Harry Potter and all associated characters and situations are the property of J.K. Rowling. I make no claim to ownership.

When the Aurors finally got tired of waiting and came for him, they found Algernon Longbottom still in bed, in a fetal position, weeping like a child.

CHAPTER 17: Interlude by the Lake Shore

4 November 1991

Harry could only stare at Neville in barely-concealed horror as other boy calmly recounted the various incidents in which his uncle had tampered with his memories, usually in the aftermath of a failed murder attempt. The two were sitting together on the bank of the Black Lake just after lunch on the afternoon of Neville's return to school. Amazingly, the truth had only come out by sheer dumb luck: Augusta Longbottom, annoyed at the apparent loss of the Longbottom family Rememberall, wrote to her cousin Barty Crouch Sr. and asked if she could borrow his old one for Neville's use (hence its old-fashioned design). Crouch Sr. had no surviving heirs of his own, and in light of the reason he had no surviving heirs, he could hardly refuse Augusta's request to borrow the expensive but no longer useful antique. Algie had no idea that Neville had acquired a Rememberall until the aurors came for him. He blustered a bit at first, but when he learned that Neville had supplied certified pensieve copies of his recovered memories, he broke down and confessed.

"So, what's going to happen to him?" asked Harry. "Will there be a trial?"

Neville shook his head. "Gran and I ... spent a lot of time talking about it. She wanted him dragged before the Wizengamot in chains."

"But not you."

He sighed. "After everything, I don't really ... hate Uncle Algie. I'm... disgusted by him, but I'm not going to waste the effort of hatred. And besides, his children and grandchildren didn't know anything about what he'd been doing. He confirmed that under Veritaserum. Reginald and Enid are both fine people with families of their own, and they've always been very good to me. They love their father and don't deserve to be publicly shamed with a scandal like that. Plus, what he did would have been worth twenty years in Azkaban at least, and at his age, he wouldn't have lasted six months. I don't think I could ever face them if I'd sent their father to die a miserable slow death at the hands of Dementors."

Harry looked away for a few seconds. He had no idea what it was like to have family worth caring about ... or one that cared about him. It was ... baffling. "So what will happen," he asked.

"We have a plea agreement that is magically sanctioned and under seal with the DMLE. He steps down as my regent in favor of Gran. He turns all of his British and continental business interests over to his children, and he swears a Unbreakable Vow that he will never again directly or indirectly try to harm me or anyone under my protection or otherwise try to interfere with the affairs of House Longbottom. Then, he will retire to manage a mandrake farm in the Australian Outback with a single house elf and a small monthly stipend. And if he ever sets foot on British soil again, he gets prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Which, in light of his confession, will probably be a Dementor's Kiss."

"No offense, Neville," said Harry, "but you're taking this awfully well."

"Says the guy who laughed at a Howler in front of the whole school," he replied with a chuckle. "I know I should be furious, and, I dunno, maybe at some point it will hit me. But right now... All my life, I thought I was nothing, a squib, a disgrace to my parents' memory. I hated myself so much I nearly let Algie talk me into suicide when I was eight. But to find out that it wasn't me, that I could do magic the whole time, but I was being ... sabotaged. Honestly, the sheer relief is just crowding everything else."

He grinned almost infectiously and pulled out his wand – his wand, the one the aurors had recovered from the Longbottom vault where Algie had hidden it – and pointed it at a nearby rock. "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" he intoned. The rock shot off like a cannon, emitting a trail of smoke and sparks behind it, and landed in the middle of the lake. Harry raised his eyebrows in surprise, while Neville coughed bashfully.

"Um, yeah, Professor Flitwick said to be careful about that. Apparently, two months of 'shoving my magic through a brick' as Ollivander put it means that I've gotten used to overpowering my spells. I'll have to dial everything back a bit and learn some finesse or I'll be setting things on fire all over the place."

The two laughed for a bit and then watched the lake in silence for a bit. In the distance, the Giant Squid raised a lazy tentacle as if waving at them and then submerged.

"I envy you, Neville."

Neville's head jerked around in shock.

Harry continued without taking his eyes off the lake. "I know it was awful what your uncle did to you. But your Gran loves you and will look after you. And it sounds like all those cousins are decent folk, and you still like them. You've got a family that you don't hate. I envy you that more than I can say."

"Do you ... do you think that you could ever forgive the Potters for what they did?"

"No," he said instantly. "And it wouldn't matter if I could, because none of them even realize they did something that needs forgiveness. James is still trying to strip me of my heir status. Jim thinks I'm a future Dark Lord. And Lily just completely ignores me." He was quiet for a moment. "And besides, sometimes I think I need the hate to keep me going. I'm ... not as good as you are."

Neville made a face. "Now what does that mean?! You're the smartest bloke I know, you helped save me from a troll, and you're making plans for taking over the Wizengamot at the age of eleven. I'd be useless if it weren't for you, if not dead."

"Well, first off, Hermione's a lot smarter than either of us. Second, we all saved each other from the troll. And third, our Wizengamot seats are a long way off." Harry looked down at the ground and rocked back and forth slightly as if weighing a decision. Then, he pulled out his wand.

"MUFFLIATO."

"What was ...?"

"Privacy charm. Hermione found it somewhere." Harry scratched behind his ear nervously, while Neville waited patiently. "When I say I'm not as good as you, I'm not talking about magic or schoolwork or any of that. I'm talking about ..." He paused and shook his head. Then, he laid back on the grass and looked up at the sky while struggling to express himself. "When I was little, I used to imagine my parents. The Dursleys said they'd died, and I accepted that. People die and leave their children as orphans. It happens. But they also said my parents were worthless horrible people, and I just refused to believe that bit. I liked to imagine that my mother was beautiful and my father was brave and, I dunno, that they both died heroically saving my life or something, and that one day, I'd do something great and prove to the world that their sacrifice wasn't in vain. But that was when I was a little kid. Over time, I had all that beaten out of me, literally and figuratively."

He looked over at Neville. "I know what it's like to feel worthless, Neville. If my parents had really been dead and Dumbledore had sent someone else to fetch me, I'd have never believed that I could be something as incredible as a wizard. How could I be? I was just ... Harry. And I'd have accepted whatever rubbish I was fed about Hogwarts and my parents and I'd have probably gone into Gryffindor for all the wrong reasons and been a complete outsider. And I certainly would not have spent a whole month cramming about etiquette and Wizengamot law in order to fit in around here. I'd just have shown up for the train and been completely hopeless."

His expression hardened.

"But ... they weren't dead. James showed up and told me everything including the fact that I had an identical twin who they'd put on a pedestal while throwing me into the gutter. And I was just so ... angry! Because it felt like everything I'd been through had been for no reason at all. Like a big joke. So I decided then and there that I would not be 'just Harry.' That whatever it took, I would make James and Lily Potter realize that they picked to wrong son to throw out with the garbage."

"You know," said Neville softly. "It's not very Slytherin of you to reveal such personal details, especially to a Gryffindor."

Harry snorted. "Oh, I am definitely a Slytherin, Neville. Meek earnest insecure 'just Harry' is gone for good. Sytherin Harry is cunning, he's ambitious, and he's a bit ruthless and manipulative and occasionally even cruel. And it's been hatred for the Potters that's turned me into him. But ... I don't want that hatred to eat me up, like it did your Uncle. I don't want to end up ... evil, like a Dark Lord or something ridiculous like that. I need... I need a compass."

Neville crooked his head. "A compass?"

Harry looked deeply into his friend's eyes. "A moral compass, Neville. When I said I wasn't as good as you, I meant ... that I'm not as good a person as you are." Neville tried to interrupt but Harry stopped him. "No, seriously, I mean it. You had someone who had tried to kill you completely at your mercy. If I'd been in your shoes, Algernon Longbottom would be in a cell waiting for his Dementor's Kiss, and I'd have insisted on a front row seat to watch it! But instead, you took pity on a would-be murderer because you felt sorry for his kids and grandkids, and you gave him a house in another country and a job and even money to retire on. This may not seem like it means much because most of the people in my life have been completely awful, but ... you're easily the best human being I've ever known. And that's why I need you to be my friend, Neville. Because I want you to watch after me. And if I ever start to fall into real darkness..."

"You'll have me there to catch you and pull you back," replied Neville simply.

Harry relaxed and smiled. The two looked back towards the lake at the sound of some more antics from the Squid. "Mind you, I am still planning on making the Potters pay for what they did to me," said Harry after a long pause.

"No death, dismemberment or permanent injuries," Neville replied with mock sternness.

"What about public humiliation and financial ruin?" Harry asked.

"Oh, that's fine. I'll even help with that," Neville said genially.

The two laughed as the waters of Black Lake lapped against the shore.

The next update will be posted WITHIN THE NEXT FIFTEEN MINUTES! SURPRISE! This update was a little shorter than most, and while I love it dearly, it's a character piece with no action. Anyway, I've also made good progress on the rest of the story. (It's startling to realize that the "date" at the top of this chapter is only November 4th when I'm currently writing about events just after the Easter Break.) So I've decided to celebrate breaking 200 reviews and 300 faves (and nearly 500 follows) with a DOUBLE-UPDATE.

Also, some reviewers have been crying out for bloody vengeance against Algie Longbottom and may be disappointed with his fate, so consider this a gift to make up for it. :) Don't expect this regularly - I'm about to start a new job, so I'm not sure if I'll even be able to maintain the normal twice-a-week schedule. We'll see how it goes, and I'll announce it if my update schedule changes. The next chapter has Quidditch and Hagrid and Blaise Zabini and a snarkier than usual Harry. Enjoy.