Persistence of Memory

Persistence of Memory

Chapter 1

"Seamus! Oi, Seamus!"

Seamus Finnigan reluctantly turned away from his trolley to face his mother. She was a tall, willowy woman with one stripe of grey in her dark brown hair. In her ring-adorned hand, she held a pair of brightly coloured Argyle toe socks.

"Mam, I'm not takin' 'em!"

"'Course you are. Wouldn't want your feet to be chilled in that drafty ol' castle, now would we? 'Ere now, they'll fit right in your pocket there."

Mrs. Finnigan stuffed the horrible wool socks into her son's jumper pocket before he could protest a second time. She clapped Seamus on the back and Disapparated. Seamus once again reminded himself to have his father drop him at the station next year.

After getting his trunk to the baggage car, Seamus weaved his way through a throng of excited first years trying to find empty compartments. Seamus pulled on his robes while walking down the aisle and looking for Dean Thomas.

He had not heard as much from Dean this summer as he usually did. Which was strange in itself, as Dean enjoyed writing lengthy letters to Seamus about nothing in particular. Seamus missed the inane details of every football game Dean saw on the telly.

"Odd," Seamus muttered to himself.

He scrunched up his eyebrows in thought. Seamus was eager to find out what his friend had been up to that kept him so preoccupied. So preoccupied in fact, that Dean hadn't bothered to answer the last owl Seamus sent; and that was almost two weeks ago.

"SEAMUS!" Hermione Granger's shrill screech echoed from the compartment to his left.

"What? What?" Seamus asked quickly, eyes darting about in case another Dementor or something equally as horrible had boarded the train.

The short, fluffy haired girl flew out of her compartment and crouched near Seamus's feet. A tubby boy with blond hair followed her, tears in his eyes.

"Alright Neville?"

Neville Longbottom didn't answer. He just sniffled and stared at the floor. Seamus looked down at his feet.

"Uh," he stated and removed his foot from the pile of slime and blood that had once been Neville's beloved pet toad.

"Trevor," whimpered Neville as he wiped his runny nose on his robes.

"Cor blimey, Neville, I'm sorry. I didn't see 'im, honest."

Neville cried harder. Hermione stood up and glared daggers at Seamus.

"Watch where you're going next time, you lout!" Hermione yelled. She helped a sniveling Neville up from the floor and guided him back to their compartment, throwing a nasty look over her shoulder.

Seamus stood there with his mouth half open. After a moment, he decided he had nothing to say and trudged down the aisle, tracking toad entrails along the plush carpeting. He found Dean a few compartments away sitting with Ginny Weasley, Padma Patil, and some girl Seamus didn't know. They were all grinning; the girl was turning pink and chortling loudly.

"Hi."

Dean shifted slightly away from Ginny and waved at Seamus. The girls nodded at him in greeting. Padma and Ginny made no move to vacate their coveted spots on either side of Dean. Seamus frowned a bit and plunked himself down next to the giggling girl.

"Um, this is Luna Lovegood," Dean said, pointing a long finger at the girl beside Seamus. "Luna, this is Seamus Finnigan."

Luna glanced at Seamus out of the corner of her eye.

"I know," she intoned. "He blew up his plate of mashed potatoes at breakfast once last year. They flew all the way over to our table."

"Cho Chang spent hours in the loo trying to get it out of her hair," added Padma.

Dean and Ginny snickered. Seamus cleared his throat and changed the subject.

"Did you get me last owl, Dean?"

Dean tilted his head to the side.

"About goin' to Diagon Alley," Seamus prompted, "to get our supplies?"

"Oh! That one. Yeah, I got it, but I um, already had plans."

"Well, you could 'ave told me that 'stead of makin' me wait 'til the last minute thinkin' you'd go!"

"Maybe I would have if you didn't send owls every bloody day! I can't keep track of all your stupid mail!"

"Stupid!? I'm not the one who sends play by play action of some lousy football game," Seamus shouted, "I have time to send me best mate owls. I don't waste it watchin' sweaty blokes chase a bloody ball 'round a field all day!"

Seamus stomped out of the compartment in a huff. Dean started to go after him, but Ginny laid a hand on his arm.

"Let him cool off some, Dean. He'll be fine."

"He's never yelled at me before, Gin," Dean insisted, "Maybe he's sick or something."

"Maybe you should have responded to his letters," Luna stated, staring dreamily out the window.

Everyone ignored her. Padma quickly became engrossed in a copy of The Daily Prophet. Ginny stroked Dean's arm. He looked into her sky blue eyes and forgot all about Seamus Finnigan, much as he had been doing throughout the holiday.

----

Meanwhile, Seamus was skulking about the aisle, kicking random spots of wall with his Trevor-splattered foot. Already had plans, did you? Plans that didn't involve me; plans to go to Diagon Alley without me. What could be more important than our traditional excursion, Dean? Hmm?

Seamus muttered to himself about Dean's lack of best friend loyalty and slid into a sparsely filled compartment. Unfortunately, it housed Malfoy, Parkinson, and Nott. Seamus gulped as Crabbe and Goyle entered, massive hairy arms weighted down with jelly slugs and Every Flavour Beans.

"Hello Finnigan," Malfoy greeted, grinning maliciously.

----

"Oh, Dean, it's so cute," Ginny Weasley cooed, attaching the charm bracelet to her wrist.

Dean smiled at his girlfriend. He had been looking all summer for a present that she would appreciate. Dean figured Ginny wouldn't have a lot of Muggle jewelry.

Ginny twisted her arm around, studying the charms on the bracelet. She especially liked the little witch riding a broomstick. Ginny was quite proud to have made the Quidditch team last year, but worried that Harry would get his position back and she'd have to settle for watching from the stands.

"Has anyone seen Seamus?" Hermione piped up from Ginny's left, "I really want to apologize for yelling at him on the train. It wasn't his fault Trevor hopped out of the compartment. More mine, truthfully. Crookshanks scared him, you see."

Neville sniffled. Ron Weasley rolled his eyes and put his chin in his hand. Ron had had quite enough of Neville's sad face and random sniffling on the train, thank you very much.

"Why can't we just get him a new frog?" Ron whispered to Harry Potter.

Harry shrugged and picked at his cheese-drenched noodles. Either the House Elves were getting lazy or Dobby had managed to get them all to accept Hermione's knitted hats.

"Trevor was a toad!" Neville wailed, having heard Ron's not-so-soft whisper of annoyance.

"Give it a rest, Neville, will you!?" Harry slammed his fork down on the table.

Neville stood up and glared at Harry's messy hair.

"N-no, I will not! Trevor was a, a friend and you... you have no right to act like it doesn't matter. Alright, so he was a toad, but that doesn't make him any less worthy of mourning."

Neville made his point by stabbing Harry's macaroni with his new wand and turning the noodles into fat, wriggling grubs.

Harry was about to retaliate and tell Neville that another summer of the Dursleys was far more horrible than a dead toad when Argus Filch opened the door to the Great Hall carrying some sort of creature and beckoning to Madam Pomfrey.

A select group of Slytherins laughed loudly from across the room. Draco Malfoy was pointing at the creature's scaly arm and gloating to Millicent Bulstrode.

"Oh, God, that's Seamus," Hermione gasped.

Dean looked over in shock to see the creature was indeed Seamus, though covered with blue scales. Several knobby horns protruded from his hair and four bat-like wings stretched out of his back.

"You look much better like that, Finnigan," Malfoy crowed from the Slytherin table.

Seamus hissed in Malfoy's direction, a long forked tongue flicking out of his mouth. The Slytherins burst out laughing again, only quieting when Professor Snape stalked over to them to hand out detentions.

----

Ginny sunk into the sofa in the Gryffindor Common Room. Ron was right; fifth year was going to be tough. Only the second day of classes and she had at least seven foot-long essays due by Monday.

Colin Creevey dumped his books beside her. Ginny spotted Vicious Creatures of the Deep or Harmless Waterfolk? poking out from the pile. She narrowed her eyes. Ginny had spent all afternoon scrounging around in the library for that book to do her Mermaid essay. Madam Pince was unhelpful as usual, staring down her nose at Ginny when she had growled audibly in frustration.

"I've got my Transfiguration assignment down pat," Creevey bragged, "I'll have those tea cups turning into armadillos in no time. Bet I'll be the first one done."

"Armadillos?" Ginny squeaked, "Armadillos? When in the world did Professor McGonagall say 'armadillos'?"

"Right at the end of class. It was quite clear."

"But, but," Ginny fretted, "Too much... I can't do that... I, I..."

She nicked Colin's Mermaid book and rushed upstairs to get started. She threw the books and rolls of parchment on her bed. There was too much pressure. Oh, what if she didn't even get one O.W.L? Her mum would be so upset and Ginny so desperately wanted to out-do her brothers at something for once. Fred and George managed three and they had done the worst.

Ginny's lower lip trembled. She had not been designated a Prefect either. After an undignified little shout, Ginny flung her inkbottle at the wall. Calm down, Virginia! You can do this, just focus. It's only the first week. Things will slow down soon, just DON'T PANIC!

A knock sounded on the door. Hermione Granger walked in without an invitation, looking to Ginny like she had a smug expression attached to her thin lips. Bloody Hermione and her know-it-all brain!

"What do you want!?" Ginny snapped, almost crushing her quill in her tightly clenched little hand.

Hermione was taken aback at Ginny's state. Ink dripped off the wall onto someone's expensive-looking trunk. The bed hangings had been haphazardly pushed aside, revealing a clutter of books, parchment, and Chocolate Frog wrappers. The small red-haired girl was in a tizzy to be sure.

"Um, Dean's waiting for you in the Common Room," Hermione said.

Ginny nodded. Her fingers were still strangling the poor quill.

"Do you, um... need some help with..." Hermione trailed off, gesturing vaguely to Ginny's homework stack.

"Not everybody needs your help! You don't know everything!"

Hermione raised her eyebrows and backed out of the room leaving Ginny to her ranting.

----

Dean looked up from his star chart as Hermione rejoined him in the Common Room looking a bit flustered.

"Where is she?"

"Having a fit," Hermione stated simply.

"Oh," Dean added some fiery tendrils to his sketch of the Sun.

Ginny waltzed into the Common Room a few minutes later, smelling of some sort of fruit. Her hair was neatly pulled back into a straggly ponytail.

Dean rolled up his parchment and stood. Ginny appeared absolutely elegant in her threadbare robes. Dean grinned at her with a starry look in his eyes.

"Where are you two goin', then?" Ron demanded, glaring at Dean from across the room.

Ginny scowled at her brother and told him matter-of-factly that they were going to the Astronomy Tower. Ron choked a bit and slid his Rook right into the path of Harry's Bishop.

"My sister is not going up to the Astronomy Tower with some big... big..."

"See, Ron? You can't even find an insult for him. We're not going to do anything," Ginny continued, waving her star chart pointedly.

Harry watched with glee as his chess piece bludgeoned Ron's to death. Whilst Ron wasn't looking, Harry decided to replace one of his remaining pawns with a Knight Ron had killed five minutes ago.

"Oh, just let them be, Ron," Hermione nagged, poking Ron in the arm.

Ron grumbled under his breath and sat back down, frowning at the white Knight. He was sure he'd taken down both of them. Ginny and Dean linked hands and walked out through the portrait hole.

----

"-and I said that she couldn't possibly be dating him, but Hannah assured me it was true. Can you believe it? I mean, Cho Chang and Zacharias Smith? I just about died when I heard!"

Seamus covered his ears with a pillow. Eloise Midgen had only arrived in the Hospital Wing an hour ago, but she was already driving him mad. The girl never gave up on her attempts at acne remedies. She had lit her eyelids on fire this time.

Seamus would have loved to tell her to shut her cakehole, but all he could do was make hissing noises. Madam Pomfrey had successfully removed the scales, but Seamus's skin was still blue. Unfortunately, the wings, horns, and forked tongue remained.

Shite, it's not working. Eloise could be heard clearly through the thin pillow. Get in here and talk to me already, Dean! I might just suffocate 'er if she says one more thing about that muppet Smith.

"I suppose he does look rather handsome with that blond hair. On the other hand, he's got a scar right across his left eyebrow. Makes him look like he has three, it does. Don't you think so, Sea? Oh, but he is tall and dreamy, if you overlook the tribrow thing, of course. Hannah said that Cho said he shagged her right good in the Astronomy Tower last night, which I think is a bit iffy for a first date, but you know Cho, she'll be rogering every bloke in the place by Christmas."

Hiss. Whack. Thump.

----

Two unfinished star charts sat on the window ledge near the unused telescope. Giggling and groaning came from the storage closet. Ginny and Dean looked at each other as they entered the room. A loud shout sounded from behind the closed door. Ginny put her hand over her mouth and giggled. Dean cleared his throat loudly.

"I think we should start our homework now, Virginia," he said in a fake voice, trying not to laugh.

"I do believe that is a brilliant thought, Mr. Thomas," Ginny replied in a strained tone.

A rumpled Cho Chang strutted out of the storage closet with as much dignity as she could muster, wrapping her red velvet robes about her. Blaise Zabini followed her in the same fashion, nodding to the Gryffindors with a fake smile. The large, wooden tower door slammed shut behind them. Dean and Ginny collapsed in a fit of giggles.

----

Neville Longbottom sat cross-legged on his bed, morosely munching on a Licorice Lobster. He had never much enjoyed licorice, but Trevor loved it. Poor Trevor. Neville sniffled and rubbed his teary eyes.

He viciously bit a claw off his Lobster and glared across the room at Seamus's neatly made bed. What did Trevor ever do to you, eh? I'll get you good, wanker.

Harry and Ron flung the bedroom door open, arguing about their latest game of chess. Neville shut the bed curtains, leaving just a crack so he could glower childishly at Seamus's trunk. Neither Ron nor Harry seemed to care Neville existed, which was good, as Neville had not wished to be bothered.

"I know you cheated, Harry," Ron fumed.

"I did not!"

"Yes, you did! Did, did, did!"

"Flipping 'ell, Ron, can't you lose respectably for once?"

"I didn't lose!" Ron shouted, nostrils flaring. He gave Harry a nasty look and said what he'd been wanting to since the end of last year. "I know you're in the midst of a nervous breakdown, Harry, but that's no reason to cheat and then lie about it."

"I AM NOT HAVING A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN!"

"Oh, shut up, will you?" Neville grumbled, spewing bits of licorice on his bedcovers.

Chapter 2

Dean sat down between Harry and Lavender Brown in the Great Hall. He yawned, raising an eyebrow when a plate of bangers and mash appeared. Dean poked one of the sausages with his fork and examined it distastefully.

"Has this even been cooked?" he asked, sticking the pink sausage in front of Harry's face.

"I tell you the House Elves have gone on strike," Harry complained, making a face at his lumpy potatoes.

"Can they do that?" Lavender asked.

"If they're free they can," Harry shot Hermione a pointed look.

She gently sat down her fork and leaned across the table, launching into another lecture on why House Elves deserved freedom. Harry and Ron tried to explain to her that the elves liked being slaves. Hermione took umbrage at their use of that particular word. Soon, a heated debate broke out.

Dean took his plate to the Ravenclaw table and ate his uncooked food in blissful silence. That is, until Luna Lovegood started babbling about one fantastical beast or another that her father was going to find; and wouldn't everyone be sorry they picked on her when she showed them a real live Snagglydoo or whichever. Dean would make sure not to eat breakfast in the Great Hall without Ginny anymore.

----

Professor Sprout stood in front of her students and gestured to a large bowl full of electric blue seeds.

"This year, I will be assigning an outside project which you will work on in your spare time in addition to the lessons we do in class. Now, can anyone tell me what these are?"

As usual, Hermione and Neville were the only ones to raise their hands. The Slytherins never volunteered information for anything but Potions and the rest of the Gryffindors had more important things to think about than Herbology.

Sprout sighed and called on Hermione. She wished the others would take even a little interest in her class. Herbology was quite useful in certain Ministry jobs as well as any position involving potions.

"They're Riggolo seeds, Professor," Hermione answered with a smug grin.

"No, they're Rejela seeds," Neville corrected.

"Good, Mr. Longbottom. Now, Rejela are great plants and quite useful," Sprout droned on.

Hermione's mouth had formed a tiny 'o'. She started hyperventilating slightly. By the time she had overcome her shock at answering wrongly, Sprout was handing out pots and seeds to each student. Hermione left the greenhouse with no knowledge of what the assignment was. No one elected to tell her; they all blamed her for the lack of House Elf cooperation.

----

Seamus shifted through a Quidditch rulebook for the fourth time in an hour. The Hospital Wing was so boring he almost wished for Eloise to come back. The walls were closing in.

Where the bloody hell is everybody? No visitors all week. Maybe I shouldn't have yelled at Dean on the train. Maybe Dean hates me now. Maybe Dean's up and kicked the bucket in some sort of accident in Care of Magical Creatures... or Death Eaters took over Hogwarts and everyone's dead!

"Madam Pomfrey!" Seamus bolted out of his bed, upsetting a rack of empty potion bottles.

Poppy Pomfrey rushed in from her office. She expected some gruesome injury to be awaiting her. To her surprise, it was just Seamus. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her a little, his panicked eyes wide with fear. The bat wings fluttered and flapped.

"Goodness, child," Pomfrey exclaimed, prying Seamus's hands off her shoulders.

"Y-you'd tell me if ever'one was dead! If, if You-Know-Who came back again and Avada-ed 'em all, wouldn't you? Wouldn't you?" Seamus demanded, yanking on long bits of his hair, "Death Eaters... taking over... killed Dean... Dementors!"

"What on Earth are you blathering about?"

"Dementors... D-dean," Seamus finished lamely, twisting his mouth up in confusion, "I dunno. Sorry 'bout that, me."

Madam Pomfrey lifted her eyebrows.

"I'll just go finish this, shall I?"

Pomfrey nodded, rather bewildered. Seamus sat back on his bed, Quidditch book in hand. He smiled at Madam Pomfrey, seemingly unaware of his outburst.

----

Ginny slouched in her seat. Potions was not her best subject. She had the distinct feeling Snape had it in for anyone even remotely resembling a Weasley. The greasy git had made Terry Boot cry earlier when he accidentally dropped a vile of snake blood into another Ravenclaw's cauldron. The freckled boy now sat shaking in his seat, afraid to make eye contact with Snape.

Ginny listlessly copied down the ingredients to a colour-changing potion. Her thoughts were on a certain tall, dark and handsome boy upstairs in the Charms classroom. Dean Thomas was everything Ginny had ever wanted. He had a wonderful personality, a great sense of humour, and talent pouring out of his perfectly shaped ears.

Saliva dribbled out of her mouth as she pictured Dean and his succulent milk chocolate skin. Ooh, what she'd like to do with him when they got out of classes. Ginny closed her eyes and saw herself tangling her fingers in his tightly curled black tresses, which felt somewhat slicker in her imagination than they normally did. Mmm... Dean...

"Miss Weasley!"

Ginny's eyes flew open. She squeaked and released the handful of Professor Snape's hair she'd been twirling around her fingers. Snape glowered at her over the tip of his hawk-like nose.

"Well, well, Miss Weasley. I think detention might be in order. Don't you agree?"

No! She simply couldn't get detention tonight. Quidditch try-outs were after supper. She just had to get one of the Chaser positions. If Ginny didn't show up, Katie surely couldn't make an exception for her. It wouldn't be fair.

"I, um, really, Professor Snape," Ginny pleaded, "I can't have detention tonight. It's Quidditch try-outs."

Snape seemed to have been waiting for her to try to weasel out of it. His eyes narrowed and his lips pursed together in a sour expression.

"I see, Miss Weasley," he smirked, "however, if you do not wish to serve this detention, I shall simply write a letter to your parents describing in lurid detail how you... touched... a professor- shall we say- inappropriately."

Ginny gulped.

----

Katie Bell slapped her forehead in amazement. The Gryffindor Quidditch Team would lose to Hufflepuff in the first minute the way things were going. With George and Fred Weasley gone, she was forced to keep the horrible Beaters that replaced them last year. No one apparently wanted that position. Everyone on the field was trying for the two open Chaser positions.

"Ron, stop letting the Quaffle get by you! What's wrong with you?" she yelled at her useless Keeper.

Ron made a face and clutched his stomach.

"It's not my fault. Dinner didn't settle," he moaned.

"That was Harry's excuse!" Katie pointed to the black-haired boy lying down on the grass.

"But it's true," Harry defended, "That stuff was not spinach quiche."

Ron turned green at the thought of what he'd eaten. He landed his broom and rushed off to the changing rooms to expel the contents of his stomach.

"Ow!" shouted Kirke.

Oh, what now? Katie turned around to see Andrew wiping blood from his mouth. Jack Sloper winced and dropped his bat.

"Sorry, mate."

Andrew glared at him. Katie screamed incoherently and threw her hands up in the air.

"You're all bloody horrible! And you lot," she turned her rage on the pathetic Chaser-wannabes, "shouldn't even be standing on the Quidditch pitch! Honestly, Creevey, what made you think you could control a broomstick in the first place?"

Hermione stood up in the stands and called out to Katie.

"Maybe you should wait until Ginny can show and Harry and Ron aren't sick."

"Don't tell me how to run my team, Granger! Alright, everybody, we're leaving. Try-outs rescheduled for next Tuesday. Oh, and Hermione, don't bother coming unless you plan on trying out. Got me?"

Katie stomped off the field without waiting for a reply.

----

There were exactly twenty-seven cracks in the ceiling. Seamus had counted them three times, just to be sure. He stared at a grouping of cracks until they resembled a Blast-Ended Skrewt.

Seamus was seriously considering just keeping the horns so he could leave the Hospital Wing before October. Madam Pomfrey would have none of it, though. She was determined to find a way to remove the 'stubborn little buggers'. Seamus sighed in utter boredom.

Footsteps came from the doorway. Seamus looked over, hoping Dean had finally shown, but it was Neville Longbottom instead. He seemed quite distraught; hair a mess, robes sliding off one shoulder, crumbs of something green stuck around his mouth.

"Um, alright Neville?" Seamus ventured.

"No," Neville replied, stalking up to Seamus's bed.

"Y'know, I'm very sorry about Trevor-"

"Don't you dare speak his name, you Irish twit!"

Neville paced back in forth in front of Seamus, biting his lip in thought. Seamus said nothing more about Trevor. He didn't wish to upset the poor boy further. After several minutes of watching Neville grumble to himself, Seamus attempted to apologize again.

"I'll get ye a new toad, okay Neville? You can name 'im Trevor the Second, even. It'll be just like old times, it will," Seamus said with false cheeriness.

Neville stopped his pacing and bared his teeth, his eyes glowing with underlying madness. He yanked his wand out of his pocket and pointed it shakily at Seamus. Neville flicked his wand and Seamus found his limbs bound to the bedposts.

"Eep!"

Neville settled himself down on Seamus's stomach. Seamus held back his comment about Neville's weight and the squishing factor thereof.

"Let me tell you a little story about Trevor, Seamus," Neville started calmly. "You see, Trevor wasn't just a toad. Oh, no. Not a toad at all."

"I-is this like when Ron said his rat-"

"TREVOR," Neville interrupted, "was my older brother. I was six when I found Dad's old wand and accidentally transfigured him into a toad."

"Oh, God. I didn't know, Neville, for Chr-"

Neville poked Seamus's nose with his wand.

"Quiet. Now, I was extremely upset by what I'd done. I couldn't bring myself to tell Gran. She loved Trevor; he was such a nice boy. One year away from going to Hogwarts, he was. He'd have put Hermione Granger to shame, too. Anyway, I vowed that someday I'd be able to turn Trevor back and beg him to forgive me for ruining his life. I tried and tried for years to fix him, but I couldn't get anything right. I was beginning to agree with everyone who thought I was a smidgen away from being a Squib," Neville paused to sniffle a bit and wipe his nose, rubbing in the green flecks of whatever he'd eaten.

"N-Neville-"

Neville whacked one of the knobby horns.

"But last year, when I was fighting Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries, I broke my wand and had to use Hermione's. Naturally, Gran had to get me a new wand. You know what they say about the wand choosing the wizard. I finally had a wand that was meant for me and not my father... and it worked. I've been able to do any spell I've tried this year. Any. I made a successful potion last week without Hermione's help. I was working with Lavender."

Voices came from the hall. Seamus recognized one instantly. Dean. His smooth voice drifted into the room like an angel's. Seamus was spared death at the hand of a Longbottom.

"DE-"

Neville pressed a chubby hand over his mouth. Seamus whimpered, praying Dean had finally decided to visit him today. Alas, Dean, and whomever he was talking to, continued down the hall, their voices fading to whispers and disappearing altogether. Neville removed his hand and smiled evilly down at Seamus.

"Neville, please. I'm sorry, alright? I'm sorry!"

"Silencio!"

Neville got off the bed and started pacing again.

"I thought about turning you into a toad, at first," he said, tapping the end of his wand against his chin, "and then squishing you. It would be so satisfying to hear your little toad bones crack beneath my foot. Did you hear Trevor's? I bet you did."

Seamus yanked on the ropes, only succeeding in making his wrists bleed.

"I dwelled on that for a while, but then found something more... fulfilling. See, my parents, Death Eaters tortured them. Yes, that's right. They're in St. Mungo's now. Dad hardly recognizes me, but Mum knows who I am, even if she can't say so," Neville sobbed.

Seamus panicked, thrashing about and crying silent tears.

"Oh, you understand. Good," Neville smiled. "I think my parents will enjoy your company, Seamus. You'll like them; they're charming, yet delightfully mad. Crucio!"