A Funeral And Friends.
Tue-Wed.02-03.Mar.2004
***
Harry insisted on coming.
Insisted on being there.
Being there for him.
"I will be there. In fact, if your grandmother doesn't mind, I'd like to accompany you both. Where is she? I'll ask her."
Harry had a way of taking charge, even if unintentionally. It seemed that he made more statements than questions these days.
"She's out making the arrangements, but I know Gran won't mind at all."
"What about you?"
Neville hadn't asked him to come and hadn't meant for him to feel obligated to attend.
"You've got Auror training," he tried; not so much to discourage Harry from going, but to make sure Harry was sure.
Harry clapped his hands on Neville's shoulders and looked at his friend closely.
"Not that day."
Neville smiled faintly, more than grateful.
"Thanks, Harry."
Then Harry hugged him.
"I'm sorry."
Neville shook his head and moved to sit on his grandmother's settee.
"I'm just glad they're finally out of there."
* * *
To the rest of the world, the group that assembled in honor of Frank and Alice Longbottom was small and mostly insignificant, except for the presence of Albus Dumbledore and, even, Alastor Moody.
And Harry Potter.
A lone reporter from the Daily Prophet showed up under the pretense of documenting the funeral to preserve the memory of the famous Aurors, but proved to be there to interrogate Harry and Dumbledore. Hogwarts' headmaster graciously denied giving the media audience and was left alone.
"Then we'll kindly have a word with Mr. Potter."
Harry ignored the man and continued to walk with Neville and his grandmother. Ron tried to keep the man at bay, but he persisted.
"Harry, a word, if you please."
"I don't."
"Would you like me to hit him?" Ron asked.
"That's not necessary," Neville cut in.
"Harry Potter must have something to say."
Harry spun on his heel and glowered at the reporter.
"For the time being, I am not Harry Potter. I'm just one of Neville Longbottom's friends."
"But sir …" the man went on before Ron's fist connected with his jaw.
"Ruddy bastards can't even wait for us to get twenty meters from the grave."
Neville stood, momentarily rooted to the spot, watching as his friends walked away with his grandmother, before Hermione came back and took his arm.
"Are you okay?" she inquired.
He didn't know how to answer, therefore, he didn't.
"After all this time, Neville, it really shouldn't surprise you."
He looked at her oddly.
"Neville?" said Ron as he and Harry approached. Hermione gave Neville's arm a slight squeeze before going back to Ginny.
"Is something the matter?" Harry wanted to know.
"No, it's … I just … I don't know what to say."
"About what?" Ron questioned.
Neville's gaze fell to the unconscious reporter.
The red-head made a dismissive gesture and stepped between Neville and the man on the ground.
"Sorry, but he was interfering and being right disrespectful to you and your family," he explained, placing an arm around Neville's shoulders. "And beside all that, he was getting on my nerves."
"No, I wanted to thank you, really. And you, Harry," Neville stated, turning to his bespectacled friend, "for saying what you did. This all really means a lot to me."
Harry placed his arm over Ron's and they resumed walking.
"What did you expect us to do, really? It seems that sometimes you forget that you are my friend."
"No, I know that."
"Do you know, also, that Ron and I would do anything for you?"
"Anything," Ron insisted.
"Yeah, I know that."
"Because I am there if you need me."
"Always," Ron added.
"No matter what."
"You two are training to be Aurors, though, for the ministry. I just didn't want to impose on your schedule."
"No matter what," Ron repeated, stopping and looking at Neville.
Harry, too, paused and turned Neville to face him, looking over the rims of his glasses.
"You are more important to us than Auror training."
Neville took a deep breath and let his chin drop to his chest. Ron reached out and ruffled his hair while Harry gave him a slight shake.
"Don't forget it, Neville. You're stuck with us," Ron joked and they chuckled, returning to the rest of their party.
* * *
"I'm going to turn in early tonight, Neville. You'll be alright?" his grandmother called over her shoulder as she made her way to her lower level bedroom.
"I'll be fine, Gran, thanks."
She turned and gave him a sad smile.
"Goodnight, then, son."
"Goodnight," he whispered as she shut the door behind her.
Neville sighed and trudged up the stairs to his room, grateful to be alone. Opening his door, he was startled by the sight that met him.
"What are you doing here?"
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, standing from her perch on the edge of his bed, eyes wide.
He shut his door and moved to sit on the bed.
"I didn't tell anyone, really. Harry found out from Professor Dumbledore."
"You could have told me."
"I know, Luna, I'm sorry. I should have had Ginny tell you."
She sat down next to him.
"You could have told me," she said again. "Just because you're out of school, doesn't mean you can't talk to me."
Luna took his hand in hers and smiled at him.
"In fact, I expect to hear from you a lot."
Neville returned her smile, forgetting why he was so thankful to be by himself only moments before.
"You will, but answer me this: How did you find out?"
"My mother is in the same cemetery. Daddy and I were visiting and I saw you."
"Why didn't you come over?"
"I didn't know if you'd want to be there since you didn't tell me, so I just apparated here, instead."
Neville frowned.
"One more question. You've never been here before. How did you know where to go?"
Luna thought for a moment and shrugged.
"I closed my eyes and thought about your room. I ended up here."
"But you've never seen my room."
"I know."
Neville chuckled and shook his head, marveling.
"Only you, Luna. Only you could pull off something like that."
Tue-Wed.02-03.Mar.2004
***
Harry insisted on coming.
Insisted on being there.
Being there for him.
"I will be there. In fact, if your grandmother doesn't mind, I'd like to accompany you both. Where is she? I'll ask her."
Harry had a way of taking charge, even if unintentionally. It seemed that he made more statements than questions these days.
"She's out making the arrangements, but I know Gran won't mind at all."
"What about you?"
Neville hadn't asked him to come and hadn't meant for him to feel obligated to attend.
"You've got Auror training," he tried; not so much to discourage Harry from going, but to make sure Harry was sure.
Harry clapped his hands on Neville's shoulders and looked at his friend closely.
"Not that day."
Neville smiled faintly, more than grateful.
"Thanks, Harry."
Then Harry hugged him.
"I'm sorry."
Neville shook his head and moved to sit on his grandmother's settee.
"I'm just glad they're finally out of there."
* * *
To the rest of the world, the group that assembled in honor of Frank and Alice Longbottom was small and mostly insignificant, except for the presence of Albus Dumbledore and, even, Alastor Moody.
And Harry Potter.
A lone reporter from the Daily Prophet showed up under the pretense of documenting the funeral to preserve the memory of the famous Aurors, but proved to be there to interrogate Harry and Dumbledore. Hogwarts' headmaster graciously denied giving the media audience and was left alone.
"Then we'll kindly have a word with Mr. Potter."
Harry ignored the man and continued to walk with Neville and his grandmother. Ron tried to keep the man at bay, but he persisted.
"Harry, a word, if you please."
"I don't."
"Would you like me to hit him?" Ron asked.
"That's not necessary," Neville cut in.
"Harry Potter must have something to say."
Harry spun on his heel and glowered at the reporter.
"For the time being, I am not Harry Potter. I'm just one of Neville Longbottom's friends."
"But sir …" the man went on before Ron's fist connected with his jaw.
"Ruddy bastards can't even wait for us to get twenty meters from the grave."
Neville stood, momentarily rooted to the spot, watching as his friends walked away with his grandmother, before Hermione came back and took his arm.
"Are you okay?" she inquired.
He didn't know how to answer, therefore, he didn't.
"After all this time, Neville, it really shouldn't surprise you."
He looked at her oddly.
"Neville?" said Ron as he and Harry approached. Hermione gave Neville's arm a slight squeeze before going back to Ginny.
"Is something the matter?" Harry wanted to know.
"No, it's … I just … I don't know what to say."
"About what?" Ron questioned.
Neville's gaze fell to the unconscious reporter.
The red-head made a dismissive gesture and stepped between Neville and the man on the ground.
"Sorry, but he was interfering and being right disrespectful to you and your family," he explained, placing an arm around Neville's shoulders. "And beside all that, he was getting on my nerves."
"No, I wanted to thank you, really. And you, Harry," Neville stated, turning to his bespectacled friend, "for saying what you did. This all really means a lot to me."
Harry placed his arm over Ron's and they resumed walking.
"What did you expect us to do, really? It seems that sometimes you forget that you are my friend."
"No, I know that."
"Do you know, also, that Ron and I would do anything for you?"
"Anything," Ron insisted.
"Yeah, I know that."
"Because I am there if you need me."
"Always," Ron added.
"No matter what."
"You two are training to be Aurors, though, for the ministry. I just didn't want to impose on your schedule."
"No matter what," Ron repeated, stopping and looking at Neville.
Harry, too, paused and turned Neville to face him, looking over the rims of his glasses.
"You are more important to us than Auror training."
Neville took a deep breath and let his chin drop to his chest. Ron reached out and ruffled his hair while Harry gave him a slight shake.
"Don't forget it, Neville. You're stuck with us," Ron joked and they chuckled, returning to the rest of their party.
* * *
"I'm going to turn in early tonight, Neville. You'll be alright?" his grandmother called over her shoulder as she made her way to her lower level bedroom.
"I'll be fine, Gran, thanks."
She turned and gave him a sad smile.
"Goodnight, then, son."
"Goodnight," he whispered as she shut the door behind her.
Neville sighed and trudged up the stairs to his room, grateful to be alone. Opening his door, he was startled by the sight that met him.
"What are you doing here?"
"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, standing from her perch on the edge of his bed, eyes wide.
He shut his door and moved to sit on the bed.
"I didn't tell anyone, really. Harry found out from Professor Dumbledore."
"You could have told me."
"I know, Luna, I'm sorry. I should have had Ginny tell you."
She sat down next to him.
"You could have told me," she said again. "Just because you're out of school, doesn't mean you can't talk to me."
Luna took his hand in hers and smiled at him.
"In fact, I expect to hear from you a lot."
Neville returned her smile, forgetting why he was so thankful to be by himself only moments before.
"You will, but answer me this: How did you find out?"
"My mother is in the same cemetery. Daddy and I were visiting and I saw you."
"Why didn't you come over?"
"I didn't know if you'd want to be there since you didn't tell me, so I just apparated here, instead."
Neville frowned.
"One more question. You've never been here before. How did you know where to go?"
Luna thought for a moment and shrugged.
"I closed my eyes and thought about your room. I ended up here."
"But you've never seen my room."
"I know."
Neville chuckled and shook his head, marveling.
"Only you, Luna. Only you could pull off something like that."