The Light in the Dark | Neville Longbottom

Chapter 94: Caught

*CW: Extreme Violence*

We arrived in the middle of a forest. Almost immediately, I collapsed on a tree, trying to catch my breath. All of us were a bit shaken up due to the attack, but nobody was as distraught as me. I mean, hell... a few seconds ago, I was getting crushed by ceiling rubble because of that stupid horn. These past two years, I refrained from saying anything mean about the family out of respect to Luna, but I quickly took all of it back. Not only did Xenophilius sell us out to deatheaters, but he ignored Hermione's warnings about the erumpent horns. The Lovegoods were truly mad.

"For fuck's sake..." I groaned, panting, "I swear to Merlin, if we visit another one of our supposed allies and they snitch us out again, I'm going to literally drown myself."

I expected at least a few chuckles from Ron and Harry, or a few condescending words from Hermione about how my joke wasn't funny, but there was none of that. In fact, I heard nothing, like all the sound in the world just got sucked out.

Baffled, I turned around, facing my friends. Their faces were full of hurt and confusion, which only baffled me more. I also noticed Harry and Ron reaching for their wands as tears filled Hermione's eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked cautiously.

"What is that on your arm?" Harry asked coldly.

I raised an eyebrow, looking down at my arms. My heart sank to my stomach. It felt like the world had stopped spinning, and time had stopped moving. Chills immediately covered my entire body, and soon enough... I was panicking. It must've been the fall; the rubble tore at my clothes. I didn't notice it... Not at first, but the three of them probably saw it when I rested my arms on the tree to catch my breath. On my left arm, there was a giant rip on the sleeve, allowing my dark mark to see the light.

Hastily, I covered the mark with my other hand, "It's nothing..."

"Dawn, show me your arm." Harry said coldly.

I shook my head, backing away from him, "No... Why would I-"

"DAWN, I SWEAR TO MERLIN," Harry shouted, rushing forward and trying to pry my hand from my arm, "SHOW ME YOUR ARM RIGHT NOW!"

"HARRY, STOP!" I screamed, fighting him off, "GET OFF OF ME! YOU'RE MAD!"

"THEN SHOW ME YOUR ARM!" Harry spat.

"NO!" I protested, "'MIONE! RON! HELP ME!"

Neither of them helped me. In fact, Hermione stepped backwards, shaking her head. Ron wrapped an arm around her, staring at me angrily. They knew... They all did, even Harry. The only reason he was fighting me right now was because he wanted me to admit it.

Harry pulled out his wand, pointing it at me, "STUPEFY!"

I flew backwards, collapsing on the floor. While I recollected myself, Harry rushed forward and ripped the material off my left arm, exposing my dark mark once more. I watched his face form into a nasty scowl before he shoved me away, angrily walking back over to his friends.

There was no use trying to deny it any longer. They all knew... and from the looks on their faces, they were fuming. Almost immediately, a wave of tears fell from my eyes, and I became a sobbing, pathetic mess. I scrambled my way to my feet, staring at my friends through my blurred eyes.

Hermione stepped forward, grabbing a rock off the ground before throwing it at me, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? I THOUGHT YOU WERE MY FRIEND!"

Thankfully, I dodged the rock, preventing any further injuries, considering I already had plenty. However, that was the first time Hermione had screamed like that. Her voice was full of hurt, only breaking my heart even more. In mere seconds, I had lost my best friend.