Infamous: A Hero Nevermore

by DZ2

Evil Never Dies Response: On his first trip to Diagon Alley, Harry could have never imagined discovering an ancient, powerful secret locked deep inside of him. A secret filled with great power that is now his to command, as well as the power to make the world whatever he wants it to be. Dark/Evil Godlike Harry/Daphne/Astoria

5. Brothers-in-Arms

Infamous: A Hero Nevermore

Disclaimer/Plot/Challenge Information/Author's Note: SEE FIRST CHAPTER

Dedication: I'd like to dedicate this story to my fellow Darksiders: my recommended reads are Damaged Raven and Dark Lord Potter by JustBored21, Kill me if you can by PercyPendragon3, Harry Potter: Lord of Darkness by AngelSlayer135, The Power Of Love And Family by llst40, Dark Lord Peverell by Callisto Blackridge, When Daylight Dies by BloodyRose90, The Downward Spiral Saga by BolshevikMuppet99 and Yield to the Darkness by Quatermass

Key Pairings: Eventual Harry/Daphne/Astoria; Belllatrix/Rodolphus

Other Pairings: To be determined

Normal Speech

'Thoughts'

'Mind Speech'

/Parseltongue/

Review Answers:

WhiteElfElder: Oh, they know: they just don't care;

Tempest Novastorm: What can I say? I decided to give this story a really different twist and add some new fun at the same time;

"In being given my true power as Lord Ravencroft, I discovered something even I wasn't aware of…namely, the existence of my twin brother!"

"Twin?" asked Aurelius, earning a firm, stiff nod from Harry, who then turned to Bellatrix.

"Yes, a twin, and I want you and the others to help me get him back and bring him home, Mother…will you do this for me?"

"I'll do anything for you, my little prince, you know that," replied Bellatrix, though not before she looked at Harry in curiosity as she asked, "But, do you know where you will find your twin?"

"I do," replied Harry, clenching his fists tightly, which seemed to cause the shadows to rise up and envelop him, shrouding him in a dark veil of otherworldly magic as he snarled out his next words.

"His name…or rather, the one they gave when they stole him from my family…is Neville Longbottom!"

Chapter 5: Brothers-in-Arms

For as long as he could remember, Neville Frank Longbottom had always been the black sheep of his family.

Ever since the day his Mother and Father, Frank and Alice Longbottom, had brought him home, they had done everything in their power to drill a sense of duty, pride, family respect and tradition into him.

Whether it was through lessons in etiquette that felt more-torturing than the Cruciatus Curse or having them turn a blind eye when his Great-Uncle Algernon seemed to derive some sick, masochistic pleasure out of forcing Neville to use Accidental Magic through tests that would have probably seen him in Azkaban, Neville's life was full of danger, threats and lessons.

As for love, it seemed to be something he had to earn and, even then, the praise or compliments were short-lived before they were driven to the next lesson.

As if that wasn't bad enough, Neville had to deal with annual meetings with none other than Albus Dumbledore, who always seemed to give Neville chills, especially with those twinkling blue eyes of his and how happy he seemed to look whenever Great-Uncle Algernon complained about his tests producing little, if not zero magical potential results whatsoever.

If there was even a taste of a reprieve for Neville, it was whenever he managed to snag rare moments of isolation and solitude and find himself alone in his family's overgrown, Amazon-Rainforest-esque greenhouse, surrounded by the flora and fauna of the magical world.

In the greenhouse, Neville didn't know why, but the greenery seemed to welcome him, as though he was an old friend returning to the fold and, in the same unknown way, the plants always seemed to be able to tell what he needed.

Whether it was shade from the heat, soothing rubs from vines and tendrils, the sweet smell of new-bloomed flowers, fresh fruits and berries to stave off hunger or, strangely, even sacrificing their own watery contents to slake his thirst, the greenhouse and its contents were as close to friends as Neville could get.

Even stranger than that, if such a thing were even possible, was how none of the elder Longbottoms seemed willing to go near the greenhouse, though Neville often imagined – or perhaps remembered, he wasn't quite sure – that the plants and flowers there had risen up in rebellion to defend him, poisoning his tormentors and showing them that Neville was under the protection of a much-older, more-powerful force.

Namely Mother Nature.

For a long time, the greenhouse became Neville's only escape from his family, if only until the day he would go to Hogwarts, but, even then, he would have to deal with jeers and tests of a different nature.

Not to mention Dumbledore, who, by the time he turned eleven, Neville had developed a strong, iron-hard sense of mistrust towards, right up to the point where he silently wished he could find a way to escape the old bastard and his helpers, aka Neville's tormentors.

Clearly, the little Longbottom boy forgot how powerful a birthday wish could be, especially when Magic was involved.

Nevermore

CRASH!

That was the first sound Neville was aware of when he heard a scream echo through his home, accompanied by the blaring sounds of Caterwauling Charms and wards that, to Neville's shock, were being penetrated and defeated, as easily as if they were made of tissue paper. Seconds later, Neville's blood ran colder than cold when he heard a shrill, amused cackle reverberate through the grounds of his home, accompanied by a female voice that called out to the house's occupants.

"Hello Housie: can wickle Neville come out and play? There's someone here who wants to say hello!"

'They're here for me?' wondered Neville, grabbing his wand – well, his Father's wand, a gift for his latest accomplishment of surviving being dropped from the third-floor guest room window and bouncing out into the garden – as he made his way to the door.

When he threw it open, however, still wondering what the intruders would want with him, Neville froze in place when a flash of new, unknown magic crossed his mind, combined with an eerie, haunting coldness that seemed to bleed out from within his heart.

At the same time, Neville was dimly-aware of an intense wave of new, greater magic washing over him, accompanied by a feeling of familiarity that, although he couldn't quite understand why, brought tears to Neville's eyes and made his hands clench tightly into pale, trembling fists.

As these new feelings hit Neville like a tackle from a rampaging dragon, the young boy let out a gasp of alarm, while he also stumbled and fell when what could only be described as a mass gathering of ravens seemed to materialise in front of him, each one of them combining together to form a figure, the likes of which Neville had never seen before.

He was a tall, fierce, but also daunting-looking figure whom was dressed in what looked like armour: inky-black armour that was made from some unknown – to Neville – material, but was also comfortable and strong on the young man's physique. His hands were covered by steely-black gauntlets, both of which had fingers that were more like talons, as well as what looked like a black eye on the back of each gauntlet; similarly, the newcomer's feet were covered by black boots that were tinged with silvery-coloured spikes, providing a truly-terrifying visage that only grew more intimidating, to Neville at least, when he looked up to the stranger's face.

Only to find himself staring into a masked visage that was blacker-than-black and allowed no light to pierce it, not even in the eyes, nose or mouth area; a black hood and cloak covered the armour and face-mask, bringing the newcomer's air of intimidation to maximum as he stared right at Neville, who raised his wand slowly, but defiantly, as he faced the stranger.

"I…I'm not…not s-s-scared of…of you, who…who…whoever you are…"

"And you'll never have to be," argued the stranger, his voice gruff, but edged by a cold lilt that seemed to freeze the very air around them, not to mention increasing the dark factor that came from the shadows of the hall.

As Neville stared, half-unnerved and half-afraid of what this stranger meant, his eyes widened when the stranger swiped a hand across his face, dispelling the hood and mask, as though it was nothing more than shadow covering his face.

When his face was revealed, Neville found himself looking at a pale, handsome-looking young man with wild, beyond-untameable black hair, which made him look like he was wearing a crown made of perpetual darkness, as well as two cold, emerald-green eyes that seemed to be frozen in his face, like the gemstones themselves, their glow just as ever-present and continuous as the darkness above and around the young man.

While Neville stared in disbelief and surprise at how young the man looked, he also gulped hard when the young man bent down before, extending his right hand, he pressed a single finger to Neville's forehead. As soon as he did so, Neville let out a cry of alarm and fear when new, greater levels of pain, far more than anything Algernon had ever managed, filled the boy's mind, heart, stomach and even reached deep down into his soul and his magical core where, to Neville's amazement, instead of pain and torture, the only thing he felt was an all-encompassing wave of soothing magic, which seemed to heal the pains of his past.

Not to mention provide warmth to the cold he'd felt when he stepped out of his bedroom.

However, this wave of magic also brought something with it.

Something that made Neville's heart stop dead as he looked up at the figure before him with new clarity, as well as recognition, as he whispered one word to his strange intruder.

"Harry?"

When the young man smiled in response, he rose up and held out a hand to Neville, "That's right, little brother, it's me…you feel it too, then?"

Neville nodded dumbly, though not before he took Harry's hand, allowing the taller boy to pull him to his feet, even as he looked around the hallway outside his bedroom with confusion and unease on his face.

"What…why…how…who…what…"

"If you want to know everything, come with me," said Harry, stepping back from Neville before he held out his hand again to the boy.

"But know this, Neville…if that is even the name our parents would have given you, but I digress; if you come with me, you can never go back."

As Neville looked to the hand being offered to him, he gulped hard as he remembered all the pain, all the lessons, all the suspicions and one-sided pride from Albus-damn-Dumbledore; he also remembered how safe and secure he felt in the greenhouse and, at the same time, he remembered what he had just felt, both before and after Harry had touched him.

Whole.

Complete.

Born again…like waking up from a bad nightmare.

He felt that…and he liked what he felt.

"I won't go back."

Even before he had a chance to consider what was going on, or what the explanations would be when Harry told him everything and showed him the truth about their pasts and futures together, Neville took his big brother's hand, holding it tightly as he looked into Harry's eyes.

"What do I have to do?"

"Like I said," replied Harry, smiling like the lion that ate the canary as he added, "Come with me."

Then, to Neville's amazement, the two of them seemed to become nothing more than a conspiracy of ravens, which flew off into the unknown.

And into a future that Neville Longbottom vowed he would make his own.

Well, alongside his twin brother, he would, anyway.

Nevermore

When Neville felt solid Terra Firma beneath his feet again, he was more than a little surprised to notice how, instead of his home in Longbottom Hall, he was standing next to Harry in a large, dome-shaped chamber, which was filled with cracked and broken raven motifs, as well as a small group of chairs, all of which had magical chains that currently held four people in them.

Four people that Neville knew very well indeed.

His Mother, Alice – or rather, the woman he'd believed was his Mother before he'd had his true identity restored by Harry's strange magic – as well as his Father, Frank, his Grandmother, Augusta and, finally, his Great-Uncle Algernon, all of whom were struggling against their bonds and screaming obscenities at Harry, as well as the elder witch and wizards with him.

To Neville's surprise, he recognised three of the older magic users as Bellatrix, Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange, the former with her arms now around Harry as he stared at the Longbottoms while Rodolphus and Rabastan seemed to be toying with their wands, the cold eyes of the latter never leaving the Longbottoms, even as he sneered at them.

As for the other two, Neville didn't recognise either of them, but, as he went to ask, he was surprised to hear Harry's voice cut through his query.

'Aurelius Grindelwald and Regulus Black…don't worry, little brother. They won't harm a hair on your head; they know how precious you are to me.'

"Ha…Ha…Harry?" asked Neville shakily, earning a curious look from the other boy, which prompted Neville to ask, "How…how did you…"

"We're twins, little brother," said Harry, earning a shocked look from Neville as he remembered Harry calling him that, but, even with what the other boy had done to him, Neville's mind was still a little muddled, a fact Harry seemed to acknowledge as he left Bellatrix's embrace before he crossed to where Neville was standing, laying his hand on Neville's shoulder as he continued.

"It's okay: even with all my power, I know there's still some residue of their magic corrupting and twisting you up inside, but, if you trust me, Neville, I promise, I'll tell you everything and do whatever I can to help you remember who you really are, namely my little brother, the son of Lily and James Potter…and so much more."

"Filthy bastard!"

As Harry turned to Algernon Longbottom, who actually spat at Harry as he finished cussing him out, Bellatrix screamed, "You filthy rat: how dare you insult Him! I'm going to…"

"Bellatrix!" snapped Harry.

When he did so, Neville shivered with a mixture of dread and awe when he felt an air of pure darkness wash over the chamber, silencing Algernon while it also made Bellatrix back down, lowering her eyes as she looked to Harry.

"I'm sorry, my little one; you're right. If anyone has the right to muzzle this mutt, it's your baby brother."

"Precisely," replied Harry, smiling amusingly, even as he addressed the so-called Most Dangerous Witch in the World, "You're not going to do anything before he does, just like you're not going to do anything before I have a chance to play with my new toys and thank them for their kindness, are you, Mother?"

Suffice to say, Neville was surprised by Harry's way of speaking to Bellatrix, though before the dark witch could answer, Frank Longbottom snarled at Harry, "So, you've become the monster we were warned you'd become, have you, you little freak?"

When Neville saw Harry tense up at the mention of that last word, he didn't know why, but something inside of Neville suddenly snapped: before any of the adults in the room had a chance to avenge the slur against the boy, Neville whipped his wand through the air before he threw it at Frank.

However, when the wand flew from Neville's hand, the young boy was a little shocked to see the wood within the wand crack and splinter before it seemed to change shape, becoming a wooden muzzle, which clamped itself over Frank's lips, much to Bellatrix's shock, as well as the amusement of the other adults with her.

"Well…that happened," growled Rodolphus.

"What did you expect?" asked Regulus, watching as Neville advanced on his father, even as the Black Scion went on. "He is our Lord's brother and, you heard what our Lord said, Roddy: he not only managed to track down his long-lost brother, but he's also broken the seal on Neville's magic and the bond they share as twinned siblings."

"Ergo," added Rabastan, watching in amusement as he explained, "Any gifts our younger Lord was meant to gain as a result of the power he shares with our Lord are now part of him, such as, but probably not limited to this impressive elemental command over wood."

"Wood and all other plant and earth forms, Rabastan," said Harry, earning a surprised look from Neville, who looked once to Harry before, seeing his…his brother nod, as though encouraging him to go on, Neville turned back to Frank before he reached up and grabbed the man by his throat.

"Don't you dare call my…my brother a freak, Mr Longbottom!"

"You're no brother of his, you little brat," spat Augusta, looking to Algernon as she asked, "Algernon, I thought you said the Blood Magic you used to bind his power and make him our heir would make him forget being born to that…that Mudblood slapper and…"

Whatever else Augusta might have said was cut off by her screams of terror and horror, while Neville only had a split-second of a moment to look to his not-Grandmother before his stomach turned and his eyes widened with alarm when he saw a new conspiracy of ravens pecking at Augusta, digging their talons and beaks into her eyes, nose, ears, as well as every patch of skin they could get their claws into.

As the birds pecked her eyes out, Neville felt bile rise in his throat when he saw one of the ravens dig deep into Augusta's guts, pulling her liver and her intestines out, but the stupid witch kept on screaming, even as the ice-cold voice of Harry Potter cut through her screams.

"No-one insults our Mother and gets away with it, you vile bitch! As for the rest of you, don't worry: I'm sure your punishments will be much-more painful and memorable, especially coming from one who you've abused, neglected and basically tried to make the Michael to my Lucifer, not that you did very well. After all, Neville has chosen his family and he did it because of what you did to him, isn't that right, little brother?"

Before he could stop himself, Neville moved to Harry and, to Bellatrix's awe and the slight amazement of the other adults, he sought comfort in his elder twin's arms, earning a soft sigh from Harry as he held Neville close, petting him fondly.

'I'm sorry,' said Harry, using the bond he shared with his brother as he explained, 'I know it must scare you to see this, Neville, but I told you: choose me and there is no going back.'

'I…I…I know,' said Neville, earning a small, but proud smile from Harry as he sensed his sibling's mind touching his, even as Neville continued using their bond, growing stronger from it as he explained, 'It's just…I can feel the Dark Magic inside of you, Harry; as though it's my own magic.'

'And it can be, if you want it,' said Harry, lifting Neville's chin to meet his eyes as he told him, 'What's mine is yours, brother: I gave you back the power they tried to keep from you, but if you want more, then I will give it to you. We lost our family once before and, although I might have found my new family in Bellatrix and her relatives, I promise you: nobody will ever be more important to me than you and nothing will make me consider anyone worthy enough to wholly replace our parents…well, our Mother, at least. I've got a very bad feeling about James that I hope I'm wrong about: otherwise, the motherly right I've given Bellatrix won't be the only thing I offer to another.'

While Neville took Harry's words to heart, the dark scion lifted his hand and snapped his fingers; as soon as he did so, Neville turned to see the ravens dissipate into wisps of shadow, leaving the massacred, mutilated remains of Augusta Longbottom, who stared at Neville with exploded eyes and bloody clothes, right down to that stupid vulture hat of hers.

As Neville glared at the hat, however, his eyes widened when, suddenly, the stuffed vulture suddenly sprang to life, spreading its large, formerly-inanimate muddy-brown wings and craning its neck and head before, to Neville's shock, the now-regal-looking carnivore flew from Augusta's head.

Before he knew what he was doing, Neville held out his arm, letting the vulture land on his arm where, to his amazement, it began preening his hair like a mother bird grooming her young. It was also at this point that Neville realised the bird wasn't a vulture, but rather, an Andean Condor, one of the largest flying birds in the world.

"Well, well, well," mused Harry, patting his brother's other shoulder, which made the bird glare at him before, to Neville's surprise, the Condor spread its large wings and bowed to Harry, who returned the gesture with a curt nod of his head as he went on. "It looks like more of my new power might have already become part of you than I thought, Neville. Either that or your own magic decided that bird would better serve you as a familiar instead of some mottled, ugly headpiece on that piece of carrion over there."

"I…I…I can do that?"

As Harry laughed in response, his laugh soft, but filled with amusement rather than cold mockery, he patted Neville's shoulder again.

"Oh, you have no idea what we're capable of, little brother. But like I said, if you want the chance to find out, and become a far greater sorcerer than these thieves would have let you become, all you have to do is ask…and while you're at it, maybe you should name your new friend."

While Neville realised he was right about that last point, he also watched as the condor took off from his shoulder before she flew through the air and, to his amusement, she perched herself on top of Augusta's head, where the bird then proceeded to pick at the bone and already-mutilated skin of the traditionalist.

As for Frank, Alice and Algernon, they all seemed to realise just how much trouble they were in, a fact that Harry proved when he pointed to Frank before he smiled cruelly.

"Now, before I let my family put an end to yours, you prideful thief, I think we need to have a little chat about that night, don't you, Neville?"

"Yes," said Neville, though, as he did so, he scowled as he looked back to Harry as he asked, "But, can you not call me that name anymore, Harry?"

"What would you like to be called, little brother?"

For a moment, the boy soon-to-be-formerly-known-as-Neville seemed to consider his answer before, smiling in a way he hoped made him look as cold as his brother, he looked back to Harry as he nodded once.

"Leo…you can call me Leo from now on, Harry."

"Leo Potter…hmm…I like it," agreed Harry, though not before his own smile returned as he asked, "And how would you feel about Draco for a middle name? After all, just like I've helped turn a beaten down cub into a real lion, I'd say these people have definitely tickled a sleeping dragon, wouldn't you agree, Leo?"

Even as Neville – or Leo, as he was known from then on – nodded in response, Bellatrix couldn't resist letting out a laugh, as did Regulus and the Lestrange Brothers.

Harry, however, was more-concerned with the fact that, as soon as his brother decided his new name and identity, a second wave of great magic filled the Ravencroft Ritual Chamber, enveloping Leo in its glow while, at the same time, Harry felt his own magic growing stronger, undoubtedly thanks to the re-emergence of his twin and the reclamation of his identity.

Even so, Harry couldn't help but smile with a much-colder air as he felt Leo's own magic, just as his brother had said, as though it was Harry's own.

And what he felt made Harry laugh as he watched events unfold.

'Never tickle a sleeping dragon, Dumbledore…oops…too late!'

Nevermore

In a lone chamber within a magical castle many miles away from where Harry and Leo were having their reunion, an ancient book specifically designed to record the births and enrolments of all students coming to said school lit up with red light before it flipped open to a page that listed the newest batch of students coming up in the autumn.

Among those students, the name Neville Longbottom was suddenly burned off, as though it had never been there in the first place.

Then, some-ways down the line, the name Leo Potter appeared in new, bold letters.

Right beneath the name of his twin.

Unfortunately, it would be some time before the so-called master of the school caught wind of this change.

And, by then, it would be far too late for him to do anything about it.

Chapter 5 and it looks like the boys are back in town, and out for vengeance, justice and their own futures, but how will Hogwarts, especially its manipulative old git of a puppetmaster, handle Magic's equivalent of the Brothers of Destruction?

(Sorry, couldn't resist the reference…)

Also, what other powers will the now-named Leo Draco Potter discover as he embraces more and more of his true family's destiny, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with his brother?

Keep Reading to Find Out

Next Chapter: In the chamber, the darkest chamber, the lion feeds tonight…in the village, the peaceful village, the raven feeds tonight…

Please Read and Review

AN: Leo's familiar

Also, if anyone has any suggestions for a name for Leo's familiar – the condor – I'd love to hear them.

AN2: Author's Notice

Also, just a heads-up to fans who might notice something a bit off with my stories and profile: if you go and look at my profile page, you'll find an AN dated 10/8/21 that explains things.

Hopefully, people won't be too disappointed.