Ch. 10 Stick Together

How can you see into my eyes like open doors

Leading you down into my core

Where I've become so numb without a soul my spirit sleeping somewhere cold

Until you find it there and lead it back home

(Wake me up)

Wake me up inside

(I can't wake up)

Wake me up inside

(Save me)

Call my name and save me from the dark

(Wake me up)

Bid my blood to run

(I can't wake up)

Before I come undone

(Save me)

Save me from the nothing I've become

~ Bring Me To Life by Evanescence

The Room of Requirement was officially my favorite room in the entire castle of Hogwarts- and I was definitely a fan of Hogwarts overall. Once Neville had finished explaining it, and everything it had meant to the DA and to the famous Harry Potter, I wanted to give the room a hug. But you can't give rooms hugs, so that wasn't going to work out.

"The room really came through this time, though," he continued, taking my hand and leading me around. There was a small fireplace, two hammocks hanging side-by side beneath hangings of red and gold and purple and aqua, a couch (actually, it was a loveseat, but I tried my hardest to ignore this fact,) a table with chairs, and a bathroom. Finally, on the opposite wall from where I had come in was a portrait of a slight, blond girl.

"That," he explained, pointing with his free hand, "Leads directly to the Hog's Head. The Room can't produce food for some reason, so it provided by bringing me- now us- to the one place in Hogsmeade we know we'll be safe."

"Why do we know the Hog's Head is safe? I mean, I'm sure it is, I just… am a newbie," I sighed in defeat. He laughed.

"Aberforth Dumbledore runs it, is why. He really has been the caterer of the DA from the beginning, though according to Harry he ratted us out to Albus Dumbledore. Anyway, he said he'd give me food, which is great, cause I was starving this morning," Neville chuckled, "Are you hungry?"

I shook my head and stared at Neville like he was crazy, "Are you alright? You're positively… giddy!"

"Well, I'm great!" Neville laughed, "Never been better."

I continued to look at him like he was crazy and he finally sighed and shrugged.

"On the one hand, I feel safer now than I have had for months," he paused, "I've closed all the loopholes to their getting in. And you're in here too, which makes me even more relieved, because you were in such danger in the Common Room where they could have gotten at you at any moment. And, also, just being cooped up in here for one day made me extraordinarily lonely. And, I missed you," he paused again, taking a deep breath, "On the other hand, we're essentially trapped, because even though the Hog's Head is safe, Hogsmeade is terribly unsafe, and we'd never be able to get out without being spotted. And, eventually, we're going to want to go on the run, because it's never safe to stay in one place for too long when you are trying to run away," he sighed, "I have no idea what to do next."

I squeezed his hand, nervously, "We'll figure it out. We have plenty of time to do it in."

"There is that," he nodded, "And at least we're together."

I breathed in sharply but smiled in assent, "Yeah. I was not in a good place this past day."

"It's only been a day?" Neville gasped, "Wow. It's felt like much longer."

"Same here," I chuckled, "But the sun definitely only set and rose once."

Neville frowned, "Ah well. It's over. What happened to you? I was pretty boring, being lonely and alone up in my little cave."

I giggled, again, in that out-of-character way that made him puzzled. I tried to stifle it, but I was suddenly feeling that extreme giddiness that had overcome him before, and I was laughing with tears of relief in my eyes as he stared at me in amazement.

"I'm sorry, I just finally understand why you were happy before," I laughed, "Oh thank God." He watched me, continuing to be amazed, as I laughed and pressed my forehead to his shoulder (breaking past whatever nervousness I had) and continued to laugh with tears pouring down my face. I was happy, so happy, and so relieved to have escaped the Carrows once again and yet at the same time, terrified- terrified for we had no real future ahead of us and everything was getting scarier looking by the minute.

When my burst of emotion had ended, I straightened up and began to walk to the bathroom. Neville watched me questioningly.

"He touched me," I murmured, "I have to shower."

"He touched you?" Neville cried, "God dammit! What the f*** did he do to you? I am going to actually murder him this time, properly!"

"He just forced me against a wall and cut me here," I pointed to the now dried cut along my face, "Professor ...McGonagall stunned him and told me how to get here."

Neville watched me desperately, "That's it. We aren't separating ever again."

I looked at him, confused.

"I vowed that I wouldn't let him touch you ever again, and I failed! I am never leaving you," he took a deep breath, "We will run away together and hide away together, come hell or high water."

I looked at him in amazement, and it took all of my strength to not run forward and kiss him. Instead, I went to him and hugged him, but differently than I usually hugged him- I gently cradled his head as it came towards my shoulder for the hug and I rested my cheek gingerly against the side of his neck, placing my hand lightly on his side instead of just throwing my arms around him like I usually did. Furthermore, I took my time in leaving the hug, making sure to look into his eyes as I pulled back.

He blinked, squeezed my hand, and kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply as we stayed like that for a few moments, trying my hardest to remain calm. He pulled away slowly and nodded, letting me go to take my shower.

I took a rather cold one to try and calm myself down, breathing in deeply to steady my frantically beating heart.

I walked out to find Neville reading a book on the sofa, one that the lovely room had materialized for him no doubt. I was wearing pajamas that had come into existence in much the same way, so I went to sit next to him and rested against his side. I briefly wondered angrily why they had to call them loveseats.

"How did they find you?" he asked softly after a while, not looking up from his book.

"They got permission from Voldy himself," because Snape never would have, "To go into the Gryffindor Common room to find you, so Alecto cornered me and Seamus stunned her. I ran around for a while, Amycus cornered me, McGonagall rescued me and told me how to get here, I ran, Alecto nearly got me but I stumbled in here," I swallowed, "Ta da!"

He smiled and rolled his eyes, "Well, at least you are safe now. No more Amycus violating you and no more Alecto putting the Cruciatus curse on you, until hopeful further notice."

I looked over at him, frowning.

"Why are you so afraid of the Cruciatus curse?" I asked softly.

He watched my face for a very long time, "I don't fear having it put on me, no."

"Others, then," I insisted, begging in my head to know.

He continued to watch me in that calculating way for a while, his face so incredibly torn I wanted to take back the question.

Finally, he murmured, "I fear having it cast on people I care about for something I have never told anyone about."

"Oh," I whispered, "OK, I understand."

He shook his head, "No, just... Just listen. Some people do know, but they found out by accident and that was just… just humiliating for me even though it shouldn't have been."

I looked at him, feeling deep concern well up inside me and I wanted to just make it all better for him.

"I… when I was very, very little," Neville paused, taking a deep breath that once again ignited those protective feelings inside of me, "My parents were Aurors, fighting against Voldy during his first time of terror. When Harry brought Voldy down, Bellatrix Lestrange, among some other Death Eaters, thought that my parents would know where Voldy was or at least how to find him. In order to get them to talk, Bellatrix and her gang put my parents each under the Cruciatus curse for multiple hours, until they went so insane that, to most of the Wizarding world, they are dead," Neville breathed deeply as I fought all my urges to just kiss each of the tears forming in his eyes away, "In reality, they are permanent residents of the mental ward at St. Mungo's. I visit them every Christmas with Gran."

I was silent for a very long time as I stared at him in sadness. Poor, poor Neville, who never really had parents and never could tell his friends about them, who had to deal with so much pain from such an early age that no one recognized, like Harry's pain, simply because he had been ordinary after the blows were dealt… I felt tears come to my eyes as I came to the private conclusion that he had suffered worse than Harry, because even though Harry's parents were dead, at least they weren't in the unattainable state of being there, but not being there.

"Oh Nev," I whispered finally, reaching out to gently touch his face. He sighed, closing his eyes. I pulled him into a hug and stayed there for a very long time, crying softly for him.

"I just don't want that to happen to you," he murmured after a long while.

I nodded in understanding, looking up into his eyes and trying to convey through my own that I understood completely. He finally leaned into the perma-hug and rested on me, crying as I soothed him and rubbed his back softly.

I wanted to say it, so bad- I love you- but I couldn't do it, I couldn't gather up the courage. I wasn't a Gryffindor. I was some sort of quasi-Gryffindor-Ravenclaw hybrid thing that didn't know what to do when it came to boys because she had gone to an all-girl's school but if this wasn't love then what the hell could it be?

Eventually, both of our tears quieted, and I actually felt myself falling asleep there, so close to him as I was. He looked up and wiped off his eyes and laughed weakly.

"It takes a real man to cry," I murmured softly. He chuckled again and got up, smoothing out his shirt and jeans.

"Imma sleep," I continued, mumbling and rubbing my eyes.

He frowned, "Wait a mo'," and ran into the bathroom. I smiled and shrugged, waiting patiently whilst yawning quietly.

He came out in flannel pants and a different shirt, nodding at me and taking my hand. Suddenly, I realized that one of the hammocks had disappeared and the other had gotten rather large. I blushed, realizing I didn't give much of a crap anymore if I was being too obvious, and clambered onto the hammock. He did the same, facing me and not saying much, but reaching out to hold my hand softly.

"I want to show you America," I whispered quietly. He nodded eagerly and grinned in enthusiasm.

"It would be nice to see a place not torn by war," he paused, "Someplace fresh and new."

I smiled and nodded in agreement, "The Rockies are my favorite. Thallus and I love to fly and soar above them; it's like there's no limit to how far we can go, whether it be in height, distance or just life in general. We are limitless and it's excellent."

Neville grinned again, "It's actually a sight I'd like to see, you and Thailus flying together."

"As the world should be," I said, "And you should see all the magical plants that are up there!"

Neville's eyes lit up with extreme excitement, "Really?"

I nodded, "Really. All sorts of herbs and vines and things that just act like no other plants."

Neville continued beaming, "That settles it. That's where we're running away to."

I laughed, "Are you sure you can abandon the cause? For safety and plants and flying?"

Neville frowned, "Stop ruining the dream."

I giggled and squeezed his hand, "Someday."

He sighed in resignation and nodded, "When all this shit is over."

"Feels like it never will be," I sighed, "It's been a helluva year."

"Imagine what it's been like to live through it for multiple years!" Neville affirmed, "Though this year is the worst by a land slide."

"it could have been worse. I could have not been here," I joked.

Neville frowned at me, "You say that like it's not true."

I didn't control my blush in time. Luckily, it was dark.

"Seriously, Maggie, I have never been as close to anyone as I've become with you in only eight months," he paused, "you literally know everything about me. Almost."

"What am I missing?" I asked, my heart beating fast.

"I'll tell you some day," he whispered, "I promise."

I nodded and murmured, "You know almost everything about me too... I trust you more than anyone, Thailus being the exception, but he doesn't count because he's basically myself and you have to trust yourself."

Neville grinned, "Yeah."

I yawned and curled up closer to him, swiftly falling asleep amidst his intoxicating boy smell and warm arms. Everything felt exceptionally right.

And when I woke up, I was thoroughly amused and amazed at the fact we were spooning, him curled around behind me with his arms still wrapped around me. His head was tucked in my neck and my hands were holding his softly against my stomach.

The whole situation was getting rather ridiculous- I was almost positive he felt the same way for me as I did for him, and yet at the same time my fear of rejection was blocking me from making a move.

I sighed softly and closed my eyes, much too groggy to do much more thinking than that, and tried to fall asleep again when I felt him stir beside me. I sat up, terrified of his reaction, and slowly got down off of the hammock.

He yawned and sat up slowly, a small frown on his face that disappeared as he rubbed his eyes in an almost childlike fashion.

"I'll go get food!" I offered. Neville looked at me with an amused expression on his face.

"Good morning to you too," he laughed.

"Sorry I'm just... Jumpy! What would you like?" I asked.

"Just get enough for the day, we can't go in and out too much," he explained. I nodded and went through the portal, climbing through the small passage way (crawling at some points) and out into the inn. A man with a rather crazy look about him was waiting there, with white hair and beard. He looked surprised to see me.

"Who are you then?" he asked in amazement.

"Maggie!" I was still jumpy as I held out my hand for him to shake, "You must be Aberforth Dumbledore."

"Yes. The Neville boy mentioned you yesterday, not to mention you are rather famous around the country for being the most stubborn human being ever," I laughed in response but he wasn't laughing.

He grabbed a plate and waved a very old looking wand and a large pile of food appeared on it, "That should last the two of you the day. See you tomorrow."

I nodded with a smile and walked back up to the room with the plate, gingerly caring the fragile food. The passage was so long that, thanks to the fact I had journeyed it twice, by the time I reached the room and put down the plate, Neville had finished his shower.

"Thanks Mags," he smiled, "Was he nice?"

"No," I laughed.

"Oh good, nothing is dreadfully wrong then," Neville chuckled. We ate together in eternal goofiness, flicking bits of waffle at each other. I was just filled with so much emotion towards the kid I felt like a flipping bunny or something, when I most definitely was not the bubbly butterfly type.

I sat down on the loveseat, running away in some sort of weird playful fashion, and curled up there as he slowly came to sit next to me.

"So tell me," he paused, "You said that when you bind with a dragon, you take on some dragon characteristics and your dragon takes on some human characteristics."

"Mhm," I nodded, "And?"

"Well, I suppose the real question is, can you legitimately breathe fire?" Neville asked. I laughed hysterically in response, amazed at the bluntness of the idea.

"Yes," I answered, chortling still.

"Cool!" Neville gasped. I laughed again.

"Don't ask me to do it, though," I paused, "It hurts and I can't control it as easily as Thailus can. It just sort of goes everywhere and it's a real mess."

Neville laughed and patted my shoulder, "Oh Maggie, what will we do with you?" I rolled my eyes in response.

"What other dragon things do you have? And what human things does Thailus have?" Neville continued, not as morbidly eager but still curious.

"Well, Thailus actually has natural human emotions- what I mean is, all dragons can do things like fall in love and be happy or sad. But his range is so much wider; he can be giddy, depressed, bored, sarcastic, giving, moody- anything you can think of. And he can read my mind and I can read his, of course. And his lifespan is shorter simply because we have to live the same amount of time, so my lifespan is longer and his is shorter. And he also is incredibly better at understanding the emotions of others around him- dragons are not normally very perceptive."

"And what about you?" Neville asked cheerfully.

"Well," I swallowed, thinking of one trait that was rather awkward to talk about, "I am a bit more resilient than the average human when it comes to cuts and bruises, and I'm also light on my feet. I also get into this weird dragon mode when I'm fighting alongside him, like I am more fierce and furious and bloodthirsty, but without him in battle I get sort of lost. And I also have to act like a dragon when it comes to... Ah..." I blushed like a twelve year old, "Mating."

"Wait what?" Neville laughed, but his face was also coloring rapidly.

"I mean... In order to give their children the best chance for survival," I paused, "Dragons only fall in love once. Once they mate, and both are in love so it's not rape or anything like that, they are bonded for rest of their lives. It's like marriage, except it's a load more binding," I explained, trying to sound aloof and academic.

"How so?" Neville asked in amazement.

"Well, like with dragon partners, the mate will not last long if their mate dies," I paused, "And long term, like multiple year long, separation leads to depression and even longer, like near decade long separation, leads to catatonia," I paused, "And they just emotionally cannot fall in love with someone else, not even if humans in a similar relationship would have broken up very messily. The idea is just unfathomable; their mate is it."

"So that's how you'd be if...?" Neville asked. I nodded.

"But what if your partner isn't a dragon rider?" he continued.

"That's the fun part," I paused, "The moment I have sex with whomever it ends up being, they immediately take on this characteristic as if they were a dragon rider. It's like the ultimate STD."

Neville laughed loudly in complete shock at what I'd said, "What if you hadn't told them?"

I shrugged, "What they don't know can't hurt them. They just will always love me. Though, it's very common knowledge in the States, the moment that he finds out I'm a dragon rider he'd know what he'd be in for. Though, over here..."

"Rather a dirty trick that," Neville chuckled, though his eyes were filled with mirth to counteract what he said.

"Call it insurance," I shrugged. Neville laughed again and we fell silent, though not nearly as awkwardly as it could have been.

"It would be cool to be a rider," Neville remarked after a while.

"It comes with a lot of responsibility and anxiety," I paused, "I'm missing half of myself right now."

He frowned, "I'm sorry," and reached out to gently squeeze my hand.

"It's OK," I murmured, "I miss home."

He watched me, silently asking me to continue.

I watched him desperately, suddenly feeling the most pent-up emotion inside of me well up. Tears began to flood my eyes.

"I miss Thailus, I miss flying on his back and feeling like the universe could not contain us because we were bigger than it, not like I am so small and insignificant that I could get raped and tortured by two bigoted idiots just because it's a Tuesday," I sniffled, "I miss my dad, and arguing with him over the stupidest things but being able to talk to him about anything at the end of the day. I miss my sister, and how we would giggle like actual teenage girls and listen to muggle pop music just to dance around to it and then go out to the park to be one with nature like the hippies we are. I miss my mommy," I whispered hoarsely, and suddenly the tears began pouring down my face.

"Oh sweetie," Neville whispered as this latest development occurred, pulling me closer to him, into the comfort of his arms.

"I miss the way we'd talk about everything and anything over a cup of coffee in the morning. I miss her hug goodnight and I miss how easily she could just tell what was wrong with me. I miss how she laughed and how she would decorate the house every Christmas. I miss how she treated Thailus like the son she never had and would encourage me every day. I miss her, Nev," I sobbed.

"I know," he murmured, not interjecting a single word of anger at the Dark Side- just holding me close to him.

"I miss walking through the streets of Boston and seeing all the trees change color in fall. I miss the salty smell of the sea and the yells of the fishermen at the dock. I miss obnoxious muggle teens on the street dressing obnoxiously and shouting and listening to music really loudly. I miss waking through the woods or through a prairie and just feeling so alive and free... I miss it all," I sobbed heavily.

He didn't say anything, just held me close to him and kissed the top of my head.

"Just don't forget your British pals when you go," he insisted softly, resting his head on top of mine.

I pulled back from him in shock, "Point A, how could I possibly forget you all? Point B, I'll come back, I just need to experience home to balance out my psyche."

"You will?" Neville asked breathlessly.

"Of course. You people mean too much to me now," I asserted.

Neville smiled a little and shrugged, "Sorry, I just assumed that with all you've gone through here you'd be out if here like a bat out of hell."

"Hell no!" I laughed, "You're like a second family to me."

He smiled again, "Good."

I looked at him questioningly.

"I must make a confession, Mags," he paused, "I enjoy your company far too much; I'm rather greedy about it, and I cannot bear the thought of you leaving."

I smiled weakly at him, "Samesies."

He grinned back and I hugged him tightly, feeling him kiss the top of my head again. The uncertainty was getting ridiculous and I gathered up every ounce of my courage to pull back from him.

"Nev, I..." I stared at his eyes and got instantly lost in them and the intense look they contained.

He gently brushed back the hair from my face and left his hand on my cheek. I felt my heart beat rapidly as he leaned in closer to me, and I automatically closed my eyes as his lips gently touched my own.

We were both new at this and as such the kiss was fumbling and awkward at first. Once I had regained myself and stopped marveling at the softness of his lips, I wrapped my arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling us closer together and making the kiss more sure and strong. I felt breathless and dizzy when he finally pulled away.

I looked at him in amazement briefly, before leaning in and kissing him again, eagerly and joyfully. He pulled me closer to him this time so I was basically in his lap, but I didn't care. I was kissing Neville and it felt better than I had even dared to imagine.

This time I pulled back slowly, my heart still going at breakneck speeds as we stared at each other in amazement.

"Maggie," he murmured breathlessly. I swallowed and averted my eyes, still terrified of rejection though, logically, I reminded myself that he started it.

He leaned towards me and whispered delicately in my ear, "I love you."

Everything inside of me swelled up and burst with joy. I almost felt like I was going to cry.

I looked at him straight in the eye and murmured, "I love you, too."

He looked exceptionally joyful and pressed his forehead against mine. I closed my eyes and smiled, wrapping my arms around his shoulders to hold him tightly.

"I suppose everyone knew but us?" I finally asked, laughing breathlessly as he gently wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Well, we've basically been acting like a couple since the incident, let's be honest with ourselves," Neville chuckled. I grinned and leaned in to kiss him playfully, but he pulled me closer to him and kissed me back so fiercely my head was spinning madly.

"When did you realize it?" I asked breathlessly, everything around me spinning except for him.

"Remember when I met Thailus?" he paused, "That's when I started having feelings for you. But... But when I... When they were torturing you, your screams could be heard from the great hall, where I was getting chewed out by McGonagall for getting us into that situation and... Maggie," he sobbed, "I couldn't do anything to help you and each of your screams pierced me like a knife through my heart and I would have died to make you safe again. I knew I love you."

I felt tears come to my eyes and I gently stroked his face, "Oh Nev."

"When did you?" he asked, gently wiping away the tears from my face with his fingertips.

"I must confess I was rather oblivious for a while longer than you," I paused, "I realized I had feeling for you over Christmas, when we were playing Chess. And I realized I love you when you came in with Seamus after the Carrows tortured you, though I must admit I was realizing it when you defended me from Malfoy."

He nodded and gently kissed me again before whispering, "I understand. I'm rather unloveable."

"Don't be stupid," I rolled my eyes, "You are brave, intelligent, loyal, kind and good. You also, side note, have a gorgeous accent, beautiful brown eyes, and are handsome in a non-conventional way. But you are."

He blushed furiously, "Come on, Mags. I'm rounder than most and I have crooked teeth. And I'm clumsy and hesitant and fearful and shy."

"To the first point, everyone in Britain has bad teeth, and you're cuddly," I smiled wide and hugged his middle fondly, "To the second, everyone has faults, and for the most part, you overcome yours, and I love them anyway."

He leaned in and kissed me again and things were starting to feel a little more heated.

"Well, you are beautiful, fierce, passionate, moral, smart, and lively," he insisted, "You're a whirlwind of awesomeness."

I blushed, "I'm curvy and stubborn and reckless and standoff ish."

"You're a woman and not a twig," he countered, and I kissed him just for that. He broke away and kept talking breathlessly, "And if you were perfect it would be an imperfection. And you're beautiful when you're standing up for what you believe in and sexy when you do it no matter what."

I kissed him furiously, and a gentle moan escaped his lips as we laid back into the loveseat. Our kisses grew more and more passionate by the second as I sealed my arms around him and clutched desperately at his back. His hands ran down my sides and gently caressed my waist, making my blood boil uncontrollably. I hesitantly slipped my tongue between his lips and he moaned, pressing up closer to me and thus pushing us further into the cushions. I instinctually raised my legs up around his hips and in the air, feeling rather lightheaded and tingly from my stomach down.

I moaned quietly as his lips left mine and began to trail delicately down my neck and to the dip between my neck and shoulder, making me gasp in surprise at the both tickling and pleasing sensation. I clutched at the hairs at the back of his neck and he moaned, continuing to trace his lips along my shoulder and run his hands now along the sides of my hips.

He then returned his lips to mine briefly and I heard my stomach growl loudly. I tried to ignore it, simply too wrapped up in him to pay concern to anything else, but he broke away from me and smiled.

"Food time I suppose?" he asked cheerfully.

"Later," I groaned, pulling him back to me and kissing him heavily. He moaned into my mouth but pulled away once again as my stomach continued to growl.

"No, now," and before I could distract him with another kiss he had put his arms underneath me and lifted me up over his shoulder. I shrieked in protest and hit his back, begging for him to let me down. He merely laughed and shook his head, effectively distracting me by supporting me by placing one of his hands on my butt. He set me down in one of the chairs and pushed the food towards me with a cocky smirk on his face.

"Eat," he ordered.

"You're not my master," I stuck out my tongue at him. He shook his head and sat down to eat as well.

"Look, it's rude to not dine together, or something," he insisted. I finally gave in, not too annoyed with the whole situation as his foot continuously rubbed my leg under the table. And when I finished eating, I jumped up and ran around to pull him up by his shirt collar and kissed him heavily on the mouth. He groaned and pulled me closer to him, and somehow we found our way to the loveseat again, tongues dancing and my legs wrapped fully around his waist as I sat in his lap on the chair.

He broke away from my mouth to start kissing every inch of the scars that ran across my face, and I was hit with an idea that just wouldn't leave my head no matter how distracted I got by the presence of his lips. When he placed his lips back on mine, I gently removed his shirt from his torso and he watched me nervously and excitedly at the same time. I gently caressed his face, running my fingertips along it, before planting my lips on the top corner of his scar. He sighed softly as I continued to kiss down along it, making sure to not neglect any inch, until I reached the end and tried to ignore how the position of my face relative to his body made my heart pound loudly in my ears.

I looked up and stared into his brown eyes, my own trying to convey to him exactly what his sacrifice meant to me and always had meant to me. He gently cupped my face in his hands and kissed me softly, and I felt the decision that I had slowly been making the entire make-out session come to fruition. He was it. It would only ever be him. It only ever could be him and I didn't want it to be anyone else.

The Room knew me so well. The loveseat transformed into a bed and the light in the fireplace dimmed. Neville broke away from me and looked at me apologetically.

"S-Sorry… teenage boy hormones," he tried to explain. I looked at him in shock.

"Wait, I thought that was me," I laughed. He watched my face for a moment and laughed himself, pressing his forehead against mine and closing his eyes.

"You know what it would mean," I murmured softly. He kissed my lips once in response and I continued to feel extraordinarily light headed.

"You say that, when dragon partners and their lovers first make love, they cannot imagine being with anyone else," Neville paused. I nodded, terrified of whatever he would say next.

"What if I already feel that way? What if I already felt, every time you got injured, as if I was being cut deeper? What if I feel as if I will die without you in this world with me? What if I dread whatever battle that may occur to end this whole thing, because you could be lost forever and I would never see your beautiful eyes, your smiling face, or hear your gorgeous laugh? What if I feel like I've already made my choice, without some sort of magical bonding process?" Neville whispered.

I felt tears form in my eyes out of joy, "Then there's nothing that would change."

He kissed me softly again and I ran my fingers through his hair. "I feel the same, you know," I whispered.

Neville watched my face in joy and asked, "Really?"

"No question," I affirmed, "There's never been any question. It's you. I don't care that I'm only eighteen, that this is war and that leads people to make rash decisions… there isn't any other decision. It's you."

I kissed him, and we slowly sunk into the mattress, and the rest passed in flashes of heat, passion, and love. I'll spare details, though… Neville can be a very surprising boy.

I found myself curled up in his embrace, my heart slowly calming down, as I gently stroked the outline of his face. He was sleepy, his eyes closed. Clearly, he was still awake, as he was gently squeezing my hand that was interlocked with his.

"I love you," I whispered, joyfully in being able to say it freely at last.

He, still with eyes closed, leaned over to kiss my forehead and murmured, "I love you too." I fell asleep curled in his embrace, warm, safe and loved- at least, for now. At least, for now, there was peace in my heart and mind.

AN: Hahaha so I was debating whether or not to start this chapter rather soon after posting the last one, and I was listening to Pandora and the theme song for the chapter definitely started playing randomly. I took that as a sign.

Now it's a day later, and the chapter is amazingly long. So much for worrying about the length after I cut out the graphic scenes… and I'm not even done yet… (play-by-play of the writing process)Um, dreamerdrawerwriter7, your review to the last chapter is exactly what I was hoping someone to say. Bravo. Neville needs more cheers for cutting off Amycus' balls. This is me giving you an electronic hug.

Also, it says that as long as someone is in the Room, it will remain the hideout. But Neville also told the Gang that he was hungry and the passage appeared and he went into the Hog's Head. So, there was that brief period of time when no one was in the room… I am just going to assume it doesn't matter. More fun Room of Requirement stuff in the next chapter; this one was getting WAY too long to add in that. Keep in mind that I wrote it first, a long time ago; its changed about five times; and the version I was originally going to post when this was rated M had a whole other day of funness (ahem, take liberty with that) and very few things have stayed exactly the same between versions. Actually, I think only three lines: "I miss home," "The kiss was fumbling and awkward," and "Sorry; teenage boy hormones." Yay.

I eat reviews for breakfast, lunch and dinner… though, I've been getting more, so I'm no longer starving. I love you guys :)