Bonus Content Fic: The Man and the Moon
Title: The Man and the Moon
Username: ncp
Pairing: None
Type: Gen
Prompt #: Own prompt
Rating: PG-13 (for language)
Word Count: 1357
Warnings/content: None
Summary:Luna’s been taken, and Neville needs a plan. It’s too bad he’s a Gryffindor.
Notes:Thanks so much to shy_of_reality for letting me clean up this dusty old fic and submit it for the Bonus round when RL killed my assigned prompt. Thanks also to my beta, lash_larue, who is always full of wonderful insights and suggestions.
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters/references are property of JK Rowling and associates. No copyright infringement is intended.
They were the last off the train, so Platform 9 3/4 was already crowded when they stepped onto it. Neville and Ginny looked out at the abundance of dark, hooded cloaks and the shuttered looks on people's faces and the pillars festooned with Fairy lights and holly branches, as if there was anything to celebrate this Christmas. Neville spied his Gran in the crowd, vulture proudly erect on her hat. Ginny stayed close to his side, searching for anyone with red hair.
"Where's Luna?" he asked.
Ginny shrugged. "With the other Ravenclaws, I think." Neville suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Of course she was with the other Ravenclaws, that's what the older DA members had ultimately agreed on. The Slytherin prefects (even that little blonde Fifth-year who he suspected was on the right side) had been patrolling the train ever since it left Hogsmeade, and they were not being stingy with the hexes.
Gran came barreling through the crowd at that moment. "There you are, Neville. We have a Portkey to catch in five minutes, unless you fancy taking rooms at a Muggle hotel tonight," she announced.
"Wait a bit, Gran. I need to talk to a friend first." He wanted to introduce himself to Xenophilius Lovegood and discuss Luna's idea of smuggling copies of The Quibbler into Hogwarts next term. Platform 9 3/4 was not the best place for two known troublemakers to meet for the first time, but the Lovegood's Floo was probably being watched even more closely than Gran's was. Meeting in public like this was less risky.
Gran looked around warily at the Death Eaters trying and failing to blend in with the crowd. "There is precious little time to waste in socializing. I went to a great deal of trouble --"
"Take my trunk and give me some Muggle money if you're worried. I'll take that Muggle train that runs under the ground and Floo home from the Leaky Cauldron. This is important." Shocked by his dismissive tone, Gran opened and closed her mouth several times before staring at him oddly and then perching stiffly on the edge of his trunk. Ginny had finally found Fleur Delacour -- no, Fleur Weasley, now -- and she didn't look as annoyed as he expected. Neville continued to scan the crowd for Luna's ragged yellow curls.
Suddenly, he felt his DA coin burning in his pocket. He saw Ginny turn away from her sister-in-law and meet his eyes. What couldn't wait until after they were all safe at home? The puzzlement on Ginny's face gave him no clues, but Anthony Goldstein was hugging his mother and signaling to him behind her back covertly. Ignoring his grandmother's "Neville Franklin Longbottom, don't you dare leave me here alone!", he walked over to the Ravenclaw boy as casually as he could manage. "What's going on, Goldstein?"
Goldstein led him a few steps away behind the nearest pillar. "It's Luna," he whispered. The fear and guilt in the other boy's eyes was unmistakable, even as he kept his face immobile. "They got her."
Dread filled Neville's heart. No guesses as to who "they" were. If the Death Eaters had Luna, then Dumbledore's Army needed to mobilize. Right fucking now, if they could manage it. Gran had her Portkey, she'd be safe at home in a few minutes. Luna, though…. "What the fuck do you mean, 'they got her'? Where the bloody hell is she?"
"I don't know!"
"How the hell can you not know?" he asked, his tenor rising with every word. "She was supposed to be with you!" He thrust his hand into his pocket, and the fake Galleon burned into his palm.
"She was, but..."
"But what?" Neville couldn't believe it. He'd let her get kidnapped?
"Stop yelling, Longbottom," Goldstein hissed, covering Neville's fist and the coin before he had a chance to signal the rest of the DA. "Do you want every Death Eater in this station to hear us?" Neville shook Goldstein off violently and waited for what would hopefully be some sort of strategy. He was no good at planning; Stunning Spells were his specialty. He just followed whatever mad schemes popped into Luna's head; they almost always worked. Damn it! Luna was gone now. Goldstein had better have some equally brilliant ideas; the idiot needed to atone for his mistake somehow.
Glancing around to make sure they weren't being overheard, he spied Gran staring at him with a strange, yet disapproving look on her face. But this was no time to care about Gran's opinion. Ginny crept up to them and reached for her wand, ready for a fight. Good girl. Goldstein crowded close, whispering urgently. "Her father was supposed to meet her, but she knew it was Polyjuice right away. Whoever it was just grabbed her and Disapparated."
"Why didn't you do anything as soon as she mentioned Polyjuice? Why didn't you try to stop him?" She could be anywhere right now, because the Humongous Bighead hadn't done his fucking duty to protect the underaged DA members.
"I didn't fancy hexes being thrown around in the middle of Platform 9 3/4. There are Firsties here who could have gotten seriously hurt, or worse."
Neville felt his palm itch and tried very hard not to break Goldstein's nose. Fucking Ravenclaws, always analyzing every little thing, as if war was some sort of fucking chess game. And now Goldstein's hesitation had put Luna's very life in danger! "So you let them take her?"
"Be quiet!" the shorter boy hissed.
"Fuck off, Goldstein!" he shouted, his hand curling into a fist involuntarily. "How could you..."
"Neville, don't make a scene!" Ginny pleaded, placing her hand on his arm. Neville saw red. He thought that after everything their little trio had been through, Ginny would understand the urgency of the situation.
"Don't make a scene? What, are you on his side now?" He heard the crack of Ginny's palm before he felt its sting against his cheek.
"How dare you!" she shrieked. "You cheated on me, remember? You have no right, no right, to tell me who I'm allowed to snog!" Goldstein stared at her for a split-second, confused, then suddenly put his arm around her waist and raised his wand threateningly.
"Leave us alone, Longbottom! She wants nothing to do with you after the way you treated her!"
Thrown off balance, Neville's eyes shot from one of them to the other. "Wha...?"
Ginny stepped in close to him and bit off every word as if her life depended on it. "We will discuss this when you are in a position to communicate appropriately." She glanced significantly at his pocket, in which the DA Galleon was still warm. Finally understanding their game, Neville took a deep breath and grudgingly played along. He could cheerfully kill Goldstein for handing Luna over to the Death Eaters, but he wasn't ready to fight Ginny as well. He would need her wand soon enough, Trace be damned.
"Don't come begging me to take you back when he's thrown you over for his next piece of arse," he snarled as he stalked off to find his Portkey. The sooner he could get home, the sooner he could activate the coins and do something, instead of everyone running their gobs like a bunch of gossipy hens.
Gran was standing by his trunk, a pair of knitting needles in hand. That unfamiliar, angry look was still on her face as she thrust one of the needles into his outstretched palm. He grabbed his trunk in the other hand, just in time to feel the pull behind his navel. "I hope you're pleased with yourself," Gran snapped, "drawing attention to yourself in front of the whole of Hogwarts. The next time you embarrass me like that in public, Frank, I will box your ears, even if you are of age."
Username: ncp
Pairing: None
Type: Gen
Prompt #: Own prompt
Rating: PG-13 (for language)
Word Count: 1357
Warnings/content: None
Summary:Luna’s been taken, and Neville needs a plan. It’s too bad he’s a Gryffindor.
Notes:Thanks so much to shy_of_reality for letting me clean up this dusty old fic and submit it for the Bonus round when RL killed my assigned prompt. Thanks also to my beta, lash_larue, who is always full of wonderful insights and suggestions.
Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters/references are property of JK Rowling and associates. No copyright infringement is intended.
They were the last off the train, so Platform 9 3/4 was already crowded when they stepped onto it. Neville and Ginny looked out at the abundance of dark, hooded cloaks and the shuttered looks on people's faces and the pillars festooned with Fairy lights and holly branches, as if there was anything to celebrate this Christmas. Neville spied his Gran in the crowd, vulture proudly erect on her hat. Ginny stayed close to his side, searching for anyone with red hair.
"Where's Luna?" he asked.
Ginny shrugged. "With the other Ravenclaws, I think." Neville suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. Of course she was with the other Ravenclaws, that's what the older DA members had ultimately agreed on. The Slytherin prefects (even that little blonde Fifth-year who he suspected was on the right side) had been patrolling the train ever since it left Hogsmeade, and they were not being stingy with the hexes.
Gran came barreling through the crowd at that moment. "There you are, Neville. We have a Portkey to catch in five minutes, unless you fancy taking rooms at a Muggle hotel tonight," she announced.
"Wait a bit, Gran. I need to talk to a friend first." He wanted to introduce himself to Xenophilius Lovegood and discuss Luna's idea of smuggling copies of The Quibbler into Hogwarts next term. Platform 9 3/4 was not the best place for two known troublemakers to meet for the first time, but the Lovegood's Floo was probably being watched even more closely than Gran's was. Meeting in public like this was less risky.
Gran looked around warily at the Death Eaters trying and failing to blend in with the crowd. "There is precious little time to waste in socializing. I went to a great deal of trouble --"
"Take my trunk and give me some Muggle money if you're worried. I'll take that Muggle train that runs under the ground and Floo home from the Leaky Cauldron. This is important." Shocked by his dismissive tone, Gran opened and closed her mouth several times before staring at him oddly and then perching stiffly on the edge of his trunk. Ginny had finally found Fleur Delacour -- no, Fleur Weasley, now -- and she didn't look as annoyed as he expected. Neville continued to scan the crowd for Luna's ragged yellow curls.
Suddenly, he felt his DA coin burning in his pocket. He saw Ginny turn away from her sister-in-law and meet his eyes. What couldn't wait until after they were all safe at home? The puzzlement on Ginny's face gave him no clues, but Anthony Goldstein was hugging his mother and signaling to him behind her back covertly. Ignoring his grandmother's "Neville Franklin Longbottom, don't you dare leave me here alone!", he walked over to the Ravenclaw boy as casually as he could manage. "What's going on, Goldstein?"
Goldstein led him a few steps away behind the nearest pillar. "It's Luna," he whispered. The fear and guilt in the other boy's eyes was unmistakable, even as he kept his face immobile. "They got her."
Dread filled Neville's heart. No guesses as to who "they" were. If the Death Eaters had Luna, then Dumbledore's Army needed to mobilize. Right fucking now, if they could manage it. Gran had her Portkey, she'd be safe at home in a few minutes. Luna, though…. "What the fuck do you mean, 'they got her'? Where the bloody hell is she?"
"I don't know!"
"How the hell can you not know?" he asked, his tenor rising with every word. "She was supposed to be with you!" He thrust his hand into his pocket, and the fake Galleon burned into his palm.
"She was, but..."
"But what?" Neville couldn't believe it. He'd let her get kidnapped?
"Stop yelling, Longbottom," Goldstein hissed, covering Neville's fist and the coin before he had a chance to signal the rest of the DA. "Do you want every Death Eater in this station to hear us?" Neville shook Goldstein off violently and waited for what would hopefully be some sort of strategy. He was no good at planning; Stunning Spells were his specialty. He just followed whatever mad schemes popped into Luna's head; they almost always worked. Damn it! Luna was gone now. Goldstein had better have some equally brilliant ideas; the idiot needed to atone for his mistake somehow.
Glancing around to make sure they weren't being overheard, he spied Gran staring at him with a strange, yet disapproving look on her face. But this was no time to care about Gran's opinion. Ginny crept up to them and reached for her wand, ready for a fight. Good girl. Goldstein crowded close, whispering urgently. "Her father was supposed to meet her, but she knew it was Polyjuice right away. Whoever it was just grabbed her and Disapparated."
"Why didn't you do anything as soon as she mentioned Polyjuice? Why didn't you try to stop him?" She could be anywhere right now, because the Humongous Bighead hadn't done his fucking duty to protect the underaged DA members.
"I didn't fancy hexes being thrown around in the middle of Platform 9 3/4. There are Firsties here who could have gotten seriously hurt, or worse."
Neville felt his palm itch and tried very hard not to break Goldstein's nose. Fucking Ravenclaws, always analyzing every little thing, as if war was some sort of fucking chess game. And now Goldstein's hesitation had put Luna's very life in danger! "So you let them take her?"
"Be quiet!" the shorter boy hissed.
"Fuck off, Goldstein!" he shouted, his hand curling into a fist involuntarily. "How could you..."
"Neville, don't make a scene!" Ginny pleaded, placing her hand on his arm. Neville saw red. He thought that after everything their little trio had been through, Ginny would understand the urgency of the situation.
"Don't make a scene? What, are you on his side now?" He heard the crack of Ginny's palm before he felt its sting against his cheek.
"How dare you!" she shrieked. "You cheated on me, remember? You have no right, no right, to tell me who I'm allowed to snog!" Goldstein stared at her for a split-second, confused, then suddenly put his arm around her waist and raised his wand threateningly.
"Leave us alone, Longbottom! She wants nothing to do with you after the way you treated her!"
Thrown off balance, Neville's eyes shot from one of them to the other. "Wha...?"
Ginny stepped in close to him and bit off every word as if her life depended on it. "We will discuss this when you are in a position to communicate appropriately." She glanced significantly at his pocket, in which the DA Galleon was still warm. Finally understanding their game, Neville took a deep breath and grudgingly played along. He could cheerfully kill Goldstein for handing Luna over to the Death Eaters, but he wasn't ready to fight Ginny as well. He would need her wand soon enough, Trace be damned.
"Don't come begging me to take you back when he's thrown you over for his next piece of arse," he snarled as he stalked off to find his Portkey. The sooner he could get home, the sooner he could activate the coins and do something, instead of everyone running their gobs like a bunch of gossipy hens.
Gran was standing by his trunk, a pair of knitting needles in hand. That unfamiliar, angry look was still on her face as she thrust one of the needles into his outstretched palm. He grabbed his trunk in the other hand, just in time to feel the pull behind his navel. "I hope you're pleased with yourself," Gran snapped, "drawing attention to yourself in front of the whole of Hogwarts. The next time you embarrass me like that in public, Frank, I will box your ears, even if you are of age."