Hogwarts: Neville's Insert Chapter 69
They shot out of the tunnel and into the main chamber, finally pulling to a stop near the tunnel entrance.
Neville reached into his sling bag and pulled out a pebble.
"You think it worked?" Harry asked, glancing back at the shaking tunnel.
Neville shrugged. "Think so."
The Basilisk was still flailing inside, the sound of destruction echoing behind them.
Neville threw the pebble toward the tunnel's mouth. As it reached the entrance, he pointed his wand. "Engorgio!"
The pebble expanded mid-air, slamming into place and wedging itself perfectly in the tunnel mouth, completely blocking the exit.
"Do the other side," Neville said quickly, tossing another pebble to Harry.
Harry caught it and nodded, turning toward the second entrance.
All the while, Lumina wouldn't stop chirping—loud, insistent, and frantic.
Neville looked down and scooped her up into his right hand. "Hey, hey—this isn't the time, Lumina. I'll deal with it later," he said gently.
But through their bond, he felt her panic. She wasn't being noisy for no reason—she was scared, and she wanted to help.
Neville frowned. 'What could throwing her possibly do?' he thought, completely confused.
"Avada Kedavra!" Tom's voice rang out across the chamber.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, Neville caught a flash of green. The Killing Curse was flying straight at him.
…
Neville's eyes widened as the green light streaked toward him.
"Shit," he muttered.
Instinct kicked in. Clutching Lumina in his left arm, he yanked hard on his broom with his right, trying to veer out of the way—
But he wasn't fast enough.
The Killing Curse clipped the back of his broom, shattering it.
The whole thing jolted violently. Neville lost control as the broom bucked and spun out. He plummeted toward the ground.
"NEVILLE!" Harry shouted, horror in his voice.
Neville slammed into the wet stone floor, skidding painfully across it, but never loosening his grip on Lumina. He cradled her tightly against his chest as they rolled to a stop.
She chirped wildly, wings flapping in panic.
Neville winced, groaning. "I'm fine… I'm fine," he gasped, forcing himself into a sitting position. His body ached from the impact, but he glanced down—Lumina was unhurt.
When he looked up, Tom was standing just a few feet away, smug and calm.
Neville's thoughts raced. 'Wait—how did he use the Killing Curse? I thought he couldn't… That's why he didn't attack Harry directly in the books.'
His eyes narrowed, watching the way Tom's form still shimmered faintly at the edges.
'He's not solid… not yet. That means he's still in the middle of reviving. Good. That means there's still time.'
Then his gaze shifted—past Tom—to the diary lying next to Daphne and Astoria's still forms.
Harry landed beside him and immediately rushed over.
"Neville—are you alright?"
"Yeah," Neville grunted, pushing himself fully upright with Harry's help. "I'm alright."
They both turned to face Riddle.
Tom stood there watching them, amused. "You know, I was rather hoping that curse would finish you off. Shame, really…"
Neville and Harry stood side by side, tense, wands ready. Lumina chirped softly from Neville's chest, pressing against him.
Harry growled, "You…" His grip tightened around his broom.
Tom's smile stretched wider. "I knew Harry would come, of course. And I had a feeling he'd bring you along, Longbottom. You've been snooping about, trying to figure out who the Heir of Slytherin is."
Neville's wand slid into his palm from the wrist holster. He kept it low, casual. All the while, Lumina kept nudging him gently. She wanted to be thrown—he could feel it.
'I really hope you've got something good, girl…'
"So you noticed, huh?" Neville said calmly.
Tom chuckled. "It wasn't exactly subtle. Watching people like a hawk in the Great Hall, loitering near the girls' bathroom—right by the entrance, I might add."
Neville raised an eyebrow. "I see. So… Tom Marvolo Riddle, or is it Tom Riddle Junior? You're Voldemort, yeah? Hard to see how you ended up noseless. Bit of a downgrade if you ask me."
Tom's sneer deepened as he looked between the two of them. "So… both of you figured it out, then."
Harry gave a curt nod, his eyes hard. "Yeah. We figured it out by Christmas. It wasn't that hard after you framed Hagrid after killing Myrtle."
Tom gave a soft, mocking laugh. "Ah, yes. The big oaf. I can see how that might've tipped you off."
Neville tilted his head, voice as dry as ever. "And we just connected the dots—'Moldyshorts'? Yeah, I doubt anyone's mum and dad called their kid that. You being Slytherin's heir and all, figured you'd use that to brainwash a load of pure-blood nutters. I mean—how else does a no-name orphan end up with a fan club?"
Tom's eyes narrowed. "You think you're clever, don't you?"
Neville didn't blink. "Not really. Just observant. Bit hard not to point it out when dark lords start giving themselves ridiculous names."
He snorted, unable to stop the grin tugging at the edge of his mouth. "Honestly—'Voldemort'? That's what you went with? You took your full name and played anagrams with it? Really?"
He paused, tilting his head mockingly. "Oh, and by the way—I've been meaning to ask. How old were you when you named your little club the 'Death Eaters'? Really? That's the best you could do?" He raised a brow. "What were the runner-ups? 'Soul Snackers'? 'Dementor's Delight'? 'The Gloomy Gits'?"
Tom's face twitched. His fingers curled around the wand he was holding. "You mock what you don't understand," he said coldly. "I have become the greatest wizard the world has ever known. I will live forever."
Neville rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Immortality, followers, power, pure-blood nonsense. Heard it all before. You lot really need new material."
"All talk," Harry cut in, stepping forward slightly. "But you're still just a memory trapped in a diary. You're not even real."
Tom's eyes flared with rage. "Not yet. But I will be. The girls' souls are nearly gone. I'll use their lives to return—fully, completely."
"I don't think you will," Neville said, voice low. "Why d'you think we're here?"
Lumina let out a sharp chirp, wings twitching against his palm. She was ready—Neville could feel it through their bond.
Tom's sneer deepened. "You think two schoolboys can stop me?"
Neville shrugged. "Well, you already failed to kill a baby once. Not exactly setting a high bar, is it?" He elbowed Harry sharply, a quick signal.
"You dare—" Tom snarled, raising his wand.
"Yeah, I dare," Neville snapped, eyes burning with focus. "And when I'm done, I'm snapping that diary in half and flushing the pieces down Myrtle's toilet. Seemed poetic."
'I really hope this works.' Neville thought before gently tossing Lumina up into the air. In the same motion, he raised his wand. "Lumos Maxima!"
A white light flashed from the tip of his wand, flooding the chamber and blinding Tom in a flash.
"Harry—get the diary!" Neville shouted as he dove to the side.
Harry didn't hesitate. He mounted his broom and kicked off the ground, shooting past tom toward the girls and the black book lying near them.
As soon as Lumina left Neville's hand, she erupted into blue flames mid-air, her small form engulfed in magical fire.
Tom, still shielding his eyes, growled and whipped his wand in Neville's direction. "Avada Kedavra!"
The green curse blazed across the room, but Neville had already jumped to the side and rolled to a stop as it scorched the floor where he'd been and looked up.
Lumina burst from the blue flames above him, wings spread wide, her body fully transformed into a fiery phoenix. She let out a piercing cry, light reflecting off the damp stone around them.
"Bloody hell…" Neville breathed, eyes wide. "She's… she's a shiny phoenix."
The awe in his voice barely left his lips when the water beside him exploded.
A massive serpent burst out of the pool of water, hissing loudly. Water sprayed in every direction as the Basilisk reared up, towering and furious.
Neville's eyes flicked toward it on instinct, just for a second, but luck was on his side. The cloth was still wrapped over its face… mostly. The lower part had been torn clean, likely from the Basilisk opening its jaws.
"Shit," Neville muttered, backing up.
Before he could move, Lumina launched herself at the Basilisk. 'Leave it to me,' he felt her say through their bond.
She soared toward the Basilisk in a streak of blue. With sharp talons outstretched, she struck, tearing into the Basilisk's eyes through the shredded cloth, clawing and screeching.
The Basilisk thrashed violently, twisting and slamming into the walls in its attempt to shake her off.
Neville dove to the side as its tail whipped across the chamber, narrowly missing him.
Tom's expression twisted in fury. "NO!" he shouted, then started hissing rapidly—trying to regain control.
Neville didn't give him the chance. With a flick of his wand, he cast a silent Diffindo—aimed straight for Tom's wand arm.
But Tom was just as fast. With a sharp flick of his wand, a shield charm snapped into place, deflecting Neville's Diffindo cleanly.
He sneered across the space at Neville. "Suit yourself." Then he pointed his wand straight at Neville. "Avada Kedavra!"
Meanwhile, Harry shot forward on his broom and reached the diary. Still hovering, he grabbed it off the floor in one smooth motion. As he turned around, and he paused.
Seeing Lumina burst out of blue flames, now a full-sized phoenix, burning a majestic blue as she flapped her wings.
Harry's mouth dropped slightly. "Wow…" he muttered, barely above a whisper.
Then water exploded upward as the Basilisk reared out of the pool near Neville.
Without missing a beat, Lumina launched herself at it, shrieking as she clawed at the serpent's face.
Harry's eyes snapped to Tom when he heard him yell, "No, leave the bird and go after—"
But Tom was cut off as Neville fired another spell at him.
Harry saw Tom flick it away like it was nothing, then fire off another streak of sickly green light toward Neville.
Neville dove to the side, the curse missing him by inches and blasting a chunk out of the stone floor.
Harry watched, heart thudding in his chest. 'If I don't act now, Neville's going to be killed.'
His eyes dropped to the diary in his hand. 'This has to be it... Neville told me to grab it for a reason. He wants me to destroy it.'
"You think you can keep dodging my spells?" Riddle hissed, raising his wand again.
Neville rolled to the side, dodging another Killing Curse. As he moved, he flicked his wrist—and a dagger shot into his left palm from his holster.
Gripping the hilt tightly and squeezed it, the blade expanded until it became a full-length sword.
Another curse flew at him.
Neville swung the blade just as the spell reached him, deflecting it to the side.
Then he spotted Harry, hovering just behind Riddle on his broom.
"Harry!" Neville shouted. "Quick, throw the diary into the Basilisk's mouth—now!"
Without waiting, Neville turned his wand on Riddle and launched a rapid chain of spells—"Arresto Momentum!" "Flipendo!" "Incendio!" "Stupefy!" "Bombarda!"—one after the other, hammering at Riddle with no pause, forcing him on the defensive.
'Lumina… get ready,' Neville thought, as he kept firing spells at Tom one after the other.
Hearing Neville's shout, Harry leaned on his broom and shot forward, straight toward the Basilisk, where Lumina was still darting and diving through the air.
Tom blocked and countered each of Neville's spells with tight, controlled flicks of his wand. But then he saw Harry streaking past on his broom.
"No—STOP! What are you doing?!" he shouted, eyes wide with panic.
Just as the Basilisk snapped its massive jaws at Lumina, she vanished in blue flames.
Harry reached the Basilisk just in time and hurled the diary as the Basilisk's jaws came crashing down. However, instead of Lumina, it bit cleanly into the diary.
The moment the fangs punctured its cover, Tom let out a strangled cry—his body flared with light and erupted into a blinding burst before vanishing completely.
Lumina reappeared in blue flames behind Neville. She grabbed the back of his sweater vest with her talons—then disappeared again in blue flames, this time taking him with her.
In a flash of blue flames, they reappeared high above the Basilisk's head, and Lumina let go of Neville's vest.
Neville fell fast, sword in hand. He angled his body, aiming for the top of the creature's skull—right between its eyes.
With a roar of "die motherfucker", Neville drove the blade down with his full weight behind it.
The sword plunged in deep. The Basilisk screamed, thrashing wildly.
Neville drove the blade in deeper, gritting his teeth as he twisted it hard.
The Basilisk let out another roar, thrashing violently. Its massive body crashed into the chamber walls.
Neville held on as long as he could but soon lost his grip and was flung into the air, tumbling.
Before he could hit the ground, Lumina streaked through the air and caught him by the back of his sweater vest, wings not even straining against the weight.
Below them, the Basilisk let out one final, bone-rattling roar—then collapsed with a thunderous crash, its body slamming to the ground and going still. Dead.
Lumina descended slowly, wings beating steady and sure, and gently lowered Neville back onto the stone floor.
He dropped to one knee, gasping for breath, chest heaving. "Well…" Neville muttered, breathless and aching, "that… that actually worked."
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