NEW UPDATE! There is a lot of Emolly in this one so I can develop her more! Hope you like it :)

After Emolly and Aubrielle had their little sleep over, they went back to being the best of friends. They met in the Room as much as possible so they could talk or just hang out. Emolly had brought some color changing nail polish to school that year and soon both witches had on polish that changed hues whenever their emotion changed. It was little things like that that made Aubrielle so happy. She felt like a regular girl again.

Aubrielle slept with Neville the following night, as promised, but sleeping was literally the extent of their activities. They were so drained from a day's worth of classes that by the time they both reached the Room, they were on the brink of exhaustion. Neville had to admit though; he loved holding his girlfriend like that. Even if all it entailed was having her head on his chest and his arm wrapped around her, nothing beat having her warmth up against him. For this exact reason, he made sure to watch what he said around her. Sure, some of the things she did with Emolly were annoying in his eyes, but he never revealed it. He had absolutely hated that fight that they had had and he refused to let another one occur. He had to be honest with himself, however. He hated sharing his girlfriend with somebody else.

(Wednesday, October 1st)

It was the first official meeting of the Army and everyone was practically squealing with delight. Classes were hard to map out due to the extensive range in year levels and skill levels, but the three administrators created a solid lesson plan. The students were all eagerly standing with their wands in hand, ready to get things underway. They were comfortably dressed, happy that the dress code didn't apply inside the Room of Requirement. Most of the students were broken up into smaller groups, talking about their day, and Neville immediately spotted his girlfriend talking to the blonde Slytherin. They were chatting away, like the best friends that they were. Neville gave a small smile in their direction, at least happy with the fact that Aubrielle was enjoying herself. If she was happy, then he was happy. Ginny stepped out in front of them and cleared her throat. The crowd quieted down, ready to get the ball rolling. She smiled at them all.

"Hey everyone! So as you know, this is our first real meeting. Now, since there is such a wide range of ages in the Army, we may do things that the older students find…too elementary. However, they are spells that you should all know like the back of your hand so for the older students; practice makes perfect. It can't hurt to do the spells again."

Ginny stepped back so Neville could take charge. He smiled at Ginny before continuing the day's lesson.

"Right. So, first off we would like you all to pair up. Try to be partners with someone who don't know so that we can all get to know each other better. After all, if you find yourself on the battlefield, you want to make sure your fellow Army members know whom to protect. Alright, get a partner!"

Everyone shuffled around to find someone. There were many handshakes and greetings as they meet someone new. Neville looked for Aubrielle and saw her with a Hufflepuff second year. He continued his speech.

"Alright good, good. Now everyone face across from your partner. Today we will be learning the most useful spell you will probably ever learn in your life. Expelliarmus. Now, before all you upper classmen whine, remember this; without his wand, a wizard is nearly powerless. Since Expelliarmus takes his wand away, it puts you in almost complete control."

The younger students eyes were hopeful as they heard Neville talk. They already saw him as such a father figure and they admired his leadership skills. Luna stepped across from Neville so that they could do a demonstration. She held out her wand and he did the same while he proceeded to talk.

"Luna and I will perform a demonstration for you. The spell itself is fairly simple. You simply flick your wrist and say, 'Expelliarmus!'"

At the sounds of his incantation, the hex reached Luna's wand and it went flying through the air towards Neville. He quickly extended his arm and caught it mid flight. Luna smiled at him, knowing the trouble that he use to have with this spell, as the kids clapped for their instructor. He walked over to Luna and gave her wand back to her after he bowed his head slightly. She smiled at him and took it back.

"Now…off you go. Find room and practice. We'll walk around to observe and give you advice if you need it."

The students scurried to the different parts of the Room and immediately started practicing. The Room became filled with the spell as their words bounced off the ceiling and walls. Neville, Ginny, and Luna started to slowly walk around the Room, watching everyone and looking to see if anyone needed help. Luna stopped when she saw a Ravenclaw third year give up after about three tries. She took the young witch's hand in her own and gave her an apologetic glance.

"Don't give up Kimberly. You'll get it. Look right as Ms. Goldster. There you go. Now, give your wrist a quick flick and say it with meaning."

The witch straightened her shoulders as she stared at the Slytherin. With pure determination in her eyes she held out her wand. She gave her wand a quick jerk and shouted at the seventh year, "EXPELLIARMUS!" Much to her pleasure, Emolly's wand uncontrollably shot out of her hand and landed at the Ravenclaw's feet. She picked it up, bewildered at what she had just accomplished. Luna happily patted the youngster on the top of her hand and continued on to the next struggling student.

Neville was purposely looking for Aubrielle and slowly walked to one of the corners once he saw her. As he approached them, he could hear his girlfriend encouraging the young Hufflepuff boy.

"It's okay David. Try again! Really concentrate me. C'mon, you can do it. Give me your best shot."

The second year shook his head at the seventh year. He cleared his throat and waved his wand in the air. "Expelliarmus!" Aubrielle's wand didn't budge and the boy hung his head in defeat. Neville chuckled under his breath. The boy reminded him of himself. He walked over to him.

"David, is it? You have the exact same problem that I use to have. You're flapping your wand around too much. It's a simple flick of the wrist. Watch me."

Neville took David's spot and faced his girlfriend; he winked at her as he raised his arm. "Expelliarmus!"

Just as expected, Aubrielle's wand left her hand and flew towards Neville. Just as quickly as he caught it, he tossed it back to her and she smiled at him. He stepped aside and motioned for David to take back his spot. The wizard shuffled forward with a newfound resolve in his eyes. He pointed his wand straight at Aubrielle and took a deep breath. In one swift movement he flicked his wand at her and recited the spell, "Expelliarmus!"

Aubrielle felt a weird sensation shoot up her arm and she watched as her wand flung out of her hand and towards the Hufflepuff. She looked back at the boy with the look of complete shock painted on her face. He slowly picked up the wand at his feet and stared at it. He extended his arm and meet Aubrielle half way so he could give her back her wand. She took it from him and he beamed up at her. Neville smiled at his girlfriend.

"Your turn love."

Aubrielle shot Neville a threatening look and the nail polish on her fingernails turned to a dark purple color. He had promised to not call her that in front of the other students but it was obvious that he had already forgotten his own rule. She refocused herself and looked at the third year. He was so innocent; she didn't want to deprive him of his wand. Then again, he had just done it to her so she wouldn't really feel that bad. She looked at him sharply, causing him to suck in a breath. Aubrielle was a bloody seventh year Ravenclaw. He had every right to be scared. She took him out his misery quickly, "Expelliarmus!"

She beamed with pride as the wizard's wand flew at her with ease. She secretly knew she would nail it. Actually, she had a twitch to try it wordless but that would have to wait for another time. Neville came over to her and gave her a quick peck on her cheek, "Great job Aubs." The witch blushed a deep crimson color and he walked away, satisfied.

The lesson went on for about another thirty minutes or so but it was getting late and the younger ones needed to get back to the dorms before curfew. The trio of instructors wrapped up the meeting and told everyone when the next lesson would be. After getting many thanks and appreciative smiles, the younger students left the Room, leaving the older ones to themselves. There wasn't much to talk about, however, as they all set to work on their stack of schoolwork. Shortly after that they all went to bed, too tired to move another muscle. Aubrielle and Neville snuggled into their bed and Neville pulled the sheet over the two of them. He spooned her from behind and whispered into her ear.

"I love you Aubrielle. Don't you ever forget that."

"I love you too Neville."

(Tuesday, October 7th)

"We're fighting to stay alive."

Neville quickly walked through the doors and headed straight to his bed. He swiftly flung his book bag on the cot and whipped out his wand. He had wanted to use his free period to practice his Patronus and get it to 'Luna standards.' He closed his eyes and smiled as a happy memory flooded back to him. He focused all his energy on his wand and held it out in front of him. He whispered the enchantment and opened his eyes to see the extent of his animal.

"Expecto Patronum."

The silvery fox flowed out his wand and started slinking around the Room. Soon it was leaping from bed to bed and Neville pivoted his body to watch it. He turned all the way around and had his heart leap out of his chest when he saw that an Army member was still in the Room. His fox dissipated as he made eye contact with Emolly Goldster, who was sitting on her bed in the corner of the Room. She set down her roll of parchment and looked at him curiously.

"That was a great Patronus you just made."

"Um…thanks."

It was awkward just having the two of them in the Room. For one thing, he had no idea what to say to her. He had never had a conversation with her, ever, and he figured that when he did at least Aubrielle would be present with him. She stood up from the bed and slowly walked towards him. He swallowed harshly, finding her ease intimidating. She took out her wand and swished it in the air.

"Expecto Patronum."

A tiny ball of light shot out of her wand and it soon took the shape of a hummingbird. It glowed bright silver and zipped in the air around the witch's head. She smiled at her little bird and let it explore the Room. Neville's jaw slightly dropped as he watched it. It was an even better Patronus than Luna's! It was so tightly composed with no silver streaks whisking away. The bird flew back towards its creator and perched itself on the Slytherin's shoulder. It faded away until it was completely gone and Emolly turned her head to look back at Neville.

"You want to know what I think about when I make it? The first time I ever met Aubrielle. We were in Diagon Alley, buying our supplies for our first year at Hogwarts. We met each other in Ollivander's, got to talking, and that very night we had our first sleepover. She was the first friend I ever made and to this day she is still my best friend."

Neville felt like an asshole. He had always cursed Emolly in his head, hating that she took away some of his Aubrielle time. But to know that that memory was powerful enough to create a flawless Patronus made him feel like such a bad person. He watched her put her wand away. She looked back at him and smiled.

"What memory do you think of?"

Neville could feel the red creep into his face at the witch's question. He nervously rubbed the back his neck. As he told her, he refused to make direct eye contact.

"Well…errr, this is embarrassing. I think of, um, the first time me and Aubrielle…uh…did it."

Emolly burst out laughing, much to Neville's uneasiness, before patting him on the shoulder.

"Hey, if it works!"

He awkwardly smiled at her, not knowing what to do. She nonchalantly walked back to her cot and sat cross-legged on it. Neville slowly followed her and she was surprised to see him standing there. She moved her parchment and patted the bed, telling him it was okay to sit down. He nervously took a seat and Emolly quickly broke the silence.

"You make her really happy."

"She makes me really happy."

"I know, I'm just saying. When she first started getting feelings for you, she wouldn't shut her trap about 'her Gryffindor.' Course I was happy for her. It's about time she found a good guy."

"Err, thanks."

"Mhmm…no problem."

There was a slight awkward pause and Neville rubbed his palms on his thighs. He took a breath and looked at her out of the corner of his eye. She was reading her Divination book and biting her lower lip. He took a chance and continued the conversation.

"So… do you like being in the Army?"

She looked up from her book and smiled at him, "Oh yes! I originally joined it so I could see Aubrielle more but I've met some great people and it is really quite exciting."

"That's good to hear. Oh, and sorry about the whole, not seeing Aubrielle, thing. That's really my fault."

"Don't worry about it. It's the first relationship either of you have been in. It's only natural that you guys get attached."

"No…no, it's not acceptable. I, I shouldn't have tried to control her so much."

"Don't worry about it Neville. We're hanging out again like old times. Water under the bridge."

"Alright, as long as you know that I really am...sorry."

"Yes, I know. Thank you Neville. Oh, and Neville? Before I forget…"

"Yes?"

Her demeanor changed completely and a dark look came over her soft features. Her eyes became black, as well as her nail polish, and when she spoke to him, she had a very vicious undertone to her words.

"My Patronus isn't my only flawless spell. If you ever, and I mean ever, put your hands like that on Aubrielle again, I will come at you with everything I know and trust me, you won't stand a chance. Do you understand?"

Neville stared at her, scared out of his mind. He had just seen what she had done with her Patronus, and he really didn't want to see anything else. He nervously nodded his head, showing her that he understood perfectly, before she gave him a sweet smile.

"Good."

Neville gulped down the pill that Emolly had just shoved into his throat. While he never planned on touching his girlfriend like that again, he now had one of the most talented witches in the school on his ass. He had to respect Emolly's dedication to her friend, though, because he knew he would do the same thing to Harry if he ever mistreated Ginny. He looked back at her to find her already reading her book again. He looked at the giant clock on the wall. He only had twenty minutes left until he had to leave for his next class and even though Emolly had just made him practically wet himself, he still wanted to get to know her better.

"So, since you're threatening me and such, can I at least get to know the witch with the killer spells?"

Emolly let out a chuckle and Neville was happy to see that she at least had a sense of humor. She folded back the corner of the page she was on and closed her book. She turned to look at him and raised an eyebrow.

"What do you want to know?"

"I don't know exactly what. I just want to get to know you better since you're my girlfriend's best friend."

"Alright, well…uh, I'm an only child and I come from a pureblood family but that doesn't mean that we're strict about our beliefs and what not. If we were, I wouldn't be friends with Aubrielle since she's a half blood. I have a real knack for charms, as you can tell, but I'm not sure what I want to do with it. Although, I always thought it would be cool to one day take Flitwick's job and teach here. To be honest, I've always been jealous of Aubrielle's ability to play Quidditch so well because I'm down right awful at it. I can't stand girls who dumb themselves down to get a guy's attention, and I am perfectly happy being on my own."

She smiled at him, signifying that she was done talking, and studied his face for any reactions. He sat there, emotionless, before asking her another question that was more personal. He said it slowly, not sure if he should even be asking her something like this yet.

"Why are you…single, actually? I don't mean to sound like some creepy git, but you are really pretty…"

Emolly's took a deep breath and let it out. She chose her words carefully because she didn't want to reveal too much to him. She didn't trust him that well.

"Well, I uh…don't exactly have the best reputation with the Slytherins. It's something that happened years ago, really, but it's still stuck with me. After I dated Blaise, something changed in me and I realized I don't need a boyfriend to be happy."

She looked at him cautiously, wondering how he felt about her. He didn't say anything and she hated having the attention on her. She quickly shot out a question at him, eager to have a conversation shift.

"So tell me, why Aubrielle?"

"Why not Aubrielle is the real question," he beamed, not even having to think about his answer first. "She's absolutely amazing. She's smart, talented, funny, kind, brave, and to top it all off, she's absolutely gorgeous." He turned to look at the Slytherin; "I've had feelings for your best friend since I first saw her back in first year. To finally have her as my girlfriend, well it's unbelievable and I always remember how lucky I am. I really regret not asking her out sooner."

The witch heard the sincerity in the wizard's voice and she had to admit, it gave her the warm fuzzies. He was smiling to himself, reminiscing about his girlfriend, and Emolly caught herself wishing she had a boyfriend who cared about her as much as Neville cared about Aubrielle. Before things with Blaise went bad, Emolly had that. She saw the ways girls stared at her enviously and she saw the way guys oogled at her when she was on Blaise's arm. What she liked even more was how defensive he got when that happened. For those first three months, she felt like nothing could go wrong and she felt, like the fool she was, that Blaise and her could last forever. She laughed at herself as she realized how naive she use to be. She wouldn't let that happen to her again. She would make sure of it.

Without notice, Neville quickly jumped off the bed and started gathering his things. He picked up his bag and checked to make sure he had everything he needed.

"Sorry Emolly but I have class in ten minutes. It was really nice talking to you though and getting to know you better."

"Same!"

"See you soon!"

Before she could even get another word out, he was out the door. She sat on her cot, thinking about the conversation she had just had with him. He had made her open a door about herself that she thought she had bolted shut. She stretched out on her bed, letting her mind wander back to fifth year and her relationship with Blaise. Gods she was so stupid! As she recounted the good months that she had with him, she found that he really had been playing her all along. A single tear left her eye and fell down her cheek. She quickly brushed it away, hating herself for being weak, and promised herself to never be that dumb with boys again. There was no way in Hell that she would fall back in into a hole like that once more. No way.

o.O.o

I LOVE EMOLLY. I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to develop her at first but I like the direction she is going in. Plus, I'm a sucker for strong female characters. Don't worry; Aubrielle will be back next chapter. Review for a sneak peak of the next chapter!