"Still no Harry?" (Y/n) said, watching as some of the last carriages moved off toward the castle.
"Guess not..." Ron murmured.
"Maybe he's already gone down to the castle?" Ginny suggested.
"Maybe," Hermione said, not looking like she believed it. "Well, better get going, or we'll be locked out too. The four climbed into a carriage, which set off to the castle.
"Is Slughorn going to be our Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Ginny wondered.
"Probably... The only available position, no?" Hermione answered.
"I'm all right with him because I won't be needing to see Snape this year," Ron said, leaning back.
"You can't become an Auror without Potions," Hermione stated.
"Tonks needed a Herbology O.W.L. but they didn't have one," Ron said. "Replaced it with History of Magic... I can probably replace Potions with something."
"Like what?" Hermione asked.
"I'll figure it out," Ron shrugged. "Or McGonagall will do it for me."
"Come on, (Y/n), I'll show you where you can leave Effie's carrier," Hermione said, leading the way away from the carriage. "Say, where's Hoshi?" she asked.
"Delivering a letter," (Y/n) answered.
"To who?"
"Uh, a return letter to Regulus," (Y/n) answered. While technically a lie, (Y/n) had indeed recieved a letter from Regulus that she had yet to reply to due to not really knowing what to write back.
"You shouldn't have used Hoshi for that," Hermione frowned.
"Sorry," (Y/n) murmured. She looked into the Great Hall and her eyes fell on Marietta. "Why does Mari always sit away from the rest of the table? She's such a sweetheart, honestly, if people got to know her—"
"She betrayed the D.A. last year," Ginny stated. "And I imagine her own House isn't too fond of those nasty scars she's got on her face."
"Well, I do not think it's very fair to judge someone based on their scars," (Y/n) frowned. "Betrayal... maybe that's less excusable, but from what I read Marietta did what she did to protect her mum."
"Would you throw us under the bus to save your family?"
"You are my family," (Y/n) stated. "But you were not Marietta's nor did you reach out to try and befriend her— things would be different, you know, if you at least tried to befriend people in other Houses?"
"We have friends in other Houses!" Ginny insisted.
"All right, who? And do not say me—"
"You." Ginny paused, turning to stare at (Y/n). "All right, what friends do you have outside of Ravenclaw? And don't say us—"
"You..." (Y/n) pursed her lips. Hermione laughed while Ron grinned and Ginny looked smug. "Katie, Leanne, Tony!.. Though, I am not really in the right state to remember my friends, am I?" (Y/n) smiled.
"And you're the only friend I need outside of Gryffindor," Ginny said. "And Luna."
"How sweet," (Y/n) smiled. "Well, I suppose this is where we part... I will see you around, whenever that may be—"
"(Y/n)!" Professor McGonagall, Head of Gryffindor House, called before (Y/n) could fully enter the Great Hall. "We need to have a word with you, remember?"
"Oh, yes! It slipped my mind, sorry," (Y/n) apologized, waving to Ron, Hermione, and Ginny before jogging off with Professor McGonagall to a side room not too far from the Great Hall.
"Hello, (Y/n)," Dumbledore greeted pleasantly.
"Hello," (Y/n) said, smiling.
"I assume you know why you are here?"
"Because I was made Head Girl?" (Y/n) said, to which both professors nodded. "I wanted to ask if I could... not be that."
"I see..." Professor Dumbledore said. "Is that what you really want or is it because you, in some way, feel inferior to the you that you do not remember?" (Y/n) opened and closed her mouth.
"How did you—?"
"Lucky guess," Dumbledore said, his eyes twinkling. He clasped his hands together and for the briefest of moments, (Y/n) saw how blackened and dead-looking, just as the night he had picked Harry and (Y/n) up, Dumbledore's hand was before his sleeves fell over his hands.
"How's this: You remain Head Girl for the month and if, by the end of it, you still believe you are inferior— or you do not think you are capable of such responsibilities— I will prepare someone else for the position."
"One month? I can do that," (Y/n) said, nodding. Dumbledore smiled. "Can I go?"
"Not yet. This is not what you were originally called in for," Professor McGonagall said, looking at Dumbledore.
"Ah, yes," Dumbledore nodded. "What you were originally called in for is your memory loss... As I am sure you know, you being this year's Head Girl was decided long before your memory loss and, despite the unfortunate circumstances, we saw no need in taking away your position." (Y/n) slowly nodded. "However, your case does put you being your peers, does it not? So we have spent the summer coming up with a solution: Your teachers will be giving you just a bit of extra work and practice to make sure you are still able to meet your graduation requirements and pass your N.E.W.T.s. They are fully prepared to help you if you are struggling and I fully understand if you do not wish to keep up with your very busy schedule of more classes than the average student. In addition to the work in place to catch you up, I ask that you meet in my office once a week to check your progress. Professor McGonagall will give you the password whenever it changes."
"H-how many classes was I taking prior to my memory loss?" (Y/n) asked nervously.
"Twelve before your sixth year and fourteen for your sixth year— and this year, I suppose," Professor McGonagall answered. (Y/n) made a choking sound.
"I'm sure your next question is 'How did I have twelve classes'?" Dumbledore mused.
"I was going to ask how many classes the average student took, but that will work too..." (Y/n) said.
"Nine for the average student," Professor McGonagall said. "And how you did it," she continued, pulling a thin box from off the singular desk in the room, "was a Time-Turner." She opened the lid and (Y/n) peered down at the hourglass-like object that hung from a golden chain. "This has been yours for the past four years and it gives you the ability to time travel at the cost of your own age." (Y/n) gave Professor McGonagall a confused look. "If you go back in time for one hour, you will live through that hour in regular time, thus making you an hour older."
"Oh..."
"There are, of course, certain rules that need to be in place— considering Time-Turners can be extremely dangerous when affecting the timeline," Professor McGonagall went on. (Y/n) stared off into the distance with a knowing look in her eyes. "One: No one, not even your closest friends, is to know how you are managing to have two— possibly three— classes at once nor are you to be seen. Hermione Granger is the one exception to this rule, considering she once held a Time-Turner. Two: The Time-Turner is to be used for attending class and attending class alone— No exceptions. If you have double Potions at the same time as, say, Divination and Care of Magical Creatures, you will rewind time however much need to and attend your two classes at the same time you are doing Potions.
"Three— I have no doubt that you will be able to meet this rule, but it needs to be said: You must maintain at least an eighty-percent average across all of your classes. Four: By Ministry requirement, you are to keep a monthly record of how much time you have rewound. If the hours do not add up with the classes, I do expect you will face consequences..."
"And how do I... rewind time with this?" (Y/n) asked, delicately holding the small box the Time-Turner was in with both of her hands.
"One turn brings you back an hour."
"Which way? One full turn or just one-hundred-and-eighty degrees?"
"One-hundred-and-eighty," Professor McGonagall said. "And, when you are wearing the Time-Turner, turn the top of the hourglass towards you."
"How do I know I will not accidentally put it on backwards?"
"There are carvings on the outer ring," Professor McGonagall said, sparing a smile. "If you can read them, you are wearing them the right way— Though, once you put it on, I doubt you'll want to take it off..."
"What, is it like some sort of 'My Precious' piece of jewellery?" (Y/n) rose an eyebrow. Professor McGonagall gave (Y/n) a bewildered look and Dumbledore chuckled. "Tolkien? Lord of the Rings? The Hobbit—? Oh, forget it... I just meant, does the Time-Turner make me develop some kind of strong attachment to it?"
"Oh, no," Professor McGonagall said. "You'll just risk the possibility of losing it or having it discovered by taking it off."
"What about when I need to shower?"
"You don't need to keep it on, you need to keep it hidden! Besides, if you time it right, no one else will be in the prefect bathroom..."
"We have our own bathroom?"
"Of course you do."
"The password will be Evening Star if anyone asks," Dumbledore said. (Y/n) smiled.
"Is that a—?"
"I believe we'll miss the feast if we continue chatting," Professor McGonagall said. "Do you have any other questions about the Time-Turner?"
"Loads, but they can wait..." (Y/n) said. Once it was determined (Y/n) did not have any questions, the professors led her into the Great Hall through a chamber near the teachers' table. Grimacing, (Y/n) hurriedly walked in between the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables, all the way down to the end, where Cho and Marietta sat in addition to Luna, who was not at all involved in the older two's conversation.
"Hello, Luna," (Y/n) said pleasantly, sitting down beside the blonde and across from Cho and Marietta.
"Where were you?" Cho asked.
"Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore wanted to talk about my Head Girl promotion," (Y/n) said, looking at what there was for dinner.
"What'd they say?"
"They will not let me quit for another month," (Y/n) answered, serving herself.
"Why would you want to quit?" Cho cried.
"You're the best option for Head Girl in our year!" Marietta agreed. "I mean, there are some people that believe all the rumours about you—"
"What rumours?"
"—but the ones that don't either really respect you and can admit you earned that position or... they'd reign hell on whoever says anything bad about you," Marietta said.
"You'll learn about the rumours soon enough," Cho assured. "Not that you'd want to... Nasty, nasty things." She shook her head.
"What did I do to have someone make up such rumours?"
"Liked a boy, I suppose..." Cho said, frowning. (Y/n) rose her eyebrows, signalling for Cho to elaborate. "Back in our fifth year, a whole article was written about yours and Harry's supposed relationship and everyone believe you two were truly dating— You were actually dating Cassius Warrington at the time and any of the 'couply' pictures that were, supposedly, of Harry were actually Cassius, but that's a whole other issue... Later in the year, you confronted Rita Skeeter about something— I can't remember what you told me, but I think it was related to Hagrid— and she wrote a whole article about how close you are to this boy or that boy and suddenly you were deemed a scarlet woman or 'easy' by almost everyone in the school..."
"But it was cleared up, right?"
"I mean... kind of," Cho said, looking regretful to have been the one to explain things. "Surely you've read about it in the diaries you told me about?"
"I might have. I really only skimmed through them and read the highlighted stuff..."
"Well, you ought to read all of it to really understand," Cho said. "Anyways, December after Cassius died, one of his girl friends— a friend that's a girl, I mean— came forward and claimed some really nasty things about you anonymously and a whole new wave of hate began."
"What did she say?"
"She said you played a part in Cassius's murder by clearing Sirius Black's innocence because most of wizardkind still thinks he's a Death Eater," Cho said. (Y/n) gaped at her.
"I am not—"
"I know you aren't," Cho said. "You can't even stand to use bits of magical creatures in potions because you 'don't want to use inhumanly-obtained body parts from magical creatures.' How do you expect anyone to think you might be capable of scheming with the greatest Dark wizard of our time?"
"Well, I do not want to use inhumanly-obtained body parts," (Y/n) mumbled, frowning.
"One day, you will discover that you won't always be able to find replacements that give you the same results," Marietta mused.
"She hit a stump last year," Cho said. "You got a week of detention for refusing to brew Doxycide."
"What is that?"
"A repellent for Doxies."
"What are Doxies?"
"They're like poisonous faeries," Cho explained lamely. "You said you didn't want to brew it because it uses dragon liver—"
"Dragons?! Dragons exist—?"
"Yes, they exist!"
"And why would we use their livers? Surely they are endangered!" (Y/n) exclaimed.
"They are the danger," Cho murmured. "But, by Muggle standards, I suppose they are endangered..." All the girls turned their heads toward the doors leading in to the Great Hall opened and in walked Professor Snape and Harry, who looked absolutely dreadful to have entered the feast late.
"Is he always covered in blood? Is that his thing?" Marietta frowned, her eyes narrowing. (Y/n) shook her head with a smile. She sent Harry a quizzical look and he returned her look with one that told her she'd get the story later.
The rest of the feast was uneventful. The Grey Lady— or Helena Ravenclaw, as Cho introduced her— came over to greet the girls and she spent the rest of the feast with them, though she couldn't actually join them in said fest. The talk and laughter echoing around the Hall died away almost instantly when Dumbledore rose to his feet.
"The very best evening to you!" Dumbledore said, smiling broadly, his arms opened wide as though to embrace the whole room.
"What happened to his hand?" Cho gasped. She was not the only one who had noticed. Dumbledore's right hand was as blackened and dead-looking as ever. Whispers swept across the room; Dumbledore, interpreting them correctly, merely smiled and shook his purple-and-gold sleeve over his injury.
"Nothing to worry about," Dumbledore said airily. "Now... to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of education awaits you... and Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
"Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of Houses as usual. We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise—"
"You should sign up, Lu," (Y/n) said, lightly nudging Luna.
"Maybe I will," Luna smiled.
"I need to put together a whole team," Cho murmured. "Cedric has been flying with you this summer, right?"
"Well... It took a while, but eventually, yes," (Y/n) nodded.
"So you can audition," Cho said, nodding rapidly as though it was a set deal.
"We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year. Professor Slughorn—" Slughorn stood up, his bald head gleaming in the candlelight, his big waistcoated belly casting the table below into shadow, "—is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."
"Potions?"
"Potions?"
"Professor Snape, meanwhile," said Dumbledore, raising his voice so that it carried over all the muttering, "will be taking over the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher."
"You're kidding," Cho groaned.
"Is he that bad?" (Y/n) asked innocently.
"Worse," Cho answered, clapping politely along with the Slytherins. Snape had only raised a hand in lazy acknowledgement.
"I heard that no teacher has lasted for more than a year in that position, though... Why would he want it?"
"Who knows?" Cho shrugged. "But that means students next year won't have to deal with him, eh?"
"Cho!" Marietta gasped.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. They had not been the only ones who had been talking; the whole Hall had erupted in a buzz of conversation at the news that Snape had finally achieved his heart's desire. Seemingly oblivious to the sensational nature of the news he had just imparted, Dumbledore said nothing more about staff appointments, but waited a few seconds to ensure that the silence was absolute before continuing.
"Now, as everyone in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more in large and gaining strength," Dumbledore said. The silence seemed to tauten and strain as Dumbledore spoke. "I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them— in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours. I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety."
Dumbledore's blue eyes swept over the students before he smiled once more.
"But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us, therefore, say goodnight. Pip pip!"
With the usual deafening scraping noise, the benches were moved back and the hundreds of students began to file out of the Great Hall toward their dormitories. (Y/n) found herself being swept off toward the Ravenclaw Tower before she even had the chance to catch up with Harry, Ron, or Hermione. (Y/n) let the prefects handle the first years and she too listened to what they had to say before the first years were led up to the sixth floor of the dormitories— right beneath the seventh years, where (Y/n) would be staying. She, Marietta, and Cho were all too tired to unpack and opted to save it for the following weekend— when they would not have classes.