I didn't tell the others that Harry and Luna were having the same hallucination as me, instead I just sat by the window and watched them begin to trot up the drive. I wondered if maybe it was a side effect.
I mean, I didn't know Luna, and Harry and I weren't very close at the moment. They could both be taking the same pills as me, and I wouldn't know.
“Did everyone see that Grubbly-Plank woman?” asked Ginny. “What’s she doing back here? Hagrid can’t have left, can he?”
“I’ll be quite glad if he has,” said Luna, “he isn’t a very good teacher, is he?”
“Yes, he is!” said Harry, Ron and Ginny angrily.
Harry glared at Hermione. She cleared her throat and quickly said, “Erm… yes… he’s very good.”
Harry stared at me. "Well I do like him, of course. But I also would like to pass my OWLS as well."
“Well, we in Ravenclaw think he’s a bit of a joke,” said Luna, unfazed.
“You’ve got a rubbish sense of humor then,” Ron snapped, as the wheels below them creaked into motion.
Luna did not seem perturbed by Ron’s rudeness; on the contrary, she simply watched him for a while as though he were a mildly interesting television program.
Rattling and swaying, the carriages moved in convoy up the road. When they passed between the tall stone pillars topped with winged boars on either side of the gates to the school grounds, I couldn't help smiling. I was back now, for good.
I got out of the carriage first, and the strange horse-thing nudged at my hand. I reached my hand out to it, and it felt like a skeleton alive under my fingers.
"What are you doing, Rory?" an exaperated voice came from behind. "Have you dissolved into madness without me?"
I jerked my hand back, to see Alia Wilde (like me, she had resigned to changing her name to her birth family) standing before me, hands on her hips. Her curls hang in bunches, smoky eyeliner around her eyes.
Colin Creevy hovered behind her, and I remembered that the two of them were practically dating. I threw my arm around Alia, and we started to walk.
"So Ali-cat, are you dating little Colin yet?"
"God, you sound like my brother." she said, rolling her eyes. "He didn't want me to leave the house all summer, so I rebelled against him."
"Ah, the early teenage years... I don't miss them." I chuckled. "I like your shoes by the way."
Her school shoes were doc martens, with a lot of doodles across them--some with rather rude words on. "Cole said he approves of rebellious shoes, so I went all out."
"I see. Right, well I'll leave you and Colin at it!" I said, patting her on the shoulder before following the others into the hall.
The four long house tables in the Great Hall were filling up under the starless black ceiling, which was just like the sky they could glimpse through the high windows.
Candles floated in midair all along the tables, illuminating the silvery ghostswho were dotted about the Hall and the faces of the students talking eagerly, exchanging summer news, shouting greetings at friends from other houses, eyeing one another’s new haircuts and robes.
Again, I noticed people putting their heads together to whisper as I passed; I kept my head high and fists clenched, to show people I honestly didn't care.
I sat down next to Gennie and Cole, and ended up a couple seats away from Lavender and Parvati. They gave me overly friendly greetings, highly suggesting that they'd been talking about me before I'd arrived.
"Well, Hagrid's AWOL." Cole announced to us, putting his head on the table. "Not to mention Alia's cosying up to Creevy."
"Oh hush up, they're only holding hands." Gennie rolled her eyes. "It could be worse. She could have a crush on that slytherin in her year who jumps on people's backs calling them unicorns."
"I thought that guy was joking when he leapt at me!" Cole exclaimed. He rested his head on the table. "God, people are weird."
"You're weird."
"Shut up, you muffin."
"How am I a muffin?" I questioned. "You are an oddball Cole."
"A savoury muffin, nobody likes savoury muffins."
"Why are you all talking about muffins?" Hermione asked from across me.
"Because I'm trapped between the weirdest people ever." Gennie sighed. "What's up?"
"Well the possible new teacher was at Harry's hearing." Hermione said. "Have a look."
I craned my head up to the teacher's table. She was sat next to Dumbledore, and looked like a toad. The new teacher was squat, with short, curly, mouse-brown hair in which she had placed a horrible pink Alice band that matched the fluffy pink cardigan she wore over her robes.
A few seconds later, the doors from the Entrance Hall opened. A long line of scared-looking first-years entered, led by Professor McGonagall, who was carrying a stool on which sat an ancient wizard’s hat, heavily patched and darned with a wide rip near the frayed brim.
The buzz of talk in the Great Hall faded away. The first-years lined up in front of the staff table facing the rest of the students, and Professor McGonagall placed the stool carefully in front of them, then stood back.
The first-years’ faces glowed palely in the candlelight. A small boy right in the middle of the row looked as though he was trembling. Harry recalled, fleetingly, how terrified he had felt when he had stood there, waiting for the unknown test that would determine to which house he belonged. The whole school waited with bated breath. Then the rip near the hat’s brim opened wide like a mouth and the Sorting Hat burst into song.
For once, I tuned out the sorting hat's song. My mind was fixated on how only a few months ago I was here, and we were all mourning Cedric. And how a month before that, he always sat right in front of one of the hall fires, laughing and smiling with Cho.
I took a deep breath, and scratched at my hand. I knew it would be hard facing up to the memories of last year, but I didn't expect them to randomly creep up on me. Cho was sat with her friends at Ravenclaw, looking normal and without a care in the world.
If she could be like this after her boyfriend died, then I could pull myself together--Cedric and I weren't even that close. Shaking my head, I decided to try and pay attention to the sorting again.
"Listen closely to my song:
Though condemned I am to split you
Still I worry that it’s wrong,
Though I must fulfill my duty
And must quarter every year
Still I wonder whether Sorting
May not bring the end I fear.
Oh, know the perils, read the signs,
The warning history shows,
For our Hogwarts is in danger
From external, deadly foes
And we must unite inside her
Or we’ll crumble from within
I have told you, I have warned you…
Let the Sorting now begin."
"Oh wow, the hat has gone deep." Cole said, rolling his eyes.
Gennie shoved him gently. "Oh shut up, these people are mostly likely going to listen to a hat than Dumbledore."
From the dirty looks Parvati and Lavender were giving Gennie, I could sense that her statement was partly true. We sat through the sorting, and clapped for the new members of our house as usual. But to be honest, I would rather have just laid down in my room and eaten.
“To our newcomers,” said Dumbledore in a ringing voice, his arms stretched wide and a beaming smile on his lips, “welcome! To our old hands - welcome back! There is a time for speechmaking, but this is not it. Tuck in!”
There was an appreciative laugh and an outbreak of applause as Dumbledore sat down neatly and threw his long beard over his shoulder so as to keep it out of the way of his plate.
“Excellent,” said Ron, with a kind of groan of longing, and he seized the nearest plate of chops and began piling them on to his plate, watched wistfully by Nearly Headless Nick.
“What were you saying before the Sorting?” Hermione asked the ghost. “About the Hat giving warnings?”
"Ooh, do tell us the gossip, Nick." I said, doing a passable imitation of Lavender. I wasn't even sure why I was annoyed with her, but I could feel her glare on me.
“Oh, yes,” said Nick, who seemed glad of a reason to turn away from Ron, who was now eating roast potatoes with almost indecent enthusiasm. “Yes, I have heard the Hat give several warnings before, always at times when it detects periods of great danger for the school. And always, of course, its advice is the same: stand together, be strong from within.”
“Ow kunnit nofe skusin danger ifzat?” said Ron. His mouth was so full Harry thought it was quite an achievement for him to make any noise at all.
“I beg your pardon?” said Nearly Headless Nick politely, while Hermione looked revolted. Ron gave an enormous swallow and said, “How can it know if the school’s in danger if it’s a Hat?”
“I have no idea,” said Nearly Headless Nick. “Of course, it lives in Dumbledore’s office, so I daresay it picks things up there.”
“And it wants all the houses to be friends?” said Harry, looking over at the Slytherin table, where Draco was sitting. “Fat chance.”
"Oh Harry, give it a rest." Gennie said. "All this house exclusion is going to be the death of us one day. I mean, I don't particularly like many Slytherins, but that doesn't mean we can't try to get along."
“Well, now Harry, you should take an attitude like Genesis',” said Nick “Peaceful cooperation, that’s the key. We ghosts, though we belong to separate houses, maintain links of friendship. In spite of the competitiveness between Gryffindor and Slytherin, I would never dream of seeking an argument with the Bloody Baron.”
“Only because you’re terrified of him,” said Ron.
Nearly Headless Nick looked highly affronted.
“Terrified? I hope I, Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, have never been guilty of cowardice in my life! The noble blood that runs in my veins -”
“What blood?” asked Cole, curiously. “Surely you haven’t still got -?”
“Its a figure of speech!” said Nearly Headless Nick, now so annoyed his head was trembling ominously on his partially severed neck. “I assume I am still allowed to enjoy the use of whichever words I like, even if the pleasures of eating and drinking are denied me! But I am quite used to students poking fun at my death, I assure you!”
“Nick, he wasn’t really laughing at you!” said Gennie, throwing an irritated look at Cole. Unfortunately, Cole was staring at Alia and Colin who were now engaging in what looked like lovey-dovey looks.
Nick didn't seem to think this was a very good apology.Rising into the air, he straightened his feathered hat and swept away from them to the other end of the table, coming to rest between the Colin, Alia and Colin's brother, Dennis.
“Well done, Cole." Gennie said sarcastically. "You were too busy threatening Colin with evil x-ray vision to even apologise."
“What?” said Cole, frowning and turning from his sister. “I’m not allowed to ask a simple question?”
“Oh, forget it you idiot,” said Gennie irritably, and the pair of them spent the rest of the meal in huffy silence. This was especially awkward for me, as Gennie strategically placed me in-between the two of them.
They often did this when they argued, but it didn't mean I'd gotten used to it. I occupied myself with eating instead, knowing within an hour Cole would make some stupid remark to get Gennie laughing and they'd be okay again.
“Well, now that we are all digesting another magnificent feast, I beg a few moments of your attention for the usual start-of-term notices,” said Dumbledore. “First-years ought to know that the Forest in the grounds is out-of-bounds to students - and a few of our older students ought to know by now, too.” (I smirked at Harry at that, who simply rolled his eyes.
“Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me, for what he tells me is the four-hundred-and-sixty second time, to remind you all that magic is not permitted in corridors between classes, nor are a number of other things, all of which can be checked on the extensive list now fastened to Mr. Filch’s office door.
“We have had two changes in staffing this year. We are very pleased to welcome back Professor Grubbly-Plank, who will be taking Care of Magical Creatures lessons; we are also delighted to introduce Professor Umbridge, our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.”
There was a round of polite but fairly unenthusiastic applause, and I was quite confused. How long was Grubbly-Plank staying? She was a good teacher, but I wanted to make sure Hagrid was alright.
Dumbledore continued, “Tryouts for the house Quidditch teams will take place on the -”
He broke off, looking enquiringly at Professor Umbridge. As she was not much taller standing than sitting, there was a moment when nobody understood why Dumbledore had stopped talking, but then Professor Umbridge cleared her throat, “Hem, hem,” and it became clear that she had got to her feet and was intending to make a speech.
Dumbledore only looked taken aback for a moment, then he sat down smartly and looked alertly at Professor Umbridge as though he desired nothing better than to listen to her talk. Other members of staff were not as adept at hiding their surprise.
Professor Sprout’s eyebrows had disappeared into her flyaway hair and Professor McGonagall’s mouth was as thin as I had ever seen it. No new teacher had ever interrupted Dumbledore before. Many of the students were smirking; this woman obviously did not know how things were done at Hogwarts.
“Thank you, Headmaster,” Professor Umbridge simpered, “for those kind words of welcome.”
Her voice was high-pitched, breathy and little-girlish and, again, I felt a powerful rush of dislike that he could not explain to himself; all I knew was that I loathed everything about her, from her stupid voice to her fluffy pink cardigan. She gave another little throat-clearing cough (“hem, hem”) and continued.
“Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!” She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. “And to see such happy little faces looking up at me!”
None of the faces I could see looked happy. Actually, they all looked rather taken-aback at being addressed as though they were five years old.
“I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all and I’m sure we’ll be very good friends!”
Students exchanged looks at this; some of them were barely concealing grins.
“I’ll be her friend as long as I don’t have to borrow that cardigan,” Parvati whispered to Lavender, and both of them lapsed into silent giggles.
Professor Umbridge cleared her throat again (“hem, hem”), but when she continued, some of the breathiness had vanished from her voice. She sounded much more businesslike and now her words had a dull learned-by-heart sound to them.
“The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the wizarding community must be passed down the generations lest we lose them for ever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching.”
"I lost interest after 'Ministry of Magic.'" Cole said to Gennie, and the two of them went into silent giggles. Subtly, I swapped seats with Cole, sensing their arugment was over.
Professor Umbridge paused here and made a little bow to her fellow staff members, none of whom bowed back to her. Umbridge gave another little “hem, hem” and went on with her speech.
“Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress’s sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation…”
I hadn't been so bored since my chemistry and maths lessons. People were whispering and talking together, a contrast from Dumbledore's speeches.
A few seats along from Cho, Luna Lovegood had got out The Quibbler again. Meanwhile, at the Hufflepuff table Ernie Macmillan was one of the few still staring at Professor Umbridge, but he was glassy-eyed and Harry was sure he was only pretending to listen in an attempt to live up to the new prefect’s badge gleaming on his chest.
Professor Umbridge did not seem to notice the restlessness of her audience. I had the impression that a full-scale riot could have broken out under her nose and she would have ploughed on with her speech. The teachers, however, were still listening very attentively, and Hermione seemed to be drinking in every word Umbridge spoke, though, judging by her expression, they were not at all to her taste.
I rest my head on the table, wondering if anybody would notice if I fell asleep.
“… because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited.”
She sat down. Dumbledore clapped. The staff followed his lead, though Harry noticed that several of them brought their hands together only once or twice before stopping. A few students joined in, but most had been taken unawares by the end of the speech, not having listened to more than a few words of it, and before they could start applauding properly, Dumbledore had stood up again.
“Thank you very much, Professor Umbridge, that was most illuminating,” he said, bowing to her. “Now, as I was saying, Quidditch tryouts will be held…”
"Oh good, I need to know how to organise this." Gennie said, looking very determined at Dumbledore.
"Does this mean I can get on the quidditch team?" Cole said eagerly.
"You don't play quidditch, do you?" I asked. Cole had never show all that much interest in playing quidditch the time I'd known him. Sure, he loved the world cup--but watching and playing quidditch were two different things.
"Just because I haven't tried out, doesn't mean I don't play." Cole rolled his eyes. "I used to play all the time with Camille, before she turned boring. So, can I be beater?"
"You can't just put in requests, Cole." Gennie laughed. "You may be dating me, but you have to get in on talent--not just by snogging me."
"I'm sure you can be persuaded." Cole said coyly, and gave Gennie a kiss on the neck, making her flush bright red.
"Ew, I'm migrating from this conversation!" I said, and I got up and moved to sit by Hermione. "If you guys are going to bargain about Cole joining the team, get a bed at least!"
"Once again, bugger off Rory!" Cole said brightly, waving me away.
Rolling my eyes, I joined in the conversation with Hermione, Harry and Ron.
“--You’re not telling me you enjoyed it?” Ron said quietly, turning a glazed face towards Hermione. “That was about the dullest speech I’ve ever heard, and I grew up with Percy.”
"Try sitting through a four hour revision day of chemistry." I muttered. "Forgot Voldemort, I seriously nearly died there.
“I said illuminating, not enjoyable,” said Hermione. “It explained a lot.’
“Did it” said Harry in surprise. “Sounded like a load of waffle to me.”
“There was some important stuff hidden in the waffle,” said Hermione grimly.
"Maple syrup?" I suggested, and Hermione gave me a dark look.
“Was there?” said Ron blankly.
“How about: ‘progress for progress’s sake must be discouraged’? How about: ‘pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited’?”
“Well, what does that mean?” said Ron impatiently.
“I’ll tell you what it means,” said Hermione through gritted teeth. “It means the Ministry’s interfering at Hogwarts.”
"And there was me thinking we'd have a normal year." I sighed. "Just great."
There was a great clattering and banging all around them; Dumbledore had obviously just dismissed the school, because everyone was standing up ready to leave the Hall. Hermione jumped up, looking flustered.
“Ron, we’re supposed to show the first-years where to go!”
“Oh yeah,” said Ron, who had obviously forgotten. “Hey - hey, you lot! Midgets!”
“Ron!”
“Well, they are, they’re titchy…”
“I know, but you can’t call them midgets! - First-years!” Hermione called commandingly along the table. “This way, please!”
A group of new students walked shyly up the gap between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables, all of them trying hard not to lead the group. They did indeed seem very small; I was sure I had not appeared that young when I had arrived here.
"Was I that small when I arrived?" I asked Harry.
"You were two years older than all the others." Harry pointed out.
"Oh shut up." I said playfully. "Were you a little midgety eleven year old? Did you wear little white socks and look at everything with amazement?"
Harry shoved me playfully, but sent me careering into one of the first years--Euan maybe?--and he looked petrefied.
"Sorry kid!" I apologised. "Blame my idiot brother!"
I went back voer to Harry, and looked back at the first years. The boy Harry pushed me into nudged his friend and whispered something. They both looked frightened, and walked quickly away from the two of us.
"Great, we've actually pyhscially scared first years." Harry said in a dull voice. He grabbed my hand. "Come on, let's get out of here."
He kept his eyes fixed ahead as he wove our way through the crowd in the Entrance Hall, then he hurried us up the marble staircase, took a couple of concealed short cuts and had soon left most of the crowds behind.
"We should have expected this." I said to Harry. "I mean we came from that maze carrying a dead body half-hysterical, claiming the Hitler of this world had come back to life..."
"There wasn't enough time to explain." Harry sighed, jamming his hands in his pockets. "I mean, I don't think we'd be up to explaining everything that happened, but still--"
An awful look was on Harry's face, and I linked my arm with his. While most of the summer had been on about me getting better-- I hadn't really seen how Harry was dealing with all of this. "Hey now, it'll be okay." I said.
We had reached the end of the corridor to the Gryffindor common room and come to a halt in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady before I realized that I did not know the new password.
"Great job, Harry." I glared. "You took us through loads of nifty entrances, but didn't take the time to ask Hermione the password? Geez."
“No password, no entrance,” the fat lady said loftily.
“Harry, Rory, I know it!” Someone panted up behind us and I turned to see Neville jogging towards him. “Guess what it is? I’m actually going to be able to remember it for once -” He waved the stunted little cactus he had shown them on the train. “Mimbulus mimbletonia!”
“Correct,” said the Fat Lady, and her portrait swung open towards them like a door, revealing a circular hole in the wall behin.
The Gryffindor common room looked as welcoming as ever, a cozy circular tower room full of dilapidated squashy armchairs and rickety old tables. A fire was crackling merrily in the grate and a few people were warming their hands by it before going up to their dormitories.
On the other side of the room Fred, George, Alia and Cole were pinning something up on the noticeboard.
I waved goodnight to them and headed straight for the door to the girls’ dormitories. I went inside, to find Parvati and Fay chatting on Parvati's bed. Lavender was pinning something above her bed, while Hermione was reading, and Gennie was stirring something in a cup.
She waved me over, and I looked at her apprehensively. "What the hell is that?"
Gennie looked around to make sure nobody was listening. "It's your medicine. I found it falling out of your trunk, so I ground it up and put in in water. Might make it easier for you to take."
I looked at the glass with severe loathing. It was entirely white, and there were lumps of pills that were uncrushed in the bottom. "Do I have to?"
"Come on, Rory!" Gennie said in a low voice. "If you take it up until next week, Madam Pomfrey may be able to give you a break from them--see how you can cope without them."
"Is she allowed to do that?"
Gennie shrugged. "Honestly, I have no idea. But I figure, you can't stay on these pills for the rest of your life. And with everything that seems to be going down, I doubt you'll be able to take these pills in the middle of a battle."
I snatched the glass from her, and drained it in one gulp. I could taste the vile pills slide down my throat, scratching along my esophagus. Shards of the pills remnants lined my teeth, and it was so disgusting, I had to run to the toilet to scrub my mouth out.
"Were you sick or something?" Lavender asked once I came out of the bathroom.
"No, my headache tablet just went down the wrong way." I lied, going to sit on my bed. "So, how was your summer?"
Lavender paused on pinning another poster above her bed. "Not really. My parents weren't too happy about me coming back."
"What because of Voldemort?" Gennie said, and the other girls flinched. "Oh hush up, it's just a name."
"Actually... Rory, it was because of you." Lavender said, as a long silence ensured. She slammed her trunk shut. "Don't get angry, it was what my parents thought! But no doubt a lot of other people are thinking it too!"
"Because of me." I said, with a shaking voice. "And no doubt Dumbledore and my brother, right? You think they're liars, and I'm just some mad attention seeker."
"Well it was a bit conveient that it was Dumbledore who had to reveal you were the so-called lost Potter, and he's the one trying to convince everybody he's back."
"It's because it's true." I snapped. "Why would I claim I'm somebody if they're dead really? That would be an insult to memory. And the only reason I didn't know who I was at first, was because I forgot."
I didn't know why I was telling Lavender of all people this, but maybe I just didn't want her spreading rumours about me without hearing things out first.
"But Dumbledore was diverting attention from what really happened. Cedric's death, which apparantly only the two of you saw--and of course the strange death of your mother."
I knew she meant Jenna. "What are you talking about?"
"There was a piece on it in the daily prophet." Gennie said quietly. "Just a little bit saying Mark had seemed to burn down the family house, killing his wife and leaving his children."
"Yes, that's exactly what happened." I said to Gennie. "So what are you implying Lavender?"
Lavender looked anxious now. "I'm saying.. I'm saying there's a conspiracy you, Harry and Dumbledore have set up to have us all fearful. I mean why else would somebody kill a mother and a teenager? The three of you are planning something against the school."
I got to my feet, and slowly went over to Lavender, hands in fists. "Now listen here, you little bitch." I hissed. "I saw Cedric die, and I couldn't stop it. Jenna was practically my mother, and I couldn't stop her dying." I could feel tears track down my cheeks, but I carried on. "And Hogwarts is my home, and I would much rather die than have anyone harm it."
And with that, I told Lavender something which conveniently rhymed with 'go duck yourself' and I pulled the curtains around my bed, and shoved a pillow over my head to shut out the noise. I could still feel tears come down my face, and they didn't seem to stop.
I could hear floats of conversation coming from outside my bed, and I couldn't help listening 'she's not very well at the moment, and you aren't making it any better.' I heard Gennie hiss.
'And saying those things about Cedric and Jenna, can't you shut your big mouth?' I heard Hermione add.
'She's mental, that's what she is.' Lavender muttered. 'Good night.'
I lay there for a while as the dorm got quieter, the feeling of hopelessness tearing through me again. How could I have thought everything would get better automatically at Hogwarts? Was Lavender right, were loads of people saying these things about me?
And was she going to be the first person to question who I was?
- - - - - -
A/N So Rory seemed to be doing well, but then Lavender threw her down. Awh :( But things are really going to intensfie for Rory next chapter, as it's Umbridge's lesson :D
AND MY EXAMS ARE OFFICIALLY DONE AND YOU HAVE ME FOR LIKE THREE MONTHS NO JOKE! AND I ONLY HAVE 26 CHAPTERS LEFT AND THEN THIS BOOK IS DONE OH MY GOD