The Seventh Year: Chapters 10 and 11
Title: The Seventh Year- Chapter 10: Half-Bloods
Summary: During his final year at Hogwarts Neville struggles with the realization of his worst fear when Professor Snape is in charge of Hogwarts. McGonagall does her best to keep her students safe while Draco has reservation about his new allies.
Characters/Pairings: Neville, Draco, McGonagall
Genre: Adventure/Drama
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 4913
“I expect that you will all give the emissary from the Ministry the full measure of respect and cooperation due someone of his rank,” Snape said, looking directly at McGonagall as he spoke.
“Indeed,” Amycus Carrow said, standing with a sweep of his cape. McGonagall wondered, not for the first time, if he’d enchanted his cape to do that. “I would remind you all of the high standards we hold our teachers to at this Institution. We will be expecting peak discipline during his visit.” Amycus also looked at McGonagall while speaking.
“May I ask,” McGonagall said before Amycus sat down, “what the purpose of this visit is?” Amycus froze between standing and sitting, unsure if he should try to answer or just sit down. McGonagall suppressed a small snicker.
“The emissary will be discussing new policies the Minister wishes Hogwarts to implement,” Snape said. “That is all I have been told.” The answer frustrated McGonagall. The way thing had been going at the Ministry, a new policy may be giving medals to Purebloods or replacing the whole staff with Death Eaters.
McGonagall left the staff room with Flitwick, Sprout, and Hagrid.
“What do you think this is all about, Minerva?” Sprout asked. “You don’t think it’s some sort of trick, do you?”
“I don’t see what would be gained from this,” McGonagall said. “And I don’t think the Carrows would go to all this trouble.”
“Are you sure?” Sprout asked.
“Perhaps not,” McGonagall said. “Amycus might, but Snape wouldn’t go along and Alecto couldn’t keep it a secret.”
“You sound very confident of that,” Flitwick said.
“’Know thy enemy,’” McGonagall said. “A wise Muggle once said that.”
“Good advice,” Flitwick said, though he sounded slightly flustered. “So what could it be about?”
“I suppose we will just have to wait and find out,” McGonagall said. They reached the intersection where they all split ways for their respective quarters. “Be on your guard, as always.” The professors nodded and walked off.
The rest of the professors, save Slughorn, had been completely supportive of the Carrows. On the surface, anyway. They all reported most infractions to the Carrows, but McGonagall had seen Vector hold her door open a few minutes past when she should have started class when some students were late, and Sinistra had once stopped some first-years from doing magic in the halls without reporting them. Even Binns once drew Filch into a conversation so he wouldn’t spot some students who were skipping class. It was encouraging to know her fellow professors weren’t totally broken, even if they were too afraid to act outright.
But those small acts of defiance only offered a small amount of moral support. If she wanted to try anything more serious, she only had Flitwick, Sprout, Hagrid, and perhaps Slughorn. And she had the feeling Hagrid would be unsuited for most of the plans she might hatch; he was not the most subtle man, nor good at keeping secrets. The others never backed her when she tried to argue with the Carrows or Snape. She couldn’t entirely blame them; she herself had been much more careful since the incident with the Unforgivable Curse.
Slughorn had found himself isolated from both groups. He had slightly allied himself with McGonagall, so the others kept their distance. Yet McGonagall did not fully trust him. He would betray her, if they came down hard enough, so she never told him anything essential unless it was truly necessary. She did not completely alienate him, but any trust she had in him was very tentative and limited.
Mercifully, she reached her quarters without being accosted. Alecto had recently taken to waiting outside her quarters to discuss certain matter, often for hours on end. The talks left McGonagall without a full night’s sleep, which she found she needed more than she realized. The whole deal seemed more like one of Amycus’ stunts, coming out of Alecto’s mouth. The late night talks were starting to leave her very drained.
McGonagall changed into her sleeping gown with a full mind. The last few years at Hogwarts had a certain excitement to them. But the danger had never felt so close. Even when Umbridge was in charge; she was cruel, but she had stayed on one side of a line the Carrows had been crossing since their first week. They were more dangerous than Umbridge, in every imaginable way. McGonagall didn’t want to think about what they would do once Voldemort decided to reveal himself. She suspected there would be a real battle that day, no more indirect jabs. She was confident that she, Flitwick, Sprout, Hagrid, and perhaps Slughorn could take down the Carrows and Snape, if they were able to go after them separately.
But to what end? Voldemort had taken a keen interest in the school. It made sense. McGonagall knew that more than a few of the younger students bought in to the lies the Carrows were teaching. In ten years, there would be no one around to set them straight. Even if they did get rid of the Carrows what good would it do? Voldemort would sweep down on them, kill anyone who opposed him, and install people worse than the Carrows. They had to tread a thin line. She had to do what she could without going to far, without getting herself killed or kicked out.
She turned on the wireless, to take her mind off her troubles. Normally she never bothered with that sort of thing, but Hagrid had told her about Potterwatch at the start of the semester. She had been trying to tune in when she could.
“… not being able to defend the Muggle Minister?” It warmed her heart to hear Lee Jordan’s voice. She’d known he would be successful, but she never dreamed he would be doing something so dangerous and important. It made her feel proud.
“Of course, I regret that he will no longer let me guard him,” a baritone voice she recognized as belonging to Kingsley Shacklebolt answered. “But I do understand. And the new revolving guard system is good, in ensures that he is always guarded by someone fresh.”
“Very good, Royal. Now, we’re almost out of time, so do you have anything else you want to tell our listeners?”
“Yes, I do.” Kingsley paused for a moment. “All that You-Know-Who needs to take over is for everyone else to do nothing. To not take him seriously. To not believe he is really back, to not believe he will come for them.
“He will. Sooner or later, everyone will be affected, in some way. So you must stand up! Listening to this program alone is not enough. You must do whatever you can to oppose You-Know-Who, and help others who also oppose him. Anyone, be they friends or former enemies, Purebloods or not, rich or poor, Muggle or wizard. Everyone deserves help, and everyone can help in turn. That is all. Thank you, River.”
McGonagall turned the radio off after getting next week’s password. Listening to Potterwatch always refreshed her. She lay down in her bed, feeling slightly less troubled.
.
“The emissary will be arriving and noon,” Snape said the following morning. He only stepped in to the staff room to say that. He usually took his meals either in his office, or, more commonly, the Great Hall. McGonagall usually did as well, but she needed to talk with Flitwick. Sprout volunteered to sit in the Great Hall with the students.
“Filius, I’ve heard the rumors that you used to be a dueling champion many years ago. I never followed that sort of thing when I was younger,” McGonagall said.
“Yes, I was. All-Britain Champion back in ’68. I went on to the International scene but didn’t get very far.” McGonagall detected more than a little pride in his voice nonetheless. “But why ask now? We’ve worked together for… years.”
“You have been teaching the students dueling techniques, have you not? Rather than the regular charms?”
“Erm, yes. I thought it more prudent than going over NEWT level charms, to be honest. In light of, well, everything,” Flitwick said.
“The reason I ask, Filius, is that I wish to do the same with Transfiguration. Teach my students dueling techniques.”
“Oh, well. Of course I can help. There are more than a few useful Transfigurations that can be used in duels.”
“Thank you, Filius. Can we meet in your office tonight at seven?”
“That should be just fine, Minerva. I’ll see you then.” They made small talk through the rest of the meal before going on to their first classes.
.
The emissary arrived during lunch. McGonagall did not recognize his face, but had little doubt he was a Death Eater. She knew Scrimgeour’s death had been no accident; she’d heard it from Kingsley himself. She never figured Pius Thicknesse for a Death Eater, but sometimes that would make them all the more dangerous.
The emissary entered the Great Hall and walked to the staff table. He exchanged a few words with Snape before leaving again. McGonagall strained, but could not hear what was said over the din of the Hall. However, they were clearly at odds with each other. McGonagall smiled a little. Even if Snape had earned Voldemort’s favor, she did not think he would last long if the other Death Eaters disliked him, which several of them clearly did.
“The meeting will occur after your afternoon classes,” Snape said before leaving himself. McGonagall looked to Flitwick and Sprout, both of who looked concerned. McGonagall could only shrug.
Her first afternoon class was mostly older students. The new schedule, thanks to Snape and the Carrows’ interference, meant that several of her classes had mixed grades. She had a hard time deciding what to teach, based on who knew what. She couldn’t go too advanced, or the younger ones would be lost. But going over older material wouldn’t do anything for the older students. She usually found some balance, but it wasn’t very efficient.
She liked this class, though, because it had Ginny Weasley and Seamus Finnegan. She knew they were two of the major players in the revival of Dumbledore’s Army. Even if all they were doing was painting on walls, it scared the Carrows far more than they would let show. Or thought they let show, anyway.
As soon as McGonagall closed the door, Ginny raised her hand.
“Yes, Miss Weasley?”
“I was wondering,” Ginny asked, “if we’ll learn how to Transfigure things like walls and floors?”
“How do you mean, Miss Weasley?”
“Well, say you were being chased. Would it be possible to Transfigure a wall to close the hall behind me? Or maybe make a hole in a wall to cut through to another passage?”
“Yes, such things are possible,” McGonagall said with a smile and nod. Ginny smiled back. “In fact, that is the very issue we will be studying today.
“However, it will be difficult to practice much here. The entire building of Hogwarts is enchanted to resist such spells. They do not want the schools to rearrange at a student’s whim.”
“But don’t the stairs move around all the time?” Seamus asked.
“But that is not the will of the students, but the will of the school,” McGonagall said. “You would find it very hard to create holes or close off passages in Hogwarts, but there are a few other options. The floor, for instance, can be modified to help in an escape, if you ever needed to make one.” McGonagall showed them how to create large bumps and dips in the floor, which would likely cause any pursuers to trip and fall. By the end of the class, she had everyone’s rapt attention, once they realized just what she was doing. Eventually, however, class ended, and the students began to file out.
“Miss Weasley, a moment,” McGonagall said.
“Yes, Professor?” Ginny waited, along with Seamus.
“If there are any other types of Transfiguration you are interested in, please let me know before our next class. In case I need to refresh my memory.”
“Yes, Professor,” Ginny said, grinning widely. “You can count on it.”
.
McGonagall entered the staffroom at the same time as Professor Slughorn, who was noticeably more nervous than usual. He may have lost some weight. He held the door open for McGonagall, mumbling something that might have been “After you.” McGonagall suspected Slughorn was actually trying to put off entering the room as long as possible. After the last staff meeting, she did not blame him.
Most of the staff was already there; McGonagall’s classroom was farther away than most. She sat by Flitwick and Sprout, away from the others. She noticed how the other teacher quieted, and shifted to cover open seats as she walked past. She sighed inwardly as she took her seat.
Slughorn followed her in. Again, the teachers did their best to cover open seats, forcing Slughorn to sit by himself, between the two groups.
Snape came in with the emissary. McGonagall still could not place him, but she had little doubt he was a Death Eater. Amycus Carrow followed the both of them.
“Is everyone here?” the emissary asked as he took as seat.
“No, the oaf… ahem, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher appears to be running late,” Amycus said, “as usual.”
“Well, he certainly does need to be here,” the emissary said. “I do worry about the state of this school, if a simple message can’t be passed to all the staff.” He gave Snape a smug look as he said this. “We will have to wait.”
Hagrid burst in a few moments later, breathless, and mumbling something that was probably an apology.
“You would be the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, then?” the emissary asked. Hagrid nodded as he sat down with McGonagall and the others.
“Now, are they all finally here?” the emissary asked. Snape nodded curtly. “Good. I’ll go ahead and get started. My name is Yaxley, I am from the Ministry of Magic.
“The Ministry wants to have a more active role at Hogwarts this year. We have tried such in the past and believe it met with great success. We see no need to place anyone else here, however. We will not be telling the school what to do, merely advising the Headmaster and making suggestions to him. The first and most prominent policy will concern the staff. We will be advising the Headmaster to implement a policy of full Blood Purity for all teachers at Hogwarts.” His eyes lingered on Hagrid and Flitwick.
“We can only advise the Headmaster in this capacity, but we can require all staff members to take loyalty oaths.” Yaxley paused to float a stack of papers over from a table near Snape. “Every member of the staff has to sign one, if they want to keep their posts.” He looked over the room. “Well, I’d like to leave soon, if you want to go ahead and start signing.”
McGonagall stood slowly, and was nearly knocked of balance by Flitwick. He practically ran to the front of the room. He looked over the contract and signed it with his wand. The rest of the staff followed suit. She looked over the contract briefly. It had the sort of thing she would suspect- follow orders of the Ministry of Magic, loyalty to the Minister of Magic. She was slightly encouraged, however. If they were making them sign loyalty oaths, it probably meant they hadn’t gotten complete control over the Wizengamot.
“That was a dirty trick,” Flitwick said when she sat back down.
“What do you mean?”
“Those oaths had so many Charms and hexes on them… you don’t even want to know what would have happened if you broke one of them,” Flitwick said. McGonagall inhaled sharply “Don’t worry, I dispelled them while I was signing.”
“Thank Merlin,” she said. “How could you tell?”
“They did a good job covering them, but there was one I could detect. I could nearly see it. The others were all very subtle, but the Blindness Charm wasn’t very well concealed. I looked for others after I saw that one.”
“You got them all? We don’t have anything to worry about?”
“Not a thing,” Flitwick said.
Yaxley put all the oaths in a small bag once the last one had been signed by Trelawney. “Very good,” he said. “Well, that’s all I need to do here. I’ll be on my way.”
“Alecto, please show Mr. Yaxley out, if you would,” Snape said. Alecto got to her feet and followed Yaxley, who seemed intent on ignoring her if possible. “You heard what the Ministry suggested. I think they’re so very reasonable. We don’t want any rabble teaching our precious students,” Snape said with a smirk. “All staff members, excepting Mr. Binns and Mr. Filch, will have to provide proof of their ancestry by next week.”
“All staff members, Severus?” McGonagall asked abruptly.
“You will address me as Headmaster,” Snape said, “and yes, Minerva, I did say all staff members. Is your hearing starting to go? Perhaps I ought to consider a mandatory retirement age…” Snape’s voice trailed off as he left the room with Amycus in tow, chuckling. The other teachers filed quickly after, leaving the four House heads plus Hagrid sitting alone in the room.
“Is he serious?” Professor Sprout eventually said. “He can’t be, can he?”
“Of course he’s serious,” Flitwick snapped. “Did he seem like he was having a joke?”
“Perhaps I’m just trying to be optimistic!” Sprout retorted angrily, though she also seemed a little hurt.
“Filius! Pomona!” McGonagall said, causing them both to look at her. “This is no time to fight. If we don’t stand together we’ll have no chance.” Sprout’s features softened, but Flitwick bristled.
“I’m going to go start getting the papers together,” Slughorn said. “I don’t know where I keep them anymore.” He left the room quickly.
“Filius, I believe we had a matter we were going to discuss in my office?” McGonagall asked.
“Oh, yes, Minerva,” Flitwick said, shaking his head. “No, I hadn’t forgotten. It’s almost time, isn’t it?” They stood up and walked for the door. She said goodbye to Sprout and Hagrid. Hagrid had remained strangely silent since the end of the meeting, and made no move to leave even as Sprout stood. She would have to check on him later.
“What was that all about?” McGonagall asked as they reached the door of her office. They had gone inside and sat down before Flitwick answered.
“I don’t know if you were aware but, I am, strictly speaking, not Pure Blooded.” He cleared his throat. “Not purely human, actually. There’s a little Goblin in me. It happened several generations back, but every now and then the traits pop up…” he trailed off. “If they test for blood purity, I’ll be the first out the door, along with Hagrid.” He snorted. “While Trelawney gets to stay on.”
“I’m not going to let that happen,” McGonagall said. “I’ll find some way to deal with Severus Snape.”
“I hope so, Minerva. Hogwarts is my life. I have nothing else, no where to go.” McGonagall nodded. It was the same for her.
She wasn’t certain of her own blood purity. He mother came from an old wizarding family, but she’d never known much of her father’s family. She hadn’t really cared to know. For a guilty moment she did wish she knew them better, but only so she would be sure she could stay at Hogwarts.
“We will talk more about that later. You were going to show me some dueling techniques?”
“Yes, of course,” Flitwick said, hopping down from his chair. “Dueling is mostly a matter of Charms, as you know. Charms are a little more versatile. You use or make a Charm for any specific purpose you need, offense or defense.
“Which is not to say you can’t duel with Transfiguration, but you have to be more indirect. I’ll show you one of the simpler methods, if you’ll pass me that broom over there? Thank you.” Flitwick ran his wand down the length of the broom, turning it into a short metal sword. He swung is experimentally a few times then handed it to McGonagall. “No doubt you could do better.” McGonagall smiled at the compliment and returned the sword. “But making a weapon like this means you have to know how to use it. And Muggle weapons generally aren’t very practical in a wizard’s duel.” He ran his wand across the sword and changed it back to a broom. “What’s more useful is to throw some harmless object, and Transfigure it in the air into something more dangerous.”
The lesson went on for almost two hours. McGonagall was familiar with all the Transfiguration techniques Flitwick showed her, but had never thought much of how they could be used in a battle. The few times in her life when she’d been forced to fight, she relied on Charms as well. She probably still would, but it was good to know other techniques.
She began to grow exhausted by the time it was ten. Flitwick, on the other hand, only seemed to be getting more and more energy. Perhaps he was reliving his old dueling days. McGonagall bid him goodnight, and Flitwick left. McGonagall herself went down the hall to her personal chambers.
.
The next day McGonagall spent her lunch hour in the library, pouring over the Hogwarts by-laws. There was no guarantee she would find anything, or that they would care if she did. But the Ministry seemed to be operating within the law for now, so if she could find something it might stymie them at least.
Unfortunately, she found little that would be useful. The Headmaster could not dismiss individual teachers for anything other than low standards. He could, however, pass policies that would affect the employment of all teachers. He could also be overruled by the governors, but that was small comfort; the Death Eaters had intimidated the governors before. So unless she found something else, she would have to find some way to convince Snape to not enact the policy.
The rest of the day went largely without incident. She taught some of her older students the techniques Flitwick had taught her, adding a few small pointers of her own as they came to her. She arranged to meet Flitwick for another lesson over the weekend, and hit the library again as soon as her classes were over. She found no other books detailing the Hogwarts by -laws, and nothing else that seemed useful at all.
At the moment, it seemed that her only option would be to somehow incapacitate Snape so that he could not perform his duties as Headmaster. That would technically make her Headmaster; they had not thought to strip her of her title. That was a temporary solution, however. They would not allow her to remain. They would either remove her or kill her. Either way, they would probably put Bellatrix or Dolohov in charge, and either of them would be worse than Snape. No, there had to be some other way, some way to convince Snape to back down, but nothing came to her that night. She realized she had been reading all through dinner and was hungry. She closed the volume she had out, something regarding the previous headmasters, and left the library. She kept a little food in her room, so she would not go too hungry.
As she expected, Alecto was waiting just outside her door.
“Hello, Professor,” she greeted with a grin. She even tried to sound sweet, though she fell short. “How are you?”
“Very tired, Alecto,” McGonagall said. “And I need to be getting to sleep. If you’ll excuse me…”
“I have something important things to show you. Can’t wait.” Alecto pulled out a piece of parchment. “Don’t want anyone saying me and my brother aren’t Purebloods. Here’s our family.” McGonagall looked at the parchment. It had clearly been made recently. She recognized both Amycus and Alecto’s handwriting. The ink wasn’t even dry yet.
“Of course, but I think it can wait till morning,” McGonagall said, trying to push past her again. Alecto still blocked the way.
“No, I need to show you now. Make sure you know who everyone is.”
McGonagall resigned herself to listening for a while. Alecto went over every family member in great detail, though it was obvious she was making most of it up as she went along.
“And this was my great-aunt, ah...” Alecto struggled to read the handwriting, “Percival Carrow.”
“Percival is a male name,” McGonagall said.
“No, it’s not,” Alecto said.
“It is obvious you are making most of this up as you go along,” McGonagall went on. “There’s no shame in not knowing a member of your extended family, though. I have to wonder why you have something to hide.” McGonagall gave a few moments for that to sink in, though it was hard to know if it really would. “In any case, you’re wasting my time.” McGonagall stepped around her and in to the room. Alecto, still working out what McGonagall had said, made no move to stop her. “I may pay for that tomorrow,” McGonagall said, “if she ever figures it out.”
“Pay for what?” a familiar voice called from her bedchamber. Startled, McGonagall drew her wand and entered slowly. She relaxed when she saw a silver lynx sitting on her bed.
“Kingsley, what brings you here?” she said, faster than she meant to.
“What do you suppose?”
“Of course,” McGonagall said, regaining her composure. “Please, go on. What’s happened with the Order?”
“Nothing new,” Kingsley said. “We were actually wondering about Hogwarts. We heard someone from the Ministry came today.”
”Oh, that,” she said. She briefly explained everything Yaxley had said. Kingsley’s Patronus made no expressions as she told what happened, but when Kingsley spoke again, his voice was troubled.
“That does not bode well,” Kingsley said. “Have you thought of researching the Carrow family tree?”
“They beat me to it. Alecto just spent the last hour showing it to me. It’s probably fake, but who do you think Snape would side with if I contested it?”
“That is unfortunate.” Kingsley was silent for a moment. “That is all I can think of at the moment, Minerva. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine, Kingsley. Don’t apologize. We agreed I was to watch Hogwarts. You have your own problems.
“I do,” Kingsley agreed. “I had best be going now. I shouldn’t stay here too long.”
“Right. Good night, Kingsley.” The Patronus vanished instantly, not leaving so much as a wrinkle on her sheets to indicate it had been there.
McGonagall changer into her night clothes, thinking as she did. She was pleased Kingsley had learned to control his Patronus better. Before, they had only been able to send brief messages with their Patronuses, and not actually receive any. Now, he seemed to have learned to use the Patronus as a communications medium. She wished he could have stayed to talk longer, but he was one of the most wanted men in the country, so she understood.
As she drifted off to sleep, another idea came to her. A longshot to be sure, but worth looking in to. If it panned out, she could probably put to rest this nonsense about half-bloods to rest.
.
“Headmaster!” McGonagall called after Snape, following him out of the Great Hall after breakfast. “Professor Snape, I need to speak with you.” Snape stopped and turned to look at her. He practically rolled his eyes and turned away, but he waited for her to catch up.
“What can I do for you, Professor?” he sounded exasperated as he resumed his stride.
“I want to speak with you about this blood purity policy,” she said, struggling to keep up with Snape’s deliberately long stride.
“Surely that wouldn’t affect you, Minerva? Your blood is pure, isn’t it?”
“It’s your blood I’m more interested in,” McGonagall said.
Snape froze in mid-stride. “What are you talking about?”
“Would you rather speak in private?” McGonagall said.
Snape looked back and forth down the empty hallway and saw nothing. “This is fine, I’d rather get it over with. So what’s this all about?”
“You know very well what this is about, Severus,” she said. “I know who your father is. I have the documentation from when you first enrolled. There are records of that in the library, and I found them.” Snape seemed to grow, if possible, a little paler. “I’ll be sure to show that records to the Carrows and anyone else I can find if you implement that policy.”
Snape glared daggers at her. She did not think he would attack her out in the hallway, but kept he hand near her want just in case. His mouth was a thin, tight line until he spoke. “Well, Minerva, I will certainly take this into consideration.” He turned and walked down the hall towards his office. Behind him, McGonagall allowed herself to smile.
The following evening, she overheard Snape defending his decision to allow half-bloods to stay at Hogwarts to the Carrows. The Carrows were livid, and Snape did not look very happy either. McGonagall slept better that night than she had in some time. A small victory was still a victory.
___________________________________________________________
Title: The Seventh Year- Chapter 11: The Sword of Gryffindor
Summary: During his final year at Hogwarts Neville struggles with the realization of his worst fear when Professor Snape is in charge of Hogwarts. McGonagall does her best to keep her students safe while Draco has reservation about his new allies.
Characters/Pairings: Neville, Draco, McGonagall
Genre: Adventure/Drama
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 3707
“Do you really think we can count on him?” Seamus whispered to Neville again.
“We haven’t got much choice now, have we?” Neville whispered back. “Shh, someone’s coming.” Neville pressed himself against the wall under the invisibility cloak. A few moments later, Professors Flitwick and Slughorn rounded the corner. Neville tried to breathe as softly as possible as they walked by.
The previous day they had finalized their plans. They decided to steal the Sword of Gryffindor the next time Snape ate his dinner in the Great Hall. He usually ate in his chambers, but usually about once a week he would eat in the Great Hall with the Carrows. Neville had managed to convince Peeves to cause a commotion as dinner ended to buy them more time if they needed it.
Ginny was waiting in the Great Hall under an invisibility cloak, to see if Snape was there. Neville and the others waited in the hallway near Snape’s office, also under invisibility cloaks. Ginny would come up in a few minutes and let them know what the situation was. If Snape was in the Great Hall, Michael would tell the gargoyle the password and they would all go inside and find the sword.
“What if he’s got some other defenses?” Seamus asked. “Some traps or dark magic on the sword.”
“We’ll deal with that when we have to,” Neville whispered back, as Ginny had said the last few times Seamus had asked such a question. He knew Seamus wasn’t scared, just nervous, and it was making him talk more than he should. Yet the talking did provide some comfort to Neville as well, even if he knew they shouldn’t.
Slughorn and Flitwick were too far away to hear them; they soon rounded a corner and their voices faded. As the minutes crept by and there was still no sign of Ginny, a few doubts began to enter Neville’s mind. What if Peeves didn’t hold up his end of the bargain? He hated the Carrows too, but that was no guarantee of anything. What if Michael backed out, or was bluffing? What if Snape didn’t go after Peeves and caught them in his office? There seemed to be too many things that could go wrong.
Neville heard footsteps approach, but saw no body to go with them. Ginny appeared out of the air, looking out of breath.
“Sorry, I had a hard time getting out of the Hall. Snape’s down there though, having a condescension match with Amycus. We’ve got time.”
Neville pulled off his cloak and walked over to the gargoyle. Seamus, Luna, and Michael appeared from various points around the hall and joined them. Neville strained his ears but heard nothing nearby.
“Alright, out with it,” Seamus said, elbowing Michael.
Michael looked very nervous. For a minute, Neville thought his earlier concern had been right, that Michael had been bluffing about knowing the password. But then he drew himself up a little and smiled at Ginny. “Voldemort.”
Several of them gasped. Neville felt himself wince. Only Luna seemed unaffected.
“Michael, you idiot!” Ginny said. “Didn’t you hear Potterwatch, that word’s been made taboo, and-”
“I don’t see any Snatchers,” Michael said. “Do you? And look.” He pointed at the gargoyle, which had stepped aside, allowing the wall to open up.
“I don’t get it,” Seamus finally said. “It was made taboo, wasn’t it?”
“Well, it’s simple, really,” Michael said. “You can’t Apparate into Hogwarts, right? That’s what the Snatchers do. So they can’t get in to Hogwarts, and anyway, why would they bother over some students? But no one ever wants to say his name, so it makes a great password. Ever if it occurs to someone, they won’t want to guess it. It’s pretty smart.” Michael seemed very proud of this revelation. Neville had to admit it was pretty clever. Ginny scowled a little, but they quickly filed inside anyway.
About that time, they heard a crash come from further down the Hall.
“Peeves,” Ginny said. “Closer than I’d like, but we should be fine if we can find the sword. Come on.” They ran up the small staircase, but hesitated in front of the door.
Neville had only been in Dumbledore office once before. He’d been in school for nearly two months now, but he still thought of it as Dumbledore’s office, even though he’d only been there once. He realized now that he probably always would. If he came back to Hogwarts ten years from now, he’d probably still think it belonged to Albus Dumbledore.
“Come on, what’s the holdup?” Ginny asked.
“Might be a trap or something,” Michael said, looking uneasily at the doorknob.
“Oh, bugger that. He’s not going to set traps in his own office. Alecto would be setting them off every other day.” Ginny shoved her way up to the front of the group. She put her hand on the door and stepped into the office.
Neville followed her in. The office was much as he remembered from the only other time he had been in here, during his fifth year. A Slytherin banner still hung in against one wall, and some of Dumbledore’s silver instruments had been shoved to one side of the desk. The portraits of the old headmasters still hung along the wall, though one had been added since Neville was last here.
“Good evening,” the portrait of Albus Dumbledore greeted. “I am aware my successor has made many changes to school policy, but I did not think allowing students into his office unattended during dinner was one of them.”
“Professor, we’re sorry,” Ginny said. If she found it awkward to be scolded by a picture, she did not let it show. “We’ve just come to get something that will help Harry.”
“Ah, I see,” Dumbledore said with raised eyebrows. “And what would that be? If Harry had left something here I daresay I would have seen it.”
“It’s the sword, Professor,” Ginny explained. “You… left it for him. You wanted him to have it, but Scrimgeour wouldn’t let him.”
“Ah, I thought Rufus might try something like that,” Dumbledore said. “Well, I would not worry overmuch about it, Miss Weasley. I find these things will usually work themselves out. I would be more concerned about Professor Snape coming back, were I in your place. I would kindly suggest you leave before you are discovered.”
“Professor, will all due respect, you seem like the last person to just trust that things will work out.”
Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled a little, but he only repeated “I would kindly suggest that you leave before Professor Snape returns.”
“You going to tell Snape we were here if we don’t?” Seamus asked.
“Professor Snape, Mr. Finnigan,” Dumbledore corrected. “And my suggestion would not be kind if it were actually a threat.”
“Then we’re taking it,” Ginny said with finality.
“Then I urge you to make haste. The Sword is hidden in a panel in the wall behind the desk.” Ginny, Seamus, Michael and Luna all went over to the desk, though Luna got distracted by some of the silver instruments. Neville lingered by the portrait. “Something the matter, Mr. Longbottom?”
“Just wondering about what my Gran would say,” Neville said, “if she found out about this.” Dumbledore only smiled down at him. “She told me to keep my head down this year. Done poor work of that, haven’t I?”
“I think Augusta would be proud of you, Mr. Longbottom, if she knew what you were doing here tonight.” He paused to adjust his glasses. “Even if she would have a hard time saying it.” Neville suddenly felt a great weight lifted from his chest, a weight he hadn’t even known was there.
“I miss you, Professor,” Neville said softly.
Dumbledore closed his eyes. “Thank you, Mr. Longbottom.” Neville wiped his watering eyes before joining his friends behind the desk. Seamus had found a small section books on a shelf along the back wall he deemed suspicious since they couldn’t be removed.
“They’re fake!” he said, keeping his voice to a whisper so as not to wake the other portraits. “Must be hiding something.”
“No, no,” Ginny said. “Look, they’re all like that.” She grabbed a book off the side shelf. It could not be removed either. “It’s just a security spell. Snape probably enchanted them so no one else can take them.”
“Oh, right,” Seamus said. “Makes sense.” After a few more minutes of searching, Michael found a suspicious looking patch of wall close to the ground. The five of them investigated it but could find no way to open it.
“Maybe it needs a spell or something,” Neville mumbled.
“Of course it needs a ‘spell or something.’ The question is what?” Michael said. Ginny glared at him, but tried casting Alohamora anyway. Nothing happened. They all tried various spells that they could conceive might somehow open a door to no avail.
“Well, it could be a password,” Michael mused. “Like for the gargoyle?”
“A password could be anything. We’d be here all bloody night,” Seamus said. “Snape won’t be much longer.”
“Then we’d better think fast,” Ginny said. Michael immediately said Voldemort’s name again, but it had no effect. Seamus and Michael guessed several words and phrase, but nothing worked.
“We don’t even know if it is a password,” Seamus said, slumping against the wall. “Maybe Snape has to touch it, like the books?”
“Let me try one more thing,” Ginny said. “Something I remember from last year.” Ginny cleared he throat and spoke directly at the wall. “Half-Blood Prince.”
The effect was immediate. The spot of wall slid away. A small shelf slid out, revealing the sword of Gryffindor on a small stand.
“That’s it!” Seamus said.
“Are you sure?” Michael asked. “It could be another sword. It’s not like it has his name on it or anything.”
“Godric Gryffindor,” Ginny read from the hilt. “Fancy that, being there.”
“Alright, alright!” Michael said, throwing up his hands.
“Neville, you grab it,” Ginny said. “You’re biggest.”
Neville was a little surprised. He was the biggest of them, true, but for some reason he’d always pictured Ginny carrying the sword. Looking at it, it seemed so large, and looked so heavy. He held his hand over it, but hesitated. He could practically feel the magic resonating off of it. A certain type of magic though… it wouldn’t be able to shoot spells or anything, but Neville had the feeling it would never break if used in combat.
“Come on,” Seamus urged.
“Sorry,” Neville said. He grabbed the sword by the handle. It felt right; it just seemed to fit. He could feel a slight jolt of magic running down his arm a little way. It was a very strong magic. He lifted the sword up, and found it was light. Too light, more like it was made of glass than metal. It felt natural. The hilt fit his hand almost perfectly, though that may have been another enchantment.
“Neville!” Ginny whispered harshly. The others had already walked over to the door.
“Sorry.” Neville walked quickly over to the door, rejoining the others. Ginny reached for the doorknob, but it jerked open before she touched it. Before he could react, several spells shot into the room, knocking Luna and Seamus to the back of the room. Ginny and Michael got hit with a body-bind curse.
“Well well, what have we here?” Snape stepped into the room, planting his boot on Michael’s hand as he went. Amycus and Alecto flanked him. “A few thieves it seems.” Amycus and Alecto fired stunning spells at Neville. Both hit him in the chest, sending him flying against the wall. He dropped the sword when he hit the wall.
.
The students had been lined up together against the wall. Their body-bind curses had been released, but Snape had cast a spell to bind them all with rope. Snape and Amycus were arguing on the other side of the room. They were only a few feet away, but every time Neville tried to listen in, all he could hear was a buzzing sound. Alecto was not privy to the conversation; she watching the students, mocking them, and hurting them when they tried to talk, or when she felt like.
“Going to be a big punishment for you,” Alecto said. “Trying to kill the headmaster! Oh, they’ll send you little brats off to Azkaban for sure. Go before the Wizengamot for high treason! Maybe they’ll just kill you. I don’t know but I’m going to watch.”
“We weren’t trying to kill-” Seamus began, but was cut off by a grunt of pain when Alecto pointed her wand at him.
“Don’t talk back!” Alecto shouted. Neville’s eyes drifted over to Amycus and Snape again. He couldn’t imagine what they would be arguing over. They’d caught them red handed. It seem pretty clear cut to Neville, dismal as it was.
His eyes again drifted to the sword. Snape had picked it up and leaned it against the wall. It had made Neville’s blood boil to see Snape holding it. Looking at the sword made Neville feel worse than when he was looking at the teachers. He thought he saw something ripple along the wall near the sword, but he blinked and it was gone. It wasn’t late, but maybe his head was still groggy from when he hit the wall.
“They’re wondering if we should even wait,” Alecto said. “Maybe we should just kill you right here? Self defense.” Alecto grinned widely. “Might get a medal for it.” Neville fought a rising panic. Alecto couldn’t hear him talking any more than Neville could. She was just trying to scare them.
“What is the meaning of this?” Everyone’s head turned toward the door where Professor McGonagall had just entered. Neville had never been so glad to see her. Or any teacher, for that matter. She walked right past the Carrows and stood in front of Snape. Snape waved his hand and the buzzing wound dispersed. “You have students trussed up in here for an hour without so much as a word to me or Professor Flitwick?”
“This matter goes somewhat beyond school rules,” Amycus said, pushing himself between Snape and McGonagall. “These students were apprehended attempting to assassinate our beloved headmaster when we caught them.”
“This is ridiculous!” McGonagall spat at him before turning back to Snape. “I demand an explanation.”
“And you have been given one, if you only had the ears to listen,” Snape said with a smirk, stepping away from the older woman. “These students were found in my office with a weapon. We were discussing what should be done. I’m sure you can agree this is a very serious matter.”
“Which is exactly why I should have been informed! They are in my House, Severus!”
“You will address me as Professor Snape!” Snape said angrily. “And since you are here and we have not yet reached a decision, perhaps you could cease your chattering and say something useful.” McGonagall fumed for a moment then stepped away.
“The students of my House should be turned over to me for their punishment,” McGonagall said sharply.
“Now now,” Amycus said, “you have shown flagrant disregard for the policies and rules of this institution. Why should we trust you? Besides, this is no small matter of discipline, this was an assassination attempt! Caught in the headmaster’s office with a weapon of considerable magical power! No doubt this should be turned over to the Wizengamot!”
“The Wizengamot! Assassination! Preposterous!” McGonagall shouted. “Have you even asked them why they’re here?”
“Why bother? They would just lie,” Amycus gave them a dirty look. “Filthy wretches. Professor Snape, call the Ministry of Magic and have some Aurors pick up these criminals.” Neville felt his heart sink even farther. McGonagall, it seemed, it would not be able to get them out. Even if she took out her wand and tried to fight, it would be three on one. She wasn’t stupid.
Even so, she still opened her mouth to protest. However, it was not her voice that contradicted Amycus.
“I believe I am in charge of this school, Professor Carrow.” Snape’s voice was level, yet Neville could sense flames behind each word. “You do not tell me what to do.” He strode over to look at the students, though he spoke to the rest of the room. “Since I am headmaster, and since the infraction occurred in my office, I shall decide the punishment. Not Professor McGonagall, not Professor Flitwick, and certainly not Professor Carrow.” Neville wasn’t sure how he felt about this. Snape didn’t seem to want to send them to Wizengamot, but that didn’t mean his punishment would be any more pleasant.
“Stop jerking us around,” Ginny said. “What are you going to do to us?”
“These students were not trying to kill me,” Snape said. “They lack the fortitude or intelligence for such a task.” Neville could almost feel Ginny getting angry beside him. He felt angry himself. “No, whatever they were trying to do it was inconsequential. I think a simple Saturday detention in the Forbidden Forest should be fine.” McGonagall seemed to calm down a bit. The Carrows did not seem sure how to react to this news. “You will meet Professor Hagrid at his cabin on Saturday. I think a few hours in the Forbidden Forest should straighten them out.”
“With Hagrid?” Amycus said, his smile vanishing. Alecto’s lingered a moment longer, till she saw that Amycus had stopped. “Severus, what are you-”
“If you have a problem with my authority, you know who you can take it up with,” Snape said. “I have another matter to attend to. Professor McGonagall, if you could escort these students to their quarters.” Snape waved a hand at Amycus, who had opened his mouth, as he walked by. This dismissal seemed to fluster Amycus, and Snape got out of his office without having to speak to him again.
“I don’t know what you’re smiling at,” Amycus snapped at Neville. Neville realized that in spite of himself, he had been grinning. Detention with Hagrid! That was almost a treat, more than a punishment. “If any of you think you’ve gotten off easy, allow me to assure you-”
“Excuse me, Professor, but the headmaster has ordered me to take these students,” McGonagall cut in. She waved her wand and the ropes binding the students vanished. Neville hopped to his feet and left the fuming Carrows behind. His wrists hurt a little from the ropes, but otherwise he felt fine.
“That was quite an adventure,” Luna said softly. She and Neville had fallen to the back of the group.
“Yeah, I guess it was,” Neville said. In spite of the fact they’d almost been sent to the Wizengamot, his body still felt a little electrified.
“It was even better than the old days,” Luna said. “We’ll be able to look back on this in years and laugh.”
“Yeah, I bet,” Neville said. He didn’t get Luna sometimes, but he did like talking to her.
“I will inform Professor Flitwick of this incident,” McGonagall said, “in case he wants to add an additional punishment.”
“Yes, Professor,” Michael and Luna said in unison, Luna sounding far peppier. Michael, for his part, actually looked a little sick.
“Come,” McGonagall said to her students. They walked down the hall a ways before McGonagall spoke again. “I hope you know you did a very foolish thing,” she said. “And I hope you know how lucky you are. If Nick hadn’t seen what was going on and informed me, you would have been left at their mercy. And if Snape hadn’t wanted to show up Amycus, you would have been expelled, or worse.” A wave of guilt washed over Neville. “I’d have recommended expulsion myself, under normal circumstances.”
“We were trying to help Harry,” Ginny said. “We were trying to get the sword.”
“Miss Weasley,” McGonagall said, “I understand you want to help but this sort of thing is not your concern…”
“Whose concern is it?” Ginny said. “I don’t see that you’ve been doing much.”
McGonagall stopped and whirled on her students. Her face had gone red with anger and perhaps something else as well. She said nothing, only stared at them. Neville and Seamus looked away, but Ginny held her gaze.
“You do not understand,” McGonagall said slowly.
“What’s to understand?” Ginny said. “Harry’s out there risking his life and we’re supposed to sit here and do nothing? Well I won’t. We won’t. There may not be much we can do from here, but we’ll do whatever we can.”
“I am doing what I can too, Miss Weasley, without losing my job or worse. The only thing that keeps me from leaving to fight with the Order is the thought of leaving you students here with Snape and the Carrows.” McGonagall did not yell, though she was angrier than Neville had ever seen her.
Suddenly Ginny seemed very unsure. Her gaze faltered and she looked away. She didn’t make any sort of apology, thought she looked like she wanted to. McGonagall turned and continued on down the passageway. At the portrait of the Fat Lady, McGonagall spoke the password and the portrait swung open. Ginny hopped through the hole quickly. Seamus went through afterwards a little slower, holding his midsection a little.
Neville lingered a moment longer. “Professor,” he said. “We’re really just trying to help. We can’t sit here. You know what it’s like.” Neville hesitated. “I know you’ve been teaching us spells to help us out. I know you’re just trying to look out for us, but this is something we have to do. It’s what Harry would want. And Professor Dumbledore as well, I think.”
McGonagall’s expression softened. “I know, Mr. Longbottom,” she said. “If you didn’t want to do something, you wouldn’t be in my House, would you?” She let out a sigh. “I have seen too many students and former students die young doing something stupid.” For a moment, McGonagall looked very old. Her expression hardened again a moment later. “Be more careful, Mr. Longbottom.” With that she turned and left down the hall.
___________________________________________________________
Raymond//Gryffindor
Summary: During his final year at Hogwarts Neville struggles with the realization of his worst fear when Professor Snape is in charge of Hogwarts. McGonagall does her best to keep her students safe while Draco has reservation about his new allies.
Characters/Pairings: Neville, Draco, McGonagall
Genre: Adventure/Drama
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 4913
“I expect that you will all give the emissary from the Ministry the full measure of respect and cooperation due someone of his rank,” Snape said, looking directly at McGonagall as he spoke.
“Indeed,” Amycus Carrow said, standing with a sweep of his cape. McGonagall wondered, not for the first time, if he’d enchanted his cape to do that. “I would remind you all of the high standards we hold our teachers to at this Institution. We will be expecting peak discipline during his visit.” Amycus also looked at McGonagall while speaking.
“May I ask,” McGonagall said before Amycus sat down, “what the purpose of this visit is?” Amycus froze between standing and sitting, unsure if he should try to answer or just sit down. McGonagall suppressed a small snicker.
“The emissary will be discussing new policies the Minister wishes Hogwarts to implement,” Snape said. “That is all I have been told.” The answer frustrated McGonagall. The way thing had been going at the Ministry, a new policy may be giving medals to Purebloods or replacing the whole staff with Death Eaters.
McGonagall left the staff room with Flitwick, Sprout, and Hagrid.
“What do you think this is all about, Minerva?” Sprout asked. “You don’t think it’s some sort of trick, do you?”
“I don’t see what would be gained from this,” McGonagall said. “And I don’t think the Carrows would go to all this trouble.”
“Are you sure?” Sprout asked.
“Perhaps not,” McGonagall said. “Amycus might, but Snape wouldn’t go along and Alecto couldn’t keep it a secret.”
“You sound very confident of that,” Flitwick said.
“’Know thy enemy,’” McGonagall said. “A wise Muggle once said that.”
“Good advice,” Flitwick said, though he sounded slightly flustered. “So what could it be about?”
“I suppose we will just have to wait and find out,” McGonagall said. They reached the intersection where they all split ways for their respective quarters. “Be on your guard, as always.” The professors nodded and walked off.
The rest of the professors, save Slughorn, had been completely supportive of the Carrows. On the surface, anyway. They all reported most infractions to the Carrows, but McGonagall had seen Vector hold her door open a few minutes past when she should have started class when some students were late, and Sinistra had once stopped some first-years from doing magic in the halls without reporting them. Even Binns once drew Filch into a conversation so he wouldn’t spot some students who were skipping class. It was encouraging to know her fellow professors weren’t totally broken, even if they were too afraid to act outright.
But those small acts of defiance only offered a small amount of moral support. If she wanted to try anything more serious, she only had Flitwick, Sprout, Hagrid, and perhaps Slughorn. And she had the feeling Hagrid would be unsuited for most of the plans she might hatch; he was not the most subtle man, nor good at keeping secrets. The others never backed her when she tried to argue with the Carrows or Snape. She couldn’t entirely blame them; she herself had been much more careful since the incident with the Unforgivable Curse.
Slughorn had found himself isolated from both groups. He had slightly allied himself with McGonagall, so the others kept their distance. Yet McGonagall did not fully trust him. He would betray her, if they came down hard enough, so she never told him anything essential unless it was truly necessary. She did not completely alienate him, but any trust she had in him was very tentative and limited.
Mercifully, she reached her quarters without being accosted. Alecto had recently taken to waiting outside her quarters to discuss certain matter, often for hours on end. The talks left McGonagall without a full night’s sleep, which she found she needed more than she realized. The whole deal seemed more like one of Amycus’ stunts, coming out of Alecto’s mouth. The late night talks were starting to leave her very drained.
McGonagall changed into her sleeping gown with a full mind. The last few years at Hogwarts had a certain excitement to them. But the danger had never felt so close. Even when Umbridge was in charge; she was cruel, but she had stayed on one side of a line the Carrows had been crossing since their first week. They were more dangerous than Umbridge, in every imaginable way. McGonagall didn’t want to think about what they would do once Voldemort decided to reveal himself. She suspected there would be a real battle that day, no more indirect jabs. She was confident that she, Flitwick, Sprout, Hagrid, and perhaps Slughorn could take down the Carrows and Snape, if they were able to go after them separately.
But to what end? Voldemort had taken a keen interest in the school. It made sense. McGonagall knew that more than a few of the younger students bought in to the lies the Carrows were teaching. In ten years, there would be no one around to set them straight. Even if they did get rid of the Carrows what good would it do? Voldemort would sweep down on them, kill anyone who opposed him, and install people worse than the Carrows. They had to tread a thin line. She had to do what she could without going to far, without getting herself killed or kicked out.
She turned on the wireless, to take her mind off her troubles. Normally she never bothered with that sort of thing, but Hagrid had told her about Potterwatch at the start of the semester. She had been trying to tune in when she could.
“… not being able to defend the Muggle Minister?” It warmed her heart to hear Lee Jordan’s voice. She’d known he would be successful, but she never dreamed he would be doing something so dangerous and important. It made her feel proud.
“Of course, I regret that he will no longer let me guard him,” a baritone voice she recognized as belonging to Kingsley Shacklebolt answered. “But I do understand. And the new revolving guard system is good, in ensures that he is always guarded by someone fresh.”
“Very good, Royal. Now, we’re almost out of time, so do you have anything else you want to tell our listeners?”
“Yes, I do.” Kingsley paused for a moment. “All that You-Know-Who needs to take over is for everyone else to do nothing. To not take him seriously. To not believe he is really back, to not believe he will come for them.
“He will. Sooner or later, everyone will be affected, in some way. So you must stand up! Listening to this program alone is not enough. You must do whatever you can to oppose You-Know-Who, and help others who also oppose him. Anyone, be they friends or former enemies, Purebloods or not, rich or poor, Muggle or wizard. Everyone deserves help, and everyone can help in turn. That is all. Thank you, River.”
McGonagall turned the radio off after getting next week’s password. Listening to Potterwatch always refreshed her. She lay down in her bed, feeling slightly less troubled.
.
“The emissary will be arriving and noon,” Snape said the following morning. He only stepped in to the staff room to say that. He usually took his meals either in his office, or, more commonly, the Great Hall. McGonagall usually did as well, but she needed to talk with Flitwick. Sprout volunteered to sit in the Great Hall with the students.
“Filius, I’ve heard the rumors that you used to be a dueling champion many years ago. I never followed that sort of thing when I was younger,” McGonagall said.
“Yes, I was. All-Britain Champion back in ’68. I went on to the International scene but didn’t get very far.” McGonagall detected more than a little pride in his voice nonetheless. “But why ask now? We’ve worked together for… years.”
“You have been teaching the students dueling techniques, have you not? Rather than the regular charms?”
“Erm, yes. I thought it more prudent than going over NEWT level charms, to be honest. In light of, well, everything,” Flitwick said.
“The reason I ask, Filius, is that I wish to do the same with Transfiguration. Teach my students dueling techniques.”
“Oh, well. Of course I can help. There are more than a few useful Transfigurations that can be used in duels.”
“Thank you, Filius. Can we meet in your office tonight at seven?”
“That should be just fine, Minerva. I’ll see you then.” They made small talk through the rest of the meal before going on to their first classes.
.
The emissary arrived during lunch. McGonagall did not recognize his face, but had little doubt he was a Death Eater. She knew Scrimgeour’s death had been no accident; she’d heard it from Kingsley himself. She never figured Pius Thicknesse for a Death Eater, but sometimes that would make them all the more dangerous.
The emissary entered the Great Hall and walked to the staff table. He exchanged a few words with Snape before leaving again. McGonagall strained, but could not hear what was said over the din of the Hall. However, they were clearly at odds with each other. McGonagall smiled a little. Even if Snape had earned Voldemort’s favor, she did not think he would last long if the other Death Eaters disliked him, which several of them clearly did.
“The meeting will occur after your afternoon classes,” Snape said before leaving himself. McGonagall looked to Flitwick and Sprout, both of who looked concerned. McGonagall could only shrug.
Her first afternoon class was mostly older students. The new schedule, thanks to Snape and the Carrows’ interference, meant that several of her classes had mixed grades. She had a hard time deciding what to teach, based on who knew what. She couldn’t go too advanced, or the younger ones would be lost. But going over older material wouldn’t do anything for the older students. She usually found some balance, but it wasn’t very efficient.
She liked this class, though, because it had Ginny Weasley and Seamus Finnegan. She knew they were two of the major players in the revival of Dumbledore’s Army. Even if all they were doing was painting on walls, it scared the Carrows far more than they would let show. Or thought they let show, anyway.
As soon as McGonagall closed the door, Ginny raised her hand.
“Yes, Miss Weasley?”
“I was wondering,” Ginny asked, “if we’ll learn how to Transfigure things like walls and floors?”
“How do you mean, Miss Weasley?”
“Well, say you were being chased. Would it be possible to Transfigure a wall to close the hall behind me? Or maybe make a hole in a wall to cut through to another passage?”
“Yes, such things are possible,” McGonagall said with a smile and nod. Ginny smiled back. “In fact, that is the very issue we will be studying today.
“However, it will be difficult to practice much here. The entire building of Hogwarts is enchanted to resist such spells. They do not want the schools to rearrange at a student’s whim.”
“But don’t the stairs move around all the time?” Seamus asked.
“But that is not the will of the students, but the will of the school,” McGonagall said. “You would find it very hard to create holes or close off passages in Hogwarts, but there are a few other options. The floor, for instance, can be modified to help in an escape, if you ever needed to make one.” McGonagall showed them how to create large bumps and dips in the floor, which would likely cause any pursuers to trip and fall. By the end of the class, she had everyone’s rapt attention, once they realized just what she was doing. Eventually, however, class ended, and the students began to file out.
“Miss Weasley, a moment,” McGonagall said.
“Yes, Professor?” Ginny waited, along with Seamus.
“If there are any other types of Transfiguration you are interested in, please let me know before our next class. In case I need to refresh my memory.”
“Yes, Professor,” Ginny said, grinning widely. “You can count on it.”
.
McGonagall entered the staffroom at the same time as Professor Slughorn, who was noticeably more nervous than usual. He may have lost some weight. He held the door open for McGonagall, mumbling something that might have been “After you.” McGonagall suspected Slughorn was actually trying to put off entering the room as long as possible. After the last staff meeting, she did not blame him.
Most of the staff was already there; McGonagall’s classroom was farther away than most. She sat by Flitwick and Sprout, away from the others. She noticed how the other teacher quieted, and shifted to cover open seats as she walked past. She sighed inwardly as she took her seat.
Slughorn followed her in. Again, the teachers did their best to cover open seats, forcing Slughorn to sit by himself, between the two groups.
Snape came in with the emissary. McGonagall still could not place him, but she had little doubt he was a Death Eater. Amycus Carrow followed the both of them.
“Is everyone here?” the emissary asked as he took as seat.
“No, the oaf… ahem, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher appears to be running late,” Amycus said, “as usual.”
“Well, he certainly does need to be here,” the emissary said. “I do worry about the state of this school, if a simple message can’t be passed to all the staff.” He gave Snape a smug look as he said this. “We will have to wait.”
Hagrid burst in a few moments later, breathless, and mumbling something that was probably an apology.
“You would be the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, then?” the emissary asked. Hagrid nodded as he sat down with McGonagall and the others.
“Now, are they all finally here?” the emissary asked. Snape nodded curtly. “Good. I’ll go ahead and get started. My name is Yaxley, I am from the Ministry of Magic.
“The Ministry wants to have a more active role at Hogwarts this year. We have tried such in the past and believe it met with great success. We see no need to place anyone else here, however. We will not be telling the school what to do, merely advising the Headmaster and making suggestions to him. The first and most prominent policy will concern the staff. We will be advising the Headmaster to implement a policy of full Blood Purity for all teachers at Hogwarts.” His eyes lingered on Hagrid and Flitwick.
“We can only advise the Headmaster in this capacity, but we can require all staff members to take loyalty oaths.” Yaxley paused to float a stack of papers over from a table near Snape. “Every member of the staff has to sign one, if they want to keep their posts.” He looked over the room. “Well, I’d like to leave soon, if you want to go ahead and start signing.”
McGonagall stood slowly, and was nearly knocked of balance by Flitwick. He practically ran to the front of the room. He looked over the contract and signed it with his wand. The rest of the staff followed suit. She looked over the contract briefly. It had the sort of thing she would suspect- follow orders of the Ministry of Magic, loyalty to the Minister of Magic. She was slightly encouraged, however. If they were making them sign loyalty oaths, it probably meant they hadn’t gotten complete control over the Wizengamot.
“That was a dirty trick,” Flitwick said when she sat back down.
“What do you mean?”
“Those oaths had so many Charms and hexes on them… you don’t even want to know what would have happened if you broke one of them,” Flitwick said. McGonagall inhaled sharply “Don’t worry, I dispelled them while I was signing.”
“Thank Merlin,” she said. “How could you tell?”
“They did a good job covering them, but there was one I could detect. I could nearly see it. The others were all very subtle, but the Blindness Charm wasn’t very well concealed. I looked for others after I saw that one.”
“You got them all? We don’t have anything to worry about?”
“Not a thing,” Flitwick said.
Yaxley put all the oaths in a small bag once the last one had been signed by Trelawney. “Very good,” he said. “Well, that’s all I need to do here. I’ll be on my way.”
“Alecto, please show Mr. Yaxley out, if you would,” Snape said. Alecto got to her feet and followed Yaxley, who seemed intent on ignoring her if possible. “You heard what the Ministry suggested. I think they’re so very reasonable. We don’t want any rabble teaching our precious students,” Snape said with a smirk. “All staff members, excepting Mr. Binns and Mr. Filch, will have to provide proof of their ancestry by next week.”
“All staff members, Severus?” McGonagall asked abruptly.
“You will address me as Headmaster,” Snape said, “and yes, Minerva, I did say all staff members. Is your hearing starting to go? Perhaps I ought to consider a mandatory retirement age…” Snape’s voice trailed off as he left the room with Amycus in tow, chuckling. The other teachers filed quickly after, leaving the four House heads plus Hagrid sitting alone in the room.
“Is he serious?” Professor Sprout eventually said. “He can’t be, can he?”
“Of course he’s serious,” Flitwick snapped. “Did he seem like he was having a joke?”
“Perhaps I’m just trying to be optimistic!” Sprout retorted angrily, though she also seemed a little hurt.
“Filius! Pomona!” McGonagall said, causing them both to look at her. “This is no time to fight. If we don’t stand together we’ll have no chance.” Sprout’s features softened, but Flitwick bristled.
“I’m going to go start getting the papers together,” Slughorn said. “I don’t know where I keep them anymore.” He left the room quickly.
“Filius, I believe we had a matter we were going to discuss in my office?” McGonagall asked.
“Oh, yes, Minerva,” Flitwick said, shaking his head. “No, I hadn’t forgotten. It’s almost time, isn’t it?” They stood up and walked for the door. She said goodbye to Sprout and Hagrid. Hagrid had remained strangely silent since the end of the meeting, and made no move to leave even as Sprout stood. She would have to check on him later.
“What was that all about?” McGonagall asked as they reached the door of her office. They had gone inside and sat down before Flitwick answered.
“I don’t know if you were aware but, I am, strictly speaking, not Pure Blooded.” He cleared his throat. “Not purely human, actually. There’s a little Goblin in me. It happened several generations back, but every now and then the traits pop up…” he trailed off. “If they test for blood purity, I’ll be the first out the door, along with Hagrid.” He snorted. “While Trelawney gets to stay on.”
“I’m not going to let that happen,” McGonagall said. “I’ll find some way to deal with Severus Snape.”
“I hope so, Minerva. Hogwarts is my life. I have nothing else, no where to go.” McGonagall nodded. It was the same for her.
She wasn’t certain of her own blood purity. He mother came from an old wizarding family, but she’d never known much of her father’s family. She hadn’t really cared to know. For a guilty moment she did wish she knew them better, but only so she would be sure she could stay at Hogwarts.
“We will talk more about that later. You were going to show me some dueling techniques?”
“Yes, of course,” Flitwick said, hopping down from his chair. “Dueling is mostly a matter of Charms, as you know. Charms are a little more versatile. You use or make a Charm for any specific purpose you need, offense or defense.
“Which is not to say you can’t duel with Transfiguration, but you have to be more indirect. I’ll show you one of the simpler methods, if you’ll pass me that broom over there? Thank you.” Flitwick ran his wand down the length of the broom, turning it into a short metal sword. He swung is experimentally a few times then handed it to McGonagall. “No doubt you could do better.” McGonagall smiled at the compliment and returned the sword. “But making a weapon like this means you have to know how to use it. And Muggle weapons generally aren’t very practical in a wizard’s duel.” He ran his wand across the sword and changed it back to a broom. “What’s more useful is to throw some harmless object, and Transfigure it in the air into something more dangerous.”
The lesson went on for almost two hours. McGonagall was familiar with all the Transfiguration techniques Flitwick showed her, but had never thought much of how they could be used in a battle. The few times in her life when she’d been forced to fight, she relied on Charms as well. She probably still would, but it was good to know other techniques.
She began to grow exhausted by the time it was ten. Flitwick, on the other hand, only seemed to be getting more and more energy. Perhaps he was reliving his old dueling days. McGonagall bid him goodnight, and Flitwick left. McGonagall herself went down the hall to her personal chambers.
.
The next day McGonagall spent her lunch hour in the library, pouring over the Hogwarts by-laws. There was no guarantee she would find anything, or that they would care if she did. But the Ministry seemed to be operating within the law for now, so if she could find something it might stymie them at least.
Unfortunately, she found little that would be useful. The Headmaster could not dismiss individual teachers for anything other than low standards. He could, however, pass policies that would affect the employment of all teachers. He could also be overruled by the governors, but that was small comfort; the Death Eaters had intimidated the governors before. So unless she found something else, she would have to find some way to convince Snape to not enact the policy.
The rest of the day went largely without incident. She taught some of her older students the techniques Flitwick had taught her, adding a few small pointers of her own as they came to her. She arranged to meet Flitwick for another lesson over the weekend, and hit the library again as soon as her classes were over. She found no other books detailing the Hogwarts by -laws, and nothing else that seemed useful at all.
At the moment, it seemed that her only option would be to somehow incapacitate Snape so that he could not perform his duties as Headmaster. That would technically make her Headmaster; they had not thought to strip her of her title. That was a temporary solution, however. They would not allow her to remain. They would either remove her or kill her. Either way, they would probably put Bellatrix or Dolohov in charge, and either of them would be worse than Snape. No, there had to be some other way, some way to convince Snape to back down, but nothing came to her that night. She realized she had been reading all through dinner and was hungry. She closed the volume she had out, something regarding the previous headmasters, and left the library. She kept a little food in her room, so she would not go too hungry.
As she expected, Alecto was waiting just outside her door.
“Hello, Professor,” she greeted with a grin. She even tried to sound sweet, though she fell short. “How are you?”
“Very tired, Alecto,” McGonagall said. “And I need to be getting to sleep. If you’ll excuse me…”
“I have something important things to show you. Can’t wait.” Alecto pulled out a piece of parchment. “Don’t want anyone saying me and my brother aren’t Purebloods. Here’s our family.” McGonagall looked at the parchment. It had clearly been made recently. She recognized both Amycus and Alecto’s handwriting. The ink wasn’t even dry yet.
“Of course, but I think it can wait till morning,” McGonagall said, trying to push past her again. Alecto still blocked the way.
“No, I need to show you now. Make sure you know who everyone is.”
McGonagall resigned herself to listening for a while. Alecto went over every family member in great detail, though it was obvious she was making most of it up as she went along.
“And this was my great-aunt, ah...” Alecto struggled to read the handwriting, “Percival Carrow.”
“Percival is a male name,” McGonagall said.
“No, it’s not,” Alecto said.
“It is obvious you are making most of this up as you go along,” McGonagall went on. “There’s no shame in not knowing a member of your extended family, though. I have to wonder why you have something to hide.” McGonagall gave a few moments for that to sink in, though it was hard to know if it really would. “In any case, you’re wasting my time.” McGonagall stepped around her and in to the room. Alecto, still working out what McGonagall had said, made no move to stop her. “I may pay for that tomorrow,” McGonagall said, “if she ever figures it out.”
“Pay for what?” a familiar voice called from her bedchamber. Startled, McGonagall drew her wand and entered slowly. She relaxed when she saw a silver lynx sitting on her bed.
“Kingsley, what brings you here?” she said, faster than she meant to.
“What do you suppose?”
“Of course,” McGonagall said, regaining her composure. “Please, go on. What’s happened with the Order?”
“Nothing new,” Kingsley said. “We were actually wondering about Hogwarts. We heard someone from the Ministry came today.”
”Oh, that,” she said. She briefly explained everything Yaxley had said. Kingsley’s Patronus made no expressions as she told what happened, but when Kingsley spoke again, his voice was troubled.
“That does not bode well,” Kingsley said. “Have you thought of researching the Carrow family tree?”
“They beat me to it. Alecto just spent the last hour showing it to me. It’s probably fake, but who do you think Snape would side with if I contested it?”
“That is unfortunate.” Kingsley was silent for a moment. “That is all I can think of at the moment, Minerva. I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s fine, Kingsley. Don’t apologize. We agreed I was to watch Hogwarts. You have your own problems.
“I do,” Kingsley agreed. “I had best be going now. I shouldn’t stay here too long.”
“Right. Good night, Kingsley.” The Patronus vanished instantly, not leaving so much as a wrinkle on her sheets to indicate it had been there.
McGonagall changer into her night clothes, thinking as she did. She was pleased Kingsley had learned to control his Patronus better. Before, they had only been able to send brief messages with their Patronuses, and not actually receive any. Now, he seemed to have learned to use the Patronus as a communications medium. She wished he could have stayed to talk longer, but he was one of the most wanted men in the country, so she understood.
As she drifted off to sleep, another idea came to her. A longshot to be sure, but worth looking in to. If it panned out, she could probably put to rest this nonsense about half-bloods to rest.
.
“Headmaster!” McGonagall called after Snape, following him out of the Great Hall after breakfast. “Professor Snape, I need to speak with you.” Snape stopped and turned to look at her. He practically rolled his eyes and turned away, but he waited for her to catch up.
“What can I do for you, Professor?” he sounded exasperated as he resumed his stride.
“I want to speak with you about this blood purity policy,” she said, struggling to keep up with Snape’s deliberately long stride.
“Surely that wouldn’t affect you, Minerva? Your blood is pure, isn’t it?”
“It’s your blood I’m more interested in,” McGonagall said.
Snape froze in mid-stride. “What are you talking about?”
“Would you rather speak in private?” McGonagall said.
Snape looked back and forth down the empty hallway and saw nothing. “This is fine, I’d rather get it over with. So what’s this all about?”
“You know very well what this is about, Severus,” she said. “I know who your father is. I have the documentation from when you first enrolled. There are records of that in the library, and I found them.” Snape seemed to grow, if possible, a little paler. “I’ll be sure to show that records to the Carrows and anyone else I can find if you implement that policy.”
Snape glared daggers at her. She did not think he would attack her out in the hallway, but kept he hand near her want just in case. His mouth was a thin, tight line until he spoke. “Well, Minerva, I will certainly take this into consideration.” He turned and walked down the hall towards his office. Behind him, McGonagall allowed herself to smile.
The following evening, she overheard Snape defending his decision to allow half-bloods to stay at Hogwarts to the Carrows. The Carrows were livid, and Snape did not look very happy either. McGonagall slept better that night than she had in some time. A small victory was still a victory.
___________________________________________________________
Title: The Seventh Year- Chapter 11: The Sword of Gryffindor
Summary: During his final year at Hogwarts Neville struggles with the realization of his worst fear when Professor Snape is in charge of Hogwarts. McGonagall does her best to keep her students safe while Draco has reservation about his new allies.
Characters/Pairings: Neville, Draco, McGonagall
Genre: Adventure/Drama
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Medium: Fic
Word Count: 3707
“Do you really think we can count on him?” Seamus whispered to Neville again.
“We haven’t got much choice now, have we?” Neville whispered back. “Shh, someone’s coming.” Neville pressed himself against the wall under the invisibility cloak. A few moments later, Professors Flitwick and Slughorn rounded the corner. Neville tried to breathe as softly as possible as they walked by.
The previous day they had finalized their plans. They decided to steal the Sword of Gryffindor the next time Snape ate his dinner in the Great Hall. He usually ate in his chambers, but usually about once a week he would eat in the Great Hall with the Carrows. Neville had managed to convince Peeves to cause a commotion as dinner ended to buy them more time if they needed it.
Ginny was waiting in the Great Hall under an invisibility cloak, to see if Snape was there. Neville and the others waited in the hallway near Snape’s office, also under invisibility cloaks. Ginny would come up in a few minutes and let them know what the situation was. If Snape was in the Great Hall, Michael would tell the gargoyle the password and they would all go inside and find the sword.
“What if he’s got some other defenses?” Seamus asked. “Some traps or dark magic on the sword.”
“We’ll deal with that when we have to,” Neville whispered back, as Ginny had said the last few times Seamus had asked such a question. He knew Seamus wasn’t scared, just nervous, and it was making him talk more than he should. Yet the talking did provide some comfort to Neville as well, even if he knew they shouldn’t.
Slughorn and Flitwick were too far away to hear them; they soon rounded a corner and their voices faded. As the minutes crept by and there was still no sign of Ginny, a few doubts began to enter Neville’s mind. What if Peeves didn’t hold up his end of the bargain? He hated the Carrows too, but that was no guarantee of anything. What if Michael backed out, or was bluffing? What if Snape didn’t go after Peeves and caught them in his office? There seemed to be too many things that could go wrong.
Neville heard footsteps approach, but saw no body to go with them. Ginny appeared out of the air, looking out of breath.
“Sorry, I had a hard time getting out of the Hall. Snape’s down there though, having a condescension match with Amycus. We’ve got time.”
Neville pulled off his cloak and walked over to the gargoyle. Seamus, Luna, and Michael appeared from various points around the hall and joined them. Neville strained his ears but heard nothing nearby.
“Alright, out with it,” Seamus said, elbowing Michael.
Michael looked very nervous. For a minute, Neville thought his earlier concern had been right, that Michael had been bluffing about knowing the password. But then he drew himself up a little and smiled at Ginny. “Voldemort.”
Several of them gasped. Neville felt himself wince. Only Luna seemed unaffected.
“Michael, you idiot!” Ginny said. “Didn’t you hear Potterwatch, that word’s been made taboo, and-”
“I don’t see any Snatchers,” Michael said. “Do you? And look.” He pointed at the gargoyle, which had stepped aside, allowing the wall to open up.
“I don’t get it,” Seamus finally said. “It was made taboo, wasn’t it?”
“Well, it’s simple, really,” Michael said. “You can’t Apparate into Hogwarts, right? That’s what the Snatchers do. So they can’t get in to Hogwarts, and anyway, why would they bother over some students? But no one ever wants to say his name, so it makes a great password. Ever if it occurs to someone, they won’t want to guess it. It’s pretty smart.” Michael seemed very proud of this revelation. Neville had to admit it was pretty clever. Ginny scowled a little, but they quickly filed inside anyway.
About that time, they heard a crash come from further down the Hall.
“Peeves,” Ginny said. “Closer than I’d like, but we should be fine if we can find the sword. Come on.” They ran up the small staircase, but hesitated in front of the door.
Neville had only been in Dumbledore office once before. He’d been in school for nearly two months now, but he still thought of it as Dumbledore’s office, even though he’d only been there once. He realized now that he probably always would. If he came back to Hogwarts ten years from now, he’d probably still think it belonged to Albus Dumbledore.
“Come on, what’s the holdup?” Ginny asked.
“Might be a trap or something,” Michael said, looking uneasily at the doorknob.
“Oh, bugger that. He’s not going to set traps in his own office. Alecto would be setting them off every other day.” Ginny shoved her way up to the front of the group. She put her hand on the door and stepped into the office.
Neville followed her in. The office was much as he remembered from the only other time he had been in here, during his fifth year. A Slytherin banner still hung in against one wall, and some of Dumbledore’s silver instruments had been shoved to one side of the desk. The portraits of the old headmasters still hung along the wall, though one had been added since Neville was last here.
“Good evening,” the portrait of Albus Dumbledore greeted. “I am aware my successor has made many changes to school policy, but I did not think allowing students into his office unattended during dinner was one of them.”
“Professor, we’re sorry,” Ginny said. If she found it awkward to be scolded by a picture, she did not let it show. “We’ve just come to get something that will help Harry.”
“Ah, I see,” Dumbledore said with raised eyebrows. “And what would that be? If Harry had left something here I daresay I would have seen it.”
“It’s the sword, Professor,” Ginny explained. “You… left it for him. You wanted him to have it, but Scrimgeour wouldn’t let him.”
“Ah, I thought Rufus might try something like that,” Dumbledore said. “Well, I would not worry overmuch about it, Miss Weasley. I find these things will usually work themselves out. I would be more concerned about Professor Snape coming back, were I in your place. I would kindly suggest you leave before you are discovered.”
“Professor, will all due respect, you seem like the last person to just trust that things will work out.”
Dumbledore’s eyes twinkled a little, but he only repeated “I would kindly suggest that you leave before Professor Snape returns.”
“You going to tell Snape we were here if we don’t?” Seamus asked.
“Professor Snape, Mr. Finnigan,” Dumbledore corrected. “And my suggestion would not be kind if it were actually a threat.”
“Then we’re taking it,” Ginny said with finality.
“Then I urge you to make haste. The Sword is hidden in a panel in the wall behind the desk.” Ginny, Seamus, Michael and Luna all went over to the desk, though Luna got distracted by some of the silver instruments. Neville lingered by the portrait. “Something the matter, Mr. Longbottom?”
“Just wondering about what my Gran would say,” Neville said, “if she found out about this.” Dumbledore only smiled down at him. “She told me to keep my head down this year. Done poor work of that, haven’t I?”
“I think Augusta would be proud of you, Mr. Longbottom, if she knew what you were doing here tonight.” He paused to adjust his glasses. “Even if she would have a hard time saying it.” Neville suddenly felt a great weight lifted from his chest, a weight he hadn’t even known was there.
“I miss you, Professor,” Neville said softly.
Dumbledore closed his eyes. “Thank you, Mr. Longbottom.” Neville wiped his watering eyes before joining his friends behind the desk. Seamus had found a small section books on a shelf along the back wall he deemed suspicious since they couldn’t be removed.
“They’re fake!” he said, keeping his voice to a whisper so as not to wake the other portraits. “Must be hiding something.”
“No, no,” Ginny said. “Look, they’re all like that.” She grabbed a book off the side shelf. It could not be removed either. “It’s just a security spell. Snape probably enchanted them so no one else can take them.”
“Oh, right,” Seamus said. “Makes sense.” After a few more minutes of searching, Michael found a suspicious looking patch of wall close to the ground. The five of them investigated it but could find no way to open it.
“Maybe it needs a spell or something,” Neville mumbled.
“Of course it needs a ‘spell or something.’ The question is what?” Michael said. Ginny glared at him, but tried casting Alohamora anyway. Nothing happened. They all tried various spells that they could conceive might somehow open a door to no avail.
“Well, it could be a password,” Michael mused. “Like for the gargoyle?”
“A password could be anything. We’d be here all bloody night,” Seamus said. “Snape won’t be much longer.”
“Then we’d better think fast,” Ginny said. Michael immediately said Voldemort’s name again, but it had no effect. Seamus and Michael guessed several words and phrase, but nothing worked.
“We don’t even know if it is a password,” Seamus said, slumping against the wall. “Maybe Snape has to touch it, like the books?”
“Let me try one more thing,” Ginny said. “Something I remember from last year.” Ginny cleared he throat and spoke directly at the wall. “Half-Blood Prince.”
The effect was immediate. The spot of wall slid away. A small shelf slid out, revealing the sword of Gryffindor on a small stand.
“That’s it!” Seamus said.
“Are you sure?” Michael asked. “It could be another sword. It’s not like it has his name on it or anything.”
“Godric Gryffindor,” Ginny read from the hilt. “Fancy that, being there.”
“Alright, alright!” Michael said, throwing up his hands.
“Neville, you grab it,” Ginny said. “You’re biggest.”
Neville was a little surprised. He was the biggest of them, true, but for some reason he’d always pictured Ginny carrying the sword. Looking at it, it seemed so large, and looked so heavy. He held his hand over it, but hesitated. He could practically feel the magic resonating off of it. A certain type of magic though… it wouldn’t be able to shoot spells or anything, but Neville had the feeling it would never break if used in combat.
“Come on,” Seamus urged.
“Sorry,” Neville said. He grabbed the sword by the handle. It felt right; it just seemed to fit. He could feel a slight jolt of magic running down his arm a little way. It was a very strong magic. He lifted the sword up, and found it was light. Too light, more like it was made of glass than metal. It felt natural. The hilt fit his hand almost perfectly, though that may have been another enchantment.
“Neville!” Ginny whispered harshly. The others had already walked over to the door.
“Sorry.” Neville walked quickly over to the door, rejoining the others. Ginny reached for the doorknob, but it jerked open before she touched it. Before he could react, several spells shot into the room, knocking Luna and Seamus to the back of the room. Ginny and Michael got hit with a body-bind curse.
“Well well, what have we here?” Snape stepped into the room, planting his boot on Michael’s hand as he went. Amycus and Alecto flanked him. “A few thieves it seems.” Amycus and Alecto fired stunning spells at Neville. Both hit him in the chest, sending him flying against the wall. He dropped the sword when he hit the wall.
.
The students had been lined up together against the wall. Their body-bind curses had been released, but Snape had cast a spell to bind them all with rope. Snape and Amycus were arguing on the other side of the room. They were only a few feet away, but every time Neville tried to listen in, all he could hear was a buzzing sound. Alecto was not privy to the conversation; she watching the students, mocking them, and hurting them when they tried to talk, or when she felt like.
“Going to be a big punishment for you,” Alecto said. “Trying to kill the headmaster! Oh, they’ll send you little brats off to Azkaban for sure. Go before the Wizengamot for high treason! Maybe they’ll just kill you. I don’t know but I’m going to watch.”
“We weren’t trying to kill-” Seamus began, but was cut off by a grunt of pain when Alecto pointed her wand at him.
“Don’t talk back!” Alecto shouted. Neville’s eyes drifted over to Amycus and Snape again. He couldn’t imagine what they would be arguing over. They’d caught them red handed. It seem pretty clear cut to Neville, dismal as it was.
His eyes again drifted to the sword. Snape had picked it up and leaned it against the wall. It had made Neville’s blood boil to see Snape holding it. Looking at the sword made Neville feel worse than when he was looking at the teachers. He thought he saw something ripple along the wall near the sword, but he blinked and it was gone. It wasn’t late, but maybe his head was still groggy from when he hit the wall.
“They’re wondering if we should even wait,” Alecto said. “Maybe we should just kill you right here? Self defense.” Alecto grinned widely. “Might get a medal for it.” Neville fought a rising panic. Alecto couldn’t hear him talking any more than Neville could. She was just trying to scare them.
“What is the meaning of this?” Everyone’s head turned toward the door where Professor McGonagall had just entered. Neville had never been so glad to see her. Or any teacher, for that matter. She walked right past the Carrows and stood in front of Snape. Snape waved his hand and the buzzing wound dispersed. “You have students trussed up in here for an hour without so much as a word to me or Professor Flitwick?”
“This matter goes somewhat beyond school rules,” Amycus said, pushing himself between Snape and McGonagall. “These students were apprehended attempting to assassinate our beloved headmaster when we caught them.”
“This is ridiculous!” McGonagall spat at him before turning back to Snape. “I demand an explanation.”
“And you have been given one, if you only had the ears to listen,” Snape said with a smirk, stepping away from the older woman. “These students were found in my office with a weapon. We were discussing what should be done. I’m sure you can agree this is a very serious matter.”
“Which is exactly why I should have been informed! They are in my House, Severus!”
“You will address me as Professor Snape!” Snape said angrily. “And since you are here and we have not yet reached a decision, perhaps you could cease your chattering and say something useful.” McGonagall fumed for a moment then stepped away.
“The students of my House should be turned over to me for their punishment,” McGonagall said sharply.
“Now now,” Amycus said, “you have shown flagrant disregard for the policies and rules of this institution. Why should we trust you? Besides, this is no small matter of discipline, this was an assassination attempt! Caught in the headmaster’s office with a weapon of considerable magical power! No doubt this should be turned over to the Wizengamot!”
“The Wizengamot! Assassination! Preposterous!” McGonagall shouted. “Have you even asked them why they’re here?”
“Why bother? They would just lie,” Amycus gave them a dirty look. “Filthy wretches. Professor Snape, call the Ministry of Magic and have some Aurors pick up these criminals.” Neville felt his heart sink even farther. McGonagall, it seemed, it would not be able to get them out. Even if she took out her wand and tried to fight, it would be three on one. She wasn’t stupid.
Even so, she still opened her mouth to protest. However, it was not her voice that contradicted Amycus.
“I believe I am in charge of this school, Professor Carrow.” Snape’s voice was level, yet Neville could sense flames behind each word. “You do not tell me what to do.” He strode over to look at the students, though he spoke to the rest of the room. “Since I am headmaster, and since the infraction occurred in my office, I shall decide the punishment. Not Professor McGonagall, not Professor Flitwick, and certainly not Professor Carrow.” Neville wasn’t sure how he felt about this. Snape didn’t seem to want to send them to Wizengamot, but that didn’t mean his punishment would be any more pleasant.
“Stop jerking us around,” Ginny said. “What are you going to do to us?”
“These students were not trying to kill me,” Snape said. “They lack the fortitude or intelligence for such a task.” Neville could almost feel Ginny getting angry beside him. He felt angry himself. “No, whatever they were trying to do it was inconsequential. I think a simple Saturday detention in the Forbidden Forest should be fine.” McGonagall seemed to calm down a bit. The Carrows did not seem sure how to react to this news. “You will meet Professor Hagrid at his cabin on Saturday. I think a few hours in the Forbidden Forest should straighten them out.”
“With Hagrid?” Amycus said, his smile vanishing. Alecto’s lingered a moment longer, till she saw that Amycus had stopped. “Severus, what are you-”
“If you have a problem with my authority, you know who you can take it up with,” Snape said. “I have another matter to attend to. Professor McGonagall, if you could escort these students to their quarters.” Snape waved a hand at Amycus, who had opened his mouth, as he walked by. This dismissal seemed to fluster Amycus, and Snape got out of his office without having to speak to him again.
“I don’t know what you’re smiling at,” Amycus snapped at Neville. Neville realized that in spite of himself, he had been grinning. Detention with Hagrid! That was almost a treat, more than a punishment. “If any of you think you’ve gotten off easy, allow me to assure you-”
“Excuse me, Professor, but the headmaster has ordered me to take these students,” McGonagall cut in. She waved her wand and the ropes binding the students vanished. Neville hopped to his feet and left the fuming Carrows behind. His wrists hurt a little from the ropes, but otherwise he felt fine.
“That was quite an adventure,” Luna said softly. She and Neville had fallen to the back of the group.
“Yeah, I guess it was,” Neville said. In spite of the fact they’d almost been sent to the Wizengamot, his body still felt a little electrified.
“It was even better than the old days,” Luna said. “We’ll be able to look back on this in years and laugh.”
“Yeah, I bet,” Neville said. He didn’t get Luna sometimes, but he did like talking to her.
“I will inform Professor Flitwick of this incident,” McGonagall said, “in case he wants to add an additional punishment.”
“Yes, Professor,” Michael and Luna said in unison, Luna sounding far peppier. Michael, for his part, actually looked a little sick.
“Come,” McGonagall said to her students. They walked down the hall a ways before McGonagall spoke again. “I hope you know you did a very foolish thing,” she said. “And I hope you know how lucky you are. If Nick hadn’t seen what was going on and informed me, you would have been left at their mercy. And if Snape hadn’t wanted to show up Amycus, you would have been expelled, or worse.” A wave of guilt washed over Neville. “I’d have recommended expulsion myself, under normal circumstances.”
“We were trying to help Harry,” Ginny said. “We were trying to get the sword.”
“Miss Weasley,” McGonagall said, “I understand you want to help but this sort of thing is not your concern…”
“Whose concern is it?” Ginny said. “I don’t see that you’ve been doing much.”
McGonagall stopped and whirled on her students. Her face had gone red with anger and perhaps something else as well. She said nothing, only stared at them. Neville and Seamus looked away, but Ginny held her gaze.
“You do not understand,” McGonagall said slowly.
“What’s to understand?” Ginny said. “Harry’s out there risking his life and we’re supposed to sit here and do nothing? Well I won’t. We won’t. There may not be much we can do from here, but we’ll do whatever we can.”
“I am doing what I can too, Miss Weasley, without losing my job or worse. The only thing that keeps me from leaving to fight with the Order is the thought of leaving you students here with Snape and the Carrows.” McGonagall did not yell, though she was angrier than Neville had ever seen her.
Suddenly Ginny seemed very unsure. Her gaze faltered and she looked away. She didn’t make any sort of apology, thought she looked like she wanted to. McGonagall turned and continued on down the passageway. At the portrait of the Fat Lady, McGonagall spoke the password and the portrait swung open. Ginny hopped through the hole quickly. Seamus went through afterwards a little slower, holding his midsection a little.
Neville lingered a moment longer. “Professor,” he said. “We’re really just trying to help. We can’t sit here. You know what it’s like.” Neville hesitated. “I know you’ve been teaching us spells to help us out. I know you’re just trying to look out for us, but this is something we have to do. It’s what Harry would want. And Professor Dumbledore as well, I think.”
McGonagall’s expression softened. “I know, Mr. Longbottom,” she said. “If you didn’t want to do something, you wouldn’t be in my House, would you?” She let out a sigh. “I have seen too many students and former students die young doing something stupid.” For a moment, McGonagall looked very old. Her expression hardened again a moment later. “Be more careful, Mr. Longbottom.” With that she turned and left down the hall.
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Raymond//Gryffindor