𝗟𝗨𝗡𝗔𝗥 | 𝗚. 𝗪𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗟𝗘𝗬

seventy - eight | home

ARTEMIS LUPIN FOLLOWED NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM TO HOGWARTS. Through a darkened tunnel, they strode down the narrow hall and caught up on everything that had happened.

"How long's this been here?"Ron asked, as they set off. 'It isn't on the Marauder's Map, is it, Artemis? I thought there were only seven passages in and out of school?'

"It's not..."Artemis murmured curiously.

"They sealed off all of those before the start of the year,"said Neville. "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 started walking backwards, beaming, drinking them in. "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!"

"Yeah, it's true,"said Harry.

Neville laughed gleefully."What did you do with the dragon?"

"Released it into the wild,"said Ron. "Hermione and Artemis were all for keeping it as a pet –"

''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. I think you've been up to something."

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

'"It's been ... well, it's not really like Hogwarts any more," said Neville, the smile fading from his face as he spoke. "Do you know about the Carrows?"

"Those two Death Eaters who teach here?"

"They do more than teach," said Neville. "They're in charge of all discipline. They like punishment, the Carrows."

"Like Umbridge?"

Artemis shook her head, thinking back to the letter she had received from Draco. He had included all sorts of information on the Carrows and their punishment, but hearing it from Neville, who had actually experienced it was different. Sure, Draco Malfoy was on their side now, but this was never truly his war, not really. Artemis knew that. The people who had been there form the beginning knew the dangers and had been fighting for so long.

"Nah, they make her look tame. The other teachers are all supposed to refer us to the Carrows if we do anything wrong. They don't, though, if they can avoid it. You can tell they all hate them as much as we do.

"Amycus, the bloke, he teaches what used to be Defence Against the Dark Arts, except now it's just the Dark Arts. We're supposed to practise the Cruciatus Curse on people who've earned detentions -"

'What?'Artemis, Harry, Ron,and Hermione's united voices echoed up and down the passage.

"Yeah," said Neville. "That's how I got this one," he pointed at a deep gash in his cheek, "I refused to do it. Some people are into it, though; Crabbe and Goyle love it. First time they've ever been top in anything, I expect.