Let me introduce myself; I'm Neville Longbottom, or actually professor Longbottom. Yes, I'm a teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I teach the students all they need to know about herbology.
Before I became a teacher, I worked as an auror. I know what you're thinking right now. That's quite a change of life. Indeed, it is. But as much as I loved my work for the Ministry, I could not resist the offer professor McGonagall made me.
During my time as a student of Hogwarts, it was no secret that herbology was my favorite class. Too be honest, it was the only class I completely felt comfortable in. I felt good in something, and that gave me more confidence. And confidence, wasn't exactly a quality of mine in my first years on Hogwarts. But continuing my school time I got more and more confidence.
And let me tell you something: having self-confidence is sometimes all you need.
As a kid my family suspected me to be a squib, as I didn't exhibit any early signs of got me into some strange situations to see what happens.
For example, my uncle Algie once pushed me of the end of the Blackpool pier. I nearly drowned, as I wasn't able to swim or to use any magic to save myself from the situation.
A couple of years later, my uncle Algie tried another stunt, although he always stated it to be an accident. He dropped me out of an upstairs window when I was only 8 years of age. But somehow I did show some signs of early magic this time, as I bounced from the ground and got myself in a save position.
It was a huge relieve to me and mostly to my family when I got the invite of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
As the son of Alice and Frank Longbottom it wouldn't be acceptable to not attend Hogwarts. They were well-respected aurors, and joined the Order of the Phoenix to fight against Lord Voldemort and his followers.
To my regret I never was able to get to know my parents. Soon after I was born they were attacked by some death eaters, under who Bellatrix Lestrange.
She tortured them with the Crutiatus Curse. They never recovered, and couldn't function in the society anymore. Both were permanently placed in St. Mungo's Hospital of Magical Maladies and Injuries.
Although they weren't capable of parenting me, after all they don't even recognize me as their son, I still love them. I'll always love them no matter what, they gave their life (because I think you can say they gave their life, although they're still physically alive) to fight against the death eaters. In my eyes, and the eyes of most others, they're heroes. Telling you this, you'll understand the pressure that was on my shoulders.
When I firstly attended Hogwarts I hadn't confidence at all. All things that could get wrong, happened to me.
I was shy, gawky, nervous and forgetful. If it wasn't up to the friends I had made, I think I wouldn't sit her writing my story to you know. There would be nothing to write about then.
When I got my letter from Hogwarts my uncle Algie gave me my pet toad, Trevor. When I was still standing on platform 9¾ I lost Trevor.
Once on the train I met Hermione Granger, she was nice enough to help me finding Trevor.
On our search we entered the compartment where Harry Potter and Ron Weasley.
This is how I first met the three friends who helped me gain a lot more confidence. As our search came to nothing, we decided to join Harry and Ron for the rest of the ride.
Later, when we arrived at Hogsmeade Station I retrieved Trevor from Hagrid, the groundkeeper of Hogwarts. Hagrid was also the one who helped us cross the lake in small boats, so we got from Hogsmeade to Hogwarts.
As I already have mentioned before I was a very nervous and shy young boy, so when the sorting hat shouted out, I belonged to Gryffindor, I ran across the great hall, with the sorting hat still on my head. Therefore I had to walk all the way back, to give the hat to the next student that needed to be sorted.
I felt so ashamed, but at the same time this was one of the typical things that happened to me. In the first potions class I managed to melt the cauldron of my potions partner Seamus Finnigan, and got us drenched in the potion we were brewing.
During my first flying lesson I was so scared to be left behind alone on the ground, that I pushed off too early, and broke my wrist after falling of my broom from a great height. As you can see, I didn't got all the luck in the world, and these are only examples.
My luck didn't increase after Christmas. I found out that Hermione and Harry attempted to take Norbert, a Norwegian Ridgeback which Hagrid has won after playing a game of cards, up to the Astronomy Tower to send him to Rons older brother Charlie, who works with dragons.
I learned on my way that Draco Malfoy was trying to get them caught, but as I snuck out of the Gryffindor tower I got caught myself by professor McGonogall.
Together with Harry, Hermione and Malfoy I was sent into the forbidden forest with Hagrid to search for an injured unicorn.
In case you wondered what happened to Norbert, he or in fact she (Charlie later found out that Norbert was a female) arrived safely in Romania with Charlie.
At the end of the school year I was a bit fed up with the nightly trips of Harry, Hermione and Ron.
When the three of them tried to sneak out again, I attempt to stop them by warning them for being caught again, and thereby getting Gryffindor in more trouble, but they wouldn't listen to me.
In fact, they attacked me by struck me with a full body-bind curse. It made me fall because the lack of balance it gave me, and therefore it was easy for Harry, Hermione and Ron to leave the Gryffindor tower no matter what I just said to him.
Of course I didn't know exactly what they were up to at that exact moment.
Later I got informed by what happened to them.
They tried to save the Philosopher's Stone out of the hands of our defends against the dark arts teacher, Quirinus Quirrel. He happened to share his body with Lord Voldemort who didn't have a body for his own at that time.
At the end of the term feast the headmaster of Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, mentioned me in his speech.
I'll never forget the words his has said, as also these words helped me with my journey to myself. I quote: 'It takes great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends.'
And for that he gave Gryffindor in name of me 10 extra points which pushed Gryffindor on to the first place, and winning the house cup.
In my second year at Hogwarts didn't happen much to me.
Although at the first lesson of Defence against the Dark Arts, we were introduced to a new professor, as Quirinus Quirrel hadn't survived the fight to get the Philosopher's stone for his master. The new teacher would be no one less then, Gilderoy Lockhart, a famous author.
In the first lesson he tried to give us, he came into the classroom with Cornish pixies. Professor Lockhart freed them out of their cage, and gave us the assignment to catch them all, and lock them in their cage again.
It turned out to be a hard assignment as the Cornish pixies got wild and attacked me and my fellow students in our attempt to catch them.
And while I wasn't able to catch them, they do were able to catch me. A pair of them picked me up by my ears and hung me at a chandelier by my cloak.
When the chandelier couldn't hold my weight anymore, I collapsed at the ground. Of course these things only happen to me.
As I just told you nothing really happened to me during my second year, but this doesn't mean it was a boring year. As a lot was happening to other students around me.
There happened to be a monster active which attacks people.
Several muggle- born students were petrified, just like Mrs. Norris, the cat of Argus Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts.
Because I thought that the attack was meant for Filch, instead of his cat, I mean: why attacking a cat? I was afraid to be the next victim.
Why I was thinking that? Well, Filch is a squib, and if the monster attacks him for having no magic power, then it would be not so hard to think that it would attack me as well, as I didn't have showed much magical skills until then.
However my friends pointed out that I should be all right, as I'm a pure-blood. The monster did only attacked only muggle-born students besides mrs. Norris.
Harry, Hermione and Ron figured out what the monster was and were it was hiding, because no one ever saw it.
Hermione however got petrified herself, therefore only Harry and Ron went to search for the monster.
They did find a secret room, where a Basilisk was hiding.
A basilisk is monster that looks a bit like a huge snake, as Ron once explained to me. I
t was controlled by Tom Riddle, although by what was left of him. He wasn't in fact more than a memory captured in his diary.
The named diary happens to be in position of the younger sister of Ron, Ginny. While she wrote in the diary, Tom got power of her and made her do these horrible things which she later couldn't remember.
Harry was able to find Tom, Ginny and the basilisk in the end. And Harry killed the basilisk with the sword of Goderic Gryffindor which was brought to him by Felix, Dumbledore's phoenix.
Harry also happened to destroy the diary and with that the memory of Tom Riddle, who turned out to be a young Lord Voldemort. Harry later told me that the diary was destroyed by the poison in the fang of the basilisk. I don't know the exact details, but this was sort of what happened.
Trouble already started on the train back to Hogwarts to attend for my third year.
After a couple of hours the train suddenly stopped. In my first 2 years the train never stopped until it reached Hogsmeade, so it was strange it did stop now.
To see what was going on I went to the compartment together with to Harry, Hermione, Ginny and Ron.
Neither one of them could tell me what was going on, as they didn't knew it their selves. Within a few moments we saw what caused the train to stop and all the things that came with it.
What we saw there was the scariest thing I've seen so far.
A dementor had entered the compartment. It became colder and colder, when the dementor came closer.
In our compartment the man who was sleeping got awake, and told us to stay in the cabin. The man, who we later found out was to be our new Defence against the Dark Arts professor, used a spell and the dementors leaved the train.
My magical skills stayed behind even in my third year at Hogwarts.
This year we had 2 new classes, divination and care of magical creatures. Both didn't seem to be my cup of tea.
Also in the classes we had before I stayed behind. I still wasn't able to brew an acceptable poison. And professor Snape knew and used it against me.
In our first practical defence against the dark arts lesson, professor Lupin came up with boggarts.
I tell you, a boggart is a creature with an unknown form when it's all alone in the dark, but as soon as it's faces someone it'll turn into that what you fear the most. I was the first student that had to fight against the boggart.
Professor Lupin did asked me before he opened the door, where the boggart was hidden behind, what was my greatest fear.
As I just had a poison class in which all things seems to get wrong again, I thought my biggest fear at the moment was professor Snape.
So professor Lupin asks me to imagine professor Snape in the clothes of my grandmother.
He told us that it was necessary to push yourself past the fear, before you can use the Riddikulus charm which will defeat the boggart.
At the end of the class I was able to defeat the boggart, and as an award professor Lupin gave the house of Gryffindor 10 housepoints in my name.
Being able to defeat the boggart, was good for my confidence. For the first time in my life, I did something good in my life, and got respected by my fellow Gryffindor students.
All seems to go well for me, until spring.
As I told you before I forget things easily. So also the passwords which are needed to enter the Gryffindor tower.
At the time when the portrait of the fat lady was destroyed by someone with a knife, Sir Cardogan guarded the entrance of the tower.
I never was really good in remembering the password of the tower, but now Sir Cardogan changed them several a day, and came up with very complicated passwords it was almost impossible for me.
I came up with the idea to write the passwords down on a paper, so I could at least enter the tower.
This was one thing I better had not done. I lost the paper with passwords, and not long after that the tower was entered by Sirius Black. A man who had escaped from Azkaban.
When professor McGonagall learned that I was the one who was responsible for this, she punished my by banning me out of future trips to Hogsmeade and detention.
Also no one was allowed to give me the password of the Gryffindor tower. I therefore was doomed to wait outside the portrait, until someone else opened it for me.
If that wasn't enough punishment two days later I got a Howler from my grandmother. Everyone in the great hall could hear how she told me that I was a shame for the family. And there confidence I had gained, dropped down again.
During the summer after my third year at Hogwarts the Quidditch World Cup was being held in Great Britain.
As my grandmother doesn't like Quidditch, she didn't want to go and therefore I had to follow all the news involving the World Cup via the Prophet.
When returning to school, I shared the compartment with Harry, Hermione and Ron who did went to the World Cup.
I've to admit I was really jealous of them, while listening to their recap of the match they've seen. Although what happened after the match, wasn't really that great.
Apparently death eaters turned up at the camping grounds and attacked the tents of the wizards and witches who came to see the final of the world cup.
They also attacked the muggle family who guarded the camping ground.
Apparently Harry's wand was stolen, and with that wand Barty Crouch jr. set of the Dark Mark to scare the death eater who were disloyal to Lord Voldemort.
During the first class of Defence against the Dark Arts, with again a new professor, I was able to supply the class information about unforgivable curses. In particular the crutiatus curse.
When professor Mad-Eye Moody demonstrated the curse on a spider, let's just say I was far from happy. I was really terrified.
I think it was even more terrifying then last year when the dementor entered our compartment in the train.
As I've told you earlier, both my parents were tortured with the Crutiatus curse. I know what this curse does to people, and it terrifies me.
Luckily Hermione noticed how terrified I was and told the professor to stop.
After class professor Moody invited me to his office to cheer me up a little.
Professor Sprout had told him about my aptitude with herbology.
I think that herbology was the one class I really liked, and was good in as well. As a way to say sorry, or just to cheer me up (what did I know), professor Moody gave me several books about herbology which I would like to read.
What I didn't know was that he had a whole different intention by giving me those books.
One of the books apparently contained information about Gillyweed, that would help Harry with the second task at the Triwizard tournament.
Just the fact that I was given credit by a professor about my skills in class. It gave me the confidence back that I had lost.
Professor Moody did however not stop with demonstrating the unforgivable curses in class. A few days after the crutiatius incident, I was put under an imperius curse by professor Moody.
I made a complete fool out of myself, or actually I was pretty amazing. Professor Moody made me do some gymnastics, and I can tell you, normally I wouldn't be able to do that.
But still, it was strange that a professor demonstrated us the unforgivable curses, but it's unacceptable by demonstrating them on students.
As part of the triwizard tournament, there was the Yule ball.
Every 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th year student was due to attend.
I didn't really looked forward to this, as I didn't see myself as a dancer.
And who did I have to ask as my date?
When I gathered all my confidence, I asked Hermione to come with me. But I was too late, and even if I was in time, I still think she would politely decline.
As I still needed a date for the ball, I asked Ginny. She already became a friend of mine, even she isn't in my year.
Ginny was a third-year student, they weren't allowed to come to the ball, unless they were asked as a date by one of the older students. Lucky for me, she accepted my invite.
We had a pretty good time, as friends at the ball. But well, I'm indeed not a dancer. During our dances, I accidently stepped a couple of times on Ginny's toes. We both agreed that it was best that we didn't dance again.
After the summer I joined Harry and Ginny on the Hogwarts Express. Hermione and Ron became the prefects of first had to attend at a meeting for prefects, and therefore wouldn't sit with us.
As we were looking for a compartment, we met Luna Lovegood.
Once we sat in the compartment I showed the rest the Mimbulus Mimbletonia. I got the plant as birthday present from my great-uncle Algie.
When your prod a Mimbulus Mimbletonia is squirts stinksap out of his boils. This stinksap is an antidote for nervousness, shyness and timidity.
As these are some of my characteristics, my uncle Algie gave me an excellent present. Because of the things this plant can do, I made the plan of breeding it.
I decided to show the Mimbulus Mimbletonia to professor Sprout, and ask for her advice, as soon as I'm at Hogwarts.
Trouble started again when we arrived a Hogwarts.
The daily prophet had made it to their goal to bring professor Dumbledore and Harry in discredit.
They made sure that everyone believed they were talking nonsense, and that nobody should believe them.
At the end of my fourth year, the final assignment of the Triwizard Tournament had found place. It was an assignment where the 4 schoolchampions had to find the Triwizard Cup that was placed in the centre of a maze.
Cedric Diggory, the other champion of Hogwarts, and Harry were the only once that made it to the centre, and they touched the Cup at the same time.
The cup turned out to be a porkey. Both Cedric and Harry got transported to a graveyard.
It turned out that Lord Voldemort was there, and had plans to get a body again. During the process Lord Voldemort gave the order to kill Cedric.
Harry told us years later that Lord Voldemort used the bones of his death father, the flesh of one of Peter Pettigrew and the blood of Harry to gain a body again.
Harry was able to escape from Voldemort during a duel.
It was for sure that Lord Voldemort had returned again.
Harry and professor Dumbledore wanted everyone to know that they needed to be careful. But the ministry decided that they were talking nonsense, and ordered the prophet to set them in discredit.
My grandmother and myself didn't believe a word the prophet was saying, but a lot of people thought otherwise.
I think most of them were just scared for the truth.
As the prophet only published nonsense, my grandmother stopped our subscription. We stopped contributing to this paper.
But well, as I started to tell you, trouble started when we arrived at school. A lot of people seem to think that professor Dumbledore and Harry were indeed insane, like the prophet often stated.
Under those people also our fellow roommate, and friend Seamus. His mom, and therefore Seamus himself, seem to think that everything the daily prophet has published is the truth.
Seamus apparently had a hard time in the summer, convincing his mother to let him return to Hogwarts for his fifth year.
In my attempt to stand up for Harry, I told him the prophet was going downhill very fast, and that unlike him I didn't believe a word they wrote.
Then Seamus asked Harry to explain to him what exact had happened at the night Lord Voldemort had returned, but Harry was mad, and told him to read the prophet for the truth, just like his mother did.
The one subject I gained some confidence in, thanks to professor Lupin, is Defence of the Dark Arts.
However, as the fifth year starts, professor Dumbledore announced that we'll have a new professor for that class, professor Dolores Umbridge.
Before working for Hogwarts she worked as the senior undersecretary to the minster of magic. She got sent to Hogwarts, after the ministry though professor Dumbledore got insane. They needed someone to spy at the school.
Well anyway, she started to turn the class of Defence against the Dark Arts as a theoretical class. We weren't allowed to practice.
Professor Umbridge said that by learning the theory, it would be enough to get through our exams without any trouble, and besides that there was no reason to learn the spells is practice, as there was no danger.
While I knew Lord Voldemort had returned, and I therefore needed to be able to sort of protect myself, and maybe others against the evil, I didn't have to think long before I signed up for a new kind of study group.
Harry, Hermione and Ron had started a club, which we later called Dumbledore's Army.
Harry learned me and several other students to use the spells we needed to defend against the evil.
I still wasn't good with practicing spells, and therefore at the first official training, I ended up with no partner.
Harry offered me to be his partner. When I succeeded in disarming Harry, I got paired up with Hermione and Ron, so Harry could check up on how the others were dealing with this spell.
When Christmas came closer and closer I had improved a lot.
I was able to use different kinds of spells, and I learned faster and faster. Thereby my confidence grew as well.
During the year, professor Umbridge had become the first high inquisitor. That title gave her more power at the school.
She came up with a lot of new rules, or educational degrees, as they were officially called.
Educational degree number, I can't even remember, stated that student organizations of 3 or more students were disbanded.
With that new rule, we had to stop with Dumbledore's Army, but we didn't.
As we had our meeting in the room of requirement, and you needed to ask very clear what you needed, it was a somehow save place for us, but we had to be careful outside of that room.
Everyone that would ignore that rule would be expelled, and neither of us wanted that to happen.
During the Christmas break I went to see my parents at St. Mungo's as I did every break I had from school.
I never would have expected to run into someone from school, but I did.
Arthur Weasley, Ron's father, happened to be at St. Mungo's and Ron, Hermione and Harry went to visit him there.
I never told them what happened to my parents. Too be honest I've never talked about my parents at all.
But now my friends saw what became of my parents, and I didn't like the idea of them knowing it, even when they're my friends.
It's not something I like to think about. My grandmother thinks otherwise though.
She always says that anyone may know what has happened to my parents, as they gave their health and sanity in their attempt of making the world better and fighting against Lord Voldemort and his death eaters.
I know she's right, but still I don't feel comfortable with it.
On the other hand it's good my friends knew about what had happened to my parents, because know they would understand why Dumbledore's Army is so important for me.
I want to make my parents proud, by being able to fight when the time has come.
Shortly after Christmas it was revealed that there had been a mass breakout of Azkaban.
10 death eaters, under who the three that tortured my parents had escaped from the prison.
I remember I got very silent.
Although my friends knew what happened to my parents now, I didn't spoke of it again.
I tried even harder during the Dumbledore's Army meetings, that had continued after the break.
I believe I picked up new spells as fastest after Hermione.
Considering that at the beginning of the year, it took me quite a while to understand what I was supposed to do, I saw a huge improvement, and I was really happy with that.
I noticed in the years I slept in the same room as Harry, that he often had nightmares.
There are nights he almost screams in his sleep.
I never knew what he was dreaming about, and never asked him.
I later found out that Harry had a vision of Sirius, Harry's godfather, being in danger at the Ministry of Magic.
I knew it would be dangerous to join Harry, but as my spell use had improved a lot this year, and I was focused on making my parents proud, I decided to go along with Harry and do whatever I can to help him.
Besides me also Hermione, Ron, Ginny and Luna offered to come along.
Harry first didn't want Ginny, Luna and me to come along, as it would be very dangerous.
But I stood up to him, by saying Dumbledore's Army was formed to be able to fight against Voldemort when it would be needed. We're all members, and therefore we earned all the chance to do whatever we can to stop Voldemort.
As Harry understood it would be hard to stop us from coming with him, we went to the forbidden forest. There were thestrals who could bring us to the Ministry.
Once at the ministry we started to look for the place, Harry had seen in his vision. We came out into the hall of prophecies.
While we looked for the right path, Harry found an prophecy orb with his name on it.
Soon after Harry took the orb from the shelve, we got surrounded by death eaters. This was the first time I really could show what I've learned during the Dumbledore's Army meetings.
As an attempt to get out of this situation safely, we all used the reductor curse to smash the shelves with prophecy orbs, and with that to distract the death eaters.
As we were forced to a slit up, Harry, Hermione and I were pursued into a room that's called the time chamber.
While Harry was struggling with two death eaters, I tried to disarm one of the death eaters, but as Harry stood close by, I accidently disarmed him as well.
Lucky for us Hermione was able to stun the death eater, and was I able to give Harry his wand back.
When we arrived in the next room, we again walked into death eaters.
During the fight I broke my nose and wand. One of the death eaters had used a spell against Hermione which make her seem dead.
I tried to get to her as soon as possible to grab her wrist.
It's impossible to explain in words how happy I was to still feel a pulse, Hermione wasn't dead.
As Hermione wasn't able to walk, I picked her up and carried her while Harry and I went looking for Ginny, Luna and Ron.
As my own wand was broken, I took Hermiones wand in case I needed one.
We found them at the room that was called the thought chamber. Once there we found out that Ron was hit by a spell that made him highly confused and Ginny had broken her ankle.
Harry, Luna and I tried to seal the doors, but without luck.
The death eaters were able to enter the room and Luna got hit by several stunning spells.
I saw Ron summing a brain, which gave him some injuries.
Also Ginny was hit by someone's stunning spell.
In an attempt to distract the death eaters, Harry run away from us. He got followed by many death eaters.
I couldn't let him fight against them all, and so as fast I could followed him.
There I got face to face with the woman who tortured my parents.
To force Harry to give the prophecy orb to one of the death eaters, she used the crutiatus curse against me.
Just as Harry wanted to hand over the orb, the Order of the Phoenix came in to help us.
When the fight had started again, I got hit by the tarantallegra spell, which made my legs dance.
Harry tried to get himself and I out of the room, by pulling me up the stairs, as my legs still danced.
Harry handed the prophecy over to me, before he attacked Lucius Malfoy.
Before Malfoy could react, Remus Lupin, our Defence against the Dark Arts professor in our 3rd year at Hogwarts, jumped in between, and told Harry and me to get the rest of Dumbledore's Army and then to leave the ministry.
As we tried to get away, the prophecy slipped out of my pocket and broke down on the ground.
The battle continued, as the death eaters got even more angry now the prophecy had broken. Most of the battles stopped however when professor Dumbledore arrived. Ginny, Hermione, Luna, Ron and I were transported back to Hogwarts where Madama Pomfrey took care of our injuries.
One thing was sure, after what had happened at the ministry, they could no longer deny that Lord Voldemort really had returned, as Voldemort even arrived at the ministry himself.
Although we didn't beat Voldemort, we did accomplish to make people aware of his comeback.
As the wand in inherited from my dad had been broken during the battle at the ministry, I was forced to go to Mr. Olivander and ask him if he could make me a new wand.
Luckily he could do that, and so I could return to Hogwarts for my sixth year after a well needed summer break.
My family was so proud of me. For once in my life they really were proud of me.
My grandmother now said I was a true son of my parents.
The love of my family made me feel good again, and I gained more and more confidence.
In the Hogwarts Express I met up with Harry and Luna.
When we were looking for an empty compartment, I felt they eyes of people staring at us.
Of course they would be staring at Harry the most, as the prophet finally decided to publish that Harry and professor Dumbledore were right all along, but I felt they were also staring at Luna and me.
The insecurity that still was there for a bit, thought that they're only staring at us, as we were walking with Harry Potter.
People would expect Harry to hang out with more cool people, then Luna and I are. But Harry told us that we are cool. None of the others have fight with him against the death eaters and Voldemort.
At one point Luna asked Harry is there would be more Dumbledore's Army meetings during the year, but as Omber is gone now, there wouldn't be a reason to continue with the meeting he answered.
I felt slightly disappointed when I heard that. I always had liked the meetings, and I learned a lot during Harry's lessons.
When Hermione and Ron had joined us after their obligations as prefects, a girl came into our compartment.
She looked quite nervous, and handed over a piece of parchment to Harry and myself.
I looked confused, who would write something to me now? Both Harry and I rolled out the parchment and started to read what was written.
It happens to be an invite from professor Horace Slughorn to join him for lunch in his train compartment.
Apparently we had a new teacher, as I've never heard of professor Slughorn before.
I could think of a reason why he would invite Harry, but I had really no idea why he would invite me. After all, I still was some kind of nobody. I was nothing compared to Harry.
When we arrived at the compartment of Slughorn, we saw we weren't the only one who got an invite from the professor.
Besides us also Blaise Zabini, Cormac McLaggen, Marcus Belby and Ginny were invited.
The lunch happened to be some sort of interrogation, so professor Slughorn would know who had which connections.
As I already expected I didn't get a second invite to join in on professor Slughorn's club, although my parents were excellent aurors, I haven't showed any of their talent yet. Of course nobody knew back then what I was capable of, as there weren't much people at the ministry.
During the speech of professor Dumbledore at the beginning of the school year, we got informed that professor Slughorn was our new poisons teacher, which meant that professor Snape would give the Defence against the Dark Arts class.
The next morning it took a while before I got my schedule.
As we had exams in our 5th year, we had to score a given level to continue following the class.
For me it was no problem to attend at the herbology class (I scored outstanding at my o.w.l.) and defence against the dark arts (I scored exceeds expectations at my o.w.l.).
The problem was I wanted to continue on N.E.W.T. level for transfiguration. Or actually my grandmother wanted me to attend at that class, as it is needed to become an auror.
After hearing about what happened at the ministry, she knows that I show more and more the skills of my parents, unfortunately she now also thinks I'm good in every class I'll attend.
She wants me to become an auror, but I'm just not good enough.
Professor McGonagall said that I couldn't attend at her class transfigurations as I only scored acceptable at my o.w.l.
She told me that it was about time my grandmother learned to be proud of the grandson she has, instead of on a grandson she wished for, especially after what had happened at the ministry.
I was perplexed. Never before, professor McGonagall gave me a compliment, and this pretty much sounded like one.
Instead of transfiguration I continued to follow the charms lessons, as I also got an exceeds expectations for that class at my o.w.l.
It was noticeable that the classes required more and more skills.
Besides defence against the dark arts, we needed to be able to charm non-verbal at charms.
I practiced a lot, but it didn't get it right.
After Christmas last year I picked up on spells very quickly during the Dumbledore's Army meeting, but now it seems like I had to start all over again. I was a complete zero again.
The only class I still was good in was herbology, and I did the best I could to be the best.
After Christmas it was announced in the common room, that sixth year students could attend at apparition class. As you already could predict, this wasn't my piece of cake either. During my first attempt I felt flat on my back. Not really comfortable, I've to say.
At the end of the year the school got attacked by death eaters.
Apparently Draco Malfoy had been able to repair the vanishing cabinet, that was connected to the same cabinet as in the shop of Borgin and Burkes.
Through the vanishing cabinet, the death eater were able to enter Hogwarts.
Besides Harry, Hermione and Ron, only Ginny, Luna and I answered on the call of Dumbledore's Army to help.
I was waiting with Ginny and Ron outside the room of requirements, where the vanishing cabinet was.
Apparently Malfoy knew there were people outside the room, cause he used Peruvian Instant Darkness powder, to lead the death eaters away from the room of requirements without been seen by us.
We knew that something was going on, and therefore we were able to inform the Order of the Phoenix, and asked them for help.
The battle begin, and in the end I got injured and ended up in the hospital wing.
During the battle, professor Dumbledore got killed by professor Snape at the astronomy tower.
All the time we had a death eater as a teacher. I couldn't believe it.
Of course, professor Snape wasn't my favorite teacher, but professor Dumbledore trusted him.
With a little help from Luna, I was able to attend at the funeral of professor Dumbledore, cause I wouldn't want to miss it.
During the summer it was clear that Voldemort had taken over the ministry of magic.
For Hogwarts is meant that muggle-borns were not allowed to attend Hogwarts anymore.
It was assumed that they got their magical power because the stole it from a wizard or witch.
Hermione wasn't allowed to go back to school. Apparently she, Ron and Harry had other plans for the next year, as they didn't appear at school.
I went to Hogwarts with Ginny and Luna.
While we just sat in the compartment death eaters entered the Hogwarts Express, and searched for Harry.
I stood up from my chair and told them they're search would end up in no result, as Harry wasn't there.
Besides the ministry, also Hogwarts was in the hands of Voldemort.
Professor Snape became the headmaster, now professor Dumbledore had died.
There were also two new teachers, both death eaters. Alecto and Amycus Carrow gave classes in what made muggles so bad, and dark arts. Yes, indeed, now Hogwarts was in the hands of Voldemort, we didn't have defence against the dark arts anymore, but simply dark arts.
All the professors had to send the students to the Carrows for punishment whenever that was needed.
One of the punishment I got from them was using the crutiatis curse against other students that needed to be punished.
I refused to do that, and got into more and more trouble with them.
I was fed up with them, and I couldn't bother what happened to me, as long as the others were save.
We were in times of war, and then you don't have to think about yourself, but also about others.
Together with Ginny and Luna I started with Dumbledore's Army again.
It was our protest against the regime at Hogwarts.
We tried to protect other students against the Currows, and rebelled against the authority.
When we heard that the sword of Gryiffindor was left to Harry, but he never got it, Ginny, Luna and I came up with the plan of stealing it.
We attend to steal the sword out of professor Snape's office, but we got caught on our way out.
Professor Snape didn't send us to the Carrows for our punishment, but sended us to the forbidden forest with Hagrid.
It's never a pleasure to be send off to the forbidden forest, but it was way better then handling with the Currows again.
And besides that, Hagrid would protect us from anything that lived in the forest.
Ginny, Luna and I didn't understand however why professor Snape didn't send us to the Currows.
We did try to steal something out of his office after all, and he knew we were befriended with Hagrid. We didn't understand the meaning of it, until later.
Before we arrived at King's Cross for our Christmas break, Luna got dragged off the Hogwarts Express by a bunch of death eaters, as her father, supported Harry in his magazine The Quibler.
After the Eastern holidays also Ginny didn't return to Hogwarts, as she and the rest of the Weasley's had to hide.
I was left on my own, but that didn't stop me from protesting against the regime.
As I was on my own now, it wasn't hard for the Currows to find out what my role in all the rebellion at school was.
They tried to stop me by torturing me, but it didn't help.
I was focused on making the Currows mental, and to bring them down.
I knew deep in my heart, that Harry, Hermione and Ron were fighting against the dark from outside Hogwarts, which left me to do the same from inside out.
I couldn't care less about school anymore.
As an attempt to stop me, the ministry, or actually the death eaters came to visit my grandmother, but she got away from them on time.
When I was trying to hide from some death eaters one time, I stumbled on the room of requirements.
The room turned into a hiding place for Dumbledore's Army.
When more members of our group were looking for a hiding place, the bigger the room got.
After I was sitting in that room for a couple of days, I started to get hungry.
One of the things the room didn't give you was food.
But then there was this connection to the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade.
The owner of the Hog's Head, Aberforth Dumbledore, made sure that I and later on more members of Dumbledore's Army got food.
I knew that on one day Harry, Hermione and Ron would return to Hogwarts. And that day was on 2 May 1997.
Ariana Dumbledore, who was on the portrait that gave the connection between Hogwarts and the Hog's Head came to me and told me to come with her.
I went into the tunnel, and walked towards the Hog's Head, where I met Harry, Hermione and Ron.
I warned Alberforth that there would be more people turning up in his café, to enter Hogwarts.
This was the only way to get in Hogwarts unseen, as all the other entries got guarded somehow.
On our way back to Hogwarts I informed them on all that has happened in the past months while they were gone.
They didn't tell me all of their adventures, but I thought it would be a matter of time. This wasn't the time to catch up completely with each other, as we were about to fight in a war.
Because, for me, one thing was sure, this would get into a war.
Via the Dumbledore's Army coins produced by Hermione to communicate with each other in our fifth year, I asked the members of the Army to return to Hogwarts if they weren't already there.
Via them, also the Order of the Phoenix got informed, and came to Hogwarts as well.
The war was about to start.
In the first round of the war, I tried to attack several death eaters by using various plants.
I was excellent in herbology, so I knew exactly what plants to use.
When there was a temporarily cease-fire, I helped to transport the injured ones and unfortunately also some dead persons to the great hall.
While helping as much as I could, I walked into Harry. He looked scared, but at the same time also determined.
I knew he was up to something, but he didn't tell me what. He did tell me however that the snake Voldemort was carrying around had to die.
He didn't tell me why, but I could read of his face that it was really important.
After a while, the death eaters and Voldemort returned from the forbidden forest where they were waiting for Harry.
I could see Hagrid was carrying a body in his arms.
When I saw it was Harry, it almost became too much for me.
This couldn't be happening. This wasn't true.
I was so angry, I didn't think clearly.
I knew Nagini, Voldemort's snake had to die.
I couldn't care less if I would survive this myself, but I had to try.
I stepped out of the group and tried to attack Voldemort.
When I failed, Voldemort asked me to join the death eaters, as I was from pure-blood origin. What did he think? I would never join them, I would rather die than become part of them.
As a response on me, Voldemort used the full body-bind curse on me, so I couldn't do anything anymore.
I saw Voldemort burning the sorting head, as it wouldn't be needed anymore. There would only be one house on Hogwarts from now on, Slytherin.
What happened then I couldn't see clearly, but I was told that the centaurs, who until then didn't want anything to do with wizards, and Grawp, Hagrid's giant half-brother, attacked the death eaters.
Suddenly I could move again.
I looked at the sorting head, or what was left of it on the ground, and I saw the sword of Goderic Gryffindor lying in it.
I didn't think twice and took the sword out of the head.
In one slice, I was able to cut off Nagini's head.
Harry had told me this would be important to destroy Voldemort, and now I accomplished it.
Harry didn't die for nothing.
The war wasn't over yet, Voldemort and his army of death eaters forced their way into Hogwarts.
While in Hogwarts we got company of the house-elves, the residents of Hogsmeade, several other people and magical creatures to help us fight against the evil.
I teamed up with Ron, and we defeated different death eater together, under who the werewolf Fenrir Greyback.
After winning my duel against Scabior, after he felt off the covered bridge, I saw Harry with Voldemort.
So Harry wasn't dead.
I kept on a distant of them, as they started to duel.
I heard Harry using the disarming charm, while Voldemort used the killing charm.
In a miraculous the killing charm of Voldemort rebounded at Voldemort.
I saw Voldemort dying.
I knew it would be over now. We had won the war, and because of my trust in Harry, Hermione and Ron I immediately believed the war would be over for good and for all.
Just as in many wars, many people have faced the death, or even died.
Some of them fight for our freedom.
They're true heroes and they should be seen like that.
If it wasn't with their help, we might still be in a war.
People should be proud of what they've accomplished.
Even if their part in the whole story isn't that big. They were part of it, and did the best they could.
I like to remember anyone who was with me as a true hero, no matter what.
And before I end my story, I would like you to ask something.
Did you think I'd become one of the heroes in the second wizarding war?
After reading my experiences in the first couple of years at Hogwarts?
I know I wouldn't have thought so. But with friends like mine, and the help of the professors, I gained confidence.
And I can tell you all, with self-confidence, things go much easier as expected. You might even surprise yourself, and others.