Understanding (Neville Longbottom)

29

One of the first days of March, I was slowly mixing the ingredients for my second batch of Polyjuice potion.
The first one had been a success and my fellow army members had found it was much, much safer to wear the green lined robes of Slytherin while walking around. I had moved the cauldron on my kitchen table because it required a lot of precision and it was easier to keep an eye on it in the well lit room, thanks to the window.

I stopped a second to double check the directions on the book opened next to me and turned around to grab purple roots, but while turning, with the corner of my eye, I saw something that shouldn't be in the frame of the door... Or better someone.
"Sash?"

It was really her! Her honey colored hair wasn't brushed, she had dark purple circles under her eyes and looked thinner, but it was her!
Ben was behind her.

"Jo! Oh!" she launched herself in my arms

"Sasha what are you doing here?"

"I knew you were still in the castle"

I immediately looked towards Ben, accusingly.
"Hey don't look at me, I tried!"

"Who knows you're here?"

"No one" she assured, gripping my hands "I cornered him and made him talk"

"No one saw us, I made sure" Ben sat down in front of the cauldron and winced closing his nose with his fingers.
Sasha was still holding my hands, afraid that I would bolt away
"My parents have decided it's time to get me out of here. I had to talk to you! Ben told me what happened to Oberon and that you were gone but it didn't make sense, he couldn't tell me how you got out-"

"Well I did tell you-"

"It was obviously made up! You wouldn't be able to go unseen"

"That's what-"

"Ben?" I made a slight gesture towards the living room "Please give us a minute?"

He nodded and went towards the door, we would probably find him sleeping on the couch, he had pretty impressive dark circles under the eyes too.
"I couldn't wait to tell you, if I could have..."

"I know" she nodded, she didn't seem angry or hurt by my decision

"What are you going to do now?"

"I'll go back home for Easter"

"And then?"

"We have cousins in Russia on my father's side" she took a deep breath "We're going to travel with our muggle documents, they shouldn't be able to trace us"

"What about your mother?"

"She'll take a safe portkey outside the country and then she'll fly. She's not thrilled about it, but we should all be there in 10 days"

I smiled remembering Sasha's mother's aversion for brooms
"It's the right thing to do"

"I know... I just wish you would come with us. I know you won't" she added quickly seeing that I was already opening my mouth to reply "...But be careful Jo"

I smiled, I was really happy she was getting out: stress was consuming her
"I love you Sash"

"I love you too"

As Easter vacation was getting closer, people went in a crazed status of excitement and dread: they were getting out of the castle but they didn't know what they would find on the outside, how their family was really doing couldn't be read in the letters which were heavily controlled.
To make matters worse, a lot of the students weren't really sure they would be able to see their friends again; the number of entire families going into hiding was growing, and each night the radio transmitted an alarming amount of names between dead and missing wizards and witches.