Life in its Simplest

5. Good Byes and Hellos

"My little baby!" Lily sobbed as she held her son tight in the crowded, noisy, bustling platform. "Oh My little Harry James". Lily pulled back and looked into her son's determined green eyes, so similar to her own. "You go make your daddy proud but remember grades count to." Harry nodded nervously. "Owl me immediately if anything goes wrong. Remember Daddy and I love you no matter what. Remember to put the laundry on the foot of the bed or else the house elves wont get it and- Oh Harry do have fun." Lily smiled at the determined eleven year old who nervously stood before her. She remembered when he was a little baby; flying around on a little broom and perfect image of his dad. She remembered before he was born; the tears she had shed and fear she felt for the prophecy but now she knew as she watched her son hug his Dad that this would be a moment she'd remembered in years to come. 

Harry pulled a sobbing Alice into his arms. "I'll see you at Christmas Ali, that's not to long."

"O-Ok" she cried hugging him closer believing it was anything but OK. "Have fun Harry."

Harry hugged the rest of his siblings in turn and trudged off to the train and walked the hallways looking for his mates. 

Neville pressed his face against the vibrating window of the Hogwarts express. He was trying to ignore the constant whispers of "Oh My Godric did you hear Neville Longbottom's on the train!"'s that were flying through the hallway.

"Hey mate." Harry said as he slipped into the compartment followed by Ron.

"Hey" Neville mumbled not taking his eyes of the window.

"Did you hear all the girls out there?" Ron asked excited. "Mate you're gonna be famous with the ladies!" Neville grunted in response. Harry slide in next to Neville and Ron plopped down across from them.

After sitting through a relatively awkward silence Ron asked. "Chess anyone?" Neville and Harry groaned. Chess was the only thing Ron was better than Harry at. Harry huffed an OK as Ron happily pulled out his chess pieces.

Neville leaned his forehead against the cool window. The vibrations of the train on the track reverberated through his skull. He watched as the hills and fields rolled by and soon his eyelids grew heavy and he drifted off to sleep with Ron's 'Check Mate!' meeting deaf ears. 

"Oh Frank!" said a soft voice, glowing with pride which belong to a beautiful woman with a small, upturned nose and short hair."Look here! Neville's done his first bit of magic". A round, equally as happy face appeared next to the woman. "Oh Nevileys! You're brilliant just like your mummy aren't you?" The man cooed picking him up and spinning him around before dropping down next to the woman and plopping Neville between the two of them. The woman snuggled baby Neville against her and leaned against the man. "Oh Frank, he's just perfect." the woman sighed. "I know Alice, lovely... I know" the man's deep voice answer the end of his sentence trailed off into a empty silence.

Neville was pulled out of his dream by Ron shaking his shoulder. 

"Come on! The sweet trolley's here!" Ron cried. Neville groaned and promptly said.

"Gran wont let me eat any sweets. Oh No!" Neville cried his annoyed expression quickley morfed into a panicked one. "Where's Trevor!? Oh no, I've lost him." He cried and scrambled to the door. As the compartment door slide open a shrill of "It's Neville Longbottom!!" filled the air. Neville stood still, mortified. Harry leaped up and closed the door for Neville, muffling the shriek. Neville dropped down onto his seat pale faced and groaned.

"Now I'll never get Trevor back!" Harry and Ron remained silent, figuring this was the most likely truth. Neville turned back to the window and was trapped in his own gloomy thoughts again.