Chapter 36

Neville was certain that people would be talking about the Yule Ball for a long time. He was also afraid that his name would sometimes be mentioned when people talked about it.

Luna had looked really nice in her silver dress. Somehow the butterbeer cork necklace had not looked silly at all on her, but more as if it fit with the rest of her. After spending several hours with her Neville had ended up with the impression that she wasn't entirely human, so of course normal human things would always look odd on her while odd things would always look normal.

Unfortunately, it seemed like most people didn't realize that.

At first Neville had thought that people were laughing only at him, since he was Neville and in addition to being useless and clumsy he had been wearing a silly necklace. But eventually he had realized that there had been more people laughing at her than at Neville. He could understand why, of course, since Luna had been dancing alone in a very odd way, but it had still bothered him. Why did people have to be so mean?

Neville had felt completely at a loss when dancing with her. His gran had made him take dancing lessons some years back, but none of that had been useful with Luna. He was relieved that he hadn't had a chance to step on her, though. And after a while he had managed to somewhat copy what she was doing, which was actually much more fun and relaxing than the dancing style he had learned. It had been the first time ever that Neville had not felt completely clumsy when moving his feet, even though he had stumbled a few times. By that point they had both been equally laughed at.

No one would be forgetting the Yule Ball anytime soon, he thought.

No doubt when people talked about it the first thing everyone would say was that Harry Potter had been hexed and forced to dance while the Weird Sisters played along.

The second thing would probably be that Harry Potter had been punched in the face by his best friend, for going to the ball with his sister.

Or perhaps the second thing would be that Snape had been seen dancing with Professor McGonagall.

Maybe someone would mention that Ron and Hermione had spent like five minutes yelling at each other while Parvati and Viktor Krum stared with frowns on their faces.

And definitely someone would remember that at some point Neville Longbottom had punched Draco Malfoy for calling Luna "Loony" amongst other mean things. And also that Crabbe had punched Neville in return.

Neville still could not believe that he had done that. It had been so unexpected as that time in first year when he had jumped on Crabbe and Goyle during a Quidditch match. At least this time Professor McGonagall had intervened in time so Neville had not gotten too hurt, but she had been really angry and had given Neville detention along with Ron, Ginny and Crabbe.

Luna had not seemed to notice anything, but she had been nice enough to accompany him to the Infirmary so Madame Pomfrey could fix his face. Afterwards they had sat at a table and spent the rest of the night talking about Nargles and Wrackspurts, although at the end of it Neville still wasn't even certain if those things were creatures or what.

It had not ended there. After saying goodbye to Luna at the door of the Great Hall, Neville had gone up to the Common Room, and found Ron and Hermione yelling at each other again while people looked on. Krum's and Harry's names were mentioned over and over again, and both Ron and Hermione looked very red.

Things had gotten worse when Harry and Ginny had climbed through the portrait laughing. Then Harry had jumped forward to defend Hermione, and Ron had started yelling things at him too, and Ginny had smacked Ron on the head. Ron and Harry both had drawn their wands, but before they could attack each other Fred and George had arrived and had threatened Ron with something nasty if he didn't go to bed at once. After yelling some more Ron had finally gone up, and Hermione had ran to the girls' dormitories, crying, followed by Ginny.

Harry had looked really miserable after that, and in the end he had decided to sleep in the Common Room just in case Ron tried to hex him in their dorm. Neville had brought down a blanket and a pillow for him.

Neville felt really sorry for Harry the next few days. More sorry than usual. To begin with, it was really depressing the idea of spending Boxing Day with Snape in the dungeons, especially since according to Ginny it had been completely unfair that Harry had gotten detention last night (he hadn't punched nor hexed anyone). Harry came back that night looking angry and also worried.

It was also sad and unfair that Harry wasn't sleeping on his bed anymore. The Common Room's armchairs and couches were comfortable, but they weren't beds, and it was just not right that Harry couldn't be in his own dormitory. Neville thought that it was partly because of stubbornness that he was staying away, although it was true that Ron was still angry and looked as if he wanted to hex or punch Harry all the time. Personally, Neville was convinced that Ron would be in a lot more trouble than Harry if it came to a fight, but clearly Harry didn't want to fight at all.

Eventually the news that Harry was sleeping in the Common Room reached Professor McGonagall, however, and apparently that wasn't allowed so she called Harry and Ron to her office to lecture them about it. Whatever she said to them didn't solve their problems but at least ensured that Harry went back to sleep on his bed and that Ron didn't yell at him anymore.

Now it was Ron who was always in a dark mood, always angry and glaring at everyone, while Harry somehow seemed to have left anger behind. He didn't even seem too angry at Ron for having punched him. Although perhaps that was because he now was constantly too worried and afraid as to be able to afford anger.

Harry was worried about the second task. Neville was worried too, and Hermione, and Ginny, and most of the teachers judging by the way they looked down at Harry and Cedric from the staff table during meals. Professor McGonagall especially seemed beyond worried about Harry, and frustrated. She always had that look in her face that people had when they wanted to help a champion and couldn't. Neville probably had that look too, but he tried not to let it show since it was obvious that it made Harry feel worse to be looked at that way. Hermione also tried to pretend that she wasn't worried and that she wasn't desperate to help.

Harry knew, though. He knew that they knew something about the second task and that they couldn't tell him. That's probably why he was avoiding them as much as possible.

He had began taking out the egg from his trunk and opening it in their dormitory to listen to the wailing. Neville had even seen him shouting questions at it and throwing it across the room, although no doubt the latter had only been in frustration. Harry had also began spending a lot of time in the library trying to find anything about eggs or loud sounds, but according to Hermione he would not have much chance of finding anything even if he knew what to look for. The Hogwarts' library was huge, and only a few people really knew how to find things there beyond the normal texts they used for classes.

They held their breaths in barely contained hope when Harry began taking the egg out of Gryffindor tower whenever he went out, going so far as to take the thing with him to all his classes and placing it over his table as if hoping inspiration would strike him in the less expected moment. Snape had looked as if he wanted to blast the egg in a thousand pieces the first time Harry took it to Potions, but Neville knew that no one could do anything to the eggs so the man had had to content himself with taking points from Harry for being an attention-seeker. All the other teachers directed sad glances at the egg, for the most part, although McGonagall also sometimes looked as if she wanted to transfigure it into a spider and step on it.

Harry had tried to open the egg on the grounds and in several different other places inside the castle, but so far it didn't seem to have occurred to him to submerge it and he had only managed to get himself detention with Filch for disturbing the peace with the noise. The caretaker had tried to confiscate the egg, but of course he had failed.

Even though they knew that they would not be able to help, Neville and Hermione had been researching Merpeople and trying to figure out what Harry would have to do. After the Yule Ball Ginny had began joining them in the library sometimes and, to Neville's surprize, also Luna. Of course she wasn't of any help with the research since she kept suggesting crazy things and stating highly questionable facts about mermaids, but Neville enjoyed her company. He wasn't of much help either, anyway, and to be honest neither was Ginny. As usual it was Hermione who did all the researching work, but she didn't seem to mind.

Hermione had been hopeful that if they always had books about Merpeople around them eventually Harry would see them and suspect, but apparently the Goblet of Fire was a lot more powerful than they had thought. Somehow the object always seemed to know where Harry was at any given time, and it made sure that people cleared the way from clues before he crossed his path with them. At first they hadn't realized, since it felt completely natural to just spontaneously want to return all the books to their shelves, but in time Hermione had grown suspicious and theorized that they were being magically influenced.

Neville had never imagined magic could be so scary.

There was also the issue of how Harry would reach the Merpeople, assuming he cracked the clue, and of how he would survive under water if he didn't even know how to swim and whatever he had to do would likely be in the bottom of the lake. Neville had tried to lend Harry one of Professor Sprout's books —the one about aquatic plants that mentioned Gillyweed—, but of course he had been unable. Just as he had been unable to borrow Harry's fairy tale about mermaids or to even touch the book (probably because he had intended to write something on it or put it on a more visible place).

Before Christmas they had been considering to stop trying to help, since it was clearly pointless, but Hermione had doubled her determination after Neville had told her about the gifts Harry had received. "Someone managed to help somehow!" she whispered furiously as she tried over and over again to make an owl take flight. The owls just stared at her.

Hermione was really frustrated, and really angry. She was also having trouble being close to Harry, sometimes, no doubt because she was always so anxious to help him. Neville had had that trouble too, several times, but he had learned that if he just wanted to hang with Harry, the Goblet would allow it. He just had to approach him without intending to tell him anything useful. It was better that way, anyway, since Harry tended to stand up and storm away whenever he saw someone looking frustrated or too sad.

Neville felt worried when he realized that Harry was sneaking out at night. Even more when one of those times he saw him leaving the dormitory with his broom. Hermione was also worried when he told her, but after thinking for a while she concluded that it was best to just leave him alone. Flying was good for Harry, it must be helping him handling his fears and his anger. He probably hadn't told them because he feared the Goblet would force them to rat him out or something like that. It was good that Harry was acting on his own instead of waiting for anyone to give him permission to do things, she said.

It was sad, though. The Goblet of Fire was forcing Harry to isolate himself. To avoid people. To never ask for help.

Neville had the horrible feeling that, if Harry survived the year, he would be really messed up at the end. He already was different, definitely not the same person he had been before Halloween.

Harry was changing.

Even though Ron was being more unpleasant than ever lately, Neville also felt sorry for him. It seemed that not only his friendship with Harry was in danger, but also his friendship with Hermione. She hadn't talked to Ron since the night of the Yule Ball, and she clearly was expecting an apology from him, but Ron was being stubborn and he was still angry so it didn't look like that was going to happen. Neville was reminded of that time last year when they had fought over Scabbers. They had had Harry in between last year, though, keeping them sort of glued together, just as Hermione had been keeping sort of glued together Ron and Harry these last few months. Now for the first time there wasn't anything gluing them all together, and that was sad.

It also looked like Ron was fighting with Ginny and the twins, all of whom kept smacking him and lecturing him. Ginny had gone so far as to hex Ron during their detention with McGonagall, which must have been the most impressive and suicidal thing Neville had ever seen. Who did something like that? McGonagall had been right there. Ginny had not looked remorseful at all even though she had earned herself a terrible scolding and another week of detentions.

Neville knew that they meant well, but their methods seemed to be making things worse rather than better. He had tried to tell that to Ginny, but she had said it was a family thing and not an option, and not to worry.

Still, Neville was worried and sorry, so one day he finally gathered his courage to talk to Ron.

"I... I think you should apologize," said Neville, feeling almost as afraid as he usually felt in potions class. "To Harry. And to Hermione. They will forgive you, I'm sure."

Neville flinched at Ron's terrible look.

"This is none of business, Neville," he spat. "Stay out of it."

Neville seriously considered to obey, but he felt like he should say more. He had to try.

"Hermione cries all the time," he said. "And I know that Harry misses you. He didn't mean anything by taking Ginny to the ball, they went just as friends. He needed a date to not die, I think. He... he will forgive you for punching him, you just..."

"I SAID STAY OUT OF IT!" yelled Ron. "DO YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING? YOU'RE STEALING ALL MY FRIENDS NEVILLE!"

"What?" squeaked Neville in shock and panic. "That's not... I don't..."

"THEY WERE MY FRIENDS, AND YOU TOOK THEM!"

"I-I... That's not true!" exclaimed Neville, desperate. This was going so wrong! "They're not my friends, I don't have any friends, I-I... I'm just trying to help, I swear!"

"WELL, YOU'RE NOT HELPING, NEVILLE. JUST STAY OUT OF IT!"

Ron looked as if he wanted to punch Neville, so Neville hurried off, not really understanding what had just happened and feeling tears in his eyes.

Neville didn't have friends, why would Ron say that?

He had just been trying to help!