The Child of the Seventh Month

13. The Other Boy

The first thing Neville remembered knowing was fear. Fear of the slithering snakes, the great Nagini, the enormous Manor, the men in silver masks, and above all, the Lord with red eyes. But the most surprising fear of his would be the creeping chill that ran down his spine whenever faced with the other boy living in the house.

There was something about the boy, something dark and sinister that oddly fit with the old Manor, creepy snakes, and the red-eyed monster that called himself a man. Something that Neville didn't possess, therefore would always feel like an intruder; the lack of said thing being the true source of his fright – the feeling of not belonging.

Harry wasn't cruel like the Lord, wasn't a silent danger like the Death Eaters, wasn't venomous like the snakes, and wasn't cold like the Manor. Yet, he could be all of those and more, Neville thought, observing the child as he played with the serpents without an ounce of fear. He could be as vicious as the Dark Lord, he thought, noticing the child's heated glare as the lady in hood, Bella, whispered in the Lord's ear, a little too close for it to be appropriate. He could be ruthless, he thought, as the child fought him viciously for the sake of the Lord, ignoring his cries of pain. He could be just like the rest of them.

Yet, above all that, Harry was Harry – brave, vigorous, curious. He was Neville's brother, no matter how many times he yelled at him, argued with him, or fought with him. And Neville loved him more than anyone. 

He wasn't as loved in return, that much was obvious. Though Harry certainly cared for him, that imitation of love was eclipsed by the fierce possessiveness he had for the Dark Lord. No one could compete with the man in Harry's eyes; Neville wasn't even aware when the strange dependency had begun, it seemed as it had always been there, an invisible chain binding them together.

Over the years, Neville had bore witness to many of Harry's strange behaviours; while adoring his resolve, he was also terrified of that sort of courage that would often cause them both to end up in trouble. Like when Harry dared him to go to the basement which they were forbidden to enter under any circumstances, calling him a coward if he refused. Or when the Lord brought a new snake home, an Australian cobra, that Harry kept poking with a stick because it curled in one place and didn't want to move nor play. 

The snake eventually bit Harry, and he spent days in absolute agony because the Lord refused to provide him with the antidote for its poison - he called it a lesson about consequences. The house-elves begged the Lord to cure the child, and when he finally did, he looked rather very unhappy while doing so. Neville dreamt about Harry's feverish screams and the snake's fangs for a long time after that incident. 

There were many parts of Harry that Neville treasured. Like how creative Harry was with coming up with new games to play. Or, how often he tried to take the blame when the children got caught doing something they weren't supposed to (though most of their rule-breaking activities were Harry's ideas in the first place). He often found solace in those moments, a glimpse of the Harry he loved beneath the shadows cast by the Dark Lord. Despite the eerie environment and unsettling circumstances, Neville held on to these fragments of normalcy, cherishing their brotherly bond.

As they navigated the twisted reality of their upbringing, he clung to the hope that one day they might break free from the invisible chains that bound them to the Dark Lord. That was, until they entered Hogwarts, and their world suddenly widened, changed, stretching its horizons out before them. It was an eye-opening experience, meeting other children and learning about the world beyond the walls of the Manor. For the first time, Neville felt the need to do more, to learn more, to live more, to be more.

But it seemed that, to Harry, Hogwarts was only a temporary diversion. During the summer, he quickly fell back into the routine he had established before going to school, always seeking out the Lord. Neville noticed the way his brother's face lit up as soon as they had returned to the Manor, how he would rush to see the snakes, to check on his plants, to greet the house-elves.