Predictably, Neville was left partnerless.

[adjunct]

Hullo, this is Neville Longbottom, I think I've done this right.
Erm, you can leave me a voiceletter. If you'd like.

Comments

private; video

[tonsofpun]

Oh yeah. And I called him a giant fucking tool. And an asshole. And some other stuff I don't remember.

[Ellie gives him a wan little smile, hoping she looks a least a little bit reassuring. She also doesn't look too concerned about it. What's another month's detention? She's already got enough racked up.]

Yep. Harry and Hermione and Draco mostly. And Teach. ... Snape, I mean.

backdated ( and a placeholder sob ) to barty's post

[dilectio]

[ she tried ignoring it, the video. she didn't want to hear anything Crouch had to say about anything, especially not Severus. it was childish, but she just couldn't stand to. so she left it alone, and figured that would be the end if it. totally calm, yes.

but their house is pretty tight-knit. a few of the rooms all lining the same hall, so when she hears Neville shouting, she's up on her feet before she can think twice about it

knockknockknockknock ]

Neville, are you alright? Open the door, please.

[ totally mom-voicing right now, oops. if she were thinking clearly she would realize the conversation was one-sided, that nobody else was in his room and he wasn't- in danger or anything, but sheeeee isn't thinking clearly, no ]

text; morning after barty's post

[palebee]

Mr. Longbottom,

I suspect you're quite busy at the moment, but when you've a free moment or two, there's something in the city that I'd love to show you.

Yours,

-- Albus Dumbledore.

[adjunct]

[There's a small crash as the knocking makes Neville jump up so fast that his chair topples over backwards and hits the floor. He stands there for about three seconds without moving or blinking or breathing, one hand slapped over his mouth, while where he is and what he's doing all comes flooding back at once.

Oh. Oh, bugger.

That voice can only be Harry's mum. Snape's best mate, according to his last, rather unpleasant bracelet-conversation with Harry that he's been struggling not to be constantly peeved over.

So... this is not going to be good.]

I- [Neville coughs, because his voice is rather more squeaky than he'd like it to be, and he stares at the door as though he's not sure if he should listen to her and open it (though, it's not locked or anything.)] I'm fine, it's fine, I'm sorry about the noise.

private; video

[adjunct]

[Neville has even less an idea of what to do with the fact that she's familiar enough with Snape to have given him a cute nickname than he knows what to do with the fact that she cussed him out and called him names right to his face.

He wars between being wary and being awestruck for a few, long seconds before he just shakes his head once to clear it and decides he'd rather figure her out by how she acts than the people she knows, anyway.]

Sorry, right-- he said you had Growth too. I think he wanted to introduce us, actually...

[adjunct]

[Quite late in the morning when he finally wakes up after tossing and turning most of the night, and after a few minutes of dithering on how to address Dumbledore in his reply (eventually settling on the old, familiar way):]

Professor Dumbledore,

I'm not busy today, where would you like to meet?

-Neville

private; video

[tonsofpun]

[Don't worry, Neville. The cute nickname was originally just another way to piss him off. Her eyes blink wide when she realizes Harry must have talked about her. She has a moment to almost hope that he doesn't know about the whole Voldemort thing, but-

She abandons that train of thought to positively light up when he mentions his power.]

You're another Sigyn? And a Growth user? Oh man, welcome to the club!

It's weird, there's a ton of people in our House, but like twice as many people got the Healing end of the schtick.

private; video

[adjunct]

Cheers. [He smiles back at her, a little more convincing this time, and it doesn't flop off his face immediately so much as fade away gradually as he shrugs a shoulder in response.] Healing would be nice, I think, to be able to help people like that. But, well-- I've always quite liked Herbology: it's my best subject. I'm glad I've got Growth.

voice | private.

[adjunct]

It's alright.

[He's done this now, a few times now. It's much harder to be detached about the whole experience when he's not explaining it to people who know what they were up against, but Neville at least gives it his level best go. He takes a breath, and begins quietly, voice cracking here and there:]

Albus Dumbledore is the name of the Headmaster before Professor Snape. Snape killed him, before he took over, so he must've had a good laugh naming the school after him here.

There're these people that call themselves Death Eaters. They care about blood purity, they say you're worth nothing if you haven't got wizard blood that you can trace. They hunted Muggle-borns - that's kids who are born to two parents who can't do magic, I mean - like animals, they locked them up in our prison, Azkaban. Young as eleven-year-olds. Said they'd stolen their magic from someone else, which is - that's just stupid, yeah? You can't do that, and none of the muggle-borns I know would have done, anyway.

Professor Snape was one of those, a Death Eater. Hogwarts used to be safe for everybody to learn magic, no matter who your parents were, but that changed when he got the spot. He hired two Death Eaters, too, a brother and sister - the Carrows. He put them in charge of discipline because they liked that sort of thing, and teaching - Muggle Studies, and what used to be Defense Against the Dark Arts. It just turned into Dark Arts. Alecto Carrow did Muggle Studies, she taught everybody that Muggles are disgusting and shouldn't be mated with. Quite mean. Carried around a knife and liked to stick the students who argued back. Amycus Carrow taught us how to use the Dark Arts to torture other students, including curses that used to get you a life sentence for casting. The Cruciatus Curse, specifically. It causes you the worst pain you've ever felt, the worst pain you ever could feel, and if you get it enough, your mind could just... break. If we refused to torture each other, we got tortured instead.

He says he was working undercover, that he did what he could for us. But he was the only one in that whole school with the power to stop the Carrows, and he never did, not once. He never left his office, never lifted a finger, he just let them torture us and cut us up and deny us going to the Healer for laughs, sometimes kept us from eating or sleeping with their detentions. He let them take kids hostage to use against their parents who were causing trouble outside, he didn't care. Or if he did care, fat load of good that did anybody in the world but himself.

[Whatever fight had entered his voice bleeds out after that, and there's a bit of quiet before he finishes.]

Anyway, other people from our world believe him, but they weren't there: they were on the outside that year, on the run. They didn't see what he turned that school into. If you want the truth, I don't think his arm needed much twisting, either way. He always hated the students that weren't in his House, even the really good ones who worked hard and wanted to learn, like Hermione Granger. He always looked for reasons to punish them or give them bad grades long before Dumbledore was-- gone.

[doggedly]

[oh my wizard god what the hell will be sure to get caught up on the torture deets soon]

so whats your alternative, do nothing?
just because hes a madman doesnt mean hes a madman youve got to put up with
manage it on your own if you like but theres help out there if you want it

voice | private.

[ffuckoff]

Wait, so he used to be a teacher, before Dumble-d- [What could be an emotional moment is ruined by Fiona stumbling over Dumbledore's stupid name.] Dumbledore. So you think that guy kept him in check, but when he died...?

[She's got a running theory, and it all lines up. She's just got to check when their Dumbledore showed up, and also talk to this Hermione Granger kid. Woman. Shit, isn't she a teacher?]

voice | private.

[adjunct]

Yeah. He was a teacher - Potions - and the head of one of the four Houses. [Neville stops to think about the question, and he finds himself nodding even though she can't see it.] I think so. He was just about the most powerful wizard in the world, according to everyone. None of that would have been allowed to happen, if he had still been alive: Professor Dumbledore always did everything he could to protect that school.

voice | private.

[ffuckoff]

And... d'you really think he'll start torturing kids again, if Mr Dumbledore leaves? He's at the school now. [Fiona has met him, and he reminds her of the kind of guy who sells weasels out of shoe boxes on street corners because they make excellent pets, really, one for five dollars, two for nine! But, you know, wizards. They're weird.]

[palebee]

Mr. Longbottom,

At the edge of Gefion Park, if you please, on the west end. I'd recommend wearing clothing you don't mind a bit of muck on.

- A.D.

voice | private.

[adjunct]

I-- don't know. Maybe not. But he already proved perfectly willing to do it once, didn't he. [No matter what Harry and Hermione say, that is absolutely nothing that Neville wouldn't put past Severus Snape anymore.]

text ↝ action

[adjunct]

Alright, it won't take long.

-Neville

[And it doesn't! Neville shows up in the tattered, ash-covered trousers he first arrived wearing, and an inexpensive, plain shirt, things that wouldn't cost him much to lose. He peers around the park curiously when he arrives, searching for the strangely young version of his old Headmaster.]

voice | private.

[ffuckoff]

So, you think it's something I should keep an eye out for?

Re: voice | private.

[adjunct]

Yeah.

voice | private.

[ffuckoff]

Okay. Thanks, Neville. If you sign up for classes, I'll try to keep you away from him and under the radar as much as I can, okay?

[dilectio]

[ Lily's just staring at the handle of the door, hand hovering near it now, listening for any signs of- well, anything. ]

You have nothing to be sorry for, I just heard shouting, that's all. Are you sure you're alright? May I please come in? Only for a moment. [ TO QUELL HER RAGING MOM WORRIES. and she's got her fingers on the handle now, but she waits.

well, she tries to wait, but then she's cracking the door open a little bit and peeking in ]

I'll need to get a look at you or I'll be worried all night, you understand.

[ LILY YOU HARDLY KNOW EACH OTHER YOU CAN'T JUST- yep, she's stepping into his room. uninvited. her voice is quieter now ]

What's wrong?

action

[palebee]

[ He's waiting back along the treeline, hands folded and smiling genially at nothing in particular. His eyes track a bit into the distance, watching more carefully from the corners of their vision. For once, the absurdly-coloured robes have been shifted in favour of plain garb, a tight bandage wrapped around both bracelet and wrist, and a large covered bucket hanging at his side.

He waves to Neville when he spots him, gesturing him over. ]

Ah, there you are! Thank you very much for coming, I really do appreciate it -- here, just back this way.

[ He gestures along the path, setting off at a brisk pace. The ground grows wetter as they walk, and filtering through the greenery is the faint, unmistakable smell of marsh. ]

Tell me, Mr. Longbottom, you've experience with toadflowers, what of the earnest, hopping thing?

private; video

[tonsofpun]

Man, at least it worked out like that for one of us. I keep thinking mine's just a bad joke.

[Ellie flashes a brief smile.]

So you know all about plants? Even the magical ones? Hell, I'm still learning some of the basic herbal stuff.

action

[adjunct]

Sure, Professor.

[Neville gives a small smile, which feels worn and stretched across his tired face. It lasts only a little while, but he doesn't go back to looking completely miserable when it's gone.] I've got one, yeah, he's why I got a toadflower in the first place. Keep him company, and all. His his name is Trevor - he's actually here with me.

[Neville quite enjoys the rhythmic squelch that their shoes make in the mud the farther they get, finds it relaxing. It feels rather nice to get out of the room he'd been wallowing in, take his mind off the things that were said.]

Not... here, with us, I mean. Just around. He's got a habit of hopping off, really. Bit of an adventurous spirit, you know.

private; video

[adjunct]

Well-- [Harry did say she was one of the people he should go to, and he does want more than anything to become useful to the Order in Asgard...] If you teach me how to use the ability, I could teach you about the plants.

private; video

[tonsofpun]

[It makes her smile, and it doesn't slip off right away this time.]

That'd be cool of you. And sure, I'll definitely help.

... I should- probably mention. Snape teaches the Herbology here. I think there's somebody else that does too, but I take Potions during that time block, so I don't go to that class.