Neville, and Jane, sat around the Ouija Board, which Jane and her mother had bought at a muggle garage sale. They each had a few figures on the planchette.

"What house will I be in, at Hogwarts?" Neville asked.

The planchette landed on the letter G.

"Griffindor?" he asked.

The planchette landed on the word, yes.

"I don't think this works very well. Maybe because it wasn't invented with magic."

"Why not?" Jane asked. "We're magic, so we're probably still powering it with magic. You're certainly daring enough for Griffindor."

"I am?"

"Well you dared to learn how to ride a bike, and you punched that guy once."

"Well, maybe, but sometimes I feel afraid of everything."

"I get afraid a lot too," Jane said. She then recited a Theodor Roosevelt quote. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you're scared, but you do it anyway."

"Well, I guess that might be true. That's really smart. How did you come up with that?"

"What house will I be in, at Hogwarts?" Jane asked.

The planchette went to the letter H.

Jane's put her earplugs in, again, because he baby sister was screaming, yet again. She went out into the backyard, ran over to the swing set, and got on the swing. She took her earplugs out, glad she couldn't hear the crying anymore. She swung back and forth, something she'd always found very calming, for a while.

Neville walked into the yard. He had a big smile on his face.

Jane jumped off the swing. "Hey Neville," she greeted.

"Hey. I just touched my father's wand, and it chose me."

Jane looked confused.

"The wand has to choose its master, and my father's wand chose me."

"Oh cool!" she exclaimed. "What happened to your…"

Neville's face fell.

Jane had never been good at reading facial expressions, but she could read them to an extent, and she had been taught that when someone's face fell like that it meant they were upset.

She had wondered why Neville hadn't lived with his parents. She had not asked because she feared that that was the type of personal question that many people found rude, but in her excitement, she had somehow forgotten not to ask.

"I'm sorry," Jane said.

"For what," Neville asked.

"Wasn't that an inappropriate question? It looks like your smile just turned upside-down."

"That's because I thought of my parents. Years ago, they were tortured for information, but they're such great people that they never gave in. As a result, they went crazy."

Jane gasped. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I um… I don't like receiving sympathy for that. Besides, it would be nice if that never happened and I could be raised by them, but at least I can be proud of them forever."

"So, if they're insane they must still be alive."

"Yeah. They live in a hospital. My gran takes me there to visit sometimes. I'm not sure if they remember exactly who I am, but they clearly still love me."

Neville's new pet toad had gone missing, and Jane was helping to look for him. They were mostly searching Neville's room because that's where he had last been seen.

Jane felt they were running out of places to look, but she didn't want to try searching the other rooms until she was sure he wasn't in this one. She started opening drawers and looking through them. She figured that, since Trevor was a magic toad then he might be able to get into closed drawers. She was surprised when she ended up opening a drawer of what appeared to be gum wrappers. She closed the drawer, and then turned around and saw Neville.

"My mom gave me those. She gives me some every time I see her. I don't know why, but I know they're supposed to express affection, so I keep them all."

"That's sweet. You're a good son."

Neville blushed. "Thanks, but it's not like I have much opportunity to be."

"Well, at least um… I'm sorry. I don't know what to say."

"Neville," Mrs. Longbottom yelled. "Your toad is in my slipper."