Author note: Longer chapter today!

feeling pretty overwhelmed with Uni applications and stuff at the moment but i will try and update soon - finally getting to the good bits of this story.

Hope you are all safe and well :)

Neville was lying on his stomach reading when Ebony walked into the dorm after dinner. He looked somewhat calmer and less distressed than he'd been when she'd last seen him.

"Hey," Ebony said softly.

"Oh hi," he replied, closing his book.

"How are you feeling?"

"Alright, I guess."

He shuffled over to let Ebony lie down next to him. She propped herself up on her elbows.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," she said. Neville let out a long sigh and rolled onto his back.

"I knew what had happened to them," he said, staring at the ceiling, "but it's one thing being told and another like actually seeing what they went through."

Ebony could see his eyes glistening in the warm light of the evening.

"I know they're not... dead," he continued, his voice a little unsteady, "I know that but sometimes..." Neville gulped. "Sometimes I think it would be better if they were."

She felt her heart tightened in her chest.

"Neville..." She really didn't want him to get upset all over again.

"I mean they basically are, they just...exist." His eyes swam with tears. "Sometimes I think that...just for a moment...they recognise me but..." He just shook his head, letting a few stray tears run down to his neck. "I know I'm just kidding myself to make me feel better."

Ebony felt completely helpless as she lay there and listened to him, wishing that she knew the right words to say to make him feel better. But she didn't. She had no idea what to say. All she knew is that she somewhat understood his feeling of wanting to be noticed. Of wanting her parents to look into her eyes and recognise their child. But it also wasn't nearly the same thing.

Ebony rolled onto her back too and leant her head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." It was all she could think to say.

And she wasn't sure if she said it because that was what people said when something has happened to someone else or if she felt she had a part of it to apologise for.

They had never really had a proper conversation about it. It made both of them far too uncomfortable. It filled Ebony with guilt even though she was only a baby at the time. In fact, that made it worse, some people argued that her parents only got away with it because they claimed they would never do something so atrocious that would risk Azkaban when they had a baby at home to look after.

The situation was a strange one. Most people who were around at the time and knew the Longbottoms were well aware of what had happened and her parents weren't ashamed of their connections to The Dark Lord but the ministry was still working through how corrupt it had become during the war and somehow her parents had managed to slip through the cracks.

That was what made people so angry. Barty crouch Jr had gone to Azkaban for allegedly have some part to play in the incident but Rodolphus and Bellatrix, who were clearly criminals, lived comfortably and faced no punishment.

Ebony often wondered what might have happened to her if they had rightfully ended up in prison. She assumed that her aunt and uncle would've brought her up alongside Draco. She would sometimes play out that life in her head. The Malfoy's had their faults but they adored their son and Ebony could never imagine them causing him harm. Her aunt Narcissa could be snotty but the times Ebony had stayed at Malfoy manor Narcissa had doted on her, clearly enjoying having a girl to fuss over for once. As for Lucius, he could be stern and stubborn but he was perfectly harmless in comparison to her own father.

Neville sniffed and the sound brought her out of her thoughts. She glanced up at the boy crying next to her. Her parents were the reason his didn't know him. Her parents were the reason he was crying. They made her best friend cry.

And one day, she would make them pay for it.

"It was just watching the spider," he said, "watching it and thinking that that's what they endured for hours." He looked down at her. "I can't even imagine the pain."

"I don't have to," Ebony mumbled. The words slipped out subconsciously and she instantly regretted the moment that they left her mouth. Neville's forehead had deep lines and he was frozen. There was pure horror in his eyes.

"What do you...?"

"Nothing," she said, sitting up and moving away from him. "Forget I said anything."

"Ebony..." He sat up with a start but she slid off the bed and threw her hands in the air.

"It's nothing," she snapped, "A joke. I was joking."

"You wouldn't joke about that, especially not around me."

She stood with her mouth slightly parted. She'd run out of words.

He stood up and clenched his jaw. "They used that on you?" There was an edge to Neville's voice that she'd never heard before.

Ebony just closed her eyes and looked away. He was never supposed to know. It was easier that way. No one was supposed to know.

"I'll take that as a yes."

A tear rolled down her face.

"How many times?" he asked, the sharpness of his voice gone. He took her hand and she tensed but didn't shake him off. She took a shaky breath and tried to speak but her throat was suddenly dry. Instead, she just shook her head and stared at the floor.

She couldn't look at him. She couldn't watch his face shift from shock to horror to pain to anger. She couldn't watch the tears stream from his eyes as he cried the tears she couldn't.

"Why didn't you tell me?" His voice was heartbreakingly gentle.

"I couldn't," she said, her voice shaking, "if they found out I told anyone..." Her voice trailed off.

The truth was, she didn't know what they'd do if they found out she'd told anyone. They probably wouldn't care, they were always convinced that no one would believe her, that no one would care and for a while, Ebony had thought the same.

But now Neville was here and he cared, he believed her.

Ebony slowly lifted her head and looked into his eyes.

They were bloodshot and puffy but the green from them still glowed like emeralds. His eyes told her all the words that she needed to hear but he couldn't say.

"It's been quite a day," he said softly with a light tone that was clearly meant to lift the mood. Ebony wiped a stray tear from her face.

"You can say that again," she said with a sniff. "Why don't we go to the kitchens?"

"Now?"

"Yes," she said, stretching her lips into a small smile, "You told me on my birthday you wanted to show them to me but we never got round to it. Let's go now."

...

"We better not get caught."

"We won't," Ebony said, giving Neville a light shove.

They had made it near the bottom floor after having to take a detour to avoid Filch. Though it wasn't curfew yet, it was fairly close and they didn't want to get caught

It wasn't awkward as such but the conversation that had happened mere minutes ago sat with unanswered questions and it was weighing on them both. They were both very guilty for ignoring things that made them uncomfortable.

The lower they went, the cooler the castle became and Ebony rubbed her arms, regretting only wearing her blouse.

"You cold?" Neville asked.

"Just a little."

Neville slipped off his dark red cardigan and held it out to her. "Here."

"But then you'll be cold."

"I'm fine."

Ebony took it and pulled it on. It fell almost to her knees and her hands had completely disappeared inside. She waved the floppy ends of the sleeves at Neville and giggled. "Fits like a glove."

He grinned, "it suits you."

...

Despite being rather large, the kitchens were rather cosy. There was a large fire burning off to the side and the room was filled with such wonderful smells. The house-elves seemed rather excited by their visit, particularly one who Ebony recognised immediately and not just from his strange attire.

"Dobby!" she exclaimed with a grin and the house-elf bowed before her.

"Dobby has missed miss Ebony very much!" He cried, "it is very nice to see her again. What can he get for miss and her friend?"

"Erm..." she turned to Neville, "what do you fancy?"

"Two Hot chocolates?" He said with a smirk.

"You know me too well," she replied and turned back to Dobby. "Two hot chocolates please if it's not too much bother?"

Dobby and several elves around him bowed, "Most certainly miss! It is coming right up!"

Ebony smiled at him as he hurried off. She really had missed that elf but she was also glad he was here and not under Lucius' strict and watchful eye.

The two of them sat at the end of the large table, close to the fire.

"How do you know him?" Neville asked.

"Used to be the Malfoy's elf until Harry set him free," she said, "it was a bit of a shame, I always rather liked him."

"Do you have house-elves?"

"Yeah, we used to have two, Maxwell and Dotty but only Maxwell is left. Do you?"

"No," he replied, "Gran says you've got to learn to do things for yourself or you'll never get anywhere." He registered what he'd said and then flushed red. "Not that I'm saying that you won't- it's just that- I mean-"

"It's alright," Ebony laughed. He had a point, she was sure there were plenty of pureblood wizards (including herself) that didn't know how to do basic things like cook or clean. Normally though it wasn't an issue, all of those wizards married each other and got their own house-elves.

"She's right, I think there are plenty of wizards who need to do things for themselves, I mean I was raised by Dotty, though that was probably for the best."

The Lestrange's minimal parenting had caused enough damage.

"I can't imagine having a house-elf as a nanny."

"It was rather amusing at times." Ebony sighed, a sad smile on her lips. "I miss her."

"What happened to her?"

"My mother killed her in a fit of rage the summer before I started Hogwarts."

Neville's jaw dropped in horror, "Oh my...that's horrid!"

"That's my darling mother for you," she muttered.

Ebony hadn't thought about her old nanny for a while. Dotty had been kind and gentle, she'd tend to her injuries whilst singing lullabies. She even read to her sometimes. When Ebony found out about her sudden death she'd been devastated, losing both her first friend and surrogate mother. Her house was lonely at the best of times but losing Dotty made it feel painfully empty. Her father had told her that Dotty was no more than a servant and wasn't worth her tears but Ebony had lost a part of her family and she would never forgive her mother for her actions.

She'd never forgive her parents for a lot of things.

Dobby finally came over with two big mugs of hot chocolate with cream on top and a plate of biscuits. "You can't be having hot drinks without biscuits!"

They both laughed and thanked him as he scurried off again.

The next few moments were filled with silent joy as they both breathed in the silky smell of chocolate. Ebony saw that Neville was staring off, deep in thought.

"You alright?" She asked, watching him snap out of his little trance.

"Yeah, you?."

"I'm always alright."

"Sure," he said, with a roll of his eyes, "Speaking of which-" he set his mug down and clasped his hands together-"Are we going to have this conversation then?"

Ebony stiffened and took another sip. "I'm not sure what else there is to say."

"I thought we were going to be more honest with each other."

"I didn't lie about it," she said, "you just never asked."

"The thought never even crossed my mind."

"You knew things were bad."

"Ebony," he said, "this goes beyond bad."

She just shrugged and then leant her chin on her fist, scooping cream off the top of her drink with her pinky.

Well, he knows now. She sighed deeply.

"What do you want to know?"

He thought for a moment, at first rather taken aback that she was willingly inviting questions and then carefully trying to pick his next words.

"When was the first time?"

"I was nine." The incident was far more vivid in her mind than she would've liked. Neville inhaled sharply. "I don't even remember what I'd done," she continued, not looking at him, "maybe my mother was just drunk as usual." Ebony paused. "I only remember that I thought I was dying."

"You were nine," he muttered as if trying to convince himself that it was in fact true.

"It was only for a second," she said in an attempt to cool his rising anger. "My father stopped her."

"He stopped her?" Ebony almost laughed at the sheer shock on his face.

"My mother may a confirmed monster but my father, well he's more of a dark grey area."

"I don't know how you do it," he said, "face them every day."

Ebony gave a dry laugh and shook her head. "If I'm being completely honest, I don't know either." She swallowed. "It's tiring, living in a constant battle," she said, "And I'm scared that one day I might just give up."

"You won't," he said with complete certainty, "you're stronger than you know."

"Besides-" he took a slurp of his drink, giving himself a cream moustache in the process - "You're not going back there, not ever."

"Neville," she sighed, "Can we not do this right now please?"

"Why do you feel like you have to do everything on your own?"

"That's how it's always been, me against everyone else."

"Just because it's how something's always been doesn't mean that's how it should be."

Ebony rubbed her eyes, frustrated that once again they were back on the topic of her leaving.

"We've been over this," she said, "I've got nowhere to go-" Neville opened his mouth to protest but she got there first- "I couldn't stay with you, your gran hates me."

"Ginny would be more than willing to let you stay."

"I also know that anyone I stayed with would be at risk of getting hurt, my parents are unpredictable. I don't want anything to happen to you or her or anyone else I care about."

"You don't get to decide when I put myself at risk."

"Somethings happening, Neville, they are planning something and I don't know what it is but I can guess that it's bad." She took a breath and looked him straight in the eye.

"And I just don't want the people I care about to be caught in the crossfire."

He reached across the table and gently took her hand. " I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. Whatever's coming, we'll fight it together."

They both just grinned at each other.

Maybe he was right.

Maybe she didn't have to be alone anymore.

...

They spent the next hour or so drinking hot chocolate, eating biscuits and laughing, something, it turned out, they both desperately needed.

Neville drained the last dregs of chocolate in his mug and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Can you promise me something?"

"Depends," Ebony said with a slight smirk.

"Promise me you will tell me if it gets worse"

Her face shifted to a serious expression.

"Promise," she said earnestly, "now please just let it go."

Just let it go. That was a phrase reserved for being annoyed that someone had stolen your sandwich or broken a quill. It wasn't usually used when discovering the severity of an abusive situation. But Ebony was stubborn and Neville was tired.

So he let it go.

Just for now.

Ebony took his hand and squeezed it. She said nothing but just sat and smiled. It was a raw, genuine smile. One that made the corners of her eyes wrinkle.

Her eyes. They were blue. Not a deep, royal blue, no. More of an icy blue but without the coldness. Her eyes were full of warmth. Full of sunny days and crackling fires.

As Neville looked at her wearing his cardigan with the sleeves folded over countless times, her eyes lit up by the fire, her glowing but sleepy smile, her messy hair, he came to a rather confusing realisation:

he wanted to kiss his best friend.

...

As Neville lay in bed, he couldn't get his brain to shut off.

He should've been thinking about the fact Ebony's home situation had been far worse than he ever could've imagined. About the fact that she was in real pain and he needed to be there for her. More than that, she needed serious help.

But no. All his stupid teenage boy brain could do was picture her. Her pretty face, nose sprinkled with freckles, her eyes like icy pools of water in the snow.

Her soft pink lips that he wanted to meet with his.

He mushed his face into his pillow.

No. He was being silly. He was fourteen, he didn't know what he was on about.

Besides, it was Ebony. Ebony. Thinking things like that about his best friend made his stomach feel strange.

And why now? He'd known her for ages and she'd always been nothing more than his best friend.

But at the same time, it was Ebony. She was more than just pretty, she was beautiful. She had an air about her that seemed to radiate warmth and kindness. Unless of course, she didn't like you, then her warmth turned to flames.

He remembered when he'd first seen her, a tiny, skinny little eleven year old who looked utterly terrified at what the sorting hat had called out to the hall and the whispers it had caused. He'd sat next to her once he was sorted but she didn't say anything to him. In fact, she said nothing to anyone the whole evening. Her behaviour seemed to have had good reason when the howler arrived for her the next morning, Bellatrix's shrill voice screeching through the hall, echoed by Rodolphus. Neville remembered how Ebony had flushed with embarrassment and ran from the hall. And how he brought her toast because he wanted to make her feel better, because the words of disappointment had sounded vaguely familiar. He also remembered how he left it on the ground beside her when she wasn't looking because he was too scared to actually give it to her.

They'd spoken again a few times that year and he liked her instantly. She was a little shy and quiet but once she grew more comfortable with him, Ebony came out of her shell. She made him laugh until his stomach cramped and helped clean him up when he'd been on the receiving end of some hex.

There was a little part of her that always seemed a little hesitant with him though and he didn't work it out until he had gone home for the summer. Neville had mentioned Ebony to his gran. In fact, he had gone on rather a lot about the kind girl who made him laugh. It was only then that he learned the identities of his parents' attackers and was warned to stay away from her. He'd gone back after the summer intending to confront her about it, asking why she didn't say anything but then she'd returned with purple blotches on her wrist and bags under her eyes and Neville realised that maybe things weren't as black and white as he had thought.

They had met up on the train.

Ebony was sat alone in the compartment staring numbly out the window. Neville took a deep breath and cleared his throat as he entered. She jumped at the sound but smiled when she saw him.

"Hello Neville," she said brightly and Neville felt a pang in his chest. Perhaps this was going to harder than he thought.

"My gran told me about you," he said bluntly and her face fell.

"Oh." It seemed that she knew exactly what he was talking about. Ebony's eyes fell to her lap and she fiddled with her sleeve. Neville could see several dark blotches spread across the pale skin of her wrist. He frowned, the anger that he'd prepared for the conversation he planned fizzled out of him. He sat down opposite her.

"What happened to your wrist?" he asked, far more softly.

Ebony tucked her hand up her sleeve and said nothing, still not looking at him. Her long, curly hair covered her face like a veil

He took a deep breath.

"My gran says I should stay away from you," he said."

"She's probably right," Ebony mumbled.

"She says your mum and dad are evil."

"Right again."

"She says you are too."

He heard Ebony's breath hitch and what he thought was a choked sob.

"I don't want to be," she admitted, her voice wavering.

And with that, everything that he had learned, everything that his gran had told him didn't matter. The girl in front of him was still the same one he had spent a joyful year with. The same girl who never failed to make him smile. She may be related to possibly the most horrid people to walk the earth but here she was telling him that she wanted to be different.

The first Lestrange in Gryffindor. That had to mean something.

"I...err," Neville scratched the back of his neck, "I don't think you are."

He thought he saw a trace of a smile on her face.

"Thanks."

"What are friends for eh?" he said with a grin.

"Friends?" she said, finally looking up through her curls.

"Me and you?"

Ebony held out her hand to him, a smile on her lips, "I like the idea of being friends."

They'd been joined at the hip ever since.

Neville sighed happily.

He loved getting to know her, watching her come out of herself a little each day. Learning that she was witty and brilliant and clever. That she could be shy but she also had the ability to stand up to people, to stare them right in the eye and tell them exactly what she thought. He even loved learning how stubborn she could be, although it frustrated him constantly. She was more than happy to listen, properly listen, to him ramble on about Herbology and whatever new discovery he had made. She didn't care that he cried, even though his gran told him that he cried too much for a teenage boy.

And she had an amazing talent for making him believe in himself more than he ever thought possible. No matter how many times he fell, she would always be there to haul him to his feet, dust him off and say that she was proud of him.

He liked it when she said that. It made him feel like he could do anything. Even fight He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

But he thought that no amount of praise from her would give him the courage to tell her how he felt. The thought of it made him feel rather ill.

His stomach twisted in knots as he realised what he wanted in that moment.

Dad.

Neville wanted to talk to his dad. He didn't know what he was supposed to do when he liked a girl, less so when she was his best friend. He didn't know how to go about dealing with the situation. Should he just leave it alone? Or should he try and act on his feelings? How would he do that?

The thought made his chest ache.

Regardless of his lack of courage, she didn't feel the same way. There was no way. Ebony had never shown any interest in him other than friendship. But then again, she'd never shown much interest in anyone else either.

No, it was useless. She was the kind of pretty girl who could get any boy she wanted, so why on earth would she ever choose him?

She was incredible.

And he was just a loser.