Fic: "Coming out of Hiding", for wook77
Title: Coming out of Hiding
Author: kerrymdb
Recipient: wook77
Rating: G
Character(s): Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan and Augusta Longbottom
Summary: Generally, the thought of taking a chance would leave Neville Longbottom weak at the knees. But the summer after the battle at the Department of Mysteries, Neville learns that some risks are definitely worth taking.
Author's Notes: I ended up kind of combining two of your requests together. I hope you enjoy it! A million thanks to S for all her help.
Coming out of Hiding
Neville Longbottom stood flush against the wall of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, wishing more than ever that he could be invisible. If only he didn't have to wait another year and four days until his seventeenth birthday. He'd be able to cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and wouldn't have to worry in the slightest that he would be seen.
Though, truth be told, he was quite pleased with his hiding spot, right in-between a large refrigerator and the wall. If Trevor hadn't tried to run away once again, he would have never found it. All he had to do was hope that Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan would leave the ice cream parlor before his grandmother finished her conversation with Griselda Marchbanks.
Now that he was hidden safely away, Neville couldn't quite remember why he had wanted to hide in the first place. He and Gran were having some ice cream - two scoops of chocolate mango for him, a butterbeer float for her - when Trevor jumped out of his pocket. It was only a half-hearted effort by Trevor, so Neville had caught up to him easily.
But then he had heard his grandmother's overly loud voice talking to Mrs. Marchbanks and saw Dean and Seamus ordering their ice cream.
It was all too much. Scooping up Trevor, Neville had lodged himself into this small space. From his hiding spot, Neville could see the two Gryffindors talking excitedly over their ice cream, though neither could see him because of the shadows. Which pleased Neville greatly. Scrunching his neck, Neville saw that they were both eating horribly slow; he was surprised that their ice cream hadn't melted yet. It didn't matter, Neville was content to wait until either Mrs. Marchbanks left or Dean and Seamus left.
He should have realised that Trevor would have other plans.
His toad squirmed in his pocket, desperate to be free. Neville stroked him on the head, willing him to be still, which of course didn't work. With a burst of energy, Trevor jumped out of Neville's pocket and halfway across the floor.
Neville couldn't hear what was being said, but he watched the surprise cross Dean's face as he leaned over and picked Trevor off of the floor. Both Seamus and Dean looked around, probably expecting Neville to be running after his pet.
Now he was in a quandary. He didn't want to leave his spot. Not when his gran would see him and drag him over to Mrs. Marchbanks, giving her yet another opportunity to brag about what happened at the Ministry. Best to stay right here and just stay out of sight.
His eyes round with horror, Neville watched Dean stand up and walk over to his grandmother, handing her Trevor. How did he possibly know she was his gran? The Boggart, he thought bitterly. Gran was wearing her stuffed vulture hat. Probably every single person at Hogwarts could recognize that hat.
"Neville!" his grandmother's voice screeched.
Neville shut his eyes tightly, wanting to disappear, wishing he could disappear. Ready to sacrifice everything he ever held dear in order to disappear.
"Is Neville here?" he heard Seamus ask.
"Do both you young men know my grandson?" asked his gran, sounding delighted to have another potential audience.
He grimaced, waiting for Dean to give his grandmother the ammunition to embarrass him completely.
"We all go to Hogwarts together," Dean answered casually. "Share a dorm."
"Oh," Gran said happily. Neville knew that voice. That voice meant she was going to go into a long-winded explanation of how he had changed since his first year.
Neville had a decision to make. As embarrassing as it would be to have everyone see him leave his hiding spot, it would be even more embarrassing to listen to his grandmother boast all about him because of the battle at the Ministry.
Thinking as quickly as he could, Neville squatted down and tried to wedge himself out of the small, contained space. It only took a moment before he realised that he was stuck.
"Well, then I'm sure you heard all about the fighting in the Department of Mysteries!" his grandmother continued.
She was talking about wonderful it was that he was finally living up to the Longbottom name when Neville decided that desperate times called for desperate measures. Being careful not to damage his new wand, currently nestled in the back pocket of his jeans, Neville used all his strength to launch out of the space.
Causing him to land right on his face with a thud.
The noise caused several of the patrons to stand up and crane their necks. By the time Neville lifted his head, half the store, including Dean, Seamus, Griselda Marchbanks and of course, his gran, were all staring down at him.
Hoping his face wasn't nearly as red as it felt, Neville asked, with as much dignity as he could muster, "Have any of you seen a toad?" Hearing his name, Trevor, who was being held by Gran, let out a loud ribbit.
Neville didn't imagine the amused faces around him. Sighing, he picked himself up off of the floor and reached out for Trevor.
"Honestly, Neville," Gran said disapprovingly. But then her face stretched into the wide smile Neville had become so accustomed to this summer. "I was just telling these nice young men about the Department of Mysteries. I'm sure they'd want to hear your side of the story."
Dean and Seamus shifted uncomfortably. Probably the last thing they wanted to do was listen to anything he had to say. Even though they all had shared a dorm with Harry and Ron for the past five years, Neville really wasn't that friendly with them. He would stand up for them, just like any of his Housemates, but that's about it.
"I think I just should buy my books and go home, Gran," Neville mumbled.
"Dear, I was hoping we could have dinner with Griselda. She so wants to hear all of the details," Gran said. Looking proudly at him, she said to Mrs. Marchbanks, "Neville is finally fulfilling his potential. Just like his father. I sometimes wondered if the day would ever come-"
"Seamus and I still need to buy our books. Want to come with?" interrupted Dean casually.
The conversation between Gran and Mrs. Marchbanks stopped immediately. Neville looked hopefully over at Gran. "Can I?" An arched eyebrow made him realise his mistake and he corrected himself by saying, "May I, please?"
"You may." Gran turned her face so that Neville could give her a kiss on the cheek. Avoiding Dean and Seamus' gaze, he gave her a quick peck, so quick that he wasn't quite sure if his lips actually grazed her skin.
Neville could feel her eyes on his back as the three Gryffindors left the ice cream parlor. No doubt as soon as he was outside, she would bore Mrs. Marchbanks with yet another story of what happened.
The moment the boys stepped outside of the parlor, Neville felt his cheeks flush when he saw Dean and Seamus laughing so hard that Seamus had to reach out for the brick wall of the store for support.
"We're not laughing at you, mate," Dean gasped, trying to catch his breath.
"The hat!" Seamus shouted. "She was wearing the hat!"
"Snape's hat!" laughed Dean, holding his side.
A small smile crossed Neville's face as he realised that his dorm mates weren't laughing at him, but at the Boggart he had turned into Snape wearing his grandmother's clothes in their third year. When the Boggart incident took place, Neville knew that the majority of students thought it was hilarious. But realising that Dean and Seamus still found the mental image funny two years later, made Neville almost beam with pride.
A few minutes passed before they were all composed enough to head towards the bookstore. As they walked, Neville pulled out his new wand. "Cherry and unicorn hair," he told them, showing it off. "Just bought it an hour ago."
"I've got unicorn hair, too," Dean told him. "Seamus has a dragon heartstring."
"How's it feel?" asked Seamus.
"I don't know," Neville admitted. "I'll find out at Hogwarts. It's not like I can perform any magic right now."
"Why not?" sniggered Seamus.
"I'm not of age," Neville answered, a bit perplexed. They were all underage still. Seamus knew that. "It's illegal."
"So?"
"So?" asked Neville. "I can't just do magic in the middle of Diagon Alley. I'll get arrested. I'll be thrown into Azkaban or something."
"No, you won't," Dean said with a knowing smile. Seamus whistled innocently.
Neville stopped in his tracks and felt his jaw drop. "Have you done magic? Magic in Diagon Alley?"
Seamus grabbed Neville by the sleeve of his robe. "Not so loud, do you want to get us in trouble?"
"But you said-"
"I know what we said," Seamus told him. "You're in Diagon Alley! They can't track who does magic here."
"You're in a populated magical place, Neville," Dean explained. "You can do magic in public and no one will ever know. It's not like your home where they can track you."
Neville's eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you sure?" he asked. It wouldn't be the first time that Dean and Seamus conspired to play a joke on him.
"We're not going to get you arrested, Neville," Seamus said with a laugh. "Try out your wand."
"What should I try?" Neville asked, trying to keep the hesitation out of his voice. He still wasn't sure about this, but he didn't want to seem scared in front of his dorm mates.
"Something simple," answered Dean. He reached into his knapsack. Instead of books, there seemed to be drawing paper and various art supplies inside. Dean took out a quill. "Levitate it."
"A first year can do that," Seamus said pointedly.
"I can levitate things," Neville said defensively.
"Then do it," Seamus said.
"Fine, I will." Neville closed his eyes and concentrated.
Dean grabbed his arm. "Wait, not here. It's too public."
Seamus rolled his eyes. "He's fine. Cast the spell, Neville."
"Don't, Neville." Dean crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Seamus angrily. "Didn't you learn anything from last summer?"
With a sheepish grin, Seamus scratched the back of his head. "Right. Let's find a space a bit more private, shall we?"
The three young men started walking and turned down the small alleyway that led to Knockturn Alley. Neville had never been this close to the place and quite frankly, it made him a bit uneasy. To take his mind off of his nervousness, he asked Dean, "What happened last summer?"
"I went and spent the weekend at Seamus' place in Cork when his parents were out of town," Dean explained. "No other wizards in the area. Well, we were talking a walk through the neighborhood and Seamus decided to do some magic-"
"Don't listen to him, Neville," Seamus interrupted good-naturedly. "Dean doesn't know what he's talking about."
"He gave me that whole 'no one will ever know' speech, so I let him go ahead. So he performs the spell - what was that spell again?"
"Summoning Charm."
"A bloody Summoning Charm, and within two minutes, he had an official warning letter from the Ministry," Dean said, trying not to laugh.
"What happened?" Neville asked curiously. He wanted to keep this conversation going as long as he could. It wasn't very often that Neville actually felt himself part of a group. While he knew the feeling would never last, he couldn't help but wish the sensation could last as long as possible.
Of the five Gryffindor boys, Neville had been the one left out. Harry and Ron became instant friends, Dean and Seamus, too, leaving Neville just out on the edges. Though Neville never really tried to become good friends with any of them; he always worried that his presence wasn't wanted. But right now he didn't feel left out at all!
"His parents had taken a Portkey to wherever they went. You have to register if you're going to use a Portkey. The Ministry knew that Seamus was the only wizard left in the area," Dean snickered.
"How am I supposed to remember those stupid details?" Seamus asked in mock anger. He shrugged. "If I'm caught again, I'm kicked out of Hogwarts."
"I shouldn't use magic then, just in case," Neville offered.
"You're the one doing the magic, not me," Seamus said. "On to it."
"You're sure?" Neville asked. After hearing that story, he was a little nervous. How would he ever explain to his Gran what happened if he was caught?
Seamus nodded while Dean held out his hand, still holding the quill.
With a gulp, Neville said, "Here goes." Taking a moment, he pointed his wand at the quill and concentrated fiercely. "Wingardium Leviosa."
Neville could feel the warmth spread through his arm, into his hand and finally into the wand. It took a second longer than Neville would have liked, but finally the quill lifted itself off of Dean's hand.
His new wand felt wonderful! Already it felt like it was an extension of his arm, a feeling he never had with his dad's wand. Neville watched happily as he raised the quill higher and higher, far above their heads. If this was what his new wand was going to be like, Neville couldn't wait for the school year to start!
With a flick, Neville lowered the quill back into Dean's hand. "The wand feels good," Neville told them.
"Course it does," Seamus said. "New wands have the best feeling."
"And you know that because of the one new wand you've ever owned," Dean countered.
"Enough to know that it's a great feeling," Seamus shot back.
The boys turned around and found themselves looking straight into the eyes of a pale-faced Enforcer. Neville's stomach froze and he wasn't completely certain, but he was fairly sure that his heart had skipped several beats.
"And just what do we have here?" the Enforcer asked.
Neville tried to look the picture of innocence. Out of the corner of his eye, Dean, who was standing in between Neville and Seamus, looked absolutely terrified. And Neville could hardly believe what he heard when Seamus grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and yelled, "Run!"
And they turned around and ran.
Perhaps the Enforcer just was too surprised to follow them when he saw the three teenagers run into Knockturn Alley without a thought. Or perhaps he decided they just weren't worth his time and energy. Whatever the reason, Neville, Dean and Seamus soon found themselves in the middle of Knockturn Alley, thankfully with no one chasing them.
Neville felt a sense of elation as he ran. He had never done anything like this before in his life. Neville Longbottom run from an Enforcer? Never! But that's exactly what he did and it thrilled him.
All three looked around warily when they finally stopped running. "I really don't think we want to be here, mate," Dean muttered to Seamus.
"Better than getting arrested," Seamus said defiantly. "Don't you think, Neville?"
Having never set foot in Knockturn Alley in his life, Neville wasn't quite sure what to think. In his time at Hogwarts, he'd encountered scary situations before: seeing a large three-headed dog, serving detention in the Forbidden Forest, not to mention the actual battle in the Department of Mysteries. But somehow he was even more uncomfortable standing in the street, surrounding by shops that held items that Neville didn't even want to think about.
"Should we go inside a shop?" asked Seamus.
"Have you lost your head?" Dean retorted. "We're leaving. Now."
"But we might run back into the Enforc-"
"Let's go in a shop," Neville said, sounding much braver than he actually felt. He didn't want this camaraderie to end. If they left Knockturn Alley, they would probably all go their separate ways and then Neville would be stuck listening to his gran tell Griselda Marchbanks how he's finally becoming a man like his father. He'd rather go into one of the shops.
"You want to go into a shop?" asked Seamus. "You?"
"Yes," Neville said with a nod, pretending not to notice the surprise and slight hint of awe in Seamus' voice. He looked around for the least threatening shop he could find. Pointing at Borgin and Burkes, he added, "How about that one?"
"Sure," Seamus said in an uneasy voice.
"Okay," Dean said with a gulp.
Together, the three teenagers walked slowly to the store. They stopped in front of the window, where they saw all sorts of nasty looking items. Seamus seemed to take the lead and walked purposefully into the shop, with Neville and Dean following closely behind him.
Some of the wares in the store Neville couldn't even describe. Ignoring the stare of the man behind the counter, Neville browsed the glass cabinet, which seemed to contain mostly jewelry. He was too nervous to really notice anything, but he did see a heavy gold locket encrusted with what looked like emeralds. Perfect for a Slytherin.
There was a loud crash in the back, and Seamus came rushing forward. "We need to leave now," he said under his breath as he passed Dean and Neville. Both boys followed without any questions and Neville felt much more comfortable out of the shop.
"What did you-" Dean started.
"No questions until we're back in Diagon Alley!" Seamus practically yelled as he started jogging.
"But the Enforcer!"
"I'd rather take the Enforcer than the man behind the counter!"
Once they were back into the small street that connected the two Alleys, they slowed down to a walk. Neville looked around nervously for the Enforcer, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"What did you do?" demanded Dean.
"I'm not sure," Seamus said, sounding completely baffled. "I touched something, and a light went on and I heard someone mutter something about a curse."
"So you cursed yourself?" Dean couldn't keep the laughter out of his voice and even Neville felt himself holding back a snicker. "Only you would be able to curse yourself."
"That's not fair," Seamus argued. "Neville here could curse himself just as well as I could."
"Leave me out of this," Neville said, holding up his hands in mock protest. "It's because of you two I've performed illegal magic and forced me to run out of Knockturn Alley."
"It's been a good day," Seamus grinned.
"Excellent day," Dean agreed.
"No complaints here," Neville said with a smile as they stepped back into Diagon Alley.
"NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM!"
All that feeling of good will disappeared like a Deflating Charm when he saw his grandmother storming up to him. His stomach dropped when he saw the look of fury on her face.
"What in the world are you doing coming out of Knockturn Alley?" she demanded. It was that moment when Neville truly realised why some people called his grandmother a battle ax. "I raised you better than that! Your father would have never thought to go into such a horrible place. You better have a good reason, young-"
"Ma'am, Trevor ran away," Seamus said, his hands folded neatly in front of him. Neville glanced at Seamus in amazement. The boy looked like the picture of innocence. "We had no choice."
"There are places in Knockturn Alley that would skin Trevor alive," Dean added in sorrowful tones. "We simply couldn't let that happen."
"Hrmph." The look of anger on her face began was to dissipate. "Certainly wouldn't want Trevor to be a potion ingredient." She tapped her foot, a sign that Neville knew meant he wouldn't be in any trouble. "The toad's safe?"
Neville searched his pockets, a for one split second thought he might not have Trevor. But there he was! "I have him right here," Neville told her, bringing Trevor out for inspection.
She checked him over and then said, "Time to have dinner with Griselda. Say good-bye to your friends."
"See you at school," he told Dean and Seamus.
"See ya," Seamus said.
"We'll write you, Neville," Dean said casually. Then both boys turned and walked away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw them walk into Flourish and Blotts.
Neville wondered if his cheeks were flushed. No one other than his gran or Uncle Algie had ever had written to him before. He couldn't imagine anything he'd like more than receiving something in the post from someone he could consider a friend.
"Come, Neville," Gran ordered. "You know, when your father was a student, he would have never dared to go into Knockturn Alley. Dangerous place."
Neville tried not to listen as she droned on about his father at Hogwarts. It wasn't that he didn't want to know, he did. But he had heard all the stories already. And if everything his grandmother told him was true, Frank Longbottom wouldn't have ever gone into Knockturn Alley as a student.
But Neville had. He had gone into Knockturn Alley. And what's more, he had fun doing so. He had felt like a regular teenager for a bit. A regular teenager who had adventures with friends and no cares in the world.
He liked the Neville Longbottom that spent time with Dean and Seamus today. Neville had taken a chance and they seemed to accept him. As himself. As Neville Longbottom. Not as Frank Longbottom's son. It was a great feeling and one he would mind having again.
Glancing up into the sky, he saw that the sun was still bright. Plenty of time for another adventure.
"Gran?"
"Yes, Neville, dear," his grandmother answered patiently.
"Because Trevor ran away," Neville said, fibbing about the reason for being in Knockturn Alley, "we never had the chance to go to the bookstore. Would you mind if I bought my books instead of going to dinner?"
"We're supposed to meet Griselda now."
"I know, but I thought since I'm here…" Neville trailed off and gulped. He had never asked to spend time with friends before because there have never been friends. "Maybe I could have dinner with Dean and Seamus?"
She held his gaze with a level look and Neville did his best not to squirm. After a moment, she placed her gloved hand on his cheek, something Neville couldn't ever remember her doing before. "Go on ahead. I'll see you at home later."
Neville thought his grin might fill his entire face. "Thank you, Gran!" he said happily.
Leaning forward, he gave her the requisite peck on the cheek. Gran nodded and turned to walk towards the Leaky Cauldron.
Neville stuck his hands into his pockets and kicked a clump of dirt lying on the ground. As pleased as he was about the afternoon, he realised it could all go sour quite quickly. Dean and Seamus might not want to have dinner with him. Or maybe there wouldn't be a way to capture that easy conversation again from earlier.
But that was a chance he was ready to take. From his grandmother's stories, he knew his father never had to work or take chances to have friends, as popular as he was. Neville wasn't like that, probably never would be like that.
That didn't mean it was wrong. It was just different. He wasn't Frank Longbottom. Chances were he never would be. He was Neville Longbottom. And maybe… Just maybe that might be okay.
Whistling softly, Neville walked towards Flourish and Blotts, ready to search for another adventure.
Author: kerrymdb
Recipient: wook77
Rating: G
Character(s): Neville Longbottom, Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan and Augusta Longbottom
Summary: Generally, the thought of taking a chance would leave Neville Longbottom weak at the knees. But the summer after the battle at the Department of Mysteries, Neville learns that some risks are definitely worth taking.
Author's Notes: I ended up kind of combining two of your requests together. I hope you enjoy it! A million thanks to S for all her help.
Coming out of Hiding
Neville Longbottom stood flush against the wall of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, wishing more than ever that he could be invisible. If only he didn't have to wait another year and four days until his seventeenth birthday. He'd be able to cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself and wouldn't have to worry in the slightest that he would be seen.
Though, truth be told, he was quite pleased with his hiding spot, right in-between a large refrigerator and the wall. If Trevor hadn't tried to run away once again, he would have never found it. All he had to do was hope that Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan would leave the ice cream parlor before his grandmother finished her conversation with Griselda Marchbanks.
Now that he was hidden safely away, Neville couldn't quite remember why he had wanted to hide in the first place. He and Gran were having some ice cream - two scoops of chocolate mango for him, a butterbeer float for her - when Trevor jumped out of his pocket. It was only a half-hearted effort by Trevor, so Neville had caught up to him easily.
But then he had heard his grandmother's overly loud voice talking to Mrs. Marchbanks and saw Dean and Seamus ordering their ice cream.
It was all too much. Scooping up Trevor, Neville had lodged himself into this small space. From his hiding spot, Neville could see the two Gryffindors talking excitedly over their ice cream, though neither could see him because of the shadows. Which pleased Neville greatly. Scrunching his neck, Neville saw that they were both eating horribly slow; he was surprised that their ice cream hadn't melted yet. It didn't matter, Neville was content to wait until either Mrs. Marchbanks left or Dean and Seamus left.
He should have realised that Trevor would have other plans.
His toad squirmed in his pocket, desperate to be free. Neville stroked him on the head, willing him to be still, which of course didn't work. With a burst of energy, Trevor jumped out of Neville's pocket and halfway across the floor.
Neville couldn't hear what was being said, but he watched the surprise cross Dean's face as he leaned over and picked Trevor off of the floor. Both Seamus and Dean looked around, probably expecting Neville to be running after his pet.
Now he was in a quandary. He didn't want to leave his spot. Not when his gran would see him and drag him over to Mrs. Marchbanks, giving her yet another opportunity to brag about what happened at the Ministry. Best to stay right here and just stay out of sight.
His eyes round with horror, Neville watched Dean stand up and walk over to his grandmother, handing her Trevor. How did he possibly know she was his gran? The Boggart, he thought bitterly. Gran was wearing her stuffed vulture hat. Probably every single person at Hogwarts could recognize that hat.
"Neville!" his grandmother's voice screeched.
Neville shut his eyes tightly, wanting to disappear, wishing he could disappear. Ready to sacrifice everything he ever held dear in order to disappear.
"Is Neville here?" he heard Seamus ask.
"Do both you young men know my grandson?" asked his gran, sounding delighted to have another potential audience.
He grimaced, waiting for Dean to give his grandmother the ammunition to embarrass him completely.
"We all go to Hogwarts together," Dean answered casually. "Share a dorm."
"Oh," Gran said happily. Neville knew that voice. That voice meant she was going to go into a long-winded explanation of how he had changed since his first year.
Neville had a decision to make. As embarrassing as it would be to have everyone see him leave his hiding spot, it would be even more embarrassing to listen to his grandmother boast all about him because of the battle at the Ministry.
Thinking as quickly as he could, Neville squatted down and tried to wedge himself out of the small, contained space. It only took a moment before he realised that he was stuck.
"Well, then I'm sure you heard all about the fighting in the Department of Mysteries!" his grandmother continued.
She was talking about wonderful it was that he was finally living up to the Longbottom name when Neville decided that desperate times called for desperate measures. Being careful not to damage his new wand, currently nestled in the back pocket of his jeans, Neville used all his strength to launch out of the space.
Causing him to land right on his face with a thud.
The noise caused several of the patrons to stand up and crane their necks. By the time Neville lifted his head, half the store, including Dean, Seamus, Griselda Marchbanks and of course, his gran, were all staring down at him.
Hoping his face wasn't nearly as red as it felt, Neville asked, with as much dignity as he could muster, "Have any of you seen a toad?" Hearing his name, Trevor, who was being held by Gran, let out a loud ribbit.
Neville didn't imagine the amused faces around him. Sighing, he picked himself up off of the floor and reached out for Trevor.
"Honestly, Neville," Gran said disapprovingly. But then her face stretched into the wide smile Neville had become so accustomed to this summer. "I was just telling these nice young men about the Department of Mysteries. I'm sure they'd want to hear your side of the story."
Dean and Seamus shifted uncomfortably. Probably the last thing they wanted to do was listen to anything he had to say. Even though they all had shared a dorm with Harry and Ron for the past five years, Neville really wasn't that friendly with them. He would stand up for them, just like any of his Housemates, but that's about it.
"I think I just should buy my books and go home, Gran," Neville mumbled.
"Dear, I was hoping we could have dinner with Griselda. She so wants to hear all of the details," Gran said. Looking proudly at him, she said to Mrs. Marchbanks, "Neville is finally fulfilling his potential. Just like his father. I sometimes wondered if the day would ever come-"
"Seamus and I still need to buy our books. Want to come with?" interrupted Dean casually.
The conversation between Gran and Mrs. Marchbanks stopped immediately. Neville looked hopefully over at Gran. "Can I?" An arched eyebrow made him realise his mistake and he corrected himself by saying, "May I, please?"
"You may." Gran turned her face so that Neville could give her a kiss on the cheek. Avoiding Dean and Seamus' gaze, he gave her a quick peck, so quick that he wasn't quite sure if his lips actually grazed her skin.
Neville could feel her eyes on his back as the three Gryffindors left the ice cream parlor. No doubt as soon as he was outside, she would bore Mrs. Marchbanks with yet another story of what happened.
The moment the boys stepped outside of the parlor, Neville felt his cheeks flush when he saw Dean and Seamus laughing so hard that Seamus had to reach out for the brick wall of the store for support.
"We're not laughing at you, mate," Dean gasped, trying to catch his breath.
"The hat!" Seamus shouted. "She was wearing the hat!"
"Snape's hat!" laughed Dean, holding his side.
A small smile crossed Neville's face as he realised that his dorm mates weren't laughing at him, but at the Boggart he had turned into Snape wearing his grandmother's clothes in their third year. When the Boggart incident took place, Neville knew that the majority of students thought it was hilarious. But realising that Dean and Seamus still found the mental image funny two years later, made Neville almost beam with pride.
A few minutes passed before they were all composed enough to head towards the bookstore. As they walked, Neville pulled out his new wand. "Cherry and unicorn hair," he told them, showing it off. "Just bought it an hour ago."
"I've got unicorn hair, too," Dean told him. "Seamus has a dragon heartstring."
"How's it feel?" asked Seamus.
"I don't know," Neville admitted. "I'll find out at Hogwarts. It's not like I can perform any magic right now."
"Why not?" sniggered Seamus.
"I'm not of age," Neville answered, a bit perplexed. They were all underage still. Seamus knew that. "It's illegal."
"So?"
"So?" asked Neville. "I can't just do magic in the middle of Diagon Alley. I'll get arrested. I'll be thrown into Azkaban or something."
"No, you won't," Dean said with a knowing smile. Seamus whistled innocently.
Neville stopped in his tracks and felt his jaw drop. "Have you done magic? Magic in Diagon Alley?"
Seamus grabbed Neville by the sleeve of his robe. "Not so loud, do you want to get us in trouble?"
"But you said-"
"I know what we said," Seamus told him. "You're in Diagon Alley! They can't track who does magic here."
"You're in a populated magical place, Neville," Dean explained. "You can do magic in public and no one will ever know. It's not like your home where they can track you."
Neville's eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you sure?" he asked. It wouldn't be the first time that Dean and Seamus conspired to play a joke on him.
"We're not going to get you arrested, Neville," Seamus said with a laugh. "Try out your wand."
"What should I try?" Neville asked, trying to keep the hesitation out of his voice. He still wasn't sure about this, but he didn't want to seem scared in front of his dorm mates.
"Something simple," answered Dean. He reached into his knapsack. Instead of books, there seemed to be drawing paper and various art supplies inside. Dean took out a quill. "Levitate it."
"A first year can do that," Seamus said pointedly.
"I can levitate things," Neville said defensively.
"Then do it," Seamus said.
"Fine, I will." Neville closed his eyes and concentrated.
Dean grabbed his arm. "Wait, not here. It's too public."
Seamus rolled his eyes. "He's fine. Cast the spell, Neville."
"Don't, Neville." Dean crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Seamus angrily. "Didn't you learn anything from last summer?"
With a sheepish grin, Seamus scratched the back of his head. "Right. Let's find a space a bit more private, shall we?"
The three young men started walking and turned down the small alleyway that led to Knockturn Alley. Neville had never been this close to the place and quite frankly, it made him a bit uneasy. To take his mind off of his nervousness, he asked Dean, "What happened last summer?"
"I went and spent the weekend at Seamus' place in Cork when his parents were out of town," Dean explained. "No other wizards in the area. Well, we were talking a walk through the neighborhood and Seamus decided to do some magic-"
"Don't listen to him, Neville," Seamus interrupted good-naturedly. "Dean doesn't know what he's talking about."
"He gave me that whole 'no one will ever know' speech, so I let him go ahead. So he performs the spell - what was that spell again?"
"Summoning Charm."
"A bloody Summoning Charm, and within two minutes, he had an official warning letter from the Ministry," Dean said, trying not to laugh.
"What happened?" Neville asked curiously. He wanted to keep this conversation going as long as he could. It wasn't very often that Neville actually felt himself part of a group. While he knew the feeling would never last, he couldn't help but wish the sensation could last as long as possible.
Of the five Gryffindor boys, Neville had been the one left out. Harry and Ron became instant friends, Dean and Seamus, too, leaving Neville just out on the edges. Though Neville never really tried to become good friends with any of them; he always worried that his presence wasn't wanted. But right now he didn't feel left out at all!
"His parents had taken a Portkey to wherever they went. You have to register if you're going to use a Portkey. The Ministry knew that Seamus was the only wizard left in the area," Dean snickered.
"How am I supposed to remember those stupid details?" Seamus asked in mock anger. He shrugged. "If I'm caught again, I'm kicked out of Hogwarts."
"I shouldn't use magic then, just in case," Neville offered.
"You're the one doing the magic, not me," Seamus said. "On to it."
"You're sure?" Neville asked. After hearing that story, he was a little nervous. How would he ever explain to his Gran what happened if he was caught?
Seamus nodded while Dean held out his hand, still holding the quill.
With a gulp, Neville said, "Here goes." Taking a moment, he pointed his wand at the quill and concentrated fiercely. "Wingardium Leviosa."
Neville could feel the warmth spread through his arm, into his hand and finally into the wand. It took a second longer than Neville would have liked, but finally the quill lifted itself off of Dean's hand.
His new wand felt wonderful! Already it felt like it was an extension of his arm, a feeling he never had with his dad's wand. Neville watched happily as he raised the quill higher and higher, far above their heads. If this was what his new wand was going to be like, Neville couldn't wait for the school year to start!
With a flick, Neville lowered the quill back into Dean's hand. "The wand feels good," Neville told them.
"Course it does," Seamus said. "New wands have the best feeling."
"And you know that because of the one new wand you've ever owned," Dean countered.
"Enough to know that it's a great feeling," Seamus shot back.
The boys turned around and found themselves looking straight into the eyes of a pale-faced Enforcer. Neville's stomach froze and he wasn't completely certain, but he was fairly sure that his heart had skipped several beats.
"And just what do we have here?" the Enforcer asked.
Neville tried to look the picture of innocence. Out of the corner of his eye, Dean, who was standing in between Neville and Seamus, looked absolutely terrified. And Neville could hardly believe what he heard when Seamus grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and yelled, "Run!"
And they turned around and ran.
Perhaps the Enforcer just was too surprised to follow them when he saw the three teenagers run into Knockturn Alley without a thought. Or perhaps he decided they just weren't worth his time and energy. Whatever the reason, Neville, Dean and Seamus soon found themselves in the middle of Knockturn Alley, thankfully with no one chasing them.
Neville felt a sense of elation as he ran. He had never done anything like this before in his life. Neville Longbottom run from an Enforcer? Never! But that's exactly what he did and it thrilled him.
All three looked around warily when they finally stopped running. "I really don't think we want to be here, mate," Dean muttered to Seamus.
"Better than getting arrested," Seamus said defiantly. "Don't you think, Neville?"
Having never set foot in Knockturn Alley in his life, Neville wasn't quite sure what to think. In his time at Hogwarts, he'd encountered scary situations before: seeing a large three-headed dog, serving detention in the Forbidden Forest, not to mention the actual battle in the Department of Mysteries. But somehow he was even more uncomfortable standing in the street, surrounding by shops that held items that Neville didn't even want to think about.
"Should we go inside a shop?" asked Seamus.
"Have you lost your head?" Dean retorted. "We're leaving. Now."
"But we might run back into the Enforc-"
"Let's go in a shop," Neville said, sounding much braver than he actually felt. He didn't want this camaraderie to end. If they left Knockturn Alley, they would probably all go their separate ways and then Neville would be stuck listening to his gran tell Griselda Marchbanks how he's finally becoming a man like his father. He'd rather go into one of the shops.
"You want to go into a shop?" asked Seamus. "You?"
"Yes," Neville said with a nod, pretending not to notice the surprise and slight hint of awe in Seamus' voice. He looked around for the least threatening shop he could find. Pointing at Borgin and Burkes, he added, "How about that one?"
"Sure," Seamus said in an uneasy voice.
"Okay," Dean said with a gulp.
Together, the three teenagers walked slowly to the store. They stopped in front of the window, where they saw all sorts of nasty looking items. Seamus seemed to take the lead and walked purposefully into the shop, with Neville and Dean following closely behind him.
Some of the wares in the store Neville couldn't even describe. Ignoring the stare of the man behind the counter, Neville browsed the glass cabinet, which seemed to contain mostly jewelry. He was too nervous to really notice anything, but he did see a heavy gold locket encrusted with what looked like emeralds. Perfect for a Slytherin.
There was a loud crash in the back, and Seamus came rushing forward. "We need to leave now," he said under his breath as he passed Dean and Neville. Both boys followed without any questions and Neville felt much more comfortable out of the shop.
"What did you-" Dean started.
"No questions until we're back in Diagon Alley!" Seamus practically yelled as he started jogging.
"But the Enforcer!"
"I'd rather take the Enforcer than the man behind the counter!"
Once they were back into the small street that connected the two Alleys, they slowed down to a walk. Neville looked around nervously for the Enforcer, but he was nowhere to be seen.
"What did you do?" demanded Dean.
"I'm not sure," Seamus said, sounding completely baffled. "I touched something, and a light went on and I heard someone mutter something about a curse."
"So you cursed yourself?" Dean couldn't keep the laughter out of his voice and even Neville felt himself holding back a snicker. "Only you would be able to curse yourself."
"That's not fair," Seamus argued. "Neville here could curse himself just as well as I could."
"Leave me out of this," Neville said, holding up his hands in mock protest. "It's because of you two I've performed illegal magic and forced me to run out of Knockturn Alley."
"It's been a good day," Seamus grinned.
"Excellent day," Dean agreed.
"No complaints here," Neville said with a smile as they stepped back into Diagon Alley.
"NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM!"
All that feeling of good will disappeared like a Deflating Charm when he saw his grandmother storming up to him. His stomach dropped when he saw the look of fury on her face.
"What in the world are you doing coming out of Knockturn Alley?" she demanded. It was that moment when Neville truly realised why some people called his grandmother a battle ax. "I raised you better than that! Your father would have never thought to go into such a horrible place. You better have a good reason, young-"
"Ma'am, Trevor ran away," Seamus said, his hands folded neatly in front of him. Neville glanced at Seamus in amazement. The boy looked like the picture of innocence. "We had no choice."
"There are places in Knockturn Alley that would skin Trevor alive," Dean added in sorrowful tones. "We simply couldn't let that happen."
"Hrmph." The look of anger on her face began was to dissipate. "Certainly wouldn't want Trevor to be a potion ingredient." She tapped her foot, a sign that Neville knew meant he wouldn't be in any trouble. "The toad's safe?"
Neville searched his pockets, a for one split second thought he might not have Trevor. But there he was! "I have him right here," Neville told her, bringing Trevor out for inspection.
She checked him over and then said, "Time to have dinner with Griselda. Say good-bye to your friends."
"See you at school," he told Dean and Seamus.
"See ya," Seamus said.
"We'll write you, Neville," Dean said casually. Then both boys turned and walked away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw them walk into Flourish and Blotts.
Neville wondered if his cheeks were flushed. No one other than his gran or Uncle Algie had ever had written to him before. He couldn't imagine anything he'd like more than receiving something in the post from someone he could consider a friend.
"Come, Neville," Gran ordered. "You know, when your father was a student, he would have never dared to go into Knockturn Alley. Dangerous place."
Neville tried not to listen as she droned on about his father at Hogwarts. It wasn't that he didn't want to know, he did. But he had heard all the stories already. And if everything his grandmother told him was true, Frank Longbottom wouldn't have ever gone into Knockturn Alley as a student.
But Neville had. He had gone into Knockturn Alley. And what's more, he had fun doing so. He had felt like a regular teenager for a bit. A regular teenager who had adventures with friends and no cares in the world.
He liked the Neville Longbottom that spent time with Dean and Seamus today. Neville had taken a chance and they seemed to accept him. As himself. As Neville Longbottom. Not as Frank Longbottom's son. It was a great feeling and one he would mind having again.
Glancing up into the sky, he saw that the sun was still bright. Plenty of time for another adventure.
"Gran?"
"Yes, Neville, dear," his grandmother answered patiently.
"Because Trevor ran away," Neville said, fibbing about the reason for being in Knockturn Alley, "we never had the chance to go to the bookstore. Would you mind if I bought my books instead of going to dinner?"
"We're supposed to meet Griselda now."
"I know, but I thought since I'm here…" Neville trailed off and gulped. He had never asked to spend time with friends before because there have never been friends. "Maybe I could have dinner with Dean and Seamus?"
She held his gaze with a level look and Neville did his best not to squirm. After a moment, she placed her gloved hand on his cheek, something Neville couldn't ever remember her doing before. "Go on ahead. I'll see you at home later."
Neville thought his grin might fill his entire face. "Thank you, Gran!" he said happily.
Leaning forward, he gave her the requisite peck on the cheek. Gran nodded and turned to walk towards the Leaky Cauldron.
Neville stuck his hands into his pockets and kicked a clump of dirt lying on the ground. As pleased as he was about the afternoon, he realised it could all go sour quite quickly. Dean and Seamus might not want to have dinner with him. Or maybe there wouldn't be a way to capture that easy conversation again from earlier.
But that was a chance he was ready to take. From his grandmother's stories, he knew his father never had to work or take chances to have friends, as popular as he was. Neville wasn't like that, probably never would be like that.
That didn't mean it was wrong. It was just different. He wasn't Frank Longbottom. Chances were he never would be. He was Neville Longbottom. And maybe… Just maybe that might be okay.
Whistling softly, Neville walked towards Flourish and Blotts, ready to search for another adventure.