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

Neville found an empty cabin and loaded his trunk onto a shelf. He threw his robes into the corner to save his seat then headed back out to the station. He had come early so that he could avoid a meeting between his grandmother and Alaire's parents . . . if they showed up.

After the New Year's Eve incidents, he had spent a couple of days more with the Goodnights then went home to his Gran for the remaining week of break. He had managed to spend most of that time at St. Mungo's with his parents. His father still seemed to look right through him but he could swear that his mother seemed to get a twinkle in her eyes when he walked in the door.

The rest of the week he had spent trying not to miss Alaire. He worked on some NEWT revisions. He cleaned out his greenhouse. He cleaned his room. He tried to read a book from the library about a murder mystery but ended up in non-fiction paging through a picture book of New Orleans.

Perhaps the worst part was the sexual tension that seemed to occupy his every waking moment. He hadn't expected it to be so bad. He had only been dating Alaire for a few weeks but now it seemed that he couldn't function properly without her. Every night he replayed all the kisses, touches, and caresses that they had shared. It didn't help. Nope, didn't help at all.

The worst part was wondering if Alaire would be returning to Hogwarts. He had spoken with David and Jeraldine again about the danger of Alaire staying in England. David had seemed to understand Neville's protective feelings while Jeraldine had remained quiet. Neville never said a word to Alaire about his feelings. He only knew that when he saw her next it would either be to say hello and to finish the term or to say goodbye, perhaps forever.

So now Neville stood on the platform waiting. Soon students began filtering past him, some nodding and saying hello. Others were obviously having a difficult time separating from their families. He noticed a few people hanging around the edges of the platform with wands drawn.

"Aurors," he thought with a sigh.

"Neville!" He turned to see Alaire running toward him. She grabbed him in a tight hug then she whispered in his ear, "We HAVE to TALK on the train."

"On the train," he repeated. "You're going back to Hogwarts?"

She pulled back a bit and gave him a look that made him understand David and Jeraldine's relationship better than ever. He was afraid to breathe. The glare he was receiving from Alaire had him frozen in his shoes.

"Yes, I'm going back to Hogwarts. And, if you're lucky, I'll let you carry my trunk!"

"Neville!" David stepped forward in a sudden burst of empathy for the young man. "I see you're already on the train. Let's get Alaire loaded up."

He pulled a trunk onto the train with a quick look behind him.

"Yes, let's." Alaire turned and stomped after her father.

Neville simply stood and watched her go until he felt Jeraldine's hand on his shoulder. "I told you that she would stay."

"But-"

"But nothing. Now get on that train with the girl you love and try to explain your reasoning. Explain that you love her. Tell her that you just wanted to protect her. We've already talked to her. She just needs to hear it from you."

Neville gulped and gave her a sheepish look.

"You stood up to Deatheaters. You can stand up to Alaire."

Neville walked on to the train to see David put Alaire's trunk next to his. "So, I guess we need to say our goodbyes."

Alaire threw her arms around her father. "Bye, sweetheart. Be good for me. I want you to do well, you hear?"

"Yeah, Dad. I promise."

David took Neville aside as his wife spoke to Alaire.

"She's fit to be tied son," he warned Neville. "The best advice I have to you is to apologize profusely and don't be above groveling if need be. Believe me you get use to it as the years go on. Well, you'll get use to that or to living in the doghouse."

"Yes sir," Neville said gulping. Jeraldine stepped forward and took her daughter into a hug.

"We'll contact you as soon as we get home. And we'll send you another care package as soon as we can! Be good like your father said."

The Goodnights extricated themselves from Alaire's arms and made their way off the train. Within a few moments, the whistle blew and Neville saw his last two allies against Alaire's wrath slide away.

"Are you that scared of me, Neville?" Alaire whispered in his ear making him jump.

"You shouldn't be." Neville turned cautiously to look at her. "But we still need to talk."

"Neville! Alaire!" They turned to see Ginny Weasley coming down the walkway. "I think we're in your cabin. That OK?"

"Yeah, sure!" Neville took Alaire's hand and they joined their friends. Soon they were trading stories of Christmas and New Year's Eve.

"What did you do in London?" asked Hermione.

"We did some shopping in Muggle London."

"Go with them, Neville?"

"Yeah, it was fun."

Alaire began to giggle. "Yeah, lots of fun!"

"OK, what's that mean?" asked Ginny.

"Well . . ."

"Alaire, no, please."

Neville began to sink down in his seat.

"But its funny, honey!" Neville knew just what she was thinking. Revenge. Try to keep me away from you for my own good. You'll pay. "We went into a cosmetics store in Muggle London and Neville started smelling the men's colognes."

Everyone turned to look at Neville who just sank down further in his seat.

"He tried one on and called me over to smell it. It smelled great! So I called my mom over and SHE smelled it." Ginny was giggling and Hermione was grinning while Harry and Ron had started to snort. "SO she called over a sales girl and SHE smelled him. Then SHE . . ."

"Oh, no!"

The entire cabin erupted into laughter.

"Five salesclerks, my mother, and me!"

"Now I know what a flower feels like," muttered Neville.

"Did you buy it? Have you got it with you?"

Neville leaned forward and Ginny and Hermione bent over eagerly.

"Oh, I can smell why! That's, mmm, wonderful," Ginny said breathlessly. "I want some."

"Oi! Why do you need some?" asked Ron angrily.

Ginny simply gave Ron a look that wither an oak tree then stood up to leave. Looking at Alaire, she said, "We'll talk later."

"Well, I like it too," Hermione said with a smile at Neville. "You shouldn't be embarassed. But I wouldn't wear it around Lavender."

After another round of laughter, Ron and Hermione left for prefect rounds and Harry went in search of his Quidditch teammates leaving Alaire and Neville alone for the first time.

"So . . ." Neville began.

"Yeah, I guess we need to talk."

"Yeah."

"I'm back."

"Yeah."

"I thought you would be happy, Neville," she said her voice filled with emotion.

"Oh, I am but I'm not," Neville said as he nervously moved about in his seat.

"Hmmm. Well, shall I tell you about the last 24 hours of my life, Neville?" snapped Alaire tears forming but not yet falling in her eyes. "

"Yesterday, my parents asked me if I wanted to go back to New Orleans. To be safe, Neville. They said they were worried about me." Alaire stood up and stared out the window. "They said that you had been involved in some dangerous things and that it would be safer for me to go home."

She turned to look at Neville. "Now how would they know that if you hadn't told them, Neville?"

Neville gulped. Before he could say anything, Alaire continued. "You guys discussed my leaving in London, didn't you?"

Neville nodded.

"And why didn't you bother to talk to me yourself?"

"Because you wouldn't listen to me."

"Well, you're right. I wouldn't. I spent all night last night crying, Neville. I couldn't decide if I was mad at you for trying to send me away or if it was a sweet gesture proving that you love me or if you had just decided you had had enough of me and was trying to get rid of me."

"How could you think that!" Neville exploded. "After all we've been through . . ."

Alaire turned her tear-streaked face to him. "And what would you think if your Gran told you that I wanted YOU to stay away from me because I was thinking of YOUR welfare, eh? To stay away from each other because of something that might accidentally happen in the future? Think about that!"

"Alaire, I'm sorry. I should have said something before I left."

"Well, it's a little late for talking, Neville. As we say in the States, 'A day late and a dollar short!' I'm here and I'm staying here despite you."

Now it was Neville's turn to feel hurt. Despite him?

"Well, that's just great, Alaire. I'm so glad you're going to be staying here at Hogwarts where you could face dangerous Deatheaters just to spite me! And here I was so happy because I thought that you had decided to stay because you loved me!" He stood up and whispered in her ear, "You know, for an empath, it seems that the only emotion that you understand is your own damned pride! What a fool I've been!"

"No! Wait!"

Without waiting to hear her reply, Neville turned and left the cabin. He managed to walk all the way down to the baggage car before losing it. He had made a fist to hit the wall but never got the chance because Alaire had thrown herself against him as hard as she could.

"I understand you better than you know, Neville Longbottom!" She pulled him into the crowded baggage car. She pulled him towards the back of the car and pushed him against a stack of trunks. "I did come back because I love you, you idiot!"

"Well, you have a weird way of showing it! You said you were here DESPITE me. I did hear that, didn't I? I'm not going deaf, am I?"

"I-I . . . Yes! That's what I said . . ."

"Well?"

"No you're not going deaf, but you are being so frustrating I could just, could just —"

"Could just what?"

Alaire stared at him for a moment then apologized the best way she knew how. She leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. After a moment, she pulled back. "We're getting worse than Ron and Hermione," she said with a smile. Neville closed his eyes trying to marshal his emotions.

"Neville?" Alaire put a finger under his chin and tried to make him look at her. "Neville, honey, I am so sorry. I was just so hurt too. Understand?"

"I just want you to be safe."

"I will be. I have a few tricks up my sleeve. I have some very good friends that will help me. And, I hear my boyfriend is this courageous Gryffindor who battles Deatheaters with his bare hands."

"My wand was broken."

"Your wand is definitely not broken, Neville."

"Alaire, be serious. You could be in danger being my girlfriend. They could try to finish things off and if you got in the way . . ."

"Then I guess I'll just have to protect you then." She gave Neville a look of pure love. "I couldn't let anything happen to you, Neville. I almost didn't survive last week. I need you."

At last, Alaire had said the words that Neville's battered heart needed to hear. She did still love him. She did still need him. She did still want him. Alaire suddenly found herself pinned against the boxes behind her being kissed beyond reason. It took only a split second before she responded. Somehow this kiss was different from their others. It was passionate but not solely for the sake of passion. It held love, lust, and promise. Alaire could only hold on for the ride. They had lost track of time when they heard a femine "Ah-hem."

Neville looked up to see Hermione standing in the doorway staring at the ceiling. "Um, this area is technically off-limits, guys. Could you come back to the cabin?"

Embarrassed, Neville managed to squeak out "In a moment."

As Hermione left, he looked at Alaire.

"You look 100 percent thoroughly snogged."

"So do you."

"Everything OK?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Yeah. Now it is."

"No more arguing over this. Promise?"

"I promise to try."

"Good enough."

They shared another kiss and returned to the cabin to talk to Harry and Ginny.

It was thirty minutes later when another prefect walked by that they realized that Ron and Hermione hadn't returned to the cabin and weren't on their rounds. When Ron came walking in an half an hour later, he gave Neville a nod while Alaire tried not to crack up seeing the state of Ron's robes.

"Where's Hermione?"

"Um, she's in the loo."

"Oh."

"Yeah, she'll be here in a moment."

"Oh."

"We stopped the cart lady for a snack and Hermione got some chocolate icing on her sweater."

Alaire and Neville exchanged knowing looks.

"Yeah, chocolate can be dangerous," Alaire said in her most serious voice as Ron nodded distractedly.

"So, anyone want to play chest?"

Ron never understood why everyone in the cabin laughed so hard.