Hateful Love

Chapter Forty-Four

NOTE: I do not own any of the ideas or characters expressed in this story (except Cassie Jackson). All of these belong to J.K. Rowling.

***********************

Cassie P.O.V.

          The trip back to Hogwarts felt extremely lonely without Luna. All of us were on edge the entire ride, like we were scared Death Eaters would stop the train again and take someone else. But we got to Hogwarts uneventfully, and another three weeks went by the same way.

          However, I’m starting to get seriously concerned about Neville. I mean, I know he really cares about Luna and would be upset after what happened, but I never thought he would act like this. He only talks to people occasionally, and at mealtimes he’s almost always sitting the corner brooding intently. I’m terrified that he’s going to do something stupid, like find out where they’re keeping Luna and try to take her back. I even told him what my mom said over break, but he didn’t seem any less worried. Neville appears to have little interest in anything nowadays, let alone his classes, and I’ve heard that he rarely leaves his dormitory.

          So needless to say I’m more than a little surprised when he comes up to me Saturday morning asking if I want to help teach the second years later.

          “Wait, really?” I ask him in shock as other students push back from the dining tables after breakfast, probably heading back up to their common rooms since there’s too much snow to do anything outside. I stand up and turn to face Neville, putting my unfinished toast back on my plate. “The lessons are still happening?”

          He looks down at me and gives a small shrug of his shoulders, shuffling his feet from side to side as the Great Hall slowly empties out. “Yeah, I mean…Luna wouldn’t want us to stop, so…”

          I bite my lip at Neville’s expression, resisting the urge to try and comfort him, because I know there’s no way I can make him feel better. Instead, I nod and say with a small smile, “You’re right. Yeah, of course I’ll help.”

          “Great,” Neville says, patting my shoulder. “Thanks, Cassie. Can you come now?”

          “What? Now?” I stammer. I thought he meant later this afternoon, not right this minute. “I don’t even know what we’ll be teaching them.”

          Neville gives some sort of a laugh—which is more than I’ve gotten from him in weeks—and replies, “We’re doing transfiguration. You know, transforming animals into cups? I need you to help me conjure up some rats for them to use.”

          I groan before I can stop myself—I hate rats. But with the look Neville’s giving me, there’s no way I can say no. Sighing heavily, I mutter reluctantly, “Alright, let’s go.”

          By the time we get to the Room of Requirement, Ginny’s already started getting ready by transfiguring Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans into rats for the second years. Trying not to cringe at the sight of all the rats running around in the cages, I follow Neville inside and start helping Ginny despite how grossed out I am.

          After twenty minutes, most of the second years have arrived and all the beans have been transfigured into rats. The three of us get the group of students to spread out a bit, and I try desperately to ignore how few kids there are compared to how many there were before break as I begin explaining how to perform the spell. I realize that many kids must have just stayed at home over break and didn’t bother coming back to Hogwarts. To be honest, I don’t blame them.