*Index Card 2: Benji was part of the DA group as one of the many nameless students in the background*
Normal POV
Benji's eyes slowly opened his mouth opened letting out an exhausted groan while his head pounded, he closed his eyes again trying to remember the last thing he could think of when it all suddenly came rolling back to him.
Death Eaters had found him with Lestrange leading them he vividly remembers her taunts before the Obscuras in him rampaged out of control.
The Death Eaters, Bellatrix Lestrange her mocking laughter, the power of the Obscurus raw and uncontrollable unleashing destruction around him. His breath quickened panic rising as the vivid scenes of carnage flashed behind his eyelids.
With a shaky hand, Benji reached up to his face, feeling the cold sweat dripping down his skin. He didn't know where he was, but the quiet murmur of voices nearby told him he wasn't alone. His body tensed fear creeping back into his mind. Had they captured him?
He blinked his eyes again as his surroundings became clearer, he was in a dimly lit room the scent of damp earth and old wood filling his nostrils. His fingers brushed against rough fabric a makeshift bed beneath him he wasn't in his apartment anymore.
"He's awake," came a voice from the shadows Benji jerked his heart leaping into his throat.
"Easy there mate," another voice calmer familiar Ron Weasley stepped into the dim light his tall lanky figure unmistakable though his face was much older lined with exhaustion and worry.
Benji's eyes widened as he spotted Ron followed by Harry Potter and Hermione Granger standing close behind. The golden trio battle-worn but still standing strong and alive "Ha-harry? is that you?" he gasped out in disbelief.
He hadn't seen anyone...since the final battle he had assumed that they hadn't survived since there was no news of the three not that he would know since he never bothered in checking the daily prophet.
"W-where am I? How are you all here?!" he questioned trying to rise up from the bed only for Hermione to gently push him back down "easy there Benji you're not in any position to be moving especially after what happened," she said with a stern tone.
Benji's mind raced as he struggled to comprehend the situation his eyes darting between Harry, Ron, and Hermione. His breath came in shallow gasps the panic still gripping his chest the memories of the Obscurus taking over the chaos, the destruction it was all too real, and yet here he was alive but how?
"Where am I?" Benji repeated his voice hoarse, cracking as the anxiety in his chest tightened. He glanced down at his trembling hands "how... how did I even survive?"
"We found you after... well after whatever happened back there," Harry said quietly stepping closer his green eyes, though tired held the same fierce determination Benji remembered from before the fall of Hogwarts.
Benji shook his head though, confusion overtaking him "n-no you don't understand. I couldn't control it the Obscurus—it..." his words trailed off throat constricting with guilt not for the Death Eaters but for the muggles that he had accidentally killed in his rampage "oh God they're all dead aren't they? All of them," he muttered.
The trio looked between one another before Harry placed a hand on Benji's shoulder causing him to glance at the other man "yes you did kill all the Death Eaters....and everything else around but it's not your fault you understand me Benji you didn't have control over it," he said in the most comforting tone that he could muster.
His grip on the blankets tightened though "that doesn't change what happened does it?" he whispered voice thick with guilt. The scenes of his rampage played in his mind like a never-ending nightmare. Walls crumbling, bodies torn apart, and his magic twisting violently out of control. He could still hear the terrified screams still feel the surge of unrelenting power that ripped through everything around him.
"Mate don't go blaming yourself it's like Harry said you didn't have any control over it," Ron said causing Benji to snarl at him with golden black mist escaping from the side of his face "of course you'd say that, but you don't know what it's like to be the death cause of so many innocents!!"
"Benji...calm down," Hermione said with her right hand discreetly reaching for her wand Benji's eyes searched into her own before he breathed in deeply causing the mist to disappear back into him "...s-sorry I didn't mean for that to happen but now you guy's understand what I meant when I say I have no control it reacts to all of my negative emotions," he said with a downcast look.
"Then you simply need to learn how to control and block your emotions right" Harry said glancing at Hermione whose eyes suddenly lit up with a look of understanding "that's right! We could teach you occlumency," she exclaimed startling Benji out of his depressive thoughts.
"The bloody fuck is occlumency?" he asked only to be smacked over the head "language!" Hermione scolded while both Ron and Harry stifled their chuckles causing Benji to glare at the two "right sorry please continue," Benji said.
Hermione huffed crossing her arms together "occlumency is the art of defending one's own mind from a legilimency attack which allows the user to penetrate a person's mind to read their thoughts or memories....however occlumency can also be used to control your thoughts, emotions, and memories," she lectured reminding him of professor Mcgonagall.
God bless that woman's soul for despite being overwhelmed by several groups of death eaters was still able to not only beat them but also managed to kill off a good amount of them off including both Nott Senior and Avery senior two members of Voldemort's inner circle.
"Harry and I could teach it to you and if you master it then it's possible you won't have to worry about it again better yet...you could probably use the Obscuras in battle," she continued snapping Benji out of his thoughts "I-I don't know about willingly wanting to use it...but if it can help me control it then I'd like to give it a try," Benji replied after processing all the information.
He then looked back at Harry "speaking of which you still haven't told me how you made it out and where we are right now?" he asked causing Harry to look at the fireplace staring at the burning flames.
"It's a long story but after the Battle of Hogwarts everything fell apart fast. Voldemort's forces took over and it became harder for us to stay hidden. We've been working underground ever since trying to resist in whatever way we can and...we've been looking for people like you, people who were lost after the fall," he said with a solemn tone.
"People like me?" Benji asked furrowing his brow "survivors," Harry quickly clarified "people who fought in the battle and lived to tell the tale. You were a part of the D.A even if you think you were just in the background, Benji you were still one of us," he said trying to lift his spirits up.
Benji scoffed though shaking his head "I'm not like you three I didn't save anyone...I was there when the castle was finally breached by both the Lestrange and Dolhov t-they...they had killed Professor Lupin along with Tonks and several other Slytherins kids that were against Vol- You-Know-Who's ideal," he recalled with a haunted look in his eyes suddenly it seemed impossible to swallow his throat felt like it had been tightened.
He hadn't called Voldemort's name out as he would have before the name had been cursed so that whoever was foolish enough to say it would automatically have the Death Eaters teleport into their homes.
"I-I only survived because of Professor Lupin casting a last second disillusion charm that hid me from there sight," tears began to well up into his eyes as he shook his head to make it go away "after that I fled back into the muggle world, hid everything magical including my wand, and then I had started to suppress my magic so that I wouldn't be found and well...that's how I turned out the way I did," he concluded with a nod.
Ron sighed "Mate ya ain't the only one who couldn't save anyone I lost my whole entire family except for my brother George and Harry he's a lost a lot more than you can imagine...I guess what I am trying to say is that all of us here have scars but here we are still standing putting up the good fight like they would have wanted," he said before leaving the room.
Silence followed until Harry looked at him "as blunt as Ron was he's right especially about the last part. We've all still been fighting because we know that everyone who we couldn't help or save wouldn't want us to stay stuck in our grief but to keep fighting against Tom until we finally put an end to him," with his piece said he followed out of the room most likely to catch up with Ron.
"...I suppose you're probably going to say something similar, aren't you?" Benji asked Hermione who bit her lips before shaking her head "they pretty much said it all, so I don't need to say anything other than to just lay back down and try to get some sleep you'll need it for a full recovery," she said leaving the room closing the door on her way out.
Benji slumped back on the bed looking at the ceiling processing everything that happened today until sleep finally got to him.
-end of chapter one-
let me know what you guys think of this so far even though it's only two chapters right now.
In Addition, Benji knows that Tom Riddle is Voldemort because Harry explained it all for the DA.