Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; it belongs to JK Rowling, etc etc.
Authors Note: A shamefully short chapter - sorry everyone. I'm working nightshift at the moment, so very tired most of the time, and working when I usually do most of my writing. Hopefully, I'm going to try and get into the habit of writing during the weekend, and start getting at least one chapter out every week. Fingers crossed. Either way, hope you like this little bit. Thanks for the continued patience and reviews and all. You all rock.
Dumbledore managed to stretch the Hogwarts defences to include Hogsmeade, allowing his students some semblance of normalcy, despite the Board of Governors and even the Ministry of Magic's wishes. However, even with Dumbledore's assurances, most of the students were too afraid to set foot outside Hogwarts, regardless of the Headmasters best efforts. Harry marked another one in the win column for Voldemort.
As he made his way down to the magical little village, Hermione holding his hand, he couldn't help but notice the lack of delight and excitement that usually surrounded a Hogsmeade weekend.
'It's just not the same, is it?' Hermione asked.
'No,' Harry was forced to agree, 'it really isn't.'
'Well,' Hermione puffed out a breath, 'I'm not going to let it stop me from having fun. After everything we're been through, we deserve a break. Voldemort be damned.'
Harry gave a big smile. 'I really love you,' he said, very sincerely.
Hermione returned his smile. 'I know.'
At the same time Harry and Hermione made their way slowly down to Hogsmeade, Ginny and Neville sat together in a booth in the Three Broomsticks, enjoying polite conversation and a few Butterbeers. They sat across from each other, which Neville wasn't all that thrilled about, but he wasn't going to complain. Anytime spent with Ginny was magical - pardon the pun.
'…and he's been teaching us all sorts of magic, really advanced stuff, it's brilliant, I'm sure he'd teach you as well if you asked,' Neville rambled, at the moment not noticing that Ginny wasn't really paying attention. 'You should talk to him about it. We need all the help we can… get… Ginny, are you okay?'
Ginny went on staring into space.
'Ginny?' Neville repeated, leaning over to take her hand.
'Huh?' Ginny was snapped out of her doze when Neville touched her hand. She snatched it back involuntarily. 'Sorry Neville, what where you saying?'
Neville ignored the question and asked, 'What's wrong?'
'Nothing, I'm just…' Ginny sighed. 'I just want things back to normal. With Draco and me. I wish I could just trust him again…'
'Oh,' Neville said, and then quickly tried to change the subject, because he certainly didn't want to talk about Draco Malfoy, 'well, anyway - '
'Or even let myself trust him,' Ginny interrupted, 'because if I don't, I know we won't ever get back together. I try really hard, but every time we start to patch things up, something happens and we screw it up again. It's not just him, though. It's me as well. We're so combustible together. I sometimes wonder if we're meant to be together or not. If it was meant to be, wouldn't it be easy?'
'Well,' Neville began, but Ginny interrupted again.
'Sorry, Neville, I'm sure you don't want to listen to me go on and on about Draco. Let's talk about something else.'
'Great,' Neville said, but he had no idea what. The silence of doom settled down on them, omnipresent around table. Finally, Ginny broke it, but it wasn't a good thing.
'Do you think I'll ever patch things up with Draco?' she asked.
'Err,' Neville sounded, completely clueless as to how to respond. He didn't want to encourage her interest in Draco, but he couldn't be too negative as to give himself away. 'I think… Malfoy… he's…'
'What?' Ginny asked.
Neville took the plunge. 'He doesn't deserve you, Ginny. He broke your heart in front of the entire school. If he really loved you, he wouldn't have done it. I wouldn't - '
'I know that,' Ginny broke in, 'you don't have to remind me. But I know Draco. He does love me. And I love him.'
'How can you?' Neville asked, trying hard to not sound too heartbroken by her admission. He didn't do very well.
'I just do,' Ginny said. 'I can't explain it. Neville, did you think this was a date?'
Neville went quickly red.
'I'm sorry, Neville,' Ginny said, 'I just like you as a friend. I thought that was clear.'
Neville looked down into his lap and mumbled a reply, 'It was. I just… hoped.'
'We still friends?' Ginny asked.
Neville nodded.
Ginny reached over and took his hand. 'Good,' she said, 'because I really value your friendship. You'll make a girl really happy one day.'
'Yeah,' Neville replied, slightly surly, 'that's what everyone says.'
Ginny sighed and cast about for something else to say. As her eyes roamed the pub, she noticed a friendly face just entering the room, shaking droplets of rain from her blonde hair. 'Hey, look, Luna's here…' Ginny trailed off, staring in complete shock at her friend's companion.
Neville followed her gaze. 'With Ron?'
Luna and Ron noticed them and came over to say hello. 'Hello Ginny,' Luna said sweetly, and swivelling her eyes to Neville, 'Neville. Are you on a date too?'
'You two are on a date?' Ginny spluttered.
'Yup,' Luna replied, smiling wide and raising their joint hands up for emphasis. Ron was turning a rather unflattering pink colour.
'I don't believe it,' Ginny said.
'What's wrong with it?' Ron finally spoke up, very defensive.
Ginny giggled. 'Nothing,' she said, raising her hand to her mouth.
'Lets find some privacy, shall we?' Luna asked, turning to Ron and pulling him along.
Ginny shook her head in amazement. 'Unbelievable,' she said, facing Neville again, who didn't seem as interested. Ginny sighed. 'Shall we just go?'
'If you want,' Neville murmured, getting up.
Ginny followed him as he exited the building.
As Ginny and Neville left the Three Broomsticks, they failed to notice Draco Malfoy loitering across the street. He, however, noticed them.
Draco watched as Neville left the pub, followed closely by Ginny. He watched as Ginny put her hand on Neville's arm. He watched, with growing fury, as she said something to him and then disappeared back into the pub. Seeing red, not even thinking about the possible consequences to his actions, Draco crossed the street to confront the Gryffindor.
'Having fun with my girl, Longbottom?'
Neville went rigid, before turning to face Draco. 'So what if I am?' he asked, his own hurt and disappointment making him more aggressive and confrontational than he normally would be.
'She doesn't give a crap about you,' Draco said, getting in Neville's face, 'you know that, don't you? How could she? No one wants a fat bastard when they can have me.'
Neville laughed. 'Is that why she's my date?' He made a show of looking around, then asked, 'Where's yours? To ashamed to show her face, having to stoop so low as to date you? Or is it because you just don't have one. After all, who would want to date you, a useless, penniless, parentless fool.'
Before Neville could realise he had gone too far, Draco was attacking him, snarling like an animal. Fists flying, he connected with a solid punch to Neville's jaw that made the stockier wizard see stars - but only for a moment. He quickly regained his balance and when Draco swung again, Neville blocked it with a forearm and head-butted Draco right in the face. The Slytherin went down with a cry of surprise and pain. Neville followed him, pinning Draco to the floor with his superior strength, landing several solid blows to his stomach, and a few to his face for good measure.
This was how Ginny found them.
'Neville! No! Stop it!' she yelled, tugging on his arm as he raised it for another strike. Neville's red haze finally seemed to lift as he turned his head to stare up at a shocked and outraged Ginny. 'What are you doing? Get off him right now!'
Neville did as he was told, shocked by his own behaviour. Ginny gave him a scathing look as she helped a bruised and bloody Draco up.
'Ginny, I…'
'I don't want to hear it,' she said, not looking back at him as she helped Draco back up towards Hogwarts.
Draco sagged into Ginny's warmth, still a little loopy to realise exactly what was happening.
'Come on Draco,' Ginny said soothingly, 'let's get you cleaned up.'
'Hmm,' he murmured, smiling hazily. 'You smell nice.'
Ginny smiled. 'Thank you.'
'Love you,' Draco mumbled, as they left a stunned Neville behind.
'I know.'
After having a few drinks in the Three Broomsticks, Ron asked Luna if she would like to find somewhere a little more private to talk. The continued looks from his fellow students was beginning to aggravate him, to the point were he just couldn't concentrate on Luna's delightfully odd company. Whether Luna understood his sudden desire to leave or not, he couldn't tell, but she casually stood up, not even saying a word, and tugged him along and out of the less than usually crowded pub.
They walked hand in hand down the empty streets of Hogsmeade, heading for some unknown location, Luna humming softly under her breath. He was trying to place the tune, but was becoming increasingly sure it wasn't a tune at all, just a bunch of randomly strung together notes. With a soft smile, he gently pulled Luna closer, so that their shoulders bumped as they walked. She turned her head to share his smile.
'Have you ever been inside the Shrieking Shack?' Luna asked.
'Actually, I have,' Ron said.
'Really?' Luna wasn't surprised all that often, but this time she was.
'Yeah,' Ron said, looking off into the distance, 'and it's a less than pleasant memory.'
'Oh,' Luna sounded, 'you don't have to tell me.'
'I don't mind,' Ron said, before she could go on. 'Actually, I'd like to tell you. If you want to hear.'
'I do,' Luna said sweetly.
'It was in my third year,' Ron began, 'when I found out my pet rat was actually an Animagus, and a Death Eater to boot. Scabbers had been acting weird all year, but it was towards the end of the year when I found out why. I was out walking the grounds, getting some fresh air and trying not to think about exams, when all of a sudden Scabbers started going crazy. I tried to calm him down, but it was useless.
Then this big black dog appeared and started chasing me. I ran as fast as I could, but I couldn't get away. The dog caught me and dragged me down under the Whomping Willow. My leg got caught on this root as it was dragging me down and got broke, so even though I was fighting with everything I had, the dog overpowered me. It dragged me through this tunnel, then up into the Shrieking Shack.
That's when the dog turned into Sirius Black. I thought he was mad, especially when he started ranting on about how my rat was actually a person, a wizard named Peter Pettigrew. Before he could prove it, help came in the most unusual form. Potter and Malfoy entered and blasted Black with stunners. They argued, but I don't really remember what was said. The pain in my leg was starting to make me dizzy. My attention was caught again when Professor Lupin entered and disarmed Potter and Malfoy. He hugged Black and helped him up. He showed us all this map that proved that Scabbers was this wizard. It was true. That's pretty much the last thing I remember before I passed out from the pain. My loyal pet was a lie. When I woke up again in the Hogwarts Hospital Wing, I couldn't believe it. What was worse, the damned Death Eater had escaped, and I never got to confront him. Not the best night of my life.'
'I suppose you wouldn't want to go in there again,' Luna observed. 'Bad memories and all.'
'Not really,' Ron admitted. 'Besides, how would we get in? Isn't the place magically sealed?''
'Only to those who fear to go inside,' Luna said. 'It's quite clever, really. With all those rumours, you can imagine that not many really want to go inside. Some part of them, perhaps, but even the smallest amount of fear would prevent them from being able to enter. Even though there is absolutely nothing to fear. I've been in before. It's a good place to go, when you want to be alone.'
'You weren't scared?' Ron asked.
'Nope,' Luna said, 'just curious.'
Ron laughed with admiration. 'You are one amazing girl.'
Luna beamed at him. 'Do you remember that time I was over at your house? I was about nine and Ginny and I had been playing outside for hours. Your mum was really worried, so she sent you out to find us.'
'The bird,' Ron interrupted, remembering.
'Yeah,' Luna said, 'it was stuck up in that tree and it's wings had been broken. Ginny and I had been trying to save it for over an hour. We tried everything. We tried climbing the tree, but it was too tall for us to get a good grip. I even tried to use magic, but without a wand it was useless.'
'You were crying when I found you,' Ron remembered.
'I begged you to save the bird and you just smiled at me and told me not to worry,' Luna went on. 'It was the first time I ever felt like I… liked you. I admired you so much. You climbed up the tree and got the bird and you gave him to me so gently, how could I not fall for you? You were so brave. I wanted to be like that as well. Brave.'
They had long since stopped walking, so Ron tightened his hold on Luna's hand and pulled her closer, tenderly, gingerly, putting his other hand on her waist. Luna looked up at him with adoration, remembered tears glistening. 'You are,' Ron whispered. She closed her eyes and smiled, resting her head again his chest.
'Thank you,' she said.
Ron let go of her hand and lifted her face to his. She opened her eyes and stared up at him. Ron swallowed nervously. Luna licked her lips.
They kissed.