A/N/:
***Surprise! I love this story so much that I just could not wait to update till tomorrow morning! So as a special treat here is a update early! Happy 1 month anniversary! I will be back to my regular schedule next week!***
I do not own Harry Potter or any of its affiliates, nor do I profit from this body of work, because I did not write Harry Potter. I am simply a fan who likes to imagine what if I was the author, J K Rowling. if I was, it might have looked a lot like this….
As a side-note : For those of you following my story, You may have wondered at the state of my grammar on the last update. Honestly I honestly do not have that many grammar mistakes… Really! For those of you who are grammar Nazis; and I know you are out there, you can go and see the revised version by clicking backward. Ta! Ta! For Now! Sit back enjoy the continuation our story.
Making Friends through Magic
Neville was so happy, he sang to himself, as he had every day for 4 days. This morning he would be going to Diagon Alley for the first time. Gram felt it ruined the fun out of the first trip to Diagon Alley, to get their stuff for school, if you exposed the young ones to Diagon Alley before then. So, although Neville had heard of the place before, he had never seen the place himself. But that would be going changing today.
Neville could hear Gram downstairs, "Neville Longbottom, if you don't get out of that bed now, I swear I will go to Diagon Alley myself, and leave you behind!" Of course Neville knew her threats were empty. Being a Midra, there was not much a mere Witch could do if he chose to not listen. No,it was not Grams power that left him inclined to listen to Gram; he listened because he loved her. She was the closest he had come to a mother and to a physical human friend.
He was not allowed to play with kids. His Gram was very strict about that. He suspected that the reason for that was because he was Midra and sometimes things just... sort of happened against his will. He was not sure really why it was so important that no one knew that, but for some reason it was really important to Gram.
From his earliest memories Neville was coached by Gram to stay close; stay at home and to listen to her, because she only wanted what was best for him. His worst disciplines had always come around him letting it slip that magic for him was extra easy, and that he still did not have full control of his abilities yet. Being that he had no friends; Gram, he decided, had chosen to become that all important friend. Neville wondered if she had ever grown tired of being mutated; of playing a very scary game of hide and seek (scary for her that is) when he was a child. But she had borne it all with good grace.
If he was honest though, part of him was a little scared to go to Diagon Alley. There would be other kids there. 'What if they do not like me?' he wondered, 'What if there are girls there?'
Neville had only been around girls one time in his life. Being as tall as he was at 5' 4", and only 11 years old; Neville was taller than any boy his age, and at 153 lbs; he was heavier than the average male as well. He was solidly built and thick boned. Not the kind of thick boned that overweight people describe themselves as being, but the Honest–To-Goodness thick boned type; the type that caused people to wonder about whether you had gigantism in your blood, so when these girls looked up at Neville, they began to scream, and point and make fun of him, calling him a disgusting giant. It had stung at first, but over the time since the event, Neville had told himself that he had developed a callous and such taunts would not hurt him, not one bit. Still, he was a little frightened sacred maybe he was all bluff.
"Neville Longbottom, you have till I count to 10 to get down here by the fireplace, before I am out of here leaving you behind." She said starting her countdown.
Neville looked down. He was still in his jammies. Closing his eyes, he imagined himself dressed and ready, with his Hogwarts letter in hand, and standing by the fireplace.
"…8…9…10" Gram was saying. She was standing there with her bowl of Floo Powder.
"Ah Gram, do we have to, it takes so long, and I always get dirty hands when we travel this way!" Neville complained.
"Neville! Don't you think I don't know appointed yourself here, and from the looks of it, you also dressed by power..." she said dragging her hands through the stiff, dried, jell that had clumped his hair into a permanent ruffled look.,
"I know you think the un-kept hair looks cool but I think it just makes you look… well un-kept. And yes, we do have to go by floo; what do you think would happen if you appointed us at Diagon Alley Eh! Everyone will know you were a Midra, and we can't have that, now can we." The last sentence was spoken like a question, but Neville knew that it was anything but a question.
"Gram, I still do not know why it so horrible that people know I am a Midra! Why should I hide who I really am? What harm could come from letting people know? Maybe if I did not have to hide this I could possible make a few friends!" Neville spouted out defiantly.
Gram's face turned an alarming shade of purple, "Never! Promise me never to tell a single soul at Hogwarts or I swear Neville, I will keep you home and teach you Wizardry myself!" She was so angry that her spittle flew in his face.
Neville's courage faltered, Gram had never spoken to him in such a way in all his living memory. " Fine!I won't Gram; I'll just sit up in my dormitories and pretend to be a bat in their belfry." Neville spat back sarcastically.
"Neville Longbottom! Just take this floo powder and go on to Diagon Alley; before I lose my temper." Gram shouted.
Stomping his feet, and taking the floo powder and crossing his arms, while glaring at Gram, Neville stepped into the floo and cast it on the ground and shouted "DIAGON ALLEY!" and before he disappeared into a puff of green smoke, Neville thought, 'before you lose your temper... looks like you moved past losing your temper from the moment I opened my mouth!' and then everything turned green, and he disappeared.
Suddenly Neville was at the Leaky Cauldron. The place was dark and shabby, with a bar and a number of tables in the shadows of the corners. The place was simply filled with all sorts of people. Quite a few of them were young children; such as himself.
Directly in front of him was a chalk- board sign that said in shaky handwriting,
"Welcome to the Leaky Caldron! Today is July the 28, 1991. Welcome Witch or Wizard! Before taking your trip to Diagon Alley consider stopping by for a world-famous Steak and Kidney Pie with the best ever Exploding Lemonade your mouth will ever enjoy"
For the first time, Neville was not interested in eating more than in going someplace. As soon as Gram emerged from the green smoke, he was eager to go. He had been told by Gram that the entrance to Diagon Alley was behind the establishment in a small, walled courtyard with a dustbin. Immediately his eyes searched for the back exit.
Sure enough, Neville saw the place all the parents were funneling their children towards. He started to head in that direction, when Gram grabbed him by his robe and pulled him close to her ear and whispered, "You listen here, Longbottom I have paddled behinds since before you were born. The way you are behaving is very disrespectful. I am going to let this pass just this once, because I know how lonely you are for friends your own age. I understand, really! I want you to make friends at Hogwarts, I do, and all I ask is that you keep the Longbottom Secret. I need you to trust me; this is a matter of life and death for not only yourself, but for all of us. I love you and I do not want you to come to any harm. Please, please try to keep some control of yourself,OK?"
It was easier for Neville to stay mad at Gram when she was being unreasonable, but when she was good and kind, like now; Neville could not stay angry, and so he responded, "Oh Ok Gram, I promise. I'll do the best I can to control myself, but I cannot promise that I will always be able to control my thoughts, and you know Magia, she is always excited to do what I want of her to do. but I will honestly try to control her." Neville relented.
Neville had first been introduced to Magia on his 4th birthday. Gram had just caulked it up to a normal stage of development. She had humored Neville at first, but when she grew tired of him incessantly discussing this imaginary friend with her and his constant demands that she make a place, or room for Magia, she had quickly lost patience and had a discussion with Dumbledore, asking him to talk with the boy about the imaginary friend(without specifying the "friend's" name).
Neville had been thrilled when Dumbledore had shown up at there at Longbottom Manor. Over the two years since Dumbledore had first spoken the truth to Neville, that Neville was a Midra, Dumbledore had become like a father figure for Neville. He showed up every summer and sometimes would stay for days, teaching Neville how to maintain control of his Midra powers.
At 4, when Dumbledore arrived, he spoken with Neville about his friend Magia and explained to Neville's Gram that Magia was not an imaginary friend in that particular sense of the word.
"Agusta, Magia often introduces herself to young Midra at this age. Most witches and wizards have no idea that she is a very real personal being. But Midra often have a relationship with her born out of Magia's very real desire to please and do a Midra's bidding. Do not discourage the boy from developing this symbiotic relationship. It will be very important for him later, in his development as a Midra." Dumbledore tried to soothe, "Do not worry I am here to help him. Now if you please, I must be getting on with our private tutoring lessons before I have to return to Hogwarts."
Now some 7 years later, Neville was going to get his supplies and in a little over a month he would be entering the halls of his beloved Professor. It was like going to visit the place where your favorite uncle lived and worked, knowing you had several months with him. Dumbledore had left a note saying that he would be having an extra evening classes with him over and above his normal class studies. Neville did not mind, in fact he welcomed the chance to spend so much extra time with him.
Together he and Gram walked out the back of the Leaky Cauldron and, in no time at all, he was in Diagon Alley. The very first stop on their list was of course Gringotts Bank, where Gram's unfounded aversion to goblins was barely kept under wraps. Neville had learned to trust the goblins, and even care for them as friends, (or as close to a friend as one can get to a goblin) he had spent a great deal of time here, and that he had given them many precious stones imbued with Magia's special kiss, had actually made up for his disparaging physical characteristics ( for to a goblin, anyone as tall as Neville is incredibly ugly).
Leaving Gingotts, he was so excited; he really was not sure which store to go to first! He pulled out his first year shopping list. Staring at it he decided to go to Flourish and Blotts. He picked out first some parchment and quills, and a journal with an electric blue cover.
At first he had been inclined, to put it back down, but Magia whispered in his ear, "No, Neville, you will need this!" His thought of the book were quickly put aside as he proceeded on to what caught his eye the most: One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, then he found Magical Drafts and Potions, he could not wait to start reading these.
Next he found The Book of Spells, grade 1; then a History of Magic; and then Magical Theory; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection; and then He headed towards the last book of the set , A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. Excited to crack open the first two books, he nearly sprinted in the direction of the last book.
Plunging headlong down the many isles, he crashed hard into a smaller, younger girl with bushy brown hair and brown eyes, and abnormally large teeth.
"Humph!" the girl called out before she hit the floor with a resounding crash.
Neville began apologizing immediately, but when he looked up, what he saw alarmed him. The girl's two large front teeth were in the girls palms and blood was everywhere. She looked at him with shock, mingled with accusation. Without thinking Neville closed his eyes and wished he had not seen what he just saw, he pictured her with her teeth back in her mouth, only not quite so abnormally large. He was so sorry for what he done, that he just wished he had not hurt this girl.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes to find all the blood gone and her teeth not only in her mouth but perfectly proportioned. The girls face was shocked and curious.
"How did you do that?" she asked and then stopped "… oh and what's your name?" The bushy-headed girl asked.
"I'm Neville, and uh.. I guess I did it…uh… accidentally. I just wished I hadn't hurt you is all." He answered.
She looked up into his face and had to crane her neck. "I'm Hermione, and how old are you anyway? I mean what adult runs around a book store like this, anyway?" she asked.
"I'm 11…. And this will be my first year at Hogwarts." Neville explained.
"Well you don't look like you are 11, and besides if you really are 11, how come you can perform spells without a wand, Hugh." Hermione prodded.
" Uh, I told you..accidental magic is all." Neville lied.
Hermione looked as if she did not buy that explanation one bit, but she was willing to accept the lie on good graces, for the sake of maybe making a friend.
"So tell me, where all have you been, and what have you gotten so far, my parents are over there and I guess that's your Gram is coming up the aisle. Maybe we can shop together?" she formed the last statement into a question.
"Sure" he said.
Together they went to Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions. As they walked, he got to know everything he ever wanted to know about Hermione, and quite a bit he did not. For instance he found out she was Muggle- born (which didn't bother him at all. Gram had always said some of the finest witches and warlocks she had ever know were muggle-born), and that he was wizard-born (which seemed to only make her talk and ask questions faster)
By the time they entered into the robe shop Neville was impressed about two things about this girl named Hermione. One, she was very smart and knew a great deal of things about the Muggle world and absolutely nothing about the Wizarding World… and she talked incessantly. By the time he had tried on his plain black robes and plain black pointy hat and winter robes and dragon hide gloves he was very irritated by her constant barrage of questions about the Wizarding world and finally he snapped…
"Look, why don't you read that pile of books over there if you want to know anything else, stop bugging me will you!" he yelled.
Gram was there in an instant, " Neville Longbottom apologize this instant, I declare, why can't you act more like your father, he was always so kind to new people and always was willing to help a new Muggle-born witch or wizard!" she chided him.
Neville looked down ashamed and red-faced. It was not an act; he truly was ashamed of his lack of tact. "I'm sorry Miss Granger. Really, I do want to help, please ask your questions again." He said seeming to look at his shoes and pretend that his new shiny shoes actually already had a scuff mark.
"Please do forgive him Miss Granger, I'm afraid he hasn't much experience in playing with kids his own age yet, in fact he has spoken with you longer than anyone else his age." Gram begged
Hermione looked at him with a look of consternation on her face; as if she were deciding whether to forgive Neville. Suddenly her face softened and her eyes twinkled. It was obvious that she had made a decision. She grabbed his arm and began to walk with him out of the shop. She leaned in close, "I owe you one Neville, I have had a devil of a time hiding the change from my parents, but you did fix my teeth and you need a friend. So here I am!"
With that, the fate of Neville and Hermione's friendship was sealed.
From there they went to Pottage's Caldron Shop where they got their pewter size 2 caldron, then headed to Wizeacres's Wizarding equipment where their got their collapsible telescope and a set of brass scales. Next they stopped by Florean Forttecue's Ice-cream Parlor, where they had the most delicious ice-cream imaginable.
As they finished tucking in, Hermione announced that they were all through with her shopping and that she would need to get back home and start reading. She had a lot of catching up to do if she was going to make any kind of sense of the Wizarding World. Then she and her family said their goodbyes and Hermione and her folks walked back towards the Leaky Caldron, while he and Gran went on.
The next place he wanted to go to was the Apothecary. Gram looked at him with a look of consternation. "Why? Neville, the Apothecary is back past where we came, I mean, let's hit it on the way out." She begged. When he set his jaw in a willful pout she relented.
"For the life of me, I will never understand you obsession for plants." Gram grumbled shaking her head.
"Oh Gram, I've told you over and over, one day it will be plants that fully restore Mum and Dad. I just know it." Neville began as he opened the door to Apothecary.
Inside the Apothecary it was the smell of old things, like dust and dried plants and things alive with magical possibilities, at least in Neville's eyes. You could hear caldrons bubbling, and hear the sound of people milling about. You could hear things being measured. There were huge barrels filled with slimy things, things that had properties that held the power to heal. The walls were lined with jars of herbs and dried roots, some were even filled with brightly colored powders, and Neville knew nothing about. To Neville, the walls were filled with life and healing. In each herb or powder he saw powerful possibilities of people freed from Magical maladies and injuries.
Above his head were bundles of feathers and strings of fangs and snarled claws, hanging from the ceiling. By the check-out stand Neville saw unicorn horns. Bright black beetle eyes slid around as people scooped them up into, burlap sacks and weighed them on scales. There were pestle and bowls and knives for cutting or crushing. This was the place for him! This was the place Neville felt the most comfortable.
He found some large bags of standard ingredients, and picked out Mistletoe berries, and some Lavender, and Wolfs-bane, and Valerian sprigs. Then he went to the barrels and pulled out his glass vials and filled them with Flubberworm mucus; Lethe-water; and Horklump juice. He filled glass jars with Horned Slugs, and bat spleens, dried Billy-wig stings, Puffer-fish eyes, Porcupine quills, and Bezor stones, and spine of Lion-fish, lastly he bought several Unicorn horns. Neville felt like the apothecary were his very own private candy store.
Then he and his Gram traveled on. Crossing the road they traveled on to Eelyps Owl Emporium and the noise in there was deafening! He heard the calls of hundreds of animals. Frogs and toads chirped, and croaked out; cats purred and some mewed; rats scurried; and owls hooted. The smell was strong, as well; it was the smell of all those animals and all their food.
Neville, allowed his fingers to brush by the cages, trying to sense their energies. As he traveled along he found himself talking with Magia. "Who would you choose Magia?" he asked his friend whom no one but himself saw.
"I would choose the one most like myself." She answered.
"So which one is most like me?" he asked.
"Who do you change into when I help you transform?" she answered with a question of her own.
"A Lion!" he said before he even had to think
"Then you have your answer." Magia answered.
First he saw a ratty gingered cat, the profiteer called it Crookshanks, but decided against it. In the end he chose an Ocelot cat. He placed his hand to the cage to allow the cat to smell him, the cat rubbed his hand through the bars. Over his shoulder he heard Magia say "This One! Pick this One!"
"Come on, let's get out of here! I think I will call you Leonid!" he said unlatching the cage latch.
Neville purchased the cat and enough food to carry him through the winter. By now, Gram was using magic; and a lump of the parcels and packages floated behind them when she used the levitation spell Neville went to Olivanders next.
Gram had tried to have him use his father's wand, but each time he tried to use the darn thing, it destroyed the environment around him. Then it would hang limply as if it were all tuckered out. "It just won't work." she had told him, so now Neville had to get his own wand.
Some minutes later, Neville exited Olivanders with a new wand.
"…Hazelwood, with a unicorn core, thirteen and three-quarter inches, reasonably supple." Mr. Olivander had said.
All and all it was a very busy day, and when Neville finally crawled into bed, he was utterly exhausted.
As he drifted off to sleep, Neville dreamed, he dreamed of a place where performing magic was not only allowed by encouraged. Leonid snuggled in more closely into his chest purring in the moonlight as it shone upon his fur illuminating his stripes. Softly Neville, who talked in his sleep, mumbled, "Magia, it was such a good day" as a smile played across his face.
A/N:
SO MANY QUESTIONS!
SO FEW ANSWERS!
ALL WILL BE REVEALED!
While you read, think on these questions.
1. Who is this Magia?
2. What exactly is happening to Neville in the vault?
3. What might Dumbledore be teaching Neville in these sessions?
4. Why would Neville's Father's wand not work for him?
Answer these questions in the comments and we will try our best to respond.
Watch with us, as we travel with Neville aboard the Hogwarts Express and experience with Neville his first view of Hogwarts.
