This choice: The boys' coins vibrate and they see Neville has set a DA meeting for 8:00 P.M. • Go Back...Chapter #5The Neville-led DA by: Solan   As the trio headed down the stairs Harry felt something moving in his pocket. Reaching in he pulled out the now-vibrating DA Galleon and saw there was meeting set for tonight, at 8:00 P.M.
"So much for Wizard's Chess," Seamus sighed, staring glumly at his own coin. "We'd barely have time to set the board up. You'd better put it back, Ron."
Looking slightly disgruntled Ron turned around and ascended the stairs back up to fifth year boy's dormitory. It took him a bit longer to put his chess set away than Harry would have thought necessary, and Seamus was tapping his foot impatiently by the time Ron came back down the steps.
"Let's get a move on," he urged the red-head. "We don't want to be late."
The three passed back down through the common room and through the portrait of the Fat Lady. Harry was careful to let Seamus go in front, not knowing if they were still meeting in the Room of Requirement. Sure enough, though, the Irish boy led them straight there.
The membership looked mostly the same as he was used to, though there were a couple of Ravenclaws that hadn't been in the DA before. There was also a glass cabinet full of potion bottles in one corner and the walls were padded for some reason, a fact which unsettlingly reminded Harry of St. Mungoes and Neville's parents.
Everyone quieted down almost immediately when Neville took his place at the front of the room. They seemed to be paying rapt attention to their leader; that was a good sign, wasn't it?
And Neville was worth paying attention to. He was confident and self-assured, clearly in command but also willing to patiently answer questions.
Perhaps the biggest surprise, however, was the dark-haired teen's grimness. Neville had never exactly been bubbling and cheerful, but neither had he ever seemed so serious and, well, stone-faced, for want of a better word.
Speaking of which, after what he and Ron had done to Neville with the wand, the teen's face had definitely lost its former roundness and baby fat; his features were lean and surprisingly handsome.
Neville was teaching them the Protego spell and once he'd finished he told them to break into pairs and each take turns trying to hex the other to test the other person's Shield Charm. Harry was about to pair up with Ron, but before he could Seamus declared, "Come on, Ron! If I can't beat you at Wizard's Chess tonight, I'll beat you at this!"
With an apologetically helpless look at Harry Ron went off with Seamus. So who was Harry supposed to pair up with then?
"Hermione," he called out as he spotted her across the room. "Why don't we pair up?"
Her expression was kind, but distant, like Harry wasn't someone she really knew well.
"Sorry, Harry," she apologized, "but you know I practice with Neville. Ginny, why don't you pair with Harry?" Hermione suggested.
Ron's sister glared at Hermione, but trotted over to Harry while Neville and Hermione took up positions opposite each other.
"She's just trying to keep him to herself," Ginny muttered disgustedly. "When will she see that he isn't interested?"
"Hermione's interested in Neville?" Harry asked, dumbfounded.
Ginny turned to him with a scowl. "Come on, Harry, has hanging out with my lunk-headed big brother dulled your brain? Of course she is!"
Hermione and Neville? Really?
"Are you ready or not?" Ginny asked, her wand pointing toward Harry. Fumbling for his own wand Harry withdrew from his robe pocket a length of rowan wood he had never seen before.
"Hold on, I think I've got the wrong wand," he told Ginny.
"Harry, you've had that wand since first year. Now quit stalling and try to cast a Shield Charm!"
Without further warning she sent a Jelly Leg hex toward him. Harry's called out "Protego!" and then crumpled to the floor as Ginny's hex took effect.
He'd cast it perfectly, hadn't he?
Ginny was grinning as she ended the hex, but Harry had nothing to smile about. It must be this new wand; it wouldn't work for him because it didn't match him.
"Lumos!" he intoned, and nearly dropped the wand when the tip began to glow. It was working for him! But then why hadn't the Shield Charm?
"Come on, get up and try me," Ginny encouraged. As the session wore on neither Harry or Ginny managed to produce a working Shield Charm, much to his frustration.
"Don't get all bent out of shape," Ginny chided him. "Neville said this was a difficult spell; we're probably not going to get it perfectly the first day.
But he had gotten it before! Why couldn't he now?
"Okay, everyone," Neville called. "Dueling time. Everyone should duel at least five different people before you leave."
This was his chance, Harry realized. What better way to find out if Neville was up to facing Voldemort than by dueling him?
"Let's duel," Harry suggested, jogging up to his friend.
Neville looked almost shocked at the suggestion. "Are you sure, Harry?" he asked, with obvious concern and a hint of warning.
"Yes," Harry answered curtly. Why was Neville making such a big deal out of this?
"If that's what you want. Stand by, Hermione," he instructed her and she nodded, moving off to open the cabinet of potions.
Huh? Stand by for what? But there was no time to wonder about that. Voldemort wouldn't play fair in battle, so Harry shouldn't either. As Neville turned back to him he shouted, "Expelliarmus!"
There was a flash of white light and the wand in Neville's hand flew up above his head-but so did his arm and the wand didn't leave his grasp.
Harry's jaw dropped. Somehow Neville had actually managed to hold onto his wand in the face of a Disarming Charm! How was that even possible?!? Harry had felt the force involved and he could no more have kept his grip on his wand than he could fly without a broom.
Neville brought his wand down to point at Harry and called, "Accio Harry!"
Suddenly Harry was flying without a broom, soaring through the air toward Neville, who was already drawing his left arm back. As Harry came within range Neville's fist shot forward and Harry's entire world exploded into pure, unadulterated agony.
"Look what he did to him!"
"Ron, I healed him; Harry's going to be fine!"
"Why won't he wake up then?"
Ron and Hermione's voices were penetrating into the blackness that engulfed him. Slowly Harry opened his eyes, seeing the ceiling of the Room of Requirement above him. Then that was blotted out by Neville leaning over him.
"He's awake now," Neville quietly said. He extended a hand downward and when Harry took hold of it Neville hoisted him to his feet, the effortless one-handed lift of Harry's one hundred and forty-three pounds not even causing the muscle-bound He-Boy Who Lived's enormous, mountainous right bicep to flex itself under his tight robe sleeve.
"Are you all right?" Neville asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry answered, relieved to feel no trace of the pain that had overwhelmed him before. He turned to the rest of the room.
Ron was only a few feet away, being restrained by Fred and George, a furious look on his face, as Hermione tried to calm him down. Standing behind them was the rest of the DA, apparently relieved to see Harry was fine.
"You can let him go," Neville told the twins. Reluctantly they did so.
"I know he's a berk, but don't break him, Neville," Fred urged.
"Neville won't hurt him if he doesn't do anything stupid," George declared.
"That's why I'm worried," Fred retorted.
"I warned you and Harry, Ron," Neville calmly said, "just like I warned everyone. Voldemort and the Death Eaters aren't going to hold back in battle; we can't afford to either. If you choose to duel me, I'll make it as real as I can without killing you. Don't volunteer to face me if you're not prepared to learn what an actual fight is like."
"You bloody broke Harry's jaw and his neck!" Ron protested. "That's mental!"
A chill ran up Harry's spine. Neville had done that much damage to him? With only one PUNCH?!?
"I did, and I had Hermione waiting to heal him. That's what she's trained for and that's why we have the Healing Potions here."
As the two boys faced each other Harry was struck by the contrast between them. Ron was definitely taller, but the new Neville was a veritable dark-haired pillar of powerful, sculpted muscle. His sheer physical presence utterly dwarfed the youngest Weasley son, making it almost seem as though Neville were the one towering over Ron.
"It's okay, Ron," Harry reassured his best friend, reaching out to touch Ron's shoulder.
"Back to dueling, everyone!" Neville ordered and with the exception of he, Ron and Hermione, the rest of the room returned to their practice matches.
"Ron, you can't do something like this again," Neville warned.
"Don't be too hard on him, Neville!" Seamus broke in. "Malfoy hexed him and Harry today; they've been forgetting things all night."
"Malfoy?" Neville asked, eyes narrowing dangerously. "Hermione, would you please check Ron and Harry over for hexes?"
"Of course," Hermione agreed.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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