Chapter 1319: The Successor
Chapter 1319: The Successor
On September 1st, the students of Hogwarts welcomed a new term amidst a light drizzle.
On the sparse platform, some students' families stood under umbrellas, bidding their final farewells and offering last-minute words of advice to their children.
Everything seemed as it always had.
And yet, everything had changed.
An air of unease permeated the vast station.
"Do what you feel is right, and give it your all."
Neville's grandmother, Mrs. Augusta, gave her grandson a tight embrace.
"Don't worry about me, and take care of yourself."
"I will," Neville replied, straightening his posture with determination.
"We will be proud of you, no matter what you choose to do," Augusta assured him.
With his grandmother's encouraging gaze upon him, Neville pushed his luggage and boarded the Hogwarts Express.
As he made his way through the crowded corridor, he murmured, "Another year has begun."
Hogwarts was indeed a magical place, and everyone cherished the ancient castle as a second home—Neville was no exception.
Especially after the formation of Dumbledore's Army (DA), he had grown fond of these gatherings and the time spent practicing dark magic defense with his peers.
However, this was the first time Neville couldn't bring himself to feel excited about the start of term.
Not only were the expected DA gatherings not happening, but his good friends were also absent from school.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and even his roommate Dean had all been forced to drop out.
Neville couldn't even begin to imagine the terrifying state Hogwarts must be in now.
In fact, during the summer holidays, as he listened to the daily broadcasts on the Wizarding Wireless Network, Neville had even considered dropping out himself to join the Defense Association in their resistance against the mysterious Lord Voldemort.
After all, returning to Hogwarts seemed pointless now that it was under the control of Death Eaters; it was no longer the beloved haven it once was.
His wild idea had even received support from his grandmother.
Augusta believed that Neville should bravely stand up against Voldemort and encouraged him to join the Defense Association to learn some useful self-defense skills.
However, a letter from Hannah Abbott had temporarily dissuaded Neville from dropping out.
In her letter, Hannah had expressed the Defense Association's hope that Neville would go to Hogwarts and unite the students willing to stand up against Voldemort. They wanted him to reform Dumbledore's Army and teach dark magic defense to those who joined. This presented Neville with an unprecedented challenge.
After much hesitation, Neville decided to give it a try. He understood that Harry, Hermione, and Ron would not be returning to Hogwarts to continue leading the resistance against Snape.
But someone had to step up and carry the torch forward.
After stowing his luggage, Neville rapped on Ernie Macmillan's compartment door and waved at Ernie, who was chatting with his friends inside.
"Longbottom, what can I do for you?" Ernie asked, clearly surprised to see Neville seeking him out.
"Want to step out for a chat?" Neville gestured outside the compartment.
Ernie hesitated for a moment before following Neville out.
"I received a letter from Hannah during the holidays. She's with Susan, and Justin is with them too," Neville revealed, deliberately sharing news that he knew would pique Ernie's interest. He smiled at Ernie and led him back to his own empty compartment.
After casting a spell to seal the compartment door, Ernie eagerly asked, "Have Hannah, Susan, and Justin all joined the Defense Association?"
Neville cast the Muffliato spell before responding, filling Ernie in on the events of the summer.
This news was a ton of bricks to the Hufflepuff prefect. Not only were his close friends at Hogwarts absent for various reasons, but they hadn't even bothered to write to him.
"I'm just glad they're safe," Ernie said, his lips trembling as he tried to hide his hurt. Nonetheless, he was grateful to Neville for bringing him this news.
"To be honest, I considered dropping out too. You probably know that Mr. Anderson is forming the Defense Association," Neville said, his eyes fixed intently on Ernie as he revealed his true purpose for seeking him out.
"But Hannah wrote to me, saying that Mr. Anderson wants someone to reform Dumbledore's Army and unite the students at Hogwarts who are willing to stand up against Voldemort," Neville continued.
"You want me to—" Ernie began, his eyes widening in surprise as he finally understood Neville's intentions.
"Are you in?" Neville asked eagerly, his eyes shining with anticipation.
"I'm not sure if just the two of us will be enough," Ernie replied, neither agreeing nor refusing.
"We can find others we trust," Neville suggested. "Don't forget that many students were once part of Dumbledore's Army. I've already been in touch with Luna over the holidays, and she's more than willing to help us reform Dumbledore's Army. Her family has always supported Harry."
In fact, Neville had spent the entire summer contemplating this idea and trying to contact some of the original DA members to gauge their interest.
"Then let's split up and see how many people are willing to join us," Ernie suggested.
Before long, the once-empty compartment was filled with students.
Representatives from every house except Slytherin had shown up, all of them keenly aware of the current situation and intrigued by Neville's plan to reform Dumbledore's Army.
After all, gaining more knowledge about dark magic defense could only be beneficial.
"I'm glad we're reforming Dumbledore's Army," Anthony said, raising his hand to get everyone's attention. "But I do have a question: who will be teaching us dark magic defense?"
Everyone in the compartment exchanged uncertain glances.
Indeed, who would be their teacher?
The few students present were aware that their proficiency in dark magic defense was only marginally better than that of their peers. While they could easily teach some basic spells to younger students, they didn't feel qualified to instruct the former members of Dumbledore's Army.
So, they all turned to Neville, hoping he had a solution.
"Don't worry," Neville reassured them. "We can teach each other the simpler curses, and for the more advanced spells, the Defense Association will send people here to instruct us periodically." Neville's revelation left everyone in the compartment stunned.
"Can they get into Hogwarts without being noticed?" Ernie blurted out.
While they were all aware of the various secret passages in and out of Hogwarts, sneaking into the castle undetected was no easy feat.
"I don't know, but I believe Mr. Anderson has the resources to make it happen," Neville said, expressing his confidence in Albert. The fact that the Death Eaters had been unable to take any effective action against the Defense Association was a testament to their capabilities.
"Does this mean we're also part of the Defense Association?" Ernie asked suddenly. "I mean, Dumbledore's Army is sort of like DA, right?"
"I suppose so," Simon said, glancing at Neville for confirmation.
"I think we'd be considered more like associates, not formal members," Neville replied.
Neville shook his head.
"Associate members?"
The group seemed a little excited, as being an associate member wasn't far off from being a formal member.
"Actually, as long as you support Harry Potter and the Defense Association in their resistance against Voldemort, you can be considered an associate member of the Defense Association." Luna suddenly put down her copy of The Quibbler and explained to the group, "My dad told me that the Defense Association has associate members all over the British wizarding world, but there are very few formal members. Those members are gathered at the Defense Association's headquarters, receiving Black Magic Defense training from Albert every day. It's said that each of them is a dueling expert capable of taking on an entire squad of Aurors. So, they always easily defeat those search parties who know a bit of Dark Magic."
"Is that true?"
After hearing Luna's words, everyone became even more curious about the legendary Defense Association.
If what Luna said was true, then the Defense Association was already a formidable force.
"But why don't they stand up and lead everyone to resist Voldemort?" Simon became even more puzzled.
"Aren't they already doing that?" Ernie suddenly said, "Do you guys think we'll have a chance to join the Defense Association after we graduate?"
"Definitely," said Neville softly, "If it weren't for Hannah's letter, I would have dropped out too."
Everyone admired Hannah and the others, and they all felt the urge to drop out and join the Defense Association.
After all, the opportunity to be personally taught by Albert, the Duelling Champion, was invaluable, and their success was evident to all. The members of the Defense Association indeed possessed remarkable dueling skills, and there had been no reports of any member falling victim to the Death Eaters.
Most importantly, no one knew what Hogwarts would be like under the control of the Death Eaters.
And even if they did graduate next year, no one truly wanted to work for the Ministry and Voldemort.
After discussing the Defense Association, the group steered the conversation back on track.
After all, the focus now was to reorganize Dumbledore's Army, as it would be everyone's last hope if the Death Eaters turned Hogwarts into a living hell.
No, those damn Death Eaters would definitely make Hogwarts a living hell, otherwise they wouldn't be called Death Eaters.
"We need to occupy the Room of Requirement in Hogwarts for an extended period, using it as the headquarters of Dumbledore's Army." Neville offered his suggestion, "If we ever encounter any problems, we can always hide in the Room of Requirement."
"But how do we do that?"
Simon didn't object, but he felt that there might be some challenges in executing the plan.
"If we want to occupy it for a long time, we'll need someone to stay inside. But we can't always have someone on standby in the Room of Requirement, as we all need to attend classes."
"Don't worry, we'll think of something." Neville reassured them, "This is just a minor issue. By the way, we also need a secret method of communication."
"We can continue using this." Luna took out a gold coin from her pocket—the fake Galleon that Dumbledore's Army used to send messages to each other.
"Yes, that's what I'm talking about. You guys didn't lose it, did you?" Neville asked expectantly, as his Transfiguration skills were only average, and he couldn't create something like that.
"Don't worry, I can make one too." Ernie proudly assured them.
"Also, what if they find out it was us doing this?" Anthony still had some concerns, as they were all aware of the danger posed by the Death Eaters. If they were discovered, they would be in big trouble.
"Don't worry, they won't dare to harm too many pure-bloods. They'll probably just torture us a little, but they won't take our lives." Neville tried to ease their worries, "Of course, as long as we don't get caught. Even if they do find out, they'll probably only come after me, the leader. But I'm not afraid of them."
Everyone admired Neville's courage, and they realized that he wasn't afraid of being expelled from school.
"Don't expect much from Hogwarts under the control of the Death Eaters. Someone has to stand up and resist, so that everyone can see a glimmer of hope, just like when Harry first formed Dumbledore's Army.
"What is our goal? Is it to drive Snape out of Hogwarts?" Ernie asked.
"That's the short-term goal. As for the long-term goal, I'm not quite sure myself. They didn't tell me much, just that I should unite the students of Hogwarts and get them to support Harry." Neville wasn't entirely clear about Albert's ultimate plan, but that didn't stop him from uniting everyone to resist Voldemort.
"By the way, what is Harry doing now?"
Unknowingly, the group's conversation shifted to Harry. They all believed that Harry Potter was the savior who would lead them to defeat Voldemort.
"Didn't the Wizarding Wireless Network mention that Harry almost fell into a trap set by Voldemort in Godric's Hollow?" Anthony recalled.
Nowadays, most people would pay special attention to the news on the Wizarding Wireless Network. As for the Prophet, anyone with a brain knew that it had been controlled by Voldemort, and it now only served to spread his propaganda.
"I don't know, but they should be fine."
"Harry must know a lot of things that we don't," Ernie suddenly said.
"Of course. My dad said that Harry is probably preparing to destroy Voldemort and fulfill Dumbledore's legacy." Luna handed out copies of The Quibbler to the group.
"What are we supposed to do with these?"
"There are actually quite a few secrets hidden within the pages of The Quibbler." Luna handed the ridiculous mirror that came with the magazine to Neville, "They've come up with a way to hide the real content to avoid detection by the Death Eaters, so the cost of producing the magazine has increased quite a bit."
"Wow, that's amazing!"
Neville's eyes widened in surprise as he discovered that the The Quibbler in front of him had transformed.
After everyone took turns using the ridiculous mirror to view the hidden content in The Quibbler, they shifted the conversation back to Dumbledore's Army.
Since they were going to do this, they wanted to keep the plan as secretive as possible, at least to avoid giving the enemy any leverage. After all, they were dealing with the vicious Death Eaters.
With everyone brainstorming together, they came up with solutions much faster than Neville could have on his own.
As they worked together, raising questions and finding solutions, their bond strengthened.
"I wonder if we can get in touch with Hannah?" Ernie turned his head to look at the pouring rain outside the window and suddenly asked, "Do you think the Death Eaters will come to search the train?"
"They will. They're that stupid, and I'll bet a Chocolate Frog on it." Anthony took out a handful of sweets from his pocket and distributed them to the group.
"It's not necessarily about Harry Potter. It could also be to capture other people. Kidnapping children to force their relatives to comply has always been an effective tactic for them." Neville said disdainfully.
(End of Chapter)
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