Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and settings from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. I do not claim any ownership over them or the world of Harry Potter and will not receive any money or other financial profit for presenting the work on this site. The story I tell here as well as certain original characters are my own invention, and are not purported or believed to be part of J.K. Rowling's story canon.

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Chapter 32

"What are we supposed to do?!" Ginny asked, panic tainting every single word she spoke.

There were steps coming from the bottom of the staircase, sending Neville straight into a state of shock. He didn't have time to flap though, all he needed to do right now was function. Ginny and Luna had put their trust in him and he simply couldn't let them down.

"We'll have to go upstairs again," Neville suggested, certainly running out of options.

"We are trapped," Luna declared, seemingly not worried in the slightest.

"There has to be-"

"-Hand me the sword, Weasley," an unpleasantly familiar voice demanded.

Neville's heart dropped at the sound of his words, the one thing he had dreaded the most now coming to pass. Snape came to halt in front them, merely a few steps down the stairway. Though their surroundings were barely lit enough for them to make out his facial features, his gaze pierced right through them. He looked tired, more so than usually, still dressed in his day wear. They must have surprised him whilst he was still rummaging around the castle for whatever reason.

Ginny didn't move a muscle, simply staring at the new headmaster. Neville saw an opportunity to get Ginny and Luna off the hook and instantly took it.

"She won't listen to you. Neither of them will. They've been imperiused.. by me," Neville lied in hopes of putting all the blame on him.

"Neville.." Ginny whispered, not willing to put his head on the line for the sake of Luna and herself.

"Don't flatter yourself, Longbottom. You'd never be able to cast such a powerful curse on anyone," Snape claimed in response.

"How would you know? It's not like you ever gave us a chance to cast about anything in DADA class last year."

"Shut your mouth, boy. Your sudden surge of bravery doesn't make you any more of the Gryffindor you never were in the first place."

Neville would've expected such cruel words to sting at least, but somehow.. they left him completely indifferent. No matter how much he still feared Snape, his judgement (surprisingly) was no longer of importance to him. Though Neville had yet to fully learn his own worth, he had learned to not give a damn about criticism that was clearly unfounded.

"Your opinion doesn't matter to me. Not anymore."

"Up into my office. Now!"

Despite the fact that Snape didn't seem too bothered by his newfound confidence, Neville felt more empowered than ever. Their mission might have gone, with possible consequences one may not even dare to fathom, but at least.. they had shown some unmistakable resistance. Against Severus bloody Snape, of all people!

Neither Ginny, Luna, nor Neville himself struggled to meet his gaze, as they sat across from him. He looked so different, somewhat pathetic even, hiding behind a desk that had once belonged to a great man, much greater than Snape could have ever even dreamed to be.

"You admit to breaking into my office and resorting to steal the Sword of Gryffindor?"

All thee of them nodded. There was no point in denying anything anyway.

"It doesn't belong to you," Ginny claimed in anger.

"You think you have the authority to decide this, Ms. Weasley?" Snape asked, seemingly even more irritated than before.

"Not me. Dumbledore. The last proper headmaster this school has ever seen."

The room fell quiet at Ginny's remark. Snape must've known that barely anyone left at Hogwarts thought of him as a capable headmaster. Lately, even the Carrows seemed to have their doubts about his leadership.

"I will not tolerate such recalcitrant behaviour any longer. In fact, I have very good reason to have all three of you expelled right this instant."

"And rid the Carrows of their favourite stress ball? I hardly think so," Neville finally chimed in again.

"Don't push your luck too far, Longbottom. If I decide to leave your punishment in the hands of Alecto or Amycus Carrow, being expelled will be the least of your worries," Snape threatened him, his face wrinkling in disgust as he mentioned the school's deputy headmasters.

Neville nearly burst out in laughter at the irony of this entire situation. Snape seemed to despise the Carrows even more than he despised them. Their mutual hate towards the pair of siblings appeared to be one of the few, if not the only thing, they had in common.

"Detention with Hagrid. In the Forbidden Forest. If you are to return safely, fine. If not, another tragic accident goes down in the books of Hogwarts. I query whether anyone would even bat an eye at the loss," Snape finally declared, his manner of speaking controlled and firm.

All three of them resisted the urge to let out a sigh of relief. Even though they had failed to retrieve the Sword of Gryffindor, they had at least managed to get away with little else but a black eye. Any excuse to spent time with Hagrid was welcome to them anyway. They unfortunately hadn't seen much of him these past few weeks.

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Author's note: I'm back!!! Hope this chapter finds you well (despite the tension hehe).

I'm truly lucky to be receiving such kind and helpful feedback on every single chapter of mine. Thank you so much!!

I'm still hoping to improve my writing throughout this story, so I'm eager to read what you think about this chapter.

If you'd like, please leave me some of your thoughts below. Wishing you all the best!!! :-)