Neville Longbottom had always been a wallflower...but then one year, two abusive teachers, a snake's head, and a handful of decisions later, he blossomed into the kind of man he'd always thought his father would be proud of. This is his story.

His father had told him once that emotions were man's downfall. Narcissa was his, but the descent was so sweet that Lucius didn't mind waiting for the inevitable crash.

He broke curses. He studied so that people couldn't be held captive under magical control of any type. Fleur Delacour's effect on him seemed almost like a personal offense.