*CW: Violence*
April 2nd, 1997
"My O.W.L.s are in two months, and I've barely studied," Ginny sighed, "I haven't had time with quidditch and everything else... I just feel like I'm gonna vomit."
"I'm sure you'll be fine," I assured, "The written exams are pretty easy, as long as you look over your notes before the test begins. For the practical exams, just make sure you know how to perform the spells, memorizing isn't enough."
"Dawn, you only got two O.W.L.s..." Ginny hesitated.
I rolled my eyes as I sighed deeply, "I'm speaking for the ones I took: Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and History of Magic. Charms and History of Magic are easy as long as you review the material beforehand. You were in Dumbledore's Army last year, and, as much as I hate to say it, Snape's a decent teacher, so I'm sure you'll do fine on that exam."
"I can't believe you just called Snape a decent teacher..." Ron scoffed.
"I'm not defending his behavior. I hate him as much as the rest of you do," I protested, "But you can't deny the fact that he's a fair grader. He loathes all of us, yet we're some of the only Gryffindors in N.E.W.T. Potions this year."
"She makes a good point, Ron." Hermione stammered before she took a bite of her blueberry muffin.
"Yeah, I guess... He still sucks though." Ron sighed.
"Well, what about Potions?" Ginny asked, changing the conversation back to the topic of O.W.L. exams, "And Care of Magical Creatures? Divinations? What about all of the other classes?"
"Oh, I can't help you there," I chuckled, "I take Ancient Runes and Arithmetics, and again, I couldn't take my O.W.L. exams for either of those subjects."
"Nerd..." Harry choked, causing me to narrow my eyes at him.
"Hey! I heard that!" Hermione scolded, "And for your information Harry, Ancient Runes and Arithmetics are very interesting subjects that Dawn and I enjoy very much."
I didn't really enjoy Ancient Runes and Arithmetics; I only took them because they were the only other subjects available. At the end of second year, we were required to trial different electives for our third-year time-tables. I wanted to do Care of Magical Creatures until I saw a fire crab, and lost my shit. Divinations was a short-lived trial too, Professor Trelawney read my tea leaves, screamed about a "penetrating evil from the outside", and told me to get out of her classroom. I also took Muggle Studies for Hermione, but she ended up dropping it at the end of third-year. I stayed in the class until this January, only dropping it because of the situation with Bellatrix.
"I failed my Divinations O.W.L.," Harry chuckled, "I didn't understand anything going on. I thought I could get away with writing a bunch of disasters in the blanks, but Professor Trelawney didn't appreciate that."
"I told you that class was rubbish," Hermione scoffed, "And Ginny, the Care of Magical Creatures O.W.L. is easy, so there's no need to worry about it."
"I don't think Divinations is all rubbish," I hesitated, earning a dirty look from Hermione, "Like the whole part about Astrology... I think that's cool."
"What do you know about Astrology?" Ron asked.
"I dunno..." I shrugged, "But, apparently, I'm a Gemini... I think."
My birthday was something that I haven't given any thought to since my disappearance. I was no longer twins with Draco Malfoy, whose birthday was on June 6th, so I truly had no clue when my birthday was. I wasn't going to mull over this at the breakfast table though.
"I don't know what it means either, but Lavender told me that I was a Pisces when we were together," Ron chuckled, earning a rude look from Hermione, "Ginny and Harry are Leos, and 'Mione is a Vi-"
"Astrology isn't real." Hermione scoffed, interrupting Ron. The entire table went quiet after Hermione said this, causing most of us to go back to eating our breakfast.
"Well, thanks for all of the tips guys," Ginny hesitated, putting an end to the awkward silence, "Any other exams I should be worried about?"
"I can help you with Transfigurations and Astronomy," Harry beamed, "I like to think that I'm pretty decent at those."
"Alright, and the only one left is Herbology," Ginny sighed, "I could always go to Neville for that, if that's okay with you Dawn..."
I smiled at Ginny as I sent her a thumbs up, "Be my guest. I really couldn't care less about what he does or who he hangs out with anymore."
Ginny grimaced as she turned to face Hermione, and whispered, "I'll just study Herbology with you, 'Mione."
"Good choice..." Hermione whispered back in a chuckle.
"Alright well, I best get going," Ginny chuckled as she stood up from her seat, "Class starts soon, and I have to go all the way down to the dungeons for Potions."
"I better get going as well," Harry stated as he abruptly stood up from his seat, "Want me to walk with you to class, Ginny?"
Hermione and I sent each other wide-eyed looks as Ron gave Harry a dirty one. I wasn't sure if Ron had caught onto Harry's flirting just yet, but Hermione and I have. Just a couple days ago on Easter, I walked in on the two sharing a basket of chocolate eggs, and laughing; I only told Hermione about this though.
"Don't you have your own class to get to, Potter?" Ginny chuckled.
"I can run..." Harry cooed.
Ginny shook her head as she whipped around, "Goodbye Harry."
Harry scoffed before he took his seat again, all red in the face. Hermione and I were giggling amongst ourselves, while Ron continued to glare at his best friend.
"Can I walk with you to class, Ginny?" Ron mimicked, "What was that all about?"
"I was just being nice..." Harry hesitated as he lowered his head.
"Mhm..." Ron seethed, "Alright, well Ginny was right, we best be heading to class. All four of us should, right Harry?"
Harry gulped as he readjusted the glasses on his face, "R-Right you are... Ron."
Harry and Ron stood up quickly as the two began to make their way out of the Great Hall, Hermione and I following behind them, still giggling.
"How long do you think until they make it official?" I asked quietly as the four of us began to make our way to Transfigurations.
"At most, I give it until June," Hermione whispered, "There's no way that they can keep it up for that much longer."
"If I was Harry, I would have asked her out months ago..." I chuckled. Hermione nodded in response.
"Seriously, Ginny obviously likes him back..." Hermione scoffed.
Suddenly, Ron whipped around, and glared at us, causing Hermione and I to stop in our tracks as our heart rates quickened. Ron wasn't too fond of his best friend having the hots for his sister, neither of us really knew why.
"What are you two talking about?" Ron asked.
"Erm... sex." I said quickly. I didn't know what to say, so I just said the first thing that came to mind that would have made Ron uncomfortable.
"Oh... well, continue on then..." Ron hesitated as he turned back around, and continued walking with Harry.
Hermione hit me jokingly in the arm as she scoffed, "Sex? Really Dawn? You couldn't think of anything else?"
I threw my hands up in defense, "I didn't know what else to say! But it worked, didn't it?"
"You baffle me sometimes," Hermione chuckled, "You know that right?"
"I try my best!" I joked.
The four of us walked the rest of our way to Transfigurations with Professor McGonagall, and took our respective seats; Hermione and I sat in the front while Harry and Ron sat behind us. Transfigurations was one of my better subjects, not as good as Charms, but I've always been one of the top students. The only thing that sucked about this class was that both Neville and Hannah were in it because Gryffindor took Transfigurations with Hufflepuff. Thankfully, the two sat in the back of the class, so I wasn't forced to pay attention to them.
"I've heard we're working on human transfiguration today," Hermione exclaimed, "Doesn't that sound neat?"
"Very..." I stammered.
I hadn't listened to a word Hermione had said. I was too focused on what was going on in the back of the classroom, despite how much I wanted to ignore it. Hannah and Neville were playing some sort of hand game. The more I watched, the more my symptoms started acting up, and the more I wanted to chuck a chair at both of their heads.
I didn't understand it, not at all. March 1st, that date has stuck with me because that was the day Neville told me that he was in love with me. He wasn't in love with me as Dawn Malfoy, or somebody that I used to be, but he was in love with me... as me. And even a month later, I could not comprehend why he kept avoiding me, and why he had gotten back together with Hannah. Part of me thought that Neville never even broke up with her, and that he just said all of that because he was drunk and horny. Neville knew that he could have easily gotten into my pants, which would have given me an explanation as to why he left so abruptly the next morning. But the other part of me, ignored that, and wanted to believe everything he said to me that night.
"Dawn, are you okay?" Hermione asked, interrupting my thoughts.
"Yeah, I'm fine..." I sighed as I broke eye contact with the couple, "What are we learning today?"
"Like I said a couple of seconds ago, human transfiguration," Hermione hesitated, "Are you sure that you're okay?"
I nodded in response as I sent her a slight smile, "Couldn't be better..."
"Alright, well try not to zone out today," Hermione chuckled awkwardly, "I've heard this stuff is really hard, and we're experimenting on ourselves for all of it. I'd like for my best friend to still look like herself by the end of this lesson!"
"Well, Bellatrix did human transfiguration on me," I scoffed, "How else do you think I was able to look like Draco for so long..."
"Yeah, that's what I'm scared about..." Hermione sighed, "You were like that for fifteen years, that's like permanent..."
"I think you'll be alright 'Mione, human transfiguration seems cool," I beamed, "But wouldn't it be funny if I transfigured all of my looks back, that'd give everyone a downright scare, don't you think?"
Hermione shook her head in response, "I wouldn't do that Dawn... especially with... well you-know-who in this class..."
Hermione was referring to Neville, and he was the part of the reason I wanted to do it. At first, I kinda just wanted to see how much I've changed because sometimes I really missed my old looks, especially when a hairbrush would get caught in my curls, and snap in half. Then the more I stared at Hannah and Neville, and let anger overwhelm me, I just wanted to see their reactions because I was sure that they would have one; I felt like most people in the classroom would.
"It was just a thought..." I stammered, it was not just a thought, "I wasn't planning on doing it."
Oh, I was definitely going to do it.
A couple of moments later, Professor McGonagall came out of her office, and commenced the start of class. Her lesson on human transfiguration seemed to zoom by really quickly. She spent a good ten minutes explaining the dangers of this type of transfiguration, and told us to start with something small. McGonagall suggested that we practiced on our hair or an eyebrow, just in case something went wrong, it could grow back. For her demonstration, she changed her eyebrow to bright pink, and then back to its original color.
"I'm going to try and transfigure my hair a lighter brown, just to be on the safe side," Hermione contemplated excitingly, "Wouldn't that be neat?"
"Yeah, I think that it'd look nice," I exclaimed, "What about you guys, Harry? Ron?"
"I'm going to see if I can do something with my eyebrows," Harry chuckled, "Thinking an orange or a purple would look cool."
"Harry, I wouldn't do that," Hermione reprimanded, "Because if something goes wrong, you'll be stuck with weird eyebrows until you can change it back."
"And you see 'Mione, just in case something does go wrong," Harry teased, "That's what you're here for!"
Hermione scoffed, and turned back around to start working on her spell. I still awaited Ron's response.
"I don't know what I'm doing yet," Ron sighed, "I'll just try something with my eyebrows too, I guess. What are you doing, Dawn?"
"I'm going to do something with my hair." I said excitedly.
"Dawn, please don't do it..." Hermione warned.
"Do what?" Harry asked. Hermione shook her head in response, and then turned back around.
"Don't worry about it," I whispered to the two boys, "She's worried for no reason."
Harry gave me a weird look before shrugging, and returning to his work. I just wanted to see if it could work, nothing else. I turned back around as well, and grabbed my wand to begin practicing the spell.
"Crinus Muto." I stated, but nothing came out of my wand.
I looked at the textbook McGonagall had provided us with, and it said that, when done successfully, my wand should have emitted a white light. I sighed as I picked up my wand to recite the spell again.
"Crinus Muto." I stated sternly, but once again, nothing came out of my wand.
I heard the words reciprocated to the right of me, and saw a white light come out of Hermione's wand as her hair was changed from black to a lighter brown. As the light dissipated, Hermione sent me a huge smile as she picked up the mirror on her desk to admire her new hair color.
"Oh my Merlin, I did it, and the color looks really good on me!" Hermione beamed, "What do you think, Dawn?"
"It does look good on you," I assured, "But I would change it back just in case McGonagall says something..."
"You're right," Hermione sighed, "Maybe I could convince my parents to get it professionally dyed over the summer, and then I wouldn't have to worry about magic messing it up, or something like that."
I chuckled as I returned to my work, and Hermione continued with hers. She was the only one in my class, so far, that has successfully done the spell. But every time I recited the incantation, I was met with the same results, failure. I didn't know what was going on, but as long as everyone else struggled, I wasn't going to stress about it.
"CRINUS MUTO!" Harry shouted from behind me.
I turned around to see a white light emitting from his wand as his eyebrow turned into a bright yellow, causing me to laugh. A smile grew on Harry's face as he picked up his mirror, but it quickly dropped to a look of disgust.
"Yellow? What the hell, why is it yellow?" Harry scoffed, "I wanted a purple eyebrow, not a yellow eyebrow?"
Professor McGonagall walked by our desks, and raised her eyebrows as she smiled, "Good work, Mr. Potter."
Harry slowly set down his mirror as he forced a smile at the woman, "Thanks professor..."
McGonagall nodded and walked over to the next set of tables as Harry sighed deeply. He took out his wand again, and began to work on the spell to turn his eyebrow purple. My laughter was interrupted by Ron screaming to the right of him, causing McGonagall to return to our tables.
"WHAT IS THIS?" Ron exclaimed, pointing to the bushy mustache that now laid upon his face.
Instead of changing his eyebrows into a different color, Ron accidentally transfigured himself a handlebar mustache.
"Mr. Weasley, what have you done this time... oh my!" McGonagall exclaimed.
Ron threw up his hands in defense as Professor McGonagall pulled her wand out of her pocket, and stated the counter-curse to get rid of Ron's mustache. Once she had done so, she gave Ron her speech about human transfiguration again, and told him to be more careful before she rejoined her next set of tables.
Now, I was starting to get stressed out. More and more students around the room were figuring out the spell, and successfully transfiguring their hair different colors. I turned away from the boys as I went back to focusing on the spell.
I just wanted to change my hair back to its old state: blonde, long, straight. Then right after I had done so, I would change it right back to what it looked like now: dark-brown, curly, short.
"Crinus Muto." I stated, and to my surprise, a white light emitted from my wand, and came in contact with my hair.
Unlike the pain I had felt at the manor, this spell felt more like a tickle than anything. I was pretty sure that was what it was supposed to feel like, and I was sure that you weren't supposed to have these spells on for a long time, let alone fifteen years.
"Dawn, your hair..." Harry hesitated from behind me.
I picked up my mirror to get a good look at myself. My heart sank, it felt like I was looking at a ghost. I looked like my old-self, just a bit older and with different colored eyes. It was really weird, and for a second, I didn't want to change it back. I was happier like this, I was loved like this, I was respected like this. And with my new looks, I was none of that.
"I should have known better," Hermione chuckled, interrupting my thoughts, "But it's odd, it's like I'm staring at a gh-"
"A ghost?" I hesitated, interrupting her. Hermione nodded in response, "I know... it's weird..."
"Eh... I still like your new looks better," Ron shrugged, causing me to turn around to face him, "Being a brunette and having curly hair just fits your personality more than this does."
"Thanks, Ron..." I sighed as I looked past the two of them.
That's when I saw Neville staring, and a feeling of accomplishment swept over me. The last time I saw him look at me like that, I was being pulled up the Floo Network at the Ministry of Magic. It was a look of hopelessness and shock, and unlike how it made me feel last time, I felt nothing. I wanted him to stare at me like that. I wanted him to miss me. I wanted this reaction out of him, so all I did was stare back until Hannah followed his eye-line, glared at me, and brought him out of his trance.
"Alright, I'm changing it back," I stammered as I turned back around, and grabbed my wand off of the table, "It's fulfilled its purpose. Crinus Muto."
And just like that, my hair changed back to its curly state. While looking at Neville, I noticed some others staring at me. They probably thought the same thing Hermione did, like they had just seen a ghost. But that didn't matter to me, I just wanted to see Neville's reaction because that was the first time he's given me as much as a second of attention since March 1st.
Hermione looked behind herself, and sighed, "You shouldn't have done that Dawn. Hannah's been glaring at you for the past five minutes."
"Good, let her stare," I scoffed, "If she's mad, that's on her and her boyfriend. It's not my fault that he reacted the way that he did. To be honest with you, I wasn't even sure if he would react."
"I think that you should talk to Neville," Hermione stammered, "Get him when he's alone, and just sit down, and talk it out. There's obviously something else going on that he's not telling you."
"Don't you think I've tried, 'Mione?" I scoffed, "Every time, he just gets up and walks away, or ignores me. There's not much I can do."
"Well, you were very persistent on talking to him at the beginning of the school year," Hermione chuckled, "Even if he was ignoring you. You literally used to follow him into his dormitory."
I rolled my eyes as I sighed deeply, "Yeah, I know... but back then, nobody knew that I was related to Bellatrix, or called me a lunatic or a whore, so I can't just do that anymore."
"I guess you're right..." Hermione hesitated, "Maybe one of us could get him to talk to you?"
"Or we could just drop it, and continue on with my plan," I spat, "We're obviously not getting back together, and we'll never just be friends again, we've established that months ago. It's done, over, nothing, nada, zero, zilch, no more. That's what Neville and I are."
"Alright well..." Hermione shrugged as she changed the conversation, "Let's just go back to working on the spell for the rest of class."
I nodded in response as we went back to researching and working on the spell. Eventually, class came to an end, and Hermione made sure not to bring up Neville again.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Ms. Granger," Professor McGonagall stated, "Could I see you three after class for just a few minutes?"
Hermione turned to face me as she furrowed her eyebrows, "That's weird?"
"I'll wait for you three in the hallway..." I whispered as I continued to pack my bag. Hermione nodded in response as she gestured Harry and Ron to McGonagall's desk.
As the three of them walked away, I grabbed my bag, and made my way out of the classroom. I had no idea what McGonagall was talking to them about, and I was a bit confused as to why I wasn't called in as well. It probably wasn't anything I needed to worry about, and besides, Hermione would tell me later anyways.
"Quite a show you put on today in class..." a voice spat as I exited the classroom.
I turned to face the voice, and saw Hannah standing with her arms crossed as she glared at me. I groaned loudly as I approached the girl. Hermione warned me about this, and even though I expected it to happen, I did not want to talk to her solely because her voice annoyed me.
"Why are you talking to me?" I scoffed in an annoyed tone.
"You know exactly why I'm talking to you, Dawn." Hannah said coldly.
I raised my hands in defense as I furrowed my eyebrows at her, "I literally have no idea, Hannah..."
"You need to stop, whatever you're doing to Neville," Hannah huffed, "I want you to stop it."
"Stop what, exactly?" I questioned jokingly, "Hannah, I need context."
"STOP... STOP DOING THAT THING TO HIM!" Hannah protested, "HE'S WITH ME! HE'S NOT WITH YOU! YET, YOU KEEP TRYING TO WIN HIM BACK! TODAY IN TRANSFIGURATIONS! YOU DIDN'T NEED TO CHANGE YOUR HAIR TO THAT COLOR, AND I KNOW YOU DID IT FOR HIM BECAUSE YOU LOOKED AT HIM RIGHT AFTER YOU DID IT! SO I'M ASKING YOU, DAWN, TO STOP!"
I scoffed as I shook my head at her. She was absolutely delusional. Well, I did transfigure my hair to look like that to get a reaction out of Neville, but my reasons were valid. I wasn't trying to win him back, like Hannah thought, I just wanted to know why he was ignoring me after everything we said to one another. I couldn't let Hannah know this though, she would have literally jumped me.
"Hannah, I wasn't looking at Neville," I stammered, lying through my teeth, "I was talking to Harry and Ron, who sit behind me... I'm sorry that he reacted, but it's not my fault that he did."
"You're a fucking liar..." Hannah seethed, "I don't care for your excuses, and even if you are telling the truth, as Neville's girlfriend, you need to back the fuck off."
Well, now she was just being a bitch. I haven't said anything remotely rude, and here she was, cursing me out. I didn't know if it was the werewolf symptoms or just... anger... but now I wanted to knock this girl's teeth out.
"Speaking of the devil, where is Neville?" I asked innocently.
"It doesn't concern you?" Hannah said coldly.
I forced a smile as I narrowed my eyes at her, "It was just a question... Hannah."
"Mhmm... don't change the conversation," Hannah scoffed, "Neville is with me, he likes me. He no longer likes you, and it's been that way for months. So like I said before, you need to back the fuck off, Dawn."
"And what happens if I don't?" I joked.
"Well... nobody's truly fond of the Lestranges now, aren't they?" Hannah seethed, "One incident, or tall tale, could get you a life sentence to Azkaban. Now that wouldn't be fun, would it, Dawn?"
"So... you're willing to send me to Azkaban... on a lie?" I scoffed, "For your pathetic boyfriend? Who I haven't given so much as a thought since we shagged like a month ago?"
Hannah gasped as her defensive demeanor dropped. I had been waiting to drop that one this whole conversation. I scoffed as I crossed my arms, and smiled at her.
"Oh... I'm sorry, he didn't tell you about that, did he?" I chuckled, "Yeah, there were a lot of plastered thoughts said aloud that night..."
"Well, you're acting like I give a shit that he shagged you?" Hannah scoffed, "When's the last time he's fucked you sober? Mine was last Friday... I enjoyed it very much."
Ouch, well damn... that hurt. I wasn't going to let this bitch ruin the rest of my day. I mean, she wasn't wrong, every time Neville and I hooked up this year, we were drunk. The last time we fucked sober was on my birthday last year, when he told me that he loved me... that was it.
"You're a couple, that's nothing unexpected," I spat, "But I'm sure you won't care that while we were shagging after that quidditch match, he told me that he loved me. Actually, his true words were that he never fell out of love with me. Has he ever told you this, Hannah?"
Hannah fell quiet as she bit the inside of her cheek, "You're lying... he doesn't love you."
"Why would I lie about something like that?" I scoffed, "I mean, he obviously did at some point in his life..."
"If he actually did say those words, he was plastered and horny," Hannah protested nervously, "I know that he doesn't love you."
"How would you know?" I questioned rudely, "Has he ever told you that he loves you?"
Hannah fell quiet once more as she crossed her arms, and looked at the floor. I quickly understood her answer without her even having to speak.
"Oh... my bad." I chuckled.
Hannah looked up at me as she shook her head, tears were forming in the corners of her eyes, "You know, you're a real bitch. No wonder nobody fucking likes you, and if they've said do, they're lying. Everyone knows the truth about you, you're nothing but a dangerous lunatic, just like the rest of your family."
I had unintentionally hit a nerve for her, and I kept pushing, not that she didn't deserve it. I almost felt pity for Hannah, she knew that she was dating a guy that was in love with another girl. If this were any other person, I would have said that Hannah deserved better, but this bitch just called me mad and compared me to my mother... So no, she deserved it.
"Hannah, I'm going to make this very clear," I sighed, "I don't like most people, but I especially don't like you and your boyfriend. This conversation is ridiculous!"
Hannah scoffed, shaking her head, "So, you're telling me that you hate Neville and I more than you hate You-Know-Who? You're a fucking joke!"
"When did I ever say that?" I scoffed, turning around to leave, "But now that you've mentioned it... yeah, you two are a wee bit more irritating than him at the moment!"
"That's almost ironic, but I'm not surprised," Hannah seethed, following me, "Given your history... and who your mother is. Don't you remember? Your mother... the woman who killed my mum-"
I whipped back around, fuming, "HANNAH... HOW MANY TIMES WILL I HAVE TO TELL YOU? I DON'T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT NEVILLE! And you know what... you're right... what I did today was to get a reaction out of him! But I wasn't trying to get him to fall back in love with me, I just wanted to make him feel like rubbish because that's the kind of person I am! I'm a mean person, who does mean shit for fun! Just like my mother... is that what you wanted to hear, Hannah? I am just like the woman who killed your mum! But one point still remains... I could not give a flying rat's arse about Neville Longbottom or you! So, with this information, Hannah, please do me a favor and KISS... MY... ARSE!"
I sighed deeply, biting back my tongue from saying anything else. I hated comparing myself to Bellatrix because I was nothing like her. But if comparing myself to her meant that Hannah would've left me alone, then I liked my chances.
Hannah shook her head at me again before looking past me and taking a deep breath, "Hey..."
I turned around to face what she was staring at, and saw Neville standing behind me with a dirty look on his face. Part of me hoped that he heard everything that I had just said, and the other part of me wished that he hadn't. But from the look on his face, I was starting to think that it was the first option.
"Is she bothering you?" Neville asked.
"Yes." Hannah and I both responded, causing us to give each other dirty looks.
Neville narrowed his eyes at me as he walked past me and joined Hannah by her side, wrapping his arm around her waist, "I wasn't talking to you, Dawn. I heard everything you said, and I'm happy to admit that I feel the exact same way." He then faced Hannah, softening his voice, "Are you alright, flower? What did she say to you?"
"FLOWER?" I gagged jokingly, "OH, YOU GUYS MAKE ME SICK!"
Neville faced me again, "Then leave. Nobody's forcing you to stay, you fucking lunatic."
When Hannah called me bonkers, it didn't bother me because she never meant anything to me. But when Neville called me it, it really bothered me, solely because he knew why I was this way. I searched for any signs of remorse in his eyes, and was unable to find any. A lump grew in my throat as I bit down on the inside of my cheeks. I couldn't cry, not right now.
"You're really bold for calling me that," I choked, "If I'm being honest, I expected you to be the last person to call me mad..."
"Oh, so you can call me all kinds of names," Neville spat, "But Merlin forbid, I call you mad because you are! I mean no normal person throws a chair at somebody, and has full-blown panic attacks over simple misunderstandings..."
Simple misunderstandings? Oh my Merlin, he was talking about Valentine's Day. Yeah, maybe what happened before I entered the forest was a misunderstanding, but everything else that happened that night was far from simple. Hell, I was attacked by a fucking werewolf, and Neville knew this. Yeah, maybe I was an asshole, but I would have never gone as far as he was going right now.
"Oh, and just so we're on the same page!" I seethed, "This simple misunderstanding we're talking about is me getting attacked by a FUCKING werewolf, and being in a boot for three weeks? Oh yeah, because that's so simple, Neville! And Hannah, I'm sure you've known all about this because you just know everything, don't you!"
"You got attacked because of a misunderstanding," Neville scoffed, "That you blamed me for?"
"BECAUSE YOU LED ME ON!" I spat, "IT'S NOT MY FAULT THAT YOU CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHO YOU WANT TO STICK YOUR DICK INTO? BUT AT THIS POINT, JUST CHOOSE HANNAH!"
"Dawn, just for that comment," Hannah seethed, "I'm glad that you got attacked by a werewolf, and it just confirms the fact that you're a freak. You probably turn, don't you?"
I didn't know what happened, but one second I was in my spot, the next second my fist came in contact with Hannah's face, and then the lastly, somebody had swooped me into their arms, and I was being held back.
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" Harry shouted as he held me back.
"YOUR FRIEND JUST PUNCHED MY GIRLFRIEND FOR NO REASON!" Neville protested as he held a now-crying Hannah, who was holding her eye.
"Neville, we're not stupid," Hermione scoffed, "Dawn doesn't just punch people for no reason, there was definitely a reason. What did Hannah say?"
"Hannah didn't say anything but the truth," Neville said coldly, "Dawn's mad, always has been, and I'm done defending her behavior."
"MY BEHAVIOR?" I protested, "I'M SORRY BUT DID HANNAH NOT JUST CALL ME A FREAK FOR GETTING ATTACKED BY A WEREWOLF, AND POTENTIALLY BEING ONE, EVEN THOUGH I'M NOT?"
"Neville, is this true?" Ron questioned hesitantly as he stepped forward.
Neville gulped as he took a step back with Hannah still crying in his arms, "Yeah... Hannah may have taken it a bit too far, but that whole situation was a whole misunderstanding on Dawn's part, and it still doesn't divert from the fact that she's a lunatic."
"You're horrible for calling her that, Neville," Ron seethed, "She would have never ended up this way if you were there for her, if you never left her!"
Neville didn't respond, he stayed quiet, as did Hannah. Harry and Hermione continued to hold me back because if they'd let me go, I was going to ruin Hannah's face. She has said some fucked up things before, but nothing as fucked up as calling me a freak. Because not only did that partly affect me, that affected Remus, and he was not a freak.
"You weren't there over the summer, you didn't know what it was like to find her outside of your house barely alive," Ron scoffed, "She had just escaped death, and what did you do? You left her... you left her when she needed you the most!"
"I would have been there if someone sent me a letter telling me that she was alive," Neville protested, "And you know exactly why I freaked out that day, you would have too if you were in my position!"
"AND YOU DON'T THINK IT AFFECTS THE REST OF US AS WELL? Bellatrix killed the only family Harry had left, and he never left Dawn!" Ron spat, "And I'm sorry that we were a bit consumed with making sure that she was keeping her food down to tell you anything, we were just trying to keep her alive!"
I was shocked, I didn't expect Ron to stand up for me. I expected Harry or Hermione, but Ron truly never knew what was going on between Neville and I. So I knew that if Ron was yelling at Neville, then what he and Hannah said must have really pissed him off.
"And do you want to know what's pathetic about this whole situation?" Ron scoffed, "Even though Dawn was literally on the brink of death for like two weeks, she was only concerned about you. And then here you come, months later, shaming her and accusing her of cheating when she's done nothing but love and stay loyal to you. You fucked up, Neville, big time."
"She literally shagged your brother over the summer?" Neville stammered, "That doesn't sound like love to me?"
Ron turned around to face me as he shrugged, "Which one?"
"It was Fred, one time, during the bonfire," I answered quickly, "And it was after we broke up, and need I remind you, Longbottom, WE WERE PLASTERED."
Ron nodded slowly, "So that's where you two disappeared off too... well, you don't like Fred, do you?"
"NO! I DON'T LIKE FRED," I protested as I turned to face Neville, "And he doesn't like me like that either, we talked about it during Christmas!"
"Doesn't matter," Neville said coldly, "You punched my girlfriend, you've thrown chairs at people, you're always causing problems, and then you blame them on other people. I'm done defending you Dawn, you're mad! You need help, and a lot of it!"
"Stop saying that!" Ron spat as he shoved Neville backwards, causing him to let Hannah go.
Neville narrowed his eyes as he shoved Ron back, "Don't push me!"
Ron stumbled backwards before recollecting himself, and crossing his arms. Ron chuckled as he ran his tongue across his bottom lip, and walked towards Neville. The next thing I knew, Ron's fist came in contact with Neville's face, and the two were on the floor tackling one another.
Harry had let go of me to go pull Ron off of Neville, causing me to go after Hannah before Hermione pulled me back. Hannah was still crying, and sunk against a wall as she watched Neville and Ron fight.
"LET ME GO, 'MIONE, IF THEY CAN GO AT IT," I shrieked, "LET ME FINISH THIS BITCH OFF!"
Hermione struggled to hold me back, "DAWN, IF YOU DON'T STOP FIGHTING, I'M GOING TO PUNCH YOU! I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU GET MORE DETENTION!"
"RON STOP, COME ON, LET'S JUST GO!" Harry shouted as he tried to pull his friend off of Neville.
"CALL HER A LUNATIC AGAIN!" Ron spat as he threw another punch, "SAY IT AGAIN, I DARE YOU!"
"NEVILLE, STOP PLEASE!" Hannah pleaded as she cried against the wall, "RON, STOP! YOU'RE HURTING HIM!"
"OH BOO HOO, YOU SLAG!" I seethed as I continued to fight out of Hermione's grasp.
"DAWN, STOP TALKING!" Hermione scolded, "HARRY, GET RON OFF OF HIM!"
"YOU DON'T THINK I'M TRYING?" Harry said rudely, "I DON'T WANT TO GET PUNCHED!"
"SHE'S FUCKING MAD!" Neville shouted as he grabbed Ron by the neck, and pulled him away from him, "JUST LIKE YOU ARE FOR DEFENDING HER!"
"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, LONGBOTTOM, I SWEAR!" Ron seethed as he continued to throw his fists at Neville, struggling to make out the words because of Neville's hands around his throat.
"IMPEDIMENTA!" an approaching voice roared, causing Ron and Neville to fly off of one another, and into opposite walls. Harry flew back along with them, and hit the same wall that Ron did.
The moment that Ron had recovered, he ran after Neville again, but Harry managed to hold him back as Professor McGonagall approached the six of us. Neville laid against the wall wiping the blood from his broken nose. Hannah still cowered and cried against the wall as she held her black eye, and Hermione still hadn't let me go, although I did stop fighting.
"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" McGonagall asked with her jaw practically on the floor, "I WOULD HAVE NEVER EXPECTED SUCH BEHAVIOR FROM ANY OF YOU, SO SOMEONE EXPLAIN!"
I turned to face Professor McGonagall as I scoffed, "My friends and I didn't appreciate Neville and Hannah calling me names like mad, slag, whore, lunatic, you know... with my situation and all..."
"Hmm... Mr. Longbottom, Ms. Abbott, is this true?" McGonagall questioned.
"Dawn punched me," Hannah said coldly as she pointed to her eye, "Right here."
Professor McGonagall nodded and gulped as she turned to face Harry and Hermione, "And may I ask how you two played a part in this?"
"Harry and I were just trying to break up the fight, that's all." Hermione said quickly.
"Alright well, all of you, except Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger, are to spend three weeks in detention with me," McGonagall said harshly, "And Dawn and Mr. Weasley, we will discuss your positions on the quidditch team."
"WHAT?" Ron and I exclaimed.
"PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL, NO YOU CAN'T!" Harry protested, "THAT'S OUR LAST MATCH, AND WITHOUT THEM, WE STAND NO CHANCE AT WINNING THE HOUSE CUP!"
"That's why I said we will discuss their positions on the team," McGonagall said sternly, "If you two don't cause problems in detention with Mr. Longbottom and Ms. Abbott, where you four will be talking out your problems with one another until we can all come to a mutual-seeing of things, you'll be allowed to play in the next match. Do I make myself clear?"
"Professor McGonagall, can I join these meetings as I have some things to say?" Hermione asked.
"Me too, I have a couple to say as well..." Harry added in.
McGonagall rolled her eyes as she sighed, "Fine, Mr. Potter and Ms. Granger, you two will join detention as well to talk, but you won't be required to do the punishment part."
"Yes..." Hermione whispered excitingly.
"Now, I'm going to walk away," McGonagall stated, "Mr. Longbottom and Ms. Abbott, I want you two to head to the library, and the rest of you, I want you to head to the common room. I don't want to hear of another incident like this again, agreed?"
The six of us nodded in response.
"Good, and I will be taking fifty points from each of you as well," McGonagall said coldly, causing all of us to groan loudly; Hufflepuff would lose fifty while Gryffindor lost two-hundred and fifty. "Now go to your locations, and stay there until dinner. Good day to all of you."
Neville stood up, and walked over to Hannah as he glared at the four of us. He wrapped his arm around her, and walked past us, heading to the library like McGonagall had told him. As soon as they were far enough away, Hermione let go of me, and the four of us started to make our way back to the common room.
"Ron, are you alright?" Hermione asked as she conjured a tissue to help Ron's bleeding forehead. Ron shrugged in response.
"I'll be fine," Ron sighed, "Dawn, are you okay? They said some pretty harsh things back there..."
"Yeah, I know, but they got what they deserved," I chuckled, "Anyways, you guys want to play gobstones when we get back to the common room?"
"Only you would ask to play a game after something like that," Harry laughed, "But yeah, of course."