Author Note
In case anyone cannot tell from my horrible attempt at describing the opening notes to the Star Wars Main theme that's what is playing when they enter the great hall. Neville may seem a bit harsh with a few of his comments but I have encountered someone whose parents got into a car wreck and were in a persistent vegetative state. We had a similar conversation one night after some underage beers long ago in college.
The train pulled into Hogsmeade. Darth Mortem stood and pulled his hood up after putting on his tight black gloves. Darth Librus followed him. The two strode towards the carriages their cloaks billowing behind them. The other students not sure what to think. Their eyes never appeared to move very far off of their course, flickering and glancing here and there. Occasionally settling on an individual for more than a few seconds. The lucky individual having heard what Malfoy had screamed would feel a shiver run through their spine and feel a great relief when their gaze moved on.
When they reached the carriages Harry paused looking at the strange winged creatures in the traces. A small blonde girl looked up from her magazine and spoke, "It's okay Harry. You're as sane as I am. I can see them too."
"What are they?"
"They're Thestrals. The only people who can see them are those who have come to accept and understand death."
Harry reached out and patted the warm nose of one of the beasts. It felt slightly scaly like lizard of some kind. Hermione looked at him in concern before clearing her throat.
He nodded and putting the mysterious creature out of mind jumped into the carriage with Neville and the Blonde girl. Hermione followed suit.
"That was quite impressive." Neville said about their standing leap from the ground.
"Most impressive indeed." Hermione intoned.
Neville looked at her strangely then nodded, "What's with the getup guys. You trying to impress Snape?"
"Professor Snape neither needs nor requires our impressing him." Hermione said flipping her Hood back to reveal jet black hair that was pulled back in a plait down her back. She had spent the last few minutes of the trip using charms to change and control her hair. Harry flipped his hood back to reveal a shorter more severe hair style. Shaved down each side with longer hair in the back. His scar was very prominent now.
Luna blinked, "Well that is certainly a different look for the pair of you."
"A lot of things are changing." Harry said as he leaned back and studied his two companions.
Neville was stronger than he thought. His magic was erratic but with the force he might improve. He had a strong moral code so he probably Wouldn't be happy with the way things have been going. Harry looked at Hermione who had been studying him and she nodded.
Luna was an unknown. She was a slender figure with an open honest face. She felt like purity and sunshine. Glowing brightly in the aura Harry looked at her in. He elbowed Hermione and nodded to Luna. Hermione turned and studied her.
"Hey guys why are you looking at us like that?" Neville asked in confusion.
"They are studying our auras Neville. I can tell. Mother used to do that."
"What is your name?" Harry asked in his flat tone.
"My name is Luna Lovegood."
"Do you believe Harry when he says Voldemort is back?"
"Yes I do. Father runs the Quibbler and has noticed many disturbing things. He is not allowed to speak openly about the corruption and infiltration of the Ministry so he writes about it in cover terms like the rot-fang conspiracy and such. Very Dickensian in that idea."
"Neville what about you?" Hermione said turning towards their fellow Gryffindor.
"Of course I believe Harry. He's never given me any reason not to."
"What about Dumbledore?" Harry quietly said.
"Uh what about him?"
"What do you think about him? The way he has been running the school."
"Well Gramma."
"I did not ask what your gramma thought Neville. I asked what YOU thought." Harry said leaning forward to place his face only a foot away from Neville's.
"Okay well I think he's got some issues. Like keeping the school open when the Basilisk was running around petrifying people That whole thing not knowing that Voldemort was in Quirrel. He sat only feet away from the guy. And then his supposed best friend Moody was being impersonated by that filthy bastard and he didn't know for another year? He allowed that psychotic beast to roam our halls, to sit among decent people and laugh at us. To laugh at us Harry. All smug and safe up there with the other professors when he should have been ground down into potions ingredients. Fed top some of Hagrid's little friends." Neville was so angry his face was approaching Weasley red and his fists clenched tight enough to make the knuckles turn white. He was shaking in rage.
"The headmaster has been rather lax in his safety measures, plus the sheer amount of bullying and subversive activities. When everyone turned on you during the tournament last year as well as when they thought you were the heir of Slytherin Harry. That was rather rude that he did nothing. But then neither did any of the professors." Luna added.
Harry smiled a minuscule tweak of his lips. "I understand Neville. I know what happened to your parents. The headmaster has memories stored in a device in his office. I accidentally found them."
"You knew?"
"Only since last year. He asked me not to say anything, not that I knew what to say anyhow."
Luna in a sad and quiet voice asked, "Neville what happened to your parents?"
He turned to her then fighting back his anger and tears he spoke, "Barty Crouch Junior was one of the Death Eaters who captured and tortured my parents for over a day. Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband Rodolphus and his brother Rabastan were the others. They did so to get back thinking my parents had helped to destroy their precious dark lord. Instead of being killed like the animals, no the creatures they are they go life in Azkaban. I hope they rot there forever."
Luna put her hand on Neville's arm in comfort. She turned, "I feel your pain. I watched my mother die when I was 9. She conducted an experiment that ended badly."
Neville patted her hand. "I'm sorry. I wish my parents were dead. They are trapped in their own minds. Tortured into insanity they will never recover from. Only Gramma won't accept that. She believes they will wake up one day and everything will be fine again."
They were only a few minutes from the front doors of the castle so Harry simply said, "Neville, Luna we may have a way for you to help. We'll talk to you about this later. But know that no matter what they say Hermione and I are fighting for the forces of good. Do you trust me?" He said holding his hand out.
"I trust you Harry." Neville said taking it.
Luna reached over and clasped their hands, "May I join you. I can be trusted and I believe something is coming. Something bad."
"Yes Luna. You can help us. You can join us. I'll tell you more later. Right now though I want the two of you to enter ahead of us. Drop these by the doors when you walk in. One in the entry hall and one in the great hall." He said pulling some disks about 2 inches across and handing them to the two friends.
"Okay this isn't anything dangerous?"
"Not yet. There may come a time when I ask you to do something dangerous but that day is not yet."
Luna smiled looking at the disk, "I recognize some of these runes. These will play music when activated."
"Yeah there are three different songs loaded into them. Hermione has the primary coin that controls all of the others through the protean charm. Her and a friend worked that out over the summer."
"Oh okay." Neville said frowning at the coin.
"Think of it as a prank that will make the Weasley twins jealous."
"I'm not sure. I have a bad feeling about this." Neville glumly said, becoming even more confused when Hermione and Harry both laughed heartily.
=====xxxxx====
Harry and Hermione were the last ones through the doors. Standing to the side watching everyone enter with their hoods pulled and arms in their cloaks.
As they approached the doors Hermione touched the coin and a flourish and fanfare of brass instruments rang out across the entry hall. Bahm bumpa dabum pa. Its volume was such that all conversations stopped. The Muggle-borns in the crowd perked their heads up like dogs called to dinner. Looking around in confusion. The pure-bloods were simply confused as they had never had music at dinner before. The brass fanfare dropped into strings calmly carrying the tune as Harry and Hermione entered. Hermione walking a half step behind and to the left of Harry. Their cloaks streaming behind them they made their way to the Gryffindor table. Muggle-borns began to applaud at what they thought was a show being performed.
Harry looked to the head table to see Snape savagely repressing a smile. Professor Dumbledore looked like he was going to eat his beard and a very ugly pink sweater wearing creature that reminded Harry of a toad gazed at him in pure contempt and hatred. He could feel her gaze trying to burn him alive. He knew this was the one who had sent the Dementors. The one that would be his nemesis for this year. He paused and throwing back his hood saluted Dumbledore by taking his right hand and thumping it against his chest and throwing it straight out in the Roman way (not the Nazi way) with a closed fist. Dumbledore blinked in shock but returned the salute in a daze.
Across at the Slytherin table Draco was watching the two of them with great concern. They moved like they owned the castle and had no fear of anyone doing anything to do more than annoy them. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to sense the change in the two.
As the music settled down with a rattle crash of snare drums, piccolos and cymbals they took their seats and a sudden silence descended upon the hall. The Weasley twins stood up and started applauding soon joined by others until a standing ovation was crossing the tables. Harry merely giving an absentminded casual wave.
Professor McGonnegal walked into the room with the first years to this scene having missed the music. Some of the first years thought the applause was for them and smiled and waved back. The Professor though was very confused and went through the sorting ceremony on autopilot.
Dumbledore stepped up afterwards with a congenial smile. "Ah yes well it seems we are beginning this year on a rather spectacular note. Welcome back and..."
"Ahem Ahem." The pink sweater wearing creature cleared her throat and moved to interrupt the headmaster.
He turned and she started to walk to the lectern the Headmaster was at when Harry flicked his hand in a flat horizontal chopping motion. The pink toady tripped up falling on her flat face with a splat and rolling off the upper step that the Professor's head table sat on.
She picked herself up and smoothing her sweater went to go to the lectern which jumped three feet to the left. When she went to step up to it it moved back to the right. She was becoming rather aggravated and glared at the lectern. She turned the glare on the students but Harry was simply sitting there staring at her with his hands in his lap. Hermione was sitting behind him in a similar posture except she had not removed her hood yet.
She cleared her throat one more time then using a sonorous her high pitched girlish voice filled the hall. "Hello boys and girls It is rather unfortunate that we have some attention seeking reprobates who feel that disrupting the educational experience is more important than anything else. Playing games and calling attention to themselves instead of wearing the proper uniform. Which I will speak with your head of house about this. You may have been given the impression that this school is all fun and games and that you can get away with doing anything you want to but that ends. I am here on behest of the Minister For Magic himself to rectify the slipshod manner this school has been run in. To that end we will be making changes."
Harry had grown weary of her tirade and ignored her. He went into his quiet meditative zone and reached out feeling around the hall for others he might consider joining his new Order. Hermione, Luna and Neville stood out like glowing torches in a dark night. Most of the others though were flickering candles in the wind. He had a few potentials that if he nurtured he might be able to teach. He would have to move carefully though and recruit under the nose of the Ministry lapdog and Dumbledore both.
She had stopped speaking and received some desultory applause from Slytherin house alone. Dumbledore stepped up and said a few things. Nothing major from him either. This was beginning to look like it was going to be a very interesting year.