Disclaimer: Harry Potter is from the creative genius that is J.K. Rowling. I am not her. This is merely a fanfiction to tide us over to Book 6.

A/N: Five points to John for getting the tootsie pop reference in the last chapter. Thank you all for reading. I'm so sorry I haven't updated this that quickly, but things have been really mad around here. Another few chapters and this will be done. ===========================================================================

"Let met get this straight," Harry said looking at Hermione as she held her head in her hands. He paced in front of the couch as he spoke. "You gave Neville some weird pumpkin juice and told him it was a confidence potion."

Hermione nodded.

"And you told him it was as powerful and as long-lasting as he wanted."

Another nod.

"And he doesn't know you did this?" Ginny said sternly.

There was a sob as a reply as Ron placed his arm around her.

"It's alright 'Mione," Ron said softly. "There's no reason to get upset. No harm done."

"No harm done!" snapped Ginny. "Neville will be upset when he finds out that you lied to him!"

"I didn't really," Hermione said looking up. "I mean if he thinks the potion worked and he acts with more confidence doesn't it mean the fake potion really worked?"

"Uh. . ." said Ron looking up at Harry, who just shrugged.

"You don't understand!" Ginny sighed. "Look, he said he wanted the confidence to last forever right and be the strongest stuff it could be? So say Tom just apparates here – and don't you dare say anything about Hogwarts a History or I will hex you --," she said warning Hermione. "Anyway Neville sees him and he's confident that he can do kill him. He might be afraid, but he's confident he can finally rid the world of this evil and he has courage. He's a Gryffindor. So he goes and Tom sees him, and he, and he . . ."

Tears formed in Ginny's eyes as she collapsed on the couch and softly just said "Neville."

Harry and Ron looked at Hermione. They had never thought about that, surely Neville wouldn't try anything like that.

"There's a fine line between being courageous and being foolish," Hermione whispered to no one.

"Look, both of you," Ron said getting up. "I know Neville. That wouldn't happen. He would just go up and confront them without some idea of the outcome. Besides he wouldn't go after you-know-who."

"No, he'd go after LeStrange," Harry said sternly.

"Snape," Ginny said almost heartbroken.

Three heads turned her way.

"Ginny," Hermione said looking at the tears running down the younger girl's face. "Do you know something we don't?"

"It's not my place to tell," she said looking out into space before turning to look at them. "Haven't you ever wondered why when Neville first met Snape he was scared, even before he entered the room? You told me he was a little scared around the professors at first none more so with Snape. And you said he used to shake whenever Snape got near him and he'd make mistakes in his potions. Some memories die hard."

The trio just looked at each other.

Ginny sighed, "Haven't you ever wondered what Neville remembers when a dementor comes by? Why Snape came out when there was a boggart?"

Ron just shrugged, "Cause Neville was scared of the git?"

"Merlin you are thick!" Ginny yelled before getting up and making her way to the girls dormitory. Before going up she stopped by Harry. "I thought at least you would get it. You were young, but I know when a dementor comes what you hear."

With that she bound up the stairs. Harry turned and looked at his two friends.

"He remembers Snape," Harry said crossing over to them. "Snape must have been there the night LeStrange tortured his parents. That's what Neville hears when a dementor comes by. He hears his parents, LeStrange and Snape. He knows Snape was there."

"This is bad. This is very bad," Ron said.

"Why didn't Ginny tell us before?" Hermione asked.

"Neville must have asked her not to, and I don't think she knows the whole story. If she did I know she'd do anything in her power to stop him," Harry said. "We'll need to tell her to get her help. "I do know the whole story. I know what happened at the ministry. I know LeStrange teased Neville about his parents and then used Crucio on him. I know what he was feeling and what he's thinking know."

"We have to tell Neville the potion was a fake," Ron said.

"I don't think at this point it would help," Harry said.

"We have to tell Dumbledore," Hermione said standing up. "Neville could poison Snape tomorrow."

"He won't do that," Harry said sternly. "Neville's been studying Veritaserum. He needs to make it correctly that way he knows Snape's not lying. He's going to get Snape to tell him where LeStrange is, and then he's going to go after her."