Neville Longbottom and the Philosopher's Stone

Part 20 ~Finale~

Neville thought. "What happens now?" he asked.

Dumbledore grinned. "Life goes on, Neville. Enjoy it." With that, he bowed politely, and left.

Just a few hours later Neville was discharged from the hospital wing and made his way up alone to Gryffindor Tower. He slunk in past the Fat Lady's portrait, expecting to quietly head up to his room. But as he entered the common room, he found it packed with people. They all turned to watch him walk in. Then someone began to clap. Slowly at first, then with swelling enthusiasm, the rest joined in the applause. The Weasley twins came forward and hoisted Neville on their shoulders and cheered him through the room.

He quickly found Hermione, who gave him a hug and a simple "Well done." She didn't even seem to mind when he turned to talk to Harry and Ron, who were more over the top in their praise. After a while, as Neville felt tired, the three of them went up to their room chatting about their experience as if they had known each other for years.

That evening was the official end-of-year feast. The atmosphere was a little subdued on Neville's table as Gryffindor had missed out on the House Cup, finishing third, barely above Hufflepuff. To make matters worse, Slytherin had taken the title yet again. Harry was blaming himself, the last Quidditch match of the season had taken place while Neville was unconscious and Harry said he'd been "distracted" and failed to catch the Snitch, his first failure.

After the feast Dumbledore stood up to announce the House Cup results, but paused before he did so. "Before I award the Cup, there are some last minute points to allocate. To Mr Harry Potter and Mr Ronald Weasley, for loyalty, skill and courageous self-sacrifice, thirty points each to Gryffindor." Harry and Ron almost leapt into the air and Dumbledore gave them a stern look to sit down before he continued. "To Miss Hermione Granger, for wisdom, a cool head and bold persistence, forty points." Hermione looked embarrassed, Ron and Harry tried not to look too disappointed she had outscored them.

Those points had brought them into second place, only a dozen or so behind Slytherin. "Finally," said Dumbledore, "to Mr Neville Longbottom, for courage and bravery exemplary of his House, sixty points." The Gryffindor table erupted and Neville was buried in the celebrations. The cheering went on for a very long time.

Neville settled down that night contented, as if all his hopes had come true. Then he remembered his original vision in the Mirror of Erised and checked his scar, but it was still there. "None of this would have happened if it wasn't for this scar," he thought. That worried him, could he never escape the scar?

When the year ended, as they boarded the Hogwarts Express to go home, Hermione found him in a compartment. "Write to me over the summer," she said. "I'll do the same." They swapped addresses. "It'll be strange going back to normal for the summer," she added.

"I don't think things will ever be normal for me," said Neville miserably.

"Who wants to be normal?" said Hermione. Neville smiled and watched as Hogsmeade Station behind faded out of view like the end of a dream.