PineappleBearr: Thanks for reviewing! With any luck they'll be able to change back!

Ldub: Thanks for reviewing! I fixed the typo, thanks!

Hawknest143: Thanks for reviewing! In her panic, Charlotte set the students free without changing their memories, so it's a safe bet that when they got back to their common rooms and their friends, they told their friends what happened. It stands to reason that word would spread quickly from there and that almost all of (if not all of) the Hogwarts student body will have learned that someone broke the students out of detention and Stunned Amycus. In order to fix this whole situation by Obliviating the Carrows, she and Snape would have to find out what students were in detention (because Charlotte kept to herself these past two years, she doesn't even really know who all of those students in detention even were) and who now knows that they escaped. It'd take more manpower than just Snape and Charlotte to change all of those memories and keep the whole story contained. If even one student remembered, the Carrows could find out again. Charlotte would've needed to change the Carrows' memories and the detention students' memories before setting them free, but she didn't, so this is her trying to fix her mistake

EmilyCMalfoy: Thanks for reviewing! Did you want him to get hurt? Sorry for the slight delay in posting this. It's been a hectic day

Logan Bovard: Thanks for following and favoriting!

CHAPTER 27

I regret pulling against the chains now. I've torn my wrists open, and now blood tickles my arms as it rolls down to my shoulders, and though I'm in a great deal of pain, it doesn't hurt nearly as bad as it could. And that's all thanks to Severus, who came back shortly after leaving me in here and has not left me alone since. He was standing in the corner, though the Carrows couldn't see him, and three times when they were torturing me, he Stunned them, gave me the potion for the pain and the Polyjuice potion, awoke them, and modified their memories so that they couldn't remember.

His helpfulness has kept me Polyjuiced as Neville and has kept the pain at bay.

The Carrows are gone now—they grew bored when they realized that I was not screeching as loudly as they had hoped that I would. They went to sleep, I'm guessing; it does feel pretty late. Severus has not removed the Disillusionment Charm, but he's sitting next to me, his hand on my leg, his shoulder next to mine. "I don't like that you've done this," he says quietly. It's not the first time he's said that, of course, but it doesn't make it any less upsetting.

I can't really speak to reply. Despite the potion subduing my pain, I still can't properly move my mouth anymore, so I just turn my head toward him and stare at the empty space where he sits, invisible.

"Don't give me that look, Charlotte. Next time you break some students out of detention, just change the Carrows' memories. Or better yet, never stop a detention again." I frown at him. "I know, you can't make that promise because you don't know what's going to happen." I close my eyes and rest my head back against the stone. "Would you like for me to put you to sleep before the Carrows return?" he asks softly.

I nod.

When I awaken, the pain of my torture floods over me in full force, and I almost cry. I immediately regret it, my broken cheekbone sending a wave of agony through me. A whimper escapes the back of my throat, followed quickly by a loud shout.

A vial connects with my lips, and the potion Severus gave me earlier seeps down my throat, the pain leeching away from me. I almost cry with relief but hold it back. The familiar taste of Neville's Polyjuice Potion follows.

Merlin, I want this to be over. I want to go to sleep. I want to crawl into my warm bed and shut the world out for days.

I can't wait until I'm taken to Madam Pomfrey and healed, the pain taken away forever instead of just temporarily from Severus's potion. Hopefully all of the marks will be gone by the time I go to Voldemort. He can't know what I've done, so I need to be completely healed before then.

I close my eyes back, wanting to find the best way to thank Severus for all of his help. "I must go now," he says quietly. "They'll be returning soon—it's nearly time for breakfast. They'll likely want to make Mr. Longbottom into an example."

Not long after, a heavy boot kicks me in the chest, and I gasp for air.

"Come along, Longbottom," Alecto says. "It's time we make an example of you." Merlin, they're so predictable.

I close my eyes to brace myself against the pain.

Her boot slams into my knee, and again I cry out in agony. Then she bends down and releases my chains. "Get up," she commands.

I take the chain in my hand and haul myself to my feet, keeping back the groan that I so desperately want to cry. My nostrils flare, and I do my best to breathe evenly. The potion Severus gave me might keep the pain at bay, but it doesn't prevent all of it.

Amycus grabs me by the back of the neck. "She said to come along!" he shouts. Keeping his hand around my neck, the Carrow brother forces me to hobble out of the dungeons, much faster than I am able to walk right now. It takes every ounce of my willpower not to grunt with each step. My calf is nearly split completely open, which makes holding back my pain a much grander task than I thought it would be, but I do my best to keep all pressure off of it, using mostly my other leg to move myself forward.

But if I can live with what Voldemort has done to me, I can walk without shouting in pain. Especially with Severus's potion running through me.

The Death Eaters lead me into the Great Hall where the rest of the students, it appears, are already gathered for breakfast. Blood trickles into my eye. I do my best to wipe it out with my shoulder. "Crying, are you, Longbottom?" Amycus laughs. "Serves you right."

"You're not worth it," I mumble out.

His grip on my neck tightens, and he pushes me toward the staff table. McGonagall's face pales, as do the faces of most of the professors. Severus isn't present, and I desperately wish he was because I think it would make it easier if I could see him and be reminded of why I'm doing this. But he's not here. So I have to bite back my pain and step onto the platform that holds the table. The Carrows turn me to the students who are now in a subdued silence.

"LOOK UPON YOUR CLASSMATE, YOUNG WITCHES AND WIZARDS!" Alecto screams through the Great Hall. "TELL THEM WHAT YOU DID, LONGBOTTOM!"

"I released the students from detention," I mumble.

Amycus punches me in the face. "SAY IT LOUDER!" he shouts.

"I released the students from detention!" I shout hoarsely, the act of shouting sending a jolt of pain through my face again. "The students who were wrongly being punished!" I let out a quiet whimper.

Fury turns the Carrows' faces red.

I glance at McGonagall, who is watching Neville (as me) closely. No doubt she's disappointed in me for letting "Neville" take the punishment for what I did.

"MR. LONGBOTTOM IS YOUR EXAMPLE!" Amycus announces. "SHOULD ANY OF YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO RISE AGAINST US, YOU WILL SUFFER AS MUCH AS HE!"

The Death Eater shoves me off the platform and onto my face on the floor. I whine loudly, my vision slowly turning black. Amycus and Alecto laugh as I struggle to my feet and limp over to the Gryffindor table with the help of the closest Gryffindors, none of whom I know. I take a seat with Seamus and Ginny. This will no doubt be my last chance to sit at this table, and I won't even get to enjoy it. By the looks on the faces of Neville's friends, they're all upset with him. Sure enough, Ginny asks, "How could you let them punish you like that? It wasn't you."

"Do you even know who did it?" Seamus adds.

"Do you even think the person cares what you've just done for them?" Ginny continues.

I shake my head slightly, refusing to speak anymore because my face still aches incredibly.

"Who would you do something so reckless for?" Seamus adds.

"Tell us what really happened," Ginny says.

I shake my head again.

When they seem to catch on to the fact that I won't be saying anything on the subject, they stop interrogating me and let the silence fill the void. I don't leave the table when dinner ends, despite the Gryffindors' pleas to go to Madam Pomfrey. I tell them that I can't move right now and that I'll go to her as soon as I can but currently want to be alone. Ginny seems to be the only person who questions this, but even she leaves the Great Hall with the others, all of them turning back multiple times in an attempt to show me just how reluctant they are to leave me alone instead of helping me.

Once the Great Hall has emptied, McGonagall all but appears beside me. She helps me to my feet, sliding his arm around my waist and letting me lean heavily against her. She steers me toward the hospital wing, and I follow her lead. Neville stands in the corridor, seemingly waiting on us. "Rodgers, now is not the time," McGonagall says, her voice incredibly disappointed. Neville ignores the tone and comes to the other side of me to assist McGonagall in carrying me to the hospital wing. "I understand that you must keep things hidden, but to allow another student to take your punishment is—"

"Professor, it's not—"

"Not right now, Rodgers. Go back to your common room."

Neville disobeys and instead continues helping me to the hospital wing. Only once the doors are closed behind us does he begin to explain everything, which I'm grateful for because I'm so tired. McGonagall helps me onto a bed, and Madam Pomfrey immediately begins to heal my wounds.

"Professor, we've switched places," Neville says. "She's Charlotte, I'm Neville."

Her lips thin out. "What have you done?"

"'olyjuice 'otion," I say.

Pomfrey shushes me and directs her wand to my face. I whimper in pain when my nose and cheek pop back into place, but I quickly sigh with relief. I can almost deal with the aching in my leg now that I can breathe painlessly again.

"Why would you do something so reckless?" McGonagall asks, looking between Neville and me.

"I wouldn't let anyone take the blame for me, but the Dark Lord cannot know that I'm actually against him, and no one would question Neville being against the Carrows considering how he's been so openly against their regime," I say, glad I can speak without pain.

"Here, Charlotte," Neville says, reaching into his bag and pulling out my robes. "I stopped by the bathroom last night and grabbed these. I didn't know when you last took the potion."

"Thanks."

"After what you've gone through, Charlotte," he says to me, "I don't think I'll hold anything against you, but I believe it's time I know truth."

Pomfrey finishes up on the last of my open wounds, and I put my hand on her arm in thanks, unable to express how much I appreciate her quick work. Then I turn my attention to McGonagall, who gives me a slight nod before saying quietly to Pomfrey, "Poppy, will you give us the room for a moment?" She doesn't question the request, instead simply walks to her private storerooms as if to check on something.

"What you're about to hear, Neville," I say quietly, sitting up on the bed, "it must not change your opinion of me."

"Like I said, I don't believe anything could change my opinion of you."

I clear my throat. "There's a reason Draco and I broke up in our fifth year. Over the Christmas holidays, we discovered that we're cousins."

"What?"

"Our mothers are sisters."

His silence is disheartening, and I half expect him to lash out at me. Instead he says softly, "But you're not Tonks's sister, are you?"

"No, I'm not the daughter of Andromeda. I am the daughter of—I am the daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange."

Neville clenches his fists and his teeth. "Bellatrix Lestrange," he repeats coldly.

"I know what she did. And I am so sorry."

"Who told you? How do you know what she did?"

"Bellatrix told me. She offered…to do the same to me…put me in St. Mungo's."

He shifts uncomfortably. "And where is she now?"

"With You-Know-Who."

"And the Lestrange brothers?"

"I don't know." Though I really wish I did. I want to see my father again.

"You don't know where your own father is?"

"He believes I'm dead. Everyone besides the Malfoys, Bellatrix, and You-Know-Who believes I am dead."

The boy looks between me and McGonagall. "And that…that's why…he can't know where your true allegiances lie?"

I look at McGonagall again and make a decision. "Yes," I say. "He can't know that I'm against him because he wants me to join the Inner Circle. He believes I'll be as useful to him as my parents are."

McGonagall makes no move to disagree with me. Neville looks from me to her. "And you've known this?"

"I have, Neville," she says, and it passes neither me nor him that she used his first name.

"And where do you come in?" he asks her.

"Rodgers came to me shortly after her arrival here, and I offered my help."

"Bellatrix Lestrange…" Neville says quietly. "She had a daughter, all these years…"

"Everyone thought I died when I was an infant."

"Your real name?"

"Aurelia Celaeno Lestrange."

"How often do you see her?"

"Only when forced." But of course that's not the truth. I've sneaked out of Hogwarts to find her simply because I wanted to see her. Merlin knows I can't confess to Neville, especially not in front of McGonagall, because that would cause all sorts of trouble that I do not want to deal with right now. In fact, part of me wants to go see her now. And I think that's a problem. When I was lying in the dungeons, bloodied and aching, I wanted to see my mother, I wanted my mother to hold me and tell me that I'd survive.

I've done exactly what Severus told me not to do. I've grown attached. Dangerously so.

Neville tries to speak again, but his skin begins bubbling, his hair retracting, his body growing. Much faster than he had become me, he is himself once more, and I stifle laughter at the sight of my robes constricting him. The look on his face tells me just how uncomfortable he is, not just with the too tight robes but also with sitting there like that in front of me and McGonagall. The professor takes pity on him and waves her wand. A partition appears. "If you would like to get out of those robes, Longbottom," she offers.

He smiles gratefully. "Thank you, Professor." He stands quickly and rushes over to the partition to change into his own robes. I look down at my bloodied hands and regretfully wipe them off on these borrowed robes. But let's face it—what damage can a little more blood cause?

A few moments later, Neville returns. "I'll tell no one." His voice is quiet, but he doesn't look at me. "You have my word."

"Thanks, Neville. And I'll replace these robes. I think I ruined them." He smiles and leaves without another word. I look up to McGonagall. "If there's anything I've learnt from the Carrows' reign here, it's that I am in desperate need of learning how to heal myself and others."

McGonagall does not smile. Her lips become a thin line.

"There's nothing to be done, Professor," I say quietly. "Their time is coming."

She only seems slightly frustrated now, and it's only a few moments until she says, "You should use the Disillusionment Charm to sneak to the bathroom to wash all of that blood off while you wait for the potion to wear off. Questions no doubt will be raised if there are two Neville Longbottoms running around the castle."

"Yes, Professor."

"Are you going to be all right?" she asks as she helps me off the bed and to my feet.

"I'm sure I will be."

"You come to me if you need anything—and I do mean anything," she says. "And come to my office later. Madam Pomfrey can apply dittany there without the Carrows knowing."

I look away from her as I walk the door. "Professor, I'm sorry. About everything I did. You know—at the beginning of the term."

She places her hand on my shoulder. "It's in the past." I'm grateful that she hasn't tried to make me talk about Zoe or Azkaban.

Then I leave under the Disillusionment Charm. There aren't many people that I have to avoid while travelling through the corridors. Most of the Gryffindors are probably in the common room with Neville trying to get answers from him and make sure he's all right; the Hufflepuffs are probably conspiring about what has happened and trying to figure out the best way to show Neville their support as well as drawing more of their fellow housemates into the D.A.; and the Ravenclaws are probably trying to find out just how Neville pulled off something as large as hiding Alecto and releasing the students from detention without any help and without getting caught until just last night.

The Slytherins are probably rejoicing over the Carrows beating down a Gryffindor such as Neville.

Sure enough, when I reach the Slytherin Dungeons, all of—well, most of—the Slytherins are gathered around the fire, talking about what happened to Neville. Pansy of course is at the forefront of the group, making sure to laugh the hardest and the loudest.

I dodge past them and go the girls' bathroom where I turn back into myself and hop in the shower to rid myself of all of this blood. I vanish Neville's robes (it won't go over well if bloodied Gryffindor robes are found in the Slytherin girls' bathroom) and make a mental note to pay him back. I've just stepped under the water, my blood mixing with the water and flowing down the drain, when I hear the door to the bathroom open.

"Don't attack me, Charlotte, it's Daphne," I hear.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes."

"Care to explain how?" I lather shampoo into my hair and listen closely for her answer.

"You weren't you last night, were you?" she asks.

"What makes you think that?"

"Don't lie to me, Charlotte. I can tell when you're mourning Zoe, when you're not up to company, when you're hurting in general, when you're happy or having your good days, and when you're…whatever you were last night."

I poke my head out of the shower and find her sitting on the sink, her legs and arms crossed, her head leaning back against the mirror, her eyes closed. "You seem to know a lot about me, Daphne. How long have you been watching me?"

She grins. "Long enough to know when you're not acting like yourself."

"I don't know what you mean."

She opens her eyes. "Love the hair. And yes, you do what I mean. Tell me one thing we talked about last night."

I pull my head back to the water and rinse the shampoo out.

"That's what I thought. Don't worry, I won't tell the others."

"I was out of it last night, Daphne. I doubt I could even tell you my own name at the time, honestly. Something…wasn't right."

"You're damn right something was wrong. You weren't even really you."

"I was definitely myself."

"Yeah, sure." I hear her sigh loudly. "Please just tell me you didn't do anything stupid, Charlotte. Please."

I shut off the water and grab my towel. I poke my head out of the shower again. "Define 'stupid' for me, will you?" I pull myself back behind the curtain and begin toweling off.

"You know exactly what I mean. Tell me—tell me you weren't—tell me you weren't the one being tortured by the Carrows. Please tell me you weren't in Neville's shoes last night."

I pull on my clothes and step out of the shower, running the towel through my hair still.

Daphne slides off the sink. "Charlotte, please tell me you didn't risk your life like that."

"They wouldn't kill a student," is all I say in my defense.

"Charlotte. And you released the students, didn't you? For Christopher?"

"I would have done the same for you," I tell her. "You know that."

"That's the problem." She grabs my upper arms and looks at me with a stern face. "You can't run around doing stuff like this. You'll get yourself killed. Then what will we do?"

"You'll push on, of course. Because one day you'll have to anyway. And besides, it's not like I'm even that important—"

She squeezes my arms. "Don't say that. You are. People care about you, and that means you have a duty to not act careless. You have people you have to think about, people who will miss you if something were to happen to you."

"Nothing'll happen to me at Hogwarts, okay? I'm fine."

"You'd better be," she says, releasing me. "Now come on. We should head down to the common room. There are some very nervous second-years who want to see you. And Astoria of course. They were all worried greatly when you started acting standoffish again yesterday. They don't want to lose you like that again."

"And you?" I ask, unable to stop myself.

"I don't want to lose you either."

I smile at her, and I can almost see her cheeks coloring before she turns her back to me. "I'll be down in a moment," I say. "Taking this stuff back to the dormitory. You can come with me if you want."

We walk in silence back to the seventh-year girls' dormitory, and I sit down on my bed, a brush in hand, really just trying to find a way to kill some time before facing all the questions that are no doubt awaiting me. Daphne sits down beside me but does not look over at me as I run the brush through my soaking hair. I do not look at her either.

"I don't know what's happening with you and why you're going out of your way to defy the Carrows in secret," she says quietly, still not looking at me, "and I'm sure you won't be able to tell me. Probably not ever."

"It's not that I don't want to tell you," I say, looking down at my hands. "It's just…it'll endanger you, and that's not something I want to do."

"I understand that, and I appreciate you looking out for me, Charlotte, but you must know that you have to be careful. You're essentially playing with fire."

"And you think I might get burnt in the process?"

"That's what I fear, yes."

"The reason I'm doing everything in secret, the thing forcing me to do it in secret, is protecting me from being burnt. I have to be protected, that's the whole point." Maybe. Voldemort doesn't actually care about me, but I know that he won't let these Death Eaters hurt me. Well, he won't let them kill me.

"That's a nice sentiment and all, but you'll forgive me for not believing it entirely. Simply because…it's hard to believe. You must understand that."

I sigh, a slight chuckle escaping me. "Yes."

"I know you won't stop doing whatever it is that you're doing, that much is clear. But if you must continue, I have only one request." Finally she turns her head toward me and looks at my profile, waiting for me to face her. Once I do, she looks me directly in the eyes and simply says, "Don't die, Charlotte. Just…please don't die."