Incendio

Samantha had a headache the next day and almost forgot they were going home for Christmas. Thankfully Hermione woke her.

"You need to get up Samantha. You only have two hours till the train leaves." Hermione's voice came through.

Samantha sat up slowly. She was still in her party dress. "Only two hours?"

"Yes, only two hours, but by your state, I assume you need more than that." Hermione commented pulling back. "You smell like fire whiskey."

Samantha groaned, "Oh don't tell on me please. I know you are a perfect Prefect."

Hermione pursed her lips, "I won't tell on you. You do need cleaned up though."

Hermione's disproving look continued after Samantha changed and grabbed her bags. She pulled her hair out of her updo and into a sloppy bun on her head. The pins were still in there, but she figured she could get them out later. They made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast and Hermione began piling eggs onto Samantha's plate. She also pushed a large cup of pumpkin juice at her.

Ginny who seemed quite perturbed by her row with Dean and Luna who had a wide smile on her face, both joined them.

"So how was your evening?" Samantha asked Hermione in pure curiosity after drinking a bit of the Pumpkin juice. She laid her head down by her plate, it felt like a balloon.

Hermione shook her head, "Cormac was a troll."

"I could have told you that." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"He tried getting me under the mistletoe a few too many times. I also didn't appreciate that every conversation was about his Quidditch saves." Hermione said with a roll of her eyes.

"I assume by your state this morning, that you had an eventful evening." Ginny observed looking Samantha over.

"Someone snuck her some fire whiskey." Hermione told Ginny with disapproval.

"Oh you shouldn't drink that. It causes an excess of wrakspurts." Luna interjected before standing up quickly. "Those eggs won't help getting rid of those." She practically ran out of the Great Hall.

"You said you wouldn't tell." Samantha sat up and reminded Hermione.

"I said I wouldn't tell on you as a Prefect. As a friend, is a different story."

"Who gave it to you? No one I talked to was giving out fire whiskey to students." Ginny mentioned. "I'm a little jealous now."

Samantha admitted, "The Weird Sisters."

Hermione's mouth fell open in shock, "The band?"

"They gave you fire whiskey?" Ginny gaped with pride.

"Well two of the members. Duke and Wagtail. Cool blokes." Samantha chuckled.

Hermione still had disproval on her lips, but her eyes lit up.

Luna returned with a strange concoction in her hands. It was bubbling. "I got this from the kitchen. Dad says it's the perfect cure for wrackspurts. It may put you to sleep on the train but it will help. If not, I made more."

Samantha took the bubbling green drink but drank it. "I'll do anything to get my head to stop pounding." It tasted like creamy chalk with a weird bitter after taste.

"You did have a good time." Ginny laughed still beaming.

"A good time?" Samantha smirked, "The best time I've had in forever."

Samantha relayed the evening's events in pretty good detail.

Hermione's disapproval quickly shifted, her face contorting. She looked like she had a secret. Ginny's face mimicked Hermione's slightly with a sly grin. Luna looked as confused as Samantha felt.

"What?" Samantha asked them both after she finished.

Hermione whispered impishly and very unlike Hermione, "You fancy Neville."

Samantha wasn't sure how to react, she just stared between them before blurting, "Whatareyoutalkingabout?"

"You fancy Neville." Hermione repeated.

"I mean he's been crazy about you since fourth year." Ginny interjected. "He spent the entire Yule Ball talking about you."

Samantha honestly hadn't known that he'd liked her for so long. She wasn't sure if it was the hangover or the wrackspurts, but she couldn't form words. She pushed the drink away from her.

"For a journalist you are quite oblivious." Luna observed. "You must have had more wrackspurts before this."

Ginny said, "I just didn't realize you would be interested back."

Hermione's face changed and a smile started forming on her face. "Merlin's beard. It all makes sense."

"What makes sense?" Samantha begged.

"You spend a lot of time at the greenhouse." Luna observed.

Samantha suddenly shook her head. "For tutoring. I was failing Herbology."

"You could have come to me." Hermione insisted.

"You have enough on your plate."

"You and Neville do sit together quite a bit." Luna smiled before sliding the drink back to Samantha.

"We're friends." Samantha insisted. "We've been friends for years."

"You asked him to Slug's Christmas Party." Ginny reminded.

"As a friend, I trusted him to not do anything untoward. Which he didn't."

Hermione continued still, "And you still wear his gloves and they are far too big. You won't even transfigure them smaller, you still use a ponytail holder."

Samantha smiled for a moment, a bigger smile than she could remember smiling in a long time. "Maybe last night, after a few fire whiskeys, I started to notice that he's not as bad looking as I'd thought. I didn't need the fire whiskey to know he's really brave." Samantha admitted quietly. "And he's quiet." Something she couldn't stand about Lee was his loudness. "And he's genuine."

Hermione nodded with a smile. "Does he know?"

"Goodness no." Samantha shook her head, "And he can't."

"Why?" Ginny shrugged and moved closer.

"Is it because of Lee?" Luna asked, "He always seemed the jealous sort."

Samantha shook her head again, "No. We aren't together and I can date whoever I want. We're friends and that's really it."

"Then why?" Hermione asked.

I'm too busy. I specifically asked him to the party because I don't want romance right now. It was a real distraction last year." Samantha said pushing her remaining eggs away.

"No, Lee was the distraction." Luna insisted, "If anything Neville has helped your grades and the Gazette."

Samantha sometimes liked Luna's honesty. She could also feel her eyes begin to get droopy.

"If anyone in this entire school could be nearly deserving enough, and no one deserves you, it's Neville." Ginny insisted before the call was made for everyone who was leaving the castle to make their way out.

The conversation rang through her mind as she made her way with Luna onto the train. Hermione wasn't going home for Christmas and Ginny was riding with Dean, to solve their row.

Samantha decided to put things from her mind until she could sleep off the headache that had fully overtaken her skull. She curled up in her seat and Artie curled under her shoulder, like a little cooing pillow.

"Samantha." Luna called, "We're at the station. You've slept the whole train ride."

Samantha sat up straight. Her head hurt a lot less. "Oh, thank you Luna."

"I bought you a few licorice wands in case you woke up. Dad says licorice expels wrackspurts." Luna announced handing them to Samantha.

Samantha smiled, thankful for a thoughtful friend. "Thanks Luna."

Samantha grabbed her trunk and Whisp before giving Luna a quick hug and departing the train. She didn't quite see her parents in the station yet.

"Sam!" Neville's voice called across the train station. She turned to see him behind her, looking about how she felt. He had dark circles under his eyes and his hair wasn't combed in a normal fashion. "I wanted to catch you before you left, I wanted to talk to you. I tried to come talk to you on the train but Luna said you needed to sleep off the wrackspurts. I wasn't sure about that, but if you feel as dreadful as I do, you needed to sleep off more than wrack spurts. She also handed this to me, but it smells like Trevor so I didn't want to try it."

"Oh it does work, Luna made me drink it. I slept a lot, but my head is better." Samantha laughed, realizing she'd never heard Neville talk so quickly. "It's alright, and I'm sure I'll be wrackspurt free in a few more hours."

Neville smiled, "Are you alright? You ran away pretty suddenly last night. Did you get sick?"

Samantha nodded, "Yeah. I'm better now though, Hermione fixed me up." But regretted the lie after she said it, she wasn't sure she wanted Neville thinking of her throwing up. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

He wasn't able to get words in as Samantha heard her father behind her. "There you are Samantha."

"Hi dad!" Samantha hugged him around the neck.

Her father put his hands on Samantha's shoulders before turning to Neville, "And who's this young man? Hopefully not another one of those boyfriends right?"

"Dad!" Samantha agonized, "This is Neville Longbottom. He's a friend of mine."

"Oh and I recognize that name. Belle said your Grandmother was in the shop recently for formal clothing. How are you young man? I'm Edward Fyre!" Her dad reached out his hand.

"I'm just fine Mr. Fyre." He nodded and shook her dad's hand.

"Always good to see Samantha has so many friends." Her dad mentioned. "Do you know where your family is? We can help you find them."

"I think I see my Gran. I'll see you after the holiday Sam." Neville said looking behind her.

"See you then." Samantha waved before walking with her dad. "Where's mum and Jack?"

"Your mother took Jack out to the car, to" Her dad paused pressing his lips together, "Have a talk."

"Oh, is it about the sneaking out?" Samantha asked.

Her dad nodded. "Among other things. I doubt Jack will listen, he is of age in your world. He can do as he pleases, but we want to make him aware of our opinions."

Samantha walked with her father to the car, where her mother was crying. Her brother had his arms crossed and with a drained expression.

The car ride itself was quiet, but not a relaxed or soft quiet. It was a stagnant quiet, like Samantha knew they weren't fighting in front of her. She knew once they reached their cottage, it was going to break through.

Samantha took her trunk, Artie and Whisp upstairs to her bedroom before the yelling ensued. It certainly wasn't how she planned to spend her Christmas Eve. She laid on her bed holding Artie close to her chest, trying to ignore the noise. She eventually just fell asleep again.

Christmas morning came in the same stagnant silence. There was a pile of gifts at the end of her bed. Samantha decided to open them after she checked on her family. She walked passed her brother's room, where unlike usual, the door was wide open. His room was empty, save a few books and his bed.

She ran downstairs to her father sitting at the kitchen table, his head in his hands. Her mother's curled body could be seen on the sofa in the living room.

"Dad, what's wrong? Where's Jack?" Samantha asked.

Her mother stood and walked into the kitchen. "There are some things we should tell you Sam. Things I'm sure you don't know about."

"Your brother has been seeing a woman." Her father started, "An older woman. For about a year now."

Samantha knew he had, "I've seen him with a woman, with red hair, in Hogsmead. Who is she?"

"Her name is Hilda Burke." Her mother continued, "Her parents were both Death Eaters, killed in the previous war. She runs with a very dark crowd."

Her father nodded, "He's been seduced by her."

"How long have you known?" Samantha asked.

"When we received the letter telling us he'd received detention for sneaking out, we wrote to ask why he was sneaking away. He didn't respond until I confronted him yesterday." Her mother continued. "We didn't realize it was as bad as this. He refused to see reason, and decided to leave last night."

Samantha sat down at the table, her legs giving away.

"When did you see him with this woman?" Her mother asked.

"Last year, only once." Samantha honestly replied telling them the story about how she'd asked her brother and how Lee had followed him to find out about her. "Then we never saw them together again so I figured it was over. I should have told you."

"His choices are not your fault. I doubt it would have done much good anyway. She holds a very strong power over him, one more powerful than any spell." Her mother continued.

"Your brother made the choice to leave, to be with her." Her dad said before breaking down in a slight sob himself. He looked tired with dark circles beneath his eyes.

Samantha was stunned, her breathe heaved.

Her mother continued, "He is of age, and can do as he chooses. If he wishes to throw away his education, family and life for some woman, that is his decision."

"She's not a Death Eater is she?" Samantha asked. "He wouldn't."

"We don't know." Her mother shook her head.

"Last year he saved me and my friends, he wouldn't join the Death Eaters."

Her parents said nothing.

"He wouldn't. He wouldn't do that. Not for some woman!" Samantha began to cry.

"Shh, baby." Her mom took her into her arms. "We can hope for him, that all isn't lost. Maybe he will return to us, but he has to make his own mistakes."