CH15: Where's Neville?
Hogwarts .........
The next morning a note from one Neville Longbottom was found on a couch in the Gryffindor Common room.
It had been found by one Hermione Granger, who stared at the parchment in confusion, bitting down on her lower lip. She didn't like not being able to figure things out.
Dear everyone,
Just writing this to inform you all that I will be gone for a few days. I'm sorry for not asking before I left, but I knew you wouldn't approve. Well, some of you would, but ...... that's not the point.
Don't worry, I'll be fine.
Neville Longbottom
PS - Sirius, I'm sure he's fine and yes - I will say 'hello' for you.
Hermione read the letter one more time before hurrying down to the Great Hall, in search of Professor Dumbledore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunnydale ........
Harry stalked through a graveyard, determination in every step.
Last night, he'd been awoken by a vision of Voldemort ravaging a village just south of Kent. There were no survivors.
He was angry. He was very angry. He was downright pissed off.
Now he just needed something to take his anger out on .......
Ah, there we go.
A vampire was bearing down on a teenager boy a hundred yards away.
Perfect.
"Now that's not very nice," Harry admonished as he strolled up to the pair. "Going right in for dinner. I bet you didn't even buy him a drink first. Maybe flirt a little ..... "
The vampire whipped around and Harry met the eyes of a young blond women. But that's not what got his attention.
"Harry?" the boy asked, slumping against a gravestone.
"Neville?"
Noticing he was distracted, the vamp shot a fist out that connected painfully with Harry's jaw. He staggered to the side, regaining his balance, and returned with a kick to the her gut. She flew into a tree, only to be impaled by a branch.
"Good shot," Neville said weakly.
Harry held out a hand to Neville and helped him up. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I - "
"Do you know you could have gotten yourself killed a minute ago?"
"You see - "
"And does anyone even know you're here?"
"Harry!"
Harry looked sheepish. "Sorry."
"I know I could have gotten killed," Neville sighed. "I tried hexing her, but - "
"Magic doesn't work on vampires," interrupted Harry.
"I know that now. How come?"
Harry shrugged. "I dunno. Nobody does." He grinned lopsidedly. "It's one of those unsolved mysteries of the wizarding world."
"They should really teach us that in DADA."
"They do."
"Really?"
"You weren't really there for that lesson. Too worried that Severus was going to kill you for your Boggart."
"I still worry about that."
"So are you going to tell why you're here now?"
"Mostly to check up on you. And there are some things we need to discuss ..... "
"Yeah, like why you haven't been responding to my letters?"
"Harry, I haven't gotten any letters. I came here to find out why you weren't writing back."
"What?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So someone's been intercepting your mail?" Draco asked. Harry and Neville had filled the Hunters and the Scooby Gang in on their newest problem.
"That's the gist of it," sighed Harry.
Giles' was cleaning his glasses on a handkerchief, a sign Harry had quickly come to realize meant that he was in deep thought. "Was there anything in those letters that was of great importance?" he finally asked.
"Yes," both boys said as one.
"I've been writing about the Order's movements," explained Neville, a flash of panic appearing on his face. "And what we think Voldemort is up to."
"I've been writing about my visions," Harry said quietly. Giles' looked up in alarm. Harry had informed them of his .... dreams ..... a few weeks ago, once they had begun getting stronger.
"Does Voldemort know about the connection?"
"I don't know." Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I mean, I don't think so."
"What would he do if he did?" Dawn asked timidly.
The magically inclined people in the room (bar Willow) exchanged looks.
"I'm not sure I want to know," replied Draco.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neville shifted on the couch, trying to get comfortable. The rest of the household had already gone up to bed, but the 5th year wizard couldn't sleep.
He still hadn't told Harry about the Prophecy - the main reason he had flown halfway across the world. And he wasn't sure how to.
One thing was for sure: he definitely wasn't looking forward to that conversation.
Hogwarts .........
The next morning a note from one Neville Longbottom was found on a couch in the Gryffindor Common room.
It had been found by one Hermione Granger, who stared at the parchment in confusion, bitting down on her lower lip. She didn't like not being able to figure things out.
Dear everyone,
Just writing this to inform you all that I will be gone for a few days. I'm sorry for not asking before I left, but I knew you wouldn't approve. Well, some of you would, but ...... that's not the point.
Don't worry, I'll be fine.
Neville Longbottom
PS - Sirius, I'm sure he's fine and yes - I will say 'hello' for you.
Hermione read the letter one more time before hurrying down to the Great Hall, in search of Professor Dumbledore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sunnydale ........
Harry stalked through a graveyard, determination in every step.
Last night, he'd been awoken by a vision of Voldemort ravaging a village just south of Kent. There were no survivors.
He was angry. He was very angry. He was downright pissed off.
Now he just needed something to take his anger out on .......
Ah, there we go.
A vampire was bearing down on a teenager boy a hundred yards away.
Perfect.
"Now that's not very nice," Harry admonished as he strolled up to the pair. "Going right in for dinner. I bet you didn't even buy him a drink first. Maybe flirt a little ..... "
The vampire whipped around and Harry met the eyes of a young blond women. But that's not what got his attention.
"Harry?" the boy asked, slumping against a gravestone.
"Neville?"
Noticing he was distracted, the vamp shot a fist out that connected painfully with Harry's jaw. He staggered to the side, regaining his balance, and returned with a kick to the her gut. She flew into a tree, only to be impaled by a branch.
"Good shot," Neville said weakly.
Harry held out a hand to Neville and helped him up. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I - "
"Do you know you could have gotten yourself killed a minute ago?"
"You see - "
"And does anyone even know you're here?"
"Harry!"
Harry looked sheepish. "Sorry."
"I know I could have gotten killed," Neville sighed. "I tried hexing her, but - "
"Magic doesn't work on vampires," interrupted Harry.
"I know that now. How come?"
Harry shrugged. "I dunno. Nobody does." He grinned lopsidedly. "It's one of those unsolved mysteries of the wizarding world."
"They should really teach us that in DADA."
"They do."
"Really?"
"You weren't really there for that lesson. Too worried that Severus was going to kill you for your Boggart."
"I still worry about that."
"So are you going to tell why you're here now?"
"Mostly to check up on you. And there are some things we need to discuss ..... "
"Yeah, like why you haven't been responding to my letters?"
"Harry, I haven't gotten any letters. I came here to find out why you weren't writing back."
"What?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So someone's been intercepting your mail?" Draco asked. Harry and Neville had filled the Hunters and the Scooby Gang in on their newest problem.
"That's the gist of it," sighed Harry.
Giles' was cleaning his glasses on a handkerchief, a sign Harry had quickly come to realize meant that he was in deep thought. "Was there anything in those letters that was of great importance?" he finally asked.
"Yes," both boys said as one.
"I've been writing about the Order's movements," explained Neville, a flash of panic appearing on his face. "And what we think Voldemort is up to."
"I've been writing about my visions," Harry said quietly. Giles' looked up in alarm. Harry had informed them of his .... dreams ..... a few weeks ago, once they had begun getting stronger.
"Does Voldemort know about the connection?"
"I don't know." Harry rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I mean, I don't think so."
"What would he do if he did?" Dawn asked timidly.
The magically inclined people in the room (bar Willow) exchanged looks.
"I'm not sure I want to know," replied Draco.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Neville shifted on the couch, trying to get comfortable. The rest of the household had already gone up to bed, but the 5th year wizard couldn't sleep.
He still hadn't told Harry about the Prophecy - the main reason he had flown halfway across the world. And he wasn't sure how to.
One thing was for sure: he definitely wasn't looking forward to that conversation.