Word Count: 389
Neville sits by the lake, his shoes off to the side, bare feet dipped into the cold, dark water. Hogwarts is in the distance, and it still looks the same; it's strange how deceptive the world can be. His beloved school has been twisted into something dark and terrible. The Carrows have taken something he loves more than anything, and they have destroyed it.
"Peaceful, isn't it?"
He turns, smiling softly when he sees Ginny behind him. There's a fresh bruise along her jaw, and the old gash over her high looks irritated. Still, she grins at him as she sits down.
"Keeping out of trouble?" he asks, and it is amazing that he can still sound so reading when the world around them has fallen apart.
Somehow, the world keeps spinning.
"Do I look like the type who would go around breaking rules?" she asks with a soft laugh, winking.
"The proof is written on your face." He doesn't sound so light and joking now. They are back to reality. Back to hell.
Ginny absently brushes her fingers over the nasty bruise, wincing slightly. "Amycus is in a real mood today," she says before shrugging. "Be careful."
Silence hangs between them. Neville turns his attention back to the dark water, watching as the giant squid pokes its head out before quickly disappearing again. "I feel like I'm living in a nightmare," he says with a heavy, defeated sigh, "and I can't wake up."
Ginny rests her hand on his shoulder. It's a comforting gesture, and he finds himself smiling in spite of everything. "You're not on your own," she tells him. "We're all in this together."
His lips quirk. Maybe she's right. Isn't that the only reason he bothers to get out of bed at all? Harry is not here to fix everything. It's up to them to take the castle back, to fight.
"I think it's time to bring the DA back," he says.
They've discussed it in the first few days of returning, but Neville has been too afraid. His greatest fear these days is confrontation. Now it's time to face his fear. It's time to take a stand and let the Carrows know that Hogwarts will always be a place of warmth and acceptance.
He sits a little straighter now, his heart hammering. "I'm ready."
