His bedroom was quiet this morning, the sun just peeking through the clouds as he stared up at the ceiling. The Wimbourne Wasps flew in and out of the frame of the poster above him and he stared at the yellow and black reminding him he was going back to school today. It wasn't that he didn't want to; it was more like he was just anxious to get there.
Neville knew well enough Harry wouldn't be back this year, and probably not Ron. That meant it would be down to Seamus, Dean, and him in the dormitory as long as the other two returned. Though, with Dean being a muggleborn, he feared he wouldn't be seeing him either. He didn't know about the girl's side of things either other than he assumed Hermione would be off with Harry and Ron. It made him wonder just how empty Gryffindor Tower would be when he got there.
Hearing a light rapping against his door, he sat up slowly in bed and saw his Gran step in. "Are you up Neville?"
"Yeah, I'm awake."
"Did you want some breakfast before you left?" She asked calmly, her old wrinkled face peeking through the door. "I have some toast and eggs here. And tea with two sugars, your favorite."
"Sure Gran, I'll try to eat a bit."
The past few weeks they'd been fighting a lot, his grandmother not wanting him to go back. He knew she was probably afraid that something would happen to him similar to his parents but he wasn't going to give in. It was his job to help at Hogwarts now; they needed something to believe in without Harry there. He wanted to make sure they were ready when his friend would need them.
"You're staying here Trevor, okay?"
His toad responded with a deep throaty croak as if he understood and Neville gave him a smile. Dumping some crickets in for him to devour, he picked up a piece of toast and shoved it in his mouth. Scratching his bare chest as he walked over to his desk, he looked down into his open trunk and checked to make sure he had everything again.
Robes, books, jumpers, vests, trousers, trainers, vials, cauldron, everything was there. His wand sat next to his trunk and his second bag and it was all just waiting for him to apparate it into London. Finishing his toast and knocking back the still hot tea in a quick gulp, he got dressed and walked downstairs.
"You got another package this morning." His great uncle said, sitting at the kitchen table with his grandmother. "Those Weasley boys get things out quick, don't they?"
"I can always count on Fred and George."
He ripped open the box, the numerous pranks and other things littered the inside with vibrant colors and the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes label. George had been nice enough to drop the price on a lot of stuff knowing Neville was going to use it for important things at school and he even helped him plan a few things out. He was set.
"You aren't planning anything too crazy, are you? You know your mum and dad knew those insane pranksters back in their day, they were always getting detentions." Algie went on, scraping marmalade across his toast. "Your dad loved those blokes though; they were all in the Order together."
"Yeah, I know. The Marauders." He answered, knowing exactly who he was talking about. Though, to Neville's knowledge, only one Marauder was still alive.
Professor Lupin.
"Neville, you be safe this year, you hear?"
"Of course Algie, I never get up to too much trouble, do I?"
"I see more of your dad in you every day," he said softly in his ear, hugging him tightly, "I'm proud of you Neville."
He choked out a response, he always felt awkward when family members brought up his parents. It wasn't that he didn't like thinking about them but more so that he didn't think he'd deserved it yet. If it was the last thing he did, he wanted to do something that would make them proud enough to want to remember him. He wanted recognition in their eyes when he visited.
"I'm going to head out now Gran; I want to get there early enough to find out who's around."
She came up and hugged him once Algie let go, squeezing him so hard around the middle he feared she'd kill him. "If you get yourself killed Neville Longbottom, I will find your ghost and scream at it until I'm blue in the face!"
"I'll keep that in mind."
"You better! Do you have everything then, you don't want me coming with?"
"I'm seventeen now, I think I can make it to the train on my own."
She gave him an irritated look but kept hugging him all the same. "Don't you give me lip, boy."
"Sorry Gran."
"You write me constantly, alright? Or I will come up to that school and hit you around the head."
"I know, I know. I love you." He kissed her on the top of her head, her face coming up and kissing him on the cheek a few times before finally letting him go.
Running towards the front door and slipping on his trainers, he went back upstairs and made sure to stuff all the new WWW products in his trunks. Closing it and latching it safely, he took a hold on everything he had to take with him. Saying a quick goodbye to Trevor, he shut his eyes and took a deep long breath imagining where he wanted to appear.
An alleyway next to the train station surfaced in his mind, the place he had apparated to with his Gran for the past six years. He imagined the bricks on the wall, the street beneath his feet, the smells, everything he could. With one last deep breathe, he disapparated.
The sky was dark and gloomy high above King's Cross station, the clouds holding rain that Neville hoped would hold off until he was inside. He had just safely apparated into a secluded spot across the street and hauled his bag up on his shoulder before pressing forward with his trunk bouncing and dragging behind him on the cement. Muggles were knocking into him left and right and he wondered if they had any idea what was going on with the war.
Making it in just before the first downpour began, he pulled his cardigan around him tighter and continued his trek to Platform 9 ¾. It was a loud morning in the station with the crowd trying to rush off to work and people running about with coffee cups. Neville moved through them as quickly as possible, having to stop short at one point as a frantic woman ran past with kids being drug behind her.
"They're all mad, yeah?"
He jumped at the voice, turning to see an absolutely drenched Hannah Abbott looking around the station with her owl hooting indignantly in his cage. Her blonde hair was plastered against her face in places and her blue dress was practically a second skin. He gave her a small smile, blushing a bit as he turned away and tried to keep from being a bumbling idiot.
"You back then?" He asked awkwardly, both of them moving again past platform 7. "I didn't know if you would be after not coming back last year."
"Well, yeah, I mean…its mandatory right? So it's not like I had much of a choice. Plus my Nan wasn't too keen on going into hiding, she's a bit too old for that."
"I don't blame her, I don't think mine would be too happy going on the run either."
"It's weird in the house just with the two of us now," she said, lost in thought as they took another stop and let people by. "I'm so used to my mum coming home and helping me cook dinner but with just Nan now…it's oddly quiet."
"With my Gran it's never quiet. Dinner at our house is usually loud and insane. That and my great aunts and uncles always stop by so honestly, if it's ever too quiet just pop on over there. You'll want quiet."
She laughed, "Did you just invite me to your house, Neville?"
"What?" He stopped to think and realized that yes, he just did. "Oh, yeah, I mean…I'm sure my Gran would love to meet my mates from school."
"It's okay, I promise not to drop in awkwardly or anything. So, how many people do you think are going to actually show up?"
He thanked Merlin for the change of subject. "I don't know, I mean I'm sure a lot have gone into hiding or left the country all together."
"But I'm sure Harry's gone, right?" She asked him, looking around her as her voice dropped to a whisper. "He wouldn't come back, would he?"
"No, I think he's long gone."
Neville gave her a smile, the water still lacing down her skin from her wet hair. She looked like Hannah; the same blonde hair, same brown eyes, same height. She didn't look that different and yet, something was. It could have had to do with the loss of her mother or the fact that he hadn't seen her in almost a year, but there definitely was something different about Hannah Abbott.
Counting to three together, they ran through the brick wall between platform 9 and 10 and were happily greeted by the scarlet train. Though, any excitement died as soon as they saw all the Death Eaters lined up along the platform sneering down at families as they walked past. Neville turned to see Hannah drying herself off quickly with magic and then she gave him a nervous, wobbly grin.
"Nothing like a friendly Death Eater in the morning, right?"
"Just stay close, okay?"
Watching her nod, they slowly made their way through the crowd. Neville hadn't been the closest to Hannah during their last six years of classes together but he still considered her a good friend. She had helped him with his studies when he was alone in the library back in first and second year, she joined the D.A. where they often partnered up together, and he was the last person she saw before she left the school after finding out her mother had been murdered.
He liked to think she was a good mate because he didn't have many left at school anymore.
"You are the most beautiful people I've ever seen." Ginny said, coming up with her trunk bouncing on her trolley. "I swear I haven't seen a friendly face since I walked into the station this morning."
"I'm glad a bunch of murdering prats can make me more attractive."
"You haven't lost your sense of humor, Neville, that's good to know."
Hannah smiled, seeming a little uncomfortable now that she was walking with two Gryffindors. Even more so when Seamus came over to join them, he wanted to reach out and say something but Seamus butted in. "Aye, you guys ready to try and make it on this train without being killed?"
"I think I see Susan and Leanne," Hannah told him, falling back as he stopped with her. "I'll see you at school, okay?"
"You're more than welcome to –"
"No, it's okay Neville. I'm sure you guys want to catch up. Thanks for walking with me."
"Anytime."
She smiled, looking like she wanted to say something else but she just shrugged and said "Bye Neville."
He watched her go, her long blonde hair swaying back and forth behind her as she walked around the small crowd. He made sure to keep an eye on her until she found Susan and Leanne, all of them hugging one another and he realized that if he'd been with her he would've felt out of place too. They'd always hung out alone, he guessed they just didn't know how to be together with their friends yet.
Walking to go and find the others on the train, he walked up to the door and got stopped by a particularly ugly Death Eater. His gruesome face was even more prominent with his lack of hair and acid green eyes. He reminded Neville of something he used to have nightmares about but now just found disgustingly hideous.
"Name?"
"Why? Afraid I'm a muggleborn trying to corrupt the young purebloods?"
The man growled, his scarred face bending low next to his. "Name?"
"Neville Longbottom."
He checked it off some list he produced from a pocket. "I'll remember that, now get going."
Rolling his eyes and noticing the man had a tight grip on his wand, he figured it wouldn't be the best thing to do insulting him any further. Not that it mattered much, he'd be seeing him again later. He was very sure of that.
Maneuvering through the aisles and saying hello to the few familiar faces he saw, he took a seat in a compartment with Ginny, Luna, and Seamus. Pushing his and Luna's trunks up onto the racks above them, he collapsed into his seat next to Seamus and let out a long sigh. There had been no sign of Dean yet and he wasn't expecting him to show up now either.
"I guess Dean's off the grid."
Luna smiled wistfully, her usual look of wonderment gracing her face as she looked over at him. "I'm sure he's happy travelling around, he can search for all sorts of creatures."
"I doubt he's too worried about that, Luna." Neville said kindly. "More likely to be worrying where he's going to sleep or what he's going to eat."
"Harry, Ron, and Hermione left last month. Right after the wedding." Ginny piped up.
"So they're gone then? Really gone?"
"Yeah, doing whatever it is they're doing."
Her face fell a little, Neville knowing well enough that the fiery redhead probably didn't let her boyfriend go without a bit of a fight. Neville argued with Harry a bit last year too, off and on. He wanted to mean something in this war but in the end, he was happy he had stayed. There were people here he wanted to help just as much and in the end, Harry said he needed him here.
"I guess we rule the school then," he laughed, Seamus grinning greedily as he pulled out a stack of cards for a game. "The big bad seventh year Gryffindors."
"Yes, that's how I'd describe you." Ginny snorted.
"Stuff it Weasley."
"Make me Finnegan."
Neville just shook his head before resting it against the cold window and staring out at the platform as the train pulled away. There were barely any parents, no one around on the platform. So many kids had been pulled from school, taken into hiding, on the run from Voldemort. Neville hated to think about all of his missing friends out there without knowing how to contact them and find out if they were alright. It was going to be something he'd worry about all year.
All their prayers were on Harry now.
"Think they'll all force us to be Slytherins?" Seamus asked once they arrived in Hogsmeade, Hagrid quick to collect all the first years before the Death Eaters got to them. "Make us pledge our allegiance to the Dark Lord every morning?"
"I'd rather throw myself off the Astronomy Tower." Ginny answered, all of them moving towards the carriages.
"I'm sure they wouldn't mind helping, you are a blood traitor."
They all looked at Luna when she said it but she just shrugged slowly, Ginny laughing as they climbed up and took their seats. Looking out at the thestrals he eyed their skeletal bodies with no fear, he had come to like the gruesome creatures knowing he was one of the only people at Hogwarts who could see them. Luna's hand reached out and grabbed his, her eyes focused on them too and he squeezed back.
"We're going home." She said sweetly before pulling back and grabbing a copy of The Quibbler from her bag.
"So who's all here then?" Ginny asked, biting on her thumbnail and pulling on the end of her tie. "Who have you seen?"
"I saw Ernie, the Patil twins, and Terry."
"I saw Lavender Brown."
Neville nodded his head at the others. "And I was with Hannah and saw Susan and Leanne before I left her."
"How is Hannah?" Ginny asked, her eyebrows rising a bit. "I mean, losing her mum like that. It had to have been horrible."
"She seemed alright, she just said it was quiet at home."
"You're close with Hannah though, aren't you? I mean, I know her a little but I guess seeing as she'll be in my year that I'll get to know her better."
"Your year?" Neville stopped to think about it, remembering now the Hannah had been pulled out so early that it was obvious she'd be a sixth year again. It made his heart sink a little, another person he wouldn't get to see in classes. "That's right. Yeah, she's nice…really smart."
"I'm so happy there are a lot of D.A. members back. It makes me feel safe, even without Dumbledore." Luna cooed, twirling her pale hair around her wand. "We'll be okay."
Neville said a little prayer hoping that was true. With Snape as Headmaster and Death Eaters wandering around, he wasn't sure just how safe they'd be. It wasn't going to faze him though, this was his year to fight back. This was his year to show that he wasn't someone to be kicked around. He wasn't eleven years old anymore, he was ready to meet them in war when it came down to it.
Getting out of the carriage once they reached the castle, Neville saw Hannah with her usual Hufflepuff group and he was drawn to her again. It was as if he thought it was his duty to help her through this year, maybe it's because they had so much in common, he didn't know. He just walked over with the others trailing behind him and awkwardly saluted at the group.
"Any trouble on the train?" Hannah asked, slowly braiding her hair into pigtails as they walked up the steps. It made him remember the first time he saw her, pigtailed and the first to be sorted. "One of the Death Eaters came in and made sure to remind us how worthless we all are."
"No, we didn't get anyone." Ginny replied, walking behind them.
"Yeah, it was pretty quiet. I think I dozed off for a bit."
"Did you drool? I remember sitting next to you in History of Magic fifth year and it was like a lake coming near my parchment." Hannah laughed, her hand resting on his arm for a moment as he blushed and gave her a big grin.
"Thanks for bringing that up, Abbott. You just made my day."
"Aw, it was cute. You were so out of it."
"You're crushing my new found manliness here," he joked, walking into the Entrance Hall with the group. "I'll never forgive you."
"I'm sure you will, someday."
"I don't know Hannah, that was pretty mean. I'm going to have to cry in my pillow when we go to our dorms."
She laughed, fixing her tie as they all stood around and waited for the doors to open. "To think, a Hufflepuff making a Gryffindor cry. That has to be a first."
"You can write it down in your history books because it'll be the last time."
"Hey now Longbottom, don't tempt me."
He smiled, Ernie, Ginny, and Seamus coming to join their conversation and he got slowly pushed away from Hannah again and back towards the Gryffindors. They spotted Lavender, Pavarti, and Padma and went to talk with them until the doors finally opened so they could go in.
Walking into the Great Hall there was a definite difference than the years before. No brilliantly colored banners, no roaring welcoming fires in the fireplaces. The whole place seemed dead, a shell of the old Hogwarts. It was horrible to see, all of them just standing there in the doorway as McGonagall made her way towards them.
"Welcome, students, back to Hogwarts."