The Boy Who Believed - Neville Longbottom x OC

Chapter one: The letter

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It was a regular morning in the Malfoys manor. I woke up around 9 am. When I came downstairs, the rest was waiting at the table. I sat down and they started eating breakfast. They were having their regular conversations. Until my aunt Narcissa said there was something special she liked to give me and Draco. I was wondering what she would give us. Would she get us new brooms? Would we get more chocolate frogs? Draco had his little smirk on his face, which I sometimes find very annoying. I was excited too, because we don't get presents often. Well, I don't. Draco gets often gifts from my uncle Lucius and Narcissa is always sorry for me, but I'm kinda used to it. Narcissa gave us each a letter.

"A letter! What do we have to do with a letter?" said Draco. I said nothing and picked up the letter. On the front was our address and names written. I turned the envelope around.

"This letter comes from hogwarts!" I screamed from delight. I opened the envelope as fast as I could. Draco did the same. I read the letter:

Dear ms. Lestrange,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy.

Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins in September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

I read the second letter:

When you first get a Hogwarts letter it also has a supply list. Here are all the supply's you will be needing for Hogwarts, from the first year to the seventh year.
First-year students will require:
•uniform
    - Three Sets of Plain Work Robes          (black)
    - One Plain Pointed Hat (black) for           day wear
    - One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar)
    - One Winter Cloak (black, silver fastening)
    - Please note that all student's clothes should carry name-tags at all times.

•Books
    - The Standerd Book of Spells, Grade 1 by Miranda Goshawk
    - A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot
    - Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling
    - A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch
    - One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore
    - Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger
    - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander
    - The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble

• Other Equipment
   - 1 Wand
   - 1 Cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)
   - 1 set of Glass or Crystal Phials
   - 1 Telescope
   - 1 set of Brass Scales
   - Students may also bring an Owl, a Cat or a Toad.
PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO BRING THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS.

"Wow, that's lots of stuff we need to buy!" Narcissa agreed with me.

"Why can't we bring our own broomstick?" Draco said. "That's bloody unfair!". Narcissa explained how dangerous it can be for kids who never had ridden a broom. After a while, Draco finally agreed with her. Stupid.

"Narcissa, when and where are we going to get all this?" I asked.

"There is this shopping area located in London" Narcissa awnsered. "It's called 'Diagon Alley'. It's hidden from the Muggles. You can buy everything what's on that list in there". Cool.

You're probably asking yourself 'Mila, why are you living with the Malfoys when you're a Lestrange?'. Good question. When I was one, my parents were sentenced to life imprisonment for the torture and permanent incapacitation of some Aurors called Frank and Alice Longbottom. Since I was a baby, and my mother couldn't bring me with her, she gave me to her sister and her husband, aka Narcissa and Lucius. They tried to raise me like they were my parents, but apparently I was a tough baby. Narcissa once said to me that I would cry every time they came near me. It continued when I was a toddler. Narcissa said that I wouldn't let them feed me. Luckily, I could eat on my own, so I wasn't starving. How older I got, the more distant I became. Draco didn't help either. He knew I felt weird around them, so he would always act all clingy around them when I was near. At first it would hurt, but eventually it didn't bother me anymore. I got used to the distance and accepted it. They did too. Although, I sometimes saw in Narcissas eyes that she wanted more. She always tried to make me feel loved and it worked. I love her with my whole heart, but not like someone who loves someone like their family.

Basically, I'm okay with living with the Malfoys, but it doesn't feel like a home. I'd sometimes think about how my life would be if my parents were never sentenced to Azkaban. Maybe I would've had a better childhood. Maybe I would've been a whole other person. I will never know the answers. I had to accept my life how it was and keep living. If only I had my parents...

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