Chapter 1

AN: Please keep in mind this is a story about Harry at the beginning; they do switch POVs to develop the storyline

Neville Longbottom is a 6ft 3'' man with a bulkier build. He has long blonde hair tied back in a hair tie at the nape of his neck. His everyday outfit consists of any colored leather or khaki pants with an earth-colored button-up shirt and, of course, his teaching robes that are a lovely rich brown.

He looked quite odd in his chosen field of work. Neville is a Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but that's not what makes him look out of place- it's that he's the Herbology Professor. Yes. Plants. It is quite weird seeing a guy as big as him being so delicate with plants as his large frame towers over it. It is heart-wrenching how much love and effort he puts into his plants. He spends so many hours hunched over budding flowers and slow-growing mosses in the Greenhouse. His back and feet are beyond sore when he finishes his work. So much so that he has to bathe for hours to cope with the pain. The warmth radiating from the water gently caresses his aching joints.

Recently, there have been some weird reports coming in from the Muggle World that have thrown the Wizarding World into a whole funk. Everyone is panicking and collecting items in preparation for something bad. There are bunkers being built, stores being raided, the muggle government is in absolute shambles, and the magical one is not doing much better. On the magical side of things, There is an intense magical feeling that no one can decipher.

In some ways, it feels menacing; in others, it feels like it's meant to be like the soothing feeling of a fire warming your body after a long day out in the cold. Neville could not help but draw some parallels to the middle of the Second Wizarding War during his 6th year, right before the Death Eaters took over Hogwarts. The Weasley Wedding was a beautiful event. There was laughter, tears, and high morality for the incoming war. The peaceful, loving atmosphere was quickly shattered. When the supposed death eaters crashed the party, all that was felt was doom, no more peace, just intense doom that almost felt good- a smoldering warmth radiating in slow waves. Almost as if the world was vibing in a hot tub.

As once in the past and now time again, the Hogwarts Castle herself has deemed it too dangerous to have her beloved students return home, especially for those who live within the Muggle World. So naturally, the professors are sending out trusted individuals to collect goods for a worst-case scenario. That's what Neville is currently doing.

Neville has already been to Gringotts and his family manor to collect anything and everything possible. He has two bottomless chests with items he collected from his vaults, which include a plethora of books, swords, furniture, and copious numbers of seeds. He also has one endless pouch that Harry gifted after his 7th year, which is in the shape of a knapsack or backpack. It was a dark earthy brown with beautiful green Mimbulus Mimbletonia embroidered on the front pocket. It was one of the things he held dearly to his heart. The brown knapsack was filled with food, plants, tools, clothing of all kinds, and the entirety of his Greenhouse from his manor.

Anxiously, Neville played with his favorite necklace. It has seven counter-parts and acts as a port-key system. The necklace holds significance for many reasons- some even unknown to him at the time. Each member of his close-knit family has one. The necklace consists of a silver chain that hangs around his neck and dangles in the middle of his sternum, close to his heart. He can feel the power gently caressing his own, which indicates that everyone is okay. It was warm, and its soft touches soothe his continuous anxiety, which stems from the last war.

His mind can't help but wonder about his beloved Harry, the creator of his necklace, as he enters a lesser-known shop out of Asbury Alley. Asbury Alley branches off of Diagon Alley from the north-west. The branch wasn't popular until it was used as a safe haven for magical creatures during the Second Magical War. Every Inn, hotel, and home opens their doors to everyone, including muggle family members, werewolves, blood traitors, goblins, and even Nifflers.

The Alley itself is very winding and is twice the size of Diagon Alley. It has so many shops and apartment buildings that are all-inclusive for all magical beings. The Alley usually feels cozy and always has laughter from its inhabitants and visitors.

There are blue and grey cobblestones that line the ground. Large silver lanterns hanging off the walls; each of them have a carving of one of the magical creatures that founded the Alley: A Vampire, Werewolf, Goblin, Witch, and Fae. It was a lovely sight to see. Anyone and everyone working and communing together with minimal discrimination with an abundance of all the love. It was much more developed and organized than the alleys around them.

The cobblestone was consistent in shape and size, so those who use mobility devices will be safe. The colors of each building and the signs are in distinct colors so those who are colorblind can navigate comfortably. After every few buildings, there's a small sitting area or garden for those to rest.

There are a plethora of donation stations and public water stations. The trash collection system is complex. It is separated into many bins. This includes Aluminum, Plastic, Food/compost, Miscellaneous, and Cardboard. Trash cans are throughout, and anything inputted is magically sent to distribution centers so they can be disposed of and recycled accordingly.

But at this moment, the once lively, bustling Alley felt heavy. There was an extra pressure in the air, which constantly made his ears pop.

Asbury was now close to empty; the apartments all had their shutters closed, and doors locked up tight. Minimal shops were even open. Magical beings were all in a rush and didn't stay very long in one place.

It feels restless. It was palpable in the air as the magic churns and slams in an erratic dance. It wanes and webs in a manner that is unsettling. It is an almost tormentingly beautiful feeling with so much energy so powerful as it dances and weaves, seemingly waiting for an escape. It has slowly become more and more unhinged in recent days. The more unhinged it was, the warmer it felt.

The warm licked his neck, sending shivers down his long spinal cord. Irregardless, Neville has not heard from Harry in a few days. He held his sacred charm as a lifeline. It was the shape of a frog with an herb in its mouth. The normal light warmth wasn't soothing; it was just worrying. There was a slight burning edge to the magic radiating from it. This further worried Neville, so he let his body work on autopilot. His mind continued to think about his loved ones as he shopped and browsed as fast as he could.

Harry is currently traveling throughout the United States to find something or someone. Harry didn't actually know why, who, or what he was looking for, just something. Harry has some sort of pull that he finally decides to follow. It surprisingly leads him to North America. No matter how many times he explained it to Neville and the other members of the family, he just couldn't put it into perspective for them.

Harry was having dreams about small details that got more obvious as time went on. First, it was a large pine tree with squirrels running about, then it was a quartz mine, a peach, and then the straw that broke the camel's back was an American Flag. His magic was screaming at him to follow the pull. So when he saw the flag, Harry decided to throw caution to the wind and find what was pulling so desperately.

His loved ones didn't fully understand but supported him nonetheless. However, all of them have their own reasons they use to justify Harry's departure. Neville personally believes that Harry is going on a self-care journey as Harry was torn to shreds after losing his godson, Teddy. Teddy was just eight years old at the time. The small child was in all things but blood, Harry's son. He lost a large part of himself that day he will never get back. They all did.

Neville puts multiple things within his magical shopping cart before he hears loud unpleasant screech and erratic bangs from the Alley.

"Sir? Do you know what's happening?" Neville calls out to the older man who is staffing the front desk.

"I don't-" The man never finishes his statement as a rabid-looking being rips his throat out. The creature was human-looking at first, but upon further inspection, its eyes were glazed over, a bite mark or large tear in its shoulder, and it seemed to be unresponsive to anything other than its animalistic instincts.

Neville's wartime reflexes kicked in, and he immediately shot a bamarda spell at the human-like creature, accidentally exploding its head. Fortunately, the creature ceases its motion. He notes this but doesn't stop his movements.

"Accio EVERYTHING!" Neville yells out to the empty store and proceeds to shrink and shove the flying items from all directions into his backpack. He books it out of the shop and to the closest Medical store, which is three doors down from the Pet Shop in Diagon Alley.

As he is sprinting from Asbury Alley to Diagon Alley, the only thing he can think of is the safety of the children back at Hogwarts. He needs to get to them. But he can't show up empty-handed and useless, so he needs more goods. He needs to be useful, not a waste of space. He needs to help them—no more disappointments.

Avoiding all life, not knowing if it is magical beings or rabid creatures, he finally makes it to the Apothecary and Medical Shopee. He once again accios anything and everything he could get his hands on. A niffler would be proud of the immense treasure he is amassing. He has no idea the next time they will be in Diagon Alley, let alone in a Magical place.

"BE FREE! DON'T LET THE REVENANTS GET YOU," Neville hears a very familiar voice from the pet shop a few doors down. He immediately rushes towards his family member in everything but blood. He makes it just in time to see a humorous site. He even let out a disbelieving laugh that was almost a long wheeze. There she was. His little sister. It was Luna.

Luna was in her exploration clothing, which consisted of snug jean pants, knee-high dragon hide boots, a white pirate shirt, a matching dragon hide jacket, and earrings shaped like whatever animal she was currently obsessed with. In all her glory, she was freeing all the animals that resided within the pet store.

Eagles, Parrots, and many other exotic birds flew out above her head. Snakes slithered beneath her; kneezles, cats, toads, and even a raccoon were scampering out as fast as they could. It was as if- scratch that. She was leading the stampede to freedom. A glorious site he ingrained into his brain so he would never forget. It was a beautiful sight except for the fast-approaching danger of the insane creatures similar to the one he saw earlier.

"Difindo," he yelled out, pointing his wand at the creature's head, killing it instantly, "Luna! Come here. We need to get out of here and to Hogwarts! What are you doing?"

"Hello, my Dryad," Luna said to him with her whimsical voice, "I knew you would save me. We need one more thing before we go."

His eyes soften at that and immediately follows Luna's athletic body as she walks to the Quidditch Quality Plus store. It was a quick journey, but he never once questioned her. One should always listen to Luna, no matter how weird something may be, when it leaves her mouth. Luna is always right. If she says jump, it's not about why. It's about how high they should leap.

She grabs six brooms and shoves them into her bag. Just to rush back to his side so they can apparate away before anything else pops out of the woodwork.

"You ready, hun?" Neville asks. He receives a nod, and immediately apparates them to the apparition station for the Professors and Official Dignitaries. It presides over the gates that lead to Hogsmead at the very edge of the campus. Before they even land, the wards throw them out on their asses away from the school.

It takes the pair a few moments to recollect themselves and realize what just happened. Before they could do something about it, they heard a sassy report to their right in a melancholy, deep male drawl.

"It's quite disappointing, innit?" Draco says to them as he leans against an empty carriage. The blonde man is in his professional healer robes. They consist of a pale blue, almost white collared robe with golden Celtic designs at the collar and waist. On his shoulders, there is a rich green sleeveless outer cape with deep, never-ending pockets. Next to him is a single bag that holds medical items and other miscellaneous things.

"Oh! Hello, Helios. I have missed you so much," Luna immediately says when she sees him. She prances over and hugs the life out of him. Neville, on the other hand, just sat there dazed and confused, staring at the closed gates. He was sent to the Alleys to collect stuff to help the children. There are thousands of kids in the building he just let down.

"Little Moon, It is good to see you. You, as well, Nev. But we shan't wait out here with those blasted inferi around" he hurriedly states before herding Neville closer to the standing pair to apparate all three of them to the Malfoy Castle. In a quick second, their eyes see the current environment warp into the place that holds their happiest memories.

To home.