CHAPTER 21
16 November 1991 - Greenhouse 2 - 8:15AM
"Seriously?! That's it?! Your uncle Algie will just get to… retire after everything he put you through?! That hardly seems fair Neville!" Harry felt the boy in question sigh at Hermione's outraged exclamation, and he (thankfully) resisted the urge to chuckle. The witch was righteously angry and Harry could hardly blame her, feeling rather disgusted at Neville's exiled grand-uncle. Both he and Hermione had listened in barely concealed horror as Neville (rather calmly) recounted all the various times his uncle had attempted to murder him, then subsequently Obliviated his grand-nephew of the botched attempt. They'd agreed to accompany Neville into Greenhouse 2, just before the much-anticipated Gryffindor vs. Slytherin quidditch match that would be taking place in two hours. Neville had wanted to be in his 'comfort zone' while speaking with best friends. Professor Sprout had been more than happy to oblige them, instructing them to attend to the very non-magical rose bushes that Hogwarts grew and sold to various Muggle florists within the British isles. The sales from the roses supplemented a comfortable ten percent of the school's income. Upon completion of their task, they'd each be awarded extra credit points.
"Well… there is just a bit more than that." Neville said, pausing to spray a cluster of particularly bright yellow roses with an anti-pesticide solution.
"Oh? Well, tell us then!" Both Harry and Neville exchanged an amused glance at Hermione's impatience.
"Well, on top of the house arrest and having to manage our Australian mandrake farms, Gran insisted that he suffer the same way I did." Neville paused here and took a deep breath. "She… she had Uncle Algie's memories of his children wiped from his mind, completely. As it stands, he has zero memories of Reginald and Enid. He has no knowledge of their existence or that of his grandchildren. None at all. As far as he knows, he's an unmarried childless bachelor who ran afoul of the Longbottom heir - me - by attempting to kill then Obliviate me all those times. Since that is technically an act of Line Theft, he knows and believes that that was the reason for his banishment. All of his British and continental business interests have been turned over to us, and we'll leave them to Reginald and Enid to manage. Right now, he's under an Unbreakable Vow to never directly or indirectly harm me or anyone under my protection, and he is forbidden from interfering with House Longbottom affairs. If he ever steps foot on British soil, the DMLE will arrest him and he will spend the rest of his life in Azkaban. If he doesn't get a Dementor's Kiss." All three quietly shuddered at the thought of the Dementors.
"Well, it's what he deserves. An eye for an eye." Hermione nodded firmly, and Harry (internally), wondered when she'd suddenly developed such a vindictive streak.
"...Yeah, 'an eye for an eye' I suppose." Neville sighed and went back to his spraying, though Hermione deflated a touch at his tone. Quietly observing his friend, Harry sat his pruning shears down and gently grasped Neville's shoulder, causing him to sigh once more.
"I take it you don't completely agree with your Gran on this, do you Neville?" he asked softly.
"After everything, I don't really ... hate Uncle Algie. Am I disgusted by him? Definitely! What he did to me was blatantly wrong. But… hatred… it just seems to be a wasted effort, you know? His children had no clue what he was up to, and they don't deserve to be publicly shamed and maligned with his scandal. They and their children have always been kind to me, and in spite of all the horrible things their father has done, I just don't think it fair that he should be made to forget all the memories he has of them. I imagine if anything, it would help grant him... some perspective on his foul actions. But, Gran was insistent, on this being part of his punishment if he were to avoid trial. Otherwise, he'd be rotting away in Azkaban, and I don't think at his age he would have lasted three months. I... I don't think I could ever face Reginald and Enid in that scenario." He shrugged sadly and looked away while Hermione blushed, seemingly embarrassed by her earlier reaction.
"Besides, I now finally got what I deserve." He grinned almost infectiously and in a teasingly dramatic manner, pulled out his wand. The wand - thirteen inch cherry and unicorn hair - was Neville's original wand that had chosen him when he'd purchased it at Ollivander's. Upon his arrest, Algie had been compelled to take the Aurors to the Longbottom vault to retrieve it from where the man had hidden it. Aiming it at a nearby watering can, he cried "WINGARDIUM LEVIOSA!" The watering can shot off like a rocket, emitting a bright trail of sparks and smoke. It landed in a clanging heap on the opposite end of the greenhouse. Harry and Hermione jerked in shock, before crowding Neville and cheering, causing the boy to blush and cough bashfully.
"Um, yeah, Professor Flitwick said to be careful about that. Apparently, two months of 'shoving my magic through a brick' means that I've gotten used to overpowering my spells. I'll have to learn to dial things back a bit learn some finesse. Either that or start setting fire to everything or launching them in the air."
The three laughed for a bit before resuming their rosebush grooming tasks. After a few moments of comfortable silence, Hermione spoke.
"You know, I envy you Neville." The boy in question started, looking at the witch in shock.
Hermione continued without taking her eyes off her pruning. "I know it was awful what your uncle did to you. But you forgave him so easily, even if he's not worthy of your forgiveness in any sense of the word. Granted, I have a family that I love very much and they love me in kind. But… I don't think I could ever not hate someone who harmed and betrayed me like that. Especially if they were family because they should know better." Neville openly gawked, shocked that the kind and polite girl he'd come to call friend could be so… brutally honest.
"I agree with Hermione." Neville whipped his head to look at his other best friend, who continued his task.
"As you both already know, my own father - very publicly - threatened to have me shipped off to my mother's magic-hating muggle sister, just because I was sorted into Slytherin. As if that wasn't bad enough, he threatened to snap mine and my mother's wands, and have us formally expelled from wizarding society. Denied our birthrights, simply because of some persisting childish hatred and House rivalry." He paused to take a breath, as Neville and Hermione stared in varying degrees of concern.
"And while I've succeeded in temporarily keeping James at bay, I am not certain that I can't keep him from following through on his promises. And I know that if he succeeds in harming me and harming my mother, I would hate him for all the years of mine and his life." Harry's expression hardened, while Neville and Hermione exchanged a glance.
"But… I also understand that having that kind of hatred consume me the way it did your uncle would… would… ruin me. I don't want to end up like some evil snakey Dark Lord caricature." He visibly winced at the thought. "I'd end up proving James right, and I definitely wouldn't want that." His friends snorted and Harry lightly smiled.
"He's right you know," said Hermione quietly. "It's easy for me to imagine I could hate someone if I were ever in such a situation. But imagining it and having to live it are two different things, and… and I wouldn't want to fall victim to my own hatred either." Hermione paused and looked unblinkingly at the two boys, her gaze uncommonly penetrating. "I need… no… Harry and I both need a compass."
"A compass?" Neville said, crooking his head. Harry leveled an inscrutable stare at Hermione, some seconds passing before nodding his head in agreement.
"Yes Neville, a moral compass. In the event where we may be… overcome with our would-be hatred - Harry with his father and me with…whomever - you'll be there to set us on the right course. You're a good person Neville, genuinely good. You're the only one I could ever imagine setting us to rights." Neville stared at both his friends intensely, unblinking in his seriousness. Finally he nodded.
"No death, dismemberment, or permanent injuries," Neville replied with mock sternness. Harry laughed, before teasingly replying.
"Fair enough. What about, say, abject public humiliation and unparalleled financial ruin?" Harry asked, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Oh, that's fine. I'll even help with that!" Neville said genially.
The three friends laughed, happy to continue with their tasks.
Concession Stands - 11:45AM
Harry, Theo, Neville, and Hermione stood together in the Concession Stands, idly chatting and mingling before they would be allowed in the Quidditch stands. The first match of the much-awaited Quidditch season looked to be even more dramatic and intense than Harry had expected, especially given the long-standing rivalry between the House of Lions and Serpents. Battle lines were already drawn, with each house choosing to mingle with their own housemates, leveling pointed glares at the opposing side. Harry and his group - quite literally - stood between a sea of red and gold Gryffindors and dark-green and white Slytherins. Though they'd braved some rather scathing expressions from their respective housemates (Draco had practically glared a hole through Hermione's head before Harry's sneer had forced him to look away), the group of four were left alone.
"There you are!" The group turned in the direction of the voice, seeing an exuberantly smiling Lily Evans making her way over. She was decked in full Slytherin colors; a thick green and white scarf was bundled comfortably around her neck, and she was wearing fetching dark-green velvet robes, with matching dragonhide boots. Her long dark red hair was split into girlish braided pigtails woven with snake-embossed green ribbon, charmed to slither at regular intervals. Only she (and Harry) could hear them hiss 'Goooo SsSslytherin!' when they moved.
"Hi Mum! Uh I mean, hello Professor Evans, how are you this fine day?" Lily laughed and squeezed Harry's shoulder while he smiled warmly at her.
"I'm doing well Mr. Potter, thank you for asking! Are you all excited for the game?" She received four nods in return, though Theo and Hermione weren't as enthusiastic, much to Lily and Harry's mutual amusement.
"Oh, pardon me! These are my friends Neville Heir Longbottom, Mr. Theodore Nott, and Miss Hermione Granger! Friends, this is Professor Evans, or Miss Lily Evans." Harry made the necessary introductions, which Lily and his friends returned in kind.
"Well met Heir Longbottom! Pleasure to meet you Mr. Nott, and you as well Miss Granger." Lily nodded warmly at his three friends while they greeted her back. "You as well, Professor Evans!"
"I take it you'll be sitting with the Slytherin faction today?" Harry asked, cheekily eying her attire.
"Unfortunately no," she said with overly put-upon sigh. "I'll be sitting in the Head Stand with the rest of the other Professors. But as you can see, I will be fully supporting my House." She gestured cheekily to her attire, causing the students to laugh. They chatted for a few more minutes about classes and other mundane topics. Soon, Lily made to take her leave, but not before inviting Harry and his friends to tea in her private quarters sometime next week. All had agreed, and bade the witch goodbye.
"Your mum seems really nice!" Hermione said, with Neville and Theo nodding agreeably.
"Thanks Hermione! Yeah, she's the best! And you three will get to see more for yourselves when we have tea. That is, if you do want to come to tea." He suddenly looked nervous, before straightening at his friends' eager expressions.
"Oh definitely, I can't wait! We get to be in the presence of the fabled Muggleborn Slytherin witch and the mother of the one and only Harry Potter." Neville wiggled his eyebrows in a manner identical to Harry, causing the group to laugh.
"Definitely Harry, it will be exciting to talk to her, especially with her being a Muggleborn. I'd like to hear more about her experiences, you know, firsthand perspective and all that," said Hermione.
"Sounds good to me. We should pr-" The charmed intercom sounded at that moment, instructing the assembled students to make their way to their respective team stands. Saying their goodbyes, Harry and Theo made their way to the Slytherins while Neville and Hermione departed to the Gryffindors, both eager to witness the impending game.
Slytherin vs. Gryffindor - 12:33PM
To his great surprise, Harry had been enjoying the Quidditch game, thankful for Sirius' enduring obsession with the sport that allowed him to keep up with the various plays by each team. The Snakes had been dominating for the past twenty minutes or so, maintaining a solid 50-10 lead.
The rival captains, Oliver Wood for the Lions and Marcus Flint for the Snakes, violently hated each other, and the two couldn't resist trading poisonous glares whenever they were in vicinity of the other. While the Gryffs had better overall teamwork, they did have an untested Seeker in the form of Jim Potter. The Slytherins had stronger individual players but poor coordination and a strong preference for brute force over efficient game play, demonstrated by the players' excessive blatching and cobbing into the Gryffs. Terence Higgs was a highly competent and experienced Seventh Year Seeker who had been undefeated the previous two seasons, but Flint (in his first year as Quidditch Captain) literally had to beg him to come back and play during his NEWTS year. The Chasers were Flint and Pucey (both talented veterans), plus Graham Montague, Second Year little brother to Prefect Rodney Montague. Keeper Miles Bletchley was also a Second Year and equally inexperienced, if Madam Hooch's flagging of his repeated (unintended) Flacking was anything to go by. Overall, while the team had dominated the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup for the last several seasons, this would probably be a rebuilding year.
The battle plan, as Harry understood it, was to bully the Gryffs and keep them off balance and then let Higgs find the Snitch, while Jim Potter struggled to figure out which end of the broom was the front. That part of the plan was falling short. In spite of his inexperience as a team Seeker, Brother Dearest was proving to be a very capable flier. To Harry's lingering disdain, Jim was able to execute sharp Zig-Zags to avoid the many Bludgers smacked in his direction, and skillfully Spiral Dive to intercept some of the Slytherin Chasers' plays. In spite of their lack of points, Gryffindor roared its approval.
Suddenly, the two Seekers rocketed upwards at breakneck speeds, having seemingly spotted the Golden Snitch. At their apex, Jim suddenly lost control of his broom. Discreetly tapping the left side of his glasses, Harry activated the advanced Omnioculars feature, allowing him to see his brother and his bucking broom in crystal clarity. The broom jerked violently upwards, downwards, and side-to-side, trying its hardest to dislodge the boy, who held on with a stubbornly firm grip in spite of his panicked expression. Harry was surprised to discover feelings of concern for Brother Dearest's safety bubbling up within him. While the two had known only the worst of an acrimonious relationship since their hostile introduction, Harry decidedly did not want his estranged twin to die, especially in such a dramatically morbid fashion.
"It looks like someone has hexed Potter's broom!" exclaimed Theo. "Blimey…I didn't think that was possible!"
"It shouldn't be," said Blaise Zabini who was sitting nearby, sounding fascinated. "Granted, whoever is doing it is an idiot. All they're doing is shaking Potter's broom very hard. You'd think they'd just turn off the broom's enchantments and… let him fall."
"No," said Harry calmly. "The person responsible is exceptionally powerful and cunning. He's just facing unexpected opposition." Harry had turned his Omniocular-vision away from his brother's plight towards the Faculty Stand section. He immediately saw his mother and Severus furiously muttering in unison, more than likely casting whatever counter-jinx was needed to stabilize the broom. A few rows behind them, Harry could see Quirrell, staring with fixed unblinking eyes at Jim as he subvocalized whatever spell was causing the broom to behave so violently. The other present faculty members had their wands at the ready to catch Jim if he were to fall. Professor Rubeus Hagrid - Care of Magical Creatures - looked distinctly horrified, unable to quite believe what he was seeing. Looking upwards, Harry saw the broom shake violently for a few more moments before finally stabilizing, allowing the boy to resume his previous pursuit. Lily and Severus gave twin sighs of relief, while Quirrell immediately looked downwards, jaw clenched in anger. Higgs, who'd (understandably) been distracted by the spectacle, shook off his shock and took off after Jim.
Together, the two raced after the errant Snitch, which had made its way in the direction of the Gryffindor section of the stands. The gathered students released shouts of alarm as the two Seekers raced towards their direction, seemingly intent on crashing into the gathered crowd. At the last second they both pulled upwards as the Snitch changed direction again, flying in an erratic parabolic arc before darting downwards. Mimicking its path, the two Seekers began their descent, hot on the Snitch's trail.
Suddenly, Jim's broom gave a violent lurch as it resumed it previous behavior, bucking even more vigorously in its efforts to dislodge the boy. Lily and Severus resumed their furious counterjinxing, and Harry saw his mother's eyes grow teary in her growing panic. Focusing on Quirrell, Harry was disturbed to see the man's eyes burning with an intense rat-like gleam as he glared unblinkingly at Jim's screaming form.
A flash of frizzy brown hair caught Harry's eye, and he watched in shocked amusement as a furious Hermione showed up in the faculty-visitor stands, forcefully pushing her way through the assembled crowd. Pausing when she was within Quirrell's vicinity, the girl darted down the tunnel where the man was seated. A few seconds later, the Defense Professor jumped up in alarm, as the hem of his robes had somehow caught blue fire. Harry looked up to see Jim's broom immediately stabilize, but to his horror, it was too late. Jim had been hanging on by one hand, having been successfully unseated. The sudden stabilization of the broom caused him to drop his grip, and the gathered crowd could only watch horrified as the screaming boy hurtled to the ground.
"ARRESTO MOMENTUM!" Lily cried, making a sharp "M" shape with her wand, which immediately slowed Jim's descent. Whirling her wand in circular motions, Harry saw a misty silver orb spring protectively around Jim, who was crumpled over clutching at his stomach. Gently, Lily guided the orb to the ground, dispelling the shield when he was safely deposited. Jim remained in a crumpled position, coughing hard as he clutched his stomach and his throat. Suddenly, he hacked out a golden ball! The ball slowly unfurled its wings to rid itself of the boy's saliva, revealing itself to be the elusive Golden Snitch! Clutching the orb like his life depended on it, Jim victoriously thrust the Snitch into the air, as the stunned crowd roared its approval.
Harry suddenly laughed. "That… that is just priceless! Well-played Brother Dearest." His soft non-sarcastic tone immediately caught Theo and Blaise's attention, and the two exchanged a curious glance.
Upon Jim's catch (or rather retching) of the Golden Snitch, Marcus Flint went berserk, furiously accosting Madam Hooch all the while screaming that the rules clearly stated that the Snitch was meant to be caught by hand and not by mouth. The Slytherin section booed and hissed in tandem, and Harry (with a roll of his eyes) watched Draco and his minions hurl tubs of uneaten popcorn in the direction of the Gryffindor seeker. Madame Hooch, who held little love for the Slytherin's ruthless style of gameplay and even less for being yelled at by an unhinged minor, vehemently disagreed and called the game in favor of the Gryffindors, blowing her whistle to seal the deal. The Lions grew even wilder, chanting "Long live Jim! Long live Jim!" as the boy was heckled by his team, laughing as the Weasley Twins (The Gryff Beaters) lifted the boy onto their shoulders and hailed him as their new king.
AN 1: All hail Jim Potter, Gryffindor Quidditch King!
AN 2: I've always felt Hermione to be rather vindictive if her sense of justice were threatened, especially against her friends/family. We'll see that be explored more.
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