The world we change (a Harry Potter fanfic)

Part 9

September 7th 1978

Harry

It's around 8 in the morning when I make my way downstairs to the common room, there I find Neville sitting by the fireplace, a coffee mug in his hand. "Morning Nev." he looks up at my voice and smiles as I take a seat next to him. "Morning Harry, how's it going?" Good question.

I chuckle. "Well, I served on the frontlines of a war against the darkest wizard ever knows to man, got transported back in time to meet my dead parents, Found out half of my friends had been killed, thought I was finally safe after everything and everyone I'd lost, found out that I might be assassinated in my sleep, and that was all in the last three days." I take a breath and look at Neville who is smiling now. "We do have pretty shitty luck, don't we?" That makes me too smile. "Yeah, you could say that."

"But on a more serious note, how's everything with your parents?" I ask because mione reminded me that Neville too lost his parents too young and was in a very similar situation to me. He looks up with a smile on his face. "It's surreal, it's—I mean, we lost so many, and I'm sad—I am! But—"

"But you can't help but still be happy that you finally have the chance to know your parents?" I continue for him, because it's what I've been thinking about all day. "Yeah." He nods and now neither of us really smile. "It's crazy, seeing them how they were before—well you know." I nod. I do know. "For whatever it's worth, I don't think either of us are bad for being happy." I tell him and I truly do mean it. "I think we deserve this, don't you?"

Neville looks thoughtful. "I think that as much as we deserve this, there are others who deserve better." You can say that again. My mind goes to Hermione and all that she's done, not just for me, but for the world and the lack of things she's got in return. Oh, how much the world owes her.

I remember every time she had saved me and Ron's Arses and can't help but wonder how she did it with all she already had to deal with. "How's Hermione and the Weasley's holding up?" Nev seems to have followed my own train of thought. I sigh. "Ron's angry, Ginny is beside herself, George is trying to hold it together but anyone can tell he's struggling, and Hermione is occluding it all away which is going to end up crashing down eventually, so not great but not much else can be expected in that situation."

My mind goes to the Weasley's now, Ron's clenched fists and outbursts at anyone who comes near him, Ginny's very abnormal quiet behavior, George's red rimmed eyes and sniffling nose, and I sincerely hope that the family that had once taken me in when I had no one can move past this. "They're mourning, it's all they can do right now."

Nev opens his mouth to say something but then closes it, shaking his head. "What is it?" I ask and he looks over to me, seemingly debating with himself about something. "Yesterday..." he trails off looking distraught. "Nev, what is it?" I'm worried now, I've never seen Nev look so worried. "Dumbledore, yesterday right before he said Fred's name, he looked at Hermione, and—" he stops shaking his head.

Now I'm worried. "Neville, tell me." I say trying as much as I can to display the urgency of the situation. He fidgets with his hands. "Nothing, it's just....don't you think it's weird that he was perfectly fine with having a bunch of kids fight in the war as his army?" My eyebrows scrunch. "Nev, what are you saying?"

He shakes his head and stands. "Nothing, nothing, just—just be careful around him." That's all he says before he takes off leaving through the portrait hole.

What is going on?

Draco

I descend the stairs and step into the common room to find Blaise, crouch, Rosier, black, and my father sitting along the couches seemingly discussing the latest game. I approach them while adjusting the cuffs on my borrowed Slytherin robes. "Any of you lads seen Theo?" I say stopping their conversation.