quidditch team. Even Gryffindor must have its standards."

Sally-Anne heard her calling and stepped between the boys before Ron punched Malfoy. She turned first to the Slytherin and began her lecture with him.

"Malfoy, you're plenty good enough that you don't need to mock Ron. I'd expect this sort of thing from someone insecure about their abilities, which shouldn't be you. You went from being the worst to being the best, so show some grace and humility for once in your life."

Before anyone else could speak, Sally-Anne turned to Ron.

"You shouldn't be so insecure to take his bait, so I don't expect to see you two fighting."

Her eyes darted between the two of them. The fingers on her left hand twitched. She remained ready for a fight, hoping it wouldn't come to that. While she waited for Malfoy to scoff and walk away, she allowed herself to see inside his mind.

I don't need this from her. Father's on edge, people coming in and out of the house for 'business meetings', as if I'm too stupid to know what that means. It means the Dark Lord is back and our house has turned into his bloody home base.

"Whatever, Perks." Malfoy scoffed before leaving with Parkinson on his arm.

"Everyone else, take note," Angelina said, "that's exactly what we want to see. Perks diffused a situation without fighting or magic. There should never be a need for either."

After everyone settled down, Sally-Anne checked on Ron.

"Best of luck trying out," she said. "I'll be sure to go and cheer you on."

Hermione led Harry, Ginny, and Neville through the Hogwarts Express. They walked past row after row, drawing attention to themselves as they went. Hermione tuned out the whispering, knowing that it'd only make her angry.

As she'd suspected, she found Luna sitting in the last compartment. Luna sat on the floor, her nose buried in a copy of the Quibbler. She didn't even look up when they arrived.

"I found your sister sitting exactly like that my first year," Hermione said.

Luna looked up from the magazine and gave a smile that even Hermione could tell was fake.

"Hello, everyone. How was your summer?"

"Less exciting than theirs," Neville said, nodding at Hermione and Harry. He took a seat beside Hermione. "Why don't you sit between Hermione and me?"

Luna smiled a genuine smile. She put the Quibbler back in her pack, then squeezed between Hermione and Neville.

"How's your dad?" Neville asked.

"He's alright, I guess. Upset that Rose is gone, but he'll be alright. I liked the article we published about Rose. I think it cheered us both up."

Hermione spared a thought about the dynamic in the Lovegood household. Did Luna have more responsibility there than she let on? It almost sounded like she was taking care of her father. Hermione figured she was only putting pieces together that weren't there. She knew the real reason Mr. Lovegood was upset, but she didn't dare tell anyone.

"I think it cheered all of us up," Neville said. "I know it did me, that's for sure."

"And me," Hermione said. She wrapped her arms around Luna and gave her a light squeeze. "Thank you for the copy. It was a wonderful gift."

They sat in silence for a time after that. It wasn't until Ginny spoke that the silence broke.

"I remember a time during combat practice when she was helping me learn Confringo. We didn't know how big the explosion was going to be, and I accidentally caught her in it." Ginny started laughing. "I ran over, thinking I'd killed her, but when everything settles, she's on the floor, laughing like I'd told her a joke. Like being caught in an explosion was normal!"

Hermione began laughing, followed by Harry. Neither Neville nor Luna laughed, but they both smiled. One by one, they shared stories about Rose. Hermione recounted the first time she'd brought Rose to the library; Harry remembered when Rose broke him out of Privet Drive; Neville had another story from combat practice.

"We made cupcakes together last year," Luna told them. "Rose told us all about De'rok. When she used to go to Rontus and see the Dwarves, they had drinking games around her. She said Alice must've been trying to kill them by coming and going, since they would all drink every time she said 'salutations'."

Even Neville laughed at that one, but no one laughed as hard as Hermione, who had to work not to fall over. The laughter died down after a minute, then Hermione spoke.

"One thing we all need to be clear on, is that Rose wasn't mad. She was from another world. I've seen her brother and sister; I've talked to them. It was just after that boggart attacked me. Her world is real."

They all nodded in understanding. They'd all seen the things Rose could do, things no one else could.

"The Ministry's going to try to convince us that she was a liar; that she was simply disturbed, but we know better. We know who she was, and we can't let them convince us otherwise. No matter what they say, remember Rose. No matter what, we'll fight back in her name. For Rose."

Each of her friends echoed her words in turn. Just like that, they were united under Rose's name.

"We're almost there," Harry said, glancing out the window.

"Whatever's in store for us, we'll face it together," Neville said.

"We'll fix it," Hermione said, "because together, we can fix anything."

They met up with Ron and Sally-Anne on their way out of the train. Harry spotted them in the crowd, and they all met up in one of the carriages.

"How was the prefect cart?" Harry asked.

"Great until Malfoy showed up," Ron replied.

"He wasn't that horrible, Ron," Sally-Anne said, although Hermione drowned her out.

"Malfoy's a prefect?" Hermione asked. "What for?"

"Probably that everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves, and that a little responsibility might be good for him," Sally-Anne said firmly as she glared at Hermione.

"He is a lot better than he was," Harry said.

"He's threatened us, left us for dead, poisoned you–"

"Of course he seems bad when you list off only the bad things he's done, but there's plenty of good in there as well," Sally-Anne said. "He showed a lot of growth last year, even if he did out my old crush on Harry in front of everyone."

"He sounds great," Ginny said, her tone mimicking Hermione's.

"He's got enough problems this year without us causing any more."

"There's the whole 'His Dad's a Death Eater' thing," Ron muttered.

Sally-Anne sensed she was losing ground, but she refused to back down. She knew Malfoy could be nicer if given a chance; she'd seen that firsthand the previous year. He'd hurt her more than anyone, so why was it she was the only one willing to look past it?

"We don't know his father's a Death Eater."

"Yes, we do!" Harry snapped. "Voldemort said 'Lucius', then a man that sounded like Malfoy started talking!"

"Unless you're calling Harry a liar!" Hermione added.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Sally-Anne all opened their mouths to argue, but an ear-piercing whistle forced them to stop and cover their ears.

"That's much better," Luna said. "It was getting too loud in here. I'm sure it won't be any trouble if we all sit in silence."

"Sit" wasn't so much the word; more like "stew". Sally-Anne knew her friends were forming arguments in their heads, so she looked deeper. What were their reasons for their hostilities?

Ron and Harry were easy; Malfoy had picked a fight with Ron, likely out of jealousy and resentment, and Sally-Anne had spoken against Harry without realizing it. That one was her fault, so there was no mystery there.

Hermione was the bigger problem, because in all likelihood, she was trying to imitate Rose. Sally-Anne didn't know how to deal with that, but she was sure she wouldn't have to. Rose got away with everything she did because no one could stop her. Hermione lacked many of Rose's powers, meaning she was just as stoppable as the rest of them.

Sally-Anne resolved to keep an eye on them. It was part of her responsibility as a prefect to handle disputes and watch over the other students, and part of her responsibility as a friend to take care of her friends. With McGonagall's help, she was sure she could keep Hermione on the right path and out of trouble.

When they arrived at the castle, Sally-Anne took the opportunity to talk to Harry.

"I didn't mean to say you lied," she whispered. "I believe you about the graveyard. I just think it's a little harsh to assume Draco's involved."

Harry gave her a silent nod. He knew that a child wasn't always privy to the actions of his caretaker.

When Sally-Anne knew she'd received his forgiveness, she wove her way through the crowd to do something she should've done in the first place.

"Malfoy! Parkinson!"

She found the Slytherins towards the middle of the crowd, joined by a large chunk of their house.

"What do you want, Perks?" Malfoy spat.

Yes! Still calling me 'Perks'!

"To do what I should've done on the train," she replied, falling into step with them. "Congratulations on making prefect. Both of you. I think it's a splendid idea, and I know you'll do well."

She smiled at them, hoping she looked and sounded sincere, and that Malfoy's usual distrust didn't get in the way again.

"Of course we will!" Parkinson snapped, sounding as if Sally-Anne's words had been a horrible insult. "Why wouldn't we? What do we look like, Gryffindors?"

She started laughing, then turned to the rest of her house. They joined in her laughter, but Malfoy remained silent. Instead, he glared the others into silence, a tactic Professor Snape often utilized.

"Thank you, Perks." Sally-Anne had to admit, Malfoy did a good impression of his father. "But perhaps you should spend less time sucking up to us and more time controlling your own house. After all, they're the troublemakers in this school."

I know he's trying to annoy me, but he's not wrong.

She moved to the edge of the corridor, turning Malfoy's words around in her head. His words hardly made sense. Not to mention, he wasn't being horrible to her anymore, just… neutral mean. Was it just because he was distracted, or was she finally getting through to him?

"Are you two friends now?"

Sally-Anne fell into step with the rest of her friends. She turned to Hermione to answer her question.

"I see no reason we can't be. He can be nice when he wants to be."

"I see plenty of reason you can't be. For one, he tells us our blood is filth to our faces."

Sally-Anne smiled, although less when she realized how smug she looked. "Not to me. He calls me 'Perks' now, which would've been unthinkable a year ago. You think he doesn't change, but I know he does."

"I'm sure he's grown up so much from last year when he humiliated you in front of Harry's team."

"At least I'm mature enough to look for reasons to be friends rather than excuses to be enemies."

They entered the Great Hall, cutting off any attempt of Hermione's to respond. They took seats at the table, although Hermione seemed to intentionally put space between herself and Sally-Anne.

Well, this is a great start to the year.

Sally-Anne looked out at the teacher's table and spotted their new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. As questionable as she'd found Moody's teaching methods, she'd found him an effective teacher. Even if it had felt like Rose was teaching them on a few occasions.

"I don't see why Moody couldn't have stayed," Harry said.

"I'm proud to hear you say that, Harry," Sally-Anne said. "A year ago you hated him."

"I didn't hate him, I hated that he replaced Lupin."

"With the Order reformed, he had to step down," Hermione said, "then the Ministry immediately passed a law giving them the power to pick a new teacher."

Sally-Anne looked from her friends to the frightful woman in pink sitting at the teacher's table. She was certainly different from Moody. What sort of person would the Ministry send to teach Defence at Hogwarts?

After a moment, first-years filed in, guided by Professor McGonagall. Sally-Anne counted them as they entered, surprised to find that there were around 50 students.

"Class size is getting bigger," she whispered to Ron.

"Dad says the War did a number on it. Used to be almost 100 new students each year."

They both quieted down when the Sorting Hat began its song for the year.

Hermione tried to pay attention to everything going on in the Great Hall. Being back in Hogwarts and knowing she was there to stay should've been amazing. Instead, she couldn't stop seeing Rose everywhere she looked.

Worse was the feeling that she was being watched. When the Sorting Hat mentioned Slytherin in its song, Hermione glanced around the Great Hall. Careful not to let anyone catch on, she only moved her eyes. She wasn't sure what she expected to see; it wasn't as if the creature that it'd sent to follow Rose two summers ago would be lurking around the rafters.

What'd she call it? Evelyn, that was it, as in Evil Int.

She sank a little when she realized that Int was gone too. Int, Inar, Ob, and Ref were all gone. Ana hadn't seemed like herself over the summer either. It was hard to tell what the duct tape golem thought, but Hermione was sure she'd been in mourning.

"I would also like to officially welcome two new members to the staff." Professor Dumbledore motioned to the back of the hall, where Filch stood flanked by Taltria and Alavel. "Ms. Taltria and Mr. Alavel will join Mr. Filch as his assistants."

Hermione caught Sally-Anne and Harry laughing to one another. They knew the Nimblewrights better than she did, so it must've been funny to hear them called "Ms. Taltria" and "Mr. Alavel".

Hermione offered a small smile, trying to join in on her friends' amusement, but she couldn't bring one to her lips. She envied them in a way; they didn't know anything about the monster lurking behind the walls.

It will just take some time to adjust. Before you know it, everything will be fine.

"Gryffindor first-years, follow me!" Sally-Anne called to the new students.

"That means all of you!" Ron added. "Move it!"

They led a group of terrified first-years out of the Great Hall. Sally-Anne glanced back and counted them. Twelve; seven girls and five boys. It wasn't much bigger than their class, but she figured it'd start to grow after that. Sally-Anne remembered that the school used to host 1000 students at the time, more than twice what it did in their first year.

Nothing to worry about now. She turned back and addressed the students. "Stay close! Gryffindor Tower is on the seventh floor, and it's easy to get lost. Apart from the professors, and a few students, no one knows the exact layout of Hogwarts. We'll help you get to class the first few days. If you get lost after that, the portraits or ghosts can help you!"

One of the boys raised his hand.

"What if we can't find one?"

"The portraits cover most of the walls," Ron said. "And we cover the castle at night, so we'll find you sooner or later."

Sally-Anne shot a glare at Ron when some students gasped in horror.

"Don't worry, everyone. We've got ways of finding you if you get lost. The best thing to do is try to find your way back. If you're completely lost, stay still, and we'll find you."

This seemed to reassure the students. As she led her students up to Gryffindor Tower, Sally-Anne thought back to her own first year at Hogwarts. She'd been horrible with directions, but never got lost once. How had she managed that?

A wave of grief came over her when she realized the answer: Rose. So far, none of the new students had asked about her, but Sally-Anne figured it was only a matter of time. She wasn't dreading it, but she wasn't looking forward to it either.

Sally-Anne looked back and saw faces full of wonder. She remembered feeling the same way. The talking portraits, floating candles, moving staircases, the ghosts, it'd all been so new and wonderful to her. Now it felt familiar, comforting even.

"The common room's hidden behind a portrait," Sally-Anne explained as they reached the common room. "The Fat Lady only lets you in if you've got the password, but–"

Another hand went up, this time one of the girls.

"Did it really used to be guarded by knights?"

"It did. Two years ago, Professor Dumbledore commissioned a pair of living suits of armor to be built to address security concerns." Another hand went up. "Yes, it was Sirius Black, but he much prefers Sirius. Calling him 'Mr. Black' makes him feel old."

Some of the students giggled at this. Sally-Anne led them to the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Another new bunch," the Fat Lady greeted them. "Welcome back, Sally-Anne, Ronald."

"How was your summer?" Sally-Anne asked.

"Pleasant and relaxing, all things considered," she said. "I am so sorry about–"

"Yes, thank you." It felt rude to cut her off, but Sally-Anne didn't want to start on about Rose with the first-years.

"Dancing Trolls," Ron said.

Glad he remembered, Sally-Anne thought as the portrait swung open. "Just to warn you, she tends to fall asleep after curfew, so be sure to be inside by then."

Ron and Sally-Anne showed them around the empty common room, emphasizing how rare that was. They looked around a moment, then the same girl that asked about the Nimblewrights asked the question she'd been dreading.

"Did a girl really kill herself last year?"

"Of course not!" Ron snapped.

Sally-Anne caught his gaze and shook her head. As much as it pained them both, they knew they weren't allowed an opinion on the matter. Something with which she knew she'd have an easier time than Ron.

"We don't know what really happened," Sally-Anne said. "We don't think so, seeing how Rose was our friend, but she's gone now."

"I heard some people think You-Know-Who killed her!" one boy scoffed.

"If the girls would follow me, I'll show you to your rooms."

Sally-Anne was glad they dropped the subject before getting carried away. She could tell Ron was itching to tell Harry's version of events.

"When do we get our schedules?" one girl asked as they trekked up the stairs.

"Not until Monday morning, but they don't change much from year to year anymore. If I remember right, you'll have History of Magic with Professor Binns at 10, then Defence Against the Dark Arts with Professor Umbridge at noon."

"How do you know that?" another girl asked. "Is that what you did?"

"No, the schedules didn't get organized until my third year. I got a copy of first year schedules from the past two years, and saw they were the same."

Sally-Anne gave them the same instructions Alex had given her four years ago. Again, she warned them not to stay out after curfew, emphasizing that they would get caught. She didn't mention the Twins or Rose, since she knew how both had gotten away with it.

Although if Harry's got the map now…

"Is Professor Snape really as bad as people say?" the girl that had asked about Rose asked.

Sally-Anne took note of the girl. Loretta White. She had a lot of questions; Sally-Anne couldn't tell if she was someone who had to know everything, or just nosy. Either way, Sally-Anne resolved to keep an eye on her. If Loretta stuck her nose into everything, she'd have problems.

"He's not so bad, just strict so no one gets hurt. Don't be afraid to ask him for help; he'll give it to you, no matter how scary he looks."

"Looks plenty scary to me," one girl muttered. One of the other girls laughed until Sally-Anne glared at her.

"All the professors are here to help you. I can't personally vouch for Professor Umbridge, but everyone else is pretty nice. It takes some time to adjust to Professor Snape, and Professor Binns can be dull, but I've learned plenty from both of them."

Loretta raised her hand, looking like she'd just remembered a question whose answer would end world hunger. Sally-Anne became concerned about its subject. She didn't think she could field more questions about Rose without crying.

"Last question, then I'll let you girls settle in."

"Are you really dating Viktor Krum?"

Sally-Anne kept her face neutral, although she was laughing inwardly. It was a relatively normal question, although she had to admire Loretta's resourcefulness.

"Yes, I am, but–" Sally-Anne was drowned out by questions from Loretta and two other girls.

"But that's all I'm going to say on the matter!"

The questions stopped, leaving a few disappointed students. Sally-Anne paid them little mind; she'd talk to them in time if it became relevant.

"I'll let you all get settled in and acquainted. Do remember you'll all be sharing a room for the next seven years, so do try not to get on each other's nerves."

She made sure not to look at anyone in particular when she said this, but she was sure she lingered on Loretta for a moment too long.

Sally-Anne left the room and went back to the common room.

I have not missed that walk.

She found Ron staring into space on a couch as students walked inside.

"I hope they weren't too awful," Sally-Anne said.

Ron jumped, training his wand on her, but relaxed when he saw who it was.

"They've got a lot of questions," Ron said, putting his wand back in his sleeve.

"Of course they have." Sally-Anne sat on the couch next to him, moving people aside so she fit. "They're new here. Everything's new to them, and they want to learn. That's probably a good sign."

Ron shrugged, bumping Sally-Anne when he did. "I guess. I just yelled and they stopped."

It was exactly as she'd suspected. Ron wasn't good with subtlety, so he fell back on force.

"Just redirect them. It works a lot better than yelling."

"But yelling's easier."

"But it's–" Sally-Anne raised her voice, but realized she was using the same tactic against which she was advocating. Instead, she went with a different approach.

"In chess, how do you stop your opponent from figuring out your next move?"

"Distract them." Once again, her subtlety was lost on Ron. "What's chess got to do with this?"

"It's just like a game of chess. If you don't like the direction the conversation's going, distract them with a new one. It works a lot better than yelling at them. I don't know if it's just the company I keep, but people seem more determined to figure out the answer when someone yells at them to drop it."

Ron nodded and Sally-Anne smiled at him. He'd accepted her help, for once. She wasn't sure how she'd done it, but she suspected it was using chess.

She noticed Ron's attention was more on the people walking in than on her. Despite living with both of them for the past few days, Sally-Anne was certain she hadn't seen Ron and Hermione talk to each other once.

It was clear to her that it was getting to him. She understood Ron well enough to know what made him tick. She understood that he felt inadequate alongside his brothers, and even being chosen as a prefect wasn't enough to shield him from the pain Hermione was causing him by avoiding him.

"Can you teach me how to play chess?"

Ron frowned at her.

"You don't know?"

"Not really," Sally-Anne said, smiling sheepishly. "I think I know what the pieces are called."

Ron started laughing, and Sally-Anne joined him.

"I think I've got some time to spare." He stood up, then frowned. "When do our rounds start?"

"Tonight."

Ron grimaced, but it cheered Sally-Anne up a little to know that some things didn't change.