A/N: Challenges listed at the bottom.
Warnings: Contains torture and blood
Beta: Thank you shy-n-great and Nutmeg44 for looking this over for me.
WC: 1419
The moonlight shining through the windows illuminated my path as I snuck through the hallways of Hogwarts. I knew this was risky, as the Carrows had been looking for me for quite a while now, but I had to do it. I had to retrieve something from Gryffindor Tower, and I would rather be caught myself than to send someone else out to get caught.
I had seen one person patrolling the corridors from a distance. I had managed to duck around a corner before they saw me. Otherwise, my escapade had been uneventful. I should have known my luck wouldn't hold up.
I was just about to enter the portrait hole of Gryffindor Tower when I thought I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked around but couldn't see anyone. I wondered briefly if there had been someone there who had gone to get the Carrows. Regardless, I had to be quick.
I should have been paying more attention, but in my haste I didn't notice that the portrait had not made its customary click as it swung shut. I ran up the stairs to the boys dormitories and quickly located the piece of parchment I was here for. It was a letter from my Gran. She had wanted me to know that she was safe, and it contained clues to where she was hiding. I didn't want the Carrows getting their hands on that kind of information.
I tucked the letter inside my pocket, then glanced around to make sure there was nothing else I needed from the tower. Now I just had to get back to the Room of Requirement safely and the risk would be over.
When I exited the dormitory, I was so shocked to see another person in the common room that my foot slipped on the stairs and I went bumping down in a very undignified manner. I scrambled to my feet, trying to reach my wand to defend myself. Of course, my attacker was faster, as he was already on his feet and fully prepared.
"Expelliarmus!" he shouted, and my wand flew out of my hand.
"Zabini," I growled. "Have you come to turn me in?"
"No, I actually just want to talk to you, Longbottom," said Zabini.
"Why did you take my wand then?"
"Would you have even glanced my way if I hadn't? You would have escaped somehow and I would have missed my chance."
"Fine," I said. "What do you want to talk about?"
"I want to join Dumbledore's Army," Zabini said.
No beating around the bush for this one, I thought. Out loud, I said, "Why would you want to do that? I thought you had to hold up the pureblood standards?"
"I thought so, too, at first. But after I saw what 'holding up the pureblood standards' consisted of, I realized I didn't want to be a part of that. I couldn't do what they asked of me."
"How do I know this isn't a trap?" I asked. "You could just be trying to get into our group just to spy on us."
"I didn't rat you out to the Carrows when I easily could have," he pointed out. "And just to prove that I'm on your side, I'll give you back your wand." He handed it to me, then said, "I'm not asking you to decide right now. You can think it over and tell me later."
"I don't have to think it over," I said. "I know you Slytherins, you always have a trick up your sleeve. You're not joining DA." I turned on my heel and left the common room, not bothering to look back.
On my way back to the Room of Requirement, I started to feel bad about the way I had treated Zabini. I had to, I thought. I'm sure he had an ulterior motive.
You're just prejudiced, said a small voice in my head. You're sore because Draco bullied you and now you think all Slytherins are evil.
I had to protect all the people hiding from the Carrows, I thought, trying to defend myself. It's my responsibility to keep them safe. If Zabini had been planning to spy on us, they would be in danger if I let him in.
What if he was telling the truth, though? What if he gets injured because you turned him down? What if he gets killed? You're being unfair, Neville.
My thoughts continued in this back and forth way until I got back to the Room of Requirement, where I tried to go back to sleep, but to no avail.
It had been two days since my encounter with Zabini. I tried to put it out of my mind, but it kept coming back to bother me.
I was playing a game of chess with Seamus when I was startled out of planning my next move by screams ringing through the castle. I bolted up from my chair, nearly overturning the table in my haste.
"Seamus," I said. "I have to go check that out."
"All right," he said, "but be careful. You'd better place a Disillusionment Charm on yourself."
After my excursion two days ago, I had decided that we should practice our Disillusionment Charms in case one of us ever had to go out in daylight.
I quickly cast the charm on myself, then ran through the hallways. I followed the screams to the door of a classroom, where I stopped and waited. The screams abruptly stopped, and I hoped it was because the person had gone unconscious.
It was only a few minutes later when the classroom door opened and the students filed out. I went inside when I was sure there was nobody else in the room.
Blaise Zabini was lying on the floor in a crumpled heap. For a brief second, I worried he was dead, but then I saw his chest rise and fall as he took a shallow breath. I edged to his side, almost afraid of what I would find.
When I got closer did I realise that the green lining on his robe was stained with red. I pulled his robes off to find that the once white shirt he was wearing was now crimson with blood. It appeared as if the lesson today had been on Diffindo.
"Merlin, this is bad," I whispered to myself, peeling his shirt off.I felt a wave of guilt crash over me. This was all my fault. If I had just let him join DA, none of this would have happened. I needed to do whatever I could to make up for my mistake. As I healed him, he slowly revived, until suddenly he sat bolt upright, staring wildly around.
"Who's there?" he said hoarsely. "Stay away from me!"
"I'm under a Disillusionment Charm," I told him. "You need to calm down. I'm trying to help you."
"Longbottom? Why are you helping me?"
"Look," I said, "this isn't the best place for this conversation. Do you think you can walk?"
Blaise nodded and got to his feet, putting on his robes again. I led him to the Room of Requirement, where there were a few shocked faces when he walked through the door. I cancelled the charm on myself, then turned to face Blaise.
"Why did you bring me here? I thought you didn't trust me," he said.
"I didn't before, but now I realise that I was wrong. I am sorry it took me so long to see the truth. I wouldn't blame you if you hated me for what I put you through, but I'm asking for your forgiveness. I'm sorry, Blaise."
"Well, you did put me through a lot. I refused to torture the others, so the Carrows decided to use me as their practice dummy. But you also helped me when you saw I was in trouble, so I think I can forgive you. As long as you let me join your group now," he said, smiling.
"You sneaky Slytherins love bargains," I said, laughing. "Consider yourself one of us." As I said these words, I felt a weight lifting off my shoulders and I suddenly felt freer than I had since I met Blaise two days ago. I was finally able to see him for who he was, now that my old prejudice was gone. I liked what I saw, and I hoped this could be the start of a friendship between us.
A/N: Written for:
Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition
Beater 2: Unfairness
Optional Prompts: 7. (dialogue) "I wouldn't blame you if you hated me."
13. (genre) friendship
14. (restriction) no female characters
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Challenges & Assignments)
Assignment #9
Archaeology: What a Find!: Task #2: Prompt:Mummy!AU - Alt: Write about someone young dealing with a lot of responsibility.
Writing Club - May
Record Collection: 1. She Don't Know Me, Mullally: Write about realising that you were wrong about someone.
Showtime: 10. Lion Sleeps Tonight - (time) Night
Lizzy's Loft: 19. (dialogue) "I am sorry it took me so long to see the truth."
Liza's Loves: 2. Great A'Tuin (Discword) - Write about someone carrying a large weight (doesn't have to be a physical weight)
Angel's Archives: 15. Trevor: (character) Neville Longbottom, (word) Disappear, (trope) Meet Cute
Scamander's Case: 6. (color) crimson
Marvel Appreciation: 14. Sokovia: (colour) Red
Hobby Hole: 19. Genre: Friendship
Resolution Evolution: Writing Resolutions: 8. Write a fic with a word count between 1,250 - 2,075 words
[Spring] Seasonal Challenges Thread
Days of the Year: 75. June 8th - Best Friends Day: Write a fic in the friendship genre
World Theatre Day: 19. Oliver! - Oliver!AU - alt: 'Consider yourself one of us'
Spring Colors: 4. Green
Crystals and Gemstones: 10. Carnelian (word) Forgiveness
Yearly Events Thread: 2021
Fantastic Beasts & Where to Collect Them: 17. Augurey. Character: Neville Longbottom
365 Prompts: 88. (object) parchment
Yearly Scavenger Hunt: 19. Write a story with the genre Friendship
[May] Build-a-Book *Comic Book Edition*
The Middle: 11. (word) responsibility
[May] Pop Figures
Fantastic Beasts: 6. 18. Chupacabra: (Being) Vampire / (Colour) Red
[Monthly] Geek Pride
62. Spies are Forever: 1. Prompt 1: Emotion: Guilt
[May] Fortnightly Challenges
Live by the Salad: 11. Bacon: (color) Crimson
[Spring Quarterly] Leaving on a Jet Plane
Planned Traveller: 44. Toronto: (Emotion) Guilt
Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges
Potions Class Challenge
24. Oculus Potion: Write about seeing something/someone clearly for the first time