You Brought This on Yourself
"Good luck to the two perfect Prefects," Daphne said in a teasing tone toward Draco and Hermione, who wore the golden, gleaming Prefect badges pinned to their robes, each bearing the Hogwarts crest along with an eagle in the center representing the House they served.
Harry stood beside her with an equally amused smile as he watched the two of them, who immediately ignored their friends and got to work, gathering the new first-years, who, by comparison, really looked like dwarfs.
"Sirius wanted to give the position to you, and you turned it down so Draco could have it, right?" Daphne asked as she watched Hermione and Draco carefully gather the first-years and explain that they should follow them, along with the other things they needed to know while lining up.
"Of course. It's a lot of work, and it's entertaining watching the two of them trying to understand whatever that is," Harry said, gesturing with both hands toward them. "And that's also why I told Viktor it might be interesting for him to try becoming the Sports and Quidditch instructor, and he happily agreed too, just so he could understand whatever..." Harry repeated the same gesture with his hands around Daphne, who looked at him in surprise. "...this is," he finished with a sly, amused grin.
"What?" Daphne asked.
"By the way, I wonder if he'll end up in the cell next to Fleur's when the Aurors arrest them," Harry added with that same amused smile.
"You little...!"
Daphne had every intention of throwing herself at Harry and giving him what he deserved, but the great villain was, naturally, much faster than she was. His body turned into red mist, and he shot down the corridors at incredible speed. Meanwhile, the first-year students could only stare in the direction the red mist had disappeared, their eyes wide open. To them, it looked like one of those unbelievable stories they'd dreamed of experiencing ever since they'd received their Hogwarts letters.
"You think you can escape, you great idiot?! Ha! Ha! You know perfectly well I'm very vindictive!" Daphne shouted, sounding rather unhinged as she chased after the red mist, waving her wand and destroying every decoration Headmaster Black had just said was extremely expensive. But as a Greengrass, Daphne could easily afford to replace them.
So the other Ravenclaw students, as though they were completely used to this, merely watched the chaos for a moment before continuing on their way.
"Those idiots causing trouble on the very first day," Hermione muttered, frowning at her friends' behavior in front of the first-years. They definitely weren't making a good first impression.
"Mmm," Draco merely hummed calmly before looking toward the first-years. "Follow me. We'll take you to the Ravenclaw common room," he said quietly.
Immediately, many of the first-year girls, who were staring at the elegant and handsome blond standing before them, nodded eagerly like little birds and hurried toward him, wanting to be first in line so they could stay closer to Draco.
"Form two straight lines. Straight lines. And the girls will follow me," Hermione said at once, unable to stop herself from shooting those precocious little girls a look. "You take the boys," she told Draco in a firmer tone.
"Okay," Draco replied calmly, switching places with her.
Several of the first-year girls immediately looked disappointed and shot Hermione murderous looks.
Hermione simply looked back.
The girls immediately lowered their eyes.
"Let's go," Hermione said in a firm, authoritative voice.
Draco couldn't help smiling faintly as the two lines began walking toward Ravenclaw Tower.
While the Prefects finished leading the first-year students to their respective common rooms...
…
Meanwhile...
Inside the Headmaster's office, Sirius walked in wearing a thoroughly irritated expression.
The portraits of the former Headmasters, rescued just before they met the same fate as the castle, now decorated the new office. It was much larger than the old one and far more comfortable, looking less like an office and more like an entire apartment, complete with a kitchen, dining room, living room, and even a bedroom. Naturally, the desk was still there in the living room, piled high with the paperwork he had to complete as Headmaster, positioned near the fireplace... just in case he needed to burn the occasional annoying letter.
"You know, your behavior toward that Ministry representative wasn't exactly appropriate. Whether she annoys you or not, it'll only create more friction with them. Unless your goal is for the school to end up completely under the Ministry's control, of course," Phineas Black said in his usual dry tone.
Normally, Hogwarts' most hated Headmaster would have nothing but sarcastic and cutting remarks to offer. But ever since Sirius, a member of his own family, had become Headmaster, he couldn't have been prouder, even if Sirius failed to embody Black family traditions in almost every possible way.
"I know. You don't have to keep repeating it," Sirius answered bitterly.
"You have no one to blame but yourself, boy," another portrait said. It was Headmaster Dippet, wearing a faintly amused smile. "You're the one who said those words at the Ministry, and now they're acting accordingly."
"I know, I know," Sirius repeated, pressing a finger against his forehead as his irritation grew with every passing second.
Then his eyes drifted toward the letter resting on his desk.
It bore the seal of the Ministry of Magic and had been sent by the newly created office within the Ministry known as the Department of Magical Education.
Inside, it formally established the position of High Commissioner for Magical Education.
Beneath the title was a name.
Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.
And below that...
The name of his Educational Inspector at Hogwarts.
Dolores Umbridge.
Sirius stared silently at the two names, one beneath the other.
If Umbridge was the hand that would act inside Hogwarts...
Then Dumbledore would be the one pulling the strings from the Ministry.
"So that's what you want, old man. You've finally started making your move to take back what you lost." Sirius picked up the letter. "Then I hope you're ready."
He tossed it into the fireplace.
The paper caught fire instantly, as though the flames themselves had swallowed it whole.