A/N: I wished I owned Harry Potter. Alas, I do not. Ms. Rowling, I'd be happy to take it off your hands
A/N: This is the story I decided I want to do, and the one that makes the most sense. I'm sorry if you voted for another story, but this is the story I was most excited to write, and the one that makes the most sense for a continuation without too much jarring discontinuity. To do the Harry/Fleur side quest, I need to do a lot of research (NO Spoilers yet!) and when I couldn't do that right away but still wanted to continue the story, Part 2a was born. I need to do that before they rejoin the world of Harry Kicks Ass, and people seem to want more Harry and Fleur.
This will be a Little Darker than Book 1, but not full dark. Much like the morally "Grey" versions of Harry, this story will be closer to grey than light, but certainly not dark. It does remind me of a great quote from one of my favorite stories by my favorite author, but since I will use the quote a few times and don't want to spoil too much, I will just say that good and evil are not great terms for this story. Good and Evil should never be the jumping off points for any nuanced story, and I think that Book 1, especially the first half, lacked an element of nuance that I hope to add to Book 2, all three parts.
Another important note as you may guess from the tags is that the focus of this story, character wise, is definitely different than Book 1, primarily that the main actors are missing this time around, and that some characters that I spent a lot of time developing in Harry Kick Ass 1 may have different roles. Two in particular comes to mind, and if you loved that version of the character and see a totally different one, I apologize, but I think in time everything will make a little bit of sense.
The last important note is that this story will also feature flashbacks for Book 2's "Main Character," though will be less common. I will use time headers and breaks whenever that happens, except for chapter 1, since I want to add a little suspense, but this does not pick up in England, July 1.
With that, sit back, enjoy the (hopefully regularly updated) second installment of the Harry Kicks Ass, Literally- The New Old Bloods
Chapter 1: The Final Test
He raced through the brush, making sure to duck under any branches in his way. His wand was out and he waved it behind him, the grass he stepped through magically unfolding to hide his recent presence. His arms went around a nearby tree and he started to climb. He swarmed up the tree in complete silence and soon reached a branch 20 feet above the ground with an unobstructed view of the forest behind him.
If he hadn't already known he was being tracked, the near dead silence of the forest would have given it away. He marveled at the intelligence of animals. Many his own age would not have had the natural sense for danger the birds that normally chirped had ingrained in their bodies. They knew something was coming and fell silent. All he could do was follow their lead. But now was not the time to marvel on the nature of animals.
He scanned the trees and bushes in his eye sight looking for any sign of movement. His teachings came to mind and with minimal movement of his head he began to scan all around him. After a 360-degree sweep turned up nothing, he slid his wand into his holster and reached into his magic, allowing his natural power to start to reverberate within him.
Slowly he allowed the magic pooled within him to spread, creeping out in all directions from the base of the tree. All his senses began to tingle as he became acutely aware of the space around him. His magic continued to creep outwards at a slow pace. However after a few minutes his magic was spread across the forest floor in a circle no more 30 feet in diameter.
He was tempted to try and grow the circle but he could feel his passive magic already straining to keep the circle hidden from any who might pass through it. He debated reaching into his active magic to expand the circle as he drew his wand. His teaching reasserted itself and he stopped the action. Without knowing how many persuaders there were and what their quality was, it was a foolish endeavor. Besides, it wasn't like 15 feet in every direction was a short distance. It didn't matter who his opponent was, spells all traveled at similar speeds and at that range he could probably shield or dodge.
That had been a fascinating revelation. It didn't matter how deep and refined your magical power was when it came to spell speed. Sure his master's spell would travel faster than a an untrained child. But probably barely twice as fast. What made his nearly unmatched in a straight up duel was the casting speed and ability to chain charms, hexes, curses, and transfigurations with ease.
It wasn't until he mastered the basics of silently casting that he began to start chaining different styles of spells. To his surprise, he found he had a real talent for silent transfiguration, and could be quite imaginative with his creations. In contrast, his silent charms and hexes lacked penetrating power and precision. He learned curses purely to understand the counters, but rarely used them despite his master's insistence that they were too valuable a tool to not use.
There! He saw a branch move an inch, indicating the presence of a currently invisible enemy. His eyes narrowed as he focused on that area, looking for more signs of movement. This time it was as simple as grass crushed underfoot. He smiled at the somewhat clumsy unseen movement.
He had been at an even worse level at the beginning of the summer. It was so shocking behind the rest of his skill set that he barely used his wand the first two weeks as he learned silent and unseen movement. When he added in his wand and magic, he was decent enough to start expanding his training, even if other pupils his age exceeded him at the spell casting level. But the clumsy movement indicated this enemy was probably not at his level.
He imperceptibly straightened, and then his teacher's voice rang in his mind. Never become so focused on one area that you neglect the rest of your surroundings. His magic would pick the enemy up when he entered range. He now began to scan for more moving but found nothing. Then his magic began to tingle from two new directions and he felt the circle alert him from three different directions, none of which lined up with the movement he had seen.
He silently cursed. The movement had caused him to focus on only one direction, allowing his opponents to converge on him. But they had not sensed the circle his magic had laid out, so he still had the element of surprise, as they only knew his general position, not his exact vantage point. Still the time for stealth was almost over as he readied himself, grasping his wand firmly. Then with a tiny pulse, he shattered the circle, sending ambient magic spiraling all over the nearby area.
He felt four responses as the magic cascade around him. Two were at tree level and he focused on them first. A stunner dropped a young girl and three rapid body binds froze a boy. As they dropped from the trees, an older boy stepped out to catch them, and as one arm closed around them both, he was dropped with a stunner. The fourth pulse had come from ground level opposite him, but a blasting hex sent splinters through the air and a yelp gave his position away, and he was hammered by a foe hammer, sending him flying.
He frowned a bit. He had expected far stronger opponents on this day and this exercise. A deep breath and recollection of the rules confirmed his suspicion. It was not unusual in long challenges for the skill of his enemies to rise over time. This was far from over. With his mind made up he dropped for the tree and took off in the direction he had just come from in a near sprint, no longer caring about hiding his presence.
The blasting hex had used a little too much power, and more magically attuned foes would know where he was. Moderating power was perhaps his worst attribute. He worked all summer on it, and while he made progress it was slow work. He didn't pick up the nuances quickly, and it remained a key weakness. He had many other skills that helped compensate, but during a task where stealth was important, the inability to keep his output as low as possible was a real drawback.
Within a few minutes he found his next opponents. He felt the magic power radiating of the two witches and two wizards. They were probably all equal in power to him, but were foolishly clumped together. Subtly adding a little magic to his legs, he jumped, landing in the middle of the group.
A series of quick jabs and a reverse backhand sent three of them to the ground. The last witch blocked a forehand and countered with a vicious kick that had him scrambling backwards.
"Not so tough now boy—" He ignored the banter and his wand spit a few darker hexes. A purple and orange jet were deflected, and a black beam was shielded. However, a magenta bolt made it through and sent the last opponent to the ground. His master's words telling him to ensure to leave no enemies behind him rang in his head, so he hit them all with a stunner and moved on. They wouldn't be waking for a little while.
He estimated he was two miles from his destination and was making good time. If he dove into his magic and ran full out he could probably make up the ground in under 6 minutes. That would leave him gassed, and there might be enemies on the way, not to mention the veritable horde that would be at his destination. Discretion was the better part of valor here.
It took him the better part of half an hour to make it to the rally point. He had stopped every now and then to scout and had managed to foil a well setup ambush along the way. The plan and follow through was excellent, but he was no pushover and they simply weren't at a level to take him after a summer of intensive personal instruction.
The final assessment could best be described as a small castle, and he was tasked with entering the build and grabbing a flag from all 3 floors before planting them on the roof and sending off a signal spell into the sky. It was a very different task than the pursue and deceive in the forest, and he was sure that the moment the castle spotted him, flares would be sent up calling the witches and wizards he had evaded in forest back to the castle. It required an element of stealth.
But at a certain point, he'd eventually trigger a large response, and with the castle crawling with guards, he wouldn't have time to spend time detecting for traps. Every now and then he'd have to risk it. So pure battle capability would be tested without doubt.
Initially it seemed like he should attempt to be stealthy as long as possible, but when exposed it would be a burst of speed to the finish, burning himself out before reinforcements arrived. That seemed like an adequate plan, even if the specifics weren't fleshed out. But gazing at the castle from the edge of the forest he quickly realized a major flaw.
He could easily see a few guards on the castle walls, 100 feet away. They couldn't see him, as he was obscured by the heavy and dense forest. But the forest would only cover him another 50 feet. Then he would be easily visible to the guards for the second half of the charge to the castle.
He swore under his breath. This was truly a bit of insane challenge, but there wasn't much he could do. His master had said completing the task was a prerequisite for being released to go home, and he was out of time. Once more, he wished for the blinding speed or insane magical reservoir of the man who placed him in this position. He would even settle for the finesse skills of his partner in most missions. But this time he was on his own, as was his partner, on their own transformative journey.
What's more, he could not wait for the guard to tire. He would be forced to attack sooner rather than later, as to not get caught from behind while trying to get through the castle. He would never call himself a man of action, despite his teachings this summer. But now was the time to try the unexpected.
So with a deep sigh, he raced out from the underbrush. He heard the guards yelling to each other and the gate began to close. He judged the distances and he veered to the left, a few spells impacting in front of him. Odds were, he would be able make it through the gate if he dodged another volley of spells. But he was already doing the unexpected, and a crazy idea came to his mind.
His physical magic was already flowing through his legs, and with a slight pulse he jumped, soaring to the top of the battlements. The move was so unexpected that the guards were flummoxed, and he took advantage to take two down hard. Another pair recovered in the interim, but a slip strike flew through the hastily constructed shield of the first, and after a quick exchange of blows, he grabbed the overextended arm of the last guard on the parapet and tossed him from the wall.
He heard a host of footsteps coming up the stairs. He reached into his pockets and withdrew a set of rune stones. Technically, he should not have brought them into the test, but he had snuck them past the examiner at the beginning of the task, which meant it was fair game. It took a moment for the runes to activate, and with a quick twirl of the wand a purple wall shot up. He turned as the reinforcements reached the wall and couldn't hold back a smile as the wall stymied them. It would take them at least a few minutes to break through, and he had already gotten past the ground floor by simply jumping past it.
He rushed through the door into the guard tower, and just managed to dodge a vicious barrage of spells from the awaiting guard captain. The fight was fast and furious, as the captain was a tougher opponent then any of the enemies he faced in the forest. He was forced on the defensive, primarily deflecting, but quite a few of the spells he faced were more dangerous and he had to shield. The room was a little too small to dodge multiple spells without being forced into a corner, and that would be a death sentence against such a dangerous opponent.
There was a tiny lull and he didn't miss the chance. The spells he threw into his attack were a little darker and dangerous then he normally would use, but stunners and body binds might not do the trick and healers would be on standby the moment he won, so as long as he didn't mortally wound anyone. The captain, surprised by the change of the pace was knocked down and stunned in quick order.
He took a moment to quiet his mind, using a trick he had learned a few months ago, and took a few deep breaths. A quick spell locked the door behind him, and after a moment's consideration he locked the door in front. Another combination of spells made the walls around him transparent from his perspective, but opaque from the outside. He could see through the wall behind him. His rune trap was still active, stopping pursuit from behind him, but he could see the wards already weakening. What's more, there were a few guards gathered outside the door he would have to go through to enter the body of the castle.
He dropped to the floor and folded his knees underneath him. Images began to flash through his mind, various plans and schemes he had heard about or spell combinations that he could use to get out of the current situation. He discarded a few ideas as insanity, and a few more as beyond his magical and physical capability at the moment. He had used a clever and powerful trick demonstrating his growth to get into the castle, but now he was a little stuck. It would again do no good to wish for the skills of the man who placed him in this position, although all the guards in the world would be near useless against him. But that man was a genius, and he was far from.
But that did not mean he was helpless, far from it. No one would go so far to call him brilliant, but he thought through problems methodically, even if the thoughts were at times deliberate. There were not lightbulb moments, but usually the correct answer was reached. So the problems facing him were slowly dealt with in his mind until he had a workable plan. He rose to his feet and began to slowly move his wand, until there were two perfect copies of himself next to him. A quick switching spell left him in the clothes of one of the guards and his clothes on the guard.
He waited until he saw the rune wall come crashing down and he opened the door, and one of the clones rushed out and hoped over the oncoming guards, leaving them stunned. He stepped through the door a moment later.
"We repelled him, but he got away! After him!" The guards, happy to be given some sense of direction, raced after the clone. He had learned that lesson in a classroom, not the battlefield or the training ground. But regardless of how he learned, his instruction always seemed to be correct. The man smiled and stepped out the door heading to the castle and his second clone bolted to the opposing roof and began to scamper up the tiled roof. Another cry and demand to follow left those guards rushing into the castle, he a step behind him.
They raced for the stairs once inside, but he veered for the center of the castle. Guards were running every which way, and the man yelled out random and contradictory terms, soon finding himself in what he assumed was the center of the castle on the first floor, in front of a huge set of golden doors. He pushed the doors open and raced in, seeing two massive 7-foot golems on either side of the flag, and a witch in the far corner controlling them. She hesitated for half a second and the man dropped her with a lightning quick stunner, and the golems collapsed into useless stones.
He saw the flag, a dark blue pennant a few feet high. A quick spell shrunk it and he put the flag in his pocket. He was about to dash back out through the door, but he paused for a moment. He had gotten a blueprint of the castle before the task, and had not known how many guards there were, except for the fact there would be many. He was confident as he knew the base level of the guards. As long as he did not face more than 3 at once he could handle the guards. However, it might very well be a waste of energy and power. The possibility of running into someone with the power of the guard captain loomed large in his mind as well.
He had only used a quick stunner, and without a doubt magic pulses would be going off all over the castle from guards racing around, and even within the solitary chamber he could hear a veritable orchestra of alarms and noises from the rest of the castle. But the blueprint reminded him that while the castle tapered towards the top and the third flag was right by the stairs to the roof, the flag room on the second-floor flag room was right above the first. A quick piercing spell and a powerful jump and he was into the room.
Again the element of surprise was on his size as he essentially appeared in the middle of the room, and a shield breaker, body bind, and stunner flew from his wand, taking down the guard. It was a chain he had drilled countless times over the summer, and it was almost a guaranteed knockout on anyone slow enough to get hit by the shield breaker. Sure he had many flaws like his ability to moderate power, but when it came to raw power he was beyond most of his fellow students at his age group. In a straight one in one matchup, he was rarely defeated in the past month.
He shrunk and grabbed the second flag. His hope was that the guards were still rushing towards the lower floors, but his clones were doubtlessly not operational so there might be a flood rushing upwards now. Stealth was out, so he dropped all his power inhibitors and anything that might mask his power and burst through the ceiling, power oozing out from his visible aura. There were a few more surprised guards, but overpowered stunners left them on the ground and at top speed he streaked across the floor in the direction of the stairs and the final flag. He skidded around the corner of the final turn, and felt foreboding power from the wizard sitting on the stairs next to the flag. This was a different quality of opponent than any he had faced so far. This was a master. He was a lower level master class, but someone in that illusive echelon for sure.
"I'm impressed," the wizard intoned as power rippled off him as he stood. "I didn't think you would get so far."
"Thanks," the man said as they aimed their wands at each other.
"I suppose it would be too much to ask for your surrender," the wizard asked.
"Get used to disappointment," the man said with a grin.
"Princess bride? Really?"
"I just figured-" Spells spat from the man's wand, contemptuously flicked aside by the guard. He hadn't really expected such a simple tactic to work, but it was worth a try, even if it failed completely. Now the fight was joined in earnest.
Magic crackled from both of them and spells volleyed back and forth as they got the measure of their opponent. The man was sweating as he dodged a pair of dark cutting curses. The master wizard's casting speed was fast, insanely so. His spell redirection was superb, so he had barely dodged and only shielded once, making sure he stayed between the man and the flag so he couldn't grab it and run to the roof.
No, the man realized, that wasn't it. It wasn't just that he didn't want to leave the flag and stairs open as he deflected a furious flurry of spells, Movement wasn't his specialty. He threw a slow stunner and his hypothesis was proved as the man flicked the spell away. With a burst of magic into his legs, the man seemed to blur and then simply appeared behind the wizard, a magically enhanced chopped to the back of the neck dropping him to the floor.
The third flag and the pole it was attached was grabbed and the stairs were opened. He hopped the ledge to roof and planted the third flag. He withdrew the second, enlarged it, and stuck it to the pole. As he enlarged the final flag he felt a pulse of magic behind him. He could dodge the spell, but it would drive away from the flag. The man secured the final flag and poured magic into a silent skin shield on his back. Doing the spell without a wand to guide his magic and without a concrete shield would lower the power dramatically for someone like him, but he had no choice.
The spell impacted and he felt the power shatter his shield and send him careening towards the edge of the roof. He rolled to try and lessen the impact but the pain was blinding and he slipped to the edge, one hand holding him from a seventy-foot drop, the other still holding his wand. He silently thanked his master for drilling the lesson of never dropping his weapon into him as he scrambled for a solid hand-hold to pull himself up. Right as his hand found solid purchase, a shadow loomed over him.
The man looked into the smiling face of a witch who aimed a wand with a red glow at the end at him. This could be the end of the road. Instead, the man simply smiled and pointed his wand back at her, and then released his grip. The spell that flew from his wand missed the woman, the signal spell flying into the sky. Every ounce of remaining power was poured into a shield on his back as the floors of the castle raced by as he fell. No amount of rolling would diffuse the force of the fall, and his body crashed into the ground and he careened to the side, his body unmoving
He slowly opened his eyes. He flexed his arms and legs. They all seemed to be working fine, which was a pleasant surprise. More surprising, he wasn't restrained in any way. Normally after a serious injury, the healer tended to restrain him. He managed to force his body upright with a groan. He swung his legs over the bed and was more surprised to find that despite the pain of the spell that knocked him off the roof and the subsequent drop, his groan was more from confusion than pain. He felt totally fine, sans the confusion at the blank room he was in.
"Ah, you are up," the healer he had become so familiar with recently said as they bustled into the room, casting a host of diagnostic charms. "What foolishness possessed you to drop 70 feet onto your back with only a wandless aura shield as protection? This may the most reckless thing you have done yet."
"Just be happy you never met my best friend," the man said as he endured the ministrations of the healer. "Some of the stuff he went through would make my training look like a cake walk."
"Oh, is that right?" The healer finished their work and huffed, clearly frustrated. "Well, it took some time, but you are remarkably ok, although your core was nearly drained. I wouldn't preform any super strenuous spells or get into dangerous fights for a while-"
"Some time!" The man yelped. "How long was I out?"
"2 days," an older wizard, stepping through the door. "You had us worried for a while, Mr. Longbottom."
"Hayashi-San!" Neville said, bolting upright and bowing. Takashi Hayashi waved the bow away and Neville rose. "Two days?"
"What possessed you to drop off the roof indeed?" The master of the Hayashi school said with a laugh. "Neville, you know the test was simply to see where you were progress wise after the summer."
"Uh, no I didn't know that," Neville replied. "Akira told me that if I didn't pass I wouldn't be allowed to go back to England."
"Oh?" Takashi raised an eyebrow, and Neville heard laughter coming from outside the room. "It seems I'll be forced to have words with him."
"I'm really sorry about that," Akira said as he stepped into the room, though the mirth in his eyes belied his words. "But come on! You did awesome! All three flags and a successful plant! You made me a lot of money. Almost all of the other senior students and masters thought you wouldn't complete it."
"You were betting on me?" Neville glared at Akira.
"You know it!" Akira crowed triumphantly. "Everyone keeps underestimating you because you are so new to the school, and because you are from a backwater country."
"I do have to live there and have to take a government position in the future," Neville reminded him. "It's far from my fault. Besides, you spent quite a few summers there."
"Yeah, I guess it's a bit hypocritical, but now I don't have to go back."
"Sellout," Neville volleyed back with a smile. "The kid has become the man. When do you start with the Ministry of the Interior?"
"A few days," Akira replied. To everyone's surprise Akira had withdrawn from his last year of teaching at Mahoutokoro and had joined the Ministry of the Interior, which technically was what his father reported to. It had caused an argument between father and son, and the tension was still clear. His father clearly had not wanted his son to follow him into the government, but Akira refused to back down.
"Ehem." Both boys jumped, having forgotten Takashi was in the room. "It is 4:45, and I believe Mr. Longbottom was supposed to return to have tea with his grandmother before the school year begins in 15 minutes, if I am not mistaken. And due to his extended slumber, today is now the 1st."
"Oh yikes," Neville muttered, doing the mental math in his head. "Guess you are right."
"It's been a blast," Akira said, giving Neville a hug. "I'm really happy you came this summer."
"We both owe Harry a debt for that," Neville said, returning the hug.
"If you would give me a minute with Mr. Longbottom?" Takashi asked mildly.
"Yeah, I'll go get your bags. They are already packed." Akira released the hug and left the room, leaving the two men in the room.
"Neville, last summer I gave Harry a watch signifying that he was technically a graduate of the Hayashi School." Takashi withdrew a watch from his pocket. "He deserved the watch for sure. But make no mistake. After your work during this summer, you deserve it even more." He held out the watch to Neville, who proudly fastened the watch to his wrist. "It has truly been a pleasure to have you with us this summer.
"The pleasure has been all mine." The door opened and Neville saw Akira toss his two bags into the room. With a simple wave of the wand Neville shrunk them and tossed them in his pocket.
"Mr. Longbottom. Perhaps have your grandmother unshrink those bags before getting on the express, unless you want her to know about your second new wand." Neville nodded at the advice. He had gotten a new wand last January at the advice of Akira without telling his grandmother, but once arriving in July, Hayashi had a wand-crafter make him a new one, 12 inches with ash wood and hippogriff heartstring. His old wand of cherry and unicorn wand was a massive improvement on his father's, but his new wand was an even bigger improvement, giving his hexes and curses more power, and adding a level of impressive refinement and ease to his transfiguration. McGonagall and his friends would be shocked if he ever had to go all out.
"Good note." His master for the summer held out a ring and Neville grabbed it. "Hope to see you soon." The ring flashed and Neville felt himself flashing through the air. After what felt like an eternity but was more likely not more than a minute, Neville landed with a soft thump on the marble ground. He rose slowly and saw the two ministry workers looking at him curiously.
"Welcome back, Mr. Longbottom." The wizard at the landing pad said. Neville saw the witch next to the attendant look up and her eyes widened in surprise. He recognized her as a 7th year Ravenclaw from the year before, and knew why she looked surprised. Neville knew that he had been in good shape at the end of the year, but after a summer of hard work, he looked like a different person.
5 foot 6 inches had bloomed to 5'11, and any ounce of the baby fat on his face was gone. His arms were sculpted and his biceps bulged and the tight tension of his shirt hinted at a six-pack. His regal features were more defined, and a light hint of facial hair drew the attention to his straight jaw, and he had heard more than a few females over the summer call his brown hair sumptuous and his dark brown eyes swimmable.
His growth and dedication to revamping his physical fitness culminated in his best female friend over the summer telling him that the students would be all over the stud muffin of Hogwarts. Neville had protested and said he had a girlfriend, but he knew that he had not been as diligent with his letters as he should have been with Hannah, and the tense tone in her last letter suggested an uncomfortable conversation was upcoming on the train.
"Good to be back," Neville said, dusting himself off. He nodded and headed for the exit.
"You look good Neville," the girl called.
"Thank you." Neville searched his memory for her name. "As do you Ashley." The girl gave him a smile, and Neville silently breathed a sigh of relief. "Have a good day." He stepped through the door exiting the international portkey arrival room and into the body of the ministry. He could apparate easily, and he was well aware that despite their claims the ministry could not track underage apparition, but there was no need to let people in on that knowledge yet. Besides, his eyes picked up the form of Augusta Longbottom a few hundred feet in front of her in that distinctive vulture hat. Neville jogged over to her and threw his grandmother in a giant hug, lifting her up a little.
"Put me down you lug!" His grandmother demanded, but as Neville lowered and released her, Neville saw a tiny smile vanish.
"It's good to see you to Gran," Neville said.
"Let me have a look at you," Augusta said, stepping back a bit. Her eyes widened. "You've turned into a giant!"
"It was a long summer. Good one though," Neville commented.
"Did you bring your bags?" Augusta questioned, and Neville laughed internally. One comment about his rather substantial changes and his grandmother was all business.
"Yes, but I thought we were going to tea." Neville glanced down at his new watch and a swell of pride went through him. It was 4:55, still on Japanese time. A quick adjustment, and watch hands now indicated 8:55.
"We are, but I wanted to make sure you had your stuff, so we can go straight from there to the train. I'd like to hear about as much as possible about your summer in one go," Augusta informed him.
"No, I'm all good." Neville patted his pocket. "Just unshrink them at the train station and I'll be all good." His grandmother eyes widened, and then to Neville's surprise she laughed a little.
"Hundreds of years students have been going on the express, and not one Longbottom has thought to shrink their trunks." She shook her head with a laugh. "I guess common sense was on the agenda this summer too." Neville nodded with a wide smile. "Very well. We are going to Café Alum." Neville was familiar with the café, a favorite of his grandmother, a magical cafe half a mile away from the summer estate in Cornwall." You have been side apparated before?"
Neville glanced around, and no one seemed to be looking at him. There was no harm in a little showing off a little. He didn't want his grandmother to think he had wasted the summer. Without a sound Neville vanished from in front of his grandmother. Her eyebrows rose a tiny bit.
"Guess the summer wasn't a waste after all." With a tiny pop, she disappeared as well.