Hi, everyone!
Here is another chapter, I think I was faster this time, wasn't I?
This chapter is also kind of big, so I think you people are going to like it. I really want to hear what you will think about it.
Also, I've told some people in replies, but I will not keep explaining other characters like I did with Snape, I will just ask you to trust me. My end notes will still exist, but only to talk about the current chapter like I've been doing.
That said, I want to give thanks again for all the reviews, follows and favorites, I really appreciate it and I'm happy to know people are interested in this story.
Please keep in mind that this is my first fanfiction in English, so if you find anything wrong, please just notify me. I'm trying to do my best, but mistakes happen. I also havesgt-phoenix (previously named ' ') (you know I love ya) as a beta for now, so I think that will help a lot.
So, let's get on with this and if you're interested in reading my thoughts on the things I modified from canon or my writing process, read my end notes.
The ties between us
Chapter Ten: To Mend a Broken Heart
Harry woke up disorientated. He wasn't sure what time it was and his head hurt from crying himself to sleep.
He sat up on the bed and was soon assaulted by the disgusting smell of vomit and immediately remembered that he had gotten sick while crying. With his stomach upset by the smell, he laid down again to inhale the smell of his pillows instead.
Slowly, he began to think back on all that had happened. When he had gotten back from the hospital, he was just so upset that he couldn't even think about anything else, he'd just kept on crying until he'd made himself sick. But now, without the crying, he could actually make out his thoughts now and remember Madame's words.
Neville's parents were in the hospital and it was Draco's aunt's fault.
Harry wondered if Draco knew about it. Did he even know said aunt? Madame seemed to believe he did, saying something about his father.
Harry didn't understand exactly what the problem was with Mr. Malfoy; everyone seemed to distrust him to some extent, even Severus, who was a friend of his as far as Harry understood.
He felt really bad about Neville's parents. It sounded awful to have them alive but out of their minds as they had looked in the hospital. Harry wondered if they were always like that, or if there were days when they were normal.
With his head hurting from crying and his thoughts getting all confused again, Harry was ready for another round of it. He could feel the wetness on his cheeks again when a soft knock came through the door and it opened, revealing Enid.
"Hello, Harry. Good to see you're awake," said the woman with a sad smile.
Harry didn't move from his position. He wanted to be left alone since he didn't felt like talking, but Enid approached and sat down on the bed. Catching wind of the smell of vomit, she saw the mess hidden on the other side of the bed and took out her wand out to cast a spell to clean it away, and turned to Harry with concerned eyes.
"Was that just now?" she asked. "Are you still sick?"
Harry didn't say anything and just shook his head 'no'. Enid sighed and called a house elf, asking it for water and a few potions.
"Drink this, it will help settle your stomach," she said when the house elf returned. "And then drink all your water, you'll need it. I'll make sure the elves prepare something light for you for dinner."
Harry took the potion and the water silently. He wanted to ask Enid to leave, but he didn't think that would be taken very well. Still, his head was hurting and he was still very upset, so he laid back down and without looking at Enid, went back to crying silently.
"Oh, love!" Enid whispered, joining him at his side.
She didn't say anything more. She just laid with Harry and held him, running her fingers through his hair trying to calm him down, giving him time. Harry on the other hand, was startled for a moment since he had never been comforted before, but he took the affection anyway. Eventually, he turned to her to let himself be held properly.
When Harry finally calmed down a bit, he was surprised to realize just how much he really did need the woman's comfort. He was so used to being alone in his cupboard, that he didn't realize he needed to be taken care of by an adult.
"I'm sorry you had to go through this, Harry," Enid said very softly. "Unfortunately, Augusta is a stubborn woman who's still hurting."
"Because of Draco," Harry croaked hoarsely.
"No, no…it has nothing to do with Draco. It was a mad woman who hurt Neville's parents, a woman that Draco probably has never met or even heard of."
"Then, what is wrong with Draco?"
"Nothing is wrong with him. I'm sure he's just a sweet child as most five-year-olds are. Unfortunately for him, his father made a lot of bad choices a few years ago and a lot of people distrust him for it."
"So, he is bad?" he asked.
Enid stopped for a moment to think, and then answered slowly.
"A lot of people will say he is…but people are a lot more complicated than that. There is a lot that goes in-between good and bad…and sometimes even good people can do bad things."
"Like Madame?"
"Yes, what she did was really bad, even if she's not a bad person at all."
"So, Mr. Malfoy is like that?"
"I don't know. The bad choices he made showed a man that was more bad than good, but you know what the best thing about people is?"
Harry shook his head.
"It's the power to change. People can change. So maybe Mr. Malfoy will change too, but only time will tell us that."
"I understand…" Harry said. "Does that mean I can't be friends with Draco until he changes?"
"Not at all, on the contrary, actually, because if you're friends with Draco, maybe that is what will help Mr. Malfoy and Augusta see things differently."
"But what about Neville's parents? Will they ever be ok? Are they going to get better?"
Enid looked at him sadly.
"No, they won't. Their condition cannot be cured, so they will be that way forever. Madame just doesn't want us to pretend that they are dead, or that Neville believes them to be so, but at the same time they are not here either. They are not truly alive."
"That I don't understand. How that even happens, how can someone do that to someone else?" Harry was getting upset again. "Madame said something about it, but I didn't understand!"
"You don't need to. Neville doesn't understand either, a lot of people don't. Maybe when you grow up you will be able to, but you don't need to right now. You just need to know that they are very ill and that they'll never get better."
"Never ever?"
"I wouldn't say never ever, because maybe one day the healers will discover a way to bring them back, but at least for now and in the near future, they won't and we aren't going to hope otherwise. Okay?"
"Okay," Harry said, and they were quiet for a moment before he spoke again, "What about the woman, that did that to them?"
"She is in a place where she can never hurt anyone again, you can just forget about her, okay?"
Harry nodded. "Okay."
—
When Harry woke up the next morning his head didn't hurt anymore, but he took some time to replay all the happenings of the day before. He didn't feel like crying anymore. He also didn't have the energy to be upset, so he chose to tend to his needs instead and went to the bathroom.
He looked at himself in the mirror. His face looked very strange with his cheeks all puffy from crying, but there wasn't anything that could be done about that…
"Harry? Are you in here?" came Algie's voice.
Harry went back to the room and found him at his bedroom door.
"Hey! It's almost ten, I came to see if you were okay. Want some breakfast?"
"Ten?" asked Harry. He had assumed it was very early in the morning since he was always awake by eight.
"Enid let you and Neville sleep in today, no lessons. Yesterday was very upsetting," he said sympathetically.
Harry nodded, not knowing what to say to that and followed Algie out to the kitchen table where Neville and Enid were already eating.
"Good morning, Harry," Enid greeted.
Harry gave her a half smile and sat down, not looking in Neville's direction. He felt very awkward with the boy and he must have felt the same, because he didn't attempt to talk to Harry at all.
Breakfast was a silent affair. It was only when they were mostly done that an owl came in the window and landed by Enid.
"Is that a Ministry seal?" asked Algie as Enid opened it. "What is wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong, it's from Madame Bones. All the paperwork was approved and updated in the Ministry and she wants so give us a copy, but she also came by some other things that she wanted to talk Augusta about. She is asking if she can come by later."
"Can't believe it took them a bloody week to process a magical guardianship! And then people want to tell us the goblins are a problem…"
"Language, darling. I will talk with Augusta, so she can write back. She must have closed her windows."
"Yeah, she is sulking. One would think she's old enough to deal with her own mess…"
Enid threw her husband a dirty look and excused herself. The silence had returned, but without eating to use as a distraction, it was just a pitiful image of two boys with swollen faces trying to avoid one another.
"Come on, this is enough," Algie declared, getting the attention of the two boys. "Augusta is a bitch sometimes—she doesn't mean it, but it happens, and we won't all be depressed in here because of it. Come on, we're going to the green houses. Let's see some flora and feed my carnivorous plants."
Algie stood up and motioned for the boys to do the same.
"Grandma said we couldn't…." Neville began.
"Screw her, let's go," Algie snapped, and the two boys followed.
—
The fireplace went alight with green flames before Amelia Bones stepped inside the Longbottom's home.
"Augusta, so good to see you," Amelia greeted.
"Amelia," said Augusta, hugging her in return.
"Are you alright?" asked Amelia, looking at her friend's tired face.
"Not really..." Augusta said as the two sat down to talk.
"What happened? Are the boys alright?"
"Yes…we...had a bit of a fight. Algie took them outside to distract them, Enid is cooking something to help cheer them up."
"Anything I can do?" Amelia asked. "One of the reasons I came by was to ask how Mr. Potter was doing. Is he not adapting well?"
"He apparently made friends with Lucius Malfoy's son and Snape let the boys interact even after the scandal he is creating around Dumbledore."
"So you noticed."
"Oh, I noticed alright," Augusta snapped angrily. "The Prophet is going crazy about, 'how Dumbledore let this happen to The-Boy-Who-Lived'. As if they were ever concerned about the boy."
"Yes… Lucius is using this very well. Not only to put shame on Dumbledore, but also to put rise again on a few of his master's beliefs. After all, it was muggles who mistreated the boy," said Amelia, obviously tired from dealing with Malfoy's political moves all week.
"This should have been dealt with in secrecy, he's exposing the boy! And for what?"
"Things will be difficult for a while. I suggest you keep the boy out of sight, at least for now."
"I'm aware…"
There was a moment of silence between the two women. It seemed the time of the Dark Lord's ascension wasn't as far behind as it once looked.
"You said Potter and young Malfoy are friends?" Amelia began. "Have you met the boy?"
"No. He saw him when he was with Snape. I tried to convince him to stay away from the boy, but he refused and I lost my head and everyone just got upset…"
"With two people so different being responsible for him it's not going to be easy… Have you tried talking with Snape?"
"No, but I sent Dumbledore a letter, he thinks Lucius is using his son to influence the boy since he couldn't get custody, but that we shouldn't punish the boys and just act with caution."
"Sounds just like something Dumbledore would say. What does Enid and her husband have to say?"
"Enid thinks we can influence the Malfoy boy just as much as he can influence Harry."
Amelia stopped a moment, in thought.
"She's not wrong…"
"Yes, but I still don't like it, especially since Harry fought quite strongly over keeping the friendship. It seems like Malfoy has the upper hand, here."
"Maybe, but it also helps he didn't have any friends before."
"What do you mean?"
"With the muggles; they kept him isolated. Apparently the cousin was a bit of a bully and most of the neighbors mistrusted the boy because of the lies told by his relatives."
"You went into contact with the muggles?"
"Yes! That's why the paperwork took so long!" Amelia sighed exasperatedly. "The aunt had to sign the papers and because he was with muggles he also had a registry in the muggle world—we had to update his status in their system so they wouldn't notice the boy disappearing. Apparently the school was about to call social services."
"As they should have! Would have been good if they did!"
"Yes, but unfortunately this would mean that the case would be going through the muggle systems as well, it would be an all-around mess that just isn't worth it."
"Did you erase him from the system?"
"No, no, best to keep him in, never know what he will decide to do in the future. Snape had a muggle father so he's in the system as well, so we just assigned him as the official guardian."
Amelia gave Augusta the package with the paperwork.
"Here is the copy of guardianship, signed both from us and the muggles, and Mr. Potter's birth certificate, in case he ever needs anything from the muggle world."
"Thank you, Amelia," said Augusta. Amelia nodded.
"Well, I'd better get going," she said as she stood. "Don't worry so much about the Malfoy boy. Harry needs friends. I'm sure he and Neville will bond strongly soon enough and you will see he will make other friends. Five more years and he will be at Hogwarts safe and sound."
"What about Susan?" asked Augusta, suddenly remembering Amelia's niece.
"She's fine, she's with her uncle. She's got a cousin of the same age and he's got a lot of friends, she wants to go to muggle school now! I'm thinking of letting her. I try to keep my work hours consistent, without taking on any extra shifts, but I still feel I'm not dedicating enough time to her education. I just worry about her getting too involved with friends she can't share everything with. Of course her family knows, but she won't be able to talk about magic with any of her muggle friends, not to mention any accidental magic that could happen at any given moment."
"Why don't you bring her here?" Augusta suggested. "Harry seemed to like her when they met and as you said, he could do with a friend."
"I think that could be a very good idea! Just tell me when is good for you."
"You can bring her tomorrow, if you want, I only have him until Friday anyway."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, of course."
"Alright, I will firecall you later to arrange a time."
The two women said their goodbyes and Amelia left, leaving Augusta in a much better mood and something to look forward to.
—
Harry was walking around, looking at all the different plants in the greenhouse, a lot of them unlike anything he'd ever seen before. He and Neville had already fed the carnivorous plants with Algie and Harry thought that had been the coolest thing he had ever done. The carnivorous plants were very beautiful and the little ones would let you pet them a little before it tried to eat your fingers.
Harry was thinking about heading back to pet the baby plants again when he saw Neville standing in front of some blue flowers and looking completely lost in thoughts.
"What are those? Are they magical?" asked Harry, getting closer to Neville. The two of them hadn't really talked to each other since they had left for the hospital.
"They are roses, but they are magical," said Neville.
The two stood there in awkward silence for a while and Harry was beginning to walk away to leave him alone, when Neville spoke again.
"There aren't any blue roses in nature. Usually you can put color in the white ones, but my mum thought blue was the best color, so my dad invented a potion that you use on the seeds so the roses that would grow from them would be blue and he gave them to my mum when he asked her to marry him… All the flowers at their wedding were blue roses."
Harry looked back to the flowers with a new appreciation. They were much more meaningful now.
"I miss them, but I hate going to the hospital," said Neville in a quiet voice, and when Harry looked at him he was already crying. "They look horrible and they don't even know who I am."
"I don't know anything about my parents or what they looked like apart from that picture of my dad you all gave me. Severus said he knew my mum, but he never talks about her and he is the only person that I know who knew her," Harry said, not really looking at Neville until he was finished.
"I'm sorry," said Neville.
"I'm sorry too."
The two looked at each other for a bit until Neville moved to give Harry a hug. They stayed in each other's arms for a while and when they let go, there was nothing more to be said, but they both knew that they were going to be okay.
—
Lunch was a much more cheerful affair than breakfast and both Enid and Algie were pleased that the two boys were well again, leaving them to enjoy their day off. When tea time came, the boys were surprised with more sweets than usual, and by Madame's presence.
"I suppose I owe you an apology, Harry," said Augusta when they were all seated at the table.
Harry didn't reply. He knew very well that Madame was the one who did something horrible, but his previous experiences with the Dursleys taught him that adults were never wrong and that kids should just shut up, so he sat there quietly.
Soon everyone would be fine with pretending that nothing had ever happened.
"How did your meeting with Amelia go?" asked Enid after some time of silence.
"It was well," Madame replied. "She brought me all of Harry's documents, both from the Ministry and from the muggles."
"How did they change his files in the muggle's database?" Algie asked.
"Snape is already in the system, so as far as the muggles are concerned, Harry is now his adopted child."
"Severus is my father?" asked Harry, surprised.
"No, no, the muggles only think he is because adoption was the easiest way to explain your new guardianship, but what really matters is the arrangement that we made at the Ministry."
"Oh…okay," said Harry, trying to pretend he didn't care, but a part of him was a bit disappointed. Being adopted would mean he had another family besides the Dursleys. He didn't really see the Longbottoms as his family, but more like his caretakers. Not that he wanted to go back to the Dursleys, because he didn't, but a part of him still felt weird living away with strangers.
"By the way," Augusta went on, "I invited her niece to come over tomorrow, I think it would be good for the boys."
"Friends are always good," Enid agreed.
"Do you still remember Susan, Harry?" Augusta asked. "You met her at the Ministry?"
Harry stopped to think about the day he went to the Ministry. So much had happened since then that it seemed like it was such a long time ago.
"Yeah… We built a castle and a village with her blocks."
"Well, she is the one coming over tomorrow."
Harry smiled. The girl had been really nice and he wouldn't mind seeing her again.
"Okay."
"What time is she coming?" asked Enid.
"I don't know yet, Amelia still has yet to call and schedule."
"Invite her for lunch, we could do a picnic by the pond," Algie suggested.
"That's a beautiful idea, love," Enid said, and her husband smiled.
"The kids could also go and swim for a bit, it's so hot this spring. Better enjoy it while we can, 'cause it's never this hot this time of the year."
"Wouldn't that be dangerous?" asked Augusta.
"Why would it be? The pond is wide, but it's not very deep, and we'll be there to supervise," said Algie. He turned to Harry. "Do you know how to swim, Harry?"
"No," he said shyly.
"Well, here comes a good opportunity to learn! Neville learned last summer. You still remember I hope?" Algie asked Neville.
"I suppose…" the boy said uncertainly.
Conversations then began to shift to proposing different ideas for activities they could do the next day and Augusta was pleased to see that her idea was a good one after all.
—
The next day, both Harry and Neville awoke to do their morning activities as usual, but were sent to change at eleven, something that left them really excited. All conversation from the day before about what they would do on their picnic at the pond had left everyone in a good mood.
"I will have to shrink a pair of Neville's trunks," said Enid when she noticed Harry didn't have any swimming clothes. "But we'll eventually need to go and buy Harry his own…and more clothes as well…"
Harry was surprised, because he wasn't used to it with the Dursleys, but he no longer thought it was strange for people to buy him things, especially not the Longbottoms. Although they had not been living together long, Harry was certain that they were indeed just that nice (even if Madame wasn't most of the time).
When everyone was properly dressed, they all gathered by the fireplace to wait and Harry was pleasantly surprised that not only was Madame in light clothing, but that she was also in good spirits. It was not long before the green fire appeared and both Madame Bones and her niece came out of it.
"Amelia," said Augusta, greeting her friend with a smile.
"Oh, so this is Susan," said Enid smiling to the little girl.
"Oh yeah, you haven't met her yet, Enid."
"No…but she's beautiful, just like her mother."
Amelia's smile wilted a little, but her spirits soon lightened again so she wouldn't upset her niece.
"You knew my mother?" Susan asked shyly.
"Not really, but I knew your father and I was at their wedding."
"Oh…" Susan looked at Enid, fascinated.
"Aaahh, no more speak of the dead, now," Algie sniped, annoyed, and turning to the little girl. "Did you bring a swimming suit?"
"It's under her dress," said Amelia.
"Then we're wasting time, the pond awaits us!" Algie boomed, which sounded funny with his thick accent. "Come on, kids!"
Doing an amusing march, Algie left the room followed by Harry, Neville and Susan, who were giggling at his antics. Enid said her goodbyes to Amelia and left as well.
Susan looked around the garden in amazement. It was very pretty and she loved it all, saying that it reminded her of the one at her own house.
Soon the group reached the pond. It was quite big, but clearly the area had been gardened because the plants around it weren't very big. It was a beautiful place.
"So, Susan…" began Enid, "I'm sure you remember Harry, but you have yet to meet my great nephew, Neville."
The two kids looked at each other timidly, but Neville said a quiet 'hello', and the awkwardness passed.
"So, I'm Enid and this is my husband, Algie."
"Hello," said Algie, making her giggle as he waved at her.
"Do you know how to swim?" asked Enid.
"A little, uncle Matthew took me to the beach last summer," said Susan.
"Then fear not, because you're all about to learn from the best swimmer around," Algie declared. "Come on, let's all get out of these clothes and get wet!"
Enid looked in amusement to her husband, letting him lead the kids. It was times like these, when he was so happy with the children that made her sad the most that they weren't able to have their own.
—
By the time Madame had come from the manor, Algie already had the children entertained and set learning how to swim in the form of a game. Though it was very unfortunate that even though Neville had learned how to swim last summer, he was still the worst between the kids and was therefore losing miserably.
"You need to close your fingers," said Susan, trying to help him, "or you won't be able to move."
"I take it that everything went well between them," said Madame, sitting next to Enid.
"Yes. They were shy in the beginning, but they are having fun now."
"That's good."
Enid looked at Augusta for a moment with a pointedly serious expression.
"Go ahead and say it," Madame sighed resignedly.
"Kids always act like everything is good and forgotten, because they usually don't know how to deal with such complex feelings, but things like what happened yesterday tend to leave quite a scar, Augusta."
"I think you've already given me quite the lecture on your opinions of yesterday," said Augusta tiredly.
"That's not what I'm trying to do now. I just want you to make sure you make it a priority to deal with your own complex feelings properly, because pretending nothing happened will do no good. One day this same discussion will come back around and we will need to have learned at least a little from this."
Augusta didn't say anything, but it was clear in her expression that she understood what her sister-in-law was saying.
"Also, you should be aware you just lost their trust, they are both wary of you now. You will need to mend this relationship on your own."
"I understand," said Augusta.
"Good."
—
Enid eventually went to wade into the water and joined in the game with the kids until the house elves came with lunch and a few towels.
"That was fun," said Susan as she took a seat around the spot they were going to eat.
"We'll need to rest for a while after eating, but I'm sure we will have time for another round before you go," said Algie.
"I hope so. Do you always play in the pond?"
"Not at this time of the year. It's usually still cold in the spring, but we try in the summer if we are not traveling," said Enid.
"That's nice. Back home there is a lot of space, but not much to do."
"What do you usually do every day?" asked Enid as she distributed the plates and sandwiches.
"I go to my uncle's house. My aunt always gives me lessons to practice, so I do them while Liam is at school and then when he gets back we play a bit and I help him with homework so I can learn his muggle stuff. Sometimes we go out to some event at the school. If my aunt gets out of work early, we all do something together."
"But do you like staying with your muggle family?" asked Algie.
"Yeah! I just wish I could go to school with Liam, it sounds very nice."
"I used to go to school," said Harry.
"Really?" Susan asked, sounding excited.
"Yeah. I went with my cousin, but I didn't like it very much. I suppose gym was okay when the other kids weren't chasing after me."
"But didn't you have a lot of fun classes like music and art?" Susan asked, seeming disappointed.
"We didn't do anything in art and I wasn't allowed to do the fun stuff in music because to play I needed to have a way to practice at home and the Dursleys would never buy me a keyboard to use as a piano."
"You never said you liked the piano, Harry," said Enid. "We have one here if you want to learn how to play."
"It doesn't matter, it was just that in class we had to choose something and I thought the piano was nice. I don't really want to learn it."
Despite his intention to sound uninterested, it was obvious to the adults that Harry was a bit bothered with the fact he was denied the music activity.
"Well…that's sad. Liam is not very good at his art classes, but he said it is really nice, and he is in the choir!"
"Dudley tried the choir, but he was so bad the teacher kicked him out. Uncle Vernon was furious."
"Ouch…that should have been funny," said Susan, smiling.
"It was, he was really awful," said Harry, and the two laughed.
"School doesn't sound all that bad," said Algie. "I had no idea there was so much stuff to do."
"There is!" Susan exclaimed. "You learn to read and write, do math, science…you can even learn welsh! Liam is teaching me welsh."
"Welsh?" asked Algie, confused.
"I didn't learn welsh," said Harry, also confused. "I knew we could pick a language in stage 2, but I didn't know you could pick welsh."
"Oh…he lives in Cardiff, maybe that's why?"
"You do learn welsh in Wales, that makes sense," said Algie.
"So many things to learn and all the interactions with other children, you're right darling, it doesn't sound bad at all," said Enid, sounding impressed.
"I really want aunt Amelia to let me go to school next year. Muggleborns do it, Harry did it…"
"Indeed…." said Enid, looking pensive. "You only asked about school once, Harry, but we never considered you would be missing it."
"I'm not," Harry assured her.
"Because of going to school itself, or because your family made it hard for you?" she asked.
Harry didn't answer verbally, but his silence was enough of an answer.
"Come now, Enid, you can't really be thinking about sending him back," Augusta insisted.
"It's not a bad idea. His last school wasn't all that nice, but the school in Cardiff sounds fun, Neville could even enjoy it," said Algie.
"Don't be silly, it would be nothing but a lot of empty knowledge. There isn't much the muggles could teach them that we can't and they will be going to Hogwarts soon enough."
"Any kind of knowledge is useful," Algie argued. "It makes you wiser even if you don't use it."
"And this is not about the use of the knowledge, but about a place where the kids could meet other kids and explore new things, that as you just mentioned, they won't have at Hogwarts," said Enid. "And they could use this sort of environment now."
"I don't see it like that, but I suppose we will have to agree to disagree, as we have apparently been doing all week," Augusta said tightly, ending the argument before it turned sour.
Enid and Algie looked at each other, but neither said anything to avoid causing more family trouble, but the idea remained in the back of their minds. Wizards lived separated from the muggle world and never before had they had considered the things it could offer, and they were very happy to learn so much about it.
It was a shame Augusta clearly didn't think so.
—
Even with Madame's disinterest in muggle culture, Susan was more than happy to ask Harry all kinds of questions. And even when he had to admit to not having been allowed some things, like watching the television or playing a video game, he still knew enough to engage in conversation with her.
Neville didn't know a thing about muggles and thought that the things they talked about made them sound like they were from a whole other planet, but Harry and Susan were more than happy to tell him more about it and soon he was asking his own questions as well.
Apparently 'Disney' was very important and Neville had to watch at least one of their movies, so Susan was going to arrange a meeting at her uncle's house so they could use his VHS player (whatever that was). Susan also really loved musicals and wanted to be a singer one day. She knew things about music even Harry didn't; apparently 'The Beatles' were really famous, although Harry's aunt hated them, and 'The Wizard of Oz' was really beautiful (or very boring in Harry's opinion). But what Susan really wanted was to see the new play in London that had some French name.
Unfortunately, Harry said that even though his uncle was really proud to have won tickets for it in the past, he really hated it and said all kinds of bad things every time they showed something about it on the television.
By the time the clock struck five and the kids were dry and in thier clothes waiting for Amelia, it felt like they had known each other for months.
Harry, who so far had been quiet and shy, had really come out of his shell as he talked about what was familiar to him and the adults were positive the meeting had been a success.
"Calm down, I don't understand a word you're saying," Amelia chuckled when Susan had run up to her as soon as she emerged through the floo, rambling on in a very fast and excited voice all about her day.
"I take it they enjoyed her visit?" Amelia asked with a smile.
"Oh, they did!" said Enid. "I think they are best friends now."
The two women laughed and Augusta offered Amelia a cup of tea so she could actually sit down and hear all about Susan's day. It was very pleasant to hear all about the amazing day the kids had had and that Susan was able to "talk muggle" with Harry.
"She told us all about muggle school, we had no idea it was so interesting," said Enid.
"Oh, she's been going on about it for so long now, I hope she hasn't talked your ears off," said Amelia with good humor.
"Oh no, we actually enjoyed hearing about it. It sounds fantastic."
"It does. I think I would let her go…although, the accidental magic issues is still what worries me…"
"Muggleborns do it!" Algie exclaimed. "Why the hell do we have the 'Accidental Magic Reversal Squad'? It's not there just to waste money."
"It also doesn't mean we need to give them any unnecessary problems," Augusta said testily, "preventing exposure starts with us. It's by depending on the Ministry for everything that we've created the problems we have today. Everything is endless involvement with bureaucracy—and no offence to you, Amelia, I know you do your best, but to solve the small problems, it takes forever; lots of unnecessary paperwork and a lot of wasted money on people who don't want to work."
"Yeah, and I'm sure three kids going to school are going to aggravate every single problem that they could ever possibly have down at the Ministry," Algie groaned sarcastically. "Never mind that Fudge is a buffoon."
"Three? You'd better not be counting Neville," Augusta warned.
Algie was ready to give the woman a reply, when Enid kicked him.
"Can we please not fight again today?" she plead.
Algie and Augusta remained silent, clear that they still had plenty to say to one another. With the tension of an impending fight starting to crackle in the air, Amelia made her excuses to leave, promising the kids that they would arrange another meeting and the kids parted ways with smiles and hugs.
"Well, you two should go shower and rest before dinner," said Enid, and the boys, sharing a knowing look, ran from the room.
The three remaining adults looked at each other, waiting to see who would start first.
"I don't know what's enchanted you to this mad idea," Augusta began, to which Algie had rolled his eyes. "I can't tell Amelia how to deal with her niece, but I know what to do with my grandson."
"The idea is not a bad one," said Enid, "the muggle world a part of Harry should we really take that from him? You saw him today. He still loves a lot of the things he used to do and we are depriving him of another chance to experience it without his horrible relatives looming over him. Hasn't he lost enough?"
"He is going to Hogwarts!"
"In five years! Right now he is not learning any magic, he is learning how to read, how to write, how to calculate…just like muggles do. We should give him a smooth transition, not just take him from the world he knows to just be abruptly thrown into another."
"This is his world! He is a wizard, just like his mother and father!"
"BUT HE IS NOT HIS PARENTS!" Algie roared in a mix of frustration and anger. "And neither is Neville!"
Augusta drew herself up straight, her expression cool.
"You're putting words in my mouth."
"I'm not! That's exactly what you do all the time, looking for Frank in Neville, but he is not there and never will be because Neville has no idea who his father was!"
"That is not true!"
"It's true enough! He can stare at that empty shell in that hospital his entire life, but it will never tell him a thing, Augusta."
"You can't talk like that…" Augusta's voice trembled.
Algie took a deep breath.
"We're old, Augusta. I fought in the war. I lost my brother and I saw Russia tear itself apart. I can now only sit here and do nothing but take care of my plants and my wife. But these kids are just starting out, they will want to do things, not because of their parents, but because they are alive. You can spend the rest of your days mourning for the terrible losses you suffered, but they don't have to mourn with you."
Augusta didn't answer, but her eyes were red and wet and her expression was tired.
"Until Harry showed up, Neville didn't know any other children, magical or otherwise, and we all thought he was a squib because he was five and never did any magic. All he needed was to meet another kid to help him along and now he can make things float. That should show us how good it is for him to get out of this house, getting to know other kids, instead of being here where he's constantly surrounded by old people.
"…I just want to keep him safe," Augusta said through her tears.
"An animal is safe in a cage, it doesn't mean it's happy."
Algie looked at Augusta, deep into her eyes.
"If Neville really had been a squib, what were we going to do with him? The wizarding world doesn't know what to do with squibs, most of them just go into the muggle world where they can be just like everybody else. Were you going to keep him here? You have money, but he has an entire life. If you kept him here to just live like us, he would die before he was thirty."
Augusta began to cry. The past few days had been so emotionally exhaustive and she was so tired… Enid approached and held her as she cried.
"Had things been different, maybe nothing would have changed, but the world has given us another child and with him a lot of changes, a lot of new opportunities for us. We're older, but we are not dead yet. We can still learn whatever it is the universe is trying to teach us. We can't let this tear us apart," whispered Enid with tears in her eyes as the two women held each other desperately.
Algie took a deep breath and wrapped his arms around them both. It was now time to put this behind them. Now was the time for peace.
—
About this chapter:
So, this is the second part of the conflict between Harry and the Longbottoms.
This chapter, like the last one, was really hard to write and I had to break it into little pieces within my work plan just so I could actually finish it.
The first part is all about Harry trying to understand all that happened the day before. He's just five, so there is a lot of things he probably wouldn't understand and I think Enid's explanation about Mr. Malfoy, even if she doesn't truly believe it, is the best to give to a child, especially because she's trying to not alienate him. Eventually, Harry will have his own opinion about Lucius.
Also, just so you know: no, Frank and Alice will not get better.
Obviously, after all the mess, Harry and Neville would feel awkward with each other. They aren't very close yet, so I wanted a way to get them back together that would be delicate and show their mutual understanding, because essentially they're both orphans. I think it did work out.
Funny story; I love blue roses. That's where this little tale comes from. When I was younger I was a huge fan of Japanese comics (I still am, but not as much now) and there was one called 'Paradise Kiss', and there was a moment in the story when the guy talked about the mystery of the blue rose, because they didn't exist in nature. It was a very interesting thing and I went after it and I studied all about blue flowers natural or artificial and in the end I'm still in love with the idea of blue roses because of that comic.
So…yeah, I hope you liked this little story about Neville's parents. Frank could after all be good in potions and herbology to the point of creating a new type of plant. And since we don't know much about the family, maybe they do sell exotic plants. Algie certainly is a herbologist in my story.
Another interesting thing about this chapter is that initially it was going to be about Susan. When I first made the story outline I knew chapter 9 was going to bring up the problem with Harry being friends with a Malfoy and then chapter 10 was going to be about making a new friend that Madame approved of. In the end, all my worries about introducing a new character to the main cast were in vain because the character quite literally wrote themselves and made this family conflict much bigger than I first intended.
So, in the end, Susan's appearance, although introducing the new subplot, became a lot less important. She will have to wait for her big moment I suppose...
Also, the doubts the Longbottoms have about Harry's muggle side took a new turn, not only because they are fighting a lot more about it than I first thought, but also because I explored a lot more of my possibilities. I always wanted a few muggle elements to be part of the story, but I wasn't very certain how they were going to be introduced. I ended up studying about the educational system in the UK; in a way they have a few things I could identify with my experience with US education and then the idea that the kids could actually go to muggle school grew on me.
I'm very curious about what you people will think about this idea of muggle school.
Also, another curious thing about me that ended up in the story; I always wanted to play the piano.
In Brazil, where I live, musical education is not very common. Usually if you don't have someone in your family who pushes you to do it, you won't have much contact with it because most schools don't have even the basics in music, so you will only develop some interest in it when you're older and can choose for yourself. Since I was a child my dad would take me to watch the orchestra, so I loved classical music, but I was too young to have them know I actually wanted to learn it as well.
When I was older it was even more difficult because of my school schedule and because my mum wasn't very helpful and was completely against me having a keyboard at home, even if I was already trying to self study. In the end I still don't know how to play the piano. I know where the notes are and I can read a music sheet, but I can't just sit down and play much more than those basic Beethoven songs everyone learns when they are starting.
So even if Harry doesn't become really involved with music in his later years, he will learn the piano to satisfy this author's frustration. Be prepared to see some things about music, because I think it's awesome that in the UK music is a part of their required curriculum and I totally intend to use it until they go to Hogwarts to learn magic.
One thing I can promise is that I will try not to make the childhood arc too much bigger because of the muggle school idea. In my first chapter planning, that wasn't included, so their childhood arc wasn't meant to be too long and I will try to keep it that way so we can get them into Hogwarts.
See ya!