#char: neville longbottom

[romione-trope-fest]

Never been privy to

Fic Title: Never been privy to

Author Name: reallybeth

Selected Trope: cockblocker Harry

Brief Summary: She’d been with Ron when it was just the two of them, of course, and she’d been around both Harry and Ron loads of times, but this would be different. Hermione was going to be able to see for herself how Ron was whenever it was just he and Harry, something she’d never been privy to before now.

Word Count: 3k

Rating: T

Any Trigger Warnings: None

Thanks to JonRiptide for the beta!

oOo

Hermione ran her hand through her— or more accurately— Harry’s hair for the umpteenth time, eyes briefly lifting from the book in her lap to scan the common room. Letting out a small sigh, she tried to appear nonchalant while internally cursing Harry for talking her into this foolish idea in the first place. His suspicion of Draco Malfoy and his going ons that year had been more than a little concerning. Her friend was adamant that Malfoy was hiding something, and something very important at that. Harry was in too deep, too invested in the idea that the blonde was a death eater to see sense. Even so, Hermione hadn’t expected him to take it this far, and furthermore, she never thought she’d willingly be a part of one of his wild schemes.

“All you have to do is sit in the common room,” Harry said, his eyes pleading with her. “Talk a little if anyone approaches you, but otherwise just stick to reading or something.”

“Polyjuice potion, Harry? I still don’t understand why you need me to do this,” Hermione argued, frowning at him, “I don’t see the point.” 

Harry sighed. “Malfoy disappears every night after dinner. I need to follow him to find out where he’s going. Later, if he suspects I was trailing him, I’ll have witnesses that can affirm I was hanging out in the common room. I’ll use the cloak, everything will be fine.” He shrugged as if this was all the explanation she needed.

“What about Ro-” Hermione stopped and swallowed before continuing. “What about Ron?” she asked, her voice low. “Why don’t you ask him to help you with this little plan of yours? I’m sure he’d be willing.”

“I would, but he’s always with Lavender,” Harry said. “Besides, he’s not the best at pretending….”

“That’s true,” she conceded, knowing full well Ron tended to express his emotions openly on his face and wouldn’t play the part of Harry very well. “Say I agreed to this?” she asked. “You know Ron and I aren’t currently on speaking terms. If he were to talk to me thinking I was you, he’d probably realize I wasn’t in a matter of seconds.” 

Harry shook his head in the negative. “He has big plans with Lavender tonight, apparently. Ron, uh….” Harry had the decency to look sympathetic towards her as he continued. “He told me not to wait up.”

Hermione exhaled as she forced herself to ignore the insinuation of Ron and Lavender having ‘big plans’. “Well, that just makes it easier, then,” she said in a tight voice, trying to sound unconcerned and as if Ron’s absence would be all fine and dandy with her. “I’ll do it, but you owe me big time, Harry.”

A crashing sound pulled Hermione from her thoughts. Her head snapped up to see Neville Longbottom on his hands and knees in the middle of the common room floor, panic and embarrassment clear on his face as he scrambled to pick up about ten small ceramic pots he’d just dropped. Without thinking, she stood and walked over to him, stooping down to help gather the fallen items. Several had shattered in the tumble, and Hermione cast a quick reparo over those before grabbing them.

“Thanks, Harry,” Neville said in a grateful voice, his words reminding Hermione that she was currently in Harry’s body and needed to act as he would.

“No problem,” she replied. “Where were you taking these?”

“Just up to the room,” Neville said with a relieved sounding sigh. “Do you mind helping me?”

“Of course.” Despite assuring Harry she’d remain in the same spot until he got back, Hermione knew it would be terribly rude, and not to mention out of character, to deny Neville help. “Let’s go, then,” she said before standing up, arms full of little pots. A quick glance at the wall clock alerted Hermione that her polyjuice potion would be wearing off in less than half an hour. Nevertheless, she was certain she’d have plenty of time to assist Neville before having to return to her own dormitory to change.

“Oi, Nev! Potter! Want to join us for a game of exploding snap?” Seamus Finnegan called from the other side of the room. The table of Gryffindor boys watched them expectantly as they awaited an answer.

“Sure,” Neville replied, “Just have to take these up first.”

“Harry?” Dean, who was sitting across from Neville, questioned as he stared at Hermione.

“No thank you,” she replied, only realizing afterward that Harry’s answer would likely have been more casual or even playful somehow. 

“Your loss, then,” Seamus shot back, already shuffling the deck of cards in his hands.

As she and Neville ascended to the boys’ dormitory and made it to their destination, Hermione was unexpectedly greeted by a familiar scent she hadn’t come across in what felt like months: the smell of Ron’s shampoo. Without a doubt, it was the same scent she had detected in the Amortentia potion on the first day of Potions class. Without thinking, she snuck a glance at the empty bed on the far end of the room she knew to be Ron’s. It was unmade; the covers pulled back, just beckoning her to climb inside the fabric to smell more of him. 

“Where do you want me to put these?” she asked. Hermione was now very eager to set down her armload and get back downstairs and away from anything that reminded her of Ron. 

Gesturing to the large open window, Neville led her, the cool night air rustling the gold and red Gryffindor curtains as the two started lining the pots up on the windowsill.

“Great,” she said once they were finished. “Do you need any-”

A previously closed door on her left swung open, and to Hermione’s horror, Ron strolled into the room wearing nothing but a faded brown towel around his hips, the rest of his freckled skin on full display. His hair was wet, and the intensity of the shampoo smell made it obvious he’d just stepped out of the shower. Hermione felt the blood rushing to her- to Harry’s cheeks and immediately set to arranging the already straight pots. 

How was he here? She hadn’t seen him come in through the common room, and there was no way she would have missed him.

“Hey,” Ron said casually to the pair of them. The tone of his voice suggested that walking around half naked was a common theme in the boys’ dorm and not at all a big deal.

“I thought-” Harry’s voice came out squeaky and unfamiliar. Still not looking at Ron, Hermione coughed before continuing. “I thought you’d be with Lavender tonight?” 

“Change of plans.” There was the sound of rustling clothes, and when Hermione dared peek at him again out of the corner of her eye, Ron was wearing a pair of red shorts. Instead of putting on a shirt and covering his freckled chest, however, he simply fell back on his bed, his hands folded under his head, blue eyes staring up at the canopy. “I made up an excuse to get away from her,” he admitted. “Went and got my broom from the quidditch changing rooms and flew through the window.”

“Thanks for helping me with the pots, Harry,” Neville said, already heading towards the door. “I’m going down to join that game.”

Hermione knew she ought to go with Neville. Right now, it was imperative she stay as far as possible from Ron. Yet, it felt as if her feet were weighted with lead, and she couldn’t follow even if she wanted to. After all, this was an opportunity she’d likely never have again. She’d been with Ron when it was just the two of them, of course, and she’d been around both Harry and Ron loads of times, but this would be different. Hermione was going to be able to see for herself how Ron was whenever it was just he and Harry, something she’d never been privy to before now.

“Why did you want to escape Lavender?” Hermione asked after the door closed behind Neville. 

Ron’s gaze remained upward, his face in deep concentration as if he hadn’t even registered the words. “Listen,” he said after several long seconds of silence. “Can I talk to you about something?”

“Uh…yeah, sure.” Hermione said, trying not to sound too eager. So far it seemed as if Ron didn’t suspect a thing. She was clearly doing a passable job pretending to be Harry, and she was determined to keep it that way. 

“Lavender wants…” Ron trailed off before taking a deep breath and continuing, “She wants to have sex.”

The words took Hermione by surprise and she grabbed onto one of Ron’s bedposts to keep herself upright. “What?” she gasped.

“Don’t act so surprised,” Ron said, looking at her with a tinge of hurt mixed with embarrassment. “Unbeknownst to me,” he went on, “tonight was supposed to be the night. Lavender had everything planned out, and I didn’t realize how serious she was until-” He paused. “I mean…a part of me wanted to, ya know, but…well… I just couldn’t.” He shook his head. “Not with her, anyway.”

Not with her. Nails dug into palms as Hermione tried to hold back the barrage of questions she wanted to ask him. “What do you mean not with her?” she settled on, her heart hammering. “She’s your girlfriend.”

Ron gave her a quick side eye but looked up again as he continued. “This is going to sound barmy, but while we were snogging, I kept hearing my dad’s voice in my head, telling me it was a bad idea.” He grimaced. “I mean, it’s been ingrained in me since I was a preteen that I shouldn’t have ‘sexual relations’” he said with a roll of his eyes, “with anybody unless I am fully committed to being with them forever.”

“Forever? Why?” Hermione asked, openmouthed. She knew witches and wizards tended to skirt more on the old-fashioned side, but she was almost certain that pre-marital sex didn’t automatically mean marriage.

Ron shrugged. “I’m a Weasley. Contraceptive charms and potions may help lower the chances of getting someone pregnant, but they aren’t foolproof. Dad says he and mum got pregnant with three of us when they weren’t supposed to be able to.” He chuckled. “He refused to tell me which three though. Said mum would murder him if he told.”

“Oh,” Hermione said, her mind continuously looping over the part where Ron had implied he didn’t want to be with Lavender forever. “That makes sense.”

“Anyway, the thought of having a kid right now is…” Ron grimaced. “And having a kid with Lav?” He scoffed. “I mean, could you imagine? If I got her pregnant, I’d have to bloody marry her!” He shuddered as if the idea was a horrid one. “I definitely don’t want that. Then there’s also the fact that I would be a total asshole if I did shag her,” he added. “It would be wrong of me to use her like that, you know? I may be an insensitive git sometimes, but….”

There was a warmness in Hermione’s chest as a weight lifted. For the last several months, she’d been imagining a world where Ron stayed with Lavender indefinitely. In her heartbreak, she had envisioned a scenario where the two remained together for the rest of their time at Hogwarts, eventually marrying and living happily ever after, growing a family and growing old together while Hermione became a distant memory in Ron’s mind—someone he would barely remember from his school days.

“I mean,” Ron droned on, “It’s not like I even properly asked her to be my girlfriend. She just snogged me in the common room and I snogged her back. After that, she was calling me her boyfriend, and I didn’t know how to say that’s not what I wanted without offending her or something. This whole thing is bloody exhausting.”

Hermione’s mind was still reeling, and she merely hummed in acknowledgement. It had taken this conversation to find that her perception of the situation had been wholly wrong and now she wasn’t even sure what she was feeling. The two were silent for several long seconds and Hermione was about to take her leave when Ron spoke again.

“I still can’t believe Hermione really went to Slughorn’s Christmas party with McLaggen,” he said in a bitter voice. “How can she not see what a total dick that bloke is?”

“I think… I think she knows that now,” Hermione replied in a slow voice, noticing the twitch of Ron’s lips as she did so.

He sighed. “Okay, be honest. Do you think we’ll ever be friends again? Me and Hermione?”

Taken aback, Hermione blurted the first words that came to mind. “Maybe if she didn’t have to watch you snog her roommate all over the castle, then yeah.” 

Ron laughed as if the words were ridiculous. “What, you think she’s jealous or something?” Hermione said nothing and the smile slid from Ron’s face as he sat up. “Wait, really?”

Knowing it was probably glaringly obvious to anyone with eyes that she was jealous of Ron’s relationship, Hermione resisted the urge to huff in frustration. She wondered what it would take to get it through that thick skull of his. “She invited you to Slughorn’s party first, didn’t she?”

“She didn’t invite me as her date, though,” Ron said as if he were perfectly sure of this. “She asked me because she felt sorry for me.” His face moved into a scowl. “It’s not like she’d planned on getting all dressed up and dancing with me like she did with Vicky. Or hell, even McLaggen for that matter.”

“Well maybe she did,” Hermione retorted, patience thinning. 

Ron’s jaw clenched as he stared hard at his hands in his lap. “She didn’t mean it to be a proper date,” he repeated, though this time with less certainty. “She doesn’t feel that way about me.”

“What would you do if she did? Would you even do anything about it?” 

Ron gave her an incredulous look before snorting. “She doesn’t.”

“But what if she did?”

He sighed. “Merlin,” he muttered. “If she did, which again, she doesn’t, then…I dunno? Maybe it would give me the courage to finally break up with Lav and-” he sighed again, “we could…talk about it.”

“Talk?” Hermione repeated. “What would you say?”

Ron shrugged. “I’d tell her the truth.”

“Which is?” Hermione pressed, desperate to get the answer.

He glared at her. “Merlin, mate, why are you so nosy today? You always stay out of things between me and Hermione. It’s like your number one self-care rule.”

Hermione opened her mouth to reply but froze as she felt a prickling sensation all over. Her expression must have revealed something was wrong because Ron looked at her, concerned.

“Harry? Mate, are you okay?”

A whimpering sound was all Hermione managed before the feeling got stronger. She could feel her body shrinking, could feel Harry’s clothes getting looser as it did so. Her hair grew longer, the texture going from black and messy to brown and fluffy, her curls in disarray as they settled around her shoulders.

Ron’s face drained of color, his eyes wide in mortification as he watched the shift. “What the- what the hell is going on?” he bellowed. 

Hermione bit her bottom lip, tears unwittingly springing to her eyes. “I was doing Harry a favor,” she explained. “You were supposed to be with Lavender and we didn’t think-”

“But you just pretended to be Harry without fucking telling me it was really-” he sighed, closed his eyes and groaned. 

“It was an opportunity to talk to you,” she admitted in a quiet voice, “I’ve really missed you, Ron.”

Ron opened his eyes and scanned her face in a way he hadn’t done so in what felt like a lifetime. His expression softened as he took a single step towards her, but his eyes widened when he glanced down at his bare chest, his face flushing red. “Let me just—uh—” he stammered, swiftly grabbing a shirt from a chest of drawers and pulling it over his head, much to her disappointment.

“So when you asked me to Slugho-”

“It was supposed to be a date, yeah,” she cut him off. “I…I like you, Ron.”

Ron’s mouth opened and closed several times, seemingly unsure how to respond. “Dammit,” he finally muttered, “I fucked everything up.”

“Now that both of us know how the other feels,” Hermione said hesitantly, “maybe it will be easier to go forward with,” she gestured between them, “whatever this is.” 

There was so much regret in Ron’s gaze that it made her heart ache. “I’m breaking up with Lavender,” he said in a determined voice. “Tonight.”

Unable to help herself, Hermione leapt forward into his arms. The embrace was everything she’d been hoping for, Ron clinging to her just as tightly as she clung to him. When she lifted her head, he was staring down at her, his longing for her evident.

“Hermione?” he asked, his hand moving up to cup her cheek. “Can I-”

There was the sound of a door being slammed open, causing Hermione to jump away from Ron. She spun around to see Harry scurrying into the room, his cheeks pink and his hair windswept. “Hermione! Hell, I’m sorry I took so long! I-” he halted when he spotted Ron, his mouth dropping open in surprise. “Sorry, did I just-”

Hermione shook her head. “That’s alright, Harry.” She couldn’t even bring herself to look at Ron as she started making her way from the room. “Breakfast tomorrow?” she asked just before she reached the door, turning to face the boys.

“Just the three of us?” Harry looked bewildered, and Ron appeared as if he’d just been hit over the head, but the two were quick to nod in affirmative.

“Great.” Smiling, Hermione walked out, closing the door behind her.

[hpshipbattles]

Main Gen Char: Neville Longbottom

Marauders Gen Char: Kingsley Shacklebolt

Next Gen Char: Scorpius Malfoy

Game Char: Tulip Karasu

DE/OM/MO Char: Cornelius Fudge

Misc Char: Nearly Headless Nick

Two Extras: Nymphadora Tonks and Rose Granger-Weasley

These characters shall be added

(rules and submitted characters)

[dhr-ao3]

This Bitter End

This Bitter End https://ift.tt/NYJ12LG by WritexAboutxMe When Draco Malfoy entered her life after the war he changed her. He knows her body, has learned every way to touch her, to break her apart until he is the only one capable of putting her back together. He’s ruined her and saved her, and Hermione knows in her bones that she will never be the same.   And when Hermione Granger walked away she lingered like an echo. And now it's gone, but not entirely, and that almost makes it worse. His feelings for her are like a dying ember that refuses to smoulder; it clings to each breath of his oxygen as a last resort. A reminder that she is still here. She’s a char on his very soul, and Draco wants to hate her for that, but he can’t muster the energy.   Five years later, Hermione works as a palliative healer for St. Mungo’s battling a new magical ailment that destroys one's magical core, and Draco Malfoy continues his research for the Department of Mysteries. When their paths cross once more will they be able to place their pride aside and rediscover the romance they once shared? Or will fate have other plans, and their burdens be too much to share? Words: 0, Chapters: 1/31, Language: English Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M Characters: Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter, Ginny Weasley, James Sirius Potter, Albus Severus Potter, Lily Luna Potter, Daphne Greengrass, Theodore Nott, Padma Patil, Blaise Zabini, Neville Longbottom, Pansy Parkinson, Roger Davies, Astoria Greengrass, Susan Bones, Ron Weasley, Arthur Weasley, House-Elves (Harry Potter) Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Daphne Greengrass/Theodore Nott, Padma Patil/Blaise Zabini, Neville Longbottom/Pansy Parkinson, Susan Bones/Ron Weasley Additional Tags: Second Chance Romance, Second Chances, Healer Hermione Granger, Terminal Illnesses, Grief/Mourning, Post-Hogwarts, Department of Mysteries (Harry Potter), St Mungo's Hospital (Harry Potter), Researcher Draco Malfoy, Good Slytherins, No Ron Weasley Bashing, hot dad harry, lets all hug theo, go greased lightening, I cried while I wrote this and by my betas said fuck you, You did this to yourself, flashbacks and smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Explicit Language, Pining Draco Malfoy, Pining Hermione Granger, Idiots in Love, Miscommunication, Draco Malfoy in the Muggle World, POV Draco Malfoy, POV Hermione Granger, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Semi-Public Sex, Angst with a Happy Ending, DESPITE THE TITLE IT IS A HEA I SWEAR via AO3 works tagged 'Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy' https://ift.tt/FHM6IO4 July 14, 2023 at 02:26PM

[petriichvrs]

𝙰𝙽𝙾𝙽𝚈𝙼𝙾𝚄𝚂  𝙰𝚂𝙺𝙴𝙳  :   17 / 39 / 26

17. DO YOU USE DICTIONARIES OR THESAURUSES OFTEN WHEN WRITING?  :  you know. i sort’ve do. it’s not like i’m breaking them out at every opportunity but i am very forgetful and i will often google a word just to make sure i’m right in its meaning and sometimes a different word will be right on the tip of my tongue but i won’t be able to think of it, so i always comb through synonyms of the words i do remember to try and find it. i don’t like to go too crazy but i def do shop around a bit for the best sounding words when i’m trying to put my best foot forward in a reply. 

39. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE BEST FACECLAIM DECISION YOU’VE EVER MADE?  :  oh. oh i have a few. and they are not all nox specific. alex fitzalan as edward cullen. oscar isaac as charlie swan. boyd holbrook as clint barton. gemma chan as jean grey. i was also THE trendsetter in the hp rpc in terms of the fcs people started using for certain chars so i give you - jessica barden as ginny weasley, chella man as neville longbottom, kedar williams stirling as dean thomas, sandra oh as sybill trelawney, keira knightley / winona ryder as bellatrix black, felix mallard as sirius black, even lorenzo zurzolo as peter pettigrew... like i have never missed. my hubris is showing. but i enjoy casting these guys SO much. 

26. WHO WAS YOUR VERY FIRST MUSE? WOULD YOU CONSIDER WRITING THEM NOW?  :  absolutely NOT. i’ve been thinking on this for hours because i think i’ve forgotten the name of my actual first muse, but i’m pretty sure my second just had two buffy the vampire slayer names just MASHED together and she had a buffy fc too, back when like. well. on forum they weren’t really fcs and we didn’t really care about them as much as we do here, so i just used a random buffy actress to like. give the general vibe. i don’t remember a single thing about her other than these facts and i think she should stay gone. actually. i will admit it here, since it’s in the interest of this meme night event - one fun fact about me is that for my first full year of rp i used to only use people who appeared on buffy as fcs, which meant i had the entire main cast claimed but i ALSO had like. random extra #1, #2 and #3. 

𝙼𝚄𝙽  𝙳𝙴𝚅𝙴𝙻𝙾𝙿𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃  𝚀𝚄𝙴𝚂𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂  »  currently  not  accepting  !

[omgsquee2001]

Chapter 4: Vault 713 and Flying Class

~~~~

After Potions Class, it was around midday, and the students of Hogwarts were in the Great Hall doing homework. [Y/N] sat next to Harry, Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table. “Eye of rabbit, harp string hum. Turn this water, into rum.” A voice rang out. [Y/N] looked over and saw a fellow Gryffindor Seamus, trying a spell on a cup. Seamus looked into the cup and shook his head in frustration and started the spell again. Harry also looked over at the First Year. 

“What's Seamus trying to do to that glass of water?” Harry asked. [Y/N] looked at the black haired boy. 

“He’s trying turn it into rum. Actually managed a weak tea yesterday, before..” 

BAM!!!

[Y/N] was cut off when a mighty flash occurred. The cup had exploded and Seamus is left charred. Several students started to laugh. Hermione fanned away the smoke with her hand. The sudden call of several birds caught the students’ eyes. Ron looked up and smiled. 

“Ah. Mail's here!” He said. The owls soar by, dropping parcels to their students. Luna, [Y/N]’s fruit bat, screeched as she flew down. [Y/N] held out her hand and Luna landed on it, clutching a letter in her feet. [Y/N] smiled as she gently stroked Luna’s head. 

“Good girl, Luna.” [Y/N] praised. With a screech, Luna took off towards the Owlery. She had her own spot away from the owls where she rested until she was needed. [Y/N] smiled and opened the letter. It was a letter from her grandparents. 

‘Our dearest [Y/N],’ the letter started. ‘We are so pleased to hear that you were accepted into Hogwarts and that you were sorted into Hufflepuff. Your Grandmother still hasn’t given up the idea that you should have gone to  Ilvermorny, says you would have made a fantastic Thunderbird. Nevertheless, we are so proud of you. We hope you have an amazing year at Hogwarts. 

Love, Grandad and Nan’

[Y/N] smiled and folded up the letter again. She made a mental note to make sure to send her Grandparents a letter back soon. As expected, Harry didn’t get any mail. He did, however, see a paper the was put to the side by Ron. Harry looked at his friend. 

“Can I borrow this?” Harry asked. Ron looked at the parchment and nodded, shrugging his shoulder. Harry nodded. “Thanks.” 

From across the table, Neville Longbottom was unwrapping a gift sent to him by his Grandmother. It was a clear glass ball with a gold banner around it. Dean, another Gryffindor, looked over at Neville. 

“Hey, look! Neville's got a Remembrall!” Dean shouted. [Y/N] looked over and saw the ball that Neville was holding. Hermione leaned forward. 

“I've read about those. When the smoke turns red, it means you've forgotten something.” Hermione explained. The smoke in the ball turned red. Neville furrowed his brows. 

“The only problem is, I can't remember what I've forgotten.” [Y/N] looked at Neville and realized that he had forgotten his robes. 

“Hey, Ron, [Y/N],” Harry said, catching his friends’ attentions. “Somebody broke into Gringotts,” Harry said. [Y/N]’s eyebrows widened. 

“What?” She asked and leaned forward. Harry looked at her. 

“Listen,” “‘Believed to be the work of dark witches or wizards unknown, Gringotts goblins, while acknowledging the breach, insist that nothing was taken. The vault in question, number 713, had in fact been emptied earlier that same day.’” Harry stopped and frowned. “That's odd. That's the vault Hagrid and I went to.” He said. [Y/N] frowned in confusion as the three of them looked at Hermione, hoping for some answers from her. 

~~~~

That afternoon, outside the castle, the students of Gryffindor and Slytherin, were lined up in two rows with brooms by their sides. The teacher, Madam Hooch, came down the line. She has short hair and hawk yellow eyes.

”Good afternoon, class” Madam Hooch called, stopping to stand in front of the students. It was clear that she meant business. 

“Good afternoon, Madam Hooch.” The students responded. Madam Hooch nodded and smiled slightly. 

“Good afternoon.” She addressed the students “Welcome to your first flying lesson. Well, what are you waiting for? Everyone step up to the left side of their broomstick. Come on now, hurry up,” Hooch commanded. [Y/N] and the other students walked up to the left side of their broomstick. [Y/N] could already feel the magic resonating from the broom. Hooch stuck her right hand out. “Stick your right hand over the broom and say, up!” Hooch commanded. 

“Up!” The class commanded. For some students, like [Y/N] the broom obeyed immediately. 

“Up!” Harry commanded. The brook shot up into his hand. He smiled in aw. “Wow.” Harry whispered. Hermione stared at him and [Y/N] in disbelief as she continued to try and get her broom stick to work. Draco was one of the lucky students. 

“Up!” He commanded. The broomstick flew up and into the boy’s hand. Draco grinned smugly. 

“With feeling!” Hooch commanded to the other students who were struggling. Hermione was still struggling. Her broom was slowly rising. 

“Up. Up.” Hermione commanded. Ron was another who was struggling. 

“Up!!” Ron shouted. His broom immediately shot up and whacked him on the nose. [Y/N] winced. 

“Ooh!” [Y/N] groaned. She and Harry started laughing at their friend. Ron glared at the two. 

“Shut up, Harry. You to, [Y/N].” Ron grumbled, he then started to laugh along. 

“Now,” Hooch started again, once all of the students had gotten their brooms in their hands. “Once you've got hold of your broom, I want you to mount it. And grip it tight, you don't want to be sliding off the end.” Hooch said. The class mounts their broomsticks. Hooch nodded in satisfaction. “When I blow my whistle, I want each of you to kick off from the ground, hard. Keep your broom steady, hover for a moment, and then lean forward slightly and touch back down. On my whistle...3...2...” She blows the whistle. However, Neville's broomstick somehow lifted him off the ground. Neville immediately lifted off. He looked quite frightened.

“Oh...” Neville cried out slightly. Hooch looked at the boy. 

“Mr. Longbottom.” Hooch said. Other students started voicing their concerns. Neville’s broom started to soar off uncontrollably. “M-M-Mr. Longbottom! Mr.” 

“AHH!” Neville’s broom shot off. His broom immediately skyrocketed towards the sky. He flew uncontrollably in the air and hit a wall, knocking along it and then swooping off. All the while, he was screaming. He began to zoom back towards the group of students. [Y/N]’s eyes widened. Hooch quickly held out her wand to stop him.

“Help!” Neville shouted. 

“Mr. Longbottom-!” Hooch shouted. 

Before she could do anything, Hooch dove out of the way, allowing Neville to fly right through. Neville went through the scatter and up a tower. He zooms past a statue of a man with a sharp spear. Neville's cloak caught on it. He was flipped off the broom and hangs there.

“Oh. Ah...help!” Neville shouted. He wavered, then the cloak began to rip through the spear, and he fell But his cloak caught on a torch, making Neville slip off from his cloak a second later and fall to the ground. A group of kids all gathered around Neville, some making sure he was okay, others laughing at his misfortune. 

“Everyone out of the way!” Hooch shouted. She ran through the group, and they scattered, giving her room. Hooch quickly made her way to Neville. “Come on, get up.” Hooch urged. [Y/N] tried to peak around the crowd. 

“Is he alright?” [Y/N] asked in worry. Hooch was helping Neville up and saw that his wrist had broken when he fell. Neville cried out in pain as Hooch helped him up. 

“Oh, oh, oh, oh dear. It's a broken wrist,” she clicked her tongue in disappointment and sympathy. “Good boy, come on now, up you get.” Hooch urged, helping Neville to his feet. Draco reached down and grabbed Neville's Remembrall, which had fallen from him. Hooch began to lead Neville away with her. She addressed the class, “Everyone's to keep their feet firmly on the ground while I take Mr. Longbottom to the hospital wing. Understand? If I see a single broom in the air, the one riding it will find themselves out of Hogwarts before they can say, Quidditch.” Hooch said. [Y/N] sighed in worry for her fellow Gryffindor. Malfoy snickered, still holding the Remembrall. 

“Did you see his face? Maybe if the fat lump had given this a squeeze, he'd have remembered to fall on his fat arse.” Draco said, making some other Slytherins snicker as well. [Y/N] clenched her jaw and marched up to the male. 

“Give it here, Malfoy.” [Y/N] demanded. Draco turned and frowned at her, giving her a dirty look. 

“You want this, Scamander? I don’t think so. I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find.” Draco said. [Y/N] sighed in frustration. She remembered Hooch’s warning and stayed on the ground. Harry, however, was getting more and more upset with the way Draco was acting. Draco mounted his broom and soared into the air. “How 'bout up on the roof?” Draco taunted. He soared off and hovered several feet above the ground. Draco looked down at [Y/N] and smirked. “What's the matter, Scamander? Bit beyond your reach?” He teased. Finally having enough, Harry got on his broom. [Y/N] looked at Harry.

“Harry, no way! You heard what Madam Hooch said! Besides, you don't even know how to fly.” [Y/N] argued. Ignoring her, Harry flew of towards Draco. Hermione sighed. 

“What an idiot.” She said. Harry was across from Draco now. 

“Give it here, Malfoy, or I'll knock you off your broom!” Harry threatened. Draco, who was bouncing the ball up and down in his hand, smirked at Harry. 

“Is that so? Coming to Scamander’s rescue are you, Potter?” Draco teased. [Y/N] looked down at the ground as a red tint came to her cheeks. Harry made a dash for him, but Draco twirls around his broom in a 360. “Have it your way, then!” Draco said. 

Draco hurled the Remembrall into the air, like a baseball. Harry zoomed after the ball, speeding towards a tower. Just as he was about to hit the window, from which McGonagall was working, he caught it. McGonagall noticed this and looked surprised as Harry began to fly back down to the grounds, smiling the whole time. The students all cheer as Harry landed back on the ground with ease. One of the students who was smiling, was [Y/N]. All of the students, mostly Gryffindor, applauded for Harry and patted him on the back for a job well done. 

“Good job, Harry!” One student said. Harry found himself looking at [Y/N], who was smiling. 

“Oh, that was wicked, Harry.” [Y/N] said with a smile. Harry smiled back. 

“Thanks, [Y/N].” He said. He felt a weird sensation in his stomach when [Y/N] complimented him, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. McGonagall suddenly appeared, walking quickly onto the grounds.

“Harry Potter?” She shouted. The cheery atmosphere suddenly vanished as the students noticed the teacher. Harry stepped forwards amongst the crowd. “Follow me.” McGonagall said. Harry’s smile fell and the sensation that filled his stomach now was dread. He hadn’t even spent a full term at Hogwarts, and now, he was going right back to the Dursleys. 

~~~~

Harry, Ron and [Y/N] were walking through the crowded halls after the flying incident with Neville. Harry had just told his friends about the news. Sir Nicholas and another ghost floated by.

“Have you heard? Harry Potter's the new Gryffindor Seeker. I always knew he'd do well.” Nick said. [Y/N] still had yet to process the information that had been given to her. 

“Seeker? But first years never make their house teams!” Ron said, astonished. [Y/N] looked at Harry. 

“Harry, you must be the youngest Quidditch player in...” [Y/N] was cut off by Harry. 

“A century, according to McGonagall.” He said. Fred and George, Ron’s older twin brothers, also in Gryffindor, walked along with the three friends.

“Hey, well done, Harry, Wood's just told us!” Fred said. Ron looked at Harry and [Y/N]. 

“Fred and George are on the team, too. Beaters.” Ron explained. George nodded along with what Ron had said.

“Our job is to make sure that you,” George pointed at Harry. “Don't get bloodied up too bad. Can't make any promises, of course. Rough game, Quidditch.” George said. Fred nodded 

“Brutal. But no one's died in years. Someone will vanish occasionally...” Fred said. The two turned off from the three friends. 

“But they'll turn up in a month or two!” Fred shouted as the twins walked away. [Y/N] could see the fear in Harry’s face. Ron looked at Harry. 

“Oh, go on, Harry, Quidditch is great. Best game there is!” Ron said. [Y/N] smiled and nodded. She placed a comforting hand on Harry’s shoulder, making the male look at her. 

“And you'll be great, to.” She said. Harry smiled slightly, thankful for the female’s encouragement. Harry’s smile then fell. 

“But I've never even played Quidditch. What if I make a fool of myself?” He asked. Hermione, overhearing the conversation, closed the book she had been reading for her studies and rushed over to the friends.

“You won't make a fool of yourself. It's in your blood.” Hermione said. [Y/N], Ron and Harry looked at each other in confusion. Hermione sighed and lead the three down the hall. 

The four approached a trophy case. A Trophy Case Quidditch. Hermione pointed at a plaque of Quidditch players, one in particular. [Y/N]’s eyes widened as she read the name on the plaque. 

James Potter

“Whoa. Harry, you never told me your father was a Seeker, too.” Ron said in amazement. Harry stared at the plaque and shook his head. 

“I-I didn't know.” He stuttered. 

~~~

//Here’s chapter 4! In the next chapter, the four young ones will meet the three headed dog!//

[orthographewrites]

[americanmoths]

Picture Draco Malfoy as Wizarding Ben Franklin, with The Sorcerer’s Stone tied to a key tied to a kite

Hermione has never regretted teaching Draco to pick locks more than when he switches the lights on in her bedroom at 3 a.m. on the only day-off she’s had in months.

“I figured it out, and you will not believe. You will not believe. It’s a key.” Draco says. “An actual key.”

Had she not seen Draco rant his way to multiple epiphanies, she would tell him to get the fuck out of her room. But she was there when he figured out the sorcerer’s stone drained all the magic from the world, and she was there when he discovered that electrical currents have the same atomic structure as magic, so — “What’s a key, Draco? What are you talking about?”

“I should’ve figured it out ages ago. It was literally on the cover of that physics textbook you gave me. I couldn’t sleep, so I was reading it again, and when I finished, I still couldn’t sleep, so I was going to read it again again, but I didn’t have to because it was right there on the cover. You’ve seen it. The bald guy with the beard flying a kite with a key on it. You’ve seen it.”

“Yes?”

“That’s our answer. That’s how we jumpstart magic. Kite. Key.” He mimics an explosion with one hand. “Lightning.”

—

Yes, it is odd Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger are friends; thank you for asking.

Sometimes Hermione will remember exactly how odd; she’ll look at Draco and see all the ways they’re antonyms instead of their decade-old friendship sparkling underneath.

Their Hogwarts class had been small. Her, Draco, Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley, and that’s it. Doesn’t that mean something? Did you hear that there were more squibs born in the 90s than any decade prior? The youngest Greenglass girl has no magical ability whatsoever. What the fuck does that mean? The Parkinson child, too.

The four of them hadn’t worried about it. Too many other things going on. A teacher with a lisp and a lumpy head; a troll attack that resulted in Draco and Hermione’s unlikely friendship; an end-of year feast where Neville and Ron won last-minute bonus points for being brave and getting Quirrell fired.

Hermione remembers the banners changing from Slytherin green to Gryffindor gold; standing on a chair and cheering, lifting her fist in the air, and then — darkness.

The lights at Hogwarts would never come back on. Magic, though they hadn’t realized it at the time, had run out.

—

A few nights after Draco's epiphany, Hermione wakes to thunder. A storm that jostles their house and sends her alarm clock tumbling to the floor, green digits stuck flashing 11:11 over and over again. I wish Draco was reasonable, she thinks, even as she spies him atop the hill in their garden, trying to control a kite with a red stone and a key tied to it.

“COME ON,” Draco shouts at the sky. “HIT ME! I CAN TAKE IT! I’VE TAKEN EVERYTHING ELSE YOU’VE THROWN AT ME. YOU TOOK MY PARENTS. YOU TOOK MY FRIENDS. AND NOW IM OFFERING YOU A FREE SHOT AND WHERE ARE YOU—”

Crack!

A white flash of lightning zizzles down the kite string.

“Draco!” She says and runs into the storm.

There’s a large burnt spot where lightning met Earth. Draco’s on one side of it, the charred kite bobbing up and down on his chest. He's breathing, Thank Merlin.

A man with a lightning bolt scar bisecting his face yawns and stretches in the center of the circle, one hand grasped around the key.

“How long was I asleep for?” The man asks. He squints at Hermione. “Do I know you? Sorry it’s hard to tell from here; my eyesights never been good and it's dark. Let me just—” He points the key in the air the way they used to point wands, when they still used those. “Lumos.”

The end of the key lights up. Almost like magic.

--

for @drarrymicrofic prompt: sleepy | on ao3

[siriiusblcck]

character aesthetics: neville longbottom (harry potter)

 happy birthday neville!

send me a character/ship

[acciohq]

mw characters?

HIYA ANON !! thanks for your question, we were super excited to recieve it. some of our mw chars right now are:

we’d love to see apps for ron weasley, hermione granger, ginny weasley, kingsley shacklebolt, rita skeeter, neville longbottom, luna lovegood, lucius malfoy, cho chang, viktor krum,  arthur weasley, theodore nott, fleur delacour, augustus rookwood, padma & parvati patil, narcissa malfoy, charlie weasley, seamus finnegan, percy weasley, dean thomas, millicent bulstrode, tracey davis, susan bones, ernie macmillan, bill weasley, horace slughorn & xenophilius lovegood.

hope that helps !!

[bennet-liz]

character posters || neville longbottom 

but I bounced – all the way down the garden and into the road. they were all really pleased. gran was crying, she was so happy. and you should have seen their faces when I got in here – they thought I might not be magical enough to come, you see. great-uncle algie was so pleased he bought me my toad.

[luciusmalfcys]

Character moodboard: Neville Longbottom✨

“Well, my gran brought me up and she’s a witch, but the family thought I was all Muggle for ages. My great-uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard and force some magic out of me – he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned – but nothing happened until I was eight. Great-uncle Algie came round for tea and he was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles when my great-auntie Enid offered him a meringue and he accidentally let go. But I bounced – all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased.”

[silentexplorer18]

Frigid (Part 1): A Draco Malfoy Short

Summary:  With winter creeping up and leaving a freezing chill in the air, you’re sure this will be your last winter alive.  That is, until one Draco Malfoy appears with a different plan in mind.

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Female Reader

Warnings: Homeless and orphan reader, but otherwise a pretty sweet fic!

Note: Part 2 will post tomorrow, December 19!

Part 2  Masterlist

Read it here on AO3.

Diagon Alley was cold.  Extremely cold.

Fall had come and gone faster than expected, leaving you shivering through the streets as you scavenged for food.

This wasn’t an odd situation for you, really.  Nineteen, nearly twenty, and freezing to death, starving to death, in the midst of a magical alley was something you’d grown somewhat accustomed to over the years.

You were cast out in your third year at Hogwarts, family disowning you in favor of the siblings that had accomplished more, been better, followed paths that would bring the family name glory.  You couldn’t blame them; they hated you, after all.  Life had bestowed different set of values upon your shoulders, a truth none of your relations could bear to accept.  And, truthfully, it had been better for you to be on your own than cooped up with people that didn’t believe in you.

Fourth year, you’d become an orphan in the physical sense, as well.

In an unexplainable accident, your parents and siblings all perished in a fiery explosion in the house you’d once called home.  You were left with nothing.  Of course, what few belongings were left in the house - nothing you possessed any sentiment for - were damaged or willed away to others, so the charred walls were just as foreign to you as the notion that you hadn’t become an orphan the moment you were banished from the doorstep to begin with.

From then on, you continued to scavenge, residing in Diagon Alley and foraging for food as best you could whilst remaining somewhat inconspicuous.  Well, as inconspicuous a child wandering around in a tattered Hogwarts uniform through summer could.

People noticed, of course.  People saw you.  But they didn’t really see you.  They noticed a hungry beggar scrapping for anything she could get her hands on, not a young witch with the possibility of accomplishing great things.  Those feelings were reserved for children that at least could find some sort of lodging over their summer holiday, whether it be people like Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom returning to homes or Harry Potter and Hermione Granger staying with their companion Ron Weasley.

So here, at nearly twenty, it really wasn’t all that surprising that you were gathering loose fabric and lost garments from the ground to create a small nest of warmth in a secluded nook off Diagon Alley.  Really, it hadn’t mattered to much of anyone that you’d been here all these years, nor did anyone mind that you hadn’t found a way out of poverty and desperation.

Which meant this, your first winter not residing in the moderately warm walls of Hogwarts, would be the winter you froze to death.

It seemed almost fitting, really, as the snowflakes flurried around your stooped form, that you should die in the exact opposite manor of your family.

You’d found two more lost scarves and a tattered blanket to add to your small pile, and someone had dropped part of a pastry near the drain.  It was already frozen when you’d recovered it, but a meal was a meal, and hopefully it would at least pull you through to another day.

What you hadn’t noticed after you’d scooped up the half eaten pastry, no doubt discarded by some witch or wizard in favor of getting out of the cold, was the pair of familiar eyes watching your figure retreat back toward the alcove, warm fabrics in hand as you made your way to the little pile of belongings.  It was beginning to get a little late, nearly seven, and it was time for you to hunker down to try to survive another frigid night.

Nestling into the corner, you began the ritualistic practice of tucking yourself into the haphazard fabrics, desperately attempting to keep a little heat in.  The first scarf was wrapped around your feet, mummifying them carefully to prevent frostbite as much as possible.  Next, a coat was tucked around your legs, another coat and cloak both donning your torso.  Two moth eaten blankets then covered your entire figure, hat and scarf wrapping up to keep your head and neck from getting too frostbitten.

As cozy as you could possibly get against the frozen ground, you whispered a small heating charm; it was weak, wandless magic, but it was the best you could do.  Your wand had been lost at the Battle of Hogwarts, and you hadn’t the money to replace it after the war.  You’d been a bright witch during your time at school, though not nearly as bright at Hermione.  But now, here, with nothing but simple wandless magic, you felt as foolish as a first year, a muggle even.

As warm and situated as you could manage, your gloved hands, fingers worn away from use, grasped the frozen meal you’d managed to procure, and you bundled up with it tightly against the wind whipping across the stones, bringing the smushed pastry up to your chapped, windburned lips.

“What in Salazar’s name are you doing?” a voice cut through the air.

Jumping, you instinctively reached for your wand.  A wand you didn’t have.

However, you relaxed slightly at the sight before you, at a man you knew would never choose to hurt you.

Draco Malfoy.

The look he was sending your way was one of absolute horror, and it took every ounce of strength to not morbidly laugh at his shock.  This had been your life for years, and here he was gaping at something so utterly commonplace to you.

But he hadn’t noticed before.

Of course he’d be shocked.

While some found Draco Malfoy incredibly rude and foul tempered during their time at Hogwarts, you found Draco civil at best.  He had by no means liked you or enjoyed your company, but he made a wonderful partner in shared classes, and he’d been remarkably civil toward you in all other interactions.  The truth was, you weren’t afraid of him.  You never had been.  Not even after it had been revealed that he was working for Voldemort.  It seemed silly, really, to even think of the reason why, but his home had been quite similar to your own, and you had faith that he wouldn’t hurt you.

But that didn’t stop him from judging you apparently.

“I’m eating,” you said softly, hands resting the pastry against the blankets on your stomach.

He gave you another gaping, incredulous look as you eyed him warily, unsure where this conversation was going.  “But it’s rubbish.  I saw you pull it from the gutter, and I know it wasn’t you who dropped it there.”

Your eyebrows arched, a challenging look settling across your face.  “I’m eating, Draco.  If you’re just going to mock my palette, please leave me be.”

“Why don’t you eat at a restaurant?” he queried, the same stubborn, challenging look he’d often given off as a child washing across his pale features.

“I haven’t the money for that right now.”

He paused, eyes flickering briefly, an emotion you couldn’t quite place twisting the muscles in his face before he spoke again.  Voice soft, nearly shy, but also remarkably positive, he stated, “Then come have dinner with me.”

A wary look tensed your brows again, settling a nervous frown across your lips, but when his gloved hand - black with luxurious leather - outstretched for your own, you took it, placing your frozen pastry on one of the blankets.

You were standing now, shivering despite yourself against the cold, as the blond took in your semi-tattered appearance.  Gently, his arm wrapped around your shoulders as he began to lead you toward a nearby restaurant.  He’d eat anything if it meant getting you out of the glacial weather.

~

Dinner was actually rather nice, and Draco was surprisingly quiet about all he’d seen in the alley.  Instead, the both of you swapped Hogwarts stories, reminiscing over education.  Ever the gentleman, Draco had ordered for you, soup and bread filling your stomach and radiating heat into your frozen bones.  He liked the way your face brightened with the food, your smile seeming warmer as it curled your lips.

He liked it when you smiled.

Although you wished desperately that you could pay for the meal, not burden Malfoy with your financial predicament, Draco made no scene of it, merely pulling enough from his pocket to cover the whole check and providing the waitress a curt nod of approval when she thanked him for the tip.

In a flash, it seemed to be over as quickly as it had begun, and Draco’s voice was breaking through your reminiscent thoughts as the two of you stepped out into the bitter weather.

“May I accompany you back to your home?  I’d like to know you get there safely, as it’s snowing so much tonight.”

You chuckled, shaking your head.  “Draco, you’ll be able to see me just fine here from the overhang.  My little nook is only up the street a bit, remember?”  Your hand casually pointed toward the place he’d found you before, and his face hardened in recognition.

“That’s where you’re staying?  It’s freezing out here!”

“I know.  Hence why I had so many blankets.”

His face looked pained, cheeks reddening from the whipping wind, as he contemplated your words.  “You could freeze to death out here.”

Although you tried your best to sound lighthearted in response, Draco could sense the somber undertone of your words, the concern you were attempting to mask.  “That’s occurred to me.”

He paused briefly, and you could see the gears turning in his mind, ever the calculated Slytherin.  “Come home with me tonight.”

“I’m sorry?” you asked, eyes widening comically.

His hair was tousled from the wind, cheeks and nose a rosy pink against the frosty air, and it seemed like he was doing everything in his power to avoid visibly shivering.  “Come home with me.  Stay the night in my home.  It’s not as large as the manor, but there’s ample space for you.”

“I couldn’t impose, Draco,” you began, biting your lip uneasily.

“At least then we’ll both get some sleep, you being warm and very much alive in my home, and me not up all hours of the night worrying over your health.”  His face seemed to get redder at that, even though it was already a bright crimson from the weather.  With his embarrassment, your expression softened.

With a small sigh, you nodded, trying to avoid acknowledging at the satisfied grin slipping over the blond’s features.  “Okay, fine.  But just because it’s so bloody cold out here.”

Wrapping a protective arm around your shoulder, keeping you from vanishing into the night, he smiled to himself.  “Then let's find a floo and get us both somewhere warm.”

PART 2

A/N: Thank you for reading!  I hope you enjoyed, and shoot me a message to let me know what you think if you like!  Happy holidays!

[noxtms]

i’ve just updated our affiliation page to reflect that ginny weasley, hermione granger & neville longbottom are the new leaders of dumbledores army ; but on top of this ic development announcement, i have an additional, ooc one to make - and i’m really very excited about it, so i hope you guys are too ! 

as way of encouraging more age diversity of characters in the group, i’ve decided to really push my 40+ agenda, and that’s going to take the form of an allowance of a bonus character per member, which won’t count towards your overall character limit, provided that they are 40+. for those of us at the three character limit, that means we’re now, you know - not, provided our next characters are 40+. for those of you not yet at the three limit, it means if you pick up an older character, you’re still going to be able to pick up another down the line, if you so choose !

the order of the phoenix and death eater groups, and even the civilians, are just as important to the overall plot of nox as dumbledores army is, but are sorely lacking members - i know this is because they’re perceived as more mature organizations, and i’d love to see them begin to flesh out, now that i’m implementing this new, bonus character feature ! i really can’t wait to see what your minds come up with, in regards to older chars ! 

[nanobccsted]

comment on this post (with who/for who) for an event thread with one of my chars. /!\ capped per character so i don’t go MAD:

• ana amari (overwatch) . 4/4 • the infinity gauntlet ‘infinity’ (marvel) . 4/4 • neville longbottom (harry potter) . 4/4 • vincent bukhari (overwatch) . 1/4

[orthographewrites]

@nopixie

Honestly, when Neville and a few other people had grouped together past the wizarding war to start something called a support group for those who had lost important people through the cause, never would he have thought it to last longer than a year. It wasn’t as if he didn’t believe in the necessarities of talking through harsh-ships (more often than not he wished he had been given a chance to truly talk about his own) but the wizarding world wasn’t as developed as the muggles when it came to those type of methods. As a fullblood wizard himself just in the start of interacting with the muggle world, he could assure to that. 

This was a passion project, and one Neville was more than attached to, so when the Daily Prophet had reached out for the sake of an interview neither of them had denied the opportunities to gain a free shout out. Two of the others had sat down with a journalist yesterday to talk about the more shallow development since the start, but early in the morning Neville when had entered their establishment (no more than a three rooms and a door leading out) he had found an owl telling him they craved more to finish the article off and asked if one of their fact checkers could stop by to fill in the gaps. Of course, why not? It sounded easy and quick enough for him, until the person in question had knocked on their door and Neville realised he stood face to face with no other than Millicent Bulstrode. “Oh... are you the, uh, fact checker?” he inquired, his foot scratching against his leg as a most nervous tick. “Can I see your badge?”

[nauticalparamour]

Chapter One | FFN · AO3

Hermione looked around the shell of the Room of Requirement, sighing heavily while she did the quick maths in her head. It was something that she'd known for a while now, but was only just being forced to face the reality of. And worse - knowing that she would now have to share that fate with her cohabitants.

She had been so hopeful that the Battle of Hogwarts was going to mean the end of the war, the end of the fighting. She, Harry and Ron had gotten out of nearly every scrape they'd ever encountered. She'd been so positive that they were going to prevail. They had to prevail...after all, they were the good guys.

But they hadn't prevailed. Harry had gone running off to the Forbidden Forest to face Voldemort himself, slightly manically pushing her and Ron away, explaining that this was something he had to do. That he was a horcrux himself. But then Voldemort had shown back up with Harry's body in tow and...he didn't get up. With the news that Harry Potter was dead, the resistance seemed to crumble.

Neville Longbottom had been killed in front of everyone. Ginny Weasley had been killed in front of everyone. And then everything was thrown into shambles. Ron was grabbing her hand then, leading her up up up the stairs until they were at the charred remains of the Room of Requirement. While it could no longer differentiate itself into a fantastic array of forms based on what the entrant wanted most, at its most basic purpose the Room still did it's best to keep students safe.

They hadn't been alone in their idea long, though.