Understanding (Neville Longbottom)

10

We all sat in silence, very tense. All of the Carrows' lessons were like this.
The whole class observed as Amycus walked around, rotating his wand between his fingers, thinking about his next victim.
He stopped next to me.
Sasha's hand tightened over mine

"Miss Vance"

A chill crept down my spine and a tingly sensation rested at the base of my skull; I knew it was going to happen eventually. He continued

"I heard from other professors of your talent with the wand, but you have never shown anything but mediocrity in my class so far. Why don't you start us off today?"

With a flick of his wand he opened the door behind his desk, revealing three first year kids trembling and with their cheecks wet

"No" I heard myself say

"Excuse me Miss Vance, I must have heard you wrong" But a smile of intense pleasure was already forming on his ratty face.

I took a deep breath and kept my voice steady "I dont think you did"

"Jo!" Sasha whispered furious and scared, clutching my hand for dear life

"Very well Miss Jocelyn Vance, you've earned yourself detention! Class let me show you how it's done!"

I freed my hand from Sasha's grip and got up, following Amycus to the desk. I showed no fear.
When he made me face the class, Sasha turned her eyes down
I looked frantically for support and met Seamus' eyes: he was looking at me with anger, but determination; next to him Neville had much the same expression.
We were fighters.
We were going to endure this because we wouldn't allow them to break us.
I fixed my eyes in Neville's getting strength from him, getting comfort in knowing my new Gryffindor friends were close by. I nodded slightly to them before Amycus turned around, ready

"Crucio!"

"Here, no more cuts" Luna's voice distracted me from my thoughts.

I looked down to see that she was still holding my hand, but the cuts and bruises on my arm had completely disappeared. My arm still looked wrong to me though

"Thank you"

"Everything for a friend ...what's wrong Jo?"

Her big round eyes focused on me, I could actually feel my muscles working to cover the evident desperation on my face and fail
"Oh, Luna! ...I'm just so angry! Sometimes I just want to scream and never ever stop"

"Do it then! Scream! Who cares if they hear you, just do it. If it'll make you feel better then it's worth it"

I smiled a little. I couldn't handle a conversation right now, something was wrong with me.
But apparently I wasn't going to be left alone anytime soon: Sasha was looking at me from afar, when our eyes met she gestured me to follow her

"We'll talk later"

"Ok ...you know where to find me"

I gave Luna's hand a squeeze before getting up and follow Sash.

"It was terrible!" Sasha had dragged me to the Dining Hall so that Jade could help her 'making me understand'

"It only lasted a few minutes" I tried

"I don't care how much it lasted!
Jo, please do not do it again" pleaded Jade.

I opened my mouth, very surprised: I thought this was going to be another anti-D.A. meeting; I didn't realize they were mad at me for being tortured!

"I will not torture other people!"

"They still got punished, Jo!" Jade's beautiful hair was getting messier as she ran nervously her hands through it
"And you got the worst of it! If you were the one controlling the spell you could have made it easier for them"