Chapter 9: Longbottom's (Neville)
Neville was still shaken up about his sister's threat to do harm on his favourite plant, Mimbulus Mimbletonia; it was one of his most prized possessions. It was about one o'clock and everyone in his compartment was eating sweets. Hermione noticed his discomfort and asked him what was wrong.
"Your sister is horrible, terrible- she's a down right prick and someone namely me needs to knock her off her dang high throne." Trista exclaimed once he told them what was going on.
"Don't say that about Oreana!" Neville defended. "I know she teases, threatens and does mean things to me, she doesn't ever bring around any harm, ever!"
"But the way she treats you, I mean I tease Ginny but seriously." Ron pointed out.
"We once had a row with each other during- well before school started. It resulted in her crying begging m to understand that even though to my face. She's a real git; behind my back she defends me like crazy. Once she told me that Pavarti said I was going to kill Trevor with the way that I do potions," He continued referring to his toad Oreana almost gave her one to the head and he told her all about me in herbology, making Pavarti apologize to us many times. "Doing what she does to me is her odd way of telling me that she cares. Although she does take it a little too far sometimes, she always makes it up to me one way or another." He finished tears gleaming in his eyes.
"Yeah, well like you said she's a git." Harry said.
"Don't say that! She's a really nice person to us!" Luna exclaimed.
"Um, yeah, sure." Oreana said in the doorway making some jump. "I'd never be a kind person to Potty and his gang considering what they've done." Harry raised an eyebrow at her. "Anyways, here's today's Quidditch Today."
"Sweet!" Fred cheered.
"Neh-vi-ill, here are you Hogwarts instant-dress cloak that you almost forgot at Gran's and I'm going to care of your Firebolt 1000 because it's getting dusty again." She said in a disappearing down the aisle.
Once she was gone, Neville got highly surprised looks from the others.
"See that's her apology!" He pointed out. Trista rolled her yellow eyes.
"How did you get a Firebolt?!"Ginny asked.
"Um… it's not a 'Firebolt', Ginny it's a Firebolt 1000 uh unreleased." Neville, reddening, shyly said.
"What do you mean 'unreleased'?" Harry asked.
"Hasn't been released for the public yet." Neville said nervously.
"Yes plant-boy we know what it means, I think he meant how in the bloody hell did you get one?" Trista explained in a questioning tone.
"Oreana and I both have one because our Uncle works for the company." He clarified confidentially.
"But number two is only being released next month." Hermione asked trying to get Neville to understand.
"Well big franchise companies get ideas for things and then they break it down into thousands of smaller ideas to update it so that they can make more money. So every time the newest model gets popular then tones down a bit they release another with another 'new' feature." Luna said matter-of-factly.
"Yes, thank you Luna!" Neville smiled giving her a small peck on the cheek.
"But why have a broom if you don't use it?" asked George.
"Oh, I do use it I just don't play quidditch," Neville pointed out. "Oreana, Luna, and I invented a different game called 'broom-stick'."
"What's that?" Ron asked interested.
"You race you're brooms as fast as it'll go and the first one to break the sound barrier first wins, it's the only game I can beat my sister at." Explained Neville telling the highly attentive group the rules to the game.
"Wow, maybe we could try that when we get to school!" Harry suggested.
"I'm afraid that's not possible, Potty." Oreana informed him, as if appearing out of nowhere stepping into the compartment, sitting the twins while preforming a hovering charm on Neville's trunk. "Why do you keep calling me Potty?" Harry said exasperated.
"Simple, I, don't, like, you." She shrugged.
"So is that the 1000?" Trista asked leaning forward slightly.
"Yes Thing it is. Neville better use the cloak now." Oreana requested.
"See Harry at least you're not Thing." Trista grumbled. As Oreana was opening Neville's trunk, they noticed it had a single wooden box with tabs coming out of it. She gripped one tab and pulled up. Immediately a series of boxes appeared to be coming out of it all in one vertical line. She opened one with the name 'brooms' on the front. Oreana got up to leave but as she did, she simply propped it against the boxes.
"I don't remember how to use this." Neville complained to his sisters retreating figure.
"Pull the collar buttons down." She called over her shoulder.
"Thanks Oreana."
"Yup."
He turned back to the members of the group who were staring aghast at his broom and trunk. Neville hastily pulled down on his collar buttons, thus making his casual robes disappear and making his school robes appear.
"Why are you all staring at my stuff?" He asked finally turning to the group that didn't even acknowledge the fact that he was already changed.
"How did she do that?" Hermione asked.
"Well Gran did this one little spell… I'm not sure what it's called but it lets you put more than what something can usually hold in it, I think. Anyways my Auntie Joslyn also did something and now this is my trunk." Neville finished to the dumbstruck audience. Opening the box his sister laid out for him, he pulled out a very deep and long drawer that held at least 20 different brooms.
"Wow!" Ron exclaimed amazed for the second time in the two hours. As Neville struggled to close his trunk, they all settled back down obviously thinking about the experience they had just witnessed and what they had discovered about the underappreciated and overlooked Longbottom family.