mirrorball

chapter twenty six

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Neville, what?" began Harry, but Neville had spotted Ron and Hermione, and with yells of delight was hugging them too. The longer Clara looked at Neville, the worse he appeared: One of his eyes was swollen yellow and purple, there were gouge marks on his face, and his general air of unkemptness suggested that he had been living rough. Nevertheless, his battered visage shone with happiness as he let go of Hermione and said again, "I knew you'd come! Kept telling Seamus it was a matter of time!" 

His eyes landed on Clara and within seconds she was off of her feet, wrapped in the biggest hug she'd ever. It even rivaled Luna in grandness. A small grunt of surprise left her body as her ribs felt squeezed to jelly. "Clara! I've been practicing all those hexes you showed me. I spend every Sunday with Ginny, just trying to learn as much as we can to prepare ourselves."

Neville put Clara back on her foot and the sudden change in elevation made her a bit dizzy. She felt Harry's arm on her elbow as she wobbled slightly. "That's great, Neville. I'm sure you're better than me by now." This earned a large laugh from Neville, but it was quickly interrupted by Harry.

"Neville, what's happened to you?" 

"What? This?" Neville dismissed his injuries with a shake oft he head. "This is nothing, Seamus is worse. You'll see. Shall we get going then? Oh," he turned to Aberforth, "Ab, there might be a couple more people on the way." 

"Couple more?" repeated Aberforth ominously. "What d'you mean, a couple more, Longbottom? There's a curfew and a Caurwauling Charm on the whole village!"

"I know, that's why they'll be Apparating directly into the bar," said Neville. "Just send them down the passage when they get here, will you? Thanks a lot." 

Neville held out his hand to Hermione and helped her climb up onto the mantelpiece and into the tunnel, Ron followed, then Clara, then Neville, and finally Harry clambered up onto the mantelpiece and through the hold behind Ariana's portrait. 

There were smooth stone steps on the outside: It looked as though the passageway had been there for years. Brass lamps hung from the walls and the earthy floor was worn and smooth; as they walked, their shadows rippled, fanlike, across the wall. 

"How long's this been here?" Ron asked as they set off. "It isn't on the Marauder's Map, is it, Harry? I thought there were only seven passages in and out of the school?" 

"They sealed off all of those before the start of the year," said Neville. "There's no chance of getting through any of them now, not with the curses over the entrances and Death Eaters and dementors waiting at the exits." He started walking backward, beaming, drinking them in. "Never mind that stuff. . . . Is it true? Did you break into Gringotts? Did you escape on a dragon? It's everywhere, everyone's talking about it, Teddy Boot got beaten up by Carrow for yelling about it in the Great Hall at dinner!" 

"Yeah, it's true," said Harry. 

Neville laughed gleefully, "What did you do with the dragon?" 

"Released it into the wild," said Ron. "Hermione was all for keeping it as a pet— " 

"Don't exaggerate, Ron— "

"But what have you been doing? People have been saying you've just been on the run, Harry, but I don't think so. I think you've been up to something." 

"You're right," said Harry. "but tell us about Hogwarts, Neville, we haven't heard anything." 

"It's been . . . well, it's not really like Hogwarts anymore," said Neville, the smile fading from his face as he spoke. "Do you know about the Carrows?"