Comments/Author's Notes: I'd like to thank my beta for all of her hard work going through this nightmarishly long last-minute entry for me. Please note that the title is in reference to Neville's slaying of Nagini rather than whatever filthy ideas your minds might be conjuring (naughty).
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author.
Prompt: #24 - They would watch the map every single night, desperately hoping that Ginny was safe...yet the boys didn't understand why Hermione's fascination with the map bordered on fanatical.
The howling of the freezing wind in the Forest of Dean was loud and foreboding. Shivering in her bunk and unable to find rest, Hermione pulled her blankets around her tighter to try and fight off the cold.
She shut her eyes tightly and tried to will herself to sleep, to no effect. After a while she gave up on the idea of sleep and simply lay there, staring at the top bunk of the bed above her, the wooden slats a little rough. Reaching up, she touched the wood and immediately regretted it as a splinter pierced the skin of her forefinger, lodging itself uncomfortably in her flesh. She sighed and groped under her pillow for her wand, lighting the tip so that she could see the tiny splinter of wood and remove it.
After she had dislodged it, she tucked her wand away and sighed heavily. She flopped onto her back once more and resumed staring above her. Her mind was abuzz with thoughts, each one as confusing and aggravating as the next. She had no idea what the next day would bring for Harry, Ron and herself. They had the sword of Gryffindor now and after Ron had destroyed the necklace, things were finally calming down between the three of them. They had to make their next move, and in the morning, they would.
They would go to Xenophilius Lovegood and see Luna. He was the only one they knew who might have some knowledge of the mysterious symbol that they had found in the Tales of Beedle the Bard and on the necklace that Mr. Lovegood wore. Hermione knew that there was some connection between the necklace and the story of the three brothers found in her book. All Hermione needed was that confirmation so that they would be able to move on to the next Horcrux.
Letting out a deep breath, she watched as the warmth turned to a foggy mist in the frigid cold of the air. She closed her eyes and again tried to sleep. Hermione tried to picture the three of them, as they had been this time the year before. Behind her closed eyes she could see the Gryffindor Common Room, the warm orange glow of the fireplace and the thick drapes that were pulled closed to trap the warmth inside the stonewalls of the castle. The three of them would sit on the lounge chairs surrounding the fire, and Hermione would spread her books out all over the place and try to force them to study.
She missed those times if she was honest with herself.
She missed Ginny and the rest of the Weasley's too. Everything had changed so quickly, and she knew that Ginny had been forced to return to Hogwarts when they had left her behind. Hermione knew that leaving everyone behind had been hard on all of them, particularly Ron. He was still struggling despite having finally returned to them after his short abandonment. She was still furious with him about leaving and petulantly storming off on his own, but during his time away, she realized that she did not harbor any romantic feelings for him at all.
Now all that she needed was for Ron to come to that conclusion himself. Lately she had noticed that he was utterly bent on getting them alone to try and apologise for leaving. She knew that his motives were not so simple, so she encouraged the three of them to spend a lot of time together to avoid being cornered. Quite often she would even have to imagine a chore in order to get away from him when Harry was standing guard outside. It would take him a while though – Ron was terribly thick at times.
Hermione rolled over on the thin mattress of her bunk, attempting to get comfortable, and was surprised to hear whispering coming from somewhere on the other side of the tent.
Frowning, she hauled herself into a sitting position and strained to try and hear what was being said. She gave up trying to listen to the incomprehensible whispering and swung her legs over the edge of the bed intending to investigate. She grabbed her thick winter coat and pulled it on over her pajamas, stuffing her feet into her worn slippers and followed the sound of the whispers into the common living area near the kitchen.
What she found was Harry and Ron hunched over a piece of parchment that was spread out over the wooden table with their wands emitting a dim glow as they examined what was in front of them.
Hermione quietly moved closer, so not to alert them to her presence as she snuck up behind them. Glancing over their shoulders she had to stop herself from gasping aloud as she realised that they were looking at the Marauder's Map. Annoyance bubbled up within her and she grasped both of them by the shoulder and pushed them apart abruptly. The two boys gazed up at her, Ron with an unashamed grin and Harry with a look of contrition.
'What do you two think you are doing?' she hissed angrily.
'I just wanted to make sure Ginny was safe,' Harry said softly, casting his eyes back down to the map and pointing at the dot marked "Ginevra Molly Weasley." 'I just want to know that she's not being harmed at Hogwarts with Snape there.'
Hermione felt her brown relax somewhat and sighed heavily. 'I know you are worried about her, Harry, and you as well Ronald,' she said calmly. 'But you can't just use that map to spy on people! It's an invasion of privacy.'
'You never seemed to have a problem with it when we were using it at Hogwarts,' Ron said, looking up at her.
Hermione shot a glare at him. 'If I knew just how many times the two of you were using it to get in and out of scrapes at Hogwarts, I would have reported you to Professor McGonagall,' she said curtly. 'I especially never approved of you using it to spy on people.'
'Without this map, Pettigrew would never have been discovered and poor old Sirius…' Ron tried to argue before Hermione held up a hand to cut him off.
'I know that this map has been of some value to us, Ron,' she said matter-of-factly. 'But that doesn't mean we should be abusing the privilege of having it in order to spy on people. How would Ginny feel knowing that her every move in the castle was being watched? As if she doesn't already have that happening to her with You-Know-Who running the school.'
Ron opened his mouth to argue but this time Harry put a hand on his shoulder to halt him in his tracks. 'No, Hermione's right, Ron,' he said with a sigh. 'I know we shouldn't be spying. I just want to be able to reassure myself every now and then, you know?'
Hermione nodded. 'I won't object if you occasionally check to make sure she's still there,' she conceded. 'I just don't want the two of you opening the map every spare chance you get.'
'We're not just using it to watch Ginny,' Ron blurted out then.
She frowned and put her hands on her hips. 'What do you mean?'
'We've been spying on Snape and his movements in the castle too,' he replied, nudging Harry to back him up.
'Harry, is that true?' she asked.
He nodded reluctantly. 'I know you don't think it's right to spy, but he's a Death Eater, Hermione. I just want to know what he gets up to on Riddle's orders in the castle.'
'I understand where you're coming from, truly,' she said softly. 'But what use is it to spy on a man who was left in charge of a school? What could he possibly do there…'
Hermione lost her train of thought then, as her eyes locked on a name she had not expected to see on the map. There, in the Gryffindor Common Room, his name written in bold, cursive script was Neville Longbottom. She felt her chest tighten a little. When had Neville returned to Hogwarts? She had thought he would have remained with his Grandmother during the war, and yet, there he was, his name floating in circles and the map showed him pacing around the Common Room. She closed her mouth, realizing that she had left it hanging open.
She shook herself from her thoughts when she realised that Ron was speaking to her again, and turned to look down at him. 'I'm sorry, what were you saying?'
Ron shook his head at her and mumbled a curse under his breath. 'Harry and I were just wondering what was wrong with you,' he said quietly. 'You looked lost in thought for a moment there.'
She nodded. 'I'm fine,' she lied. 'I just saw a few of our friends names floating around on the map and was relieved that they are relatively safe – well, as safe as they can be at Hogwarts.'
Harry nodded. 'I'm sorry if we woke you up with our talking,' he said with a small smile.
Hermione shook her head. 'It's fine,' she replied. 'I'm sorry for jumping down your throats. I know you're just concerned. I suppose it wont hurt for you to keep an eye on the map and make sure Professor Snape doesn't try anything suspicious.'
'You know, you don't have to call that greasy Death Eater "Professor" any more, Hermione,' Ron reminded her.
'I suppose I don't,' she said softly, letting her eyes wander back to Neville's name on the map. 'I hope they're all okay there.'
'They're fine, I'm sure,' Ron said.
Hermione nodded and with one last lingering glace at the parchment, she turned on her heal and made her way back to her bunk for the night.
'Goodnight, boys,' she called out once she had tucked herself back in beneath the blankets.
'G'night, Hermione,' the two of them said in unison.
Hermione felt her muscles tighten as another wave of pain coursed through her. She clenched her teeth together as she waited it out, willing it to go away.
As the fit of pain subsided, she relaxed her jaw once more and reached over to pick up a small jar sitting on the nightstand beside the bed. She unscrewed the lid and dipped her fingers into the ointment, sitting up so that she could massage it into the muscles of her arms, legs and side. She rubbed the muscle relaxant into her temples before placing the jar back onto the wooden table. With a sigh, she shifted back down into the bed and closed her eyes.
They had been at Shell Cottage for three days since their escape from Malfoy Manor. The day before she had forced herself out of bed and gone outside so that she could help Harry as he laid Dobby to rest in the grave that both he and Ron had dug together. She was in so much pain by the time they were finished that she could barely perform the charm to transform a pebble on the beach into a headstone for the grave.
Hermione had had no idea just how painful the aftereffects of the Cruciatus Curse would be. The pain of the initial curse itself was nothing compared to the twitching, throbbing and burning she experienced while her body tried to recover from the onslaught of torture. The scar on her arm from where Bellatrix Lestrange had cut her was still pink, but with the aid of some potions, she would be able to heal it so that the horrid marks would not remain.
Rolling over onto her side, she closed her eyes that were stinging from keeping them open for so long.
Hermione hated being bedridden, and her impatience with her recovery was causing her to become aggravated with little provocation. The few times Ron had come into the room by himself, she had ignored him, desperate for him to leave her be. Harry had been in a few times as well, with Ron tagging along as usual. The three of them had looked at the map several times over the past two days as they tried to figure out what Snape was up to in the castle.
As Ron and Harry were talking about that, Hermione found that she kept seeking out Neville on the map, surprising herself. What did it matter? He was relatively safe at Hogwarts, was he not? Why should she worry herself over Neville when the three of them were constantly in mortal peril? Her mind brought up so many questions, and she was unable to answer a single one of them. Hermione continued to watch as he walked the halls of Hogwarts while the boys kept their eyes out for Ginny and Snape.
She sighed and shook off the thought, looking over at the clock on the nightstand. It was already mid-afternoon and neither Harry nor Ron had come to see her that day. The only person she had seen was Fleur when she had brought her breakfast and lunch. Hermione had been pleasantly surprised by the change and maturation of the older witch. She had been extremely caring and helpful to her during her recovery, and often stayed to watch her eat and make sure that if she had a fit while doing so, someone was there to clean her up.
Hermione pushed herself up into a sitting position against the pillows of the bed, sticking her hand out towards her beaded purse and summoning a book from within wandlessly. She had learned how to use her wandless and wordless magic more efficiently while in the forest, and while she was incapacitated, the skill had come in handy from time to time. As she opened the book to read, she heard a knock on her door followed by Harry sticking his head in with his eyes shut tightly.
'Are you decent?' he asked.
Hermione chuckled dryly. 'Of course I am,' she replied. 'Come inside and sit with me.'
Harry grinned at her and slipped into the room, closing the door softly behind him. He walked over and sat on the bed beside her before withdrawing the map from his coat pocket. Hermione smiled as she watched him spread it out before them on the bed. Her eyes immediately scanned the page, seeking out the one name that would soothe her worried mind. She felt herself sag with relief when she saw that Neville was pacing in the Common Room again.
Ginny was in her bedroom in the girl's dormitories from what it looked like on the map, and Hermione was glad to see that the younger girl was all right. She didn't know what Harry would do if he was to lose her. She shook the thought from her head. The last thing they needed was for her to start thinking negatively. She needed to keep a level head for all of them.
Without thinking, she reached her hand out to trace the edges of Gryffindor tower on the map, sighing wistfully. If only things were different and they could all go back to school and learn, laugh, and do ridiculous things that didn't involve risking their lives in order to save an entire world from a raving magical lunatic. If only she could go back to the school, see all of their friends and talk to her Professor's about how she could add more courses to her already heavy workload.
Hermione missed the simplicity of a being able to enjoy her teenage years. She already felt far older than she was. She was eighteen going on thirty, and it didn't look like there would be any time to act her age in the near future.
'I really miss being at Hogwarts,' she said softly.
Harry put an arm around her shoulder and hugged her close. 'I know how you feel,' he said, resting his cheek against hers. 'I'm so lucky you are here with me though. You're the closest thing I have to family. I've never been so glad that Ron was a prat to you in our first year. If he hadn't been, we might not be friends, and I might not be lucky enough to have your wonderful mind guiding me through all of this.'
Hermione smiled as warmth flowed through her. She was lucky to have Harry as well. She'd never had any siblings, and she spent most of her childhood around other adults. Going to Hogwarts and living with other people her age had been a foreign concept at best. Befriending Harry and Ron after the incident with the troll at Halloween had been one of the most important parts of her life.
'I feel the same way about you,' she said with a smile. 'I never knew people my own age really – even in primary school I was a bit of a bookish loner. I am glad Ron was a giant prat.'
'Right, well now that we have that cleared up, why don't you tell me why you are suddenly so interested in looking at the map nearly every day with us?'
Hermione felt her breath catch in her throat as she sat, stunned by Harry's sudden question. What was she going to tell him? That she wanted to be sure that Neville was safe? What would he make of that information? He'd probably think that she fancied Neville. Such an idea was… ridiculous. She couldn't possibly harbor feelings for Neville, could she? She hadn't seen him since Bill and Fleur's wedding, and before then, not since the end of their sixth year.
She looked at his name on the parchment in front of her and felt her head spin as she gazed at it again. There was something there, but she wasn't quite sure what it was. Hermione knew that it wasn't something she could share with Harry – not yet - not when she didn't even understand it herself.
'I don't know,' she said with a sigh. 'I guess I just want to know that everyone is safe. I thought it was just curiosity to begin with, but I'm really worried.'
Harry frowned for a moment, as though he wasn't convinced, but shrugged it off. He would let it slide for the time-being it appeared.
'So, as soon as you are better, we'll need to talk to Olivander and Griphook,' Harry said, changing the subject. 'I want to know more about what the old man told Riddle, and I think Griphook might be able to help us with the Horcrux problem.'
'What do you mean, problem?' she asked.
'Well, you're current condition can leave you in no doubt that there is something in Lestrange's vault that she doesn't want anyone to find,' he replied.
Hermione nodded, comprehension dawning. 'I see,' she said quietly. 'I suppose there is no way to avoid it.'
Harry shook his head. 'I hope you still have some Polyjuice potion in that little beaded purse of yours,' he said, standing up from the bed. 'You never know when it might come in handy.'
Hermione nodded and grabbed her wand from the bedside table, giving the map a soft tap as she incanted 'Mischief Managed." The map folded itself back up, the lines disappearing. Hermione's eyes immediately looked to where the common room was once more before it faded, straining to see the name she immediately kept seeking. Her heart felt heavy as his name disappeared along with the rest of the ink. Picking up the folded map, she held it out to Harry who looked to be ready to leave.
Harry pushed it back towards her gently. 'You take care of it for a while,' he said softly. 'Examine it and learn everything you can about it. Who knows? We might need to know a great deal more about the castle soon than we already do if we ever need to get back inside it.'
Hermione wasn't sure if Harry was hinting that he knew it wasn't just that she was worried, but she had no choice but to disregard the feeling. She smiled at him and nodded, allowing him to embrace her before he left the room. Alone once more, Hermione clutched the map to her chest – it was the only way she could know – the only way she'd be able to see him and figure out what was going on in her mind and heart.
Leaning back against the pillows she allowed herself a small smile. Soon – soon she would know why.
Slughorn's office had been decorated lavishly, and from the looks of it, a golden lamp dangling from the ceiling filled with real fairies had been added to the décor.
Hermione gazed about the room feeling awkward. She had asked Cormac McLaggen as her date that night to annoy Ron, but now she felt like it had been a mistake. She had just narrowly avoided his attempt to kiss her beneath the thankfully not enchanted mistletoe, and had fled to a corner of the room where she was out of his line of sight. Harry and Luna had been kind enough to provide a distraction for her along with Professor Trelawney, who was quite inebriated, in order to aid her escape.
She was quite fed up with the party and knew that it would only be a matter of time before Cormac would catch up to her again and try to grope and cajole her into snogging him. She was positively revolted by the idea, her skin crawling at the possibility. Sighing heavily, she decided that it was time for her to leave the party while she was still relatively unscathed. As a waiter passed with a tray full of filled punch glasses, she quite grabbed one before making her way to the nearest exit.
Once outside the office, she breathed a sigh of relief and quickly swallowed the punch in the glass before vanishing the empty goblet.
Disappointed and exhausted, she made her way back to the Gryffindor Common Room, her goal to get up the stairs to her dormitory without fuss and into her bed with a good book. She arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady moments later and after speaking the password, was allowed entry. She took off her heals once she was inside and was surprised to find the Common Room deserted. Feeling lethargic, she walked over to the lounges by the fireplace and went to sit in one of them without bothering to look.
'Bloody hell, Hermione!' a voice exclaimed as she felt herself come into contact not with chair fabric, but another human being.
Hermione jumped away immediately and spun around to apologise. 'Neville?' she asked in confusion. 'I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to try and sit on you.'
Neville smiled up at her and shook his head, rising from the lounge chair. 'It's okay,' he replied, grasping her by the shoulders and leading her back to the armchair before gently pushing her down into it. 'You can have my seat. You look exhausted.'
She smiled at him gratefully, wanting to protest but too tired to do so. 'Thank you,' she replied. 'I've had a horrible night.'
'I thought you were at the Slug Club party?' he asked as he took a seat on the floor in front of the fireplace instead.
'I was,' she said dryly. 'That is why I've had a terrible night. I was so stupid to think that taking Cormac would be a good idea. I would have been much better off if I'd just asked… well you, actually.'
Neville chuckled at her. 'I'd have been honored if you'd asked me to go with you, Hermione,' he said with a smile. 'But I'm not upset that you didn't. I know I'm not exactly the ideal date for any girl.'
Hermione frowned at him. 'That's an awful thing to say, Neville! You are one of the loveliest boys in this school. Look at what a gentleman you were when you took Ginny to the Yule Ball two years ago. Not one of the other boys was half as good a dancer as you!'
She watched as Neville's face turned as red as the velvet drapes that covered the windows. 'Thanks,' he murmured shyly.
She offered him a smile, feeling herself flush at her very blunt delivery. She had the tendency of putting her foot in her mouth sometimes, and she felt really stupid now. Neville was such a sweet boy though, and she admired him despite his occasional clumsiness and natural shyness. He had really grown up a lot from the boy who she had been constantly helping to find his lost toad in their first year.
She felt a yawn bubble up and covered her mouth just in time, her eyes closing as she realised just how tired she was.
'Well, if that isn't a sign, I don't know what is,' she said, standing from the lounge chair. 'I think I'll go to bed. If you see Harry, let him know I got back here unmolested for me, please?'
Neville got up too and smiled, nodding at her. 'I'll let him know,' he said.
Without thinking, she leaned over and gave him a light peck on the cheek before she realised what she had done and immediately fled to the staircase to the girl's dormitories. She felt asleep the instant her head hit the pillow – her embarrassment for actually kissing Neville a mere shadow in the back of her mind.
Hermione snapped her head around to listen to the conversation Harry and Ron were having on the other side of the room.
She had no idea why she was thinking about the night of the Slug Club Christmas Party, but it gave her some insight into why she kept thinking about Neville. She'd long admired him, despite his natural clumsiness and shyness. He was a good person, and he'd suffered a hard life, not knowing his parents just as Harry had never known his. However, Neville knew where his parents were and what had happened to them, and he had to face it every time he went to visit them at St. Mungo's.
He certainly held it together far better than others who had more fortunate lives despite his tragic past. She looked over to the other side of the room and saw that the two boys were still occupied with their conversation. Carefully, she withdrew the map from her beaded bag and tapped it with her wand, whispering the words that would reveal the map to her. She watched as the ink sprung to life on the parchment and the school was revealed. Her eyes immediately sought out his name, starting in Gryffindor Tower.
He was not there, so she continued her search, looking up every now and then to make sure she was not discovered.
A moment later she finally found his name, as it was moving fast along a corridor towards a wall. Frowning, her eyes continued to follow it before suddenly it disappeared from the map completely. She felt her stomach begin to travel up her throat and her heart stop. Where did his name go? She'd never seen him disappear off the map before. She was beginning to panic inwardly for a moment before her rational brain kicked in. The Room of Requirement most likely still existed and she had no doubt that some of the students still used it. She was glad that Neville had found a refuge.
So consumed by her thoughts, Hermione didn't notice that the two boys had stopped talking and were looking over at her.
'For someone who never wanted to look at that map, you sure do spend a lot of time pouring over it,' Ron said teasingly.
Hermione's head snapped up when she heard his voice and she felt her cheeks flush with colour. 'I just want to make sure we know everything about the castle before we go in there again,' she stammered.
Ron stood up and walked over to her opening his mouth to, no doubt, say something rude just as the barman of the Hog's Head Pub walked back into the room. He closed his mouth and sat back down beside Harry as they waited for the man to say his piece.
'You bloody fools,' he said gruffly, looking from one to the other of them. 'What were you thinking, coming here?'
''We can't thank you enough,' said Harry. 'You saved our lives!'
The barman grunted. Harry approached him looking up into his face trying to see past the long, stringy, wire-gray hair beard. Hermione saw that he wore spectacles, but even from where she was, behind the dirty lenses his eyes were a piercing, brilliant blue.
'It's your eye I've been seeing in the mirror,' Harry exclaimed. There was a silence in the room. Harry and the barman looked at each other. 'You sent Dobby.'
The barman nodded and looked around for the elf. 'Thought he'd be with you. Where've you left him?'
'He's dead,' said Harry. 'Bellatrix Lestrange killed him.'
The barman's face was impassive. After a few moments he said, 'I'm sorry to hear it, I liked that elf.'
He turned away, lighting lamps with prods of his wand, not looking at any of them.
'You're Aberforth,' said Harry to the man's back.
He neither confirmed nor denied it, but bent to light the fire.
'How did you get this?' Harry asked, walking across to Sirius's mirror, the twin of the one he had broken nearly two years before.
'Bought it from Dung 'bout a year ago,' said Aberforth. 'Albus told me what it was. Been trying to keep an eye out for you."
Ron gasped. 'The silver doe,' he said excitedly. 'Was that you too?'
'What are you talking about?' asked Aberforth.
'Someone sent a doe Patronus to us!'
'Brains like that, you could be a Death Eater, son. Haven't I just proved my Patronus is a goat?'
'Oh,' said Ron, 'Yeah . . . well, I'm hungry!' he added defensively as his stomach gave an enormous rumble.
'I got food,' said Aberforth, and he sloped out of the room, reappearing moments later with a large loaf of bread, some cheese, and a pewter jug of mead. He set the food on a small table in front of the fire. Ravenous, they ate and drank, and for a while there was sound of chewing.
'Right then,' said Aberforth when they had eaten their fill and Harry and Ron sat slumped dozily in their chairs. 'We need to think of the best way to get you out of here. Can't be done by night, you heard what happens if anyone moves outdoors during darkness. When the Caterwauling Charm is set off, they'll be onto you like bowtruckles on doxy eggs. I don't reckon I'll be able to pass of a stag as a goat a second time. Wait for daybreak when curfew lifts, then you can put your Cloak back on and set out on foot. Get right out of Hogsmeade, up into the mountains, and you'll be able to Disapparate there. Might see Hagrid. He's been hiding in a cave up there with Grawp ever since they tried to arrest him.'
'We're not leaving,' said Harry. 'We need to get into Hogwarts.'
'Don't be stupid, boy,' said Aberforth.
'We've got to,' said Harry.
'What you've got to do,' said Aberforth, leaning forward, 'is to get as far from here as you can.'
'You don't understand. There isn't much time. We've got to get into the castle. Dumbledore—I mean, your brother—wanted us—'
'My brother Albus wanted a lot of things,' said Aberforth, 'and people had a habit of getting hurt while they was carrying out his grand plans. You get away from this school, Potter, and out of the country if you can. Forget my brother and his clever schemes. He's gone where none of this can hurt him, and you don't owe him anything.'
'You don't understand,' said Harry again.
'Oh, don't I?' said Aberforth quietly. 'You don't think I understood my own brother? Think you know Albus better than I did?'
'I didn't mean that,' said Harry, whose brain felt sluggish with exhaustion and from the surfeit of food and wine. 'It's . . . he left me a job.'
'Did he now?' said Aberforth. 'Nice job, I hope? Pleasant? Easy? Sort of thing you'd expect an unqualified wizard kid to be able to do without overstretching themselves?"
Ron gave a rather grim laugh. Hermione was feeling strained.
'I—it's not easy, no,' said Harry. 'But I've got to—'
'Got to'? Why "got to?" He's dead, isn't he?' said Aberforth roughly. 'Let it go, boy, before you follow him! Save yourself!'
'I can't.'
'Why not?'
'I—' Harry looked overwhelmed. 'But you're fighting too, you're in the Order
of the Phoenix—'
'I was,' said Aberforth. 'The Order of the Phoenix is finished. You-Know-Who's won, it's over, and anyone who's pretending different is kidding themselves. It'll never be safe for you here, Potter. He wants you too badly. So go abroad, go into hiding, save yourself. Best take these two with you.' He jerked a thumb at Ron and Hermione. 'They'll be in danger long as they live now everyone knows they've been working with you.'
'I can't leave,' said Harry. 'I've got a job—'
'Give it to someone else!'
'I can't. It's got to be me, Dumbledore explained it all—'
'Oh, did he now? And did he tell you everything? Was he honest with you? I knew my brother, Potter. He learned secrecy at our mother's knee. Secrets and lies, that's how we grew up, and Albus . . . he was a natural.'
The old man's eyes traveled to the painting of the girl over the mantelpiece. It was, now that Harry looked around properly, the only picture in the room. There was no photograph of Albus Dumbledore, or of anyone else.
'Mr. Dumbledore,' said Hermione rather timidly. 'Is that your sister? Ariana?'
'Yes,' said Aberforth tersely. 'Been reading Rita Skeeter, have you, missy?'
Even by the rosy light of the fire it was clear that Hermione had turned red.
Aberforth launched into an explanation about his sister Ariana, and Hermione listened intently as he talked. She was moved by the story but she couldn't help but feel as though the man was holding onto a lifetime of bitterness and taking it out on Harry. As far as she was concerned, they were all being manipulated constantly by outside influences and it was beyond any of their control. They were all puppets. She was interrupted from her thoughts by Harry's next words.
'We need to get into Hogwarts,' said Harry again. 'If you can't help us, we'll wait till daybreak, leave you in peace, and try to find a way in ourselves. If you can help us - well, now would be a great time to mention it.'
Aberforth remained fixed in his chair, gazing at Harry with the eyes, that were so extraordinarily like his brother's. At last he cleared his throat, got to his feet, walked around the little table, and approached the portrait of Ariana.
'You know what to do,' he said.
She smiled, turned, and walked away, not as people in portraits usually did. Instead she walked along what seemed to be a long tunnel painted behind her. They watched her slight figure retreating until finally she was swallowed by the darkness.
'Er—what—?' began Ron.
'There's only one way in now,' said Aberforth. 'You must know they've got all the old secret passageways covered at both ends, Dementors all around the boundary walls, regular patrols inside the school from what my sources tell me. The place has never been so heavily guarded. How you expect to do anything once you get inside it, with Snape in charge and the Carrows as his deputies . . . well, that's your lookout, isn't it? You say you're prepared to die.'
'But what…?' said Hermione, frowning at Ariana's picture.
A tiny white dot reappeared at the end of the painted tunnel, and now Ariana was walking back toward them, growing bigger and bigger as she came. But there was somebody else with her now, someone taller than she was, who was limping along, looking excited. His hair was longer than Harry had ever seen; he appeared to have suffered several gashes to the face and his clothes were ripped and torn. Larger and larger the two figures grew, until only their heads and shoulders filled the portrait. Then the whole thing swung forward on the wall like a little door, and the entrance to a hidden tunnel was revealed.
And out of it, his hair overgrown, face cut, robes ripped, clambered the real Neville Longbottom, who gave a roar of delight. He leapt down from the mantelpiece and yelled. 'I knew you'd come! I knew it, Harry!'
'Neville—what the—how—?' Harry sputtered.
But Neville had spotted Ron and Hermione, and with yells of delight was hugging them too. Hermione felt a rush of simultaneous relief and happiness when he went around her, and was amazed at the firmness of his grip. Her arms went around his neck, as she held on tight. He pulled back from her slightly and she saw warmth in his eyes as they glanced over her appearance. It was then that she finally took a moment to examine him more fully.
The longer Hermione looked at Neville, the worse he appeared. One of his eyes was swollen yellow and purple, there were gouge marks on his face, and his general air of unkemptness suggested that he had been living rough. Nevertheless, his battered visage shone with happiness as he let go of her and said again, 'I knew you'd all
come! Kept telling Seamus it was a matter of time!'
'Neville, what's happened to you?' she exclaimed.
'What? This?' Neville dismissed his injuries with a shake of the head. 'This is nothing, Seamus is worse. You'll see. Shall we get going then? Oh,' he turned to Aberforth. 'Ab, there might be a couple more people on the way.'
'Couple more?' repeated Aberforth ominously. 'What d'you mean a couple more, Longbottom? There's a curfew and a Caterwauling Charm on the whole village!'
'I know, that's why they'll be Apparating directly into the bar,' said Neville. 'Just send them down the passage when they get here, will you? Thanks a lot.'
Neville held out his hand to Hermione and she felt a jolt of excitement run through her as his rough hands grasped hers. Their eyes met for a moment and she saw, reflected in his eyes, the same relief and happiness she knew she was projecting through hers. He helped her climb up onto the mantelpiece and into the tunnel and Ron followed. The three of them paused to wait for Harry as he stopped to address Aberforth on his way through.
'I don't know how to thank you. You've saved our lives twice.'
'Look after 'em, then,' she heard Aberforth say gruffly. 'I might not be able to save 'em a third time.'
Harry joined them after that and they continued down the tunnel. There were smooth stone steps on the outside. It looked as though the passageway had been there for years. Brass lamps hung from the walls and the earthy floor was worn and smooth. As they walked, their shadows rippled fanlike across the wall. Hermione walked beside him and tried not to stare. She glanced back at him and felt her face flush when she caught his eye. Neville offered her a small smile and for a moment she felt her heart stall in her chest.
'How long's this been here?' Ron asked, breaking the silence. 'It isn't on the Marauder's Map, is it, Harry? I thought there were only seven passages in and out of the school?'
'They sealed off all of those before the start of the year,' said Neville. 'There's no chance of getting through any of them now, not with the curses over the entrances and Death Eaters and Dementors waiting at the exits.' He started walking backward, beaming, drinking them in. "Never mind that stuff… Is it true? Did you break into Gringott's? Did you escape on a dragon? It's everywhere, everyone's talking about it, Teddy Boot got beaten up by Carrow for yelling about it in the Great Hall at dinner!'
'Yeah, it's true,' said Harry.
Neville laughed gleefully, which made Hermione smile. 'What did you do with the dragon?' he asked.
'Released it into the wild,' said Ron. 'Hermione was all for keeping it as a pet—'
'Don't exaggerate, Ron—' she snapped.
'But what have you been doing? People have been saying you've just been on the run, Harry, but I don't think so. I think you've been up to something.'
'You're right,' said Harry. 'But tell us about Hogwarts, Neville. We haven't heard anything.'
'It's been . . . well, it's not really like Hogwarts anymore,' said Neville, the smile fading from his face as he spoke. 'Do you know about the Carrows?'
'Those two Death Eaters who teach here?'
'They do more than teach,' said Neville. 'They're in charge of all discipline. They like punishment, the Carrows.'
'Like Umbridge?'
'Nah, they make her look tame. The other teachers are all supposed to refer us to the Carrows if we do anything wrong. They don't, though, if they can avoid it. You can tell they all hate them as much as we do. Amycus, the bloke, he teaches what used to be Defense Against the Dark Arts, except now its just Dark Arts. We're supposed to practice the Cruciatus Curse on people who've earned detentions—'
'What?'
Harry, Ron, and Hermione's united voices echoed up and down the passage.
'Yeah,' said Neville. 'That's how I got this one.' He pointed at a particularly deep gash in his cheek. 'I refused to do it. Some people are into it, though; Crabbe and Goyle love it. First time they've ever been top in anything, I expect. Alecto, Amycus' sister, teaches Muggle Studies, which is compulsory for everyone. We've all got to listen to her explain how Muggles are like animals, stupid and dirty, how they drove wizards into hiding by being vicious toward them, and how the natural order is being reestablished. I got this one," he indicated another slash to his face, "for asking how much Muggle blood she and her brother have.'
'Blimey, Neville,' said Ron. 'There's a time and a place for getting a smart mouth.'
'You didn't hear her,' said Neville. 'You wouldn't have stood it either. The thing is, it helps when people stand up to them. It gives everyone hope. I used to notice that when you did it, Harry.'
'But they've used you as a knife sharpener,' said Ron, wincing slightly as they passed a lamp and Neville's injuries were thrown into even greater relief.
'Doesn't matter. They don't want to spill too much pure blood, so they'll torture us a bit if we're mouthy but they won't actually kill us.'
During the entire conversation Hermione had been unable to speak. She was stunned. She had no idea what to say after hearing all of the things that Neville had been through since returning to Hogwarts. She felt heaviness weighing on her heart and she wanted to reach out, hold him, stroke his face and heal his wounds until he looked like the boy she had left behind. The man who she was walking beside made her hurt on the inside.
They turned a corner and there ahead of them was the end of the passage. Another short flight of steps led to a door just like the one hidden behind Ariana's portrait. Neville pushed it open and climbed through. As Harry followed, he heard Neville call out to unseen people. 'Look who it is! Didn't I tell you?'
As Harry emerged into the room beyond the passage, there were several screams and yells: 'HARRY!' 'It's Potter, it's POTTER!' 'Ron!' 'Hermione!'
The next moment, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were engulfed, hugged, pounded on the back, their hair ruffled, their hands shaken, by what seemed to be more than twenty people. They might just have won a Quidditch final.
'Okay, okay, calm down!' Neville called, and as the crowd backed away, Hermione was able to take in their surroundings.
She did not recognize the room at all. It was enormous, and looked like the interior of a particularly sumptuous tree house, or perhaps a gigantic ship's cabin. Multicolored hammocks were strung from the ceiling and from a balcony that ran around the dark wood-paneled and windowless walls, which were covered in bright tapestry hangings. Harry saw the gold Gryffindor lion, emblazoned in scarlet; the black badger of Hufflepuff, set against yellow; and the bronze eagle of Ravenclaw, in blue. The silver and green of Slytherin alone were absent. There were bulging bookcases, a few broomsticks propped against the walls, and in the corner, a large wooden-cased wireless.
'Where are we?' Hermione asked, spinning around to look at Neville.
'Room of Requirement, of course!' he said. 'Surpassed itself, hasn't it? The Carrows were chasing me, and I knew I had just one chance for a hideout. I managed to get through the door and this is what I found! Well, it wasn't exactly like this when I arrived, it was a lot smaller. There was only one hammock and just Gryffindor hangings, but it's expanded as more and more of the D.A. have arrived.'
The next twenty minutes was a bit of a blur, and soon enough Hermione found herself enlisted by Ron to help him find a Basilisk fang, while Harry and Luna had run off without them to investigate Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem. As Hermione ran after Ron, she looked over her shoulder once more to catch one last glance of Neville before all hell broke loose. She might not ever see him again.
To be continued.