The Forgotten 7th Year

Easter pt. 5

Welp, this chapter was meant to be something not stressful before the craziness that will be next chapter, but... things happened.

But it might not actually be too bad because the stakes are so incredibly low.

Neville's POV

"Your screams remind me of someone, but I can't remember. Oh, yes. I know now. You scream like your parents."

I woke with a jolt.

This had been happening all night. One nightmare after another.

I had gone watched my parents slowly be tortured into insanity twice. Watching Hannah join them three times. Once it had been Luna, a different it had been Seamus. And another time, it had been me.

Hannah had been murdered three times, and Seamus had been killed once, as had Luna.

A different time Amycus had caught her, and without anyone there to stop him, he'd, you know, and I had been forced to watch. That dream may have been the worst, and it happened four times, with Luna, Hannah, and Ginny as the victims. The one with Hannah repeated itself, and it was truly one of the worst things I've ever experienced.

After every nightmare, I woke up terrified. I had to resist owling all of my friends, just to be sure they were ok. Of course they were. It was just a dream.

But the night dragged on, and I was too tired to stay awake.

I closed my eyes, and when they opened, I was in the circular room, chained to the wall. Luna was on the other side, hanging limply by her wrists. Her blonde hair fell in front of her face, and it was stained with blood.

Bellatrix stood in the shadows, so that I almost didn't see her.

"Hewo wittle baby Wongbottom." She crooned in that baby voice that made my blood boil.

"Don't hurt her!" I begged. I always begged, even though she never listened. And of course, she ignored me.

"Where should we start? Unless Baby Longbottom wants to tell me the plans..."

"What plans?"

"Don't play dumb, the plans for the Order."

"I don't know them!"

"That's what I was hoping to hear." And she stuck Luna across the face. She whimpered, but didn't raise her head. She looked utterly hopeless, as if she'd been though horrors, and it just wasn't worth fighting anymore. It broke my heart.

Bellatrix withdrew a knife, and raked it across her face. Blood splattered. Too much blood for that one cut. She slashed again, dragging the knife diagonally, from collarbone to hip. Luna let out a choked sob. She made another, deeper cut a few inches lower.

Luna was crying now. She didn't struggle, or beg, or fight what was happening to her in any way.

If I had the plans, I would tell her in a heartbeat.

"Just tell her!" She gasped. "What's the point of putting me through this? If you care about me, tell her the plans." The woman cut down her arm, and she sobbed. "Please stop this Neville. It's all your fault! Everything that they've done to me is your fault! She's been coming down when she's bored, and doing this since I was taken."

"It's true." Bellatrix sneered. "You know me, how could you imagine I wouldn't have fun with Miss Crazy?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean for this to happen, I'd tell her if I knew!"

Bellatrix cut her a few more times, then turned to me, and smiled, before stabbing the knife into my stomach, and twisting. My gasp turned into a strangled scream.

"Your screams remind me of someone, but I can't remember. Oh, yes. I know now. You scream like your parents."

And I woke up.

It wasn't the worst dream I'd had tonight, but it was the tipping point. Even though it was 4:18, and I was exhausted, I hauled myself out of bed.

I'd always hated coffee, but I plugged my nose, and gulped the black liquid. It was better then falling asleep again.

The only problem was, I usually woke up at 10, so I had six extra hours to fill. Definitely at least four before Gran woke up, and let's face it, she was never very good company anyways.

Right now, I really didn't want to hear about how talented my dad was, and how I didn't live up to that.

Instead, I decided to send letters to Hannah, Ginny, and Seamus. I explicitly told the owl not to wake anyone up, but to instead quietly deliver them. With a pang, I remembered I couldn't send one to Luna, but I shook it off.

Rolf said she was alright. She had to be alright.

The owl flew out the window, and once again I glanced at the clock. 4:27 seemed to glare at me. Three and a half hours till Gran woke up, if I rounded up.

But what would happen when she did wake up? The house was never very entertaining anyways. I was basically waiting around for a chance to continue waiting until I went back to Hogwarts, and my nightmares became a reality.

Then what?

At the end of the year, do I graduate, or will I be dead by then? Will I graduate into a world of Pureblood Supremacy, and be expected to go along with it? Or will I join the Order, and probably die in some stupid way that was entirely my fault.

Or will Voldemort have been defeated? But with my talent I'll end up as an unimportant employee somewhere in the Ministry, doing a boring job I'd hate.

My deep thoughts were interrupted by the owl coming back, and to my surprise, it was holding a letter.

Neville,

Couldn't sleep? Me too. I've been fitful night in the barn. I think Cinnamon (the horse) is getting concerned.

But I'm jittery and anxious in the house. It just doesn't feel safe anymore after what happened. But I have way too much time on my hands, and I can literally, no exaggeration, feel my brain dying.

It's fine if you don't want to, but you're welcome to come over; If I don't start talking to a person soon, I'll start talking to Cinnamon.

Hannah

I couldn't disapparate fast enough.