AN: I am so sorry I have updated in two months. I've been having serious writer's block with this story and wasn't completely sure where I wanted to go with this. I love Luna and Neville and want their story to flow well. I'm hoping now that I've recently finished one of my other stories that I'll be able to update this one more. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's anything you don't is mine.
Neville POV
I silently ate my breakfast trying to ignore the looks Seamus and Lavender were giving Harry. His eyes were dark and he looked angry. To be perfectly honest I couldn't blame him for being upset. If I had seen You-Know-Who come back and no one believed me I would be furious too. But at the same time there was something strange about his anger. As if it wasn't completely his own. Strange.
I ignored the people around me eating my bowl of porridge as sudden whooshing noises were heard overhead. The morning mail had arrived.
My Gran's owl, Artimus, dove fast carrying a package and a letter. "Thanks Arty, want some porridge?"
He hooted angrily and took flight. Was it something I said? I shook my head and quickly opened the letter.
Neville,
You only forgot five things this time. That is very good compared to last year when you forgot nine. And the year before that when you lost your third Remembrall on the train.
Funny how she forgot that I lost it when Dementors swarmed the train. I looked down and continued to read.
I am hoping you will work hard on your studies, especially since it's your O.W.L.s this year. Do your best and live up to what your parents expectations would have been. They would be as proud of you as I am. Same with your grandfather, may he rest in piece.
Now on a side note. I want you to do everything you can to reach out to Harry Potter. He is a good friend of yours and should know that you stand with him. I have a feeling he will be quite lonely in the coming months since most people do not believe Lord Voldemort is back.
I squeaked at his name. Gran had never been afraid to say his name. And she told me on countless occasions that my parents said his name too. I sighed and kept reading.
Don't be foolish but make sure your not afraid to voice your opinions. You are in Gryffindor and you were placed there for a reason.
Have a good term. Don't be afraid to write or ask questions.
Yeah right! Like I want you to rip me to shreds with your harsh words! I love you gran but sometimes your words hurt! I wanted to say that to her but I never would. Didn't have the courage. I let my eyes go back to the letter.
Love, Gran
I sighed and folded up the letter. It took me a moment to shove it to the bottom of my bag. I loved my Gran very much but sometimes she could be too harsh. She was always telling me that I needed to be braver, work harder, study more, practice every chance I had so I could uphold the family name like my father had before me.
"Mr. Longbottom," I looked up at Professor McGonagall. Her face was stern and her lips were pursed in agitation. She must have asked me something and I hadn't heard her.
"Yes?" I asked swallowing thickly.
"Your timetable." She said placing a piece of parchment in front of me. I read over the page quickly and groaned in the back of my throat. History of Magic, Double Potions, Divination and Defense Against the Dart Arts. History of Magic was easily the most boring class Hogwarts had to offer even though it was taught by a ghost. Potions was taught by Snape and he hated me with a passion. Almost as much as Harry which was saying something. In Divination Professor Trelawney predicted accidents and deaths at every turn. It was terrifying, always wondering if it was true.
The only hope possible to salvage the day would be Defense Against the Dark Arts. No one knew what kind of teacher Umbridge would be but everyone was nervous. Who knew what she would try to teach us.
History of Magic was just as boring as I had feared. Someone had opened the window and there was a lovely warm breeze coming through the window. Half of the class had fallen asleep within the first five minutes. I tried to pay attention but Professor Binns had a droning voice that lulled me to a state where I was partially asleep. He talked about goblin rebellions and it seemed Hermione was the only one taking notes on the other side of the room.
In Potions class Professor Snape picked a hard potion and no matter what I did to it it just kept getting thicker. By the end of class (after Snape had vanished Harry's potion) I had to gouge out the potion which now had the consistency of drying cement. Lovely. I had a feeling this wasn't what Gran had meant when she told me to work hard.
During Divination Trelawney had us looking through The Dream Oracle. Dean Thomas and I had been paired together. Since I didn't want to talk about my real dreams I quickly made one up about a giant scissors wearing Gran's best hat. Dean chuckled as he flipped through the book trying to interpret the fake dream.
My real dreams were usually nightmares. About my parents. And how they had ended up in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I shiver raced down my spine and tried to pay attention to Dean, who was saying that my dream meant I was going to get a terrible bout of the flu in February.
"How did it come up with that?" I asked flipping back and forth through the book. Dean laughed and shook his head.
"No clue." He leaned closer to me then whispered, "I hope Defense Against the Dark Arts is better than this."
"Same." I said stopping on a page about dreaming about torture.
"When do you think the bell will ring?" I shrugged letting my eyes rove over the page quickly wanting to read every word and at the same time wanting to slam it shut. It seemed like the universe decided for me when the bell rang shrilly.
"For homework keep track of one month of dreams in diary." Trelawney said in a misty voice. Dean and I groaned as we made our way out the door.
"Maybe Defense Against the Dark Arts will be better." I said hopefully.
"Yeah, maybe." Dean said shaking his head.
AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize and it also motivates me to update the story more.
