Chapter fourteen

Harry looked at Hermione to explain, 'Voldemort tried to kill Harry when he was a baby. He was just over a year old. That scar on his head was done at that time. Voldemort murdered Harry's parents, but Harry survived and Voldemort disappeared. Everyone in our world thought he was gone for good. But he made sure he couldn't die and came back, using some old dark magic and Harry's blood, From the time Harry survived as a baby, he's been called the-boy-who-lived because he is the only person to ever survive the killing curse.'

'You're blood,' George Granger said.

'He captured me when I was fourteen, well his death eater captured me. He used three ingredients to bring Voldemort back. At the time he was just this small, disgusting thing, about the size of a small child. He'd been living on snake milk for years. So Pettigrew, that's the death eater, he put Voldemort in a cauldron, then put some of Voldemort's father's bone dust in it, then he cut off his own hand, then sliced my arm open. Bone of the father, flesh of the servant and blood of the enemy,' Harry shrugged.

Draco pulled Harry's sleeve up, 'That's this long scar,' Draco lifted Harry's arm and kissed it making Harry smile.

'There's a large round scar next to it,' Jean Granger said.

'That's where Harry was bitten by a basilisk when he saved my life. I was eleven Harry was twelve,' Ginny gave Harry a friendly smile.

'He's got a couple more scars from snakes, mainly Nagini,' Hermione said.

'Harry, something I've heard has made me curious,' Neville said.

'I'm sure a lot of things make you curious Neville, but what is it this time?' Harry smirked.

'Don't be a smart arse Potter. I heard that the prophecy mentioned a boy born at the end of July, but from what I've been told or heard, it never mentioned you by name or your parent's names. So how did Dumbledore know it meant you?'

Harry chewed on his bottom lip but saw Hermione and Ron both give Harry looks that clearly said it was up to him. Harry knew years ago Neville couldn't know, but now, he was so different, he just might be able to handle that bit of news.

'Okay, I'll tell you Neville and the only reason it wasn't mentioned before was that Dumbledore made me promise not to say anything, especially to you.'

'Me, why me?'

"The one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches, born to those that have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the dark lord will mark him as his equal but he will have power the dark lord knows not…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives…the one with the power to vanquish the dark lord will be born as the seventh month dies."

'As you just heard no names were mentioned in the whole thing apart from the dark lord.'

'So your birthday is July 31, but mine is the day before.'

'And your parents were in the order of the phoenix and had defied Voldemort three times, just like my parents. It could have meant either of us Neville, but do you know what Dumbledore and Snape believed is the reason he chose me over you?'

'Chose, what do you mean chose you?' Neville asked wide eyed.

'It was a choice, a choice between you or me, it didn't have to be me. See Voldemort never heard the whole prophecy, that's why he tried to get it a few years ago. After all the times I was able to escape him or stuff his plans up, he wanted to hear all of it. So all he knew was a boy born at the end of July was the one that would kill him. From what Snape told Dumbledore, Voldemort did some research and found out both of us were born at the same time and both had parents in the order of the phoenix.

'Now your parents were aurors, good fighters, you're also a pureblood Neville. As far as Voldemort believed, purebloods were the only witches and wizards that should learn magic, and that mattered. My parents were good fighters but not aurors and my father might have been a pureblood but my mother was a muggleborn, like Hermione. So I'm a halfblood, to him, not as bad as muggleborns but not as good as purebloods, as far as he was concerned. Now even though he acted like a pureblood, he was a halfblood, a muggle father, witch mother. Do you see where this is going?' Harry gave Neville a kindly smile.

'You mean he chose you, a halfblood over me, a pureblood, which is all ridiculous if you ask me. But he chose the one like him, is that right Harry?'

'Exactly, he was a halfblood, but powerful. He figured the halfblood baby was the one the prophecy meant. But it didn't have to mean me, it really could have been either of us.'

'Bloody hell,' Neville gaped at Harry, 'Sorry to say this mate, but I'm glad it wasn't me. I think I would have died years ago.'

'Actually Neville, don't take offence to this and just hear me out. But Snape actually asked me about this, that day he came to my place. He knew about the prophecy and knew it could have meant either of us. He asked if I thought you could have done what I did, kill Voldemort. Think about it Neville, you were raised with a grandmother that loves you, uncles, aunts, you're cousins. You had family around you and grew up like most kids, in a loving home and you were looked after. You were such a timid kid, let every push you around.

'Now look at me. I had those people raise me, they hated me, they starved me, locked me up, hit me. I got no affection at all, I was made to work, do all the house work, garden work, cook breakfast, all that from the time I was six. I grew up hard in a way but it also made me grow up fast and I'd learned to look after myself from a young age. So all that actually helped me go up against him and his death eaters, which let me survive. It toughened me up as a kid, so at eleven when I first went up against him, I was able to handle that.'

'Okay, no I don't take offence because you're right. We all saw the way you were that first year. You seemed so much older, didn't act like the rest of us. Nothing seemed to scare you, you were comfortable on your own, very quiet. You didn't know how to fly, but when Draco took my remembral and flew off with it, you just jumped on the broom and took off after him. None of the Slytherin's ever intimidated you and because of who you are, they had a go at your more often than anyone else. Snape always had a go at you, but you just stared him down, not many people would do that.'

'We noticed that Neville,' Draco said, 'I mainly had a go at Harry because he refused to shake my hand when I introduced myself to him.'

'Well, after hearing what you said in Madame Malkin's, all about purebloods and how they shouldn't allow the others in, I knew then I didn't like you,' Harry smiled, 'Hagrid had already told me about Voldemort how he was in Slytherin house. Then you had a go at Hagrid and I love Hagrid, he's my mate. So as far as I was concerned, you weren't someone I wanted to get to know.'

'I have to ask, but if that's how you two were, then how did you get together now?' George Granger asked.

'Mostly that wasn't really me, it was the way I was raised. My father was one of Voldemort's main death eaters and I was taught from a young age that Voldemort should rule the world. After we started at Hogwarts, my father was always telling me that Harry was our enemy, that he would ruin our way of life. I was taught that being rich made me better than anyone else, being a pureblood was better than halfbloods or muggleborns.

'Once I got old enough to think for myself and not what my father believed, I realised how wrong he was. I called Hermione a mudblood in our second year, I really believed that back then. Just after Harry and I started to see each other, I did apologise to her for that because it wasn't true. All of us are magical, it doesn't matter about blood status and our world was nearly destroyed because of Voldemort's belief that it was,' Draco had seen the Grangers looked a little confused when he mentioned mudblood, 'A mudblood is a name we, the pureblood people called muggleborns, it means dirty blood, she was born to non-magical parents. None of that is right and Hermione proved she is better than a lot of purebloods, smarter as well.'

'There are a lot of people in our world that believe purebloods are better than anyone else. Our family are all purebloods, but we don't believe that. A good example of this is the golden trio and the DA. Ron, a pureblood, Harry, a halfblood, Hermione, a muggleborn, those three did things that experience adult wizards and witches could never do. The DA, all these wonderful people have different blood status, but they went up against Voldemort and his death eaters. They joined forces and again did things that adults could never do,' Arthur smiled at the group of young people around the table and everyone realised what he said was true.