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"Deanna, love," said a soft voice. "Wake up." Deanna groaned and buried her face into her pillow.

"It's too early, Pops," she mumbled. "I want to sleep."

"Happy birthday, little phoenix," said Dumbledore, smiling amusedly, when Deanna sat up straight and smiled widely.

"Is it my birthday today?"

"Yes, love," chuckled Dumbledore. "You are now fifteen years old."

Deanna grinned and hugged him tight. "Thanks, Pops." She turned around just in time to see Fawkes spread his wings and burst into flames. She smiled softly and caught the infant phoenix, who jumped to her. "Thank you, Fawkes." After washing up, Deanna and Dumbledore went down to her office and she smiled widely when she saw all the ghosts there.

"Happy birthday, Daredevil!" said Peeves, sitting on her head.

"'Pee Birthday," grumbled the Bloody Baron, which made Deanna roll her eyes. Alexander may have been gruff and rough around the edges, but he was a softie underneath all those bloody robes.

"You're fifteen, Dee!" said Myrtle in a tone that was cheerful for Myrtle.

"Thank you," giggled Deanna. "I'm just glad you are all here with me."

"Ah, indeed, little badger," said Helena softly. "We're all happy you're here with us."

"And so, we prepared something for you," said the Fat Friar.

"What is it, dear Friar?" said Deanna, her blue eyes, twinkling.

Sir Nicholas cleared his throat. "One, two... one, two, three go..."

Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,

Teach us something please,

Whether we be old and bald,

Or young with scabby knees,

Our heads could do with filling,

With some interesting stuff,

For now they're bare and full of air,

Dead flies and bits of fluff,

So teach us things worth knowing,

Bring back what we've forgot,

Just do your best, we'll do the rest,

And learn until our brains all rot.

They sang it in a mix of cheerful voices, grumbles, wailings and cackles. Deanna and Dumbledore clapped and stood up when they had finished. "That was beautiful," said Deanna, grinning. "I-I loved it... Thank you." The ghosts smiled at each other. They bid goodbye to Deanna and hugged her by passing through her.

When they were left alone, Deanna groaned when she remembered her detention. "Is it 8 yet, Pops?"

"It's 5:30 in the morning, love," said Dumbledore apologetically. "I thought you wanted to spend some time with us before going to Professor Umbridge. I apologize."

"No, you're right, Pops," said Deanna. "I want to spend time with you."

Dumbledore beamed at her and held out his arm. "We shall go then, phoenix." The two of them went out of the Headmaster's office and down to the Great Hall. Deanna let out a little gasp at how it was decorated. There were candles up in the air spelling out a huge letter D, and there were phoenixes on the walls. She immediately hugged her father.

"I love it, Pops," said Deanna, smiling widely at him. "Thank you..."

"I'm glad, little phoenix," said Dumbledore. "Now, go on. It looks like Minerva and Pomona want to talk to you."

She nodded eagerly and ran to the two Professors. "Minnie! Pommy!" The two Professors yelped as they caught Deanna into a hug. Dumbledore watched the scene fondly as he went to his position at the table. Minerva and Pomona immediately greeted the girl and gave her their presents. She opened them to see a rose in a jar from Pomona and a small vial of fire from Minerva. She hugged her two friends tight and went to the table. Dumbledore took Deanna's presents and vanished them with a spell. Deanna's eyes twinkled when she saw that they were eating hotdogs for breakfast. At that moment, the doors opened to reveal Hagrid, who grinned and limped over to them.

"Happy birthday, Deanna!" said Hagrid as he hugged the small girl and giving her a badly wrapped gift.

"Thank you, Ruby," said Deanna as she was put back down on the ground. She opened Hagrid's squished present and grinned at him. It was a chocolate cake with the words, "HAPPEE BIRTHDAE DEANNA!"

"Baked it myself," said Hagrid proudly. "Do you like it?"

"Oh, I love it, Rubeus," said Deanna sincerely. "Thank you." And she beamed at all of them there. She was lucky to have these people in her life, and she thought those fifty years she had been sleeping were all worth it if it meant being with them.

Students started coming into the Hall, and they all looked amazed at the decorations, but none of them said a word about it. Her Hufflepuff friends had come to greet her too, and they gave her a whole set of Chocolate frogs. Deanna hugged the whole lot of them and thanked them profusely.

When the clock struck eight, Deanna bid goodbye to Dumbledore, Minerva, Pomona and Hagrid to go to Umbridge's office. Umbridge was smiling widely as the Hufflepuff entered. "Happy birthday, Miss Dumbledore. You know what to do."

Deanna simply nodded and started writing again, but even as she felt the pain in her head and hand, nothing could bring down her mood. She had a great morning, and not even Umbridge would make her mood go down.

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Time passed quickly, and it was finally six o' clock in the evening. Umbridge looked happy to see Deanna's hand soaked with her own blood and that she kept the Hufflepuff for a long time. "You may go now, Miss Dumbledore."

Deanna took her bag and went out the door without a word. After fixing her hand with the Murtlap essence her father gave her and wrapping it with bandage, she started her way down and to her surprise, as she reached the next floor, there were Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George and Ginny.

"Happy birthday, Deanna," said the six Gryffindors as they met her at the stairs, beaming. Deanna grinned at them and the group started on their way to the kitchens. They were all horrified to hear that she was in Umbridge's office for 10 hours, but seeing how happy she was, they quickly changed the topic into something lighter.

As all the house-elves greeted her, Deanna smiled widely when there was a feast ready. Of course, she took some hotdogs and chocolate milk for herself while she told stories about her day to the group, and they too told her about their days. Then, they started giving Deanna her presents. Fred and George gave her a pack of Dungbombs from Zonko's while Harry, Ron and Ginny gave her a new Beater's bat and a new Bludger. She thanked them all and hugged them before turning to Hermione, who cleared her throat. Sharing glances, Harry, Ron, the Weasley twins and Ginny left.

Hermione fiddled with her hands as she gave Deanna her present. "H-Here, Deanna."

"Thank you, Hermione," said Deanna as she opened her present. Her jaw dropped as she saw what it was. A pair of purple socks with cookies and milk printed on it. Hermione watched her nervously. Did she not like it? She remembered what Dumbledore said the night that Deanna came to them at 12 Grimmauld Place. Maybe, her tastes did change.

"I-I heard you liked it, and-" Hermione was cut off when Deanna suddenly leaned in and kissed her on the forehead with a huge grin on her face. Hermione's cheeks flushed the same shade of Ron's hair.

"D-Deanna-"

"I love it, Hermione," said Deanna, smiling happily at the socks as she wore them. "Thank you." And Hermione smiled widely at the happiness on her face. It was just a pair of socks, but it seemed like it meant everything to Deanna, and what meant everything to Deanna would mean a lot to Hermione too. Deanna was like a fire to Hermione. She was warm and she was happy, and she was home to Hermione.

Deanna looked up and blushed slightly when she saw the way Hermione was looking at her. It was like Hermione had held all adoration and love she had for her. She immediately looked back at her socks, wondering why her heart started beating faster when she looked at Hermione smile.

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"Did you enjoy your day, love?" said Dumbledore as Deanna entered the Headmaster's office.

"I did, Pops," said the Hufflepuff cheerfully. "I loved it. Thank you."

"It's not over yet, dear," said Dumbledore. Deanna was just about to ask what he meant when someone emerged from upstairs and spread his arms.

"Happy birthday, Ari," said Aberforth as Deanna ran to him and hugged him tight.

"Uncle Ab," said Deanna happily. "Thank you!" Aberforth just hugged the girl tighter and glanced at Dumbledore, who nodded slightly. It was not the time for their differences. They had to get along for this little girl, who was everything to them.

"Here," said Aberforth. "I saw it in my stuff a couple weeks ago." He held out a stuffed phoenix to Deanna, who smiled softly and took it into her arms.

"You kept it? After all this time?"

"Why would I throw it?" said Aberforth quietly. "You mean a lot to me, Deanna, and I won't throw away anything that's yours."

Deanna smiled tearily and hugged him once more. "Thank you, Uncle Ab."

"It's no problem," said Aberforth, stroking her hair with a fatherly smile. "I should get going now, love. The bar's not going to run itself."

"I'll see you soon, Uncle Ab. Take care."

"You too, Ari," said Aberforth, nodding curtly to Dumbledore before leaving the Headmaster's office.

Deanna frowned at her father. "Are you still fighting, Pops?"

"Time does not heal all wounds, Deanna," said Dumbledore in a sad tone before he brightened up again. "Now, it's my turn, love." He brought out a package from under his table and held it out to Deanna. Deanna opened it and saw a photo album. Her eyes softened when there were memories of her and all of her friends. Septimus and Cedrella, the Prewetts and Magnus and Aries, Dallas and Lorraine, Rubeus, Pomona. There were some of her and her father as well, and there was one of her and Tom's with Tom smiling down at her while Deanna was grinning at the camera.

"I love it, Pops," said Deanna softly. "Thank you."

"I should thank you, love," said Dumbledore with tears in his eyes. "For coming back to me."

"I'll always find my way home, Pops." Deanna said before hugging her father tight. The two Dumbledores stood in that embrace for a long time, just basking into the comfort of each other. This was what made Deanna sure about her return. She had no regrets anymore. Deanna might be lost for a while, but she would always find a way back to her father, to her home, to her family, and she was never going to leave them again.

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The weeks passed by quickly, and it was soon December with the fifth years having more homework. Ron and Hermione were busy too with their duties as prefects. She was happy when her father told her that they would be spending Christmas at Hogwarts and that they would be visiting Sirius and Harry and the Weasleys during the break.

"Hey, Deanna," said Ginny as Deanna was walking along the halls. "Could I talk for a moment?"

"Sure, Gin, what's up?"

"Well..." said Ginny nervously. "I became the Seeker for our Quidditch team."

"Really? That's amazing!" exclaimed Deanna.

"Thank you," said Ginny, more relaxed now. "I was wondering if you could give me a few tips?"

"Sure," said Deanna, and as they walked along the corridors, Deanna had told Ginny what she could do as a Seeker and some tricks she could pull off. Ginny gave her a quick hug as she bid the girl goodbye. Deanna went on her way but stopped when she saw what was playing out. There were some older Slytherins, pointing their wands at a young Hufflepuff.

"OI!" shouted Deanna, pulling her own wand out. "How dare you?" The Slytherins looked fearful at the sight of the furious Deanna, pointing her wand at them. They started running away, but Deanna wasn't going to let them off just like that. She waved her wand, and they all sprouted some tails. Deanna turned around to see the young Hufflepuff, sitting down and covering her face.

"Why didn't you fight back?" asked Deanna calmly, though there was still a rage in her eyes because of the Slytherins.

"I- I-" she said before bursting into tears. Deanna's eyes softened and she pulled the girl into a hug.

"I'm sorry, I just hate seeing people being hurt like that," she said softly. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"I-I'm fine," sobbed the girl. "It's just you reminded me of Cedric Diggory."

"Cedric?"

"Y-Yeah, he was always there to defend us. W-We Hufflepuffs are always looked down upon as the weakest house, but when he became the Triwizard champion, it was going fine then... h-he died, and we didn't just lose a housemate. We lost a brother." Deanna looked at her for a while before helping her up and leading her somewhere.

"W-Where-"

"Just come with me," said Deanna before realizing she didn't know the girl's name. "Er... what's your name again?"

"Jemina. Jemina Nightingale."

"Hello, Jemina. I'm-"

"Deanna Dumbledore," said Jemina, chuckling. "Everyone knows you."

"Really?"

"You are a Dumbledore after all," said Jemina, and Deanna nodded absent-mindedly, thinking it was stupid that she hadn't thought of that. They finally reached the Hufflepuff common rooms.

Jemina looked at her in confusion. "Er..."

"The Hufflepuffs will be here, right?"

"Yeah," said Jemina, still not understanding what she was doing. Deanna nodded before she started tapping the barrels in the rhythm of Helga Hufflepuff. The door swung open, and Jemina was surprised that she actually knew it despite not being in the Hufflepuff Common Room since the start of the year. They crawled through the passage, and went into the basement. All chatter died out at the sight of Deanna, and their eyes widened, wondering why she was here. Deanna was looking around in reminiscence. It was exactly like it was fifty years ago, the only difference being the several plants, courtesy of Pomona. She then realized why she was there and looked at all the Hufflepuffs, who were staring at her.

"Look," she said calmly. "I don't care what the other bloody houses think of Hufflepuff, but you shouldn't let them define our worth." The Hufflepuffs looked down, remembering Cedric, who also did speeches like this whenever he caught some of them being bullied.

"I know the loss of Cedric Diggory has hit you hard, whether you were close to him or not. But do you think you're making him proud if you don't stand up for yourselves? What would Cedric be thinking now if he saw you all like this? We may have lost Cedric, but does that mean we lose our spirit?" They were all silent, staring at Deanna, who let out a sigh.

"Cedric would want us to show them who we are. Hufflepuffs can be as brave as Gryffindors, as smart as Ravenclaws and as ambitious as Slytherins. We're kind and loyal, but we're not pushovers. We're bloody badgers, we are. And whether it's Voldemort or Umbridge or those Slytherins, we'll fight back. We'll always do," said Deanna and she looked at each and everyone of them, who looked like there was a newfound fire in their eyes.

"I'll be with you all the way." And the Hufflepuffs smiled at Deanna, who smiled back at them. There was an unwritten agreement, sealed by those words. Their loyalty, from that moment on, would be pledged to Deanna Dumbledore, who had the spirit of Hufflepuff in her.

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The Hufflepuffs became warmer to Deanna after that and some even asked for advice and what to do. Deanna was happy that they were doing so, and that some of them were finally standing up for themselves. She heard that Eleanor Edmonton had hexed one of the Slytherins who called her a duffer.

Finally, it was the last meeting for Dumbledore's army before the break. Deanna came with Ernie, Justin, Hannah and Susan, whose respect for her had all increased ever since that day, and they all went silent as Harry stood up.

"Okay," Harry said, calling them all to order. "We thought this evening we should just go over the things we've done so far, because it's the last meeting before the holidays and there's no point starting anything new right before a three-week break —"

"We're not doing anything new?" said Zacharias Smith, in a disgruntled whisper loud enough to carry through the room. "If I'd known that, I wouldn't have come..." Deanna rolled her eyes. Zacharias was the only one who still remained the same after that moment in the Hufflepuff Common Room. He was truly a git.

"We're all really sorry Harry didn't tell you, then," said Fred loudly. Several people sniggered.

"We can practice in pairs," said Harry. "We'll start with the Impediment Jinx, just for ten minutes, then we can get out the cushions and try Stunning again." They all divided up, and Deanna was paired with Ginny this time.

"Go on, Gin," said Deanna. "Stun me."

"Stupefy!" And Deanna went flying a few feet back on one of the cushions. She smiled widely at the girl. Powerful. Just like Elladora.

"That was a good one, Ginny!" said Deanna, smiling widely at her. Ginny let out a giggle as they tried it a few more times, and they tried the Impediment Jinx next. While the other half started practicing the Stunning, Deanna and Ginny sat down at the side.

"You're powerful, Gin," said Deanna. "Just like Elladora."

"Was my grandmum a Quidditch player too?" said Ginny curiously.

"No, but she was the commentator during matches. During the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff match, she asked Thaddeus out."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah," chuckled Deanna. "That's why your grandpa got struck with a Bludger to the head." The two of them laughed loudly at that. Deanna smiled slightly at the thought that their descendants were just like her friends. It was as if she had them again by her side.

"Do you miss them, Deanna?" said Ginny suddenly.

"I do," said Deanna softly. "Everyday. But I see them in you. You, Fred, George, Ron and even Harry and Hermione. You're alive in them, and I don't feel so lonely anymore."

"We may not be them, Deanna, but we'll be your friends just like they were."

Deanna chuckled softly and patted the girl's shoulder. "Thank you, Ginny. That makes me feel better." The two girls grinned at each other when Harry suddenly called a halt.

"You're getting really good," he said, beaming around at them. "When we get back from the holidays we can start doing some of the big stuff — maybe even Patronuses." Deanna smiled widely. She always wanted to cast a Patronus. After helping them clean up, Deanna wished Harry, Ron and Hermione a Happy Christmas before she went to the Headmaster's office. Surprisingly, her father was not there so Deanna just went up to her room where Fawkes was, having grown his majestic red feathers. 

She then lay on the bed with a huge smile. Everything was going well. Aside from Umbridge, her fifth year was doing fine. She had the ghosts, Rubeus, Minerva and Pomona, the Hufflepuffs, Ernie, Justin, Susan, Hannah, the Weasley children, Harry, Ron and Hermione, and she also had Aberforth and Dumbledore. See, she may not have her old friends and Tom anymore, but these new ones would be just as precious as her old ones were.

With that, Deanna's eyes started closing and she found herself in the dark corridor again. She looked around and saw a snake on the floor, sliding across the stone. She could see different objects shimmering in different colors. She turned around, and saw a man sitting on the floor, his eyes closing repeatedly. Deanna let out a gasp when he saw who it was. It was Arthur Weasley. She walked closer to him with the snake, advancing towards him too.

Then, Arthur took his wand from his belt as the snake let out a hiss and plunged its fangs into Arthur's flesh three times. Deanna screamed out in pain as she felt pain from where the snake struck the man. She didn't know why she was suddenly in pain, but when she looked down, there was blood all over her body in the exact same spots where Arthur was hit.

"DEANNA! DEANNA!" shouted someone from far away, and Deanna's eyes that had just opened were threatening to close again.

"A-Arthur Weasley is dying..." Those were the last words she said before her eyes closed, and it was dark once more...

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