Hogwarts: Neville's Insert Chapter 99
Neville shrugged, still going with it. "Well, technically we could. Not one by one—I mean, if we wanted to Obliviate a large group, we'd need swooping evil venom, and everyone would have to be gathered in one place for it to work."
Harry frowned. "A swooping what?"
Neville glanced at him. "Swooping Evil. It's this little magical creature, honestly quite cute. Their venom can cause amnesia—if you could get it into the drinks in the Great Hall, or maybe make it rain down somehow, it'd work on a big crowd."
Hermione's head snapped up, eyes narrowing. "Neville."
He held up his hands defensively. "Joking. I'm not actually going to do it. Plus, I've no idea where to even find a swooping evil."
Hermione still didn't look entirely convinced.
Neville couldn't help thinking, though, about how Newt Scamander had managed to Obliviate all of New York City with swooping evil venom. He wondered if he could ever pull that off in the Great Hall—if the vivariums even had one of those creatures. He hadn't finished exploring them yet and wasn't even sure if the venom could wipe out just a day's memories. After all, Jacob had ended up remembering everything, didn't he?
…
Friday, 8 October 1993 – Late Afternoon, Defence Against the Dark Arts Classroom
The rain drummed steadily against the tall windows, casting blurred streaks across the glass as the Scottish Highlands vanished behind a curtain of grey. Inside the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, the warm glow from the torches only just held back the chill from outside.
Hestia Jones stood at the front, wand in hand and a measured smile on her lips. A stray curl of hair had come loose behind one ear, but her robes remained immaculate, not a crease out of place. She nodded approvingly as Hannah Abbott finished her demonstration.
"Excellent, Miss Abbott. That's exactly what I like to see—ten points to Hufflepuff."
Hannah murmured a quick "Thank you, Professor," and scurried back to her seat as Hestia's gaze swept the room.
"Hmm… who'd like to go next?" Hestia mused, lips quirking in a small smile as she surveyed the class. Her eyes landed on Seamus Finnigan "Mr Finnigan, you're up."
Seamus groaned theatrically, hauling himself to his feet in the row just ahead of Neville. "Here's hopin' I don't blow anything up this time," he muttered, which set Dean and Ron off sniggering.
Neville was slouched in his seat behind Seamus, leaning against the wall with his head propped lazily on his palm, looking every bit as if he'd rather be somewhere else entirely. Beside him, Hermione sat upright, she had just finished , and Harry—equally attentive—kept glancing between the front and Neville.
Neville yawned, smacked his lips, and blinked as if coming out of a long daydream.
'Merlin, I could do with a nap,' he thought, gaze fixed on the rain trickling down the window.
It had been a month since he was almost killed by that hippogriff. That day, Neville had been visited by Augusta shortly after Hermione and Harry had visited him.
"I've half a mind to drag you back home, Neville!" Augusta had chastised Neville for getting hurt. It had only been a day back, and she was proper mad but also proud that Neville had actually saved a classmate, but she chastised him for almost dying and told him that if it hadn't been for Hermione and Harry's quick thinking, he would have been dead. She had actually looked like she was about to cry.
Then she had warned them all not to do any more reckless things this term. She also told them that the issue of Neville almost dying had gone to the Hogwarts Board of Governors. Hagrid had been reprimanded for introducing the class to a dangerous magical creature and told to start with something small and work his way up. But unlike in the original timeline, Hagrid and Buckbeak weren't being charged by Lucius; the board had just told him to restructure his classes and not put students in danger.
Harry had asked, "Are they going to fire Hagrid?"
Augusta had shaken her head, saying, "No, just a warning."
Augusta had stayed and talked to Neville till lunch before leaving. She had asked if he would like to go back home to rest for a few days, which Neville declined. Harry and Hermione had left earlier, as they needed to attend class.
After Augusta had left, Neville thanked Madam Pomfrey before leaving the hospital wing and headed back to the Gryffindor dorms. The common room was empty—everyone else was in lessons—so he spent the rest of the day asleep, still a bit sore and tired from the ordeal.
Later, as evening settled, Neville made his way to dinner in the Great Hall. The moment he walked in, he noticed more heads turning his way than usual. Hermione filled him in on the latest: apparently, a rumour had spread that Neville had nearly died, and that it happened right after he drew the scythe—the Reaper—during Trelawney's tea reading. Now, the story was that Neville was doomed to die by year's end, that he couldn't keep cheating death forever.
Hermione and Harry explained the rest, sharing some of the more ridiculous tales going round: Neville being compared to Dumbledore, with whispers that Lumina was a wild phoenix who'd chosen him for being the "second coming of Dumbledore", or that Lumina had been gifted to him by Dumbledore himself. There were even claims that Neville had somehow enslaved a phoenix with dark magic.
"Glad to see you doing well," Luna said as she slid onto the Gryffindor bench beside Neville.
Neville glanced up then smiled. "Oh, hey Luna."
She fixed him with her usual dreamy gaze. "How are you feeling? I heard what happened after Care of Magical Creatures… Hermione was crying, you know. When I asked her, she said you'd been hurt very badly."
Hermione flushed and shot Luna a look, but Luna seemed entirely not noticing.
Neville gave an shrug. "Yeah, I'm alright now. Bit sore, but nothing too bad. I just got lucky, really."
I'm glad," Luna nodded, accepting this without question. "I came to visit you yesterday, but Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let me in. She said you needed rest."
Luna paused, thoughtful. "Then I tried again at lunchtime, but she told me you'd already left."
Neville nodded. "Ah—yeah, sorry, Luna. I went back to the dorm and fell asleep." He offered her a grateful smile. "But thanks for trying. That means a lot."
Luna simply smiled back, reaching into her bag. "I brought you something." and pulled out a curious little bundle: a braided string, a tiny silver bell, an oddly-shaped seed, and a bead carved with what looked like a spiral rune. She pressed it into Neville's hand, her eyes earnest.
"I made you a good luck charm," Luna said, matter-of-factly. "it to give you good luck and keep bad things from happening "
Neville stared at the charm for a moment, then smiled. "Thanks, Luna. I'll keep it with me—just in case."
luna hummed happily and ate her pudding
A while later, he was approached by Lavender, Parvati, Fay, and the other third-year Gryffindors gathered round, talking over one another.
"Are you alright now, Neville?" Lavender asked, eyes round.
"You looked awful when they carried you out," Fay said quietly.
Parvati leaned forward. "And Lumina—is she really your phoenix?"
Neville rubbed his forehead, resigning himself. "Yeah, she's mine. There's no point keeping it a secret anymore."
Lavender's face lit up. "Can we see her? Please?"
Neville managed a small grin. "Later. In the common room, alright?"
Even the Hufflepuffs and a few Ravenclaws came by, crowding around to ask what had happened, trying to confirm all the wild stories flying about.
After dinner, as the students trickled out of the hall, Neville was stopped by Daphne and Astoria Greengrass. The sisters approached quietly, Astoria holding a small parcel.
"Longbottom," Daphne greeted, inclining her head. "We heard about what happened in Care of Magical Creatures. Are you alright?"
Astoria nodded, clutching a small parcel in her hands. "We wanted to visit you in the Hospital Wing, but Madam Pomfrey said you'd already gone when we came by during lunch break."
Neville blinked in surprise, then gave them a small, awkward smile. "Oh—thanks. Yeah, I'm alright now, honestly. Just a bit battered."
Astoria offered him the parcel—a neatly wrapped bag of fragrant tea leaves. "My mother makes this blend for when we're unwell. She says it helps with recovery. I asked her to send some for you."
Neville accepted it carefully, cheeks a bit pink. "That's… that's very kind of you. Thank you, Astoria. Please tell Lady Greengrass I appreciate it."
Astoria smiled, and Daphne nodded, a little more relaxed now. "We will. Take care of yourself, Longbottom."
He nodded, watching as they turned and headed off to join the other Slytherins.
Later that evening, back in the Gryffindor common room, Neville kept his promise. The girls gathered round, eager and chattering as Lumina landed with a graceful flare on the arm of his chair.
"She's beautiful!" Parvati gasped, reaching out a tentative hand.
Lavender giggled. "She's so blue—do you think she'd let me stroke her?"
Neville shrugged. "Go on, she loves the attention."
For the rest of the night, Lumina was the undisputed centre of the tower's world. She preened and trilled, basking in the admiration, and accepted every treat offered. By bedtime, even Neville had to laugh at the sight of the mighty phoenix practically glowing with pride as she showed off for her new fans.
The next day, Neville and Hermione visited Madam Pomfrey.
Harry would have joined them, if he hadn't been swept away earlier that morning by Oliver Wood, who dragged him off for Quidditch practice.
Neville and Hermione made their way to the empty hospital wing—it was only the third day back at Hogwarts, so there weren't many injuries yet. They found Pomfrey in her office, going over some papers.
Pomfrey spent the morning helping Neville and Hermione, explaining the parts they didn't understand from the book she'd lent Neville. She was surprised at how much they'd managed to grasp already, considering they were only third years. After that, Pomfrey taught them a few simple first aid spells—Episkey, to heal minor cuts and bruises, and Enervate, to revive someone who'd been stunned.
As they wrapped up, Neville set down his wand, brow creased.
"Madam Pomfrey, can I ask… how do you treat a cursed wound? I mean, really treat it? Not just in the book."
Pomfrey paused, considering him.
"That depends on the curse," she said after a moment.
Hermione piped up, brow furrowed.
"What do you mean, ma'am?"
Pomfrey explained, "Well, some curses are simple—there's a counter-curse, or a potion that can counter the curse. Others… much nastier. Dark curses can cling to the wound, stopping them from being healed. Sometimes, there's no proper cure at all."
Neville frowned thoughtfully.
"So, you can't always fix it?"
She shook her head. "I've seen Aurors lose limbs to curse wounds that wouldn't heal. There are cursed objects as well—things imbued with dark magic. Touch or cut wounded by them can be fatal, some of them are impossible to heal, some curses even last after death. These curses are impossible to reverse the damage. Not even phoenix tears are a guarantee."
When she mentioned cursed objects, Neville's thoughts drifted back to the end of last term, when Hermione had nearly touched a cursed book in the Chamber of Secrets.
Hermione looked uneasy.
"Even phoenix tears can't heal these wounds?"
"No, Miss Granger," Pomfrey said gently. "They're a miracle for some things—like how Mr Longbottom found that phoenix tears can suppress the effects of curses like blood malediction. But they only suppress the effect for so long; wounds inflicted by dark magic will resurface after the effect wears off. Phoenix tears won't undo the curse—at most, they stall it."
Neville asked, "So it's just best not to get hit by one at all, then."
"Exactly," Pomfrey said, tone firm. "If you can avoid it, do. I'd rather not see either of you in here for something like that." She fixed Neville with a pointed look. "And I do hope, Mr Longbottom, you won't go experimenting with cursed objects."
Neville held up his hands. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Neville held up his hands. "Wouldn't dream of it."
Neville then asked, thinking it through. "Er—sorry, but… wouldn't cutting out the damaged bit actually help?" He glanced between Hermione and Pomfrey.
Pomfrey looked momentarily thrown. "Pardon? What are you suggesting, Mr Longbottom?"
Neville shifted in his seat. "Well, you said dark curses can sort of… stick to the wound and stop it from healing, yeah? So if you just got rid of the cursed bit—cut away the tissue that's affected—couldn't the rest be healed properly? I mean, after that, phoenix tears or healing spells might actually work, right?"
Hermione's eyes widened in sudden understanding. "Oh! You mean like when they amputate a limb to stop an infection spreading, so the healthy tissue can recover?"
Neville nodded. "Exactly."
Pomfrey was silent for a moment, her expression shifting from bewilderment to consideration. "Well… that's—yes, in theory, if you could remove every last bit of cursed tissue, you might be able to heal the rest. It's—" She trailed off, almost talking to herself now. "That… actually makes sense. Why haven't we tried that before…?"
She seemed suddenly very distracted, muttering under her breath as she gathered her things. "Excuse me, I need to send an owl." With that, she bustled out of her office, no doubt off to consult a colleague or two at St Mungo's.
Neville and Hermione exchanged a bemused glance. Hermione shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. "Trust you to ask the question that sends her running to the experts."
Neville grinned back, picking up his bag. "Just thinking out loud."
After thanking Madam Pomfrey for teaching them, they left the hospital wing and headed to the Great Hall for lunch, where they were joined by Harry.
Apparently Oliver Wood was more fired up than ever to win this year's House Cup—last year's season had been cancelled after the Chamber of Secrets incident, with everything too chaotic to continue Quidditch.
Later, after lunch, the sun shone bright as they walked down the path to Hagrid's hut. Neville had wanted to visit, after hearing that Hagrid had actually been in tears after his injury.
They knocked on the door and waited.
Hagrid opened the door, smelling faintly of drink, and the moment he saw Neville, he scooped him up in a bear hug and apologised profusely, much to Neville's chagrin.
Neville patted the large man awkwardly, saying, "It's fine, Hagrid, it's fine."
he hiccupped and apologized again. "I'm proper sorry, yeh know, I shoulda been payin' more attention—" After Hagrid let go,
"Oh, come in, all of yeh—" He waved them in, voice rough. He lumbered back inside the hut,
Neville rubbed his ribs after Hagrid had finally let go, wincing lightly. He tried to reassure him, as they followed him in."If anything, I was just unlucky. The class was brilliant, actually…"
Harry chimed in, "Yeah, Hagrid, the class was actually really good."
Hermione added her own opinion as well, echoing Harry and Neville.
Hagrid slumped into his chair, looking a bit better. "Thank you, guys."
Hermione frowned, then asked, "Have you been drinking for the past two days, Hagrid?"
Hagrid nodded.
Neville looked a little guilty. "I should have visited yesterday. Sorry I didn't, Hagrid."
Hagrid waved a big hand. "No bother, Neville. Yeh needed rest. Yeh took a right wallop."
Hermione pursed her lips. "I think you've had enough to drink, Hagrid," she said, waving her wand and emptying his cup.
Hagrid nodded. "I guess you're right," he mumbled, then stood up and lumbered off to the bathroom. They heard the sound of splashing water a moment later.
Hagrid soon returned, his long hair and beard dripping wet, wiping the water from his eyes. "That's better," he said, shaking his head like a dog and splattering everyone.
Neville flicked his wrist and managed to shield himself, but the same couldn't be said for Hermione and Harry.
Hermione gave Neville a betrayed look. "Really?"
Neville shrugged, barely hiding a smirk. "Sorry."
Harry said, "We heard from Neville's gran that you were called in by the Board of Governors."
Hagrid nodded, "Aye They reckon I started too big. Shoulda left hippogriffs fer later... done flobberworms or summat... Jus' thought it'd make a good firs' lesson, all my fault...."
Harry added, "Well, just be glad it wasn't Malfoy—he would have tried to get you fired."
"And it's all Malfoy's fault, Hagrid!" Hermione said earnestly. "You couldn't have known he'd go and provoke a hippogriff after you'd just warned him. Honestly, it was his mistake for winding Buckbeak up, not yours." She shook her head. "If anyone's to blame, it's Malfoy, not you."
Neville said, "It's also partly my fault for not seeing where I was—if I hadn't slipped, none of this would've happened."
Hagrid sniffed loudly at that.
Harry, sensing the mood dipping, tried to change the subject. "So, Hagrid, what're your plans for the next class?"
Hagrid let out a heavy sigh, running a hand through his wild hair. "Truth be told, Harry, I ain't got the foggiest. Might just have ter do a lesson on flobberworms or summat—nothin' dangerous, not after all the fuss. Not sure the kids'll be thrilled, mind you."
Neville pulled a face. "Er, flobberworms, Hagrid? Why not start with something more interesting and cuter?"
Hermione nodded, encouraging. "Yes, Hagrid! There are loads of magical creatures that aren't dangerous."
Neville nodded, rattling off creatures without missing a beat. "Let's see—you could do mooncalves or puffskeins or nifflers, then there are bowtruckles, diricawls, jobberknolls, ashwinders, porlocks, billywigs, golden snidgets, demiguises, fwoopers, Cornish pixies, augureys… even phoenixes, really. If you like, I could lend you Lumina for a lesson—she'd absolutely love it, she's a right attention seeker. Though you'll have to bribe her with a few snacks, or she'll sulk. Or you could always ask Dumbledore to lend you Fawkes, if he's not busy saving the world."
Hagrid's face brightened at the list. "Yeh lot know yer creatures, don' yeh! Aye, that'd be a good start, I reckon." He got up and shuffled to the back of the hut.
Harry asked, "Where are you going, Hagrid?"
A moment later, Hagrid came back holding a book and a quill. "Would you lot help me come up with a lesson plan?"
Hermione nodded at once. "Of course, give me the parchment and quill, Hagrid—I'll write it down."
Neville, Hermione, and Harry settled around the table, helping Hagrid draft a new course schedule for each year over the next two days. They spent the rest of the evening working together,
…
Neville was brought out of his thoughts by the ring of the bell signalling the end of class.
Hestia, who had been leaning against her desk, nodded and glanced up at the clock. "Well done, Miss Davis," she said.
Tracy Davis, who was still at the front from her demonstration, nodded and returned to her seat.
Neville closed his book, bent to pick up his bag from the floor, and slipped the book inside.
Hestia pushed herself off the desk and walked closer to the front row, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. "Well, today will be the last day I focus on last year's curriculum. You all have done well—some of you need a bit more practice. Starting next class, we'll be going over this year's curriculum."
Miss Jones had spent the past month filling in the gaps Lockhart had left behind last year. Dumbledore had covered as much as he could in two months after Lockhart lost his memories, but the man hadn't taught them anything at all before that. The burden had fallen on Miss Jones—she'd even run extra classes outside of the regular schedule just to get everyone caught up, usually on Fridays and Wednesdays for the third years.
In Neville's opinion, she was easily the best Defence professor they'd had so far. She knew how to keep the class focused without just cramming facts, and even the upper years agreed. She'd brought much-needed structure to a shaky subject.
But, Neville thought with a faint pang as he slung his bag over his shoulder, she wouldn't be here next year—Voldemort's curse would see to that.
Neville, Harry, and Hermione left the classroom together, turning down the corridor—only to almost bump straight into Malfoy and his usual crowd. Draco just sneered, muttering, "Watch it, Longbottom," before hurrying off without another word.
That was new—Malfoy had been avoiding Neville. He still tried to pick fights with Harry, but not when Neville was around. Neville suspected it wouldn't last.
Hermione frowned as they watched Draco walk away. "He's been awfully quiet this past month, hasn't he?"
Harry shook his head. "I still can't believe you had to save him, Neville."
Neville shrugged. "I'm not sure he can, either."
Hermione asked, "How long do you think it's going to last?"
Harry said, "Probably not that long."
They made their way up to Gryffindor Tower. Once inside, the common room was buzzing as usual. Oliver Wood was already there, pacing impatiently in full Quidditch gear. He spotted Harry and immediately started waving him over, tapping his watch with exaggerated urgency.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, alright—give me a sec." He made a beeline for the boys' staircase. "I'd better get changed before Wood comes over here and starts dragging me himself."
Hermione shook her head as Harry disappeared up the stairs. She and Neville found a quiet table by the window. Hermione dropped her bag with a sigh and started hauling out her books. "I've got a mountain of homework to get through. I can't believe how much the professors have set already."
Neville eyed the ever-growing pile of parchment. "Why don't you drop a few subjects? I mean, you're doing twice as many as the rest of us."
Hermione just gave him a look, half exasperated. "I've told you already, Neville—I want to learn as much as I can. Besides, I like having a full schedule."
Neville raised an eyebrow, not letting it go. "Huh huh. But why are you taking Muggle Studies? They haven't updated the syllabus since the 1800s. I'm telling you, it's a complete waste of time."
Hermione replied, "It's interesting to see how wizards think about the Muggle world. The differences in perspective are fascinating."
Neville gave her a deadpan look. "You know you have to write wrong answers in order to pass that subject."
Hermione blinked, momentarily thrown. "What do you mean?"
Neville leaned in, deadpan. "You literally have to answer questions wrong. Otherwise, they'll mark you down because it doesn't match what wizards 'believe' about Muggles."
Neville just shrugged. "Anyway, I think I'm going to drop Divination. It's not for me, and I could use the free time. Harry will drop it as well, you know. Maybe you should too."
Hermione glanced up in surprise. "You're dropping Divination?"
Neville nodded. "Yeah, I'll probably talk to McGonagall about it tomorrow."
Before Hermione could reply, Crookshanks sauntered over and hopped up onto the table, his ginger tail flicking as usual. Hermione frowned, spotting something odd attached to his collar. "What is that?"
Neville picked up Crookshanks and removed the little device he'd attached, giving the cat a treat and a quiet thank you.
Hermione leaned in, curiosity piqued. "Seriously, Neville—what is that?"
Neville shook his head, taking his wand out. "Just watch."
He enlarged it, and it transformed into a thin, leather-bound notebook, more like a journal.
Hermione's eyebrows rose. "Is that a… journal?"
Neville flipped it open. There were only two thick pages, both sides empty. He tapped the crease between the two pages with his wand. As soon as he lifted the wand, ink began to appear on the paper, morphing into a 3D map of the Gryffindor common room.
Neville zoomed out—the map was only partly complete. Most of the castle was just empty space, dotted with overlapping names in blank areas.
"It's a map," Hermione said, eyes flicking between Neville and the animated parchment. "Is this what you've been working on all month?"
Neville nodded. "Yeap. Well, trying to. It only shows the Gryffindor tower so far. Mapping the inside of the castle's a nightmare. Has to be done manually."
Hermione squinted at the map, then at Crookshanks. "So you've been sending Crookshanks out with this—so he can help you map the castle?"
Neville nodded, a little sheepish. "Yeah, it's easier that way, and it saves me time. In return, I give him some treats. Looks like he managed the Gryffindor tower and the clocktower today."
Hermione leaned in, eyes going wide. "Wait, it's showing people. Look—the little names, they're moving!"
Neville smiled, a hint of pride in his voice. "Yeah, it tracks where people are in real time. See there—" He pointed to a staircase on the map, where a small dot labeled "Harry" was descending. "That's Harry, coming down now."
They glanced up just in time to see Harry appear on the real staircase, decked out in full Quidditch gear with his broom slung over his shoulder.
Harry jogged over to the table, raising an eyebrow at them both. "Alright, what'd I miss?"
Hermione grinned, nudging the map toward him. "It's a map of Hogwarts. It's what Neville's been working on for the past month."
Harry leaned over, eyes widening as he saw the moving names. "Wait—why are they moving? Is that… us?"
Hermione nodded. "It shows where everyone is, in real time."
Harry blinked, a little awed. "That's brilliant, mate." He leaned in for a closer look. "But why's it only showing part of the tower?"
Neville said, "It's still a prototype. I still haven't mapped out the entire castle yet—it needs to be done manually. I've asked Crookshanks to help me map out the castle."
He added, "And I'm still not done with the map yet. I still want to add a few more features—like searching by name, and maybe showing the shortest route to your destination."
Hermione took the book, her face alight with excitement. "How did you make this? Is it rune-based? How does it update people's locations? Is it similar to the Human-presence-revealing Spell? How does the map update itself—do you just have to walk around and it maps the path itself, or…?"
Harry chuckled and clapped Neville on the shoulder. "Have fun explaining how it works to Hermione, mate. I'm off." He gave them a lopsided grin before heading off to join Oliver Wood.
Hermione didn't even notice him go—she was already firing off her next question, quill poised, eyes alight with curiosity. Neville just laughed, resigned,
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