The next morning, they left to get Arthur, who was to be released from the hospital. The journey was a little complicated, as there was still a lot of traffic and hustle for last minute Christmas shopping.

"Hello, Arthur, how are you?"

"Fine." he said cheerfully.

The room was a little crowded with Bill, Fred, George, Molly, Lupin (who was talking to a werewolf in the next bed), Ginny, Tonks, Megan, Harry, Ron and Hermione, so Megan and her friends left to give them a little room.

"Shall we go get a drink at the tearoom?" Hermione suggested.

They agreed and she, Megan, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Cedric set off. It was on the fourth floor, according to the board, along with Spell Damage. As they went along the corridor, Megan glanced out the window at the unsuspecting Muggle city outside (it had been placed in Muggle London because Diagon Alley had no room and it couldn't be underground for health reasons). The streets were white with flashes of colour and movement in every direction. Megan found herself wondering what her life would have been like if she'd never been a witch. But she didn't look round in time to avoid bumping into someone coming the other way.

"Oh... sorry!" she said, then froze. "Neville...?"

He glanced up, looking even more startled than her.

"Oh, hi, there..." he said, uneasy. "What are you doing here?"

"Coming to get my dad," Ron said. "He's being healed here. What about you?"

"Friends of yours, Neville?"

A tall, old witch came out, wearing a long dress and a large red handbag from the room beside them. His grandmother. Megan bit her lip. She was the only one who knew what brought him here and she had as good as thrown him into the spotlight... and he was looking so uncomfortable she wished she could find some way to help...

"You must be Megan Potter?" His grandmother said, holding out her hand.

"Oh... yes, hello... you must be Neville's grandmother."

She nodded shortly.

"Neville speaks most highly of you." she told Megan.

"... Thank you," she said, managing to leave the rude "er" out.

She glanced apologetically at Neville, though she knew he had no idea that she was in on his dark, painful family secret.

"Oh, let me introduce Harry Nelson, Cedric Diggory, Hermione Granger, Ginny and Ron Weasley."

"Who're you visiting Neville?" Ron asked.

He looked down, his expression one of deep unhappiness.

"My parents..."

"What happened to them, are they all right?" Hermione asked.

Megan wanted to tell them to be quiet, but she knew that that would mean telling them the truth either way...

"What's this, Neville?" Mrs Longbottom said sharply. "You haven't told them?"

He shook his head miserably, not looking up. Megan felt terribly sorry for him, but what could she do? Mrs Longbottom sniffed angrily.

"You should be proud, Neville!" she said sternly. "They didn't give up their sanity for you to be ashamed!"

"I'm not..." he whispered.

"Well, you have a peculiar way of showing it."

She turned to Megan and the others.

"My son and his wife were tortured to insanity by You-Know-Who's Death Eaters."

Hermione and Ginny gasped. Ron's, Harry's and Cedric's eyes widened. Megan bit her lip, unsure what to say or do. She had often found her own life miserable, but Neville reminded her that others had to go through hardship as well, sometimes worse than her own.

"Yes, they were highly respected and gifted Aurors... yes, Alice?"

Neville's mother, in a lavender nightgown, came into the hallway. Megan had found her pretty in the picture Sirius had given her, but the years in hospital had worn her. She was holding something in her hand to Neville. Megan realised with a pang that even if she did not recognise her son, some maternal instinct must draw her to him all the same, making it all the more difficult for poor Neville. She could see why he didn't want to talk about it... it wasn't out of shame or embarrassment, but pain. Like the way she didn't like to talk too much about her parents because it hurt to think about what she would never have... Alice handed Neville an empty sweet wrapper.

"Very nice, dear," Mrs Longbottom said, sounding slightly patronising.

"Thanks, Mum..." Neville said quietly.

Alice then tottered back into her room. There was an awkward silence. Megan took a step forwards, glancing at Neville, who didn't step back. Then, she gently put her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry, Neville..." she said.

He nodded into her shoulder. They broke up and Mrs Longbottom said:

"Well, if you'll excuse us... throw that away, Neville, she's given you enough to redecorate the entire house. Good day."

"I'll see you at school," Neville said.

"Take care, Neville," Ginny said.

His grandmother marched away, and Megan saw Neville put the empty wrapper into his pocket as he walked off, leaving the others in a dumbstruck daze.

"I never knew..." Hermione whispered, eyes gleaming.

"... No... I didn't either..." Harry said, stunned.

"I just heard they'd been honourably discharged... I guess they didn't want to scare people even more..." Cedric said in a low voice.

"Did any of you know?" Harry asked Ron and Ginny.

They shook their heads.

"... I did..." Megan said. "Dumbledore told me last year... but he made me promise not to tell anyone. Crouch's son and Bellatrix Lestrange did it."

"That nutter in Azkaban?" Harry asked.

Megan, who had looked her up after hearing her name, nodded. She stared after Neville sadly, sighed and said:

"You know, sometimes I feel my parents being dead isn't as bad as it could be..."