Work Text
Prologue
Neve wandered around the various stands, a little bored. She was in Brighton for the summer holidays and though she loved the town, today she was feeling a little restless. It was because she had wanted to go to the beach that day but unfortunately the weather hadn't cooperated. All day big, dark, clouds foretold rain but, at least for now, not a drop had fallen.She stopped in front of a stand that sold antique jewels. She was looking for a pair of earrings and she hoped she would find something pretty that wouldn't cost too much. Unfortunately, most of these things looked garish and for old people.She was just about to move on when a golden brooch in the shape of a lion head caught her eye. It was small, probably three centimetres in height and two in width, with two small rubies for eyes.Neve knew it was stupid but the first thing that came to her mind was the gryffindor coat-of-arms. Like most sixteen years old, she had grown up with the Harry Potter books on her nightstand and she wasn't ashamed to say that, though she was a little old for it, she was still very obsessed with it.She checked the price for the brooch and smiled when she saw that it was only fifteen pounds. She immediately paid for it and attached it to her t-shirt proudly.The rest of the day was spent uneventfully. Not even half an hour after she and her grandmother had left the flea market, it had started to rain so they had returned to the hotel they were staying. Her grandmother was tired anyway, having spent more than four hours on her feet.Her grandmother Augusta – yes, like Neville Longbottom's grandmother – was 75 but very energetic. Neve lived with her since she was 10 because her parents had died in a plane crash.Now that Neve thought about it, she and Neville had a few things in common. Both orphans, both living with her grandmother, both chubby, blonde kids – well, at least when she was a child she had been chubby, now she looked rather good if she said so herself – with a round face, both a little buck toothed (just a little for her, enough that it looked cute and not ugly) and of course, short. Also, she liked gardening so she supposed she had that in common with Neville as well.Neve shook her head. She was getting too old to still be this obsessed with Harry Potter. And thinking that, when she had turned eleven she had so desperately wanted for the letter to arrive. She laughed to herself and rolled her eyes at her naiveté.It kept on raining heavily the rest of the day so she and her mother remained in their hotel room, watching movie after movie.When it was time to go to bed, Neve changed into her nightgown and attached the brooch to it as well.She was soon fast asleep so she didn't notice when, at exactly midnight, the eyes of the lion started to glow.
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Interlude
Sunlight filtered through her closed eyelids, red and orange filling her vision. Neve moaned and turned away, her head hiding under her pillow.There was someone calling her name, a squeaky, high-pitched voice. "Miss Neve! Miss Neve!""Huh…just another minute." Neve grumbled. Her voice sounded weird, younger."Miss Neve needs to wake up. Mistress wants her to join her for breakfast and young miss is already late.""What?" Neve asked, confused. Who was that? And why were they calling her 'Miss'?Neve opened her eyes and found two round, huge eyes staring at her.Neve screamed and scrambled from the bed in a mess of sheets and duvets. Her behind hit the floor hard and she moaned. Her eyes had closed on instinct and when she opened them again, she found herself eye to eye with the same creature that had woken her up.It was small, with thin arms and legs, an oversized head and those same eyes, as big as golf balls. A house-elf. There was a house elf in her room.Except that, now that she noticed, that wasn't her room at all. Not the hotel room she had fallen asleep in last night, not the one at her grandmother's house and not even the one she used to sleep in when her parents were still alive.This room was enormous. It looked like one of those rooms you would see in a museum, with a king-sized canopy bed, and furniture that looked at least a century old, if not more, with a small sitting area with armchairs and a three-seater sofa and a fireplace. There were bookcases as high as the ceiling, covering an entire wall and a writing desk with quill and ink and parchment rolls strewn all over its surface that seemed it had just appeared out of a Jane Austen's novel. She could see the en-suite bathroom from the door left ajar, the marble facilities so white they shined, with a bathtub that it could probably fit five people comfortably.Where the hell was she?"Miss? Miss?" The house-elf called – it was obviously a she. The tea towel she was wearing had a coat of arms painted on the front: a golden lion head eerily similar to her brooch, in a red background, with the words 'Noble Mien' underneath it."Who are you?" Neve asked, her voice a little too high. And once again, it sounded weird to her own ears. Neve stood up on shaky legs and shuffled away from the creature. She put her hands in front of her, as if to shield herself from it and noticed how small they looked. And why was the ground so close? Had she become shorter during the night?The creature – it wasn't possible she was a house elf, right? – twisted her hands in distress and said, "I is Milly, Miss. Miss don't remember? Miss doesn't recognize Milly?""Where's my grandmother?" Neve asked, ignoring the creature's words.Milly looked a little relieved that, at least, Neve seemed to know who her grandmother was. "Milly will call Mistress. Milly will be right back." And with that, Milly disappeared in front of her eyes with a pop.Neve widened her eyes in disbelief. That didn't just happen. She did not just see a house elf disappear in front of her eyes."Okay, I must still be dreaming. That is the only logical explanation." Neve said to herself. "So now, all I have to do is wake up." Neve looked at her chubby arm – the same arm she used to have when she was little – and pinched it with strength.Nothing happened except that now her arm really hurt.Neve felt her breathing accelerating in her chest and realized that she was having a panic attack."Okay, calm down. Calm down." Neve looked at the bathroom then and sighed, deciding that she needed to see for herself if she really looked like a child again.She slowly put one foot in front of the other until she was standing in front of a big mirror in the bathroom. And, like she feared, she looked like she did when she was a child. She looked about ten, in fact. And god, but was she plump. Luckily, she had grown out of it when she had reached twelve years old, mostly thanks to ballet. She had started when she was 10 and stopped when she was 14 because she had grown too curvy to be a classical ballerina. Still, ballet had taught her elegance and poise and had helped shaped her body in the right way. After that, she had joined a gym to keep herself in shape though she hadn't tried to join any sports club at school except for swimming which she loved."Neve!" Neve recognized immediately her grandmother's voice and she breathed a sigh of relief. At least her grandmother was still here. She would tell Neve what the hell was going on.Neve left the bathroom and joined her grandmother and Milly(?) in the bedroom. She stopped in her tracks though when she looked at her grandmother.Her grandma looked different. She looked the same physically but it was her demeanor and the way she was dressed that was different. She was wearing some kind of dark purple robe over a long dress that looked like it could belong to the regency era. Her hair was collected in a tight chignon. She was also much thinner than she remembered and taller as well.But the most incredible thing was the fact that her grandmother was holding what Neve was pretty sure was a wand."Grandma? What is going on?" Neve asked uncertainly."What do you mean?" Her grandmother asked her, confused. "And since when do you call me grandma?"Neve frowned in confusion. Since always? "Where are we? And why are you dressed like that and why are you holding a stick? And what about that?" She pointed to Milly. "Is this some kind of role play I didn't know we were supposed to participate in?"Her grandmother looked confused.Neve realized all of a sudden, another big difference in her grandmother's appearance. It was her eyes. Her grandmother's eyes were always warm and kind but this woman…this woman's eyes were stern and cold."First, this is not a stick. You know very well this is my wand. And that is your house elf. You've known her since you were one. And what is a role play? What is wrong with you? Did you bang your head against the headboard this morning? It wouldn't be the first time."Neve widened her eyes. This wasn't possible. All of this wasn't possible. House elves? Wands? But she had seen Milly disappear in front of her eyes. And she looked like a child. Was it possible that…that somehow she was…in the Harry Potter world?She looked at her nightgown and she finally noticed the fact that she was still wearing the brooch on her chest. Was it because of that? Was the brooch…magical somehow? She felt dumb just thinking about it but…what other explanation was there?"Grandma…" At her grandmother's raised eyebrow, she tried again, "Grandmother?""Yes, Neve?""What day is it today?""It's your birthday. The 30th of July.""Yes but…of what year?"Her grandmother frowned. "It's 1990. Are you sure you're okay? Maybe we should call a mediwizard to see you."A mediwizard. Oh god. She was really in Harry Potter's world."No, no mediwizard. Please. But, please, can you tell me…where are we?""Our home, Neve. The Longbottom Manor.""The Longbottom…? And what is my name?""Neve Longbottom.""Oh god. No, no, this is not possible. This is not possible." She started to hyperventilate, unable to breath properly. Soon, black spots appeared in her vision and she started to sway on her feet. Her grandmother looked worried now and she leaned to catch her when she saw Neve about to fall.The last thing Neve saw before losing consciousness was her grandmother and Milly's worried faces looking at her.It took hours for Neve to regain consciousness but in the meantime, she dreamed. She dreamed of a life she had never dreamed, of tutoring in magical theory and living at the manor and of Milly taking care of her since she was a baby and of a great-uncle who had let her fall out of a window because he was trying to disprove that she was a squib. In reality Neve had manifested accidental magic since she was a toddler. In fact, she remembered very well an instance when she had adjusted the blankets that had covered her with just her mind. There were other, numerous instances throughout the years that somehow, her relatives always seemed to miss. Her grandmother was a stern woman who was often harsh to her and disappointed that she wasn't more like her father. It was the reason why the Neve she saw in these memories that weren't hers was shy and awkward and withdrawn.When she finally opened her eyes, Neve had two set of memories in her mind. In one she was just Neve, a normal girl of sixteen who had lost her parents in a plane crash and that lived with her grandmother since she was 10, who loved reading the Harry Potter books and to swim. In the other she was Neve Longbottom, daughter of Alice and Frank Longbottom who lived with her grandmother Augusta Longbottom because her parents had been tortured to insanity by death eaters. And this Neve Longbottom was ten, a year away from starting school at Hogwarts.When Neve opened her eyes, she knew she had somehow taken over Neville Longbottom's life. She didn't know how or even why but she knew one thing. Thanks to the memories of the Harry Potter books, she could change the fate of many of her favourite characters who had died in the books. But to do that, she needed to be the best witch she could be. No more shy, awkward, insecure Neve. She was going to be the best version of herself.
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Chapter 1
31
st
July 1991
It had been exactly one year and one day since she had somehow woken up as Neve Longbottom. And it had been a fruitful year. She had convinced her grandmother that she wanted to learn ballet – that had definitely help with her natural clumsiness – and she had also started to swim every day in the lake near the manor, even during the winter (thank you warming charms!) and she had taken to run every morning as well. Though she was still a little chubby, she was much more in shape and she knew that, in one year at the most, she would lose all the fat in excess. Vanity wasn't the only reason she was keeping herself in shape though. Actually, it was mostly because she knew that being quick and having stamina could make the difference between life and death against death eaters.And talking about magic, she had made great progress in that sense. Not only she was devouring book after book (mostly introductory books though, nothing too complicated for now, at least until she would start at Hogwarts) in the areas that most interested her and that she knew would be useful in the future: potions, defence against the dark arts, transfiguration, charms, herbology and even a little of ancient runes though she knew that she wouldn't start this subject until her third year. But she had also practiced a little in wandless magic. Just little things like lighting a candle with her mind or summoning a small ball of light or opening locked doors or moving small objects with her mind, nothing that she could really use in a duel, but she was proud of herself nonetheless.Of course, her grandmother didn't see it that way. In reality Augusta Longbottom had no idea what she was capable of. The problem was that what her tutor taught her was mostly stuff that she didn't care about like History of Magic or etiquette or, sometimes, things that she had already learnt from books that explained things much better than her old tutor could. She was often caught dozing off because of his tremendously monotonous voice. That translated in a tutor that often went complaining to her grandmother that she was an awful student with no particular talent.Not only was her grandmother ready to believe it because nothing that Neve did seemed to be good enough but Neve's new-found self-confidence seemed to irritate her grandmother even more, considering it cheekiness mixed with youthful rebellion. Everything that Neve did was compared to her father. It was always: 'Frank would have never done that' or 'If only you were more like your father'.The truth was that Neve was resigned to the fact that she would never gain her grandmother's respect or esteem because the problem wasn't what Neve was but the fact that she wasn't Frank, her beloved son.Oh, it hurt, especially because from her perspective, her kind, warm grandmother had been replaced overnight with someone completely different. It felt like her real grandmother was dead and she couldn't even mourn her.But, like her parents had taught her – not Alice and Frank, her other parents – it wouldn't do to obsess over things you couldn't change. Instead, she needed to focus on those she could, trying to improve them as best she could. And some of those things were of course, her magical studies. It didn't matter that her grandmother didn't see her talent in it because she knew that she could be great at it.Neve shook her head. Her complicated relationship with her grandmother didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was that today was the day Harry Potter would visit Diagon Alley for the very first time with Hagrid and she planned to be there as well.Her own Hogwarts' letter came two weeks ago and still, her grandmother had put off the moment when they would go to buy her school supplies. Not that Neve was particularly upset about that because it coincided with her own plans about it. Still, her grandmother was being childish.The reason why her grandmother had, until now, refused to go with her to Diagon had – surprise, surprise – to do with her father.In fact, her grandmother wanted her to have her father's old wand. When she had refused, stating that she deserved her own wand, her grandmother had gone very silent, – her grandmother never screamed when she got angry – she had looked at Neve with an icy glare and then left the room without another word. Two weeks and they still hadn't spoken a word to each other. She hadn't even acknowledged Neve's birthday.Granted, Neve hadn't been exactly gentle in her refusal, words like: "I'm not my father. Stop trying turning me into him," and "I'm tired of never measuring up to your precious son," had left her mouth in a fit of anger but, to be honest, she didn't really regret them. It was something that she had kept inside for a long time and, well her grandmother needed to hear it. Not that Neve was naïve enough to believe that it was going to make much of a difference but, at least, she had said them.Now, finally, after days of complete silence, her grandmother had finally relented. Or at least, she thought so until she heard her grandmother saying at breakfast, "Milly will accompany you to Diagon Alley today. I have other things to do today."Neve lowered her eyes to her plate of eggs and bacon to hide the hurt in her eyes. "More important than coming with me to buy the supplies I need for Hogwarts?"Her grandmother didn't answer, instead all she said was, "I don't need to be there. Milly will help you carry the bags.""It's not about needing you. It's about the fact that I want you to be there.""I have another engagement today." Augusta said coldly.Neve nodded, feeling bitter and hating it, and hating the fact that, once again, she had gotten her hopes up and had ended up being disappointed."Very well." Neve exclaimed in the end, voice neutral. "Can I be excused? I need to get ready."Augusta nodded and Neve left the dining room. Half an hour later she was ready, wearing muggle clothes – a t-shirt covered by a jean jacket, high-waisted jeans torn at the knees and trainers – because she knew her grandmother hated them, especially the jeans, ('They aren't proper clothing for a young lady of your station.'). Her grandmother may be against Voldemort and his death eaters and also very pro light magic but that didn't mean that she was happy when her granddaughter behaved like a common muggle. She was very old-fashioned in that sense. Neve wouldn't be surprised if she was already trying to arrange her marriage – not that she had any intention of bowing down to her grandmother's wishes in that sense. Augusta was the kind of person who expected Neve to remain a virgin until her wedding day. Fortunately for her, the wizarding world – though rather behind in some areas – wasn't still stuck in the regency era when it came to sex. Nobody – except her grandmother it seemed – expected a woman to remain a virgin until her wedding night.Neve, for her part, had no intention of waiting long to have sex – three years at the most. After all, she had lost her virginity once already – she was 15 – and truth to be told, she missed sex. Sure, her body was just now starting to go through puberty so it wasn't like she felt the urge to have sex yet, but her mind knew what she was missing all the same. Not that she had any intention of having sex with just a random someone. No, she was going to choose very carefully who would be her (once-again) first."Miss Neve!" Milly's voice brought her back to the present. Neve was getting a little annoyed by her house-elf's habit to pop into her room whenever she wanted. Still, she felt too attached to the elf to berate her for it."Yes Milly?""We should go, Miss Neve, or we are going to be late." Another annoying quality? Milly always worried too much. Still, it was already midmorning, they should probably go.Neve nodded to the elf, grabbed her small bag, – a bottomless one with a featherlight charm – the key to her trust vault at Gringotts and followed Milly downstairs to the studio. Milly popped out of the Manor while Neve used the floo powder to reach the Leaky Cauldron.She asked Tom the bartender to open the entrance to Diagon Alley and smiled as soon as she saw the busy magical street in front of her eyes. Technically it wasn't the first time Neve saw Diagon Alley but the Harry Potter fan still in her, the one who had never imagined she would ever see it with her own eyes, was always captivated by the sight of it, part of her unable to believe she was really here, in this world of magic and possibilities beyond her wildest imagination.Neve shook her head and started to walk – Milly at her side – towards Gringotts. After showing her key at the goblin at the desk – Gornuk – she was escorted to her vault. The cart ride was as nauseating as ever – she suffered from motion sickness, that probably meant that Quidditch was out of the question for her – but she managed not throw up, just barely. She filled her bag with galleons and was forced to return to the cart. Unfortunately, of Harry Potter, there was no trace. She hoped she could meet him today though she knew she would meet him on the Hogwarts express if worse came to worse.After Gringotts the first stop was a trunk shop where she bought a three-compartment trunk because why not? It was rather expensive but she knew that it was going to be very useful. One compartment was for her Hogwarts equipment, her clothes and uniforms etc, the other was a sort of small library (she planned on buying a lot of books) and the third was a portable potions' lab.Then it was the turn of Madam Malkins for the Hogwarts uniform. It was a plain black robe that could be left open or close with underneath the typical boarding school outfit – white blouse, black pullover for the winter and black jacket for the summer, black tie (for now – she knew that it would change colour after the sorting) and black skirt that reached just above the knees. After paying for three of them, (like the list said), for a pair of dragonhide gloves and a pointed hat – though nobody used the hat except for during the opening feast and the end-of-the-year feast – she left the shop and went to Amanuensis Quills for quills, ink and parchment, Milly carrying her bags all the while.Her next stop was then the apothecary where she bought the potions ingredients she would need during the year and some other extras that she knew she would need for the potions she intended to try on her free time. Then she went to Wiseacre's Wizarding Equipment for the telescope, the crystal phials for potions, the brass scales, a compass, a start chart and a moon chart for Astronomy (they weren't on the list but she figured they could be useful anyway).Then she went to Potage's Cauldron Shop where she bought a pewter cauldron, size 2 like the list said and then, finally, she went to Flourish and Blotts for the books she needed.She asked at the desk for the list of books for the first-year students and then she started to browse through the various shelves, picking up those books that caught her fancy. She bought Hogwarts: a History, the encyclopedia of magical plants, a beginner's manual for potion-making that explained all those things that she knew Snape wouldn't bother explain, an in-depth introduction to ancient runes, some interesting books on charms, transfiguration and defense against the dark arts that maybe were a little too advanced for her but whatever, and an introductory book on occlumency.She was just about to pay for all her books when she noticed a small boy with messy, dark hair, glasses and clothes too big for him, browsing a defense book. Neve smiled to herself. Harry Potter, finally.Neve felt her heart beating fast in her chest and didn't exactly know how to proceed but she figured she was going to be bold."Hum, excuse me?" She said to the small boy in a whisper.Harry jumped and the book he was holding fell from his hands. Then he widened his eyes at seeing Milly next to her."Sorry but…what is that?" He whispered to her, not wanting to offend Milly."Oh, that's Milly. She's my house-elf."Harry nodded but appeared a little confused."I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Neve apologized then, feeling bad. She leaned to pick up the book Harry had dropped and gave it back to him. "Here. Sorry about that."Harry smiled at her, taking the book. "No, it's okay.""I'm sorry, I wouldn't mean to make you uncomfortable but, are you by chance, Harry Potter?" Neve asked in a whisper.Harry blushed and stammered. "Oh, hum, yes, I am."Neve smiled a brilliant smile at him. "Ah, I knew it. You look so much like your dad."Harry widened his eyes at her. "You knew my dad?" He asked but then seemed to think better of it because he realized Neve was just too young to having met his parents.Neve laughed. "Well, no. But I saw a few pictures of your parents. My parents were at their wedding, you see."Harry widened his eyes again. "Really?" He looked uncertain for a moment, obviously wanting to ask her something but unsure if he should.Neve understood immediately what it was that he wanted to ask her. "Would you like to see them? I can bring them at Hogwarts if you want. I'll start my first year as well.""Oh, that would be great." Harry said. "Thank you…""Oh, sorry. How rude of me. I'm Neve. Neve Longbottom." She extended her hand for him to shake."Nice to meet you Neve."They smiled at each other but the moment was interrupted by a booming voice. "All right there 'arry?"Neve raised her eyes and then raised them some more at the huge man who had just entered her line of vision. It was obviously Hagrid."Yeah." Harry answered. "I just met someone who is going to start Hogwarts this year, same as me.""Ah." Hagrid smiled. "I'm Rubeus Hagrid." He introduced himself. "Keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts."Neve smiled at the huge man. "I'm Neve. Neve Longbottom. Nice to meet you Mr. Hagrid.""Oh no, just Hagrid." Then he registered her name. "You're Frank and Alice's kid?" A look of compassion crossed his face but fortunately he didn't add anything to that like 'I'm sorry for what happened to them' or something."Yeah, that's me.""Where's your grandmother?""Oh, she…she had something to do, something important. So, she sent me here with my house-elf." Neve shrugged uncomfortably and Hagrid got the hint because he didn't inquire further.Harry looked a little confused at the exchange but didn't ask any questions.Hagrid clapped his hands once, startling both her and Harry and said, "Well, Harry? Got everything you need?""I think so.""Great. Then we can go pay for them. You finished, Neve?""Yeah, I did."Together the three of them made the way to the counter where first Harry and then Neve paid for their respective books."Have you got your wand yet?" Hagrid asked her."No, not yet.""Then we should all go to Ollivanders. There's no one better than him where to buy wands.""Sure." Neve said, smiling at Harry.Harry smiled back shily but also a little excitedly. And who could blame him? She could barely believe she was going to buy her first wand. She couldn't wait.Together they made their way towards Ollivanders. Like the Harry Potter books described, it was a small, rather dingy shop, with shelves from floor to ceiling that filled the place completely.Neve felt a shiver going down her spine as soon as she crossed the threshold."Good afternoon." A soft voice said. Neve and Harry jumped a little. Hagrid must have jumped, too, because there was a loud crunching noise and he got quickly off the spindly chair he had sat on as soon as he had entered the shop.
An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.
"Hello," said Harry awkwardly. Neve echoed him immediately, feeling strangely intimidated by the man's pale eyes."Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes. It seems only yesterday she was in here herself, buying her first wand. Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work." Mr. Ollivander moved closer to Harry. "Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. Well, I say your father favoured it — it's really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course."
Mr. Ollivander had come so close that he and Harry were almost nose to nose. "And that's where . . ." Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry's forehead with a long, white finger. "I'm sorry to say I sold the wand that did it," he said softly. "Thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Powerful wand, very powerful, and in the wrong hands . . . well, if I'd known what that wand was going out into the world to do. . . ."
Neve smiled a little at the scene, exactly like it was described in the book. Then she jumped again when Ollivander's gaze turned towards her. "And you. Ah, yes, Neve Longbottom. You look a lot like your mother. Cherry, ten inches. Good for defensive spells. While your father's…well, you still have it, don't you?""Yes, sir." Neve said, feeling a pang at the memory of her grandmother's behaviour.Then Ollivander's attention turned towards Hagrid."Rubeus! Rubeus Hagrid! How nice to see you again. . . . Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn't it?""It was, sir, yes," said Hagrid."Good wand, that one. But I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled?" said Mr. Ollivander, suddenly stern."Er — yes, they did, yes," said Hagrid, shuffling his feet. "I've still got the pieces, though," he added brightly."But you don't use them?" said Mr. Ollivander sharply."Oh, no, sir," said Hagrid quickly."Hmmm," said Mr. Ollivander, giving Hagrid a piercing look."Well now – Mr. Potter, Miss Longbottom. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?""Er — well, I'm right-handed," said Harry."I'm left-handed, sir." Neve answered.First, he measured Harry, from shoulder to finger, then wrist to elbow, shoulder to floor, knee to armpit and round his head. Then he did the same with Neve.As he measured them, he said, "Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance. We use unicorn hairs, phoenix tail feathers, and the heartstrings of dragons. No two Ollivander wands are the same, just as no two unicorns, dragons, or phoenixes are quite the same. And of course, you will never get such good results with another wizard's wand."Once again Neve felt anger at her grandmother's behaviour but tried to ignore it, now wasn't the time."We'll start with you first, Miss Longbottom." Ollivander said. Neve nodded.Ollivander handed her a wand, 'thirteen inches, maple, unicorn hair'. Neve took it and a glass vial in the shop exploded. Neve immediately gave it back to Ollivander."Definitely not." Ollivander said and gave her another to try. Wand after wand she tried until…"Try this. Cherry, like your mother's, but with a phoenix feather core. Ten and a half inches. Flexible."Neve took it and felt a warmth sensation filling her entire being. The tip released red and gold sparks and Neve smiled. It felt like she had just been reunited with a part of her that she didn't know had been missing."Ah, perfect. Yes, yes. The phoenix feather is a rather rare core wand, powerful and suitable for a wide range of magic. The cherry wood on the other hand is particularly suited for charms and healing magic in particular. A very good choice."Neve smiled and paid him the seven galleons she owned him, adding a wand holster as well for good measure – five galleons for that.Then it was Harry's turn. Like the books described, it took a long time for Harry to find the wand that best suited him until the holly and phoenix feather wand was handed to him."Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well . . . how curious . . . how very curious . . ." He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it in brown paper, still muttering, "Curious . . . curious . . .""Sorry," said Harry, "but what's curious?"
Mr. Ollivander fixed Harry with his pale stare. "I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather — just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother — why, its brother gave you that scar."
Neve saw Harry visibly swallow at Ollivander's words."Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember. . . . I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter. . . . After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things — terrible, yes, but great."After that, Harry paid for his wand as well – he bought a wand holster as well, following her example – and then they left the shop."Well," Neve said, "I still have to go to the pet shop. I guess I'll see you at Hogwarts?"Harry smiled at her and nodded but he seemed distracted. Neve couldn't blame him."Do you mind if we write to each other?" Neve asked then on impulse.Harry smiled brilliantly at her. "Sure." Then he frowned a little. "If the Dursleys let me…"Neve frowned as well and said, "I'll try to send you letters only at night, okay?"Harry nodded and smiled at her again. He really was so very kind. After that, they said goodbye to each other and then Neve entered Magical Menagerie to buy herself a cat. She had no intention of buying a toad like Neville in the books and she figured if she needed to send letters, there were both owls at the Manor and at Hogwarts. And really, she had always wanted a cat, if her grandmother wasn't okay with it, well, too bad.She ended up buying a short-haired, orange tabby cat with blue eyes. It was still a kitty and it was absolutely adorable. She ended up naming it Leo, as in lion, because he looked liked a little lion.After that, it was time for her to return home. She left Diagon Alley in high spirits, her bad mood because of her grandmother almost forgotten. After all, how could she remain upset if she would be off to Hogwarts in a month? She couldn't wait.
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Chapter 2
15th August 1991
Dear Harry
Two weeks until we’re off to Hogwarts. I really can’t wait and I imagine the anticipation is even worse for you. I hope I’m not being too presumptuous but I bought you a present for your birthday – I know, I’m late, but I wanted to buy you something that you would both like and find useful at the same time and I couldn’t decide what to buy so I ended up buying more than one thing. Hopefully you won’t mind.
I bet you saw Artemis carrying a pouch with her beside the letter. That’s part of your present. It’s a Mokeskin pouch and it’s enchanted with an extension charm to be much bigger on the inside than on the outside and a featherlight charm, therefore, no matter what you put inside, it will always be very light to carry.
If you check inside the pouch, you will find 5 different sets of everyday robes – one red, one green, one black, one grey and one golden brown – charmed to fit your size and for eventual growth spurts, and with some additional charms as well – anti-rip, anti-stain, rainproof, and embedded with some protective charms against common curses and hexes (not the Unforgivables though). They’re made of acromantula silk, and they’re also charmed to stay warm in autumn and winter and cool in spring and summer. Also, some pair of trousers and a few t-shirts and pullovers in the muggle style – they sell them in Diagon, so they’re charmed as well. And a pair of dragonhide boots – once again, they are charmed to fit you and to adjust its size as you grow.
Forgive me for saying this, but I noticed your clothes in Diagon and from what you told me, you haven’t bought any other clothes beside your school robes so I figured you would need some casual clothes to wear outside classes. I hope you won’t get offended or embarrassed, that is not my intention. You will realize that I’m rather fixated on fashion and your clothes were an insult to my eyes.
That’s not all though. You will also find a box set of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion that will last you for the entire school year. It’s a potion that your grandfather, Fleamont Potter, invented. It’s a hair care potion particularly suited to tame unruly hair. Once again, I hope you won’t feel insulted, but I noticed your hair seem to defy gravity. You don’t have to use it, of course, if you don’t want to. But I figured, maybe you wanted some way to tame your hair but you didn’t find any yet. Well, this potion will work wonders, trust me. My hair tends to get frizzy as soon as there’s the slightest humidity in the air and this potion is the only one that works to keep them styled in soft waves instead of messy curls.
Inside the pouch you will also find a gift card for a magical optometrist in Diagon Alley and a mail order catalogue for the different pair of glasses they have in their shop. They are all charmed to repel water, with unbreakable, anti-fog lens and to adjust to your eyesight and they also come with a sticking charm so, once you put them on, they will only come off if you take them off.
Moreover, you will also find some books that I figured you will find useful, especially because you grew up with muggles and I can imagine you have many questions. There’s six in total: one is titled ‘The Muggleborn Guide to the Wizarding World’, a very useful tome written specifically for muggleborn – or for children who didn’t know anything about the wizarding world before receiving their letter like you – and that answers the most common questions. It describes our political and judiciary system, the subjects taught at Hogwarts and the eventual job opportunities once graduating from school, the modes of transportation, the more common laws etc.
The second is titled Hogwarts: A History which, like the title says, describes in detail the history of the school. There’s lots of interesting tidbits inside, about the Founders, the charms that have been used on the castle, the system of the four Houses. I hope you’ll find it useful.
The third and fourth are history books about the recent history of our world, ‘The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts’ and ‘Modern Magical History’. It covers what they think happened with you and Voldemort that Halloween night as well – and the entire war against Voldemort and his rise to power – though it’s all speculation of course, nobody really knows what happened for sure, so take everything with a grain of salt, especially the first book, it is rather biased.
The fifth is an introductory Potions book that I bought as well. Professor Snape – our future Potions Teacher and Head of Slytherin House – is very strict and he will expect us to know these things before his first class so I hope you will do your best to come prepared. You wouldn’t want to get on his bad side, right? And really, Potions is very interesting. There are so many things you can do with them. I especially love how many healing potions there are. They can cure almost anything. I can’t wait to learn them all. Also, I heard your mother was very gifted at both Potions and Charms. And your grandfather was a respected potioneer who invented numerous potions, the one I mentioned earlier among them. I bet you would do very well in Potions if you only make an effort.
The sixth and final book is probably the one you will find most interesting. It’s titled ‘Quidditch Through the Ages’. It’s a book that describes our national sport, Quidditch, its rules, its history and how it changed through time. It’s played on racing brooms – like the new Nimbus you probably saw on display in Diagon Alley. I know that your father used to be in the Quidditch Team of his house at Hogwarts and he was really good too. Maybe you took after him. I know that we’ll learn how to fly in our first year so we’ll see, right? Too bad first years aren’t allowed their own brooms, let alone be a part of the Quidditch team.
Finally, the last thing on the pouch is a framed photo of your parents in their Seventh Year at school (the glass of the frame is spelled to be unbreakable as well, by the way). I found it among photos of my own parents at school. My mom and yours were great friends. My mom is also your godmother technically. We could have grown together if things had been different. I have others of your parents as well, together with my parents, and all their friends, but this photo is the only one I could find when there’s just the two of them. I hope you’ll like it.
I know they’re many gifts for one single birthday, but see it as a way to make up for all the other birthdays I missed – if you had grown up in the magical world with your parents and I with mine, I would have attended every single one of your birthdays and I would have brought a gift every time. I love making gifts even more that I love receiving them, so don’t even think about saying that they’re too much. I don’t want to be crass but I can very well afford it, so don’t worry about it. As long as you like them, I will be perfectly happy. Just please, don’t think too badly of me for my officiousness.
Oh, I almost forgot. The Leaky Cauldron does mail order meals service in case you’re interested. I left you a card as well and their menu. The boxes are kept warm with a spell so it will be like eating in the pub. They also sell butterbeer. I bet you never tried it. You should totally try it, it’s delicious and it keeps you warm in the winter, I love it. Or maybe pumpkin juice is better now, since it’s summer. That’s a great beverage as well in our world, very popular.
Well, I have to leave you now. I hope the rest of your summer will be tolerable at least, if it can’t be fun or enjoyable. I hope you’ll be able to spend the Christmas holidays at my house and perhaps next summer as well. My grandmother is strict but she liked your parents. I’m sure she would approve of you and I being friends and of you spending time at my house. In the meantime, I guess I’ll see you at Hogwarts.
With love,
Neve
26th August 1991
Dear Neve
I can’t believe that you would do this for me. It’s too much. I love them all. I don’t know how to thank you. Beside Hagrid, you’re the first person who’s acknowledged my birthday. I received more birthday gifts this year than all the other years of my life combined.
I love the robes and the clothes. I never had clothes that fit me so well, and they’re so soft. And the glasses…I can’t believe the difference it makes to wear glasses fit to my eyesight. The pair of glasses I’ve been wearing before were probably with the wrong prescription since I haven’t changed them since I was six and my eyesight has only gotten worse during the years. Now I can see perfectly and I don’t get headaches as often. Thank you so much, really.
Even reading has become less tiring. I was never a great reader, but maybe that was because I never had much time because of all the chores the Dursleys give me to do. Luckily, they’ve left me alone for the most part so I had much more time to read.
There’s so much I don’t know and so much I want to learn and the books you gave me are so informative, especially the one written for muggleborns and Hogwarts: A History. It all sounds absolutely amazing and I can’t wait to go to Hogwarts even more now. Do you think I’ll end up in Gryffindor like my parents? I hope so. I just hope I won’t end up in Slytherin. Voldemort was in Slytherin, you know? And Quidditch…oh, I hope I’ll be good at flying like my dad because Quidditch sounds wonderful and so much fun. At least, I want to learn to fly. Flying on brooms, I never thought such a thing was possible. I can’t wait to try it out.
The history books you gave me are rather interesting and they did answer some questions I had about Voldemort and the war – Hagrid tried to explain it to me but he was very vague about it – but the information they have about me are completely wrong. I wonder how much truth there is in what they said happened the night my parents were killed. I wish I could find out what really happened but who would know? The only one who would probably know is Voldemort and I don’t think he would be very willing to tell me, right? And that’s even if he knows and understands what happened. The killing curse is supposed to be impossible to stop. How did I survive then? And, if Hagrid is right, how did he survive it as well when it rebounded unto him? This is so confusing. I don’t understand it at all.
About the Potion book you gave me, it’s much better than the one we have as a textbook and it explains things so much better. I didn’t finish it yet but the parts I read are explained very well. I hope I won’t be completely hopeless at it because it sounds rather interesting. Difficult though. All the things you have to be careful about, the fact that you have to be careful in preparing the ingredients because otherwise it will change their properties and the final result will be different to what its supposed to be. I don’t know if I can be that patient and precise. Still, I thank you for the book nonetheless. It’s being very useful all the same.
Thank you especially about the photo of my parents though. I’ve never had one of them before. They look so young and handsome and happy. It means so much to me to have it, I don’t even have words. I’m so grateful I’ve bumped into you in Diagon Alley. This is the best birthday I’ve ever had. Thank you again and I really hope we’ll be sorted in the same House at school – especially if that House is Gryffindor (your parents were gryffindors as well, right?).
I’ll see you on September 1st on the Hogwarts Express and thank you for explaining where the platform 9 ¾ is and how to cross the barrier. I wouldn’t have known what to do otherwise and Hagrid completely forgot to tell me.
With love,
Harry