English is not my mother language, so please let me know if I have written the wrong words, sentences, grammar, or anything. I am waiting for your comments. Cheers!
Neville, The True Gryffindor
Ah… finally, the tiring war is over. For some reason, after killing a large snake belongs to You Know Who—no, Voldemore, no, I mean the deceased—never mind, it is up to how he was called, yet he can not hear anymore. Anyway I was hungry. Fortunately a kindly elf were willing to bring food for me. His watery eyes saw me and he repeatedly expressed his admiration for me, maybe I was still blushing now.
I was going to eat bacon when what seemed like angels came. They were girls, and not only from Gryffindor, but also Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff!
"Neville, you are so cool!"
"Amazing!"
"You're so brave!"
Those compliments made me amazed. Gosh, I nearly fainted to hear these. No girl has ever complimented me, except my best friends like Hermione or Luna. And Ginny. I did not deserve it. I just—just executed Harry's request, and fought for my beloved school. Led Dumbledore's Army, fought against Voldemort, killed his snake… er, yeah, it sounded cool. But if anyone deserved praises, it was Harry, and his lifelong friends Hermione and Ron. Not me… I was nobody.
Someone among the crowd pushed these girls. Parvati Patil.
"Good job, Neville." She said sincerely. Her eyes focused on the sword of Gryffindor that lay beside me. "I know only a true Gryffindor could pull out this sword from the hat. Like you." She held the sword very carefully, showing admiration for the extraordinary silver object with handle inlaid dark ruby that have been decapitated Voldemort's snake. I was stunned, starring at the sword for a moment. I turned away. Looking for the sorting hat.
And I found it, placed on a four-legged stool. Maybe this was just my imagination, but the hat was like smiling to me.
Suddenly my memory back to the past, seven years ago…
"Longbottom, Neville!" Professor McGonagall shouted my name. Trembling, I walked toward the bench. I felt my legs hard-driven and sweat flowing tension signs. I closed my eyes, praying that the sorting hat would mention boarding house that would occupy me, instead sent me home because actually I was Squib…
Thud!
I fell to the ridiculous. I heard the sound of laughter from every angle. I almost cried… I was so damn stupid. My hands were shaking so badly when finally I picked up the hat… sitting on the bench and put on the ragged object that would determine my life slowly…
"Pure-blood, eh?" a small voice in my ears. "Hmm… mostly pure-blood are in Slytherin… but it seems like you don't have the ability like pure-blood Slytherin ever before. You better not go there…" the little voice babbled, and I exhaled, soooo relieved not to be put in the snake bearing boarding house. I was afraid to see faces of the inhabitants, seemed cruel.
"Are you happy? Yeah… I know you do not want to get into Slytherin. You're a clumsy, mediocre talent, but you have a great willingness to learn…"
Clumsy, I heard a voice which certainly belongs to the hat. I must be in Hufflepuff… I really was resigned. No matter wherever I was if I was still in Hogwarts!
"and you are a brave boy," he completed his arguments about me. My forehead frowned. I was brave? Of course it was wrong. Careless child like me?
"I know you are brave," the small voice of the hat denied, as if reading my mind, "maybe now you do not realise… but your courage will appear in the end. So I guess you better go…" I closed my eyes again. I knew I did not deserve to hope, but the last words of the hat made my dream disturbed… if I could get into—
"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted the hat. My mouth was wide open. Was it impossible? My dream came true! I got into Gryffindor!
I ran towards the Gryffindor table, looked emotionally to the student of my boarding house who clapped their hands.
"Sorry, Neville," said the red-haired boy who sat on the edge of the table and wearing Prefect badge, "you have to give another child a chance to enter the dormitory as well." He pointed over my head and glanced the bench where the new kid sat.
My face was bright red, as I walked back to the bench with my head down, pretending that I did not hear the rigors of laughter around me, and gave the sorting hat on my head to Morag MacDougal who chuckled.
I was not sure if I deserved to be in Gryffindor, 'a place for those who are brave and honest'. I just walked in and embarrassed Gryffindor…
I jerked my head, back to present. The sorting hat was still smiling in my eyes. I remembered his words seven years ago. Your courage will appear in the end… was this what he meant? After so much stupidity and carelessness that I did during my life at Hogwarts, in my last year, my courage appeared?
"Neville!" I turned away, and Grandma came running towards me, accompanied by Professor McGonagall. "You pull out the sword from the hat! You were fighting You-Know-Who with courage! You are great son, like your father and mother!" Grandma's voice sounded hoarse and her proud tears streamed down.
"You are brave-hearted and honest Gryffindor student," I could only hear Professor McGonagall's voice—hard to see her face because my head was burried into Grandma's arms tightly as she kissed the top of my head, "I am very proud of you." Praised Professor McGonagall, sobbed.
Grandma off her arms, and unconsciously I grabbed the sword with both hands, watching its sparkling ruby, then found the name of Godric Gryffindor at the base.
Nothing was more joyful than this, the war is over, we won—and finally I managed to convince myself—after seven years, to be honest—the fact that I, Neville Longbottom, is indeed a true Gryffindor.
Neville, Sang Gryffindor Sejati
Aah... akhirnya, pertempuran melelahkan ini selesai juga. Entah kenapa, setelah membunuh ular besar milik Kau-Tahu-tidak, Voldemort, tidak, maksudku almarhum-sudahlah, terserah mau bagaimana ia disebut, toh ia tidak bisa mendengar lagi sekarang. Pokoknya aku jadi lapar. Untunglah seorang peri rumah yang baik hati bersedia membawakan makanan untukku. Matanya berair melihatku dan ia berkali-kali menyatakan kekagumannya padaku, mungkin wajahku masih merah sekarang.
Aku baru akan melahap daging asap ketika apa yang tampaknya seperti gerombolan bidadari menghampiriku. Ternyata itu cewek-cewek, dan bukan hanya dari Gryffindor, tapi juga dari Ravenclaw dan Hufflepuff!
"Neville, kau keren sekali!"
"Hebat!"
"Kau sangat pemberani!"
Pujian-pujian kagum dilontarkan padaku. Astaga... aku hampir saja pingsan mendengar ini semua. Tidak ada cewek yang pernah memujiku, kecuali sahabat-sahabatku macam Hermione atau Luna. Dan Ginny. Aku merasa tidak pantas mendapatkannya. Aku hanya-hanya melaksanakan permintaan Harry, dan berjuang demi orang-orang yang kucintai. Memimpin Laskar Dumbledore, bertempur, melawan Voldemort, membunuh ularnya... er... memang sih, kedengarannya keren juga. Tapi rasanya kalau ada yang pantas mendapatkan pujian, itu adalah Harry, beserta dua sahabat abadinya Hermione dan Ron. Bukan aku... aku bukan siapa-siapa.
Ada yang menyeruak diantara kerumunan cewek-cewek ini. Parvati Patil.
"Kerja bagus, Neville." Pujinya tulus. Matanya terarah pada pedang Gryffindor yang terletak disebelahku. "Aku tahu hanya Gryffindor sejati yang bisa mengeluarkan pedang ini dari Topi. Seperti kau," ia memegang pedang itu hati-hati, menunjukkan kekaguman luar biasa pada benda perak dengan pegangan bertatah batu delima gelap yang sudah memenggal kepala ular Voldemort itu. Aku tertegun. Kupandangi pedang Gryffindor sesaat. Aku memutar kepala. Mencari Topi Seleksi.
Dan aku menemukannya, diletakkan di sebuah bangku berkaki empat. Mungkin ini hanya khayalanku saja, tapi Topi itu seperti tersenyum melihatku.
Tiba-tiba kenanganku kembali ke masa lampau, tujuh tahun yang lalu...
"Longbottom, Neville!" Profesor McGonagall menyerukan namaku. Gemetar, aku berjalan menuju bangku. Aku merasa kakiku sulit digerakkan, dan peluh tanda keteganganku mengalir deras. Aku memejamkan mata, berdoa supaya nanti Topi Seleksi menyebutkan rumah asrama yang akan kutempati, dan bukannya menyuruhku pulang karena ternyata aku Squib...
Gubrak!
Aku terjatuh dengan konyol. Terdengar suara tawa riuh dari berbagai sudut. Aku hampir menangis... aku benar-benar bodoh. Tanganku bergetar hebat ketika akhirnya aku mengangkat Topi itu... duduk di bangku dan memasang benda kumal yang akan menentukan hidupku itu dengan pelan.
"Darah murni, eh?" terdengar suara kecil di telingaku. "Hmm... darah murni biasanya masuk Slytherin... tapi kelihatannya kau tidak memiliki kemampuan seperti darah murni Slytherin yang sudah-sudah. Kau lebih baik tidak masuk kesana..." oceh suara kecil itu, dan aku menghembuskan napas, sangaaat lega tidak dimasukkan ke asrama berlambang ular itu. Aku takut melihat wajah para penghuninya, kelihatan kejam.
"Kau senang? Ya ya ya... aku tahu kau tidak mau masuk ke Slytherin. Kau anak yang canggung, bakat pas-pasan, tapi kau punya kemauan besar untuk belajar..."
Anak yang canggung, aku mendengar suara kecil yang tentunya milik si Topi. Pastilah aku masuk Hufflepuff... aku benar-benar sudah pasrah. Terserah dimanapun aku berada, yang penting di Hogwarts!
"dan kau anak yang pemberani," ia menyelesaikan argumennya tentangku. Dahiku mengernyit. Aku pemberani? Apa itu tidak salah? Anak ceroboh sepertiku?
"Aku tahu kau pemberani," suara kecil si Topi menyangkal, seakan bisa membaca pikiranku, "mungkin sekarang kau tidak menyadarinya... tapi keberanianmu akan muncul pada akhirnya. Jadi kurasa kau lebih baik masuk..." aku memejamkan mata lagi. Aku tahu aku tak pantas berharap, tapi kata-kata terakhir si Topi membuat impianku membuncah... seaindainya aku bisa masuk ke-
"GRYFFINDOR!" si Topi berteriak. Mulutku terbuka lebar. Tidakkah ini mustahil? Impianku menjadi kenyataan! Aku masuk asrama Gryffindor!
Aku berlari menuju meja Gryffindor, menatap penuh haru anak-anak asramaku yang bertepuk tangan.
"Sori, Neville," tegur cowok berambut merah yang duduk di tepi meja Gryffindor dan memakai lencana Prefek, "kau harus memberi kesempatan anak lain untuk masuk asrama juga." Ia menunjuk atas kepalaku dan mengerling bangku yang diatasnya sudah diduduki anak baru lain.
Wajahku merah padam, aku berjalan kembali ke bangku sambil menunduk, berusaha tidak peduli dengan kerasnya tawa di sekelilingku, dan memberikan Topi Seleksi yang masih ada di kepalaku kepada Morag MacDougal yang terkekeh geli.
Aku tidak yakin apakah aku pantas berada di Gryffindor, 'tempat berkumpul mereka yang berhati berani dan jujur'. Aku baru saja masuk asrama dan sudah mempermalukan Gryffindor...
Aku menyentakkan kepala, kembali ke masa kini. Topi Seleksi masih tersenyum di mataku. Aku masih ingat kata-katanya tujuh tahun lalu. Keberanianmu akan muncul pada akhirnya... apakah ini yang dia maksud? Bahwa setelah begitu banyak ketololan dan kecerobohan yang aku lakukan selama belajar di Hogwarts... di tahun terakhirku, keberanianku muncul juga?
"Neville!" aku menoleh, dan Nenek berlari-lari ke arahku, ditemani Profesor McGonagall. "Kau mengeluarkan pedang itu dari Topi! Kau melawan Kau-Tahu-Siapa dengan gagah berani! Kau anak hebat, seperti ayah dan ibumu!" suara parau Nenek terdengar bangga dan air matanya bercucuran.
"Kau murid Gryffindor yang berhati berani dan jujur," aku hanya bisa mendengar suara Profesor McGonagall-sulit melihat wajahnya karena Nenek membenamkan kepalaku ke dalam pelukannya erat-erat, menciumi puncak kepalaku, "aku bangga sekali padamu." Puji Profesor McGonagall, terisak.
Nenek melepaskan pelukannya, dan tanpa sadar aku meraih pedang Gryffindor dengan kedua tanganku, memperhatikan batu-batu mirahnya yang berkilau, lalu menemukan nama Godric Gryffindor di pangkalnya.
Tidak ada yang lebih membahagiakan daripada ini, perang selesai, kami menang-dan akhirnya aku berhasil meyakinkan diriku-setelah tujuh tahun, jujur saja-akan kenyataan bahwa aku, Neville Longbottom, memang seorang Gryffindor sejati.