The trek up to Gryffindor common room was spent catching up with Ron, his best friend. When they had dropped Remus off at the Defense classroom (and subsequently discovered the man was back to teach this year, which sent Harry and Ron into ecstatics over the possibilities) Ron had led them through the longest route to Gryffindor Tower, and though Harry noticed, he said nothing about it.

Soon enough though, the turned the corner and were faced with the Fat Lady, her pink satiny gown shining like she’d been repainted. Harry, ever polite, complemented her on her vibrant colour and gleaming frame, and she was so busy gushing about how nice a young man he was that she let them in without even asking for the password.

He wasn’t sure just what he was expecting, but his shoulders slumped in relief as he walked over to their usual seats and no one said (or looked) anything out of the way. Hermione, though, he noticed, gave Ron a contemptuous look from where she sat on the girl’s staircase, sniffed and turned back to the book in her lap. Ron gave Harry an exasperated look, to which the dark haired boy grinned and waved him in the direction of his girlfriend. Harry felt something tighten in his stomach as he realized Hermione hadn’t even looked at him, but he ignored it in favor of greeting Neville, who’d just flopped down in the armchair next to him.

“Wotcher, Harry.” The boy said, grinning widely.

“Hi…..Neville…” Harry said. Neville was…..different this year. The boy grinned wider as Harry blinked, and blinked again. “Wow, Neville. You look good.”

Neville and Harry both blushed, but before it could get awkward, Harry saved them both. “So, how was your summer?”

Neville grinned. “It was really good, Harry. Thanks for asking. I managed to get my Gran off my case for every little thing and had a bit of fun, me and Uncle Algie. Took me flying a lot, and then we went to somewhere called The Bahamas, and it was absolutely brilliant!” Harry promptly decided that Neville was absolutely dying to tell someone about his amazing trip, and that he could stand to listen to it. Besides, it was starting to sound real awesome.

“ – And you can swim in the ocean, Harry! The waters absolutely bloody brilliant and clear and it moves! Its nothing like the lake we have here, it’s a bloody force of nature and – “

Harry grinned, letting the boy ramble on, listening with half an ear to the vibrant descriptions of something called ‘Junkanoo’ and conch salad. He was also half paying attention to the common room, absently noting that there were seven first years staring at him in awe and various groups of students around the room whispering and sometimes pointing in his direction. Any other start of year, this would have been routine, but as Harry had just mysteriously showed up after no one had seen him since the platform two days ago, the common room was abuzz with whispered possibilities of his whereabouts.

He ignored them, though, for the time being, preferring to listen to Neville excited telling of a colorful festival called Junkanoo….. Harry grinned. It was odd, but not bad, to see Neville tis way. He knew he shouldn’t ask, it would be very rude, but he just couldn’t not know.

“Um, Neville?” he blushed. “What happened this summer?”

Neville grinned easily and shrugged. “I dunno, exactly, really. I just kina told my Gran I was Neville.” At Harry’s confused look, he explained. “My Gran’s always been, I mean, for a far back as I can remember, Gran’s always compared me to my dad. Always.” Harry gave the boy a sympatheric look; he knew what that felt like. “This summer, though, it kinda got worse. We went to visit my parents at St. Mungo’s like we usually do, but Dad’s …. “ he trailed off.

Arry swallowed with sympathy. He didn’t know what to say, He’d lost his parents such a long tim ago, he couldn’t even remember them. “He’s taken a turn for the worst?” he asked cautiously, all of a sudden aware that they were having this very serious discussion in the middle of the common room, the contents of which maybe no one was supposed to hear.

Neville nodded though, as if pulling himself back together. “They’ve given him a few more months, at best. Gran took it real badly, she did. And ‘course that meant she took it out on me. Suddenly everything was too difficult for me to handle, and I couldn’t hardly do anything without her knowing. Plus I had to sit and isten to her talk for hours about my dad and how good his grades were, his favorite sports, subjects, hobbies, how he could have gone on to be just about anybloodything he wanted,” here the boy rolled his eyes, drawing a smile from Harry, “until one day I just snapped. Told her my name was Neville, not Frank, and that I and’t any intention of becoming him either, thanks.”

Harry stared at the boy, wide-eyed. “What did she say to that?”

At this, Neville winced. “She burst into tears, that’s what.”

Harry grimaced in sympathy. “Cripes. That must have been rough.”

Neville nodded. Yea, but it was worth it, in the end. She laid off me a fair bit, then Uncle Albie came by and we left for our trip! All in all, not a bad summer, aye?”

Harry nibbled his lip. “Yea, but, your dad…”

Neville’s smile faltered a little. “My dad’s been sitting in St. Mungos for most of my life, Harry. I barely know the man. What I see when I visit him and Mum are people who’ve lost themselves. I’m not sad he’s going to die, I don’t even think I can be. I’m relieved, even. For someone so powerful as Gan makes him out to be, dying would be a mercy, I think. And I’m sure if he could se and understand what’s going on in his head somewhere, he’d tink the same thing.” The boy turned to look towards the fire. “Don’t et me wrong, I love him and my mum, I do. But I can’t help but feel it would have been better for us all, Gran included, if they ad both died that night. “

Neville fell silent, lost in his thoughts, leaving Harry to think that over.