Revenge Never Felt Better

Some may remember me as Neville Longbottom, the chunky, clumsy, forgetful boy who went to Hogwarts for those miserable seven years and endured being picked on and bullied. But none will know me now when they see how I have changed drastically over these past few years while working in the Dangerous Herbs and Plants Ward at St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. I have gained the common sense I lacked while I attended school and I have become rather proficient in the field of Herbology. I have now become known throughout the hospital for the wonderful magic I have performed numerous times to aid those who are extremely injured or ill. While I had always been rather interested in Herbology while I was at Hogwarts, I am even more so now that it is my profession and I live it everyday of my life. Snape had always ridiculed me about my lack of cleverness and ability of potion-making, but I have developed my skill and am now able to develop potions rather adequately. He would be surprised at the progress I have made.

But I remember that one fateful night that changed everything and brought me over the bridge from being an immature child to manhood. It was a Friday night around 9:30 p.m. and I was in Diagon Alley at the Apothecary looking for a new cauldron. I had destroyed my old one in a rather disastrous incident trying to brew a potion for one of my patients. That was one of the last times I had ever done something horribly wrong in potion-making. From that point until now, I have been very cautious when brewing them, especially when I am using the it to save someone’s life.

I had paid my twenty-three galleons for the pewter cauldron and I was walking down the streets of Diagon Alley towards the Leaky Cauldron when I saw a shadowy figure. It was leaning up against a wall in an alley with its hood covering its face. It trudged out from the alleyway and blocked my path to the exit of Diagon Alley.

"Excuse me," I remember telling the figure and I nodded to acknowledge that I was grateful for them moving. But they didn't move. The figure just stood there staring at me. I still could not make out who it was or if it was a male or female. For all I knew, it could even have been something inhuman.

"Hello, Neville," the figure said in a long drawn-out voice as it lowered its hood. I knew who it was at once. It was Bellatrix Lestrange, the woman who had driven my parents to the point of insanity. I had wanted to get revenge on this wretched old woman since I had found out what a ‘Death Eater’ was. She had stripped me of my parents and she had been sentenced to Azkaban. But somehow she escaped, leaving me even angrier at this woman. "Oh, please don’t tell me you were in a hurry. I was hoping we could have a little chat," she told me, that disgustingly evil grin spreading across her face. God, how I hated that look on her face.

"You...you filthy woman! Do you know what you have done to my family? You have destroyed us. You have torn us apart! My parents don’t even know my name!" I screamed at her, moving my shaggy hair out of my eyes with my hand. She began to move closer to me, but I moved backwards a little to keep the same space between us. "Just leave now! Leave me alone! Why don’t you just go back where you belong. Azkaban!" I yelled at her, my right hand slipping into my cloak pocket and grasping my wand, ready to strike at any time.

"Azkaban? You think I belong there? Ha! I’ll tell you who belongs there. You and all your Muggle-loving friends! You’re the ones who destroyed our race! You’re the ones who should have to suffer!" she spat out, her steely grey eyes staring into mine. I could see the fear in them, however. She knew I wasn’t going to back down this time without a fight. "It’s time I teach you a lesson. A lesson of respect, the same lesson I had to teach to your parents many years ago! Crucio!" she yelled, pointing her battered old wand at me. It was at that moment that I collapsed to the ground.

The pain was electrocuting my every nerve. It sent a shock wave through my mind, and sent an excruciating pain pulsating through my heart and lungs. I could not breathe; my airways were constricted. I felt as if I was about to explode. My throat was swelling up, and huge red bumps were developing on the skin of my neck, making it look like I had some sort of disastrous disease. I would not scream though - partly because I couldn’t make any sound. But even if I could say something, I would not. I knew it would only be an incentive for her to continue the abuse...but then she let the curse off. I do not know why she did so, but she did. Using all of my strength, I gradually picked myself off the ground.

"This hasn’t been nearly as fun as I thought it would be. I haven’t had the pleasure of hearing you scream. I might as well just end it now," she said in a soft voice. "Avada Kedavra!" A green jolt of lightning came shooting out of the tip of her wand. I dove out of the way, just narrowly dodging the curse. She shot again, but I managed to duck out of the way just in time. It hit one of the store walls and blew a hole right through it.

"Expelliarmus!" I yelled, pointing my wand at the devilish woman. Her wand flew out of her hand, and I caught it with my left. "Now it’s time I show you who I really am! I am not some foolish little boy! I will not be treated this way!" I screamed at her. My face was turning rather red now. This time not because I was under some sort of curse, but out of pure anger and hatred for this terrible woman. I wanted to get even. Not just for my parents anymore, but for myself as well. "Crucio!" I exclaimed. A feeble burst of yellow sparks flew from the end of my wand. Nothing had happened. I did not know why nothing had happened. I said it correctly, or at least I thought I had.

"You fool. I knew from the minute I met you that you would never be able to carry out a curse like that. You are much too weak and much too immature to use such a curse. You need to have the emotion behind it. You need to have the strength. You need everything that you don’t have," she said, that devilish smirk appearing on her face once again. Oh, how I wish I could just wipe that smirk off her face. But she was wrong. I did have the strength and will-power behind it. She would be sorry she ever said those words.

"Crucio!" I shouted once more, this time with more emphasis and more feeling. She had driven me to the edge. I wanted to wipe the smirk off her face for good, forever. She fell down to her knees, writhing in pain. I could tell she was feeling the pain this time. I had not just emitted some feeble yellow spark from the tip of my wand, but instead I lashed out extreme torment upon this sordid woman. But the time when I felt extreme pleasure was when she let out her first scream of agony. I loved it. I absolutely loved it. It was a delightful sound and I wished for it to never end. Eventually, it did end. But it only ended when I released the curse and decided to get home before I was caught.

But I will never forget the night that I got my revenge. It was the happiest day of my life, and I will forever cherish the moment when I heard her scream in misery. Her screams still echo within my head and I know that somewhere in this world, that horrible woman lies in a dreadful manor still thinking about what I had done to her. She will never heal from the pain I inflicted upon her, and I take great pleasure in thinking of that pain.

I know that revenge will never be any sweeter.