Who: Harry & Neville
Where: Longbottom Cottage
When: July 29 - afternoon
What: Birthday gifts and shots.

( Have your back to hell and beyond. )

*heads up the path to the front door of the Longbotton cottage, all the while struggling with the large box in his arms-- his bare arms a bit sweaty from the heat, the silk screen on the front of his sleeveless shirt (the "Revolver" album cover) making him even more slippery, the slick, perfectly folded wrapping paper complicating things further* *even the sun seemed to be conspiring against him; he could barely see the path with the sunlight right in his eyes, and he fully expected to break his neck before he ever made it to the front door*

*very nearly to the door, poised to try and suss out a way to knock without losing the gift entirely, when the door opens for him*

Oh, hello.

Following this.

( There's absolutely no way in hell I can get to the end of this alone. I need every single one of you. )

*tapping on the door gets no response, and after a good two minutes of it, he gives up and pushed the door open to poke his head in; he's looked everywhere else and everyone seems to think this is where Remus could be found*

*doesn't speak until he sees the fire going in the place and the dark outline of Remus slumped in the chair behind his desk* ... Remus?

Who: Ron & Harry
When: June 7 - late evening
Where: Shrieking Shack
What: Well... heh.
Warning: NC-17 rating for sexual content

( We all have our parts to play, Harry. This is mine. )

*exhales deeply and flops onto the bed* *strips off his shirt and tosses it into the open hamper in the corner*

*kicks the blankets down with his legs and crawls in properly* *he isn't tired, but he's got to try; he's a long day tomorrow in the library at Flint Castle*

Who: Harry & Neville
Where: The Shrieking Shack
When: May 10 - evening
What: Neville and Harry exchange woes.

( It could mean whether we win or lose the war. )

*stretched out on the sofa, reading over the explanation of the contract's spell that Hermione had written up for him while the telly flickered in the background* *occasionally, he glanced away from the parchment to watch the telly a bit*

Who: Harry & Hermione
Where: The Shrieking Shack
When: May 9 - evening
What: Conversation over dinner, sans Ron, about Ron.

( We're doing what we want to do to help and not what he wants us to do to help. )

*has dinner set out on the stove, cooking - a nice beef stew - and the dishes are magically cleaning themselves in the sink* *Harry, on the other hand, is sitting at the kitchen table paying attention to what neither is doing, too busy scoffing at the latest issue of the Daily Prophet*

*doesn't look up when Hermione enters the kitchen, just gestures blindly at the stove* Don't touch it, it's not done yet. *a beat, flips a page* Ron must not be home. Smell of food usually brings him in from miles away.

Who: Harry & Neville
When: April 12 - evening
Where: St. Mungo's
What: A coffee run.

( You deserve something great. )

*standing at the hospital's magical coffee maker in the corner of the waiting room - which is packed to the brim with people waiting on word about Seamus and Dean - and scowling* *the maker's malfunctioning and keeps giving him cream de menthe when he just wants sugar*

*dumps out another cup of violently green coffee and smacks the maker before trying again* *blinks tiredly and thinks that he and Ron may just have to settle for water... or getting drunk, which isn't sounding all that unappealing either at this point*

*circles around another leafless bush to get to the grave site* *just like all the other years, the grass never seems to fully die on the graves during the winter months, and there's still some green to be had*

*stops in front of the graves and crouches down* *stays that way a long moment, just staring* *there's no contemplation or turmoil, just a sense of peace and calm, an underlying itch of longing*

*purses his lips and squints up at the sun poking through the trees surrounding the area* *glances back at the house - or the rubble that used to be his first home*

*sniffs slightly and digs into one of the pockets of his jacket* *pulls out something that fits into his palm* *from the back pocket of his jeans, he pulls out his wand* *a tap of the wand and a muttering of a transfiguration spell, and the thing in his palm grows to its normal size - a bunch of white lilies, no note or letter*

*reaches over and drops them lightly on the grave to the right* *pauses to glance at the grave to the left before he stands up and heads back the way he came*

Who: Harry & Neville
When: Mar. 16 - evening
Where: Hogwarts Quidditch Pitch

( Then why do I feel like I shouldn't have them? )

Who: Harry, Ron & Hermione
Where: The Shrieking Shack
When: Mar. 15, evening - after these threads

( What did you See? )

*already sprinting when he lands down in the front room of the shack, calling out with Hermione at his heels* Ron?

Ron!

*making another swift and graceful swoop around the entire length of the pitch when he spots someone below* *squints a little and realises it's Neville* *finishes his glide and then drops down fast and smooth for a landing* *pulls off his flying gloves as Neville heads over to him*

'Lo, Nev. How're you? How's the back?

Who: Harry & Minerva
Where: Flint Castle
When: March 3 - evening

( So you're saying walking into a battle where I'm likely to die in order to ensure the rest of them can live... that's not enough? )

*every full moon since the one Remus shared with Warrington has been quietly nerve-wracking for Harry, and to distract himself tonight, he's been pouring over the notes Hermione game him regarding the Unbreakable Vow contract in the library, trying his best to understand what she's doing with it, as well as looking over the information he's compiled on the last Auror to've handled the case of the possible-Horcrux box*

*glances up when he hears someone approaching* Hullo Pr-- *curbs it, finishes* Minerva. How're you?

Who: Harry & Ron
When: Mar. 1 - late evening
Where: The Shack & Hogwarts' Quidditch Pitch
What: Gifts, quaffles, visions and best mates.

( There's nothing you could say or do to change my mind about you. )