Harry slumped into his seat on the Hogwarts Express with a half sigh. He hated going back to the Dursleys, but there was no other place to go, really. While in theory he could stay with the Weasleys, they already had enough mouths to feed, and he felt awkward helping them out with finances. Even then, he doubted they would take the money, pride and all that rubbish.
He took off his glasses to rub his face. It wouldn't do him any good to dwell on things he could not change. That got him to thinking about Fate, Destiny, and Prophecies.
Ever since he had started at Hogwarts, he'd been a celebrity, while Neville was ridiculed. He thought back to the reason behind his first broom ride, Neville's remembrall. Seeing Neville being picked on by Draco struck a chord with in him. Looking back, he never realized how much he and Neville shared in common. And now, he sat there mulling over telling Neville the truth. He shook his head slightly and leaned it against the window as he stared at the passing scenery.
Harry rubbed his forehead, tracing the scar slightly. Neville had been one of his better students in their clandestine Dark Arts classes. He'd seen the reason for Neville's fervor at St. Mungo's. How much different would Harry's life have been if Voldemort had gone after Neville instead of himself? Would he have been a squib like Neville? Would his parents still be alive, or would he still be living with the Dursleys, but with no escape. The past cannot be changed. The future...
Harry thought that Neville could have made a fine "Boy-Who-Lived", but all the same he could not wish his fate on anyone else. Harry knew that the burden of truth would weigh him down. He missed Sirius. His friends could not find words to console him, but maybe that is the way of all things. No one can know how another suffers unless one has suffered. With a heavy Heart, Harry decided to let "The-Boy-Who-Could-Have-Been" remain just that. This was one burden he was not about to share with anyone else. It's better that Neville never knows.
And so, with a heavy heart and a mind full of turmoil that Harry returned to his dreary life with the Dursleys, half hoping that maybe this summer might be better than the last.
CC appreciated...