"Attention all First Years, follow me!" Charlotte called out, her cheeks rosy with mirth. The Great Feast was over, and people were starting to trickle out of the Great Hall. Words floated in a cloud above the heads of everyone, robes sweeping on the floor. Charlotte beamed out at her group of First Years, winking at James and Polly in the crowd.

The First Years lined up in front of Charlotte, their mouths running excitedly as they waited to see the Gryffindor dorms for the first time. Charlotte did a quick headcount, making sure that she had everyone who had been sorted. Her fingers bounced over each head in her vision, the numbers adding up in her head. When she was satisfied that everyone was there, she smirked. There were more Gryffindors this year than Hufflepuffs, a fact that she was going to lord over Teddy. They had a competition every year, and the past few years Hufflepuff had been winning.

The smile on her face faltered slightly when she realized that this was the last year they were ever going to do this. This was the last year that they were going to the Great Feast. The last year, their last year at Hogwarts. They were never going to get this experience again. Charlotte locked eyes with the aforementioned boy, her smile flickering back.

"Astronomy tower later?" Teddy mouthed at her over the heads of the First Years. Teddy towered over almost everyone, which he used to his advantage. His hair was flopping over his forehead, covering one beautiful eye. Charlotte sighed at the sight of him. She felt like one of the hapless Third Years who were hopelessly in love with him as she nodded back, light pink dusting her cheeks.

"Charlotte, Charlotte," Polly whispered, elbowing her in the side with a small arm. "You zoned out for a minute." Polly shuffled closer to Charlotte, scooting farther away from James. James was at the end of the line, Polly at the front, with several kids in between them.

Charlotte colored deeper, the pink darkening to red on her face. A flush crept up her neck, and she coughed, turning away from Polly. Dragging a hand over her face, she took a deep breath and pivoted back, regaining her composure. "Right, sorry about that!" she said brightly. "Follow me," she repeated, leading the First Years out of the great double doors of the Great Hall.

Charlotte nodded at Ada, who lived in a painting at the top of one of the most common pathways to the Gryffindor common room. "Alright, everyone!" She clapped her hands together, letting the sound ring out in the small hallway. "The staircases like to move, so you have to be careful! You don't want to get stuck on one and then be late to class. Professor Zabini is a stickler for being on time." Her words were imbued with energy, her body charged and ready to go. Her hair was swept up into a ponytail, falling down to her midback.

Polly stuck up her hand, waving it in the air. "How do you make sure that you get to class on time?" she asked.

James whipped his head around, a smirk instantly coming to his face. He elbowed his way to the front of the line, tapping Polly on the shoulder.  "Then," he puffed out his chest, "you have to rely on someone with experience."

Charlotte snorted, the sound flying out of her before she could stop it. "James, you've been here once and that was when you were eight." Her tone was laced with amusement, teasing James like an older sister. "You don't know how to navigate, at all."

James sputtered, the tips of his ears coloring pink as he attempted to regain his dignity. "I, well, nevermind." He ended with a reddened face but a smile on his lips, letting Charlotte know that he wasn't upset.

"Hmm." Polly pursed her lips, rolling her eyes at James. "Charlotte, what would you have said if Potter hadn't so rudely interrupted?"

"You have to learn the pattern of the staircases. I can give you some tips and tricks on that once we get to the Gryffindor tower!" Charlotte brought her hands together in a clapping motion to bring the students' attention back to her. She turned on her heel, her black robes swaying behind her as she walked away.

The First Years filed along behind her like ducks in a row. Their heads bobbed up and down as they hurried after Charlotte. Polly was tight on Charlotte's heels, peppering her with questions that the older girl happily answered. James was laughing in the back with another boy, jostling and elbowing him with a massive smile on his face. It was a golden scene, happiness pooling in the space between bodies, lighting up faces.

Charlotte took it all in with a grin, feeling warm. As she surveyed the scene, she felt good, she felt great. This was where she belonged, at Hogwarts. Hogwarts wasn't like a home to her, it was her home. She loved her parents and her life with them, but nothing could compare to the feeling of being at Hogwarts. Charlotte thrived at Hogwarts, she was a people person. She supposed that you couldn't be Head Girl without a genuine love for Hogwarts, and she fulfilled that bucket of quality to the very top.

"Okay, we're here!" Charlotte turned to the group of kids in front of her, placing on hand on the golden frame of the Fat Lady's portrait. "Everyone, this is Dawn, aka the Fat Lady." She swept her other hand at the painting, who in turn waved a hand at the First Years. "Dawn, this is the newest batch of First Years for us to turn to our ways." Laughter bubbled out of her as she tossed a wave of brown hair over one shoulder.

"Hmm," The Fat Lady inspected the group, her eyes picking over each one. "Password?" she asked, no-nonsense and businesslike even as she winked at Charlotte.

"Bilius," Charlotte said, and the portrait swung open. It revealed a room plush with red and gold, a roaring fire blazing in the fireplace. It was warm and loud, the raucous din within settling to a murmur as all heads swiveled to Charlotte.

"Look who it is!" Harrison Williams, a Muggleborn in the year below Charlotte crowed. "The First Years and the great Charlotte Ramsey!" He was squished deep into the armchair closest to the fire, nestled close to his girlfriend.

"Oh, shut up Williams." Charlotte climbed in through the portrait entrance, hopping down onto the other side and extending a hand to Polly. She helped each person down, smiling comfortingly at them as they entered the madness that was the Gryffindor Common Room.

"By the way, Ramsey, how's your cousin doing? Still making poor chefs cry?" Williams' girlfriend called out from her seat.

"He's doing just fine," Charlotte said. "He's got a TV show now." She made a zipping motion in the air in front of her, making a noise with her mouth. "Back to the tour! Now, First Years, this is the Gryffindor Common room. It will be your one-stop-shop for homework, hanging out, and help. If you ever need help with your homework, bullies, teachers, anything, just ask one of the older students." She walked towards the stairs, pointing at the one leading up to the Girls' Dormitory. "This staircase leads up to the Girls' Dorms. If I catch any of you boys trying to get up there, there will be consequences." Her face was solemn for once, serious.

"Ramsey, stop scaring them. She wouldn't hurt a fly." Someone shouted, and the whole room erupted into laughter. Charlotte's stone face broke, cracking into a smile.

Charlotte rolled her eyes, turning back towards the First Years. "As much as I would like to disagree, they are right. This is a safe place for everyone. That being said, no racism, homophobia, or transphobia of any kind will be tolerated. If you ever need anything, please feel free to come to me. I am the Head Girl, so I have lots of resources available to help you. I really feel like a tour guide her. I promise that this will be my last hand clap." She giggled, bringing her hands together in a clap again. The sound echoed in the small room. "Go forth, my children, and explore!" 

The First Years broke into sound and movement, flooding up the stairs. James tried to follow Polly, and the girls laughed as the staircase turned into a slide beneath his feet and he slid down to the bottom into a pile of long, gangly limbs. 

Charlotte pulled him up and sent him up to the right staircase for him, still giggling along with the room. It was a merry scene, the first night before classes. They had no homework, they had no worries, their only concern was being happy. And happy they were. 

Charlotte basked in the warmth, a lazy smile on her face. She was waiting for a time to slip away to see Teddy, but for now, she was content, and she was happy.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading! It is a tumultuous time, but I hope that this chapter made you smile. If you are reading this at the time of posting, keep signing petitions and using your voice for change! If you aren't reading at the time of posting, don't let anyone silence your voice! Thank you for reading!

- Nicole

PS. This chapter isn't edited, so if you see any mistakes, please let me know!