Lie in the Bed I Make (Harry Potter, 2/?)
Lie in the Bed I Make
~ A Harry Potter Fan Fiction ~
by aishuu
Character: Neville-centric
Rating: Currently PG
Wordcount: 3,100
Notes: Spoilers for Deathly Hallows. A belated thanks to sailormac for editing. This fic was originally a oneshot, but it's kind of mushroomed into something much, much longer. C & C is appreciated.
Summary: Set during DH. Without Harry in the picture, someone has to step up to lead those opposed to Voldemort. That someone is Neville Longbottom. The story of the Hogwarts Underground.
Chapter One
Chapter Two: A New Mission Statement
Neville hadn't spent that much time sneaking around Hogwarts after hours - that had always been Harry's domain - but he'd broken curfew once or twice, usually seeking out an illicit snack from the kitchens. That had been thrilling, and the food had always tasted especially great when purloined, but this was entirely different. If they were caught...
We won't let that happen, he told himself. He just needed to follow Moody's favorite advice: constant vigilance. Harry had echoed it quite frequently during the DA meetings.
Neville took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair before moving further down the hallway. The foremost danger would be running into Peeves or Filch (or even both in the middle of one of their infamous fights), but not far behind would be the Carrows. He hadn't liked how the newly minted Professors Carrow had smiled at the feast as Snape had laid down more stringent rules. He had caught a glimpse of the Dark Mark on the woman's arm, and the man leered threateningly every time a student had been sorted into Gryffindor.
Hogwarts itself, though, seemed to be on their side. The portraits were all nodding silently or averting their eyes as he and Seamus crept past. The staircases had only shifted once, and that had been a blessing, cutting a good five minutes off their trek. Seamus had gasped loudly as the stairs started to move, but Neville shot him a glance which shut him up before he'd done anything stupid.
Finally they were there, standing with the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy to their backs. He motioned for Seamus to stand aside so he could summon the needed space. We need someplace safe to talk, where Voldemort's supporters can't find us, he thought as he paced back and forth in front of the Room of Requirement.
The door slid open in front of them, and Neville had to remind himself that darting inside like a nervous first year wouldn't inspire confidence. Even though it was only Seamus as a witness, Neville had to act brave. Maybe he'd start feeling that way if he pretended long enough. "After you," he said softly, gesturing flamboyantly with his right hand. Seamus gave a low chuckle, and then stepped in. Neville followed seconds later, and then the door shut.
It didn't look like it had when the DA had first entered two years before. This room wasn't set up to practice spells; instead, they were met with a comfortable room that bore a strong resemblance to the Gryffindor common room. A fire burned merrily in a prominent fireplace, and there were several plush chairs arranged in a close circle that would make conversing easy. Neville and Seamus exchanged glances, before settling into the red-upholstered chairs.
"Do you think anyone will come?" Seamus asked. "It's awfully late. Everyone could be asleep."
Neville wondered how anyone could sleep after that uncomfortable welcoming feast. "Luna will," Neville said confidently. "And Ginny. They came when...." he trailed off, not wanting Seamus to feel badly for missing the battle in the Ministry of Magic during fifth year.
"That's why I keep my galleon on me now, and check it several times a day," Seamus said bluntly. "It's okay, Neville. I know you've got more field experience, but there's still plenty of us that want to help. I don't like where things are going."
"Neither do I," Neville said, and it was like unleashing the floodgates to say so aloud.
It had been a very silent ride on the Hogwarts Express. The Professors Carrow had strolled up and down the train, casting looks into the compartments. Their presence had been the first sign of the changing, ominous times ahead for the school that students had been confronted with. While Ginny, Neville, Luna and Seamus had all made purchases from the snack cart, none of them had actually eaten much. They'd spent the long trip nibbling half-heartedly on the snacks, staring at each other or out the window.
For so long Neville had been consciously censoring what he thought. Now he could be completely honest, without fear of being overheard. "The paper's claiming Harry killed Dumbledore, but it was Snape. And now Snape's in charge of the school, which is entirely unjust, and there's Death Eaters openly wearing the mark, and-" he caught himself, aware that he was babbling badly. Shaking his head, he collected his thoughts and told himself to slow down and stop panicking. "You-Know-Who is back, and he's in control of the school. And probably the ministry, so we can't get any help there."
"So we'll have to do it ourselves," Seamus said. "Not like we didn't do it-" he was cut off abruptly by the sound of the door opening. Both of them stared as Ginny and Colin entered. To Neville's disappointment, the door shut again immediately. Glancing at the golden watch his grandmother had presented to him for his birthday, he noted the hands on waiting. Sometimes he wished the stupid thing would just tell time, like an ordinary Muggle clock.
"Pull up a chair," Seamus invited as he slouched back into his own seat. "The party's just getting started."
The two younger students took the offered seats. "What's going on?" Ginny asked, not one to beat around the bush. "Which of you triggered the coins?" Her eyes were on Neville.
"I d-did," he said, mentally cursing as a stutter tripped up his lips. He had been presumptuous to do so, since it'd always been Harry or Hermione doing so before. He hoped Ginny wouldn't be too mad, since her voice could get very shrill when she yelled. "I thought the DA should discuss a strategy for this year," he explained. That sounded better, more confident.
"Good idea." Ginny's smile was approving, and Neville reflected, not for the first time, she really was a very pretty girl. But there was a time to think of girls, and that wasn't now. Besides, Neville understood that Ginny had already given her heart to Harry Potter. There would be no point. "Do you think we should-"
"We might want to wait for the others," Seamus interrupted. "No point in repeating ourselves."
"Is anyone else coming?" Ginny asked. "It could just be us."
"Gryffindors are the ones with all the courage," Seamus said, shifting an arm to prop his head up. His eyes were starting to droop from fatigue. "Though Lavender and Parvati are conspicuously absent."
Neville wondered more about where Luna was. She'd always had the strange ability to know what was going on before anyone else, and he'd assumed she'd check her coin. Despite her somewhat distracted mien, she was loyal. She would be here if she knew there was a meeting.
"Lavender and Parvati are probably sleeping," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "They'll have astronomy tomorrow night - it's traditional for NEWT students to have it the first school night back. Some kind of mystique ritual or something."
"Ah," Seamus said. "So glad I dropped that after fifth year."
Neville had forgotten about Astronomy's first night tradition. He was in the class, too - and Professor Sinistra would be irate if he fell asleep, since it was supposed to be a Big Deal. He wished he still had his Rememberall. The stupid thing had always been lit up, so it hadn't helped much, but it was the principle of things.
"I think we'll have more than classes to worry about," Colin said, speaking for the first time. Colin spoke in a deeper voice than Neville remembered, a surprisingly pleasant tenor. Sometime over the summer, it must have broken.
Colin sat with his arms around his knees, and appeared unusually downcast. The younger boy was still shy of his growth spurt - or maybe he would be one of those unfortunate souls that never became tall. While Colin had always seemed young, Neville was startled to realize he had to be sixteen. It was so tempting to treat him like a child because of his usual effervescence, but something had happened to dim his usual glow. Considering he'd bounced right back after being petrified in his first year, it had to be something serious. "Is something wrong?"
Colin sighed. "I had to register as a Mudblood before coming here. They almost didn't let me come back."
"Was registering that bad? I thought it was just a paper thing," Neville said, exchanging looks with Ginny. He'd heard about the new policies at the Ministry of Magic, but the information hadn't really registered. He'd been busy trying to track down information on Harry, along with making plans to enter his seventh year.
"You wouldn't understand," Seamus said to Neville, before turning to look at Colin. "I'm half."
Colin nodded his acknowledgment, and Neville could see something click between the two, a kind of close comradeship. "If I told my parents what was really happening in the Wizarding World, they'd pull me out in a heartbeat. If I was a couple years younger, I would never have been invited to Hogwarts. It's really screwed up that a bunch of kids who should be here will never know about the magical world."
"Does blood status really matter?" Ginny asked. "We're all friends, and deciding to categorize ourselves is just giving into what You-Know-Who wants."
"It shouldn't matter, but it does," Seamus said flatly. "You and Neville-"
The door slid open again, and Neville's breath caught as Luna strolled in, trailed by Michael Corner, Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein. She gaze them her usual bright smile before drifting over to one of the three chairs. Which had turned blue while Neville hadn't been looking.
"You could have given us more warning," Michael said crossly. Neville couldn't help but note that he took the chair furthest away from Ginny. "Luna had to wake us up."
"You snuck into the boys' room?" Ginny asked incredulously, her red eyebrows rising higher on her forehead.
"Someone had to get them." Luna twirled a lock of her blond hair around her ring finger. Leave it to Luna to completely overlook the strict prohibition over entering the opposite gender's dorms after curfew without thinking twice about it.
"Do you think the Hufflepuffs are coming?" Seamus asked. He stifled a yawn behind his hand. "We don't have all evening to wait."
"I heard Hufflepuff was having a house meeting," Terry said. "They've got the most Muggleborns."
Neville had noticed the spaces at the Hufflepuff table. Dean wasn't the only student who'd decided it would be better not to attend. It made sense for Hufflepuff - which was just as renowned for its fierce, nearly mindless, loyalty as Gryffindor was for derring-do - to make plans to protect its own. But that wouldn't help the rest of the school, and Snape loathed the house in general and several of its more timid members in particular.
Neville couldn't help but remember the Sorting Hat's song from fifth year: For our Hogwarts is in danger from external deadly foes, and we must unite inside her or we'll crumple from within... He hoped it wasn't too late, because the enemy was already among them.
"They'll come tomorrow," Luna said, as though it was accepted there would be another meeting. Her eyes were fixed somewhere beyond Neville's head, and she was obviously lost in her own little world. Neville didn't doubt that she'd speak up if she thought something was important.
"For what?" Corner asked. "Why are we here, anyway?"
"To talk about what's happening," Neville said. "Since Harry isn't here, I thought the DA should discuss what to do about Snape and the Death Eaters. This is going to be worse than Umbridge."
"She's already had a promotion," Ginny said bitterly. "My dad was talking about it."
The idea of Umbridge being trusted with power again was a sobering one. "Thicknesse obviously belongs to You-Know-Who. He's not out as a Death Eater, but he could be under the Imperius," Terry reasoned. They were silent for several moments, each lost in their own thoughts. They couldn't trust the school or the ministry to protect them.
"How is Harry?" Michael demanded, turning to stare at his ex-girlfriend fiercely. It was strange to hear it from Michael of all people, since he was essentially asking about his former romantic rival. But Corner had always been a good sort, no matter what Ron thought.
There had been no reliable news on the Boy Who Lived ever since the now infamous Bill Weasley-Fleur Delacour wedding. If anyone was going to have a clue what was happening, it was the Weasley family... and Ginny Weasley in particular.
"I don't know!" Neville might have thought she was snapping back, but the frustration and fear was written into her eyes. "I just know that he's with Ron and Hermione. They didn't ask me to come."
"Maybe they're hunting a babapari," Luna suggested. "Catching one of those would definitely help Harry win."
It was a sign of Neville's mental fatigue that he almost asked what the hell she was talking about before he remembered it was Luna. No one understood half of what she said, even on a good day. "We can assume whatever he is doing is important," Neville said, glancing around to gage the reaction.
To his relief, they each offered a nod of agreement, even Michael. "So we need to do something, too," Terry said. "This place is going to be nasty this year. Aside from continuing defense lessons, we're going to have to be more proactive. Keeping an eye out for the younger students, undermining Snape..."
"I'll take plenty of pictures and mail them to the newspapers," Colin piped up, looking more like his old self. "If people see what's going on, it might make them act. Nothing like threatening kids to get people in a lather."
"My dad would print them," Luna promised.
"I don't think that's a good idea, not with Death Eaters in charge of discipline," Ginny said. "If I were you, Colin, I'd put your camera away. It'd be safer."
"Freedom of the Press is important. Maybe we can create an underground newspaper or something, since the Daily Prophet is a propaganda machine." Colin glanced over at Luna belatedly, recognizing his words might be taken as a slight of her family's product, implying the Quibbler wasn't good enough competition.
"And that's different how?" Seamus asked from bitter experience.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Terry said at the same time. He shifted on his seat, before pulling a ballpoint pen - he was definitely Muggleborn - and a sheet of parchment out of his sleeve. "What we need is a plan of action and a mission statement."
The idea sounded ridiculous to Neville, and apparently Seamus agreed. "Isn't it 'oppose the Death Eaters at every turn?'"
"Sounds good to me," Terry returned. "Though I would modify it to 'oppose the Death Eaters at every turn, while striving to keep ourselves safe.' No point in being brave just to be brave." He bowed in his seat mockingly toward Seamus, playfully digging the Gryffindor reputation.
"Agreed," Neville cut in, trying to forestall a fight. It was true that his house had a tendency to rush in without thinking, and were somewhat sensitive when someone else pointed that out. "We're not going to rush into this like..." he paused, before grinning in reply, "first years."
They all laughed. "Touche," Terry said, then started to write on the parchment. Within minutes he had created a sign up sheet, and wordlessly handed it to Neville. He had a neat, precise hand, typical of his house, and had created a formal-looking document. Neville decided to read it aloud to save time, since they all needed to get to bed sometime soon if they were going to be functional in seven hours.
"The members of Dumbledore's Army hereby reaffirm their commitment to opposing the Dark Lord, Death Eaters, and all who support them. We recognize the equality of our fellow witches and wizards, and will strive to undermine all efforts of those that seek to persecute others. We will work toward the ultimate defeat of the Dark Lord, aiding Harry Potter and his supporters in any way possible. We will protect Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and its students from debasement and abuse. Most of all, we recognize that all life is sacred, and will do our best to preserve the lives of our fellow students and ourselves."
"Wow," Seamus said. "That sounds really impressive."
"It's important people know what they're signing up for," Terry replied. "I'm not going to curse it like last time."
"We're beyond that kind of precaution. We can only show it to people who we can trust without putting some kind of minor jinx on force them to keep their word," Ginny said. "This is life and death."
"It was last time, too," Luna put in.
It was a good point, although they hadn't known it last time. Neville had mentally recognized the danger during fifth year, but it hadn't sunk home until Bellatrix had escaped Azkaban. With a flourish, Neville scrawled his name on the bottom, signing his own death warrant if the sheet was ever found. It felt right to do so with a Muggle pen; this was a statement that rejected the very idea of blood supremacy.
"I'll sign next," Anthony Goldstein said, speaking for the first time. He was a dark, bespectacled young man who was the epitome of Ravenclaw virtues. He also tended toward silence, which made him hard to know. Neville handed the parchment over, wondering why Anthony had felt so strongly.
One by one, they affixed their signatures to the statement, finally ending back with Terry Boot. Now that they were committed, there was no going back. "So where do we start?" Neville asked.
"I have an idea," said Ginny, clearing her throat. "But it's going to be dangerous."
If Ginny was saying that right now, before even offering the plan, it was going to be a trial by fire for the newly revitalized DA. But maybe that was the best way to go. "What is it?" he asked.
"We're going to break into the head master's office and steal the Sword of Gryffindor."
Chapter Three
~ A Harry Potter Fan Fiction ~
by aishuu
Character: Neville-centric
Rating: Currently PG
Wordcount: 3,100
Notes: Spoilers for Deathly Hallows. A belated thanks to sailormac for editing. This fic was originally a oneshot, but it's kind of mushroomed into something much, much longer. C & C is appreciated.
Summary: Set during DH. Without Harry in the picture, someone has to step up to lead those opposed to Voldemort. That someone is Neville Longbottom. The story of the Hogwarts Underground.
Chapter One
Chapter Two: A New Mission Statement
Neville hadn't spent that much time sneaking around Hogwarts after hours - that had always been Harry's domain - but he'd broken curfew once or twice, usually seeking out an illicit snack from the kitchens. That had been thrilling, and the food had always tasted especially great when purloined, but this was entirely different. If they were caught...
We won't let that happen, he told himself. He just needed to follow Moody's favorite advice: constant vigilance. Harry had echoed it quite frequently during the DA meetings.
Neville took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair before moving further down the hallway. The foremost danger would be running into Peeves or Filch (or even both in the middle of one of their infamous fights), but not far behind would be the Carrows. He hadn't liked how the newly minted Professors Carrow had smiled at the feast as Snape had laid down more stringent rules. He had caught a glimpse of the Dark Mark on the woman's arm, and the man leered threateningly every time a student had been sorted into Gryffindor.
Hogwarts itself, though, seemed to be on their side. The portraits were all nodding silently or averting their eyes as he and Seamus crept past. The staircases had only shifted once, and that had been a blessing, cutting a good five minutes off their trek. Seamus had gasped loudly as the stairs started to move, but Neville shot him a glance which shut him up before he'd done anything stupid.
Finally they were there, standing with the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy to their backs. He motioned for Seamus to stand aside so he could summon the needed space. We need someplace safe to talk, where Voldemort's supporters can't find us, he thought as he paced back and forth in front of the Room of Requirement.
The door slid open in front of them, and Neville had to remind himself that darting inside like a nervous first year wouldn't inspire confidence. Even though it was only Seamus as a witness, Neville had to act brave. Maybe he'd start feeling that way if he pretended long enough. "After you," he said softly, gesturing flamboyantly with his right hand. Seamus gave a low chuckle, and then stepped in. Neville followed seconds later, and then the door shut.
It didn't look like it had when the DA had first entered two years before. This room wasn't set up to practice spells; instead, they were met with a comfortable room that bore a strong resemblance to the Gryffindor common room. A fire burned merrily in a prominent fireplace, and there were several plush chairs arranged in a close circle that would make conversing easy. Neville and Seamus exchanged glances, before settling into the red-upholstered chairs.
"Do you think anyone will come?" Seamus asked. "It's awfully late. Everyone could be asleep."
Neville wondered how anyone could sleep after that uncomfortable welcoming feast. "Luna will," Neville said confidently. "And Ginny. They came when...." he trailed off, not wanting Seamus to feel badly for missing the battle in the Ministry of Magic during fifth year.
"That's why I keep my galleon on me now, and check it several times a day," Seamus said bluntly. "It's okay, Neville. I know you've got more field experience, but there's still plenty of us that want to help. I don't like where things are going."
"Neither do I," Neville said, and it was like unleashing the floodgates to say so aloud.
It had been a very silent ride on the Hogwarts Express. The Professors Carrow had strolled up and down the train, casting looks into the compartments. Their presence had been the first sign of the changing, ominous times ahead for the school that students had been confronted with. While Ginny, Neville, Luna and Seamus had all made purchases from the snack cart, none of them had actually eaten much. They'd spent the long trip nibbling half-heartedly on the snacks, staring at each other or out the window.
For so long Neville had been consciously censoring what he thought. Now he could be completely honest, without fear of being overheard. "The paper's claiming Harry killed Dumbledore, but it was Snape. And now Snape's in charge of the school, which is entirely unjust, and there's Death Eaters openly wearing the mark, and-" he caught himself, aware that he was babbling badly. Shaking his head, he collected his thoughts and told himself to slow down and stop panicking. "You-Know-Who is back, and he's in control of the school. And probably the ministry, so we can't get any help there."
"So we'll have to do it ourselves," Seamus said. "Not like we didn't do it-" he was cut off abruptly by the sound of the door opening. Both of them stared as Ginny and Colin entered. To Neville's disappointment, the door shut again immediately. Glancing at the golden watch his grandmother had presented to him for his birthday, he noted the hands on waiting. Sometimes he wished the stupid thing would just tell time, like an ordinary Muggle clock.
"Pull up a chair," Seamus invited as he slouched back into his own seat. "The party's just getting started."
The two younger students took the offered seats. "What's going on?" Ginny asked, not one to beat around the bush. "Which of you triggered the coins?" Her eyes were on Neville.
"I d-did," he said, mentally cursing as a stutter tripped up his lips. He had been presumptuous to do so, since it'd always been Harry or Hermione doing so before. He hoped Ginny wouldn't be too mad, since her voice could get very shrill when she yelled. "I thought the DA should discuss a strategy for this year," he explained. That sounded better, more confident.
"Good idea." Ginny's smile was approving, and Neville reflected, not for the first time, she really was a very pretty girl. But there was a time to think of girls, and that wasn't now. Besides, Neville understood that Ginny had already given her heart to Harry Potter. There would be no point. "Do you think we should-"
"We might want to wait for the others," Seamus interrupted. "No point in repeating ourselves."
"Is anyone else coming?" Ginny asked. "It could just be us."
"Gryffindors are the ones with all the courage," Seamus said, shifting an arm to prop his head up. His eyes were starting to droop from fatigue. "Though Lavender and Parvati are conspicuously absent."
Neville wondered more about where Luna was. She'd always had the strange ability to know what was going on before anyone else, and he'd assumed she'd check her coin. Despite her somewhat distracted mien, she was loyal. She would be here if she knew there was a meeting.
"Lavender and Parvati are probably sleeping," Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "They'll have astronomy tomorrow night - it's traditional for NEWT students to have it the first school night back. Some kind of mystique ritual or something."
"Ah," Seamus said. "So glad I dropped that after fifth year."
Neville had forgotten about Astronomy's first night tradition. He was in the class, too - and Professor Sinistra would be irate if he fell asleep, since it was supposed to be a Big Deal. He wished he still had his Rememberall. The stupid thing had always been lit up, so it hadn't helped much, but it was the principle of things.
"I think we'll have more than classes to worry about," Colin said, speaking for the first time. Colin spoke in a deeper voice than Neville remembered, a surprisingly pleasant tenor. Sometime over the summer, it must have broken.
Colin sat with his arms around his knees, and appeared unusually downcast. The younger boy was still shy of his growth spurt - or maybe he would be one of those unfortunate souls that never became tall. While Colin had always seemed young, Neville was startled to realize he had to be sixteen. It was so tempting to treat him like a child because of his usual effervescence, but something had happened to dim his usual glow. Considering he'd bounced right back after being petrified in his first year, it had to be something serious. "Is something wrong?"
Colin sighed. "I had to register as a Mudblood before coming here. They almost didn't let me come back."
"Was registering that bad? I thought it was just a paper thing," Neville said, exchanging looks with Ginny. He'd heard about the new policies at the Ministry of Magic, but the information hadn't really registered. He'd been busy trying to track down information on Harry, along with making plans to enter his seventh year.
"You wouldn't understand," Seamus said to Neville, before turning to look at Colin. "I'm half."
Colin nodded his acknowledgment, and Neville could see something click between the two, a kind of close comradeship. "If I told my parents what was really happening in the Wizarding World, they'd pull me out in a heartbeat. If I was a couple years younger, I would never have been invited to Hogwarts. It's really screwed up that a bunch of kids who should be here will never know about the magical world."
"Does blood status really matter?" Ginny asked. "We're all friends, and deciding to categorize ourselves is just giving into what You-Know-Who wants."
"It shouldn't matter, but it does," Seamus said flatly. "You and Neville-"
The door slid open again, and Neville's breath caught as Luna strolled in, trailed by Michael Corner, Terry Boot and Anthony Goldstein. She gaze them her usual bright smile before drifting over to one of the three chairs. Which had turned blue while Neville hadn't been looking.
"You could have given us more warning," Michael said crossly. Neville couldn't help but note that he took the chair furthest away from Ginny. "Luna had to wake us up."
"You snuck into the boys' room?" Ginny asked incredulously, her red eyebrows rising higher on her forehead.
"Someone had to get them." Luna twirled a lock of her blond hair around her ring finger. Leave it to Luna to completely overlook the strict prohibition over entering the opposite gender's dorms after curfew without thinking twice about it.
"Do you think the Hufflepuffs are coming?" Seamus asked. He stifled a yawn behind his hand. "We don't have all evening to wait."
"I heard Hufflepuff was having a house meeting," Terry said. "They've got the most Muggleborns."
Neville had noticed the spaces at the Hufflepuff table. Dean wasn't the only student who'd decided it would be better not to attend. It made sense for Hufflepuff - which was just as renowned for its fierce, nearly mindless, loyalty as Gryffindor was for derring-do - to make plans to protect its own. But that wouldn't help the rest of the school, and Snape loathed the house in general and several of its more timid members in particular.
Neville couldn't help but remember the Sorting Hat's song from fifth year: For our Hogwarts is in danger from external deadly foes, and we must unite inside her or we'll crumple from within... He hoped it wasn't too late, because the enemy was already among them.
"They'll come tomorrow," Luna said, as though it was accepted there would be another meeting. Her eyes were fixed somewhere beyond Neville's head, and she was obviously lost in her own little world. Neville didn't doubt that she'd speak up if she thought something was important.
"For what?" Corner asked. "Why are we here, anyway?"
"To talk about what's happening," Neville said. "Since Harry isn't here, I thought the DA should discuss what to do about Snape and the Death Eaters. This is going to be worse than Umbridge."
"She's already had a promotion," Ginny said bitterly. "My dad was talking about it."
The idea of Umbridge being trusted with power again was a sobering one. "Thicknesse obviously belongs to You-Know-Who. He's not out as a Death Eater, but he could be under the Imperius," Terry reasoned. They were silent for several moments, each lost in their own thoughts. They couldn't trust the school or the ministry to protect them.
"How is Harry?" Michael demanded, turning to stare at his ex-girlfriend fiercely. It was strange to hear it from Michael of all people, since he was essentially asking about his former romantic rival. But Corner had always been a good sort, no matter what Ron thought.
There had been no reliable news on the Boy Who Lived ever since the now infamous Bill Weasley-Fleur Delacour wedding. If anyone was going to have a clue what was happening, it was the Weasley family... and Ginny Weasley in particular.
"I don't know!" Neville might have thought she was snapping back, but the frustration and fear was written into her eyes. "I just know that he's with Ron and Hermione. They didn't ask me to come."
"Maybe they're hunting a babapari," Luna suggested. "Catching one of those would definitely help Harry win."
It was a sign of Neville's mental fatigue that he almost asked what the hell she was talking about before he remembered it was Luna. No one understood half of what she said, even on a good day. "We can assume whatever he is doing is important," Neville said, glancing around to gage the reaction.
To his relief, they each offered a nod of agreement, even Michael. "So we need to do something, too," Terry said. "This place is going to be nasty this year. Aside from continuing defense lessons, we're going to have to be more proactive. Keeping an eye out for the younger students, undermining Snape..."
"I'll take plenty of pictures and mail them to the newspapers," Colin piped up, looking more like his old self. "If people see what's going on, it might make them act. Nothing like threatening kids to get people in a lather."
"My dad would print them," Luna promised.
"I don't think that's a good idea, not with Death Eaters in charge of discipline," Ginny said. "If I were you, Colin, I'd put your camera away. It'd be safer."
"Freedom of the Press is important. Maybe we can create an underground newspaper or something, since the Daily Prophet is a propaganda machine." Colin glanced over at Luna belatedly, recognizing his words might be taken as a slight of her family's product, implying the Quibbler wasn't good enough competition.
"And that's different how?" Seamus asked from bitter experience.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Terry said at the same time. He shifted on his seat, before pulling a ballpoint pen - he was definitely Muggleborn - and a sheet of parchment out of his sleeve. "What we need is a plan of action and a mission statement."
The idea sounded ridiculous to Neville, and apparently Seamus agreed. "Isn't it 'oppose the Death Eaters at every turn?'"
"Sounds good to me," Terry returned. "Though I would modify it to 'oppose the Death Eaters at every turn, while striving to keep ourselves safe.' No point in being brave just to be brave." He bowed in his seat mockingly toward Seamus, playfully digging the Gryffindor reputation.
"Agreed," Neville cut in, trying to forestall a fight. It was true that his house had a tendency to rush in without thinking, and were somewhat sensitive when someone else pointed that out. "We're not going to rush into this like..." he paused, before grinning in reply, "first years."
They all laughed. "Touche," Terry said, then started to write on the parchment. Within minutes he had created a sign up sheet, and wordlessly handed it to Neville. He had a neat, precise hand, typical of his house, and had created a formal-looking document. Neville decided to read it aloud to save time, since they all needed to get to bed sometime soon if they were going to be functional in seven hours.
"The members of Dumbledore's Army hereby reaffirm their commitment to opposing the Dark Lord, Death Eaters, and all who support them. We recognize the equality of our fellow witches and wizards, and will strive to undermine all efforts of those that seek to persecute others. We will work toward the ultimate defeat of the Dark Lord, aiding Harry Potter and his supporters in any way possible. We will protect Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and its students from debasement and abuse. Most of all, we recognize that all life is sacred, and will do our best to preserve the lives of our fellow students and ourselves."
"Wow," Seamus said. "That sounds really impressive."
"It's important people know what they're signing up for," Terry replied. "I'm not going to curse it like last time."
"We're beyond that kind of precaution. We can only show it to people who we can trust without putting some kind of minor jinx on force them to keep their word," Ginny said. "This is life and death."
"It was last time, too," Luna put in.
It was a good point, although they hadn't known it last time. Neville had mentally recognized the danger during fifth year, but it hadn't sunk home until Bellatrix had escaped Azkaban. With a flourish, Neville scrawled his name on the bottom, signing his own death warrant if the sheet was ever found. It felt right to do so with a Muggle pen; this was a statement that rejected the very idea of blood supremacy.
"I'll sign next," Anthony Goldstein said, speaking for the first time. He was a dark, bespectacled young man who was the epitome of Ravenclaw virtues. He also tended toward silence, which made him hard to know. Neville handed the parchment over, wondering why Anthony had felt so strongly.
One by one, they affixed their signatures to the statement, finally ending back with Terry Boot. Now that they were committed, there was no going back. "So where do we start?" Neville asked.
"I have an idea," said Ginny, clearing her throat. "But it's going to be dangerous."
If Ginny was saying that right now, before even offering the plan, it was going to be a trial by fire for the newly revitalized DA. But maybe that was the best way to go. "What is it?" he asked.
"We're going to break into the head master's office and steal the Sword of Gryffindor."
Chapter Three