The Seventh Year

Reunited With Troubles

Neville sat back down and didn't break eye contact with the bearded Death Eater. Standing his ground, Neville remained silent with his jaw clenched. The bearded man's face flushed red with anger. After a few moments of silence, both men stormed out of the carriage. The door almost came off its hinges from how hard the door slammed shut.

"What do you reckon they expected?" asked Ginny as she slowly turned back to face Neville, who was pale with a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Did they think Harry would be stupid enough to return?" Her expression changed at the mention of Harry's name. She had forgotten how much she missed him.

"I doubt it," Neville said in a low voice. "You-Know-Who probably wants to check just in case. Because he's already missed the chance to kill Harry—what is it now—three times?" Neville looked up to see Ginny fidgeting with her hands, staring down into her lap. Neither one of them spoke for the rest of the ride to Hogwarts.

----

The scarlet train pulled into the lantern-lit station made of timber. A rather large man stood on the platform waiting at one end of the train. He held a small lantern as he patiently waited for the train to come to a full stop.

As all the students nervously stepped onto the platform, he called, "Firs' years o'er here wit' me! Firs' years come this way!" It was Hagrid. His voice boomed through the silence of the crowd of young witches and wizards. He had a less lively tone and looked as though he hadn't known sleep for weeks.

"Hagrid!" Ginny said, hurrying to catch up with him. He pretended not to hear her and continued to lead the first-years away from the wooden station. Ginny glanced towards Neville, who looked equally concerned. Unsure of what to do, they both headed for the carriages and caught up with Luna Lovegood.

Luna was a kind-hearted girl who was in Ginny's year. She was a bit different, but that's what Ginny had always admired about her. She was one of the few students who had journeyed to the Department of Mysteries and battled a group of Death Eaters with them.

Emerging from the trees, they found Luna stroking the muzzle of thestral. It was still a sight Ginny and Neville were unfamiliar with. Taken aback, they both stood still and watched as Luna continued to pet the dark horse-looking creature. Following the battle that resulted in Sirius' death, Ginny and Neville could also see death's winged creatures.

"Hey, Luna, how have you been holding up these past few days?" Ginny spoke softly.

Luna turned to face her friends. She looked exhausted and glumly said, "Oh, hi, Ginny and Neville." She didn't sound well, but that didn't stop her from trying to look the part. "It's been alright. Dad's been cautious since the wedding, but he's still writing for The Quibbler. He also thought I shouldn't come this year, but I couldn't leave you here—not alone, at least."

Neville heard the anxiousness in her voice and realized how great a risk Luna took returning to Hogwarts. Impressed with her courage, he silently pulled her in for a hug. After a long moment, he felt Ginny press her hand into his back to let him know they had to leave.

They made the short walk to the carriages and began loading their trunks. Neville's toad, Trevor, sounded a loud croak. Neville was too wrapped up in his own thoughts and set Trevor down too hard. Out of the corner of his eye, he could have sworn he saw Luna shed a tear. Before he could be sure of it, Professor Flitwick called out their names for attendance, and all three heads turned. When Neville looked back, Luna was tear-free and quietly humming a sad-sounding tune to herself.

----

It was a short ride up to the castle, but it felt like ages because nobody felt like talking. Keeping their thoughts to themselves, the air swirled with anxiety. Ginny worried more about the younger students' safety than her own. Ever since the news about Rufus Scrimgeour's death, she knew Voldemort had taken control of the Ministry. The whole wizarding world knows but refuses to say anything! she thought to herself. With Death Eaters in power and Snape as headmaster, the year would be one unlike any other. How could she possibly protect every incoming Hogwarts student? There was only one of her and who knows how many Death Eaters wandering the grounds.

Ginny's thoughts were interrupted as Neville and Luna began to stand and gather their trunks. Ginny abruptly stood, grabbed her trunk, and stepped down from the carriage. It was strange to be on the grounds without any of her family. Fred, George, and Ron had all been there until the last year. Now, there was an empty feeling walking into Hogwarts without a brother to tease her. She was on her own...but she wasn't alone. Neville and Luna would be with her; this ignited a flicker of hope as she stepped onto the stone steps leading up the castle.