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Rey rushed out of the common room to the Great Hall for breakfast. It was still early but there was going to be french toast today and those ran out notoriously quickly. She took a seat at the Slytherin table and, cheering mentally when she saw a few platefuls of the toast and snagged herself a few before tucking in. She looked up when owls swooped into the hall bearing mail, spotting Artemis among them. The owl landed next to her table, nibbling at her fingers in greeting before held out her leg expectantly. Rey smiled at her and after finishing her toast, she untied the letter from Artemis' leg and offered her the last bit of sausage, which she graciously accepted before flying off. Rey smiled as she watched her go, making a mental note to have some more treats on hand for next time. Recognising her mother's handwriting on the envelope, she pulled out the letter and began to read eagerly.

For a moment, Rey wasn't sure she'd read the letter correctly and she read it once again, slower and more carefully this time. Her world narrowed down to the words that were shakily written on the parchment declaring that her father had died last night and she didn't want to believe it. If it was from anyone else, she'd have readily called it a cruel joke and disregarded it, but it was from her mother and her mum didn't lie, especially not about something like this. The letter was blurry and her hand tightened, nearly crumpling it but Rey didn't notice, too busy trying to keep her breathing steady. Her dad died. Her dad died and the last time she'd seen him was months ago during the winter break. He'd spent most of the last night telling them godawful jokes that had Rey's stomach aching with laughter and suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to be back home in his arms even though she always complained about how tight he hugged her. He'd never do that again. She'd never see him again because he died and she wasn't there.

Up until a few minutes ago, Rey had been starving, but now, even the sight and smell of food made her nauseous and everything she'd already eaten churned in her stomach, refusing to settle. Her eyes had been watering, but she could let the tears fall, not here. Not in front of all these strangers who didn't have a single clue about what happened; she needed to get out. She got up on slightly unsteady legs, head bowed and grabbing her bag robotically before she started to walk towards the doors. She was slow, but her pace quickened with each step and she left the hall in a run, almost crashing into the oncoming students before rushing away without pausing or an apology. She just ran through the hallways, barely paying attention to where she was going and soon, Rey found herself in an empty corridor, looking blankly at the suits of armour. Her back hit the wall, her knees finally gave away, causing her to slowly slide down to the ground. She chanced another glance down at the letter still clutched in her hand and she saw the words declaring her father dead once more. The tears she'd been holding back finally spilled over and she curled into herself with a quiet sob.

The past summer was the most miserable one Rey had ever had and she'd never been more relieved to come back to Hogwarts, although the relief was also accompanied by guilt. Back home, she'd been helping her mum and Gemma and when she could make the time, she helped at her grandparents' bookstore, which barely left her with enough time to deal with her own feelings let alone anything else. There were still moments when she'd forget that her father wasn't there and called out to talk to him, only to remember and bring down the mood in the house even lower than it was. At least her uncle and aunt finally came back to help, even though they tried too hard out of guilt, Rey thought. She did get the head girl's badge though, which was a nice surprise.

Organising and running the prefects' meeting during the train ride was a different experience, but Rey was glad to have Ivar along with her. She wasn't surprised by his appointment, not at all, and she knew that he'd do a good job. She didn't say much during the carriage ride up to Hogwarts (although Arnie's absence could definitely be felt) and when they arrived, she took an empty spot at the Slytherin table, looking around occasionally for any potential troublemakers. There was Rich's cousin who was annoying at best and a t**t at worst, but he wasn't doing anything yet. The Sorting was uneventful so far, but Rey couldn't help feeling a little dismayed by the turnout of Slytherins this year. That meant fewer people possibly trying out and the Quidditch team really needed more players, especially with the absence of Oliver.