Through All the Pain // N. Longbottom

Seventh Year // Chapter 16

We filed into the Great Hall, row by row and house by house. The tables that the students once sat at when called to the Great Hall, were gone and all the students were enforced to stand on the stone floors in their straight lines. As I looked around, everyone was standing in perfect posture, except for those who were terrified of Snape, those people had their heads down. What had Snape done to this school? Turn it into a military academy? 

"Alright, you brats! Get in line!" Alecto Carrow shouted at the students. Her once glorious mixture of brown and black hair was now dull and almost unkempt. Her physique had changed slightly as she was a little bit less plump than when she attacked my house. Her twin Amycus was just behind her, he looked exactly the same. Following behind them was Fenrir Greyback, which instantly made me shiver. After all the students were in place, a cold voice spoke uneasily from the front of the hall.

"Many of you are surely wondering, why I have summoned you at this hour," Snape spoke as he got off the chair that once belonged to Dumbledore, and started slowly making his way down the Hall. "It's come to my attention, that earlier this evening ... Harry Potter was sighted in Hogsmeade." 

As this sentence was spoken, the Great Hall started to fill with whispers of his name and some small hopes, wishes, and prayers filled the Hall. Though Snape quickly extinguished them as he spoke once again.

"Now ... should anyone ... student or staff attempt to aid Mr Potter, they will be punished in a manner consistent with the severity of their transcription. Furthermore... any person found to have knowledge of these events ... who fails to come forward ... will be treated as equally guilty."

"Dennis you should -"

"Shut up, Kendra! Before you get us all in trouble." Dennis responded quickly, not even batting an eye at the fact by not speaking he was possibly getting himself into another world of trouble. I smiled slightly before Snape started talking again.

"If anyone in here has any knowledge of Mr Potter's movements this evening. I invite them to step forward ... now." his voice was stern and cold, sending a shiver down my spine. However, the chill was followed by a rush of adrenaline as Harry whipped by in front of us, and stood facing Snape.

"It seems, despite your exhaustive defensive strategies, you still have a security problem, Headmaster," Harry spoke as the Hall doors opened and everyone from the Order filed in. I gulped pulled off my robe and stepped out beside Harry. 

"We're afraid it's rather extensive," I said. 

"How dare you stand where he stood?" Harry spat staring Snape down. "Tell them how it happened that night! Tell them how you looked him in the eye ... a man who trusted you and killed him!" Snape just stood there, almost staring blankly ahead. 

"TELL THEM!" Harry shouted once more. Snape drew his wand but at the same time, Professor McGonagall came out of the woodwork with her wand drawn as well. All the students at this point backed up against the wall, same with most of the Professors. McGonagall and Snape started to have a "duel" though the curses seemed to be sided on McGonagall's side, while Snape did mostly blocking. At one point, he deflected one of the curses behind him to zap out Alecto, Amycus, and Greyback.

"Snape seems to have lost his touch," Ginny commented.

"No, he's just playing the played," I said as he turned into the Death Eater Black smoke and smashed through the glass window.

"COWARD!" McGonagall shouted after him. After a few moments, to make sure he was not coming back, she lit all the candles in the Great Hall and it erupted with cheers. Many of the first-year students started clamouring for a glance at Harry. I laughed as Ginny jumped up and down with the little kids while making her way closer to Harry. Just as Ginny got to Harry, and they were about to have a moment, a first-year started screeching.