Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters. This story is what I think/ imagine what happened at Hogwarts while Harry, Ron, and Hermione were out hunting Horcruxes. As a genereal disclaimer, I KNOW Snape is good, but Ginny, Neville, and Luna don't. I hope there's no confusion there. Enjoy!
Ginny Weasley, currently in King's Cross station, was on her way to her sixth year of Hogwarts, her mother and her older twin brothers, Fred and George, escorting her. Ever since the rise of the Dark Lord, Mrs. Weasley had lost considerable weight, as well as the color in her face. She had the look of someone who hadn't properly slept in a while.
"C'mon now, dear, Platform 9 ¾ is this way."
"Mum," George said, using his humor to mask his concern. "It's alright, Ginny knows the way by now."
"Right, Ginny?" Fred looked down fondly at his only sister. "Ah, Hogwarts... such good times, weren't they, George?"
"Why, yes they were. D'you remember the time we dropped the dungbombs--"
"Hush, Fred!" Snapped Mrs. Weasley, fear taking the place of her usual impatience at the twins. "Not in front of the Muggles!"
"But mum--"
"--It's not like they can hear us." ended George, who absently ran his fingers over where his ear used to be, which had been cursed off while fleeing from Death Eaters.
While Molly and the twins started to bicker, Ginny pushed her trolley along to the barrier between Platform 9 and 10. Though she came closer and closer, she didn't stop. Quite the contrary; she began to quicken her pace. Soon, she had crossed onto Platform 9 ¾.
Almost immediately, she could tell something had changed. Instead of the usual cheeriness that was around the Hogwarts express, a tension stiffened the air.
Parents were giving their students warning, their faces pale, and weary of unfamiliar families. Only those in Slytherin seemed normal. In fact, many of the Slytherin's families were joking, which was far from their dignified manners. Malfoy was talking to his mother, a worried look on his face, the Head Boy's badge shining brightly against his black Hogwarts robes. Ginny was close to nauseated at his presence, but she didn't understand why he was here...
"Oh, there you are, Ginny." Mrs. Weasley and the twins had appeared behind the youngest Weasley female. "Don't do that, dear. You know it's not safe to wander around like that."
"Mum, what could happen here?" Ginny asked impatiently, as Fred picked up her trunk and began carrying it to the Hogwarts Express, George following.
"There're too many people here for anyone to do anything." Ginny said stoutly, to herself as well as her mother.
"Yes, but dear--"
"Mum, not much could happen at Hogwarts."
"Yes," said Mrs. Weasley, her face lined with fear. "But a mother can still worry."
Ginny and Luna were aboard the last compartment on the final carriage of the Hogwarts express. Luna had a copy of The Quibbler held sideways, while Ginny stared out the window, not really seeing the scenery fly by.
Harry…. I hope you're all right. Oh, I wish you could have come with us. I miss you….
"Oh," Luna said airily as the compartment door slid open. "Hello, Neville. Have you seen Harry anywhere?"
"No, I looked everywhere. Ginny, have you--"
"He's not coming." Ginny's eyes never left the window, and it seemed as though she was speaking to herself as well as the others. "He's not coming this year. He's not coming back." There was a slight quiver in her voice.
"Do you think--?" started Neville, but the compartment door opened to reveal one of the most hated, and unfortunately powerful students of the school.
"Well, well, if it isn't the blood traitors. Still wearing rags, I see." Draco Malfoy, a seventh year Slytherin, strolled into the compartment, flanked by Crabbe and Goyle, his willing henchmen, although Malfoy looked paler and more gaunt then usual. "Where's Potter, then?"
"Like we'd tell you, Malfoy, you annoying little ferret." sneered Ginny, and Neville looked up at Malfoy with undisguised loathing. Even Luna looked mildly annoyed.
"Careful, Weasley. You wouldn't want to say things like that in front of our new Headmaster." taunted Malfoy, smiling maliciously, but with a look in his eyes that neither Ginny, Neville, or Luna could identify.
Ginny, Luna, and Neville exchanged wary looks. They knew that Snape had succeeded Dumbledore as Headmaster, even though he'd murdered Dumbledore last year.
"Shouldn't you be off licking You-Know-Who's boots?" said Neville rudely. "What are you doing here?"
Malfoy flinched and he licked his bottom lip nervously. "You know nothing!" he said, and Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles viciously.
"Then leave us alone." said Luna, her voice uncharacteristically cool, as she came as close to glaring up at Malfoy as her wide eyes could allow, obvious dislike radiating from her.
Crabbe and Goyle cracked their knuckles again in an attempt to show their strength. Those sort of tactics, however, failed to scare anyone above the second year. Malfoy paled, but responded the only way he knew how; by being cruel.
"I'd watch your step if I were you, Loony." said Malfoy, "You don't want to cross the Dark Lord, or the Headmaster." Ginny wasn't sure if Malfoy was trying to threaten Luna, or warn her.
Ginny and Neville rose to their feet, interpreting Malfoy's words as a threat, pulling their wands out of their robes and pointing them at Malfoy threateningly. Luna stood up as well, though considerably more gracefully, pulling out her own wand. Ginny felt all of her frustration, all of her fear and worry build up in her chest.
"So help me, Malfoy," she said, "I don't what care what you think you know. Get out, or we will hex to into oblivion."
Crabbe, and Goyle both had their wands out, but Ginny had not earned the reputation of a fast, and skilled duelist, for no reason. She was well known for casting several superb Bat-Bogey Hexes. Malfoy glanced nervously at Ginny's wand, managed a small sneer, and strolled out of the compartment, with Crabbe and Goyle close behind.
Ginny went up to the compartment door and slammed it shut. She had almost wanted Malfoy to provoke her into cursing him, just to relieve some stress. Ginny, Neville, and Luna all sat down, and put their wands inside their robe pockets.
They looked at one another, all feeling a mutual dread. He had taken over; so how would Hogwarts be? Would it still be the same place of wonder and magic? No; Ginny had sensed the tension on the platform. Things would only get worse when they reached the school, she was sure of it. Neville's face echoed Ginny's worries, and only Luna managed to look unconcerned and serene.
"How do you think Snape will be?" asked Neville anxiously.
"Well, as long as he's no worse then Umbridge, we should be fine." said Ginny, trying to make a joke.
"He'll be worse." said Luna with surprising certainty in her voice. "With Harry, we had the D.A. We fought against the Ministry. Now, we have no one to help us fight. No one but Harry could have fought against You-Know-Who, and he's not here. Snape is just going to follow You-Know-Who's orders."
The three friends fell into an uneasy silence.
"You know, even with Harry gone, we can still do something." Neville said moments later. He reached into a pocket and pulled out his fake Galleon. "We can use these to send messages, right?" Ginny and Luna nodded.
"Well, if Snape does mess around with us, then we do him like we did Umbridge." Neville put his fake Galleon away.
"We were rather good at wreaking havoc, weren't we?" said Luna thoughtfully, as she started turning The Quibbler in counterclockwise circles.
Ginny, Neville, and Luna all caught each other's eyes and smiled. Yes, they were quite good at wreaking havoc. If nothing else, Umbridge had taught them the best ways to secretly cause large bursts of chaos. Ginny knew if her twin brothers were here, they'd be beaming with pride at their hopes of mayhem.
The old woman with the trolley opened up the compartment door, dragging her cart of sweets behind her. "Anything off the trolley?" she asked briskly, her usual sweet demeanor gone. Already, something was wrong. When Neville, Ginny and Luna remained silent, she dragged the trolley into the next compartment, not bothering to close the door she had opened.
Neville got up to close the compartment door, but stared into the next compartment for a moment before closing the door.
"Did you notice not as many people were on the Platform this year?" asked Neville.
"Yeah," said Ginny, "It's probably because of that stupid test we had to take. You know, the one that 'proves' we have magical blood. I'll bet a lot of people didn't pass it."
Neville nodded, shuddering slightly at the thought of the horridly terrible test they were forced to take. He had barely passed, his unusually good Herbology making up for his lack of skill in potions. Ginny knew her test, as well as those of Muggle-borns, had been made harder on purpose. Her family, in the eyes of the new regime, was no better than Muggle-borns. Only Luna, a Pureblood, had had an easy test, although it was harder then normal because of her father. The Quibbler was one of the few magazines who spoke out against Voldemort.
It was madness to forbid a student to come to Hogwarts. Were the Death Eaters really that hateful of Muggle-borns? Unfortunately, they knew the answer to that all too well.
Luna looked out the window; it was approaching sunset. They would be at Hogwarts in a few hours. "We should probably change into our robes." she said as she finally set the magazine down on the seat.
Ginny looked out the window. "We still have time," she said, turning back to Neville and Luna.
"Who do you think will be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Ginny asked Neville suddenly, who had started to carry himself with more confidence since the last year. He looked thoughtful, but nervous as well.
"Somehow, I don't think we're gonna get someone like Lupin. He's taken over the wizarding world. We're probably going to get one of his people."
Ginny and Luna nodded solemnly, but the moment was ruined as Luna started to randomly swat the air over her head.
"What is it, Luna?" asked Neville.
"Daddy says that Nargles can sometimes cause sadness." said Luna somewhat matter-of-factly, while still swatting the empty air. "You have to swat them while thinking happy thoughts, and they'll go away."
Ginny and Neville caught each other's eye and smiled sadly. Even with the wizarding world in disarray, they still had Luna and her Nargles.
"I think I'll change now," said Ginny, getting up and holding her robes.
She left the compartment and headed towards the changing room on the train. She accidentally bumped into a Slytherin girl who was just emerging from the room. Seeing as she had bumped into a Slytherin, Ginny didn't apologize. She just walked into the changing room; otherwise, she would've noticed the Slytherin girl staring at her as she walked into the room, before walking away with an unfathomable expression etched into her face.
"So how was your summer, Luna?" Neville asked, trying to find a less worrisome topic to talk about.
Neville and Luna sat alone together, and Luna finally stopped swatting the 'Nargles'. Neville looked at Luna, and felt immense pride at being her friend. Luna might have been a little odd, but she was true, loyal, and steadfast when it came to her friends.
"Oh, it was horrible." she said matter-of-factly. "Daddy's been starting to write things against the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who, and I think they're getting mad at him. They came to the house a few times. It was bad. Daddy had to put in less articles. Odd how people say they value truth, and then cover it up so easily."
Neville felt a surge of sympathy towards Xeno Lovegood. Even though he was under pressure, he was defying the Death Eaters. Not many people would do that.
Ginny came back into the compartment, in her black Hogwarts robes. She sat next to Luna, and leaned back against the seat. "You should probably change soon," she said, "I saw a line start to form when I came out." Luna and Neville nodded, and each took their robes and left the compartment to go to their respective changing rooms.
Ginny leaned her head back against the seat, lost in thoughts of how nothing was the same anymore. Deep underneath the surface, everything had changed, everything was different. And she knew it wasn't that deep under. Neville and Luna came back, now in their Hogwarts robes. An hour and a half later, the train stopped.
Ginny, Neville, and Luna stepped out of the train, into the forming thrall of students that were heading towards the Thestral-pulled carriages. It was a black, starless night, and Neville, Ginny, and Luna instinctively walked close together, joining the current of students. There was tension among the students like a wall of ice. In contrast, the Slytherin's seemed at ease, as though they were going to an exclusive social gathering. They were disgustingly cheerful.
Luna found an empty carriage and stroked the Thestral's skeletal head before climbing into it. Neville gave the Thestral an appreciative pat on its back, as he and Ginny followed Luna into the carriage.
The three friends sat in silence as the Thestral's pulled the carriages forward towards the castle. As they got closer to the castle, a cold chill settled over the students. Dark memories floated to the surface of the student's minds. Ginny started to shiver, her mind in the Chamber of Secrets. Neville turned deathly pale.
"What's happening?" gasped Ginny. Luna looked out the carriage widow.
"Dementors." she said, and she took out her wand. "Come on, think of something happy." she said, as though they were merely back in a D.A meeting in the Room of Requirement.
But Ginny couldn't think of something happy. She remembered all her fear, pain, worry, and sorrow. She couldn't focus. Dementors were all around the school, twice as many as when Sirius Black had escaped from Askaban. Neville fared better; He took out his wand and looked at Luna, who nodded.
"Expecto Patronum!" they said together.
Two Patronuses emerged from their wands. Neville's a large bumblebee, Luna's a rabbit. They circled inside the carriage, driving the Dementors influence away from Ginny, Neville, and Luna. Ginny stopped shaking, and the color slowly returned to Neville's face.
"That wasn't so bad." said Neville unconvincingly.
The carriage had reached the school. Students were stepping out of their carriages and heading to the castle in small clusters.
"Should we keep them out?" asked Ginny, gesturing to the Patronuses.
Neville shook his head. "I'd rather we found out about the situation in the castle before we broke any rules."
Luna nodded serenely. "It would be rather bothersome to get in trouble on the first day. Especially if we didn't do it on purpose."
Luna and Neville let their Patronuses fade before they stepped out of the carriage, Ginny close behind them. They joined the current of students, and walked up the familiar staircase into the castle.
The minute Ginny walked in, she could tell something was wrong; there was no laughter, none of the usual cheer that was around the castle. She, Neville, and Luna, along with most of the other students gradually fell silent as they walked into the Great Hall. There was a sense of foreboding around the place, and even the Slytherin's voices were subdued. Ginny, Neville, and Luna quickly took a seat at the Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw House tables, and started to whisper fervently, glancing up every now and then at the empty Staff Table. Luna chose a seat that was closest to the Gryffindor table, so that she was able to speak easily to Ginny and Neville.
"Where're all the teachers?" asked Luna.
"Where's Snape?" asked Ginny.
"We should know soon." said Neville.
These questions were being asked all throughout the House tables. No one could answer, only guess. Suddenly, there was a loud creaking sound as two doors at the side of the Staff Table opened, and the staff walked to take their seats. Professors McGonagall, Flitwick, Sprout, Hagrid, Slughorn, Trelawny, and Sinistra all looked strained and hard-worked. They sat down stiffly, anxiety outlining their bodies. McGonagall was white-faced, the look on her face similar to Mrs. Weasley; one which spoke of a need of rest, and an overdose of angered fear.
Two teachers were missing from the table, along with Snape. The entire Hall fell silent as they waited for the arrival of the new teachers and Head. It was not, however, a comfortable type of silence. This silence was of the kind that usually preceded a horrific event, wrought with fear and tension.
What made it even worse was the sharper contrast of the Slytherins' mannerisms. They were having a grand old time, breaking the silence by whispering lies to the new Slytherins about each of the other Houses, and it looked like they new students were lapping up those lies for all they were worth. Ginny saw with disgust that one Slytherin sixth year was teaching first year what she recognized as the Full Body Bind Curse, and was looking pointedly at the Gryffindor Table. Whoever the first year was, he'd probably be as much of a bully as everyone else in the Slytherin House.
The only one who was quiet at the Slytherin Table was the girl that Ginny had bumped into when she had left the changing room. The girl was staring intently at an open book in her hand, but Ginny could see that she wasn't reading it, as her eyes were still. For half a moment, Ginny vaguely wondered who the girl was, but then she shifted her attention back to the Staff Table, waiting for the missing Professors to arrive.
About a minute later, three figures emerged from the doors that the rest of the staff had come from. Neville, Ginny, and Luna looked at each other in horror as they recognized the people who had entered the Hall.
One of the men was Amycus Carrow; a squat, lumpy man with a lopsided leer, and a wheezy giggle. He was a Death Eater, and had been with Snape when Harry had seen him murder Dumbledore. Ginny, Neville, and Luna's expressions all simultaneously changed to one of immense hate, though they were so focused on the Death Eater, that they didn't notice.
The only woman was Alecto Carrow, Amycus's sister. She was squat as well, and had the same disturbing giggle. She and Amycus were cruel, as they had taunted Dumbledore viciously before his death. They both giggled at the astonished look on most of the student's faces, and calmly sat down at the Staff Table.
The new headmaster was last to walk into the Hall. Snape sat in the Headmaster's chair on the Staff Table. There was an increase in the murmuring of the non-Slytherin students, and Ginny, Neville, and Luna all looked at each other in fear, anger, and resignation. Ginny's fear was so prominent, that her face turned ashen white and her hands started to shake in a combination of fear and rage.
Then, after a second of shocked silence among the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, the Slytherins burst into sickening applause, cheers and roars filling the Great Hall. Neville looked around the Hall, looking for the reactions of the other Houses. They looked just as terrified and horrified as the Gryffindors, murmuring to themselves and glancing furtively up at Snape. The other Houses knew that Snape had killed Dumbledore, though they didn't know the exact details, and they were full of loathing for him and Voldemort.
"How could Snape sit there?" demanded Ginny angrily over the yells, "He murdered Dumbledore last year! And he sits in the Headmaster's chair like he owns the castle, the bastard."
Neville shook his head, looking up at Snape with a mixture of terror and loathing. "He's You-Know-Who's lapdog, Ginny. He's probably just as sick as he is."
Luna looked worried. "How much like him, do you think Snape is?" she asked, implying her fear. What if Snape was just as bad as Voldemort?
Before Ginny or Neville could answer, Snape stood up. Snape's mere presence was enough to obtain immediate silence. All of the Ravenclaws, Hufflepuffs, and Gryffindors fell immediately silent, and looked up worriedly at Snape. All of the Slytherin's however, looked up with a smug confidence.
"I have replaced Dumbledore as Headmaster." said Snape obviously, in a tone of utter triumph. "You will have changes in your schedule to incorporate a new schedule." Snape gestured briskly towards Amycus and Alecto. "Your Head of House will inform you of the changes," Snape said snidely, as thoughhe couldn't be bothered to explain such trivial things tostudents. Snape sat down and waved his hands.
The feast appeared on the House tables, though Ginny, Neville, and Luna felt no desire to eat. Neville turned at once to Ginny and Luna.
"We have to start up the D.A again. As soon as we can." said Neville, determination erasing some of the fear in is eyes.
Ginny nodded. "There's no way that Carrow will teach us actual Defense. He is the Dark Arts."
"But what's the other Carrow teaching?" asked Neville.
"Muggle Studies." said Luna sadly, "Look, Professor Burbage is missing."
Ginny and Neville looked up at the staff table, noticing that the Muggle Studies Professor was indeed missing.
"What did they do to her?" asked Ginny in a low voice, glancing from Neville to Luna for support, all of them wishing to deny the truth.
Neither Neville, nor Luna believed that Professor Burbage was gone by choice. Something bad had happened to her. In all likeliness, she was probably dead by now.
"Why wasn't there a Sorting?" asked Neville, "Where are all the first years?"
"Look around." said Ginny, gesturing around the Hall. "They're already at the House Tables. Snape probably didn't want the Sorting hat to sing of liberty. I'll bet the first years were Sorted before they came to Hogwarts, privately, so the Hat couldn't tell us to band together." Snape, for all his evil, was a genius. He was pitting students against each other before they even knew each other.
Ginny, Neville, and Luna ate what they could, though it wasn't much. Their appetites had fled when Snape had entered the school with the Carrows. It seemed like forever before the feast was finally over. Ginny and Neville got up, following the lead of the rest of the Gryffindor's.
"Keep in touch," Neville told Luna, patting the pocket where he kept his fake galleon.
Luna nodded, and got up to join the thrall of Ravenclaws as the Houses separated and headed towards their dormitories. Neville and Ginny held hands, absorbing the support that their friendship gave them. There was much evil in their path, and they felt like they would need the strength of their friendship, now more then ever, to defeat it.
After a near-sleepless night, Ginny dragged herself out of bed, got dressed, and met Neville met in the Common Room. They walked together to the notice board. There was one message, and it was directed for all students. Neville stood on his tiptoes, reading over the heads of the students who were gathered around the board.
Ginny was too short to read the notice over the heads of her classmates, so she waited impatiently for Neville to finish reading. He turned back to her. "What's it say?" she asked.
"Muggle Studies is now mandatory for all students, and it's to be taught by--" Neville swallowed. "Alecto Carrow."
Ginny shook her head, trying to deny it, and knowing she must accept the truth. "She's gonna try to get us to hate the Muggles." she said with disgust. "What else did the notice say?"
"That Amycus Carrow will be teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts, which is now Dark Arts. It says that if we disobey the Carrows we will be punished severely. And that Dementors will be posted around the school and around Hogsmeade at all times. Also, no more Quidditch." said Neville grimly.
Suddenly the fake galleons in Ginny and Neville's pockets grew hot. Ginny discreetly took hers out. "Notice?" was scrawled across the galleon in Luna's loopy script.
It remained on the galleon for about five seconds before fading. Neville had come up with the idea the year before that if you could write the date of the next D.A meeting on the galleon, you could also write words.
Ginny took out her wand and scrawled. "Yes. D.A?" with Neville looking over her shoulder. He could have taken out his galleon, but he thought it would be better if not too many other people out of the D.A made the connection between messages and galleons.
Her writing faded, and Luna's script showed up again. "Meet me at breakfast." was the reply.
"Let's go," said Neville, and he and Ginny walked out of the portrait hole and down to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Both of them were deep in thought, thinking about their arrival at the school, and wondering what would happen in the future. Both Ginny and Neville wanted to say something to encourage the other, but neither knew what to say. They both decided to remain silent until they met up with Luna.
When they entered the Great Hall mixed with the crowd of entering students from the other Houses, Ginny noticed Luna was sitting at the edge of the Ravenclaw table where she had sat last night. She waved, and took a bite of a cream-cheese covered bagel. The students in the Hall seemed to be a little more at ease, since Snape was absent from the Staff Table, but the Carrows' presence was enough to quell the cheer that usually accompanied breakfast.
Ginny and Neville sat down at the spot on the Gryffindor table closest to Luna. Luna walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down, still holding her bagel. Luna was given nervous looks by a few of the Gryffindors. Usually the Houses didn't intermingle with other Houses tables, but it wasn't uncommon either for friends or siblings to sit together. Ginny looked in confusion at the Gryffindors who had looked at Luna. Then she saw them glance up at the Staff Table. They were afraid of the Carrows, and even the absent Snape.
"Hello," said Luna serenely, but in a low voice. "When are we going to start up the D.A?"
"Tonight?" said Ginny hopefully. It would be nice to talk with other people who were against Voldemort. To vent out her fear on dummies and cushions.
"No," said Neville, "They'd, be expecting it tonight," he jerked his head towards the Carrows. He looked at the other teachers on the Staff Table. "They look really bad," he said, "Do you think they even slept last night?"
The teachers were all pale and most had dark circles under their eyes. McGonagall looked the most worn, but also furious. She was stabbing her beef viciously with her fork, and eating with precise, jerking motions. It was as though she was so tense, her muscles had lost their lubrication.
"Probably not," said Ginny. She felt a swell of pity for her professors. "What if we do it night after tomorrow?" she asked, "They won't expect it then."
"It should work," said Neville. "I'll send the message on the galleon to everyone else tomorrow night."
"Okay," said Luna brightly. She looked around at the prefects and Head Boys and Girls who were handing out course schedules. One of them was Ernie Macmillan, and he handed Ginny, Luna, and Neville their schedules.
"Got your schedules from a Gryffindor. You saw the notice?" he asked. Ernie was a somewhat pompous Hufflepuff who had been in the D.A the past two years. Ginny, Neville, and Luna all nodded grimly. "We will start up the D.A. again, right?"
"In the Room of Requirement, night after tomorrow at," Ginny looked at Neville, "11:30?"
"11:30." confirmed Neville. "Tell the rest of the D.A, but make sure none of the Slytherins or Carrows hear." Ernie nodded and walked on, handing out more schedules.
Luna looked at her schedule and held out her hand for Ginny's. Ginny gave hers over, and Luna looked to see if they had any classes together. "We have Muggle Studies, Potions, and Transfiguration together." said Luna. "And we have potions after breakfast today."
Neville was looking over his schedule and the two in Luna's hand. "We have the first rest period together," he said. "Do you wanna meet in the library?"
"Okay," said Ginny, taking her schedule back from Luna. "What do you have first, Neville?"
"Herbology," he said, "Then Dark Arts, Lunch, Charms, break, Muggle Studies, and Care of Magical Creatures." Neville was in his N.E.W.T year, and with the exception of Dark Arts and Muggle Studies, he only took the classes he would take the N.E.W.T.'s for. Ginny and Luna had passed all of their O.W.L's, and were taking all of their advances classes. Luna took divination in addition to her other classes, but Ginny had a normal schedule.
Neville checked his watch, "We don't have too much time left," he said. He quickly reached for food and Ginny did the same, each of them eating quickly. After a quick breakfast, Ginny, Neville, and Luna stood up to go to their Common Rooms. They would have to gather their books before their classes begun.
"See you in Potions," Ginny told Luna with a goodbye wave.
"Bye, Luna. Don't forget to meet me in the library at break." said Neville.
"Bye!" she said, "Good luck with your classes."
Ginny and Neville headed towards Gryffindor Tower and Luna gracefully walked to Ravenclaw Tower. On the way, Ginny and Neville talked.
"How d'you think Snape's treating the teachers?" asked Ginny.
"I dunno. You saw McGonagall this morning?" said Neville.
"Yeah," said Ginny, "She was so tense." Ginny and Neville started to climb the steps. "I hope they're all okay, but how can we tell? Snape murdered Dumbledore, so he won't care about hurting the other teachers. He's completely cold-blooded."
Neville nodded solemnly as they stopped in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. "Unity," said Neville, the Gryffindor password.
"Never forget it," said the Fat Lady, almost sadly, as she opened the portrait hole to let Neville and Ginny inside the Common Room.
When it came time for lunch, Ginny arrived first, and sat at the Gryffindor table where she had since the Hogwarts year had begun. As she looked around for Luna and Neville, she noticed that Snape was still absent from the Staff Table. She also noticed that although Crabbe and Goyle were in an animated conversation with other Slytherin boys, Malfoy was missing. She glanced along the Slytherin table, but couldn't catch a sign of Malfoy. Where was he? Was he skipping lunch? Or was he doing something for You-Know-Who? Malfoy was a Death Eater now, after all.
Ginny spotted Luna and Neville walking together and she waved at them. They waved back, and sat down at the tables. Neville looked grim, and Luna looked concerned, as Neville opened his mouth to speak.
"I just came from Dark Arts," he whispered. Ginny leaned forward to hear better. The Great Hall, while nowhere near its normal volume, was louder then it had been at breakfast, most likely because of Snape's continued absence. "Carrow, he didn't teach anything, but told us what we were gonna do in class."
"What'd he say?" asked Ginny, knowing that whatever Carrow had said, it couldn't be good.
Neville looked around, as though to make sure no one was listening. "He said, that we were all going to be taught how to use the Unforgivable Curses, and that anyone who got detention--" Neville swallowed, as though trying to erase a foul taste in his mouth. "Anyone who got detention would come into the class, and we would have to use the Cruciatus Curse on them."
Ginny's mouth dropped open in horror, and her eyebrows contracted in rage. "You didn't use the—"
"No, no," Neville assured, then chuckled darkly, "No students have detention yet. But Carrow said if we didn't use the Curse on them, then he would use it on us. And also, he had a wicked knife which he had in his belt." Neville leaned still closer, "And he said he would use it on us if we didn't do what he said."
Luna spoke up sadly, "Neville told me this already. This is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's way of making sure we don't stand up to him."
"The Carrows will torture anyone who goes against him," said Neville.
"Which means us." said Ginny in a steely voice.
She guessed--no, she knew-- that she, Luna, Neville, and anyone else who stood up to the Carrows would be tortured. The entire D.A would be in danger, even if they didn't rejoin it again this year. Anyone who didn't support You-Know-Who was in danger. Ginny thought all this over, and knew that she was willing to risk it. She had to stand up to You-Know-Who in any way she could.
"When we meet with the D.A, we'll have to tell them." she said, "They have to know what they're risking."
"Oh, don't worry," said Luna, marginally more cheerful now, "People still want it to start up again. Terry Boot asked when we would meet up, and he had Dark Arts as his first class. People know what's right. They want to fight against Him in any way they can."
"But we're going to have to be very careful," said Neville. "Especially with the younger students. If they get caught, they're going to get hurt."
"Yeah, but so will we," pointed out Ginny. "If any of the younger students, even the first-years, want to join the D.A, we should let them. They have the right."
Luna nodded and turned to Neville. "Do you know how to do the spell on the paper, like Hermione did when we first started the D.A."
Neville searched through his memories. "I think so," he said. "But I think it might be easier if we re-form the old D.A. If we let in new people, anyone could come, and then destroy the D.A from the inside out."
"Then let's choose people." said Luna, "We regroup with all the old members of the D.A, and if we see anyone stand up to the Carrows who need our help, we let them join."
Ginny and Neville both nodded. That should work, and it should keep the D.A safe. Just then, the lunch bell rang. The three friends stood up and departed; Neville headed towards Charms, Luna towards Herbology, and Ginny towards the very much dreaded Dark Arts.
A/N: A big thanks to Stoneage Woman for beta-reading this chapter, and Gaara's Sweetheart for helping me come up with ideas for this and future chapters. Review!