AN: Good afternoon everyone and happy Thursday. I am very sorry for not updating sooner but life gets in the way. Same with writer's block. It comes at the worst times. I hope to update more in the future, all of my stories in fact. Now on a fun little side note I wanted to let you all know: seven weeks until Christmas! Yay! So today is November 3, 2016 and this is the first chapter today. Once again anything you recognize is JK Rowling's and anything you don't is mine.

Neville POV

My classes were anything but boring that day. It seemed everyone was talking about the most recent Educational Decree. The moment Harry, Ron and Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table at breakfast Dean, Fred, George and Ginny ran up to Harry to hear what he would say about the noticeboard. I was close enough to hear the conversation.

"Did you see it?"

"D'you reckon she knows?"

"What are we going to do?"

They were all looking at Harry. He glanced around quickly and turned back to them, a determined look on his face,

"We're going to do it anyway of course," he said quietly.

"Knew you'd say that," George said, beaming and thumping Harry on the hand. He winced and grit his teeth but no one else seemed to notice.

"The prefects as well?" Fred said, looking quizzically at Ron and Hermione. Hermione's brown eyes widened and a red flush crossed her cheeks.

"Of course," she said cooly. Fred chuckled and took a step back, a smirk crossing his face. George elbowed him sharply in the side before whispering furiously in his ear.

"Here come Ernie and Hannah Abbott," Ron said, looking over his shoulder. "And those Ravenclaw blokes and Smith… and no one looks very spotty."

Hermione looked alarmed.

"Never mind spots, the idiots can't come over here now, it'll look really suspicious - sit down!" she mouthed to Ernie and Hannah, gesturing frantically to them to rejoin the Hufflepuff table. "Later! We'll - talk - to - you - later!"

"I'll tell Michael," Ginny said impatiently, swinging herself off her bench, "the fool, honestly…"

She hurried off towards the Ravenclaw table. Harry watched her, a frown on his face. I let my eyes flick over to where Luna was sitting and was surprised to see that she was staring at me. She didn't look away when our eyes met and I blinked quickly trying to slow my pounding heart.

"Neville!" I jumped and looked up. Ron was pulling on my arm and Hermione stood behind him a small knowing smile on her face. "We're going to be late for class."

I stood and quickly shoved a piece of bacon in my mouth.

History of Magic was its usual boring self until a beautiful snowy owl landed on the windowsill. Something about the way she moved made my heart clench and I quickly realized why, her wing was injured.

Harry stealthily made his way across the room and opened the window for his owl. When she hopped through she almost fell over. He left class shortly after that claiming he needed to go to the hospital wing because he was sick.

The rest of class was slow and boring compared to the beginning of class. I made my way to potions lost in thought, when the voice of Draco Malfoy broke through my thoughts about Luna's beautiful grey eyes.

"I mean if it's a question of influence with the Ministry, I don't think they've got much chance… from what my father says, they've been looking for an excuse to sack Arthur Weasley for years… and as for Potter… my father says it's a matter of time before the Ministry has him carted off to St Mungo's… apparently they've got a special ward for people whose brains have been addled by magic."

My hands curled into fists and my stomach dropped as if I had swallowed a brick.

Malfoy made a grotesque face, his mouth sagging open and his eyes rolling. Crabbe and Goyle gave their usual grunts of laughter; Pansy Parkinson shrieked with glee.

The snarl was out before I could stop it and I shoved Harry aside so I could punch Malfoy right in the nose. HOW DARE HE?!

"Neville, no!" Harry leapt forward and seized the back of my robes; I struggled frantically, my fists flailing, trying desperately to get at Malfoy who looked, for a moment, extremely shocked and scared. Good. He deserved every ounce of fear.

"Help me!" Harry yelled as his arm encircled my throat and dragged me away from the Slytherins. Crabbe and Goyle were flexing their arms as they stepped in front of Malfoy, ready for the fight. Ron seized my arms, and together he and Harry succeeded in dragging me back into the Gryffindor line. My face was extremely warm and I knew I had to be a brilliant shade of red; the pressure Harry was exerting on my throat rendered me quite incomprehensible, but a few words spluttered from my mouth.

"Not… funny… don't… Mungo's… show… him…"

The dungeon door opened. Snape appeared there. His black eyes swept up the Gryffindor line to the point where Harry and Ron were wrestling with me. The sneer that crossed his face was a mixture of triumph and hatred.

'Fighting, Potter, Weasley, Longbottom?" Snape said in his cold, sneering voice. "Ten points from Gryffindor. Release Longbottom, Potter, or it will be detention. Inside, all of you."

Harry let go of me and I turned to glare at him.

"I had to stop you," Harry gasped, picking up his bag."'Crabbe and Goyle would've torn you apart."

I said nothing; he merely snatched up my bag and stalked off into the dungeon. How could I ever explain that my parents had been tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange? There was no one I could tell who would understand. Not even Luna. And that thought made me feel completely and utterly alone.

AN: Please Review! It helps so much more than you realize. Reviews help me create a story that everyone loves. And the only way to make sure I know you all like it is with reviews telling me what you think, what you love and hate about it. Also any ideas you have would be greatly appreciated and I would give you credit if I used your idea in the Author's Note. Seriously guys every little bit helps.