Chapter Four: The Desensulator
Neville did his best to adjust to the changes. He gave up caring about the House Cup by the end of the second day when Slytherin was in first with sixty-five points, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff fluctuating between zero and twenty points, and Gryffindor in dead last with negative thirty.
"I didn't even know you could have negative points," Romilda Vane said. Neville saw Ginny give her a dirty look, even though she herself had said something similar not an hour earlier.
"Are we going to owe the something at the end of the year?" Seamus asked.
"No clue," Neville said before heading back to the common room. Looking at the House points was too depressing.
Besides that, the second day went more or less like the first. He had Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy in the morning. He didn't like Arithmancy, and he wasn't good at it, but he needed something to fill up his schedule. He already had one empty period in the afternoon.
"Alrigh' kids, gather roun'. Come on in, closer, there we go," Hagrid called out in Neville's first class with him. Unfortunately, the class was doubled with the Slytherins. "For the first part o' the year, we're going ter study Fire Newts. Lot like Salamanders, they are, but got a lot of important differences. Not nearly do dangerous for one, though they do remind me a little of the Skrewts. I do know what ter feed 'em though." There was a mixture of groans and sighs of relief from the students. "They're also a bit smaller. Come see."
Hagrid led them to the side of his cabin, where a number of small, orange newts were lazing about in several terrariums. "They're real useful when it comes to making certain potions. Mostly dangerous ones… bu' we won' be worryin about that. Just keepin' em alive an all." He reached in and pulled one out off the terrarium. It looked at him oddly, but otherwise didn't seem to mind. Neville was surprised; it seemed unusually boring for something Hagrid was showing them. "These are a friendly bunch cause I raised em myself, but in the wild they can be real vicious. Here, watch…" He set the newt on the ground.
"They may look harmless, but... step away, give him some space…" Hagrid tossed a rock down behind the newt. It turned abruptly and let out a large ball of flame from it mouth, than vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. The students back away even further. "It's not enough ter really hurt, but it makes em more trouble than they're worth for a predator. Now let's let that one calm down. Come and pick one for yerself and feed him nut from that pile over there. Here you go Seamus… Zabini, here's one for you…" Blaise Zabini took a newt, though he held it out at arm's length. He handed out a few more before coming to talk to Ginny and Neville.
"Ye haven't heard from Harry, have yeh?" Hagrid asked, thrusting a newt out each of them. "I heard things over the summer… and now with Snape and the Death Eaters in charge…"
"No," Ginny said. "We have no idea where he is." She filled Hagrid in on the little they knew, which wasn't much. His face grew more and more solemn as Ginny went on.
"Well, I know they haven't caught him yet," Hagrid said. "I still read the Prophet. They'd put it all over the front page." Neville felt some relief at Hagrid's word.
"What about everyone else?" Ginny asked.
"Haven't seen anything in the Prophet…" Hagrid said. "Don't know if they'd run a story for all of em though." Hagrid shook his head. "Oh, by the way. Might do you some good to turn on your radio tonight, round eight. Be sure you mention the Order when you do." Blaise was walking over at this point, apparently trying to return the newt. Ginny and Neville didn't get the chance to ask what he meant. Together they walked over to Seamus, who was trying to show Lavender and Demelza Robbins how the newt warmed up when you stroked its head.
"Seamus, you have a radio, right?" Ginny asked.
"Yeah, why? What's up?"
"Mind bringing it down the common room tonight at eight?" she asked.
"Erm, sure. Something you want to listen to?"
"I'm not sure." Seamus gave Ginny a funny look before shrugging it off and returning his attention to Lavender and Demelza.
"Alright, Goyle. Just stand there. It won't hurt." Neville recognized Draco's Malfoy's voice as he turned away from Seamus. He saw Draco with a rock in his hand, standing near the newt Hagrid had scared earlier. Goyle was standing behind the newt, with a number of Slytherins standing nearby, watching.
"What're you doing, Malfoy?" Ginny demanded suddenly.
Draco and the others jerked toward her voice.
"Nothing you need to worry about."
"You're trying to get Hagrid sacked again," Ginny accused.
"It's not our fault he keeps giving us such dangerous animals," Malfoy said, trying to sound innocent.
Ginny drew her wand. "Back up, Malfoy." She didn't point the wand at Draco, but he and several other Slytherins took a step back. Her Bat-Bogey rampage of the pervious year must have been fresh on their minds; several of them had fallen victim to it.
Both Ginny and Draco looked like they wanted to say something, but was waiting for the other to speak first. Draco's hand had dropped into his robe. His hand began to slowly pull his wand out.
Without thinking, Neville stepped forward and picked up the newt. Malfoy opened his mouth and stepped toward him, but he looked at Ginny's wand again and stepped back.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Hagrid shouted, finally noticing the commotion.
"Nothing," Pansy Parkinson said. "Just examining the newt." She gestured toward Neville.
"Y-yeah," Neville said. He didn't want the situation to escalate. "Here you go, Hagrid." Hagrid didn't look convinced, but he took the newt without question.
Hagrid spent the rest of the lesson describing the newt's diet in more detail and its natural environment. Neville was barely able to follow, and almost didn't notice when Hagrid dismissed them.
Neville had Arithmancy next. He didn't know anyone in the class, but Professor Vector was nice enough and the time went quickly. His afternoon class went by equally as fast. He preferred Potions with Professor Slughorn infinitely over his first five years with Snape. He also felt like he might have learned a bit from him. Plus Seamus was in the class.
All in all, eight o' clock seemed to come by in no time at all. Half of Gryffindor- mostly the older half- was crowded around Seamus's radio in the common room. He turned it on, and caught a snippet of some radio soap opera.
"Looks like you missed you show, Gin," Seamus said with a grin. "Looks like she's going to chose Mertus after all…" Ginny punched Seamus in the arm, and he tried a few more stations. The only thing of interest was a news station, which reported on the success of the Muggle-born Registration Commission, under Dolores Umbridge. A number of students groaned and booed. Neville thought of Dean, on the run somewhere. The look on Seamus's face suggested he was thinking the same thing.
"Ginny, what were you looking for?" Seamus asked.
"Hagrid said we ought to listen to the radio tonight…" Ginny shrugged. "maybe they'll have something about Harry?"
"They won't have anything good, Gin, if they mentioned him at all."
"Hagrid, he said we ought to mention the Order," Neville recalled. "The Order of the Phoenix." The radio instantly shifted to another station. The room fell silent, but no sound came from the radio.
"What's going on?" Someone asked.
"It's not quite eight yet," Parvati said, checking her watch. "Just another minute…" At exactly eight, the station sprang to life. The silence was replaced by a short bit of static, which faded and was replaced by a voice.
"Good evening all, and welcome to another edition of Potterwatch, the station of the resistance," the voice said. "I am River, your host. Please take a moment to ensure the security of your location, as we have had report of people being punished or arrested for listening." The station went silent while River allowed the listeners to follow his instructions.
"All third years and under, to your rooms!" Ginny said abruptly. She got a few bewildered and rebellious looks. "Now!" Those who had been staring looked away, and all the younger students began to file for their dorms.
"What's that about, then?" Seamus asked.
"I don't want the younger kids getting in trouble for this. Anyone else who doesn't want to get in trouble should also leave now." A few other students turned toward their dorms, but most of them stayed.
"Here, I've got this," Neville said, producing a pocket Sneakoskope. "Gran sent it with me… just in case." He set it down next to the radio as River began to speak again.
"All set up? Alright, let's get started."
"I know that voice!" Parvati exclaimed. "It's Lee Jordan!"
"It is!" Seamus said excitedly before Ginny shushed him.
"First and foremost, we would like to confirm that Kingsley Shaklebolt, rumored to have been killed by Death Eaters, is alive, barely managing to escape a Death Eater encounter with his life. He would like our viewers to know that You-Know-Who's name may have been made Taboo. Which is to say, speaking his true name will alert Death Eaters to the speaker's location and allow them to Apparate there instantly. Though the theory is unconfirmed, we advise everyone to not speak You-Know-Who's true name.
"Shaklebolt's main duty had been protecting the Muggle Prime Minister, who You-Know-Who targeted a number of time in the last war. With Shaklebolt now in hiding, Dedalus Diggle has spearheaded a shifting watch on the Muggle Minster, to ensure his safety.
"We have also received word that Muggle-borns who failed to register are being hunted and forcefully taken by the Ministry's Snatchers. Any Muggle-borns on the run should be advised that the lead Snatcher is the vicious Werewolf Fenrir Greyback, who is not always known for bringing those he is sent to snatch in alive. Exercise extreme caution when you go out in public.
"Short program tonight- we can't be sure of the safety of this location. We will wrap up with the Potter report. We have no confirmation of Harry's current activities. Sources within the Ministry confirm that he has not been caught, so we assume he is still living free. If you're listening, Harry, you have our support, and that of our listeners. Stay strong.
"The password for next week is 'Youngest Seeker.' Till then, I'm River." The radio station went to static, and then back to silence.
"Well that was enlightening," Seamus said somewhat sarcastically. Neville was glad he wasn't the only one who felt slightly let down.
"Oh lay off," Ginny said. "What did you expect, word that the Order was coming to kick out Snape and the Carrows? They have other things to worry about. And we learned about saying You-Know-Who's true name."
"But none of us ever said it anyway," Romilda Vane pointed out.
"Harry did," Ginny said. "So did Dumbledore. I did too. You can't fight someone if you're too afraid to even say their name.
"Besides," Neville said. "it's good to know we're not alone."
"Alone?" Romilda said. "Of course we're alone. They didn't even mention us!"
"We're not alone in resisting You-Know-Who."
"You're resisting him, are you? A little girl?" Romilda mocked.
"Harry was a baby when he defeated him the first time." Ginny said.
Neville knew there was a little more to it than that, but decided not to mention it. "Listen, it's late, and we all have early classes. Why don't we head off to bed?"
There were murmurs of agreement. The crowd began to trickle off to their rooms. A few stayed behind, opening textbooks for some reading. Neville waited to walk up with Seamus, who had become somewhat glum since the end of the program.
"Everything alright?" Neville asked as they ascended the stairs.
"Just worrying about Dean," Seamus said. "He's on the run? What if that bloody Werewolf catches him? Kills him, or turns him into… into…"
"Don't worry about it," Neville said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. "Dean's smart. He won't get caught. He's one of the best in our year." An exaggeration, but not a horrible one.
"Yeah, you're right. Did I tell you about that time in our second year when Crabbe tried to steal his potions homework?" They sat in the middle of the dorm room, and told stories about Dean, and then Harry, and Ron, and all their absent friends until they had only just enough energy to crawl into their beds and fall asleep.
Neville was in potions when he saw Amycus Carrow hovering outside the door. The class was almost over- past over, actually, but Slughorn was telling an old story about something or other. Neville had stopped paying attention once he realized the class was supposed to be over. He nudged Seamus and pointed to Amycus, but Seamus only shrugged.
Slughorn finally wrapped up his story, telling of how he'd once saved a young lady's life with a potion, and it was up to the students to figure out what she was afflicted with, and what potion Slughorn had used.. Amycus swept through the door with a flourish of his cloak.
"Excuse me, Professor Slughorn; I need to see one of your students, to inform her that she will be serving detention this afternoon."
"Ahem. Professor Carrow, I am certain that none of my students have done any-"
"Oh no, Horace, no no…" Neville was slightly put off hearing Slughorn called by his first name. Only Dumbledore had done that. "I don't mean to imply that you have been shirking your duties." He smiled in a way that did not seem to reassure Slughorn at all. "No, surely you wouldn't do that. There was an incident in another class, which has just been brought to my attention. I will need to see Ginevra Weasley, please."
Hearing her name, Ginny stood up. "What's going on?" She demanded.
"Miss Weasley, I will discuss this matter with you outside…"
"You'll discuss it with me now."
"Very well," Amycus relented. "it's better that the others should hear. Miss Weasley drew her wand on another student. A pureblood student. She will serve detention with me this afternoon, after class."
"Hey! She only did it 'cause Malfoy was causing trouble!" Seamus hollered, standing up next to Neville.
"Is that so, Mr. Finnigan?" Amycus said. "Then you two may get whatever story you wish to tell strait. You will be joining her in detention tomorrow." Seamus seemed slightly shocked, and the Slytherins in the room laughed. Draco Malfoy, in particular, seemed amused. Amycus left the room after making sure no other students would challenge him.
"W-well then. Class is over. Don't forget your homework." As the rest of the class was packing away their things, Slughorn approached Ginny.
"Ginny, I'm very sorry about that."
Ginny shrugged. "It's just detention."
"Detention with the Carrows… will not be pleasant. I will try to put in a good word for you, but if I can't… well, drink this before you go." He handed her a small glass vial full of a pink liquid. Neville thought he might give some to Seamus as well, sitting one row behind Ginny, but Slughorn didn't even look at him.
"Forgot how Slughorn worked," Neville thought. Seamus was a nobody. Ginny had managed to catch his attention with the Bat-Bogey Hex the previous year.
"How bad do you think it will be?" Seamus asked as they left the room.
"Not too bad," Ginny said. "Not yet. They're not going to be openly cruel yet."
"You hope." Ginny didn't say anything, but the look in her eyes said she thought Seamus was correct.
Lunch was a quiet affair. Both Seamus and Ginny were quiet as they ate. Worrying about detention, Neville supposed. He tried to engage them in conversation because he hated the silence, but neither of them felt much like talking.
As they were leaving the lunchroom, they were cut off my Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. "Well well, little Weasley got a detention. Shouldn't have threatened me with your wand. It's one of the most basic school rules." Ginny didn't say anything. She shouldered her way around Goyle, but Draco followed her. "I know when Dumbledore was here Potter and his little friends got off free when it came to rule breaking, but now-"
Ginny suddenly whirled on him. "I warned you not to talk about Harry again," Ginny said loudly. A look of fear crossed Draco's face, but it was quickly replace by smugness when Ginny didn't reach for her wand.
"Ginny, don't," Neville said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "This is what he wants. He wants you to do something stupid and-"
"So standing up for my friends is stupid, is it?" she cut him off. Neville opened his mouth to reply, but another voice spoke first.
"Is there a problem here?" Alecto Carrow had heard them arguing.
"Yes, Professor," Draco said, not even trying to hide his smirk. "Longbottom here just said he was going to get me for what I did to the Weasley girl."
"False accusations! Threats!" Alecto said joyfully. "You'll be joining her in detention, Longbottom." She gave them a smile that chilled bones. "You really should know not to threaten people. So violent…" Alecto walked off, Draco and his crew in tow.
"I'm sorry, Neville," Ginny said softly. "I've pulled you into my fights. Twice!"
"You didn't pull me in, Ginny," Neville said. "My friends' fights are mine as well." Even as Neville spoke, though, he had his doubts. On the way to his next class, the voices of Gran, the Sorting Hat, and Snape taunted him.
"Keep your head down, Neville."
"Don't make a fool of yourself."
"Infractions will be dealt with harshly."
Neville's next few classes and dinner went by in a blur. Before he realized it he, Ginny, and Seamus were walking towards the detention room. Previously, detention had usually consisted of doing a chore for a teacher or Filch, not reporting to a specific room. Though only a small change, Neville found it made him incredibly nervous.
When they arrived at the appointed room, which was also Alecto's classroom, they found a few other students waiting around as well. Zacharias Smith was among them, as well as two younger students Neville didn't know by name.
"What're you here for?" Seamus asked Zacharias cheerfully.
"Didn't do my Divination homework properly," he said glumly. "Suppose I didn't predict my own death enough."
"Sorry to hear that, mate." Zacharias shrugged. They waited on in silence.
"Hey Ginny, you'd best take that potion Slughorn gave you," Neville reminded her. "You might not get the chance once the Carrows get here."
"Oh, right." She pulled out the vial and downed the pink liquid. She had just stashed the vial back in her robes when the Carrows came around the corner. Amycus has the same look of casual detachment he always wore, but Alecto was smiling widely.
"I hope its Amycus handling the detention," Seamus whispered. Neville agreed with a nod.
Alecto opened the door and let the students in. Amycus stayed back to make sure none tried to slip away. Once the door closed and all the students were seated, Alecto took the roll.
"Barnaby, Hector?" she called out near the end. No one replied. "Barnaby, Hector? Is he here?"
"It seems he is not," Amycus said. "I will speak with Professor Flitwick this evening. He is in Ravenclaw, I believe."
No one else was missing. After Alecto finished taking the roll, Amycus began to speak. "I am certain that some of you may have gotten detention before. Perhaps not. I understand in previous years detention has been used sparingly, with a deduction in House points being the preferred punishment. This year, detention will be more prominent. I would rather punish the individual who breaks a rule harshly, rather than the whole rather lightly.
"Both my sister and I had our own thoughts on the best method of punishment. She was in favor of a more corporal punishment, whereas I preferred something more… refined. In the end, we compromised. You will be punished by each of us, in our preferred method, for one minute each. If any of you return here, you will be punished for a extra minute each for every subsequent visit." He gestured to Alecto. "You may begin."
"Alright. We're starting with the prefect. Longbottom."
Neville felt his heart sink. His head swam for a moment, and he felt like freezing in place and running away. Instead, he managed to control himself and walk to the front of the room, eyes locked on Alecto.
"There." She pointed to a spot about six feet away from her. Neville stood on the spot and waited. He did not have to wait long.
"Searus!" Alecto said, pointing her wand. Every inch of Neville felt as though it had burst into flame. He didn't see any fire, but it hurt just the same. He vainly beat his arms, but the feeling did not subside.
The feeling immediately stopped when Alecto moved her wand. Neville fell to his hands and knees, gasping. Alecto flicked her wand again, and Neville felt like he'd been struck in the face. He fell onto his back and continued to gasp as blood ran from his nose.
"Pascalus," Alecto said. Suddenly, intense pressure tried to grind Neville's body into the floor. The pressure moved, concentrating in certain areas then moving to others, not allowing Neville the chance to get used to it. He felt he must have made in a dent in the floor by the time the pressure let up.
"Having fun, Longbottom?" Alecto grinned wickedly. "I am." She flicked her wand again, and Neville was jerked up and off the floor. His arms were stretched above his head, while his feet were pulled back to the floor. He grunted loudly, but managed to keep from screaming. Alecto moved her wand in a circle, and Neville was spun upside down, still being stretched. He hung there for several excruciating moments, and then Alecto released the spell and he fell to the ground.
"Return to your seat," Amycus said immediately. Neville wanted to lie on the ground for a few hours, but he knew laying there would be worse. He pulled himself to his feet, though his joints ached. He saw a few faces on the way back to his seat; Zacharias Smith looked terrified, while Ginny and Seamus looked both concerned a bit frightened as well.
"Neville are, you ok?" Ginny whispered.
"I'm-"
"There will be no talking during detention." Amycus Carrow had suddenly appeared next to them. Neville hadn't even seen him leave his desk. "Further infractions will result in another detention."
Seamus was called up next. He watched as Alecto did many of the same things to him, with a few variations. Seamus came back to his seat with a black eye and a limp left arm. One of the younger students, a blonde girl who couldn't be older than a second-year. She trembled as she walked up, and when Alecto threw her back against the wall, Neville tried to look away.
"Watch, child," Amycus said softly by Neville's ear. "Watching is part of the punishment." Neville force himself to look toward the front of the room, but tried to focus on the back wall. He did not have much success; the girl screamed too loudly.
When Alecto finished, the girl couldn't stand. She lied on the ground whimpering, holding her left ankle. Ginny moved to help her up, but Amycus grabbed her shoulder and held her in her seat.
"Get up," Alecto said.
"I don't think she can," Ginny said.
"Stay out of it, girl," Alecto snapped. "If you won't get up, I'll have to help you.Windgardium Leviosa!" The girl rose up into the air and then floated over to her desk. Alecto carefully lined up the girl over the exact center of her desk, and then abruptly dropped her. She crashed onto her desk and cried out again. Alecto ignored her and called Zacharias Smith, who was visibly shaking, up to the front.
By the time Alecto was done, every student in the room, save Ginny, seemed to be holding themselves in an attempt to curl into a fetal position in their desks. The young girl had started crying, and continued to do so when Amycus walked to the front of the room.
"You have experience my sister's methods. Archaic and barbaric, but quite effective. I prefer a more modern, somewhat more refined method. Quite different, but no less effective. No Mr. Longbottom, stay seated. You will not be going first. I think the anticipation is the best part, do you not agree? We will start with Mr. Finnigan." Seamus walked to the front of the room clutching his left arm. He stood in front of Alecto and braced himself. "Hm, we shall need a chair…" Amycus waved his wand and a chair appeared behind Seamus. "We certainly would not want you to fall and split your skull."
Seamus sat down and looked up at Amycus. The look on Amycus's face reminded Neville disturbingly of a child at Christmas. Amycus raised his wand and began chanting softly. In spite of what Amycus said, Neville still expected Seamus to fly across the room. But Seamus remained seated. Even when Amycus finished chanting, the only noticeable effect was that Seamus moaned softly.
"My my," Amycus said. "You missed seeing your grandmother one last time so you could hear a Quidditch match on the radio…" Neville could only barely hear Amycus. He seemed to be talking to himself.
"What's happening?" Neville whispered softly.
"Legilimency." Ginny said. "He's invading Seamus's mind."
"So he's telling our secrets?"
"I think it's worse. I think he's making us relive them."
Neville looked back to Seamus. He still sat rigidly, but his hands gripped the arm rests of his chair. Tears welled in his eyes and ran down his cheeks. He started whimpering after a while, and Neville tried to not hear whatever Amycus was mumbling about now. All of Neville's worst memories cam flooding back to him. He looked off into a corner, and immediately tried not to think of anything at all, with little luck.
"There we go. Back to your seat, Finnigan," Amycus said as he lowered his wand. Seamus stood, but had both his arms wrapped around his chest. His eyes looked off into a back corner of the room. He shuffled back slowly and sat in a different desk than he had before. "Longbottom now, I think. Come on."
Again Neville had the sensation of simultaneously wanting to freeze in place or run for the door. Again he controlled the urge and walked slowly to the front of the room. He sat in the chair and looked and the floor, never once looking Amycus in the eyes.
"Look at me, Longbottom," Amycus said. Neville looked up into Amycus' eyes. They were black, small but full of a dark intelligence… and beneath that, a sort of primal fury. In that moment, Neville knew that all of Amycus' posturing was for show. Deep down, he was more or less like his sister.
After it was over, Neville somehow managed to walk to a seat and fall into it. He felt so confused, a moment ago he had been eleven years old, sitting in McGonagall office and being told he's lost fifty house points. Now he was older, in a different room with Ginny and Seamus, and he knew this was how it was supposed to be, but the memory had seemed so real. He would not fully work out everything until he was falling asleep in his dorm that night. For the moment, he just sat and stared at the wall, vaguely aware that the other students were going through the same thing.
Ginny sat down next to him, which brought him back to reality. She stared at a spot on the floor, hands folded on the desk in front of her, barely breathing.
"And now, for the grand finale!" Amycus said before letting out a wheezy laugh. He reached behind his desk and pulled out what looked like a small box. "This is called the Desensulator. It is a gift from the Da- ahem, from a good friend of the headmaster's. And of ours as well. You will line up and place your hand inside. Then you may leave."
The students looked up blearily, most of them still disoriented.
"Do it now!" Alecto shrieked. Zacharias Smith practically jumped out of his seat. Neville stood more slowly, and Ginny helped the blond girl stand and get in line.
Though Zacharias had been first to his feet, he managed to find his way to the very end of the line. Neville wound up just behind Ginny and in front of Seamus. Without hesitation, Ginny stuck her hand into the box. It glowed for a moment, then Ginny removed her hand. She looked at it curiously for a moment, and then Amycus told her to leave the room.
Neville was next. He stood in front of the device and hesitated for a moment. He looked at Amycus, who still wore that unsettling grin of suppressed malevolence.
"Do not worry. It will not hurt you," he said with his wheezy laugh. Neville wanted to give him a dirty look, but lacked the energy. He put his hand in the box and waited.
True enough, the thing didn't hurt him. It glowed, as it had with Ginny, and the only thing Neville seemed to notice was that his sinuses cleared out a bit. Somewhat confused, and both relieved and frightened, he left the room.
"What was that?" Neville asked. After everything the Carrows had done, it seemed very tame. Maybe it was broken or something. That would be great. Yet Ginny seemed to be registering alarm over something.
"Neville, I… I can't feel anything!"
"What?"
"I can't feel anything! Nothing!"
"You can't… you don't feel…" Neville still didn't understand what she was getting at.
"No, I mean when I touch something. I can't feel it. Nothing!" For the first time, Ginny looked somewhat panicked. "Can't you?"
Neville touched his own face. "No I can feel…
"Nev?" Seamus voice came from behind him. He's just left the classroom and had his arms out in front of him. "Nev, are you there? I can't see anything? What's happened?" Neville held out an arm to Seamus, who grabbed on to it.
"I think that thing… it must numb one of our senses," she said softly. "Neville, can you taste anything? Or smell?"
"I'm not sure." Neville breathed in deeply through his nose, but it was hard to tell. "I don't know. I don't have anything to test it on." Another student came out of the room. He seemed fine and started walking off without saying a word to anyone. The blond girl, however, also seemed to have lost her sight, and Ginny went up to steady her. Zacharias Smith came out a moment later, shouting that he was going to the hospital wing to get his hearing restored.
"Neville," Ginny said once Zacharias had left. "Take Seamus back to the common room. I'm going to take Sarah to the Hospital Wing to see if Madam Pomfrey can do something about her ankle.
"Shouldn't we all go?" Neville asked.
"I don't think so. Even if Madam Pomfrey could help, do you think Snape would let her?"
"She's right," Seamus said. "Come on, let's go." Just as they were leaving, the Carrows emerged from the classroom. Neville saw the Desensulator stuck under Amycus' arm.
"My my, what are all these students still doing here?" Amycus asked.
"If you want to complain, we won't listen," Alecto said. "So get out of here." She let out a wheezy laugh nearly identical to her brother's as the students began to clear out.
On the way to Gryffindor Tower, Neville realized what sense he had lost- smell. He almost told Seamus, then decided against it. Seamus' own condition was far worse than his own.
There were a number of students in the Common Room, but Neville didn't stop to talk to anyone. He just led Seamus directly to their room. A few students whispered as they passed, but no one asked anything, and Neville didn't want to explain. He led Seamus to his bed and helped him sit.
"This is fucked up, Nev," Seamus said rubbing his ankle. Neville had forgotten to tell him about the fake step and Seamus had slipped.
"I'm sorry Seamus, I never got the hang of that step."
"No, not that. This whole thing. All of it."
"Oh. Yeah," Neville agreed. He sniffed out of habit, and realized again he couldn't smell. As he drifted off to sleep, he heard Snape's voice mocking him.
"Didn't keep your head down, Longbottom," Snape said. "Made a fool of yourself, didn't you?" He could hear the sneer in Snape's voice. "And you were dealt with harshly."
