"I'll be fine, Mum," Ginny said, trying to make her voice sound soothing as she attempted to pry her hands out of her mother's strong vice grip.
Mrs. Weasley frowned as her daughter wiggled out of her grasp. "But everything is going to be different this year." She choked out, reaching for Ginny's long red hair. "With Dumbledore gone, I don't know what is going to happen. Maybe you should just stay home this year, it'll be safer."
"I'll be fine," Ginny repeated firmly. "And you know that I'll just escape out of my window in the night and run away if you force me to stay home."
Her mother slapped her on the arm. "Don't even joke about that, Ginny."
"Sorry." The tentative smile on Ginny's face vanished as fast as it had appeared. "But you know it's true."
"Your brothers really have been a bad influence on you," Mrs. Weasley muttered under her breath. "I suppose we can't keep you locked away, though."
"Right you are," Ginny responded wryly.
"Stay away from Snape, his loyalties have changed. Keep quiet and stay out of the way when you see him. I know that Dumbledore trusted him, but after his death and what happened to George-" Mrs. Weasley fell silent and looked down, hiding her face from her daughter.
Ginny reached forward and squeezed her hands reassuringly. "I'll be fine," she repeated a final time. "I promise. I won't have to look after Ron this year, that's a plus isn't it?"
"But who's going to keep you out of trouble?" Mrs. Weasley moaned into her sleeve.
"Neville," Ginny told her firmly. "And all of my other friends. I'll tell them that they have special orders from you to watch my behavior."
Mrs. Weasley smiled weakly and wrapped Ginny into a warm embrace. A sudden knock on the door broke up the tender moment between the mother and daughter.
"Goodness, is it that time already?" Mrs. Weasley dried her eyes and wiped her hands on her apron before making her way over to the Burrow's door.
"Are they here?" Mr. Weasley appeared at Ginny's elbow, using his wand to levitate her trunk down the stairs. He set it down beside her with a flick of his wand before joining his wife at the door. "Now remember Molly, we still have to question them."
"But we're expecting them," Mrs. Weasley argued meekly, putting her hands on her hips as she looked up at him apprehensively. "Is it really necessary?"
"We have to keep Ginny safe, imagine if we sent her along with some strangers." Mr. Weasley defended himself.
"Oh that's enough, Arthur." Before her husband could object, Molly opened the door and ushered their guests in with a cheerful voice. Ginny craned her neck and was able to see Neville duck through the doorway after his well-dressed grandmother. A smile slipped onto her face and she waved at him. He returned the gesture before Mr. Weasley eagerly snatched his hand out of the air and shook it vigorously.
Turning away from the commotion in the kitchen, Ginny went in search of her brothers to say goodbye. "Bye Bill," Ginny called out, sticking her head out of the doorway into the porch where she found Bill and Fleur sitting. "I'm leaving soon."
Bill and Fleur immediately rose from the couch and made their way over to her. Her brother gave her a hug, squeezing her tightly. "Stay safe," he whispered into her ear. Ginny nodded mutely and tried to smile up at him when they parted. Fleur kissed her cheeks and murmured an "Au revoir". The scent of her honeysuckle perfume lingered in the air as she drew back. Ginny gave them a wave before trudging back into the living room.
"You weren't going to leave without saying goodbye to us, were you?" Ginny couldn't help but grin as she turned to see the twins standing on the landing of the staircase, looking down at her with raised eyebrows. They were dressed in their iconic dragonskin jackets and George was sporting a fresh bandage around his head.
"Never," she assured them as they walked down the stairs to join her in the living room.
"First time we've had guests since the wedding," Fred noted, nodding towards where Neville and his grandmother stood with their parents. "Excluding our Death Eater interrogators, of course." He looked down at Ginny and his eyes softened. "We're gonna miss you around here."
"Stay safe, squirt." George ruffled her hair and kissed her cheek. "And do what you have to do."
"Dumbledore's Army is as much our legacy as it is Harry's and you know how we are about our Weasley Twins Legacy," Fred added as he hugged her. "Keep the DA strong."
"Now, more than ever, Hogwarts needs it," the twins finished in unison, tugging at her ears gently.
Ginny batted their hands away and smiled. "Thanks. Can I rely on you two to supply us with Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?"
"Is that even a question?" They scoffed.
"Ginny?" Mrs. Weasley called from the doorway. "It's time to go, darling." Fred and George squished her into one final bear hug before gently pushing her forward.
"See you at Christmas!" Fred called as she looked over her shoulder at them one last time. They stood next to the staircase, hands in their pockets, and looked at her with uncharacteristically serious faces. That is, until George winked and Fred went cross-eyed, sticking out his tongue. She snorted.
Ginny hugged her parents one last time, promising that she would be precautions, stay out of trouble, and send them letters. ("They'll be searching the Hogwarts mail, so don't put anything too personal in your letters." Mrs. Weasley warned.) She kissed them both, trying to ignore the worried looks on their tear-streaked faces. With one last goodbye, she hauled her trunk out the door and followed the Longbottoms down the cobblestone path.
"Have a good summer?" Neville asked as the trio passed through the picket fence gate and out into the vast meadow that surrounded the Burrow.
"Pretty good," Ginny lied through her teeth as images of the destroyed wedding venue and the gaping hole on the side of George's head flashed through her mind. She tried not to gag. "My brother got married but the wedding was crashed by Death Eaters."
Neville nodded solemnly as he stared ahead at the cloudy sky. "Luna told me about it in a letter. How's Ron doing? Your parents mentioned that he was sick."
"Yeah, Spattergroit. He looks disgusting."
"I imagine so," Neville smirked, though Ginny could see the flicker of doubt in his eyes. He didn't believe her. "Is it bad?"
"He'll recover."
"And Harry? Hermione?" He pushed, clearly eager for answers. Ginny gave a small shake of her head, promising with her eyes that she'd tell him later. He gave her a nod in response.
Augusta Longbottom stopped the pair by holding up one gloved hand. "It's time. Neville? Would you care to apparate us?" She asked in her feeble yet autocratic voice.
Neville suddenly looked nervous as he played with the sleeve of his jumper. "Really? I haven't had much practice. Maybe you should-"
His grandmother rolled her eyes and huffed. "For goodness sake, I'm too old for that. You're doing it. Now, Ginny dear, make sure you have your trunk held tightly-good, good. You too, Neville."
Ginny clutched her trunk with one hand and Neville's hand with the other. Mrs. Longbottom held tight to both of their shoulders. In an instant, the sprawling meadows were gone and they were in front of the station.
"Not bad, Neville." Ginny leaned dizzily on her trunk, clutching at her pounding head. "We're all here in one piece, aren't we?"
"Yeah. I guess we are," Neville said, looking pleased with himself.
"Quickly, now. Let's get through the gateway." Augusta Longbottom adjusted her hat before leading the way into the train station.
When they had made it through the barrier and onto Platform 9 and 3/4, Ginny looked around with an oddly heavy heart. The crowds of students and parents were significantly smaller than the previous year. There were no excited younger students running around the platform, no chatty older students cracking jokes with one another, no hustle and bustle. Instead, parents had solemn looks on their faces as they hugged their children tightly to their sides. Groups of friends huddled close together, speaking in hushed murmurs or saying nothing at all.
Ministry officers were scattered all over the platform, keeping a watchful eye on the passersby. Ginny watched with anger as families bowed their heads and quickly walked past the government workers. One approached her and Neville and asked for their papers in a rough voice. Neville's hand immediately dove into his pocket as Ginny rummaged through her small purse. The passed them over to the officer, who scanned them, first with his eyes and then with his wand. He nodded in approval, stamping the papers and returning them back.
"This is terrible!" Ginny hissed to Neville as the Ministry officer turned his attention to a group of trembling third-years. She stuffed her papers back into her bag and dragged Neville alongside her. "Everyone is scared to death."
"I know," Neville sighed as he looked around with sad eyes. His mouth was pressed tightly into a straight line.
"Neville!" Augusta Longbottom called to him from up ahead, waving her hand up in the air.
Neville sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I'd better say goodbye to her. See you in a bit?"
Ginny, having no family members to say goodbye to, nodded as she tried not to look too sad. "Go on, I'll get us a compartment. Find me when you're done saying goodbye?"
"I'll take the trunks," Neville said in response, patting her shoulder before he dragged both their trunks over to his grandmother.
Ginny suddenly felt lonely standing there on the platform, holding nothing more than her small bag and her cardigan. For the past fifteen years of her life, she had always been brought along to Platform 9 and 3/4, even when she wasn't the one boarding the Hogwarts Express. It had always been an unofficial goal of the Weasley family to crowd the platform with as many gingers as possible. But now there was no one to see her off. No Percy to boss everyone around, No Ron to ask stupid questions that everyone knew the answers to, no Fred and George to set something on fire. It was just her. Ginny let the strange feeling linger for a little while longer before shaking her head and boarding the train.
To her relief, she saw some familiar faces in the thin corridors of the train. Her ex-boyfriend, Michael Corner, stood not ten feet away, chatting with some other Ravenclaws. His dark hair looked lighter from sun exposure and the brown skin he inherited from his Indian mother was an entire shade darker from when she had last seen him. She recognized his two best friends, the dirty blonde, blue-eyed Terry Boot, and the dark hair, dark-eyed Anthony Goldstein. Both of them were equally sunkissed and golden. Ginny remembered them as being fairly kind during her and Michael's little fling.
Michael caught her eye and smiled slightly. He whispered something to his friends, who nodded and broke away from their little knot. They walked past Ginny down the corridor, both giving her polite smiles as they passed her.
"Ginny," Michael greeted her as he ambled over to her, hands shoved in his pockets. "How are you?"
"Surviving," Ginny shrugged, hiding her obvious distaste for the question. "How about you? Have a decent summer?"
Michael mimicked the gesture. "It was okay. Um-" he found a sudden interest in the ground as he kicked his feet. "Terry's mum was taken in July and we don't know where she is. Or if she's alive, even."
Ginny was genuinely shocked by that piece of information. "That's terrible. I'm sorry." She suddenly remembered that Terry had a muggleborn mother and winced as she thought about the potential fate of Mrs. Boot. She had never been close to Terry or anything but it still hurt her heart to hear that a member of the DA had to suffer something as awful as losing a parent.
"Yeah. It was a rough summer if I'm being completely honest, forget that earlier bullshit I said about it being okay," Michael laughed hollowly. "Terry and his father have been blacklisted for attempting to hide Mrs. Boot from the Ministry so we took him and Tony to Italy with us over the holiday. I guess it was a sort of break from the Hell that exists here."
Ginny nodded. "I was wondering where the tan came from," she said dumbly, not quite sure what she should be saying.
Michael looked down at his arm sheepishly, running a light hand over the skin. "I didn't even notice." He looked out the window and his tentative smile dropped. "It's going to be a long year."
Ginny nodded again. "It is." The two stood in serious yet comfortable silence, gazing out the window at the bleary weather and sad families until Michael cleared his throat.
"I should probably go find Tony and Terry." He mumbled, turning away from the window.
Ginny smiled and nodded her head towards the hallway that the two boys had disappeared down earlier. "Go ahead, I should go find my friends anyway. See you around."
The two parted ways and went off in opposite directions. As Ginny searched for more familiar faces, she couldn't help but remember how good Michael had been to her when they were together. Dean, too. They were both wonderful and Ginny suddenly felt regretful for treating them so coldly after the breakups. As she thought about her failed love life, her thoughts suddenly drifted to Harry. She was mad for him and he broke up with her. She gave him her heart and he dumped her, claiming it was for her own good. She snorted aloud at that thought. As she trudged down the corridor in her sudden foul mood, a compartment door opened up and someone grabbed her hand, dragging her inside. Ginny thrashed in the grip, getting ready to scream. She looked up furiously at her captor, only to have the anger melt off her face.
Parvati and Lavender were standing in front of her with open arms. Relieved that they weren't Death Eaters trying to kidnap her, Ginny flew into their arms, allowing herself to be wrapped up in a tight embrace. She was then released and guided her over to the seats where they sat down on either side of her.
"How've you been?" Parvati asked earnestly, clasping Ginny's cold hands with her warm ones.
Ginny sighed, getting used to the dread that swept her body every time she heard the question. "Doing only okay, to be honest."
"Aren't we all," Parvati sighed, leaning back. "It really is a stupid question to ask, isn't it?" Ginny looked surprised yet couldn't help but agree.
"How's your family doing?" Lavender asked Ginny as she scooted closer.
"We've been managing. Ron has spattergroit."
Lavender's pretty eyes widened in alarm and she recoiled slightly. "Really? How awful. I suppose that means he isn't coming back this year, then?"
"No, he's staying home." Ginny searched Lavender's face for any signs of the other girl still having feelings for her dopey brother.
Lavender noticed this and chuckled slightly. "Oh, honey, don't worry, I'm over your brother." She shot a sultry look over her shoulder to a dark-skinned Hufflepuff who had just passed by the compartment with his friends. "I've got my eyes on someone better. I heard his accent on the platform and it was love at first sight."
Ginny laughed, for the first time all day. It felt good. "Good. I'm glad to see that this war hasn't changed you, Lavender."
"Oh, it'll take more than a war to stop this one's antics," Parvati chuckled before her face settled into a frown. "This is going to be a tough year with Snape as headmaster. Did you see the platform? Practically half the school is gone."
Lavender nodded, causing her pale brown curls to bounce around her face. "It's going to be lonely in our dorm room, Vati." She then turned to Ginny and gave her a pleading look. "Stay in our room whenever you want. Please. It'll be so empty without Hermione." She looked down at her hands and twisted the rings on her right hand. "I hate to have left things so rocky with her last year. I wish I could've apologized for being so...stupid. She and your brother are destined to be, you know?"
"They really are," Ginny let out a small laugh. "Now it's up to them to figure it out, everyone else has."
Lavender frowned down at her hands, ignoring Ginny's joke. "And now Hermione is on the run, probably fighting for her life. I know I treated her terribly last year but I'm going to miss her lots. Honestly. Especially because Fay and Deka's parents pulled them out of school the year before last, it was only the three of us." She turned to Parvati with wide, sad eyes. "And now it's just the two of us."
"It'll also be weird without Dean-" Parvati began to say, then stopped suddenly. She looked at Ginny sheepishly and her mouth snapped shut.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "I don't remember there being a Taboo on Dean's name, you can talk about him, Parvati. There's no need for my permission. He's a great guy and we're on okay terms, cross my heart. Now, what about him?"
"He's not coming back this year, "Parvati said sadly.
"What?" Ginny sat up quickly and stared at the older witch. "What do you mean?"
"He can't prove that he's a half-blood. His dad left when he was a baby and his muggle mum got remarried to another muggle. So the ministry thinks he's a muggleborn and has deemed him an undesirable."
Ginny looked ahead, dumbfounded. She felt terrible that for the whole time she was Dean's girlfriend, she had never heard about his family. Then again, she had never really asked.
"I'm sorry, Ginny," Parvati said, putting a gentle hand on her arm. "Have I upset you?"
"Of course not," Ginny mumbled quietly as the train jerked and began to slowly pull away from the station. Both Parvati and Lavender leaned towards the window to wave at their parents as the train passed by them. Ginny arched her neck, looking out the window for a red-headed clan, before remembering that they were locked away in the Burrow. She leaned back, embarrassed.
"I'm going to miss Dean," Parvati said in a hushed voice once Platform 9 and 3/4 was out of sight. Lavender nodded.
Ginny nudged Parvati. "Seems like you two were close, yeah?"
"I think you're mistaking me for Seamus," Parvati chuckled, a wry smile on her face.
The girls spent the next hour chatting and catching up before Ginny realized something. "Damn!" She jumped to her feet and hastily picked up her belongings. "I was supposed to find Neville and Luna ages ago!"
Lavender smiled kindly and Ginny couldn't help but think that it suited her far better than the pouty-lip expression the seventh year had been so fond of the previous year. "Go! Don't let us hold you back."
"Go find them," Parvati urged, shooing Ginny over to the door. "Padma should be coming in soon, anyway."
"I'll see you two at the feast," Ginny promised as she shot them a grateful look from the doorway. She quietly shut the door behind her and trudged down the hall, cursing herself for letting so much time slip by. She searched compartment after compartment, peeking in through the windows for any signs of a tall brunette and a petite blonde. Turning away from a compartment full of younger Gryffindors, she suddenly found herself face to face with a shock of blonde hair and a sour expression. She stumbled in surprise, knocking her shoulder into his.
"Watch it, Weaslette," Malfoy spat, looking down his nose to give her a cold glare. He dusted off the shoulder she had hit with a flick of his hand. Ginny scowled at him and opened her mouth to retort but remembered her mother's warnings. She snapped her mouth shut and pushed past the Slytherin, continuing her trek down the corridor. "No Potter with you?" Malfoy asked over his shoulder in a
Ginny felt her willpower wilting as a "Go to hell!" slipped from her lips before she could stop it. She could hear him chuckling.
Ten minutes later, Ginny finally entered the correct compartment, looking slightly frazzled. "There you are!" Neville jumped to his feet, nearly tossing the magical plant that was settled on his lap. "You had me thinking that you were captured."
Luna smiled serenely from the seat across from Neville. "I told him that you either had a nasty encounter with a Snabberwitch or were with other friends. Hello, Ginny, lovely to see you."
Ginny smiled guiltily as she plopped down next to Luna, wrapping the blonde witch up in a quick side hug. "I was with Parvati and Lavender-oh, sit down, Neville-sorry I wasn't here sooner."
"How are they doing?" Luna asked, flipping through an upside-down copy of The Quibbler. "I talked with Padma briefly. She claimed to be fine but was giving off a very unsure type of energy."
"Same as the rest of us, I suppose," Ginny said with a shrug.
Luna nodded and a small frown graced her pale features. "We're in a rather unfortunate situation, aren't we?"
"School isn't going to be much better, what with Snape as headmaster," Ginny sighed, kicking her heels against the wooden bench.
"That's for sure," Neville said, making a face as he thought about the mean, hook-nosed professor. "Snape is cruel and cold, he won't hesitate to strike at us. I want you both to stay out of trouble, got it?" Neville said, leaning forward and looking each of them in the eyes.
"Way to kill the mood, Nev." Ginny rolled her eyes slightly. His statement had reminded her of her mother's speech earlier that morning. "Luna and I will be fine, won't we Luna?"
"Naturally," Luna hummed as she studied a particularly colorful illustration in her father's publication.
"I'm serious. Do you promise?" Neville did indeed look serious as his eyes met Ginny's.
"Sure, Nev. Now let's stop talking about this, it's depressing."
Luna curled herself up in the corner of the compartment, clutching her magazine. Ginny leaned back on the cushioned seat, dropping her small bag onto the empty spot beside her. She rested her chin in the cup of her hand and let the gentle rumble of the train lull her to sleep.
It was the screeching of brakes that suddenly woke her up from her peaceful slumber. The Hogwarts Express came to a clamoring stop on the tracks, sending Ginny sprawling onto the seat. She crashed into Luna and the two of them toppled to the ground. Throughout the halls, confused cries of terror could be heard. The lights flickered ominously, adding to the clamor and confusion. Neville leaped to his feet and whipped his wand out of his sleeve. As he started towards the door, one of Ginny's hands shot forward and latched itself onto his ankle.
"Neville," she gasped, "wait." She used the hem of his robes and then his arm to pull herself up into a standing position. "Okay, let's go. We'll be back soon, Luna," Ginny whispered, pulling her wand from her pocket. Luna groaned and rubbed the back of her head where it had slammed into the wall when Ginny fell on her.
As they crept into the hallway, they could see other heads poking out of compartment doors and looking around. Ginny jerked her head to the left and Neville nodded, following her down another corridor.
"Ginny!" Demelza Robins, one of Ginny's close friends, hissed from her compartment door and grabbed Ginny's hand as she passed by. Her curtain of dark hair swung around her face as she tugged at Ginny's arm. "Ginny, what's going on?"
"I don't know." Ginny squeezed Demelza's hand and sent a reassuring look towards Ritchie Coote and Andrew Kirke who were also standing in the compartment doorway. "Just stay here." She shut the door on them, despite their chorus of protests.
Neville had just shoved several Ravenclaw second years into a compartment and was shutting the door when he felt a hand on his shoulder. With a yell, he spun around and swung his arm into two torsos, sending them toppling to the ground.
"Shit, Neville! Watch where you're swinging!" An angry Irish voice shouted up at him from the floor. Seamus. "We ain't your enemy."
"Bloody hell, that hurt," another voice groaned, this one higher and full of annoyance. "Seamus, next time you decide to run through the dark to be a hero, leave me out of it. I was perfectly fine in my safe, dark compartment before you came along." Susan Bones.
"Is everyone alright here?" An out-of-breath voice joined the clump of people in the hallway. Michael Corner.
"Lumos." Padma Patil's wand lit up from her spot beside Michael and a soft blue light danced off the compartment door windows. Neville could clearly see several scared faces pressed against the glass, peering out at them.
"Anyone have any bloody idea what's going on?" Seamus asked after being helped off the ground by Padma and Susan. "Because I'd like it very much if we could get going. The Great Hall has a piping hot meal with my name on it."
The train gave another jolt from where it sat, sending everyone to the floor once again.
"Bloody hell!"
"What's goin' on here?!"
"Lumos." A dark and grating voice in the distance murmured.
Ginny, from atop the pile, sat up suddenly, ears alert. "Who said that?"
"Who's that down there?" Michael hissed and pointed towards the end of the hall where there was a distant light slowly approaching. Everyone craned their necks to see.
The owner of the voice gave a low chuckle as the light bobbed closer. From behind it, several other wands lit up with the same spell. Ginny began to feel uneasy as she made out six figures drawing nearer and nearer.
"Who are they?" Susan whispered furiously, fumbling for her wand on the ground.
"Those sure aren't students," Seamus whispered back as he struggled to stand up. The tangle of limbs prevented him from progressing and he fell back to the floor once more.
In what seemed like mere seconds, the man was suddenly in front of them, peering down at the pile of students. The light from his wand basked his scarred face in a pale blue glow. "We mean no trouble, we simply come looking for a couple of friends of yours." Ginny felt a chill run down her spine once she realized she was looking into the face of Rabastan Lestrange. "None will be hurt if everyone just cooperates."
"What do you mean, 'looking for our friends?'" Ginny asked suspiciously. There was no fear present in her voice, only anger.
Lestrange glared down at her and poked her in the side with the pointed toe of his boot, causing her to wince. "I think you know who we're referring to. Does the name 'Potter' ring any bells?"
"Never heard of him," Seamus said, shrugging one shoulder. This resulted in the pointed boot making contact with his side, causing him to hiss out in pain.
Rabastan clicked his tongue and stepped away from Seamus. "No complying here, I see. What a pity." He turned to his fellow Death Eaters and tossed his head to the side. "Search the train." They nodded and half of them disapparated while the other three stepped over the sixth and seventh years, gliding down the corridor. Shrieks rang out against the walls as the Death Eaters threw compartment doors open.
Ginny leaped to her feet. "What are you doing?"
"It seems as if some Mudbloods were able to slip past Ministry security, the Dark Lord sent us to take care of it," Rabastan said with an ugly grin as he disapparated on the spot.
Ginny let his words sink in and her eyes widened. "We have to stop them!" She shouted as she began pulling her friends up by their elbows. "Let's go!"
Neville and Padma sprinted after a Death Eater that was dragging a screaming fourth year Hufflepuff out of her compartment. Seamus grabbed Susan's elbow and the two of them ran in the opposite direction towards two Death Eaters that were searching a compartment belonging to some small Gryffindor students. To no surprise, the Slytherins' doors remained unopened and untouched.
The previous silence of the train was replaced with complete chaos. Ginny and Michael ran off in opposite directions, yelling at the younger students to get back in their seats. Ginny slammed compartment doors shut with her wands as she ran through the hallway, ignoring the questioning pleas of the younger students.
"This is inhumane!" Ginny shouted to no one in particular as she shooed a sobbing little boy into a train compartment.
"Protego!" A high-pitched voice shrieked from behind her, causing her to spin around. Sally-Anne Perks, a seventh-year Hufflepuff with her wand outstretched, had cast a protection spell on a compartment stuffed to the brim with younger Hufflepuffs. The spell was so strong that the Death Eater attempting to enter the compartment was flung backward against wall with such force that she was knocked out cold. Sally-Anne tossed her blonde curls with a huff as she looked down at the unconscious woman. Her eyes found Ginny's and she gave her a curt nod before letting the spell drop. She entered the compartment where she was surrounded by crying children. Turning away from the Hufflepuffs, Ginny noticed the silky black hem of the Death Eater robes disappear into a compartment and the fire inside of her was suddenly rekindled.
"No!" She screamed as the Death Eater pulled a tiny second year Gryffindor into the hall. She charged at the pair but the Death Eater merely laughed and grabbed the child's shoulder and they disapparated in a shot of black smoke. She halted with a gasp, arm still reaching for the now-gone child's hand. She moaned and sank to her knees, horrified at what had happened.
"Ginny!" Luna was suddenly at her side, grabbing for her hand as she desperately tried to pull her up. There were tears in her sky blue eyes. "Ginny! They're taking the muggleborns that managed to get through Ministry security. They're taking children, Ginny!"
"I know, Luna, I know," Ginny murmured, biting back a sob as she allowed Luna to help her off the ground.
Not far down the hall, Rabastan Lestrange reappeared with a crack. He grabbed a Death Eater by the cloak and shook him. "Have you found him yet?" He hissed into the man's face. "Have you found the Potter boy?"
"No," The man hissed back, clearly displeased.
"Hey losers!" Neville rounded a corner, coming to a stop before the pair. His hair was tousled and there was a wild look in his usually nervous eyes. "He's not here."
Rabastan growled and punched Neville in the jaw, sending him sprawling to the ground. Ginny shrieked and shot a stunner at him but it was deflected with ease.
"Let's go!" Lestrange shouted as he looked around wildly. "He's not here and we have what we came for." He disapparated on the spot with a loud crack. The remaining Death Eaters followed suit until the train was silent except for the feeble sobs coming from the younger students.
Luna and Ginny staggered over to Neville, propping him upright. He groaned and managed to choke out an "I'm fine" as his hand immediately reached for his jaw. Compartment doors began to open slowly as teary faces once again poked out into the hall.
"What was that?" A fourth-year Hufflepuff sobbed.
"Why did they come?" A fifth-year Ravenclaw stuttered.
"I couldn't save them," Neville muttered under his breath. "I couldn't save those kids they took."
"None of us could, Neville," Ginny said softly, holding back her own tears. "None of us."
Luna was in the process of fixing Neville's swollen jaw when Padma and Seamus came back, this time bringing Parvati and Lavender with them. The seventh-year Gryffindor girls looked relieved as their eyes landed on Ginny. Parvati let out a breath and Lavender's hand flew to her chest. Everyone looked visibly shaken but there were only minor injuries present, much to Ginny's relief.
"Let's get you sitting down, Neville," Luna said soothingly, turning their attention to Neville. With Seamus's help, Neville was hoisted up and into a vacant compartment. The others trailed in behind them, clearly not wanting to be left alone.
As Ginny was about to join them, she heard the sound of quick footsteps running down the hall. She turned just in time to see Michael Corner breeze past her. "Michael? What's going on?" She shouted, instinctively chasing after him.
"I've gotta find Terry!" He shouted over his shoulder and Ginny was able to see the panic in his eyes. She cursed under her breath as she began to understand the situation and tore after the Ravenclaw.
They rounded the corner and Michael threw open a compartment door, stumbling inside. Ginny followed him inside and saw Anthony Goldstein standing alone in the center of the small room, nursing his now-forming black eye. She immediately rushed over to him, wand brandished and ready to heal his wound. "Anthony! Are you alright?"
Michael let out a choked sound as he looked around the compartment. Some Exploding Snap cards were scattered across the seat, indicating that a game had been taking place before the train was invaded. "Terry? They took him?"
Anthony let out an unexpected laugh that startled the other two. "You didn't think I'd let them take him, did you? Come on, Mikey, give me some credit here." After assuring Ginny that he was fine, Anthony pulled at the ground in front of the window. To Ginny's surprise, he lifted an invisibility cloak off the stunned body of Terry Boot."Our mate here wouldn't cooperate when I told him to hide so I had to stun him. The man that searched our compartment barely took a look inside when he saw it was only me in here."
Michael gasped in relief and he exhaled all the stress he was holding onto in one long breath. He clapped Anthony's shoulder with a shaky laugh. "Tony, you brilliant bastard." He waved his wand at Terry, "Rennervate!"
Immediately, Terry's eyes flew open and he looked around wildly. He scrambled to his feet, wand outstretched and at the ready. "Where'd they go?"
Michael laughed and gave him a one-armed hug. "Steady, mate. They're gone."
Terry visibly relaxed. "Oh. That's good, I guess." He then turned to Anthony and punched him in the arm. "Bloody hell, mate, next time let me fight too!"
"What, I don't get a thank you?" The bespectacled Ravenclaw asked indignantly, turning his nose up in the air. "Fine, then. Next time I'll let them take you, have it your way."
Terry laughed good-naturedly. "Thank you, you saved my arse." He threw an arm over Anthony's shoulder and looked at him, suddenly taking interest in the bruise growing on his friend's face. "What happened to your eye?"
Anthony suddenly went red and he looked away. "I went outside Malfoy's compartment and started, uh, yelling at the Slytherins. His goons punched me to shut me up."
Ginny laughed in surprise, causing the three Ravenclaws to turn their attention to her. "Was it worth it?" She asked Anthony eagerly.
"Absolutely."
Ginny smiled at his answer then leaned down to picked up the discarded cloak from the floor. She studied the shimmering fabric with wonder. "Where'd you get this?"
"It's Tony's," Michael replied as he rubbed Terry's dirty blonde hair with his knuckles.
"It was my grandfather's, he gave it to me," Anthony added, accepting the bundle of fabric from Ginny. "It's done the three of us a good many favors."
Ginny nodded, remembering that The Goldsteins were a powerful family in the Jewish wizarding community. She made to leave but had second thoughts as she turned back to the three boys. "Do the three of you want to come back to our compartment? If you want company?"
"The three of them looked at each other then back at her, nodding and smiling. "Definitely."
She smiled back and held the door for them as they gathered their possessions and filed out into the hall.
When they had made it back to the compartment, they found a large group squashed onto the seats and on the floor. Susan Bones, Demelza Robins, Romilda Vane, Neville, Luna, Padma, Parvati, Lavender, Seamus, Ritchie Coote, and Andrew Kirke. They slipped through the door and squeezed onto the last vacant spot on the floor. The fifteen of them sat in silence, all of them shaken up but grateful for the company. Ginny looked out the window, gazing at the bleak gray sky. Michael was right, it was going to be a long year.