The Life He Deserved

Chapter 20

Harry happened to pass by Gryffindor territory when he saw Neville being shoved to the ground, his possessions scattering everywhere.

"Watch it, idiot!" some Gryffindor yelled behind him as they ran by, leaving poor Neville on the floor.

Harry watched sadly as the shy boy sighed and slowly picked up some of his loose papers, completely alone.

Seeing this as a chance, Harry waved his hands over the papers and they all straightened up into a pile, landing in Neville's hands. The boy's eyes widened before he looked up and gaped at his helper. Harry smiled at the boy, which gained a shocked squeak.

"Th-thank you!" the boy stuttered out. Harry tilted his head with a slight frown; Neville was a lot more confident in the future, but he certainly wasn't right now. Maybe he could speed this up.

"Not a problem, Longbottom. You really shouldn't let them speak to you like that." Neville gazed down at his shoes.

"They wouldn't listen," he mumbled out, fidgeting with his papers nervously. Harry walked up to him and grabbed both his wrists, gaining a startled look.

"Then make them, they have no right to treat you that way," Harry stated with no room for argument. He turned around to leave, but before he did, he silently accioed the bag and handed it to him.

"I'm sure you already know my name. It was nice talking to you, Longbottom." And with that, Harry continued down the hall. He truly hoped his message got through.

Neville looked at his bag and papers and gripped them tighter as he sighed. He was right. He hadn't expected Harry Potter to help him of all people! Not to mention a Slytherin, though they treated him better or at least more civilly than his own housemates. He sighed again and started heading to his next class, mulling over the words told to him. Maybe he should try fighting back.

Harry had a small smirk on his lips as he continued down the hall. Neville and he were never that that close in his last life, but he was loyal and an amazing friend. He didn't think they'd be close this time around, the poor boy couldn't stomach taking over the wizarding world. But he could certainly help him gain confidence. With that, he headed to his next class.

He exited his classes with a groan; they were incredibly dull, he sometimes considered skipping. But that wasn't an option if he wanted to maintain his image. Sighing as he left charms, he headed for the great hall.

Once he walked through the doors, Harry was greeted by two redheads grabbing him by the arms and dragging him to the Gryffindor table. Not really minding, Harry just chuckled and rolled his eyes as he sat between the twins who piled his plate and fussed over him. This was nice, he really did miss the twins. The two always took care of him. He gave them thanks before digging into his meal. He felt the entire table's eyes on him, but he was used to that. He was about to enjoy his treacle tart when he noticed Neville sitting alone not far from them, looking uncomfortable.

Taking this as another chance, he called out, "Hey Longbottom, want to join us?" The young wizard looked up startled and seemed to hesitate, glancing at the twins. But both twins just grinned and shrugged. Neville slowly moved his meal over to where they were sitting and stiffly sat. The rest of the table watched this interaction.

"Oh, come on Nev," "no need to be stiff." "We don't bite" "too much anyways." Neville seemed to turn paler from those words. Harry huffed and elbowed both twins who yelped, then gave Neville a reassuring smile.

"They don't mean it; they're messing with you." Both twins pouted and started whining about the unfairness. Harry rolled his eyes again and continued eating. Neville looked at the three, unsure what to say at this point. Seeing the turmoil, Harry decided to step in.