Heres a head scratcher- Ginny hated Snape and by Neville's account, so did most of Hogwarts during the finale year. So why would Ginny name one of her sons after him? My guess is, he wasn't as tough as the Carrows since we now know he tried to protect the students from them.
So here's a little one shot of poor Neville getting picked on (since today is his birthday!), with help from an unsuspecting source. Inspired from the 'knife sharpener' conversation he has with the Golden trio, I decided that when I hear of deep cuts, I only think of one spell… Oh and Vulnera Sanentur was used (at least the official incantation) in the film version of Half Blood Prince, just so we're clear! It is a spell.
"Amycus… teaches what used to be known as Defence Against The Dark Arts, except now it's just the Dark Arts. We're supposed to practise the Cruciatus Curse on people who've earned detentions… That's how I got this one…" (Neville) pointed at a particularly deep gash in his cheek. "I refused to do it." p462, The Lost Diadem, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
"Albus Severus… you were named for two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew." p607, Epilogue, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows
"Vulnera Sanentur."
It was both a remarkable, and yet unremarkable day for Ginevra Weasley, depending on your point of view. Remarkable as it was one of the first days this year that she had resisted temptation of unleashing her fiery temper on the Carrows, Snape and Slytherins in general. Therefore, she had avoided both punishments and detention with the Carrows. A remarkable feat, the rest of the Gryffindors constantly reminded her. It had been a long time since Ginny had avoided trouble for even 24 hours.`
And yet Ginny found the afternoon she had spent in the Gryffindor Tower rather unremarkable. She had spent a good portion of it in her dormitory, just thinking before returning to the Common room, where she continued thinking. And planning. It had been over a month since they had tried to steal the sword from Snape's office, and it irked Ginny that they hadn't attempted any more elaborate plans since that night. Perhaps it was because of their punishment… at first they had thought that detention with Hagrid in the Forbidden Forest had been a relief. No Carrows, and Hagrid would protect them from any Dark creatures. Ginny flinched as she thought of their horrid experience there. She rubbed her arm subconsciously as she thought of it.
The thing was, she had never been sure whether Snape had planned for things to go down as they had. Snape had always been unreadable in general, but this year, it had gone beyond that. Perhaps it was the fact that he had murdered someone in cold blood, or was now running a co-dependant dictatorship with the Carrows - something was different about Snape. But it didn't matter.
For everything he'd done to Harry, to her family (Ginny winced as she thought of the night George had lost his ear, first and foremost), to her other friends and of course, to Dumbledore - Ginny absolutely loathed and despised Severus Snape.
Ginny sighed as she sat back into the armchair in the common room, throwing her Charms book on the ground in frustration. Lavender and Parvati both glanced over at her. Things had been slightly awkward at the beginning of the year, with Lavender being Ron's ex and everything. But the Gryffindors (and indeed, the other houses barring Slytherin) had all banded together to ensure their rebellion would not be quashed, no matter how some of them felt about each other.
Lavender and Parvati seemed to understand the root of Ginny's frustration however, as they both glanced at the clock and went over to the chair, kneeling down either side of her. For a moment, Ginny was reminded of Fred and George and how they would often do the same thing when she seemed upset.
"Not used to this side of things?" Parvati offered quietly. Ginny simply nodded, before she could pluck up the courage to answer.
"No. I didn't realise how… nerve wracking it could be."
It seemed obvious to Ginny that she was as unused to being here as they were unused to having her away. Ginny had chalked up the most detentions overall, had been dealt the first punishment of the school year. They saw her as somewhat of a leader, one of the most qualified to take over. Ron was her brother. Harry was her… ex. Hermione was one of her best friends. That, and she had experience fighting Death Eaters - unlike most of Dumbledore's Army. Luna and Neville being the two obvious exceptions.
Where were they? Figures, the one day Ginny was free - both Luna and Neville land themselves in detention. Not that she was that surprised with Neville - she had heard some of the smart remarks that Seamus and Neville had said to the Carrows in class from their fellow seventh years. Neville and Seamus were in and out of detention almost as often of Ginny was. But she knew some of the horrendous things that happened in detention that other students didn't. She had experienced it. If anything, that made the waiting even worse.
Lavender stood, staring at the clock and frowning. Ginny grew slightly more nervous.
"What is it?" she asked, looking up at the older girl.
Lavender sighed, and was about to speak when Parvati cut her off.
"It's nothing Ginny." she attempted to assure the younger girl. Ginny wasn't fooled.
"What's wrong? There's no use hiding it." Parvati looked slowly at Lavender and nodded, and Lavender continued.
"It's just taking a bit longer than usual for them to come back."
"Is that bad?" Ginny asked quickly. The quick exchange of glances between Lavender and Parvati was all the confirmation she needed.
For a while they sat in the quiet dorm, with only chattering first years on the couch nearby making any noise in the common room. Until they began to hear voices outside the door. They rose to their feet, and the girls almost jumped out of their skin as the portrait of the fat lady swung open more violently than Ginny had ever seen it. Seamus staggered into the room, crimson blood drenching his robes. All three Gryffindor girls jumped to their feet, staring at Seamus in horror and concern. Confused, Seamus looked at his attire and realised that the girls had jumped to the wrong conclusion.
"Most of that isn't mine," Seamus stated bitterly. Ginny felt her stomach sink very quickly. "Just when I thought I'd seen everything the Carrows had to offer. Lavender, will you get Professor McGonagall now. Be sure to tell her it's an emergency."
Lavender, looking pale, shaky and afraid to ask what the problem was, rushed passed Seamus and out the portrait hole. The girls heard a shriek as Lavender passed someone else, and there was a quite a large amount of commotion being caused outside the common room.
"Seamus, what's going on?" Parvati asked anxiously.
Seamus ignored her as he scanned the common room, searching for something. He only stopped when he heard Ginny ask something similar, in a far more dangerous, and yet concerned, tone.
"Seamus, what's happened? Where's Neville?"
Seamus froze, before muttering, "It's being taken care of."
Ginny did not like the sound of that.
Seamus then strode over to the longest couch of the common room, and addressed the first years sitting on it. The first years took in his dishevelled state, but didn't move from their spots.
"Look, we need that couch now." Seamus barked. The first years looked both afraid of Seamus and annoyed with him for treating them with no respect. Seeing their reluctance to move, Seamus resorted to pleading.
"Please," he begged as the noise outside the common room grew louder, "For your own sakes. If you think I look bad, than you really don't want to see what's coming next."
The first years slowly got up and headed towards their dormitories, when the portrait suddenly swung open again. But Lavender hadn't returned.
For a moment, Ginny was baffled at the sight of her ex-boyfriend, Michael Corner, a Ravenclaw, entering Gryffindor tower. He looked absolutely dreadful. Like Seamus, he was covered in bruises, lacerations and a fresh layer of blood. But he wasn't alone. Behind him, looking as battered, bruised and bloody as Michael and Seamus, were Terry Boot and Ernie Macmillan. Ginny felt cold when she saw what they were doing.
They were supporting an unconscious Neville.
Both Parvati and Ginny stood stationary, unsure of what to do. Seamus immediately snapped orders at the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff to lay Neville down on the couch. Ernie and Terry did so as gingerly as possible. As they stood up and stepped away from Neville, they allowed Ginny and Parvati to have a proper look.
He looked positively ghastly. Ginny had only seen one person paler than Neville was at the moment - George, bleeding from his ear wound. Like all the rest of the students back from detention, Neville was covered in numerous cuts. His robes and shirt underneath were unbuttoned so his chest was on display, showing more lacerations covering his body. But Ginny knew there was something different about them, compared to everyone else's cuts. They looked deeper. More dangerous. More precise. He was still bleeding.
"What happened?" Parvati asked, appalled. Neither she or Ginny could keep their eyes off of the blood pulsating from a particularly deep gash on his cheek.
"I don't recognise the spell," Terry sighed, "It happened towards of the end of detention. The frightening thing is most of us were far worse then Neville here... well until this happened. But he refused to curse someone and Alecto, the cow, said she had a new spell up her sleeve she'd been dying to try on someone."
"At first nothing happened," Ernie explained. "He got an obvious deep gash on his cheek, which is what she aimed for, and we didn't see anything more. Then he just keeled over, and more and more blood just started pouring out."
"All this time?" Ginny gasped, "Why aren't you taking him -"
"We don't think he'll make it as far as the Hospital Wing." Seamus interjected solemnly.
"We've already sent Luna, Susan and Hannah to split up and fetch Madam Pomfrey, or failing that, the first teacher they come across who seems willing to help." Michael added. "But in the meantime, do any of you know any healing spells?"
Parvati and Ginny looked at each other doubtfully, before slowly replying.
"Only for minor injuries." Ginny admitted. Parvati nodded in agreement.
"This looks like far too much for us to be able to fix." Parvati said quietly. She knelt down slowly next to Neville, brushing some of his dishevelled hair back to get a closer look at his face. His neck was covered in scarlet blood, trickling down from the cuts on his face. Ginny conjured a cloth and handed it to Parvati. Parvati began wiping the blood oozing from the lacerations, but as soon as she did the blood was replaced. It wasn't going to stop bleeding.
Parvati sat back on her heels, looking lost. Ginny stood behind her, trying to remember how they had helped George. How had they done it? Why hadn't she ever paid attention to what her mother did when she performed those healing spells? She'd seen them done often enough.
The Common door swung open. The students expressions of hope quickly faded as the person they least wanted to see swept bat-like into the room. Hannah followed looking near tears, muttering feebly, "I tried to stop him but he insisted and practically dragged me up here with him."
The three Gryffindors, two Ravenclaws and one Hufflepuff student quickly created a human barrier in front of their fallen comrade.
Severus Snape's lip curled upwards into a sneer. "How touching. Intra-house co-operation to save one of your so-called 'resistance leaders'. Potter may be gone into hiding, but it looks like his influence on you is never-ending."
Simultaneously, all the young wizards and witches pulled their wands from their robes and levelled them at Snape's chest. Even Hannah, who was poised behind Snape. Snape looked a little amused.
"There will be no need for that. I'm only here to help Longbottom."
"You're lying." Ginny snarled, taking a half step closer to their 'headmaster'. "You aren't going to help him at all. You've hurt people in the past and done nothing about it. Look at what you did to my brother."
"Weasley, this is neither the time nor place for this. Step aside, unless you and your fellow chivalrous, yet brain dead Gryffindors wish for Longbottom to bleed to death."
Ginny glared at Snape, but for a fleeting glance she saw something in his eyes she'd never seen before. Desperation.
Ginny knew Neville didn't have a lot of time. She knew none of the students knew any powerful enough spells. And she knew Snape did.
"Dammit," she thought to herself. She turned to her fellow DA members and nodded. Snape bustled through the small crowd of students, but came to a halt when he saw Neville.
He looked like he'd seen a ghost, but then again Neville had lost so much blood he would have given Nearly Headless Nick a run for his money. But Snape recovered quickly and turned to Seamus, who was still drenched in Neville's blood.
"What happened here?" he asked coolly.
Seamus folded his arms and glanced at Ginny, who nodded. He sighed, "Alecto wanted us to curse those that had earned themselves detention as well. She asked Neville to curse… another student and he refused." Ginny noticed that Seamus had left out which student Neville was meant to curse, which intrigued her. Why leave it out?
"What curse was he asked to use on the other student? Was it this one?" Snape asked.
"No," Seamus said uncomfortably, moving from one leg to the other. "She asked him to use the Cruciatus. She didn't ask any of the rest of us, only Neville. It's like she knew he would say no."
Ginny gasped, and the rest of the DA looked at her, expecting her to fill them in. She looked at the group uncomfortably but found she didn't have it in her to tell them why Neville had downright refused to Crucio anyone. She didn't know who else knew apart from her, Ron, Hermionie and Harry. She didn't think even Luna knew.
"And then she cursed Longbottom?" Snape asked curiously.
"Yeah," Seamus replied, "But we didn't recognise the spell or anythin', I'd never heard of it."
Snape reached into his cloak and pulled out his wand. "Do the words, 'Sectumsempra' sound familiar to you?"
"That was it," Ernie nodded solemnly. Ginny's stomach lurched. That was the spell that lost George his ear. The spell that could have potentially killed him. She remembered Professor Lupin explaining how Snape had often used it in the past.
"I assume you have already sent for Madam Pomfrey?" Snape asked airily.
"Yes," Ginny replied curtly. She wished that if Snape was actually going to help Neville, he'd do it now, instead of stalling.
"And I assume you have sent someone to Professor Slughorn to request he make a Blood Replenishing Potion?"
Ginny felt furious at herself as soon as the words left Snape's mouth. None of them had even thought that far ahead. Snape sighed audibly.
"Corner, Boot, since neither of you belong in this house anyway I suggest you make yourselves useful and find Professor Slughorn."
Michael and Terry looked uneasily at Ginny who nodded, but mouthed the words "thank you".
Snape looked at the rest of the 7th years crowded around the couch that Neville was occupying. Snape glared at them. "Is it prudent that all of you be here? Macmillan, Abbott, get back to your own houses."
Both began to argue back immediately, with such intensity that it frightened Ginny a little. Hannah looked like she was on the verge of bursting into tears. Knowing this was a fight he wasn't going to win, Snape turned his attention back to Neville.
How he was still losing blood, Ginny had absolutely no idea. He had very little colour left in his blood smeared face. Hannah had taken up a position kneeling by Neville's head, brushing his hair back from his forehead and mopping up some of the blood as best she could. Ginny stood behind Snape and watched as he aimed his wand slowly at Neville's chest. Seamus, Parvati and Ernie watched from the other side of the room in silence. Then Snape mumbled something. So quietly, they almost missed it.
"Vulnera Sanentur."
At first nothing happened. Neville remained pale, still and bleeding. But as Hannah mopped the blood from Neville's cheek, Ginny couldn't help but notice it didn't come seeping out straight away. At first, Ginny was worried. Was it because he had no more blood left to lose? Then Snape uttered those same words again,
"Vulnera Sanentur."
Ginny gasped. The wounds on Neville's chest seemed to slowly seal closed. The blood stopped flowing, so only scarring remained. Just as Ginny was about to ask if Neville would scarred for the rest of his life, Snape uttered one last time;
"Vulnera Sanentur."
And the scars on his chest faded, so they were only faint lines, as if they were scars from years upon years ago. White scars, faintly etched into Neville's skin. The scars on his neck followed suit as Snape gently guided his wand along it, but when Snape pointed his wand at Neville's cheek, nothing happened. The long scar remained jagged, and blood was still seeping through slowly. Snape looked, to Ginny's surprise, concerned. He looked to Hannah.
"This was where the initial spell hit?" Snape asked.
Hannah silently nodded, tears silently cascading down her cheeks.
Snape didn't look at any of them, but his tone sounded regretful. "I'm afraid this may not be removed with magic. You may try essence of dittany, but like Mr Weasley's ear, this may not be easy to fix."
He stood up, and simply stared at Neville for a few moments. Ginny wished she knew what Snape was thinking. They didn't get much moments peace however, as Minerva McGonagall finally bustled her way into the common room with Lavender following. Snape snapped out of his reverie, turned and nodded at McGonagall and simply left without a word.
Professor McGonagall approached Neville, who was still unconscious, slowly. He was still frighteningly pale, stark white against the scarlet couch.
"P-professor Snape sent Michael Corner and Terry Boot t-to P-professor Sl-Slughorn for a B-blood Replenishing P-potion." Parvati stammered.
McGonagall nodded, not taking her eyes off Neville as she replied, "Madam Pomfrey shall be up shortly. Mr Finnegan, Mr Macmillan once Madam Pomfrey gives the go ahead can I trust you both to help us get Mr Longbottom to the hospital wing?" Ginny noticed that McGonagall didn't acknowledge that Ernie shouldn't have been in the Gryffindor common room in the first place.
The teenagers merely nodded, still staring at Neville in shock. All except Ginny, who had been concentrating on the common room door ever since Snape had made his exit.
What had spooked him, she wondered. Why had he reacted the way he had when he saw Neville? It didn't make sense. Snape detested Neville, like he hated all students (apart from the odd Slytherin). It was as if he were reliving a horrid memory.
Perhaps Snape hadn't been dehumanised as much as Ginny thought. He was still, and would always be, the foul old git who'd showered her and her friends with numerous detentions, taken more than his fair share of points from the Gryffindors and terrorized many students.
But when Ginny looked at him and saw the frustration as he desperately tried to help Neville, she saw something in him she hadn't seen in a long time, something he proved to her with the words. "Vulnera Sanentur."
Perhaps there was still a shred of humanity left in the old git after all.
This is the part where I say this is my first HP fic and that I'd appreciate feedback right? Since it's Neville's birthday and all?