HEATHER BLACK AGREED TO DO THE THING THAT NOBODY ELSE COULD TO DO.
Use her animagus form, and protect Harry Potter for fifteen years.
As an owl.
As Hedwig.
***
Travis McKinnon wanted nothing more than to do something useful.
So he used his animagus...
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NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM WAS WITH his grandmother, preparing to depart for Platform 9 ¾ .
He was still at home, because he and his grandmother would be taking a Portkey, which would take only a few seconds, so they weren't worried about being late.
As she did every year, Augusta Longbottom was showing her grandson the photographs in her photo album—but much to Neville's surprise, his grandmother hadn't pulled out the usual album containing pictures of his childhood, but rather the one that he knew contained photographs documenting his father's childhood.
"This isn't the usual one," Neville's grandmother began as she opened the book that she hadn't opened for years, "But it has the story I want to tell you today, before you leave for school. I want you to keep this story in mind as you go to school this year."
"Alright," Neville said, leaning forward in anticipation in his seat beside his grandmother, with Trevor sitting in his hand.
"Keep a good hold on that toad," Augusta said, nudging the boy jokingly while casting a meaningful look at Trevor, "This is a story so exciting he might want to listen in, too."
"Is it that interesting?" Neville asked, his eyes lighting up as he spotted the first picture—a moving photograph of his parents on their wedding day, "Isn't that my mum and dad?"
Even though he'd only gone to see them a week ago in St Mungo's, to Neville, they looked completely different in this photo. They looked so deeply in love; as if all they needed was each other.
They looked like they felt such deep emotions for each other—and now, perhaps they still did love each other very much; Neville just couldn't see it anymore.
It was Bellatrix Lestrange—the same Death Eater who had killed the McKinnon family, among so many others.
"They are," Augusta said affectionately as she flipped to the next page, "I still remember that day, you know. They were so happy, then. They were so young—barely twenty, but I supported it because I could see how much they wanted to be married. They had you when they were twenty-four, and..." She sighed, "Anyway..."
She moved on to explaining the next photo, which was an image of Frank Longbottom soaring about on his broomstick; the same yard that Neville knew so well. Once, his own father had played in the backyard of this very house, and it was such a strange thought because his father felt so distant.
When Augusta moved to the fifth photograph, Neville saw two unfamiliar faces.
"Who are they?" Neville asked, pointing to the boy and the girl who looked so young and happy, their arms linked with Frank and Alice's as the four of them seemed to laugh about something.
