Disclaimer: Harry Potter is the sole property of JK Rowling but OCs are mine.

Chapter 13: Neville's Discovery

Harry thanked Neville for bringing his homework. "I don't really see why I need to be in here."

"Madam Pomfrey said it'd be even worse for you if anyone knocked you and caught your eye while it's still healing," Neville said, repeating what Madam Pomfrey had already told Harry.

"Yeah, but it's still going to take weeks for it to heal properly," Harry grumbled. "You'd think with magic it'd be different."

"But without magic you'd have lost it totally."

"I know but it's really annoying."

"At least your detention was with Madam Pomfrey instead of Professor Snape," Neville said, holding up his sore hands. "My fingers were bleeding by the time I'd finished scrubbing out Slytherin's cauldrons."

Because of his injury, Harry's detention had been transferred from Snape and he'd ended up helping Madam Pomfrey wrap bandages by hand. "Sorry."

"Nah, it's not your fault."

When Neville fell silent, Harry brought up something that had been worrying him. "Did you hide the Book?"

"Yeah," Neville said, before confessing to one of his usual clumsy habits. "But I dropped it when I was trying to put it in that spot behind my bed head; that's when I noticed a new chapter." After looking around him, he moved closer to Harry. "I, uh, read it."

"I said you could," Harry reminded Neville. "What did it say?"

"That Granger nags you about studying for the exams."

"Anything that's not boring?"

As he broke into a huge grin, Neville's head nodded excitedly. "Yeah, that the bloke who met us at the train station, Hagrid, is going to hatch a baby dragon." Neville's excitement vanished as he sank back into his seat. "And I think you're supposed to be friends with him, Granger and Weasley."

"Neville, you're my friend, not them," Harry said unable to miss the change in Neville's demeanor and guess the reason behind it. "What else did it say?"

"That you all try to help him by writing to Weasley's brother who works with dragons. But after he's collected the dragon from the North Tower you forget your invisibility cloak and get caught by Filch."

"Never gonna happen. Anything else?"

"Oh yeah, something about Quirrell not cracking yet."

"Nothing about Snape?"

"Not really," Neville said, before bringing the dragon problem back up. "What are we going to do about Hagrid?"

"Why do anything?"

"Because dragons aren't allowed, and he's got a wooden hut."

"I don't see what that has to do with us," Harry said, touching his eye patch. "Perhaps when he sets fire to his hut, Hagrid will change his mind about the dragon."

Neville wasn't quite so sure and he didn't want Hagrid getting into trouble, but nevertheless he still found himself agreeing with Harry, "I suppose."

"Look, keep an eye on the Book," Harry decided, seeing that doing nothing was making his friend uncomfortable. "If anything seems different, write it down. If I don't help then it might change."

May was barely a day old when Neville came tearing into the infirmary, almost knocking over Madam Pomfrey. "Sorry." He then walked sedately up to Harry's desk. "How are you doing?"

Harry touched his eye patch, which he'd shed a few days earlier and now frustratingly had to wear again. "Slipping over and banging my head has put me back weeks or even months. Madam Pomfrey said she doesn't think she's going to release me for another fortnight, not if I don't want to lose my sight permanently. She doesn't want me getting jarred or slipping over on water again."

"I bet Weasley did it on purpose," Neville said, casting his mind back to the puddle of water that Harry had slipped on in their bedroom, water that Ron had dripped in from the showers.

"He's been dripping water everywhere since day one," Harry reminded Neville, before trying to take his mind of his injury. "So what's the rush?"

"The Book changed," Neville said, tugging it out of his bag and handing it over. "Hagrid's going to die in a fire."

His stomach lurching, Harry took the Book from Neville. "But I can't leave the hospital wing."

"And we can't let him die."

Both boys became quiet as they tried to figure out what to do next. It was Harry who came up with the only solution he could think of.

"Nev, you need to go to McGonagall. She has to know."

Neville shook his head. "I can't. She's too scary."

Harry had to agree to the teacher's fierceness. "What about Flitwick?"

"I don't know." Neville didn't like the idea of trying to explain about Hagrid and how Neville could possibly know about the dragon's egg to any of his professors. After explaining this to Harry, Harry came up with another idea.

"Then write it down but don't sign your name. Then shove it under McGonagall's door."

"Brilliant!" Neville said, leaping on the idea.

Two days after his discussion with Harry, Neville was called to see his head of house.

"Mr. Longbottom," his teacher said, holding out a piece of parchment, "did you really think I wouldn't recognize your handwriting?"

Neville gulped as he looked at the parchment he'd slipped under the Transfiguration teacher's door. Both he and Harry had completely forgotten that the teacher would recognize his writing, and neither of them had bothered to consult the Book, something he wished he'd done now. "I, um, I, uh…"

McGonagall broke in. "Accusing Hagrid of something like this is a very serious allegation. What proof do you have, Mr. Longbottom?"

Neville's ingenuity to think on his feet was about to be put to the test. "I saw something that looked like a dragon's egg on his table when he opened his door."

"What were you doing down by Hagrid's hut?"

Neville blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Picking flowers."

Well aware that Neville loved herbology, the flower picking statement didn't ring any alarm bells but the knowledge of the egg did. "How would you even know it was a dragon's egg?"

Neville froze for a moment until the obvious and only answer he could come up with was hurriedly offered up. "Weasley had a book when we were still friends. I saw some pictures in there and the egg sort of looked something like one I saw in there."

Aware that Charlie Weasley worked with dragons, McGonagall accepted this explanation, although still not quite believing Neville, she gave Neville a warning. "If I discover that you're simply making mischief, Mr. Longbottom, you will regret it."

"I'm not, Professor," Neville said earnestly, his face full of truth. "I'm just afraid that Hagrid will set fire to his hut."

"Very well, wait here."

It was a long and terrifying hour for Neville as he waited for McGonagall's return. He stood up on shaking legs when she stepped into her office.

"You were correct in your assumptions, Mr. Longbottom."

Neville's legs gave way under him as relief flooded through him.

Despite her severe demeanor, McGonagall was concerned at how pale Neville had gone. "I think I should take to you to see Madam Pomfrey."

Still shaking, Neville let his teacher take him to the hospital wing where he was checked over and told to sit down for a while.

Poppy walked Minerva to the door. "He'll be fine. He's just a little shook up."

"Then I'll leave him in your capable hands."

When everyone had moved away, Harry walked over to where Neville was sitting, clutching a hot chocolate. "You don't look so good."

"I thought… I thought…" Neville started to cry.

"Nev?"

Neville took several intakes of air as he tried to regain his composure. "McGonagall recognized my writing and called me into her office. She went to look for the egg but I was so scared that she'd find nothing and I'd get kicked out of school. Gran would kill me if that happened."

"I'm really sorry," Harry said, feeling guilty for asking Neville to send the note. He then checked around as he always did before he mentioned the Book. "There was another chapter last night, a really scary chapter."

"Can I see?"

Harry pulled out the disguised Book from his bag and handed it over.

"Um, Harry, it must have changed. It's talking about herbology."

"I wrote most of the chapter down in case it changed," Harry said, tugging out a sheaf of parchment. "Here."

Neville began to read Harry's notes. "I tried to warn you that McGonagall was on the prowl the night you got the dragon to safety?"

"Yep," Harry said, guessing that this was making Neville feel better and he was glad that he'd left the bit out from the Book that called Neville 'blundering'. Even so, Harry doubted that what was to come would have the same cheery effect.

Neville gulped as he read the notes. "Snape's gonna get the Stone?"

"I said it was scary, but that's not the worst."

Neville read, his earlier paleness returning. "You were supposed to face him?

Harry nodded vigorously. "Yeah, it really scared me."

"And I thought McGonagall was scary…"

"She is," Harry agreed, still thinking that. "Now you've read my notes, let's see exactly what this new chapter says."

"It's mostly about schoolwork and Quirrell getting paler," Neville said, scanning the chapter with Harry. "So what do we do?"

"We follow the Book," Harry said, before spotting Neville's look of alarm. "I mean the new chapter, not the one about me going into the Forest and facing him."

"Okay, let's do that then," a relieved Neville said.

Time went by quickly and before they knew what had happened, Harry had once again rejoined his fellow classmates, where Ron ignored both him and Neville. Then almost as suddenly, exams were upon them, and in a panic to revise, the Book, which Harry had been checking up until the first exam, was forgotten about.

It was only after the nightmarish time was over that Harry and Neville finally remembered about the Book and pulled it out of its hiding place behind Neville's bed head.

Harry began reading about his book self asking Hagrid about how he'd acquired the egg and the conclusion. "Oh God! Snape's going for the Stone."

Neville's voice was filled with as much horror as Harry's was. "And McGonagall won't help us. Look she said so here: "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, it's too well protected." Harry, she hates us and she's not going to believe us. Even less than this Book McGonagall would."

"So what do we do?" Harry asked in alarm, realizing that Neville was correct.

Neville came up with the only solution possible. "We carry on reading."

As he did, he grew paler and paler as he read what Book Harry intended to do. "Harry, please tell me you're not going after that Stone."

Harry re-read the passage where his Book self declared that he'd never go over to the Dark Side and, just like his counterpart, Harry knew he had to face Voldemort. "I think I have to do it, Nev. If I don't, then can you imagine what might happen?"

"You might still be alive!"

"Keep reading, I need to know what to do."

Both boys hurriedly continued with their reading, Neville frowning. "I'm supposed to try and stop you, Granger and Weasley going, Harry."

"No, you're not," Harry said in a strong voice. "That's what Book Neville thought. He thought he was doing the right by trying to stop them going after the Stone but you know it's the wrong thing to do."

"I know." Neville then went quiet as he returned to the latest chapter, stopping when he noticed a problem. "Harry, I didn't know you had a flute."

"I don't," Harry said, scratching his head as he thought about his alternate choices. "I suppose I could always hum a tune."

Neville gave Harry a look filled with skepticism. "Harry, you sound like a banshee!"

"Then you can hum a tune!"

"Me?"

"I don't need you to go with me, at least through the trapdoor," Harry quickly said, thinking that this was the reason behind Neville's evident worry. "But I need you to put Fluffy to sleep so I can get in."

"You think I'm a coward."

"No, Nev, I don't. I don't want you to get hurt."

Neville set his shoulders. "If you go, I go."

Harry smiled at his best friend. "See, it's true: you are worth twelve of Malfoy."

Bolstered, Neville returned his attention to the Book, following the Book's versions of Harry, Hermione and Ron as they jumped into the trapdoor and the unknown. His eyes lit up as he recognized the description of the plant the trio landed on.

"It's Devil's Snare, Harry."

This was confirmed by Book Hermione, who shortly thereafter provided the correct treatment of it. However, Hermione's inclusion in the chapter brought up questions for Neville.

"Harry, you're not her friend. Why would she even be there?"

"Because I think I was supposed to be her friend but something didn't happen that should have," Harry theorized. "And I'd never ask her to come with us."

"And why hasn't the Book changed like it did when I first…" Neville's voice trailed away. "It's me telling you about the Devil's Snare now."

"Then I think you're coming with me."

"So why is Weasley still here?"

Harry shrugged. "Perhaps he has to come with us. We were his friend."

"But you hate him."

"Then he doesn't come," Harry declared, before reluctantly saying, "But what if he's supposed to? You replaced Granger to help us with the Devil's Snare but who's going to replace Weasley if we need him to get past whatever's in place guarding the Stone?"

Both boys gasped as most of the words faded away entirely, before being replaced with the conversation they were now having.

"Harry, why isn't it telling us about the trapdoor now?"

Harry thought over all the times the Book had changed and came to a conclusion. "I think it's because I can't decide whether to take Weasley with us or not. The Book must do whatever I think and then go from there."

Neville nudged Harry as words reappeared. "Look."

Harry read out the new insertion.

'Harry noticed that Ron's bed curtains were tightly closed, and he quickly hurried over to the other side of the room, shaking Neville awake.

"We have to go."'

Neville made a pertinent observation. "You must have decided not to take Weasley."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, before going back to reading.

'Harry waited while Neville slipped on his shoes, and then both boys headed down the stairs and into the common room. As they left the common room, they had no idea that someone else was thinking about whether or not to confront them when they arrived at Fluffy's hide-out.'

"That's it?" Neville squeaked as Harry turned to the page to discover it was blank.

"It just ends." Harry turned the page back and forth several times but nothing else appeared.

"But how can it do that?"

"Perhaps it's because the person doesn't make a choice until the very last moment and the Book knows that."

"Do you think it's Weasley?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know who else it could be, but I don't think we'll know for sure until we get there."

"Then we have to take the Book with us."

"It's massive," Harry protested.

"But it's the only thing that might save us," Neville argued.

Harry looked down at the Book. "Okay." He then looked at Neville. "You're sure you want to do this?"

"I am."

"Then we go down the trapdoor tonight!"