To say that his third year at Hogwarts was a massive trainwreck would be the understatement of the millenia. Neville had never really had the best of luck when it came to this school. First year, there was the whole Remembrall fiasco; then he broke his wrist; then he was jinxed into oblivion by Hermione. Second year was just a whole dumpster fire in and of itself, what with the train-car-sized reptile moving through the school and trying to eat the students.
But his third year? This was by far the worst. And that really was saying something, given the circumstances.
The worst part? He hadn’t even stepped foot inside the castle yet.
The day had gone relatively smoothly. He’d packed all of his luggage onto the train, said goodbye to his family, then climbed aboard and waited for Ginny and Luna to find him. He only lost Trevor once, and it was only for a few minutes before a very confused, yet enthusiastic, first year returned the wayward toad.
Neville had just sat back down, mischievous toad tucked safely in his pocket, when the compartment door slid back and the girls stepped in. Ginny had her middle finger raised very pointedly at a group of sniggering Slytherins, a scowl on her face as she slammed the door. Luna looked completely unfazed, her form serene and strangely ethereal as she took her seat.
Neville looked back and forth between the two girls and their drastically differing dispositions. “What… What’s going on?”
“The pricks were making fun of her!” Ginny exploded. “Saying she was weird and- and bizarre!” She growled and Neville watched her hands clench into fists. “Merlin’s beard,” she exclaimed, “I just wish I knew as many hexes as Hermione- then I could curse the whole lot of them into last week.”
Luna laughed softly. “I like to see it as a compliment,” she said, tone lilting.
Ginny stared at her, confusion taking over her expression. “How?” She asked incredulously. “They were trying to be mean to you! They weren’t trying to complement you, Luna, I promise.”
“Maybe not. But I see nothing wrong with being called weird. I wish to one day live in a world where being called ‘normal’ is the insult.”
Neville shrugged and looked back at Ginny. “Seems like a solid life philosophy,” he stated.
Ginny rolled her eyes after a moment and said softly, “The both of you are incorrigible.”
Everything was amazing! He was back with his friends, he had Trevor, discussions of summer activities were in full swing- Neville let himself lean back against the seat. Maybe this year would be where his luck started to turn?
Of course, the moment that thought crossed his mind was the moment everything went to hell.
The train’s brakes screeched as the massive machine slowly ground to a halt. The rain splattering against the window gradually seemed to turn to sleet as the temperature, even inside the cars, began dropping.
The laughter that had been filling the compartment, as Neville and Luna watched Ginny’s botched attempt to recreate the twins’ latest exploit, died away. The lights flickered and all three friends found themselves staring up at the ceiling, before there was a short sizzle and the power died.
“Hey,” Neville said slowly, “we’re not close to the school yet, are we?”
“We shouldn’t be,” Ginny said, wrinkling her forehead. “I don’t know much about muggle hardware, but do trains normally shut down in the middle of the tracks?”
Luna shook her head. “No, they don’t. They shouldn’t, anyway. Perhaps it’s the Muckleis in the engine?”
Neville was just about to ask her what a mucklei was, when he felt it- It felt like his heart fell out of his body, leaving a soul-deep, aching sadness in its place. He raised one hand and placed it on his chest, rubbing at his sternum.
“Guys,” he said, eyes darting around the carriage, “something’s not right.”
“What are you-” Luna began, but she cut herself off and sat up a bit straighter. She looked startled and followed Neville’s lead, gaze bouncing to the door and around the small train compartment. “I feel it, too,” she said, her voice even more timid and quiet than usual.
There was a loud croak and Neville nearly jumped out of his skin. Trevor had crawled his way out of his pocket and was now seated on the window sill, his wide eyes scanning the three children with a certain kind of intelligence that Neville had never seen in him before.
“What are the both of you on about?” Ginny asked, her confusion evident.
“Do you not feel that?” Neville asked. With every passing moment, he felt like it was getting harder and harder to fight off the despair that was creeping down his throat.
“No?” Ginny admitted. “What am I supposed to be feeling?”
Neville opened his mouth, but the words seemed to get stuck. Luna finished the thought for him. “Sadness,” she said. “Overwhelming sadness.”
Ginny looked back and forth between them. “I mean,” she said, “I feel… Off, but- But not really sad.”
Neville pulled his legs off the ground, bringing them to his chest and wrapping his arms around them. He let his head fall onto his knees, his fingers tapping with nervous energy. He couldn’t explain why his eyes were filling with tears, but he couldn’t really find it in himself to care all that much.
He was too sad. Sad about what? He didn’t know. But he felt awful.
That’s when he heard it- the screams. His entire body went tense and his head shot up, eyes wide with fear. They were torrid and anguished, the cries echoing around inside his head.
Ginny noticed his sudden change. “Nev,” she asked softly, “are you alright?”
Hoarsely, he asked, “Can either of you hear that?”
Beside him, he felt Luna go rigid as well. “I- I can hear my mum.”
Neville knew about what had happened to Luna’s mother. She had died in an accident when one of her experiments had gone awry. If Luna was hearing her mum… Was it possible?
He shook his head, hard. It couldn’t be. He couldn’t be hearing this! He had no memory of- Of that night! How could he be hearing something he had no recollection of?
If it were possible, the air seemed to get even colder. Trevor croaked again, jumping off the window sill and onto the ground. With a few more hops, he was seated in front of the sliding door.
The cries in his head got louder and Neville forgot how to breathe. He curled into himself, hands going over his ears in a vain attempt at blocking out his parent’s tortured screams.
His fingernails dug into his scalp, his eyes wide but not seeing the compartment he was looking at. He was rocking from side to side, his lungs aching as he tried to catch a deep breath.
“Stop,” he whispered, “stop, stop, make it stop.”
Ginny watched as her two best friends began falling apart. Luna was staring at her lap, her blue eyes teary and distant. Neville… Neville was having some kind of panic attack.
The youngest Weasley stood from her seat and quickly made her way to her friend’s sides. She sat between them, confused and worried, but determined to do her best.
She wrapped one arm around Neville’s shaking shoulders, pulling him close. She placed her other hand on Luna’s, running her thumb over her pale skin.
Neville latched onto her, hiding his tear-streaked face in her shoulder. Luna, on the other hand, remained completely still and lifeless.
Ginny had no idea what to do. She felt like she was never going to be happy again, but she wasn’t having as visceral a reaction as either of her friends.
Ginny’s head spun to the door at the sound of the latch clicking. A ghostly, skeletal hand appeared from the hallway, its fingers wrapping around the handle and pulling the glass back.
Luna let out a quiet sob, the first sound she had made in quite a few minutes. Neville cried out, his hands winding into his hair as he leaned even further into Ginny’s side.
“Make it stop, make it stop,” he was begging.
Ginny felt horror wash over her as she continued to stare at the figure in the doorway. She knew what it was; with its towering height, raggedy black cloak, its face completely obscured by its hood.
“Dementor,” she whispered.
Trevor croaked, long and high, his tiny body made as big as he could get it as he faced off with the horrible creature before him. The dementor tried to take one step into the compartment, the space where its eyes should have been fixated on Neville’s trembling form. Trevor croaked defiantly and leapt forward, blocking the creature’s path.
Ginny couldn’t have moved even if she’d wanted to. She was petrified, watching the absolutely absurd scene of a toad standing off against a literal creature of fear, still holding her friends close to her.
Suddenly, there was a silvery blast from somewhere down the hall. A blinding streak of light leaped gracefully past the dementor, its sparkling paws planted firmly above Trevor. The wolf snapped at the creature and it flinched back, its arms raising to shield its face. The patronus lunged, snapping its jaws at the dementor, with Trevor hoping forward as well and giving a defiant croak.
The creature looked at the snarling canine, the kids it now protected, and turned away. As it floated through the train hallway, away from their compartment, the temperature gradually increased. The lights buzzed and Ginny jumped as they came back on.
The wolf turned to look at her, its head tilted to the side, tongue lolling. It looked over its shoulder and wagged its tail once before it vanished. Where the patronus had been was now a very harried looking man. He was panting like he’d run to get there and he leaned against the doorframe, his wand still grasped in his hand.
“Are you three alright?” He queried.
Ginny blinked a few times, pulling herself out of her stupified trance. She squeezed Luna’s hand and was relieved when she got a weak squeeze in response. Luna was coming out of whatever the dementor had induced in her.
Neville… Well, he wasn’t doing much better than before. He was shaking like a leaf, tears still pouring from his unseeing eyes, palms pressed to his ears.
The mystery man stepped into the compartment, bending to scoop up Trevor and made his way to Ginny’s side. He stowed his wand in his coat pocket, setting Trevor on the bench Ginny had vacated before turning to the three shaken children.
He knelt in front of Neville, his eyes reflecting a soul-deep sadness as he looked upon the panicked boy. He looked up at Ginny and asked, “What are your names?”
Ginny opened her mouth a few times, swallowed, then shakily said, “I’m Ginny- Ginny Weasley. This is Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom.”
The man let his head fall slightly, his eyes closing, before he looked back up at Neville. “I thought so,” he murmured. Ever so gently, he laid a soft hand on the boy’s shoulder.
“Well, Ms Weasely,” he said, “my name is Remus Lupin.” He gave her a small, empathetic smile and assured, “You’re going to be alright.”