The Seventh Year

Together Again

Awoken by his toad, Neville gladly hopped out from under his sheets. He felt the chilly September air around him as he threw over the covers, but today wasn't the day to be bothered by a little cold. 

He put his robes on and headed down to the common room. There, he met Ginny, standing beside the fireplace waiting for him. 

"Took you long enough," she said contently.

"How long have you been up, then?" he laughed.

"Oh, ages!" she told him. "Probably since half-past six, or even half-past five."

"Well, did you at least sleep well? I mean, you couldn't have slept long if you got up so early." Neville hoped she wouldn't be exhausted that day. He would desperately need her help later that night.

"Oh, I feel the best I have in months," she giggled. "We should get going to meet Luna for breakfast."

They set off for the Hall together, cracking jokes and laughing as they went. Both had a liveliness no one had seen since before Dumbledore's death. As they reached the Great Hall, they found Luna laughing with the first year Neville had talked with.

"Did you invite any first-years?" Ginny asked suddenly. "It wouldn't hurt to invite them. They probably need some help since the Carrows only teach dark magic and brainwash students."

"No, but I think Elias might be a good one. I could teach him, he could relay what he learned to the other first-years, and the Carrows wouldn't know," he explained, hoping it would satisfy Ginny. 

He didn't want to think about the first-years. They were eleven-and-twelve-years-old. With the Carrows at the school, their childhoods would surely be snatched away from them. They didn't deserve any of it; no one did. 

He followed Ginny as he contemplated what to do with Elias. Luna beamed up at them. Her face was red from laughter. They all sat down, waiting for spoiled food to appear, but none did. 

"Looks like they won't bother feeding us now," Ginny said quietly. "Do you think we could get away with sneaking off to Hogsmeade to get some for everyone?"

"Possibly," Neville replied slowly. "I think the Carrows would probably do worse to you than they did two nights ago, though."

"I'm not afraid of the stupid Carrows, though. What are they, really? They're just bullies," she said, her mood swayed to anger at the mention of the Death Eaters. 

"Yeah, but powerful ones," argued Neville. "I just think you should make a well-thought-out plan before leaving, alright?" Ginny nodded. 

They waited the remainder of the time for food to appear, but everyone left to get ready for classes when none did. 

Ginny headed to Potions, Luna was off to Arithmancy, and Neville left for History of Magic class. The day felt like it would never end. Ginny felt antsy and continued to wriggle in her seat throughout her classes. Luna giggled through both of hers and got yelled at by Alecto Carrow in the hallway for it. Neville couldn't stop imagining what would go down later that evening. 

Finally, it was dinnertime. Although food had not appeared for breakfast or lunch, the students gathered inside the Great hall anyway. After a quarter of an hour passed, food did appear—it was tasty, too. 

Shocked, the students grabbed everything before the feast disappeared. The trio stuffed themselves. Relishing every bite, they did not speak as they ate. Many grabbed some food and stuffed their pockets, worrying they would leave them to starve until dinner as they had today. 

Neville grabbed a few rolls and several handfuls of nuts. Ginny seized several apples, shoving them down her robes' pockets, and she motioned for Luna to grab the remaining garlic bread. Stealing the food from the Hall, the three left in a hurry back up to Gryffindor Tower.