A True Gryffindor

The students' new timetables were passed along the house tables at breakfast the next morning. Neville took his and looked at it, frowning.

"Hmm, Charms, Herbology, Defence Against the Dark Arts- hang on! It's only got "Dark Arts" on the timetable!" Neville looked at Seamus's timetable, which showed the same.

"I didn't think they'd teach us Defense under this new regime," muttered Seamus. Both boys glanced at Amycus Carrow, who was greedily stuffing a bread roll into his mouth. Neville looked down quickly.

"Look, it's got Muggle Studies on here, too!" He pointed again at the timetable. "I never took it for NEWT. Professor!" he called to McGonagall, who was talking to Ginny about her results. "Professor, there's a mistake on my timetable, I didn't take Muggle Studies!"

"There is no mistake, Longbottom," replied McGonagall stiffly, "the new staff consider it necessary to teach all students Muggle Studies this year. It is a compulsory subject now." She glanced at the Head Table, before returning to where Ginny sat.

"What have we got today?" asked Seamus, taking the timetables from Neville's hand. "Nice. I've got Trelawney first, then double Dark Arts and Muggle Studies after lunch!" He grimaced, then looked up when Neville didn't reply. "Neville?"

Neville pointed to the three empty seats opposite. Harry, Ron and Hermione's timetables lay on the placemats, unread and unneeded.

"C'mon, let's go," muttered Seamus, and he and Neville left their seats.

***

"Oi! Longbottom, what are you doing back here?" A yell greeted Neville as he reached the Dark Arts classroom. Draco Malfoy stood beside a crowd of seventh-year Slytherins, arms folded, head cocked to one side.

"I'm a pure-blood," mumbled Neville.

"I wouldn't have thought they'd let a Squib like you back to Hogwarts, now they've cleaned the Mudbloods out," sneered Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle sniggered; Pansy Parkinson screeched like a banshee.

"I'm not a Squib," replied Neville defiantly, forcing himself to look Malfoy in the eye.

"Really?" squealed Parkinson. "Everyone knows you're the worst in our year, Longbottom. You've got less magic in you than a pair of socks!" The other girls shrieked with laughter. Millicent Bulstrode grunted.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" queried a new voice. Neville relaxed slightly. The other Gryffindors had arrived. "What are you bothering Neville for?" repeated Lavender. Malfoy stepped back.

"We were just telling Longbottom that he won't last the week under the new regime," he said coolly.

"Yeah, well, we happen to disagree," Lavender retorted. Neville felt a wave of admiration for Lavender sweep over him.

"I don't think much of your taste, Brown. First the Blood-Traitor Weasley, now Longbottom!" shrieked Parkinson.

All four Gryffindors instantly rose to defend the absent Ron, shouting insults at Parkinson and making obscene hand gestures. Neville took out his wand and pointed it at Parkinson.

"Don't talk about my friends like-" he began. He yelped as his hand was shocked, sending his wand rolling across the stone slabs.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor! No magic in the corridors," snarled Carrow's voice. To Neville, it sounded as though Carrow had a mouthful of gravel when he spoke. He stood in the doorway, his own wand still pointing at Neville's hand. "Now get inside, all of you, or I'll make it fifty."

The four Gryffindors sat in the back row of desks, leaving the Slytherin students to fill the rest of the classroom. The lesson got steadily worse as it progressed. Each student had to recite what they had learnt about the Unforgivable Curses in their fourth year, and had to practise the Cruciatus Curse on rats.

Neville's wand hand shook as he tried to aim at the rodent lying on his desk. The whole class watched with trepidation.

"Come on, boy! We haven't got all day!" barked Amycus. Neville wiped a bead of sweat off his starch-white forehead, his arms now vibrating violently as his parents' faces swam in his mind.

"No!" he gasped, suddenly finding his voice.

"What did you say?" demanded Amycus.

"I won't do it," retorted Neville, placing his wand on the desk.

"I'll teach you to say no to me, boy!" cried Amycus, making a slashing motion with his wand. A line of dark blood appeared on Neville's right cheek, splattering the front of his robes. Even the Slytherins gasped. Neville just stared, mouth open, at the blood collecting on the front of his robes. Parvati and Lavender exchanged shocked glances as Amycus strode to the front of the room, knocking over a chair in his path.

***

As he pushed his peas around his plate at lunchtime, Neville tried to consider his options. It seemed likely that he could be hurt again if Amycus lost his temper. He had screamed at a first-year girl who had dropped her books in the Entrance Hall that morning, and the poor girl had taken ages to stop crying.

Neville was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of a commotion in the Hall. He looked up to see Alecto Carrow dragging Owen Cauldwell down the aisle by his ear. Alecto threw the boy onto the floor and pulled out her wand.

"You, child," she growled, "are about to be taught some manners."

Neville did not wait to see what would happen. He threw down his fork and ran out of the Hall, slinging his satchel over his shoulder as he went. If only Harry were here, he thought grimly. Harry wouldn't take this lying down.

***

Muggle Studies was almost, but not quite, as bad as Dark Arts. The seventh-year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws had to endure an hour of listening to Alecto drone on about stupid Muggles were, and how they lived like animals.

After the lesson, Neville sank into an armchair in the Gryffindor common room and closed his eyes. Seamus sat on the rug, staring into the fire as though deep in thought.

"How did today go?" asked Ginny, sitting in the chair opposite.

"Badly," sighed Neville, not opening his eyes. He showed Ginny the gash on his cheek. It had stopped bleeding now, but it was fairly deep and it stung whenever he touched it.

"Who did that?" she demanded, sounding outraged. "You should go to McGonagall or someone."

"She can't do anything," sighed Seamus. "Amycus Carrow did it." He turned from the fire to face Ginny.

"Well, you should at least see Madam Pomfrey. She should give you some Essence of Dittany for it," she replied. Neville nodded, not really meaning it. "Here, have my last Chocolate Frog, it'll make you feel better." She pulled the frog out of her pocket and held it out to Neville. "What are you grinning at?" she asked, confused.

"Nothing. You just reminded me of someone," replied Neville. He remembered a time when Harry had given him a Chocolate Frog in their first year at Hogwarts. He looked at the card- Albus Dumbledore- and put it in his pocket.

"We need to think of a way to stop this," Ginny ploughed on, "they can't get away with abusing students like this."

"But what can we do? We have no power over them," Seamus reminded her.

"Well, remember my fourth year, when Umbridge tried to suppress the students?" prompted Ginny. "What did we do then?"

Neville opened his eyes and looked at Ginny.

"You don't mean..." He trailed off.

Ginny grinned and nodded. The orange light from the fire was reflected in her eyes.

"I think we should re-start the DA."