nearlychosen | 1st seed; [Action/Voice]

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1st seed; [Action/Voice]

[Perhaps the journal picks up the sound of Neville's arrival as he is unceremoniously deposited on the icy southern lake sometime in the dead of night. If not that, then it might catch the dull groaning as he slowly wakes and struggles to pull himself upright. If not that, then certainly the furious squeak from sneakers lacking traction on slippery ice would catch the journal's attention, as would the dull thudding as Neville collides with some child's forgotten snowman on the westernmost bank. A sharp intake of breath, then] No wand. Bastards. [In fact, even though Neville hasn't yet noticed the presence of the book at all, he seems perfectly aware that someone is listening, even if it isn't quite who he expects.]

It's still not enough! [The words, though a bit rasped and wheezing, are spoken with the stubbornness of one who rather expected this displacement.] You think you can just Portkey me someplace and be done with it? You won't get me -- not any of us -- to back down that easily. I know you're here -- show yourselves, you bloody cowards!

[The dead silence is less than encouraging. It means that if he wasn't being watched, then he'd been sent far enough that he wouldn't need supervision. Accio wand. [The incantation is intoned softly through clenched teeth. It doesn't escape him how ironic it was that in his desperation to recover his stolen wand he's resorted to a summoning spell that usually required the use of his wand in the first place. The spell fails spectacularly, leaving Neville to suppose his captors laughed, wherever they happen to be.

Still, the place he'd been sent certainly merits some investigation. If he'd been sent here via portkey, then some other innocuous-looking thing might well be the ticket home. It might appear off for a young, underdressed, blackeyed, fairly beaten and emaciated man to be picking up small stones with a thoughtful expression, but finding an alternate portkey is simply the most plausible way back to the more important matters he'd left at home.]

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[He opens his mouth to yell again, but he changes his mind suddenly, shutting up and staring at the ice. The f-word threw him off-guard, really, though it shouldn't by now. That may have been the main reason Draco's anger suddenly fizzled out, replaced first by surprise and then back to neutrality.] ...look, it doesn't concern you. It just concerns me and things that are occurring at home, all right?

[Harry blinks at the sudden dissipation of Draco's anger, but he's thankful for it. Did he say something weird? He's not entirely sure why Draco was surprised, but Harry's brain-to-mouth filter has always been broken.] So I should just expect you to get over it and be back to normal in no time, then?

[He should have expected this really, considering how well Harry's brain-to-mouth has always worked. Currently though he's frustrated, tired, and slightly freaked out.] Yes, exactly. Now you're catching on.

[Use your brain, Draco! Harry is only sort of using his. But he is used to bullshit and is determined to see this through.] Considering that you're still bitter about things that happened first year, I don't see how that's bloody likely.

[Draco doesn't want to use his brain though!] ...give me my wand. I don't want to do this.

[Because that requires too much pain and effort. Oh Draco. Meanwhile, Harry's taking another step back.] If you don't, nothing's ever going to get done.

[Don't walk away from me, Potter. Draco's busy taking another step forward.] I don't care, I want to go home. I'm not leaving without my wand though.

[Harry will take another step back. He'll Apparate, man.] I told you that I'd give it back to you if you'd just tell me what went on.

[Another step forward then.] And I told you what happened. He landed on the lake, we talked, and now you and I are here.

[Another step back, and Harry is looking unamused.] So you're just going to go off and sulk now, is that it?

[Okay fine, screw it, done stepping forward and actually stepping back because it's clicked that oh-shit-Harry-has-two-wands.] No, it's not...Potter, I really think it's not your business what Longbottom told me.

[Harry would be kind of surprised that Draco has backed off, but he's also irritated that Draco is still avoiding this conversation.] Fine. I'll talk to him about it, and take his version over yours simply because he'd actually bother to talk to me about it. Square?

[Startled Draco is Startled.] Wh-...actually, I shouldn't be surprised. That'd be just so typical of you, wouldn't it, Potter? Trusting a Gryffindor over me. I bet you knew this whole time too and just didn't tell me! [And after that? Well, Draco uses his brain] Accio wand! [Whether he gets it back or not, well, that's up to Harry and how tight of a grip he has on Draco's wand.]

[Harry looks at Draco like he's retarded.] Why the hell do you think I'm asking you about it, then? I haven't been at Hogwarts, so why would I have any idea what was happening there? If I was just going to take Neville's side of it because he's a Gryffindor, we wouldn't be having this conversation. [Harry's holding that wand pretty tightly. He wants answers, damnit.]

[Whether it's from the look, what Harry's saying, or the fact he can't get his wand back, Draco's just going to snap out of sheer frustration] I don't know! I don't know why the hell you're still bothering when nothing's going to change! It doesn't matter what happens here, everything just gets worse there and there's nothing I can do, do you understand?! Nothing is going to change, so I have to accept it and I don't want to!

[Oh hey there, yelling. That caught Harry by surprise a bit, but hey, he can go with it. But after a moment of thinking, he's going to argue back.] Of course everything is going to get worse - it has to before it has a chance of getting better! Maybe nothing that happens here has an effect on what happens back home, but so what? Does that mean we have to accept the way things are back home as how it has to be? Just because you don't think there's anything you can do doesn't mean there isn't.

[And again, after snapping, the anger fizzled out and Draco's just staring at the ice] Why am I talking to you about this, you wouldn't get it. You're Harry Potter, you're used to it.

[Harry frowns at him.] Just because I'm used to it doesn't make it okay.

I didn't say that either, you berk. I'm saying that the things Longbottom told me are nothing compared to everything else you get stuck with and-[He stops abruptly because what the hell Draco is thinking of someone who's not himself.]

This whole thing is bad for everyone, not just me. [Although really kind of staring because Harry is certain words came out of Draco's mouth just now and Harry could've sworn they were sympathetic.]

...do you really want to know? [There's a slight snort and a shake of his head] Heh. Maybe you can knock some sense into me, you already seem to have a good handle of rattling my brain around tonight. [Yes that bump on the back of his head is annoying. And may or may not be trying to move away from the notion that he can be a good person.]

... Yeah, I do. [He hates being left out of the loop, and he is also a masochist.] Er... I'll see what I can do. [But wait, the part about being a good person was awesome. Do that again.]

...Longbottom filled in the missing blanks about what's happening at Hogwarts. You know, the ones you and Granger didn't tell me. Loony told me a few parts, Theo might have as well, but hearing it from Longbottom...if he can actually get his facts straight, maybe that means they're actually true.

... Oh. [Yeah, uh, that's pretty complicated.] Neville isn't really a good liar, so I suspect what he said was probably true.

...Accio wand. [Yeah, forget this. Time to call it a night.]

[Draco Malfoy and the Action of Quickly Losing Steam]

[Harry Potter and the Action of Suddenly Having the Upper Hand]

[Draco Malfoy and the Action of Not Realizing This is a Trap]

[Harry Potter and the Action of Springing the Trap!]

[Draco Malfoy and the Action of Getting Caught]

[Harry Potter and the Action of Catching Draco Malfoy]

[Draco Malfoy and the Action of Stalking Harry Potter]

[Harry Potter and the Action of Wanting to Know What Draco Malfoy is Doing Inside...]

[Draco Malfoy and the Action of Being a Sneak]

[Harry Potter and the Action of Getting Up in Draco's Business]

[Draco Malfoy and the Action of Constantly Getting His Arse Verbally Kicked]

[Harry Potter and the Action of Constantly Kicking Death Eater Arse]

[Draco Malfoy and the Action of Being Blindsided]

[Harry Potter and the Action of Wanting to Facepalm but Can't With Two Wands]

[Draco Malfoy and the Action of Screaming at the top of His Lungs]

[Harry Potter and the Action of Suddenly Getting What he Wanted]

[Draco Malfoy and the Action of Thinking FML]

[Harry Potter and the Action of Sympathizing Completely]

[Draco Malfoy and the Action of Starting to Crack]

[Harry Potter and the Action of Wanting to be Supportive]

[Draco Malfoy and the Action of Changing the Subject]

[Harry Potter and the Action of What is the Conversation I Don't Even]

[Draco Malfoy and the Action of Still Insulting People Anyway]

[Harry Potter and the Action of Expecting That, Honestly]

[Draco Malfoy and the Action of Feeling Stupid Right Now]