The dog days of summer slowly dwindled down with no further word of Death Eater attacks or sightings. The new Minister of Magic's call for increased security was visible to those who went to Diagon Alley though Olivander's and Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour remained closed as neither owner had family or even qualified apprentices to take over the respective businesses. Smaller, less renown wand shops that most had previously overlooked were picking up the slack but had been forced to purchase the remainder of Olivander's stock to supplement their own once they had burned through their own stock.

August brought with it the usual parliament of owls as Hogwarts students and their families received their list of books and supplies that they would need for the new term. For the sixth year students the addition of their O.W.L. results were added as well as the list of classes that they were eligible to take.

Seeing the parliament as it approached Neville waited for Hermione and Mrs. Weasley to receive the owls. Though Hermione and Ginny were both up early, Ginny often spent her mornings practicing with Harry while Hermione buried herself in her books. Mrs. Weasley rarely slept, though Neville was unsure if it was because she was so busy taking care of her remaining brood, if she were still morning the loss of her youngest son, or if she were simply focusing her energies on her remaining children.

It still felt strange to be around the still morning family. Having been raised by his gran and in the absence of other children Neville often felt overwhelmed and out of place with the horde of Weasleys, Harry and Hermione, Sirius Black, and the other members of the Order that were usually around. He was thankful for the small greenhouse but sometimes found himself longing for the vast gardens that Ozzy was now taking care of in his absence. His personal house elf was able to take longer and longer trips due in part to Kreacher's improving demeanor.

"Harry!" Hermione's excited voice called out from the kitchen. "Neville! They're here! The letters from Hogwarts are here!"

Resigned to his fate, the sandy haired youth set his tools down, "Coming!"

A slight breeze kicked up the curtains as Neville made his way down the corridor towards the stairs. Once on the stairs he caught sight of Harry as the other boy hesitated in the face of Hermione's excitement. Ginny's face was expressionless as she turned to lead the boys down the stairs.

Three common barn owls hooted at the teens as they entered the kitchen, one of them directly before the eager Gryffindor. It came as no surprise that Hermione had not opened her letter though she eyed it nervously. As the one before Hermione motioned for her to take the letter attached to its leg, the others approached Harry and Neville. As one the three claimed their letters.

He could not help but feel his heart pounding. Seeing Hermione he knew that she was at least five times as nervous as he was. Even Harry appeared apprehensive about the results. A calming breath did little for him but give him the air to mutter, "On two."

The others nodded.

"Two," Ginny said, tricking the trio into ripping their letters open.

"I got Acceptable for Transfiguration," he muttered aloud. He had hoped for something better as Gran had always pushed him in that subject and while he had made improvements it would not be enough to be admitted to the N.E.W.T. level course. "Outstanding in Defense and Herbology," he added as he went down the list. "Acceptable in Divination, Exceeds Expectations in Astronomy, Acceptable in History, Acceptable in Care" his heart was pounding now, drowning out the others as they spoke "Exceeds Expectations in Potions."

As he soaked in his grades Hermione and Harry both looked over his results. It was not until Hermione began going over the classes that were now available to them that he realized he would no longer be able to pursue his gran's goal of him becoming an Auror.

"I specifically remember Professor McGonagall telling me that I needed an Outstanding to take N.E.W.T. level potions with Snape," Harry replied defensively.

"But this says that anyone who managed an Exceeds Expectations on the O.W.L. can take Potions," Hermione corrected. "Do you think that Dumbledore spoke to Snape about it?"

"It's possible," Ginny interjected.

Glancing around Neville realized that Mrs. Weasley had left the kitchen.

"Are you going to take Potions as well?" Hermione asked as she turned towards him.

"Is anyone there?" a new voice interrupted. Spinning around the teens noticed the head that appeared in the kitchen fireplace.

The man's face was leaner and hallowed out but there was no mistaking that face, "Professor Lupin!"

"Neville," the gaunt werewolf said as he focused on the taller of the two boys, "are there any members of the Order there?"

Neville shook his head, "Only Mrs. Weasley. Mr. Black went to Gringots."

"Has something happened?" Hermione interjected.

"There's been an attack in Ilkley," Lupin answered.

"What's in Ilkley?" Harry asked, unsure of the relevance of the locale.

Hermione and Ginny turned to him, "Haven't you read the Quidditch books I bought you?"

"There was supposed to be a match today between Ilkley and the Cannons," Ginny explained. "Ilkley was one of the first stadiums in the country."

"The Lestrange's are from Ilkley," Neville muttered. "It was listed in the litigation papers as a property in dispute as Rabastan's accounts have been frozen and the Ministry is trying to parcel their assets to the survivors."

Again Lupin nodded. "If Sirius shows up have him stay put."

Though Sirius Black was officially the Black Heir he was not entitled to all of the Black family holdings, much less the holdings of his cousins and their families. While the monetary value was insignificant to Sirius it was the fact that freezing their assets made things all the more difficult for Voldemort and his followers that motivated him. Having shed the responsibility of his station long ago, he was now fighting an unfamiliar fight as he maneuvered the political field that the Death Eaters so deft at. Even though public sentiment was against the Death Eaters, the institution that the old families had built favored them. The proposed legislation in the Wizengrot was merely window dressing bolstered by politicians and their hollow promises. What Harry endured the previous year was proof of that.

The remainder of August breezed by with the seemingly weekly attacks or disappearances but little else of substance. With the uneasy air and perhaps the fear of unexpected attacks Neville was not surprised to see that Diagon Alley was showing the strains of the dark times. The streets had always been jam-packed, filled with animated shoppers, eager school aged children rushing to and from storefronts eager to see their friends and classmates as well as parents either chasing down their children or greeting their own friends. What the group found though was a stark contrast to those long forgotten days as owls replaced children and parents. There were perhaps only a few dozen people hurriedly dashing from one shop to the next, their routes carefully planned to avoid running into anyone else.

Accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley the group was easily the largest one in Diagon Alley and quickly made their way through the market place. With the shops handling few customers it did not take long for them to find themselves in Madam Malkins to be fitted for new robes. The strange mix of anxiety and fear made the usually boisterous marketplace heavy with a strained tension evident in the faces of the people that scurried around the alley. Nowhere was this more noticeable than when walking past the boarded up remains of Olivander's, and Florean Fortescue's as the two stores had been cornerstones of Diagon Alley.

"I have it on good authority that Olivander's will be reopened," Mr. Weasley stated. "The witch in Hogsmead that runs that shop has agreed to take over the London shop until her brother returns from the Americas. The Ministry has promised to lend extra security for the Grand Opening this weekend and I am sure that Diagon Alley will be packed to the gills. It's a good thing that I managed to get today off so that I could accompany you lot."

"What about Florean Fortescue's?" Ginny asked.

Giving the wand shop a second glance Neville noticed that there were a few people moving around inside the tiny storefront.

"Unlike the Olivander family which has maintained their family trade, Florean did not have any family in the business. His most accomplished apprentice left to open his own shop two years ago and is doing well in France." Arthur shrugged, "I have heard that several of his current apprentices have talked about buying the lease and contract but as Florean did not leave a will his property and its contracts are still being settled in the Wizengrot."

Mr. Weasley's news did little to lighten to mood of the group or liven up the dreary marketplace. Little else was said as the group made their way through Diagon Alley quickly and efficiently. The boys dreaded entering Madame Malkin's as neither cared much for their personal fashion or for the waiting between fittings. It was the one stop that had a good number of customers as Madame Malkin insisted on measuring each client herself. Still, they knew that this was their last stop before finally meeting up with the twins in their newly opened store.

"Looks like they're full up," Mr. Weasley stated as they reached the door. "Give us your lists for Magical Menagerie."

Neville, Hermione, and Harry obliged before slipping inside the store under the watchful eyes of the elder Weasleys. Once inside their unexpectedly unpleasant trip to Diagon Alley suddenly became all the more unpleasant as they noticed who they were waiting behind.

"Draco," Harry hissed with noticeable venom at the lean blond boy being measured for his school robes.

"Potter," Draco returned with equal distain. "Weasel and Mudblood."

Neville quickly inserted himself between the Slytherin Prefect and the girls. Madam Malkin was unsure how to handle the situation as the group

"Playing the chivalrous knight now are we Longbottom? Too bad for you there's no sword on hand for you."

"Do you know that the sword presents itself to a true Gryffindor in a moment of dire peril?" the taller of the three boys asked. "Since it's just you I doubt that I'd need it." That gave Draco a reason to pause, though Neville was unsure if it was fear, relief, or a desire for revenge. Aside from gleeful triumph, dignified outrage, or seething indignity, Neville had never seen Draco express any emotion as he tried to present himself as above everyone else. "Bellatrix was one of His most capable lieutenants, as was Rodolphus; but look what that got them."

Draco's hand moved, not for his wand, but to his left forearm, "Watch what you're doing!" Pulling away from Madam Malkin he turned to what could only be his mother. The woman held herself regally though appeared to be slightly upset at the presence of the four Gryffindors. Her hair was a softer brown and lacked the frantic curls of Bellatrix but there was no doubt that the two were siblings. "If this place allows murderers and scum like them here than I think we ought to take our business else ware."

His focus back on Draco, Neville moved to intercept the Slytherin. "Did you know I had the chance to kill him?" he stated boldly as he grabbed hold of Draco's left arm. "He and Rodolphus were fighting Harry. He was standing to my left, Harry's right, but Rodolphus was closer, so I got him with the sword. Harry disarmed your father, but I could have hit him with the blade instead of the hilt." Locking eyes with the shorter boy he made sure that Draco understood what he was saying. "I doubt that he'll be in Azkaban long, not with Voldemort" Draco trembled noticeably "still on the loose. Still, at least your father is still alive, unlike your aunt and uncle."

"Unhand my son!" Narcissa demanded as she tried to interject herself into their conversation.

"I want no trouble from any of you," Madam Malkin added from behind Draco.

Neville held Draco's gaze. "Neither do I; I just wanted to make a point."

"That you'll put an end to the Lestrange line along with the Malfoy line?" Neville spared her a glance then turned back to Draco.

"No," he replied. "If I had wanted that I would have murdered Lucius. I want Draco to know that his father is alive because Harry and I chose to let him live." He paused a moment to let his words sink in. "Have a good day Draco."

The first of September could not come soon enough. After spending much of the summer cooped up in Number 12 the four teens were glad to finally be free even if it meant that they were bound to return to school (although Hermione had been the only one looking forward to more lessons and homework). As with their trip to Diagon Alley the quartet of teens was accompanied by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, though today they were joined by Remus Lupin and Sirius Black as well.

Security around King's Cross had never been so noticeable as they were today. While the number of attacks by Death Eaters had decreased there was still an air of unease and fearfulness as parents saw their children off to what was considered to be the safest place in all of magical England. Despite the crowds it was clear that the Ministry had convinced the media that it was not in their best interests to cover the departure of the Hogwarts Express as they had covered the end of the previous term.

"Hi Harry!" Colin shouted the elder of the two Creevey brothers extracted themselves from their parents. "Ginny, Hermione, Neville – it's good to see you!"

Though the Colin was to start his fifth year with Ginny, Dennis was only entering his fourth year. Despite their age differences the Creevey brothers had become enthusiastic members of the DA. After the incident at the Ministry of Magic they along with the other Gryffindor members of the DA had begun to accompany Harry and the others to ensure that Harry, Ginny, and Hermione were given time to grieve.

As Mr. and Mrs. Weasley greeted the boys' parents the Colin shook Neville's hand firmly. The once scrawny boy had grown over the summer and was now almost as tall as Harry, though he was still stick thin. Dennis though had put some more muscle on his frame. "Dennis wants to try out for the Quidditch team," Colin stated. Glancing at his parents then at Neville he added, "They don't know about… you know."

Neville nodded.

Ginny pulled Dennis aside, "Are you know? Harry's going to be the Captain. I suppose we'll have to have tryouts over the weekend."

The taller boy knew that the reason that the younger boys had joined their group was so that their parents would not have to go through the security check, thus keeping them in the dark about the hazards of the wizarding world's secret war.

With the younger boys joining their group Mr. and Mrs. Creevey said their goodbyes to the boys before departing the station.

Fortunately the station and platform were free of the hordes of reporters that had been there when the Hogswarts Express had arrived at the end of the previous term, though their presence might have lightened the atmosphere as there were more than the usual number of tearful goodbyes. It was not the parents who were sad to see their children go, but the students who were fearful for their parents, many unsure if their parents would be there to pick them up for the winter holidays.

Claiming a compartment, Neville and Hermione reluctantly departed, leaving Harry alone with Colin and Dennis as they set off for the Prefects' car.

"What are you doing here?" Pansy Parkinson demanded as she spotted the sandy haired boy enter the compartment.

"He's obviously the" Draco paused, recalling his last encounter in Madame Malkin's "new Gryffindor Prefect." Grabbing her shoulder he guided her to the other side of the compartment.

The brief meeting with the older Prefects and the new Head Boy and Head Girl simply outlined the Prefects' duties and their role in the new security measures that they would have to meet with their respective heads of house about. The entire thing took less than an hour, giving them time to return to their compartments.

Unfortunately for them, they shared a compartment with the "Chosen One". Fortunately for them Neville had instructed the DA members to make sure that Harry wasn't disturbed.

"I don't know if it was a good thing that you spoke to Dean and Seamus about keeping Harry company," Hermione confessed.

"Huh?"

"Haven't you noticed that Harry's kind of sweet on Ginny?" she whispered.

"Really?" The elbow to his ribs told him that he'd spoken too loudly.

"Neville, Hermione," Harry greeted enthusiastically once the Prefects returned to their compartment.

"What'd we miss?" Neville asked as he noted that Dennis and Colin had been replaced with Seamus and Dean, leaving just enough room for the returning Prefects.

"Not much," Seamus replied as moved to sit beside Dean so that Hermione and Neville could sit beside Harry. "Some blokes in Ravenclaw came by to pester Harry so Ginny hexed them. We thought she might be in trouble when the new professor came in, but he just smiled, said he was impressed with her spell, and invited her and Harry to his compartment for lunch."

"He left an invitation for you too mate," Dean added as he tossed the letter to Neville.

Harry shrugged, "I guess we got our lunch covered."

"It's almost time," Neville sighed. Looking up he saw the way that Dean had his arm around Ginny. "Why don't we go ahead Harry? Best to avoid the crowds."

"Yeah, sure. We'll see you blokes later."

The corridor around their compartment was clear thanks to the efforts of the DA, providing Harry and Neville an unobstructed path to Professor Slughorn's compartment. "Thanks for that."

"It was a bit crowded in there," Neville admitted. "Oh, I saw Draco before, at the Prefects' meeting. He didn't have much to say but he did keep out of our way."

Harry scowled at the mention of his rival.

"I know what you're thinking," the taller of the two whispered. "I think you're right. The way he clutched at his arm when we saw him, the way he's trying not to stand out like he usually does."

A look of relief filled Harry's twinkling eyes. After spending much of August cooped up in London there had been little for Harry to do but come up with various plots and plans that the Death Eaters and Voldemort might have pulled together over the past couple of months.

"It would have to be something that he could only accomplish while at Hogwarts," Neville added.

"Maybe find a gap in the security," Harry suggested, his mind glad to be off of Dean and Ginny.

"Most likely."

"What do we do?"

"You focus on what you have to do, let me take care of Malfoy."

"You sure about this?"

Neville nodded, "I'm sure. You've got enough to deal with in you know who."

"Right, sure. How?"

"You told me that the Malfoy's don't have a house elf any longer, right?"

The raven haired boy nodded. "Why?"

"There's a reason why most of the old families keep a house elf around, they deal with other house elves."

Harry blinked, his lack of understanding evident.

"House elves can get around most of the magic wards that witches and wizards are able to put up. Why do you think they can get around Hogwarts even though it's supposed to be impossible to apparate?

"The same rule applies to the old houses that the old families tend to live in. House elves aren't just there to just cook meals, do laundry and clean up, they're there to protect against other house elves. Since the Malfoy's don't have a house elf I can send Ozzy to keep track of Draco."

"Wow!" the other boy was surprised.

"You don't have a house elf, so you wouldn't know what they're capable of," Neville said as he patted Harry's shoulder. "The Weasley's and Herimone wouldn't know any of that either since they don't have a house elf of their own."

"But your gran"

"Will be fine with Fozzy taking care of her," Neville interjected. "Ozzy usually just takes care of my room while I'm gone. I made sure the Kreacher knows enough about my greenhouse to take care of that while I'm gone, though he's not to let Fred or George see him while they're around.

"Hermione should get the credit for this though. If not for S.P.E.W. I wouldn't have bothered to look into what Ozzy could and couldn't do for me. But don't tell her, she wouldn't approve."

Harry nodded vigorously. Both of them knew that despite her keen and clever mind, Hermione tended to have a blind spot when it came to certain matters.

"I don't even want to think about how much I have to do at Hogwarts this week," Harry sighed. "We've got a full week of classes and I have to schedule tryouts for next weekend. Then there are the private lessons with Dumbledore."

"What's why I'll take care of the DA and Malfoy," Neville reminded him. "You've got enough to deal with all on your own, let us take up some of the slack."

"I don't know if we'll need the DA though, not if there's someone capable teaching us."

He wasn't sure why, but it almost felt as though he'd been hit with a jinx or hex. While he had spent the summer getting closer to Harry, Hermione, and Ginny, the DA had helped him connect with the rest of the DA members. Sure, Dean and Seamus were in his year, but outside of their classes the two had rarely done much with him before the DA had been formed. "I guess you're right," he ceded, "just one less thing for me to deal with."

They walked the rest of the way in near silence, waving to a few students that they knew from their classes or the DA until they reached the final compartment. Magic had enlarged the place so that it the compartment was the size of a classroom.

"Harry, Neville," the rotund professor bellowed, his arm and hand thrown out for a welcoming handshake, "I'm glad you came. You're earlier than I expected but I'm sure you just wanted to avoid the crowds."

The two Gryffindors nodded as they heard the door close behind them.

"As I told Harry, his mother was one of my finest students," the wrinkled man's face parted in a wide grin. "Your father was rather remarkable himself as was your mother – they actually met because of me!"

He nearly flinched at the mention of his father. Neville knew his father and mother had been popular in their day, but hearing how he'd fallen short of the benchmark that his father had set was always disheartening rather than inspiring. Still, he was curious to hear about how his father and mother had met.

A/N

I've been itching to write some HP so I decided to churn out another chapter.

Hope you enjoyed it. Please R & R.

Dreamingfox