Growing - Chapter Fifteen
Dec. 4th, 2006 10:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meddowGrowing (15/18)
Chapter Fifteen – Loyal
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Chapter Summary: Things rapidly fall apart after Neville receives a letter from St. Mungo’s.
Author’s Notes: Thank you to my wonderful beta Nathaniel. Thanks to those reading.
Previous Chapter
~*~*~*~
Neville’s seventeenth birthday celebration was everything that Ted’s birthday should have been. Ted produced a bottle of Muggle champagne, and they all toasted Neville’s entry into adulthood. The five guests seemed to enjoy each other's company; Andromeda even seemed to be treating Lupin well.
Towards the end, Ted produced a big box wrapped in orange paper. Carefully he placed the box on the table in front of Neville. “Open it,” he urged.
From the way Ted had carried the box, Neville had guessed it was a plant inside. Neville carefully tore into the box. A small seedling sat in a pot full of soil; he recognised it instantly.
“You did it!” he exclaimed. If it was what he thought it was, he could not believe Andromeda and Ted had actually pulled it of.
Andromeda beamed proudly. “It’s one of the first, and it’s yours.”
“You did what?” Tonks asked. Both she and Lupin looking at the small plant with puzzled expressions.
“It’s a Whomping Willow,” Neville replied, “one that can recognise people.”
“Wait, you actually did it. You can sell it? It works?” The meaning of the gift dawned on Tonks. A huge smile crossed her face. “I can’t believe it!”
“It’s my ticket to a bigger greenhouse,” Andromeda added, still smiling. “It’s only taken twenty-five years, but I think our dreams might start coming true.”
Ted ran into the kitchen and produced another bottle of champagne and a fistful of glasses. “To Demeter Willows’s patented Protection Willows,” he announced as they all clinked their glasses.
Neville went back to opening presents. Tonks and Lupin had brought him a nice pair of dragon-hide gloves for use in the garden. They were of good quality, too.
“There’s a whole pile sitting in your room. Go fetch them down.” Neville ran up and grabbed the pile of boxes sitting on his bed. There were lots of sweets, some from Harry, Hermione and Ron. Luna had sent him an odd necklace with what looked to be a stuffed rabbit's ear on it, with a note saying it was a Muggle thing for luck.
“It’s supposed to be a lucky rabbit’s foot,” Ted, the authority on all things Muggle told Neville. “At least her heart’s in the right place.”
Finally he came across a small box with a card attached to it. Neville recognised his Gran’s handwriting wishing him a happy birthday. Neville made a mental note to go and visit her now he had his apparition licence. He unwrapped the red paper, and inside was a small jewellery box. Contained in it was a ring, the band made of many small bands of gold entwined together, opening up to hold a ruby in place. “It’s beautiful,” Andromeda exclaimed. A note, also written in his Gran’s handwriting, accompanied it.
This ring has been in the Longbottom family since the days of Godric Gryffindor. Your Grandfather gave this ring to me, and your father gave this ring to your mother, and now it is yours to one day give to a woman whom you choose.
Neville stared at the ring for a while, and the room went quiet. The ring pulled him back into reality. Birthdays were all well and fine, but he had larger problems.
“I think I’m going to go to my room,” Neville whispered.
Andromeda nodded, and Neville felt four pairs of eyes on him as he took the small box to his room. He stared at it for a while before deciding to go to sleep. The burden of his father had now flowed onto him, he realised. The Longbottom legacy was in his hands and so far they were not doing very well.
~*~*~*~
Tonks and Lupin were still there the next morning; they were both sitting and eating breakfast with Andromeda and Ted when Neville came downstairs for food. It was not surprising since the latest safety tip the Ministry was promoting over the wireless was never to return to an empty house at night. Tonks was busy reading a letter and had an odd expression on her face when he sat down next to her. She smiled at him kindly enough but then seemed to be slightly uncomfortable when she caught his eyes. Lupin seemed to have noticed it too, he looked rather concerned.
“I have to go to work,” she announced quickly after putting the letter down.
“I thought you weren’t starting again until tonight,” Andromeda asked.
“No, there’s something I have to do urgently,” Tonks replied; she seemed to be very stressed all of a sudden. Ted and Andromeda were watching her now, as she got up and gave them a hug in turn. “Bye,” she said as she walked out the room.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Lupin added, following her. Ted and Andromeda looked at each other, both perplexed. Neville wondered what was in the letter.
“Oh, there are two letters here for you,” Ted said as Neville sat down.
The first was a long overdue progress report from Lydia.
Mr. Longbottom,
With the awful death of Marius Savage, I have managed to get your file in the process of being declassified. In fact, if no other person working for the Ministry makes a formal complaint about the file becoming declassified by midday, then you will have your file. Of course I’ve done my best to keep this whole affair as discreet as possible to prevent anyone at the Ministry catching on.
Yours,
Lydia
Neville did not know how to react to this information. He had been waiting a long time now, but he still felt bad about profiting from Marius Savage’s death, especially since Tonks had been so upset by it.
He prised open the next envelope and discovered to his horror that it was from St. Mungo’s.
Dear Mr. Longbottom,
It is very important that you meet with me in the next few days. Drop in at your next convenience. Please come to St. Mungo’s and mention your name to the welcome witch and she will take care of you.
Yours Sincerely,
Glorafilia Kensington, Head Healer, St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
Something was wrong with his parents. All the blood seemed to drain from Neville’s face as all the possibilities of what could have gone wrong or what could have occurred to them flowed through his imagination.
He jumped up from the table, still clutching the letter. “What’s wrong?” Andromeda asked, concern on her face once more.
“I have to go to St. Mungo’s. It’s urgent,” Neville replied, grabbing the other letter, not wanting to leave it lying around.
“Is your Gran alright?” Ted asked.
“Yeah. I think so - I think it’s my parents,” Neville replied.
A look of horror crossed both Andromeda and Ted’s faces. “By all means, go,” Andromeda replied.
“Do you want us to go with you?” Ted asked.
“No, I’ll be fine,” Neville replied, rushing upstairs to put some clothes on.
“What on earth is going on today?” Neville heard Ted ask as he left the room.
~*~*~*~
Within an hour Neville arrived in the lobby of St. Mungo’s. Thankfully he did not splinch himself in his haste; though he was in the right place should he do so.
“I’m Neville Longbottom… Glorafilia Kensington wished to see me,” he said anxiously to the welcome witch. She started flipping though some papers and after an excruciating time she nodded.
“Follow the corridor, take the first right, and then the third left,” she replied, indicating the corridor behind the help desk.
Neville followed her instructions exactly and arrived at a brown wooden door with ‘Glorafilia Kensington’ written on it in purple letters. He gave it a knock, and the door swung open.
“Come in,” a grey haired woman sitting behind a desk called. “Take a seat.” Neville sat in a comfy red upholstered chair. “You must be Neville Longbottom,” she said, pulling a file from out of her desk.
Glorafilia Kensington was an elderly witch. She looked older than both Professor McGonagall and his Gran. Behind her sat a number of pictures and certificates in glass frames. The people in the photos, most of them children waved at Neville.
“Yes,” Neville replied. “Are my parents alright?” he blurted out not wanting to wait any longer.
“There has been no change in your parent’s status,” she said, reading the file in front of her. She closed the cover and looked at him. “But there has been with yours.”
“What?” Neville asked. As far as he knew he was healthy.
“I had come to my attention that you recently came of age,” Glorafilia continued.
Neville suddenly had a whole different kind of dread come upon him. This was no longer about something out of his control; this was all about his control, and that was an even worse prospect. “Yes,” he replied.
“Well, Mr Longbottom, now that you have reached maturity the responsibility for the welfare of your parents is transferred from your Grandmother to you,” she said, speaking slowly and carefully.
Neville lent back against his chair. Once again all the blood ran from his face. “What does that mean? Will there be a change?” he asked, not sure what it entailed.
“There could be,” she replied. “Mr Longbottom, as you no doubt know, in the nearly sixteen years your parents have been with us, we have had no success. There has been no change in their condition.”
“Yes,” Neville mumbled.
“You have to ask yourself if it is worth continuing their care here. There are a number of places, Muggle facilities, where they will be cared for in a much friendlier and peaceful environment.”
“But if they go to a Muggle place, there won’t be any magic. They won’t be able to fix them,” Neville replied, anger in his voice, outraged at her suggestion. “You just want to give up on them?” He couldn’t believe what she was saying.
“We have made no progress,” Glorafilia continued, voice as calm and steady as at the beginning of the conversation. “I’m just suggesting that there may be places where they would be happier.”
No progress. The words echoed in Neville’s head. “No, wait,” Neville said getting to his feet, “you can’t give up on them. I heard my mum.”
“What?” Neville seemed to have finally gotten the attention of Glorafilia, her air of calm fading to one of curiosity.
“When I was attacked by Dementors. I heard my mum’s voice. She told me to apparate, so she’s got to be curable. She’s still there, somewhere,” Neville replied, desperation in his voice, trying in vain to stop St. Mungo’s from giving up.
Sympathy crossed the face of Glorafilia, making Neville angry. He did not want sympathy. He did not need sympathy. He wanted her to listen to him.
“When people are in contract with Dementors, especially when there has been tragedy in their past, sometimes they hear memories they have long forgotten,” Glorafilia replied calmly.
“No!” Neville yelled, pacing up and down beside her desk. He could not calm down. He would not calm down. “That can’t be true. She told me to apparate.” It could not be true, his mother had spoken to him, he was absolutely sure of it.
“Please calm down, Mr. Longbottom,” Glorafilia raised her voice for the first time.
“No!” Neville grabbed the door handle and marched out. “Keep them where they are!” he yelled as he walked out into the corridor.
This could not be happening. Neville tried to contemplate that his parents were gone for good as he hurried down the corridor determined to see his parents.
He headed past the desk intending to go see his parent, but a sudden urge came over him. He remembered what his Gran had said to him the night before Neville moved in with Andromeda and Ted. Neville grabbed his wand and apparated outside the front door of Andromeda and Ted's home.
Hurrying through the house, he could not find Andromeda. He strode through the back door and over towards the greenhouse. Stepping in he found Andromeda and Ted working over by the Willows.
“Nev. How did it go? Is everything alright?” Ted asked, but Neville didn’t want to talk to Ted.
“It’s your fault!” Neville yelled at Andromeda, who stood up and faced him.
“Neville, are you alright?” she asked calmly. Another person treating him calmly. Neville did not want to deal with calmness right now. He had to get this off his chest.
“No, I’m not alright! My parents are as good as dead, and it’s all your fault!”
Andromeda opened her mouth and looked shocked. Ted placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Now wait, Neville…” Ted replied putting his other hand out towards Neville, trying to placate the situation.
“No, I won’t wait! My parents are gone because you let your sister run around the countryside! You should have done something! You should have stopped her! How did you not know who your sister was? She’s your sister!”
Andromeda suddenly looked very drawn, but Neville at that moment could not care less about her feelings. “My family was ruined because of you and your family!” he finished.
Ted made a move for him, but Neville turned around and headed for the door. Running out the door he heard Ted’s footsteps follow him, but got inside, headed for the fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder. Throwing it on the fire, he yelled out the address of Professor McGonagall’s house in Edinburgh. He was already on his way as Ted walked into the room.
Neville ended up in a big, empty room painted in white. There was nobody around, only two chairs sitting in the corner, both covered with white sheets. There was nobody there, just him.
For the first time, Neville had time to think. His parents were gone forever. They were just empty shells. It had not been them protecting him that night. It was just a childhood memory. And then he had just yelled at Andromeda, his boss, his mentor and his friend, who had done nothing but encourage him, because of who she was. Because she was a Black.
Neville sat down on the floor and contemplated the mistake he had just made. He had been happy with Andromeda and Ted and with Lupin and Tonks, and now he had just thrown that away. He had been so full of hope that his parents would get better, and it had been dashed. And now, his Gran was not there and it was her right to, he had not listened to her. She should not have to take him in now.
Everything was ruined.
Neville let out a great sob as the grief of his parent’s lives and of his own ruined hope overwhelmed him.
~*~*~*~
Eventually he stopped sobbing. Reminding himself that his Gran could be back any time, he picked himself off the floor and rubbed his face with his sleeve trying to remove any evidence that he had been crying. She did not like it when he cried.
Just then he heard a door open and a person walked in.
“Neville?” his Gran asked as she noticed him standing alone in the empty world. “What on earth?” She didn’t seem to be too pleased he was there.
“Hello,” he said quietly.
“What are you doing in the spare room? Shouldn’t you be working in that woman’s greenhouse?” she asked sternly.
“I-I don’t think she’ll take me back,” Neville responded glumly, knowing how bad this would look to his Gran, him failing once again.
“What did you do this time?” she asked. It was not an uncommon question, Neville was forever irritating her friends when he went to visit them, accidentally breaking things, a habit that had him making few guest lists.
“I didn’t break anything. I haven’t broken anything in a while. I… ” Neville tried to think of how to put it. “I spoke to Glorafilia Kensington, and she told me about Mum and Dad and how I’m in charge of them now, and I got mad and I yelled at Andromeda and blamed everything on her,” Neville mumbled quickly, trying to avoid the authoritarian gaze of his Gran.
“Well,” she announced, “I can’t say I didn’t see this coming.” Neville wished she had not. “Go back and apologise for yelling.”
“What?” Neville asked. He was not expecting her to say that, he looked at her questioningly, but she seemed as stern and serious as ever. He thought she would be pleased.
“Do you think I would just let you go off on your own without having somebody keep an eye on you? No. I had tea with Minerva this morning and she was telling me about what you have been up to; joining the Order like your parents, training with an Auror, helping out Harry Potter and getting your apparition licence; and I have to concede, staying with Andromeda Tonks is better for you than I ever have been,” she announced.
Neville just looked at her, too shocked to say anything. She was right, but she had also just admitted that she had been wrong. That was the first time he had witnessed her do that.
“Well? Do you want your job back?” she asked.
“Yes,” Neville managed to reply.
“Then go and clean up your face - there’s a bathroom down the hall - and then go back and apologise,” she ordered pointing
“Okay. Umm…thanks,” Neville muttered. He headed halfway out the door before an idea came over him. He walked over to his Gran and put his arms around her and gave her a hug. Neville still had family, she was his family, and she supported him and he loved her, and as a result he was going to hug her.
~*~*~*~
The lounge was empty again when Neville got back, but he did not have to search far to find Andromeda. She was sitting at the kitchen next to Ted with red eyes. Neville felt a pang of guilt. He had made Andromeda cry.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you,” Neville said as soon as they looked up at him.
“Don’t worry, this isn’t the first time I’ve gone through this. And you have every right,” Andromeda replied, bitterness in her voice.
“No. I shouldn’t blame you for the actions of someone else. It’s not fair,” Neville replied quietly.
Andromeda put a hand on the chair over from her, indicating for Neville to sit. He was hesitant at first, but eventually conceded, and sat down next to her. Andromeda whispered something to Ted. He got up, kissed her on the forehead and left the room.
“Bellatrix, Narcissa and I, we were raised to believe that the only people we ever had to count on were each other.” Andromeda said quietly. “Bella being the oldest would protect me and Narcissa. She was very good at it, but I was never on her cross side, so I never really knew.” Her voice was strained.
“You don’t need to talk about it, I mean I was wrong,” Neville said, not wanting to make Andromeda tell when it was obviously hard for her to do so.
“Yes, I do. I went through all of this with Nymphadora when she was about your age, and you’re no different. You need to know.” Andromeda paused before she continued.
“When I fell in love with Ted, we kept it secret for a long time. I was not supposed to fall in love a Muggle-born, and I knew if word ever got out that there would be consequences with my family. But when it finally did, in my fifth year, Bella got very mad.” Andromeda covered her face with her hand for a second and took a breath and continued. Neville listened on.
“She and a few friends of hers grabbed Ted one day after classes. They took him down to the Forbidden Forrest, away from everyone else and then…then Bella tried to torture him.”
Neville gasped, he had never heard of something that terrible happening on the ground. And it happened to Ted, who always seemed so jovial.
“The Groundskeeper, Hagrid, stumbled across the scene before anything truly awful happened. Bella was expelled, the Headmaster Dippet end up resigning in disgrace for it happening on Hogwarts grounds. But my parents had a lot of money. They made the Ministry stay out of it.”
“I never knew my sister was capable of anything that horrid until that day. The last time I saw her was when she was expelled. I moved into my Uncle Alphard’s place in the holidays.”
“Was Ted alright?” Neville asked.
“He’s a survivor, is Ted. He’s the strongest person I know,” Andromeda replied with a small, hesitant smile.
Next Chapter
Chapter Fifteen – Loyal
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: None
Chapter Summary: Things rapidly fall apart after Neville receives a letter from St. Mungo’s.
Author’s Notes: Thank you to my wonderful beta Nathaniel. Thanks to those reading.
Previous Chapter
Neville’s seventeenth birthday celebration was everything that Ted’s birthday should have been. Ted produced a bottle of Muggle champagne, and they all toasted Neville’s entry into adulthood. The five guests seemed to enjoy each other's company; Andromeda even seemed to be treating Lupin well.
Towards the end, Ted produced a big box wrapped in orange paper. Carefully he placed the box on the table in front of Neville. “Open it,” he urged.
From the way Ted had carried the box, Neville had guessed it was a plant inside. Neville carefully tore into the box. A small seedling sat in a pot full of soil; he recognised it instantly.
“You did it!” he exclaimed. If it was what he thought it was, he could not believe Andromeda and Ted had actually pulled it of.
Andromeda beamed proudly. “It’s one of the first, and it’s yours.”
“You did what?” Tonks asked. Both she and Lupin looking at the small plant with puzzled expressions.
“It’s a Whomping Willow,” Neville replied, “one that can recognise people.”
“Wait, you actually did it. You can sell it? It works?” The meaning of the gift dawned on Tonks. A huge smile crossed her face. “I can’t believe it!”
“It’s my ticket to a bigger greenhouse,” Andromeda added, still smiling. “It’s only taken twenty-five years, but I think our dreams might start coming true.”
Ted ran into the kitchen and produced another bottle of champagne and a fistful of glasses. “To Demeter Willows’s patented Protection Willows,” he announced as they all clinked their glasses.
Neville went back to opening presents. Tonks and Lupin had brought him a nice pair of dragon-hide gloves for use in the garden. They were of good quality, too.
“There’s a whole pile sitting in your room. Go fetch them down.” Neville ran up and grabbed the pile of boxes sitting on his bed. There were lots of sweets, some from Harry, Hermione and Ron. Luna had sent him an odd necklace with what looked to be a stuffed rabbit's ear on it, with a note saying it was a Muggle thing for luck.
“It’s supposed to be a lucky rabbit’s foot,” Ted, the authority on all things Muggle told Neville. “At least her heart’s in the right place.”
Finally he came across a small box with a card attached to it. Neville recognised his Gran’s handwriting wishing him a happy birthday. Neville made a mental note to go and visit her now he had his apparition licence. He unwrapped the red paper, and inside was a small jewellery box. Contained in it was a ring, the band made of many small bands of gold entwined together, opening up to hold a ruby in place. “It’s beautiful,” Andromeda exclaimed. A note, also written in his Gran’s handwriting, accompanied it.
This ring has been in the Longbottom family since the days of Godric Gryffindor. Your Grandfather gave this ring to me, and your father gave this ring to your mother, and now it is yours to one day give to a woman whom you choose.
Neville stared at the ring for a while, and the room went quiet. The ring pulled him back into reality. Birthdays were all well and fine, but he had larger problems.
“I think I’m going to go to my room,” Neville whispered.
Andromeda nodded, and Neville felt four pairs of eyes on him as he took the small box to his room. He stared at it for a while before deciding to go to sleep. The burden of his father had now flowed onto him, he realised. The Longbottom legacy was in his hands and so far they were not doing very well.
Tonks and Lupin were still there the next morning; they were both sitting and eating breakfast with Andromeda and Ted when Neville came downstairs for food. It was not surprising since the latest safety tip the Ministry was promoting over the wireless was never to return to an empty house at night. Tonks was busy reading a letter and had an odd expression on her face when he sat down next to her. She smiled at him kindly enough but then seemed to be slightly uncomfortable when she caught his eyes. Lupin seemed to have noticed it too, he looked rather concerned.
“I have to go to work,” she announced quickly after putting the letter down.
“I thought you weren’t starting again until tonight,” Andromeda asked.
“No, there’s something I have to do urgently,” Tonks replied; she seemed to be very stressed all of a sudden. Ted and Andromeda were watching her now, as she got up and gave them a hug in turn. “Bye,” she said as she walked out the room.
“Thank you for your hospitality,” Lupin added, following her. Ted and Andromeda looked at each other, both perplexed. Neville wondered what was in the letter.
“Oh, there are two letters here for you,” Ted said as Neville sat down.
The first was a long overdue progress report from Lydia.
Mr. Longbottom,
With the awful death of Marius Savage, I have managed to get your file in the process of being declassified. In fact, if no other person working for the Ministry makes a formal complaint about the file becoming declassified by midday, then you will have your file. Of course I’ve done my best to keep this whole affair as discreet as possible to prevent anyone at the Ministry catching on.
Yours,
Lydia
Neville did not know how to react to this information. He had been waiting a long time now, but he still felt bad about profiting from Marius Savage’s death, especially since Tonks had been so upset by it.
He prised open the next envelope and discovered to his horror that it was from St. Mungo’s.
Dear Mr. Longbottom,
It is very important that you meet with me in the next few days. Drop in at your next convenience. Please come to St. Mungo’s and mention your name to the welcome witch and she will take care of you.
Yours Sincerely,
Glorafilia Kensington, Head Healer, St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
Something was wrong with his parents. All the blood seemed to drain from Neville’s face as all the possibilities of what could have gone wrong or what could have occurred to them flowed through his imagination.
He jumped up from the table, still clutching the letter. “What’s wrong?” Andromeda asked, concern on her face once more.
“I have to go to St. Mungo’s. It’s urgent,” Neville replied, grabbing the other letter, not wanting to leave it lying around.
“Is your Gran alright?” Ted asked.
“Yeah. I think so - I think it’s my parents,” Neville replied.
A look of horror crossed both Andromeda and Ted’s faces. “By all means, go,” Andromeda replied.
“Do you want us to go with you?” Ted asked.
“No, I’ll be fine,” Neville replied, rushing upstairs to put some clothes on.
“What on earth is going on today?” Neville heard Ted ask as he left the room.
Within an hour Neville arrived in the lobby of St. Mungo’s. Thankfully he did not splinch himself in his haste; though he was in the right place should he do so.
“I’m Neville Longbottom… Glorafilia Kensington wished to see me,” he said anxiously to the welcome witch. She started flipping though some papers and after an excruciating time she nodded.
“Follow the corridor, take the first right, and then the third left,” she replied, indicating the corridor behind the help desk.
Neville followed her instructions exactly and arrived at a brown wooden door with ‘Glorafilia Kensington’ written on it in purple letters. He gave it a knock, and the door swung open.
“Come in,” a grey haired woman sitting behind a desk called. “Take a seat.” Neville sat in a comfy red upholstered chair. “You must be Neville Longbottom,” she said, pulling a file from out of her desk.
Glorafilia Kensington was an elderly witch. She looked older than both Professor McGonagall and his Gran. Behind her sat a number of pictures and certificates in glass frames. The people in the photos, most of them children waved at Neville.
“Yes,” Neville replied. “Are my parents alright?” he blurted out not wanting to wait any longer.
“There has been no change in your parent’s status,” she said, reading the file in front of her. She closed the cover and looked at him. “But there has been with yours.”
“What?” Neville asked. As far as he knew he was healthy.
“I had come to my attention that you recently came of age,” Glorafilia continued.
Neville suddenly had a whole different kind of dread come upon him. This was no longer about something out of his control; this was all about his control, and that was an even worse prospect. “Yes,” he replied.
“Well, Mr Longbottom, now that you have reached maturity the responsibility for the welfare of your parents is transferred from your Grandmother to you,” she said, speaking slowly and carefully.
Neville lent back against his chair. Once again all the blood ran from his face. “What does that mean? Will there be a change?” he asked, not sure what it entailed.
“There could be,” she replied. “Mr Longbottom, as you no doubt know, in the nearly sixteen years your parents have been with us, we have had no success. There has been no change in their condition.”
“Yes,” Neville mumbled.
“You have to ask yourself if it is worth continuing their care here. There are a number of places, Muggle facilities, where they will be cared for in a much friendlier and peaceful environment.”
“But if they go to a Muggle place, there won’t be any magic. They won’t be able to fix them,” Neville replied, anger in his voice, outraged at her suggestion. “You just want to give up on them?” He couldn’t believe what she was saying.
“We have made no progress,” Glorafilia continued, voice as calm and steady as at the beginning of the conversation. “I’m just suggesting that there may be places where they would be happier.”
No progress. The words echoed in Neville’s head. “No, wait,” Neville said getting to his feet, “you can’t give up on them. I heard my mum.”
“What?” Neville seemed to have finally gotten the attention of Glorafilia, her air of calm fading to one of curiosity.
“When I was attacked by Dementors. I heard my mum’s voice. She told me to apparate, so she’s got to be curable. She’s still there, somewhere,” Neville replied, desperation in his voice, trying in vain to stop St. Mungo’s from giving up.
Sympathy crossed the face of Glorafilia, making Neville angry. He did not want sympathy. He did not need sympathy. He wanted her to listen to him.
“When people are in contract with Dementors, especially when there has been tragedy in their past, sometimes they hear memories they have long forgotten,” Glorafilia replied calmly.
“No!” Neville yelled, pacing up and down beside her desk. He could not calm down. He would not calm down. “That can’t be true. She told me to apparate.” It could not be true, his mother had spoken to him, he was absolutely sure of it.
“Please calm down, Mr. Longbottom,” Glorafilia raised her voice for the first time.
“No!” Neville grabbed the door handle and marched out. “Keep them where they are!” he yelled as he walked out into the corridor.
This could not be happening. Neville tried to contemplate that his parents were gone for good as he hurried down the corridor determined to see his parents.
He headed past the desk intending to go see his parent, but a sudden urge came over him. He remembered what his Gran had said to him the night before Neville moved in with Andromeda and Ted. Neville grabbed his wand and apparated outside the front door of Andromeda and Ted's home.
Hurrying through the house, he could not find Andromeda. He strode through the back door and over towards the greenhouse. Stepping in he found Andromeda and Ted working over by the Willows.
“Nev. How did it go? Is everything alright?” Ted asked, but Neville didn’t want to talk to Ted.
“It’s your fault!” Neville yelled at Andromeda, who stood up and faced him.
“Neville, are you alright?” she asked calmly. Another person treating him calmly. Neville did not want to deal with calmness right now. He had to get this off his chest.
“No, I’m not alright! My parents are as good as dead, and it’s all your fault!”
Andromeda opened her mouth and looked shocked. Ted placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Now wait, Neville…” Ted replied putting his other hand out towards Neville, trying to placate the situation.
“No, I won’t wait! My parents are gone because you let your sister run around the countryside! You should have done something! You should have stopped her! How did you not know who your sister was? She’s your sister!”
Andromeda suddenly looked very drawn, but Neville at that moment could not care less about her feelings. “My family was ruined because of you and your family!” he finished.
Ted made a move for him, but Neville turned around and headed for the door. Running out the door he heard Ted’s footsteps follow him, but got inside, headed for the fireplace and grabbed a handful of floo powder. Throwing it on the fire, he yelled out the address of Professor McGonagall’s house in Edinburgh. He was already on his way as Ted walked into the room.
Neville ended up in a big, empty room painted in white. There was nobody around, only two chairs sitting in the corner, both covered with white sheets. There was nobody there, just him.
For the first time, Neville had time to think. His parents were gone forever. They were just empty shells. It had not been them protecting him that night. It was just a childhood memory. And then he had just yelled at Andromeda, his boss, his mentor and his friend, who had done nothing but encourage him, because of who she was. Because she was a Black.
Neville sat down on the floor and contemplated the mistake he had just made. He had been happy with Andromeda and Ted and with Lupin and Tonks, and now he had just thrown that away. He had been so full of hope that his parents would get better, and it had been dashed. And now, his Gran was not there and it was her right to, he had not listened to her. She should not have to take him in now.
Everything was ruined.
Neville let out a great sob as the grief of his parent’s lives and of his own ruined hope overwhelmed him.
Eventually he stopped sobbing. Reminding himself that his Gran could be back any time, he picked himself off the floor and rubbed his face with his sleeve trying to remove any evidence that he had been crying. She did not like it when he cried.
Just then he heard a door open and a person walked in.
“Neville?” his Gran asked as she noticed him standing alone in the empty world. “What on earth?” She didn’t seem to be too pleased he was there.
“Hello,” he said quietly.
“What are you doing in the spare room? Shouldn’t you be working in that woman’s greenhouse?” she asked sternly.
“I-I don’t think she’ll take me back,” Neville responded glumly, knowing how bad this would look to his Gran, him failing once again.
“What did you do this time?” she asked. It was not an uncommon question, Neville was forever irritating her friends when he went to visit them, accidentally breaking things, a habit that had him making few guest lists.
“I didn’t break anything. I haven’t broken anything in a while. I… ” Neville tried to think of how to put it. “I spoke to Glorafilia Kensington, and she told me about Mum and Dad and how I’m in charge of them now, and I got mad and I yelled at Andromeda and blamed everything on her,” Neville mumbled quickly, trying to avoid the authoritarian gaze of his Gran.
“Well,” she announced, “I can’t say I didn’t see this coming.” Neville wished she had not. “Go back and apologise for yelling.”
“What?” Neville asked. He was not expecting her to say that, he looked at her questioningly, but she seemed as stern and serious as ever. He thought she would be pleased.
“Do you think I would just let you go off on your own without having somebody keep an eye on you? No. I had tea with Minerva this morning and she was telling me about what you have been up to; joining the Order like your parents, training with an Auror, helping out Harry Potter and getting your apparition licence; and I have to concede, staying with Andromeda Tonks is better for you than I ever have been,” she announced.
Neville just looked at her, too shocked to say anything. She was right, but she had also just admitted that she had been wrong. That was the first time he had witnessed her do that.
“Well? Do you want your job back?” she asked.
“Yes,” Neville managed to reply.
“Then go and clean up your face - there’s a bathroom down the hall - and then go back and apologise,” she ordered pointing
“Okay. Umm…thanks,” Neville muttered. He headed halfway out the door before an idea came over him. He walked over to his Gran and put his arms around her and gave her a hug. Neville still had family, she was his family, and she supported him and he loved her, and as a result he was going to hug her.
The lounge was empty again when Neville got back, but he did not have to search far to find Andromeda. She was sitting at the kitchen next to Ted with red eyes. Neville felt a pang of guilt. He had made Andromeda cry.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you,” Neville said as soon as they looked up at him.
“Don’t worry, this isn’t the first time I’ve gone through this. And you have every right,” Andromeda replied, bitterness in her voice.
“No. I shouldn’t blame you for the actions of someone else. It’s not fair,” Neville replied quietly.
Andromeda put a hand on the chair over from her, indicating for Neville to sit. He was hesitant at first, but eventually conceded, and sat down next to her. Andromeda whispered something to Ted. He got up, kissed her on the forehead and left the room.
“Bellatrix, Narcissa and I, we were raised to believe that the only people we ever had to count on were each other.” Andromeda said quietly. “Bella being the oldest would protect me and Narcissa. She was very good at it, but I was never on her cross side, so I never really knew.” Her voice was strained.
“You don’t need to talk about it, I mean I was wrong,” Neville said, not wanting to make Andromeda tell when it was obviously hard for her to do so.
“Yes, I do. I went through all of this with Nymphadora when she was about your age, and you’re no different. You need to know.” Andromeda paused before she continued.
“When I fell in love with Ted, we kept it secret for a long time. I was not supposed to fall in love a Muggle-born, and I knew if word ever got out that there would be consequences with my family. But when it finally did, in my fifth year, Bella got very mad.” Andromeda covered her face with her hand for a second and took a breath and continued. Neville listened on.
“She and a few friends of hers grabbed Ted one day after classes. They took him down to the Forbidden Forrest, away from everyone else and then…then Bella tried to torture him.”
Neville gasped, he had never heard of something that terrible happening on the ground. And it happened to Ted, who always seemed so jovial.
“The Groundskeeper, Hagrid, stumbled across the scene before anything truly awful happened. Bella was expelled, the Headmaster Dippet end up resigning in disgrace for it happening on Hogwarts grounds. But my parents had a lot of money. They made the Ministry stay out of it.”
“I never knew my sister was capable of anything that horrid until that day. The last time I saw her was when she was expelled. I moved into my Uncle Alphard’s place in the holidays.”
“Was Ted alright?” Neville asked.
“He’s a survivor, is Ted. He’s the strongest person I know,” Andromeda replied with a small, hesitant smile.
Next Chapter
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Date: 2006-12-04 05:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-05 10:34 pm (UTC)