Such Sweet Sorrow

Four

Eloise Waldorf

We stood outside of McGonagall's office for a good 30 minutes, listening to the 7th year Slytherin's absolutely berate and scorn her for the decision.

They called her every name in the book. Threw every insult her way. Sent threats. Spit every curse word imaginable. They did it all. But all she had to say was one little phrase to shut them right up.

"Shall I make a call to the ministry and inform them of your decision?"

That shut them up every time.

"You've lost your fucking mind, woman! You can't get rid of Slytherin. This school would be a fucking hole in the ground if it weren't for this bloody house!" I heard the unmistakable shout of Draco Malfoy.

"You old fucking bat, what do you expect us to do? You're expecting all of us to fuck around in one of those other pathetic houses for the rest of the year? Who even let you have such a high rank at this sad excuse for an institution? You know, we aren't here because we want to be. If you are going to side with your precious fucking ministry, the least you could do is make this place bearable and not make me want to pitch myself off the fucking astronomy tower!" Draco continued to you.

An uncomfortable stiffness shot through the group of us after that last part.

You mean the same tower you pitched Dumbledore off of the night you killed him? Is it funny to you to make jokes about it?

"My decision is final! And I hope all of you know that I have the authority to overturn your decision to stay at Hogwarts and complete your education, and send you right to the island. So, I suggest changing your attitudes right this instant and show some respect to your headmaster!" McGonagall shouted back at them.

Thank Merlin.

"I'm not getting sorted...again...in front of the entire bloody school if that's what you're thinking." Draco grumbled. Although I couldn't see him, I could imagine the rage on his face, and that vein in his forehead sticking out.

"This is rubbish!" another one yelled.

The door swung open and they came busting out into the small crowd of people that made up the new Student Leadership Council.

"Well we don't want you in our houses either!" a voice yelled from the back of the crowd. Had to have been a Gryffindor.

"All members of the former Slytherin house are to return here in half an hour for sorting, and that is final!" McGonagall stated firmly.

Her face softened as she took her eyes away from the stampede of angry Slytherin's that stormed down the hall.

"Hello, everyone. Thank you for being patient. 7th years first, please. Come along." She motioned us over her shoulder as she walked back into her office, her velvet cloak dragging elegantly behind her.

"I'm sorry you all had to witness that, but I can't say I didn't expect it. I'm sure you all weren't too surprised as well." She sat down at the head of a long, dining room like table and folded her hands.

We all quickly took our seats, sectioned off house by house. It threw me off to only see three houses being represented at this table, but the lack of green was somewhat satisfying. History was being made, and we were all a part of it.

"The Student Leadership Council is something that has been on the table for many years now, and I am very eager and optimistic in my decision to finally enact it. As you might have seen or experienced first-hand, the Prefect program, while traditional and long-standing, was just not cutting it any longer, especially with the exponential growth of the school. In these new positions, your professional title will be house leader."

Hermione nodded immediately in agreement.

Gryffindor's 7th year house leaders included Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Neville Longbottom. There was no doubt in my mind that they would be in those positions, especially after everything that had done for the school, and for McGonagall, during the war.

For Hufflepuff, the four leaders were Cedric Diggory, Hannah Abbott, Zacharias Smith, and Leanne I-don't-know-her-last-name. I was quite happy to see that Cedric had been offered this role as well.

And finally, Ravenclaw's house leaders included Luna Lovegood, Alexander Whitlow, Marcus Belby, and myself.

The other three leaders in my house all had something extraordinary about them. Luna was a powerhouse during the war. Her unique ways of interpreting situations were remarkable, and her ability to keep everyone calm and collected was astounding. Even when she was on the brink of death, she was just as optimistic and wonderfully blunt as ever.

Alexander Whitlow was a member of the DA as well, and he did a lot when it came to helping Harry in teaching the defensive spells. He was recognized after the war for his efforts in putting up wards around the school, and helping to collect artifacts before the fires got to them.

Marcus Belby came from a brilliant family, although he himself didn't particularly use that to his advantage. He was far more interested in quidditch and food to follow in his uncle and father's footsteps. But none the less, he was wickedly smart when he wanted to be.

And then there was me. Plain, average, timid little me. The overwhelming sense of discomfort fell over me as I tuned back into what McGonagall was briefing us on.

"We will have a council meeting every other Wednesday to discuss and to address any concerns or questions. Now...onto your duties and how they pertain to...tonight's events." She turned the page of the documents laying out in front of her.

"As you all know, many of those in the former Slytherin house are here under obligation, not by choice. The ministry has given my strict orders that I must follow when it comes to their supervision, as they are walking a very fine line at the moment. The minster of magic insists that daily reports be given on every student under obligation by a third-party peer..." she swallowed thickly, like the words in her mouth were hard to get out.

"You're not saying..." Ron chuckled with uncertainty.

"Once they have been sorted into their new house, 1 to 3 of them will be assigned to each of you."

A unanimous exclamation of protests erupted from around the table.

"You can't be serious, professor."

"You are required to fill out a report on each one of your assigned members every day and send those back to the ministry. This will ensure that those students are under constant, responsible, and reliable supervision from students that are capable, disciplined, and wise. This is a vital step into their rehabilitation into the wizarding world, and will allow the ministry to ensure that there isn't anything happening that would be cause to send them to Azkaban."

I gulped. I just thought that we would be some sort of glorified hall monitors. But no, we were glorified baby sitters. Of criminals. Full-blown criminals.

These people killed my friends. Well, maybe not directly, but they had their hand in it. And I was going to be the person that determined their fate. If they would stay here at Hogwarts, or if they were too far gone, and there was a cell in Azkaban with their name on it.

"Considering that most of the students under surveillance are of 7th year, I will be checking in more often with the lot of you. If a problem arises, you come to me first." McGonagall lowered her eyes at all of us.

It was too late for us to back out of this now. We were in this for the long run.

Woo hoo. Let me add Slytherin baby sitter to my resume.