Sammy's mother didn't return. A grave Ministry official came at six that evening and informed us that she was in Azkaban. Tyler ran upstairs, and I heard a door slam a moment later. Sammy had virtually no reaction. She just nodded numbly and sat down. Valentine asked the man politely but firmly to leave, and he did so.
Lupin gave me leave to spend the remainder of the summer with Sammy. Valentine and I did our best to help Sammy figure things out. She decided she would go to Hogwarts. She needed to finish out her education if she wanted to be an Auror, and she would need to keep an eye on Tyler. We didn't talk about Ms. Roberts, and as long as we avoided that topic, Tyler and Sammy seemed okay. At least, they were eating again.
Sammy in particular was changed hugely from her mother's capture. Tyler was obviously holding out hope that she would be released soon, but Sammy wasn't. The role of parent and responsible adult had been thrust upon her, and she became considerably less carefree. She rarely joked anymore, and seemed to have grown out of her obsession with boys. Instead, she listened tensely to the wireless with Tom when she wasn't playing Wizard Chess with Tyler, Valentine, and me.
On September first, we took the Knight Bus to King's Cross Station. Oddly, we noticed that not as many people were using this violently purple, triple-decker bus as transport. It wasn't exactly the most comfortable journey, but there were usually more wizards aboard. Now, there were five in the entire bus: an elderly man smoking a foot-long pipe, two girls who looked like they had just finished Hogwarts, wearing identical ghastly pink waitress uniforms for Madam Puddifoot's in Hogsmeade, and Neville Longbottom with the infamous Gran.
We waved at Neville and made our way to the back of the bus to sit with him. He smiled absently, clearly coming out of a deep thought. His Gran was snoring. Tyler stared at her, wide-eyed, like someone beholding a dragon that happened to be a light sleeper.
“Hi, Neville,” I said. “Good holiday?”
He shrugged. “It was okay, all things considered. Listen,” he added, lowering his voice, “I talked to Ginny and Luna a while back, and we want to talk to you guys about something. Not here.” He glanced suspiciously at the other passengers. “On the train. We'll find you.”
One crazy bus ride and a brick wall later, we were standing on Platform 9 ¾. The first thing I noticed were several “Ministry Officials” looking up and down the platform. I shook my head in disgust. Tyler pointed at one of them. “Who're they?” he asked nervously.
Sammy swatted his hand down. “Don't point. They're probably Death Eaters,” she said matter-of-factly.
Tyler's eyes widened. “Why are they here?” he said, his voice suddenly much higher than normal.
Simon appeared out of nowhere. “Because,” he said in disgust, “they think Harry Potter is going to show up on the train and go to Hogwarts.” Then he called them something that made Sammy stomp on his foot and cover Tyler's ears.
We boarded the train, Tyler stopping at a compartment full of other second year Gryffindors. We found an empty compartment for ourselves quite easily. I took a window seat, and Simon sat next to me, with Valentine and Sammy across from us. I occupied myself by staring out the window.
I recognized two of the Death Eaters from the incident last year (that was the way I thought of it now- The Incident). They were scanning the crowd, looking for any sign of Harry, Ron, or Hermione. Younger students cowered by their families, and there was ten feet of space around them in every direction.
Bullies.
Suddenly, anger rose in me. Without realizing what I was doing, I stood, opened the window, and started shouting. “Hey!” The two Death Eaters turned toward me. “Do you seriously think he'll show up? How thick are you?” They both looked enraged. I felt extremely satisfied, before Simon yanked me back and slammed the window shut.
“Are you mad?” he exploded, shaking with rage. “Look, I bet he comes on the train and hexes you!”
But out the window, while one of the Death Eaters looked as if he was ready to do just that, the other was holding him back, shaking his head. “He won't,” I said grimly. “That's not their orders. It would look suspicious, too.”
Valentine and Sammy were both white. “What the hell were you thinking?” said Valentine softly. I had never heard her swear before, even mildly.
“I wasn't,” I said simply, because it was true. I hadn't been thinking of anything at all, except that they were Death Eaters, and because of them, my only family had been torn apart. I didn't know even know what family I was referring to. Every time I thought I was starting to get the idea of what it was like to have a family, something happened and I felt completely alone.
The train began to move, and our compartment was silent. Then, finally, a light tap on the door told us that Neville was here. We opened the door, and Neville, Ginny, and Luna filed in. With so many people, the compartment was getting full. Luna elected to sit on the floor, her wand pushed behind her ear as usual.
Ginny muttered some kind of spell at the door, and then looked at Neville to begin. He sat up straight, and said without preamble, “We're reforming the D.A.”
“Excellent,” Simon and I said in unison. Neville smiled a little and continued.
“We want to recruit more members, and we can't let the Carrows or Snape find out about the Room of Requirement. I think as long as we keep that quiet, we don't really have to bother secrecy. I mean, we want them to know we want them out, right? So what does it matter if they know who's sending the message?”
“How long do we have to recruit other members?” asked Valentine.
“About a month, so we have time to assess the damage being done. We want to have time to figure out what sort of patterns the Carrows use as far as punishment goes,” said Ginny. She looked serious and angry, like a lion ready to pounce.
“It'll be Cruciatus at the very least,” Simon said grimly. “That Amycus is bad news, my dad says.”
“And Alecto got me last year,” Sammy said, wincing at the remembrance. “We owe the Carrows.”
“And Snape too,” I said fiercely, “We'll get him!”
“Yeah,” said Simon quietly. “We'll get him.”
~ * ~
At the start-of-term feast, things were awful. Up at the staff table, Snape sat in Dumbledore's great chair, and it seemed much too large for him. He was flanked by the Carrows. Alecto was in charge of the Sorting, which made McGonagall's face turn purple with rage. Alecto put the Sorting Hat on the stool, and the Hall waited expectantly.
Nothing happened.
It was the first time in living memory that the Sorting Hat had not begun to sing instantly. Flitwick and McGongall gathered around it, obviously trying to see what was wrong. I heard Flitwick say, “Come now, Hat, surely there's something you want to say!”
That Hat replied:
For nigh eight hundred years, or more,
This school has been my home
Now evil is within its walls,
Giving shelter to my foes
So I refuse to sing a song
Of the wonder of our school,
Because the man who heads it now
Is nothing but a ghoul.
I urge the students passing through,
Do not give up on right!
You must remain united,
You must stand up and fight!
A ringing silence filled the Great Hall. Then, after several minutes, I began to clap as hard as I could. Neville and Ginny clapped too. Then the entire Gryffindor Table, then the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, then several teachers, joined in. The clapping had morphed into cheering and cat calls. The entire Hall had erupted with noise. The Carrows looked ready to kill.
After this incident, Snape gave some kind of signal to Alecto Carrow, and the Sorting Ceremony continued normally. I looked everywhere but up front. I could feel Snape's eyes on me, and stared hard at the golden plate in front of me. I knew what he was up to, but unfortunately for him, I had started practicing Occlumency in third year, and still did it on occasion. It was difficult now, though, surrounded by people, and as full of anger as I was.
When the Sorting had finished, Snape stood at the podium. There was an audible hiss from the Gryffindor table, but he ignored it and began his announcements.
“I would like to welcome you all back to Hogwarts, and certainly hope you have a pleasant year, in spite of... recent events.” He scanned the Hall. The Slytherins were positively beaming, but every other face in the Great Hall glowered at Snape as though they would like nothing better than to tear him limb from limb.
“I have several announcements to make before we begin the feast. First, all trips into Hogsmeade are henceforth strictly prohibited, in light of the Dark Lord's return.” There were murmurs at this, and Snape scanned the crowed once more. I had a sudden realization, and I poked Sammy hard in the ribs.
“He's doing that to make sure we can't leave!” I said in a loud whisper. “We're trapped here until the breaks! This way, whatever they want to do to us, there's no escape!” I was fuming. Clever, Snape, I thought hard at him, But it won't stop kids writing to their parents.
That bubble of hope was quickly popped.
“Furthermore, all mail will be searched upon leaving and entering the castle, to ensure that nothing Dark or dangerous enters our walls. Curfew has also been modified. All students must return to their dormitories by eight o'clock every evening, and no one may be out on the grounds after dark. Lastly, there will be no Quidditch until further notice.”
More murmuring. There were shouts of indignation at the last announcement. A few tables away, Simon actually pounded his fist on the Ravenclaw table, startling a first year that was sitting next to him.
“I would like to acknowledge two staff changes we've had this year,” Snape went on lazily, ignoring the uproar. “Amycus Carrow will be taking over Defense Against the Dark Arts.” Amycus, a squat man sitting directly on Snape's left, leered at the crowd and raised his hand, as if to acknowledge admirers. He had none. “And Alecto Carrow, will be taking over Muggle Studies, as Professor Burbage has resigned.” Alecto, still livid about the Hat's performance, glared around at the students. Snape plowed on: “Muggle Studies is now a required subject for all students, in accordance with Educational Decree Number Thirty-Two. Let the feast begin.”
The Great Hall burst into a flurry of conversation. Neville and Ginny, across from Sammy and me, exchanged dark looks. “Why are they making Muggle Studies a requirement?” Ginny said, not taking any food. She looked sick.
“It's obvious, isn't it?” said Sammy, glaring up at the staff table, making a horrible face at Alecto. “They're going to make out that Muggles are all viscous monsters. Oh, it makes me sick! I'm not hungry anymore, are you?”
I shook my head, and so did Neville. I looked at them. “Surely one of you has a plan!” I said, pushing my plate away. “I don't want to sit here waiting for an entire month! I want to do something now!”
Ginny looked at me. “You want to do something now?” she said, grinning evilly. “Alright. How about we steal something and give it to Harry?”
“What?” Sammy and I asked at the same time.
“The Sword of Gryffindor,” said Ginny impressively, a malicious glint in her eye.
~ * ~
A week later, Ginny, Neville, Luna, and I were in an abandoned classroom. We had left dinner early, and we were waiting for the signal.
Ginny's plan was brilliant; clearly she had Fred and George's flair for schemes. Harry had inherited the Sword of Gryffindor from Dumbledore, according to her. Apparently the Ministry refused to give it to him for some reason. She insisted that if Dumbledore had bequeathed it to Harry, he had done it for a reason. Harry needed the sword, and we were going to get it for him.
So far, everything had gone smoothly. Sammy and Valentine had bribed Peeves into setting off fireworks and a load of Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder halfway through dinner, while all the teachers were still eating. Once we heard the loud explosions, and Valentine and Sammy's shouts of, “PEEVES!” we would know it was time to run for it.
I had arrived last, as planned. Luna, Neville, and Ginny had gathered in an empty classroom near the staircase. Ginny was checking her watch compulsively. Neville was pacing, and Luna sat, staring vaguely out the window. Everything about that girl was vague, but she was useful. We waited in silence. Then-
BOOM.
An explosion shattered the peaceful evening. I heard Sammy's screams, and Valentine's shouts of, “Headmaster, Peeves is setting off fireworks!” More students started screaming, and Ginny cracked open the door, and grinned: the entrance hall was pitch black. “C'mon!” she called to us. “The stairs are just to the left!”
“Maybe we should hold hands,” said Luna dreamily. “That way we don't get lost in the crowd.”
“Not a bad idea,” I said, gingerly taking Luna's as I spoke. Ginny shrugged, took Luna's other hand, and offered one of hers to Neville. The four of us made our way toward the stairs, an odd chain. I knew the stairs had been discovered when I was jerked violently forward; Neville had tripped. We climbed cautiously, and the grand marble staircase had never felt like such an arduous thing to climb.
When we reached the top, Ginny checked her watch again and squeaked. “We only have fifteen minutes! Hurry!”
“Through here!” I called, gesturing at a passageway off next to a crooked painting of a witch in a turban, fiddling with a model of the galaxy. We ran through the passageway, and in five minutes, popped out the other side, at the end of the corridor leading to the headmaster's office.
“Brilliant!” said Neville, and we ran the length of the corridor, stopping short at the large stone gargoyle. Suddenly, I realized something with a pang of remorse. We didn't have the password.
Ginny, also figuring out our tragic blunder, moaned and kicked the gargoyle. “Dammit! Now what? I can't believe we got this far, and now-”
Luna, however, approached the gargoyle confidently. “Lily Evans,” said Luna, and the gargoyle moved aside. I felt my stomach lurch at the mention of my mother's name.
“How did-” I began, but I couldn't finish.
“I heard Professor McGonagall telling Professor Flitwick on the first night back,” said Luna, shrugging.
“Well done, Luna!” said Ginny, impressed.
“What are we waiting for?” said Neville. “Come on!”
We ran up the spiral staircase and through the oak door into the headmaster's office. I was taken aback at how little Snape had changed it. Most of Dumbledore's little inventions and trinkets were still there, and all the portraits of previous headmasters were there, including (I noticed with a jolt) Albus Dumbledore himself. He was snoring contentedly, along with the others. Neville looked up at them wearily, and so did Ginny.
“Keep it down,” murmured Ginny to the rest of us. “That one up there- he's called Phineas Nigellus, and he's likely to rat on us if we make to much noise.” We all nodded, and I studied the posh looking man, snoring idly, a disgusting brown color the background of his portrait.
I stared around the room, looking for the sword, when I suddenly spotted it, in a glass display case on a high shelf. Neville had already climbed up on a chair and was attempting to open the case. He swore quietly. “It's locked,” he muttered.
I rolled my eyes in frustration. “Are you a wizard or not, Neville? Alohamora,” I whispered, aiming at the case. It came open with a soft click, and we grinned.
Suddenly, the door creaked open. “That will do,” said a cold voice.
“Did you honestly believe you would get away with this?” said Snape, glaring at the four of us. “Fifty points apiece from Gryffindor, and detentions for all of you! Out of my office!”
Neville, Ginny, and Luna ran for it before Snape changed his mind. For some reason, though, I couldn't help lingering. Snape's cold black eyes pierced mine. I was expecting cold indifference, and most of his face showed an impassive stone. His eyes, though, were full of pain. It cut me like a knife, and I took a step back. “You're a monster,” I whispered, before running out of the office, not bothering to see his reaction.
The Other Potter by georgeisholey
Chapter Notes: Okay, in this chapter we come back to Hogwarts. Please forgive my poor attempt at poetry... I don't own Harry Potter, but if I did, Fred would definitely NOT have died. Enjoy!
Chapter Endnotes: That's that. We're back at Hogwarts. Ooh, I wish I could just tell you all how the story ends and have done with it, the suspense is killing me just as much as it (probably) is killing you! A week feels too long to wait!