Unity

Neville Longbottom crept silently out of bed and moved to the window seat, to bask in the moonlight. Staring up into the star-filled sky, he didn't notice the tear that slowly meandered down his cheek. But Harry Potter did. The other boy had been noiselessly enduring another sleepless night, courtesy of Voldemort, and had noticed Neville's rise.

Harry slowly walked over to the window and put a hand on Neville's shoulder. Neville was startled, especially once he noticed the wetness of tears on his cheek. Wiping his face, Neville asked, "What are you doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep--bad dreams," Harry replied, "You?"

"I--it's nothing."

"Can't be nothing."

"Well, I..."

"C'mon, Neville. You can talk to me."

"That's just it, Harry! I can't! I can't talk to any of you about it because then you'll know! You'll know and you won't want to be friends with me any longer!"

"Neville, what? I can't imagine anything that would stop me from wanting to be friends with you."

The pudgy boy sniffled. "You'll know I'm not brave, that I'm not like the rest of you. Who'd want to be friends with a Gryffindor who has nightmares every night? Who dreams of his mommy and daddy, come back to rescue him?"

"Neville...!"

"No, admit it, Harry. I'm just a big fat loser. Everyone's always going on about how Gryffindors are so courageous, how we'll always stand up to evil. I can't even stand up to Malfoy!"

"Neville, I have nightmares every night. Does that make me a coward? And do you know what my deepest heart's desire is? To have my parents back. I'd give anything just to be able to talk to them. For an hour, even."

"Yeah, but you're brave. Not like me."

"You think I'm brave? Neville, I'm the most cowardly person I know. You think I do everything I do out of sheer courage? I do what I have to do to protect my friends. And I screw up most of the time anyway." Harry pulled up his right sleeve. "And look at that."

Neville read the scar. "I will not tell lies? What's that mean?"

"Umbridge has been making me write lines all semester. I'm almost positive it's illegal, but I haven't told anyone except for Ron and Hermione. You know why?"

"You want revenge on her yourself?"

Harry laughed. "Hardly. I'm too scared. That's right; Harry Potter isn't even brave enough to tattle on a bad teacher."

"But why?"

"Because it wouldn't accomplish anything. All it would do would get me into more trouble, and make the other professors worry while Umbridge gives an Educational Decree making everything worse."

"Then that's not cowardliness, it's courage."

"Says you. I say you're one of the bravest people I've ever met."

"I can't even stand up to Malfoy!"

"Neville, forget about that little ferret. Who would you say's more powerful--Malfoy, or Ron, Hermione, and I combined?"

"Well... you guys, definitely."

"You stood up to us."

"That wasn't courage, that was... stupid."

"Neville, that was doing what you thought was right, regardless of the personal or physical cost to you. That takes more courage than anything I've ever done."

"Well... when you put it that way..."

"I'm just glad you talked to me. Are there other people here, Gryffindors, who think they don't belong? Think that they're not true Gryffindors because they can't see their own courage?"

"I guess so. You guys d-do present a daunting example to follow."

Harry smiled at that. "Well, you're going to help me find them. Maybe Gryffindor, with our inclusive nature, needs to watch for the people who don't include themselves. Bravery shows itself in different ways, Neville, but you and I--we're a lot alike."