Neville Longbottom's Story

Neville's grip on the bar tightened as he used it to step up onto the train. He stood there longer than he should have, and then with a heavy sigh released his grip and made his way through the train. It just wasn't the same anymore, like when they were kids. When kids picking on him were his biggest problem, and the worst threat he had to look forward to was some childish bullying from Draco. The world had chosen a bad time to get messed up.

He missed his friends, knowing that while he was surviving at Hogwarts, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were out there making an impact; actually fighting the death eaters and foiling their plans. He have complete faith in Harry, as he had proven himself over and over again.

Even though he knew what kind of horrors awaited those outside of Hogwarts, at the moment he could only imagine his own reality. Once he stepped through the gates of Hogwarts--a place that once felt like home, but now felt more like a prison worse than Azkaban--he knew that it wasn't going to be easy ride. Honestly a few had questioned his choice to come back, but he knew it was where he'd be the most help: to the students, to his friends, and to Harry.

He slowly shuffled through the corridor of the train trying to find an empty compartment, or one with a friendly face. He passed a group of sneering Slytherins that bumped into his shoulder as he passed. Although he was no longer afraid of being bullied, it wasn't worth his time to deal with blockheads. As he traveled further into the train, he was delighted with the amount of greetings he received from fellow Slytherins and even acquaintances from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. It made him feel a little better knowing a friendly face still wouldn't be hard to find at Hogwarts.

Finally, he came to a compartment that he thought empty, but on further inspection was already occupied from a girl he knew: Ginny. Although they weren't perhaps the closest of friends, Neville liked to believe he shared a special bond with all other members of Dumbledore's Army, and her especially. After all, they did dance together. He tapped on the class before opening the door a tad.

"Hey Ginny, mind if I join you?" he asked innocently. "This train seems to get fuller every year."

"it's nice to see you again, Luna," Neville greeted. "H-how have you been?"

The last part he started to his annoyance. He liked to think that as he matured and gained confidence in himself, the stuttering problem was slowly fading away. Compared to how it had been when he was younger, his voice was near perfect. However, in times of stress, the old stutter returned to display his reservation.

Reservation at the fact that a moment before he spoke, he consider ed all the had happened over the past few years, and how not okay Luna must have been. Of course, it was light-hearted enough to not be seen in a cynical light, so he held his breath and hoped his question wouldn't be returned by a blank stare that reaked of "...really?"

"I know, isn't it?" Neville said grimly. He thought he should add more, but just then the whistle on the train blared to life.

In a moment, the train began to lurch forward, but the once-exciting event seemed to be lackluster. Very few parents stood on the platform to see their children off; indeed to seemed that only worry, fear, and doubt could be seen on the faces who remained, most likely wondering if they were making a huge mistake sending their loved ones back to Hogwarts.

"Could you imagine being a first year at this time, all over again?" Neville sighed, shaking his head. "They're going to be introduced to the dark arts soon I'm afraid. What a time to be introduced to magic." He fondly remembered his first year. Though round, pudgy, and socially awkward, he had enjoyed his first year thoroughly. It seemed all happy-go-lucky compared to the dark forecast this year seem to have.