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Chapter twenty: Castor's POV

I didn't eat much, I just picked absentmindedly at a piece of toast. My eyes kept on shifting back around to all the faces, the faces of those who had left me alone.

I was happy to get out of the great hall as soon as breakfast was over, my first lesson was potions, that was exactly what I didn't need, Snape breathing down my neck for a whole hour and it was with the Slytherins, I wondered if a few of them would try and get pally with me due to the whole 'your Death Eater mummy and daddy are back on the scene' thing. I doubted it though, you just don't make friends with a Gryffindor if you're a snake and vice versa.

"Well well well looks like little Lestrange got lost," I gulped, it was the Ravenclaw boy from earlier, he was broad shoulder and I could practically see the muscles rippling from under his school uniform as he sniggered. He was flanked by two of his friends who looked equally terrifying.

"It's quite alright gentleman, I'm going the right way to potions thank you," I gave them a sweet smile but I was shaking inside. My lanky weedy body couldn't match up to them, let alone three of them.

The main one's snigger fell, I guess he didn't like my bad attempt to be clever, he took a step forward and I had the horrible feeling that I'd peed myself, "You think your funny Lestrange?" He snarled, his knuckles cracked and I had to fight the urge to not yelp.

"No not really…," I mumbled, "And umm it's actually Black if you wouldn't mind," I groaned inside, damn me and my big mouth, why did I have to try and be smartarse. It would only annoy the guy and his friends even more.

"Whatever. Both families are dark families and you're a part of both families. It doesn't matter much to me whether you want Black or Lestrange written on your tombstone. You disgust me, all your blood prejudice stuff, all the dark magic…," he growled at me, anger flaring in his eyes. I guessed that the novelty of being afraid of me had worn off for some people quite quickly and had been replaced with an intense hate and anger… the question was which was worse?

"You've got to be joking! I'm not a bloody pureblood supremacist! One of my best," I sighed thinking of Colin who was more like my ex-best friend now but the Ravenclaw guys didn't know that, "friends is muggleborn!"

"Whatever, you were probably just getting him close so that you could kill him later!" The Ravenclaw guy spat. I could feel the anger flaring in me, I wasn't my parents, I didn't agree with any of the pureblood ideals, I would never do that… to anyone muggleborn or pureblood! I felt sick thinking that with one news report everyone's views could be changed, to think that everything else had disappeared and nothing mattered now, I was a Death Eater and that was that. Nothing, no matter what I did to change that. To think that the news involving my parents breakout, everyone who was nice to me in the past had just completely had their views changed and had forgotten about who I was, I wasn't my family. I was my own person.

Nothing I had ever done, all the kindness that I had tried to show was wiped away. I was branded a Death Eater.

"No! I swear-," but nothing mattered anymore, their mob mentality, their anger had clouded their mind, they were consumed with rage that they didn't think about me as an actual person. I sighed, Ravenclaw's were supposed to be smart.

The main guy's fist slammed into my face and my head span around connecting hard with the wall, grazing into my cheek as blood began to slowly trickle and ooze out.

The two others grabbed me and pulled my arms back so that they held me in place for the main guy, I couldn't struggle, not against them, I was weak and powerless with blood dripping down my face and my will breaking.

His fist slammed into me for a second time, right in the gut as I let out a groan, begging internally for the pain to just end. I wanted to double over but I couldn't as their strong grip tightened like a python on my arms. It suffocated my blood flow and I gulped, waiting for his next punch to come as a few spots of blood dribbled into my mouth. I really wasn't much for fighting.

"Get. Off. Him," a stern voice was heard from behind the Ravenclaw boy, I strained my neck and caught sight of the last person I expected: Neville Longbottom.

"We're busy Longbottom," the boy growled as I panted for breath, glad for a break from being beaten up.

"No you're not. Let him go… he's done nothing wrong… you don't want me to get Dumbledore do you?" Neville scowled, his wand was drawn and pointed at the other guy's throat and he glared at him in complete and utter anger.

"You wouldn't-," the guy scowled, folding his arms over his chest as his two friends dropped their grip on me and I fell to the group, I put my hand to my face and it came away sticky with blood, my glasses were slightly at the wrong angle but I could still see, I took the moment to readjust my glasses so that I could clearly see Neville glaring at the three boys.

"Wouldn't I? You'll probably be expelled, or at least suspended. I'm going to give you ten seconds to leave before I run and get him and don't bother trying to attack me because you'll just get yourself in even more trouble," Neville scowled.

The guy sighed, knowing that if he attacked Neville he'd pretty much have the whole of Gryffindor on their backs… it's a shame that I didn't count for that much anymore.

"Come on, I think we've made our point here boys," the guy said, putting up his hands as he and his friends backed away down the corridor and turned the corner.
Neville gave out a large sigh and stretched out his hand to help me up, "Are you okay Castor?" He asked me. I was filled with shock, why was Neville helping me, out of everyone he was the last person I would expect to actually care for me. I gave a slight nod of the head, rubbing the back of my hand furiously against my cheek, trying to stop the bleeding, to no avail.

"Y-Yeah… thanks to you Neville," I mumbled in pain.

"It was nothing, I couldn't just sit back and watch them do that to you," he smiled as we began to walk towards the hospital wing.

"But… with all the stuff about my… my parents… I thought, despite the fact that we were okay before… I thought you'd be the person who'd probably hate me the most," I sighed.

He shook his head and gave out a wry laugh, "No, unlike everyone else I've not forgotten who you really are… I don't get it, everyone who liked you before has just… with the news of your parents escape completely changed. I remember who you are Castor, you're not your parents, you're a kind sweet boy who I am honoured to call my friend," Neville smiled. I felt a sense of true happiness and bewilderment flood through me, Neville was a true Gryffindor, despite whatever fear he was feeling he stood up and protected me… even after our family history.

"Thanks Neville… thank you so much… I'm running pretty short on friends at the moment," I said close to tears. He was amazing, I had to wonder would I be so forgiving if the roles were reversed, either way I was thankful that Neville was so strong.

"Yeah… not to be rude but I know," Neville said but I took no offence it was the saddening truth even if it hurt to accept. We laughed as he helped me onto a hospital bed and Madam Pomfrey bustled over and looked at me, "Oh dear… did you get into a fight?" She said with a scowl.
Neville was about to answer her but I put up my hand to stop him, "No… Quidditch accident," I told her, she didn't seem convinced but said nothing else as she started working on healing me.

"Hello Castor!" The happy voice of Fred Weasly filled the room as my head turned round in surprise.

"We were looking for you," George said, "To apologize for the way we acted… we weren't thinking and we both agree that we were acting like idiots."

"Shouldn't you all be in class?" Madam Pomfrey said with a frown but the twins and Neville ignored her. I mean, Neville had caught me just before class had started but the twins… they should have definitely been in class, still it was the twins.

"It's okay… I'm glad you came to say sorry, I don't blame you," I smiled at them.

"So are we still friends?" Fred grinned, sitting down on a chair next to my bed.

"Good friends," I nodded, maybe I had more people who hadn't forgotten who I really was. Maybe not everyone was a total idiot.

"Well then that's just what I want to hear right Fred?" George grinned.

"Right Fred," Fred replied back with a wink.

I smiled at them, getting beaten up appeared to be the best thing that had happened to me since the news of the breakout.

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