"Harry's going to teach an underground Defence class."

I blinked up at Hermione. "Why?"

"Because we're learning sod all from that god awful Umbridge woman!" she fumed, balling her fists in anger. "We're at war, Neve! And we need to learn to protect ourselves."

I thought about what it meant being at war; about what it did to my parents. I sat up a little straighter, thinking about my Trevor. I would not let him down.

Hermione was right, I needed to fight so that I can always be there for him.

"I'll do it!" I cried, pumping my fist valiantly in the air. "Would you like me to help spread the word?"

"No." Hermione said at once. "We're only teaching people who Harry likes."

"Well that doesn't seem very fair," I said, thinking about Draco, who most certainly wouldn't be on that list. "Doesn't everyone have the right to learn how to defend themselves?"

"Not if they call Harry names!" Ron bellowed.

So that was that then. Basically everyone bar the Slytherins went. Fat lot of good they would be if Voldemort ever decides to storm the castle.

Harry found this cool room which provided a perfect space for us to have our classes in secret.

Because I'm such a loser, I had to partner up with the teacher in our first class when Harry instructed us to get into pairs to practice the Disarming Charm.

Harry being Harry, kept disarming me with ease, and decided to show off further by constantly retrieving my wand with the Summoning Charm.

The moment his back was turned to check on the rest of the class, however, I flicked my wand and yelled 'Expelliarmus!', and finally disarmed him.

"I DID IT!" I cried gleefully. "I've never done it before - I DID IT!"

"Yeah... good one," Harry smiled condescendingly.

Voldemort didn't stand a chance.

*****

It seemed that Draco was saving his kind side just for me and Trevor.

Because at the next game of Quidditch, he was back to being a dick again; reducing Ron to tears.

He's a pretty cool lyricist though.

And I couldn't help but marvel at the time and effort he put in to making these little badges and coming up with songs just to piss off people he didn't like. His dedication was quite awe inspiring in itself.

His efforts got him beaten up though. I flinched as we watched Harry and George pummel into him.

"Do you think we should do something?" I said to Hermione as visible specks of blood started flying everywhere.

"He's just getting what he deserves." Hermione said, sniffing the air defiantly.

But secretly I didn't think so, and felt quite relieved when Madam Hooch finally intervened.

And when Harry and the twins got banned from Quidditch for life, my sympathy lay only with Fred.

*****

Hagrid, who had been missing up until now, finally returned to Hogwarts, covered in bruises.

Harry, Ron and Hermione seemed hugely upset about this at our next Care of Magical Creatures class, but I was more concerned about what looked like half a dead cow slumped over Hagrid's shoulder as he beckoned us all to follow him into the Forbidden Forest.

I already missed Professor Grubbly-Plank and her unicorns.

"We're workin' in here today!" he called jovially as he led the way into the ominous dark trees. "Bit more sheltered! Anyway, they prefer the dark!"

"What prefers the dark?" I heard Draco say sharply behind me to Crabbe and Goyle, a trace of panic in his voice. "What did he say prefers the dark - did you hear?"

Harry snorted cruelly, clearly enjoying Draco's discomfort about entering the Forbidden Forest. I didn't admit I was one hundred percent with Draco on this.

"Now, what we're studying today is pretty rare," Hagrid said as we reached a small clearing. "I reckon I'm probably the on'y person in Britain who's managed ter train 'em."

"And you're sure they're trained, are you?" Draco asked, the panic in his voice even more pronounced. "Only it wouldn't be the first time you'd brought wild stuff to class, would it?"

I mean, he had a point.

"Course they're trained," Hagrid said, scowling and hoisting the dead cow a little higher on his shoulder.

"So what happened to your face then?" Draco demanded.

"Mind yer own business!" Hagrid bellowed, angrily. "Now, if yeh've finished askin' stupid questions, I'll give 'em a call."

I jumped back in fear as Hagrid threw the dead cow down at our feet before making a funny shrieking cry.

"Oh god," I trembled, closing my eyes in fear as the distant sound of something large parting the trees grew nearer and nearer.

"Ah, here they come!" I heard Hagrid cry proudly as I kept my eyes firmly shut.

"But there's nothing there," I heard someone mutter. "The bloody idiot has lost it."

"Now... put yer hands up," Hagrid continued, ignoring the jibes, "who can see 'em?"

Slowly, I lifted my head and peeked open my eyes. I nearly gave a horrified scream as a great big black skeletal looking horse started eating the dead cow in front of me.

I tripped back over my feet trying to get away and ended up stumbling. I would have fallen flat on my arse, except a hand shot out from somewhere, steadying me.

"Excuse me," Draco sneered loudly at the same time as he hurriedly removed his grip from my elbow, "but what exactly are we meant to be seeing?"

"Why don' you ask Neve, there?" Hagrid nodded towards us, where I was already feeling completely flustered by being saved yet again by the Slytherin Prince. "Reckon she can see 'em by the looks on her face," he chortled.

Draco looked down at me, his eyebrows raised questioningly.

"It- it's one of those funny horses, isn't it," I stammered in a small voice as everyone's attention was on me, "the ones that pull the school carriages?"

"You mean the horseless carriages?" Pansy snarked pityingly, before letting out a cruel bark of laughter. "Told you she was a freak."

"Tha's right me dear!" Hagrid cried happily. "Thestrals! Now, who knows-?"

"But they're really, really unlucky!" Parvati interrupted, looking alarmed as she clung onto Seamus's arm. "They're supposed to bring all sorts of horrible misfortune on people who see them."

Everyone, including Draco, quickly took an alarming step away from me.

Oh great, just what I needed. More bad luck.

"No, no, no," Hagrid chuckled, "tha's jus' superstition. Right, who can tell me why some people, like Harry and Neve here, can see 'em an' some people can't?"

I looked up at Harry whilst Hermione's hand shot in the air. Where everyone else was staring around perplexed, he was, indeed, looking as though he could see the Thestral right in front of me.

"The only people who can see Thestrals," Hermione explained to the class, "are people who have seen death."

"Tha's exactly right," Hagrid said as everyone's eyes swivelled back to me, probably curious as to whose death I witnessed.

The lesson was interrupted by Umbridge who decided now was a great time to inspect Hagrid's teaching. And of course she picked on me.

"You can see the Thestrals, Longbottom, can you?" she said.

I nodded, glancing nervously over her shoulder where Harry, Ron and Hermione were all giving me warning looks as if to say 'don't you dare mess this up for Hagrid'.

"Who did you see die?" she asked, her tone indifferent.

"My... my grandad," I replied nervously.

"And what do you think of them?" she asked, waving her stubby hand at the horses, who by now had stripped a great deal of the carcass down to the bone.

"Erm," I said nervously, trying not to look directly at them. "Well, they're... er... okay..."

"Students... are... too... intimidated... to... admit... they... are... frightened," Umbridge muttered, scribbling on her clipboard.

"No!" I cried, feeling upset. I didn't want to get Hagrid in trouble, even if it was true. "No, I'm not scared of them!"

"It's quite all right," Umbridge responded, patting me on the shoulder before turning to Hagrid. "Well, I think I've got quite enough to be getting along with. You'll be hearing the results very soon."

Harry, Ron and Hermione didn't talk to me for the rest of the day.

*****

Our underground Defence classes, which we named Dumbledore's Army, continued, and Harry reluctantly admitted I was making a small improvement.

"Everyone has made an enormous improvement!" Harry beamed proudly at us all in our last class before Christmas. "Well, everyone except Neve who Stunned Padma rather than Dean, whom you were aiming for, but it was a much closer miss than usual."

I hung my head in shame as everyone glanced pityingly at me.

It hadn't helped that no one ever partnered up with me, meaning I always had to wait until Harry had been round the class before he let me practice with him.

"When we get back from the holidays," Harry continued, "we can start doing some of the big stuff - maybe even Patronuses. Now have a Happy Christmas everyone and remember: Stay Safe and Stay Away from the Slytherins!"

"Stay Safe and Stay Away from the Slytherins!" everyone - bar me - chorused back, just like Harry had encouraged us to do at the end of each session.

It really was a stupid motto.

*****