Neville's POV (never thought this would happen)

Everyone gathers around the small fireplace Ginny managed to create, the heat penetrating thought my body. I tremble in both cold and fear.

I shudder as the image of Lilith's limp body on the table invades my mind. She looked so beautiful, like an angel. Her skin was pure white, her eyes closed. Her hands were so cold...

"Nev..." Ginny places a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I know you were the last one to see Lilith bu-but you have to start living again."

I sigh.

"You don't know what it looks like." I whisper, rubbing my eyes with my fingers. "I saw her as she fell, Ginny. She fell from the table and scam like someone was murdering her. She was in pain and I couldn't to anything to save her. She's my friend's sister, my friend, and I couldn't help."

"It's not too late. There's still hope." She wants to sound confident but I know she's scared too. "We will visit her soon."

"I just wa-" I look up from the fire and watch as Ariana waves at me. "Finally!"

I smile, knowing exactly why she's here. I remove Ginny's hand from my shoulder and walk to her portrait. Ariana smiles and opens the small door behind her portrait, leading to a very dark and humid tunnel, if you can call it that.

I follow the voices down the small tunnel, and smile happily as I recognize the majority of them. Ariana opens the other side of her portrait, the side that leads to Dumbledore's brother's house. I feel the pain in my leg as I walk further down the tunnel, but the pain can't make me stop.

I open the door forcefully and the voices stop as I look around and shout with excitement, greeting my old friends.

"I knew you'd come! I knew it, Harry! Hermione! Ron!"

"Neville... What the-how-?" North Harry and Ron stutter and I laugh with deep pleasure. I hug the three of them and send Aberforth a small nod.

I feel Harry's eyes on me all the time. Yeah yeah, I know I'm not as clean and healthy as I was a few months ago, but a few bruises can't change someone that much. I inspect our surroundings and Aberforth glares at me from the corner of his eyes. Not bothering to glance back at him, I turn back to my friends.

"I knew you'd come! Kept telling Seamus it was a matter of time!"

"Neville, what's happened to you?" Harry asks worriedly.

"What? This?" I dismiss my injuries with a shake of the head. "This is nothing, Seamus is worse. You'll see. Let's go, okay?"

I hold out my hands to Hermione and help her cling up onto the small chair so we can use the tunnel and head back to Hogwarts. Ron follows us and when Harry turns to Aberforth, I tell the other two to wait for him.

"I don't know how to thank you. You've saved our lives twice." Harry addresses Aberforth.

"Look after 'em, then." Aberforth says gruffly. "I might not be able to save 'em a third time."

Harry climbs up behind us and we start walking away from the bar. Our shadows dance behind us as the bubbly voices coming from the Room of Requirement become louder with every step we take.

"Almost there, guys." I call back at them, as I'm the one walking in front of everyone. "They'll be so happy to see you."

I feel Harry's agitation coming off him in waves. I know exactly what he wants to ask but this is not the place to do so. Most of the students don't even knows Lilith is here or that she was the nice DADA teacher: Beatrice Carrow. The only ones that really know are me, Ginny, Snape, McGonagall and Professor Sprout.

I feel Ron's hand on my shoulder and I turn to see him eyeing Harry suspiciously.

"How long's this been here?" Ron asks. "It isn't on the Marauder's Map, is it, Harry? I thought there were only seven passages in and out of the school?"

I decide to answer the question. Because I know he answer. Shocking.

"They sealed off all of those before the start of the year." They all turn to me, speechless. "There's no chance of getting through any of them now, not with the curses over the entrances and Death Eaters and dementors waiting at the exits."

I start walking backwards while watching them. I've walked around these tunnels for hours and I know every single spot.

"Never mind that stuff... Is it true? Did you break into Gringotts? Did you escape on a dragon? It's everywhere, everyone's talking about it, Teddy Boot got beaten up by Carrow for yelling about it in the Great Hall at dinner!"

I witnessed it, and it wasn't pretty.

"Yeah, it's true." Harry answers, and I laugh gleefully.

"What did you do with the dragon?" I'm seriously confused and excited. I've seen dragons but I've never ever rode one.

"Released it into the wild." Ron answers. "Hermione was all for keeping it as a
pet-"

"Don't exaggerate, Ron!" She interrupts him, scoffing.

"But what have you been doing? People have been saying you've just been on the run, Harry, but I don't think so. I think you've been up to something."

"You're right, but tell us about Hogwarts, Neville, we haven't heard anything." Harry flinches as he mentions Hogwarts.

"It's been...well, it's not really like Hogwarts anymore. And with all the injured and... Yeah..." The smile fades from my face as I speak. "Do you know about the Carrows?"

"Those two Death Eaters who teach here?"

"They do more than teach. And your sister was pretending to be one of them, and was secretly helping us and keeping an eye on us." I explain, but I have a feeling they know this already. "They're in charge of all discipline. They like punishment, the Carrows."

"Like Umbridge?"

"Nah, they make her look tame. The other teachers are all supposed to send us to the Carrows if we do anything wrong. They don't, though, if they can avoid it. You can tell they all hate them as much as we do." I complain. "Amycus, the bloke, he teaches what used to be Defense Against the Dark Arts, except now it's just Dark Arts. Lilith was the teacher everyone loved but when she suddenly disappeared, they contacted Amycus and he came back. No one knows why he left on the first place. We're supposed to practice the Cruciatus Curse on people who've earned detentions-"

"What?" Harry, Ron and Hermione scream at the same time, they voices echoing down the passage. 

"Yeah..." I whisper. "That's how I got this one." I point at a deep gash on my left cheek. "I refused to do it. Some people are into it, though; Crabbe and Goyle love it. First time they've ever been top in anything, I expect. Alecto, Amycus' sister, teaches Muggle Studies, which is compulsory for everyone. We've all got to listen to her explain how Muggles are like animals, stupid and dirty, and how they drove wizards into hiding by being vicious toward them, and how the natural order is being reestablished." I indicate another slash on my face, this time on my forehead. "I got this one for asking how much Muggle blood she
and her brother have got."

"Blimey, Neville, there's a time and a place for getting a smart mouth." Ron exclaims, surprised.

"You didn't hear her." I say. "You wouldn't have stood it either. The thing is, it helps when people stand up to them, it gives everyone hope. I used to notice that when you did it, Harry."

"But they've used you as a knife sharpener!" Ronald's voice is pitcher than ever and his face pale like the moon.

"Doesn't matter. They don't want to spill too much pure blood, so they'll torture us a bit if we're mouthy but they won't actually kill us." I smile, not showing any sign of pain.

Harry places a comforting hand on my shoulder and asks the question I've been waiting for since he got here.

"How's she?"

His voice is strong and he doesn't hesitate, but the way his hand grips my shoulder... It shows how affected he really is, how worried he is and the absent of his sister is driving him mad.

"You'll have to see for yourself." I speak back. "But it's not pretty."

My warning makes Harry take his hand off my shoulder and walk faster than the rest of us, probably eager to visit Lilith. I can't tell him it's my fault. I didn't help her, I could have done something and I didn't. I just watched.

"We're here." I whisper as I walk down the small steps and open he door. I feel everyone following me, as I scram as loud as I can. "Look who it is! Didn't I tell you?"

As Harry emerges into the room beyond the passage, there are several screams and yells, everyone happy that he's back.

"HARRY!"

"It's Potter, it's POTTER!"

"Ron!"

"Hermione!"

Harry looks around the room and I stand back as everyone greets and congratulates the trio. I smile happily, knowing they're back, safe and sound. They're hugged several times, pounded on the back and pushed back and forward. When Hermione casts me a worried glance, I leave the safety of the wall and invade the small circle that was created around them.

"Okay, okay, calm down!" I call, and the students start walking away from the famous trio, whore looking around the room like they don't recognize it.

I don't blame them, it's different.

"Where are we?"

"Room of Requirement, of course!" I say. "Surpassed itself, hasn't it? The Carrows were chasing me, and I knew I had just one chance for a hideout: I managed to get through the door and this is what I found! Well, it wasn't exactly like this when I arrived, it was a load smaller, there was only one hammock and just Gryffindor hangings, But it's expanded as more and more of the D.A. have arrived."

"And the Carrows can't get in?" Asks Harry, looking around for the door.

"No." Seamus Finnigan answers, whose face is bruised and puffy. "It's a proper hideout, as long as one of us stays in here, they can't get in, the door won't open. It's all down to Neville. He really gets this room. You've got to ask it for exactly what you need: You've just got to make sure you close the loopholes! Neville's the man!"

As Seamus speaks, I watch Harry grab his scar and flinch. He must be in pain. Just like Lilith when she was- no, stop! Not now!

"Are you all right, Harry?" I ask. "Want to sit down? I expect you're tired, aren't-"

"No." Harry says. He looks at Ron and Hermione, trying to tell them something with his eyes. "We need to get going."

I furrow my brows and look at him bewildered.

"What about... You know." I gesture around and make weird noises, trying not to make the situation even more awkward. "Her."

Harry shakes at my words, and I send him and our two friends a very pissed look. He comes here to visit his sister and see how she is and now he's leaving without sparing her a glance?

That's not fair to me.

"What are we going to do, then, Harry?" Asks Seamus. "What's the plan?"

"Plan?" Harry repeats. "Well, there's something we—Ron, Hermione, and I—need to do, and then we'll get out of here."

No one laughs anymore. No one cheers, no one smiles, no one claps their hands. Everyone stares at them. Some in disguised pain, others in rage and confusion. I'm the one that voices everyone's worries.

"What do you mean, 'get out of here'?"

"We haven't come back to stay." Harry says calmly, rubbing his scar. "There's something important we need to do-"

"What is it?"

"I-I can't tell you."

"More important than your sister?"

I'm not the one that says this. Ginny, placing an arm around my shoulders, eyes Harry with anger. Besides me and the trio, she's the only one that knows about Lilith's... Condition.

"Let's not talk about that now."

Harry's answer angers me. How dare he? His sister is fighting for her life in the dungeons and he's worried about Merlin knows what? Probably something to do with You-Know-Who and their secret missions. It angers me deeply because he won't even risk his safety to visit her. After all she did for him and all of us.

"Why can't you tell us? It's something to do with fighting You-Know-Who,right?" One voice asks from behind us.

"Well, yeah-"

"Then we'll help you."

The other members of Dumbledore's Army nod, some enthusiastically, other solemnly. But I can't do anything besides shaking my head. He is so selfish. His own sister...

"I can't believe it. I can't believe you're that selfish!" I explode. "I don't care if they don't know, they deserve to know! You, Harry Potter, are the hero of this school, the hero of our generation and the hero of the wizarding world. And when your sister needs you the most you're not there. This isn't the first time but I think you should rethink your priorities. Isn't Lilith the most important person in your life?"

"You don't understand." Harry says but I raise my hands and walk backwards towards the door.

"Sorry if I'm not intelligent enough to understand you. But I will risk my safety to see her now. Because I saw what that poison did to her and I want to be there for her. I want to be there when she wakes up because I miss her." I grab the small doorknob and walk backwards until my back hits the door. "I don't know about you but I have enough courage to leave this room and visit her. Now, if you're the person I think you are, you're going to follow me there. And if you don't... Man, then I was wrong about you all this time."

I turn around and leave the Room of Requirement, the air suddenly turning cold. Being careful not to attract unwanted attention, I walk as fast as I can, not making a single noise. I've been learning how to stay away from trouble and hiding myself. As I near the dungeons, I hear the faint sound of footsteps. Expecting to see Harry, I turn and smile, but as Ginny's figure appears from behind a pillar, my smile quickly transforms into a deep scowl.

"He'll come around. Don't worry." She assures, but I'm not so sure.

"Let's hope so."

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I AM BACK NO I AM NOT DEAD DO NOT WORRY!! xD okay back to reality! I'm sorry I'm so so so so so so so so sorry! I tried writing while I was at home but these family gatherings are intense!

Sorry again, okay guys!!!?? And the next chapters will be a lot better, this is just a small filler. So, Neville misses young Lilith, huh? Suspicious shit right there.

See ya later!!!
@@Rita@@