The Light in the Dark | Neville Longbottom

Chapter 68: The Three D's of Apparition

Dear Dawn,

I hope you're adjusting to school well. Even though you're not a werewolf, I understand that the symptoms can be uncomfortable. Over time, you'll get used to them and forget that they exist.

I also hope that you did well in your last quidditch match; rooting for Gryffindor always. How are your classes? Are you doing okay in those too?

And because I know you'll ask, here are some of the order updates. The only "big findings" we have are those that involve you: the burrow attack and the attack in the Forbidden Forest. Besides those, we've had countless incidents with muggleborns underneath the imperius curse for them to go missing a week later. We haven't found any of them. The order hasn't been able to locate Voldemort, Bellatrix, or any other deatheaters. We assume that they're hiding out at Malfoy Manor, but we're unable to check the property to confirm our conspiracies.

That's all. Write back soon.

- Remus

『••✎••』

Dear Remus,

School could be worse. My classes are okay, still failing Potions, but that's nothing out of the ordinary. It's whatever, I'll drop the class next year and take double-charms or transfigurations. Boys still suck, but I'm kinda over it. We've fought for longer than we dated, and I just don't see the use of giving it attention anymore. Also, we lost our last quidditch match, so there's that.

Thanks for the updates. It's stupid, but I've been worrying about the end of the school year because I seem to be attacked whenever I'm away from Hogwarts. Also, the thing about the muggleborns, that's absolutely horrible. Sometimes I can't believe that I'm actually related to those monsters, they're disgusting.

Also Remus, I hope you have come to terms that ending your relationship with Tonks was a dick move. Have you fixed it? You should have, it's been two months.

Take care, Dawn.

『••✎••』

March 29th, 1997

"Do you still have symptoms?" Hermione asked quietly as she handed me the butter tray I had asked for moments prior.

"I always have symptoms," I shrugged, "But the bad ones? No, they're gone."

Hermione nodded as she went back to enjoying her breakfast, and I put butter onto my toast. Hermione was referring to the werewolf symptoms because the full moon had been five days prior. Knowing that I didn't have to spend a night in the shack was a relief, but I still had every other symptom.

Five days before, I broke my quill when Pansy stared at me the wrong way in Astronomy. Four days before, I almost got into a fight with a random fifth-year Ravenclaw, who was chewing her gum too loudly. Three days before, I tried to throw my book at Professor Binns because he got his ghost spit on me; Harry prevented me from doing this though. Two days before, I successfully threw a shoe at Ron during our apparition lesson, he was being annoying. One day before, I smashed several chairs in the common room after a long conversation with Seamus Finnigan.

Now what did that long conversation with Seamus entail? It was about Neville.

Slowly over the weeks, the events of March 1st came back to me. I got extremely plastered at Ron's birthday party, and Neville came over to talk to me. He drunk-confessed his love for me, and eventually, I did too, leading to a steamy hook-up in my dormitory. I remembered everything he said to me that night. He told me that it wasn't drunk-him talking, and these feelings, he had sober. What confused me though was that we haven't spoken since the incident, and he acted like it had never happened.