Sorry for the filler chapter…but this is much needed. I am also sorry that it is ridiculously short. Pretty much, the entire month of December is one update. Also, this is going to be one of those times where I am going to make things happen that don't happen in the book. It's my story, after all. Hope you like it! RxR!

December was a long and dreary month. A lot of students stayed back in the castle over the break, and any younger Army members that did so were able to move into the Room of Requirement. They were all moving in permanently, anyway, since the Army was loosing about 10 members over break and there was plenty of space. See, some kids' parents were going into hiding, much like Aubrielle and Nielah's mother, and they were going to hide with them. It was detrimental to their numbers and Neville worried about how many fighters they would have on their side once this war hit. It was out of his control, though, so he tried not to lose too much sleep over the matter.

Luna went home to her father and promised to do some scouting missions for Neville. He was trying to bring back as many Hogwarts alumni as possible to make up for the members they lost. Besides, Snape wouldn't notice any new students as long as they stayed in the Room of Requirement for the most part. Luna promised to contact as many people as she could, and that included Cho Chang, Oliver Wood, and Angelina Johnson, among others. He just prayed that they would all agree to come back.

Neville spent most of his early break worrying about Aubrielle. She always seemed distant with him, like she wanted to tell him something but couldn't. He had approached her about it many times but she always brushed it off or walked away. She had told him about her mother going into hiding but he could tell that that wasn't what was bothering her. It was something else, and he really needed to know.

(Early December)

Nielah and Aubrielle were sitting on the elder's cot, playing a game of wizarding chess, while Neville observed. Nielah was clearly in trouble, but Aubrielle started making stupid moves so her little sister would come out on top. The young Ravenclaw moved her piece into position and with a swift swing of its sword, cracked Aubrielle's king in half.

"Check mate! HA! I never win!"

"Good job Nie. You caught me on an off night."

"Yeah, yeah."

Aubrielle winked to her little sister before she trotted off to talk to Padma. The seventh year watched her go with the same distant stare in her eyes that she had had for days. Neville sat up and cleared his throat so his girlfriend would look at him. She turned her head to see him glaring at her worriedly.

"You're not telling me something. Something is eating away at you, I can tell."

"I'm fine-"

"No, you're not. Don't lie to me Aubrielle."

She stared at him, begging her mind to make up its decision. She still hadn't told Neville about Emolly's situation, but she desperately wanted to. She had been even more inclined to tell him recently, since Emolly was forced to spend her entire winter break with Blaise at his manor in Italy. The little invisible demons on her shoulders were yelling at each other while her boyfriend continued to look at her.

"Aubrielle, tell me what is bothering you. I don't like it when you hold something back from me. It makes me feel like I can't trust you."

Her eyes widened. She needed Neville now more than ever and she needed to know that he trusted her with his life. She took a deep breath. 'Do it. Tell him. It will put your mind at ease and it will help your best friend. It's the only choice you have.'

"Neville, I need to tell you something."

"I know you do, that's why I've been worried. What's wrong?"

"It's doesn't have anything to do with me. It's…it's about Emolly."

"Emolly?"

"Yeah."

"What's wrong? Aubrielle just spit it out."

She took a deep breath. "You know how she got back together with Blaise? Well it's not for the reasons that everyone thinks."

"What are you saying?"

She inhaled greatly and closed her eyes. Dear Merlin, here come the tears.

"Blaise threatened her and told her that she had to get back together with him or else he would…"

She was trembling. She knew that the second she told her boyfriend; he would want Blaise's head on a platter.

"He told her he would abuse me and rape me if she didn't."

"HE WHAT!" The wizard jumped to his feet and his face began to turn red with rage. In a matter of seconds, the Gryffindor's insides were boiling and he had gone from concerned to furious in the blink of an eye.

"Please calm down Neville!"

"Calm down? He threatened to rape my girlfriend!"

"I know but he didn't actually do it, okay? Please! I wasn't suppose to-"

"I don't care if he didn't actually do it Aubrielle! He still had the intent to! I'll kill him! When he steps foot in this castle again, I'll hex him until he doesn't know what year it is. I'll make sure that he can't-"

"Neville! Stop, please! You're scaring me!"

He stopped, his chest heaving from being so worked up. He looked at the Ravenclaw to see tears coming out of her eyes. She was staring back at him, looking absolutely terrified. She had never seen him get that angry that quickly. She reached out towards him and nervously took his hand in hers. He was taking big breaths, willing his heart to slow down a little, and let Aubrielle lead him back to the bed. He sat down next to her, still trying to wrap his head around everything.

"So Emolly is with Blaise…to protect you from him?"

"Yes."

"And is he…doing the same thing to her that he would have done to you?"

"…Y-yes."

"How long has this been going on?"

"Almost a month."

"Why are you just telling me this now?"

"Because Emolly begged me not to get you or anyone else involved. I would have told you sooner, honestly, but I didn't want her to feel like I betrayed her."

They were quiet for a while but Neville could still hear his girlfriend lightly crying. He looked over at her to see her visibly upset. Obviously she had a hard time deciding whether to tell him or not. He wrapped her up in his arms and cradled her in his lap. He moved on the cot until his back was resting up against the wall. She gripped his shirt tightly and stopped crying when he ran his fingers through her dark hair. He kissed her on the top of her head and she turned to look at him.

"I don't know what to do Neville. Obviously I want her far away from him, but I don't know how to make that happen without someone getting hurt."

"We'll think of something, love. We'll think of something."

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

The Army members spent most of their break inside the Room of Requirement. The only time they ever really left was to either eat or read at the library. Other than that, they mostly stayed inside the safety of the hidden room. They kept themselves busy by practicing their spells, dueling each other, playing wizard chess, reading and writing, or playing other various games. Nielah practiced her Patronus charm almost every waking hour of every day. Finally, her hard work paid off when she formed a full body in the form of an owl. She squealed with delight as the bird flew through the air. It had to be, by far, Nielah's proudest moment since being at Hogwarts.

Obviously hygiene became a huge issue to everyone over time and the Room itself started having a peculiar odor in the air. The girls were disturbed by it the most and demanded that proper bathrooms were installed immediately. Having nothing to do and needing a project, Seamus and Michael volunteered to create one for the boys while Lavender and the Patil twins agreed to make one for the girls. In about two weeks they were finished, complete with fully functional toilets, sinks, and showers. They were concealed behind large changing walls and intricately draped towels. In all honesty, the bathrooms made everything ten times better and Neville praised his friends for making it all possible. The Room was quickly becoming a comfortable house like space where kids could escape the dreaded facts of reality and just…be themselves.

o.O.o

Neville and Aubrielle celebrated their thirteen-month on Christmas. It was nothing special, really. They exchanged their gifts and had a private breakfast in his Herbology office. Neville gave Aubrielle a book of sheet music that she had been coveting for months, and the Ravenclaw gave her boyfriend a book as well, only his was about the many species of magical roots. Their alone time was minimal, as they spent most of the day with their friends. Christmas, despite everything going on in their lives at the moment, seemed to put everyone in an upbeat mood. The holidays had a way of doing so, but it was particularly noticeable this time around. The Army came together that night for their own little feast. There were no petty arguments, no house divisions, just a group of students laughing and enjoying themselves for the first time in months.

As the break came to a close, and the new term neared, the happy atmosphere quickly vanished. Students were starting to trickle back into the castle and they all had a look of defeat on their faces. No one wanted to be back at Hogwarts. No one.

With returning students, however, meant the possibility of alumni sneaking into the school. Neville constantly walked the halls, keeping his eye out for any of his old friends. After checking the library, owlry, and Great Hall, it was a quick trip to the Gryffindor Common Room that put a smile on his face and hope in his heart. There, sitting on the big red couch, was Oliver Wood.

"Oliver!"

"Hey Neville."

The boys tightly hugged each other and shook hands. Neville was beaming, happy to know that Luna was able to contact at least one person successfully. Oliver was still Oliver, except with more facial hair. He was proudly wearing his old Gryffindor Quidditch sweater from when he won the cup. He had a small trunk with him, and Neville picked it up before leading him out of the portrait.

"I'm so glad you came back."

"There was no hesitation. Luna contacted me, told me that you guys needed fighters, and that was the end of that."

"Well, want to see where you'll be living for the next couple months?"

"Lets do this."

They walked down the staircase and weaved their way through the halls until they reached the seemingly normal wall. Neville turned back to Oliver to find him confused.

"You know about the Room of Requirement, right?"

"I know about it, but I've never seen it."

"Well there's a first time for everything." He turned back to the wall, "We're fighting to stay alive."

The doors made their usual appearance at the words and Oliver let his jaw drop in awe. Neville stepped foreword and pushed one of the large doors open and waited for Oliver to enter before closing it behind them. As if on cue, Aubrielle came bounding over to her boyfriend and kissed him sweetly on the lips. Oliver snickered at the Ravenclaw, which caused her to pull away and look at who laughed at her. When she saw it was Oliver, she leapt on him and put him into a death grip hug.

"Oliver!"

The two had known each other for years, being enemies on the Quidditch pitch but friends in the halls. He wrapped his arms around her, happy to see her again. She pulled away and beamed at him. She ran her hand on his scruff and laughed.

"Going for the rugged look, eh Wood?"

"I thought I'd try it out. Looks like you've gone soft though, Song. I never thought I'd see the day where you were so giddy over a guy."

"Shut it!" She playfully socked him on the arm but he had to admit, it was a hard punch. The trio walked over to an empty cot that would now become Oliver's. As he was organizing his things, Aubrielle sat on his bed and caught up with him. Neville went back to his own cot to categorize his teaching assistant papers, but really didn't get much done. He was watching his girlfriend interact with his friend and found himself concerned at how easily they could talk to each other. He trusted Aubrielle whole-heartedly, there was no questioning it, but he still felt uneasy watching them. The two had known each other for years and Oliver was a great guy. What girl wouldn't be attracted to him? His worries soon diminished when he saw Aubrielle hold up her hand to show Oliver her promise ring that Neville had given her. 'You're crazy for questioning her Longbottom. She loves you. She loves you…"

Welp, there's the filler chapter. And yay for having Oliver Wood back at Hogwarts! Again, I am going to do things differently than the book. That's what fanfiction is though. People's own ideas and interpretations. Review please!