The Neville Icident
Fifth Year started as chaotic as one could imagine.
The whole Dementor in little Whinging thing was thankfully acknowledged by favour of a witness. And Harry really should've seen it coming. Neville in front of him in Potions class. The Neville. Clumsy as anyone can possibly be... This could only mean disaster was coming for him. Not that Harry was paranoid. Nope. But every Year before without fail, there had been death and destruction at this school, so Harry had every right to be anxious. No one could tell him otherwise.
He just hoped it wouldn't be as horrible as a classmate dying in front of him. The nightmares that followed this ordeal just wouldn't stop. Every night without exception he woke at least once while screaming bloody murder. He would have to cast Silencio around his Bed, to not have his Hogwarts roommates worry about him. They probably were worried already. Still. He was glad to be back home again. The welcoming feast was already finished while Harry was interrogated by the Ministry and that old annoying pink women. He shuttered. God was he relieved to be sitting here in Potions. Never thought I would think this crap.
Harry glanced up at Neville through his messy dark hair. Maybe he should cut it a bit ,or ask Herm for a hair clip at this point. Images of the Dursley's laughing at him came flooding in. They would ridicule him for wearing a hair clip. freak He shook his head at the forbidden thoughts. The ingrained self-hatred thanks to the Idiots at Privet Drive was hard to just let go overnight. A loud clank sound flooded the room. Neville ran after a rolling ink pot, crouching now on all fours on the dirty ground. The foreboding apprehension at seeing this just heightened in astronomical heights. Something is gonna explode today. Behind Harry, the old heavy Door opened slowly. Soon elegant careful footsteps echoed in the crammed room. Harry knew where they were going. As the only place left was right beside him. Being relatively late to class in thanks to the ministry ,really did fuck up his luck. The blonde Git, Harry had already deciphered through his unique arrogant footsteps, came to stand next to him.Fuck.
Harry slightly glanced at the blondes direction, trying hard to not really give in to making eye contact with the other boy. Eye contact with the Malfoy always meant trouble. Malfoy would be prompted to insult him and Harry really didn't have the energy for this today. The fear of getting expelled from Hogwarts was still sitting in his bones. Provoking Malfoy was an easy thing to do. Too easy . And provoking while Snape was the teacher was always a bad route to go down on. Harry opted for sighing out loud and moving his stuff away quietly to his side of the desk.
Hermione and Ron three tables ahead, gave him pity faces. Smiling sadly back at them the dark haired boy resigned to his fate. He hadn't seen Malfoy since the train ride back to Kings Crossing. He had been standing with his entourage. Quietly, staring in to the ground. Even he didn't have the audacity to go up to the Trio to cause drama, after what happened to Cedric just days before. Harry was glad for that. Even though it should be common sense not to disturb peace while people were mourning.....you never really knew with Malfoy and his crew. Malfoy started putting his Quill and Potions Book on the table with a thud. Harry tried resisting glancing at the boy. Not as easy as one might think. To ignore the Thing or Person right beside you. It's like the pink elephant theory, of trying not to think of something, making you think of it even more. He at least was glad, that Malfoy seemed to be in the same boat of ignoring each other. One thing less to worry about.
Snape suddenly walked briskly into the room out of the adjacent study. The black cape of his flowing elegant with the wind by the fast way he moved to the head table. Dramatic as always. Harry rolled his eyes. Snape slammed his book down and with his wand started to open all the windows.
"It positively reeks in here". Snape starred them down with a frown resting on his face.
"You all know how to use soap i presume" He drawled.
"I fear, or should I say smell, some of you apparently weren't raised to the basic standard of hygiene". With that, he looked right at Harry with an unkind expression.
Here we go again. The boy next to him sniggered. Deep breaths Harry. He resisted the urge to say something back to either Snape or Malfoy. With a neutral face, Harry began listening to Snapes boring Instructions. An Emotion Potion. Used to help to navigate emotions in a psych ward or even just with patients of wizard therapists'. Listening in, Harry knew Hermione would absolutely dig this potion, and would probably be theorising about different ways this potion could be used for later in the Common Room.
"Potter, you get the ingredients, and cutting and I'll prepare the potion. Can't trust you Dolt with something as delicate as this potion. Malfoy snarled in his direction. "I saw your dancing at the yule ball...nothing was precise or careful about that monstrosity of a dancing skill". The blonde needed to add.
Did i dance that badly....
Harry still didn't look to the Slytherin. Not as easily baited as last year. " Ye...p..and I'm so happy to do just that Malfoy. Rising from his seat, Harry went to the Cabinet to pick up all the old and dusty glass bottles and slimy plants they needed. He would get through this first class and focus on himself this year. No shenanigans with Malfoy and the other Slytherin brutes. Nope. Last term he barely had time to think about anything else than that rotten Tournament with its will to kill all the participants. The fear of injury and dying was constantly present. What kind of school does stuff like that. Returning to the table, Malfoy snatched the ingredients out of Harry's arms and immediately began instructing him on what to do. Bossy as always. Harry rolled his eyes. But as expected it wouldn't stop at instructions with Malfoy.
"So Potter". He spat out.
Harry took an annoyed breath in. "Yes Malfoy?"
"Heard you nearly got arrested today...for ..what was it? Underage Magic? Tell me what was that important to almost get expelled from Hogwarts?" He let out an arrogant laugh. "Couldn't you tie your tie or shoelaces properly Potter?"
God..this little-"Actually Malfoy". Harry pressed out. "It was Dementors trying to suck out my life and that of my Cousins.... so yeah, a good enough reason if you ask me".
Malfoy was silent at this. "Dementors in a Muggle Village...are you actually mental? Thinking that I would believe this nonsense". The Slytherin spat out.
Harry rolled his eyes again for the 3rd or 4th time in this class today. He probably should stop for his eyes' sake. "I don't need you to believe me Malfoy....i don't care about your stupid opinion". That should do it
"Tsk Potter, your lot with your strange made up fairytale stories. Didn't your Mom read you enough of those as a kid?...Oh wait.! You didn't have a mom! My bad." He cackled.
Just keep slicing...the potion is almost over.
Harry looked longingly at his friends up ahead, making a potion without much fuss. Even Neville didn't seem out of it today. Seamus... well, you never knew with him. He was just glad the other Slytherin's behind him weren't bothering him too.
"You got 10 min left to get a perfect Potion. So hurry up" Snape told them while he was engrossed in a book on his table. And then how it always happens. It happened too fast. Neville got up to the Cabinet to pick up, Harry assumed, a forgotten ingredient. Nothing new to see here. Bummer was, that Neville should've used the tying shoelaces spell Malfoy was talking about earlier. Because in one second as Neville came back, he stumbled over his shoes into the table and ultimately into their cauldron. All of that with a force he hadn't known Neville had it in him. Like watching a sad movie slow motion scene, Harry's life flashed before his eyes. Neville. The black shoelaces. The old grubby cauldron. The movement of everyone turning heads and bodies to the sound of the loud clunk. And lastly, the smell and heat of the Potion splattering on his face and hair.
Malfoy, as a surprise to no one, reacted swiftly and had cast a shield charm to protect himself. Why didn't I think of that...fuckHe wished for the Ground to swallow him up. To save him from more embarrassment which was surely coming his way. He could feel everyone holding their breath. Waiting for the shoe to drop. Was Harry going to die a painful death right here in this potion class? Would the potion do nothing at all and maybe show up 20 years later as a surprise. Or was the potion of Neville and Dean already finished and perfect ?. Not likely Harry feared for the worst. And so did everyone else, apparently. Snape jumped up and immediately cast a vanishing spell on the slimy Potion residue all over Harry and their table. Except some small liquid that he captured for safekeeping. His eyes narrowing as he looked at Harry
"Do you feel any different to how you did 5 minutes ago Mister Potter" he asked pondering.
Harry looked down at himself, counting all hi ten fingers, in fear more would sprout. " I uhm no I don't think so Professor.
"50 Points from Gryffindor for your reckless behaviour Mister Longbottom". Snape turned around to go back.
Hermione suddenly gasped. And with seeing that her eyes were glued on Harry, more importantly over his head, everyone else began gasping. Snape turned to look at him again, his eyes going wider than ever. Gasping and eyes that widen when looking at him were definitely a pretty bad sign that something was wrong. With much courage, he himself looked up. But to his surprise there was nothing to see. Just white, long forgotten Spiderwebs on the ceiling. What the hell... Harry confusion must have shown.
"Uhm ...what's going on?"he asked, fearful of getting an answer.
"You can't see it"? Hermione asked surprised. Harry shook his head. "Nope".
"Very Curious". Snape came closer once again, shoving the gobsmacked Neville out of the way while doing so.
"Swirling Colours...."Snape whispered.
"Huh?"
"There are some kind of misty colours swirling about your head Potter, do keep up". Malfoy said from beside him.
Finally Harry couldn't ignore him anymore. He turned to face him. "What do you mean colours above my head!?" Eyebrows rising far up north. Malfoy just stood there as nothing in the world was amiss. Leaning against their table with his hip. Damn is he taller than me! Harry thought furiously. Now the Git could really look down on him. What one summer can do to growth is just ridiculous. And his hair is so...so....
"I mean that-there-are-colours-above-your-head".He pronounced every word carefully, like Harry was too stupid to listen. Before he could answer Snape cut in.
"Mr. Potter, Mrs. Granger here will escort you to Madam Pomfrey, I will ask your classmates to the state of their potion to find a solution... now go on".
Throwing one mean last look at Malfoy, who was just grinning at this debacle, Harry left the room with Hermione.
The visit in the hospital wing didn't really give a lot of insights to his miserable situation. Floating colours that everyone except him could see.... Give me a break. Hermione and Ron, just as everyone else that day, looked at him in awe of the 'aura' a some of them titled it. He just hoped he wouldn't stand out even more for the rest of his life... as if this stupid scar wasn't visible enough already. Snape would find out what it is, and boom cure it. It's probably gonna go away overnight . Harry's thoughts circled around the topic the whole god-damn day. With everyone asking about it, who could blame him really.
Snuggling in his cold red sheets. The worry of what's to come tried to swallow him up.You're gonna be fine. The golden boy tried to calm himself and think about something else. Maybe Cho. Yeah. That would do it. Maybe trying to ask her out the next week would avert his negative thoughts. Because all the dating people in his year, above or under, were always talking about their partner. It must be time-consuming. That's exactly what Harry needed now. Something to keep his mind preoccupied from this colour weirdness.
As Harry lay there, thinking of Cho, the positive thoughts didn't appear. He started to become unexplainably anxious. Harry pressed his eyes shut with more force
It's gonna be fine
It's gonna be fine
It's gonna be fine
It's gonna be-----