Hogwarts Express
He had no idea what to expect. Chaos, Death Eaters, dementors, family's being split asunder, wayward spells hitting those that had tried to conceal and smuggle their muggle-born's in, Voldemort himself? No, this was far worse. Instead of the expected noise and confusion there was only absolute and total silence. Families scurried across the pale gray stone hushing their frightened children as they ushered them towards the train, sitting lifeless upon its tracks, the very portrait of despair itself. There was no physical sign of any evil upon Platform 9 ¾, though an unpleasant feeling hung in the misty air as the cloudy skies painted shadows upon the cobblestones. Fathers glanced nervously about the open space, mothers hugged their young ones close, and the prefects tried their best to file the students onto the train as quickly as they could. The implied sense of dread was much worse than any physical representation of the new order. One had no idea where the danger lurked…
Neville shoved his trolley warily up to one of the coach doors, unloaded his belongings, and dragged them into the seemingly empty hollow of the steel machine. He walked down through the cars looking from compartment to compartment for any sign of his friends. So far all he had seen were empty seats and sullen looking youths, though every once in a while a first year would be heard whispering excitedly that they could turn their noses green!
"Why hello there, Neville!" said a pleasant and quite unperturbed voice from behind him, "Would you like to join us in this compartment?"
The voice came from non other than his good friend and Ravenclaw, Luna Lovegood. How he had missed her presence in the compartment behind him, he did not know.
"Of course, Luna!" he replied, "I'd love to." A true and warm smile lifted his lips as he entered the compartment and greeted Ginny and Seamus with the same enthusiasm as he had Luna. Stacking his trunk on the shelves above them he took a seat across from Luna and Ginny and began to speak to Seamus about his summer.
"Oh, it wasn't that bad," said Seamus, "The most interesting news we got was that Muggle-born's wouldn't be allowed to attend the school this year, but that was only to be expected anyways."
They're conversation eventually drifted down to the topic that was most prominent in their minds: Harry.
"I believe he has a specific task to do to help us win this war," said Seamus.
"And how exactly do you know that?" asked Ginny, though a certain hint of hope and concern filtered through her voice whenever his name was mentioned.
"Well," said Neville, "It's rather hard sharing the same dormitory with five boys for six years and to not overhear things! They must be doing just that because they haven't been seen all summer, ever since the fall of the ministry. Harry was discussing with Ron last year that they would have to go into hiding to search for something that would help him defeat You-know-who"
"My dad believes so as well!" chimed Luna, "He's been printing stories about the true happenings in the ministry all summer in the Quibbler. He's trying to keep all of the disappearances listed and is doing the real reporting for the Wizarding World. Daddy has always been on Harry's side."
"That's great, Luna!" exclaimed Seamus, "but aren't you worried that the Death Eaters will want that to be all hushed up? Don't you worry about your father?"
"Of course I do," she said, "but they won't try anything for a while and he says that when the time comes he'll just go into hiding like some of the Muggle families. As long as he knows that I'm safe with the professors at Hogwarts he'll be fine!"
Suddenly the train stopped. There was the sound of a trunk falling on someone's head in the compartment behind Neville (which was also accompanied by a loud stream of swears) and compartment doors began to open as the chatter of students intensified. Everyone hushed as the coach door opened and a very squat looking woman (if you could call her a woman) strode in and began walking down the aisles. A moment later a man entered behind her, his appearance much the same, and began to follow her down the aisle all the time whispering to her the names Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, and Hermione Granger.
"Open this door!" shrieked the squat woman as she came to a compartment that was still shut. She practically cracked its glass panels with the force of her pounding fist. The door immediately opened to reveal two third year boys trying very hard to conceal their Weasley's Wizard Wheezes products.
"Filth." stated the woman as she pointed her wand at their contents. "Confringo!" The small amount of sweets burst into flames and the two boys watched in horror as the plastic wrappers melted into the seats.
The siblings, for they obviously were, continued down the aisle. The squat man came to stand in front of Cormac McLaggen, a fellow Gryffindor whose uncle, Tiberius, had strong connections to the Ministry of Magic, who in turn said to the man's face, "My father will hear about this!" The man only smirked at Cormac and asked, with the intention of being heard by everyone in the coach, "Has anyone seen Mr. Harry Potter or any of his known cohorts board the train today?" It seemed like such an absurd and out of place question that Neville, who had remained silent so far, could take it no longer. Rising from his seat, his lips set in a grim line, his eyes suddenly blazed with a fire that would never be quenched. He never could recall why he did it, only that it was the beginning of the most gratifying moments of his life.
"Hey, losers," he said in a loud and commandingly clear voice, "He's not here!"
A sort of scared silence followed this statement as the woman turned to face Neville with a look of surprised shock on her face until she fully became aware of what had just transpired.
"HOLD YOU TONGUE BOY!" she screamed. As she came flying at Neville she stretched out her hand, brought it back behind her head, and swung it about with such ferocity that when it struck his face it sent poor Neville's head smacking into the glass door, and this time the glass did break.
"How dare you speak to us like that, foolish boy! I'll be seeing you in Mr. Filch's office the moment the train reaches Hogwarts, mister…,"
"Longbottom," snarled Neville as he straitened, his shoes cracking upon the glass slivers.
Nodding at him with narrowed eyes the two siblings left through the door and continued to search the next coach. Many of the students near Neville began whispering excitedly and sending him encouraging looks as he massaged his red face.
"Neville!" exclaimed Seamus, "Where the hell did that come from, man?"
"I have no idea," chuckled Neville despite the pain whenever he moved his lips.
"Oh I hate them already and I don't even know who they are! Reparo!" cried Ginny as soon as she had fixed and closed the door again.
"They must be Death Eaters sent to keep a watch on the happenings at Hogwarts this year," mused Luna.
"I wonder who the headmaster is going to be what with Dumbledore… gone…" wondered Ginny.
No one knew the answer. The hour began to grow late as dusk set upon the cloudy sky. They donned their robes and prepared to exit the train as the lights of Hogwarts castle, though numbed and mute, gave them a sign of hope. The train sighed to a halt and with many a hiss and a crack the engine began to cool.
It was so wrong. Professor McGonagall's voice slipped through the thin air calling, "First years! First years hurry this way, please!" The boats upon the dock below the train seemed empty, devoid of life, and utterly too big without the friendly presence of Hagrid.
"Mr. Longbottom," came a drawling voice from behind Neville, "follow me."
Filch led Neville off towards the castle as Luna, Ginny, and Seamus looked sympathetically after him.
