The Wizarding World of Britain, controlled by Voldemort's Death Eaters, appeared calm on the surface, but no one knew how much anger and pain lay hidden beneath that calm.
The situation at Hogwarts was even more severe. According to the intelligence Sirius Black and the others had brought back, Snape rarely showed his face, leaving Hogwarts mainly under the management of the Carrow siblings. Those two had turned the renowned magical academy of Hogwarts into a prison.
The Carrow siblings had been among those who attacked Hogwarts on the tower that night. It was said that they had established a series of exceptionally cruel punishments within Hogwarts, even using the Unforgivable Curses to punish students.
Amycus was the elder brother of the Carrow siblings. After Voldemort took control of both Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic, he was appointed professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts.
Whether having an utterly evil Dark wizard teach Defense Against the Dark Arts counted as putting his expertise to use was anyone's guess, but no student could possibly like his teaching methods. He even required students to practice the Cruciatus Curse on their own classmates, and some of those subjected to it were only second-years or even first-years.
Seeing both the caster and the victim tormented by the Unforgivable Curses, Amycus would often reveal a satisfied, delighted smile. Defense Against the Dark Arts could no longer even be called a lesson; no one could tell whether it was a teaching activity or a collective punishment.
By the time Sirius Black finished his account, Harry's fists had long been clenched tight. Saving Hogwarts was now urgent!
The Order of the Phoenix had not been on holiday during this time. Eli led several people in searching for Horcruxes, while Sirius Black, Lupin, and the