Hogwarts: January 1997

The students settled back into school after the long winter break. Harry had got Ginny a whole new Quidditch kit as an apology for not having her come to the battle and for Luna a rare book on runes. Both were happier with him after this but Ginny made sure he knew he was still in a bit of trouble for what he had done. Chocolate and some muggle comics added to the gift made her one happy girl, and she shared them with Luna. Neville had moved his parents to the Rosewood estate into their own cottage with a live-in caregiver squib by the name of Rachel Moody, a distant relation in Alastor Moody.

Lily had come to Hogwarts to visit and Severus Snape had found out what was wrong with her. She could produce half the she need dopamine, and this is what had caused her waking coma for all those years. She had been at Rosewood Hall when she had lapsed and Severus had gone to Potter Hall (and was that not fun) and spoke to the house elves, it seems one had given her a velvet beans to see if it would help and it had, since she had continued to use it, but it was not enough. So Severus who had studied the human mind and heard of treatments for this kind of thing found the cause, a curse, one the dark lord V had created and used to lower the body's ability to create dopamine. Now normally when dopamine is lowered in non-magical they end up with depression, but when those levels are lowered in magical to the level of Lily, then you get the situation that Lily was in. Now she was getting the treatments needed and Frank and Alice were being tested.

"So cousin/brother of mine, what should we do on a fine day like this?" Charlus asked Harry who had decided a nice warm alcove to study in was the ticket.

"It's snowing, I am studying," Harry replied.

"Oh come on, you need to get out." Charlus replied.

"Charlus leave Harry alone and let him study." Lily said walking up looking stunning in layers of emerald green robes, her dark red hair tied up from her face. "It is not wise to get between him and his studying."

"True, even I know better." Ginny said walking up feeling so plain and ugly next to Lily, "and it is not a nice day outside, inside is better."

"Just a bit of snow." Charlus said.

"It's a blizzard." Ginny countered.

"Marry me?" Charlus joked.

"Rather marry a flobberworm, besides I think I have the person I might want to marry." Ginny said a smirk on her face.

"Who?"

"Gilroy Lockhart, he is so dreamy!"

"Oi! Not funny!" Ron said walking up, "Bad enough you are dating my best mate here!"

Severus Snape glided up and smiled at Lily. Harry was surprised to see Charlus was not upset with him here, in fact he looked almost like he accepted the man. This was surprising at all the things Charlus had said about Snape over the years, for him to change meant maybe he was growing up as Harry never had a problem with the man. Then again he was not a Potter and not the son of James Potter anymore. He wondered what the relationship was between Severus and Lily, did they love each other or what?

"Hello brother of mine." Lily said.

"Lily sister of mine, how are the treatments?" Severus replied.

"The cannabis oil that Severus is brewing works."

"Still surprised that is legal here." Hermione said, "wish it was in the muggle world, daddy always said it is far better than the pain killers he has to give. Those are addictive and it's in the bible too."

"It's illegal in the muggle world?" Ron asked, "mental, we use it for so much here."

"Yea, but not in hot potions." Severus said, "I don't need altered students."

"No you don't, Harry were is Neville? I have not seen him today."

"Well he is letting of steam." Harry said sobering up, "he got good news then bad. Bellatrix is back, seems we missed one death eater that brought her back."

"Oh who was that?" Lily said.

"Yaxley, he was captured and interrogated and told madam Bones that Bellatrix is back." Harry replied.

"So where is Neville?" Lily asked.

"One of the dueling chambers, well an old classroom on the third corridor turned to that." Harry said.

Lily headed that way with Severus right behind her. The left side third corridor had never been used before Dumbledore's time, until Harry and Charlus' first year. After that it was turned into dueling chambers as some of the older students felt a place to let off steam as they put it was a great use for the place. So this was where Lily headed, walking past the lower chambers to the higher chambers where dueling dummies were allowed. There she found Neville dueling three dummies and he was terrifying. He was an earth mage like all the Longbottoms and so he was using earth base magic to really take down the dummies. He was wearing himself out and Severus stepped forward to cancel the dummies. Neville turned to face him rage on his face.

"You cannot defeat her if you wear yourself out." Severus said, "you have friends, and teachers."

"I want my revenge! My parents were tortured by her!" Neville said, "I have to do this, just let me or I will..."

"Severus could you leave for a moment?" Lily said, "I need to talk with him."

"Very well," Severus said leaving to terrorize, er help other students.

"I need to do this!" Neville said, "just let me."

Lily walked over and Neville found himself in her arms, the arms of a mother. He broke down and sobbed her arms. Lily soothed him as only a mother could and he sank to the floor tears streaming down his cheeks. She sat on the floor holding him and rocking him as he sobbed out all his pain and suffering. Finally he was able to calm down and washed his face in the basin Lily conjured for him. He was able to stand and head out to where he saw Severus blocking curses in a lower dueling room with a very eager fourth year Gryffindor who thought he could take him on. Then again the McCloud clan were a very powerful magical clan that not even the English kings mages troops could take down. He was in a kilt with the tartan of his clan on it, sporran, white socks and heavy boots, he had his Hogwarts blazer, sweater, tie and white shirt on.

"You are passable." Severus said, "but rely too much on your own power."

"Yea but I kin still battle wi' ye." Robert Bruce McCloud said. "an' I am only a ferth year at this grand place."

"That you are." Severus said finally disarming him.

Luna had come in to watch and smiled at McCloud. He was part of an ancient family that could trace their roots back to the Picts (who had suffered a horrible magical civil war that left the evil blood druids dead and the white druids left behind to cleanse the isle, cleansing that had been going on for thousands of years) who had started the tradition of kilt wearing in Scotland that had not been taken up by non-magical Scotland until after the 1600s (unlike the muggles they wore drawers under their kilts as they felt this set them aside from the muggles) the McCloud family had not sent a child to Hogwarts for nearly three centuries and so Robert was the first in a very long time. He was celebrated here but kept as humble as one could keep a powerful warlock that he was becoming.

"Can I come to your estate this summer?" Luna asked.

"Yes, and yes there are what ye call crumpled horned snortcracks there, ye kin get up close t' them, they are American ye see."

"They are not real? They can't be." Neville said faintly.

"Well, they are known in America as the Jackalope, and magi-zoologist do everything they can to keep them from being found with fake taxidermy, an' a bonny bit o' yarns too." Robert said grinning, "just as Nessie is real so too is the snortcrack, we do what we can to protect them."

"I learned so much from him." Luna said, "daddy was right about them existing but not about how they looked."

"Well they can do a bit of shape shifting t' pertect themselves." Robert replied. "Sir kin I have me wand back?"

"Yes, here." Severus said handing it over.

This was a testament that the magical world was coming out of a long dark spell it had been under. That families like the McCloud family were coming back to Hogwarts. Ancient laws that were unkind were being repealed, the Forbidden Forest had been given the name of Centaur Forest and a new hedge was going up so that students would know not to go onto Centaur lands. Beings were being given back ancient rights and new treatments for magical diseases were being used. Werewolves were required to take Wolfsbane and have an approved locked cellar to be in each full moon. Vampires were still distrusted as one could not become the undead without wanting to, aside from zombies (not to be confused with inferti) who were potion driven slaves that needed rescue.

It was at the Easter Break Severus had a breakthrough and seeing that things were going to be better. He took Neville himself to the grounds of Rosewood Hall and to the cheery cottage his parents lived. It was a two story three bedroom one and a half bath home with a slate roof that matched the one on the hall. A fire was going in the fireplace and two people sat before the roaring fire. Both were clad warmly, the man in a gray tweed suit, the woman in a long green wool dress. Her white hair was tied back carefully in a bun and she was doing needlework. The man was reading and Neville looked on them and if Severus had not been supporting him he would have fallen to the floor. Instead he burst into tears. Alice looked up and got up and walked to him, she held his face in her hands drinking in her baby boy, no longer a baby but a man. Frank remained seated but beckoned Neville over, he could not walk far and never would but he was here and had his wits back.

"Mum, dad!" Neville said, "how?"

"A blend of muggle drugs, potions I brewed, some mild shock therapy from Japan doctors and physical therapy. The physical therapy was started first, then the mild shock therapy and the potions and drugs." Severus replied, "it may not be permanent."

"We know, but this little bit, for all of us." Alice said, "you gave us time with our son."

"For that we owe you, Severus." Frank replied.

"Come, tell us all about yourself, and Hogwarts." Alice asked.

Neville took a seat and started to talk to them all about his life from childhood on spending most of that time talking about Hogwarts. They were so pleased he was in Ravenclaw and loved that he had such good friends. Neville had a feeling they would not have cared if he were in Slytherin. He would have but they seemed to be the kind who wanted him happy. He talked to them about his dreams and hopes and did everything he could to let them know all about him. It was great to have his parents, his mother and father with him. When he took out the wrappers his mum had made she smiled and helped him put them in a chain, something she had not been able to do when she was not herself. The little family spent the whole Easter break getting to know each other and Neville felt whole when he went back to Hogwarts.

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I wanted to write a completely different sort of WBWL story, one where Harry was treated right and mistakes were made, James is not a villain, just very misguided and mistakes were made. So now here we get to see the healing from mistakes made and how Harry and Charlus are exploring a new friendship and what family relationship they have. I am doing my level best to keep it as real as I can.

Anyway, do review please!