Chapter 24: The Department of Mysteries
It was now time to board the train to go back to Hogwarts. They sat in the same
compartment as always. They reached Hogwarts. The term started. Delaney and Neville celebrated Valentine's Day together with Susan and Zach.
"Thanks for a great Valentine's Day, Nev," Delaney grinned at her boyfriend.
He grinned back and said. "You deserve it, love."
Delaney leaned into kiss Neville his arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer.
"Oi, I should've known!" Harry exclaimed.
"I thought you had a date with Cho," Neville said, breaking away from Delaney reluctantly.
"That was a disaster."
Neville nodded and said. "If you don't mind, I want to continue snogging my girlfriend."
"Why don't you go find Hermione and snog her," Delaney smirked at Harry playfully before Neville could recapture her lips in a kiss.
Harry grumbled and said something like. "She's not my girlfriend." and walked away.
Delaney and Neville snogged passionately for a while and walked back to the castle.
It was now late June. Harry had a vision that Sirius was being attacked at the Ministry. Harry, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Ginny and Luna we're going to help save him.
"Be safe, Nev," Delaney said.
"Okay."
Delaney started to walk away but before she could Neville pulled her by the hand and pressed his lips to hers passionately.
"Just in case I don't come back, I love you with all my heart and soul, Delaney Isabel Romero."
"I love you too, Neville Franklin Longbottom."
And with that they left to go save Sirius.
"I feel so guilty that I can't do anything to save him, he's my bloody father and I'm a bloody squib!" Zach exclaimed pacing the Room of Requirement.
"It's not your fault that you're a squib."
Zach said. "You must be really worried about Neville."
"I am, but he did tell me he loved me for the first time."
Zach smirked. "It's about time, I've known that for months."
"You have?"
Zach nodded. The two friends continued worrying about their friends. There was a knock on the door.
"Yes?"
Ms. Summers walked in. Delaney was half expecting Zach to be mad at her for breaking Sirius' heart.
"Everyone's back!"
"Is my dad okay?"
She had a small smile on her face and said. "Yes, he is."
Zach breathed a sigh of relief.
"Is Neville okay?"
"He is."
Delaney also breathed a sigh of relief.
"They're in the hospital wing."
Delaney and Zach rushed to the hospital wing.
"Neville!" Delaney yelled running to Neville and throwing her arms around him.
Neville chuckled and said. "Watch the nose, love."
Delaney pulled away slightly to see her boyfriend's nose was broken and asked. "Who did this?"
"Bellatrix," he spat bitterly, circling his arms around his girlfriend's waist.
Delaney nodded leaning her head on his chest. Zach's reunion with his dad was just as emotional.
"I don't know what I would've done if something happened to you, dad. Especially if I couldn't do anything about it."
"Son, I wouldn't leave you after months of just knowing about you," Sirius said.
Zach nodded.
"And besides I wouldn't want to leave this world without making up with the beautiful Ms. Summers," Sirius smirked at the woman in the doorway.
"I was an idiot, Siri," Rowan said, walking in the Hospital Wing cautiously.
Sirius shook his shaggy head and replied. "I should've told you instead of you finding out that way especially right after your family was killed."
"So, you forgive me?"
Sirius smirked and said. "Come here and see how much I forgive you."
Rowan walked over to Sirius and he pulled her into a passionate kiss. Zach glanced over to his best friends who had eventually started snogging as well. If Susan was here he would be snogging her too.
"Geez, I can never escape people snogging," Harry groaned from his bed.
The two couples in question separated sheepishly. Rowan was leaning against Sirius and Delaney had her head on Neville's chest.
It was now the summer. Sirius, Alice and Frank finally decided to tell Neville and Harry about the prophecy right after their sixteenth birthdays.
"We need to tell you something," Sirius said, bluntly.
"What is it, Sirius?" Harry asked.
"There was a prophecy before you two were born," Alice said.
Harry and Neville looked at their godfather, godmother and parents respectively.
"It said that a boy would be born at the end of July will have the power to vanquish the dark lord," Frank said, paraphrasing.
"So, that's why I have all this baggage and the scar."
"Sadly."
Neville looked at his parents and asked surprised. "I could've been the boy-who-lived?"
"You wouldn't want to be in my position, Nev."
"Yes, you could've been the boy-who-lived, son," Frank said to his son.
Neville nodded still shocked. He wouldn't want to be Harry's position but it's surprising to know that he could've been. Susan's aunt died a few days later. Delaney and Zach helped her through it.
It was now time for everyone to board the train.
"Hey Nev," Delaney greeted her boyfriend, greeting him with a quick kiss on the cheek.
He gave her a tight smile in return. That threw her off guard especially when last term they were passionately snogging whenever they had the chance. She hopes its nothing she did.