beautiful - harry potter

chapter 26

Thalia was quickly pulled into an empty classroom and she couldn't even protest before Harry started talking at a rapid pace. "What're you thinking? Corrupting Neville, of all people?" Harry hissed angrily.

"Hey, don't be mad," Thalia said with a small smile. Harry had his forearm pressed up against Thalia's neck to prevent her from moving and Thalia could've easily shot him across the room but she didn't for some reason. "Neville just wanted to be a winner, for once."

"A winner?" Harry scoffed. "You think you're going to be such a winner fighting along Voldemort?" Thalia winced at the sound of his name but she immediately covered it up with a blank face.

She raised her eyebrow. "I'm giving Neville options," Thalia said coldly. "Whether he ends up being a winner or not is on him."

"You're bloody insane," Harry exhaled in disbelief. 

"I'm not being insane, I'm being rational. I'm fifteen, Potter," Thalia scowled. "I don't want to die just yet."

"Yet, you'll surely die on Voldemort's side," the raven-haired Gryffindor said. "Neville's a good person. Don't go around trying to corrupt people like him."

"You can't tell me what to do," Thalia snarled. "Merlin, I could kill you right now and no one would even find the body." Harry's eyes widened even more and his mouth opened in horror but Thalia only smiled again. "Unfortunately, the Dark Lord wants to be the one to kill you. If I killed you, I'm promising death upon myself as well."

Harry stared at her for a moment. It wasn't the same girl that he remembered, the one he was so smitten by. She seemed darker, more lifeless in a way. Harry missed her.

"Stupefy." 

Harry was suddenly shot backwards and flew over all the desks, his body being thrown onto the chalkboard. Harry collapsed on the floor, feeling somewhat tired and frozen. Thalia walked over to him, her black heels clacking along the wooden floor as she did so.

Stray locks of her brunette hair fell in front of Thalia's face as she stared down at him with a mixed expression. "Petrificus Totalus," Thalia said with her hand over Harry's body.

Thalia knelt down next to him and Harry wanted to push her away or pull his wand out but he was unable to move.

Thalia brushed some of Harry's curly hair out of his face and Harry felt calmed by her delicate touch, although he still had a hatred for her. Thalia looked over him with a soft gaze and her green eyes met with his brown ones.

"Have fun with your life while you still have it, Harry," Thalia whispered. She got to her feet and brushed off her skirt as she exited the empty classroom.

-----

Harry had a newfound sense of reality as he entered his dorm and grabbed Neville's book on his bed. He snatched it out of Neville's hands and slammed the book shut. "Harry, what're you-"

"I know you want options, Neville, but you don't need options," Harry insisted. "Our side will take you whether you can do wandless magic or not." Neville looked at him with an ashamed look and Harry added, "or magic in general."

"Who's on our side?" Neville asked. Neville liked that he was being wanted for once but it was a bit strange to just join a side when you're not sure if you'll win or not.

"I don't know," Harry answered shortly, "but we'll find people and we'll recruit them and we'll train them. Well, I'll train them. You can be my first recruit."

"Okay," Neville said slowly, "but what exactly is our side?"

"People who hate Voldemort almost as much as we do."