Authors note : Just wanted to start off by saying that I know Harry Potter is having a hard time right now due JK Rowling being a twat but I want you to know that whoever you are, whoever you love, wherever you come from, you are valid and I love you. You are welcome here.

Anyway, shorter chapter today as it was just where it was most logical to split it - hopefully there should be another coming your way soon but i love procrastinating so i guess we'll see!

Also this fic is just over year old!

That is honestly crazy to me and looking back its so interesting to see how much my writing has improved!

Thank you to everyone who has made it this far - please tell me what you think or feel free to ask any questions :)

keep smiling out there you beautiful humans xx

The summer had lasted for an eternity but soon enough Ebony was surrounded by the hustle and bustle of platform 9 ¾. Excitement bubbled up inside her, she was a step closer to home.

As usual, she stood and watched Draco be fussed over by his mother, smirking as she wiped his face with a handkerchief. When she was finally happy that her son looked respectable, Narcissa waved them off. Lucius would usually accompany them to the train but apparently, he and Rodolphus had business to tend to.

Her parents were definitely up to something

"I'm guessing that your disagreement didn't stop with me."

"What?" Ebony snapped out of her thoughts and watched Draco point to his own neck whilst looking at hers. She tutted and adjusted the Gryffindor scarf around her neck.

It had been nearly a week since it had happened but her mother's purple fingerprints were still visible on her skin and her neck still ached. It was not nearly cold enough to wear a scarf but Ebony didn't want to display the fact her mother had tried to kill her.

She really had the worst timing.

"What happened then?" Draco asked casually. It was a conversation that they had had far too many times.

"Take a guess."

"Auntie Bella?"

"Well done, 10 points to Slytherin," she said.

"What did you do this time?"

"Nothing!" She exclaimed. Draco just raised his eyebrows.

"If you say so."

Ebony sighed and digging her hands into her robe pockets, "well, maybe I said some things I shouldn't have."

"You never learn do you," he said, shaking his head and smiling.

"What can I say," she said with a smirk, " I like to live on the edge."

"And one of these days you're going to fall off."

"How poetic," she replied as she nudged him playfully. Draco elbowed her back before glancing over to where Blake's was waving him over.

"Well," he said, straightening his jacket, "guess I'll see you around?"

"Yeah, see you." She couldn't help but have mixed feelings as she watched him hurry off and disappear into the crowd. Going back to Hogwarts meant that she had to deal with her cousin being a dick as he 'kept up appearances' but this year, something had changed. Ebony hadn't forgotten what he had said in the woods and it made her heart sink as she realised that perhaps she had been rather childish and naïve. They were both being pushed down the same path but she seemed to be the only one trying to veer off course.

...

"Trevor?" Neville called anxiously while pulling up the seat cushions. He had been on the train for approximately ten minutes and his pet had already runoff.

"Somebody lost a toad?" He whirled round to meet the cheeky grin of Ebony, who was stood in the compartment doorway with Trevor on her outstretched palm. Neville breathed a sigh of relief.

"I need to get him on a lead," he muttered as he took Trevor from her hand and placed him on the seat. "Stay." He held up his hand. Trevor croaked at him. "good toad."

Ebony was merely smiling and shaking her head. "I've missed you."

Neville stepped forward and pulled her into a hug, "I bet I've missed you more." He felt her laugh against his chest before suddenly tensing up and inhaling sharply. He pulled away alarmed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine." Ebony was rubbing her hand over the scarf tied around her neck. Neville frowned and lifted his hand to meet her neck but stopped when she flinched slightly. "I'm fine," she said far more firmly, waving him off, "nothing out of the ordinary."

"That doesn't fill me with confidence."

"Just-" Ebony sank onto the seat with a sigh - "can you just leave it? Please?"

Neville looked at her for a moment. She looked tired but that was nothing new. A full nights sleep was not something that came easy to her and he knew that. He also knew that going back home didn't help her nightmares either. He knew that pushing would just end up upsetting both of them.

He nodded, watching her physically relax as he did so.

"You've got taller again."

"I think it's far more likely that you are shrinking," Neville replied with a grin and Ebony playfully batted his arm.

"Oi, shut up!"

"Sorry I forgot you are sensitive about your height."

"I'm not that small," she said, crossing her arms and pouting, "You're just really tall."

"I'm average height, Ron and Ernie are both taller than me," Neville said, "Besides, it's not my fault our entire year is taller than you." Ebony narrowed her eyes. "And the year below," he added.

"I am not shorter than everyone," she said with a huff.

"Sorry," he said, "you're taller than Professor Flitwick."

"I will throw you off this train."

"I'd like to see you try."

"Ooh, fighting talk," Ebony mocked. "Well, when you are finished mocking my height," Ebony tucked her legs up underneath her as Neville sat down opposite her smirking, "tell about me about your summer."

"It was alright." Neville always felt bad going on about his holidays because he knew full well that she never had a pleasant time. He didn't want to sound as if he was boasting.

Ebony rolled her eyes.

"You are allowed to say you had a good time you know," she said, "I won't be offended."

Neville smiled guiltily. "Maybe it was more than alright," he said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Well go on then, tell me about it!" Ebony replied eagerly.

"Well-" he cleared his throat - " the first couple of weeks I just visited my parents and worked on planning a new extension to the greenhouse."

"Because you need more plant space."

"Oh don't," he groaned, " I've had gran on my back all summer because she found my Pixiepetals growing in the cellar."

"You need to get better at hiding things."

"I mean she hasn't found the devils snare under the bathroom sink yet."

"Emphasis on the yet," she said with a smirk. Neville pouted at her but it quickly turned into a smile. "What else did you do?"

"My uncle Algie took me fishing."

"I've never been fishing."

"It's rather dull," he admitted, "but I did get a chance to properly try out my birthday present."

"How was it?" She asked, looking slightly anxious.

"That magnifying glass," he said, digging around for it in his pocket and then holding it up, "is incredible." Ebony grinned.

"I hoped you would like it," she said, "I mean it's not a picnic by a lake by it was the best I could do."

"I love it, it's the best present I got." He couldn't help but smile as he watched his friend blush.

...

As the train trundled towards Hogwarts, they were soon joined by Seamus, Dean and Ginny who were eager to discuss the quidditch World Cup, much to Neville's jealousy.

"I asked her to get tickets but Gran didn't want to go," he grumbled.

"That sucks mate," Seamus said.

"I didn't even want to go but my parents dragged me along," Ebony sighed.

"You're parents are proper arseholes by the way."

"Seamus!" Ginny exclaimed. Ebony just laughed.

"Tell me about it, I'm the one who has to live with them," she said.

"What makes you say that?" Neville asked and Ebony sighed.

"My parents and I ran into Dean, Seamus and his family. It wasn't pretty."

"Seam's mum was ready to draw wands!"

Neville's mouth made a large 'O'.

"Good job she didn't," Ebony said, "I don't want to even think what my mother would've done to her."

"My mum's a great dueller. She could've taken her on easily!"

"Trust me, you have no idea what my dearest mother is capable of," she said grimly.

"What about the attack?" Neville asked, "I saw the headline in the Daily Prophet."

"A group of people in masks and hoods stormed the campsite and attacked the muggles running it," Dean explained, "they trashed everything, set fires. There was even a dark mark in the sky!"

"It was terrifying," Ginny shuddered.

"Starting to be glad I wasn't there," Neville said.

"The attack, it was your parents wasn't it?"

"Seamus!" Dean cried.

"What it's true isn't it?" He said, "they're death eaters, everyone knows it."

"That's horrid!" Ginny said.

"He's right," Ebony admitted, "it was them."

The compartment fell silent.

"I'm not sure why that's a surprise," she said dryly.

"Well... well, because," Seamus stammered, "we forget that...we forget THAT'S who they are...because...you're like...so not like that."

"Don't know why I would be. I'm not them."

"No you're not," Ginny said quietly and Ebony gave her an appreciative smile.

She was tired of having to defend herself. To prove that she wasn't blind to what kind of people her parents were. She of all people knew best what they were capable of.

"Right," Dean said, slapping his knees as he stood up, "I think we'll go and say hello to Harry and Ron."

"Yeah," Seamus said, following suit, "see you round lads."

The two of them slipped out of the compartment.

"I think I'll go find Luna," Ginny said and hugged Ebony and Neville goodbye, "see you when we get there."

And then she left in a blur of orange.

"Eventful summer by the sounds of it then?"

"Mmm, guess you could say that." Ebony had definitely had worse holidays but the summer had not been great, not in the slightest.

"Is it bruises?" Neville asked cautiously.

"What?" Ebony felt heat rise in her cheeks.

"On your neck?"

"Neville-" Ebony adored her friend but his caring nature could be rather overwhelming, why couldn't he just mind his own business for once?

"I know it's just I have some stuff in my bag if you want it."

Ebony paused, somewhat caught off guard. She looked up at Neville, who had the all too familiar look of concern in his eyes. Her eyes fell to her lap.

"Yes please," She said quietly.

Neville dug around in his rucksack before retrieving a jar of pale green paste. He held it out to her. "Could you," she swallowed, "could you do it?"

"Yeah, " he replied, looking a little surprised, "err... yeah sure."

Ebony slowly untied the scarf and unwrapped it from her neck. She looked up and met Neville's eyes which were filled with some sort of mix of anger and pain.

Ebony hated that look.

"It's not that bad, " she muttered.

Neville merely gave a strangled grunt.

He knelt on the seat next to her. He used his fingers to scoop up some of the paste and timidly reached towards her neck. As he rubbed it in gently, Ebony was struggling to work out of the tingling sensation was from the paste or his touch. She stared straight ahead and let her eyes close, enjoying the soothing feeling on her skin.

"She tried to strangle me." Ebony wasn't sure how the words left her mouth and they were so soft that if it wasn't for Neville's sharp intake of breath, she would've thought he hadn't heard her.

He put the jar down and carefully put his arm around her shoulders. He leant his head on hers, sniffling a little.

After eight long weeks, Ebony forgot how kind her best friend was. The boy that knew her better than her own family, who was there at her side no matter what. The boy who had her back and trusted that she had his. Her best friend who she was constantly convinced she didn't deserve.

He said nothing but she didn't need him to.

He was there.

That was enough.

...