It was like some god awful concentration camp.

We were to march within our houses around the castle. Anyone who stepped out of formation was to get punished.

I gave the Great Hall a fearful sweeping glance, feeling sick. Everyone else kept their eyes downcast, too afraid to look up in case they caught the eye of the wrong person.

I couldn't see Draco anywhere and I felt that same perpetual sadness that had followed me around all summer long.

A part of me had hoped he would be here, just to see him and to know that he was okay would have been enough for me.

It wasn't until Snape began the start of year welcome speech did I notice the line of black cloaked figures right at the back of the hall just to the left of the teachers table.

Death Eaters.

I felt my stomach turn to liquid. They looked so sinister; expressions hidden behind their haunting masks.

"Rules will be enforced by our specially recruited Death Eaters." Snape announced, sweeping an arm over to where they stood, straight backed in their identical disguises; the only sign of their individual selves being the blank staring eyes, blinking out through the slits of the masks.

"Step out of line and they have been permitted to punish you in any way they deem appropriate." Snape continued. "And be warned, this includes use of the Cruciatus Curse, so I advise you to keep your heads down and refrain from any troublemaking."

The hall filled with horrified gasps and murmurs as everyone stared fearfully at the cloaked figures, all of whom remained stoic and silent in their statue still positions.

"That's barbaric," Ginny breathed in my ear, as I felt her give a little shudder. "Maybe we should forget the DA, it could cause us more harm than good."

But on the contrary, the row of Death Eaters just made me more determined to keep the army together.

"I will not let them win," I hissed, glowering at the Death Eater on the very end, who, unless it was just my imagination, kept glancing over at me.

*****

Draco barely listened to a word Snape was saying. He couldn't take his eyes off of Neve, his beautiful perfect Neve, whom he had missed with all his heart.

His body was already yearning to get close, his skin almost humming, itching to touch her; and it took him everything not to break away from his rank and stride across the room to engulf her in his arms.

But he had to keep his cool, must not let on that he was there for anything other than to serve Voldemort, otherwise he could easily find himself being ordered back to the Manor.

Besides, it would probably just alarm her if she were to be approached by a masked Death Eater.

He just had to be patient, find a time later on when he could safely approach her.

He wondered what she felt about him, whether she would still even look at him after the night of Dumbledore's death.

She had been through so much and it pained him that he hadn't been there for her.

But, just as he was thinking of a way in which he could somehow communicate with her, he found that her eyes had swivelled directly to his. His heart pounded as he wondered whether she had worked out it was him, but the way she was looking at him caused an uneasy swirl in the pit of his stomach. She looked furious; nothing but cold contempt and utter hatred in her eyes.

And then he knew. He knew he could never expect her to love a monster.

Because that was exactly what he was - a monster who was now purely at the school to torture his old classmates.

And he would do it too, because he was a coward.

He felt disgusted with himself. She deserved better.

*****

I tried not to let Draco's continued absence get me down, and instead determinedly planned a way to ensure we all got through school not just alive but with our spirit intact too.

So, despite Ginny's concerns, I used the coins to call a DA meeting.

"We've got to do this Ginny," I said fiercely, my blood boiling angrily after experiencing our first Dark Arts class (no more Defence). Amycus Carrow had made it very clear that we would be practicing Unforgivable Curses on any child who misbehaved. "They're trying to tread us all down until we become completely submissive. They're trying to take our spirit so that we don't fight back. And I won't let that happen!"

"Wow," Ginny had blinked at me in surprise. "You sound just like Harry, you know that?"

I said nothing, but couldn't help feeling a glowing pride swell in my chest; I was being compared to a hero.

To my pleasant surprise, everyone showed up. My stomach was a knot of nerves when they all turned to me expectantly, waiting for me to... lead them.

"Right... well... um..." I stumbled nervously, wishing I had preprepared some kind of speech. "I thought maybe we could use this opportunity to continue what Harry started... to keep the Army alive in case the time comes when we need to defend ourselves and fight back."

I looked across at the sea of faces and saw the tell-tail flickers of fear. But this was okay - fear was an important part of fighting back. It was what kept us safe from making rash, spontaneous decisions that could get us killed.

Having courage wasn't about not being afraid - it was about being able to face it and use it to your advantage.

And this is what I'd be teaching the rest of them.

*****

Draco watched her over the following weeks like a hawk, readying himself to swoop in if she stepped even a toe out of line.

He was not going to allow anyone else to touch her, making sure he would be in position to take on her punishment if it came to it. He put himself forward for any Death Eater duties that would involve being near her - sitting in on her classes, and placing himself near the Gryffindor Tower during out of classes patrol time.

It was his way of protecting her. The only way he knew how.

But until then, she couldn't know it was him.

And then one day, finally, the opportunity presented itself to reveal himself to her.

*****

We had it all worked out. We were going to rescue the sword of Gryffindor.

"It doesn't belong with Snape," I roared. "It belongs with us, with Harry!"

A cheer went up in the Room of Requirement as the DA applauded my speech.

"We're right behind you, Neve!" Seamus bellowed, pumping a fist into the air.

"Bring on the revolt!" A red faced Cho jeered.

"Let's get 'em, Neve!" cried Colin, his face shiny and bright as he looked at me with heart warming admiration.

"GREAT, SO WHO'S WITH ME?" I asked with enthusiasm, looking around expectantly at the room.

Silence immediately fell. A cough here, and the sound of a shuffling foot there.

So I went it alone; all dressed up in black, arming myself with just my wand and a heart of courage as I crept along the corridors, my eyes and ears sharp as I listened out for any signs of danger.

In other words... Death Eaters.

Snape had them patrolling at all times, even sitting in on our classes. They were ready at a moments notice to issue us with a punishment.

As it was, no one broke the rules, the ever presence of the sinister masked figures terrifying students into complying with the outrageous restrictions in place.

But I had planned well that night; I knew Snape had been called away that evening after eavesdropping on a conversation at the staff table. And amazingly, I managed to get up into the headmasters office without coming across a single soul.

However, that was where my luck ended.

"Dear, dear, dear," came a cold wheezing voice as I pulled the sword from the wall. "We are in trouble, aren't we?"

The lights came on so suddenly, I was momentarily blinded.

Pain hit the back of my head as I was blasted against the wall, the sword falling from my slackened fingers.

When I looked up, Amycus was standing over me, sword in hand and looking utterly furious.

"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" He bellowed, shaking the sword violently in front of my face.

"IT DOESN'T BELONG HERE!" I roared, not caring about the punishment I was about to receive. "IT BELONGS TO HARRY POTTER!"

"Think of yourself as a bit of a vigilante, Longbottom?" Amycus sneered, leaning his face right into mine so that I could smell the stale firewhisky on his breath. "Well I'll show you what we do to supporters of the Undesirable Number One here."

He lifted a hand and clicked his fingers. "Give this pretty little lady here the special," he addressed an unseen presence over his shoulder. "I want to hear her squeal like the little piggy that she is."

I looked up in horror as a dark cloaked masked figure stepped sinisterly out of the shadows.

I gulped. This didn't look good.

*****