It took several hours to get to Hogsmeade Station, during which Luna and Seamus got a chance to provide full accounts of their summer holidays and Ginny recounted the dramatic events of her brother Bill's wedding. Neville bought a healthy supply of Chocolate Frogs from the trolley in an attempt to raise his and his companion's spirits.
The railings screeched loudly again as they approached the station. Now in their robes, Neville, Seamus, Ginny and Luna gathered their belongings and abandoned the train. As Neville stepped out, he found that the air was a lot frostier and, with a gasp, soon discovered why: a pack of Dementors was hovering behind the Thestral-drawn carriages, as well as more Death Eaters and guards. Neville insides churned, but his fear was nothing compared to that of the younger students, many of which were also gasping if they weren't screaming. Neville could see his own breath before him.
'Firs' years, over 'ere!' came the familiar cry of Hagrid; Neville felt utterly relieved to hear that reassuring voice.
'Actually, Hagrid, I'd rather keep them all together,' a Death Eater said coolly. 'Get the first-years in the carriages, too; hold them up for the Sorting when we get there,' Selwyn added to a group of Death Eaters, who all nodded and began gathering students together.
One of them tried to shepherd Seamus and Ginny but Seamus spat, 'I can get in meself, thanks.'
Neville and Luna joined them again and clambered into a carriage. The sun had set by now, though the carriages' lanterns illuminated the track ahead that led to the Hogwarts entrance. The hooves of the Thestrals pattered lightly on the gravel.
'Things are going to be a lot different this year,' Ginny said, 'it's just as dangerous in Hogwarts as it is anywhere else now ...' her voice tailed off and Neville wondered if Harry was on her mind. No one answered because they knew it was true; the mere tradition of the boat sailing for first-years had already been banished; Dementors were swarming around the school, though, admittedly, that had also happened four years ago. It was certainly going to be a thorny and difficult year to pull through.
The Thestrals came to a standstill at the tall gates. The magnificent silhouette of Hogwarts Castle loomed over them and the lake could be seen glistening slightly in the half-light. The winged boars stood either side of the gates, alongside two masked Death Eaters clutching wands. They raised them and the gates opened. Students hopped out their carriages, though the first-years were held back.
Neville grabbed Seamus' arm.
'Where's Dean?'
'Dean? Oh, did I not mention – he isn't coming back either ... he's Muggle-born, remember?' he whispered when Neville just narrowed his eyes in confusion.
'D'you know where he is now?'
'I – no, I – I never asked.' Seamus looked away quickly and Neville knew he was upset: Seamus and Dean had always been best mates, and now it looked as though they may not see each other again, not for a long time, anyway. Neville patted his arm and they trudged forward through the gates, joined now by Ginny, Luna, Lavender Brown and Ernie Macmillan.
'I must say, I'm not liking the look of things around here,' Ernie said, looking over his shoulder at the first-years being roughly ordered by the Death Eaters, 'who on earth allowed Snape to be Headmaster?'
'I don't think anyone did ... You-Know-Who's probably behind it,' said Neville, 'not surprising when there's two Death Eaters as teachers as well ... I doubt Professor McGonagall could have said much to stop them.'
They soon reached the oak doors, which burst open after Selwyn flicked his wand. The Entrance Hall had been completely replenished after the Death Eater invasion not three months ago, though Neville still felt as though he'd entered a contaminated building. The stone walls, as ever, were lit with torches, the flames dancing. Led by Selwyn, the students huddled together to squeeze through the doors to the Great Hall.
The five long tables, along with all the golden plates, cutlery and goblets, sat across the Hall parallel to each other, expect for the teacher's. The place was lit by, not a thousand floating candles, but by a mixture of torches and a rippling silvery light that Neville instantly recognised as that of a Patronus; the enchanted ceiling above showed the night sky, and he even thought he saw a Dementor or two ...
The four house banners draped from the back but in the middle of them, where the Hogwarts emblem would otherwise be, was a different crest, reading: Magic is Might. Clenching his teeth slightly, Neville took a seat at the Gryffindor table between Seamus and Ginny. The students flooded in, but Neville couldn't help notice that a large proportion of the usual pupils had been cut, even without the first-years. Well, for a start, there were no Muggle-borns apart from the lucky few that had somehow convinced the guards that they were still worthy enough to attend the school despite their unhealthy Blood Status, and there were undoubtedly more out in the open, hiding. Neville scanned the staff table.
There he was in the centre chair, looking as smug as anything: Snape. The teacher Neville loathed so, so much. The empty chair of Professor McGonagall, who was evidently attending to the first-years, sat on Snape's left, and Amycus Carrow on his right, whose sister sat alongside him also. Hagrid had already returned from Hogsmeade Station, looking rather hacked off. Neville's favourite teacher, Professor Sprout, was sandwiched between Trelawney and Sinistra, while Flitwick and Slughorn filled the other side of the table.
The atmosphere was horribly tense, and every student knew it. Given that the news of Snape and the Carrows had only been released today, nearly all the students were frowning, even cursing; Crabbe, Goyle and many other Slytherins, on the other hand, looked positively delighted.
Then the doors reopened and Professor McGonagall entered with the stool and Hat, looking even sterner than ever. A line of tiny first-years trailed behind her, looking awestruck by the richness of the Hall but also very apprehensive, perhaps at the scary sight of Snape at the front. McGonagall dropped the Hat on the stool and fished out a scroll of parchment. Everyone waited in silence. The Hat opened its brim:
"Time are changing, war is waging,
Yet still we –"
'Silencio.'
The student's eyes looked up rapidly as Snape half-stood.
'Can we get straight to it, if you don't mind, Minerva?' Snape said, a hint of danger in his low voice.
McGongall stared at him for a second in disgust, before saying, 'Certainly – Headmaster,' with deliberate force on the second word. Snape took his seat again and lifted the charm from the Sorting Hat; Neville saw Amycus Carrow smirk.
'When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted,' said Professor McGonagall to the first-years, all of whom looked anxiously at Snape again as though he was about to curse them. Professor McGonagall unravelled the scroll.
'Baker, Patrick!'
A freckly boy barged through the line, sat on the stool and plonked on the Hat:
'GRYFFINDOR!'
Neville clapped half-heartedly with some others, though he felt embarrassed: at least a quarter of Gryffindor wasn't even there and Neville could hear his and Seamus' claps echo off the walls. Patrick ambled over and took a seat.
'Crabbe, Norman!'
Neville's heart skipped a beat as Vincent's thickset brother waddled through and assumed the position on the stool.
'SLYTHERIN!'
There was a much louder celebration from the far table, with plenty of goblet-banging and cat-calling – it was enough to make Neville sick; even Alecto Carrow was clapping.
'Unbelievable,' Seamus growled.
The Sorting took a good thirty minutes before McGonagall retrieved the stool and Hat and took them out the Great Hall, her lips pursed. She had no sooner returned and sat down right next to Snape, than the dishes and cloches filled with food, though, somehow, Neville thought it was considerably less magnificent than usual: one roast chicken was partially burnt. It made Neville wonder if a Death Eater had been positioned in the kitchens too. Most of it was still delicious however, and they were soon wishing they hadn't eaten so much. The puddings didn't vanish nearly as quickly, not least because the population of the school had simply decreased. Neville had an almost whispered discussion (as hardly anyone seemed keen to talk) with Seamus and Ginny about lessons and other simple topics, such as the state of the common room that may also have been affected by Snape's input. Ginny was on the verge of suggesting whether a Death Eater would be stationed outside the common room when Snape stood up. Just like in his lessons, he didn't need to say anything to cause silence whenever he wished to speak. Neville's loathing towards him augmented just at the sight of seeing him there, as Headmaster, knowing that he had complete control of the school.