The Forgotten 7th Year

Regrouping

Neville's POV

As much as I tried, I barely closed my eyes all night. By morning, I was exhausted, but, nevertheless I was the one of the first to the Great Hall.

Not even the Carrows were here yet.

Once there, I paced. My imagination was overeating, of course it was. Hannah's smart and resourceful, she has to be fine. She has to be fine.

The door opened, and Rolf walked over to the Hufflepuff Table. He'd just sat down, and I raced over to him.

"Where's Hannah! Is she ok?" His face fell, and alarm spiked into me. And then, he said the words I was dreading.

"I thought she was with you."

"Oh, no. No no no no no." Something was breaking inside me as I slumped onto the bench. I repeated the word, as if saying it would make it true.

"I'm sorry." Rolf sat down next to me.

"You should be." I spat. He flinched as if my words were a physical object I had hurled at him. "You should have done more, made sure you had everyone. You shouldn't have let them take her." My voice broke.

"I'm not her babysitter! We only realized she was gone when we were back in the Common Room, and by that time it was too late to do anything."

All the anger deflated in a puff.

"You're right, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"Neville? What are you doing at our table?" A voice behind me asked. I turned, and before I fully understood what was happening, I leapt forward and slammed my lips against hers.

She seemed momentarily surprised, but kissed me back. My hand found he back, and the kiss deepened.

When she broke away, the Hufflepuffs had all started conversations, or found something very interesting at a point in the opposite direction. Rolf was talking with Terry about how bright the sun was.

"What was that for?" She asked.

"I thought they'd gotten you. Where were you all last night?"

"I hid in that alcove, you know the one you found me in." I felt myself turning red. The one I'd found her and Ernie in.

"Amycus knew I was somewhere around there, but he didn't find the tapestry. He left, and I tried to get back to get back to the Common Room but..."

"But?" I asked tentatively.

"It was a trick. I'm surprised he had the brains to come up with it, but he was waiting around the corner. He attacked me." Her jaw clenched. A hot surge of anger filled me.

"I'm going to kill him." I growled. She smiled.

"As sweet as that is, there's no need." She pointed behind me at the door, and I turned. He and his sister were walking up to the Staff Table.

At least, I think it was him. It was hard to tell with the black eye, split lip, puffy, possibly broken nose, and mottled bruises covering his face.

Hannah's smile broadened at my shocked reaction.

"That felt good. I also wiped his memory of me. He still remembers getting beat up though, just so he knows we can fight back.

Now I was smiling too.

"But on a more serious note, are we letting Jason stay?"

"What? Oh, umm." I had absolutely no idea. "I guess so, I mean, everyone makes mistakes. It's not like he did it intentionally. He was probably just nervous, and I don't think anyone was actually found, so no harm no foul?"

"Try telling Padma that." She snorted.

"Maybe we could vote at the next meeting? It'd take the choice out of my hands..." I suggested hopefully.

"You will need to make choices like this eventually."

"I'll talk to Ginny about it."

"You will need to make choices like this eventually."

Thankfully, I didn't have to answer, as the meal  started. I hurried back to the Gryffindor Table, and sat down. I practically inhaled the food, questions running though my mind.

It wasn't right to kick Jason out over one mistake, but the majority of Dumbledore's Army was on the fence about him anyway. And I couldn't say they didn't have a point, but it seemed wrong to me.

Talent was something you couldn't control. Sure, you could practice, but Jason had chosen academics over athleticism. At least, I assume so, because he told us he had Outstandings in all his classes.

But it wasn't exactly helpful right now. And right now was what we needed.

Time has the most peculiar way of speeding up when you least want it to. Suddenly it was right before the meeting, and Ginny and I were trying to make the decision.

"Maybe, we just don't bring it up?" I suggested. "Go on as if nothing's wrong."

"But that's the cowardly way." Ginny protested. "They deserve better. As leaders, we have responsibility. Maybe we let them choose. Put it up for a vote."

"I'd had that same thought earlier. But let's make it sound like this a routine vote, so we don't hurt his feelings."

Ginny opened the door, and we stepped inside. She began talking, but I only half listened. It went on for longer than I'd like, until,

"All in favor?"