The Slytherins were cheering. That's what Hermione was thinking laying on the bed in the hospital wing an icepack on her cheek which was painfully bruising. She had actually been knocked out cold by laugh of all laughs Ron's elbow. After calm had been restored in the hall and everyone noticed Neville and Harry's disappearance, Ron had very quickly got up knocking over a chair which had fallen on Hermione's face who was sitting on the floor tending to a scratch given to her by Erin. And now Hermione memory all jumbled the thing she remembered clearly was the Slytherins cheering. That bugged her. She had been used to the Slytherins taunts all her time at Hogwarts but this this was unforgivable. She got so mad she could scream. She was pretty sure she was the only Gryffindor who really understood what the whole conversation was about, because she had found out about Neville's family right after she found out about Harry. She still remembered the selection on it in The Rise and fall of the Dark Arts.
After the Dark Lord had disappeared many Death eaters had denounced all claims to the Dark Arts owing up to trances use of imperious curse etc. However many death eaters refused to accept defeat and went about trying to bring their accursed lord up to power again. The most famous of these was the Attack on the Longbottoms. The Longbottom family made up of Frank Longbottom, one of the most favored and daring of Aurors, his wife Autumn Van Birch Longbottom and there two children Lydia and Neville. Four Death eaters led by Longbottom's own sister Belinda Longbottom who had taken to calling herself Belinda Marvolo, Derek Leighy, Samuel Cambia (who before his trial tried unsuccessfully to strike a plea bargain) and Bartemuis Crouch III. The aforesaid had seemed out the Longbottom's summer cottage that had before been made unplottable to keep to Longbottom family safe. The death eaters had found their way to the cottage on the inference of Belinda "Marvolo" Longbottom and had tortured Longbottom and his wife on information about their former master. Both Longbottom and his wife were tortured till the breaking point Frank Longbottom at press time is catatonic and Autumn Longbottom appears to be permanently mentally addled. Luckily the Longbottom's two children were out with their grandmother Mary Louise Longbottom and were not victims to this tragedy.
Hermione stopped thinking as she remembered Neville's face in their fourth year when Moody had shown them the unforgivable curses. Neville never saw his parents tortured just like that spider...Hermione shuddered as she imagined her very own sister Diana doing that to her. You're own sister... The hospital wing door flew open. Ron rushed forward jumbling Hermione as he plopped on to the bed.
"Hermione are you okay? Oh I feel terrible I apologize, Hermione we still haven't found Harry or Neville yet, everyone's looking, Err Snape gave you a detention for fighting and all but Hey me and Harry & Neville got one too, Neville & Harry for what was it "endangering" I guess they're in trouble for running off and me for fighting Malfoy because after I um knocked you out Malfoy ran over and started cracking up because it's Malfoy you know so I fought him but McGonagall gave him one too for fighting back we are all pretty much in trouble but we can't find Harry but... Hermione where are you going?"
"I need to find Harry".
"Come now, Hermione lay back down you look so abused and it's my fault please lay down". But Hermione just walked out the door slightly dizzy but still going down the long corridor; she alone knew where Harry was. Her and Harry had found it last year when Ron wasn't speaking to him and he spent many hours with him alone. The marauders might've found passages in and out of the school, but passages through the school... They never troubled themselves to learn them. If you walk past Dumbledore's office and head down the corridor you find a room which on the door just said "broken wands" and walked down the stairs you came to a crossroads that stood revolved very slowly spinning till you felt like you were inside of a gently rotating disco ball. And they together took turns walking in the other directions and they had come to realize that this passageway led to any common room in the school. Of course you couldn't get in unless you knew password but still mostly the locations were always hidden. They fully intended to show Ron after they had toured it themselves but then that was only days before the tournament and it didn't come up but then after the tournament when Harry was so vague and now, it just didn't seem important. But she knew Harry would be there because often during those terrible days after the tournament she would find him staring at the falling rays of colors and they'd just sit there in silence her hoping he found some solace in her presence. Hermione thinking of Harry's face when Erin said it was his fault broke into a run. And, just as Hermione knew exactly where to find Harry someone else knew where Neville was likely to be.
Lydia ran through the rain soaked to her skin rain and lightning all around her. She ran into all the greenhouses remembering how much Neville lamented in the flowers whenever Gran had been to harsh or on that Halloween when He was eight and her 15 a newly made prefect she got a tear streaked letter from Neville saying how in the Daily Prophet some writer had done a remembrance article of those lost to the You-Know-Who and in sat a picture of their parents their father's picture looking stern and her mother waving her dimples coming into play. Neville said being only a baby all he remembered of their mother was how much their mother liked plants and how it was uncommon to see there mother without a flower tucked behind here ear. Lydia remembered Baby Neville in her mothers arms plucking at Lily in her mothers hair and his father smiling and telling Lydia's mother that speaking of Lily Evans and that James Potter were expecting a child and how they both were invited to the shower but he doubted he could make it work and all... that was actually one of Lydia's favorite memories there father at home the family not on the run a 3 week old Neville playing with their mothers flower. Yes, Neville would be in the Greenhouse...just which one was it...She ran in to the back one with just the regular flowers used for potions not just looks and flung open the door. Neville sat in the middle surrounded by Forget-me-nots, tigerlilys, lilacs and other highly useful flowers. Neville looked up and passed Lydia a pile of forget-me-nots. "Here", he said," These match your eyes". She smiled at him sat down and drew her long legs to her.
"So how goes it baby bro?"
"Not so good Lyds".
"Forget Erin. She's a loser. No good would ever come from her." Neville smiled his dimples half showing. Lydia loved his dimples reminded her of their mothers and liked it best when they should as possible. And Lydia knew how to do that and just like every big sister in the world she set about tickling him."
"All right enough Stop...Lyds... c-c-come on I can't breath...Thank you!"
"Well, now that that's done... So baby bro, you have any girlfriends here. Many of the girls here are quite pretty."
"Well, there's one..."
"What! Tell Tell who is she?"
"Ginny Weasley. Lydia looked at him shook her head and twirled at daisy. She sighed and muttered,
"That should be interesting". Neville narrowed his eyes afraid she was making fun of him and said,
"What's interesting?"
" Nothing, except that I dated her brother". Neville's mouth unconsciously dropped open. She continued, "Everyone says it's such a tragedy that Charlie Weasley went off chasing dragons when he could of played Quidditch. I think the pity is Charlie went off chasing dragons instead of marrying me." Lydia stopped and with a bit off encouragement from her brother went on, "We were engaged it fit you see Head girl and Quidditch captain. I work for the ministry you know and Charlie went off to Romania and neither one of us was willing to compromise so, his company is dragon's and I'm I'm here".
"Lyds...how come you were head girl and I'm such a squib.
"You are NOT a squib!"
"Lyds..."
"Well your not. You're much more like mom just like I'm like father. You know me, workaholic just like dad, diehard student just like dad, strict, and shorttemper and goody goody. But you and mom...you are both ditzy", Neville kocked her hand away for that,"Your both dreamy, extremely passive, talkative, no mind for incantations, poor memories, but great to be around."
"How do you know so much Lyds you were only little when they you know". She nodded grimly.
"Yeah I know. Well, that's my little secret mine and Fudges actually". From under her robes she pulled a fine chain and on it hung an hourglass. " It's a timeturner it takes you back in time. I'm sort of a favorite of Fudge's and he gave me this to go see what Mom and Dad were really like cause I was so little when they..." She jangled the timeturner in front of Neville's face her eyes looking less like eyes and sparkling jovially.
"You game?"
