Sneak and Creep

December came with a swarm of snow. November had passed, and been fairly quiet. Stella, Lorcan and Lysander had managed to avoid Rolf for an extremely lucky amount of time. The truth was, Rolf hadn't told anyone about Luna leaving him, and he was too embarrassed. So, Luna had had time to recover, her bruises had disappeared and her arms had heeled quickly. The only problem was the fact that she flinched every time someone moved too quickly. Neville hadn't been to visit yet, he said he would try… but he hadn't.

Neville was sitting in the Hogshead with a hood pulled up and head down. The Hogshead was filled with shifty people; he would go by unnoticed here. His plan was to head to Hogwarts; he needed to get an insider's view. Neville would wait out the night in Hogsmede then sneak up in the early hours of the morning. A huge figure walked into the Hogshead at that moment, he slumped down in a corner of the room. Neville watched him intently, not sure if he could believe his eyes.

When Neville had last seen Hagrid he had been full of life, his beard (though still a tangled mess) had been clean and a dark brown, unlike this Hagrid whose beard was greying along with his hair. His eyes had deep lines around them; his hair was filthy along with his clothes. Neville choked on his drink at this site, after a short coughing fit he headed over to the corner.

"Hagrid?" he whispered. Hagrid startled, he hadn't noticed Neville come over.

"Who's askin'?" he asked gruffly, picking up his drink. From the strong smell Neville assumed it wasn't Hagrid's first firewhiskey of the evening.

"An old friend." Neville looked up, giving Hagrid the first proper look at his face. Hagrid spilt his drink over himself as he started. Last time he had seen Neville he had been a boy, not long finished at Hogwarts.

"Neville?" gasped Hagrid.

"Shhh!" muttered Neville nervously. He looked around before saying "let's have a chat somewhere more…private." Neville suggested. Hagrid nodded silently, he then headed to the bar.

"Ab, could I have a room for tonight?" Hagrid asked quietly, Aberforth looked at Neville.

"Of course, Hagrid. I'll take you up."

When they reached the room Aberforth left them. Hagrid sat down, and Neville followed suit.

"You may want to cast a spell that means we won't be...over'eard." muttered Hagrid to Neville. Neville quickly did "Well…what brings you back 'ere, Neville?"

"How much do you know about what's going on at Hogwarts now, Hagrid?"

"Nothin', lost ma job…obviously, and 'aven't been there since." Hagrid told him.

"Well…things are happening, Hagrid, not nice things. Kids are getting hurt. Any rebellion left is quickly dying out. It won't just be Britain he's controlling, he's going to go abroad. You remember Krum?"
Hagrid nodded.

"He's headmaster at Durmstrang. Apparently, they've been receiving a few threats recently, them and other schools in Europe and even a few in America. It isn't only Hogwarts at threat anymore, it's the entire world."
Hagrid's face paled beneath the layer of dirt, he swallowed before asking,

"What can I do?"

James sat alone by the lake. He was listing off the Death eaters that he knew in his head, again. This must have been the hundredth time he'd done it, with no success. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by Maddie; she jumped down next to him, pressing herself close to him.

"Hey, James!" she said brightly, making him wince as her voice echoed over the quiet, peaceful grounds.

"Hi…" he said, getting up and moving towards the water's edge, she followed.

"You know James, I love it when it's like this!" she said loudly, slipping her arm through his "Just you and me!"

"Hmmm…"said James. He didn't want a conversation with Maddie; he had already rejected her once, a bit before dating Adele and didn't want to do it again.

"James, you like me don't you?" she whispered in his ear, as she battered her eye lashes. James knew she was trying to be sexy, but she just looked like she had something in her eye.

"Maddie-"

"Because I was wondering if you wanted to maybe spend a little more time alone?" she whispered, pressing herself against him, James pushed her away.

"Jesus Christ, Maddie!" he snapped "I've got a girlfriend and I will never stop looking for her, I will not move on from her, not until I have evidence that she's…she's…" James's sentence died out.

"Dead?" said Maddie coldly. Glaring at James with strong hatred "I don't know why you like her, she's not even attractive!"
"Because, Maddie, she cares about me. She gets me. And you know what, that's pretty rare! And for your information, I think she's gorgeous." James turned and left Maddie standing alone by the lake in the darkening sky.

Maddie was fuming, she though that over two months James would have forgotten about Adele. Instead she'd been rejected, again.

"No one rejects me, I'll show him. Bastard." She mumbled under her breath as she stormed down the corridor. She stopped at an office door and knocked, it creaked open. Standing behind it stood Amycus Carrow, with a nasty grin on his face. "I've come to report someone." She said.

"Come in." Carrow opened the door, revealing his sister sitting behind the desk with a glass of firewhiskey in one hand.

"Who are you reporting then?" asked Alecto, her voice slurred.

"James Potter."

Silence. It hung in the air for only a moment before the Carrow's face split into a grin.

"Brilliant!" they both cheered, but before they could advance out of the room Snape entered.

"And what has James Potter done?" his voice asked, with a slight sneer in it.

"He insulted the Dark lord, sir…I heard him, sir. He said the most horrible things; I guess this is what happens when you're born into that kind of family, though, sir." She said, looking down at her feet as she lied.

"Hmm…" Snape raised an eyebrow at her.

"How do we punish him, though?" asked Amycus "That's the real question."

"Sister?" suggested Alecto.

"Maybe…a little more than that." Grinned Amycus nastily.

Night had fallen, Neville was heading to Hogwarts. He had asked Hagrid not to come, his large figure would to noticeable, but he had come to help Neville get in.

"Are you sure this will work, Hagrid?"
"Always 'ad for me," Hagrid said gruffly "all you has to do is tap it and say the password, only the 'eadmaster could change it and as Dumbledore always assumed McGonagall to be 'ead he only told her. So, Snape probably doesn't even know!" Hagrid said, finishing with a grin.

"Brilliant!" said Neville, he walked towards the wall in-front of him and tapped one brick, then the next on the left, then on the right, after about seven bricks he stopped. "tonesedon tead principem"he murmured with a complicated wand movement. The bricks shone a bright silver for a second, Neville stood waiting when Hagrid quickly shoved him forward. Neville fell through the brick wall and landed on the other side, he looked back to see an ordinary wall and smiled. He pulled up his hood and headed across the school grounds, towards the castle.

Neville did not know this, but he wasn't the only one heading for the castle in the dead of night. A young man of twenty was heading towards the castle; he had a thick head of brown curly hair and dark brown eyes that flicked across the scene in-front of him, taking in every detail. He had a long dark cloak that hid his face; he reached the school's entrance exactly three minutes before Neville. He walked in, the door creaking in the silent night. The man had been hiding out in the forest since Saturday, when students went in and out of Hogsmede and he had gotten the opportunity to slip in and hide. The man slipped silently through the night and through the corridors. He was heading for Ravenclaw common room.

As Neville and the mysterious man crept through the castle James sat in the common room. He had received a note saying that he must wait in the common room for a teacher; they need to show him something. He had been waiting all night and had finally drifted off to sleep. Suddenly, three figures slipped into the room, the Carrows and Greyback had come for James. He was roughly shaken awake.

"Get up!" snapped Greyback, pulling James up.

"What do you have to show me?" asked James, getting to the point. He glared at Alecto as Amycus took hold of his opposite arm (Greyback had the other) and gave him a little shake.

"You'll see, boy." Alecto said "blindfold him!"

Before James could do anything a thick piece of cloth was wrapped around his eyes, a hand had clamped over his mouth and he was being dragged out of the common room by Greyback and Amycus Carrow. Alecto had stayed behind; her job was to find the sister.

She snuck up to the girl dormitories and crept into Lily's room, the girls all lay sleeping soundlessly. Alecto snuck forwards, past the first two beds and to the third, Lily lay sleeping peacefully. Carrow grinned nastily, her hand shot out and covered her mouth as she shook her awake, stopping her gasp of shock.

"You need to come with me." She whispered nastily, pulling Lily out of bed and throwing her the dressing gown which had been on the end of her bed. Lily wrapped it round herself; she was wearing a black tank top and checked pyjama bottoms. She hugged herself tightly as she shivered from the cold dormitory. Alecto pushed her out in front of her, following her out of the room.

"W-what have I done?" asked Lily, shivering.

"Not you, your brother." Alecto said blankly. Lily swallowed; she backed away from Alecto with fear in her eyes.

"Where is he?" she asked, now nervous that he would be receiving a punishment as well.

"He's busy, my brother is with him. Hurry up!" snapped Carrow, pushing Lily down the steps and out the common room.