Sigh. Time flies, it really does. It only felt like a few moments ago since I last update, but a month? What the… yeah it surprised and terrified me too. But things that were preventing updates has been quasi settled and I'm hoping to begin updating as quickly as I can. Thanks for those that reviewed!

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Chapter Seven

Dire Straits

"I'm sorry." Neville muttered. "I guess I don't have your talent for healing." He sounded miserable, he sounded tired, angry, and frustrated. Cho mirrored his feelings. For an hour or more now they had been trying to heal her wounds, after several very bad attempts, one where she was knocked unconscious and another where the wounds themselves had reopened, Cho was ready to either scream or cry. "Maybe we should have him try."

Cho closed her eyes and sighed. The pain in her back was flaring, there was the beginnings of a headache, and she was beyond exhaustion. She glanced to Damon and he looked back, his face paler than before and his eyes bloodshot and the look of pain now seemingly permanently etched into his face. He had been quiet during Neville's attempts, strangely quiet. Cho didn't know if it was his own pain or if he was planning something.

"No. We can't trust him. Who knows what he'll do if he gets hold of a wand." Cho whispered.

"But you need to be healed. Who knows how long we're going to be in here." Neville replied, he was gently rewrapping the bandages. "It could get infected, it could start to bleed again, it could…"

"No." Cho said, finality in her voice. "He doesn't go anywhere near the wand. 'kay?"

"Yeah." Neville responded sullenly.

Cho sighed again, rubbing her eyes. She could feel the edges of her patience beginning to fray. She needed sleep, she needed to be healed, and she needed something to eat. She felt her stomach rumbling and the irritating feeling of needing something to drink. How long could they last in here? How long before they were too weak to make an escape.

"We need to get out of here." Cho said.

"We don't even know where we are." Neville said, tying off the bandages.

Cho nodded unhappily. "What do we know of this place? Nothing. Did you ever see that hall we went down?"

Neville thought for a moment. "No I don't think I've ever been down that hall. But then again there's a lot of things in the castle that aren't exactly well traveled. Even with all the students there."

Cho snorted. "Bloody castle and all it's bloody secret passages, rooms, and chambers of bloody snakes." She said, clenching her fists.

"Hold on a moment." Neville reached into his tattered robes and pulled out a piece of parchment. Cho watched as he unfolded it. Cho leaned forward lightly, wincing as she felt a slight flare of pain. She looked down at the parchment and saw nothing.

"What's this supposed to be?' Cho asked, glancing up at Neville. He stared at it and sighed, refolding it.

"It's Harry's map." Neville said. "It's supposed to show everything in Hogwarts, but it doesn't seem to be working. Ginny wouldn't let me see how she made it work in the first place." He sat back and shoved the parchment into his pocket.

"So much for seeing if we were any where near Hogwarts." Cho said.

"What are we going to do?" Neville suddenly asked.

Cho closed her eyes. "I'd hope you'd know what to do now. I've never been in any of these situations. I've never been caught up in one of your adventures." She said.

"Adventures? Me?" Neville asked.

"Everyone's heard of what you guys did last year. Fighting the Death Eaters in the Ministry. It was big stuff." Cho looked up and laughed. "Are you blushing?"

"It was nothing." Neville said, clearing his throat. "I got my nose broken, my wand broken, and nearly got killed. It was pure luck that none of us got really injured or killed. It wasn't an adventure, it was terrifying."

"I'm sorry." Cho muttered. "I just-"

"No. It's all right. Everything worked out fine in the end." Neville smiled momentarily. "Dumbledore saved the day that night and we were all safe once again." Neville looked around the tower for a moment. "I guess it would be too much in asking for him to save the day, today."

"I think it's up to us. We don't know where we are. I doubt they don't know where we are. Of course we did leave some stuff behind, your wands, the Invisibility Cloak, and the open wardrobe. They might see those and come to a conclusion?"

Neville shook his head. 'No. Bloat Arm would have cleaned up any thing we left behind."

"Bloated Arm?"

"The other person, the one that hit you and tossed you into the wardrobe." Neville explained.

Cho touched her cheek gingerly, the bruise was already darkening, turning a purple blue color. She winced as she brushed it. "He tossed me in and you followed?"

"Well, he was trying to-"

Cho shook her head. "I don't know what to say. You could have gotten out. After all what's an invisible person compared to fighting Death Eaters. But you followed me into the Wardrobe." Cho smiled. "I don't know what to say. Thank you. Thank you for not leaving me."

"I..I . Your welcome?" Neville stammered. He cleared his throat. "You handled yourself well today too. I saw you go up against that beastie out there and you fought well." He added.

Cho smiled again. "Thanks. My first time fighting a monster. Of course it really did nothing since that thing just brushed off the spells and kept coming."

Neville nodded. "It's fast. It's strong. It's deadly." Neville ticked the words off with his fingers, he wiggled the previously broken fingers and smiled. "The spells and jinx knock it out for a moment, the candlestick hurt it enough that it tried to attack me. That's something." He quieted for a moment. "I think we're going to have to go through that thing out there. Knock it out or kill it somehow."

Cho nodded solemnly. " I think so too. There's no way out of here. There's probably no help coming. We have no food. No water. Only a wand and a candle stick for weapons, you're still weak from the healing and concussion, He." Cho stabbed a finger at Damon, "has a broken leg, and me with this hideous headache and sliced and deiced back."

Neville nodded and grinned. 'Well, when you put it that way. I pity that monster."

Cho chuckled weakly. "A possible criminal in our clutches, a strange building we're in, a monster out side the door, and all of us injured. Things could be better."

"If you two kids are done with your little gossiping session. Could one of you please heal my damn leg." Damon suddenly cried, his voice hoarse.

"You." Cho grunted, rising to her feet with Neville's help. 'You aren't going anywhere as yet. You have some things we need to know. And you're going to tell us everything, or you'll be playing the bait." Cho said.

Damon glared at Cho. "Fine. Just heal me and I'll tell you everything."

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Ohhh. The story continues. Whimper in anticipation!! Please…

Until Next Chapter!