Hogwarts: Neville's Insert Chapter 81
Augusta set her glass down and gave him a flat, unimpressed look. "And they'd call the Aurors on you the moment you walked in. It's a XXXXX-class creature, Neville. You can't just turn up with it in a sack."
Neville frowned. "Alright… what about Gringotts?"
Her eyes narrowed, the look on her face practically shouting, 'Are you an idiot?' "Do you think Gringotts is some kind of magical butchery? It's a bank, Neville. A bank. They'd have the Aurors on you faster than you could say 'galleon.'"
Neville nodded slowly, thinking, All those dumb fanfics about selling it to the goblin king… absolute rubbish.
"So there's no way to sell it, then?" he asked.
"Not through anyone respectable," Augusta said firmly. "The only people who'd buy a basilisk without reporting you are black market dealers."
"Like in Knockturn Alley?" Neville asked.
Augusta pointed a finger at him. "Don't you dare set foot in Knockturn Alley on your own, mister." She sighed, then her tone softened slightly. "But… I can see you're not going to let this drop. I'll ask your great‑uncle Algie. He might know someone, but I'm not making any promises."
Neville's face brightened. "So… a maybe, then?"
She shook her head in disbelief. "Just finish your burger, Neville."
…
Tuesday, 17th February 1993 – Hogwarts Central Hall
Neville pushed open the doors to the central hall, the heavy wood creaking slightly on its hinges. In his right hand, he carried a large brown paper bag with Honeydukes printed across the front in cheerful green lettering.
neville walked up the short stairs to the Central Hall Fountain as he walked up the stairs His eyes scanned the nearly empty hall, just a few stundents wandering about, many of them were outside enjoying the free time they had
neville rubbed his chin muttering under his breath, "Hmm… where could they be? would they be in the common room"
The moment the words left his mouth, neville eyes drifed over to the library's doors. and he snaped his finger "right the library Hermione's probably in there. Now that the "no roaming alone" rule had been lifted after the Chamber of Secrets incident, she'd no doubt bolted straight there at the first opportunity."
He smirked faintly to himself. "Yeah… she didn't get to visit yesterday. Probably dragged Harry along with her."
Adjusting his hold on the Honeydukes bag, he walked to the library entrance.
The quiet was immediate when he stepped through the doors, broken only by the occasional scrape of a chair or the soft rustle of turning pages. The air carried the smell of old parchment, ink, and faintly musty wood polish.
Neville walked pass the front desk nodding to madam pince who looked up form what ever she was writing down as soon as he walked in, her eyes immediately locking on the Honeydukes bag in his hand.
Her lips thinned. "No food in the library, Mr. Longbottom."
Neville winced, scratching the back of his head. "Yes, I know, ma'am. I'm just here to grab my friends and go. I promise I won't eat in here."
Madam Pince eyed him for a long, suspicious moment. Then she gave a stiff nod. "See that you don't."
"Right. Of course." Neville flashed her a quick, sheepish smile and moved on before she could change her mind.
with that neville quickly made his way towards their usual table, as he climbed up the stairs to the second floor as they usual spot was at the back of the library
on his just as he pass a shelf neville head a familiar humming Off to the left, between two tall shelves, Luna Lovegood stood with her head bent over a book, humming a faint, tuneless melody. as she idly flipped through the pages, eyes moving slowly.
Neville wandered over, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Hey, Luna."
She looked up, her dreamy blue eyes focusing on him as if surfacing from underwater. "Oh, hello, Neville."
"what you reading there and Where are Hermione and Harry?" he asked, as he pered over to see what she was reading. seeing the book was up side down
"They're at our usual spot," Luna replied serenely, as if the question was only an afterthought. She closed the book gently and turned it in her hands, showing him the faded, gold-embossed title. "Oh, this? It's The Whispering Fauna of the Forgotten Isles."
Neville raised an eyebrow. "Never heard of it."
"It's very rare," Luna said, with the same quiet certainty she might use to state that the sky was blue. "My father says the author, Eustace Featherstone, once spent an entire summer on a floating island, studying fish that sing lullabies to kelp forests. Most people think it's made up, of course… but then, most people also think snorkacks don't migrate by moonlight."
Neville gave her a half-smile. "Right… and are you reading it upside down for a reason, or…?"
"Oh, yes," Luna said without a trace of embarrassment. "The illustrations make more sense that way. At least, they do if you want to see the hidden shapes. It's all about perspective."
Neville chuckled. "Right." He lifted the Honeydukes bag slightly, giving it a little shake. "Anyway—got the pudding… and, surprisingly, the lemon-fizz marshmallow bombs you asked for. Although…" He pulled a small face. "They're not the ones you wanted. These are just the normal ones. I asked for the whistling kind you asked for. but the shopkeeper said they don't know what i was talking about."
"thank you, and That's alright," Luna replied with a little shrug. "Daddy did say they were hard to find. I didn't really expect you to."
Neville shrugged and said. "come on, I'll give it to you after we leave the library," he said in a conspiratorial tone. "Otherwise, Madam Pince might murder us both, she just gave me a warning for bringing them in here"
Luna's lips curved into the faintest, serene smile. "Yes. I expect she would. She's very protective of the books… like a nesting Jarvey."
Neville frowned slightly. "A… nesting Jarvey?"
"They get territorial," Luna explained matter-of-factly, already starting to walk toward the far corner. "And sometimes they throw things at you. My father says they've been known to use spoons."
"…Right," Neville said, deciding not to ask any further questions about spoon-throwing animals. He fell into step beside her.
As they walked out the book shelfs and towards the far corner of the room, Neville leaned closer. "Oh luna, I forgot to tell you this earlier. Can you keep it a secret that Lumina's a phoenix? She's… rare. Really rare. If word gets out, there might be poachers looking to catch her."
"That makes sense." Luna's tone softened, she nodded. "I can keep it a secret. She's very nice. I wouldn't want Lumina to be taken from you. Or from Hogwarts."
"Thanks, Luna. Right now I'm telling people she's a Jobberknoll. She looks a lot like one since Gran… well… transfigured her a bit."
"Jobberknolls," Luna said dreamily, "I've read about them before. If you listen to their cry as they die, you can hear every conversation they've ever overheard, but backwards."
Neville blinked at her. "…I'm not sure they can actually do that, Luna. But… I've never seen one myself, so I can't be sure." He tried—and failed—not to laugh, shaking his head. "You know, you could probably convince someone that's true."
"It is true," Luna replied serenely, as if that settled the matter.
Harry and Hermione were there — but they weren't alone. Three familiar second-year Hufflepuffs sat with them
Ernie Macmillan, posture stiff as always; Hannah Abbott, sitting with her hands folded and cheeks faintly pink; and Susan Bones, leaning forward slightly in a more relaxed way.
Neville raised an eyebrow at the sight before him. He vividly remembered how the Hufflepuffs had been avoiding Harry and the rest of their group since the rumors started circulating. First, they claimed that Neville was the Heir of Slytherin, and later, they shifted their focus to Harry after he used Parseltongue in the Great Hall in front of everyone.
"Huh," Neville said aloud as he approached. "what are you three doing here, You're actually talking to Harry now? Thought you lot wanted to keep your distance." His tone was light, almost teasing, but there was an edge of curiosity there too.
"Hi, Hannah. Susan. Ernie," he added more warmly, setting his satchel down and dropping the Honeydukes bag onto the table with a soft thud, next to hermione.
Hannah glanced up, then quickly looked back down, her cheeks deepening in colour. "Hi, Neville," she said softly.
hermione eyes narrowed a little seeing this
Susan gave him a small nod of greeting. Ernie, on the other hand, cleared his throat, straightening even more — if that was possible. "We came to apologise," he began in his usual formal voice.
Hannah shifted slightly in her seat. "We… might have been wrong about things," she admitted, her voice almost a whisper.
Susan leaned forward, her voice smoother, trying to make it sound less stiff. "We just wanted to clear the air. It wasn't fair to judge without knowing the truth."
Harry, to his credit, gave a polite nod. though his voice was still cautious. "I appreciate it."
Hermione offered the Hufflepuffs a small smile, though she didn't add anything. Luna sat down next to harry completly ignoring them and fliping her book back open.
neville nodded well that very mature of you not many admid they where wrong and apologize, though i cant really blame you for suspecting harry his does
Neville gave an approving nod. "Well, that's very mature of you. Not many people admit when they're wrong and apologise for it. Though," he added, smirking, "I can't really blame you for suspecting Harry. He does have a habit of looking guilty when he's not."
Harry turned to stare at him. "I do not."
Hermione gave a soft snort, not looking up from the book she'd been pretending to read. "You kind of do, Harry. Your face gives you away."
"I do not," Harry repeated, looking mildly affronted now.
hannah covered her mouth to hide a small giggle, and Susan's lips twitched into a faint smile. Even Ernie seemed to relax a fraction, though he still sat like he had an invisible broomstick up his back.
There was a small pause — the kind that happens when everyone's run out of safe topics — and then Ernie leaned forward abruptly, his voice lower, more conspiratorial. "So… what really happened down there? People are saying you fought a monster down there and its a basilisk."
Neville blinked. "How did you even hear about that?"
"Rumours," Susan said. "Lots of them. Some people say you fought it alone, others say you had help. But everyone's saying it was a giant basilisk."
Harry shifted in his seat. "We didn't do it alone."
Neville nodded. "Yeah, Dumbledore's phoenix helped — Fawkes. He's the one who really took care of the basilisk."
There was a murmur of impressed sounds from the Hufflepuffs, but before anyone could say more, Luna—who had been quietly turning the pages of her upside-down book—looked up and said in a calm, thoughtful voice,
"My father once wrote that basilisks actually make wonderful pets if you raise them from an egg and feed them mooncalf milk mixed with beetle wings. They get very affectionate. Of course, you have to train them not to accidentally kill you with eye contact. That can be a bit tricky, especially during moulting season."
Silence.
Every single person at the table—Harry, Hermione, Neville, Ernie, Hannah, Susan—stared at her.
Neville's eyes lit up in mock thoughtfulness. "Really? You should've told us that sooner. We could've just asked the elves to flood the Chamber with pumpkin juice." He tapped his chin as if this were a perfectly reasonable battle strategy.
Everyone turned to look at him like he'd just grown a second head.
Hermione sighed, pressing her fingers to her temple. "Neville…"
"What?" Neville asked, defensive. "That's a better idea than what me and Harry actually did—running away from the basilisk while Fawkes killed it."
Harry shot him an annoyed look. "Thanks for making us sound heroic."
"You're welcome," Neville replied with a cheeky grin.
Hannah shifted in her seat, looking a little unsure. "And… Ron? Is it true he got petrified? Some people are saying he and Professor Lockhart both did."
Hermione's expression tightened. "No… not exactly."
Harry glanced at her, then stepped in. "Lockhart tried to Obliviate him. When Hermione and Ron went to get help, Lockhart tried to do the same to Hermione—but he messed up and Obliviated himself instead."
Susan's mouth fell open. "That's… that's a crime! The Aurors should get involved."
Hermione nodded sharply. "They did. Took him yesterday after getting our testimonies."
Neville muttered under his breath, "Should've done it months ago."
"As for Ron," Neville continued more loudly, "last we heard, he and his siblings were allowed to visit home for the week. it's so he can get reacquainted with his family first."
"So… who was the Heir, really?" she asked after a moment.
Neville shrugged, leaning back slightly. "We don't know. There wasn't one—at least, not physically. A student was being possessed by a dark artefact." He hesitated, glancing around the library before adding, "Actually, I probably shouldn't have told you that. Dumbledore told us not to say anything… so, mind keeping all this to yourselves?"
Ernie nodded slowly, as if filing the information away. "Well… thank you for clearing that up. And… sorry again, Harry."
Harry gave another polite nod, and the Hufflepuffs stood, murmured their goodbyes, and walked off.
Neville dropped into the now-empty chair next to Hermione.
neville flicked his wand and casted a silent muffilato, then looked at hermione and harry and said "Sorry I played down our involvement, Harry," he said, lowering his voice. "I just… want to keep a low profile."
Harry leaned back, relief flickering in his expression. "I prefer that too. That's better. I don't want to be the centre of attention again—I've had that for a lifetime already."
Neville smirked. "Fair enough." He tapped the table lightly. "So… what have you guys been up to while I was gone?"
Harry shrugged. "Well, as soon as you left, Hermione dragged us here. We ate lunch, then came straight back."
Neville chuckled. "Figures."
Hermione closed her book with a decisive snap, fixing him with a sharp look. "Well? What happened? What did your gran say?"
Neville grimaced. "well, Gran chewed me out for being reckless."
Hermione folded her arms. "Good."
"Oi," Neville said, playfully frowning at her.
"Don't 'oi' me, Neville Longbottom," Hermione scolded, leaning forward over the table. "What you did was reckless — and dangerous — and you know it."
Neville held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I got the message." He paused, leaning back in his chair. "She also told me Lucius Malfoy's been kicked off the Hogwarts Board for threatening the governors."
Hermione's brows rose slightly. "So he won't be coming to the school anymore?"
Neville nodded. "Yeah. According to Gran, he's been the one most vocal about not buying mandrakes for the petrified students. And now that he's gone, the board's finally agreed to buy them."
Harry looked faintly surprised. "Well… that's something good, at least."
Neville gave a half-smile. "Yeah. Oh, and about the basilisk…" He scratched the back of his neck. "I told Gran what I was planning and, as expected, she chewed me out. Apparently, if we bring it to a potions shop, they might just call the Aurors on us."
Hermione gave a sharp nod, her arms tightening across her chest. "I told you it was a dumb idea."
"Not exactly," Neville countered quickly. "According to Gran, we might not be able to sell it through… normal means, but we could probably find a buyer for the basilisk in the black market. Knockturn Alley, maybe."
Hermione's eyes went wide in horror. "Neville!"
Before he could explain further, she reached across the table and smacked him on the side of the head — not hard enough to hurt, but enough to make his ears burn.
"Ow!" He rubbed the spot, giving her an exaggerated wounded look. "What was that for?"
"For being an idiot," Hermione snapped, her voice low but fierce. "Thats Illegal, dangerous, and absolutely idiotic. Do you even know what kind of people you'd be dealing with down there?"
Neville raised both hands in mock surrender. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I never said I was going to do it. Gran would probably kill me if I tried. But…" He leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice, "she did say she might ask Uncle Algie if he had any… contacts."
Hermione huffed, clearly not entirely reassured, but she didn't press further.
Neville checked the time. "Right — I want to show you something."
Harry raised his eyebrows. "The room you told us about?"
"Yep," Neville replied, a grin spreading across his face.
…
Neville led them through the castle's winding corridors until they reached the astronomy tower and climed up to the seventhfloor. He stopped in front of a blank stretch of wall opposite a tapestry depicting Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach trolls ballet.
Hermione frowned. "What are we doing here?"
Neville smirked. "Just watch."
"the rooms here," Harry muttered, looking around.
Neville began pacing back and forth in front of the wall, focusing hard. I need the room where we can all sit and talk in private. A comfortable room with space for everyone.
On his third pass, a polished wooden door appeared where the blank wall had been.
Hermione gasped. "That's… that's incredible magic."
"Told you," Neville said smugly. He grabbed the handle and pulled the door open, revealing a warm, well-lit room filled with squashy armchairs, a low table in the middle, and a cosy fireplace crackling at one end.
"Welcome to the Room of Requirement," Neville said, stepping aside to let them in.
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