Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise in this nor any of the following one shots, that you recognise.

This collection is written for the Life At Hogwarts Competition, and also the Scavenger Hunt. None of the following oneshots are connected, but they do all take place sometime in the school year we didn't see while Harry, Ron and Hermione were off hunting Horcruxes. Enjoy :)

A/N - a few details in this, specifically regarding to Romilda's blood status might not be canon, but it worked to fit my story. So, if I'm wrong, I apologise.

Beta'd by the darling Michy, who is perfect. Any mistakes left are mine, and mine alone.

Also written for the Disney Character Competition - Ray - Romilda Vane.

Word Count Without A/N - 766

Torches In The Dark

Romilda had been described as many things during her time at Hogwarts. Vapid. Silly. A dreamer. Such descriptions would have been correct before this year. This year, she could be described by very different words. Terrified. Scared. Frightened. They all shared the same meaning and yet, she would swear she could feel each of them in equally copious amounts.

Hogwarts wasn't Hogwarts any more. The ghosts didn't stop to talk to the students, fearful of getting them in trouble. The teachers didn't talk to the students about anything outside of the subject they taught, fearful of getting them in trouble. The students didn't talk to the students at all, for fear of getting themselves and their friends in trouble.

Trouble at Hogwarts was dangerous these days. Detentions involving lines and cleaning classrooms or cauldrons were a thing of the past. Detentions now held horrors that before, only the seventh years would have even learned about. Unforgivable curses, whips and chains, nothing was too much for the new Deputies.

Professor Carrow and Professor Carrow. Two people who should never have been allowed anywhere near children were in charge of punishments. They took delight in them, cackled with laughter at the prospect of using the Cruciatus Curse on a first year student. The very thought made her shudder in horror.

The school year had only just begun. They were three weeks in, and already, the pressure to be perfect, to be well behaved, was mounting on them all. She was a half-blood Gryffindor, and in this new order, that made her a second class citizen. All Muggle-borns were gone now. She preferred not to think about where and why, because they all knew, so why torture themselves? Half-bloods and Gryffindors were the new targets, and being both, she was a prime target.

She sat in class and in the Great Hall with her head down, lest she draw attention to herself. She memorised her text books for when one of them called on her for an answer. She worked for hours on a single piece of homework, perfecting it, so they wouldn't find a reason to punish her.

Fun was a foreign feeling. She didn't even register the loss any more. Three weeks already felt like a lifetime, but those who hadn't learned the new rules quickly had found themselves in for a world of pain.

She was scared for herself, and she was scared for her friends, but most of all, she was scared for Hogwarts, and its way of life. Things would only get worse, that much was plain for all to see, and she wondered how much it would take before the first crack appeared in the foundations. Would it take the death of a student to make people see how wrong it was? And even if they did see it, would anything change? Was anyone capable of standing up to the monsters that had taken over their home?

Neville Longbottom was looking more and more likely to be the first crack to appear. He was walking around the school with his head held high, refusing to be afraid. She envied him the confidence and, more importantly,the courage it must have been taking him to do such a thing. She was thankful for him though, because when she watched him, it gave her hope, and she knew others felt the same.

She had heard him talking to Ginny Weasley in the common room, their hushed tones grabbing the attention of everyone present. They were trying to find a hiding place large enough for anyone who needed it to move to when things became too bad. The rush of gratitude she felt brought tears to her eyes, because it reminded her that even when they were surrounded by darkness, a few people could become torches to help others see the light.

With people like Neville Longbottom, and Ginny Weasley, there was still hope for the students who failed to meet with the impossible expectations of the new reign at Hogwarts. There was still the slightest possibility of getting away from the school alive. The merest of chances to escape to another place, another country even, to live life the way it was supposed to be lived.

Life full of fun, and laughter. Of talking with friends, or reading a book for the fun of reading, or dancing and running and jumping. Because life at Hogwarts was no longer a life worth living. It was harsh. It was exhausting. It was hopeless. It was darkness.