Harry did his best to be calm as he made his way to breakfast. It was the first Saturday of November, the first Quidditch game. Gryffindor vs Slytherin. Harry wasn't nervous because of the game itself, though. He truly enjoyed being on his broom, and he felt confident in his ability to dodge and hunt the Snitch...and even if things didn't go as well, it was just a game. Not that he'd ever say that to Oliver Wood or any other member of the Team...but he wasn't about to put too much fretting into that, anymore than he was going to about the House Cup. He was at Hogwarts to learn magic, after all, not win competitions, get famous, or make a big name for himself. He didn't want most of that in the first place.

No, what had Harry nervous as the game was coming up was the fact that Kevin had flat out refused to be up in the air with him during the game.

"I am a snake," Kevin pointed out flatly. "I belong firmly braced on the ground, or on something attached to the ground. I am not going up in the air on that toothpick."

"But it's perfectly safe," Harry had insisted, hoping to convince Kevin to go up with him...more for the comfort Kevin's presence brought than from any fear of anything bad happening.

"Then you certainly don't need me up there with you, do you?"

"Why won't you go up?"

"I'm a bassilisk," Kevin insisted blandly, "not a quetzocoatl. Do you see feathered wings on me? No? Then I stay on the ground."

"Snakes live in trees too," Harry tried pointing out.

"That broom is no longer attached to a tree, so I'm not going up on it."

"How is it any different from leaping from one tree to another?"

"Do I look like a squirrel to you?" Feeling Harry flinching back from his tone, Kevin had calmed down. "Look, I understand why you're concerned...but I'm not going up in the air with you during the game any more than I did during practice...or any more than I'll speak up during a test. There are already rules about pulling various animals out from under your cloak during a Quidditch game, I'm not adding one more." He let out a calming hiss. "I will be under the stands watching, however. Any threat you might face not connected to the game itself will most likely be ground bound...and whatever it is, I will deal with it. In the meantime, enjoy your sport. I'd hate to ruin it by throwing up just as you were reaching for the Snitch and making your hand too slippery to grasp it."

And that had been the end of the discussion. While Harry was still nervous about doing something in front of the entire school without Kevin there to back him up, he knew he'd just have to face it. Ron and Hermione were by his sides as he tried to eat breakfast, encouraging him as best they could. Still, despite everything, he couldn't quite work past his nerves. His mind was just too focused on everything that might go wrong. He really needed a distraction-

"Hermione?" Neville asked nervously as he approached. "Can...can I talk to you about something?"

Hermione blinked in surprise. "Sure, Neville," she responded, warmly but uncertainly. "What is it?"

"Well, you were looking up that stuff about wand lore for using an unmatched wand..." Neville began awkwardly, his hands in his pockets and gripping something tightly.

"You're not using a matched wand?" Ron asked in surprise. "Why not?"

Swallowing, Neville pulled out his wand. While it was in much better condition than Ron's was, it was still plainly an old wand...though exceptionally well cared for. "It...it was my father's," Neville explained sadly. "I...I wanted to use it, but...if it doesn't like me..."

"Somehow I doubt that's the case," Hermione spoke up firmly. "From what I read, while wands tend to be exceptionally loyal to the one they are matched to, blood relatives have the easiest time adjusting. Also, inheriting a wand from a parent had happened frequently in history, and often resulted in spectacularly powerful wizards and witches, the theory being that the wand carries the spirit - the will - of each past ancestor who wielded it to strengthen the new user. If you're having an issue with your father's wand, it's unlikely to be because the wand doesn't like you unless your magic is so different from your father's that it can't anchor."

"And how would I tell that?" Neville asked uncertainly, holding up his wand.

"Using it would feel wrong to your magic," Hermione explained readily. "When you use it to channel magic, does it feel unpleasant? Painful? Irritating?"

"No, nothing like that," Neville quickly insisted. "But...I can barely get any magic out. I mean..." He waved it in the proper motion. "Lumos!" A barely visible point of light appeared at the tip of the wand. "See what I mean?" he asked as it winked out of its own accord shortly after. "Am I just...that weak?"

As Hermione frowned uncertainly, Harry felt Kevin jerk on his arm. "Harry," he whispered urgently, "can you grab his hand over the wand with your left? I think I noticed something, but I can't be sure without a closer scent..."

"Can I take a closer look?" Harry asked curiously, holding out his left hand.

Neville glanced uncertainly towards him, but extended the wand. Harry wrapped his hand around Neville's so he wasn't actually touching the wand. He gently brought the wand up close to his face, so his wrist was closer to his ears than anyone else's.

Kevin let out a thoughtful hiss. "I was right," he murmured in awe. "This wand's spirit is dedicated to Neville to an insane degree. While it isn't properly matched to him, it would literally be impossible to craft a wand that would serve him better. The problem isn't the match up or his strength...but the fact the wand is practically on death's door. If the spirit weren't so determined to serve and protect him, it would already be completely dead to the point of visibly decaying...but the spirit refuses to abandon him. Still, short of an infusion of strong enough magic attuned to either the core or the spirit, it'll have a hard time living up to its own will, let alone Neville's needs."

Harry frowned thoughtfully, trying to figure out how he could present this to Neville...as well as how to explain why he was saying it. Eventually, he focused on how the wand seemed to...lack luster, like Ron's wand and unlike his own or Hermione's. "Looks like the core of the wand is almost inert," he observed thoughtfully. "At least, that's what it looks like based on what Professor Flitwick said about Ron's wand. It's probably a struggle for it just to get magic out at all."

Neville nodded thoughtfully. "Gran did say that it wasn't likely to work well...but I thought she was just trying to comfort me..."

Harry's eyes jerked up to look Neville in the face. "...you chose to come to Hogwarts with your father's wand, didn't you?" he asked incisively. When Neville nodded, he smiled warmly. "You chose this wand...and it feels like this wand wants to choose you. The question is...how are you going to help it do so?" He released Neville's hand, letting him pull back to look at his wand closer.

As the four sat in awkward silence, a familiar face sauntered over. "Potter!" Malfoy called out derisively. "Looking forward to making a fool of yourself today?"

As Ron bridled, Hermione frowned darkly, and Neville backed away fearfully, Harry rolled his eyes before replying, "I'm just looking forward to flying. Whatever else happens...happens."

Malfoy gave a superior smirk as he looked down his nose at the group. "Well don't worry about the landing!" he said snidely before leaning in. "We'll be holding a cushion for when you fall," Draco concluded before sauntering away back to Crabbe and Goyle.

Ron growled angrily. "That jerk..."

"Don't bother, Ron," Hermione said quickly, her tone suggesting she was passing on advice she'd heard many times and hoped had actual validity. "He's not worth bothering about."

"I wouldn't say that," Harry allowed with a smile.

"You wat mate?" Ron demanded in shock. Hermione looked at him in surprise too, as did Neville.

"Don't get me wrong, Malfoy's definitely an ass," Harry told them with a relaxed smile. "But Draco's not so bad once you get to know him." He suppressed a chuckle as Ron and Hermione simply looked confused at that assessment. Kevin was all but purring praise at his conclusion...and Neville, surprisingly enough, nodded in understanding.