Subject: Defence Against The Dark Arts Task 2
Task: Write about someone preventing further harm or damage
Additional Prompt: (Word) Fist
Monopoly: The Three Broomsticks
Gringotts: Charmed Season 1: Episode 4 – (Object) Newspaper; Charmed Season 1: Episode 5 – (Word) Dream, Charmed Season 1: Episode 8 – (Word) Truth, Charmed Season 1: Episode 9 – (Word) Copy, Charmed Season 1: Episode 12 – (Word) Betrayal, Charmed Season 1: Episode 14 – (Title) Secrets and Guys; Sex and the City Season 1: Episode 1 – (Word) Article; Sex and the City Season 1: Episode 3 – (Word) Humiliated; Pairing: Slash Same Gen – Neville/Viktor
Word Count: 1149
Secrets and Guys
Quidditch hero Viktor Krum's salacious secret
Neville stared at the copy of The Daily Prophet in front of him. His eyes glassed over with tears he refused to let fall as he read the article on the front page. He couldn't believe what he was reading.
His hands balled into fists at his side. Anger coursed through his veins as his eyes drifted over towards the bar where his long term boyfriend was stood ordering their drinks. He wanted nothing more than to put his fist through a wall.
Neville didn't know whether to laugh or scream as he read the last line:
And don't worry my dear readers, Me, Myself and I will exhaust every avenue of enquiry in an attempt to find out the long hidden identity of Mr Krum's mystery woman, and discover how she is dealing with this cruel sting of betrayal.
Of course the world thought he was a woman. When Viktor had announced to the press that he was in a long term relationship, he had understandable failed to correct them when they jumped to the natural conclusion that he was in a heterosexual relationship.
Unfortunately, no matter how much the wizarding world tried to show it had progressed and accepted the concept of same sex relationships, the idea of a sports star being homosexual was practically unthinkable. It was the only part of his relationship with Viktor that Neville hated, and now he had been betrayed by the man he thought he was going to spend the rest of his life with.
Before Neville could gather his thoughts, Viktor had returned with their drinks and sat down across from him
"Vot is wrong?" Viktor asked almost immediately, rubbing his foot up against Neville's shin as he always did in public to comfort him.
"How could you do this to me Viktor?" the hurt wizard demanded, jerking his leg away from the reach of his boyfriend.
"Vot do you mean?" Viktor asked, furrowing his eyebrows.
"I mean this!" Neville said harshly, shoving the Rita Skeeter article towards Viktor.
Neville waited for a few minutes as Viktor read the damming article; his eyes never left his partner's face to see what kind of reaction he got.
"Lies, it is all lies Neville," Viktor protested, pushing away the paper.
Neville searched Viktor's eyes, hoping to see some sign that he was telling the truth, but all he saw was a man who was ashamed of him and their relationship.
"I don't know if I can believe that," Neville sighed.
"Ve are meant to be together Neville. It is you that I vont. You cannot listen to that vuman, and her vile lies," Viktor said fiercely. "Remember all that rubbish she vote during the Twi-Vizard Tournament. 'ow can you think she vud write the truth now?"
Neville lowered his eyes to the ground in shame.
How could he have believed that his boyfriend would cheat on him? And with someone as shallow and fame hungry as Romilda Vane.
Viktor was right, and Rita Skeeter was a proven liar.
There was no contest. He was confident that Viktor was being honest with him, and it would take some pretty damming evidence to convince him otherwise. He would not make the same mistake twice.
"I trust you," Neville finally answered. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you."
"But you were right to," said a sing song voice.
Neville looks at her. Narrows eyes. Out of the corner of his eye the wizard saw a vaguely familiar woman with curly blonde hair enter and head towards the bar.
"No, no," Viktor said with a shake of his head. "I vill not allow you and your lies to infect my relationship."
"I'm not lying though," Romilda claimed with a flutter of her eyelashes. "How else could I know about that snitch shaped birthmark on your fine arse?"
Neville watched as Viktor's eyes darted from side to side, looking anywhere but at him. His cheeks slowly reddened, and Neville blinked back some tears as he realised that every word of the article was true, and he wanted to hear Viktor admit it.
"Yes Viktor, how else would she know Viktor?" Neville asked, raising his voice slightly.
When Neville didn't receive an answer immediately he realised he had to be more forceful. This was not a subject he would drop, and Viktor needed to know that.
"How else would she know?" he demanded again, making no effort to keep his voice quiet.
The entire pub fell silent, and Neville felt as though all eyes in The Three Broomsticks were on the three of them as he waited for his boyfriend to confess.
"It vos a von time thing, but it meant nothing Neville. She meant nothing," Viktor told him with urgency. "Please forgive me?"
Neville stared at Viktor with a blank expression.
If someone had asked him twenty four hours ago whether he could forgive Viktor for anything, Neville would have said absolutely because he was confident that there wasn't anything his boyfriend could do that was unforgivable. But now, after this, Neville wondered whether he had ever really known Viktor at all.
If he was capable of hiding this indiscretion from him for months, then what else was he hiding?
Had he done this before?
And if he had, how many others were there?
Did he just cheat on him with women, or were there other men too?
It was with a heavy heart that Neville had to admit to himself that there was no way he could trust Viktor any longer, let alone forgive him.
"I don't think I can," Neville said, his voice breaking slightly. "You cheated on me, you lied to me, and you've humiliated me. Goodbye Viktor."
He took one last look at Viktor before standing up and making his way towards the door.
"Neville wait. It vos a mistake," he heard Viktor call after him as he reached the door.
The heartbroken man paused briefly and rested his head on his outstretched hand, resisting the urge to turn around and tell Viktor that all was forgiven, but he knew that to do so would leave him open to further emotional pain, and this was something that Neville couldn't do.
Neville took a deep breath and pushed open the door in front of him. The cold air of the bitter December afternoon hit him hard, and sent chills through his body.
As the wizard walked away from The Three Broomsticks, he finally allowed the tears he had been holding back to fall thick and fast. The knowledge that he had done the right thing was little comfort to him.
In that moment all he wanted to do was curl up in his bed and wake up in the morning to discover that all of this heartbreak was just a dream, but that was wishful thinking on Neville's part.
A/N:
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