Know Thyself {Neville Longbottom}

II. Ivy

Signifies fidelity and friendship, a resilient plant that can withstand harsh conditions.

"This is horrible." I muttered to myself, gazing in disbelief at the scene before me.

The bustling, enchanting streets of Diagon Alley that I had grown accustomed to were now desolate, and dingy. Most of the shops had closed, their windows boarded up and plastered with posters from the ministry. 

"Oi, sis hurry up!" Benny called to me, over his shoulder. "Marge and Phil want us back in an hour!"

I caught up to him, and stuck close to his side. "Now I see why they didn't want us coming here at all." I whispered, taking note of the seedy merchant stands that had sprung up in front of the abandoned stores. 

My brother instinctively pulled me closer to him, and we hurried along to Flourish and Blotts to pick up our new books for the year. 

Fortunately, we didn't have much shopping to do and made quick work of our list. I made sure to stock up on owl nuts for Bailey, and purchased what ingredients I needed for Advanced Potions from the Apothecary. Neither of us thought to get new robes, seeing as this was Benny's last year at Hogwarts he didn't find it necessary, and I knew how to repair mine if I had to.

"We've got some time left, so let's pop in to Fred and George's shop shall we?" 

I agreed, not wanting to deny my brother a chance to visit his friends, and had to admit I was curious as to what the twins had been up to since their dramatic exit from school.

We rounded a corner, and were met with a sight that nearly blinded us compared to the gloomy streets we left behind. I stared in wonder at the flashing objects on display in the window. The colors and lights were enough to make anyone feel cheerful, if only for a minute. 

"They've really outdone themselves!" I commented as I followed Benny inside. 

He chuckled, "And everyone thought they were just wasting time." He turned to me, "Meet me back here when you've had a look around, alright? I'm going to go find the two jokers."

He maneuvered his way through the crowd, and I proceeded to browse the vast array of products that lined the walls. 

I picked up a couple of self-inking quills for Cece and myself, as well as a brush that was designed to give the user different hairstyles hoping we might have a laugh with it.

Steering clear of the wonder-witch products I payed for my things, and found Benny by the entrance. As we left he handed me a small, round object that looked similar to a spinning top.

"I got this for you." 

"A Sneakoscope? What does it do?" I asked, eyeing the gadget closely.

"It lets you know if someone untrustworthy is close by. I figured, this year, we can't be too careful." 

He held out his arm, "You ready?"

I nodded, holding onto him tightly, and prepared for the ghastly sensation that was sure to come as Benny apparated us back home. 

__________

"It's more crowded than I thought it'd be." Benny mentioned, as we made our way past the compartments of the Hogwarts express.

I was only half-listening as I followed him, my eyes desperately scanning each booth, hoping to find Cece. Not having any word from her since the letter had made the last few weeks painfully slow, and I was anxious to see her again. 

"Here we are then." my brother slid open the door to an empty compartment and we made ourselves comfortable. He lounged by the window, propping his feet up on the seat across from him. I, however, couldn't relax and kept glancing out into the corridor whenever someone passed by.

"I'm sure she'll be here any minute, Laura, there's no need to worry. Why don't you read a book or something?"

I nodded, and took his suggestion, settling back into the cushions with a sigh. I began to re-read the book on dragons that Neville had given me, thought it was rather difficult to concentrate.

After a while, the train began to move, and sure enough there was a knock on our compartment door.

I glanced up to find Cece, who looked tired but otherwise in good health, smiling back at me.

As she stepped inside, I jumped up and pulled her into a tight hug which she returned ardently.

"I'm so glad you're alright! I've been at my wit's end since your last letter-"

"Oh, don't be so dramatic, I'm fine really!" She said, though her tone wasn't exactly convincing. 

There was an uncomfortable silence until Benny stood up, "Well I think I'll give you two a minute to catch up, good to see you again Cece." 

"You too." She replied, and we watched as he left, giving us a small wave.

"He seems...different." She commented, arching an eyebrow.

"He's been a lot more serious lately, which I suppose isn't too surprising, considering the way things are." 

We sat down, and I watched as Cece rummaged through her trunk, avoiding my gaze. After a few minutes I finally leaned forward and grabbed her hands, "Would you please just tell me what's happened?"

She sighed, her dark eyes showing a weariness beyond her age.

"Things were alright up until a few weeks ago. I mean, my mum and dad had been on edge all summer. They hardly let me out of the house, and would leave for days at a time. Still, I figured it could be worse, at least they weren't brandishing their dark marks and praising You-Know-Who at dinner time right?"

I kept a hold of her hands, and noticed they had started to tremble slightly.

"Then, things took a turn for the worse. We had a visit from some of You-Know-Who's death eaters. As it turns out, my parents had been doing everything they could to avoid his notice, but it was all for naught. You know who was furious with them, and demanded they pledge themselves to him immediately, or suffer the consequences." 

My eyes widened, "Surely they didn't..."

Cece shook her head, "They had never been the brave sort, so I wasn't all too surprised. Of course, I heard all this from my room but our house elf was concealing me so I didn't attract the attention of our lovely visitors. That was nice of him wasn't it? More than I can say for my parents, the last thing they told me was, 'be prepared to prove your loyalty to the Dark Lord when the time comes.'  So that's what I have to look forward to I suppose..."

"No! Absolutely not!" I said loudly, and she glanced at me in surprise. "You are not going back there Cece, I won't let you! You can stay with me and my family, and don't even try to refuse my offer."

She was stunned by the fierceness in my tone, and sat quietly for a moment. To my surprise, her eyes began to water, and she quickly wiped them with the sleeve of her sweater. 

"There you go again," she said, smiling faintly, "Being all protective and selfless, such nonsense. How did we ever become friends?"

I put on a contemplative face, pretending to think it over, "Well, as I recall that was your doing." 

We both laughed, and I pulled her once more into a tight hug. No matter what this year had in store for us I wasn't going to let anything stand in the way of our friendship, of that much, I was certain.