Hi again! Read on and enjoy.

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Yes, things did indeed go wrong. Not only did Voldemort take over the Ministry, but he also took over Hogwarts. And to make matters worse, he appointed Dumbledore's killer as our Headmaster and two Death Eater siblings as professors. As much as I didn't want to go back, Neville and I knew all too well that we had no choice. Some of the new textbooks we got in Diagon Alley were a pretty good indication that our final year would be different in a very unpleasant way.

We tried to distract ourselves in the last days of summer break, but after a while, it just became a bother. Nobody could ignore what was happening, so there was no use in attempting it. When the first of September ultimately arrived, all we could do was drag ourselves out of bed, have some breakfast, and let Augusta take us to King's Cross.

"You sure that dog of yours is all right in your trunk?" she quietly asked me at the platform.

"Yeah, she's used to being smuggled in by now."

"All right, then. And Neville, you've got Tr—oh, I forgot."

Neville grinned slightly at this.

"In the lake, Gran. Remember?"

"Right you are. Better for the both of you, I'd say."

I couldn't help but smile. Trevor had indeed wandered into a pond during our sixth year, but Neville didn't seem all too upset by it.

"Well, off you go," the older woman said. "Be careful, both of you."

The two of us looked out the window at her as the train pulled away and left the platform behind.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Eventually, we wandered into our train car and sat in a booth across from Ginny.

"Hey, Ginny."

"Oh, Neville."

She seemed quite down, not that I could blame her. Harry and Ron's unknown whereabouts probably had her greatly on edge. However, upon remembering something, I spoke up.

"So…we're going to do something with the Army, aren't we?"

"Yeah," the younger girl said, sitting up a bit straighter. "Any ideas, Neville?"

"Well, we need to think of how to get the word out…"

For the next hour or so, the three of us talked about all sorts of ideas regarding Dumbledore's Army, each one seeming even more dangerous than the last. But it felt nice to do something rebellious. After all, we couldn't just stand idly by while Voldemort spread his terror without a whim.

Suddenly, the train came to a stop as black cloudy wisps appeared outside. I had a good idea of what that meant, and when a handful of Death Eaters appeared at the door, my suspicions were realized. As much as I wanted to grab my wand and curse them until their ugly noses bled, that would've been a nasty death waiting to happen. I could only sit stiffly in my seat as they looked around. Then, Neville got up from next to me.

"Hey, losers. He isn't here."

My heart skipped a beat. While I was deeply afraid for him, it was so encouraging to see my friend showing such bravery.

"Stupid boy," one of the burly men muttered as he strode over to us and gave Neville a good shove in the shoulder. "You'd best watch yourself."

Neville sat back down, but we smiled sneakily at each other. Things were deathly quiet for a little bit longer, but once the Death Eaters left the train, both the engines and our chattering started up again.

"Well," Neville muttered, "that's a start, right?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Once we got to Hogwarts, it felt like a different place. Everyone was clad in their school robes, but the Great Hall wasn't nearly as joyful as it used to be. In fact, to my great sorrow, the ceiling wasn't enchanted anymore. The sorting ceremony was a rather stiff affair. Poor McGonagall sounded almost like a robot while calling the names of new students. I knew she wasn't bewitched, though.

No. She's just scared, like all of us.

And I didn't blame her. The two new professors, Amycus and Alecto Carrow, were sitting up at attention in their respective seats at the High Table. The other teachers didn't react to them being there, but it was easy to tell they were trying their best not to inch away from the new editions. When everyone was sorted and our head of house had gone back to her seat, Neville gently nudged my arm from next to me.

"Where d'you think he is?"

He was eyeing the large empty seat where Dumbledore would normally be, and my stomach turned at the thought of Snape taking his place.

"I don't know, but I hope he chokes on his food tonight."

At that moment, the door next to the High Table opened. Praying that he hadn't heard my remark, I lowered my head along with everyone else. I couldn't see anything aside from my empty plate, but the resounding footsteps made it all too clear who had just entered the hall.

"Students, new and returning, you will find that the wizarding world as you once knew it is no more."

Even when he was at his absolute worst while teaching us, I had never hated the sound of his drawling voice more than I did at this moment.

"There will be no further tolerance of lesser talent or unworthy beings. You will all be witnesses to the new age of our world."

By this point, he had gone past the podium and was walking down the middle aisle.

"But for this world to come about, it will require the complete obedience of all who wish to be part of the greater good. Anyone who shows the smallest fraction of disobedience in this school will wish they were never born. This applies to every person within these walls, whether you are a student or a teacher."

It took great restraint on my part to not reach for my wand when I heard him behind me. I would've been disarmed (or even killed) before opening my mouth, of course, but at least I'd be showing that the Death Eaters hadn't destroyed our spirits. Nevertheless, I thought of Mum and Dad, and of how they'd pleaded with me to stay safe for them. Their faces in my mind kept me calm enough to endure the rest of Snape's speech and notice the food appearing on our plates. For the duration of the meal, there was no noise aside from the silverware. Everybody was terrified of putting a single toe out of line, even while eating. And unfortunately, our Headmaster didn't end up choking that night.

We all breathed a bit easier once in the Gryffindor common room. Belle was happy to be back in my arms, and for the moment, we were safe. Professor McGonagall coming in through the portrait was even more of an encouraging sight.

"Children, please gather 'round for a moment."

As soon as all of us were in the room together, she spoke to us in a clear but tense voice.

"I hope all of you know that, like yourselves, I have no love for our new way of life, to say nothing about our new staff members."

Several people muttered in agreement.

"But for your own safety, please listen. All of you must obey the rules put into place by the Headmaster." There was obvious disdain in the way she said the word, but it didn't stop the objections. "I say this because it's not the same as it was. In previous years, we learned magic for the sake of strengthening our knowledge of this gift and, if the need should arise, to protect ourselves. Now, you will have to protect yourselves each and every day. The Headmaster, someone who was supposed to protect you and help you learn, has betrayed us all and used murder to obtain his position. Evil has breached our walls, and there is no getting rid of it at the moment. I will do all I can to keep each and every student safe, as will all other teachers loyal to Professor Dumbledore's cause. But in dealing with these vile people, you cannot give them any reason to harm you, because they will harm you. They will harm your loved ones to scare you into obeying. And if they wish, it's entirely possible that they will kill you."

The whole room stayed silent for a long time.

"That having been said, the Sorting Hat placed you all in Gryffindor for a reason. I'd advise you to hold your friends close and remain courageous, no matter what this year will entail. It's what our late and true Headmaster would want."

Just then, I felt an urge to do something. I took Neville's hand into mine, while reaching out to grab Seamus's hand.

"For Dumbledore," I said, lifting their hands and looking at McGonagall with all the strength I had.

Neville smiled down at me and spoke.

"For Dumbledore."

"For Dumbledore," Seamus added.

Pretty soon, Ginny, Dean, and everyone else joined in. With our hands locked, we made our loyalty known.

"For Dumbledore!"

"Yes, for Dumbledore," the professor said.

And for the first time that night, she smiled.

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