Chapter 3
"Young Love"
Throughout Potions class, Allie and Ron were subjected to many curious glances, especially from Harry, Neville, and Hermione.
"Do you really think that they were making out?" Hermione whispered to her boyfriend.
Harry glanced back at his best friend and the girl he seemed to be drawn to, and then turned back to Hermione. "I don't know. They're up to something, though," he said darkly. "I hate it when he keeps stuff from us."
His girlfriend smiled and gently squeezed his hand. "I know, honey, but we're hiding something pretty big from him, too."
Before Harry could respond, Snape barked, "Potter! Granger! This class is not a social hour. You two can confess your undying love to each other later. Twenty points from Gryffindor since you're both prefects. I expect better behavior from the two of you in the future."
Harry and Hermione both turned bright red while the Slytherins howled with laughter and their fellow Gryffindors glared at Snape. During all of the commotion, Harry caught sight of Ron and Allie out of the corner of his eye and was shocked to find them fighting laughter. Ron had his hand clamped over his mouth and tears screamed down his face that was made bright red from his struggle to not laugh. Allie clutched her sides and shook in silent laughter. Harry shot them a glare and turned back around.
The class's laughter eventually died down and everyone went back to work. When class was almost over, Allie looked up and caught Snape's eye. He glanced toward Ron and Allie nodded. "We need to talk," she mouthed.
Snape gave a curt nod and said, "Allie, Ron—I need to speak with you two after class."
"Sure, Professor," they replied.
The bell rang soon after and the two went up to the front. Harry and Hermione stood by the door to wait for Ron, but he told them that he'd see them in Care of Magical Creatures.
"So, he knows?" Snape asked without preamble once they were alone. Allie nodded and he turned to Ron. "What do you have to say about it, Weasley?"
Ron smirked. "I say that you, Dumbledore, and Allie are bloody mental if you think that she's going to do this by herself."
Snape blinked. "What do you mean? She won't be alone; I'll be with her."
"All of the time?"
"Well, no—"
"That's not good enough, but it doesn't matter—she will be accompanied 24/7."
Snape frowned. "By who?"
"Me. I'm joining Voldemort and the Death Eaters with her," Ron said firmly.
Their professor looked back and forth between the two of them who looked grim, yet strangely happy. "I think you're the one who's mental, Ron," he finally muttered. "Very well. I shall inform the Headmaster and I expect that he will want to meet with the two of you. In the mean time, you had better get to class."
The two redheads nodded and turned to leave, but Snape's voice stopped them. "What you two are attempting to do is enough to make a fully trained and adult wizard die of fright or nerves. Even if you don't succeed, I want you to know that I am incredibly proud of the both of you. Now, get out of my classroom!"
Ron and Allie smiled faintly and passed several confused seventh year Gryffindors, including the twins.
"Ron, did Snape just tell you that he's proud of you?" Fred asked in amazement.
"Yeah, why?"
George gave his younger brother a look. "Snape's never 'proud' of anyone, especially a Gryffindor who happens to be Harry Potter's best friend."
Allie shrugged. "Maybe Ron and I are just too lovable and smart to not like or be proud of," she said and pulled Ron away from his brothers.
Fred shook his head. "There's something strange about her."
"Yeah, but I can't put my finger on what it is," George agreed and the two went into the classroom.
Allie and Ron stood at the top of the main stairs, not ready to part.
"This plan really is crazy, you know. Why can't we just go after Voldemort with the good guys? Why do we have to go all sneaky and evil?" Ron questioned.
Allie grinned. "Eagles may soar, Ron, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines."
The six foot two boy just stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Life with you is never going to be boring, is it?"
"Nope, 'fraid not." Allie glanced at her watch and sighed. "I guess we better get to our respective classes before we're seriously late again."
Ron nodded and kissed Allie's cheek. "I'll see you at lunch," he murmured and walked away.
Allie watched him for a moment, and then ran giddily up the stairs. She was starting to fall for Ron Weasley, hard.
"There you are!" Hermione said grumpily as Ron ran up to join their Care of Magical Creatures class. "You're late again. What did Snape say to you?"
"Oh, he said that he wanted Allie and I to arrive on time from now on and that he wants us to help Neville in class," he said, not even believing it himself.
"What?" Harry exclaimed incredulously. "Why on Earth would he want you to do that?"
Ron shrugged. "Beats me as to why he wants me to help Neville, but Allie was the top Potions student at her old school. I guess that's why he put the three of us together."
Hermione frowned. "I guess," she mumbled and the three friends turned their attention to Hagrid's lesson on magical seahorses, which were literally horses that lived under water.
After a few minutes, Ron's mind began to drift toward the beautiful girl he'd only met yesterday at King's Cross. He had barely known her for two days and it already felt as if he'd known her his entire life. Allie was everything he'd ever wanted in a girl: she was sweet, caring, smart, sassy, brave, and good-looking. God, who was he kidding? She was more than just good-looking—the girl was drop dead gorgeous. Then there was the fact that she was the most powerful witch in history. Ron just could not get over it. You'd never guess that she was that powerful by talking to and hanging out with Allie. She wasn't egotistical, arrogant, or even pompous. However, what stuck with him the most was the conversation he had overheard her having with Snape and the way she looked at him.
No one had ever looked at Ron the same way that Allie did. Unlike most people he knew, he could look into her enchanting green eyes and know exactly what she was thinking or what she was feeling. When she looked at him, there was open admiration and attraction in her gaze. Ron loved it because he could read her so easily, yet it seemed that others had a difficult time doing so. Perhaps, he mused, she only opened herself up to him to read. After all, that's basically what she said to Snape earlier that morning. Ron grinned at the memory. His favorite part had been when she said that she wanted a chance at a relationship with him. Just thinking about it made him giddy.
"Ron!" Hermione said, obviously not for the first time.
Ron jumped and looked around. Harry, Hermione, Hagrid, and himself were the only ones left outside.
"Oh, is class over?" he mumbled.
Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid just rolled their eyes.
"C'mon, Ron, its time for lunch," Harry said, shaking his head.
Ron perked up. It was time to see Allie! He grinned and tore off for the castle.
"Ah, young love," laughed Hagrid.
Harry and Hermione looked at each other and smiled. Young love indeed.
Ron ran into the Great Hall and immediately spotted Allie, who had been cornered by Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. His blood boiled at the sight and he stalked over to the four Slytherins. As he neared, he caught some of their conversation.
"I still don't get what you want with me," said Allie, sounding a bit bored.
"Don't be daft, Serena. I know that you're joining the Dark Lord and I'm just curious as to whether or not your precious Weasley knows," Malfoy hissed evilly.
"If you're wondering whether or not I know that Allie's joining Lord Voldemort, the answer is yes," Ron said from behind the three goons.
Allie's face lit up with a grateful smile and pushed past Crabbe to hug Ron. Malfoy looked utterly confused.
"You know and yet you still care for her? Your last name is Weasley, right? I mean, your best friend is Harry Potter and your father is a Muggle lover! How can you not turn from her?"
Ron looked down at the petite girl in his arms and looked back up at Malfoy. "Because I'm joining Voldemort with her," he replied softly and Allie buried her face in his chest.
The other three students could only stare at the couple. "Oh," was all Malfoy murmured before he, Crabbe, and Goyle slowly backed away and took off for the Slytherin table.
"Nicely done," came a voice from behind the two red heads. Ron and Allie turned to face a smiling Dumbledore. "Neither one of you used magic or violence against your enemy—you attacked him mentally by completely surprising him. You two will work well together against Voldemort."
"Snape's told you of our plan," Ron said rather than asked.
Their professor nodded. "You are very brave, Mr. Weasley, very brave. Professor Snape and I would like to meet with the two of you in my office after dinner tonight. Is that a good time?"
"Yes, Albus," Allie replied.
"Good," Dumbledore said and made his way to the staff table.
Allie glanced sideways at Ron and asked, "You hungry?"
"No, you?"
"Nope. C'mon, let's go practice a bit of Dark magic," she suggested and took Ron's hand.
"Sure. We can use the Quidditch pitch."
The two future Death Eaters left the Great Hall, unaware of the eight pairs of eyes watching them.
"What's going on with Ron and that Slytherin?" Ginny asked, curious about her brother's new addiction.
"I don't know, but Fred and I overheard Snape telling them that he was proud of them. Didn't we, Fred?"
Fred nodded. "It was the strangest thing I've ever seen or heard."
"Well, I don't like her," Hermione huffed.
Surprisingly, this upset Neville. "I don't see what you all have against Allie. She's really nice and I know that she genuinely likes Ron. Why don't you people like her?" he demanded, slamming his hand on the table.
Fred, George, Ginny, Hermione, Dean, Seamus, and Harry all looked down at their plates. Finally, Harry spoke up. "Its not so much that I don't like her—I just don't trust her."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Why? Because she's in Slytherin? Not everyone in that house is bad, you know," Neville hissed and stormed out of the room. The seven Gryffindors sat in shock in the wake of Neville's anger.
"Who the bloody hell was that?" Dean muttered.
Seamus shrugged. "I've never seen him so angry. Tell you what, he scared the piss out of me."
"I wonder why he was so touchy about Wood," George wondered aloud.
Harry shook his head. "I don't know, but I do know that Ron's a million times more touchy about her. Come on, Hermione, we should go talk to them."
"Why?" his girlfriend asked.
"Because the last thing we need is for us to not give Allie a chance and lose Ron. I think he already knows that we don't exactly like her and we need to make sure that we give her a chance before we judge her."
"Blimey, Hermione, your boyfriend sure has gotten mature," Seamus said.
Hermione grinned and kissed Harry on the cheek. "I know and I'm proud of him for it."
The couple left the room hand in hand and stopped outside of the Great Hall. Harry pulled out the Marauders map and located Ron and Allie on the Quidditch field. As they neared the stadium, Harry and Hermione were horrified to hear Ron shout, "Crucio!"
"What the hell?" Harry murmured and they sprinted in the direction of Ron's voice.
The two fifth years peered around the bleachers that blocked their view of the field and were shocked to see Allie and Ron watching a huge spider wither in pain on the ground with smiles on their faces. Ron took the curse of the spider and reduced it back to its original size.
"Very good, Ron," Allie commented. "I think that spider will make sure to stay away from you from now on. Now, try the curse on me."
Ron stared at her. "That's not funny, Allie."
"It wasn't meant to be. Put the curse on me."
"You're mental!"
Allie sighed and waved her hand dismissively. "Yes, but that's beside the point. Look, you can't hurt me. I've learned to get past the pain and beat the Cruciatus curse. C'mon, curse me."
Ron was extremely pale. "But what if I do hurt you?"
Allie smiled and kissed his cheek. "You won't. I'm a fully trained witch, remember? Now, do it."
Taking a deep breath, Ron pointed his wand at Allie and bellowed, "Crucio!"
The girl grimaced and bit her lip. After a moment or two, Ron lifted the curse. Allie drew a deep breath and leaned against Ron, his tall and well built body easily supporting her tiny frame.
Ron slipped his arm around her waist and asked, "Are you okay?"
She smiled. "Yeah, don't worry. You're really powerful, ya know that?"
Ron blinked. "I am?"
"Hell yeah. It takes a lot of power to pull off any of the Unforgivable curses. It's almost impossible to do at the age of fifteen. I doubt that any of the students at this school could do them, with the exceptions of you, Harry, Malfoy, Neville, and possibly Hermione," Allie said thoughtfully.
"Whoa, back up. What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that you, Harry, Malfoy, Neville, and Hermione are probably the most powerful wizards and witch at this school."
"I've never felt this powerful before, though. Its like you give me strength or something."
Allie blushed at his words and Ron felt his ears turn pink. He cleared his throat and asked, "And Neville? How is he powerful?"
Allie studied Ron for a moment before speaking. "He's never told you about his parents, has he?"
"No. What about them?"
Allie sighed. "Frank and Christina Longbottom were extremely powerful Aurors back in the day. Shortly after Voldemort's fall, Barty Crouch, Jr., and several other Death Eaters tortured them with the Cruciatus curse to find out Voldemort's whereabouts. Instead of killing them, the endless torture drove them insane and they currently reside at St. Mungo's. They don't even recognize Neville anymore. Neville was so traumatized by what happened, that the majority of his powers have stayed dormant. If and when his powers show their full potential, he will be a force to be reckoned with."
"I had no idea," Ron said in shame. "I've known the guy for five years and I had no idea."
"Not many people are aware of it, so don't worry."
"Did they attend Hogwarts?"
"Yeah. Frank was in Gryffindor and Christina was in Slytherin."
"Are you serious?"
Allie grinned. "Yep. Christina was quite sly…oh my God! Ron, we're going to be late to Divination!"
Ron glanced at his watch and cursed. "You're right, let's go."
With that, the two took off for the castle, leaving a very confused Harry and Hermione behind.
"Wow, I really don't trust her," Hermione muttered.
"Amen to that," Harry agreed and they slowly made their way after the two red heads.
~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reviewing. I'm working on chapter 4 and it will be up on Sunday or Monday if I get at least 3 more reviews. That's not too much to ask, is it? I also need someone to explain the whole beta reader thing to me.
Xan
"Young Love"
Throughout Potions class, Allie and Ron were subjected to many curious glances, especially from Harry, Neville, and Hermione.
"Do you really think that they were making out?" Hermione whispered to her boyfriend.
Harry glanced back at his best friend and the girl he seemed to be drawn to, and then turned back to Hermione. "I don't know. They're up to something, though," he said darkly. "I hate it when he keeps stuff from us."
His girlfriend smiled and gently squeezed his hand. "I know, honey, but we're hiding something pretty big from him, too."
Before Harry could respond, Snape barked, "Potter! Granger! This class is not a social hour. You two can confess your undying love to each other later. Twenty points from Gryffindor since you're both prefects. I expect better behavior from the two of you in the future."
Harry and Hermione both turned bright red while the Slytherins howled with laughter and their fellow Gryffindors glared at Snape. During all of the commotion, Harry caught sight of Ron and Allie out of the corner of his eye and was shocked to find them fighting laughter. Ron had his hand clamped over his mouth and tears screamed down his face that was made bright red from his struggle to not laugh. Allie clutched her sides and shook in silent laughter. Harry shot them a glare and turned back around.
The class's laughter eventually died down and everyone went back to work. When class was almost over, Allie looked up and caught Snape's eye. He glanced toward Ron and Allie nodded. "We need to talk," she mouthed.
Snape gave a curt nod and said, "Allie, Ron—I need to speak with you two after class."
"Sure, Professor," they replied.
The bell rang soon after and the two went up to the front. Harry and Hermione stood by the door to wait for Ron, but he told them that he'd see them in Care of Magical Creatures.
"So, he knows?" Snape asked without preamble once they were alone. Allie nodded and he turned to Ron. "What do you have to say about it, Weasley?"
Ron smirked. "I say that you, Dumbledore, and Allie are bloody mental if you think that she's going to do this by herself."
Snape blinked. "What do you mean? She won't be alone; I'll be with her."
"All of the time?"
"Well, no—"
"That's not good enough, but it doesn't matter—she will be accompanied 24/7."
Snape frowned. "By who?"
"Me. I'm joining Voldemort and the Death Eaters with her," Ron said firmly.
Their professor looked back and forth between the two of them who looked grim, yet strangely happy. "I think you're the one who's mental, Ron," he finally muttered. "Very well. I shall inform the Headmaster and I expect that he will want to meet with the two of you. In the mean time, you had better get to class."
The two redheads nodded and turned to leave, but Snape's voice stopped them. "What you two are attempting to do is enough to make a fully trained and adult wizard die of fright or nerves. Even if you don't succeed, I want you to know that I am incredibly proud of the both of you. Now, get out of my classroom!"
Ron and Allie smiled faintly and passed several confused seventh year Gryffindors, including the twins.
"Ron, did Snape just tell you that he's proud of you?" Fred asked in amazement.
"Yeah, why?"
George gave his younger brother a look. "Snape's never 'proud' of anyone, especially a Gryffindor who happens to be Harry Potter's best friend."
Allie shrugged. "Maybe Ron and I are just too lovable and smart to not like or be proud of," she said and pulled Ron away from his brothers.
Fred shook his head. "There's something strange about her."
"Yeah, but I can't put my finger on what it is," George agreed and the two went into the classroom.
Allie and Ron stood at the top of the main stairs, not ready to part.
"This plan really is crazy, you know. Why can't we just go after Voldemort with the good guys? Why do we have to go all sneaky and evil?" Ron questioned.
Allie grinned. "Eagles may soar, Ron, but weasels never get sucked into jet engines."
The six foot two boy just stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Life with you is never going to be boring, is it?"
"Nope, 'fraid not." Allie glanced at her watch and sighed. "I guess we better get to our respective classes before we're seriously late again."
Ron nodded and kissed Allie's cheek. "I'll see you at lunch," he murmured and walked away.
Allie watched him for a moment, and then ran giddily up the stairs. She was starting to fall for Ron Weasley, hard.
"There you are!" Hermione said grumpily as Ron ran up to join their Care of Magical Creatures class. "You're late again. What did Snape say to you?"
"Oh, he said that he wanted Allie and I to arrive on time from now on and that he wants us to help Neville in class," he said, not even believing it himself.
"What?" Harry exclaimed incredulously. "Why on Earth would he want you to do that?"
Ron shrugged. "Beats me as to why he wants me to help Neville, but Allie was the top Potions student at her old school. I guess that's why he put the three of us together."
Hermione frowned. "I guess," she mumbled and the three friends turned their attention to Hagrid's lesson on magical seahorses, which were literally horses that lived under water.
After a few minutes, Ron's mind began to drift toward the beautiful girl he'd only met yesterday at King's Cross. He had barely known her for two days and it already felt as if he'd known her his entire life. Allie was everything he'd ever wanted in a girl: she was sweet, caring, smart, sassy, brave, and good-looking. God, who was he kidding? She was more than just good-looking—the girl was drop dead gorgeous. Then there was the fact that she was the most powerful witch in history. Ron just could not get over it. You'd never guess that she was that powerful by talking to and hanging out with Allie. She wasn't egotistical, arrogant, or even pompous. However, what stuck with him the most was the conversation he had overheard her having with Snape and the way she looked at him.
No one had ever looked at Ron the same way that Allie did. Unlike most people he knew, he could look into her enchanting green eyes and know exactly what she was thinking or what she was feeling. When she looked at him, there was open admiration and attraction in her gaze. Ron loved it because he could read her so easily, yet it seemed that others had a difficult time doing so. Perhaps, he mused, she only opened herself up to him to read. After all, that's basically what she said to Snape earlier that morning. Ron grinned at the memory. His favorite part had been when she said that she wanted a chance at a relationship with him. Just thinking about it made him giddy.
"Ron!" Hermione said, obviously not for the first time.
Ron jumped and looked around. Harry, Hermione, Hagrid, and himself were the only ones left outside.
"Oh, is class over?" he mumbled.
Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid just rolled their eyes.
"C'mon, Ron, its time for lunch," Harry said, shaking his head.
Ron perked up. It was time to see Allie! He grinned and tore off for the castle.
"Ah, young love," laughed Hagrid.
Harry and Hermione looked at each other and smiled. Young love indeed.
Ron ran into the Great Hall and immediately spotted Allie, who had been cornered by Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. His blood boiled at the sight and he stalked over to the four Slytherins. As he neared, he caught some of their conversation.
"I still don't get what you want with me," said Allie, sounding a bit bored.
"Don't be daft, Serena. I know that you're joining the Dark Lord and I'm just curious as to whether or not your precious Weasley knows," Malfoy hissed evilly.
"If you're wondering whether or not I know that Allie's joining Lord Voldemort, the answer is yes," Ron said from behind the three goons.
Allie's face lit up with a grateful smile and pushed past Crabbe to hug Ron. Malfoy looked utterly confused.
"You know and yet you still care for her? Your last name is Weasley, right? I mean, your best friend is Harry Potter and your father is a Muggle lover! How can you not turn from her?"
Ron looked down at the petite girl in his arms and looked back up at Malfoy. "Because I'm joining Voldemort with her," he replied softly and Allie buried her face in his chest.
The other three students could only stare at the couple. "Oh," was all Malfoy murmured before he, Crabbe, and Goyle slowly backed away and took off for the Slytherin table.
"Nicely done," came a voice from behind the two red heads. Ron and Allie turned to face a smiling Dumbledore. "Neither one of you used magic or violence against your enemy—you attacked him mentally by completely surprising him. You two will work well together against Voldemort."
"Snape's told you of our plan," Ron said rather than asked.
Their professor nodded. "You are very brave, Mr. Weasley, very brave. Professor Snape and I would like to meet with the two of you in my office after dinner tonight. Is that a good time?"
"Yes, Albus," Allie replied.
"Good," Dumbledore said and made his way to the staff table.
Allie glanced sideways at Ron and asked, "You hungry?"
"No, you?"
"Nope. C'mon, let's go practice a bit of Dark magic," she suggested and took Ron's hand.
"Sure. We can use the Quidditch pitch."
The two future Death Eaters left the Great Hall, unaware of the eight pairs of eyes watching them.
"What's going on with Ron and that Slytherin?" Ginny asked, curious about her brother's new addiction.
"I don't know, but Fred and I overheard Snape telling them that he was proud of them. Didn't we, Fred?"
Fred nodded. "It was the strangest thing I've ever seen or heard."
"Well, I don't like her," Hermione huffed.
Surprisingly, this upset Neville. "I don't see what you all have against Allie. She's really nice and I know that she genuinely likes Ron. Why don't you people like her?" he demanded, slamming his hand on the table.
Fred, George, Ginny, Hermione, Dean, Seamus, and Harry all looked down at their plates. Finally, Harry spoke up. "Its not so much that I don't like her—I just don't trust her."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Why? Because she's in Slytherin? Not everyone in that house is bad, you know," Neville hissed and stormed out of the room. The seven Gryffindors sat in shock in the wake of Neville's anger.
"Who the bloody hell was that?" Dean muttered.
Seamus shrugged. "I've never seen him so angry. Tell you what, he scared the piss out of me."
"I wonder why he was so touchy about Wood," George wondered aloud.
Harry shook his head. "I don't know, but I do know that Ron's a million times more touchy about her. Come on, Hermione, we should go talk to them."
"Why?" his girlfriend asked.
"Because the last thing we need is for us to not give Allie a chance and lose Ron. I think he already knows that we don't exactly like her and we need to make sure that we give her a chance before we judge her."
"Blimey, Hermione, your boyfriend sure has gotten mature," Seamus said.
Hermione grinned and kissed Harry on the cheek. "I know and I'm proud of him for it."
The couple left the room hand in hand and stopped outside of the Great Hall. Harry pulled out the Marauders map and located Ron and Allie on the Quidditch field. As they neared the stadium, Harry and Hermione were horrified to hear Ron shout, "Crucio!"
"What the hell?" Harry murmured and they sprinted in the direction of Ron's voice.
The two fifth years peered around the bleachers that blocked their view of the field and were shocked to see Allie and Ron watching a huge spider wither in pain on the ground with smiles on their faces. Ron took the curse of the spider and reduced it back to its original size.
"Very good, Ron," Allie commented. "I think that spider will make sure to stay away from you from now on. Now, try the curse on me."
Ron stared at her. "That's not funny, Allie."
"It wasn't meant to be. Put the curse on me."
"You're mental!"
Allie sighed and waved her hand dismissively. "Yes, but that's beside the point. Look, you can't hurt me. I've learned to get past the pain and beat the Cruciatus curse. C'mon, curse me."
Ron was extremely pale. "But what if I do hurt you?"
Allie smiled and kissed his cheek. "You won't. I'm a fully trained witch, remember? Now, do it."
Taking a deep breath, Ron pointed his wand at Allie and bellowed, "Crucio!"
The girl grimaced and bit her lip. After a moment or two, Ron lifted the curse. Allie drew a deep breath and leaned against Ron, his tall and well built body easily supporting her tiny frame.
Ron slipped his arm around her waist and asked, "Are you okay?"
She smiled. "Yeah, don't worry. You're really powerful, ya know that?"
Ron blinked. "I am?"
"Hell yeah. It takes a lot of power to pull off any of the Unforgivable curses. It's almost impossible to do at the age of fifteen. I doubt that any of the students at this school could do them, with the exceptions of you, Harry, Malfoy, Neville, and possibly Hermione," Allie said thoughtfully.
"Whoa, back up. What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that you, Harry, Malfoy, Neville, and Hermione are probably the most powerful wizards and witch at this school."
"I've never felt this powerful before, though. Its like you give me strength or something."
Allie blushed at his words and Ron felt his ears turn pink. He cleared his throat and asked, "And Neville? How is he powerful?"
Allie studied Ron for a moment before speaking. "He's never told you about his parents, has he?"
"No. What about them?"
Allie sighed. "Frank and Christina Longbottom were extremely powerful Aurors back in the day. Shortly after Voldemort's fall, Barty Crouch, Jr., and several other Death Eaters tortured them with the Cruciatus curse to find out Voldemort's whereabouts. Instead of killing them, the endless torture drove them insane and they currently reside at St. Mungo's. They don't even recognize Neville anymore. Neville was so traumatized by what happened, that the majority of his powers have stayed dormant. If and when his powers show their full potential, he will be a force to be reckoned with."
"I had no idea," Ron said in shame. "I've known the guy for five years and I had no idea."
"Not many people are aware of it, so don't worry."
"Did they attend Hogwarts?"
"Yeah. Frank was in Gryffindor and Christina was in Slytherin."
"Are you serious?"
Allie grinned. "Yep. Christina was quite sly…oh my God! Ron, we're going to be late to Divination!"
Ron glanced at his watch and cursed. "You're right, let's go."
With that, the two took off for the castle, leaving a very confused Harry and Hermione behind.
"Wow, I really don't trust her," Hermione muttered.
"Amen to that," Harry agreed and they slowly made their way after the two red heads.
~*~*~*~*~*
A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for reviewing. I'm working on chapter 4 and it will be up on Sunday or Monday if I get at least 3 more reviews. That's not too much to ask, is it? I also need someone to explain the whole beta reader thing to me.
Xan