Chapter Twenty-One – The Unexpected Guest

Neville stood outside the Potions classroom, trembling slightly. "The worst he can say is 'no,'" he said over and over to himself. "It's not a big deal if he says no."

Taking a deep breath, Neville knocked on the Potions classroom.

"Come," the Potions master's voice could be heard from the inside.

Neville opened the door. "Hello, sir," he started, trying to sound confident.

A puzzled look crossed Professor Snape's face. "Are we supposed to meet now, Longbottom?" he asked.

"No, sir," Neville said. "I have a question to ask you."

Professor Snape raised one eyebrow and said nothing.

""It's more of a favor," Neville continued. "I'm applying for the Healing program at St. Mungo's…and I was wondering…" Neville trailed off.

"Yes?" Professor Snape snapped.

"I was hoping you might be willing to write a recommendation for me," Neville said quickly.

Professor Snape looked surprised. "A recommendation?" he repeated.

"Yes, sir," Neville said. "I need three. I've already asked Professors Sprout and McGonagall. And since we've done so much work together this year…I thought…that you might be willing to write one for me."

"Write a recommendation for you, Longbottom?" Professor Snape asked, almost in surprise.

Neville nodded, not trusting himself to say anymore.

"Very well," Professor Snape said after a moment's silence. "When do you need it by?"

Neville blinked. "You'll write one?" Neville asked, trying to keep the surprise out of his voice.

Professor Snape nodded.

"I need to have everything turned in to St. Mungo's by April 1st," Neville said. "Could I have it by March 15th? That's a little more than a month from now."

"I take it it needs to be a sealed roll of parchment?" Professor Snape asked.

"Yes, sir," Neville said. Professor Snape nodded once. Neville realized then he really didn't have anything else to say. "Thank you, sir," Neville said quickly and then left the potions classroom without another word.

Luna was sitting on the stairs leading up to the main floor waiting for him. "Well?" she asked.

"He'll write one," Neville said with a smile.

Luna jumped up and flung her arms around him. "I told you he would," she said happily.

"You were right," Neville said sheepishly.

Luna beamed at him and took his hand. Together they walked up the stairs in silence. Neville felt slight queasy suddenly. He stopped.

"Are you okay?" Luna asked quietly.

Neville placed his hand on her shoulder to balance himself. He was dizzy. Incredibly dizzy. The hallway seemed to spin around him.

"Neville?" Luna asked. Her voice sounded far away. "Should I get help?"

He desperately tried to focus on her. But Neville couldn't see her anymore. Of all things, he saw his dorm room. Everything was hazy, but he could see Ginny Weasley looking back at him, her face etched in concern.

"Harry?" Ginny asked. Neville could hear her plain as day.

Neville…

Neville could hear Harry's voice in his. He vaguely felt Luna forcing him to sit down on the cold, hard, stone tile. Followed by her footsteps running down the stairs.

"Professor Snape!" Neville could hear her yell at the same time Ginny yelled, "Ron! Hermione! Get up here! Something's happening!"

Harry?

Neville said Harry's name silently, but their was no doubt in his mind that Harry heard him. But there was something else. Neville felt a third presence. Voldemort! Neville could feel the man's anger, it was fueling him…

Someone slapped him hard across the face, breaking the connection. Neville groaned, and saw Professor Snape standing over him.

"You-know-who…" Neville whispered.

"What?" Professor Snape snapped.

"In our mind…might still be in Harry's…" Neville said weakly. He slumped against the wall, feeling weaker than he had ever felt in his life.

"Where is Potter?" Professor Snape barked.

"Dorm room…" Neville said.

"Lovegood, stay with Longbottom until I get back," Professor Snape ordered. "Don't move him."

"Yes, sir," Luna said quickly, placing her arms around Neville's shoulders.

Neville breathed heavily and watched Professor Snape practically run towards the Gryffindor Common Room. His head was pounding.

Luna gently stroked his cheek. "I don't like you scaring me like that," she said softly.

Neville didn't even have the strength to say anything back. He laid his head against her shoulder and closed his eyes. Even with his eyes closed he could see hazy outlines of his dorm room.

Time passed, and Neville just stayed still with his eyes closed. Half of him wanted to think, but the other half knew he needed to rest. His head wasn't pounding; in fact his head didn't hurt. But he was still dizzy.

"Is he asleep?" Neville heard someone asked.

Neville opened his eyes. Professors Dumbledore and Snape were standing over him. "Time to go to the Hospital Wing, Mister Longbottom," Professor Dumbledore said kindly.

Neville shook his head. "I'm fine," he said wearily.

"And you'll be more fine in the Hospital Wing," Professor Dumbledore told him. Professor Snape helped him off of the ground. It took a moment for the world to stop spinning around him.

"Better?" Luna asked. She put Neville's arm around her shoulder to help him walk. Neville nodded slowly.

"How's Harry?" he asked.

"About as well as you are," Professor Snape answered sarcastically.

Neville stayed silent as they walked up to the hospital room. As they entered, he could see Harry already lying in a bed. Ginny was perched next to him, Ron and Hermione sitting in chairs.

Neville was helped into the bed next to Harry's. Professor Dumbledore looked at both of them seriously. "I know you both want to talk. But first, I want you to rest. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," they both muttered at the same time.

Professor Dumbledore and Snape walked into Madam Pomfrey's office. There was a large glass window that allowed anyone inside to look out and see the patients. They had no choice but not to talk for the time being.

Harry coughed and looked at Neville. He pointed to his own head and closed his eyes. Neville grinned and closed his own eyes.

He concentrated as hard as he could on the connection he sometimes felt with Harry.

Are you there, Neville?

I am, Harry!

It was almost like I saw Luna from your perspective…

You were lying on your bed, weren't you? Ginny was sitting over you.

Yeah…Ginny and I had ourselves an intense moment. Sorry about that.

Did you feel You-Know-Who?

Say his name, Neville.

Did you feel…Voldemort, then?

He was lurking back there, wasn't he?

"What are you two doing?" Hermione asked.

Neville opened his eyes, and felt the connection end between him and Harry. "We were talking."

"No you weren't," Ron said.

"We were, mate," Harry said. "In our minds. It's the oddest thing."

Madam Pomfrey walked out of the office then. "These boys need their rest. I'm going to have to ask you all to leave," she said sternly.

No one seemed to have the energy to fight her. Luna gave Neville a quick kiss on the cheek, and then followed the others out, leaving just Harry and Neville.

For almost an hour, they kept trying to communicate to each other without words. They were more successful in the beginning, but then they became very tired. After Madam Pomfrey gave them a quick dinner, Neville turned on his side and went to sleep.

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"Be quiet!" a voice said quietly.

"Granger, we're going to wake them up in less then a minute, aren't we?" another voice said.

"We don't want to bother Madam Pomfrey," Hermione said briskly.

Neville opened his eyes slowly. He found himself looking at Luna, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Draco and Nata. "What in the world are you all doing here?" Neville asked sleepily.

"Apparently interrupting your beauty sleep, Longbottom," Draco replied sarcastically.

"Draco," Luna said, more as a warning than anything else.

"We figured we all needed to talk," Ron said.

"So you sneak into the Hospital Wing?" Harry asked.

"Bright ones we got here, don't we?" Draco asked.

"Do you ever shut up?" Ron challenged. Draco just crossed his arms over his chest and smirked.

"You have a curtain around your bed," Hermione said. She rolled over two more curtains to make a square around the two beds. After a quick silencing charm, Hermione looked satisfied. "Madam Pomfrey won't even know we're here."

"What time is it?" Neville asked.

"Only ten," Nata said happily. She looked absolutely thrilled to be included.

"Feels later," Neville said, feeling stupid the moment he said it.

Luna sat down on the edge of his bed and took his hand. "We were all worried," she said softly.

Neville sat up and looked at them all. "What's there to talk about?" he asked.

"You tell us," Ginny said simply.

"You said you were talking to each other in your minds," Hermione said. "Can you do this at will now?"

Harry and Neville looked at each other and shrugged. Neville closed his eyes and tried to reach out to Harry. After almost a minute of trying, Neville gave up. Harry was no where to be found.

"Guess not," Harry muttered.

"Do you think that these…" Hermione trailed off, looking clearly embarrassed. "These 'intense moments,' as Dumbledore put it…do you think these can be recreated? Or is it something that has to be natural?"

"I really hope you choose not to enlighten me on what that means, Granger," Draco said.

"What does it mean?" Nata asked eagerly.

"Haley, didn't I just say I didn't want to know?" Draco asked.

Nata was so tall that she was actually an inch or two taller than Draco. She looked down at him. "Too bad," she said. "I want to know."

Harry sighed. "In a nut shell, if Neville or I feel an overpowering sense of love, there's a chance that we'll have a vision or something."

"An overpowering sense of something," Draco sniggered.

"Malfoy, shut it," Ginny said angrily. Draco looked at her for a moment and then raised his eyebrows up and down and said nothing.

"As I was saying," Hermione said, clearing her throat. "Do you think it can be recreated?"

"Why?" Neville asked.

"Think about it," Hermione said excitedly. "If it can be duplicated, we can try to push Voldemort over the edge. Hurt him even more. Maybe you both can have some more visions. We'd be able to control it, rather than the visions coming on randomly."

"That's a good idea," Harry said slowly. "Doesn't hurt to try, does it?"

"I guess not," Neville said.

Harry reached out his hand towards Ginny. Then to the group he said, "Go on the other side of the curtain where Madam Pomfrey can't see."

"I don't think so," Ron said. "If you think for a moment that I'm going to stand behind a curtain knowing my little sister is having an 'intense moment,' you're out of your mind," Ron said seriously.

"Grow up, Ron," Ginny moaned.

"Fine," Harry said, getting out of his bed. "Neville, have fun."

Luna sat on the side of the bed while the rest of the group went outside of the curtain. "This feels forced," she said.

"Well, let's see if it works," Neville said, reaching for her.

A quick snog and several "I love yous," later, Luna let everyone back into their makeshift room. Neville couldn't help but notice that no one was looking each other in the eyes.

"Should we try Occlumency?" Neville asked, getting out of his bed.

"No," Harry said slowly. "If we have the connection, let's really try to use it."

"Harry…" Hermione trailed off.

"Let's see if we can put a vision in his head," Harry said eagerly. "Think of everything we could do if we have that power!"

Neville nodded. Over the next few minutes, they all discussed what they should try. When it was decided, Harry and Neville stood across from each other. It would be a short vision, nothing complicated at all.

Neither attempted Occlumency or Legilimency. Both reached out to the other mentally. They concentrated on the picture they wanted to send. A first all they had no success. But then…

Harry Potter sat alone in a dirty booth in the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade. He looked around nervously, as if he was expecting bad news. An elderly waitress started to ask him for his order, but Harry waved her aside.

A cloaked gentleman sat down across from Harry. A relieved looked crossed Harry's face. The two men shook hands, and the man pushed back his cloak, revealing the face of Neville Longbottom…

Neville broke the connection right then. "Oh, Merlin," he said softly.

"Did you think that?" Harry asked quickly. "I certainly didn't think that."

"Did we just give it away?" Neville asked nervously.

"What happened?" Ron asked.

"It was just supposed to be Harry in the vision," Neville said. "But I showed up! I entered the vision!"

"It's going to be okay, Neville," Ginny said.

"What if Voldemort realizes that I'm the third person sharing the connection?" Neville practically shouted. "We had the element of surprise! What if he knows?"

"Look," Hermione said, trying to sound calm. "The truth is, we don't even know if it worked."

"But what if it did?" Neville asked. "We shouldn't have done this, not tonight. We were too tired. We're not ready."

An uneasy silence fell over everyone. Harry didn't look nearly as concerned as Neville felt. For reasons he couldn't explain, Neville felt a twinge of fear, like something was going to go terribly wrong.

A few minutes later, the group left the Hospital Wing to let Harry and Neville get some rest. But Neville couldn't force himself to relax. Not when everything felt wrong.

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The next morning, when Neville sat down for breakfast, Hermione somberly handed him The Daily Prophet. Neville thought he might be sick when he read the headline.

Death Eaters Attack Hogsmeade!

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A/N – Hello all! I was re-reading my reviews tonight (because they make me smile when I need a smile.) And it dawned on me I didn't answer a question quite a few people had, which is so not nice of me. Anyone who wants to use the quidditch sex analogy may do so. It actually took me a long time to think of it, and I'm quite proud of it, so a little shout-out at the end of any chapter it's used in would be appreciated!