A/N: Took a bit longer than expected on this one, but here it is.
-Anna Dearest
Chapter Twenty-One
The lock on Neville's cell clicked as it snapped open. A body was thrown roughly to the floor as the young man lifted his face up to witness the cell door slamming shut again.
"Who's t-there?" Neville stammered.
"They, they just bought me in," a hoarse voice replied, only his eyes visible in the dark. "Who're you?"
"Neville Long-Longbottom."
"You're the boy who's missing from Hogwarts!" the man gasped in surprise. "We all thought you were dead."
"Well, I'm n-not. Not yet. Who a-a-are you?"
"Hank Nullings."
Neville sat still in thought for a moment before a conclusion came to mind.
"You-you're a werewolf, aren't y-you?" Neville asked.
"Yes....how did-erm, how did you know?"
"They're bringing a lot of them in," Neville replied, his voice dead.
"A lot of them? Why?"
"They're giving them a p-potion, making their tra-transformations permanent. It controls their mind, and now they're like a pack of s-s- soldiers to them."
"Oh, no. No, no, no."
"W-what's wrong?"
"Do you know anything about werewolves, Mr. Longbottom?"
"Y-yes. One of my pro-professors was a werewolf."
"Lupin? You've had Remus Lupin?"
"Y-yes."
"Good man. But being a werewolf is a horrible thing. We're not in control of our minds during the transformation as it is. For them to take away what's left.... We thought the Wolfsbane Potion solved that, but now this...."
Neville remained silent as the man's breathing became heavy.
"Do you know a way out?" Hank asked suddenly.
"Wha-What?!"
"Do you know a way out?" he repeated calmly.
"No. I've been kind of...weak lately. We-well, weaker than usual."
"I'll help you find one then."
Neville's eyes widened as he said this. This man was obviously out of his mind.
"If I can get a wand...." he muttered, "I can get us out of here. Use one of the portkeys. There's a bloody cupboard full of them. That's what they used to get me in here. There has to be a two way portkey in there. If not, I'll activate one."
"It m-might just w-work."
"Of course it'll work, Neville. Be optimistic."
Neville shook his head as far as he could and stopped when a sharp pain ripped down his spine.
"You have to go. I'll most definitely just slow you down, but trust me when I say, you don't want to become what they'll make you," Neville whispered.
"No. You're what? Fifteen, sixteen? You don't deserve this fate, not now, not ever. I just need a wand."
- - - - - - - - - -
"So," Frank said slowly, "you were poisoned?"
"It appears so," Fox sighed, settling back into the Hospital Wing bed, looking at the couple seated on the bed to her right.
"With what? Aren't you, um-what's-it-called?"
"A Polymagus?" she supplied. When Frank nodded, she continued. "Thresian Blood, deadly harmful to me. They just didn't put enough to do permanent damage in yet."
"Why's it fatal?" Alice asked, curiousity written all over her face.
"Thresians are bloodthirsty creatures. The only thing they won't eat are humans. The reason it's dangerous is purely through the species' hatred of Polymagi. We're a meal to them.
"Now, if a human were to consume Thresian Blood, it'd just go through the body. The magic in the blood renders it useless against them. It's just one of those horrible inter-species relations things."
A moment of silence passed before Frank spoke again. "I hear you're the one who saw where our son was held for a while."
Fox sat up and lightly swung her legs over the bed, now facing the couple.
"Yes, I did. Many have doubts about him surviving, but many take for granted the fact that he's more than he appears. He's a bright boy, despite outward appearances."
"You think he'll make it?"
"Yes, but I make no promises. Promises are bound to fail."
- - - - - - - - - -
"Here one of them comes," Hank whispered, turning to acknowledge Neville's still form. The werewolf grasped a rather large peice of stone that had come from the crumbling wall to his left.
"Hello, Nevvy," Bellatrix cooed through the bars. "I've come to give the werewolf his last meal in his human form."
The locked snapped open once more as the cloaked form of the Death Eater entered the cell. With a growl of rage, Hank leapt onto her back from the shadows, crushing the stone over her head. Without an audible sound, she crumpled to the ground, her wand rolling onto the floor beside them.
"Good thing I'm a thin man," Hank muttered, taking the cloak and mask. "Come on, Neville."
When the only sound that met his ears was a groan of pain, Hank pointed his wand at his still body and muttered a "Mobilicorpus."
Without another word, Hank exited the cell, locking it behind him with Bellatrix Lestrange unconscious inside. Neville's body floated in front of him in an eerie fashion as he hurried through the many corridors of the Death Eater headquarters.
Reaching the room where he had arrived, Hank let Neville's body slide to the floor as he ran to the cupboard full of portkeys. He grasped Neville's wrist as he made his way through the various objects.
Not finding a two-way portkey, he picked out an old rubber ball from the bunch. Still holding Neville's wrist, he held the ball with the same hand, tapping his wand and muttering, "Activate."
Just as the unpleasant tug behind his navel came, voice could be heard just down the corridor as hurrying footsteps rushed towards the room.
"Perfect timing," Hank smiled as they disappeared from sight, just as the Death Eaters burst into an empty room.
A/N: Love me? Hate me? It shouldn't be too long before the next update.
-Anna Dearest
-Anna Dearest
Chapter Twenty-One
The lock on Neville's cell clicked as it snapped open. A body was thrown roughly to the floor as the young man lifted his face up to witness the cell door slamming shut again.
"Who's t-there?" Neville stammered.
"They, they just bought me in," a hoarse voice replied, only his eyes visible in the dark. "Who're you?"
"Neville Long-Longbottom."
"You're the boy who's missing from Hogwarts!" the man gasped in surprise. "We all thought you were dead."
"Well, I'm n-not. Not yet. Who a-a-are you?"
"Hank Nullings."
Neville sat still in thought for a moment before a conclusion came to mind.
"You-you're a werewolf, aren't y-you?" Neville asked.
"Yes....how did-erm, how did you know?"
"They're bringing a lot of them in," Neville replied, his voice dead.
"A lot of them? Why?"
"They're giving them a p-potion, making their tra-transformations permanent. It controls their mind, and now they're like a pack of s-s- soldiers to them."
"Oh, no. No, no, no."
"W-what's wrong?"
"Do you know anything about werewolves, Mr. Longbottom?"
"Y-yes. One of my pro-professors was a werewolf."
"Lupin? You've had Remus Lupin?"
"Y-yes."
"Good man. But being a werewolf is a horrible thing. We're not in control of our minds during the transformation as it is. For them to take away what's left.... We thought the Wolfsbane Potion solved that, but now this...."
Neville remained silent as the man's breathing became heavy.
"Do you know a way out?" Hank asked suddenly.
"Wha-What?!"
"Do you know a way out?" he repeated calmly.
"No. I've been kind of...weak lately. We-well, weaker than usual."
"I'll help you find one then."
Neville's eyes widened as he said this. This man was obviously out of his mind.
"If I can get a wand...." he muttered, "I can get us out of here. Use one of the portkeys. There's a bloody cupboard full of them. That's what they used to get me in here. There has to be a two way portkey in there. If not, I'll activate one."
"It m-might just w-work."
"Of course it'll work, Neville. Be optimistic."
Neville shook his head as far as he could and stopped when a sharp pain ripped down his spine.
"You have to go. I'll most definitely just slow you down, but trust me when I say, you don't want to become what they'll make you," Neville whispered.
"No. You're what? Fifteen, sixteen? You don't deserve this fate, not now, not ever. I just need a wand."
- - - - - - - - - -
"So," Frank said slowly, "you were poisoned?"
"It appears so," Fox sighed, settling back into the Hospital Wing bed, looking at the couple seated on the bed to her right.
"With what? Aren't you, um-what's-it-called?"
"A Polymagus?" she supplied. When Frank nodded, she continued. "Thresian Blood, deadly harmful to me. They just didn't put enough to do permanent damage in yet."
"Why's it fatal?" Alice asked, curiousity written all over her face.
"Thresians are bloodthirsty creatures. The only thing they won't eat are humans. The reason it's dangerous is purely through the species' hatred of Polymagi. We're a meal to them.
"Now, if a human were to consume Thresian Blood, it'd just go through the body. The magic in the blood renders it useless against them. It's just one of those horrible inter-species relations things."
A moment of silence passed before Frank spoke again. "I hear you're the one who saw where our son was held for a while."
Fox sat up and lightly swung her legs over the bed, now facing the couple.
"Yes, I did. Many have doubts about him surviving, but many take for granted the fact that he's more than he appears. He's a bright boy, despite outward appearances."
"You think he'll make it?"
"Yes, but I make no promises. Promises are bound to fail."
- - - - - - - - - -
"Here one of them comes," Hank whispered, turning to acknowledge Neville's still form. The werewolf grasped a rather large peice of stone that had come from the crumbling wall to his left.
"Hello, Nevvy," Bellatrix cooed through the bars. "I've come to give the werewolf his last meal in his human form."
The locked snapped open once more as the cloaked form of the Death Eater entered the cell. With a growl of rage, Hank leapt onto her back from the shadows, crushing the stone over her head. Without an audible sound, she crumpled to the ground, her wand rolling onto the floor beside them.
"Good thing I'm a thin man," Hank muttered, taking the cloak and mask. "Come on, Neville."
When the only sound that met his ears was a groan of pain, Hank pointed his wand at his still body and muttered a "Mobilicorpus."
Without another word, Hank exited the cell, locking it behind him with Bellatrix Lestrange unconscious inside. Neville's body floated in front of him in an eerie fashion as he hurried through the many corridors of the Death Eater headquarters.
Reaching the room where he had arrived, Hank let Neville's body slide to the floor as he ran to the cupboard full of portkeys. He grasped Neville's wrist as he made his way through the various objects.
Not finding a two-way portkey, he picked out an old rubber ball from the bunch. Still holding Neville's wrist, he held the ball with the same hand, tapping his wand and muttering, "Activate."
Just as the unpleasant tug behind his navel came, voice could be heard just down the corridor as hurrying footsteps rushed towards the room.
"Perfect timing," Hank smiled as they disappeared from sight, just as the Death Eaters burst into an empty room.
A/N: Love me? Hate me? It shouldn't be too long before the next update.
-Anna Dearest