1. Harry Potter: Ignorance is Bliss
2. Harry Potter: Everything Falls Apart
I won't stop you from reading this, but you may get confused as to what's been happening so far. So read the others, if you want. Also, this story mainly revolves around Neville and Cho, even though the title says Harry Potter.
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Harry Potter: The Lion, the Witch, and the WardrobeChapter One
Beyond the Wardrobe
He heard sobbing. Then he heard cursing.
"Shut your crying, damn you." Someone hissed angrily.
The voice was low and gravelly; it sent a shiver of recognition through Neville, he tried grasping for the memory but it was elusive. Suddenly his memories came rushing back, the fight, the flight, Cho, the wardrobe, and then the grinding pain in his hands. The voice was suddenly familiar. It was the Bodiless Man. Neville's eyes snapped open and he saw a darkened face leaning over him. He felt something wet hit his face.
Neville jerked back, trying to scramble away, fear giving him speed, and his hands going for his pockets to grab his wand. He stopped as he saw Cho staring wide eye at him. He realized she had been leaning over him, her eyes still wet from crying. He then realized he didn't have a wand. Where did it go? He couldn't remember.
"Cho? What's going on?" Neville asked, his voice hoarse and low. His head was beginning to pound. He blinked away the pain, trying to concentrate on his surroundings. He looked around, seeing a simple room, dimly lit and made of stone. He looked up and saw a high, high ceiling, so high that he could not see the ceiling for it ended in darkness, seeming extending forever upward. They were in a tower, so it seemed, a small slit of a window nearly twenty feet above, sending in a small stream of light. It was the only light lighting the room.
"Oh, thank goodness you're awake, Neville." Cho said, relief heavily in her voice. "For a moment I thought you weren't going to make it."
"What do you mean?" Neville asked.
"You fell. Hit your head, hard. And then you stopped breathing." Cho said slowly.
Neville stared at her, suddenly the pain in his head renewed, sending white spots across his vision. He reached up experimentally and touched the left side of his head, belatedly hearing Cho yell for him to stop. Pain suddenly exploded and the world turned black and white with agony. Neville groaned and doubled over, nearly retching with the pain. Cho was suddenly at his side, gripping his shoulders and steadying him.
He gasped, tasting blood and bile. He looked down at his hand and saw it smeared with blood.
"Lay down." Cho said.
"My head." Neville groaned. "What happened?"
"Why are your robes so dirty?" Cho asked, shaking her head. Neville remembered crouching behind a tree on the lawns. Everyone it seemed was commenting on the state of his robes. He heard cloth tearing and tried to get up and see what was happening. Cho's hand held him down and a wave of dizziness sent him laying back. "Be still, Neville." She said, the sound of cloth tearing continuing.
"What are you doing?" Neville asked groggily. He suddenly felt weary, as if the energy was being drained from him. He closed his eyes for a moment, he needed rest. Sleep would make everything better.
"Don't you go to sleep on me, Neville." Cho suddenly said sternly. He felt her shaking his arm, the movement sending waves of pain piercing his head.
"I think...I think I'm gonna-" Neville suddenly turned over and began retching. "I-I'm s-sorry." Neville gasped moments later, his headache suddenly redoubled. It pushed away the feeling of embarrassment and horror he was feeling.
Cho nodded, wrinkling her nose. "Don't worry. That's expected. You have a concussion. You may be doing that for a couple of days, if you don't get treated." Cho explained calmly. She pulled out a wand and pointed to the mess. A moment later it was gone.
"There's a lot of blood. Hold on." Cho pointed her wand at his head. For a moment Neville felt an unreasonable fear, he tried to pull back but there was no where to go. Cho muttered something and pain suddenly flared in Neville's mind. "I'm sorry." Cho said a roll of black cloth in her hands. 'It's the only cleansing spell I know. Its rough, but its effective." She began tightening the black cloth around his head; Neville realized it was a piece of her robes. After a pause, she began wrapping his fingers up in cloth also. Carefully making sure as not to shift them too much, Neville winced in pain through the whole experience, but he didn't cry out.
The makeshift bandages hurt, but after a moment Neville felt the pain begin to subside. It wasn't gone, the monster headache was still there, but it was a deep throbbing pain, one he could handle. His fingers felt the same way, as long as he didn't move them or jab them against something it would be fine.
"Just lay still and don't try to move around, get up, or sleep." Cho cautioned. She sat back upon her heels, staring down at him.
Neville felt a momentary surge of embarrassment as he realized how pretty she looked. Her hair was disheveled and her robes were dusty and rumpled, but still she looked very pretty. Neville closed his eyes, receiving a jab from Cho. "Where are we?" He asked, trying to keep his eyes open.
"I don't know." Cho responded. Uncertainty filled her voice. Neville looked around and saw the Bodiless Man sitting not far away, watching them.
'Hey, girl." The man said. "You know healing, fix my damned leg."
Cho turned toward him, her face set angrily. The light fell upon her face and Neville saw a dark spot upon her cheek, the beginnings of a very bad bruise. "Fix your own damn leg." She snapped.
"Give me that damned wand and I'll do it. I'll fix your boyfriend's hurt head, maybe even that bruise on your cheek." The man said, he grinned disarmingly.
Neville gripped Cho's arm. "Don't. He'll just use it against us." Cho nodded and stared at the man.
"You're not in a position to demand anything." Cho said coldly.
The man was quiet for a while, staring at them. "I could kill you in a minute." He said suddenly, his voice going hard and flat. "You and your little boyfriend." Then he began laughing. Neville felt Cho shudder in horror under his hand. He felt the same way.