The Herbologist and the Librarian
Prologue
September 2001
Neville Longbottom closed his now closed suitcase. Never in a million years did he think that he would be on his way back to Hogwarts.
Well, sure. He thought maybe someday. If he ever got married and had kids, he'd go to Hogwarts to visit them or whatever. But he never thought he was going to go there to teach.
He used to be a shy boy who could barely manage his wand. He thought himself a disgrace that he wasn't as talanted as his father was before he was tortured until he went mad. He was terrible at Charms, a disaster in Transfiguration, and his performance in Potions were compared to war zones. Granted he was told he was spectacular in Herbology. And he was fair in Defense Against the Dark Arts. But that was only because of Harry Potter. He would have failed miserabley in that too if it weren't for Harry.
Ah, Harry. The Boy who Lived, Died, and then came back. That was the on going joke between some of the wizarding world. Harry and Ginny had just gotten engaged to be married. After the death of the Dark Lord, they felt that they could take things slow, and get to know eachother again. They didn't feel that there was a rush to get married. They were planning to have a long engagement too.
Harry had done so much for him. It was all because of Harry that he was where he was today.
If it weren't for Harry, Neville would have never been able to fight in that battle. Or maybe he would have fought, but he would have been so clumsy that he would have been killed within the first hour. Because of Harry, he was able to protect himself and others. He was able to stand up to Snape during his seventh year while Harry was running around the country looking for the last of the horcruxes. If Harry hadn't taught him what he did, Neville would never had killed Nagini, Lord Voldemort's snake.
If it weren't for Harry, he wouldn't be saying Voldemort's name without flinching. Needless to say, Neville owed alot to Harry.
After school, Neville finally moved out of his grandmother's house. He moved into a small flat in Diagon Alley, and got a job as an herbologist for St. Mungo's. He worked there for three years until he recieved an owl from the new Headmistress of Hogwarts about three months earlier.
He remembered opening it.
Dear Mr. Longbottom,
My name is Beatrice LeSoleil, Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You may or may not have heard that Professor Pamona Sprout has decided to retire from her job as Professor of Herbology. Normally we would hold interviews for this job, but Professor Sprout has demanded that her successor should be someone with as much knowledge of the subject as herself. She specifically mentioned you.
If you are interested in this position, please let me know as soon as possible so that we may make your arrangements.
As a former student and to many of the staff and to students here, a school hero, we would be greatly honored to have you join our staff.
Sincerely,
Beatrice LeSoleil
Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Neville had been in shock for the most part when he recieved the letter. He never expected that he would be asked to be a teacher. But, after about a week of thinking it over, he accepted the job. He loved Hogwarts dearly, and he felt honored that Professor Sprout had chosen him by name to take over her post as school Herbologist.
He responded to Headmistress LeSoleil and began to prepare for his career move.
Beatrice LeSoleil. Beatrice "The Sun", was what her name was best translated to. A strict but caring french woman, who at the age of fourty-eight, was the youngest Head of the school in Hogwarts History.
When they were looking for a new Head for the school after the final battle, The Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, first looked at Proffessor McGonigall. She declined the position, claiming that she was too old to take over now, and she was content with finishing her years at Hogwarts as Professor of Transfiguration. So they set out an ad in the Daily Prophet.
The Headmistress of Beauxbatons, Madame Maxime had contacted the Minister, and suggested her own Second in Command, Beatrice LeSoleil. She had spent the past twenty years of her life molding the minds of young people, even after the tragic death of her husband.
Her husband, Jean-Luc LeSoleil was a teacher as well. But five years into his marriage, he was hit in a cross fire of a duel between two quarelling students. No one exactly know what they were fighting about, but it was bad enough to cause both boys to send a Cruciatus curse at eachother. They were both quite powerful and they hit Monsieur LeSoleil in the chest. He died almost instantly.
The boys were sent to Azkaban for life. But the widow was never bitter towards them, and over time, she eventually forgave them.
Now, three months after recieving the owl of his new job, Neville was finishing the last of his packing and was about to disapparate to Hogsmeade and walk up to the castle.
He took one more look around his flat and sighed.
Wish me luck.
And with a pop, he disapparated out of his flat.