Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)

Assignment #4 - Survival Skills (BYOBOB)
Task #11 - Safety & Protection: Write about someone protective of something/someone.

Further prompts are at the end.

Word Count: 1,230

Once upon a time, Neville Longbottom was a frightened, pudgy, toad-less boy who blew up cauldrons in Potions and fell of brooms in Flying and forgot passwords to the Common Room.

Now, he stands among the crowd after a sleepless night, his left eye bruised, cuts and scars slashing across his body, his lips twitching as he holds back a smile, staring at his work. Dumbledore's Army, still recruiting.

Once upon a time, Ginny Weasley blushed and ran and wrote in a (cursed) diary whenever she saw the boy she had a crush on, until she grew up and only the blushing remained when she kissed him.

Now, her cheeks flush as she gives rousing speeches in the Room of Requirement and comes up with dangerous plans to steal swords from headmasters and break students out of detention and paint graffiti on the walls.

Once upon a time, Luna Lovegood wandered the halls wearing various odd jewelry, searching for her shoes and reading upside-down copies of the Quibbler.

Now, she still wanders the halls, but her shoes are on because no one steals them anymore, and she stops every so often to say strange, beautiful things to the crying students.

Once upon a time, Seamus Finnigan set things on fire a lot - by accident! - when he tried to do spells in class and when he talked about Quidditch and girls and other things with his friends.

Now, he experiments with fire spells on purpose, scarring the trees in the Forbidden Forest, and teaches the spells to the students who sneak into the Room of Requirement.

Once upon a time, Hannah Abbott believed everything anyone whispered to her, and liked spending time in the greenhouse because plants never tried to trick her.

Now, she is the one whispering to others, murmuring about the resistance as she helps Madam Pompfrey in the Hospital Wing that always seems to be overflowing, nowadays.

Once upon a time, Susan Bones's parents died, and her aunt Amelia was there to comfort her and take her in and raise her.

Now, her aunt is dead, and she is the one comforting others who have lost their families, others who have relatives who are casualties of the war.

Once upon a time, Parvati Patil was proud of the fact that she was the prettiest girl in her year, and was determined to keep it that way.

Now, she stands in the way when the Carrows and some of the crueler students move to hurt the younger years, and she doesn't care when the wounds leave scars that will never go away.

Once upon a time, Padma Patil tried hard to be as popular, as pretty, as perfect, as her sister, and became quite the actor, but could never quite be like Parvati.

Now, she acts around a different kind of audience, and brings back the information she gathers for the resistance inside the school, and outside.

Once upon a time, Lavender Brown wanted people to notice at her, so she dated Harry Potter's best friend and acted dramatically and giggled and squealed.

Now, she draws attention to herself with her actions and words so the Carrows see and punish her, instead of others.

Once upon a time, Michael Corner dated Ginny Weasley, and then Cho Chang, not because he actually liked either, but because they were the most popular girls in their years.

Now, he is popular among the younger years by his own merits, but that is not his goal as he stands up to the Carrows and fights back.

Once upon a time, Terry Boot's biggest concern was getting enough NEWTs to become a Curse-Breaker, something that had always been his passion.

Now, he uses those skills to break wards and spells at Hogwarts to spy around the school, and is thus first to hear about the break-in at Gringotts.

Once upon a time, Ernie Macmillan hated the fact that, no matter how hard he studied, he could never breach the top three in his year; those spots always belonged to Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, and Terry Boot.

Now, he is first place easily, but he finds that he'd rather have Justin back, and so he says yes when Neville asks him to teach the Patronus to the students who want to learn.

Once upon a time, Anthony Goldstein listened, wide-eyed, to stories of his great-aunts Tina and Queenie and his great-uncle Newt and their struggles against the Dark wizard Grindelwald.

Now, he remembers those stories as he leads midnight raids, and is proud when he is the F to flee permanently into the Room of Requirement.

Once upon a time, Zacharias Smith joined a secret defense organization only to hear more about Cedric Diggory's death; sneering and insulting at every lesson, unsure of why he even stayed.

Now, his sneer more tightly in place than ever, he ridicules and mocks until the younger students dry their tears and try even harder, just to prove him wrong.

Once upon a time, Astoria Greengrass was a spoiled little girl who threw tantrums to win fights against her older sister.

Now, she slips into bathrooms, regardless of gender, whenever she hears crying, and silently offers Chocolate Frogs.

Once upon a time, Su Li played seven instruments (piano, violin, flute, guzheng, dizi, guitar, and harp) and was extremely proud of that fact.

Now, her instruments gone with the childhood home that went up in flames, she sings softly, lyrics in languages she doesn't know the meaning of, in the Ravenclaw Common Room during the evenings, and everyone pretends not to have heard anything when the Carrows come.

Once upon a time, Marietta Edgecombe made a mistake and told the wrong person the wrong thing and ended up with the word 'sneak' spelled in pimples across her face.

Now, she brews the healing potions she learned to get rid of the 'sneak' scars in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom and slips them to the students who stumble into class or the Common Room or the Great Hall, bloodied and bruised.

Once upon a time, Emma Dobbs visited the kitchens daily and made friends with a strange little house elf whose name was similar to her own.

Now, she sneaks food from the kitchens to the students who miss meals because of detention or secret meetings or other things, even though she's not officially part of the resistance because she's in Slytherin.

Once upon a time, Romilda Vane tried to get Harry Potter to date her by slipping him love potions disguised as chocolates or slipped in beverages.

Now, she flirts with the wannabe Death Eaters and Amycus Carrow, and slips more dangerous substances into their snacks and drinks.

Once upon a time, Draco Malfoy snuck Death Eaters into the school and disarmed the headmaster and watched as his godfather murdered a man.

Now, he looks away as other students break the rules (and misses class half the time, though no one ever says anything about that because of the tattoo on his left forearm), because he won't be responsible for another death.

The words have long since been erased from the walls, the perpetrators caught and punished, but the message still echoes through the minds of every student, and each day, more and more students trickle away, disappearing from class and meals and into Hogwarts's walls, as they fight back, each in their own way, protecting the home that has taught and sheltered and raised them.

Because Dumbledore's Army is still recruiting.

Summer Seasonal Challenges
Days of the Year & Religious Events: 22nd June - World Rainforest Day: Write about trying to protect a place.
National Anti-Boredom Month: Make a collage: Write about reminiscing over something.
National Ice-Cream Month: Neapolitan: Contrast
National Indoor Plant Month: African Violets: (trait) popular
Locations: Headmaster's Office
Crystals & Gemstones: Pearl: (word) Loyalty
Gryffindor Characters: Ginny Weasley

Writing Club: August
Character Appreciation: Trait: Stubborn
Record Collection: Back to Black: Just Friends: (genre) friendship
Time Machine: Task: Write a story set during a war
Showtime: I Know Where I've Been - (word) Risk
Stardust Crusaders: Show Me Your Stand: Star Platinum - (spell) Expecto Patronum
Scamander's Case: (setting) the Forbidden Forest
Film Festival: (character) Neville Longbottom
Marvel Appreciation: The Defenders: (requirement) one character from each house must be featured in the story
Lyric Alley: I've done what I know
TV Spree: Setting: School

August Auction: Harry Potter

Back-to-School Shopping: 1 wand - Theme: choice
Tell a Joke Day: Riddle - Setting: Ravenclaw Common Room

Herbology Club: Plot 1: Friends