Disclaimer: Harry Potter is from the creative genius that is J.K. Rowling. We are not her. This is merely a fanfiction to tide us all over until book 6.

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A few weeks later, things were pretty back to normal. Ron and Hermione were bickering again. Harry was being elusive. Neville was wrapped up in some secret herbology project. And Alaire was dealing with a bad bout of homesickness. It was late at night in the common room, when Alaire approached Harry. Ron had once again trumped him at chess.

"Harry, would you mind coming with me for a couple minutes?" Alaire asked. "I need a brave escort down these dark and scary hallways!" she added sarcastically.

"Sure," he said, before turning to Ron and teasing.

"See, Weasley? I don't have to sit here and get slaughtered by you. I am wanted elsewhere."

"Keep telling yourself that, Potter," Ron smirked back. Harry was surprised when Alaire led him out of the common room.

"We'll get in trouble for being out this late," he said. "What is it you want to show me?"

"We won't get in trouble. I have a hall pass," Alaire said. "Besides, I don't want to show you anything. I'm going to talk to my parents and want someone to come with me. I've seen voodoo witches at midnight on Halloween and we even have our own family ghost who watches over us. But, to be honest Nearly Headless Nick kind of gives me the creeps. I keep waiting for his head to flop over whenever he talks to me."

"But how are you going to talk to your parents? Owl's can't travel across the ocean too well you know."

"I know that," Alaire said as she opened a door and led Harry inside. "That's why I'm not using a owl."

Harry looked around inside the room. It was dark except for three torches which reflected off a tall mirror. It was as big as the Mirror of Erised, but lacked the inscription and other details.

"It's a two-way mirror," Alaire explained.

"I know," Harry said his voice cracking as he thought about the mirror at the bottom of his trunk upstairs.

"Oh?"

"Sirus had a mirror like that only smaller," Harry said softly, his throat going dry.

"Who's Sirus?" "He was my godfather. He was murdered my fifth-year. That was his motorcycle that we rode on at the Halloween party."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too."

"Uh, Harry," Alaire said trying to break the heavy mood that filled the room. "Unless you want to answer some very disturbing questions from my father about what your intentions are toward me, I suggest you move away from the mirror. My dad's a little insane. He thinks I'm still ten years old. He interrogates all my friends. He knows we're friends but we'd be here for hours if he knew the "one and only Harry Potter" were in the room." Alaire watched as Harry's face turned a lovely shade of pink.

"I think I'll go right over there," he said pointing to a dark corner as far away from the mirror as possible.

"Good choice."

A half hour later, Alaire finished talking to her parents and was ready to go. Harry tried to stay as far away from the mirror as she talked to her Dad —not that he had anything to hide but it looked bad. If he had a daughter and went to floo her late at night and saw a boy with her, he would indeed jump to various conclusions.

The duo made their way back to the Gryffindor Common Room quietly. Alaire was smiling contently after talking to her parents, and Harry was content at just looking at her, until they went around a corner to find Snape pulling McGonagall out of what must have been her quarters.

"It's urgent, Minerva," Harry heard him say.

Quickly Harry grabbed Alaire's arm and pushed both of them into a little alcove behind a statue of Artemisia Lufkin. Her wide cloak hid them from anyone's view.

"Harry what — "

"Shh," he said softly. Harry watched as McGonagall and Snape looked around the hallway to make sure no one else was there.

Alaire was a bit tense. Harry had just pulled her into a darkened alcove, and was holding her tightly against him. Was he going to kiss her? Part of her wanted him to, but another part of her couldn't help but think of Neville.

Harry watched as McGonagall and Snape turned to each other. Not noticing he still had a tight grip on Alaire, he leaned in a little more to hear what they were saying.

Unfortunately for Alaire, it felt like he was leaning in to kiss her. She closed her eyes, but nothing happened. All she could hear was the pounding of her heart and whisps of a conversation from somewhere. She had no idea what was being said.

"What's the news, Severus?" McGonagall asked in a whisper.

"Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix LeStrange have escaped from Azkaban," Snape whispered urgently. "You know that the release of those two was one of the first goals prior to any large scale attack."

"Great Merlin."

Harry let go of Alaire, and clutched his hands into fists as he continued to listen to the conversation. Suddenly waves of hatred, anger and a twinge of fear cascaded off Harry. He continued to listen to the conversation, however Alaire didn't hear any more of it.

The tidal wave of emotions from Harry, Snape, and McGonagall caused Alaire to fall back against the wall of the alcove. The darkened alcove began to take on a sinister attitude as Alaire began to panic. It felt like the walls were closing in with hatred. A smog of fear had begun to overtake her senses.

She was almost sick before Harry grabbed her upper arm and tugged her out of the alcove. The pain pounded her brain making every new wave of emotion torture. Shaking, she went into the common room and managed to make her way to sit by the fire.

"Go to bed, Alaire," Harry commanded, as he turned away from her.

Harry disappeared from sight and Alaire was left in shock, trying hard for the tears not to come. What had happened?

"We need a meeting of DA right now, Hermione," Harry said sternly across the room in a forced whisper to Ron and Hermione. "Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix LeStrange have escaped from Azkaban."

"My God," Hermione muttered. "I'll set the medallions. I don't know how many people can come on this short a notice."

"However many it is, it will have to be enough."

Hermione nodded and raced up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

"Where did you hear this, Harry?" Ron asked trying not to set off his best friend, who looked on the verge of blowing something up.

"I was in the hallway and heard Snape talking about it."

"Bloody hell."

"That's about the gist of it," Harry said sternly. "Come on, we'll meet everyone in the Room of Requirements."

The duo rushed out of the Gryffindor Common Room not even noticing that the small figure by the fireplace was still trying to figure out what was going on.

Neville wiped his brow with the back of his hand. He had been working on the various plants in his study.

However, the crossbreeding of the mandrakes with quiet lily had been a disaster, as evident by the now purple faced mandrakes who had become so angry that had they actually jumped from their pots and tried to form a coup in the study room. He was very happy that he had learned silencio and the severing charm. After cleaning up from that fiasco, he checked on his rose.

There had only been one week of no growth. That was the week after Hogsmeade. That week it had gotten really weak and nothing he could do would bring it out of it stupor. For a while he was afraid it would die. However, just as quickly as it had fallen ill it snapped out of it and was flourishing again. He sighed. He would have to give it out when the students' returned after Christmas holidays. It would be ready.

Then of course there was the magnolia tree that he had managed to get for Alaire. She had been illegally snipping buds from the greenhouse. Professor Sprout had remarked only last week that the poor tree didn't seem to be doing so well. He had quickly taking a sprout from the cultivations and applied some growth potion mixed with a dwarfism enchantment. He now had a blooming magnolia bonsai tree.

He was admiring it as he walked up to the Fat Lady and muttered the password. Neville was just about to enter the common room, when the door opened up and a very worried Hermione clambered out.

"Neville! Good, you're here. We've got an emergency DA meeting now!" she said grabbing his arm. "Now? Why?"

Hermione leaned in and whispered to him. "It's something bad. Harry will tell us when everyone's there."

"Something bad?" Neville closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself.

When he opened them, he tried to focus on something inside the common room. His eyes fell on Alaire who was sitting by the fire rocking herself back and forth with her arms hugging herself for support.

"We have to go, Neville. Harry and Ron already left," Hermione said tugging on his arm.

"I'll meet you guys there in a minute. I have to do something first," he said before taking a deep breath and entering the common room. Hermione gave him an odd look then just nodded and took off toward the Room of Requirements.

"Alaire?" Neville asked gently, setting the magnolia tree down on the table. "What's wrong?"

Alaire's eyes were glazed over and she continued to rock back and forth. Timidly, Neville placed a hand on her shoulder. Alaire jumped from the contact.

"Neville?" she asked almost in a sob as her head continued to pound with emotions. She looked so scared and alone.

Without thinking, Neville wrapped his arms around her. Feeling the protection in Neville's arms, Alaire began to lightly sob, as Neville held on to her tighter and patted her back.

"It'll be all right," he cooed softly. "Don't worry. It'll be all right."

"There was just so much hate. It felt like there would never be any love or goodness again, just hate and fear. Just so much hate," she whispered into his chest.

Neville was aware of the feeling Dementors had on him. It was just like what Alaire described.

What horrible thing had happened to affect her like this?

"It'll be all right," he said stroking her hair. If she needed some happiness to overcome this, he'd give them to her.

"You know my Gran says that when my Ma was feeling sad, my Dad used to give her happy thoughts and it would help. You want some of my happy thoughts?" Neville felt Alaire nod.

Immediately he started talking about all the things that made him happy — when he found out he was a wizard, winning house points and the house cup for Gryffindor, becoming great at DA, even the first time he saw Alaire from his study window and her dancing in the honeysuckle.

Alaire could feel the pride and happiness radiating off Neville, offsetting the hatred and fear that had come from Harry. She could feel the love Neville felt and it was wonderful. He was trying so hard to make her feel better after Harry had abandoned her.

"You're trying really hard to make me happy," Alaire said, and he could feel a slight smile on her face as he held her.

"Always," he answered. "How are those for happy thoughts?"

Alaire looked up from their embrace and placed a gentle kiss on Neville's cheek. "Thank you."

"You know, you just gave me another happy memory," he teased as he tried to fight the flush that filling his face.

"I do what I can," she said breaking the embrace.

"Alaire, I have somewhere I have to go, but I'm not going to leave unless you're all right."

Alaire nodded. "I think I'll just go to bed."

"Before you do, here," he said grabbing the magnolia tree. "This is for you."

A faint blush reached Alaire's cheeks. "Thank you. Thank you for everything."

"Anytime." Neville watched as Alaire climbed the stairs to the girl's dormitory. Before she disappeared she turned and winked at him.

Sighing, Neville turned to the door and quickly exited. A few minutes later he made his way to the Room of Requirement.

Stepping inside he saw about 20 students inside from all the different houses. They were all talking loudly. Harry, who was standing at a podium near the front of the room saw Neville as he entered the room. Neville made his way over to him.

"Nice of you to join us," Harry said sternly.

"What's going on?" Neville snapped.

"Bellatrix and Malfoy Sr. have escaped from Azkaban."