Neville's Black Box
Part I
It's been over 20 years since Neville Longbottom stepped foot in the Department of Mysteries with Dumbledore's Army, nearly getting killed by several death eaters but leaving with only a broken nose, a broken wand, and a broken prophesy.
Neville always looked forward to seeing his friends, Hermione and Harry, when they had their bi-weekly meeting for the Statute of Secrecy Task Force at the Ministry to help return magic that spread across the muggle world by the Calamity.
After an early morning fire, accidently set by Colin Creevey with his new muggle camera flash that he was using to take ID card photos for new Ministry employees, the Statute of Secrecy meeting was moved to a new room on the ninth level.
The lift opened and a shiver fell down Neville's spine. His hands clenched the parchment noting the room number he received from Hermione's owl this morning. He slowly stepped off of the lift, tiptoeing as each step sounded like shattered glass from his memory. This level looked nothing like his memory. The walls of the corridor were painted a warm cream color, lined with dark wooden doors and trim. One door stood out, the only black door to the former Department of Mysteries. The atrium of the room had been turned into a library, leaving the remains of the Brain Room, Death Chamber, Hall of Prophecy and other doors hidden within the books of the library. Layers of protection were put on those doors, and it is believed that the creator of the book-doors died without disclosing how to enter them.
Neville paused in front of the black door for what felt like minutes, when a gentle hand pressed against his shoulder.
"This way, Neville. We're about to get started," Hermione whispered. Neville could finally exhale and followed his friend into their meeting room.
A different Hermione entered the room. She took a stand behind a podium and spoke with force, that led the room in reports on the Statute of Secrecy, diligently following her command.
Neville couldn't pay attention. He wavered in and out of consciousness. He was meters away from the room where Sirius Black was killed. Where his friends were nearly murdered.
His thoughts from that day were always blocked by the several battles that happened during his final year at Hogwarts, being tortured by professors, fighting Voldemort, and slaying a snake.
When Neville remembered his trauma from the Second Wizarding War, he distinctly noted a small black box next to Sirius' corpse. Right as he was about to grab the box, he was jolted awake.
Hermione frequently asked Neville questions regarding his expertise in Herbology but consistently received a delayed response, which irritated her. She grew increasingly annoyed at having to repeat herself to him. Hermione concluded the meeting with haste made her way over to Neville, just as she'd done to Ron over 20 years ago when he forgot to do his Charms homework. He tried to stand up but knocked several sheets of parchment to the floor. He bent down to pick them up. His eyes meeting Hermione's boots as the parchment slowly drifted from the table to the ground.
"Hermione, I'm so sorry." Neville said, still trying to pick up the parchment. In his attempt to scoop up the parchment, he bumped the table and spilled a bottle of ink, which dripped down onto his sleeve.
"Neville, what's going on? We need your help on the Task Force and you're…" He closed his eyes and saw the box in the Department of Mysteries, he heard spells shooting past his ears, he heard Bellatrix cursing him. He opened his eyes again and saw the ink dripping onto the floor from his sleeve. Harry walked over and cast a spell to clean up the ink.
"Everything alright?" Harry asked while helping Neville from the ground.
"Yes. Yes. Well, no. I'm fine. Really. But there's something I need to do and I… I need to do it here."
"What is it, Neville? Can we help?" Hermione asked, grabbing his arm.
"I think I need to do this on my own. But I might need a key."
Neville needed a moment to compose himself. He scooped up his belongings, crumpling the parchment back into his satchel, taking deep breaths, reminding himself that these thoughts will leave his head if he opens the box.
Hermione pulled Harry aside and cast a muffliato charm on Neville so he couldn't hear her.
"Harry, what's going on. He is distressed. He needs to tell us so we can help him. He hasn't acted like this in years!"
"I know," Harry said, looking at Neville with concern. "I think he needs to do this on his own though. I will ask Minerva to keep an eye on him when he returns to Hogwarts. Let's just unlock what he wants us to unlock."
"Ugh, fine!"
They walked back up to Neville, who gathered his composure.
"So, what kind of key are you looking for?" Neville didn't say a word but lead the others outside of the meeting room to the hallway. His finger extended toward the door to the Department of Mysteries.
"There's nothing in there anymore, Neville." Hermione sighed.
"I just need…closure." Neville pulled an asphodel flower from his bag and it bloomed upon his hand touching it.
"Oh, yes," Hermione remembered that both of Neville's parents grew ill and passed away earlier in the year. Since the Department of Mysteries held memories, she figured that Neville understood that the only memory he still had of his parents was in his mind.
She pulled out a key, unlocked the door to the former Department of Mysteries, and pulled Harry aside.
"I just need a few minutes. If I'm not out in 10, come get me," Neville said, mustering the courage to enter.
"We will," Harry replied. Hermione closed the door as Neville walked in.
Neville walked around the dark room, which was only illuminated by the tip of his wand. He carefully walked up a spiral staircase to about a dozen shelves of books, towering from the floor to the ceiling. He didn't know where he was going but felt the desire to follow whatever was pulling him. Neville followed the names of the authors on each book he passed, slowing down when he arrived at the center of the alphabet. He stopped at the bookshelf that was tilted at a slight angle from the others. At the corner of the shelf, a small wooden box sat next to the books like a bookend.
Neville brushed the dust off of the box, revealing an engraving on the top: "Neville Longbottom."
He took a deep breath and opened the box. Inside was a vial with a silver cloud dancing around and a note.
"Dear Neville, I hope I haven't been gone for too long. I know you excel in Herbology, so please follow these instructions upon your return to Hogwarts and I will see you very soon. Please have a chocolate frog waiting for me. Yours, Albus Dumbledore."
Part II
Neville stashed the box with the vial into his satchel and raced out of the Department of Mysteries door. He could hear Harry and Hermione yelling for him to stop, but he kept running, entering the lift then the nearest restroom to exit the Ministry.
When he arrived back at Hogwarts, he was covered in sweat, nervously scurrying through the rows of students on their way to the Great Hall for dinner. He made it to the greenhouses and entered his office, which was in the corridor near Greenhouse 3.
Upon entering, he locked the door behind him, removed the box with the vial from his bag and read the instructions. He read them over and over and over, before collecting the ingredients that his former headmaster had instructed him to do.
He prepared the soil in a large ceramic pot. Pausing to read the instructions again, before emptying the vial into the soil precisely seven centimeters below the surface, then gently covering the hole with a light layer of soil from a full-grown Dittany. Lifting his watering can, he poured the water onto the soil and cast the Herbivicus charm, emitting a green light from the tip of his wand.
A small speck of green emerged from the soil. Rapidly growing, the plant grew taller, turning tree-like, with leaves sparking from branches at an immense rate.
His door shook.
"Neville, let us in!" Harry yelled.
"What's going on, Neville? We want to help!" Hermione sweetly asked, still aggressively pulling on the locked door handle.
The small tree glowed with a yellow halo before erupting from the pot. Neville was knocked back onto his desk, which he tipped over, causing the two outside of the door to panic.
Casting alohomora, the door swung open with Harry leading the charge, followed by Hermione.
"Bloody Hell!" Hermione gasped. Neville dusting the dirt from his brow and standing up staring at small version of their former headmaster on the table where the ceramic pot once stood.
"Granger! I've never heard that language from you!" Dumbledore said from the yellow smoke that emerged around him.
Neville pulled a chocolate frog from his satchel and handed it to his former headmaster, which was just slightly smaller than he was. A smile emerged across Dumbledore's face that was sixty years younger than how Neville last remembered him.
"Thank you, Longbottom. Now, what did I miss?"