Trust
Chapter 3 – The Glasses
Neville walked down the dark corridor and worked to clear his mind with a heavy heart. The alcohol really got to him last night, as was shown by the graffiti-marked face of Draco Malfoy, and he knew he would dearly pay for it. As he reached the end, Lucius Malfoy stood at the door with his usual menacing glare. Clearly, he too was not pleased with him.
With a sneer, he threw the door open the door and never removed his cold eyes from him until Neville was safely inside. Inside Neville found a raging fire with an adjacent chair in the corner. The chair's upholstery looked to be a leather that was once a ruby red, but had faded to a dark and worn color. Behind this chair Voldemort stood, his back was straight and his hands had clasped together behind his back in an apparent showing of impatience.
“Sit,” he said. It was more of a statement than a command, a fact that Neville found very peculiar. Neville took the seat as the Dark Lord circled around the armchair to face him. “I couldn't help but notice your work with young Mr. Malfoy,” he said with a sinister air.
“Yes, my lord,” was all Neville could say. He kept his mind as blank as he could. Voldemort, meanwhile, continued on.
“His father had to...” he hissed, “remove... a great deal of skin to free him from that humiliation. He's been wearing a rather uncomfortable bandage over his face...”
Suddenly Voldemort's face was inches from Neville's. “You, my boy, are reckless, manipulative, and entirely too bold.” Neville then saw the Dark Lord in a way he had never heard of before. He was smiling.
“I like that,” he said, “it reminds me a lot of me.” Neville didn't know what to do except thank him and keep silent. “Now you know,” the Dark Lord continued, “that you offered me information, Pritchard. However, I would like to ask you to perform one more test for me.” He finally pulled his face from Neville's and strolled over to the fire as he spoke again.
“I would like to ask you to go on a mission for me,” he explained, “but this one would be fairly easy for any Death Eater.” Neville looked up at find him staring back at him, those cold eyes ever-watching. Neville quickly looked away.
“You will receive a portkey and will be taken to a specific location. Near this location an item of mine has been hidden. However, it needs to be hidden more... securely...” Voldemort appeared once again mere inches from Neville's face. “I want you to go and...” he made a grasping motion with his hand, “retrieve it for me.”
Neville wondered whether Voldemort was this charismatic with all his Death Eaters, or if he simply didn't trust him yet. With what Harry had told him of his dreams, Voldemort certainly did not treat his inferiors with any ounce of respect. But then again, he wasn't winning the war in those times.
“What is the item?” Neville asked. Suddenly Voldemort's expression changed. It went from mildly polite to raving mad and in an instant, the tip of his wand was at Neville's throat.
“What did you say?” he growled menacingly.
Neville gulped. “I-I was just asking what the item you wanted me to retrieve was, Sir.” He held his breath for nearly a minute before Voldemort withdrew it.
You're a clever boy, you can figure it out when you get there.”
“Yes, Sir,” Neville breathed. With that said, Voldemort motioned toward the door.
In the massing minutes, Neville's mind raced with thoughts of his task. If it was what he thought it was, then he had to get a hold of Harry and quickly.
***
Neville's back hit the ground after his foot sank into the muddy earth. The pebbles beneath him and the fog in the cold air made aware he was on a lake shore. Springing up, Neville's eyes scanned the area rapidly. On his left was the barely-visible shoreline of a lake, to his right stood a set of thick trees. Neville knew that he was out in the open and did not like it one bit. After tossing the tarnished goblet aside, he hurriedly pushed himself from the ground and sprinted toward the trees for some kind of cover. In a matter of seconds he was concealed and disillusioned among the trees.
“Quaero Veneficus,” Neville muttered with an airy wave of his wand. He then began fanning it out, circling himself as the spell scanned the area. After three full circles at different heights, Neville canceled the spell and replaced his wand. Knowing well that there wasn't a witch or wizard for miles, he knew he could contact Harry safely.
Gathering a few nearby sticks, Neville made a small bed of flames. After another quick look around, Neville pointed his wand at the flames and muttered “Tribunus Inscendio.” The flames went from their yellow-orange to a healthy glowing green color as Neville replaced his wand and removed a small cloth satchel from his breast pocket.
“Thank Merlin the Ministry's on our side,” he said as he took a pinch of the powder in his hand. “It's good to have portable communication.” With a deep breath, he threw his handful into the flames. “Number 5, Lion's Court!” Neville called and placed his head inside the fire.
***
“You took that polyjuice potion like I told you to?” Neville called out behind him.
“Yeah, but what are we supposed to be looking for?” Harry asked under his cloak as he and the still disillusioned Neville made their way out of the woods. Neville ripped a stray branch from his arm before he explained Voldemort's reaction to Harry.
“So do you think it's a horcrux?” Neville finished.
“Well,” Harry replied, “the way he reacted I wouldn't be surprised.”
They came to the edge of the lake, and Harry and Neville both looked at each other, not knowing what to do. It was obvious to them that the island was protected by an anti-apparation spell.
“Maybe we can swim,” Neville said in an offhand tone just as the surface of the water broke. Before them floated an odd, sinister-looking creature floated to the surface. With a screech, it leaped from the water and the two just caught the glimpse of a monkey with webbed feet before it returned below the surface with an audible splash.
In the silence that followed, Neville and Harry each took turns glancing at each other. Harry finally broke the silence when he said the two words, “you first.”
Neville sighed, thinking about how to get onto that island. He scanned the ground and the sky for anything they could use. Then a thought hit him.
“Wait, Harry,” he said, “you're going to love this.” He then picked up two rocks from the ground and transfigured them into two broomsticks. Placing them side by side, he called Harry over, and the two mounted and took off, flying over the black water.
“So how many are there left?” Neville asked the invisible Harry, knowing he meant horcruxes.
“Three,” Harry said, “Something of Ravenclaw or Gryffidor's, the snake and Voldemort himself.”
“I think he knows, Harry,” Neville said, “He's been acting really weird toward everyone. Lucius Malfoy doesn't trust me one bit.”
“But does he trust you?” Harry asked. Neville turned forward once more, the point clearly taken.
Once they flew over the island they found it to have the same amount of thick trees as the mainland, however, there was an ominous clearing near the center that was calling after them. They descended through the trees to the perimeter gates of a large mansion and dismounted.
Harry took off his invisibility cloak and stuffed it into the newly visible bag as Neville rapped his wand on his head and felt a welcoming warmth envelop him. Then, without warning, a large snake at least four meters long. It arched itself into a striking position when Harry suddenly stepped in from of Neville.
Harry made this odd hissing sound to which the snake replied with more of the same. Neville waited behind Harry with bated breath as the two conversed in what he could only imagine as parseltongue. Just hearing it made Neville fear Harry as he did the Dark Lord earlier that day. However, Neville need not be afraid. It was not long after this that the snake returned to the ground and led them in through the gates.
“What did you say?” Neville all but demanded in amazement.
“Well,” Harry began, “he said we weren't welcome, but after saying that we were sent by Voldemort and explaining what he asked you to do, he said he'd take us to what we needed!”
Neville was shocked at how easy this was becoming. They entered the property to find it depleted and deserted. As they made their way through the dismal courtyard, Neville heard the snake hiss once more to Harry.
“She said there's a caretaker here,” Harry said as the snake hissed again, “Just show her the mark and you'll be alright.”
Neville wasn't so sure. Granted, the serpent hadn't given them reason not to trust her, but Neville had the feeling that this could get very bad, very quickly.
“So where is this caretaker?” Neville asked.
“She should be around somewhere,” Harry sighed. “But apparently we have to see her before we're allowed inside the mansion.”
“Well, she'd better get here quick otherwise I'm going to—”
BANG!
Neville hit the ground before he knew he was hit. Stars buzzing before him, the pain in the back of his head became more severe as blood trickled down his forehead. He heard yelling, hissing and shrieking before him. Chaos seemed to overtake him as he felt himself be dragged to a sitting position.
“Neville!” he heard Harry say repeatedly. After a moment, the pain in his head had subsided and he felt his left sleeve being pulled up his arm. As he lifted his head, he heard a gasp accompanied by a large object falling to the mossy stone ground. A tall, but deathly skinny woman had her dead, black eyes wide with focus on the Dark Mark upon Neville's arm. She honestly looked like someone who starved to death, but years ago. Her skin was wrinkled and decayed, giving her a pale green complexion, and the skin on her face was stretched so thin it was like looking at a skeleton.
Not really hearing what the 'woman' was saying, Neville stood and wiped the blood from his forehead as he made his way to the front door. Harry soon followed and the serpent made its way ahead as Neville opened the door.
It was a dark and dank area, but neither Neville nor Harry were concerned about the house. The serpent led, and they followed it into what used to be a sitting room. There was a sofa and chairs with an adjacent coffee table, a bar in the corner and in the center of the far wall, where the snake made its way, sat an empty and blackened fireplace.
The snake hissed something as Neville stumbled in. Harry looked at it and repeated its noises, to which the snake replied by nodding its head. Without a word, Harry stepped forth and pulled back the single candle on the right. At once, the fireplace began to move noisily, blanketing anything nearby with soot. Once turned around, there stood a minute plateau holding a small box in place at the top. Neville crossed the room and took the box from its resting place. Without hesitation, Neville opened the box and found something to make both he and Harry gasp.
Inside were a pair of the oldest glasses either had ever seen. Small, black and horn-rimmed, these glasses looked like the kind that would fit a child, or a very small woman. As Neville turned them to the side he noticed a golden eagle etched into the wing on either side.
“This is it!” Neville almost yelled. “Ravenclaw's glasses!”
“Yeah,” Harry said. “Her house is known for taking the most studious. A pair of reading glasses would make sense.”
Neville's mind was ablaze with a million thoughts. The most active one of which seemed to be telling him you're holding part of Voldemort's soul! Neville looked around to see the serpent gazing at the object in Neville's hands, but with a sense of ease. It was as if she was thanking Neville for relieving her of her duty.
“What's her name?” Neville asked.
“What?”
“You said the snake's a 'she', right? What's her name?”
Harry paused, but a smile crept onto his face as he said the name “Shuhan.” Neville smiled.
“Thank you, Shuhan.”
Not long after that, Harry and Neville walked toward the portkey with the air of two warriors about to return home. As he stepped up along the rocky shoreline, Neville looked down at the old and battered goblet.
“I don't think I should go back empty-handed,” Neville said warily as Harry nodded his head in agreement. “But maybe we're still ok...”
“How do you mean?” Harry asked. “If you don't go back with the horcrux then he'll know you're either incompetent or a spy.”
“No,” Neville began, “see, he sent me here alone, expecting me to try and get this thing alone. I reckon that if I had to fight off that snake and that bloody psychopath, I'd have more than just a lump on my head.”
“No,” Harry began, comprehension dawning on his face.“He would have expected you to die —”
“— Or come back after more than just two hours,” Neville finished with a smile. He sat on the rocks beside the portkey as Harry paced behind him.
“So,” Harry began, “does that mean you can come back to headquarters for a while?” He knelt beside Neville and dropped the glasses on the pebbles in front of them. “I know that a few people would love to see you're alright.”
“Well I could,” Neville said, “except I don't know where we are. If I were to go back to headquarters, I wouldn't be able to get back and take the portkey back to Voldemort.” They sat in silence for a moment.
“Unless,” Harry began slowly, “something happens to the portkey so you have no choice but to apparate back.” Neville's eyes went wide.
“That's brilliant!” he exclaimed. “If something happens and the portkey isn't here when I get back, I'll have to apparate back!”
“So what are we going to do to it?” Harry asked.
“We can't deactivate it,” Neville began, thinking out loud, “but we could make it look like something else took it back. Maybe —I don't know— an animal stepping on it.”
“Like a squirrel?” Harry mentioned, pointing toward the woods. A small red squirrel was on the side of a large evergreen about 100 meters from them. Without hesitation, the word “Stupefy!” rang out in Harry's voice. In a red flash the squirrel fell a short distance to the ground, completely immobile.
“Yeah,” Neville said slowly as Harry stood, “a squirrel would work...” Harry crossed the rocky beach to the small animal, frozen in its climbing position. Neville soon followed and the two stood over the creature.
“You know, I must admit,” Neville said, “that was a bloody nice shot.” Harry smiled slightly as he lowered himself and scooped up the rodent. “But what are you going to do with it?”
“Drop it on the portkey.” Harry said simply. Neville hurried forward.
“But if you just drop a stunned squirrel on the portkey, they'll know something's up!” Neville said desperately, but Harry seemed already aware of this. He stopped short of the portkey and pointed his still-withdrawn wand directly at it.
“Enervate,” he said as a shot went directly into the squirrel's chest. The animal seemed shocked momentarily, as it looked around and up to Harry before trying to escape. Harry then dropped it onto the portkey. In an instant, the tarnished goblet vanished from sight.
“There,” Harry said, picking up the glasses from the rocks. “They'll see the portkey come back with a squirrel and knowing them, they'll just let you get back on your own.”
But just as Harry had finished saying that, three loud cracks filled the shore. One pair of hands grabbed Neville's shoulders, another took hold of Harry's. They were caught.
Trust by blackhairedweasley
Chapter Notes: The following contains the whole of prompt 8 and half of prompt 9.