Harry Potter 1. The Flare

'Crucio!'

The first-year boy fell to the cobbled stone ground in agony. His knees, covered only by the thin robe which had entangled itself between his legs, thumped into the ground. Small grunts and whimpers of excruciating pain were involuntarily forced from his mouth. Tears filled his swollen eyes and violent tremors coursed through his body in frequent, nerve-chilling waves. Suddenly, the stream of magic which marked the course of the spell, stopped. The boy slumped over, collapsing onto the cold ground, shuddering uncontrollably. Surrounding the victim and Amycus, the wizard who cast the unforgivable curse, were two lines; one containing seventh year Hogwarts students and the other, first years who were ready to serve out their detentions. The Death Eater, cold-blooded hatred burning in his eyes, ready to put the boy through another fit of pain, raised his wand viciously. Again, he spat out the word which made fear flow through the veins of the bravest wizards.

'CRUC-' He never got to finish re-casting his second favourite spell. His wand was suddenly and violently ripped from his hand and flew in an arc across the classroom. He spun quickly, looking for the seventh year student who dared interrupt one of his dreaded 'demonstrations'. There were no wands aimed at him, no shout of 'Expelliarmus' had alerted him to the attempt of the disarming charm, and no guilty looks upon any faces. Every seventh year glared at Amycus, daring him to accuse one of them. Knowing there was no way to find out who disarmed him without causing a riot, he instead spun away from the class and towards the students who had earned detention since his last 'Dark Arts' lesson. Behind him, Neville, giving a satisfied nod, slipped the concealed wand out of his sleeve and back into his pants – smiling grimly and briefly at an admiring crowd; consisting mostly of members of Dumbledore's Army.

Neville waited for someone to tell Amycus it was him. Waited for Crabbe or Goyle, standing a few metres behind him, to dob him in. But the two blubber-brains were gawking at Amycus; a crowned hero in their minds. Then, Neville's heart sank: not in fear, but bitter disappointment at the fact Amycus would now have his chance to redeem himself, to reinstate the fear he bestowed upon the first years. For those few brief seconds after Neville cast the spell, uncertainty rippled through the group of wizards and witches. Now, his efforts were diminished by one ignorant Slytherin first year. Unless…  
'THERE! It was him!' The boy shouted as he caught a glimpse of Neville's wand being slipped into his pocket. Amycus, alerted by the boys' cry – spun to follow his gaze, and the line made by his pointer finger. He saw a pimple-faced, slightly chubby boy with determination clearly set deep within his heart. Amycus took the time to sigh exasperatedly to himself. Now he was going to have to deal with the boy, and this particular seventh year had recently proved himself to be quite the nuisance. Neville had deep determination set in his heart for the downfall of Amycus' Lord. A determination which seemed to be driven by the hope bestowed upon he and his fellow seventh-years by Harry Potter. This, and his obvious enjoyment and skill in the art of back-chat, retaliation and retorts, saw him as a dangerous and unfavourable enemy: something which did not bode well in Amycus' mind. He made a decision: get rid of the boy. Reduce him to a quivering heap, destroy his motivation and determination. Destroy him, and the others would follow. He quickly raised his wand to shout the word 'CRUCIO' for the third time in the last ten minutes but, before the effort to shout it could be mustered, he collapsed into a heap on the ground as Neville's Cruciatus Curse hit him square in the chest.

Collapsing to the ground, Amycus screamed in complete, intense pain. Neville, watching his own spells' effects, was experiencing similar pain. It rippled through him as, in the stream of light cast from his wand, he saw his parents: they were on the ground as Amycus was now – pain surging through them. Tears sprung to his eyes as he experienced what his parents would have gone through. Suddenly, Neville fell to his cloak-covered knees, his wand falling limp in his loose hand. He looked at Amycus, and saw him pleading. He begged and whimpered for mercy as the first year had done before him. As Neville's parents would have done years previously. And, in an instance, the determination within Neville was back; this time nourished by the hot white rage which coursed through his veins. And that fire of intense determination and hunger for justice wasn't extinguished until some months later when Neville dove, sword of Godric Gryffindor in his hand, in front of Ron and Hermione and cut off Nagini's thin, slit-nosed head.

He stood up, letting the tears show to all those around him and, most deliberately, to the shell of a man; the whimpering Death Eater who curled before him. And with a look of intense hatred, Neville raised his wand once more. Amycus braced himself for the intense pain that could be brought about only by the unforgivable spell he had used so many times before. He knew this young man standing over him could well kill him. But that intensified agony never came. Instead, there was a shout of 'Petrificus Totalus' and Amycus was frozen in his foetus pose. Neville, a snarl of disgust on his face stepped back from the man, salty tears flowing down his face. He thought of his parents, the pain they suffered, the result of the dreaded curse. And he knew the man, Amycus, deserved the same fate. But that would make him as bad as Bellatrix. So instead, Neville kicked the still man, who tried, and failed, to loudly groan in pain; turning to face the first years and his fellow year-mates.  
'Class dismissed.'


	2. The First Step

The fifty-odd students filed out of the classroom, constantly glancing back at their Death Eater professor lying frozen on the ground. Immediately after Neville had dismissed the class Crabbe and Goyle, slowed down considerably by their excessive weight, had rushed to inform Snape; the hated headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the present time. Neville smiled, pretence obvious, at the figure lying before him. And suddenly, the rage was back. He didn't know how, or why, but Neville knew the anger was back. Hatred burning in his eye, he drew back his foot, made heavy by the black, leather boot which snugly hugged his foot. He drove it into the ribcage of Amycus Carrow and a section of the anger within Neville was replaced by satisfaction. It was true magic; seeing the lousy, pathetic Death Eater lying helpless on the ground. He redrew his wand and flourished it, non-verbally calling out 'Levicorpus.' Amycus, remaining frozen, was hoisted into the air by his left ankle, rigidly dangling in the air, swinging gently side to side as if a soft breeze was blowing. Neville smirked as he imagined the mass of dead weight trying to explain to his sister, Alecto, how he was bested by a student. The Hogwarts year had just begun and they were only five weeks in, yet already Snapes' actions as headmaster and his two power-hungry sidekicks, Alecto and Amycus, had destroyed the friendly atmosphere of Hogwarts. Suddenly, Neville became aware of a presence in the room, someone standing behind him. His suspicions were confirmed when a deep cough echoed through the room. There was no mistake as to who this was; his voice was distinct, even in just the brief second provided by the cough, Neville recognised the person behind him instantly.

'Hello, Seamus!' Neville spun around, the hint of a smile on his face.  
'Hello Neville – I see you've been having a bit o' fun!' A large grin, spread from ear to ear, accompanied Seamus' words, and there was a slight twinkle of amusement in his eyes.  
'I don't suppose you could blow him up for me, could you?' Neville smirked, amused by his own teasing at Seamus' fondness of explosions.  
'Not if it's deliberate!' Seamus joined in the mocking of himself, and suddenly, his face turned serious, 'You'd better get out of here, before Snape or Alecto show up!' Seamus gestured urgently to the figure, still dangling from his foot, held up by thin air and, of course, magic. Neville gave a heavy sigh of exaggerated disappointment; although he would have liked to have another few minutes alone with the Death Eater. But just as the thought popped into his mind, there was the sound of heavy footsteps plodding heavily along the corridor, nearing the classroom in which he and Seamus stood. Neville searched around for a place to hide but found none that would conceal them effectively. But then he realised Seamus was urgently beckoning for Neville to join him. Hurriedly striding to where Seamus stood by a bookcase, Neville saw him pulling out a cloak from his robe pocket, and a perplexed look crossed his face. Seamus, seeing the look, began to explain with haste.  
'It's an invisibility cloak. Fred and George sell them in their joke shop. It won't block spells and it fades eventually, but it'll do!' Neville, needing no further encouragement, threw the cloak – patterned with red and black – over himself and Seamus, concealing them instantly. Just then, Crabbe and Goyle plodded into the room, slowly ambling into the classroom. Behind them strode Alecto Carrow, who shrieked briefly as she saw the frozen, upside down figure of her brother, Amycus.

'See! I told you!' Crabbe, his voice slightly slurred and words articulated badly, pointed at the figure as he spoke. Alecto recoiled as saliva was fired from the chubby, yet solidly built, boys' mouth. Then she quickly ran over to her brother, pointed her wand at him and said, in a voice obviously attempting to hide anger and embarrassment, 'Finite Incantatem.' The first thing Neville noticed was the fact that only 'Petrificus Totalus' was counteracted by Alecto's spell. Amycus, curled up in a ball, let out a small cry of startled surprise as his body finally began to move again. His body, no longer affected by the Body Binding Curse, was once again under the control of gravity. When he was curled up in the ball, his body was well clear of the ground but, as Amycus fell, there was a sound of the human skull crashing into the stone floor as he literally 'fell' unconscious. Crabbe and Goyle looked around dumbly as if searching for someone who had shot a spell at Alecto's brother. Underneath the cloak, Neville and Seamus exchanged bemused glances and a small, inaudible chuckle. But their faces were soon robbed of any signs of humour as another figure entered the room. Dressed in a long, black robe and black leather boots, with long, greasy-black hair gently 'swooshing' back and forth as he walked, Severus Snape entered the room.

Snape glanced around the room quickly, studying the scene. In his usual monotonic voice, he began to question those in the room. Well, those visible in the room.  
'Who did this?' He asked a simple question and Alecto, lost for an answer, spun to look at Crabbe and Goyle. Crabbe, pulling a chicken wing from somewhere within his cloak, answered the question.  
'Well, he was up in the air when we found him, but she knocked him out.' Spitting bits of half-digested chicken at Snape as he spoke, Snape glared at him with his cold, black eyes. Alecto, hearing the accusation, turned to plead her innocence to the newly-appointed headmaster. However, the greasy-haired man dismissed the gesture impatiently. He once again glanced around the room and then at the figure in the middle of it; Amycus was still hanging from his ankle, but his neck and head were bent and pressed into the ground. He sighed sadly as he looked at what passed for a Death Eater these days.

'Neville! Seamus! Show yourselves!' Both the seventh-years, hidden under the cloak, took a sharp intake of breath and glanced at each other; disbelieving. Each boy's eyes asked the same question, 'How did Snape know we were here?' Seamus looked at Neville, a look of defeat on his face. But, he noticed, there was only determination on Neville's. And suddenly, they were both thinking the same thing. Snape scanned the room; waiting for the invisibility cloak to be pulled off, for the boys' to surrender. After all, these cheap invisibility cloaks were easy to trace. But instead of seeing the disappointed faces of Seamus and Neville, several things happened at once. Amycus' leg suddenly lost its' support, at the silent calling of 'Liberacorpus' from Neville's mind, and Crabbe's nose exploded in a vicious nose bleed. Then, the next instant, bats began pouring out of Goyle's nose as Seamus cast Ginny's trademark Bat Bogey Hex and Alecto was stunned and thrown backwards into a desk as Neville cast 'Stupefy' from beneath the cloak.

As both wands turned to Snape and they shouted 'Impedimenta', all thoughts of secrecy forgotten, then was another voice, Snapes', as he cast 'Protego' over himself. Then, equipped with many years more experience in dangerous and tough situations, Snape shouted 'Accio Cloak' and, suddenly, Neville and Seamus' hiding spot was ruined. Snape made his way towards them, ignoring the four bodies – either unconscious or staggering around aimlessly – which blocked his path. As he went, he cast 'Expelliarmus' twice, before the two boys managed to react and, an evil grin on his face, he picked both Neville and Seamus up by the scruff of the neck and spoke, no anger apparent in his voice. But that, paired with the pauses and greasy pronunciation which matched his voice so well, made it all the scarier.  
'I think it's time we all had a little chat, don't you think?'


	3. The Headmaster

Severus dragged the two seventh-years through the school by the scruff of the neck. Neville and Seamus, not wanting to give in without a fight, dug their heels into the ground stubbornly as the greasy headmaster pulled them along. But, despite his lanky limbs, Snape had much more muscle than met the eye, and he easily 'escorted' the two defiant trouble makers to his office. As they reached the entrance, Snape whispered a password to the Gargoyle which, despite straining his hearing to the best of his ability, Neville couldn't make out. Severus shoved the boys roughly into his office, the door slamming magically behind them. Seamus went to hand over his wand, but Snape refused it. This ignited a feeling within Neville that the unwanted headmaster was up to something. Gesturing for the boys to sit, Snape began to talk in his usual, slow tone.

'This school is not a place in which you may freely roam. There are rules, and you will follow them.' He paused for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts, then continued, 'Professor Carrow is not going to tolerate your attempts at justice. And nor will I. If you are found to be acting against me again, your headmaster, you will be severely punished. Understood?' Seamus and Neville looked at Snape, dumbstruck, then at each other, then back to the headmaster. He really wasn't going to punish them? Snape, sensing the renewed hope in each of them, quickly extinguished it.  
'Your punishment,' Seamus gave an inaudible groan, 'Is to be the law enforcers in this school. You will roam Hogwarts, keeping an eye out for people breaking the school rules. Then you shall bring them to me… for punishment.' A smirk of satisfaction spread across Snapes' face as Neville's anger seemed to flare.

'In your dreams!' The words were said so loudly, it was almost a shout. And the tone of Neville's voice left no doubt; this was a threat. Seamus let go of a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. He put his arm on the shoulder of Neville, who was now standing threateningly over the headmaster.  
'Neville.' Seamus tried to coax his friend, who exploded.  
'NO! Don't "Neville" me! I will not sit down while this tyrant takes over our school!' Suddenly, Neville turned away from Seamus and once again addressed Severus, 'YOU ARE A DICTATOR! A LIAR! A CHEAT! AND A MURDERER!' Neville spat in the headmaster's face. Then he turned, ripped the door open and stormed out. Seamus, who sat in shock at Neville's outburst, went to follow him out, but was stopped by Snape.

'Oh Seamus, you're both to start the patrol on the seventh floor. Immediately.' The heavy emphasis that lay on the word 'immediately' told Seamus he was to find Neville and then convince him to carry out the given punishment. It wasn't hard to follow Neville's' path. A path of destruction; including toppled suits of armour and crooked or smashed portraits marked the way for Seamus. He broke into a jog, trying to gain on his friend, when a familiar, sharp female voice stopped him.  
'Mr Finnigan.' Minerva McGonagall strolled towards Seamus up a flight of stairs. He waited for her to join him and, not knowing what to say, waited for her to continue, 'What happened to Mr Longbottom, he seemed… angry?' A genuine concern for Neville's wellbeing was apparent on her face, so Seamus told her what had happened.

'We was in Dark Arts with Amycus, and 'e was torturin' a first year. Neville was obviously reminded of 'is parents and 'e snapped. He cast Crucio on Amycus, then hoisted 'im into the air with Levicorpus. We were under an invisibility cloak when Snape came. Boy, was 'e mad. We tried to curse 'im, but he was too quick. He took us to his office, and tried to punish us by making us report other students breaking the rules. Neville lost it. Started yellin' at Snape for bein' a liar and a cheat an' a murderer. Then 'e spat in 'is face and stormed out.' Seamus recounted the story as quick as possible, leaving out minor details. But McGonagall got the gist. But, to Seamus' surprise, McGonagall's reply was not one of anger or of disappointment; or even concern. No: the look on her face was unmistakable. It was a look of pride.

'Good on him! Tell him I knew he had it in him and that he's completely right. Oh and tell him there's always a way.' Seamus, bemused, nodded his understanding, and sprinted off again to find Neville.  
It wasn't difficult to find him. He had retired to his bed after the long day and when Seamus found him he had his blanket over his head and small, suppressed sobs were being emitted from the pile of blankets and pillows. Seamus smiled sadly, and said six words.  
'McGonagall said, "There's always a way."' Those six words did more to Neville than a thousand from Seamus ever could have. They threw fuel back into the fire of determination within him. And suddenly, there was a burning desire within Neville to overthrow Voldemort. And he knew the only way to do that, was to re-initiate Dumbledore's Army.

Wandering around the seventh floor, the two boys' new-found responsibility of ensuring rule breakers were caught proved to be quite boring and uneventful. Once or twice, a first year had skidded round the corner, caught side of the two figures, suddenly alerted, and sprint back the way they had come. But Neville and Seamus never bothered to pursue them. They had no desire to hand in helpless students for 'treatment'. As they wandered up and down the corridors', Neville had a vague idea that something wasn't right. There was something in the back of his mind, something which bugged him. But he couldn't seem to figure out what it was. Minutes stretched into hours until small shafts of light trickled through the few windows on the seventh floor. Seamus and Neville were still patrolling, in case Snape happened to check in on them, but in reality, Neville was thinking things through in his head.  
_"We need to defeat Voldemort. In order to do that, we need to start Dumbledore's Army up again. But we can't meet without being seen. So what we need, is a place for Dumbledore's Army to meet."  
_As the final thought went through his mind, there was a slight grating sound; the sound of metal on wood. Neville glanced up and down the corridor quickly to check for a stray first-year, sneaking around at the crack of dawn. But there was no difference, no thing that could have made the sound. Unless… Neville spun around in anticipation and a smile crossed his face.  
'Seamus!' Neville called out in a whisper only just loud enough for Seamus, three or four corridors away, to hear. There was the shuffling of feet, gradually getting closer. But as Seamus rounded the corner, he forgot about his fatigue and was instead overwhelmed with excitement. For, embedded in the wall in front of Neville, was the entrance to the Room of Requirement.  
_"Of course! That must be what's bothering me!" _Neville's brain was in overdrive. But there was still something wriggling at the back of his mind; a small, invisible piece of string he could not yet grasp. What he didn't know was that the wriggling feeling would not go away until a few days after the Battle of Hogwarts, when Harry told everyone Snape's story; how he wasn't evil after all. It was on that day Neville realised that Snape had deliberately set this up as a punishment, that he had deliberately stationed them on the seventh floor; where the Room of Requirement happened to be. It was on that day Neville realised that Severus Snape, ex-headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, had initiated the re-establishment of the rebel force which had ultimately finished Lord Voldemort: Dumbledore's Army.


End file.

Harry Potter, Fantasy, Humor