Of Serpents and Lions
Chapter 1

Summary: If there was one thing the Dark Lord was right about was that the wizards needed to be united. No more separations of the houses. She looked around and she could see that through his evil, he had united them, from the slyest Slytherin to the proudest Gryffindor.

This will chronicle the year at Hogwarts we were absent for. It will switch from Ginny, Luna, Neville, and Seamus's POV to Astoria, Blaise, Theodore, Daphne, Tracey, Draco, and Pansy's POV. I will try and update once a week, maybe more. I apologize for the horrible grammar and spelling in this chapter, but the thing I used for it doesn't have spell check.

Ginny could hardly breathe. The mist that had fallen over all of England was nothing compared to the heavy smog outside of Hogwarts. She couldn't see six inches in front of her, let alone where the carriages were. She felt that familiar sticky-cold feeling creeping up her skin, choking the happiness from her body – or what little was left of it anyway. All the horrible moments of her life were floating up to the surface. She could see herself, in her mind's eye, waking up in some corridor in the castle, covered in blood and feathers, wondering where she had been. She could feel the life leave her body as Tom Riddle sucked more and more of her force out of her. She saw her worst fears come to life – Ron, lying on some Muggle dirt road, eyes open and vacant. The Burrow burning with her parents still inside. Greyback hunting down Bill to finish what he had started. A line on the Daily Prophet reading saying that Harry Potter had finally been caught and –

"Ginny?" A dreamy voice shook Ginny out of her nightmare. "Ginny, is that you? I can't see a thing," Luna Lovegood said brightly from somewhere to Ginny's left.

"Yes Luna, I'm over here. Follow my voice," called Ginny loudly.

"Luna? Ginny?" a deep voice called out. A large and friendly hand enveloped Ginny's much smaller one and Ginny gave Neville Longbottom's hand a reassuring squeeze. Luna reached their side at last and gripped Ginny's other hand.

"Hey there Neville. I would tell you that you are looking very good and I see that you've grown over the summer but I can't see you so that would be rather pointless. But it is nice to hear your voice all the same," the Ravenclaw chirped happily as ever.

"Nothing gets you down, does it Luna?" Neville asked, his smile evident in his voice.

"Well, sometimes, when Wrackspurt is floating around and making everyone's brains go fuzzy, I do get a bit sad because I was having a wonderful conversation and then...nothing." Luna sighed sadly and Ginny bit back the giggle that was threatening to break free.

"Have either of you seen Seamus?" Neville asked.

"I thought I saw him talking to Nigel before getting off the train," Ginny said, looking around hopeless in the thick fog.

"Well, hopefully we'll bump into him when we get to the carriages. Come on you two," Luna said. The three walked towards where they guessed the carriages were, hand in hand. Under the cover of the fog, shouts about stepped on toes and bumping and groans of pain were heard. Every once in a while, Argus Filch could be heard yelling at unsuspecting second years when they got too close for comfort. The trio managed to find an empty carriage, and Luna stayed outside to call for Seamus.

"You know..." Neville started, gazing at the thestrals. "I know it's stupid, but I almost expected to run into Hermione and Ron patrolling the train, or Harry to invite me to sit with him. I know they could never but...I don't know, it was really stupid-"

"It's not stupid Neville. I understand," Ginny whispered.

"Here he is!" Luna shouted gaily, dragging a desheveled looking Seamus into the carriage with her.

"Where were you?" Neville asked as Seamus sank down into the seat next to Ginny.

"Well, I got distracted when Nigel was talking to me and I left me bloody tie on the train. I had to run all the way back there and then I ran into those Death Eaters that stopped the train," he explained in a rush.

"Did they hurt you?" Luna asked.

"No, I ran away before one of them noticed me. But do you know what I heard them gloating about?" Seamus yelled, half excited, half furios.

"What?" they all asked.

"That pyscho girl is going to be teaching Muggle Studies and her insane brother is going to be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts - except he just kept calling it Dark Arts," Seamus said.

"They're going to be our TEACHERS?" Ginny shrieked. Luna's eyes grew wide and her constant smile finally slipped. Neville grabbed Luna's hand.

"What did we expect, now that Snape is Headmaster? He'd hire Kingsley Shacklebolt or Tonks or anyone who wasn't a Death Eater? We're going to have to brace ourselves for the worst," Neville said quietly.

"I don't know why I even bothered to come back this year. We're not going to learn anything, and we'd be safer at home, what with Dumbledore gone," Seamus groaned.

"We have to come back. Remember what Harry always said? Dumbledore will never be gone if those who remain loyal to him stay on. We have to stay here, to make sure that part of Dumbledore lives on, to remind people that there is a little light left in the world because people still fight and hope," Neville said. Luna gazed up at Neville and smiled.

"Neville...I know you're always saying that you don't think you got sorted into the right house but...I really do think you're brave," she said sincerely. Neville blushed and shook his head, muttering about how Luna was overexaggerating even as Ginny and Seamus voiced their agreement.

The four talked idly of topics that seemed of no importance. If they ignored the gloomy landscape outside their carriage, they could almost fool themselves into believing this year was going to be just as any other year before.

As the carriage came to a stop, the group took a deep breathe, bracing themselves for the battle they knew loomed ahead of them, and grasped hands as they walked to the castle, united as one.

How was it? I'd appreciate a review. :) I'll have the next chapter up within five days.