It had been nearly three years since Neville learned that he wasn't a squib and, instead of improving, his life had gotten lonelier. Uncle Algie and his Gran had a huge fight after Algie had dropped Neville out the window and Neville couldn't help but overhear many issues be loudly mentioned that he had been unaware of.
The Longbottom finances were in very poor shape. After grandpa died they didn't have any money coming in and the hospital bills for his mom and dad were stacking up. They weren't poor just yet but Neville got the impression that it was only a matter of time before all the money dried up.
Uncle Algie stopped visiting after that and Neville was left almost entirely to his own company from the ages of eight to eleven. His Gran made time to ensure that Neville was drilled on proper culture and etiquette, but she never took him out to interact with other children so the only real interaction he got was being polite for company whenever Gran had some of her old lady friends over.
As time went on his gran got sterner and even less approving of his obsession with herbology, often telling him that his father was always getting into trouble or playing quidditch at his age. It didn't matter that he had no friends to get into trouble with or talk quidditch with, it was always "be more like your father used to be."
All of this only made Neville focus harder on his plants. Every waking hour that wasn't spent on enforced studies and etiquette lessons were spent tending to his own small patch of land that he was reluctantly allowed by his grandmother. The teachings of his grandfather had sprouted in Neville's mind and the soon to be eleven-year-old knew exactly what he was going to do with his life. He was going to reinvigorate the greenhouses and get the Longbottoms back to selling magical plants. He had spent the last few years furiously studying everything he could get his hands on about the uses for Herbology and he was pleased to find that just about every food and potion that was sold required properly raised magical plants, some of which could be quite lucrative.
His grandfather's advice had guided him so far and though his life had been lonely for the past few years he did not feel the time had been wasted. His collection of magically preserved seeds grew slowly but surely, and Neville felt that when he graduated from Hogwarts he would be set for life. All he had to do was be the best at herbology and not get distracted from his goals no one would be able to stop him, and Neville was confident.
He had received his Hogwarts letter today, a reminder that he was in fact a real wizard, and for his birthday he was going to visit Diagon Alley to get his school supplies, getting out of the house was always appreciated. He had never been as excited for anything as he was for the coming school year.
Would he get into Gryffindor like his parents?
Could he get Professor Sprout to give him some rare seeds?
Would he finally be able to make some friends?
Neville found himself happier than he had been in years sporting a wide smile on his dirt caked face as he happily toiled away in his garden, pruning leaves off his prized venomous tentacula, those things were incredibly useful for making anti-doxie spray and were worth ten galleons a leaf. He sighed contentedly surrounded by beautiful blooming greenery. The only thing that worried him was being away from his garden for too long.
He frowned, while he was at school his plants would wither without his care and though he had collected plenty of seeds from each of his plants the thought of his hard work turning brown and dying bothered him. Also, he had a tendency to get nervous and uncomfortable the longer he stayed away from working in the garden, he hoped Professor Sprout would be okay with him having a little plot of land for himself, otherwise he might go crazy.
"Neville get in here we have company." His Gran barked.
Quickly brushing off his dirt crusted knees Neville trotted into the house towards his Gran's summons. She took one look at him before sniffing in disapproval. Neville soon found himself cleaned and pressed with a few flicks of his grandmother's wand.
He wished he knew how to do that, instant clean was best clean.
"The Headmaster is coming to visit to discuss your schooling, I want you on your best behavior, none of your usual tomfoolery." His Gran imperiously pronounced.
Neville stood straight nodding in acceptance and managed to stop himself from correcting her. He was always well behaved in front of guests, it was his father who got up to tomfoolery. Sometimes she got them confused, but it wasn't a good idea to call her out on it or she would be in a bad mood for days.
That was when the actual content of his Gran's order filtered through his mind, Albus Dumbledore was coming here to talk about him?
Neat.
Also, why!?
He had never actually met Dumbledore before, but everyone knew about him. He was in all the history books and held various political offices as well as the post of Headmaster of Hogwarts. He was the ideal image of what a wizard should be.
He probably had so many cool plants.
The fireplace roared to life and the orange flames turned an emerald green that meant someone was coming through. Out of the portal stepped an old man whose snow-white beard flowed all the way to his stomach. He practically bounced out of the fireplace with a childlike vigor that Neville wouldn't have expected of someone who was supposedly well over a hundred years old, certainly most of Gran's older friends weren't nearly so spry.
He was dressed in powder blue robes with a star print pattern and for a moment Neville thought he looked a bit silly but brushed the thought aside. This was Dumbledore. It must be that Neville was the one with poor fashion sense, if the greatest wizard of the age thought his choice of clothes was appropriate then it was.
His Gran thinned her lips as she looked at the headmaster and she sniffed derisively. Dumbledore took no notice of her disapproval as he beamed at her over his spectacles.
"Hello Augusta. It has been too long since we have seen each other, you must really pop over for tea sometimes, I do find myself missing your unique charm." He chortled jovially. "And this must be Neville, I have been looking forward to seeing you my boy." The great wizard said as if confiding a secret.
"Really, why?" Neville asked confusedly earning a sharp look from his Gran.
"Yes Albus, what is so interesting about my fool boy." She said turning her sharp gaze on Dumbledore.
Aw, she called Neville her boy, she must be in a good mood.
Dumbledore's face lost some of its cheer for a moment, but it was back so quickly that Neville must have imagined it.
"Why young Neville is very important for the future of the wizarding world." Dumbledore announced.
He said this like he was informing them that the grass was green, but though his tone said it should be obvious Neville still didn't quite see how he was all that important, and his Gran seemed to agree.
"And why is that Dumbledore?" She said with an arched brow.
"Why Augusta, all children are important to the future." The headmaster pronounced as if delivering some grand truth while smiling at Neville.
His Gran was getting stiffer as the conversation went on and Neville felt oddly pleased by the praise from his future headmaster. He found he liked Dumbledore, the interaction with the old man reminded him of his Uncle Algie. He would smile just like that before giving Neville a present.
"What are you really doing here Dumbledore?" His Gran queried firmly.
The headmaster seemed to droop all over when she spoke. His jovial demeanor melted away and even his pointed hat seemed depressed, wilting like a flower without enough light.
"Ah, you have seen through me Augusta. I have something of a situation on my hands and I'm afraid I need your help rather urgently." He intoned gravely.
His Gran perked up visibly, curiosity fighting to make itself known on her stern face.
"What do you need Albus." She said almost eagerly.
His Gran spent a lot of time not doing much of anything these days. The highlight of her week was getting together with her group of friends to exchange old lady gossip and the prospect of learning something that was troubling even a great wizard like Dumbledore was simply too great for her to pass up.
"Perhaps this isn't a discussion suitable for young ears." The old wizard said eyeing Neville.
"Neville, go outside and play." His Gran ordered.
Shoot, he wanted to know the secret too, but Neville knew better than to disobey an order, so he left the room trying to put the thought of important secrets he wasn't allowed to hear out of his mind.
He wasn't very successful.
What could Dumbledore possibly want with his Gran?
Neville wasn't a stupid kid, in fact he was rather intelligent, though he didn't think of himself as such. Very few children had his single-minded focus and drive to succeed. He didn't have any other children to compare himself too however, only adults. This meant that Neville could only compare himself to people far more experienced than himself and thus felt rather stupid at times. Still he was an intelligent boy who burned with curiosity at the mysterious visit from one of the most influential wizards in the world.
So, when he got back to his garden and started feeling comfortable he began to ponder the mysterious visit.
Generally, secrets "Not for Young ears." Meant something to do with relationships. Could it be that the headmaster had fallen in love with his Gran? Was Dumbledore right now wooing his grandmother with chocolates and romantic songs?
His Grandfather had often brought wine and flowers whenever he wanted to be romantic and it always put Gran in a good mood for days. Maybe if she and Dumbledore fell in love Gran would be less strict all the time.
Neville nodded to himself, deciding he approved of the Headmaster's infatuation with his Gran and would support him if he could. Maybe he could grow some of his Gran's favorite flowers for the headmaster to give her.
Neville fetched his big bag of seeds that he had collected over the years. The bag was the best birthday present he had ever received, given to him by his grandfather before he passed. The bag could hold as many seeds in stasis as Neville could collect and also sort them so that all he had to do was reach in thinking of which seed he wanted and the bag would give it to him.
Neville reached in his bag pulling out a handful of flower seeds and crouched in a cleared patch of dirt at the edge of his garden breathing on each seed before planting them. This was one of the secrets he had discovered over the years, if he breathed on the seeds they would grow far faster and stronger than if he planted them normally. The flowers would be ready in a matter of weeks instead of months.
"That's a lovely garden you have there, my boy, and you are nudging the growth along, that is very impressive for someone so young." Said Dumbledore who had approached while Neville was distracted.
What was he talking about, and what was he doing out here? Did Gran turn him down?
That was too bad, don't give up on love headmaster, Neville silently encouraged.
"How did things go with Gran, Mr. Dumbledore?" Neville inquired sympathetically.
"Quite well, quite well indeed my boy, Augusta has agreed to do me a little favor, so she will be gone for the next week on a little trip to France." Dumbledore chuckled.
He was taking his gran off to France? That was like the most romantic thing you could do, go Dumbledore. He didn't need Neville's help at all.
"That will unfortunately mean Augusta won't be around to take you shopping for your school supplies on your birthday." Dumbledore seemed genuinely upset at that.
"But never you fear young man. I have arranged for a dear friend of mine to look after you until the start of the school year and Rubeus Hagrid was happy to volunteer to accompany you." The headmaster said cheerfully any sign of remorse vanishing like it had never been.
That name seemed familiar, Oh yeah, Hagrid was the name of the man his grandfather had told him about the one who was the best with magical animals. How exciting, maybe Neville could learn from someone like Mr. Hagrid.
Neville smiled and nodded to the headmaster who beamed back at him eyes seeming to twinkle in a grandfatherly way. How did he do that?
Silly question, magic of course.
"I look forward to seeing you at Hogwarts, my boy." Dumbledore said as he departed.
Wow, so that was the greatest wizard in the world, Neville decided he liked him. He hoped he got on well with Gran.