January, 1997

"Neville?' Hermione asked, entering the almost empty common room. He looked up from his book and frowned.

"You're not asleep?" There was a note of surprise in his voice, and she knew it was from her dishevelled look. But she had figured that tossing and turning in the bed for hours was going to do her no good, so instead, she headed back to the common room to try to finish the essay that was due next week. She had not expected his presence there any more than he had hers.

"I couldn't sleep," she replied, and he nodded in response, holding his head in his hands. She joined him in a nearby chair.

"How long do you think this will last?" he asked, once she had put down her parchment and ink. She looked at him, confused by his meaning. "The war," I mean, he clarified, seeing her expression.

She took a deep breath. "I wish I knew..."

"I wish it was all over," he replied, sounding as though his voice was choking a bit.

"I think...I think everyone does," Hermione mused aloud.

"No, Hermione, you don't...understand."

Hermione looked at him, concerned. "What is it, Neville? Is something wrong?"

Neville sighed and looked away, instead of replying. Hermione placed her quill down and put her arm on his shoulder.

"We'll win this war, Neville, We-"

"I'm scared," he cut her off. "I'm terrified. Of so many things, Hermione."

"Oh," she replied, not knowing what else to say.

He sighed again, before continuing. "You know about my parents, don't you?" he asked, sadly. Hermione nodded, somewhat hesitantly.

"They sacrificed everything for this war. And I...I'm too scared to fight it. What if I am not good enough? What if I cannot help? What if-"

"Neville. I believe in you. Everything will be all right."

He shook his head. "I don't believe in me. You know I'm hardly any good at spells and I'm even worse at Potions. What will I even do? I don't even know why the Sorting Hat put me in Gryffindor, Hermione. I'm too much of a coward."

"You're braver than you think, Neville. That, I can promise you. Someday, you'll be ready to show the world."

He stared at her in disbelief for a few moments, and then looked away.

And so that night they sat in a strange silence, with the quiet only being broken by the scratching of pens and the occasional turning of a page.

September, 1997

"We should reopen the DA,"Ginny suggested.

Padma shook her head. "To what end? Last time, the DA ended up causing a lot of trouble. Besides, we would need someone to lead us, now that Harry isnt here."

The room fell silent. To everyone's surprise, Neville spoke up.

"Ginny is right. The DA will at least mean that we are fighting back. You can't possibly expect us to sit around and take everything they throw at us!"

Everyone stared in shock at Neville.

"Wow..." Lavender whispered, somewhat inadvertently.

Neville turned to her, and she immediately looked embarassed. "I'll lead. Harry, Ron and Hermione need us to fight with them, and not behind them."

"I'll join!" Ginny said, enthusiastically. A general murmur passed around, and soon quite a few others began to nod in assent.

Neville smiled.

Someday, you'll be ready to show the world.

"I'm ready," he whispered to himself.

The Carrows wouldn't know what hit them.

Notes: For the Hero Day Challenge at The Golden Snitch. Prompt: Neville Longbottom

Also for Ollivander's Wand shop. Prompt: A popular character's insecurities.