Creativity Month - Circus!AU

When Neville killed his mother at the tender age of fifteen, it was purely an accident. A glass in his hand, his fist clenching, and the explosion as shards flew everywhere. His reflexes forced him to duck behind the sofa, but his mother was not spared.

Next thing he knows, a fragment of glass is embedded in her throat and blood is pooling around her hair. A look of shock is permanently frozen on her beautiful features; the sight is unnerving.

So, he does what all fifteen-year-olds do when they accidentally murder their mothers: he runs.

He lives on the street for a few weeks, surviving on scant scraps of food he finds in dumpsters. His outwardly appearance hollows; his cheeks are jaundiced and sunken, his physique malnourished and dwindling further. It's only when a benevolent nurse finds him burrowing in the dumpster like some raccoon his life marginally takes a turn for the better.

He resides in her home for a few months. She, her husband, and her ten-month-old son are hospitable, but Neville still feels empty, like something is missing. Excitement, perhaps, or family?

It doesn't take him long to realize it's both.

So, he flees. Again.

(His past has a tight grip on him.)

He finally finds refuge in the most unexpected of places: the circus.

The circus is a rather dreary one; they haven't had a good show in months. But considering the cast and crew, it's not all that surprising, but Neville finds them the closest thing to family since his own parents.

Intellectual Hermione Granger, who has brains but a fear of heights. Bumbling Ron Weasley, whose freckles stand out more than he does. And a medley of others who don't quite fit in.

And then, there's Draco Malfoy.

There's no true words to describe him. Cynical, reserved, and aloof? It doesn't summarize him.

But Neville feels an instant connection with him. He has potential, yet he's been tied down by something. Something's been holding him back, and Neville thinks he knows what it is.

Because it's what has been restraining him.

Fear of his past.

352 words