'Since we are already gathered here,' said Snape from in front of the staff table, 'I must bring something to your attention.'
The students in the Great Hall, who had been chatting noisily mere seconds ago, all turned to face the Headmaster as he stood in front of them all. The last meatballs, pies, vegetables and pumpkin juice dematerialised.
'Last night,' he continued, now pacing the length of the table, hands locked together, 'a group of students broke into my office – I know who they are ... and so do they. They have their punishment soon, but it is not a cruel one. I tell you this: the next person to break a rule, scheme against the school, backchat to a teacher, or do anything else that may cause irritation to staff shall be locked up in the dungeons and tortured. Also –' Snape held himself while the angry shouts and insults that rang through the Hall died down. 'Also ... there are to be no forms of societies or organisations including three or more people withstanding, without my permission. If you are found to have been part of a society thereof, you will be equally punished.'
Snape sat back down. Michael yawned and stretched pointedly before getting up with Anthony and Terry and leaving the Hall, while the rest of students did the same in small groups, most of them still in a state of shocked horror. Neville and Ginny, since they had their punishment, joined with Luna and headed straight through the Entrance Hall doors and into the grounds after bidding Seamus goodbye.
As ever, the atmosphere was frosty as a result of the distant Dementor's emanating chill, but it was good to get some fresh air all the same. It was a cloudless night and the full moon and stars sent silvery light across the grounds, but Neville lit his wand nonetheless. Since Neville spent nearly half his lessons in the greenhouses, he forgot for a second that they were heading to Hagrid's hut. The only time Neville could remember entering the hut was in his fourth year when he'd escaped the Blast-Ended Skrewts during a particularly frightening Care of Magical Creatures lesson; yet it was a warming sight nevertheless. Ginny knocked on the door when they reached the hut and they immediately heard Fang's barking and scraping on the other side. Hagrid opened the door.
'Arh, the scallywags!' he said at the sight of them and Neville couldn't stop the smile. 'Ginny – Neville, how are ya? – Luna, is it? Well, listen ... you be'er not be expec'ing ter be punished, bu' we should go into the Forest anyway, in case they're watchin' ... we could check on the Thestrals an' such if yer like, they need feeding ...' His face was heavily bruised and cut, slightly worse than Seamus' and he had a crossbow slung over his huge shoulder. He shut the door on Fang's nose, who evidently wanted to join them; Hagrid let him out rather reluctantly and Fang jumped up at Neville to lick his face.
'So wha' did yer get up to?' asked Hagrid as they entered the Forest, the floor a blanket of leaves, twigs and low branches. Ginny and Luna also lit their wands, casting bright light through the dark, tall trees. Neville remembered entering the Forest with Hagrid in his first-year when he'd tried to warn Harry and Hermione about something to do with a dragon.
'We tried to get the sword of Gryffindor from Snape's office,' answered Ginny, cautiously manoeuvring over a thick horizontal branch.
'You wha'?' Hagrid yelped. 'Blimey, Ginny, I though' you were clev'rer than tha' – and Snape caugh' yer?'
'Well, yeah, that's why we're here,' said Ginny rather brusquely.
'Hmph,' grunted Hagrid. 'Well, anyway –'
Hagrid suddenly stopped walking; Neville walked into him. He could hear distant footsteps, becoming louder and louder. Were they footsteps? There was a quicker rhythm to the sound, something Neville would usually associate with an animal.
'DOWN!' shouted Hagrid, grabbing the two girls and removing the crossbow from around his neck at the same time. Neville ducked just in time to hear something whistle past the top of his head, ruffling his uncut hair. He looked up but could only see the huge bulk of Hagrid's back.
'OI! Hold yer Hippogriffs!'
Neville thought it was safe to move only when Hagrid did and the four of them rose. He finally had a view of what was going on.
They were surrounded by centaurs, of all colours and sizes. Half-man half-horse, each of them clutched a bow, an arrow quivering menacingly next to it.
'Hagrid!' roared one of them. He was dark-skinned and had long black hair with a matching beard. 'How many times must I remind you?'
'Remin' me of wha'?' Hagrid shouted back. 'The Forest is no more yours that ours, Bane! Get out of it!'
Bane lowered his bow, and many of the others hesitated before doing the same.
'Who are the young ones?'
'From the school. You've seen wha' times are like at the momen'? Safer in here than back there,' said Hagrid, jerking his head behind him.
'We know the times are hard,' spoke another centaur, commandingly built with a chestnut-coloured torso, 'we've seen this coming for years, decades even ... only darkness lurks ahead, that we are sure of.'
'How do you know?'
There was a pause, during which Magorian looked upwards.
'Venus is unusually bright tonight.'
Hagrid looked as though he was straining to not roll his eyes.
'Great, thanks for tha',' he answered, though Neville wasn't sure they picked up on the sarcasm. 'Now if you don' mind ...' he began walking again and, hesitantly, the other three followed.
'Please make your visits infrequent, Hagrid. You know we don't like to be disturbed by humans.'
Hagrid grunted impatiently and the herd of centaurs trotted off again.
'Stupid things,' he said gruffly. They entered a small clearing with no canopy above and where a pack of Thestrals rested. Hagrid dug out from a huge pocket what looked like whole lamb and wandered over to the skeletal horses, with Ginny in his wake.
'They're beautiful aren't they?' Luna asked quietly.
Neville could sort of see what she meant; they were rather ugly in looks but there was a certain grace about the way they moved and they crooned at Hagrid's touch. He and Ginny were talking to each other quietly and Neville wondered if she was asking for any news on Harry.
Neville looked at Luna. She looked quite pretty in the twilight, with her long silvery-blonde hair and large eyes, where a slither of moon reflected. She had been rather quiet so far this year, he'd noticed, and he preferred her usual, bubbly, even funny, self that he'd seen before. But perhaps they had more in common than they thought.
'Are you OK, Luna?' he whispered. She turned her head to him at the question, a half-smile upon her face.
'I'm fine Neville.'
'You've been quiet this year, Luna,' said Neville, watching the Thestrals strip away meat from the bone, while Ginny and Hagrid walked further through the trees. 'I keep thinking to myself that something's wrong when I see you.'
She said nothing, but hid her face. Neville drew his eyes away from the Thestrals and looked at her, shocked to see tears glistening in her eyes.
'It's Dad,' she said, her voice wavering. 'I think he's going to get c-caught for everything he's writing in The Quibbler, about pr-protecting Harry and bringing down D-Death Eaters ... and what – what if he –?'
But her words were lost as Neville brought her into a hug; he closed his eyes as her head rested on his shoulder and her sobs became renewed. He had nothing to say to comfort her. Luna was the last person on earth he would expect to cry but, after all, crying was part of being human. They broke apart and Neville kept his hands on her shoulders and looked straight into her eye.
'He'll be fine, Luna, understand? ... and we're going to make his daughter proud, OK?' he said defiantly, and she nodded, brushing away the rest of her tears. She still looked pretty even with puffy, reddened eyes. They lay on their backs on the Forest floor together, gazing up at the millions of stars.
'I want to know all about you Neville,' Luna said after a while.
So he told her. He told her how little he'd known of his parents, how he'd been brought up by his grandmother in a house in Yorkshire, how he had always been fascinated by plants, his dream plans for the future. And he continued to tell her even as she fell asleep, her head next to his shoulder, because she was the first person to be interested in his life and he felt so comfortable talking to her, feeling less lonely than he'd ever done.
Under Snape's Regime by joehook
Chapter Notes: I finally have the next installment, hope you enjoy, thanks for waiting (and reading!)