I walked down to breakfast contemplating the day ahead. It was Friday November 13, 1997. Not good. I have always been superstitious. Who can blame me that my Grandma had a black cat sent from hell? I sighed, tonight Ginny had made me agree to what I thought was the stupidest plan imaginable: Steal the Sword of Gryffindor. Stupid, stupid, stupid. But Ginny Weasley is very persuasive, that is she threatens to hex you into the next century. I sat down next to Seamus at the table.

"There you are Neville!" Ginny exclaimed and launched into a speech I had heard ten times already.

"...and then we'll have an advantage over You-Know-Who." Seamus and I finished. Ginny glared at us, "It's not funny you know!" she said. I had met Mrs. Weasley once or twice and the look she had given Fred and George that day when they had dropped Percy's prefect badge down the toilet emulated Ginny's expression perfectly.

"We meet at eight." she said sternly and turned to go.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

I jogged down the corridor my dark brown hair (which was growing quite long because, in the middle of a War one doesn't have much time for cutting one's hair) whipping at my face. It was 8:03. My death sentence.

Bye Luna, know I have loved you. Ok shut it Neville hopefully Ginny won't be that hard on you.

"You're late Neville." Ginny said obviously trying hard not to lose it.

"And you sound like Umbridge when you say that, now let's get this done." I said equally tried. Just then Luna spoke up.

"Ok, let's go now." Luna said giving us each a gentle shove towards the Heads office. I marveled at how soft her hands were against my bare arm but pushed the thought away.

"Ok, Neville get the sword." Ginny ordered, once we were in the office. (The password had been The Dark Lord, Hagrid had told us.)

"Why me?" I asked.

"Because I am a coward and Luna is a Ravenclaw." Ginny said, as if stating the obvious.

"I'm a coward too!" I protested.

"Don't tell me you're a coward Neville Longbottom, you're leading a gang of teenage rebels for goodness sakes!" Ginny exclaimed.

"Stop bickering!" Luna said and opened the glass case and extracted the sword.

"What the-?" I asked.

"How did you-?" Ginny asked. Luna shrugged and handed me the sword, it did not have the power Harry had said it had, no energy rushed through my veins.

"Something's wrong..." I said.

"Yes Longbottom I agree., what are you doing in my office?"

Uh oh.