Through the Fire

Chapter Nine-Neville Longbottom & Lady Hogwarts

Neville Longbottom or better known to his friends as Nev walk the halls of Hogwarts thinking about the changes in his life. Since he started Hogwarts a month ago, Neville realizes there are times that Hogwarts herself will speak and comforts him like a mother does a child. As he walks the quiet halls of the school, Hogwarts herself shields him from the eyes of Professors, students and Ms. Norris patrolling the halls after curfew. Since the night of his inheritance, Neville has improved from what he was to what he now allows others to see. In his first year, he was shy, chubby, clumsy, with low self-esteem, and afraid to speak his mind. As the years passed, he developed a backbone, one day he went from being a bully magnet to being ignored. That suited him just fine. The only person that knows the real he is his little brother Harry. Neville smiles when he thinks of how close they have gotten. Their life intertwined since their birth, from different parents but had similar up brings.

In the beginning, Neville doubted the sorting hat for placing him in Gryffindor. Growing up with his grandmother was definitely no picnic. Agusta constantly comparison between Neville and his dad. Although Neville had house elf's and was not made to do his own chores, he grew up without love and affection. Harry and Neville connected on the things they have in common. They both lost their parents when they were babies. Granted his parents are alive in the flesh. But, their minds are dead; no amount of magic or medicine will bring them back. There are expectations placed on their lives, Harry to vanquish Voldemort and Neville to be an extraordinary wizard and Auror like his father. The last name and bloodline of Longbottom produces greatness that makes a difference in the wizarding world. Neville's grandmother makes no bones drilling that in his head whenever she is home.

In the beginning Harry was like a brother to him since their first year they made a connection. Now he is his brother in blood. After Harry saved his life in the first year. Harry always stuck by him and encouraged him when everyone else would put him down. It was in the second year when Harry and Neville really got close. Neville cannot explain how or when it happened, but they did not flaunt their friendship especially around Ron, Ginny and Hermione who seemed to protest each time Harry made a new friend. But through it all Harry and Neville was always there for each other. It was no question when Harry went to the Ministry that Neville would not go with him. Sirius had meant the world to Harry.

Neville will never forget how broken Harry was after Sirius death. Ron and Hermione comforted him physically. But they ignored his broken heart. Neville understood what it felt like to lose a loved one. His parents do not know he exists, Neville pulls out the picture he always carries with him from his pocket and looks down at it. It is a photograph of his mother and father holding him when he was just a baby. The smile on their face says it all, and they loved him. The images in the pictures moves and Frank Longbottom cups his wife's face and place a gentle kiss to her lips. He then bends down and kiss a baby Neville on his chubby cheeks. The family looks happy and content. Too bad that happiness was broken the night the Lestrange attacked and tortured Neville's parents with the cruciatus curse. Neville's parents are a shell of what they use to be relying on the help of others to do everything for them and worst of all they have no idea who Neville is. The vacant and lost look in his parent's eyes breaks Neville's heart each time he visits with them. In a sense to Neville his parents are dead.

That is the major factor that brought Harry and Neville together. Two orphans were born hours apart in a world that expects so much from them but gives back so little. As Neville and Harry's friendship grew so did his courage to step out and speak up for himself. He still seeks out the approval from his grandmother. That was until he turned seventeen this summer. Neville and Agusta argued before his birthday. And it was always about the same thing. She wanted him to enroll in the Auror academy and become an Auror like his parents. He wanted to stay at Hogwarts, to apprentice with Professor Sprout. Neville wants to acquire his Mastery in Herbology. And like Harry teach at Hogwarts, as the heir Neville cannot see himself leaving the Castle unless it is to take a holiday. Neville could not take it anymore and blow up at Agusta. His grandmother did not understand his fascination with plants. The many times Neville would try and talk with Agusta why he finds Herbology so fascinating she would ignore him or changed the subject. Agusta would belittle his efforts to study plant life, would degrade him on his weight and looks. She would constantly tell him that becoming an Auror would improve his standing in society. It is the reason Neville never revealed to Agusta he can hear and communicate with plants. The comparison to his father is more than enough.