The Mark of Courage

The Mark of Courage

Chapter Eleven

One down, three to go, Neville thought as he and Susan walked away from the Quidditch pitch, where the Ravenclaw House team had just concluded practice. He would be glad when this was over and the new commentator was announced. He thought he'd given a respectable performance, as had Susan. This was the first time, though, that he'd had the opportunity to witness the commentary of the other two House contestants, Orla Quirke of Ravenclaw, and Graham Pritchard of Slytherin. He had known he would be facing stiff competition for the commentator role. Now he knew just how stupid he'd been to even try out.

They were good. Very good. Frighteningly good. Neville figured he didn't stand a chance.

He wasn't too concerned with the possibility of losing. Though he was determined to give this his best shot now that he had committed to it, the only reason he'd made the attempt in the first place was to impress Ginny; and she hadn't said so much as a word of praise or encouragement since he'd started this fool's errand. It pretty much defeated the entire purpose behind his endeavor.

Susan, on the other hand, was not only admiring of his efforts, she encouraged him despite competing for the same position. Her praise was rather gratifying; and it was easy to reciprocate in kind. She really was very good with her commentary, demonstrating a thorough knowledge of the game and delivering a cogent, well-rounded play-by-play that was easy enough for newcomers to understand, yet detailed enough to satisfy the most diehard fanatic. Her skills pushed Neville to try his hardest, yet the friendly competition between the two somehow made it almost fun.

"So who do we have next, Gryffindor or Slytherin? I can't remember," Neville said. "I know we have both next week, I just can't recall which day. My brain's too stuffed with other things!" Homework, commentator tryouts, Occlumency lessons...he was becoming ever more grateful for starting his journal, if only to keep everything straight. Unfortunately, since the incident with Crabbe and Goyle in the library, he wasn't able to carry it with him at all times. He made do with scratching notes throughout the day on a piece of parchment and transcribing them into his journal each night.

"I know what you mean," Susan replied. "We have tryouts with Gryffindor on Wednesday and with Slytherin on Friday. I'm not looking forward to that one, let me tell you!"

"Neither am I." Draco Malfoy played Seeker for the Slytherin team, and Neville wasn't entirely sure he'd be able to keep his commentary unbiased. Besides, Crabbe and Goyle were Beaters, and he wouldn't put it past either of them to intentionally hit a Bludger his way in retaliation for the detentions they had earned because of him.

He had no choice but to inform Professor Snape that he would have to miss another Occlumency lesson. He wasn't looking forward to it. She was still upset with her brother for stealing Neville's inaugural lesson from her, and the fact that he had made more progress in one lesson with the Potions master than she had managed in two weeks with Harry only complicated things. It had been a startling revelation, realizing that he was better at Occlumency than Harry. He supposed it was because Harry had more bad memories to hide, more thoughts to conceal, than he did.

He had also noticed a subtle change in the Potions professor's behavior over the past week, ever since the Occlumency lesson. While Snape had been his usual caustic self during class, he no longer sought out opportunities to belittle or humiliate Neville as he had always done before. The contempt that usually dripped from his tone whenever he posed a question was gone, as was the icy disdain. Incredibly, Neville had finally succeeded in becoming just another student in his classroom. He wasn't sure why that was; but he was grateful for it nonetheless.

"A Sickle for your thoughts," Susan said, interrupting his musings.

"It's nothing, really," Neville replied. "I was just thinking about the Slytherin tryouts next Friday. It's not going to be fun. A thought that's not worth a plugged Knut, since we already knew that." He smiled at her. "I'll try to be more profound next time."

"You're worried about Crabbe and Goyle, aren't you?"

Were all girls so frighteningly perceptive? Neville wondered. "A little bit. They're in detention because of me, remember."

"I wouldn't worry too much," Susan said lightly. "After all, Snape will be there. Surely they wouldn't be so stupid as to hit a Bludger at you intentionally...especially if you're standing right next to their Head of House." Her smile became positively wicked. "It's all a matter of positioning."

"Positioning," Neville repeated. Slowly, an understanding grin spread across his face. "I see. You have a devious mind, Susan."

"Let's just say that Hufflepuff wasn't the only House the Sorting Hat considered for me."

Neville stopped short. "You almost went to Slytherin?"

Susan nodded, coming to a stop as well. "Why does that surprise you so much?"

"I...I don't know. Probably because I haven't had any good experiences with people Sorted there. It's kind of hard to imagine you being friends with the likes of Draco Malfoy."

"I don't think we would have got on whether I was Sorted into Slytherin or not," Susan said, her nose wrinkling. "Some of them aren't so bad, though. Millicent Bulstrode has her moments, and Blaise Zabini is..." she paused, searching for the right word. "Blaise is very studious. I've helped him with his Herbology homework several times in the past."

Neville considered her words before nodding slowly. "I don't agree about Millicent, but Blaise has always been fairly decent the few times our paths have crossed. Who knows, maybe he almost became a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff himself. I know the Sorting Hat almost put me into Hufflepuff."

"You would have been wasted in Hufflepuff," a new voice said from behind them.

Turning around, Neville and Susan found Luna Lovegood, puffing slightly as she caught up with them. Her cheeks were pinkened from exertion, the color clashing horribly with the bright orange radish-shaped earrings she favored.

"And just what is wrong with Hufflepuff?" Susan asked coldly. She was no longer smiling.

"Nothing," Luna replied, looking at Susan. From Neville's view it appeared as though the Ravenclaw girl was looking at a point just past Susan's shoulder. "I was only saying that Neville here would have been wasted as a Hufflepuff. He belongs where he is, in Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat almost put me there too, you know."

"Really." Susan sounded disbelieving.

"Oh yes," Luna said, nodding decisively. "But the Hat decided to put me into Ravenclaw instead. It said another sharp mind was too good to waste somewhere else." Abruptly, she turned to Neville, dismissing Susan. "I saw the tryout. You're very good."

"Erm...thanks," Neville replied. "How have you been? I haven't seen you much except at mealtimes. Did you have a good holiday?"

"Fine, though my father and I never did see that Crumple-Horned Snorkack while we were in Sweden. It was very close, though." She leaned forward, so close that Neville could smell mint on her breath. "We saw tracks!"

"Tracks?" Neville floundered, wondering how to make sense of this conversation. "I suppose that's good. It's almost like proof, isn't it?"

"Exactly!" Luna beamed at him. "It's only a matter of time. Anyway, that wasn't what I wanted to speak to you about."

Neville sensed Susan's growing impatience. He could see her from the corner of his eye, her arms folded across her chest, eyes flashing in annoyance. He bit his lip, wondering what to do. He didn't want to make Susan angry, yet he also considered Luna a friend. It was nice having another chance to talk to her.

"What did you want to say?" he asked, making his decision and praying that Susan wouldn't storm off in a huff. She didn't, but her obvious annoyance shifted into a carefully blank expression he liked even less.

"Has Harry said anything to you about bringing back the DA? I thought he might have mentioned it by now, but nobody's said anything either way. I overheard Terry and Padma talking about it earlier, and they're wondering the same thing."

Neville shook his head. "No, he hasn't mentioned it at all."

"It might be nice if we reformed it," Susan said, joining the conversation. Once she'd realized that the topic was a safe one, she had apparently decided to forgive Neville. For what, he couldn't fathom. "Since that horrible Umbridge woman is gone, we could bring it back as an official club. I know I learned a lot from it last year."

"I'll ask Harry next time I see him," Neville promised, not liking the way Susan and Luna eyed each other. "Well, I need to get back to the castle. Homework and all, you know." They both turned to look at him.

"That's right," Susan said, a little too loudly than was absolutely necessary. "Neville and I have a Charms project to work on, don't we?"

"Let me know if you find out anything," Luna said. Her gaze resumed its usual dreaminess. "I have to get back to the castle as well. Maybe I'll find out what happened to my Transfiguration textbook." She walked past them, humming a sad little tune under her breath.

Once she was out of earshot, Susan said, "I didn't know that you and Loony Luna were such good friends."

"I didn't really get to know her until last year," Neville replied. Was that jealousy he detected in her voice? Surely not. "She's not as crazy as she seems. Eccentric, yes; but not mad. She's a good person to have at your back. People should give her more of a chance." His mind flashed to a brief image of Luna, lying pale and still after being struck by a Stunner during the battle at the Ministry of Magic. "She would have made a good Gryffindor."

Susan sniffed. "Well, I don't care what she said earlier about you being wasted in Hufflepuff. I think you would have been great there. We do prize loyalty, after all, and you're obviously very loyal to your friends. It's one of the things I like about you." She smiled shyly. "I'm sorry if I seemed shrewish just now. It's just that I took her comment about my House the wrong way."

"You don't have anything to apologize for," Neville replied, and Susan brightened. He breathed an inward sigh of relief. Dealing with girls was like tiptoeing through a room full of sleeping trolls---one misstep and disaster was assured.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After promising to meet Susan in the library after lunch to work on their Charms project, Neville headed to the Great Hall. The others were already seated at the Gryffindor table as he took an empty spot across from Harry and began filling his plate.

"So how did the Ravenclaw tryout go?" Ginny asked, not bothering to conceal her curiosity. "What are the other two contestants like?"

"It went all right," Neville answered, spooning some green beans onto his plate. "The other two contestants are really good. I don't think I'm going to win this, Ginny. They're all better than I am."

"You don't know that," Hermione said kindly, overhearing. "We all heard you the other day. You're a lot better than you think you are. You wouldn't be in the next round, otherwise, would you?"

"You're good," Ginny said, and Neville nearly dropped his fork in shock. It was the first time she had said anything about his abilities as a commentator. Meeting his startled gaze, she elaborated, "You have a solid knowledge of the game, and you have a nice clear style of delivery. At least, you did at the Gryffindor team tryouts. I wish I could have seen you today, but, well..." She shrugged. "Can't have us Gryffindor players learning Ravenclaw's tactics, now can we?"

"Wouldn't be sporting," Ron said around a mouthful of potato.

"I suppose not," Neville said. "The Gryffindor tryout is this Wednesday, though. You'll have to listen to me then. You'll have no choice. There will be no escape!"

"Not that! Anything but that!" Ron said melodramatically. "Harry, save us!"

"Sorry, mate," Harry chuckled. "I think we're in for it." He looked over at Neville, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Just be sure you sound appropriately unbiased when you do the commentary. You know, something along the line of, 'And Ron Weasley, the best Keeper in the history of the game, makes another fantastic save! Such drama! Such finesse!'" Ron blushed.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you two. Neville, when it's your turn to do the commentary, don't forget to mention that two of the players have such big heads it's a wonder they can fly at all!" She sipped from her goblet and changed topic. "I spoke to Hannah Abbott in the library this morning."

"Is that why you weren't at breakfast?" Ron asked. "There's more to life than studying on a Saturday, you know."

"She was wondering if we were planning to bring back the DA as an official club," Hermione continued. "She and Ernie MacMillan were talking about it earlier."

"That's funny," Neville said. "Susan and I talked to Luna for a bit after the Ravenclaw tryout, and she mentioned the same thing. Susan seemed to think it was a good idea. She mentioned making it an official club. I'm pretty sure Dumbledore would agree to it, if we decided to bring it back."

"We'd have to make it open to everyone, though," Ron said, "which means we'd have to include the Slytherins. Do we really want Malfoy and his friends sharpening their hexing skills?"

"Malfoy's hexing skills are sharp enough already," Neville said, remembering the time the Slytherin had hit him with a Jelly-Legs Jinx. "He probably wouldn't even be interested in joining."

"Actually, I think he'd be very interested," Ginny said slowly. "I know it would interest his father. Malfoy still gets owl posts regularly, and I'm sure he still communicates with his father, even though he's still a fugitive. If we reformed the DA, he'd probably join just to keep an eye on the rest of us."

"We could bring back the Dueling Club," Hermione suggested, chewing her lower lip. "That would almost be like the DA, only less obvious."

"What do you think, Harry?" Ron asked.

"Whatever you decide is fine with me," Harry replied. "You don't need my approval. It's not my decision to make. The DA wasn't even my idea in the first place!"

"I'll ask Professor Snape what she thinks about it," Neville said hurriedly, seeing Harry's expression darken. "If she thinks it's a good idea, she can get permission from Dumbledore. She teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts, maybe she could be in charge of the club. Always assuming we bring the club back."

"That's a good idea," Hermione said, nodding. "There does seem to be a lot of interest, especially since the last Azkaban escape. I'll bet Professor Snape could teach us a lot of spells we don't know yet."

"We'd still have to include the Slytherins!" Ron protested. "Doesn't that bother anyone else besides me? Why can't we keep it a secret like last year?"

"Because we had no choice last year!" Hermione exclaimed. Looking around, she leaned over the table and said, more quietly, "We had a Dark Arts professor who wasn't teaching the subject! We don't have that problem this year. There's no reason to keep it secret. And don't you dare say another word about the Slytherins! Remember the Sorting Hat's song?"

Ron, who had apparently planned to mention Slytherin again, closed his mouth with an audible snap. Neville wasn't certain, but he thought the other boy was grinding his teeth.

"House unity," he said, ignoring the dirty look Ron shot him. "We'd have to include them. I don't see any way around it."

"Neither do I," Harry said, surprisingly. "Hermione's right. If we do bring back the DA, or the Dueling Club, we have to include the Slytherins. They might be watching us, but we'd be watching them as well. They can't all be like Malfoy." He turned towards Neville. "You should be the one to bring up the subject to Professor Snape," he said. "If it looks like it was your idea, no one will argue about it."

"I already said I'd ask, Harry," Neville said.

"Sorry." Harry had the good grace to at least look embarrassed. "One more thing. If this club does reform, I'm not going to lead it. Hopefully, Professor Snape will be the one in charge, but if she decides not to, someone else will have to do the honor. We're trying not to raise suspicion, remember?"

"Then we're agreed?" Hermione asked. "We're going to try to bring back the DA?"

"If it's possible, yeah," Harry replied.

Neville hid a smile behind his goblet. He hoped Professor Snape would agree to sponsor a club, thus giving him further opportunities to improve his abilities. He desperately wanted to master the Patronus Charm this year. He'd practiced all summer, and still couldn't do anything more than make silvery vapor appear from his wand. Either he had reached the limits of his ability, or he needed happier memories. He refused to dwell on the first possibility. As for the second---the school term was still young, and so far it had exceeded all of his expectations. Were it not for Malfoy's ever-present taunts and the mysterious fact that he could somehow share Harry's dreams, it would be perfect.

"I'm meeting Susan in the library after lunch," he said, setting the goblet back onto the table. "I'll let her know what we're planning, and she can spread the word to the other Hufflepuffs. Ginny, don't you have classes with Luna?"

"Just Charms, but it's my second class on Mondays," she replied. "I'll let her know, if you don't meet a Ravenclaw in the library first who happened to be in the DA last year."

"Slytherins in the DA," Ron said mournfully, shaking his head. "It'll be a disaster, you mark my words. A disaster!"