Challenge 33: Famous Quotes
Title: The Man in the Arena
Rating/Warnings: PG
Characters/Pairing: Neville Longbottom
Summary: Neville finds a quote he hopes to live up to
Word Count: 687
Author's Notes:
Registered purchases?: Both
Neville Longbottom had lived most of his early life in regret. He was the child who might have been a Squib, who barely made it to Hogwarts. He was the Gryffindor that was always afraid. His first moment of bravery and it was to try to stop his friends from doing something that saved them all. He had been a member of the group but he had never been an actor, until the battle at the Department of Ministries.
In between sixth and seventh year, Neville had seriously considered not returning to Hogwarts. He had had enough of pain and suffering. He may have been a Pureblood but he knew it wouldn’t be completely safe to return, especially since he’d already fought against the Death Eaters once. He’d been looking through quotes books, though, and he’d stumbled across one by the American President Teddy Roosevelt. It was a long quote, but part of it really stuck with him: “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood.”
He realized he truly believed that. He had always felt almost shamed by his lack of participation, by all of them leaving it up to Harry to just save them. Up until this point in his life he really thought that all the credit for good things belonged to other people. Even his skill in Herbology was more due to Pomona Sprout’s teaching, in his mind, than to his own talent. He decided no more! He would no longer be the critic, he would be the man in the arena. He would not be scared away by one confrontation.
School started and Neville, well, Neville was frightened. The announcement of Severus Snape, his childhood Boggart, as Headmaster almost made Neville change his mind. It wasn’t too late, he could run away and probably still be fine, but...he couldn’t leave the younger students. He couldn’t abandon the “blood traitors” that had decided to return to school in defiance of expectations.
The first time the Carrows “punished” a student, Neville realized it wasn’t enough to be in the arena, he had to act. His face wasn’t marred by dust and sweat and blood, he had been sitting there watching others fight again. The next day he started up the DA again, he found the Room of Requirement and he told it that he needed a place to make people safe. It provided, as always. There were beds, first aid equipment. He started practicing defensive spells with the students. Harry wasn’t there, but that didn’t mean danger had disappeared with him.
When Harry returned, Neville felt a surge of pride at all he had accomplished. He could see when Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at him they saw. They saw that he had been marred by the arena, that he was no longer a spectator. They saw him as their equal, as a participant, someone who had put effort into fighting the war with them. He had done what they could not, while they had done what he could not.
After the battle at Hogwarts, when Voldemort had Hagrid present Harry’s body, Neville knew he was being given leave to exit the arena despite the fact he had lost. The master of games was giving the Purebloods the thumbs up, allowing them to live. Neville had come to far, though. He couldn’t live as a loser, he had to continue the fight. He didn’t remember what happened, he just saw the sword in his hand afterwards, the snake before him.
The rest of his life, Neville knew no regrets. He had become that which he admired. He no longer felt like the spectator in the stands. He had stood with those he loved, for what he believed in, and they had been victorious in part because of his efforts. On days that he was feeling down, he would dig out that old quote book and re-read the quote by that American President: “Credit goes to the man in the arena.” Neville had built his adult life around that fact.
Points: 687/30=(22.9) 23+10= 33
33 Points for Slytherin
Rating/Warnings: PG
Characters/Pairing: Neville Longbottom
Summary: Neville finds a quote he hopes to live up to
Word Count: 687
Author's Notes:
Registered purchases?: Both
Neville Longbottom had lived most of his early life in regret. He was the child who might have been a Squib, who barely made it to Hogwarts. He was the Gryffindor that was always afraid. His first moment of bravery and it was to try to stop his friends from doing something that saved them all. He had been a member of the group but he had never been an actor, until the battle at the Department of Ministries.
In between sixth and seventh year, Neville had seriously considered not returning to Hogwarts. He had had enough of pain and suffering. He may have been a Pureblood but he knew it wouldn’t be completely safe to return, especially since he’d already fought against the Death Eaters once. He’d been looking through quotes books, though, and he’d stumbled across one by the American President Teddy Roosevelt. It was a long quote, but part of it really stuck with him: “The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood.”
He realized he truly believed that. He had always felt almost shamed by his lack of participation, by all of them leaving it up to Harry to just save them. Up until this point in his life he really thought that all the credit for good things belonged to other people. Even his skill in Herbology was more due to Pomona Sprout’s teaching, in his mind, than to his own talent. He decided no more! He would no longer be the critic, he would be the man in the arena. He would not be scared away by one confrontation.
School started and Neville, well, Neville was frightened. The announcement of Severus Snape, his childhood Boggart, as Headmaster almost made Neville change his mind. It wasn’t too late, he could run away and probably still be fine, but...he couldn’t leave the younger students. He couldn’t abandon the “blood traitors” that had decided to return to school in defiance of expectations.
The first time the Carrows “punished” a student, Neville realized it wasn’t enough to be in the arena, he had to act. His face wasn’t marred by dust and sweat and blood, he had been sitting there watching others fight again. The next day he started up the DA again, he found the Room of Requirement and he told it that he needed a place to make people safe. It provided, as always. There were beds, first aid equipment. He started practicing defensive spells with the students. Harry wasn’t there, but that didn’t mean danger had disappeared with him.
When Harry returned, Neville felt a surge of pride at all he had accomplished. He could see when Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at him they saw. They saw that he had been marred by the arena, that he was no longer a spectator. They saw him as their equal, as a participant, someone who had put effort into fighting the war with them. He had done what they could not, while they had done what he could not.
After the battle at Hogwarts, when Voldemort had Hagrid present Harry’s body, Neville knew he was being given leave to exit the arena despite the fact he had lost. The master of games was giving the Purebloods the thumbs up, allowing them to live. Neville had come to far, though. He couldn’t live as a loser, he had to continue the fight. He didn’t remember what happened, he just saw the sword in his hand afterwards, the snake before him.
The rest of his life, Neville knew no regrets. He had become that which he admired. He no longer felt like the spectator in the stands. He had stood with those he loved, for what he believed in, and they had been victorious in part because of his efforts. On days that he was feeling down, he would dig out that old quote book and re-read the quote by that American President: “Credit goes to the man in the arena.” Neville had built his adult life around that fact.
Points: 687/30=(22.9) 23+10= 33
33 Points for Slytherin