Emolly had no idea why she had kissed Dean so passionately in the hallway. Well, okay…she did know why she had snogged him. At that moment in time, he had made her feel like a genuine person. He made her feel special, pretty. She didn't have feelings for him, however, so she didn't understand her body's need to be intimate with him. Now, after the kiss, she was so confused because she actually felt something when their lips had touched and their tongues tangled with each other. It was just surreal because she had gone from barely saying hi to him, to making out with him over the course of a week. Who was this kid?

Even with the mixed signals and unanswered questions, the two seventh years continued to 'date' each other. The Slytherin had assured Neville and Aubrielle that it was all fake and simply a facade to agitate Snape. Aubrielle, however, couldn't help but notice the two students flirt with each other on a daily basis. No matter how much Emolly stressed that it wasn't real, Aubrielle felt that genuine feelings were bubbling under the surface, and she couldn't wait for them to admit it to each other.

(Friday, March 6th)

"Ariana, I need Ab as soon as possible."

The brunette in the portrait nodded her head before turning around and walking down the garden pathway. Neville paced in front of the painting with a small notecard in his hand. This was a personal list that was to stay strictly between him and Aberforth. The portrait swung open and the old wizard was soon walking down the stone stairs. He greeted Neville with his usual smile and handshake.

"Ariana said you needed me a.s.a.p. What's wrong my boy?"

"I need you to get me some potion ingredients as soon as possible and I need you to keep this strictly between you and I."

Aberforth raised his eyebrow and accepted the piece of parchment that Neville extended towards him. He unfolded it and scanned the items. His eyes widened and he pulled Neville off to the side so no one could hear them talk.

"You realize how hard it is for me to get all of this, don't you? These ingredients are rare and not to mention bloody expensive-"

"I know, I know, but it's imperative that I get them as soon as possible. This is really important to me Ab. This is to protect the ones I love and you know well enough that this war is going to hit us any second."

The Gryffindor couldn't help but look off towards Aubrielle, who was braiding her little sister's long hair. Daphne was sitting next to her on the cot, talking and observing. Aubrielle started laughing about something and Neville couldn't help but smile. Gods he loved her so much.

"This is for her, isn't it?"

Neville looked back at Aberforth, "Yeah, it's for her. I want to know that she'll survive all this, even if I don't. I want her to live and for her to have a long and happy life."

"She's damn lucky to have a bloke like you, Neville."

"And I'm damn lucky to have a girl like her."

Aberforth put his hand on the seventh year's shoulder as he slipped the paper into his robe pocket. "I'll get these as soon as possible. It's most likely going to take me a while though."

"I understand."

Aberforth started walking back towards the stone stairs that led up towards the portrait of his sister. She kindly opened the painting right as Aberforth reached the bottom step. He turned back to Neville one last time.

"You're a really great kid Neville; your parents would be proud."

He walked up the steps and reached the entrance to the tunnel. As soon as he walked back far enough, and the portrait was able to swing close, the wizard felt a single, hot tear stream down his cheek. Aubrielle had just finished with Nielah's hair and noticed the moment of appreciation between the two wizards. Slightly perplexed, she walked over to her boyfriend.

"Are you okay?"

He looked at her to see her forehead knit in confusion and a sense of worry in her eyes. He took her and wrapped her in his arms, wanting to feel her heartbeat against his chest. It was there, steady and strong. The Ravenclaw giggled a little, still unsure of what the Hell was happening, which made Neville laugh as well. He let her go and she whipped away the stained tear. He beamed at her.

"I love you so much."

She smiled at him and stood up on her tiptoes so she could leave a lingering kiss on his lips. She pulled away slowly and looked into his eyes.

"I love you too."

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

Emolly was rolling her wand in the palm of her hand. She hated not being able to use magic. It was like a part of her was missing. Not only that, but she knew for a fact that the longer a witch withheld her magic, the weaker it would be the next time she tried to perform it. It was eating her up on the inside. Three weeks? Not only that, but once she could use magic again, she was only allowed to do remedial spells. She wasn't allowed to anything more powerful than Expelliarmus for an additional two weeks after that. She grunted in frustration and flopped back into her cot. This was torture!

"What's got you in a huff?"

She lifted her head up to see Dean Thomas smirking at her from the foot of her bed. She grunted and flung her head back on her pillow again. She felt him sit on the side of her bed but she didn't look at him again. She was being selfish right now and Dean's sweet talking wasn't going to make things better. She wanted to wallow in her troubles at the moment and she had no problem admitting that.

"I. Want. To. Do. MAGIC."

"Well you can't so stop pouting. It's not helping anything you know."

"GRR!"

She rolled over on to her good side and curled into a ball. Dean just laughed at her and brushed her long, blonde hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. He was happy to at least see her worrying about something other than what the Slytherin girls were saying about her. He took her by her shoulder and gently rolled her over so she was facing him. She had a big pout on her face and unwanted tears were softly trickling from her amber eyes. He whipped them away with his thumb.

"Hey, c'mon now, it's alright. It's not that much longer. In a week you'll be able to do the simple stuff again."

"I don't want to do the simple stuff though. I want to do my Patronus again; I want to see my little hummingbird zoom around the room! It's going to be terrible once I can actually try it again. Five weeks without practicing it?"

She took her wand and clutched it to her chest. Her hummingbird was her pride and joy. If it weren't to standards again than it wouldn't be that effective-

"Your Patronus has never been anything short of flawless Em. I'm sure it will be amazing even after 5 weeks of not-"

"No it won't!"

She turned away from the wizard again, much to his disappointment. She was being particularly stubborn today. He got off the cot and walked to the other side and squatted on the floor so the witch had no choice but to look at him.

"I think I know what would cheer you up."

"Yeah? Can you suddenly cure my insides so I can do magic again?"

"Well, no, but I have something that will take your mind off of it."

She raised her eyebrow at him as he stood up and held out his hand. She sat up in the bed and slowly placed her hand in his. They intertwined their fingers together and Dean slowly led the Slytherin out of the Room of Requirement and into the hallway. They started walking down the hall but soon reached one of the grand moving staircases. They stepped onto the first step and the mass immediately started moving. Dean kept dragging her here and there, following the pattern of the steps. She had given up asking questions early on, but this was really confusing her. She had absolutely no idea where they were going. They reached a floor, she had no idea which one because she had lost track, and started walking down a narrow hallway. It was barely lit, just a few simple lanterns placed every so often, and it was really making things seem eerie, especially since she wasn't allowed to perform magic if the situation called for it. Yet, at the same time, with Dean holding her hand, she felt that nothing wrong could happen to her. There was a small door at the end of the hall and Dean took out his wand.

"Alohamora."

The lock clicked and he was able to easily push the thick wooden door. He slowly opened it and brought the two of them inside before shutting it behind him. It was pitch black.

"Uhmm…"

"Incendio."

A small spark shot out of the wizard's wand and found a flammable thread covered in oil. As soon as it caught, it spread like a fiendfyre and soon the flame was following the rope. Around the room it went, breaking off and lighting separate little canisters. 'The beauty of magic.' Pretty soon, once the entire room was illuminated, the Slytherin was able to make out the bigger picture. There, in front of her, floating in mid air, was the entire star system, burning bright. Her jaw dropped and she suddenly felt so small. This was amazing!

"What…how…holy shit! What is this?"

"The old astronomy room. Once classes got bigger, and they couldn't fit everyone in here, they moved it to the new tower. I found this during fifth year but haven't showed anyone because I liked knowing that it was special to me. Obviously it's really hard to find…"

Emolly looked around the room and sure enough, there were a bunch of tables and chairs pushed up against one of the walls. She looked back at the figurine again. As she walked closer she could see tiny wires connecting the contained flames. It was like a giant sphere in a sense. It was really beautiful to see it lit up like that, with everything else pitch black. She looked through the globe to seen Dean looking around, just as she was, with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"So…does this make you feel better?"

She smiled at him, "Yes."

"Ten points to Gryffindor."

She laughed a little and made her way back towards him. She had always been confused as to what her exact feelings were for him, but this just cemented them for her. He had never shown ANYONE this but he was showing her. That obviously meant a lot to him and truthfully, it made her feel so special. Not only that, but he always wanted her to feel happy and he took such good care of her. She walked around the globe and finally reached him. Without saying anything, they made prefect eye contact and it was almost as if they read each other's thoughts. She reached up and cupped his face and brought his lips to hers. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist and drew her in close to him. She opened her mouth for him and let him slip his tongue into her, wanting nothing more than to deepen the kiss. Emolly didn't know if it was her hormones, the small flames around the room, her feelings finally coming out, or a combination of all three, but she wanted to stay with him in the room forever. She wanted to forget about the war that was getting closer day by day. She wanted to forget about Blaise and every thing that he had done to her. She wanted to forget about Pansy and the bitch that she was. She wanted to forget about everything and just be with Dean. Even if she couldn't be in there forever, she was going to make this last as long as humanly possible, and that's just what she did.

(Friday, March 13th)

"Oh happy day!"

Emolly got out of her bed and rushed over to the other side of the Room where Dean's cot was situated. She forcefully jumped on top of him with a thud and he made a loud groan. Even though most of the Army was already up and about, with the younger students heading to class and the sixth and seventh years using their day off to get things done, Dean was still sawing logs. That kid could sleep through a thunderstorm without even flinching. Emolly rolled him over so he could look at her. Her long blonde hair fell in his face and tickled him and he wrinkled his face together.

"Duel me, duel me, duel me! Please!"

"Wh…what?"

He sat up in his cot with her still sitting on his lap. The sheet that was wrapped around him fell and the witch realized that he was topless. She let her eyes roam his sculpted chest and admired the grooves of his defined six-pack. He smirked at her and she was brought back to the present.

"I get to use magic today! I'm off magical probation! Duel me!"

"You're still not allowed to use anything powerful though."

"That's okay…I'll still be able to kick your lazy ass."

She jumped off him and put her hand on her hips. His jaw dropped.

"Well! Looks like someone thinks too highly of herself. Okay, let me wake up and get ready and then I'll show you how it's done."

"HA!"

Emolly ran back to her bed and took her wand out of her trunk. She was beyond excited to use magic again! She had never realized how much it had meant to her until she wasn't allowed to use it. She went back to Dean, who was now fully dressed, 'Damn,' and watched him as he took out his wand.

"Alright Goldster. Time for you to learn from a master."

"Ahem…I'm the one in the University Level charms class…"

"Yeah, well….whatever. I'm still gonna beat you with my brute force and manly abilities."

He wriggled his eyebrows, making her crack up. Her side didn't hurt nearly as much when she laughed, but there was still a small pain there, always reminding her that she was damaged, crippled.

"Okay hot shot. Lets go."

They went to the strip in the middle of the Room that was designated for dueling. Neville and Aubrielle noticed the two with their wands drawn and went to check things out. Aubrielle smiled at her best friend.

"Emolly finally gets off prohibition and she's already picking fights. I would expect nothing less from you."

The Slytherin smiled at her friend and then turned back to Dean.

"Ready?"

"I was born ready-"

"Stupefy!"

Emolly quickly pointed her wand at the Gryffindor and fired off the spell before he could even finish his sentence. She felt the immediate effects of the magic flow through her body. She had never noticed it before, but since she hadn't used magic in three weeks, it was really noticeable now. The wizard was on his ass and holding his head. He looked up at the blonde to find her smiling and jumping up and down. No matter; he had let her get that the first spell off. Still on his arse, he pointed his wand at her.

"Levicorpus."

She stopped smiling when she was quickly lifted into the air and thrown backwards. She landed on her back with a thud and a groan. Her side started to throb a little but she ignored the pain. Now she was in full combat mode, the euphoria of using magic again quickly leaving her. She stood up and fired the spell right back at him.

"Levicorpus!"

He flew high into the air, almost hitting the ceiling, and hit high on the back wall, finally flying to the floor. Emolly felt another wave of magic course through her veins and her side started heating up.

"No, no, no, no! Expelliarmus!"

The wizard's wand flew out of his hand and landing at her feet. She bent over to claim her prize but her side restricted her from doing so.

"Ouch! Damnit! NO!"

She was so frustrated now! She was finally able to use magic again but her side was acting up terribly. The pain was starting to get to her. Aubrielle watched her with worry as she saw her best friend experience more and more pain.

"Em, maybe you should rest for a litt-"

"NO! Incarcerous!"

The ropes flew towards the seventh year and wrapped themselves around his broad shoulders and torso. He just sat there and took it all, seeing how frustrated she was getting. It broke his heart to see her in so much pain. This had meant so much to her and now it slipping from her grip. She bent over and clutched her ribs.

"No!"

"Emolly please stop!"

Aubrielle went over to her friend and placed her hand on her shoulder. The Slytherin quickly shook it off, much to Aubrielle's surprise.

"Emolly-"

"Don't Aubs. I don't want your damn sympathy right now."

"I'm not giving you sympathy; I'm just watching out for you! You tried too much too soon. You need to rest."

"She's right."

Neville walked up to Dean and released him from his constraints. The pain in Emolly's side heightened and she crumpled to the ground. That was it. She hated to admit it to herself, but she was just too weak. Too weak to be a proper witch. She felt like crawling into a dark hole and curling up into a ball.

"A-aubs this i-is killing m-me!"

The brunette sat on the ground with her and cradled her friend. This was beyond devastating for the Slytherin and the sad trust was…there was nothing Aubrielle could do about it. She couldn't magically heal her so that she could do magic again. This was a type of injury that just needed to take its course. Emolly lifted her head up to see everyone looking at her. Daphne, Neville, Dean, and Nielah were hovering over her like she was some type of experiment. The blonde suddenly stood up and the pain shot up her body. She didn't care though; she just wanted to get away from all these people and out of this depressing Room.

She clutched her wand and ran out of the Room, despite everyone calling after her. She shot out of the doors and sprinted through the halls, weaving in and out of the students that were walking to their next class. The tears were still running down her cheeks and she was getting strange and confused stares from everyone as she ran out the large double doors that led out the castle. It was a rainy day in March and she let the rain drench her all the way through.

"EMOLLY STOP!"

Dean was running behind her, trying to get her to stop. Instead, she spun around and faced him with her wand drawn.

"Expelliarmus!"

She shot the spell at him so quickly that he was surprised he had time to react. He blocked her spell with his wand but she wasn't done yet. She blocked out the pain that was now steadily pulsing through her and unleashed herself on the Gryffindor.

"Stupefy!" Another sharp jolt. "Levicorpus!" It was getting worse and worse. "Confundus!" But Dean was blocking everything and gaining ground on her. She was in so much pain at this point that she felt like throwing up. She was absolutely soaking wet and her hair was in her eyes. She tried one last spell.

"Petrificus To-"

"STOP." Dean had caught up to her and grabbed the wand right out of her hand. She stood there, the pain her side absolutely unbearable, and fell into the wizard's chest. He wrapped her up in his arms and steadied her as the pain and emotions came in gushing waves. Pretty soon, she didn't know the difference between her tears and the rain. Dean stood there, not bothered by the rain at all, and just held her. He took one of his arms and put it under her knees before hoisting her up bridal style. He brought her back into the castle and sat down on a bench right inside of the giant double doors.

"I'm s-so weak Dean. So w-weak. I can't even d-defend myself if I n-need to."

"And that's why I'll always be by your side. I'll make sure nothing ever happens to you."

He meant it too.

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