Neville and Ginny had become close friends during his final year at Hogwarts, perhaps even best friends. They had found comfort, support and stability in each other as together they led the students through the fresh trials and horrors that had faced them under Snape's regime. Neville wasn't sure why Ginny, probably the most popular girl at school, had chosen him to befriend. All he knew was that when this year had started, with Harry and her brother Ron gone, Ginny had turned to him and somehow he had become her friend. This often meant Neville was the envy of the other boys when Ginny chose him to sit with at meals times or in the evenings.
Of course, though no-one dared to mention it, Ginny pined for Harry. The distant, glazed look she sometimes got, combined with the slightly furrowed brow gave her away. Neville knew that he was not a replacement, that Ginny did not see him that way, and nor did he think that way about her. Obviously she was very attractive, and highly desirable, but Neville's modesty and low self-esteem meant he couldn't imagine that anyone would be interested in him. Sure, he had grown into himself a bit more now, lost most of his puppy fat and improved no end in his Defence Against the Dark Arts but this was Ginny Weasley, totally out of his league and so he didn't even consider it a possibility. He did, however, value her friendship more than he could put into words. She was always there, dependable, caring and fiercely loyal. So it was Ginny he sought in the evenings, for simply to sit in exhausted silence with her was an act of reassurance and solace. It was that way this evening.
It had been a particularly bad day. The Carrows' 'teaching methods' had led to a display in the Great Hall at dinner to celebrate the success of some of their 'top students'. This constituted some of the worst sixth and seventh year Slytherin students demonstrating their skill at the Cruciatus Curse on a band of Gryffindor first years who had been overheard exchanging whispered rumours about Harry. Throughout the entire sickening display Snape's sallow face had been fixed on Neville and the other older Gryffindors who'd had no option but to sit helplessly by, some with fists clenched, others grinding their cutlery into the table top in an attempt to control their rage. Ginny had gripped Neville's wrist tightly under the table, in part to restrain him, but also in an effort to restrain herself.
Immediately after dinner Neville had marched straight to the Room of Requirement, intent on taking his hatred out on some of the innocent dummies they used for target practise during training. To his surprise a large quantity of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students arrived shortly after him, all seething. Neville had led them through one of the toughest training sessions they'd ever had, which had distracted them all temporarily, though left them all rather aching and sore. Half an hour before curfew he had ended the session to allow everyone time to limp back to their common rooms. As usual he and Ginny had been the last to leave and in a final act of defiance they were waiting as late as possible before leaving, both secretly hoping for the chance to put their training into practise if they were found in the halls after hours.
And so it was that they sat side by side on the floor of the Room of Requirement, leaning back against a sofa, and staring silently into the dying fire. As their friendship had developed they had grown to know what the other would be thinking as they both worked through their tangled mess of thoughts and emotions at the end of a hard day. Today it would be the Carrows' display at dinner that tormented them both.
Neville was the first to break the silence.
"We should have fought… should have done something." His voice was full of pain and anger, clearly revealing his disappointed with himself. Ginny sighed heavily, but didn't respond.
"RARGH!" He cried suddenly jumping to his feet. "I'm sick of being so useless!" He snatched an innocent cushion from the sofa and hurled it violently into the fire, showering them both in ash and smothering the last of the flames as he stormed about. "I'm sick of the Carrows' faces, and Snape sneering at us and all the shit! I'm sick of watching people get hurt, and knowing there's worse going on when we can't see. And I'm sick of running and hiding, and doing nothing!"
His face red and his breath uneven Neville flopped back down next to Ginny and pulled his knees up to his chest.
"Harry wouldn't do nothing," he added as an afterthought, then instantly regretted it when he felt Ginny tense next to him. "Sorry," he mumbled, suddenly over his outburst.
It was a while before Ginny spoke.
"There was nothing we could do today," her voice was strained and she didn't quite manage to hide her disbelief in her own words. "If we had tried anything it would have been us up there being tortured."
"Rather that than first years…" Neville muttered, dropping his head to rest on his knees.
"I know," she whispered, placing a comforting hand on his arm.
The silence between them returned, Ginny's hand slipped back to her side and Neville turned his head away from her.
"What do I do, Ginny?" There was a sense of desperation in Neville's voice now. "We keep training and training, and everyone's getting so good, but I'm still too much of a bloody coward to do anything."
"You are not a coward, Neville." The conviction in Ginny's voice made him turn to look at her again. "And you need to stop thinking that about yourself."
"But…"
"No, Neville, no buts. You are a Gryffindor for a reason. You are brave, and you do more good than you realise. You show us how to be strong. We all know you're rubbish at Potions, and that you turned a Boggart into Snape in a dress, and that you used to have a toad. But we also know you fought Death Eaters at the Ministry, and here in the school. You stepped up when you were needed. You give us hope, and you comfort us when we feel like we can't go on. So you need pull yourself together, the whole school looks up to you now and if you fall apart then we've lost."
Neville was too shocked to respond.
"Oh, and you need to stop comparing yourself to Harry too." Her voice faltered and her eyes brimmed with tears. "No, you are not Harry. Harry is out there, probably about to get himself killed, trying to defeat You-Know-Who. But you, you are here, at the heart of it all, keeping everyone alive."
Ginny dropped her head to hide the spilling tears behind a curtain of fiery hair. Utterly dumbfounded, Neville wrapped his arm gently around her and let her lean into him. He held her quietly as she wept quietly into his shoulder, still trying to digest what she had said. Besides, the painful lump in his own throat meant that he couldn't offer any words of comfort even if he had been able to think of any. When he felt the telltale prickling in the corners of his eyes he closed them tightly and tilted his head to rest his cheek on the top of Ginny's.
They sat that way for some time. Ginny had recovered herself and Neville had regained control of his throat and yet they remained holding onto each other, both relishing the warmth and security of the others' embrace. Ginny's fingers dug into his shoulder and he had turned his face slightly into her hair to breathe in her familiar scent.
"Thank you," Neville breathed.
Neville twisted his face around to look at her and tried to ignore the sensation of her cheek brushing against his. She half smiled up at him, and shook her head ever so slightly.
"I'd be lost without you," she whispered.
"What about me? I dread to think how hopeless I'd be if you weren't here." He smoothed her hair back into place subconsciously.
He felt her breath of laughter across his face and her eyes shined up at him. She brushed his cheek with her thumb,
"Will you ever see the hero we all do?"
Neville felt the heat rise up his neck as he blushed furiously. They looked at each other for a moment, each wordlessly communicating and understanding what the other wanted to say. Then Ginny knelt and kissed him softly on the cheek before climbing to her feet and offering Neville her hand. Together they made their way back to Gryffindor Tower, Ginny's arm around Neville's waist, his around her shoulders.
They didn't meet the Carrows on their journey that night, but neither of them minded so much just then.
A/N: This fic started as something else (see the alternate version here) but I went back to write the dialogue last (weird I know) and then that original ending didn't fit for me anymore and so it transformed into this. A big thank you to my dearest Mills for guiding me to the words when they simply wouldn't come.
Please review, like Ginny's words to Neville reviews fuel my soul.