Still shaking, holding onto the sink, Neville replayed the dream in his head. When he got to the part where Professor Snape ripped off his mask, Neville promptly threw up into the sink.
He used a quick spell to clean the sink and then his mouth. Professor Snape was working behind everyone's back. That was the only explanation. He was a Death Eater!
Neville couldn't quite be in his right mind because of marching straight up to Professor Dumbledore's, he turned the other way and headed towards the dungeon.
The phrase, 'He helped torture my parents,' kept rolling over and over in his mind. By the time he actually reached the dungeon, Neville was angrier than he ever had been in his life. He wanted to hurt Professor Snape. He wanted him to know the kind of pain that he had put Neville's parents through.
Neville could hardily contain himself when he reached the dungeon door. He knocked on the door wildly. "Professor Snape!" he yelled, taking his wand out.
"What?" Professor Snape said cruelly, opening the door quickly. He took a good look at a furious Neville, and saw that his wand was out.
"Put your wand away or you'll be expelled, Longbottom," he said, his lip curled dangerously.
"We need to talk," Neville said in a voice he didn't recognize. He left his wand limply at his side.
"Put the wand away," Professor Snape repeated. His eyes narrowed through the curtain of black hair.
Neville left his arm where it was. "No," he said softly.
"No?" Professor Snape said, sounding surprised. "You idiot boy. Fine. If you want to get yourself expelled…"
Neville cut him off. "I know you were there the night my parents were tortured," he said firmly. "You're a Death Eater. Why aren't you in Azkaban?"
Professor Snape looked surprised for a moment. He then grabbed Neville by the arm and dragged him into the potions classroom. He forced Neville into a chair, and quickly placed a silencing and locking charm on the room. He then placed his wand on the table in front of Neville.
"There. I'm not armed now," Professor Snape said quietly. "I'm going to ask Professor Dumbledore to join us."
Neville sat down on a stool, folding his arms across his chest. He stared furiously at Professor Snape. He left the wand where it was.
The professor threw some floo powder onto the fire and knelt down. "Professor Dumbledore's office," he said quietly, sticking his head into the fire.
Neville could only listen to half of the conversation. "Albus? I have Longbottom here in the dungeon. I could use your presence."
A moment later, Professor Snape stood up and stared at Neville. Then there was a swoosh, and Professor Dumbledore stood up from the fireplace.
"Yes, Severus," Professor Dumbledore said quietly.
Neville started first. "He tortured my parents!" Neville screamed. "He's a Death Eater!"
Professor Snape rubbed his temples while Professor Dumbledore walked slowly over to Neville. "How do you know this?" he asked quietly.
"A memory charm was cast on me after I witnessed my parent's torture," Neville said firmly. "Professor Snape placed a memory charm on me. But then that…that woman placed another charm on me!"
Professor Dumbledore raised his hand, as if asking for peace. "I ask again, Neville. How do you know this?"
"Because it happened!" Neville bellowed. "I've been dreaming about it for months. Then Professor Flitwick placed a memory charm on me in class, and I knew!"
Professor Dumbledore looked at Neville sharply. "This was released from your memory?"
"Yes!" Neville pointed at Professor Snape. "He's a Death Eater, Professor. He should be in Azkaban. Why isn't he in Azkaban?"
"Because Professor Snape is not a Death Eater," Professor Dumbledore said simply.
"Yes, he is!" Neville cried. "I saw him!" Why didn't Dumbledore believe him?
"Harry has not told you anything about Professor Snape?" Dumbledore asked quietly.
Neville thought for a moment. "No," he said finally. "Nothing outside of class work.'
"Professor Snape is loyal to me, Mister Longbottom," Professor Dumbledore said seriously, looking down at Neville through his half-moon spectacles.
"Then he's lying to you," Neville said, finally beginning to feel defeated. It was obvious that Professor Dumbledore didn't believe him.
"Albus, is it wise to say anymore?" Professor Snape asked.
"I trust Mister Longbottom, Severus," Professor Dumbledore said softly. "Neville, anything we say here must be kept in this room. If you can agree to that, we can tell you the truth."
The truth. Neville was desperate to hear it, and was ready to sell his soul to find it. He nodded. "I need to know what happened," he told the pair.
"Professor Snape is a spy, Neville. He gathers information for us. He was there when your parents were tortured because he was trying to find out what the remaining Death Eaters knew. Those Death Eaters would have done anything to have Voldemort back in power," Professor Dumbledore said.
Neville shuddered while hearing You-know-who's name. Neville looked in Professor Snape's eye for the first time since he entered the room.
"He saved your life, Neville," Professor Dumbledore said. "The Death Eaters he was with would have no problem killing a child."
Neville let the information sink in. It was hard accepting this new reality. "Is Gran in on this too?" Neville asked after a moments thought.
Professor Dumbledore shook his head. "Your grandmother was told that you were in a completely different room when it happened. She decided it would be best if you thought you were with her that night."
"So you're not a Death Eater?" he asked Professor Snape.
"I'm not," the professor answered firmly.
"Severus, I'm afraid I can not stay down here any longer. I have other business to attend to," Professor Dumbledore said. "Neville, if you have any other questions…I'm more than willing to answer them later on."
Neville watched Professor Dumbledore take some powder and disappear from the dungeons. For almost a minute, Neville and Professor Snape stared at each other silently.
"Is there anything else you want to know?" Professor Snape asked finally.
Neville thought for a moment. There were a thousand questions he wanted to ask, but none seemed right. "How could you just stand there and watch them suffer?" Neville asked.
Professor Snape sat himself down across the table from Neville. They were talking now, as equals. "I had no choice," he told Neville.
"You always have a choice," Neville said.
"I was with four powerful Death Eaters. If I tried to overcome them all and save your parents, I would have given my loyalties away and been killed," Professor Snape said.
"But it would have been the right thing to do," Neville said sadly.
"I'd like to think that by saving their son that I honored their sacrifice," Professor Snape said softly.
Neville let out a snort. "A son that has memory problems because of a memory charm gone wrong! Some honor I am," he said bitterly.
Professor Snape seemed to ignore that last comment. "Do you have any other questions?"
Neville shook his head. Right now he needed some time alone to digest what he had learned. He headed towards the door. As he put his hand on the handle, a thought came to him. It was a long shot, but for this Neville was willing to risk everything.
"Professor?" he asked.
Professor Snape turned around. "Yes, Longbottom?" he asked evenly.
"What do you know about creating antidotes?" Neville asked.
"A fair bit," Professor Snape said seriously. "Why?"
"I need to find one for a poison," Neville said. "A blood poison."
"Are you speaking of Miss Lovegood's illness?" Professor Snape asked.
Neville was surprised. "I was," he said. "You know about that?"
"The staff was made aware of her condition in case anything happened," he told Neville. Professor Snape raised a single eyebrow. "You want to find a cure?"
Neville nodded eagerly. "Not much research has been done," Neville said, the words tumbling out of him. He wanted to talk to someone desperately about the disease, even if it was Professor Snape. Luna always changed the subject if he brought it up. "Every poison has an antidote, right? I remember that much from your lectures."
Professor Snape nodded slowly. "It can take years to find the right combination to make the antidote work correctly."
"I'm willing to work for years," Neville said determinedly. "Is there any chance…"
"What, Longbottom?"
"An hour a week. That's all I ask. I'll do research on my own, and then we could work together for just an hour. Please, sir," Neville said. He was ready to work with anyone if it meant a cure to Luna's disease.
Professor Snape mulled it over for a moment. "I have many commitments, Longbottom. I might not be able to spare an hour a week," he said finally.
"An hour every other week? Every month?" Neville pleaded.
"Tomorrow after your potions class."
88888
Neville walked up the stairs from the dungeons in a daze. It was almost as if he had information overload. He had learned so much today.
He saw Luna leaving the Transfiguration classroom, her arms full of books. She saw him down the hall and smiled broadly. Neville jogged to catch up with her. He quickly took most of the books she was carrying.
"Neville Longbottom," she said dreamily.
"That's me," Neville said happily. No matter how upset he was he always felt better around her.
"Let's go to the Greenhouse," she said. "I'm not hungry yet."
Neville was hungry, but put his stomach on hold. He followed her willingly to the Greenhouse. She said the password and they went inside. They both placed the books on the floor. Within a moment, Luna had her arms around him and was kissing him passionately.
Neville let himself get lost in the sensation of lips upon lips, and tongue against tongue. She started kissing his neck, and Neville felt a throbbing in his pants. He quickly moved her body to one side. He didn't want her knowing.
Finally they broke apart. "Mmm…" Luna sighed. "I've missed you."
Neville's face broke into a grin as he sat down on the floor. "You saw me at lunch," he teased.
"That was ages ago," Luna said, settling herself on the floor, laying her head in Neville's lap. He stroked her hair and let himself stare at her. She might not be a classic beauty, but to Neville she was perfect.
"So how was your day?" she asked finally, her eyes closed. She looked so peaceful, that he didn't want to bring up his dream, which might upset her.
"I know you don't like talking about it, but I'm going to start researching an antidote for your disease with Professor Snape," he said softly.
Luna sat up immediately. "What?" she asked sharply.
"Your blood turns into poison, right?" Neville asked. "Every poison has an antidote. I want to find it."
She stood up and started pacing. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, tears forming.
Neville didn't understand why she was so upset. "Luna, what's wrong?"
"What's wrong?" she asked wildly. "Neville, please. Please promise me that you won't do this."
Neville jumped to his feet. "Why not? I want to."
Luna shook her head, and ran her hands through her long dirty blonde hair. "Neville, my mother had the same disease. She decided that she was going to conquer it for the both of us. Well, one of her experiments went horribly wrong and she was killed right in front of me!"
"Luna…" Neville said, reaching out for her. Luna threw herself in his arms. He held her close.
"I don't know how much I can handle, Neville. Daddy's been attacked, and now the man I'm in love with is telling me he's going to try to do the same thing that killed my mother. Please don't do this!" Luna sobbed.
Somehow, her words seemed to blend together except for a few. 'In love with.'
"You love me?" Neville asked, his heart soaring.
Luna raised her head, and placed both her hands on his cheeks. She looked right into his eyes.
"Yes."
