A/N: Written for the QLFC, Tutshill Tornados, beater 2 - write about Neville and Bellatrix in an enemies relationship.
(word) name
Word count: 1035
"I'm furious!" Neville shouted at Harry, Ron and Hermione. "Why? Oh no reason, other than that witch, Bellatrix. She's free, and she shouldn't be. I wanted her to rot for all eternity in that place. You remember the Dementors? They were awful… well, that was for me. She would never know peace, like my parents. MY PARENTS DON'T EVEN KNOW ME!"
This outburst was, at the very least, unexpected. Harry, Hermione and Ron were surprised and worried at Nevile's shouting. They were all standing around in the Gryffindor common room. They were missing class, but that wasn't a priority. Hermione made a move to comfort her friend.
"DON'T!" Neville screamed at her, and so she bounced back to where she was standing. "I don't want to be pacified. Why can't I be angry? Am I not allowed to feel things? I am so sick of being level-headed. Harry has a tantrum about Voldemort every other week, so why can't I, for once, be allowed to do the same?"
"Of course you're allowed, mate, but this is a bit over the top, even for Harry," Ron said with a slightly jovial tone. Harry, who had started blushing after Neville's comment about him having tantrums, went even redder after Ron's comment.
"Neville, I know it's hard without your parents…" Harry began, but Neville was having none of it.
"No! You don't get to make this about you, Harry Potter. Yes, you know what it's like to grow up without your parents but you don't know what it's really like. You can't visit them and be in the same room as them. I have to visit my parents, but they aren't there, they're like echoes. They will never hug or kiss me. Sometimes, I'm not even sure they know me from the healers at St. Mungo's."
He turned away from them, facing the wall. He wouldn't let them see his tears. They were definitely angry tears, and not hurt or upset tears. He knew his Nan would be ashamed of him. She would want him out there searching for that witch, but in this moment he couldn't even think of her name without his anger boiling up inside him.
"I'm going to get my revenge," he said quietly when the sobs subsided, "I'm going to get it. I'm not going to just sit here and do nothing."
There was something unmistakably definite and forceful in his tone that made the audience of this statement react in different ways; Harry vocalised his protests to this idea, Hermione tried to soothe Neville and Ron did a mix of the two. Their voices overlapped.
"You can't go after her…"
"Don't do anything rash…"
"Revenge isn't the answer, mate."
"What do you all want me to do then? Sit here like a good little boy, waiting for my parents to get better? They won't! Tell my Nan I had a chance to avenge their lives, and didn't?"
"Getting revenge won't make them better either." Harry put his hand on Neville's shoulder, Neville shrugged it off.
"It would be doing something. You're doing something Harry, you can't tell me part of this fight with You-Know-Who isn't about you getting revenge for your parents," Neville said defiantly.
"Of course not. I don't want to fight him, but he keeps making me his target. I don't think your parents would want you to seek revenge for them. They would want you to stay safe."
"Yeah, well, I'll never know what my parents would want. So I am going to do what I want, and I want revenge."
"If you won't stop this for your parents, do it for your Nan," Hermione coaxed in a gentle voice, "she would want you to stay safe. She lost her son, I don't think she could bear to lose you."
"She would want revenge just as much as I do. She only wants me to stay safe because she thinks I'm weak at magic. You've all seen me in DA; I've improved. I could take her on."
"Neville, c'mon, none of us here think you're weak, but we still don't want you going out to get hurt."
Ron was trying Hermione's tactic, as it seemed to calm him slightly. The anger and hurt wasn't as visible on Neville's face and his features were slowly returning to his normal calm look.
"Yeah," said Harry cottoning on. "I don't looking for Voldemort; he just always seems to find me. Maybe wait; Bellatrix might come to you."
Hermione gave Harry a look that said 'don't encourage him' so Harry remained quiet.
"Sometimes it's best to wait for the best moment to strike. Like in Quidditch, you don't try for a goal when the Keeper is looking directly at you and can block it. You have to be tricky and sometimes patient," Ron piped up, causing Hermione turned her look on him.
Neville had been listening and thinking about what the boys were saying, so much that he didn't hear Hermione's words, reminding him that revenge wasn't the answer. Neville had come up with his own plan. He liked idea of lying in wait, as this allowed him to continue practising and learning new spells at DA and improve to the point where he could destroy that witch with a snap of his fingers. His choice gave him a sense of serenity which showed on his face. Hermione noticed this and said:
"Neville? Do you think you could go to class?"
Hermione's words snapped Neville out of his reverie.
"Class?" he asked.
"Yeah, I mean we wouldn't force you, except, we have Umbridge and I don't need anymore detentions," Harry said while absent mildly rubbing the scar on his right hand.
"None of us do, if that's what happens." Ron said.
"If you don't feel like going Neville, maybe go to the infirmary?" Hermione suggested.
"I don't think Madam Pomfrey would appreciate me there, so we'll go to class."
Going to class was the last thing Neville wanted to do. However, one good thing was that he could stare at his book for the entire time and he wouldn't get in trouble. He wanted his revenge, but it would be on his terms.
