It was almost midnight as a girl with dulled ginger hair stole quickly through the impossible maze that in daylight was the Gryffindor common room. One thought or maybe it was a wish, drumming into her scull over and over. "Please don't let him be here. Please don't let him be here" If she had of been thinking rationally or even honestly she knew she would've been glad that he hadn't given up on her yet but Chloe Black hadn't been honest to anyone, least of all herself, in a very long time. She couldn't bear to see his face crinkle in despair (disappointment?) because of her again but even more than that she hated hearing those stupid accursed words; "It's going to be okay, Chloe." Or "I understand". Despite what he professed he never would, he didn't know the pain of not having a family for twelve years and then after a scarce two years of having that one little bit of normality, for it to be torn away. He didn't have to see all the pointed stares and superior smirks every time he walked around a corner. The thing he would never truly understand though was how it felt to be betrayed by almost every person she had ever trusted in her life, almost every time she looked around someone was betraying her trust, it was easier to count the people she could still trust than the people who had betrayed her. They fitted on one hand. Ginny. Luna. Fred. George. Him.
Her hand grasped the handle that would open the portrait hole if she pressed down with enough force and she ... hesitated? Some small part in the back of her mind was telling her this could be the last in the line of her bad ideas, she had to stop playing with fire or it wouldn't just be her that got burnt, Godric the whole school could go up in flames and she doubted it would be the flames of the rebellion they were all waiting on. So why was she doing this? Revenge. Plain and simple, she had reacted to death eater presence in Hogwarts worse than almost anyone else, Ginny had to jinx her in their first muggle studies class this year because she was going do something too foolish even for her and when she had gotten back to the common room she had cursed and fumed and screamed until it all descended into tears. {but Chloe doesn't cry!}
She bit her lip and started to turn the handle until a hand constricted her movement, it was him again. "Chloe, where are you going?" He asked the question gently, but she could hear the slightest bit of steel in his voice, a steel that he hadn't possessed before the gauntlet of leadership had been thrown for him to catch. He wore it well, she mused, so did Ginny and Luna, it fitted them better than it would ever fit her, she was too rough around the edges, a visionary, a soldier, a dare devil but not a leader. She answered him, eyes focused on his face which bore as many scars as she was sure her own did, "You know where I'm going." She didn't add, "and that's why you came to stop me" because she didn't know whether it was supposed to be said with bitterness or relief. "You can't keep doing this, Chloe" He told her, looking straight into her eyes as he gently prised her hand of the door knob. She looked down, ashamed for a moment, a little kid caught stealing sweets from the sweetie box, then her anger burst to the surface, uncontrollable, a prancing, flaming stallion. She pulled her arm from his hand, dismissing his comment with a raised eyebrow and a sigh, "You don't understand" it was angrier and sourer than she had wished but he knew her, he knew she didn't mean it.
Or maybe he didn't? As Neville Longbottom stepped out of the shadow of the doorway and brushed past her, stopping in the middle of the common room, her anger abated. It amazed her how quickly her temper flared now, she had always been easy to irritate and the whole of Hogwarts had heard the book throwing stories but she had never been like this. Moving towards Neville she spoke softly, "I'm sorry, I'm tired and I lost my temper". He didn't turn and look at her but he spoke, "I know what you're always thinking Chloe, nobody understands; only you but your wrong, you don't understand. Don't you think I want to do exactly what you do? Attack them? Wipe them out? Of course I do! They've stolen my parents, my friends, my school and I won't let them steal anything else," He turned around and faced her, his eyes boring into her, "I won't let them steal you, Chloe, can't you see what we're doing its working!"
She smiled, "Dumbledore's Army!" The chant was nothing like what could be heard ringing during a meeting but Neville smiled at her all the same, it was almost better, after all what fool would shout the name of the most wanted rebel group in Hogwarts out for the whole world to hear. It would be foolish of them to think that, even now, that no one was watching them. Someone was always watching them, especially those who were considered the rebels, the enemies of Hogwarts and a peaceful pureblood society.
a/n: I'm not fond of NevilleHannah or NevilleLuna {I mean suddenly out of nowhere, much?} no offense to anyone who ships them so i ship Neville with my OC Chloe Black.