Yes, this update has taken forever. Sorry about that. This chapter is set a couple of weeks from the last one and is from the perspective of Neville again.

Enjoy!

Neville was worried about his friends.

After Harry had had a screaming fit in the Divination classroom while clutching his scar last week, Neville had noticed his housemate giving him continual side glances. It was really beginning to unnerve him and neither Hermione nor Ron had seemed to notice anything different.

The other problem was his totally-not-friend Draco Malfoy. Like Harry, he'd had a screaming nightmare recently and had been acting strangely ever since. While Neville hadn't been especially close to the pseudo-Gryffindor, they had at least spoken to each other in class and in the common room, even if they usually ignored each other anywhere else. Now however, Draco wouldn't even give him the time of day and was cold and unapproachable to any of the Gryffindors that tried to communicate with him (not that there were many of those, but at least the Weasley twins had been leaving him alone since the second task).

They were now in the last week of their end of year exams, with the third task rapidly approaching, so it was probably natural that Draco was disappearing off for hours on end to study. On the other hand though, it didn't seem like the Draco (the Draco Malfoy Neville had met at Christmas) that he knew and as much as he tried to deny it, Neville found himself missing his newest dorm-mate.

Which was precisely why Neville was following him.

Intellectually, Neville knew that Draco wouldn't appreciate him spying and it was unlikely that he was going to witness anything unusual, but Neville's gut was twisting in a sense of dread that he couldn't ignore. There was just something wrong with Draco...

It was late after curfew and he had exams in the morning. Neville was briefly reminded of his first year when he had attempted to prevent Ron, Hermione and Harry from losing Gryffindor house points. Almost exactly four years later, it was him going on some fool-hearted quest after lights-out and the irony wasn't lost on him. Creeping through the darkened hallways, Neville willed himself to melt into the shadows, praying that he didn't encounter any teachers or Peeves.

After what seemed like an eternity, Neville watched as the vividly blond boy unlocked a side chamber off the Great Hall. Neville frowned in confusion. Wasn't that where the teachers stored the Goblet of Fire when it wasn't in use? Uncomprehending, Neville slowly inched closer to the door and stiffened, startled as he began to hear voices from inside the room.

"-preparations in place? ... not afford any mistakes..."

"Dark Lord... from Bertha Jorkins... no sign..."

"...don't underestimate... the Third Task... bring Potter."

Horrified, Neville was unable to move in shock from what he had just overheard. There seemed to be some sort of complex plot concerning the Boy Who Lived and Voldemort (but really, when wasn't there?). And why the hell was Draco in on it? Uncertain as to what role his classmate was playing in the fight between Light and Dark, Neville forced himself to remain by the door, hoping against hope that this was some massive understanding. He had to be certain of what he heard before he could go confronting anyone about it.

But surely Draco wouldn't?

Forcing himself to take a deep breath to calm down, Neville exited his thoughts and retuned himself into the conversation beyond the door, straining his ears desperately.

"Take care of it... mistakes... cost you..." It was unmistakably some kind of threat.

There was something indecipherable exchanged.

"...Outside this door!"

Neville barely had time to gulp before the door flew open. Stumbling backwards, Neville fumbled for his wand, but ended up tripping over his own robes in his haste to get away and ended up tumbling to the floor of the Great Hall. For the millionth time, Neville cursed his luck. The Fates always seemed to have it out for him. Just why had he followed Malfoy?

"We've caught you now, you little sneak!" Gazing up from his position on the floor, Neville stared up fearfully at the grinning face of Mad-Eye Moody. It was really quite disconcerting.

"P-p-professor!" He stuttered. He was in so much trouble for being out of bed. He shuddered to think that he had been eavesdropping on the legendary master auror. It hadn't been some nefarious plot after all, just Moody's paranoid ramblings. "P-p-please d-don't turn m-me into a f-ferret!"

Neville was shaking so badly, that he was doing a very good impression of Professor Quirrell, his back cold against the hard ground.

Moody laughed, his malicious, grizzled grin spreading wider. "Well Longbottom, I doubt detention is going to get us anywhere this time. Oh, how I'd love to finish the job from fourteen years ago..."

"Stop!"

Both student and teacher turned, Moody's wand still raised. Malfoy slid out of the shadows, a contemplative look across his face.

"He could be useful to the Dark Lord."

Neville whimpered, not entirely understanding what was going on, but two imposing figures were standing over him and one was still aiming his wand at his chest. "Draco? What's going on?"

Malfoy stepped closer, his eyes as cold and uncaring as they had been for the past few weeks. "It's time for you to learn your place, you stupid squib. You should be honoured, it's not like the Dark Lord would usually notice someone as pathetic as you!"

"Draco?" Neville whispered, dread flooding his stomach like a thousand Potions lessons at once. What little hope he had left that this was some sort of awful misunderstanding was dissipating by the second.

Malfoy rearranged his features into an arrogant smirk, hate filling his grey eyes, every inch the Slytherin that Neville had once feared.

He raised his wand.