There was silence in the compartment, a comfortable one, but Harry noticed Neville was uncomfortable in the silence. He decided that he was not inclined to the silence at the moment.

"Neville, is something bothering you?" Harry asked, laying the concern on thickly to garner the intended reaction, since he was right next to the poor kid. Susan flinched, also belatedly picking up on Neville's shifty disposition.

"Nothing much really, I'm just worried about the Sorting- I don't want to end up Sorted into Hufflepuff or the other two houses, or even being unSorted, you see. I'm pretty sure Gran wouldn't like it if I ended up anywhere other than Gryffindor." The dejection and anxiety was painfully obvious, but Harry and Manny were more worried about the inflection of despair they heard. Susan felt indignated for some reason, as well as concerned.

"And why should she be bothered by you becoming a Hufflepuff?" Harry felt slightly murderous, Manny felt even more so, but neither knew why. All they knew was they needed to hide it, and did so magnificently. Susan was glaring, and Hannah had joined in.

"Gran always compared me to my father, constantly telling me about him. I barely know them, but my parents are… incapacitated, you could say. Yet, Gran keeps saying stuff like 'Your father never liked the Greenhouses, why would you stay there all the time?' or 'Learn more about magic!'. She even gave me my father's wand, thinking that I would work best with it, though I've not been feeling it. I'm just scared about not measuring up to her expectations." Susan was wondering how to broach the issue with her aunt at this point. Harry and Manny, however, had fewer issues smacking an admittedly troublesome issue down than a raging bull had goring someone with its horns.

"First thing in the weekend, we are asking for permission to go to Ollivander's , Neville" Harry declared, confidence and determination in his voice, and anger storming in his eyes. " I remember visiting Ollivander's to get my wand, and he said something that stuck in my craw- the wand chooses the wizard. He then proceeded to prove that to me by my wand selection, taking more than an hour before my wand was found… If you felt nothing from your father's wand, then no offence, but it isn't going to work for you!" The two-in-one boy was steaming at this point- they may prefer wandless magic due to versatility, but if incapable of it, a wand that resonates with the user would be more appropriate than some wand forced on said user. The fact that he felt absolutely nothing from the wand, meant that the previous user was still capable of using it.

"Leaving that issue aside, what happened to your parents, if you don't mind me asking?" While asked in a gentle tone, this was an important question to ask, because Harry and Manny mutually agreed that they wouldn't use Experience Absorption on those they considered close without good reason. This extended to the close relatives of said close people as well. Neville actually started to tear up, but his eyes gained a bit of steel, which Hannah noticed and felt giddy about, much to her confusion. The boys decided to make an addendum, due to the emotional turmoil they were feeling rolling off of him. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to, of course, I fully und-" Neville raised his hand, signalling for silence. He got it, too.

"The day after Harry Potter became the Boy-Who-Lived," the timid boy began haltingly, tears brimming, "Some of You-Know-Who's loyal followers were s-searching for their master. Somehow, m-my pa-parents, who were in hiding at the same time as Harry's, were found at their hideout. The followers, with Bellatrix Lestrange at the lead, t-tortured them for his location, b-but were unable to find him. T-the a-amo-amount of torture, done by the C-cruciatus curse, was enough that they... lost their minds in the end. That's why I was raised by Gran. Though I'm not sure what my parents would think of me, I do hope to make them proud of me!" The steel in his voice and eyes was growing stronger by the second as he spoke, and the mana, or magical power Harry could feel rolling off of him was astounding, and tinged with determination. Neville Longbottom had potential by the truckload, and Harry wasn't going to let that go to waste if he could help it. Manny was twice as determined to do so, he may not know Neville, but something told Manny that letting him wallow was not going to happen even if Harry let it. That meant Harry would need to modify his disguise and prank. The next words Harry uttered were quiet, but filled with genuine concern

"Neville, did your relatives treat you well?" That Harry asked this question meant that he suspected neglect at the least. Susan gasped at that, understanding the implications… she may have understood the implications of that question, but Neville was still overwhelmed at the concern that was being shown. As such, even if underhanded, Harry had managed to ensure that he would have two loyal friends, no matter what- if the signs Susan was showing was worth anything, she would also prove loyal.

"I don't think I can answer that question properly, Mike. I mean, I was treated like a Squib till I was 8, and my Greatuncle Algie- he was particular about me showing my magic, which is why he kept doing things to me- like tossing me into the Black Pier when I was 5, I remember almost drowning at that time, hehehhe" That he finished with a chuckle of all things showed more to the three concerned children than anything else. Which rendered the following situation unsurprising, though it elicited gasps from both Susan and Hannah

"Mike! Calm down, please! You're scaring him now!" Susan pleaded, grabbing his arm with both of hers, while Hannah went to give Neville a comforting hug. Harry meanwhile, was spreading Experience Absorption over to Augusta at the expense of letting his magic flow freely, and the resulting information was nothing if not revolting, but only when concerning Neville. His trust in Dumbledore was also speedily decreasing more than before, while Manny was contemplating plans for murdering Dumbledore and getting away with it. The amount of feelings for Neville, brotherly as they were, was staggering and concerning, almost like the two had met as children. Harry resolved to figure out what happened, seeing as Augusta had no information regarding Neville before the parents were tortured, with how secretive and protective Alice and Frank Longbottom were of their one and only.

Hearing Susan, Harry immediately calmed, though Manny kept plotting the Longbottom Dowager's death along with Dumbledore's own. "Sorry about that, I lost control of my emotions for a bit there. What Neville told us would land his relatives in non-magical prison for a maximum of 10 years if they found out. I should know, I was planning to be a barrister before magic came calling" Not entirely true- Harry had knowledge of the law because of Experience Absorption, though he did consider it. In the end though, he had thought that a life experimenting with quantum physics was far more appealing, but then magic barged in, upending the Dursleys' and Harry's lives.

"The magical world takes such cases very seriously, though- if convicted, the criminal faces upto 50 years in Azkaban, and that's for a half-blood!" Susan gasped in indignation, though 'Mike' still didn't let up. "You did say for half-bloods, yes? What of the so-called 'pureblood' then? Or those of Normal origins? The discrimination is another problem that should be emphasized. Still, maybe we should focus on Neville for now" Harry finished with a genial smile at Neville.

Of course, fate chose that moment to butt in. Manny was alerted to the wards letting another through, seeing as the person was close to tears, and neither of them were inclined to let people in need go without help, so obviously, that person was let through.

"I'm sorry, but could you let me sit here? It's just, I want to sit with some people, but nobody is willing to let me…"

She was 4'5", had frizzy brown hair and eyes the exact shade of chocolate, though they showed desperation at the moment. She was lithe, and had the makings of an unconventional beauty in the future. She had a slightly round, though mostly oval-shaped face, and her front teeth were bulged noticeably, though it just showed to accentuate her beauty, in both Harry and Manny's opinion, though surprise also was registered, because they recognized her as Hermione Granger, the 'once-in-a-generation prodigy that had been entirely held back by her parents, who feared her being used in the universities for her prodigious mind.

"Oh my, Ms. Granger, I would actually be honored to sit and discuss our similar positions with you. Oh, forgive me, where are my manners? My name is Mike, and at the moment, I am sitting here with the fierce Bones, the lovely Abbot, and the prodigious, though unfortunately, currently downtrodden Longbottom." Harry decided that mentioning her name would be more beneficial, though it would be also beneficial to achieve a modicum of independence academically, which he fully intended to achieve. This also meant more fun discussions about energy physics, and magic itself, as he hoped that her common sense and logic would percolate through the medieval Wizarding World.

Until then, however...


Ok, I had originally planned to take the entire journey to Hogwarts in one fell swoop, but as u can see, there is a lot to take in already- I tend to exaggerate the content. Expect this chapter to be taken down as I finish it in the near future.

On a separate, but related note, I heard HBO is planning on a spinoff series focusing on one Severus Snape. As you can feel, I hate that idea, so don't expect any ideas from either the 7 books or the 8 movies of the original series. Maybe some elements from the Fantastic Beasts movies, but nothing else.