Magic? || Years 5-7

Dumbledore's Army Returns: The Battle of Hogwarts

"Neville—" Harry spluttered, "what the—how—?"

But Neville had just spotted the rest of them, and with a shout of delight, Amisty was swept into a crushing hug. He was ecstatic, joy and something akin to triumph radiating off him in waves.

Quite the juxtaposition to the state of him, in all honesty. One of his eyes was swollen and purple, the gouges on his face bright red and still oozing. His hair was a mess, his clothes tattered; he looked like them despite having lived in the castle for the past months.

"I knew you'd come!" Neville said, eyes shining. "Kept telling Seamus it was a matter of time!"

"Neville," Hermione said, aghast, "what's happened to you?"

"What? This?" Neville shrugged, waving aside their concerns. "This is nothing. Seamus is worse. You'll see. Shall we get going then? Oh," he turned to Aberforth, offering a crooked smile, "Ab, there might be a couple more people on the way."

"Couple more?" Aberforth repeated, thoroughly unimpressed. "What d'you mean, a couple more, Longbottom? There's a curfew and a Caterwauling Charm on the whole village!"

"I know, that's why they'll be Apparating directly into the bar," Neville said as if it were obvious. "Just send them down the passage when they get here, will you? Thanks a lot."

Incredulous, Aberforth stared at Neville's back with a strange mixture of frustration and amusement. Completely oblivious, Neville boosted Amisty up through the hole, grinning all the while. Hermione was next, then Ron, then Neville, while Harry turned to Aberforth once more.

"I don't know how to thank you," he said. "You've saved our lives twice."

"Look after 'em, then," Aberforth said without meeting his gaze. "I might not be able to save 'em a third time."

Stone steps, the edges smoothed and rounded with time, led down the corridor as the portrait swung shut behind them. Brass lamps hung from the walls on rusted screws, casting warped shadows across the cracked walls.

"How long's this been here? Ron asked, his voice bouncing down the hall. "It isn't on the Marauder's Map, is it, Harry? I thought there were only seven passages in and out of school."

"They sealed off all of those before the start of the year," Neville said. "There's no chance of getting through any of them now, not with curses over the entrances and Death Eaters and dementors waiting at the exits." He turned, walking backward so he could face them. "Never mind that stuff. . . Is it true? Did you break into Gringotts? Did you escape on a dragon? It's everywhere, everyone's talking about it, Terry Boot got beaten up by Carrow for yelling about it in the Great Hall at dinner!"

Amisty blinked, horrified. He got what?

"Yeah, it's true," Harry said, airier than normal.

With a gleeful little laugh just shy of a cackle, Neville clapped. "What did you do with the dragon?"

"Released it into the wild," Ron said. "Amisty was all for keeping her as a pet—"

Hermione scoffed, "Don't exaggerate, Ron—"

"But what have you been doing? People have been saying you've just been on the run, Harry, but I don't think so," Neville cut in, eager and bright. "I think you've been up to something."

"You're right," Harry said, "but tell us about Hogwarts, Neville, we haven't heard anything."

"It's been. . ." His smile faltered, then extinguished, "well, it's not really like Hogwarts anymore. Do you know about the Carrows?"