Learning how to feel (LeStrangexLongbottom)

ORIGINAL THREAD: Learning how to feel (LeStrangexLongbottom)
FROM: Old Muse
WITH: Purple and Lari
CONTINUED: from last post

"Neville, did she hurt you?" Ginny asked him, her eyes blazing with anger at the thought of him getting hurt by a Death Eater. Without Ron or Harry here, not only did Neville need to protect her, but she needed to have some unlucky soul to fuss over. She had Mrs. Weasley's motherly genes strong in her, and without a brother and boyfriend to constantly watch over (ironic how they both tried to be the protector), Neville and Seamus ended up the replacement brother.

"Obviously I'm alive and fine," Neville muttered, gesturing to his unharmed body. He was slightly embarrassed by her babying of him. It's almost as if she expected him to be hurt. After all, he's Neville, the one bad things always happen to. The unlucky oaf. The one who is picked on and played by a potato when everyone else gets a nice puppet. "She taught me some basic of how Death Eaters fight. I learned more in that hour than I have all of this year so far." The three DA members all gave each other bitter looks. They constantly complain about the lack of teaching going on at Hogwarts under control of the Death Eaters. Plus the fact that without the Golden Trio, no one really has any substantial amount of experience and can't really help teach.

He glanced at Darcy. She had experience, obviously. And she wasn't solid on Death Eater views, considering she hasn't killed them yet, and even gave a vandalizing tip. She could help teach them. But the problem was to get her to agree. He couldn't ask her until he trusted her at least a tiny bit. And that trust wasn't there yet.

And it would be a whole other battle trying to get Ginny and Seamus to go along with it. Seamus was quiet this whole time, but that won't always be the case. And Ginny is always going to object to the idea. But this was about surviving, and they just might need Darcy to be able to.

He wanted to test her first. "We also left one of these down in the dungeons by the Slytherin common room, for kicks really. Could you put a permenant sticking charm on it for us? We don't want to back track all the way back down there," Neville told her. Tomorrow when going to classes, he would see if it was really there, and really stuck. She probably would do it; there wasn't much danger in it for her, as no one would even suspect she helped with it. But it was step one in discovering where her loyalties lie.

Ginny was red in the face. Huffing, she marched away, with Seamus in tow. The boy didn't look too happy with Neville, but Seamus trusted him enough to not argue. He would have to talk with the two later and explain. But what could he explain? They weren't there and didn't see how Darcy acted first hand; they'll think she's just trying to trick them. Maybe she was.

"Rather protective, that one," Darcy said, watching the redhead stomp off. She couldn't imagine having someone be that protective of her. Her mother had never cared that much, her father had never cared about anyone, including her mother, and well, no one else had been close enough to have even the potential to be protective. Seemed like it would be more a nuisance than anything, though, so she wasn't exactly upset about it.

"So how is it that you three aren't expelled or dead by now?" she asked conversationally. It seemed like a tribute to how little she needed to make conversation of any sort that she would come up with something so morbid to say. Either that or things were just that bad these days. Maybe a little of both.

The Slytherin didn't think on it too long, pushing her dark hair out of her face as her eyes drifted to the wall. It was a nice little piece of vandalism, she would give them that. The Death Eaters never really stooped as low as vandalism, but then they hardly needed to. With the Dark Lord in control of the Ministry of Magic it was pretty obvious that his followers were out and about. They didn't need to advertise it. Neither did they need to write messages on walls to piss off the people in authority. They were the people in authority. At least, most of the time they were.

Neville shrugged at her question. "We haven't caused that much trouble yet," Neville defended. They were just getting started along the lines of trouble. Besides, Neville, Ginny and Seamus all weren't that close. It just happened to be the three of the DA that had enough time and courage to do this. It's not like they were the substitute golden trio. "If you should ask anyone that question, it should be Harry, Ron, and Hermione, not us."

Neville raised an eyebrow, waiting to see her reaction on the mention of the Golden Trio. Most junior death eaters would sneer at even the mention of the Boy-who-just-couldn't-die, the blood traitor, and the mudblood. What was her opinion of them? Just because she seemed indifferent about Neville doesn't mean she would be about them. For all he knew, she could actually believe in the cause of all this chaos. Most death eaters forgot it in their storms of blood lust, but the real reason for it all was to get rid of muggles and mudbloods. What if she agreed? Neville would understand; when someone is raised to come up a certain way, it was hard to go against years of child brainwashing.

"Why don't you hate me?" Neville found himself asking. Maybe she actually did hate him, but he could infer that she didn't. After all, he was still alive.

"No, you haven't, but it's not exactly hard to get killed these days," she said with what could have been a small smile but was more likely only a smirk. At his next comment she could only roll her eyes though. The LeStrange countered his raised eyebrow with one of her own, as if to say "Are you an idiot?"

"Yes, let me just send them an owl and ask them real quick," she said sarcastically, "I'm sure they'll respond immediately." Sure he was trying to get some reaction out of her regarding the oh-so-famous Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but that didn't seem to be the important part of his comment. The few times she'd seen the three at school hadn't been enough to really form a lasting opinion of any of them. They always seemed to be in some terrible hurry, doing something terribly important, but then everyone she'd grown up with had about the same attitude.

"I don't know you enough to hate you," she said with a shrug. "Most purebloods I know are idiots, and most mudbloods I know are dead, so there's not really any comparison." Besides, she'd seen both die at the hands of Voldemort or some Death Eater. Seemed they both went the same, without a chance. How could you really argue that one was better than the other?

The boy wore a very sad look at the truth. It was quite easy to get killed, that was for sure. If he leaves the next day, especially with the DA Recruiting signs and all, it would be an amazing shock. "Even if they got the owl, they're just as surprised they're not dead yet as any of us are," Neville said with a shrug. He loved the three, but he was indeed wondering how it was possible all of them were still alive. If one wrote down all the trouble they've gotten into, any normal person would have gotten killed by then. Heck, a normal person would have died in their first year with the troll encounter. They had some kind of amazing luck up their sleeve, or maybe whoever it is that makes up the fates really likes the three.

Neville was glad that she wasn't comparing him to anyone, because that's what people who don't know any better do. Which means that she had some brains on that pretty head. It also means that there was some hope for her. Anyone smart enough would note some flaws and problems in the way Voldemort runs things. "Well, then maybe you should try to get to know me, so you can answer the question," Neville suggested, almost sounding like he was flirting with her. Of course, there was more to it. Neville didn't like the idea of a Slytherin getting to know him as much as he sounded like he did. But getting to know someone was usually a mutual task, unless one was a stalker, and it would mean he would get to know her also. The Little Death Eater made him quite curious, as terrible as that would sound if he were to admit it to his friends, and he had hope that maybe, one day, she wouldn't be a Death Eater anymore. And if Lestrange's daughter was indifferent, or eventually even against Voldemort, then it shows that she can't be the only one. Maybe, if Darcy didn't turn out to be so bad after all, it would help Neville have hope for winning this war. Merlin knows, he needs some.