Hogwarts: Neville's Insert Chapter 48
"W-what just happened?" Ron stammered, looking completely bewildered.
Neville simply continued petting the unseen creature, a knowing smile on his face.
"They're called Thestrals," Neville explained. "You can only see them if you've witnessed death."
Harry hesitated, reaching out toward where Neville was petting. His fingers brushed against something solid, a faint skeletal form beneath them. His breath hitched. "There's something here," he murmured.
Hermione, still in shock, asked, "But… how can you see them?"
Ron, shaking his head in disbelief, muttered, "You're pulling our legs, mate."
Neville shrugged, his expression unreadable. "I could see them last year… though I don't know if I could see them before I lost my memories."
A heavy silence followed.
Harry pulled his hand away, deep in thought, while Hermione looked like she was processing everything.
Ron, on the other hand, looked pale, as if he was debating whether or not he wanted to know who Neville had seen die.
Breaking the tension, Neville clapped his hands together. "Well, come on, guys. We should get to the castle."
With that, he stepped into the carriage, then reached out to help Hermione climb in after him.
Still processing what they'd just learned, Harry and Ron followed suit, the carriage rocking slightly as they settled in for the ride to Hogwarts Castle.
….
September 2nd, 1992 – Great Hall, Hogwarts
The Scottish Highlands were bathed in the soft morning sun, casting a warm glow over Hogwarts Castle as students woke to their first full day of the new term.
Neville entered the Great Hall, flanked by Hermione and Harry, both of whom had continued their summer routine of early morning exercise with him.
As they approached the Gryffindor table, Neville sat down, and a goblet of orange juice appeared in front of him.
Hermione took her usual seat across from him, while Harry, yawning widely, plopped down beside Neville and immediately helped himself to a full English breakfast.
Neville, watching him blearily load his plate, smirked. "You're still tired?" he asked, taking a sip of his juice before serving himself some bread, sausages, eggs, and bacon, assembling them into a makeshift sandwich.
Harry grumbled as he shoveled some beans into his mouth. "That's because you kept me awake last night," he muttered.
Neville mused thoughtfully before nodding. "Right. Where's Ron, by the way?"
Harry shrugged, still chewing. "Still asleep, I reckon."
Neville nodded, then turned his attention to Hermione, who was eating sausages with toast and eggs while reading intently from Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart.
Ever since she had started reading his storybooks, Hermione had become a huge fan of Lockhart, utterly captivated by his tales of adventure.
She had been disappointed when they hadn't gone to Flourish and Blotts on August 19th to meet him, but Neville had warned her that they might run into the Weasleys if they went.
" Hermione, Is it really that interesting? " Neville remarked, taking another sip of his juice. "I swear, this is the second time you're reading that book,"
Hermione looked up, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. "It's really good," she said excitedly, her eyes sparkling. "Lockhart is just so accomplished! His adventures, the way he writes—he's incredible!"
Neville raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Right… if you say so."
Hermione frowned, snapping the book shut with a huff. "If you had bought it, you'd know."
Neville shrugged, unbothered. "It's a storybook, Hermione. I'd rather read something actually factual."
Hermione glared at him. "It is factual!" she insisted.
Neville, unconvinced, arched a brow. "Really now?"
Hermione flushed, her fingers tightening around her book. "Well… some parts might be a bit embellished—to make it more entertaining for readers," she admitted reluctantly.
Harry, who had been quietly eating, suddenly coughed—faking it. "Yeah, more like the whole book."
Hermione's head snapped toward him, her glare sharp enough to rival McGonagall's.
Neville and Harry exchanged amused grins as Hermione huffed, reopening her book with exaggerated care, pointedly ignoring them both.
Neville smirked slightly but chose not to comment. He already knew that Lockhart was a fraud, but arguing with Hermione about it wasn't worth the effort.
Shaking his head, Neville took a bite of his sandwich, glancing around the Great Hall.
His gaze landed on Luna, sitting alone at the Ravenclaw table, seemingly lost in thought as she buttered her toast.
Neville turned to Harry and Hermione, lowering his voice. "Do you two mind if I invite Luna to sit with us?"
Hermione followed his gaze, noticing that Luna was alone. She nodded immediately. "No, she can join us."
Harry shrugged. "Yeah, I don't mind."
Neville pulled out a small piece of parchment from his sling bag and quickly scribbled:
"Come join us at the Gryffindor table. "
Tapping his wand against the note, the parchment folded itself into a small bird and fluttered over to where Luna was seated.
Luna looked up as the tiny paper bird landed in front of her. She unfolded it, her silver-blue eyes scanning the message before she glanced toward them.
Neville, Harry, and Hermione waved her over, smiling.
Luna's face brightened, and she stood up, making her way toward them.
"Hello, Harry, Hermione, Neville," Luna greeted softly, her dreamy voice as light as ever. "Thank you for inviting me to join you."
As she sat down beside Hermione, she tilted her head curiously. "Though, I must ask—is it all right to sit at a different House's table?"
Hermione waved off her concern. "It's fine. We're only required to sit at our House tables during the Welcoming Feast or for important events."
Neville took another bite of his sandwich. "Breakfast?" he offered, gesturing toward the food.
"Thank you," Luna said, taking a piece of toast and spreading some jam on top.
Harry, still chewing his eggs, swallowed and asked, "How are you liking Hogwarts so far?"
Luna tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, her eyes lighting up. "It's wonderful," she said dreamily. "My dormmates are nice enough, although they think I'm a bit odd." She shrugged lightly. "But I'm used to that."
Neville exchanged a look with Hermione, who pressed her lips together, clearly annoyed at the idea of people judging Luna already.
"Well," Neville said, offering a small smile, "if they don't treat you right, you can always sit with us."
Luna's eyes widened slightly before she beamed. "That would be lovely."
Just then, the rest of the Gryffindor second-years entered the Great Hall, chatting amongst themselves as they made their way to the table.
Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, and Fay Dunbar all sat down nearby, helping themselves to breakfast.
Lavender, spotting Hermione's book, lit up with excitement. "Oh! You're reading Voyages with Vampires too?" she gushed, leaning in. "Isn't Lockhart just dreamy?"
Parvati nodded enthusiastically, grabbing a piece of toast. "He's so handsome. And all those adventures—just imagine traveling the world with him!"
Fay sighed dramatically, placing a hand on her chest. "I'd let him rescue me any day."
Hermione, who had been engrossed in her book, looked up, her cheeks faintly pink. "Well, I think his stories are fascinating. He's clearly an accomplished wizard."
Before anyone could respond, a soft, dreamy voice chimed in.
"I think he looks fine, but I have a feeling he's hiding something."
The girls paused, turning their attention to the unfamiliar blonde first-year sitting next to Hermione.
Lavender, blinking in curiosity, was the first to speak. "Oh… hello. Um, who are you?"
The girl gave an airy smile. "Hello."
Hermione quickly introduced her. "This is Luna Lovegood. We met on the train, and she was sorted into Ravenclaw. We asked her to join us for breakfast since, you know, she's new here."
Parvati nodded warmly. "Nice to meet you, Luna. I'm Parvati, and this is Fay and Lavender."
Dean and Seamus, who had been listening, nodded in greeting.
"And I'm Dean," Dean added, gesturing beside him. "This is Seamus."
Luna gave them all a serene nod, completely unfazed by the new attention.
Meanwhile, Dean turned to Harry. "Harry, mate, where were you this morning?"
Seamus, taking a sip of pumpkin juice, nodded. "Yeah. I saw Ron still in bed when we came down."
Harry, grabbing a piece of toast, shrugged. "Oh, that? I was with Neville and Hermione."
Dean frowned slightly, confused. "With Neville? Didn't you do your morning exercises today?"
Neville, reaching for his goblet, nodded. "Yeah, I did."
Harry nodded as well. "Me and Hermione have been joining Neville in his exercises."
Lavender, perking up at that, turned to Hermione with a mischievous smirk.
Leaning in, she whispered teasingly, "You too, huh? Trying to impress someone?"
Hermione turned scarlet, her grip tightening on her book. "Oh, shush!" she stammered, immediately burying her face in the pages.
Parvati, Fay, and Lavender all giggled at her flustered state, clearly enjoying her embarrassment.
Seamus, shaking his head, looked at Hermione and Harry in clear exasperation. "Both of you as well? That's mental, mate. Why would you willingly do that?"
Dean gave Neville and Harry an incredulous look. "Do you guys hate yourselves or something?"
Harry shrugged, still chewing his toast. "I got used to it after the summer."
Neville smirked, taking a sip of his juice. "You lot want to join? Make it a Gryffindor thing."
Seamus snorted, shaking his head. "Nah, we're not that mental. We just wanted to know where you and Harry disappeared to this morning."
Fay, looking between Dean and Seamus, grinned. "You two should join Neville. It wouldn't hurt you to wake up early and train a little."
Dean scoffed, taking a bite of his bacon. "And why would we do that?"
Parvati, tilting her head curiously, looked between Harry and Neville. "Wait… you guys stayed over at Neville's during the summer?"
Harry opened his mouth to answer, but before he could say anything, a stern voice interrupted them.
"Good morning," Professor McGonagall's voice cut through the chatter as she approached their table, handing out timetables.
Her sharp eyes swept across the group as she distributed their schedules.
"Here are your schedules for the term."
As she finished, her gaze landed on Luna, who was still sitting with them.
"Miss Lovegood," McGonagall said, "you should collect your timetable from Professor Flitwick." She nodded toward the small Charms professor, who was currently handing out schedules at the Ravenclaw table.
Luna smiled dreamily at McGonagall. "Thank you, Professor," she said lightly before turning back to the group. "Thank you for letting me join you. I'll see you later."
With that, she gracefully excused herself, drifting toward the Ravenclaw table to collect her schedule.
Neville, now holding his own timetable, nodded in thanks to McGonagall before quickly scanning his schedule, barely paying attention to the rest of the conversation.
McGonagall, having finished distributing timetables, turned back to the group. Her piercing gaze landed on Harry.
"Mr. Potter, where is Mr. Weasley?"
Harry blinked, caught off guard. "Uh… I don't know, Professor. He might still be in the dorms."
McGonagall pursed her lips, then handed Harry an extra timetable. "Give this to him," she instructed before briskly walking off.
Harry glanced down at Ron's schedule before stuffing it into his bag. "Well, our first class is Herbology."
But Neville wasn't focused on that.
His eyes had locked onto a certain redhead who had just entered the hall—Ginny Weasley.
She must have the diary, he thought, his mind shifting gears.
After breakfast, the Gryffindor second-years gathered together and headed to the greenhouses, where Professor Sprout was waiting for them.
Professor Sprout, dressed in her usual earthy robes and large hat, stood at the entrance of Greenhouse 3, waiting for the students to arrive.
"Alright, settle down, settle down!" she called out, ushering them inside. "Today, we'll be working with Mandrakes."
She led them further inside, the humid air thick with the scent of soil and fresh plants.
Standing near the rows of potted plants, she turned to the class and said, "Now, who can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?"
To nobody's surprise, Hermione's hand shot into the air first.
"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is a powerful restorative," Hermione answered in her usual textbook-like tone. "It is used to return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."
Professor Sprout beamed. "Excellent. Ten points to Gryffindor," she said approvingly. "The Mandrake forms an essential part of most antidotes. It is also, however, dangerous. Who can tell me why?"
Hermione's hand shot up so fast that it nearly clipped Harry's glasses.
"The cry of the Mandrake is fatal to anyone who hears it," she said promptly.
Professor Sprout nodded approvingly. "Precisely. Take another ten points."
She then gestured to a row of deep trays, drawing the class's attention. "Now, the Mandrakes we have here are still very young."
The students shuffled forward, craning their necks for a better look. In the trays, rows of tufty little plants with a purplish-green hue were sprouting from the soil.
Professor Sprout clapped her hands. "Everyone, take a pair of earmuffs."
There was a scramble as students rushed to grab a pair—everyone trying to avoid the pink, fluffy ones.
"When I tell you to put them on, make sure your ears are completely covered," Professor Sprout instructed. "When it is safe to remove them, I will give you the thumbs-up. Right—earmuffs on."
Neville wore his earmuffs on, the material muffling all sound completely.
Professor Sprout, now wearing a pair of pink fluffy earmuffs, rolled up the sleeves of her earthy robes, grasped one of the tufty plants firmly, and pulled hard.
Instead of roots, a small, muddy, and extremely ugly baby popped out of the soil, bawling loudly—not that anyone could hear it. The tufted leaves were sprouting right out of its head, and its mottled green skin looked unnervingly human-like.
Professor Sprout, completely unfazed, grabbed a large plant pot, filled it with dark, damp compost, and plunged the Mandrake inside, covering it up to the leaves.
She dusted off her hands, then gave them all a thumbs-up before removing her own earmuffs.
"As our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet," she said calmly, as if she'd just finished watering a normal houseplant. "However, they will knock you out for several hours, and as I'm sure none of you want to miss your first day back, make sure your earmuffs are securely in place while you work."
She gestured around the greenhouse.
"Four to a tray—there is a large supply of pots here, compost in the sacks over there—and be careful of the Venomous Tentacula. It's teething."
Neville, Hermione, and Harry gathered around the trays of Mandrakes, preparing for the lesson. As they positioned themselves, a Slytherin girl quietly joined their group, taking the empty spot at their workstation.
She had blonde hair, sleek and well-kept, She didn't say much, her expression neutral, as she simply took her place. Like every other group, theirs was assigned four students per tray.
Neville, always polite, gave her a small nod. "Hello there, I'm Neville. This is Hermione, and that's Harry," he introduced, gesturing toward the other two.
The girl blinked at him, her expression unreadable. After a brief pause, she simply responded in a tone that barely held any interest, "Daphne Greengrass," before turning her attention to the Mandrakes in front of them.
Hermione and Harry exchanged a glance before quickly dismissing it, chalking it up to her being a Slytherin and them being Gryffindors.
Neville, on the other hand, wasn't concerned by her attitude. He was far more focused on the lesson.
As he examined the writhing, ugly little plants, a thought struck him. ' wait, If I remember correctly, these are used in the potion to un-petrify students… But instead of just buying fully grown Mandrakes, Dumbledore, in all his infinite wisdom, decided to wait for these to mature, completely wasting an entire year for the petrified students.'
He let out a quiet sigh, shaking his head as he secured his earmuffs and reached for a crying Mandrake. 'Typical of Dumbledore.'
After Herbology, the Gryffindor second-years made their way to Transfiguration.
Once everyone had settled, Professor McGonagall strode to the front of the classroom, her usual no-nonsense expression in place.
"Very well, class," she began. "As is customary for the first lesson of the year, we will revisit the spells you learned last term. Wands out."
With a flick of her wand, a set of matchsticks floated from her desk and landed neatly in front of each student.
"We shall begin with the very first Transfiguration spell you were taught—turning matchsticks into needles," she instructed, pacing between the rows of desks.
She then proceeded to review every spell they had learned over the past year, ensuring the class retained their skills.
Neville, Harry, and Hermione performed well, having spent the summer practicing spellwork.
"Avifors…," Neville muttered and waved his wand, the small torn pieces of parchment in front of him fluttered and shifted, transforming into tiny paper birds that rustled softly as they flapped their wings and took flight around him.
"I feel like we forgot something," he murmured, frowning slightly.
Hermione, tilting her head, glanced at him. "Uh… forgot what?"
Neville shrugged, then with a wave of his wand, undid the spell, the birds shifting back into scraps of parchment as they fluttered onto his desk.
He picked up one of the crumpled pieces, rolling it between his fingers.
"I don't know," he admitted, turning the parchment over in his hands. "Just a feeling."
Before Hermione could respond, the classroom door suddenly burst open.
Neville nodded in realization. "Yeah. now i remember That."
Ron Weasley rushed into the classroom, panting heavily, his uniform slightly disheveled.
"Sorry I'm late, Professor," he gasped, still trying to catch his breath.
McGonagall's sharp gaze turned icy, and she folded her arms. "You're late, Weasley. Where were you?"
Ron hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. "I… overslept."
McGonagall's lips pressed into a thin line. "Ten points from Gryffindor, and detention. I hope you don't make a habit of this," she said firmly. "Now, take your seat before I dock more points."
Ron muttered under his breath and trudged over to where Harry, Neville, and Hermione were sitting, dropping heavily into the seat beside them.
He looked grumpy, his frown mostly directed at Harry.
"Why didn't you lot wake me up?" he grumbled.
Harry, looking a bit sheepish, scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, mate, forgot. We were exercising in the morning and didn't think you'd want to join."
Ron's brows furrowed deeper. "What do you mean, exercising? I doubt Wood's got Quidditch practice that early."
Neville, flipping through his notes, glanced up and answered casually. "With me."
Ron blinked, his frown deepening. "With you?!"
Harry smirked. "Yeah, I started over the summer break, and I figured it'd be a waste to stop now."
Ron gave them both an incredulous look like they had just told him they willingly volunteered for Snape's detentions.
But in the end, he just huffed and didn't say anything else.
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