Chapter Four
Confronting the Faceless 💀 CompleteSeptember, 1997
"Dark and difficult times lie ahead"
The train ride had seemed perfectly normal. Honestly, when she had seen that Snape was the new Headmaster, Ava Travers had expected school to turn completely upside down, starting with the train ride.
But other than the paperwork stuff - really, so inconvenient - things are normal as the train pulls away from the station.
Ava had sat in a compartment with her best friend Astoria Greengrass and Astoria's holier-than-thou snob of a cousin Venus Burke, as she has every year for the past four years. She didn't know Astoria prior to being Sorted into Slytherin or she certainly would have sat with her first year as well. The other girl is a haven of sanity in their otherwise rather backwards House.
They had chatted about their summers, Venus had complained about her annoyingly good OWL scores and Astoria had fretted over their own upcoming OWLs. It had all been incredibly, entirely, normal. And Ava had almost bought it.
Then they arrived at the station and it became clear that things were most definitely not normal at all.
For one thing the half-giant groundskeeper (Ava never can remember his name - Hag-something-or-other) isn't there to collect the first years. Instead a stout woman with sloping shoulders and a sneer is shouting at the terrified eleven-year-olds to "get over here!"
More pressing, however, was the group of witches and wizards covered completely by thick black cloaks and sporting masks over their faces sliding through the crowd and grabbing students seemingly at random, shoving them back towards the train.
"Muggleborns." Venus mutters, eyeing one of the boys being manhandled onto the Express. "I know him. That's probably what the papers were actually about."
Her tone is clipped, almost disinterested, and Ava feels her insides turning for more than one reason. How can anyone stay calm looking at something like that?
The three of them are caught up in the flow of their fellow students and carried by it to the carriages where a few other Slytherins join them - younger by the looks of them.
Astoria gives the younger students a warm smile and Ava can't help smiling slightly as well. Sore as she'd been about not getting the Prefect role, Astoria will make a good one. Assuming prefects are still going to have the same tasks as in the past of course. No telling what absolute mess Snape will have concocted since being made Headmaster.
Ava scowls out the window at the thought, her eyes straining to make out anything in the pitch black of the new moon. She sees Astoria shift in her peripheral but opts to brood silently rather than bring her friend down with her.
When they reach the Great Hall, however, things again seem to be disconcertingly normal. Other than the wrong person sitting in the Headmaster's chair and the two new professors near the end of the table, everyone is chatting quietly with each other, catching up from the summer and generally acting typically. Slytherin House in particular is comfortably rowdy - while the other three tables are all noticeably missing students Slytherin seems as full as ever.
Of course, Ava thinks bitterly, They are the blood-purists. No one is going after them, the privileged cads.
She spares an irritated glare down her House's full table and once again wonders why the Sorting Hat would put her with these self-important snobs.
Other than Astoria: the only other Slytherin who's actually a decent person as far as Ava has seen in her five years at school.
The first years file in shortly after, and it's a distinctly smaller group than Ava is used to. Even if the standard class size tends to be around a mere thirty to forty students, this year there are only half that - Ava counts. Eighteen students in the incoming year can't possibly be correct, and her stomach once again starts twisting with unease.
At least McGonagall is still the one who brings out the hat, and the tattered old thing begins to sing, startling the new students. Ava listens intently, certain the Hat will give a dire warning as it had two years before during her third year - the year Voldemort was back and no one seemed to pay it proper attention.
And yet the Sorting Hat merely gave it's usual jingle about what it does and brief explanations of the four Houses - nothing sinister, no warnings, nothing. Ava frowns as McGonagall calls the first student forward.
The Sorting is short - half of the new students end up in Slytherin, three go to Gryffindor, six to Hufflepuff, and only one to Ravenclaw. Ava feels bad for the boy and how lonely he'll likely be in his dorm.
Then Snape stands, and Ava suppresses a glare even as her Housemates cheer around her. The new Headmaster waits for the clamor to die down before he clears his throat to deliver the welcome speech.
"I know," Snape says, his voice somehow both quiet and commanding, drawing the attention of every student so completely that Ava thinks she can nearly hear the crickets outside through the solid stone walls, "That many of us are still in mourning for our late Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. I take up his former mantle with a heavy heart, and I will be running this school with the students' best interests in mind as he would have wanted." He pauses, a pregnant silence that feels almost suffocating, before he moves on.
"This year we will have two new teachers, and a revision to the curriculum. Given the... climate of the wizarding world, this year both Defense Against the Dark Arts and Muggle Studies will be mandatory for all students. The former will be taught by Amycus Carrow, and the latter by his sister Alecto. Any questions can be directed to your Head of House."
"Sir, who's the new Slytherin Head?" Pansy Parkinson pipes up, all batting lashes and wicked smile.
Snape eyes her coolly, and Ava is certain that if it had been anyone but Snape's favorite prefect they would have been hexed for the interruption.
"Professor Slughorn is the new Slytherin Head. Now, if there are no further interruptions, you may begin the Feast."
"Slughorn is pretty good." Astoria observes idly as she helps herself to the food. "He was Head before Snape, wasn't he? So he'll know what he's doing. We won't need to break in a new Head." She grins lightly and Ava smiles faintly in return.
Her stomach is still pretty unsettled from the platform, but she does put a few things on her plate that she proceeds to pick over for the entirety of the meal.
Astoria leaves before she does to help direct their new first years to the dorms, and Ava instantly feels very alone. She never managed to make any friends other than Astoria, and she never really felt a need to. The boys in their years are all arrogant prats and the girls, other than Astoria, are snobs. Ava just never got on with them all that well, though she'll stand up for them if the other Houses start spewing stereotypes. Just because they aren't all best friends doesn't give people the right to get judge-y without actually knowing each other after all.
Ava sighs quietly and pokes at her dessert irritably, wishing she could have just gone with Astoria and the other prefects.
"Did you notice that Tangi isn't here?" A voice whispers in her ear, and Ava very nearly hexes the girl who had slid up beside her. Ava recognizes her as Anwen Rowle, one of the other girls she shares a dorm with. "The dorms will be far less antagonistic this year, don't you think? I hate to say it, but good riddance, really."
Ava grimaces at her roommate habitually as she processes the comment and then scans the table. Sure enough, their fourth and final roommate is conspicuously absent from her usual place perched at the very edge of the table, glaring at anyone who dares meet her eyes. At the risk of agreeing with Anwen, Ava can't say she minds the absence either.
Matangi Mahtam is the one person she sort of tried to be friends with other than Astoria, way back in first year, but the other girl somehow has managed to have the same level of arrogance that every other Slytherin carries with them (except Astoria) despite being a Muggleborn. She's quick to start fights over seemingly everything, so Ava and the rest of their year mostly ignore her these days.
"Don't be cruel Anwen." She snaps at her roommate - despite her own dislike of Matangi it's no reason to talk the way Anwen is. "We don't know where she is or what might be happening to her."
Anwen rolls her eyes. "Please, she just wasn't allowed in school right away. My father-"
The Deatheater. Ava mentally supplies with no small amount of venom.
"-says that the Ministry is just checking the Muggleborns' legitimacy is all. If she didn't steal her magic then she'll be back soon I imagine."
Ava just rolls her eyes. "Whatever helps you sleep at night." She grumbles, and Anwen promptly turns up her nose and shuffles back down the bench.
Ava decides then that the prefects have had long enough to settle the first years and heads down to the common room to rejoin Astoria and some semblance of human decency.
Sure enough the first years have dispersed when Ava arrives, and she beelines straight to the dorm where Astoria is already unpacking her trunk.
She glances up and gives Ava a smile. "Hey." She greets idly.
Ava nods in return and sets about unpacking her own things. Anwen comes in a while later and her and Astoria chat some about their summers. Ava is content to tune them out and continue reading her latest favorite series. She'd discovered it over the summer and is absolutely hooked - and the adventures of Septimus Williams, Werewolf Auror, are sure to be far more engaging than anything Anwen did over the summer.
She does take note of the fact that Matangi's trunk isn't by her bed, though there are still four made up in the room. She isn't quite sure how to feel about it, but the unease evaporates quickly enough as the three girls turn out the lights and settle in for the night. Ava is asleep in minutes.
The next morning things are once again disconcertingly normal. They go to breakfast as a group - the three boys in their year walk with them but Ava spends the walk telling Astoria about the Septimus Williams Chronicles so she barely notices - and Slughorn hands out their schedules for the year.
"Ugh," Anwen whines immediately, "I forgot we all have to take Muggle Studies now. If I wanted four electives I would have taken four electives!"
Ava rolls her eyes. Her own schedule is much the same as it had been for the past two years, but then Muggle Studies had already been one of her chosen electives (the others being Divination, which she loves despite the eccentric teacher, and Care of Magical Creatures).
Astoria sighs. "I've got three now. I wonder if they'll let us drop one of our other classes to compensate?" She muses. "Increasing our workload without warning should give us some negotiation power on that front."
Anwen eagerly agrees and Ava can't help smiling. Her friend is definitely a Slytherin, but at least she uses her cunning for the forces of good - and less homework.
As September second has decided to fall on a Tuesday this year, classes begin immediately after breakfast ends, and Ava heads to History of Magic along with the rest of her yearmates.
Professor Binns drones on about the Goblin Wars (again - honestly, if she didn't read her textbook Ava is pretty sure she wouldn't know that anything else of interest had ever happened in all of Wizarding history) for the entire forty-five minute period, most of which Ava tunes out in favor of doodling Septimus Williams fighting a dragon in the margins of her scroll.
"Want to review the first two chapters of the new textbook with me later during the free block?" Astoria asks as soon as they leave the classroom, and Ava laughs.
"Same table?" She offers. "I've got Divination after lunch so I only have half the free section."
Astoria frowns. "Drat, I have Arithmancy at two. Tonight then? Anwen will probably be out with her boyfriend tonight so we should have the dorm to ourselves for a while."
Ava makes a face. "I'll never understand dating this young. All the boys our age are snots, I wouldn't want to touch them nonetheless snog them."
Astoria giggles, blushing slightly. "Ava! Don't be so crass! And anyway, it's not like we can really judge until we've dated ourselves."
"Aren't your parents hoping to set up an arrangement, like they did for your sister?" Ava questions as the two girls head down towards the fourth floor and their Charms class with the Gryffindors. "Why date at all?"
Astoria shrugs. "Daphne is arranged with someone older than her and has been for years, but she and Blaise Zabini were together for a couple of years. She says it can be nice knowing that there's no pressure for the relationship to actually work out."
Ava hums. "I suppose. Still, unless the boys in our year grow up sometime soon I'll stay happily single."
Astoria just grins and shakes her head as they arrive at the classroom and take their usual spot - not right at the front but close enough to be seen and called on if they know the answer to any inquiries made.
"Oh, I meant to mention this yesterday when Venus was with us, but Mum asked her to tutor me for the OWLs this year. You can join us if you like." Astoria offers as they settle into their seats, the rest of the class doing the same around them.
Ava makes a face. "I hate that something clearly excellent is accompanied with your cousin." She declares.
Astoria sighs, a familiar long-suffering one than tends to come out whenever Ava and Venus clash. "Venus got ten OWLs Ava, that's higher than most. And it's not like you're under any obligation to come, I'm just making the offer."
"Because you're the greatest friend in the world and I love you for it." Ava agrees. "I'll come, and I'll make nice with Venus, I promise."
Astoria gives her a smile before Professor Flitwick arrives and begins class.
As with History of Magic before it, Charms is completely normal, and by the time the lesson is over and the Slytherins are heading for Herbology Ava is starting to wonder if school really is going to be the same as it ever was, even with Snape in charge.
Herbology follows the trend of being entirely standard fare, and Ava goes to lunch almost feeling silly. The only thing reminding her that things are definitely not alright is the continued absence of the Muggleborn students.
Then she goes to Divination and class is exactly the same as ever, down to the students attending. Ava hadn't realized that none of her classmates were Muggleborn until this year, but she supposes it makes sense. They probably wouldn't appreciate the complexities of Divining, especially considering how silly Muggle attempts at the craft tend to be.
Ava decides that since Trelawney definitely isn't on the Deatheater's side - no way the wispy stick of a woman would ever side with evil, especially after the Umbridge incident in third year - she's going to let herself fully enjoy the lesson. Divination isn't her favorite class - that would be her third elective, Care of Magical Creatures - but it's a very close second and really, it's not fair to punish herself for being aware of the situation everyone is trying to hide behind normalcy.
It's a lovely, peaceful forty five minutes, and then Ava is ejected back into the off-center atmosphere of the rest of the school. She opts to spend her free period before their double Potions in the library rather than the common room, which is far from inviting considering the creepy color scheme and the lake casting shadows at all hours of the day. Not to mention the people inhabiting it usually aren't too keen on having Ava around, and the feeling is mutual.
She just hates that the rest of the school automatically excludes her just because her tie is green - she gets on with Slytherin as well as they all do, but try telling them that.
As such she spends her period in the library alone, idly reading some more Septimus Williams because it's the first day and who does homework on the first day? No one with a life, that's for sure. Besides, she'd had to stop at a good part earlier in her reading and she wants to know what happens next.
Astoria beats her to the Potions classroom, which means they're sitting at the front despite Ava absolutely hating Potions and everything associated with it. But Astoria loves it, so Ava bites down on her annoyance and slides in next to her best friend.
At least the Potions teacher is better. Slughorn had taken some getting used to the year before, but he doesn't spend half the class insulting the Ravenclaws so it's definitely an improvement over Snape.
"Full first day." Astoria says, far too cheerfully in Ava's opinion, when they finally exit the dungeons an hour and a half later.
"I'm mostly free tomorrow at least." Ava grumbles. "I say regardless of the day we should get September second off to learn our schedules and get used to the idea of school again."
Astoria laughs and elbows her lightly, and Ava grins back despite herself.
They do study together that evening, and it's still a bit disconcerting how normal everything feels but Ava is starting to get used to it. And when Wednesday's three classes go just as well she almost gets lulled into a false sense of security.
Then Thursday arrives, when they have their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class, followed immediately by the newly mandatory Muggle Studies course, and it become very clear, very quickly, just how wrong things are going.
They have double Herbology first thing after breakfast, and then a free period leading into lunch. Ava of course spends the entire time with Astoria, chatting and studying and generally falling into their usual school-time routine.
The Defense classroom has been moved - it was noted on the schedule - but it's easy enough to find on the sixth floor. Amycus Carrow is lurking at the front of the classroom, looking for all the world like a doughy, vaguely pig-shaped pale lump as he hunches in the professor's chair.
"Good afternoon." Astoria greets him politely, pulling Ava to sit by the windows. The new classroom overlooks the Black Lake, which is utterly failing to live up to it's name at the moment, glittering a pale blue under the noonday September sun. It's a sharp contrast to the dim, gloomy feeling inside of the room - Ava agrees with her friend's seating choice.
The rest of the class files in shortly afterwards and Amycus clears his throat, wheezing as he does. Ava winces at the sound.
"Your learning in this class has been a mess to this point." The squat professor declares, and Ava can see a lot of the Gryffindors looking as uncomfortable as she feels about the malice in his voice. "But we'll fix that this year. You."
He points jerkily at Anwen, who's taken a seat at the front of the room. "Name what you know about the Unforgivables."
Anwen startles, but quickly sits straight and beams ( up. Ava thinks dryly).
"Of course professor. There are three Unforgivables, and use of any of them will result in an Azkaban sentence."
Amycus waits for a moment, clearly expecting more, but Anwen shifts uncomfortably and sinks slightly, clearly not having anything else to say on the subject.
The professor hisses. "Well then, if even this fine pureblooded Slytherin only knows that thing's're worse than I thought. You boy." He jabs a finger at one of the Gryffindors, a lithe boy with a shock of thick black hair, who jumps at the attention.
"Yes sir?" He asks, clearly nervous despite his desk mate glaring confidently at Carrow.
"Name one of the curses."
Anwen's hand flies into the air, clearly hoping to redeem herself, but Carrow stares down the twitchy Gryffindor until he clears his throat and answers.
"Well, the Killing Curse is obviously one..." He says, trailing off at the end.
Carrow snorts. "That's right, but it's called Avada Kedavra. That there is the most powerful spell ever devised by wizard kind, but the weak Ministries of the past feared its power."
Astoria is dutifully taking notes beside Ava, but her own quill pauses over the parchment at the comment. That can't possibly be right - the killing curse is powerful, of course, but it had been outlawed due to its cruelty.
Amycus continues to talk about the killing curse with entirely too much glee, detailing the "great pureblood" who created it and the "many uses" it has. By the end of the period Ava is feeling almost sick. She doesn't know how Astoria managed to keep taking notes, but her friend does worry about her grades. Ava will probably need to copy them later so her own grades don't suffer from this awful professor.
"I think he might be worse than Umbridge." She declares as soon as they're out the door.
Astoria frowns. "I still don't think Umbridge was so terrible. Yes she forbid practical application in the classroom but she was just trying to help our grades stay up."
Ava sighs. "You are far too forgiving Astoria." She informs her friend. "One day, looking for the best of everyone is gonna get you hurt."
Astoria shrugs. "Well my looking for the best let me take notes last period." She teases lightly. "Just think of it as a new perspective to look at things from." She suggests. "Because I'm not taking notes for you all year."
The implication of course being that she will let Ava copy her notes from today's class, which is why they're best friends. Astoria always knows just what to say and do to make Ava feel a little less alone in the crap situation the Sorting Hat sentenced her to.
The Muggle Studies classroom is the same location as always, and Ava takes her usual spot just behind the front row of desks. She's admittedly pretty excited to have Astoria in this class with her now. They'd spent the free time before lunch (and a bit of lunch as well) going over the past two years of material from the class so Astoria will be caught up. Ava can't say she loves the class, but it's interesting at least.
Alecto Carrow looks a lot like her brother, down to the pig-like face and lopsided sneer and wheezing laugh.
She barely gives the class time to settle in before she waves her wand at a stack of pamphlets on her desk. It takes her a couple of attempts before the stack picks itself up and begins handing pamphlets to each of the students. Ava smirks over at Astoria, who misses the look as she opens up her pamphlet.
Ava only needs to read the front page to know that Muggle Studies is going to be exactly as nauseating as Defense had been.
Mudbloods and the Dangers They Pose to a Peaceful Pure-Blood Society.
Ava looks around to see what the other reactions are. A few of the Hufflepuffs look furious, or sick, but to her surprise most of the class is appearing to maintain neutrality. The Slytherins she understands, but half the Hufflepuffs - which is only three students but still - are blank-faced and pulling out parchment and quills as if nothing is abnormal.
Ava hesitates, and then pulls out her own quill and parchment as well. It's only the first class - they're probably thinking it best to gauge what this Carrow will be like before doing anything, which is only sensible. Though she never really pegged Hufflepuffs as the sensible sort, that's more a Ravenclaw trait...
Her thoughts nearly distract her from class properly beginning, when Alecto totters to stand at the front and begins loudly reading directly from the pamphlet.
Great teaching skills. Ava thinks sarcastically, reading ahead and half-tuning out the rambling Deatheater at the front (you can't convince her Snape didn't immediately hire Deatheaters to fill the two posts, especially not considering the way they're teaching their subjects). The information in the pamphlet is half-baked and frankly ridiculous - if Muggles could steal magic wouldn't that make them more powerful than wizards? It makes no sense at all - and Ava ends up doodling more Septimus Williams all over the pamphlet as Alecto continues reading from it (she's a very slow reader; likely, Ava thinks, matching her wits).
It takes most of the class period to get through the pamphlet, at which point Alecto assigns a short paper on the reasons Muggleborns are all frauds.
Ava has already decided not to do it before the class is let out five minutes later.
"Well that was ridiculous." She grumbles.
Astoria shrugs awkwardly. "I suppose. Still, at least it was easy?" She offers, and Ava gives her friend a half-smile.
"Yeah, there is that." She agrees. "I didn't have to take any notes at all. Really, could have just taken the pamphlet and walked out in the first five minutes."
Astoria laughs and Ava feels a little better. So not all the classes are good - with teachers this stupid they can't really do much harm either, right?
That weekend is once again entirely typical - Astoria and Ava work on homework in the library, Venus joins them occasionally and offers monotone pointers for their OWLs, and Ava generally avoids everyone else in her House. Anwen especially has become determined to prove herself in Defense class which means she's been in the Restricted section studying forbidden spells at all hours of the day. Really, how Astoria can stomach talking to their remaining roommate is testament to her fortitude and kindness.
Then the week begins again and it stays just as normal as the first week, and even Muggle Studies and Defense Against the Dark Arts (though everyone just calls it Dark Arts now - no defense is being taught) are almost bearable. If Ava is honest they're more idiotic than anything - neither of the Carrows are very strong magically and it's rather amusing to watch her prideful Housemates work so hard to impress a pair of fools.
For her part Ava still isn't taking notes, and she's gotten away with not turning in a single assignment for either of the classes, either saying she must have forgotten it in the dorm or simply not handing anything in and never being questioned. Astoria has given her a few disapproving glances - she cares a lot about academic standing thanks to overbearing parents - but she doesn't comment beyond that.
The month goes by in a blur as classes really pick up and homework becomes overwhelming enough to drown in, and somewhere in the back of her mind Ava is a bit surprised how quickly she's gotten used to this new normal. The front of her mind is usually too busy sorting through Transfiguration equations to worry about what the back is getting up to.
And then the last week of September arrives with that odd mix of too cold for t-shirts but far too warm for winter cloaks, and Snape decides to address the entire school at dinner on Wednesday night.
Everyone knows why the announcement is being made - one of the seventh year Gryffindors had snapped in Dark Arts class that Monday and tried to hex Amycus (and whoever it was Ava mentally awarded him a medal of honor when she heard about it) and had been given detention for it. However, it's known that Amycus had wanted a stricter punishment - one that would fit the so-called crime, hence Snape needing to formally address the matter.
News about the speech is leaked late on Tuesday, so of course the rumor mill gets right to work firing everyone up. By Wednesday afternoon every student has heard at least two versions of the speech. Some say he'll side with Carrow, others that he'll be removing the man from his position (and much as Ava would love that she rather doubts it), while still other state that he's going to torture the offending student right there in front of the whole school.
Even the usually politically disconnected Astoria brings it up during their afternoon study session.
"I think Snape will just agree with Carrow and say there will be a worse punishment for the next offender." Ava says in response to Astoria's question of which response she thinks is most likely.
Astoria hums. "You're probably right." She agrees. "Still, trying to curse a professor really is unprecedented, I don't envy Headmaster Snape having to figure out how to handle it."
That evening the Great Hall is abuzz. Ava cranes to look at the Gryffindor table and try to determine if anyone is missing, but she doesn't really know them well enough to decide one way or the other.
Finally, the Headmaster himself appears and stands at the front of the room, behind Dumbledore's podium. He waits for silence, which his icy glare quickly creates, and then clears his throat.
"As all of you surely know by now, there was an altercation in which a student attempted to violently harm one of our professors."
"He deserved it!" An Irish boy from the Gryffindor table shouts, though he's quickly shushed by the brunet sitting next to him.
Snape glares at the offender before continuing. "To prevent further disorder, I am officially designating the Professors Carrow as the deciders of all punishments. That is all."
Ava's insides feel like ice. The Carrows in charge of punishment? To her that sounds like a recipe for disaster.
But what can she really do about it?
Author's Note: Merry Early Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all! This marks the official end of September and the start of chapters that are a little less set-up and a little more action! Still got a bit of set-up though, we're not completely established yet ^^''
Next Week: Trust is a difficult thing to give in these dark times - not everyone is who they seem...
So I'm thinking I might do a final 'afterwords' chapter to share my thoughts and feelings on writing this story, if that's something people would be interested in? I'm also open to answering any lingering questions people might have there as well!
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