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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"I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE," Neville told Trevor as he trudged toward the greenhouse.
Neville was wrapped up in a coat, and he was wearing knitted gloves and his Gryffindor scarf, because it was so cold. The boy held his toad in his hand, and had pulled his sleeve over part of the toad so as his pet did not get too cold in the chilly morning air.
Trevor ribbitted in his hand curiously, at the same time feeling grateful for the smile that had been on the boy's face ever since Professor Sprout had informed him that he could spend his free periods in the greenhouses, as long as she didn't have a class during that time and could supervise.
"I think Dumbledore likes me," The boy said with a little laugh, "I mean—no other student gets to come to the greenhouse outside of Herbology lessons, right?"
Trevor felt immensely proud about what he had done with that statement. Neville had spent his entire life feeling left out and unimportant, and he needed to feel loved and special.
Though he never appeared to be particularly sad or miserable around Harry Potter or the other students, Trevor always saw what happened when the boy was alone—the pain he felt that nobody ever wanted to be his friend; not even his dorm-mates really went out of their way to include him in their discussions.
Mostly he sat alone in his dorm during his free periods—or when he did go out to wander the corridors, he was called names, bullied by Draco Malfoy and some of the meaner older students who felt superior to him would shove him aside when they passed by him and nobody ever just told him, "Hello, Neville," it was always, "Get out of the way, coward!"
So over the years, Neville had just grown to prefer spending time alone, hiding from those who didn't hesitate to shove him, both physically and mentally, downwards.
And in that moment, if toads could laugh, Trevor would have laughed—but instead, he just ribbitted once more and nodded his head enthusiastically in agreement.
"I know, right," Neville chuckled, "I never even thought he knew my name, really—given the fact that I'm in Harry Potter's year and all. I'm kind of a shadow, aren't I, around the castle?"
If only the boy knew how well Dumbledore knew his parents, his grandmother—and even him, before he was even born.
Of course Albus Dumbledore knew his name. Even though the boy thought so little of himself because others made him feel insignificant, he was more important than he thought.
Than anybody thought, really.
"I do hope Umbridge doesn't find out, though," Neville scoffed, "The woman is irritating—so irritating. In fact, I hope Umbridge doesn't find out about anything about this school. It's not like she's helping, at all, right?"
