Decree No.29 (O.C) Fred Weasley/ Draco Malfoy

The Losers Club

"Right Neville, want to come with me?"

Jessica approached Neville with cautious positivity. He was standing at the Grand Entrance, clearly not wanting to be there, waiting to go down to Crabbe and Goyles assigned room in the dungeons.

"I'm with you?" Neville asked, his eyes widening with hope.

"Yeah," Jessica answered. She had just left the Slytherin common room where a massive party was being thrown for Goyles birthday. After her epiphany with Luna, Jessica had identified an opportunity to start her new plan and convinced Crabbe and Goyle to let her take over their detentions for the night so that they could enjoy themselves. They resisted a little, as they found the whole punishment experience fun, but after she supplied them with more drink and cake, they were happy to stay on the sofas.

"Do you want to come with me then?"

She led Neville up to the seventh floor, to the place she knew they wouldn't be seen.

"Alohomora," she enchanted, and the door to the little broom cupboard opened quietly. Neville was reluctant to go in at first, but after asking only once more, he followed Jessica's orders. She locked the door behind them and followed Neville down to the small room that used to be so familiar.

It used to feel so much bigger than what it did now. The wide window now had no view due to the outside fog, and most of the interior was filled with brown boxes marked with a 'W'. There was still an ink stain on the floor from where Fred made her drop a quill once by kissing her during study time, and it made her briefly reminisce about good times.

"You can relax Neville, you're not getting punished," Jessica told the confused boy next to her. She then pointed to the old armchair in the corner, "you can sit there if you like."

Neville walked over to it and sat down like she had given him strict instructions. He sat on the edge and bent over his knees, trembling, like he was preparing for something to happen. One thing was for sure, he certainly wasn't relaxing.

"What's wrong?" Jessica asked.

"Please don't be offended, but I...don't believe you," said Neville with a long face, staring at the ground instead of directly at her, "I know you're going to hurt me so I'd rather just get it over with."

Jessica compressed a huff. She couldn't feel more sorry for him. He had been groomed to expect fear from all Slytherins. This was why she was doing this.

"I'm not offended," Jessica said understandingly as she sat down on the step opposite him, "I know there is a lot of things being said about me. Some of them true, most of them not. But you can trust me, I'm on your side."

Neville still didn't look as if he was trusting her and continued staring hard at the ground like a frightened schoolboy. He really was expecting her to change it up at any moment.

"What grounds did they have you in for tonight?" Jessica asked as she played with her wand in between her hands. Perhaps a few normal questions would get him to loosen up.

"Sneaking out late after curfew," answered Neville, "I was a minute late, but they were waiting outside the Gryffindor common room."

"Were you alone?"

Neville winced and blinked his eyes three times. "Yes."

"You weren't," said Jessica, even the most oblivious person in the world would see that he was lying, "you were with the others weren't you, Harry, Ron, Hermione, their friends."

Neville looked awfully worried.

"I know you're doing something, but don't worry, I don't care what it is," Jessica told him, "Though I would like to mention I have known for a while and have willingly turned a blind eye if that goes for anything."