Chapter 1
The hands on the clock over the arch at Platform 9 ¾ slowly made its way to ten to nine. Neville's eyes wandered around the platform and the scarlet engine with steam pouring from it. Small children ran around their weary parents, screaming at the top of their lungs. Elder children waved at their families as they stepped onto the great train. But something was different this year…around the station were shady cloaked figures, always in the shadows and always watching. He would've thought of Dementors if he could not feel the suns warmth on his back. He was snapped back to reality by a hard prod in the shoulder.
"Neville, are you listening?" Augusta Longbottom asked sharply.
"Yes Gran," Neville said, rubbing his shoulder.
"Well answer the question then! Don't just stand around gawking,"
"Everything's packed Gran, I checked my room twice," he said, slight impatience surfacing in his voice.
"Don't you take that tone with me Neville Longbottom!" she screeched, attracting the attention of several groups of people, including one of the black cloaked men from the shadows.
"Gran I didn-" Neville started, but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a slight girl with long dirty blonde hair.
"Hi Neville," she said brightly, hugging him around the waist. Augusta eyed her suspiciously, as Neville patted her on the back awkwardly.
"Alright Luna?" he said quite weakly, desperately averting his eyes from the look of disapproval on his grandmother's face.
"And who might you be?" Gran asked loudly. Luna finally let go of Neville and turned around to face the imposing woman.
"I'm Luna Lovegood. I like your hat," she beamed, pointing to the hat with the stuffed vulture on. Neville winced and waited for the verbal tirade to begin. If there was anything he had learnt from his years of living with his Gran, never mention the hat.
"Why thank you my dear. You'll be Xenophilius' young girl?" she asked, quite pleasantly. Neville opened his eyes in shock. This was a…new reaction.
"That's right," Luna said brightly "It looks like a new invention he's working on,"
"Delightful, delightful. Is your father not with you?" Gran said. Neville looked in open-mouthed shock between the two women.
"Oh no, he has a meeting with some Ministry people today. I came with….ooh there they are now!" she said, waving to a small group of red-headed people that had just entered the station. She gave an excited squeak and ran over to them, Gran following her. Slightly bemused, Neville made to join the group, but something else caught his attention. A Daily Prophet stand was up against the nearest wall, displaying a number of newspapers. Slowly, he walked over as though mesmerized by one picture that dominated the front page. A black haired, hook-nosed man glared at him. Underneath, the legend bore SEVERUS SNAPE CONFIRMED AS HOGWARTS HEADMASTER.
A wave of shock and revulsion ran through his body as he handed a few knuts over to the man at the stall. He took the paper, and skimmed through the pages until he came to the main article on the new Hogwarts Headmaster. A second picture accompanied Snape's, of a dumpy wizard and witch with the caption "Hogwarts New Staff".
"…the Tower…" he mumbled to himself. Death Eaters at Hogwarts? He stuffed the newspaper inside of his jacket and walked over to the his bags, rubbing the back of his head uncomfortably. His eyes wandered back to the clock above the entrance - five to nine. He walked over to the group that had formed near the train, dragging his bags behind him. He stood quietly while Gran talked to Molly Weasley, and Luna talked animatedly with Ginny.
"Oh, look at the time!" Mrs Weasley suddenly shouted "You need to get on girls,"
Luna gave her a hug, and bounded onto the train with a spring in her step, and Ginny followed her, looking slightly downhearted. With a jump, Neville felt wiry arms wrap around him and hug him close.
"Gran!" he mumbled, trying to get himself free.
"Look after yourself Neville. Make your father proud," she said, with rather more emotion in her voice than normal.
"Err…thanks Gran, I will," he said, pulling his luggage up onto the train, which started moving almost the second he got onto it. He waved out the window as the scarlet steam engine ran down the tracks. Luna and Ginny were waiting in the corridor.
"Let's go find a carriage," Luna said, grabbing the hands of both her friends and dragging them through the train. Looking at Ginny, it was clear that she was quite disgruntled. After being taken past a few compartments full of Slytherin seventh years, they came to a carriage that was empty. He picked up the luggage and stuck it in the overhead storage, before sitting down opposite Luna and Ginny.
"So…where's Harry?" he asked casually. A dark look came over Ginny's face, and he immediately regretted it.
"He, Hermione and my idiot brother have run off to do something for Dumbledore," she muttered bitterly.
"Ah…well it's not like he could really come to Hogwarts now that…you know," he said. Voldemort had taken over they finished in their heads. At least, that was the easiest thing to assume after the new laws that were being passed daily by an alarming new ministry. He pulled the slightly crumpled newspaper out of his jacket, and threw it across to Ginny wordlessly. Her jaw dropped, and her face turned a dangerous shade of red.
"No," she whispered, as she leafed through the pages.
"The Carrows," she muttered to herself.
"They were there the night Dumbledore died," Neville supplied.
"Yeah…I remember," she said darkly.
"How's your stomach now Neville?" Luna asked, her voice still surprisingly bright. He had been hit by a curse during the fight at the Astronomy Tower, and he hadn't been able to eat properly for weeks. Luckily the healers at St. Mungo's had sorted him out in the first week of the holidays.
"It's fine. Gran kept fussing though," he said, sighing.
"I like your Gran," Luna said.
"Yeah…I think she likes you too…first time she hasn't scared a girl away," he said absent-mindedly. Ginny raised her eyebrows, Luna smile broadened and he blushed a deep red.
"So…how was the wedding Ginny?" Neville said, desperately trying to distract from what he just said.
"Good until the Death Eaters turned up," she said.
"What?"
"Didn't you hear? They attacked after they killed Scrimgeour, that's when those three left," she said. Neville sighed. It seemed that all conversation seemed to end up on Harry, Ron and Hermione. An awkward silence descended upon the carriage as each person settled into their own thoughts. Ginny continued to flick through the Daily Prophet and Luna had brought out a copy of the Quibbler to look at. Neville closed his eyes thinking of his three friends and the struggles they faced, and whether they were really hunting Lord Voldemort. The content silence was broken when the carriage door slid open to reveal Seamus Finnigan, looking slightly harassed.
"Hi Neville," he said, dragging his luggage behind him.
"Okay Seamus? Where's Dean?" he asked, standing up to make room for the Irish wizard.
"It's this muggle-born register, he's done a bunk," he said, sitting down.
"What do you mean 'done a bunk'?" Luna said.
"He's gone on the run. I got a letter just before he left," he sighed. There were shocked gasps from the girls and Neville put a hand on his shoulder.
"Do you think he'll be okay?" he asked.
"How do I know? He can apparate, so he's better off than some of the other muggle-borns," Seamus said.
"Have you seen the paper?" Ginny said, passing it over. He looked at it, then swore loudly.
"Well that just makes my day, that does," he said, thumping the wall.
"I don't think anyone's too pleased," Neville said, sitting back down.
"How long till we arrive?" Ginny said absently.
"About half an hour," Seamus said, checking his watch.
"We should get changed into our robes," Luna said. Seamus and Neville nodded, standing up and taking their robes out of their trunks. Luna stared pointedly at Neville, until her walked out of the carriage, robes in arms.
"That Luna Lovegood…does she seem…strange to you?" Seamus said, as he pulled his robes on.
"Yeah…but you get used to it," he said.
"I bet you do," Seamus said, looking at the blond figure in the carriage. The boys walked back in and joined Ginny and Luna. They had barely sat down when the train started slowing down. They stood up and grabbed their trunks, dragging them over to the exit of the train. Neville jumped down onto the platform, helping Luna follow him.
"Everything feels wrong," Luna said, hugging herself against the cold wind that was sweeping the platform.
"You're right," he said, looking at the swarms of children rushing around the platform. There was a security check-point with a dark looking wizard in the booth, checking off names on a list.
"Checking there are no muggles sneaking in," Seamus said darkly.
"Hogwarts isn't going to be the same," Neville said.
