Harry and Hermione caught up with Neville as they stepped through the portrait into the common room.

Dean, Seamus and Ron were standing near the fire. They had been talking but as Harry stepped in the three boys abruptly stopped. Harry wondered whether they had been talking about him, then whether he was being paranoid.

'Hi,' he said, moving across to his greet them.

'Hey, Harry,' said Dean, who was putting holding a West Ham football hat. 'Good holiday?'

'Not bad,' muttered Harry, as a true account of his holiday would have taken most of the night to relate and he could not face it. 'Yours?'

'Yeah, it was OK,' chuckled Dean. 'Better than Seamus', anyway, he was just telling me.'

'Why, what happened, Seamus?' Neville asked as he placed his Mimbuius mimbletonia tenderly on a small table.

Seamus did not answer immediately; he was facing Ron. Then he said, still turned away from Harry, 'Me mam didn't want me to come back.'

'What?' said Harry.

'She didn't want me to come back to Hogwarts.'

Seamus turned away from Ron and fiddled with his wand, still not looking at Harry.

'But - why?' said Harry, astonished. He knew that Seamus' mother was a witch and could not understand, therefore, why she should have come over so... so...Dursleyish!

Seamus did not answer for a while.

'Well,' he said in a measured voice, I suppose . . . because of you.'

What d'you mean?' said Harry quickly.

His heart was beating rather fast. He felt vaguely as though something was closing in on him.

Well,' said Seamus again, still avoiding Harry's eye, she . . . er . . . well, it's not just you, it's Dumbledore, too . . .'

'She believes the Daily Prophet?' said Harry. 'She thinks I'm a liar and Dumbledore's an old fool?'

Seamus looked up at him.

'Yeah, something like that.'

Harry said nothing and ground his teeth. He was sick of it: sick of being the person who is stared at and talked about all the time. If any of them knew, if any of them had the faintest idea what it felt like to be the one all these things had happened to . . . He wished he could just be normal... He slumped his shoulders dejectedly. He turned away but before he could walk away Hermione put a hand on his shoulder. He sighed and said to Seamus, "Could it be too much to ask that you judge me for who I am, not for what? Most of what is written about me is lies because Rita Skita thinks it will sell better..."

Seamus gave Harry a disbelieving look and said, 'Look . . . what did happen that night when . . . you know, when . . . with Cedric Diggory and all?'

Seamus sounded nervous and eager at the same time. Harry looked around briefly. He noticed that everyone within hearing distance was standing still and obviously listening in.

Harry gave Hermione a desperate look. Surprisingly, it was Neville that came to Harry's rescue.

"If Harry doesn't want to talk about it people shouldn't make him!" now Neville raised his voice, "How would you like it if a person was killed in front of you? Harry even met Voldemort!"

Harry had never heard Neville raise his voice to anyone.

"So you believe him then?" Seamus asked Neville with a small sneer.

"Of course!" Neville exclaimed. He took a step towards Seamus, "Harry changed that night. He's different, but he's not crazy! We don't know what Harry went through, but he faced off against Voldemort again!" Neville turned to Harry, "and if he says that Voldemort's back then I believe him"

Harry was stunned. Quiet, shy Neville had just defended him in-front of nearly the entire common room. "Thanks Neville" Harry said sincerely. Harry squeezed Hermione's hand and walked to the boy's dormitory with Neville. Harry hoped Ron would follow but it looked as if Ron agreed with Seamus. Harry had felt like there was a bit of a gap between himself and Ron while they were at the Burrow. He wondered what would happen between the two of them now.

Harry sat on his bed frame. "Neville..." Harry began, "what you said, it meant a lot". Neither of the boys said anything else until Neville sat on his own bed frame facing Harry, "I meant it" he said quietly. Harry gave him a weak smile and they both got into bed. Moments later the door opened and Ron, Dean and Seamus came in. No-one said anything and harry managed to sink into a fitful sleep.