After several more days of most severe boredom, it was at last time for Neville to return to Hogwarts. On the night preceding September the first, he could be found prowling his room for the many schoolbooks, quills, and parchment that had gone astray during his time at home. Neville spent many hours packing carefully, for he was still trying to earn his grandmother's trust, and felt not forgetting anything might impress her.
His grandmother strolled intermittently into the room, pursing her lips at the mess on the floor. "You should have started sooner!" She constantly declared, for Neville's packing was taking quite a bit longer than he had estimated, and it was beginning to get quite late.
"Sorry Gran," was Neville's constant refrain, for he was altogether too immersed in his task to think of anything else to say. He considered asking his grandmother to help, for he knew she could finish in a moment with her wand's aid. However, Neville knew there was no chance at all she would agree.
At last, a bit past midnight, Neville finished. He was quite surprised to find the sky outside to be black, for he had not realized it had gotten quite so late. Neville could hear his grandmother's loud snores from all the way down the hall, penetrating the silence of the night. He lay in bed, quite exhausted with the effort that comes from packing all one's belongings in a single evening. Sporadically, Neville would remember something he had forgotten, and forced himself out of the comfort of his bed in order to fetch it and place it in his trunk. When he finally fell asleep for good, Neville dreamed his trunk had come alive and eaten all his belongings, and his grandmother refused to believe it was not his fault.
All too soon, morning arrived. Neville's grandmother woke him early with her usual yell and unceremonious yank of the curtains. Neville felt quite exhausted until he remembered what day it was. At last, September the first had arrived, and Neville would be returning to Hogwarts. Despite his weariness, Neville grinned happily at the thought of finally seeing his friends once again.
Neville was quite anxious to leave that morning, and found himself herding his grandmother into the lounge, rather the normal pattern in which she shouted constantly until he appeared, always late. His grandmother seemed to welcome the change, and did not complain as Neville tossed Floo powder into the fireplace, spilling a bit on the decorative carpet that lay upon the hearth.
Neville waited impatiently as his grandmother approached the fire first, as she always did. He felt like he wanted to shout at her to go faster, so he could reach the Hogwarts Express, and his friends, more quickly. However, his grandmother was not to be rushed, and spent a moment in front of the flames, adjusting her cloak. At last, she stepped into the green tongues of fire and shouted "Transit Wizards Pub!" and disappeared.
Neville approached the fire, dragging his trunk behind. He did not know what the Transit Wizards Pub was, and was curious to find out. He stood among the vibrant green fire, looked around quickly to assure he had not forgotten anything, and shouted "Transit Wizards Pub!" with a thrill of excitement. Not a minute later, he arrived, hardly affected by the vortex of a journey he had just taken. He stepped out of the fireplace into a bright pub that looked quite a bit like the Leaky Cauldron, though sunnier. Neville wanted to take a minute to explore, but his grandmother seemed inclined not to dawdle in such an unwashed, undecorated place.
"What was that place?" Neville asked breathlessly as he and his grandmother hurried across the London traffic to Kings Cross Station.
"That was the Transit Wizards Pub, of course." His grandmother said curtly, stating the obvious. "It was established years ago to aid transportation for Hogwarts students to Platform 9 ¾. Since that time, it has also been used to allow parents a moment to unwind after the severe stress of sending children off to school, and as an open fireplace for any passing wizard who wishes to use it."
Neville nodded, fascinated by the idea of such a place. He thought it seemed like quite a brilliant notion, and hoped his grandmother would take him through again in the future.
At last, after several more minutes of skirting through the traffic-filled London streets, and getting slightly lost, they arrived at Kings Cross. Neville felt a thrill of excitement, he was so close! He led the way to the hidden entrance for Platform 9 ¾, recalling how nervous he had been the first time he went through the brick wall. This time, however, Neville felt a rush of excitement as he strolled towards it, glancing around casually.
After a mere moment of darkness, the platform materialized. Neville was so glad to be back, even with an impatient grandmother harrumphing behind him.
"Can I go now?" He asked her excitedly, hoping desperately she would not insist he must wait. Thankfully, she nodded.
"Very well. Don't get into any trouble this year, Neville Longbottom!" She said curtly. Though it was not a true goodbye, Neville felt touched all the same, for he knew his grandmother did care. He gave her a quick hug, stored his trunk momentarily by a large pillar, and plunged into the crowd to find his friends. It took several minutes, for the platform was growing more and more crowded by the minute. The train was set to leave quite soon when Neville at last found Harry and Ron, who were standing by one of the train entrances.
"There you are!" Harry exclaimed. "We've been trying to find you for ages!"
Ron grinned. "Don't listen to him, we only got here a few minutes ago. Come on, let's find a compartment."
Neville nodded happily and followed his friends onto the train. His friends had not changed a bit since last year, albeit growing slightly taller. The three boys maneuvered their way down the narrow corridor, Harry and Ron's trunks constantly getting in the way. Neville was quite excited to see the scared-looking first years, for he could remember feeling the very same way the previous year.
At last, they found an open compartment. The train was preparing to leave as they entered, Harry and Ron stowing their trunks.
"Neville, where'd your trunk go?" Ron asked, confused. Neville felt his stomach drop; he had left his trunk on the platform! He tore out of the compartment and down the corridor, shoving quite a few people in his reckless dash to retrieve his trunk. Neville pushed through the door and ran off the train onto the slightly less crowded platform. He ran for the pillar by which he had placed his trunk, but the baggage had disappeared. Neville scanned the vicinity, looking desperately, but could not see it anywhere. He did not know what to do. Should he continue to look, or get back on the train? Neville's hesitation made the choice for him. The train began to pull out of the station, and Neville knew he would not be able to catch it. He sat down, miserable, as parents began to leave. He had no means of contacting anyone, and did not know what to do. Neville buried his head in his hands, heartbroken. He would never get to Hogwarts now.
After a moment or two of misery, Neville noticed a pair of shoes. He followed them upwards to find James Potter staring down at him and smiling.
"Problem, Neville? I could have sworn you're supposed to be on the train right now." He said, winking. Neville sighed with relief, though his face grew red from embarrassment.
"I-I left my trunk on the platform, so I ran out to get it, but it wasn't there, and I couldn't find it, and then the train just… left." Neville explained forlornly, standing up. He noticed Farah standing nearby, looking a bit grumpy, and blushed slightly, for the young girl had certainly seen his tears.
"Hmm, that is a bit of a predicament. So your trunk's missing, you said?" James asked, not looking at all worried. Neville nodded, and the man turned to his daughter. "Alright Farah, what spell d'you think I should use?" He caught Neville looking confused. "Harry and Farrah's mum is working this year, so I'm taking time off to stay home and teach Farrah here." He explained. Neville nodded, wondering briefly what Lily Potter's new job was.
"You should use a Summoning charm!" Farah exclaimed, her eyes bright with the excitement of knowing the answer.
"Right you are, Farrah. Accio Neville's Trunk!" Neville heard a loud thump, then his trunk sped towards them, nearly decapitating several people.
"Wow, thank you!" Neville exclaimed, utterly grateful. "I dunno how it got over there, I swear I left it right here!"
"Maybe someone though it was theirs by accident!" Farah exclaimed, convinced immediately that it was true.
James nodded. "Could be. Alright Neville, why don't you come home with us. I'll owl the school at once. They'll probably just arrange for you to arrive by Floo powder, no problem at all. Let's go, now!" He turned and led the way to the exit of the platform, still dragging Neville's trunk. Neville, feeling extremely grateful for the help, followed quickly behind with Farah, who appeared mad once again.
"What's up?" Neville asked, trying very hard to be friendly, for he was not used to being alone with his friend's family, and found it quite strange.
Farah turned towards Neville, her face a bit red. "I still have to wait a whole YEAR before Hogwarts! Harry got to go last year, and now Ginny gets to go, and I'm stuck at home all by myself!" She hurried ahead to walk with James, leaving Neville wishing he had not asked. He felt quite bad for Farah, for he, too, had dreamed of attending Hogwarts for many years.
James led the way into the Transit Wizards Pub, where they would travel back home. He paused for a moment to speak with someone, and Neville finally had a moment to look around. He hoped desperately that his grandmother had not decided to stay for a drink, for she was certain to punish him if so.
Thankfully, it appeared as though his grandmother was not in the pub. Neville took the opportunity to gaze around the large room. There were quite a few tables, all surrounded by mismatched chairs of different colors and styles. The walls had many windows, though the glass was quite dusty and grimy, blocking some of the sunlight. Neville saw rather a few groups of witches and wizards, drinking all sorts of interesting beverages. There were many fireplaces around the room, and green flames constantly emerged from them, announcing the arrival and exit of different people. Above the noise of the conversations, Neville could hear people shouting residencies as they disappeared into the fire.
All too soon, James finished his conversation. He led Farah and Neville to an open fireplace, tossed in a handful of Floo powder from a large bucket, and stepped into the flames, still holding Neville's trunk, shouting "Potter Residence" as he did so.
Neville gestured Farah forward, feeling as though he ought not to leave her alone in the pub, for she was younger than he. She stepped into the flames, shouted "Potter Residence," as she did so, and disappeared.
Neville gazed around the room one last time, unsure when he would next see it. He realized James must be wondering where he was, and entered the flames, crying "Potter Residence," like his two companions.
Neville soared through fireplace after fireplace, catching very brief glimpses of the rooms beyond. At last, he began to slow down, arriving at the Potters just seconds later. Neville stepped out of the fireplace, dusting himself off.
"There you are! I was wondering where you'd gone off to!" James exclaimed, entering the room. "I've just sent a letter to Hogwarts, so we should hear back in a few hours. Why don't you come and have some lunch while we wait?" Neville consented, and followed James into the kitchen.
Neville enjoyed a very comfortable afternoon that day; much like the sort he had always imagined having with his own parents, had they still been alive. The return letter from Hogwarts arrived all too soon. Neville almost wished he could stay, and just live with the Potters for the year. However, he also desperately wanted time with Harry and Ron, and that could only happen if he returned to school.
Neville stood in the living room, holding his trunk. James Potter said a quick goodbye, and even gave Neville a very brief hug, which was very kind.
"Right, so just say you want to go to Hogwarts and you should be just fine." He instructed Neville, who was slightly worried something might go wrong.
"Alright." Neville said, nodding. "Thank you for helping me today." He said, looking gratefully at James. Neville did not know what he would have done if Harry's father had not found him.
On that appreciative note, Neville turned, picked up his trunk, and stepped into the fireplace, which already glowed green with Floo powder. "Hogwarts!" He shouted loudly, anticipation coursing through his veins. It had been a very strange and difficult day, and for a while, Neville did not believe he would ever get back to Hogwarts. Now, he was on his way at last.