Neville crunched on a piece of bacon methodically early the next morning, mulling over his conversation with Ginny. She had been surprisingly negative about his idea, for someone who so loyally supported the Order and learning to defend herself. Her face had been buried in her arms, and she had tilted it to face him so slowly, strands of hair sticking to her wet face.
"Why, Neville? Why in Merlin's name would we do that?" The expression on her face was one he had never seen before, something of cold rage and frustration.
"Well, I thought––"
"You thought what? You thought you could train us like Harry did, like we could do something in this war? Like we aren't all children, like Harry isn't a child? You know he's run off on some secret mission, and I don't even know if he's alive? You thought––"
Ginny had stood up, but now she looked as if she was about to collapse again. Neville jumped up to put a hand on her shoulder. He saw now that with her entire family in the Order, and Harry Hermione and Ron on the run, Ginny had everything to lose
"We have to try, don't we? We all have to try," he said. But Ginny had shrugged away from him, shaking her head and wiping away tears.
"Look around, Neville. They've already taken Hogwarts. If we thought Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad was bad, I'm sure Death Eaters will be worse." Then she had ducked out of the room, leaving Neville to look sadly at the dismembered Snape.
Neville felt his now cold bacon being plucked from his fingers, and turned to see Luna watching him carefully.
"Wrackspurt got you?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said, "Luna––"
"Hmm?" She was now munching happily on her own pile of bacon.
"Luna what do you think of starting the DA again?"
"Oh really?" She looked up at Neville, widening her already large eyes. "That would be nice. Would you teach it?"
"Well, I hoped Ginny would, but––"
"Oh she will, Neville. She always will, you see."
Ginny didn't appear in the Great Hall until the end of breakfast, when Professor McGonagall started handing out schedules.
"Hey," she said, sliding into line with him.
"Look, I just want to––" he began.
"No. No, I'm sorry. I just––I just––It was a rough summer, right?"
"I think you're right," he said softly, "Things are different with Dumbledore gone, but we just have to be careful."
"Neville––" Ginny sighed, and looked at him. "We don't know how dangerous they are. Half of us didn't come back. We don't even know if anyone will want to join, or if everyone's too scared."
"If even one person wants to join, to learn, I think it's worth it." Ginny sighed again. They were now standing in front of Professor McGonagall.
"Good morning, Professor," they said.
"Ah, Mr. Longbottom, and Miss Weasley," she said, handing them their schedules. "Miss Weasley, could you come see me in my office at eight?"
"Of course," Ginny said, surprised, turning to Neville. "I've got to find Luna, see you at lunch?"
"Ginny, please, just think about it?"
Neville examined his schedule, then his watch, then his schedule again. He had Divination very soon. He hiked up Gryffindor Tower to his room, where he found Seamus packing his book bag.
"Divination, then?" Seamus asked. "Hey, mate, you don't suppose you've got Muggle Studies too?" Neville looked at his schedule again, just now noticing Muggle Studies sandwiched between Herbology and a rest period.
"Well that's strange. They must've made a mistake––I've never signed up for Muggle Studies," Neville said.
"That's what I thought too, but everyone's got it. I even saw it on a first-year's."
"It's with Alecto Carrow," Neville said, "And Defense with Amycus." He looked up at Seamus.
"What does this mean?" Seamus said.
"I guess we'll find out."
Divination was uneventful, if a little more grim than usual. Professor Trelawney seemed particularly distracted, and Neville's head dropped multiple times before she let them down the ladder. It wasn't until Charms that afternoon that the somber atmosphere of the castle became something much more sinister. Halfway into Professor Flitwick's explanation of N.E.W.T.s, a piercing scream sounded through the walls. Flitwick jumped, stopped mid-sentence, and rushed to the door. A crowd of students had already gathered in the corridor. There was another scream, and fully alert this time, Neville shuddered. It sounded chillingly like a scream of pure terror, or of terrible pain. He saw a streak of red hair following Flitwick, and Neville ran to catch up.
Professor McGonagall had already descended upon the scene, and stood with mouth agape in the doorway of the Defense classroom. Neville pulled Ginny into a nearby empty classroom, suddenly cold with fear. And then he heard it. The scream again, much worse and much closer, but distinctively, the "Crucio" pronounced menacingly a second before it.