Chapter 24
Finite Incantatum
Harry had placed the painting of Sirius on his beside table sized to match the eight by ten photograph of his parents and himself as a small baby. Sirius smiled fondly at the couple who waved jauntily at him in greeting then settled himself in for a long nap. After checking on all of his things he had been missing for so long, including his broom, Harry tiptoed out of the room to let Sirius sleep. It had already been a long day. Months long, to be exact. They had missed a lot and so much had happened. Harry couldn't wait to find Ron and tell him about what had happened to them in the Past.
Harry trotted down the stairs humming a little. It had been wonderful to have had such a vacation. It was a vacation of sorts. He felt great. Rested, even. It had been such a long time since he had gone just one night without nightmares or Voldemort-induced visions and finally not dragging around being exhausted made him feel strong and much more confident. Not to mention having a girlfriend who liked him for just being Harry and not some puffed up symbolic hero-figure. All it took for Harry to feel like the world was normal was for Hermione to roll her eyes and say, "Whatever, Harry" in that sarcastic voice. It made him shudder to think he could have dated one of those smarmy `fans' of his who would simper and giggle every time he walked by.
It was late in the afternoon and most of the classes had let out. A few students lounged about the common room having divested themselves of any robes or ties and had settled in wearing the Quidditch team shirts for Puddlemere and the Falcons who were playing tonight on the Wizarding Wireless. The light filtered through the stained glass and scattered colors everywhere warming the room with their playful dance. Harry threw himself lazily onto the couch and perched his glasses onto his forehead closing his eyes. It was good to be home.
Ron busted in through the door with a grunt and upon seeing Harry slouching on the couch, grinned widely and took a running leap that landed him beside his friend and knocking the dark haired boy over with a surprised yelp.
"Are you mental? Like I need anyone else trying to kill me!" Harry snorted as he righted himself and shoved Ron onto the floor in reprisal.
"Oh, I'm not the one you have to worry about, mate. You missed a couple of matches between us and the `Claws and the `Puffs and the rest of the team wants your skin for a flag. We were slaughtered by the Ravenclaws but made up somewhat with the `Puffs so it really isn't that terrible. I'd just watch your back when some of the team starts coming near." Ron leered menacingly making Harry grin and roll his eyes.
Seamus leaned over the back of the couch and whispered something into Ron's ear that made his smile disappear. Ron looked back at Seamus and nodded quickly. Harry noticed the seriousness of the two Gryffindors making Harry wonder what was so dire that they were whispering about it in front of him.
"What's up? What did I miss? You can't keep me out of it whatever it is…" Harry put his hand on Seamus' shoulder and got the young man to face him.
"Harry…well, there's a lot that happened while you were …on your mission or whatever…" Seamus rolled his eyes showing that even he didn't quite believe in Dumbledore's `mission'.
Harry ground his teeth in frustration. "Just tell me what happened, Seamus!"
Ron pulled his leg up and propped his chin on top. His expression surprised Harry and he thought his friend seemed older somehow. Ron rubbed his eyes wearily then nodded again to Seamus.
"I'll take tonight's shift with Harry. I don't have anything but Binns and Hagrid tomorrow so it'll be easier to catch a few winks then."
Ron stood up and shoved his hands roughly into the pockets of his jeans. He stood up and started walking to the door then turned with a pause towards Harry.
"You coming?" Ron questioned quietly.
Harry was confused. He shrugged then followed Ron out the door.
"What's with the mystery?" Harry whispered as they traveled down the third set of stairs to the lower parts of the castle.
"We're going to watch after Neville." Ron muttered just loud enough for Harry to hear.
"Neville? Is he alright? Did he mess up another Snape potion?" Harry grinned remembering Neville and his scales and dragon eyes from a potion gone wrong.
"No." Ron paused and looked Harry in the eye. "We're on Suicide watch."
Harry gasped in horror and felt rooted into place. Suicide Watch? What the hell is Ron talking about? What did happen while they were away? He wanted some answers and he wanted them NOW.
Harry grabbed Ron's arm and pulled him back around to face him. Ron's expression was hard and cold. He crossed his arms in front of him and tapped his foot.
"While you and Hermione were doing whatever it was you were doing," He smirked snidely, "We faced off an attack by Death Eaters. The castle took a beating and they nearly brought down the Wards to kill us all. However, we caught the traitor who was working the spell to disarm the Castle's Protections just in time." His smirk died on his face.
"Did Neville get hurt in the battle? What the Hell were they after? Were you there?" Harry shot question after question with each one landing on Ron like a blow.
"You don't understand, Harry. Neville was the traitor. He went Wormtail on us."
Harry stood there in shock as Ron walked a few paces then opened a dungeon cell with a large oversized key. He spoke a quick spell and the door glowed harshly for a moment then opened on its own.
Ron grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him through the doorway. He could see Neville sitting in the corner of a dusty, dank stone-walled room leaning against the wall listlessly. Ginny was sitting just inside the door with red eyes that didn't move from the prisoner as the two boys walked quietly in.
"Gin. What are you doing here? Dean was supposed to be on duty right now." Ron growled at his sister angrily.
"It's no use, Ron. He won't speak to me at all. I convinced Dean to let me take the last ten minutes of
his shift in hopes I could get him to talk, but he hasn't even looked at me." Her voice wavered but didn't
break. She refused to cry. She took a deep breath and stood up.
"Maybe he'll talk to you, Harry. If we could just get him to tell us why. That's all." She hung her head and slid out the door silently.
"I don't believe it." Harry watched Ginny leave then turned and faced Ron resolutely.
"I'm the one that caught him and I don't want to believe it either, Harry." Ron stated grimly.
"Suicide Watch?" Harry whispered.
"Yeah. He tried to kill himself a few days after we had him in the infirmary. That's why he's down here. It a magic-free cell and we've taken all the possible things away that he could use to inflict harm on himself. Ever since then he hasn't said a word."
Harry ached to see his friend apparently beaten and hopeless on the floor. "Was he under a curse?"
"Snape tested him for the imperious first thing and came up empty. It's gone now if it was ever there. If he was under the imperious curse, there's no way to really tell. That's why all the old Death Eaters got away, like Malfoy Senior. They said they were imperio'd and there's no real way to disprove it."
Harry's expression darkened. "Snape's not the best one for curse-breaking. Why didn't Dumbledore do it?"
"I don't know, Harry! This has been really hard, you know? Other houses have tried to sneak in here and attack Neville just as we're trying to keep him from killing himself. Everyone in Gryffindor calls him Pettigrew now and I've had to keep Ginny from crying so much she makes herself sick. All I know is Neville did it. He tried to help the Death Eaters gain entrance to the castle. Can you imagine how many children would have died? They would have killed everyone! I don't know if they were after you or if they were after Dumbledore or if they just wanted a high-profile attack, but Neville was a part of it…" Ron was panting from the exertion of trying not to yell.
"It's alright, Ron. It's O.K." Harry stared at Ron until he gained his breath back and nodded in response.
Harry walked slowly up to the shivering boy sitting in the corner. Neville's eyes were blank and he was whispering softly to himself.
"Not too much water, and the plant will be fine. Yes, yes. Just a little bit. Not too much…." He was rocking back and forth as he scratched his wrist bloody. His arm had been wrapped with gauze just a few hours before, and he had wrenched it off immediately to scrape at the wound again.
"Has he gone mad?" Harry whispered softly to Ron.
"It's possible. You remember his parents." Ron whispered back.
For a fleeting second, Neville's eyes cleared and he looked up at Harry with widened eyes. "Harry! It's so good to see you!" He smiled at Harry happily.
Ron looked at Harry with eyebrows raised and shrugged whispering, "This is the first thing he's said since the attack."
They both turned back to Neville and bent over to talk to him better. He had turned around and looked happy to see Harry. But in a moment his eyes darkened and his pupils turned to pinpricks. His smile faded and the blank look returned. Harry put his hand on his troubled friend's shoulder to talk to him when Neville stood up and started to shove at Harry.
"Whoa! Wait up, Nev. It's me, Harry!" Neville smiled beatifically as he tried to grab Harry's head and shove it into the wall. Neville slammed Harry hard against the stone and knocked him roughly against his jaw with a right hook. He was fighting dirty, clawing and kicking as Ron tried to pull him away from his best friend. Harry was yelling and trying to fight back, but the boy was acting like he was demon-possessed. The strikes and hits were ruthless and he would have continued until he'd killed him if Ron hadn't slammed him hard up side the wall striking his head harshly against the stones. Neville crumpled silently to the floor leaving Harry wheezing for breath.
"What the Hell!" Harry exploded.
"You sure bring out the best in people, Harry!" Ron leaned against the wall and tried to stop the flow of blood running into his eyes from a cut just above his left eye.
"That wasn't Neville! There is no way he'd attack me like that!" Harry fumed as Ron dragged the unconscious boy back into the corner where he'd be out of hitting range once he woke up.
Harry stood angrily watching Ron drag his friend through the dirty cell to the corner. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at Neville's prone body. Ron looked up and wearily shook his head at him.
"It won't work in here, Harry, The cell has a protection spell…"
Harry could feel the power growing inside him as he began the spell. He whispered a few words to himself then closed his eyes as he focused all his power.
"FINITE INCANTATUM!" He yelled making the walls shudder with the power of his spell.
Neville jerked and started to glow a sickly green. His body started to shudder until all the glowing focused on his wrist. He screamed in agony as his wrist started to bleed profusely and Ron turned and looked worriedly at Harry. Something dark and shadowy appeared just above the imprisoned boy's hand that looked like a spiked bracelet covered in Neville's blood. After a few moments, the bracelet seemed to extricate itself from Neville's arm pulling out needle like spikes from his wrist and it fell clattering onto the ground. Ron grabbed the slightly grubby gauze that had been left on the floor and ran to Neville to stop the streaming blood coming from his wrist.
"Bugger me, Harry! How in Hell did you do magic in here? No one else…" Ron looked up at his friend and saw the power crackling all around Harry like water flowing all over him.
"Thank you Harry…" Neville whispered before fainting once again.
Ron stared at Neville then back at Harry in disbelief.
"How did you know, Harry? No one else could tell…" Ron shook himself imagining the torment Neville must have endured with the cursed bracelet that apparently controlled him.
"I know Neville." Harry said simply looking more like himself with only the glittering power in his eyes betraying what had just happened.
Neville is NOT Wormtail. You knew it. I knew it. Neville would never betray us." Harry spoke softly and leaned up against the wall and tried not to fall gibbering onto the floor.
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