Chapter 1- How it Has Changed

Leanette

This is my seventh year at Hogwarts. I've been slight friends with the famous golden trio, but my closest friends have been Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood.

Last year the only person that kept darkness from over ruling this school was murdered by his own trusted friend. Severus Snape.

This is how life continued at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

When I arrived at the train that day I searched the compartment until I found Neville. "Neville, how was your summer?" I greeted.

He looked up and smiled slightly. "It was alright Leanette, and you?"

"Fine I suppose." I lived with my aunt, but she really didn't give a bother about me. Allowed me to just live on my own, barely coming to check up on me.

"Where's Luna?" I asked five minutes after the train began to move.

He looked sadly out the window. "She's just in the bathroom. But a lot of people aren't coming since Dumbledore died. Harry, Ron, and Hermione aren't here. Neither is Malfoy or Dean. Hogwarts just won't be the same."

"Malfoy. That filthy ferret." I spat. "I can't believe he betrayed Dumbledore." My brow furrowed in thought. Half way through the ride the train stopped all together. A couple tall men began walking through the train. "I already know what they're here for." Neville grumbled, standing up to face one of them. "Hey loser. He's not here."

The man gave him one look before snapping his wand in front of his face, causing Neville to fall to the ground and clutch his cheek. "Neville!" I gasped, rushing to his side.

I looked up at the man in hatred. He gave me a warning glare in return before turning back and walking into the next car. "Neville! Are you okay?" I asked, helping him back to his seat.

"I'm fine." He said, removing his hand. I winced at seeing the deep gash across his right cheek.

"I-I can try to heal it." I stuttered out, examining the wound further.

He shook his head. "I'll be fine."

"That wasn't a question." I sighed. "You're not going to just leave it like that. I'm healing it whether you want or not." I said firmly.

He looked at me, making no sound and just motioned for me to get on with it. I took a deep breath and waved my wand in different motions, closing my eyes.

"Well don't close your eyes!" He cried.

"It helps me focus Neville, so shut it." I told him, keeping my eyes closed. I heard him let out a huff of breath. I muttered the incantation from when Madame Pomfrey had to heal my split arm, and when I opened my eyes, the wound had only grown maybe five layers of skin back when it needed about fifteen.

"Sorry Neville. I thought I could do better than that." I apologized for my failure.

He shrugged. "I said no before anyways."

"Hello Leanette." Luna appeared suddenly.

"Luna!" I got up and gave the smaller blond a big hug. "How are you?"

"Very well thanks." She smiled before taking a seat next to Neville without even acknowledging his wound.

When we reached Hogwarts later, in the great hall we found out who our headmaster had become. Severus Snape, the very man that murdered Albus Dumbledore.

"No!" I gasped. "How?"

"The Minister is dead now remember? The Dark Lord has almost complete control now…" Neville whispered in horror.

Two teachers were Alecto and Amycus Carrow along with an entire staff full of Death Eaters. "Merlin." Seamus breathed beside me. "This is not going to be a good year at Hogwarts."

Apparently Snape heard another student talking badly about the new staff and called up a Hufflepuff. "Amycus." He said, and the Carrow brother stood to look at the little fourth year Hufflepuff.

"This is what happens now at Hogwarts! Things are going to be run different around here now that Dumbledore is gone!" He bellowed, raising his wand.

You could almost hear everyone take a sharp intake of breath as he bellowed "Crucio!" and the Hufflepuff fell to the ground, screaming and writhing in pain.

Neville was flinching at every gut-wrenching scream along with most the rest of the room. The difference in his case though was how he was connected to that curse. In fifth year he was tortured himself by Bellatrix Lestrange, the same Death Eater that had tortured his parents into insanity. I couldn't look, and just turned my head, trying to block out the terrible screams.

Finally after what was only a minute but seemed like an hour, Amycus Carrow stopped, leaving the Hufflepuff gasping for breath.

That night in the Gryffindor common room Neville, Seamus, and I had gathered together, seeing as just about half of the original Gryffindors had left the school. "We can't let them do this." Neville breathed.

"Yea, you saw what they did to the poor Hufflepuff, what do you think classes will be like?" Seamus breathed, shuddering at the thought.

"But what can we do? There are too many of them, and we're not about to get help from the Ministry seeing as the Dark Lord has over ruled it." I said in a rush. "In truth…" I began. "I'm terrified."

Seamus and Neville looked at me sympathetically. "I know, it's scary, but we can get through this." Seamus said.

After a moment's silence Neville spoke. "They'll come."

"Who?" I asked.

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione."

Seamus sighed. "I don't know Neville, maybe."

"They're the only hope. I was there in fifth year at the Department of Mysteries. Harry's destiny is to defeat him, and he'll do it."

We were quiet, lost in thought. Would the really come? They had chosen not to come back, like so many others. No, I had to have faith in them; they were the last hope in the already dimming times.

"Tomorrow we have classes." Neville finally sighed. "I think I'll be heading to bed."

Seamus and him went to bed, and the common room soon emptied out until I was the only one left. Back in the great hall when the Hufflepuff was being tortured, I tried to avert my thoughts from my parents' own grim fate.

Neville's parents were friends of mine, and they had fought together in the battle where Neville's parents had been tortured into insanity. They watched it happen, they were tortured themselves, but saved the same fate. They were killed, not driven insane.

Not by Bellatrix either… By the Carrows.

Hogwarts would never be the same… It was changed. Changed forever, slowly being pulled into the darkness.

Author's Note- There is chapter one! And I'm warning you that some things won't be the same in the book probably, but I just wanted to write this idea so there you go!

Sorry I had written this before and left out a huge part that I wanted so here you go!

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