Read and review, you know the drill ;D
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Before I knew it, the time had come to go back to Hogwarts. For the first time in a while, I had enjoyed a vacation without stress. Mostly.
"Have you two got everything?" Mum asked. I nodded affirmatively.
"Yes. I double-checked my trunk before bringing it downstairs."
"What about Professor Flitwick's papers?"
"Check." Smiling, she turned to Neville.
"And you, Neville?" Neville nodded.
"Yeah, I think I've got-" He paused, sticking his hand into his pocket. "Oh, bloody...I left Trevor on the windowsill!" With that, he ran back up the stairs. I shook my head, smiling.
"Ready to go back, Lacey?" asked Dad.
"Yeah, I think so." They both smiled. Then, Mum suddenly leaned forward.
"Um, Lacey, we actually wanted to talk to you about something before Neville comes back downstairs." I leaned towards them a bit.
"What about?" Dad spoke in a hushed voice.
"Well, I'm sure you know what errand he went on with Augusta before he came here." I nodded, looking down.
"Yeah."
"And it made us wonder...you told him that you know about his parents, right?" I shook my head.
"No, and I don't think I should. He hasn't told me about it, and we're best friends. Maybe he doesn't want me to know." Mum looked troubled by this.
"But sweetheart, if you keep it from him and he finds out..." Suddenly, there was a thumping noise that came from the upstairs hallway. Moments later, Neville appeared around the corner and walked down the stairs, Trevor in his hand.
"Whew, found him! He was underneath the bed." He seemed out of breath. "Ready to go?" I smiled and nodded.
"Sure am." I eyed my parents reassuringly as we left for King's Cross station.
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I practically threw myself onto the padded seat and plopped Belle down next to me. We had to get through quite a thick crowd. It was a lot bigger than usual.
Neville sat down across from me, holding Trevor in one hand and his cactus in the other. I looked out the window as the winter trees flew by. Suddenly, Neville stood back up.
"I'll be back, Lacey. I need to look for someone real quick." I nodded.
"Oh. Alright." He started out the compartment door.
"I won't be long." The door shut, and I sat back against the seat. Petting Belle, I sighed deeply. Probably wants to make sure Seamus isn't preaching against Harry again.
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Minutes went by, and they soon turned into hours. I was starting to feel a bit concerned. Where was Neville? It was at this point that I realized something. He took the cactus and Trevor with him. If he was going to talk to someone for a moment, why wouldn't he just leave them here?
The moment the train came to a stop, I opened my door and joined the fray of fellow students. As we walked towards the carriages, I looked around. After a few moments, I spotted Neville walking towards a carriage with Dean and Seamus. He caught my eye for a split second, and then turned away. Is he...avoiding me?
By the time I found a carriage, nearly all of them were full. I had to sit with a few Hufflepuffs that I didn't know. As the cart started to move, I clutched Belle to me and buried myself in my thoughts. I don't understand. Why would he do that? He doesn't have any reason to be angry with me...does he?
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Dinner in the Great hall was lovely, of course. But I wasn't sitting next to my best friend this time. Neville was actually sitting at the very end of the Gryffindor table.
"So what happened?" Dean suddenly asked me.
"Hmm?"
"Did you and Neville get in a fight?" I shook my head.
"No. I don't know what happened. He's just been avoiding me since we got on the train." He looked confused.
"That's weird. When I asked him what was wrong when he came to our compartment, he just said that he needed...space." I nodded, concerned.
"I see." Space? From what? Me? Then, it dawned on me. Oh, I get it! No wonder he needs space! He's been stuck with me for the whole break, the poor bloke! I felt extremely relaxed at this thought. He just needs to get used to being back. By tomorrow morning, things will be alright again.
All people who think they understand their friends, step forward. Not so fast, Lacey.
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That night, everyone was hanging in the common room as they usually did. Over at one of the small tables, Parvati was telling me about her having a near-death experience with her six-year-old cousins over break. I was half listening, but while she was looking through the pile of photographs in her hand, I kept glancing over at Neville.
He wasn't talking to anyone. Instead, he was just standing in front of the fireplace. My concern for him maws rising with every passing second...
Oh, Lacey, would you relax? Why are you obsessing about this? He's just recharging his brain, remember? I forced myself to pay complete attention to Parvati as she continued her story...
Not too long afterwards, people were starting to leave for bed. After Parvati was gone, I stayed in my seat. One by one, each person went up to their respective dormitories.
"Night, Lace," muttered Seamus. I smiled. After Ron and Harry had gone, the only ones that remained were myself and Neville.
My eyelids got heavy after a few minutes. As I got up, I considered saying good-night to Neville. No, just let him be. I got closer and closer to the door. My hand was just on the handle when Neville suddenly spoke.
"How long have you known?"
I froze. Was he talking to himself? Slowly, I turned to look at him. His back was to me, and he was still staring at the fire. I didn't say anything, not knowing for sure if he was talking to me.
"How long have you known?" he repeated firmly, still not looking at me. Okay, he is talking to me. But what is he...? I shook my head.
"I don't know what you're-" He suddenly turned to look at me.
"About my parents, Lacey." My stomach knotted. The light from the fire illuminated the side of his face. He wasn't smiling, like he usually did around me. Instead, he was looking at me with a glare of pure anger. I looked away, not wanting to see it any longer.
"Wh-what do...?" He took a few steps towards me.
"Don't you dare," he snapped. "Don't even think of trying to insult my intelligence any more than you already have." He stopped a few feet away from me. "I heard you and your parents talking this morning." My heart sank. "Now answer my question. How long?" I was afraid to look up, but I forced myself to.
"I...I found out during Christmas break of...of first year." The look on his face broke my heart.
"First ye-You knew for that long, and you didn't..?" He turned away, walking back towards the fire. I stepped forward, determined to make myself heard.
"Neville, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just thought that you didn't want me to know." He didn't react. Why is he being like this? He's blowing this way out of proportion! I suddenly felt angry.
"Why wouldn't you want me to know, anyways? Did you think I was going to announce it to the school or something?" I couldn't stop myself as four years of dormant resentment made its way to the surface. "I spilled my guts to you, after all. Why couldn't you have-" I was cut off as Neville whirled back around and advanced on me.
"That's not the same, Lacey!" He stopped about a foot away from me. "You had it easy. You don't know what it's like to have parents that don't know who you are!" My anger spent, my only goal was to calm him down.
"Neville, please stop..."
"I won't stop!" He was shouting now. "I'm sick of being told that my words don't matter! That I don't matter!"
"You know that's not what I'm..."
"Poor stupid old Neville should just keep his mouth shut as everyone walks all over him!"
"That's a lie!" It was my turn to shout. I took a breath before continuing. "Neville, I know how you feel. I know what it's like to have things kept from me."
"No," Neville said, shaking his head. "It's not the same. You chose to keep quiet for no reason, save for being scared about losing your only friend." I looked down as he continued. "What Mad-Eye knew, what your parents knew, they chose to keep that from you to shield you from the truth." He chuckled bitterly. "They're certainly better liars than you, though." Anger flared within me.
"Don't bring my parents into this!" His look of fury returned.
"Well, it's true, Lacey! They lied to you!"
"No, they didn't!" By now, Neville had lost all control.
"Stop pretending! They keep telling you that you're the perfect child, that nothing's your fault. Well, guess what? Everything that's happened to you and your parents is because of you! It's your fault that you don't have a sister anymore!"
Time stopped. At that moment, I truly wanted to be dead. The tears spilled over my eyes. The instant he had said that, Neville's look of anger melted away. His face full of sorrow, he reached a hand towards me.
"Lacey, I didn't mean..." I didn't hear the rest of the sentence, because I jumped at the door and ran up the stairs. Hurling myself into my bed, I clutched Belle to my chest tightly. She licked the tears off of my cheeks, but they kept coming.
What killed me the most about what had just been said wasn't the fact that it was true. It had to do with the person who had said it. The last person in the world that I ever thought would say such a thing.
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...don't be mad. Reviews, please!
