CHAPTER FOUR

The Carrows


The next morning, the front page of the newspaper was adorned with a full-page picture of Harry's face. The title "Undesirable No. 1" was emblazoned across the top where the headline was usually positioned. Ginny was not sure where they had gotten the picture of him; it was fairly recent, within the last year or so. He wore a Weasley sweater. Ginny wondered whether they had not been able to find a more threatening photo of him, because Harry looked less like a murderer than anyone she had ever seen. He was just staring at the camera, expression withdrawn but attentive. His green eyes were blinking slowly. All across the Great Hall, students were unrolling newspapers with his face upon them. Most people just looked down in quiet shock, but still others were whispering or frowning. A group of Slytherins were laughing.

Ginny read the description underneath his picture:

Name: Harry James Potter

DOB: 31/7/1980

Age: 17

Blood Status: Half-blood

Hair Color: Black

Eye Color: Green

Height: 5 feet 8 inches

Wand: Holly 11 inches, Phoenix Feather core

Notes: Undesirable No. 1 - Wanted for the murder of Albus Dumbledore. Dangerous, do not engage. 10,000 Galleon Reward for the capture of him and his wand.

"Hello, Ginny," said a voice.

It was Luna, once again wearing her radish earrings. A necklace of butterbeer corks dangled from around her throat. She had her wand pinned into a loose bun at the base of her neck, but strands of her dirty blonde hair kept falling forward in front of her eyes. Ginny wondered how she could see anything at all, but Luna took the seat on the other side of the table and reached for the jug of orange juice without any sort of trouble.

"Good morning," Ginny replied. "I take it you've read this?"

"Why bother? It's not the truth. Daddy is going to have the real version of what happened at the Ministry for Saturday's edition of the Quibbler."

Ginny quickly flipped to the next page and turned it around for Luna to read. "It doesn't even talk about the Ministry break-in. There's very little information at all! Look!"

Luna wrinkled her nose while she read, tapping one finger to the point of her chin. Her purple nail varnish was chipped in places. The article on the next page focused almost exclusively on new evidence that supposedly linked Harry to the death of Albus Dumbledore. It was complete nonsense. When Luna finally finished reading, she merely shrugged disapprovingly and returned to her breakfast. Ginny made a prompting noise in the back of her throat.

"They took testimony from the Carrows and Elias Jugson, although it doesn't say why those three were even at Hogwarts in the first place! Can you believe this?"

The smile on Luna's face was far too understanding for Ginny's taste. "We knew this was going to happen."

"But why didn't they even talk about what happened yesterday?" Ginny said, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I need to know that Ron's okay."

"Daddy will have more information, I promise," Luna replied in a reassuring voice. "I know you're worried, and I think we would know if something really bad had happened. We just have to wait until Saturday."

Ginny wasn't sure if "worried" was a strong enough word to describe how she was currently feeling. She had been awake most of the night, staring up at the ceiling of her four-poster and wondering why in the world they would have needed to break into the Ministry. "Worried" was how she had felt the night before her O.W.L.s. This was dread. She was dreading bad news.

Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever…

With a quick shake of her head, Ginny pushed that thought away and continued to flip through the newspaper. The rest was filled with status updates on the war (the Ministry was still trying to insist that they were close to stopping You-Know-Who) as well as half-hearted attempts at cheerful articles. Ginny paused on the Quidditch standings; she didn't have a clue who was good this year. It appeared as though the Chudley Cannons were bottom of the league again. There was a match with them against the Ballycastle Bats on Sunday. Perhaps she could put it on the wireless in the Common Room…

"You know, I think we have Practical Magic together," Luna said vaguely.

Ginny wasn't paying. She had turned the page and stumbled upon a new article. Disgust rose in her throat as she read further and further down. "Get a load of this bullshit," she said bitterly. "Ministry Decriminalizes the Use of the Unforgivable Curses."

"Really?" Luna said.

"In an unprecedented act on Monday evening, the Wizengamot voted 38 to 12 yesterday to decriminalize the use of the Unforgivable Curses. Spokesman for the Auror department, Timothy Tottlemayer, said in an exclusive interview this morning that he believes the decision was a good one. 'It's a curse!' he told reporters. 'A curse can't be unforgivable. A curse is just a curse.' The Wizengamot will still hold trials where cases of unlawful murder, torture, and control are in question, but the decision was made to protect those who use the three curses to defend their homes and loved ones. 'We're at war,' Tottlemayer continued. 'With Undesirable No. 1 still at large, I think all of us will sleep a little easier at night when we know that we can use the curses when threatened.' This decision followed last year's landmark vote to allow Aurors to use the curses against You-Know-Who and his followers. For more information about this decision, please continue to Page 23."

Luna looked appropriately troubled. "Oh dear."

"Remember yesterday?" Ginny asked her, lowering her voice. "Carrow used an Unforgivable on Seamus, and Snape said that they were now allowed to use magic as a form of punishment. This has to be related. They are going to torture us."

"Personally, I'm more concerned about the Imperius curse," said Luna.

Ginny shuddered. She didn't want to admit it out loud, but the implication of having someone force their way inside her head — again — bothered her immensely. Perhaps something of it showed on her face, because Luna reached across the table to hold her hand.

"Harry knew how to resist it," Ginny continued. "He had to demonstrate it in front of Moody's class. Ron told me all about it. I wish I could have asked how to do it."

"Maybe Neville remembers?" Luna suggested.

"Maybe."

Ginny withdrew her hand to check her wristwatch. It was almost time for morning classes, and she definitely did not want to be late to Amycus Carrow's class without good reason. She made to stand up, and then Luna's words came back to her in a rush of hope. "Did you say that you had Practical Magic first thing this morning?"

"Yes," said Luna. "I did."

"Me too! What do you have after lunch?"

"Muggle Studies."

Some of Ginny's anxieties rushed out of her like air leaving a taut balloon. "Oh, thank Merlin! I was worried I would have to endure those classes alone."

"You're never alone, Ginny," Luna replied automatically.

"You're sweet," Ginny said bitterly, "But I've definitely been alone in this castle before, and I'd rather not repeat it."

She waited until Luna was finished with her breakfast, and then the two of them left the Great Hall for Practical Magic together. Ginny's first impression of the classroom was that absolutely nothing had changed from the previous year. In fact, she thought she'd made a mistake upon entering the room. It was almost as if the last few months had not even happened. When Professor Snape had taught Defense Against the Dark Arts, there had been pictures of various curses and other dark creatures lining the walls. Those pictures were still there, and not a single one was out of place. There was even a fine layer of dust upon the glass to mark the passage of time. Amycus Carrow, it seemed, was not one for decorating.

The Death Eater was already there, learning against his desk at the front of the room. He watched them enter with an ill-disguised excitement gleaming in his narrowed eyes. Ginny ignored his attempt at pleasantries. There was something about Carrow that made her stomach knot uncomfortably. Warning bells were going off inside her head, and she usually had a pretty good measure for people. Overall, the room was awkwardly silent despite the fact that it was nearly full. Most of their classmates had walked up from the Great Hall together, united in the unspoken agreement that being early was probably the best policy. Ginny and Luna grabbed a table on the right-hand side of the classroom, as close to the middle of the room as they could manage. Out of all the seats that had been left, Ginny figured this was the most inconspicuous. She did not want to stand out any more than she already did.

The eight o'clock bell rang, and Carrow waved his wand. Behind them, the door clanged shut.

"Good morning," he said, unrolling a scroll of parchment. "My name is Professor Carrow. I will be teaching The Study of Practical Magic. It used to be called Defense Against the Dark Arts, but we changed it. I understand that you have had a different teacher every year. Don't worry if you feel like there have been giants gaps in your instruction, because we are starting a new curriculum this year. Everyone will be on the same page. This curriculum has been proven effective; in fact, all the students at Durmstrang believe it has prepared them for all their after-school endeavors. Any questions?"

Nobody raised their hand.

"Excellent," said Carrow. "I will now give you a demonstration."

From underneath his desk, Carrow pulled out a small wire cage. Ginny, who had been expecting another kitten, was not exactly relieved to see that it contained nothing more than a common dormouse. The little creature was a grayish-brown color, with large black eyes and a pink tail. It stretched out onto its back legs to investigate the top of the cage for an escape route. Upon finding none, however, it sat back on its haunches to clean its whiskers. The poor thing obviously had no idea what was going to happen to it.

Carrow jabbed his wand at the mouse, immobilizing it. He stuck his hand in and pulled it out, presenting it to them like a cat with a particularly nasty kill.

"This," he said, rather harshly, "is a pest. It was found wandering around in the kitchens. The Bleedin' Elves would have killed it, so don't you go crying to Professor McGonagall about animal cruelty. You hear me?"

They didn't respond.

"Are you all mute? I expect an answer when I ask you question!"

"Yes, Professor Carrow," they chanted obediently.

"Thank you," he replied. "Now I'm about to show you three curses that used to be called the Unforgivable Curses. Prior to yesterday, the Ministry considered them too dangerous for common use, but they were decriminalized. Anybody know why?"

There was a long drawn out pause, until Douglas (the new, previously homeschool, Gryffindor) raised his hand. Carrow nodded for him to speak. "There was an article in the newspaper today. It said that it was decriminalized so that we could protect ourselves in the war."

"Yeah," said Carrow. "A point to Gryffindor...for, uh, reading the newspaper."

"Thank you," said Douglas, surprised. "But I have a question."

Ginny exchanged a sudden, worried glance with Luna.

"A question?"

Douglas nodded. "Yes. Personally, I can't see how the Imperius Curse could be used in self-defense. If you're close enough to use such a spell, wouldn't it make more sense to use an offensive jinx or something. I want to know what standards the Ministry will be using to monitor the use of the spell."

Professor Carrow looked both perplexed and annoyed. "I have no idea how the Ministry plans to monitor those who use the curses. All I know is that it has been decriminalized, and that's all you should bother with remembering. That's not an important question. Only stick to important questions in my classroom."

Douglas opened his mouth to say something more, but one of their classmates, Jun Li, kicked him discreetly under the table. Professor Carrow returned to the poor mouse in his hand. He placed it on the desk, drew an invisible square around it with his wand, and then released the immobilizing spell that held it still. The mouse immediately darted for the edge of the desk, but it quickly encountered the magic barrier. Tiny paws patted the air around it, looking for some sort of purchase. Ginny suddenly felt queasy.

"Now, I will demonstrate the three curses for you today. We will not be using them right now but rest assured that we will get to them later on in the curriculum. I will start with the Imperius Curse."

He raised his wand above the little mouse, who was still trying to find a way out of the invisible box. "Imperio!"

Ginny watched as the mouse froze, whiskers twitching. Professor Carrow removed the barrier, and then the mouse suddenly sauntered across the desk on two feet. It spun around in circles, swung its tail around like a lasso, and even danced a little two-step. He then made it skip and do a backflip. Nobody laughed except their professor, who seemed to find the sight immensely funny. At the table behind Ginny, Alannis was making quiet little whimpering noises.

"Boring lot, you are," Professor Carrow said indignantly. "The other sixth year class thought it was hilarious."

Ginny did not find this statement surprising, especially since the other sixth year class contained mostly Slytherins. She felt sorry for the poor Hufflepuffs who had to endure that. Carrow tried a few more times to entice a chuckle from them. The mouse played jump rope with its own tail and then hopped around like a kangaroo. A few of the Ravenclaws offered little smiles of acquiescence, but otherwise, the class was entirely silent.

Carrow released the spell. The mouse lay panting on the desk, unused to stretching its body to such capacities. "That was the Imperious Curse. It gives you complete control of your target. You have to have a strong, willful mind to control another, but it is something that you can practice. The next spell is the Cruciatus Curse."

Once again, he pointed his wand at the little mouse. "Crucio!"

It let out a little scream, its body twitching on the surface of the desk in agony. Ginny had never imagined that such a pitiful sound could come from such tiny creature, and she felt every nerve in her body cringe away from the noise. Even though she had seen the Cruciatus Curse a few times before — with the most recent being yesterday — it still did not prepare her for the experience. Beside her, Luna flinched visibly.

When the spell was removed, the little mouse flopped over onto its side. It struggled to its feet almost instantly and darted for the edge of the desk. Carrow watched the desperate bid for freedom with a morbid fascination on his face. When it was almost to the edge, he pointed his wand and said; "Avada Kedavra!"

There was a green flash of light and a rushing sound. In the blink of an eye, the little mouse was dead. Momentum carried its body all the way off the desk and onto the floor, where it lay still and unmoving. Nobody breathed a word. The classroom was silent. Underneath the desk, Luna and Ginny were holding hands so tightly that they were in danger of breaking each other's fingers. Nausea rose in Ginny's throat, yet she did not move or blink or show any sign of weakness. Carrow was smiling.

o – o – o – o – o – o - o

"Harry," she said, lifting her head off his chest. "Can I ask you a question?"

Her boyfriend stirred sleepily, mumbled something inaudible, and ran a hand over his face (nearly dislodging his glasses in the process). It was very warm and comfortable where they lay, on a blanket under the beech tree. The only other people around were a couple of third years splashing in the shallows of the lake. Harry and Ginny had retreated here for some privacy and to continue procrastinating the mountain of weekend homework waiting for them in the Common Room. A question had come to Ginny while they dozed, and it wouldn't leave her even when she tried to sink back into the haze of sleep. Right now, though, Harry looked so peaceful and relaxed that she almost lost her nerve.

"Were you sleeping?" she asked.

"No," he lied, grinning.

She swatted him on the arm. "Yes, you were!"

His green eyes glittered mischievously. In response, he cupped a hand on the back of her neck and gently pushed her down for a kiss, resuming where they had left off nearly twenty minutes ago. Ginny's stomach fluttered pleasantly at the sensation of his lips pressed against hers, and she could feel the skin of his collarbone flush with heat beneath her fingertips. Her head spun with dizzy euphoria. He smelled good, like sandalwood and broomstick polish. When they finally broke apart, they were close enough that she could count each and every one of his eyelashes. Harry wore a relaxed smirk on his face, and his lips were slightly more red than usual after such a kiss. It was a look he wore only for her when no one else was around.

"Didn't you have a question?" he asked. The hand that had rested on the back of her neck was now sliding through the long strands of her hair. It felt good; Ginny liked it when Harry played with her hair.

"It's not really important."

"Well, now I'm intrigued…"

"Fine," she said, toying with how best to phrase her question. "I wanted to ask you what the Killing Curse looked like."

"Why do you want to know a thing like that?"

"Well, for my Defense O.W.L., but also...I was wondering what happened the night your parents died."

Harry blinked. "Oh."

That smirk he wore had disappeared, but he was neither angry nor upset at the question. He drew back a little, regarding her seriously. She could practically see him retreating further behind the figurative walls that kept them from real intimacy. Ginny wondered if he was trying to decide just how much to say. Harry always spoke in little half-truths; he didn't trust her enough to reveal everything, and it was something that bothered Ginny immensely. She had never voiced her concerns out loud to him, though.

"Well," he started. "The Killing Curse just looks like a flash of green light."

She frowned. "That's it? Green light?"

"Well, there's also a rushing noise."

"Do you remember the night your parents died?"

Harry was not quite meeting her eyes anymore. He was staring up at the canopy of leaves overhead. "Not directly."

"What do you mean by 'not directly'?"

"I don't have any substantial memories of that night, but I remember it because that's what I remember when the Dementors get too close. I can hear my parents yelling, mostly. My father told my mother to take me and run before he rushed out to face Voldemort. I can also hear my mother pleading for my life, as well as her scream when she...died."

"That's horrible," said Ginny in a whisper.

Harry shrugged. "It is what it is."

He was still not looking at her, so Ginny lay back down against the blanket beneath them. She was curled on her side so that she could look at his profile; watch the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed. They were just teenagers, struggling beneath the weight of memories that they should not have been forced to endure in the first place. She had always wondered. Of course, Tom had pried her for every last detail, but she had only known the bare minimum. Which, in hindsight, had been a blessing.

"You know," said Ginny, changing the subject. "Green is my favorite color."

"Well, I didn't know that," Harry responded. "Is it really? Like Slytherin green?"

"Merlin, no," she said, knowing that the moment had passed. Harry had turned back to her. "I like dark green, like earthy green...or the color of trees that stay green through the winter."

"Or the color of the Holyhead Harpies uniform?"

She scoffed playfully. "Oh, shut up."

"Make me, Weasley," he said, laughing. The smirk had returned.

His hand was once again at the back of her neck, fingers intertwined in her long hair. Green was her favorite color: green like his eyes. She could spend an entirety staring into his eyes. Ginny leaned forward to kiss him once again.

o – o – o – o – o – o – o

Neville walked them to Muggle Studies, his own hands shoved deep within the pockets of his robes. He didn't try to make conversation, or offer any sort of explanation for what they had just been forced to witness, but Ginny still appreciated the gesture nevertheless. Lunch had been a silent affair.

"...the only way we're going to get through this is if we stick together."

It was a mantra that Ginny had been repeating over and over in her head since the demonstration in Practical Magic. Alone, they were like the mouse, destined for torture and possibly death at the hands of the Carrows. Together, however...well, it was the best chance they had.

When they finally reached their destination, Neville turned to them and offered a small, understanding grimace. It was a true mark of camaraderie. Ginny tried to offer him a smile in return, but she could not muster the strength to do it. She was very tired, and they still had another double period with a Death Eater.

"She's a lot easier than her brother, I promise," Neville said.

Ginny nodded absently.

"Just...keep your chin up and think about Thursday."

"Right," said Luna, looping her arm around Ginny's. "Thursday."

"Yeah," he said. "Just two more days. That's what I keep telling myself. Then they are going to regret their decision to ever stepped foot in Hogwarts."

"I look forward to it," Ginny replied. "See you later."

They watched Neville head back down the corridor toward the Grand Staircase for his next class. He passed a group of timid first years, and Ginny found it amusing that he stood head and shoulders above all but the tallest of them. This did not stop him from offering a friendly smile, though, and when one of them asked where History of Magic classroom was located, he pointed them in the right direction.

He's a good kid, thought Ginny. Better than most.

The bell that signaled the end of lunch had not yet been rung, and they joined the line waiting to get into the classroom. Ginny and Luna found themselves standing behind Ida, who was carefully brushing away the tear tracks that were still evident on her face. Douglas was frowning at the things Jun Li was hurriedly whispering to him. None of them acknowledged Ginny though, which suited her just fine.

When the bell rang, the door automatically swung inward to let them inside. Professor Carrow was not there yet, evidently still making her way upstairs from the Great Hall. Ginny had never been inside the Muggle Studies classroom before. She had considered taking the class back in third year, at her father's enthusiastic suggestion, but she chose Arithmancy instead. The Muggle Studies classroom was structured for lectures, with raised benches on either side of the room and a platform for the teacher at one end. It was not decorated very intricately, but some effort had been made by the teacher to convey the change in curriculum. There were pictures evenly spaced along the walls, depicting grotesquely drawn Muggles with large and exaggerated facial features. All of them were drawn as monsters; some attacked wizards with what Ginny recognized as guns, while other pictures showed them beating their offspring with wooden paddles. One picture even depicted a car crash. The Muggle's blood and guts were strewn across the pavement while onlookers stood around and ogled the scene.

On a table by the teacher's desk, there were stacks upon stacks of pink brochures ready to be distributed. Ginny caught a glimpse of the title: Mudbloods and the Dangers They Pose to a Perfect Pureblood Society.

Luna was also looking around at the pictures. Her grip on Ginny's arm suddenly tightened. "Ooh, I just got an idea for our first project."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

"Our first project for...you know...our study club!"

"Oh! Good!"

Right at that moment, however, Professor Alecto Carrow hurried into the classroom, her face furrowed into lines of fury. They watched her stomp to her desk, pull out a stack of detention slips, and then furiously march back outside. Ginny exchanged a bewildered look with several of her classmates. No one had even taken a seat yet.

"What was that about?" asked one of the Ravenclaws.

"There was a commotion with a couple of first years," said another, shrugging.

Ginny looked at the empty seats situated around the classroom and unhooked her arm away from Luna. "Save me a spot, okay? I'll be right back."

"But where are you going?" Luna asked.

"Bathroom," she replied. "I'll be back before the class bell."

Ginny slipped through the incoming crowd; the halls were full of students headed to their next class after lunch. She was not entirely sure where the female Professor Carrow had gone, but she followed the shouts and commotion that originated on the Grand Staircase. Ginny crept over, practically unseen, and crouched in the doorway. She hoped that Neville wasn't involved, but thankfully, she could not see his blond hair anywhere in the crowd. Alecto Carrow stood over a pair of first year students, both in Hufflepuff. The smaller of the two girls was crying, and the Death Eater's hand was shaking with rage as she scribbled on a detention slip.

"But Professor Mc-McGonagall said…"

"I don't care what she said! You are not allowed to wear such an offending pair of shoes!" said Carrow. "Filthy Muggles wear shoes like that, and you are not a filthy Muggle!"

Ginny looked down. The little girl had on a pair of bright pink trainers, the kind she would have seen on a similarly-aged student in Muggle London. They looked brand new. Such alterations were not exactly allowed by the Hogwarts dress code, but most teachers would have just given a verbal reminder, especially to a first year on the second day of school. It did not seem as though Professor Carrow was going to let something so trivial go without punishment. And then suddenly, Ginny had a wonderful idea.

Withdrawing her wand from the inside pocket of her robes, Ginny pointed it at Professor Carrow and watched as the entire stack of detention slips rocketed from her hands and fluttered like confetti over the bannister of the Grand Staircase. Luckily, her chuckle of triumph was disguised underneath Carrow's scream of fury. She reached for the ones still floating above her head, nearly losing her balance as the stairs chose that precise moment to move. Before anyone could realize that she was there, Ginny crept back up the corridor and slipped into her classroom right as the five-minute bell rang.

"She's going to be a little late to class," Ginny said, plopping down in the seat next to Luna.

Luna grinned. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," she replied, batting her eyelashes innocently. The prank had given her the rush of energy that she so desperately needed after such a brutal morning. "A gust of wind took all of Professor Carrow's detention slips. Such a shame!"

"Nice!"

"Anyway, what was your idea?"

Luna gestured to the tables with the brochures still sitting expectantly on the table. "We pass out fliers."

"Fliers for what?"

"For the D.A.," Luna whispered.

Ginny shook her head. "I'm not passing out any fliers. I'm trying not to give them any excuse to go after my family, remember?"

"Sorry, I meant we leave fliers around for people to find."

Ginny shushed her just as the door banged open once more. Professor Carrow hurried in, puffing hard from exertion. Her face was nearly as beet-red as her hair. She threw a bunch of crumpled detention slips back into a desk drawer, and then she turned to face them. The entire class was already seated. Quills sat poised in inkwells and rolls of parchment lay uncurled on the desktops. If Carrow was surprised or appreciative, she did not show it.

"I'm Professor Carrow. Remain quiet while I pass out your textbooks and Ministry-approved pamphlets."

Ginny nudged Luna with her elbow. She then took out her quill and scribbled on a spare piece of paper hidden under her roll of parchment.

Why fliers?

Luna double-checked to make sure that Carrow was not watching, and then she wrote: To coincide with the Quibbler on Saturday.

Those are going to get banned, you know. Just like 4th year.

Exactly. There was a smile on Luna's face. She looked excited. Do you remember what happened when Umbridge banned the Quibbler back then?

"Oh yeah," Ginny whispered, surprised. How could she have forgotten? Almost everyone in the school had read it.

Professor Carrow was now making her way down the second aisle. Ginny barely remembered to vanish their writing just in time to receive her new textbook and pamphlet. She accepted hers with the fakest smile she could muster. The book was entitled, A Study of Inferiority; the Muggle Lifestyle. On the front cover was a picture of a toaster, very similar to the one Ginny's father had stashed in his shed. She pushed the book to the farthest corner of her desk where it would remain until the end of class. She had no plans to actually open it.

When Carrow moved along to the next row, Luna pulled the parchment back to her. Think about it: everyone is very confused right now. This will clear up any confusion. Might as well let them know exactly where we stand.