This was written for lightblue-Nymphadora's Slytherin Common Room Challenge. Hope you enjoy!

Crack

Why did the Slytherins have to leave the bloody fire going after they all left the common room? The flames kept crackling and it made it hard to tell if some one was sneaking up on you or if it was just another piece of fire wood burning. Of course, Neville mused, his own house mates left the fire going long after they had gone to bed as well. Shaking his head he tried to focus, to block out the sound of the fire and tune in on any other noises, before he was caught by one of these slimy gits, or worse one of the Carrows.

Snap

That one had sounded like someone stepping on a twig. But he must have been imagining it, he was getting paranoid. After all, why the hell would there be a twig lying around for someone to step on in the Slytherin common room. What Neville needed to focus on was getting out of here before anyone came down and noticed what he had done. On that thought he eyed the huge spray painted picture of Alecto Carrow being hit in the face with an egg, over and over again. It was a bit juvenile he knew, but hey, it had been fun to paint. Plus it was charmed at it would not be able to be removed, for fifty years. If he made it out of this war alive, which he was determined to do, his kids would be able admire his handy work… if they were sorted into Slytherin. Maybe he would just tell them where this room was so they could sneak down here if they weren't sorted into this house.

Thud

That was definitely not the fire place. Neville immediately moved into the shadows of the room, cursing his poor ability to cast a disillusion charm. As he watched both of the Carrows enter the room Neville thanked his lucky stars that both the room and the Carrows were quite dim. He almost laughed aloud when he saw how red Alecto Carrow's face was becoming at the sight of the egg hitting her in the face every ten seconds. It was starting to take on a purple tinge. Maybe she would die from suffocation? Damn she started to breathe again.

"Amycus, look what those brats have done! I bet it was that Weasley girl! When I get my hands on her…" Neville gulped, he would have to warn Ginny if he ever got out of here unnoticed. Alecto had taken to hating her even more than she hated all of the other DA members.

"Alecto calm down, you could wake the students-"

"Then wake them! I want to know who has done this! Maybe it was one of them, they could have turned to the other side, you know that Longbottom's little group is recruiting." Now Neville did snort aloud. Like he would ever recruit out of Slytherin! Did they think he was an idiot! He didn't want a snake in his ranks; they would run off and tell Moldyshorts everything!

"What was that? Alecto, will you shut up and listen!" She immediately stopped ranting about how no student could be trusted and looked at Amycus like he was off his rocker.

"What am I listening for; there is nothing here but us." Merlin, she was dim. Apparently Amycus was thinking along the same lines because he rolled his eyes and sounded exasperated.

"Honestly Alecto maybe if you would shut your mouth and think you would realize the criminal could still be in this room, listening to this very conversation." Maybe he was smarter than Neville had thought.

"He was the one that did it!" Shit. All of the torches in the common room had been lit and Pansy Parkinson, in all of her pug faced glory, stood with her finger pointed at Neville. How was he going to get out of this one? He wasn't. Neville stood tall as he watched the evil grins spread across the two Death Eaters' faces. Here comes the pain.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the fearless leader himself, I think he has had a few too many chances don't you, Amycus? I hate to waste such pure blood, but actions must be taken. Ava-!"In panic Neville, who really did not want to die at the moment, said the first thing that popped into his head.

"I bet you Lucius Malfoy's pimp stick I didn't do it!" Now it may seem odd to you that this was the first thing that came to his mind in a moment of distress. It was all Luna's fault really. Earlier today Hannah, who always wanted to see the best in everyone, had asked if there were any good Death Eaters. Of course everyone had responded that no, they were all evil. Except for Luna, who had started to list the Death Eaters she thought were good and why.

She said that Narcissa and Draco had been forced into service, along with Theodore Nott, ad that Snape was always protecting the students as best as he could, even the muggleborns. The most bizarre though was her last thought. She stated that Lucius Malfoy was probably as well. When Ginny had asked exactly what his good quality was, do you want to know what Luna said? She said that 'Well he has that awesome pimp cane thing, plus have you seen his hair? I'm going to marry someone with hair like that…I hope someone other than Draco has it.' She then started humming like she had said something completely normal. Like she had said there were nargles in the suit of armor, not that she had just said that a Death Eater had an awesome pimp cane. Neville was brought back to the present by Amycus' questioning stare.

"His pimp stick? Are you referring to Lucius Malfoy's…?" He left the question up in the air for someone else to finish.

"Merlin no! Not his…no no. I meant his pimp cane. You know that cane he carries around, the one that has his wand in it. Bloody hell, why would I bet his…that's just wrong." Both he and Amycus shuddered at the same time.

"Stop standing around like fools, kill him!" Neville officially despised Parkinson. He probably could have gotten away if she hadn't reminded them of the situation.

"Thank you Miss Parkinson," Alecto sneered and drew out the 'miss' so it sounded like a snake hissing. What a freak.

"Stop! He didn't do it, she did!" Who in Slytherin had just come to his rescue? Looking away from Parkinson's pug like face he saw Astoria Greengrass rushing down the stairs of the girl's dormitory fully dressed. What was going on?

"What? Astoria, what are-?" Pansy was cut off by Neville's unlikely new ally.

"Pansy stop lying, loads of us saw you do it. We all knew that you were mad at Professor Carrow for yelling at you earlier after Dark Arts. I can't believe you would do this though. He's a blood traitor and all, but seriously if you wanted to pull this off you would have had to obliviate half of your house, or at least bribe us. I'm ashamed to be in the same house as you." Astoria said all this with a disappointed look on her face, like she actually meant all of the things she was saying. This girl was good.

"You saw her do this Miss Greengrass?" The girl nodded as Parkinson opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water.

"Yes Professor, you could also ask any other Slytherin who was in the common room at the time." Amycus Carrow nodded and seemed to be in deep thought.

"Miss Parkinson, I will let you off with a warning, now get up to bed." The Slytherin scurried as fast as she could up the stairs to her bed before Alecto could contradict her brother and start to torture her.

"Now then, what are you doing in the Slytherin common room if not painting that?" Before Neville could even start to think of a lie to feed him Astoria spoke up in his defense once again.

"Neville is here to speak to me, Professor. I was hoping to sway him over to our side sir. The Dark Lord could use his strategizing and pureblood status. If he came to our side, maybe more would follow. So if I could speak with him alone, Professor?" Amycus Carrow nodded to the girl's lies and left the room, pulling Alecto, who was still muttering about not being able to punish Pansy, behind him. Once they were gone Astoria turned to him with a look of fury in her eyes.

"Are you dim? How loud could you have been coming in here! It's no shock Pansy heard and came down; you might as well have been entering with a cloud of black smoke and cackling at the top of your lungs!" She was whispering angrily at him but Neville couldn't help be amused by her Wizard of Oz reference.

"Well I'm sorry but we can't all come and go by bubble." Astoria rolled her eyes.

"Oh, shut it, now get out of here, it's a Friday night. Oh and don't worry about the Carrows asking around. Pansy has been really annoying lately so it was quite easy to get people to say that she was the one did this tomorrow." Neville nodded. This girl was way too prepared.

"Now like I said, get out of here. I'm sure your girl friend is wondering if you're okay."

"My girlfriend?" Who was she talking about? Neville didn't have a girlfriend.

"Yeah, Lovegood. Blonde, in your army thing, kind of loony."

"Oh Luna's not my girlfriend, I don't have hair like Lucius Malfoy's." Astoria gave him a strange look like she wanted to ask but seemed to decide it was better if she didn't know.

"Okay…not going to ask, but back to the point get out of here before anyone else comes down." Neville nodded and started towards the door. He stopped halfway across the room and turned.

"Why did you do it?"

"Would you rather I hadn't?"

"No, I'm glad you did, just can't help but wonder why." They girl nodded understandingly.
"I want Lord Voldemort defeated ad I have this feeling that you will be important to his fall, more important that most anyways. I couldn't have you die on me. Now for the last time go!" Once more Neville nodded.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome" With that Neville left and made his way back tot eh Gryffindor tower with no more trouble. But he couldn't help but wonder. Maybe he was wrong about Slytherins. He could do with having someone like Astoria Greengrass in Dumbledore's Army.