DISCLAIMER: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
When Hannah returned, she convinced him to join her for a few more songs, despite his complaints about getting tired. The Ball wouldn't last much longer, and she said it was only fair. It would be the last time she'd be able to pretend she was his date. However, as the song ended, Harry felt a sudden stab of anxiety and the urge to be somewhere else. He instinctively looked toward Ginny and found her staring directly at him. As Neville turned her away from Harry, she nodded toward the head table.
Harry looked over to see Snape talking with McGonagall. She motioned to Professor Sinistra, and the three of them quietly left the Hall. Harry told Hannah, and she reluctantly followed him back to the table where Ron and Hermione were sitting.
"You know," she said with a resigned frown, "I'm glad to help out however I can, but it would've been nice to end the night with some fun and a little dancing."
"I know. I'm sorry. I just have to be sure." Harry walked to the table in the corner where Ron and Hermione were. He unfolded the map to see what was going on.
A number of professors were rushing toward the Astronomy Tower. Filch and Mrs. Norris were already there.
Ron jabbed a finger at the map. "Harry. The Great Hall. All the professors left." Harry felt his stomach tightening. Something was happening.
Hannah immediately understood. This is what the D.A. was for. "I'll go let everyone know."
Ron stopped her before she ran off. "Keep it quiet for now. We still don't know what's happening and it'll be harder to find out if everyone panics."
Hannah nodded and floated off. Harry looked to the dance floor to find Ginny and Neville. "I'll tell Ginny, and keep watching from the dance floor. Hopefully Neville will come over here and you can tell him."
"Harry, Neville might not want to—" Ron began.
"Hannah doesn't want to either, Ron!" Harry shot back. "Neither do I, but just look at the map. Something's going on. I'm not going to wait because Neville wants to dance." And with that Harry quickly walked onto the dance floor.
Hermione stood up, "Ron. I have a bad feeling. Neville hasn't been acting like himself around Harry. We should go with him." The urgency in her voice was enough to convince Ron to join her.
Harry approached Ginny and Neville as they danced. Luckily the the song was fairly slow and he wouldn't have to chase them across the floor. Ginny noticed him almost immediately and her concern was apparent. She grabbed Neville's shoulder to get his attention.
"Harry! What is it?"
"Ginny, we—" he paused to look around at the other couples. Ginny had stopped dancing and Neville now turned to look at him with something less than happiness. Other couples had noticed and while they kept dancing, many of them were clearly listening to what was being said.
"Neville, would you mind if Ginny and I danced for a bit?"
Neville's expression hardened. "Where's Hannah? Or did she get tired of you staring at Ginny?"
Harry was taken off guard by the accusation. "Neville, please. Just one dance." He turned to Ginny, who was just as surprised at Neville's reply. "Ginny, some help?"
Neville didn't let her answer. "She's my date," he said firmly. "I'm not going to let you impose yourself on her while she's with me, or any other time, for that matter."
Harry was dumbstruck. "Impose myself?"
Neville spoke slowly. "I won't let you force her to dance with you."
Ginny finally spoke up, "Neville, it's just a dance." She had apparently seen the look in Harry's eyes and was worried about what might be happening.
Harry was looking around the dance floor. Many of the nearby couples were listening to what was going on, though they kept dancing and tried to make it look like they weren't as terribly interested as they were. He'd meant this to be quiet, but it was obvious that he was failing. He turned to Neville and tried to reason with him.
"I just want to talk with her. I think Ron and Hermione wanted to talk with you as well." Ron and Hermione were just pushing themselves past the nearest couple. "Here they are. Now can I just dance with her?"
Neville stepped between Harry and Ginny. "You can't have her Harry. You asked her and she said no."
This bit of news got the attention of many nearby students. A few of them stopped dancing to watch what was looking to be an argument between friends over a girl. Such entertainment was uncommon, even at Hogwarts.
Ron and Hermione walked to Harry's side. Ron leaned toward Neville and tried to keep his voice loud enough to be heard but not enough to be overheard. "Just relax, Neville. You don't know what's going on."
Neville glowered at Ron. "I'm not afraid of him". He turned on Harry again, keeping Ginny behind him. "You may not have asked to be famous, but you are, and you never complain about all that it gets you."
"What are you talking about?"
"Ginny had a crush on you for years and you ignored her all that time." Neville was getting angry. Ginny had been confused, and now she was getting scared by the way everyone was responding. Neville, unfortunately, was oblivious and continued on.
"You didn't have to worship her. She worshiped you. All you had to do was say anything to her and she'd be happy, but you barely noticed she existed until it was too late."
Hermione grabbed Harry's shoulder, "Harry, I've got a really bad feeling about—"
Harry shot an annoyed look at her. "I know it, Hermione," he growled, "I told you about it, didn't I?"
"...But now that she found someone else, you can't stand it."
"Neville, this is a really bad time for this," Harry said, but Neville barely paused to take a breath.
"You get all the extra help you need. You always have the best broom. Whenever something bad happens, you hide behind Dumbledore and Ron's family and your dead parents. They changed the rules of the Triwizard Tournament for you! The I.C.W. shows up, and all they're interested in is you. You've got your own club, with your own followers. You wanted Cho, and you got her. Now you want Ginny, but you can't have her."
Ron paled. "Neville, this really isn't a good idea—" He tried to grab Neville to lead him away, but Neville jerked his arm away.
Hermione was visibly panicked now. "Harry," she said as she shook his shoulder. "It's just like the others. Crabbe— Justin— Dean— This is how it started."
Suddenly the anger which had been building in Harry broke and turned to fear. She was right. His mind started racing, trying to find a solution to this problem he hadn't anticipated. Harry pushed her hand off his shoulder, and almost shouted back at her.
"I know! I see it, alright?" Harry looked around the room quickly. Many of the students nearby were watching him, but quite a few students were slowly moving through the main doors at the other end of the hall. They were leaving. "The doors, Ron, watch everyone who leaves. Go!" He quickly handed Ron the folded Marauder's Map and turned back to Neville. "We have to go. We have to go, now. You're in danger here."
"Everyone around you is in danger." Neville yelled back. If any students nearby had forgotten what was happening, their attention was drawn to the row on the dance floor.
"Your parents are dead because of some prophecy about you. Cedric died because he was with you. Sirius died trying to protect you. And Ginny was taken down to that horrible chamber because she knew you. And now there's Justin and Dean and Susan." Neville paused to see if Harry would respond. Instead, Harry turned to Hermione.
"Find Hannah and assemble the D.A. Leave a couple on the stairs with Ron, and take the rest to the Fat Lady." Hermione wasn't listening, and was still looking for anyone out of place. "Hermione!".
Hermione faced him and nodded quickly. "Can you get him to leave?" she asked.
"If Ginny helps, I think so." He looked to Ginny. "If not, then we'll just have to leave him, I won't risk forcing him."
"Good luck", Hermione said, then slipped away into the crowd.
"We have to go, Neville", Ginny said, pushing him toward Harry.
"No. Not with him. You've already been exposed to that danger once. You made it through. You've had your turn. It's not fair."
Ginny was finally able to get in front of him. She grabbed his arm, "You don't understand, we have to leave."
Harry grabbed his other arm. "You have to come with us."
"Why?"
"So I can protect you. I can only protect you if you're with me."
"The only reason we'd need protection is because we we're with you," he said with more spite than Harry had ever imagined he's see from Neville. "I'll go with Ginny and as long as you stay away from us, we'll be fine."
"I'm sorry, Neville, I'm afraid you're well beyond that now. We can't do this here. Ginny, we have to go." Ginny nodded and starting walking toward the door, dragging Neville behind her. Harry followed them, pushing Neville lightly. As the left the Great Hall, Neville stopped and refused to go any farther. Ron was on the stairs, silently urging Harry to hurry.
"Not here either, Neville. We need to go to the common room," he said as he tried to steer Neville toward the stairs.
"No, Harry. She chose me." Neville pushed Harry back. "You asked and she said no. You kept bothering her and she still said no. She didn't want to come with you. She's over you."
Ginny's grip on his arm loosened. Her voice was soft and it came as a harsh contrast to the shouts and accusations of the last few minutes.
"Neville, that isn't true."
She'd said it quietly, but Harry still looked around to see who might be listening. A few people were looking at him, but few could have heard Ginny's statement. It was simple and honest, full of both sincerity and apology.
"You don't have to defend him!" Neville replied in a loud voice. "I heard him. I heard it—"
Neville paused, and his gaze slipped from Harry to Ginny. She was still holding his arm, but no longer pulling him. He swallowed, and looked at Ginny with narrowed eyes.
"Which... Which part wasn't true?"
Ginny frowned, and looked to Harry. Harry met her glance, and then turned back to Neville. Neville's body had slackened in confusion and Ginny resumed pulling on Neville's arm. However, this time there was no resistance nor any will to fight. Together, Harry and Ginny guided Neville toward the stairs.
Ron met them halfway up the first staircase. He had already sent off most of the D.A. members.
"There were too many people, Harry. With all the professors gone, people just started leaving." He took out the Marauder's Map. "The professors and Aurors are all over the place now. I think most are out on the grounds. They must have seen something from the tower. We should get to the common room as soon as we can. I don't think anyone really knows what's going on."
"You're probably right," Harry said as he pushed Neville up the stairs. "Ginny, lead the way. Ron, make sure Neville keeps moving. We'll have to assume it's safe ahead of us, and I'll protect us from whatever might be behind us."
Though Neville slowed them down, they were still able to reach the Fat Lady fairly quickly. Hermione opened the portrait for them and all the Gryffindors stepped in while the rest of the D.A. kept watch.
Hermione immediately ran up to her room. Ron went to a table and opened up the map. Ginny scanned the room quickly and found one of the first year students who'd just received an owl, most likely a letter from her parents. "We need to use that owl!" Ginny pleaded. "It's very important." Daunted, the small girl nodded silently.
"Who should we send it to, Harry?" she yelled from across the room.
Harry was talking with Hannah through the portrait hole. "Dumbledore, I'd think. Ron! Where's Dumbledore?"
"By the Willow. McGonagall's right down the Hall, though."
"Write it to Dumbledore!" he yelled back to Ginny.
"Right," she said, looking a little uneasy. "And can I have a word with you, Harry?" Harry's head turned to stare at her. "Now?" he asked with obvious frustration. "It'll have to wait, I'm in the middle of something."
He turned back to Hannah. "I think we're through the most dangerous part. Tell this lot to disperse. It just looks suspicious. Then send McGonagall here." He started to close the portrait, but stopped and shouted, "Oh, and thanks for a fun night of dancing."
Hannah smirked back at him. "You're welcome. What's better than going to a ball and having the bloke you're with spend the entire night looking at everyone but you?"
Neville was watching Ginny as she scribbled a quick note to Dumbledore. Harry walked over and crouched in front of him, immediately capturing Neville's attention.
"That was probably the most foolish thing you've ever done."
Neville was still confused, but his eyes were narrowed with suspicion and anger. "What's going on? Justin was right, wasn't he? You haven't been honest with us, have you? Has it been you all this time?"
"Honestly, Neville," Hermione said as she walked behind Harry. "How could you believe that?" She turned to Harry, "We're safe here. I couldn't find anything in the tower."
Ginny appeared at Harry's side, still looking tense. "The letter's off to Dumbledore. I'm sure he's got it by now." She noticed Neville staring at her, and turned away.
Neville's head dropped, and he stared at the carpet. "Which part wasn't true?" he asked quietly.
"Look Neville..." Harry started, but he didn't know how to explain it. Neville's dejected posture made it even more difficult. "This summer—"
"Let her tell me," he interrupted. Ginny reluctantly turned to look at him. She knelt down in front of him to try to get him to look at her, but he refused. He's figured it out, Harry realized.
"Which part wasn't true, Ginny?" Neville asked again.
"Er... most of it, I guess. This summer... Well, Harry and I spoke to each other a lot. I didn't have a crush on him anymore... I swear. It was different. We talked and got to be friends. And well..." she trailed off, hoping that would be enough.
"And now you're going out," Neville whispered. He looked up with a disgusted face. "He was your second choice, Ginny. How long after that did it take before he finally convinced you."
"Hold on!" Harry complained. "I didn't trick her or convince her. It was her choice as much as mine. And she wasn't my second choice. We didn't want anyone to know about it. You just heard her reminding me about that."
Neville's head popped up and he looked at Harry and then Ginny. His mouth moved soundlessly for a moment before words finally formed. "So you... before... W-When did you start? Christmas holidays?" Ginny's head dropped as she shook it. "Before Christmas?" Nevile asked though he already knew the answer. "Before Halloween?" Ginny looked up with glassy eyes filled with pity. Neville's eyes were red and his face was flushed. He started laughing, but it was high pitched, almost manic.
"Oh, don't I look like the House imbecile! You already told me... You must be getting a good laugh," he said bitterly. "I guess this means the bloke you made such a scene over at Diagon Alley was Harry?" A barely perceptible nod from Ginny made Neville laugh again.
"And that kiss after the Quidditch match wasn't as innocent as you claimed, was it? You never even knew that when I was young, I used to sleep under a painting of a mermaid?"
"No," Ginny said sympathetically. "The mermaid costume... well, it was a bit of a joke between Harry and me."
Neville had stopped laughing, but his eyes seemed to redden even more. "I thought... I thought you might have actually liked me. Harry was right. It really was a stupid thing to do."
"That's not true, Neville," Ginny said as she moved toward him. Neville recoiled in something that looked to be disgust. Ginny stopped to looked into his eyes, "That's not what he meant."
Harry walked back to stand near Neville. "You're in danger, Neville. The others, they've all... they've all been hurt," Harry tried to explain. "I thought I knew why... but I don't."
"Then how do you know I'm in danger? If you aren't controlling it, why are you so sure that I'm next?" Ginny's head snapped up. She glanced at Harry, but then turned back to Neville.
"We... don't know that you're next, but you are in danger," she said quietly. She backed away from Neville and turned to stare at the fire. Her retreat seemed to trouble Neville as much as her earlier attempt to console him. However, his pain and embarrassment were quickly turning back into the anger he'd displayed earlier.
"I'm in danger because I'm near him, because I stood up to him," Neville said to her back. "It doesn't change anything. Everyone around him is in danger. No one cared when it was Crabbe, and Justin was being a prat. What did Dean do? And Susan Bones? And that Ravenclaw girl?" Neville turned to look at Harry. "Face it, Harry. It's dangerous just being around you. We'd all be safe if you just left. You're a curse!"
"You don't know what you're talking about, Neville," Harry replied coldly. "They'll come for you whether I'm here or not. He'll do it because he knows that I'll see it. There's nowhere in the world I could go to change that. He's planning something bigger. All of this is just... a distraction or... some twisted sport of his."
The portrait hole opened with a slight creak and Professor McGonagall stepped through. Her serious mood seemed to radiate from her.
"Don't leave the tower, Neville," Harry said sternly. "Not tonight. Let Dumbledore decide when it's safe." He turned and walked toward his Head of House, leaving Neville feeling both angry and embarrassed over the events of this evening. Before anyone could stop him, he was striding toward the stairs and climbing them to the the sixth year's dormitory.
"Alright, Potter," Professor McGonagall began sternly. "Quickly now, what is it you needed to speak with me about?"
"I need to speak to Dumbledore."
"—Professor Dumbledore—" McGonagall corrected.
"Right, sorry," Harry apologized quickly. "I think Neville is in danger." McGonagall looked skeptical, so Harry tried to tell the story of what had happened earlier, glossing over some of the points he felt she didn't need to know, like the entire reason for the argument.
"I understand your concerns, Potter, but we can't take special action for anyone who gets into a minor disagreement with you," McGonagall said impatiently. "Now, I have more important things—"
"It wasn't a minor disagreement, Professor," Hermione interrupted as she and Ron walked up behind Harry. "Neville's really quite upset. He said some horrible things. Everyone heard him." McGonagall looked toward the stairs. "Neville Longbottom? What was this argument about?" No one answered immediately.
"A girl."
Everyone turned toward the sound of the voice, and saw a sullen Ginny Weasley sitting in the corner nearby. She said nothing more, and didn't even look at them. McGonagall's face relaxed only a little. "I should have known. Students have enough to worry about without such things. I assume Miss Abbott returned to her common room? I admit, I thought Mr. Longbottom was quite happy with Miss Weasley." Everyone got quiet again, and Ron looked to see if Ginny would speak up.
"He was," Harry finally said. McGonagall pursed her lips as she worked out what had happened. Her frown deepened as she fixed her eyes on Harry. "Yes, I think understand now. And this happened when?" The three of them explained the rest of the story to McGonagall and she seemed more and more interested in hearing exactly what happened.
"Mr. Potter, you will come with me. The Headmaster will need to know about this." She lowered her voice so only the three of them could hear. "One of the Aurors claims to have spotted a wizard in a dark cloak on the Astronomy Tower. There was some doubt at first, but it is now obvious that it was none of the extra security brought by the Confederation wizards. We have found no trace of any intruder, but if Mr. Weasley is telling the truth, I would find it a terrible coincidence that the intruder disappeared right as Potter and Longbottom were ...displaying their immaturity."
Harry nodded to Ron and Hermione and left with McGonagall. They walked quickly and silently to Dumbledore's office. Harry knew the way quite well by now, and when they finally reached his office, Harry saw Dumbledore bent over a strange silver instrument on his desk.
"Albus, I think we know what might have happened to our intruder tonight." Harry told the story again, this time being more truthful than he had been the first time. Dumbledore did not seem at all surprised about any of the events, but merely nodded silently, as if he had suspected this all along.
"I agree, Harry. I think Mr. Longbottom is safest here for the time being. However, I'm afraid that that decision will be up to his grandmother." Dumbledore rose and walked to his fireplace. A moment later, Harry saw the face of an old (and seemingly quite annoyed) witch in the fireplace.
"Albus? What is it? Can it wait until tomorrow?"
"I'm afraid it cannot," Dumbledore replied. Dumbledore quickly explained what was going on, though he left out any reason for the danger her grandson was in. When she asked, Dumbledore merely replied, "The cause is a matter of a somewhat personal nature, perhaps best explained by Neville. However, the consequences are the only thing that matter for the moment."
Neville's grandmother ignored his mysterious answer and pressed Dumbledore about the seriousness of the danger Neville was in. Dumbledore attempted to reassure her, but she seemed to be getting more and more upset with him.
"I'm sorry, Albus," she said without actually sounding apologetic. "Hogwarts simply isn't as safe as it once was. I will send Neville's Great Uncle to come escort him home. The Hogsmeade Floo is still safe to use, is it not?"
"Last I've heard, but I must say that I cannot guarantee his safety outside of Hogwarts, we have had—"
"Algernon is a strong wizard, Albus. Let Neville sleep for now, but I trust someone will be waiting by the door?"
Dumbledore gave a tired nod, "Two Aurors guard the door at all hours. We will let Neville know." As the face in the fireplace disappeared, Dumbledore turned to Harry.
"Do you have any idea where the intruder might have gone?" he asked with a piercing gaze. "Have you seen anything? Please try and remember anything."
Harry tried as hard as he could, but it was useless. He hadn't seen anything that night. No visions, no dreams. All he had seen was the Aurors and professors running about on the map. He forced his mind to remember fleeing the Great Hall. Could he have missed something? That would be the time when this intruder would have been running away from Hogwarts. He'd been rather distracted at the time and it could have been easy to miss something. Of course, he'd been distracted before and still caught the visions immediately. He closed his eyes, searching for any scrap of a memory that might help, but he couldn't remember anything. Or rather, he could remember nothing. Only blackness.
And a tree. Actually many trees.
Dumbledore's eyes lit up as he saw the change in Harry's expression. "Perhaps you did see something?" The image had faded, but Harry remembered it well enough.
"Trees. The same large oaks that I broke my arm on." As he remembered them other images started fading in and out of his sight. "And ... there was another— There were two of them. One of them had an owl. Maybe that's how they found out about Neville."
Dumbledore was looking at him very intently again. "Were they moving toward the Castle, or away from it?" Harry tried to think, but he couldn't really tell. "Neither, I'd say," he told the Headmaster. "I think they were walking toward something, but it wasn't the castle."
Dumbledore seemed quite unsatisfied by Harry's answer but nodded his understanding anyway. "Minerva, I will need to speak to Kingsley Shacklebolt immediately. Tell the rest of the Aurors to gather. I do not think the grounds are safe tonight, and I will feel quite a bit happier if Old Algie has some protection between Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. Harry, you may see yourself back to Gryffindor Tower, and I wonder if you would be able to tell Neville about what was decided here."
Harry was mostly dazed as he walked back to Gryffindor Tower. He wasn't sure if Neville would be willing to talk with him, but surely he could find someone who could at least give him a message. What troubled him more was that for the second time he had somehow forgotten about visions he'd had. What did that mean? Had he forgotten having them? Ginny had said she'd known when she'd been possessed because she couldn't remember what she'd been doing. Harry thought he knew what he'd been doing all night, but how could he have missed the visions?
He was awoken from his ponderings as he reached the Fat Lady and heard an argument through the portrait.
"Come on, then," she prodded impatiently. "Give me the password and see if you can't end this bickering."
"Wormwood" Harry said and the portrait swung open. He was immediately able to make out the arguing voices.
"—he listen to me? Who am I to stop him?" Harry heard Ron's voice say.
"You're a prefect, Ron!" said a female voice, undoubtedly Ginny's.
"Well, it's not like he broke any rules," a third voice said. Hermione apparently was in the argument as well. "We can't really stop him from doing something just because we disagree."
"Well, why did he need to take a broom with him?" Ginny shouted. Harry was now fully in the common room. Ginny, Ron and Hermione were standing in the corner nearest the portrait hole. A few other students were around, but they mostly seemed to be watching the row in the corner with awed silence.
"I don't know! Maybe he'll go stuff himself in one of the goal hoops." Ron replied. "Why should I even care? You heard what he said to Harry. If he wants to act like an idiot, I'm not going to stop him."
"Don't you get it, Ron?" Ginny said bitterly. "It's not about Neville. This is about Harry. It's always been about Harry. These aren't just attacks on Dean and Susan. They are attacks on Harry, too."
"Well, If you're so worried about Neville, then why don't you run off and check on him?"
Ginny's face paled a bit, and she turned to Hermione instead. "Please, Hermione, just let someone else know. An Auror, or McGonagall, or anyone. This feels wrong. I just know it."
"We'll tell Harry when he gets back," Hermione said in a calming voice.
"Tell me what?" Harry asked, causing all three of his friends to snap their heads in his direction. Ginny's eyes widened and she ran toward him talking very quickly.
"Harry! Neville got an owl. He's packed a bunch of his things and left the common room. He said that he was leaving, and I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen to me and Ron and Hermione—" her eyes darted toward them "—wouldn't help me."
"I know," Harry said calmly. "Dumbledore just talked with his grandmother. His great uncle is coming to pick him up sometime tonight. Dumbledore sent me to tell him. I guess his grandmother decided to tell him first."
"What are you talking about Harry?" Hermione said. "Neville got the owl just after you left with McGonagall."
"He couldn't have. Dumbledore woke her up. She'd been sleeping." Even Ron's eyes had gone wide, now.
"I read the note, mate," Ron said. "I think it's still on his bed if you want to read it yourself."
Ron, Hermione and Ginny dashed up the stairs after Harry. As they burst into the dormitory, Seamus let out a high pitched yelp as he dove behind his bed curtains. Harry snatched the letter off the ground near where Neville's trunk had been.
Dear Neville,
Dumbledore told me about what happened tonight. He seems to think that you are perfectly safe where you are, but I don't trust him as much as we used to. You're not safe there, dear.
I am at Hogsmeade visiting some good friends. I want you to meet me by the main gates as soon as you can get there. And try to take a broom instead of walking. I don't think the grounds are safe either.
You will come home until Hogwarts is safer.
Sincerely,
Gran
"When did Neville leave?" Harry asked, as he quickly re-read the letter. Ron shrugged and looked at the two girls. "Dunno. Maybe five minutes before you came back?" Harry stuffed the letter in his pocket and strode toward the door.
"Neville's Gran didn't write this. She's not in Hogsmeade. She's sending someone else to pick Neville up. Someone else sent this to make Neville leave Hogwarts."
The four of them tumbled out of the portrait hole into the hallway. "We have to find Dumbledore or McGonagall," Hermione said. Harry was about to suggest they go to the front doors, when his stomach suddenly knotted and leapt. He stumbled to the stone floor. Ginny dropped down next to him, trying to help him up. "What is it, Harry?"
Harry swallowed and pulled himself to his feet. "Voldemort," he croaked, "he's... laughing." Ginny's face became even paler than it had been. Harry looked at his friends. "The front doors. Aurors will be there."
They ran down the staircase as quickly as they could. They passed no professors, no students, and no Aurors on their way to the Entrance Hall. Harry was feeling winded and a little dizzy as he went down the last flight of stairs. With only a few last stairs to go and a group of Aurors in sight, Harry's world went suddenly black. Sharp pains shot through his shoulder and ribs and he felt the world tumble about him.
At first Harry thought that had passed out yet again, but he could still hear voices. Ron and Hermione were shouting something at him but it sounded like they were shouting from the bottom of some deep pit. After considering how little he could see, Harry decided it was probably him that was in the pit.
His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he was able to make out a pair of large looming shapes against a dark sky, one close, the other standing some distance away, alone on the clear ground. In the back of his mind, he could hear a frantic voice asking him what was wrong. It was Ginny.
This has to be another vision, he told himself. He ignored the voices calling him and tried to concentrate on what he was seeing. These must have been the intruders. Harry looked around and his blood froze as his eyes locked on silhouette of a large castle on a hill in the distance. They were still near Hogwarts.
The figure near Harry extended a long arm to point into the sky. Harry followed it and saw a small figure flying erratically through the night sky. Harry knew who it was before he even saw him. Neville had attempted to shrink his trunk, but it had only shrank to about half its size, and it caused the broom to jerk back and forth as it swayed from poorly tied ropes under his broom.
As the shape got nearer and lower to the ground, the far figure raised an arm as well, but this one had a wand held in it. A harsh woman's voice rang out in the night.
"Impedimentia!"
Neville gave a weak scream as his broom slowed dangerously and dropped out from under him, dragged to the ground by the anchor of his trunk. Neville dropped as well, but not so quickly. He struck the ground roughly and rolled into a limp heap not far from the woman who'd attacked him.
Harry went to where Neville landed, and watched as the two robed figures approached. He was moaning and cradling one arm, unable to even see the grotesque angle his lower leg was twisted into. The agony written on his face was washed away quickly though, as the taller of the two figures drew back his hood and removed his mask.
"Yes, that arm does look broken," a high pitched voice laughed. Harry didn't have to look. It was Voldemort. Voldemort was just outside Hogwarts. "But your leg is much worse." Voldemort laughed again as Neville's mouth dropped in horror upon seeing his leg. He knelt over Neville, his face pulled into a grimace of anger and hatred. Slowly, he wrapped a bony hand around Neville's broken arm and squeezed, forcing a guttural scream from Neville's throat. "A small price to pay for befriending Harry Potter."
Neville had almost fainted, but was now looking defiantly into Voldemort's eyes. He tried to speak, but his voice was shaky and weak.
"W-Won't... N-Never tell... Y-you— R-Rath— Rather d-die..."
"I didn't come here to kill you, Neville Longbottom. Indeed, I am taking quite a chance simply being here. However, you have helped me so much that it simply wouldn't be fair for me to not thank you personally." Neville looked confused. Terror and doubt seemed to temporarily push the pain from his mind.
"No one, not even my most loyal servant, has created such an opportunity for me. I admit, it is not something even I could have planned. Potter can be so very foolish, and he has surrounded himself with foolish friends. This has caused me to change my plans, but for the better."
Voldemort bent over to look Neville in the eye again. "For this, I thank you. And I shall give you a gift. I give it freely, and without demand of repayment, though it is not nearly so great as the gift I unwillingly gave Potter." He stood and laughed, "There will be no need for you to thank me for this gift." With that he turned and walked off.
As he walked, the other figure stood forward, her wand still drawn. Voldemort turned and watched from a short distance. "Pay close attention, Potter. I'll be gone in a moment. Your friend will need you."
The woman threw back her hood. "You do remember me, don't you?"
Neville scowled back at her in pain and disgust. "Yes," he spat. "Bellatrix Lestrange. You're filth!" He would have said more, but she gave him a vicious kick to his leg, causing him to howl in pain.
"I would rather send you to your parents, but I have been given the task of delivering your gift to you. Something that's been taken from you, though you scarcely knew it was gone. But I know. I was there when it was taken." Neville's face contorted in shock, but Bellatrix continued.
"It is not as simple to give back what someone else has taken. but there is a way." Harry was repulsed by the sweet, sympathetic tones Bellatrix was emulating. Behind him, Voldemort simply hissed in laughter.
"There is a way. I devoted nearly a year of my life to searching for it, and in my studies I found many things. I shared them with the Dark Lord and he raised me above all others. And then I found it: one of the old ways, long forgotten by the ancients when it no longer seemed useful. All it needs is a source —a seed— of truth, and your mind will do the rest. I had hoped I would be able to show you."
Bellatrix raised her wand and pointed it at Neville's chest. "I told him you were too young. It wouldn't have mattered, but Crouch didn't take chances. He always was a bit forceful with his spells. Believe this, Neville Longbottom, I will do my best."
"Sataru Mudutu!" she shouted, and a crackling string of light connected Bellatrix's wand and Neville's forehead. A moment later, Neville began screaming and flailing his broken limbs.
Behind him, Harry heard Voldemort's hissing laugh growing louder. "Hurry back, Potter," he whispered. Harry knew what would come next, but part of him didn't want to leave Neville until Voldemort was gone. Confirming his suspicions, Harry's scar burned like it was on fire, and he screamed as streaks of light forced their way into his eyes. He was cold. Very cold. Someone else was screaming.
But Voldemort was still in front of him. The light faded and Voldemort turned to look directly at Harry, as if he could see him. His red eyes flared and his lips pulled back in a grimace. The screams were deafening now. He couldn't tell who was screaming anymore. Was it Neville? His mother? Himself?. It sounded like all of them together.
"Leave now!" Voldemort shouted. "Leave now or I will make them all pay."
Harry didn't know how to leave. Could he run back to Hogwarts like this? Was he really here? Why could Voldemort see him? The questions spun around in his mind, until the very world around him seemed to tip and spin.
The back of his head hurt. It was cold, yet throbbing. He felt more and more cold as the world around him got lighter and foggier. What was happening?
"HARRY! WAKE UP!"
Harry shook his head. His scar was throbbing and his eyes were blurry with tears. Ginny was shaking him and yelling.
He blinked to clear his eyes and saw a large group of Aurors standing around him. He was laying on the cold stone floor of the Entrance Hall. Ron and Hermione were on one side of him, and Professor McGonagall was kneeling on the other.
"Harry! Are you okay?" Ginny asked. Tears were running down her face. "What did you see, Harry? Was it Neville?"
"It's too late, but I think he's still alive," Harry said groggily.
"Where is he?" McGonagall asked urgently.
"Gates... He's at the gates... Voldemort was there..." His world was growing dim again. Not again, he told himself. "G-Gone by now... Neville's... hurt."
A number of Aurors bolted out the door, followed by McGonagall. Harry saw the glow of their red sparks as the world faded around him again.
Harry awoke to the sickeningly familiar view of the ceiling of the Hospital Wing. It was dazzlingly bright and sterile and for a moment he was filled only with the loathing of another night spent in the Hospital Wing.
"He's awake!"
Ron came running over to the side of Harry's bed. Behind him was Hermione, who seemed equally eager to see Harry. Ron flopped down into a chair next to Harry's bed. "It's about time, mate. You just missed a late lunch," Ron said cheerily then seemed to think twice about it. "Er... on second thought, about all you missed was some cold food and an empty hall."
"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked warily.
"I'm here," a small voice responded. Ginny was sitting quietly in a corner behind him. Ron looked over to his sister. "With Harry's luck, you can probably still manage some lunch and be back before he gets out."
"Already ate," Ginny said mechanically.
"When?" Ron asked dubiously.
"Aurors made me," Ginny replied just as flatly. Harry craned his head to look at her. "What Aurors?" he asked. Ginny pulled the curtains aside a little and pointed toward the door. "Those Aurors."
Through the curtain, Harry could see a pair of Aurors standing near the door talking with Madam Pomfrey. Seeing them brought back memories of the previous night (it had been only one night, hadn't it?).
Ginny was staring at the Aurors. Hermione was looking at her hands while they tugged at a pocket. Only Ron was looking at him.
"What happened to Neville?" Harry asked finally.
Ron shrugged, but spoke seriously. "No one knows. I think everyone hopes you'll know. Last night, the Aurors wanted to force you to wake up and tell them more, but Pomfrey started shouting and threatening them. Dumbledore sent them out after that."
"He's alive?" Harry asked. Ron nodded, and Harry sat up and started to pull the sheets from around him. Ginny jumped up nervously and Ron stood up with her as if they meant to stop him. Harry was surprised to see he was still in his dress robes, but ignored that for now. "Is he awake? Can I talk to him?"
"He's not here, Harry," Ginny said quietly. He gave her a surprised look.
"He... He's already left? Why am I still here?"
Ron looked at Harry gravely. "They took Neville to St. Mungo's."
Harry couldn't believe it. "St. Mungo's? He had a broken arm, and broken leg— a severely broken leg," he corrected himself. "He had a rough time of it, but Madam Pomfrey—"
"His leg and arm were fixed before they brought him back," Hermione interrupted. "His rib and fingers, as well, but he wouldn't stop shouting and screaming. Madam Pomfrey couldn't find any other injuries to mend, but he didn't stop..." She trailed off as Harry stared at her. His eyes slowly turned to Ginny, who was still standing nearby.
"Where was it?" he asked.
"Where was what?" asked Ron, but Harry ignored him. He kept staring at Ginny, who looked up into Harry's eyes.
"Where was it, Ginny?"
"His chest," she croaked. "Right over his heart."
Hermione cocked her head at Harry and Ginny. "What are you two talking about?" Ginny started explaining everything she hadn't the previous night.
"I felt him last night... I knew he was nearby. That's why I was so frightened, but I knew no one would believe me. Not until there was some proof... When Harry fell... I guessed what was happening. The Aurors should have left and searched the grounds like I told them." She seemed to get paler as she spoke. "When they brought Neville in... I didn't see it... I just knew. There's a lightning bolt mark on his chest. I'm sure of it."
"You are quite correct, Miss Weasley," a voice said from the center of the room. Harry looked and saw Albus Dumbledore walking toward him, looking more serious than he had in some time. Behind him were the Aurors from the door, looking even more serious. One of them looked quite old.
Before Harry could even speak, Dumbledore had raised a hand to silence him. "I suspect you have some questions, Harry. However, I must ask your help first. As you have heard, Neville Longbottom is currently at St. Mungo's where a team of wizards is trying to help him as we speak. Do you remember what happened to him?"
Harry stared at the Headmaster for a moment before giving him an account of what he saw. Dumbledore didn't seem at all interested in Neville's broken bones, but when Harry tried to recite what Bellatrix had said, Dumbledore's eyes widened a bit and he looked thoughtful.
"What is it?" Harry asked. Dumbledore stood and looked Harry in the eyes. "Neville has said very little since last night. The few things he has said have involved his parents. Most recently he has taken to repeating the words 'Take it back'."
The night started to make sense. Voldemort would never give Neville something he truly wanted or needed. The answer assembled itself in his mind as if Dumbledore were leading him to the conclusion. Crouch had taken it, but Bellatrix gave it back.
"We've always suspected that Neville was the subject of a Memory Charm after the attacks on his parents, but no one could ever prove it or understand why," Dumbledore explained. "It has always been just as much a mystery why he was even left alive. However, there was no reason to reverse it. The attackers had been found, and there was little else in young Neville's memory that he would want back."
"She... she gave him her memories of the attack... A seed to help him remember the rest." Harry said in a daze. He felt ill. "Voldemort said that it was a gift to Neville."
"Why not simply Charm him again?" Ron asked. Before Dumbledore could answer, Hermione spoke up.
"You can't just Obliviate any memory you want, Ron. It has to be something recent. More recent than fifteen years ago, I'm afraid."
Dumbledore nodded. "It is as well as I could hope, and yet as horrible as I feared," he said quietly. "Do not worry, Harry. Neville will live. His new memories will fade, and until then, there are steps which may be taken to comfort him. I will tell Poppy that you may be released as soon as you choose."
With that, he turned on his heel and strode out of the Hospital Wing. The Aurors followed him back to the door and then resumed their watch over the room.
A short time later Madam Pomfrey came in looking a little annoyed. She announced that Harry could leave if he liked, but that she felt it would be better if he stayed for another night. Harry almost walked out at that moment, but Pomfrey was adamant about having him change into normal clothing.
Reluctantly, Hermione, Ron and Ginny left the wing, after telling him they would wait for him outside. As Harry changed into some normal clothes which were sitting nearby (Ron must have brought them down last night). Madam Pomfrey took the opportunity to continue checking him for bizarre illnesses.
When he finally got out of the Hospital Wing, the students were just starting to head to the Great Hall for their evening meal. Pomfrey had managed to keep him around for another hour while she fed him a Pepper-Up Potion and some other concoction that was still making him feel a bit jittery. As he walked out into the hallway he saw Ron and Hermione sitting next to each other along the wall. They both jumped to their feet, faces blushing.
"Where's Ginny?" Harry asked, not wanting to know why they might be embarrassed.
"She left a few minutes ago," Ron said quickly, "She was listening at the door. Must have known you were almost free. She said she'd meet us in the common room."
When they got to the common room it was mostly empty, and the few students that were there quickly scuttled out of the room on their way to the Great Hall. Harry sat down in a large comfy chair near one of the windows. Ron and Hermione sat nearby. Harry stared out the window, and waited for Ginny.
After only a few minutes, the portrait opened and Harry saw a flash of red hair poke through. She spotted Harry and walked over to the chairs. On her arm were three very small covered baskets. Before taking a seat between Harry's chair and the wall, she quickly surveyed the common room.
"What're those?" Ron asked, pointing at the miniature baskets. Ginny smiled and set them on the floor in front of them. "Supper," she announced triumphantly. "I'm sure Harry doesn't want everyone staring at him. and Dobby was happy to help."
Ron looked worried. "We didn't get much for lunch, Ginny, and I don't know how you could have had much more. Couldn't you have... you know... asked for a bit more? Fred and George used to bring loads of food."
Ginny glared back at Ron. "Yes, and Fred and George used to mash half the stuff they brought back, didn't they? I wanted proper food." Ron looked as though he wouldn't have cared if his food was mashed or not. Before he could complain, Ginny had pulled out her wand. With an elegant wave of her wand, the three small baskets tripled in size.
Ron lifted the lid of one to see what was inside. "Brilliant!" he exclaimed as he pulled out a large red apple. "When did you get so good at that?" Ginny just shrugged as she put her wand away. Ron turned a suspicious eye on the apple, but seemed suitably pleased with its taste. Even Hermione seemed impressed with the feat.
Harry simply smiled and rummaged in the nearest basket until he found some bangers and mash. Ginny passed out some plates from another basket and they ate in relative peace. Ron and Hermione were talking freely, and Ginny was listening but saying nothing. Eventually, Harry joined in the conversation.
Much sooner than Harry wanted, the students started returning from the Great Hall. Some of them noticed Harry and whispered things to their friends before walking off. He tried to ignore it. He didn't want to think about it.
"Harry! You're back!" a voice shouted from across the room. Katie Bell walked over to Harry and gave him an appraising look. "You're alright, aren't you? No permanent damage?" Harry gave her an odd look.
"You seemed to be passing out a lot," she explained, "and well... I didn't want you to... you know... fall off. Like my fourth year?"
Harry groaned and dropped his head. "I'm fine, Katie. I'm not sick."
"Excellent," she said brightly. She looked around the room and frowned. "I guess I thought Ginny would have been with you three. No one's seen her since... er... last night. Have any of you seen her?"
"No," said a voice near Harry, "I heard she was eaten by the giant squid."
Katie frowned and circled around Harry. "Ah. There you are. I didn't want to lose a Chaser either," Katie said. Ginny nodded with unenthusiastic gratitude as she took another bite out of her bread. Katie smiled and looked over at Harry, then back at Ginny. "So... Everyone's talking about it. Is it true?"
Ron choked on his meat pie. "Everyone's talking about Ginny being eaten by the squid?" he laughed. "And you're wondering if it's true?"
"No," Katie replied as she stuck her tongue out at Ron. She turned back to Ginny and smiled. "Is it true that you and Harry are going out?"
There was a dull thump as Ginny's bread fell to the floor. The color drained from her face until she was a sickly pale. She could not have looked more terrified if Katie had turned into a pack of trolls.
"W-Where... Where did you hear that?" Ginny stammered.
Katie looked thoughtful for a moment. "Where... er... I think it was a bunch of Hufflepuff girls, at breakfast. I think they were the first—"
"—The first?" Harry interrupted.
"—Yeah... All the Slytherins were making jokes about it. Even the Ravenclaws were talking about it. I guess I missed it, but they said that you beat up Neville last night, and when he ran off he was attacked by Death Eaters."
"That's... er... not quite how it went," Ron said weakly.
Harry felt horribly ill. He looked at the baskets of food in front of him and his stomach lurched dangerously. How had he overlooked it? He'd been thinking only of Neville. No one had said it clearly, but their argument had started people thinking.
"They've been friends for ages, Katie," Ron said quickly. "And... er... they're just really close friends."
Katie raised an eyebrow at him. "Really? I saw them kiss after the match, Ron. I've never kissed any of my friends like that."
Ron looked annoyed, and a little upset. "He'd just saved her from being clobbered! I would have kissed him if there hadn't been a queue. They're not—"
"We are." Ginny interrupted in a low voice. "We just didn't want everyone talking about it. Neville... Neville didn't know."
Katie's eyes opened wide as she realized what had happened. "Ahh. I see. I suppose Harry does deserve a little privacy." She shrugged and picked up a pumpkin pasty. "Still... Dunno why you'd want to hide that. I think it's brilliant. Especially if it means we win all our matches."
She looked at Harry and Ginny, then looked suspiciously at the pasty. "This food is still good, right? You two look wretched."
"Pomfrey made me drink some vile potions," Harry said immediately.
"I didn't sleep well last night," Ginny said at the same time.
Katie looked suspiciously at the two of them, then at her pasty. With a shrug, she took another bite, then walked off. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny sat silently around the food baskets, though none of them was eating. Harry and Ginny mostly looked sick, and didn't look at anyone. Ron seemed annoyed.
"Is it honestly that bad, Harry?" Hermione finally asked. Harry looked up. He was looking less sick than he had before, but he was still obviously upset.
"I don't know," Harry said. His mind was shouting Yes, but it looked like Ginny was already thinking the same thing he was and he didn't want to make her feel worse.
"When we decided..." Ginny started to explain, "...I was more afraid of Harry being tricked into thinking he was protecting me. You know, like he was with Sirius. I thought they'd make him put himself in danger. I never... never imagined something like this."
Ron tried to be positive, and pointed out that it was only a rumor, and that only last week there had been a rumor that Snape had poisoned himself, when he had only been gone collecting potion ingredients for a couple days.
"That's not the point, Ron," Harry told him. "I didn't break Crabbe's arm but Justin still got attacked because he said I did. I wasn't controlling Ginny, but Dean was still attacked because he said I was. Ginny's a target because everyone else thinks we're together, whether it's true or not."
"But why would she be attacked?" Ron responded. "It's not like you got in some fight with her. All the rest of them were upset with you for some reason."
"That doesn't make sense," Hermione mumbled. Everyone turned to look at her. "Well... We thought that everyone who's been... er... marked has done something to upset Harry, or made to look as if they did." Hermione started listing all of the victims. "Crabbe broke your arm. Millicent spilled her potion on me. Justin was a prat to you. Dean was jealous of you. Snape was... well, himself. Neville argued with you. So what had Susan done?."
Harry tried to remember everything he could, but shook his head. "Nothing. I asked her, and then I walked off. Everyone else figured that she had turned me down."
"But how did the Death Eaters know that would happen? They must have been waiting to attack Susan the moment you left. They couldn't know how everyone would take it, and they must have known that you wouldn't be blamed for it."
"Well... er..." Harry was momentarily confused. "They might have heard us talking, and just sort of hoped..." He trailed off as he realized how improbable it sounded. "Well, the rest all had done something to upset me."
"Dumbledore didn't do anything to upset you," Ginny said.
Harry stared at her. "Who said Dumbledore attacked?"
She gave him a confused look. "You did. Before Christmas. You told me at Christmas dinner that you knew he was attacked, remember? After I told you I could tell he was marked."
"I thought—" Harry said, struggling to understand what she was saying, "—I thought you meant Snape!" Ginny shook her head and quickly explained to Ron and Hermione about how she'd simply known that he was marked on his right hand, the same way she knew that Neville had been marked.
Harry wasn't sure if he was angry or scared or just sick. His stomach seemed to be alternating between tying itself in knots and trying to leap up into his chest. Ron and Hermione were arguing about whether it would help to try and deny the rumor. Harry closed his eyes in an effort to control is stomach.
Dumbledore was the one they'd missed. If it was true, that meant he'd been marked before Snape. He'd upset Harry plenty, but nothing like what the others had done, nothing specific. Could they be thinking about this all wrong? What if the attacks were planned with some other purpose?
CLUNK!
Harry's eyes flew open and in a second he was standing with his wand pointed in the direction of the sound.
Seamus was standing by the door, hands raised in surrender and looking terrified. His trunk sat on the floor near the portrait hole. Harry lowered his wand and shook his head. "Sorry, Seamus. I guess I'm still a bit... edgy."
"Er... That's fine, Harry... I er—" he stammered. He shoved his trunk closer to the door. "...er, Yeah," he finished lamely.
"Where are you going?" Ron asked as he looked at the trunk. "A bit early for spring holidays, isn't it?" Seamus took a step away from his trunk, as if he was going to deny that it was even his.
"Wasn't my choice, really... I don't want to, but me Mam wants me to come home a bit early." Seamus looked uncomfortable, and kept eying the door.
"Your mum wants you to come home a month early?" Ron said as he stood and started walking toward Seamus. "This doesn't have anything to do with Neville does it?" Ron asked suspiciously.
"No," Seamus said quickly, then wavered. "Well... not completely. You know how it is, Ron..." Ron assured him he didn't. Seamus gave Harry a guilty look. "It's not like I don't believe you —I do believe you, Harry— it's just that... After Dean and Neville..." Seamus looked almost panicky with Ron standing so close to him.
"And you think you'll be next if you stay?" Ron asked, almost challenging Seamus to agree. "So you're going to leave, and be safe, and I'll stay and move up the queue? Is that it?"
"It's not like that," he said again. "You're Harry's best mate. Hermione is, too. And Ginny too, I guess. He'll protect all of you. Then there's Loony Lovegood, and Katie, and Hannah, and Cho and that Ravenclaw friend of Ginny's that likes him so much. He'll try and protect all of them, too."
Ron just got angrier. "Oh, so you don't think he'll try and protect you? Sure, he's my best mate and he's practically my brother, but he'd try and protect anyone!"
Seamus put his hands out, trying to calm Ron. "I know, Ron," he said, "but he was trying to protect Justin and Dean, too. He can't protect all of us." Ron was silent. "I'm sure my parents are worried that it's dangerous to be around him. Myself, I think he's got enough to worry about without having to protect me."
Seamus turned to look at Harry. "Sorry, Harry. Understand, don't you?" Harry nodded. Ron seemed to accept defeat and nodded as well. He grabbed one side of Seamus' trunk. "Come on then," he said, "We're taking this to the Entrance Hall, are we?"
When the door closed, Harry felt a burning anger rising up inside him. Voldemort's plan, whatever it was, seemed to be working. Only he and Ron would be in their dormitory that night, and Harry was sure that Seamus wasn't going to be the only student who was called home for an early holiday.
As he felt his anger rising, he felt something else. A lightness in his stomach, a tingle in his chest and a slight twinge in his scar. He slammed his fist down on the nearest food basket. There was a slight crack of wood, but it died suddenly. The basket he had struck had disappeared. Hermione's jaw dropped open.
"Did you just..." she started asking, but stopped when she saw Harry's face. "Harry... what's happening with you?"
"Voldemort's winning," he said angrily. "He's doing this to split us up. He's using me against Hogwarts and Dumbledore. Dumbledore won't send me away, but no one else will want to be here. It's working and he's laughing about it."
"You don't know that," Hermione said, hoping to be comforting.
"I do know that, Hermione," Harry said sharply as he stood up, "I can feel it. I'm furious, and Voldemort is happy about it. He knows his plan is working." Harry started walking away, and suddenly Ginny was on her feet and walking after him.
Before Harry could start up the steps to the boys dormitory, she had caught up to him, and grabbed his arm. Harry stopped to look at her, anger and disgust still written across his face. She still looked somewhat pale, but she was peaceful at the same time.
She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight, Harry. Forget about Tom. Dream of happy things," she whispered into his ear. Ginny turned and walked calmly away from him, and up the stairs to the girls dormitories.
Harry felt his stomach relaxing, and a coolness spreading throughout his body. He still had some will left to fight, and he'd start tonight. Harry went up into his room, pulled the curtains around his bed, and relaxed, emptying his mind of all emotion. He would not have any visions that night. He wouldn't allow it.
Author's Notes:
Last one for tonight. So there are your answers about what was up with Neville. Disappointng perhaps, yet somewhat redeeming.
More fun with Ginny coming soon.