Ribs by Lorde
The first thing Leia made in the Room of Requirement was a king size bed. She had changed clothes a while ago, back in the Hog's Head when the polyjuice wore off. She hopped on it face down and buried her body in the soft comforter. She had been waiting in the back room of the Hog's Head for four hours. She was exhausted by everything that had happened over the last thirty-six hours.
She was alone in the room with Neville, next to a large fireplace and the picture frame they came out of. It was a whimsical idea, a passage through a portrait. The room was large, the same size that they would use to practice DA meetings in two years ago. This time the room had mostly hospital beds, except for the one Leia was currently lying on. When she looked around the room, all of these memories flooded back that she had been trying to hide away. In that moment, she missed Draco with new pains. She also hated him equally. If it wasn't for him, she wouldn't have to be abandoning her family in the first place.
"So I guess I'll wish you a good night's sleep?" Neville said stepping away slowly.
Leia didn't want to be alone.
"Can't you stay for a while?" She asked, sitting up on her bed.
"Umm…" He hesitated.
"You don't have to, but is it too pathetic to say I'm lonely? I just kind of want to be in the presence of another human being for a little longer."
She looked at him with sad eyes. She didn't want him to feel obligated to hang out with her, but she really hated the idea of being only with herself at a time like this.
"I know the feeling." He said taking steps toward her.
She sat up on her bed better.
"Come sit. I promise I won't make any moves on ya." She said lightly. The embarrassing part was that Neville had gotten quite attractive since she first met him fifth year, and she would now totally fuck him. Part of her hoped she could seduce him tonight to prolong her "bury emotions with sex" habit. But she would try her hardest not to. Part of her thought he was a virgin, and she didn't want to get into that tonight.
He took his shoes off and sat on the edge of the bed facing her.
"Thanks. It's actually nice to talk to you again. It's been weird without you and Harry, Hermione and Ron."
"There must be a lot missing this year."
"There are. Even more didn't come back this semester."
"That's understandable. If my kid was being beaten as a punishment, I wouldn't let them back either."
"It's so sad to see this place that I've known and loved for so many years be destroyed."
"I can't imagine."
There was a moment of silence between the two. Leia knew she had to keep the conversation rolling so he wouldn't leave. She went ahead and said the next thing on her mind without thinking it through.
"You know, I don't think I've regretted anything more than punching you in the face. I'm so sorry, Neville." She said quite honestly. She covered her face with her hands a little in embarrassment.
Neville laughed.
"I've never had anyone apologize to hitting me before! I'll forgive you if you tell me one thing." He said with a mischievous grin on his face.
"Anything." She said with a grin to match.
"Why in the world would you, after running up to a practical stranger and punching them straight in the face, go and vomit in a bin? Tell me the string of events that led up to that."
Leia laughed. It felt good.
"This is an awful story, and I fully expect you to judge me very hard after hearing it. I actually remember it crystal clear. I went to the Valentine's Day ball with none other than the infamous Draco Malfoy. However, a week before the ball, my brother had sent me this flask with muggle vodka in it so I could enjoy myself. So, at the ball, my idea of a good time was to drink an embarrassing amount of vodka with Draco Malfoy. Keep in mind, at this time I had a very intense crush on Luna Lovegood, and I was using Draco Malfoy to distract my feelings for her."
"Really?" He said curiously.
"Yes, but the Luna and Leia chronicles is another story. So, towards the end of the ball, I tell Draco we should go off somewhere to be alone. And so Draco leads me to the Room of Requirement. In our drunken stupor, we fucked. When we woke up the next morning, Draco wanted to know the reason I had broken up with my last 'boyfriend'" she said using air quotes, "and his best friend Theodore Nott. So I tell him this exceptionally embarrassing story, that is again for another time, and we laugh. I then asked him what Theo had told him happened when we broke up. Draco told me that Theodore Nott told Draco's group of friends that he broke up with me when he learned my mother was a mudblood."
Leia paused for a moment as Neville looked at her sadly.
"Draco actually thought Theo had made that up, and so he told me not to worry, no one had spread that rumor around. I then asked him if this was a solid reason for ending a relationship, among his group. I asked him if it had happened before. He told me that it had, to other people, but not to him. He told me he had always taken precautions before, ya know. I then proceeded to tell him that my mother is, indeed, a muggleborn, and that even worse that my father is a squib. He said nothing, but looked at me dumb founded as I left."
Leia caught her breath again, to do the big finish.
"Walking outside the Room of Requirement, I see you. I mentally saw flashes of you with Luna the night before. I remember how happy Luna looked. She looked happier than I could ever make her. I thought about what a nice evening you two must have had. I don't actually remember mentally thinking 'I'm going to punch Neville Longbottom in the face.' My hands just kind of moved on their own in a blind rage. The next thing I remember is you on the floor with blood everywhere. All of my rational feelings hit me in the stomach and I realized what I had done. I immediately felt so bad. You had done nothing to hurt me, ever. I don't think you've really hurt anyone ever. You're probably the nicest person I know, and I just punched you in the face for no reason. And so I ran away. Then all of the alcohol and bad feelings of the last twelve hours hurdled itself out of my mouth. Luckily there was a trashcan."
Neville was silent again.
"But you were with him after that?"
"Of course. But even with all of the pain he caused me, I hurt him just as much if not more. However, he changed over the summer that year. I think getting the task really threw things into perspective for him. He had a new attitude after that. All of the hatred he felt towards impure blood deflated. I know for a fact he couldn't care less about it anymore. But he loved me, so much more than I could ever love him. He loved me tragically. And I stayed with him because I didn't know what else to do."
Neville visibly flinched when she mentioned the task. He was still reeling in the wake of Dumbledore's death.
"Did you love him?"
"Not in the same way, no. I loved who he was removed from our environment. I can honestly say that if we were born in a different time or place, he would be my one great love. But here he's just my one tragic love. The context was wrong."
"He's been mopey this year. More than last year."
Leia's ears perked up.
"Does he look sick?"
"No, not like he did at the end of last year. Now he doesn't look as worried, he just looks depressed."
Leia was quiet again. She didn't know how to react to that.
"Do you still care about him?"
"In different ways. I'll worry that they're making him do terrible things and using me as a threat. But a huge part of me hates him for getting me and my family into this mess."
Neville nodded and looked at her intently.
"Was it worth it?"
"No." she said without hesitation. "Nothing was worth forcing my family to go into hiding. They now live in fear. Nothing is worth having to abandon my family now. If they died now, then I would have no idea. No one could notify me. I wouldn't know until years later. Draco-fucking-Malfoy is not worth that. Not even close."
"Who is Jerome… to you I mean." Neville asked, changing the subject.
"Some guy I lived in the same house with in a small French commune for a few months. We were sort of together, but nothing serious. He spoke some of the best English in the commune. His purpose was to distract me from everything else."
"Just wondering… It looks like Draco's been in cahoots with Pansy."
"Did you just use the word 'cahoots'?"
"Yes."
"Good word. Really good word. I'm impressed."
"That's my goal out of this."
Leia laughed. It felt good to have someone to talk about all of this with. She couldn't talk to Jerome because of obvious reasons, and her brother was too harsh on her. She was quiet for a moment, hoping he wouldn't leave, but she also didn't want to keep him any longer.
"Neville, you don't need to stay here with me…" She said sadly.
"Have I overstayed my welcome?"
Leia chuckled.
"Oh, not at all, I just worry that I am keeping you from something."
"I have nothing. But if you want to sleep, I can leave."
Leia took a deep breath.
"I don't really want you to leave."
"I don't really want to leave."
Leia felt tears gather in her eyes.
"Thank you, Neville." She reached out her hand from one side of the bed to touch his. He grabbed hers and squeezed it. Neville was so comforting.
"How are you handling all of this?" She asked, not wanting to talk about herself the whole time.
"I'm alright. I just hate to stand by and have to watch first years come to Hogwarts, and with all of the excitement on their faces be forced to see the truth of what this place has become. They come here with so much wonder and then…"
Leia hadn't even considered the first year's impact. She had always had a secret soft spot for the 11 year-olds. They were all so determined. It's cute. She hated knowing that their childhood could be shattered so easily.
"Do any of them know what's going on?"
"Some have a better idea than others. Most are confused."
"What do you think will happen?"
Neville paused.
"I think we're stuck waiting until we hear more from Harry."
"More?"
"Oh, yes, you didn't get the news. Harry, Ron, and Hermione broke into the Ministry to steal some unknown object. They just barely escaped. Little information was ever published about it."
"I wonder what object was so important that they would risk stepping inside the Ministry."
"No one knows."
Leia was quiet again.
"Do the others know I'm here?"
"Other DA members?"
"Yeah, do they know I'm here?"
Leia hadn't considered the fact that many students might not be so happy to see her.
"I went ahead and told Ginny. Word will get out to other DA members, but we've secured the room to make it so no one who's against our cause can enter."
"Should I be worried some members won't be happy to see me?"
"I know Ginny is glad to hear that you're back."
Leia took that as 'Ginny is the only person other than me who would tolerate your presence after dating Dumbledore's assassin.' She was quiet again.
"Why did the Order offer me protection? I was in a romantic relationship with the guy who murdered Albus Dumbledore. Why aren't I black listed?"
"I've been asking myself the same question, no offense." Leia nodded, none taken. "I think someone had to fight for your safety."
"Who?"
"Your guess is as good as mine."
Leia groaned in frustration and leaned back onto her bed. Neville moved so he was lying next to her, a move that surprised Leia. She turned so they faced each other.
"I hate sleeping alone." Leia said in her quietest voice.
"It's okay." He replied with a sad smile and a tiny yawn.
"You're a good person Neville. Better than I've ever been."
Impending sleep started causing her eyes to droop.
"You're not that bad."
"Thanks." She whispered as she drifted off to sleep. Neville slowly followed after watching her eyes close.
