He had not expected to see Harry on the train, nor Hermione either, but it was with a kind of desperation that Neville searched for the others. Although a calmer, more rational part of his mind insisted that he would have heard if something fatal had befallen one of his friends, he felt the need to see their safety with his own eyes.

The corridor of the Hogwarts Express was nearly deserted as he hurried along, trying to keep a firm grip on Trevor and his luggage as he briefly opened the door to each compartment. Most of the students were already hidden away, gathered in groups consisting of family and friends. The fear that held them in its thrall was evident: one little first year actually fell off his seat as Neville unexpectedly peered inside his compartment, and a third-year Ravenclaw went so far as to unconsciously raise her wand. Neville couldn’t blame them; with all of the rumors running wild about the Ministry and He Who Must Not Be Named, tensions were running at an all-time high. Even some of the Slytherins looked decidedly queasy.

It was with a heart pounding in relief that Neville finally caught a glimpse of red and blond. Quickly closing the door behind him, he collapsed in a heap beside Luna, across from Ginny, while Trevor escaped from his grasp and hopped madly beneath the seat.

“Neville,� Ginny greeted him with a look of relief that seemed to match his own. “Luna and I were just about to go looking for you.� Neither of the girls needed to voice their concern for him to understand. The three of them had fought openly against Death Eaters just months before: their safety, these days, was questionable at best.

As the train began to move, silence fell. Ginny stared out the window; Luna read the paper. It was with a burst of surprise that Neville saw the latest issue of the Quibbler lying discarded on the seat beside her. It was the Daily Prophet that was open – and right side up – in her hands.

“Started reading the Prophet, Luna?� Neville tried to hide the surprise in his voice. It was well known among her friends what Luna thought of the Daily Prophet.

“Daddy says that even the most rubbish sources can be good for something.� She lifted the paper, and Neville saw a picture of Snape smiling cruelly up at him. “He says that as long as we know what they want us to think, we can find ways to use it against them.�

“It’s so unfair,� Ginny said fiercely as she gestured towards the image of Snape. “He killed Dumbledore, and instead of being punished, he gets rewarded. McGonagall should be Headmistress.� She laughed, the sound bitter in the air. “For goodness’ sake, even Trelawney would be better than Snape!�

“I was surprised to hear that he’s let McGonagall and the others stay on, rather than replacing them all with Death Eaters like the Carrows,� Neville replied with a frown.

“They don’t want to be too obvious,� Luna said idly, not looking up from her paper. “They were very quiet about taking over the Ministry, too. If Snape were to appoint all of his friends, everyone would know that You-Know-Who has taken over. It makes for a much smoother transition, this way.�

“It’s going to be so weird without Dumbledore as Headmaster,� Ginny said quietly. “Not like before, with the Chamber of Secrets or Umbridge, when everyone knew he was out there trying to make things right. This time, he’s really gone.�

Reminders of Dumbledore’s death seemed to hide around every corner, in Neville’s opinion. It was so clearly visible in all of the changes that had been made at Hogwarts, a constant reminder that the power of his presence could have kept the evil at bay. Now, with him dead, there would be a murderer in power, Death Eaters teaching children, and Muggle-borns banned from attending school. At that last thought, Neville held his breath for a moment and hoped fervently that all of his Muggle-born friends and classmates were safely in hiding, out of reach of both the Ministry and the Death Eaters.

With such dark thoughts racing through his head, the silence soon grew too uncomfortable for him to bear. “Ron should be back from the Prefects’ carriage by now, shouldn’t he?� he finally asked, grasping at the first thing that occurred to him.

Ginny gave him an odd look. “Ron’s with Harry and Hermione, wherever they’ve gone.� She laughed, and this time it was genuine. “The official story is that he’s ill with spattergroit. He didn’t want anyone taking it out on the family that he’s chosen to stick with Harry. You should see what he had Fred and George and Dad do to the family ghoul. It’s going to masquerade as him. It looks awful!�

“Oh.� Neville smiled weakly. He should have realized; it would take more to separate those three than a law requiring all students of wizard descent to attend Hogwarts.

“I wish I knew what their plans are,� Ginny said. “I keep hearing people say that Harry has disappeared because he’s trying to avoid the Ministry.� Her grim look told the others exactly what she thought of that.

Luna smiled. “They must not know him at all. Harry will be planning to fight, of course.�

There was no doubt at all in Neville’s mind that Luna was correct. Harry would, indeed, be laying his plans, or even putting them into action already. And Ron and Hermione would be right there beside him, while he and Ginny and Luna would be stuck at school, unable to aid him.

Neville knew that he would be lying if he said that he wasn’t scared of the thought of facing Death Eaters, but he had learned the hard way that some things were more important than fear. He had learned it in his fifth year at the Ministry of Magic, when his hatred of Bellatrix Lestrange had combined with Harry’s need for help, superseding the fear that might otherwise have debilitated him. He had learned it again in his sixth year, when Death Eaters had attacked Hogwarts itself and the Order of the Phoenix had needed their help in defending the school. Fear could be controlled. All it took was the knowledge that sometimes, you had to stand against it and refuse to give an inch, had to stand and do what you could because the alternative was worse than the fear.

“We should be fighting too.� He said the words before he could convince himself not to. His voice gained strength as he continued. “He’s going to come back. Harry’s going to come back, and when he does, he’ll try to take down Snape. We should be ready to help him.�

Luna finally set the Daily Prophet aside and regarded him seriously, waiting for him to continue. It was Ginny, however, who spoke next. “Dumbledore’s Army,� she whispered. “That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it?� She grinned. “Harry taught us, he trained us. It’s perfect! The DA will be working against the man who killed Dumbledore.�

“We’ll have to be careful,� Luna said thoughtfully. “About who we approach, I mean. Not Zacharias Smith, or anyone else who might give us away.�

“Definitely not Zacharias Smith,� Ginny agreed immediately. “But some of the others, we can definitely talk to some of the others.�

There was a light shining in Ginny’s eyes and a contented look on Luna’s face as they spoke. Neville understood them perfectly. They were not going to be completely useless in the war that hung on the horizon, after all. There was something that they could do to ease their frustrations with the changes that had been wrought, something that they could do to contribute to the efforts of the resistance against Voldemort. “It’s agreed, then,� he said, and there was nothing of questions in his voice, only the declaration of one who has chosen the path he means to take. “We’re going to fight against Snape.� There was no room – no time – for fear or uncertainty. Such emotions could come later.

“We fight,� agreed Ginny firmly. “For Harry. For Ron and Hermione. For Dumbledore.� She reached out to clasp one of Neville’s hands, and then turned to Luna.

“For all of our friends,� Luna said happily, taking each of their hands in her own. “For everyone.�

Silence hung heavy in the air as the three solemnly regarded one another. Their words held the promise of a vow that would not be broken, and the circle made by the clasping of their hands seemed to symbolize their unity of purpose. They would defy Snape – and, through him, Voldemort – right beneath his hooked nose.

Finally, they broke the circle and settled back into their seats. With the first decision made, Neville’s stomach gave a sudden lurch of something that seemed to be equally made of nerves and excitement. With voices pitched low, they began to weave their plans.

It was time, once again, to stand.

The rest of the train ride flew by in a whirlwind of names as Neville, Ginny and Luna went through the list of DA members. The number of those who would be returning to Hogwarts that year was dismally small, less than half of the original membership.

“Hannah Abbot lost her mother,� Neville said thoughtfully, “and Amelia Bones was Susan’s aunt. Do you think they’re more likely to want revenge, or to be too afraid?�

“Ernie would know,� Luna said immediately. “I think we can trust him. He seemed to like the DA a lot.�

Neville nodded his agreement with Luna’s assessment. Ernie had been one of those who had believed Harry’s story right from the start, and Neville remembered how enthusiastic he had been about the DA. “I can speak to him in Herbology.�

He hated the questions of trust that kept cropping up, hated the circumstances that made suspicion so necessary. He kept reminding himself that this wasn’t like fighting Umbridge, where expulsion and detention were the only consequence that really had to be feared. The stakes in this game were far higher. He remembered Ginny’s laughter as she spoke of the ghoul that would be posing as Ron if anyone from the Ministry bothered to check up on him. It seemed sinister, now, because it showed exactly what was at stake: the safety of their families and everyone else they loved. He Who Must Not Be Named and those who were working for him would have no compunctions about mistreating the families of those who openly supported Harry Potter or the resistance.

His heart was heavy with such thoughts when they finally reached their destination and disembarked from the Hogwarts Express onto the dirt path where the carriages were waiting to take them to the castle. The autumn night was warm; the sky was clear, and the stars twinkled merrily down upon the students as they unknowingly passed by the Thestrals and climbed into the carriages. The bony creatures seemed more menacing than ever before, despite the fact that Neville knew firsthand of their relative gentleness. They were a reminder that danger lurked around every corner and that a single misstep could bring death to yourself or to those you loved and cared about.

“Daddy always wanted a Thestral,� Luna said brightly as she joined him. “He’s thinking of trying to lure one to our house.�

“Not the most attractive creatures, are they?� Ginny asked lightly as she patted the nearest one on the nose. Neville looked at her in confusion until memories of the battle that had taken place at Hogwarts the year before burst through his mind: a Death Eater had died, then, and must have done so within her sight, allowing her to see the creatures that had previously been invisible to her.

As he climbed into one of the carriages behind Ginny and Luna, he found himself wondering how many more of his classmates would be able to see the Thestrals before this war was over.


*


The ceiling of the Great Hall mimicked the calm night outside, but the tension in the air reminded Neville of a storm waiting to break. He noticed immediately that Snape was at the head table, sitting in the chair that had always been Dumbledore’s. The looks of forced neutrality on the faces of McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout left no doubt as to how they felt about their colleague’s new appointment.

“At least we won’t have to take classes with him anymore,� Ginny murmured as they made their way over to the Gryffindor table. Luna veered off to join her fellow Ravenclaws. “Though I suppose they won’t be much better.� She nodded towards a man and a woman who were sitting on either side of Snape at the head table and he recognized Amycus Carrow, a lumpy man whom Ginny had battled last year, and his sister Alecto, a short and stocky woman.

As Neville murmured his agreement, he and Ginny headed over to where Seamus was already seated with Lavender and Parvati. As they drew nearer, Seamus looked up quickly and enthusiastically motioned them over “Neville, Ginny!�

“Hi, Seamus,� he greeted his roommate. “Hi Parvati, Lavender.� He sat down next to Seamus and across from the two girls before blurting out, “How’s Dean?� The question had been bothering him off and on throughout the day. He already knew that Harry, Ron and Hermione were as safe as could be expected, and he hoped that Dean was as well.

Seamus glanced around the room to make sure that no one was listening too closely. “He took off,� he replied in a low voice. “I heard from him a few days ago. He decided he wasn’t going to risk being questioned, since he doesn’t know if his father was a wizard or a Muggle and he isn’t about to wait around to see firsthand what they do to Muggle-borns. I don’t know where he’s hiding, but he seems to think he’s safe enough for now.�

Neville let out a little sigh of relief, and he heard Ginny do the same. She had dated Dean during the previous year, he remembered suddenly. The question of his safety must have been bothering her as well.

Parvati leaned across the table towards them. “What about Hermione? And where’s Ron? What about Harry? I heard that he’s hiding from the Ministry. I can’t believe they suspect him of murdering Dumbledore!� Her voice sounded slightly outraged. Lavender and Seamus listened closely to hear Neville’s response.

“Hermione’s with her parents,� Ginny replied matter-of-factly before Neville could say anything. “Ron has spattergroit. And no one knows where Harry is.� The look she gave Neville clearly said that they could tell the others everything once they were in a more secure location – namely, at one of the DA meetings.

Before anyone could ask any more questions, or express surprise at Ron’s condition or their hopes that Harry and Hermione would be all right, there was a movement at the front of the Great Hall as the Sorting began. Neville only half listened to the Sorting Hat’s song – it was more of the same stuff it had been saying for the past two years, that the houses had to band together and that danger was upon them. As they finally began to eat, Neville barely tasted anything on his plate. His mind was already racing ahead to what Snape would say during his start-of-the-term speech to the students.

When Snape finally stood to his feet, silence fell heavily over the entire room. It was not the same respectful silence that usually greeted Dumbledore when he stood to address them, but was rather a wary, distrustful silence among all but the Slytherins. Neville forced himself to stare straight into the face of this man he had been afraid of for so long. He refused to let himself do anything less: if he could fight Death Eaters and survive, surely he could meet the eyes of this traitorous coward.

“Welcome,� Snape said with a greasy smile, “to another year. I am your new Headmaster; as such, it is my privilege to inform you of a number of…changes…that will be taking place in the administration of this school.� The way he said the word “changes� made it clear that he thought that these changes were great improvements.

“Until now, students above the second year, and especially above the fifth year, have been given too much choice in their class schedules. I mean to rectify this. Defence Against the Dark Arts is now to be taken by all NEWT students, regardless of what grades you received on your OWLS. If you have been prevented by your own incompetence from continuing in your studies, you will make up for it on your own time. You’re new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Carrow, will see to that, I assure you.� The look on his face was dark and ominous, and Neville felt a shiver run down his spine. The leer on Amycus Carrow’s face was distinctly unpleasant, and Neville had no doubt that he would thoroughly enjoy fulfilling Snape’s orders.

“In addition to this, Muggle Studies, previously considered only an elective, is now a required class for all students.� Murmurs arose among the listening students at this news, and Neville, with his mouth hanging open, stared at Snape in shock that bordered on disbelief. “It is crucial that, in times such as these, we all know the truth about our non-magical…friends. Professor Carrow,� he gestured towards the stocky woman, “is something of an expert on the matter.�

“Yeah, I’m sure she’s studied all the ways to demean, torture and murder Muggles,� Ginny muttered under her breath.

“And, lastly, I will tell you once, and only once: disobedience will not be tolerated. Rule-breakers will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. You will find, I am sure, that our new professors are even less tolerant of such students than I am.� His eyes swept the Great Hall, and he seemed to take their silence as comprehension and acceptance. “You will now go to your common rooms. You will go quickly and quietly. That is all.�


*


McGonagall addressed all of the Gryffindors in their common room that evening.

“You are not to give the Carrows any reason to look at you twice,� she told them sternly, her gaze piercing and direct. Despite her calm countenance, Neville could tell that she was more than merely concerned; the very fact that she felt the need to address them spoke loudly of her worry. “You are to concentrate on your studies, follow the rules and, above all, you are to stay as safe as possible.� She turned her head from one side to the other as if counting the number of faces before her. Finally satisfied, she nodded her head firmly before turning and striding from the room.

Mulling over her words, Neville slowly began to ascend the stairs to his dormitory. He could imagine Flitwick, Sprout and even Slughorn giving the same speech to their students at this very moment. They were all in a difficult position: they had to defend their students against three Death Eaters, one of whom had murdered his predecessor and another of whom had been shooting Cruciatus curses at a student just months before.

As he reached his room and opened the door, he glanced briefly at the sign that read “seventh years.� This was not how he had imagined spending his last year at Hogwarts. He had expected his NEWTS to be the most of his worries, not to be taking part in a resistance against the Headmaster of the school and He Who Must Not Be Named.

The room looked the same as it did at the beginning of every new year. The high windows looked out upon the grounds of Hogwarts, and Neville’s eyes slowly travelled over the five beds with their red hangings. Only two of these beds would be occupied this year.

This dorm room held so many memories. He remembered entering it as a first year, wondering fearfully if he would be able to get on with his roommates, knowing that the friendships that he did – or didn’t – form here could set the tone of his entire seven-year stay in this room. He remembered a completely different entrance in his second year, as he and Dean and Seamus burst through the door with grins on their faces, eager to hear more about Harry and Ron’s adventure with the Whomping Willow. Each year, he had grown here, had lived and laughed and learned here.

He heard the door slowly open and turned to watch as Seamus entered. The room seemed so empty with just the two of them standing there, and for a moment Neville almost expected Harry, Ron and Dean to come flying up the stairs, laughing and shouting about their summer. With every second that passed without their appearance, the room seemed to grow larger and darker all at once

“You’re planning something,� Seamus said suddenly.

“What?�

“You and Ginny. You’re planning something. I’m not stupid, I saw the look she gave you.�

Neville was silent for a moment as he began to unpack his things. It wasn’t a question of trust; he knew that if he could not trust this boy with whom he had shared a room for six years, this boy who had been brave enough to admit publicly to Harry that he had been wrong about You-Know-Who’s return, then he couldn’t trust any of his classmates. Rather, he struggled to find the right words to take advantage of the excellent opening with which Seamus had just provided him.

“Yeah, we do have some plans,� he finally said. “We’ve decided – Ginny and Luna and I – to reform the DA so we can undermine Snape and the Carrows. We fought against them, you know. Amycus Carrow was throwing Cruciatus curses at Ginny. Seemed to really enjoy it. That’s the kind of person they have teaching us now, and his sister and Snape are no better. By standing up to them, we stand up to You-Know-Who. Even better, whatever we can do now will help Harry when he comes back.� His voice turned fierce. “Because he’s going to come back, and he’s going to face Snape, and he’s going to face You-Know-Who. We’re going to be ready.�

“I’d like to help.� Seamus’ voice was strong, and he had not hesitated even a second before beginning to speak. “I know I only ever went to one meeting of the DA; I didn’t believe what Harry and Dumbledore were saying at first. I wasn’t like you and Ginny and Luna, who believed them from the start. But I believe them now, and I want to help. You can trust me. I won’t let you all down.�

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Seamus. You don’t have to prove anything. That was a hard time for everyone.�

“I know. This isn’t about proving anything. I just want you to understand.� His gaze was steady, and he looked Neville directly in the eye. “My best friend is Muggle-born, Neville. They won’t let him come back to Hogwarts because of who he was born to, because of something he doesn’t have any control over. That’s evil, to punish him for it. And in their eyes, me dad is even worse, a full Muggle with no magic at all, and me mam almost as bad for marrying him. How long will it be before it isn’t safe for them to leave the house? How long will it be before it isn’t safe for them anywhere?� He paused for a moment, and when he continued, there was a resolved look on his face. “I take it back. This is about proving something. Me, I mean to prove that they can’t do this, not without people standing up to them. I’ll do it alone, if I have to.�

“You won’t be alone,� Neville said quietly. “We’re all in this together. I’ve learned that everything is so much easier when you have others with you. It’s easier to be brave, it’s easier to stand up to your enemies.�

“You don’t seem to need much help with that anymore, Neville,� Seamus replied, his voice serious. “You’ve fought Death Eaters twice now. You’ve come a long way since first year.�

“We all have,� Neville replied quietly. “And I think we’re going to be forced quite a ways further still.�