OH BRAVE NEW WORLD
By: HiBob
Disclaimer: All the characters in this story are the property of JK Rowling.
Warning: The following contains references to and descriptions of psychological trauma,
and may not be suitable for younger readers. In consequence the rating has been
upgraded to PG-13
Chapter 7: A Game of Tag
Del Malfoy was found in an alcove off one of the less frequented hallways. Ron was the one to find him. Not that it made any difference. When Dumbledore came on the scene, he immediately summoned for Madam Pomfrey. When she arrived, she let out a gasp. In the corner, with his hands hugging his knees, sat Del, staring at nothing. She looked at the half-dozen people around her and asked who found him. Ron raised his hand, as did Hermione. "Can you help him?" asked Ron. "I am a doctor," she replied, "if I can, I will." She then asked if Del had made any kind of movement. Ron told her no, explaining that he had stayed to watch Del, while Hermione ran to get help. Dumbledore added that he and Professor Snape had met Hermione and that she brought them straight to the scene. The boy was still in the same condition when they first saw him. Madame Pomfrey then knelt in front of the boy, calling his name but getting no reaction. When she placed a hand on his shoulder, to no effect. When she lifted his head to examine his eyes, they stared right through her, with no sign of recognition.
Madam Pomfrey was quickly informed of what had occurred in the potions class, and asked if anyone knew of any unusual events prior to that. Gregory Goyle, who, with Malfoy and Crabbe, made up the rest of the group, raised his hand. "Madam, at breakfast he said I wasn't there." "Explain," said Pomfrey. Goyle continued, "at breakfast I asked if we were friends in his world and he said I wasn't there." At this Hermione felt a chill run down her spine. "Madam Pomfrey," she interrupted, "After our first class this morning, Del looked upset. I asked him if all the questions were bothering him, and he said no, it was seeing people who aren't there. Ron told him he made it sound like they were dead. Then Del answered, yes, like they're dead, or missing, or not there, like Hagrid." Ron spoke up at this point, "At lunch he asked about Seamus Finnigan. I asked if his Seamus had an accident, and he said the word 'sniper'. After listening to a few more examples from the students, Madam Pomfrey turned to Dumbledore. "Albus, did he describe the general conditions on his world." Dumbledore hesitated slightly, "The conversation was supposed to be confidential, but he described open warfare."
The doctor thought for a minute, then turned back to Del. In short order, she made loud noises, and called out various phrases, such as 'dinner is ready'. She even tried moving him gently, but he never responded. She looked at Dumbledore, "Albus, he is suffering from induced catatonia resulting from stress-related trauma. That is the technical term and it isn't really accurate. Even muggles have little medical knowledge on the subject, and they are exposed to this more than we are. To put it simply, Del has suffered a severe shock to his system, most likely because he came from a world where violence is rampant, suddenly to find himself here, in a relatively peaceful environment. Add to this, meeting people here who are clearly alive and well, as are Goyle and Hagrid, whom may be missing or even dead. Then there is Neville Longbottom. His presence has disturbed Del greatly, and was probably what tipped the balance." As she paused, Snape asked the expected question, "What can we do?" "We have two options, we can try to find some key to getting his attention here and now, or we can put him in the infirmary for a couple of days to see if he recovers on his own. If he doesn't, he will have to be sent to St. Mungo's for treatment." "He'll get better, won't he?" asked Severus, speaking everyone's thought out loud. Madam Pomfrey sighed, "This condition is rarely permanent, but if it endures for any length of time, other problems can arise. He may be impaired in other way, and possible need medication." She saw the confused looks on the faces of the students. "Children," she said, deliberately using the term, "If he does not recover quickly, he may never completely get well. I need to know if he has reacted to anyone in a positive way, or mentioned anyone in a good way. That was when Draco raised his hand. "Madam Pomfrey," he said, "you want to talk to Crabbe."
Draco explained how Del had told Vincent that they would always be friends. "It was the only time I've heard him speak with any emotion, until Potions. Even when he yelled at someone or mocked them, it always seemed rehearsed." "Vincent," Madam Pomfrey said, "I'm glad you're here. It seems you are our best hope. I want you to think carefully of anything that you might say that Del would know." Vincent Crabbe tried to point out that he did not know Del, but Madam Pomfrey explained that it could be something that he would say to Draco when they were kids together. At one point Crabbe started to say something but shook his head. "What is it?" he was asked. "Nothing," he replied, "it was just stupid." "Try it anyway," he was told. He slowly walked toward Del, almost afraid to approach the crouching boy. Then Crabb slapped him lightly on the back, saying, "Tag, You're It." Del looked up.
Madam Pomfret jumped on this. "Del, do you want to play Tag," she said, turning his head to face her. As he went to pull his head away, she put her hand on his cheek to stop him, repeating, "Dudley, do you want to play Tag." Del responded by shaking his head, a smile forming on his lips. "Dudley, you can play Tag, but first we need to know about Neville." Del pushed himself away, but Madam Pomfrey grabbed his wrists to keep him from flailing his arms. "Dudley, we want to play tag, but we need to know about Neville. Where is Neville?" Del struggled briefly, then let out a scream ending in a sob. He than sat back, as though exhausted. "Where is Neville?" she asked again, softly, still holding on to Del's wrists. After a pause, Del let out a low moan and said, "Neville isn"t here." "What happened to Neville? Can you tell us, Dudley, What happened to Neville?" Del looked up, into Madam Pomfrey's eyes, his own filled with tears. When he spoke, he sounded as though he were six years old. All that he said was, "Neville's dead."
Neville's Story
It was his first Potions Class that Neville Longbottom met his best friend. Professor Snape gave his usual speech to the new students, closing with his standard line, "I will make you learn, regardless of what it takes." Neville, already gaining a reputation for clumsiness and for being absentminded, easily ruined his first potion as well as the cauldron. When the Professor asked him to list the ingredients, Neville failed to name half of them. He was told to stay after class. At that point, a boy in the back of the room made a rude noise, followed by laughter from some students. "You may stay as well," Snape said without turning his head, "Dudley Malfoy, I believe your name is." At the end of the class, both boys stood before the Potions teacher. "I always take education seriously," he told the boys. Then he laid out his plan. Neville would be given several educational aides to try and help him improve his memory. He would need help, and since Dudley had expressed an 'interest', he would be given that chance. "Congratulations, Mister Malfoy," said Snape, "you are going to help Mister Longbottom learn how to learn."
At first, this was a chore for both boys. The first forms were in different houses, houses which had a strong antipathy for each other. Also, both boys were forced to spend a great deal of time trying things that didn't seem to work. After a while, a pattern emerged in the methods they tried. Mnemonics worked well, but only for the short term, as did other associative methods. Various organizational efforts failed, for the simple reason that Neville couldn't remember those methods consistently. The boys were now challenged. They knew there was a way, they only had to find it. This happened in mid-October. Somehow, they had gotten to talking about nursery rhymes, and they began to recite their favorite variations to each other. (I.e., Mary had a little lamb, Her father cursed it dead, Now Mary brings her lamb to school, Between two slices of bread.) It struck Dudley how well Neville was able to remember all these poems. So they tried out a new idea. They set about making nonsense rhymes about the potions homework. In the next class, when Professor Snape would ask questions, Neville repeated raised his hand. He did not answer every question correctly, but he did hit the mark, more often than not. Neville ended up being one of the better students and, on occasion, did receive top marks.
One other thing happened. They became friends. When Professor Snape released Dudley from his punishment, Neville waited outside and the two went off together as usual. They shared quite a few adventures together. It was Neville who distracted the prefect so that Dudley and Draco could search for Hermione and/or the troll. When they needed to help Hagrid get rid of Norbert, it was Neville who finally talked Ron into contacting his brother. Neville showed his bravery best, when he acted to distract Tom Riddle, giving Dudley the chance to destroy the diary.
Despite their differences, or perhaps because of them, their friendship thrived. It came to a point where they were a familiar site in both houses, and it was always considered Truce when either of them was around.
It was when they were third forms, Hallowe'en eve to be exact, that Neville died. It started out as a normal enough day. The two boys were spending their free period helping Snape clean up his lab as punishment for their latest prank. (They had managed to get the Fat Lady to change the password to "I'm Stupid". Hermione Granger complained.) Mr. Filch came in with Mrs. Norris in his arms. The boys watch as Snape examined the obviously dead cat. When the cat let out a scream, everyone stepped back in surprise. When they looked at it again, the cat was still obviously dead. Professor Snape reacted at once, however, casting the emergency spell that immediately locked all the doors to Hogwarts, and summoned everyone to the Great Hall. He then told Filch to let Albus know it was the Portmanteau Curse.
As he sent the boys running for supplies, he explained what the Portmanteau Curse was. It was really two curses joined together, the first being a paralysis spell which over the course of one to two hours, depending on the victim, would freeze all the voluntary muscles, a slow acting form of Petrificus Totallus. The second curse then begins to act by Stopping the involuntary muscles that help us to breathe. Again, this happens slowly, usually five to seven hours after being cursed. The spell curses everyone within a specific area, such as a building, and makes each infected person contagious. As an added bonus, It causes the person who triggered the curse to be paralyzed at a faster rate, about ten to fifteen minutes, enough time to realize what had happened but not enough time to do anything about it. "Who would make such a curse," Dudley asked? "I did, only once. When I turned against Lord Voldemort I thought I had destroyed it when I destroyed my notes. I was wrong."
The two boys had been given the directions for the curative potion, and had already started working on it when they realized that Professor Snape was already paralyzed. As Dudley stirred in the first ingredients, he noticed Dudley mixing a different potion. "It's the potion that prevents paralysis," Neville explained, adding, "I'm sorry, there was only enough for one dose."
He then drank the potion, and took over the task of adding the Belladonna leaves and Wort Root.
Dudley laughed, "Great, now I have to watch you be the hero. I should have thought of it first."
After an hour, Dudley had to stop, his muscles were becoming too stiff. The two boys had come to accept that it was up to them. No one had stopped by, most likely because they were not aware of Snape being disabled. And now, no one would be caught being stranded in one of the hallways. And now it was up to Neville. Professor Snape's efforts were paying off.
A little more than three hours after the curse had been released, Dudley felt a hand forcing his mouth open. A warm, bitter liquid was poured in, and he involuntarily swallowed.
In a few short minutes he felt fine. Neville had explained what he had done to Professor Snape, who thanked him. Snape then handed some of the flasks of the potion to Dudley. Grabbing all the remaining flasks, he ushered the boy out of the lab and to the Great Hall.
The next hour was organized chaos. Both professor and student began giving out doses of the curative potion. When the first ones recovered, they would grab one of the flasks and help distribute the potion. In less than five hours the crisis was over. That was when Dudley noticed that Neville was not there. He ran back to the potions lab, not hearing Snape call after him.
He walked into the lab, and saw his friend sitting there, white faced and gasping for breath. He asked Neville if he had taken the curative, offering to run back to the hall and get some. Neville smiled and told Dudley he couldn't take the potion because it contained Belladonna, adding that the potion he had taken earlier had contained Wormwood. That was when Dudley remembered the rhyme they had made up. Wormwood use can come to grief, when mixed with Belladonna leaf, to be safe we always say, keep these mixes a day away. "I can't take that potion, Dudley, it will kill me." "But, Neville, You're dying." But he was already dead.
"How is he," Professor Snape asked? "It was an ordeal for him," Madam Pomfrey said, "having to tell us about Neville, but he will be better for it. Albus is sitting with him until he falls asleep." Severus frowned, "I used to dream about meeting old friends who had passed away, and they were always pleasant. I never thought that someone would think it a nightmare. Now, I will have to explain it to them," he said, indicating the students waiting outside the infirmary doors. Madam Pomfrey stopped him before he opened the door, "Severus, don't sugarcoat this. Be direct with them. This is a fourteen-year-old boy who watched his best friend die, only to come here and see his friend treated as a joke. Add to that, all the other people he has run into, and the question is not how it happened, but why it took so long." Severus smiled, "I will also tell them, my dear doctor, that you did say he was going to be fine, how talking about it was the best thing for him. As Albus always tells me, let everything be an educational experience."
A/N I apologize for writing such a dark chapter. As I reread the first part of the chapter, I realized that I was writing about an incident I had witnessed when I was around that age. We write about what we know. On one level it is frightening, but I suggest you look at it this way. The character, Del is being brought out of his hell, and back into the light of the real world. This is not a story about loss, but about rescue from the brink. In reality, it is a happy tale.
(P.S.: Neville's Story is actually my attempt at a tearjerker, as well as a means to advance the
plot,)