This Is Not The End

[zneeze]

As promised, I wrote a male HP fic. But I didn't want to do a run-of-the-mill, non-unique fic about a normal character, so I ruled out Harry, Snape, Lupin, and even Dumbledore and Ron. Sorry if you were expecting a story on one of those. Anyway, I chose Neville 'cause I'd never found a Neville fic. I hope you guys find it interesting. Also, thanks to kittentissues for the title idea!

Enjoy!

Spoiler note: nothing major, but this happens sometime within Book Seven: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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The last thing Neville needed now was a cold. The first half of the school year had been miserable, what with all the punishments and detentions and injuries and everything. It seemed he spent a collective two months in the Hospital Wing. Now, it was January, and the whole of Hogwarts was miserable. How could they not be? Snape was Headmaster, after all! And the Carrows, ugh… if nobody stood up to them, they would probably start killing off some of the students.

But to have a bloody cold on top of all this wretchedness? Terrible. Neville looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. His eyes were bloodshot, his face reddish-purple, his hair unkempt. Not sure how the new authorities would respond to a request to visit the Hospital Wing, he decided to try and live through it. Just a cold, after all. I’ll do my best, he thought.

That day was Thursday, his heaviest day: Double Dark Arts with Slytherin and Muggle Studies before dinner. He couldn’t stand either class, now that they were both under the jurisdiction of the Carrows. He headed to the Dark Arts room, always occupied by a different teacher every year, when he felt a horrible tickle in his nose. Making sure no one was around, he quickly sneezed:

“Gxxt!”

Later on, about halfway through Dark Arts, Amycus Carrow told the class: “I’d almost forgotten: being that you are my oldest class, I trust you enough to perform the Cruciatus Curse on those younger students stupid enough to earn detentions.”

The class stopped what they were doing, even the Slytherins, and stared at Carrow.

“You two classes are to come to my office at nine PM tonight, where you will each perform the Cruciatus Curse on a student. Believe me – there are enough for all of you.”

Neville, like the rest of the class, couldn’t believe his ears. But there was another problem on his mind, albeit a smaller one – he had to sneeze again. Now that the class was completely silent, he’d have to do his best to stifle it.

“heh… h’Ngkt!”

Apparently, he didn’t do it quietly enough. Amycus stood and stared at Neville. A few of the students around Neville were soon uncomfortable.

“Is this some sort of protest, Longbottom?”

“Do, sir,” said Neville congestedly.

“Then what WAS it?”

Embarrassed, Neville continued. “I – I sdeezed, sir.”

Carrow stared, perhaps not believing him. “Okay… never do it again.” He left it at that and returned to his business, leaving Neville and the rest of the class dumbfounded.

It was far worse at Muggle Studies. Neville’s cold had grown worse, and he was sneezing constantly (stifling each one, of course). And Alecto Carrow was probably much meaner than Amycus. Neville hoped he wouldn’t have to sneeze during the class. But he did, of course.

He had barely gotten into his seat when the tickle resumed. “H’nxxt!”

Luckily, no one had heard him. But that annoying itch in his nostrils wouldn’t leave!

About ten minutes later, he sneezed again: “Nkxxt! Heh-nkxxt!”

“Longbottom!” screamed Alecto. “Stop with the disturbances! Now, as I was saying, the filthy animals are quite hindered by their lack of magical power, which was the main reason they drove us wizards into hiding. They were jealous….”

Neville couldn’t take it. Astounded by his audacity, he shouted, “How much Muggle blood you and Amycus have?”

Alecto turned quickly and screamed, “Cruico!”

The class watched in horror as Neville was blasted by the curse. The result was a nasty gash on his cheek. Okay, I deserved that, Neville thought to himself. But I know they can’t get away with what they’re doing! When Harry and the others get back, we’ll… yeah. When they get back. Can we really wait that long?

After class, Neville, rather than going straight to the Hospital Wing, headed to the Great Hall with Seamus.

“Hey, that’s a nasty cut you have! Shouldn’t you be up with –

“Lissed, Fiddegad,” Neville said. He never called people by their last names, and he wasn’t angry. Not at Seamus, anyway. “Cad you believe what Sdape and these Carrows are doig to us?”

“To you, maybe, but I understand,” Seamus replied.

“You ad I both know we can’t go like this for the rest of the year,” Neville said.

“Don’t worry your head about it, Neville. When Harry gets back –

“We can’t wait that log,” he insisted. “We have to stand up to them. We won’t let the evil prevail. This is not the end.”

[Quell]

My, interesting! Very, very twisty... in a good way.

And you used line number 15!

[Helter Skelter]

Nice You're a good writer.

[chui]

oooh...very nice! i've never read a Neville fic either, but this is great!

*just letting you know, I'm adding in a line letting people know where it comes in the book series so people don't catch a spoiler*

[zneeze]

Oh, no problem!