AN: I just got HP and the Cursed Child Saturday and I'm so so so so happy! I ship Scorbus sooooo hard omg
(so ye scorbus will be canon at the end, just different pairings)
Neville hadn't heard from the voice in his head for a while now. That may sound crazy at first, but it was totally possible according to Hermione. Thankfully she wasn't as suspicious as usual, but she explained to him that Legilimens can accidentally send out their thoughts to those they have deep attachments to. Neville thought this to be weird though since he wasn't as close to Harry as Ron or Hermione were, but he didn't question her further so as not to raise her suspicion. Instead, he questioned Dumbledore after Harry had left. He explained the situation under the promise of confidentiality, and he received an answer he didn't really want from the headmaster.
"The only way for the two of you to be closer than for him to be closer to say, Ron, is- and don't get me wrong, I'm sure you're good friends- for you to be connected by the prophecy. He likely accidentally gained it from Voldemort(Neville flinched at the use of the name.). I'm sure the two of you will grow closer on this journey together as you already have." Dumbledore had said. It wasn't a satisfying answer, but Neville dealt with it.
Now he was dealing with Harry's exorbitant sense of adventure. He didn't really want to be in the Forbidden Forest after hours, but he couldn't let Harry go alone like he knew he'd do. Harry wasn't scared of anything which was worrying. That meant he'd do everything to reach his goals. Sometimes Neville sort of wished the Sorting Hat sorted Harry into Slytherin so he didn't have to get caught up in his silly travels that end up getting them in trouble.
That wasn't to say he didn't care about Harry. He wanted the best for him. The best for him was to keep him as safe as possible. Going to the Forbidden Forest at two in the morning was not a safe idea. This was going completely against Neville's better judgement. He should've known better than to indulge in Harry's crackpot theories which always lead to the aforementioned trouble.
"Harry?" Neville whispers to the shorter boy in front of him.
"What?" Harry whips around angrily as if Neville's soft spoken voice might startle some dangerous animal that might be lurking around.
"I just think it'd be a good idea to go back." Neville says, pointing to the castle.
"We're so close!" Harry stares a hole through his friend. He grabs Neville's arm.
Neville looks down at the gesture with a troubled look. He wants to go with Harry to make him happy, but he wants to stay out of the adventure at the same time. He decides to go with his gut and the latter, jerking his arm away from the younger boy. This sudden movement causes Harry to yell out in frustration, running deeper into the forest.
Neville stands in his spot, proud of his decision. He turns to leave the forest, but he hears a voice.
"I should've listened... someone... help..." it says. This time Neville is sure it's Harry's, but he's not anywhere around, so it must be the Legilimency.
Neville breaks into a run and dashes deep into the forest's heart, jumping and ducking over tree limbs and fallen trees. He manages to take the path without any danger besides the plant life. Eventually though, he gets to Harry who is being attacked by a small piece of Devil's Snare. A little anti-climactic in Neville's opinion.
"Harry..." Neville mutters. "Devil's Snare? Really? This is child's play." he pulls out his wand and casts Lumos Maximus, covering the entire forest in white light. The plant shrivels up and dies.
"Thanks." Harry mumbles, looking down in embarrassment. "Let's go. I'm sure Hermione and Draco are fine."
"Glad you're seeing it my way." Neville smiles. "Oh, uh, could you hold this?" he asks, handing Harry something before walking on.
"Neville?" Harry asks as they walk back to the school.
"Whatever could it be, Mr. Devil's Snare?" Neville asks, looking at Harry with a cheeky smile.
"Th-this is your h-hand..." Harry stammers, flustered at the prospect of holding hands with Neville.
"Well we can't have part one of the Chosen Duo getting eaten by some overgrown Mercury Deertraps." Neville laughs. Harry doesn't find it all too funny.
"That's not a thing, right? There aren't Venus Flytraps so huge they could eat a deer, right?"
"What's a Venus Flytrap?" Neville asks, trying to seem completely serious, but really he's only joking. Harry gulps. "Look, we don't have to hold hands." the blonde says, throwing up his hands. His right hand is quickly snatched back by Harry's left. He's completely silent.
"You know," Neville laughs. "this reminds me of the time when we were first years and we went through the forest... except now it's just me and you." Neville looks down shyly at Harry who bites his lip, cautiously choosing his next words.
He goes with, "Yeah."
Neville stops at the entrance. He hears something faint. He puts his hand on Harry's shoulder as a sign for him to stop. The shorter boy looks up in confusion. Then, he hears it too. It's a low growl, almost like a wolf's. However, it sounds human. Neville recognizes it immediately.
It's a werewolf.
Neville grabs Harry's forearm as fast as he can before the werewolf comes into view and makes a run for it. Harry eventually frees himself of Neville's grasp but runs alongside him since his life basically depends on it.
Their scared looks are replaced by confused ones as the werewolf runs right past them into the deeper forest. The two stop, the danger is gone, so they can turn back, right?
"We gotta see what's going on." Harry says adamantly so Neville knows he's not just joking around. It doesn't keep him from being worried though, and Harry senses this. "You saw what he did. He just ran right past us. It's a miracle that might not happen twice, but we have to take advantage of it."
"Curiosity killed the stag, Harry." Neville warns. Harry scoffs and jogs into the forest, leading Neville along. They soon break into a run and start to trail the werewolf.
They arrive at a clearing. It's surrounded by thick foliage and many other pieces of flora, like thick trees, vines, and every few feet or so, a bush. A little light from the full moon shines down upon it, making it appear as if the plants are glossy and turquoise, almost like jade. It's peaceful and beautiful.
Neville smiles at its serenity and walks straight into the middle. "How can this exist in the Forbidden Forest? It's absolutely, bloody breath-taking." he laughs at the irony of the name. "Doesn't it almost feel as if they were keeping this from us?" the sight of the amazing area is enough to make him forget about the werewolf, at least for a minute.
"In a way." Harry responds. He holds his arm shyly. He brushes his hair back to the point where his scar is visible. Neville rarely saw it, and it wasn't exactly the prettiest thing he had laid his eyes on, but it was special. It was what made Harry the chosen one.
Harry walks closer to Neville, holding his arm again. His green eyes are like the jade foliage surrounding them; stunningly alluring. Neville holds out his hand, which Harry takes. Suddenly, Neville pulls him closer, which the blonde didn't think he even had the bravery to do. It was heat of the moment, like everything that was about to transpire here. Harry's eyes flicker between Neville's face and his hands. Then, he takes a step back while still holding hands with the taller boy. They begin ballroom dancing even though there's no music. It's only them under the moonlight, gazing into each other's green eyes, jade and olive, with Harry pressing his head closer to kiss...
That is, until a frenzied Hermione Granger jumps out of the rose bushes to interrupt their moment. Her hair has twigs and leaves in it and she just looks disheveled in general.
"What the hell are you doing, you bloody boneheads? Were you dropped on your heads as babies? It's called the Forbidden Forest for a reason!" she screams at them in a condescending manner.
"Hermione! You're okay!" Neville says happily, letting go of Harry's hands and stepping towards Hermione a bit. Harry falls flat on his face. Neville quickly helps him up.
"Forget about me! Just get out of here!" Hermione yells, waving her arms and running towards the two. "There are wolves back there! I ran from them, but I think they're still following me, now come on!" Hermione explains, pushing them away from the direction she came from.
Suddenly they stop before they're out of the clearing. There's a rustling in the foliage. Harry dashes in front of Neville to protect the taller boy. Hermione dashes in front of Harry to protect him in case it's Draco.
But it's not. It's a Jack Russell Terrier. And then Draco.
Hermione transforms into her animagus form, an otter, in case the werewolf attacks Harry and Neville. Her transformation makes the werewolf noticeably happier, though it still looks as dangerous as it is. Maybe it's not happiness Neville sees in Draco's eyes, but relief? It's enough to make anyone wonder what happened. It's as if he found her after losing her. Neville wonders what happened in the forest.
Whatever relief Draco had disappears after the wolves Hermione said were chasing her show up. She hides behind Draco and he dashes between Neville and Harry to fend them off. The Jack Russell Terrier barks for the two humans to follow it. They do so with pleasure. Harry tried to grab Hermione, but he had to leave her when she bit his finger angrily as a sign that she was going to stay put.
The three end up at the entrance of the forest next to Hagrid's hut. The Jack Russell Terrier suddenly transforms into Ron. Neville stares at the red-haired boy in shock. He didn't think Ron was capable of such a feat.
"I knew something bad happened when you checked the map, Harry. I came out here as soon as you guys left." Ron explains. "Now, it's been a long day. Can we all just go to bed?"
"Yeah," Harry says, slipping his invisibility cloak over him and Neville.
By October, the Hogsmeade visits were beginning. Neville never had the best times in Hogsmeade.
His first year in Hogsmeade he had been enjoying a simple lollipop before it was taken from him by an invisible force.
The second year he was snowed in with Seamus Finnegan when he accidentally stayed too long at The Three Broomsticks. It got pretty tense and hot there for a minute. Dean Thomas would've freaked if he found out.
The third year he was practicing some charms and accidentally hit Ginny Weasley with a Petrificus Totalus. He tried to run, but when Ginny was unfrozen, attempting to run from her was like a gazelle trying to run from a cheetah.
Hopefully his fourth year in Hogsmeade wouldn't turn out so sour.
Thankfully, it's been pretty good. The first day at least. It was nice out, the sun was shining, but it was also snowing lightly. It always snowed in Hogsmeade no matter what day of the year it was. Also, Neville was able to buy a lollipop and actually finish it without anything happening to it. Yes, it was shaping up to be a good day.
That is, until Draco came in. It was all downhill from there.
Neville walks back to Hogwarts with some bags filled with candy from Honeydukes. Then, just as he's passing by the space in-between Dervish & Banges and Dogweed and Deathcap, the mischievous Draco Malfoy pulls him into the alleyway with him. Neville's so startled that he drops his bags, smashing the peanut brittle he had chosen to buy. Naturally he's angry at Draco for this.
"Why did you-" he begins to yell, rather loudly. He had never gotten to that volume. The nickname "Meekbottom" hadn't spread unfounded. However, Draco had interrupted him by shoving his hand over Neville's mouth, effectively muffling him.
Draco looks around slyly and chooses to remove his hand from his friend's lips, shushing him as he does so. "I need to get out of here really quickly, but I have a proposal for you." he says with a wide grin. He rummages through a black bag around his shoulder which is also attached to his belt which makes it look sort of like a fanny pack. He pulls out a vial with pink liquid contained within it. Neville barely recognizes it.
"A love potion?" Neville asks. He doesn't question Draco's need to leave, he doesn't wish to get involved.
"Yeah. I don't know who you'd use it on... but it doesn't matter. After now I probably won't be able to talk to you so I have to say this real quick. Will you trade this love potion for the task of creating Wolfsbane Potions for me until summer?" Draco asks. Neville's eyes widen. Love potions aren't to be joked about. You never know when a love potion has been made too strong. One potion should only last for twenty-four hours and cause slight attraction, like wanting a kiss. Unfortunately, most people brew it wrong and the attraction turns into demand.
"I- I don't know what to say, Draco. Where'd you get this?" Neville asks, wanting to be sure it came from a responsible place.
"The Weasley's. Not the best place, but I'll take it. I knew it would interest you." Draco shrugs.
"Wait..." Neville squints up at the taller boy. The Gryffindor has gotten quite clever. "How do I know you aren't just lying? How do I know it's not fake?" he asks. It's a win-win situation. If he takes part of it, and it's real, he has Draco in his clutches for at least a few minutes, and if he refuses or takes it and it doesn't work, he'll know it was fake.
"W- well!" Draco exclaims. "I thought we- we were friends." Neville just smiles evilly, relishing the fact that the fate of their friendship turning into something more is in his hands. "Whatever! I'll prove it to you." and so Draco drinks a sip of the potion before handing Neville the rest of it. Neville couldn't be more ecstatic to see the result.
"So?" Neville asks. "Draco? Do you have anything to say to me? Any three words?"
Draco states off into space for a while until he finally looks down at Neville with a suggestive smile. "Oh yeah," he crosses his arms. "if those words are, 'I love myself!'" he gives a short laugh and struts past Neville. "Out of my way, blood-traitor."
Neville scoffs, feeling as if he's been tricked out of not receiving the love the potion gives. He runs after the other blonde with a frenzied expression. "Where're you going? Draco?" he calls after the Slytherin who he can't catch up with.
Draco turns around with a smug smirk on his face. "I'm going to Honeydukes to treat myself to a nice butterbeer for all the good work I've done for the Dark Lord today." he says proudly, crossing his arms in a way that makes it appear as if he's hugging himself. Well, at least this would only last a few minutes since he only took a sip. Hopefully.
"Wait, what?" Neville bursts out. "Draco! What have you been doing?" he screams. Draco doesn't respond, and instead walks on, acting as if he can't hear what Neville has said.
Shortly, Neville gets the answer to his question in the form of a screaming Leanne.
Neville arrives shortly to his secret lesson with Professor Dumbledore. On his way, he meets Harry who is just coming back from his. The black-haired boy seems disgruntled by whatever it was he had seen. Later that day Neville would find out it was about the Gaunt family and their ties to He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. Neville has no idea what this lesson will be about yet though since he and Harry are having different ones. He hopes it's just as exciting as Harry's.
Once in Dumbledore's office, he took his time in particular to look at Fawkes. He was a beautiful phoenix with feathers of flames. The bird lit up the entire room. The pensieve also lit up the room slightly. There were no other lights. Neville, aside from the red and blue glows of Fawkes and the pensieve, was completely in the dark. Dumbledore was slightly illuminated by the light of the pensieve.
"Neville," it's the first word Dumbledore has spoken to him. He hadn't even greeted him. "I will only say this once. I don't like being lied to." he turns to face the boy.
"I understand, sir." Neville replies, slightly scared by this new tone. It's soft, yet serious. It sends the message that he wants to make sure Neville will want to respond to his next question with the absolute truth.
"Do you believe Draco Malfoy have something to do with what happened with Ms. Bell?" Dumbledore asks.
Neville blinked rapidly. He wasn't too shocked that Dumbledore might question him about Draco, but what happened to Katie was something no one expected and had just happened, so there weren't many details about the incident. Nevertheless, Neville answers what he firmly believes, "No."
Dumbledore nods. "This is the truth?" he asks.
"Yes. That is what I believe, sir." Neville affirms.
"Well, now, we may get on with the lesson." Dumbledore says happily, definitely less serious than before. He walks over to the pensieve and places his hand on its edge, drawing out a jar with a white, glowing hair in it. "You may not like this one at first, but it's imperative that you learn these lessons; I'm sure you understand."
"I'm prepared." Neville promises.
"Let's go then."
AN: Chapter 10 and 11 don't deal with what Neville and Dumbledore see, so I'm going to make a chapter 9.5 sometime soon.
Also! Let's talk about endgame! SPOILERS! Endgame pairings are:
-Haville(Neville/Harry) obviously
-Dramione(Draco/Hermione) also obvi
-Ginny/Luna
and everybody's favorite!
-Cedric/Delphi Dark'ness Dementia Lestrange Riddle Raven Way Rowle Diggory
Also! I don't know what endgame for Ron should be! I'm thinking either Pansy or Padma? Maybe even Astoria?