Little Brave Hearts || Neville Longbottom

CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT

Laying on her bed and not having to be on guard about who was the next to be in danger felt a little bit unfamiliar with Maykha now that she thought about it. It was whenever she came back to her bedroom that she would often think that, maybe Hogwarts and her being a witch was nothing but a long dream, from which she was afraid to wake up. Whenever she was having these thoughts, though, she would fish her wand from her trunk and stare at it for a good couple of minutes before putting it back, satisfied to confirm that everything was real.

Of course, it would have to be real. She did not risk her life with the Basilisk and Tom Riddle, who was actually Voldemort himself, just for everything to be nothing but a dream. Her wand testified for everything.

"The Wand of the Brave," she remembered Olivander calling her wand as such. Looking back, she thought that perhaps the wandmaker was also a seer. How could he know what the future ahead of Maykha was going to be? She was not like Harry, who had already exhibited a great deal of achievement at a very young age. She was nothing but a mere muggle-born witch. These thoughts made her hope that she was living up to the wand's expectations when it chose her to be its wielder.

A few moments later, an owl came and banged on her window. She recognized the owl, Errol, from the Weasleys. The poor bird had been with the family for ages that its poor eyesight would often cause him to hit here and there. The bird delivered two letters: one from Ron and one from Ginny. She made sure to tip the owl generously and asked him to wait a bit as she snatched her letter for her friends and freed Felix from his cage to help assist the old owl back to the Weasley's burrow.

Maykha did not wait any more seconds to open the letters. She started with Ginny's.

To the big sister I never had,

Maykha smiled at her younger friend's opening.

How are you fairing so far? I bet the muggle community is as peaceful as ever, and never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined myself wanting to live amongst you for a change. My home was already chaotic enough with the twins 'playing' with their favourite victim, who happened to be Percy, with their new inventions, which I have to, unfortunately, admit were bloody hilarious. Oh, you have to see Percy in long, lustrous hair, Maykha! I would bet ten galleons that it would make you stay up at night, remembering how flabbergasted my brother was. As for Ron, well, I saw him writing letters, and I assume he would have one for you too so, I'd leave his part in my letter. I hope he will also explain in his letter the condition of the Wizarding community these days, and I do not have the knowledge of what exactly has happened as mum and dad would often exclude me from their conversation, saying I was too young to join, only that something bad happened. I could only hope that it was not as bad as being under the imperious curse by the spirit of the Dark Lord himself (he was quite a good listener, though, I had to admit) and opening a chamber that was believed to be nothing but a myth, and setting a full-sized basilisk on loose. I'd bet all my savings that nothing would ever come near that bloody experience, and I would really hope so. Any more than that would probably be the death of my dear mother.

Anyway, I'd like to let you know that we are doing good, and I think mum will visit your house again to invite you to go to Diagon Alley with us soon. Oh, and I heard third-years will be permitted to go to Hogsmeade this year too, so don't forget to ask your parents for their permission and signatures, okay? Ron had completely forgotten his, and I planned to wait until we were boarding the Hogwarts Express before I reminded him.

Love,

Your favorite little sister that you, too, never had, Ginny.

Maykha just felt like she had a rollercoaster ride with the letter she received from Ginny. One moment it was funny, and the next, it was worrisome. They had not even stepped foot on the grounds of Hogwarts, and yet, trouble seemed to have already started. Was it too much to ask for a year of calm and for them to be out of danger? She could only blame her younger self for being thirsty for fun and adventure, completely disregarding the fact that with adventure comes danger, and with danger comes them having to cling onto their dear lives and pray that they could make it out alive. Merlin, if she could just go back to the past, she would have reprimanded her younger self to keep herself out of trouble. She could only offer her sympathy to her parents as she imagined the stress and anxiety they felt whenever she did something reckless and ended up getting hurt.

Speaking of parents, she would have to thank Ginny for reminding her about the permission slip Professor McGonagall had distributed amongst the second year, informing the parents that they needed to sign the paper, allowing the students to visit Hogsmeade, a completely safe and friendly village before they could roam around. Maykha found this a bit rubbish if she was being honest. She did not need permission from her parents to allow her to serve detention in the Forbidden Forest in the middle of the night, not when the whole school had been attacked by a bloody basilisk, and not even when she had to face the younger version of the bloody Dark Lord. But look, a trip to a student-friendly village needs a signature from their guardians! As much as she respected Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall, she could not help but question how their minds worked at the very moment.

She put Ginny's letter aside and opened up Ron's. She was immediately greeted with handwriting as bad as that of a chicken's scratch, and she could only laugh, knowing she would have a hard time deciphering this letter.

Hey there May-may, (I quite liked how dad calls you, so please don't mind this cute nickname of yours. May this serve as a payback for the hideous nickname you gave me back in our first year.)

She cringed as she read that horrible nickname once again, hearing the sound of Mr. Weasley's voice as he called her in the back of her mind. If Ron thought he could get away with this, he was extremely wrong.

I do not know if you already heard, but the Wizarding community has been a mess as of lately. Apparently, Sirius Black, a dark wizard, had escaped from Azkaban and is now being hunted by the ministry. If you might not know, Azkaban is a prison where dark witches and wizards are being held, and it is known for its tight security. No witch or wizard had ever escaped from such a place, well, until now. Even mum and dad are weary, saying we should not go outside as much as we can and we must always be careful. I cannot fathom how, in Merlin's golden tooth, something bad happens every year. This year had officially set the records as we have yet to even set foot at Hogwarts, and our lives are already in danger. If this has something to do with Harry again, I swear I would be the one to make sure he is the next house ghost of Gryffindor.

Speaking of that bloody friend of ours, have you gotten any letters from him yet? The last time I got was him saying the Durselys were being nothing but an arse ever since he got back. I really hope nothing too serious happened to him that we need to fly him off with dad's car again. I swear to Merlin that Howler still gives me nightmares every now and then, and I made an oath that I will never put myself in that humiliation twice. Hope things are better there on your part, and as much as I hate to say this, prepare yourself for the third year. You and I both know it will never be a peaceful one.

- Ron.

She was right. Hoping for a peaceful life at Hogwarts was like hoping for Professor Snape to smile - it will never going to happen (not that she already gave up.)

After the Three-headed Dog, and the Basilisk, they now had to face a criminal who managed to escape Azkaban. It just gets worse every year.