Hogwarts: Neville's Insert Chapter 76
Hermione drew in a steady breath and continued. "The spell bounced off the shield and hit Lockhart. He flew backwards, hit the wall, and passed out." She glanced toward Ron. "After that… I dragged Ron with me. Harry and Neville still needed help, and I couldn't just leave him lying there. So I went looking for Professor McGonagall."
She paused a moment, then added, "Oh—and before the spell rebounded, he told us everything. That all the stories in his books were stolen. They were other people's accomplishments. He'd travel around asking for their stories, then hit them with Obliviate to erase their memories. Said he'd been doing it for years."
Tonks made a disgusted sound, wrinkling her nose. "Always knew Lockhart was a phony."
Shacklebolt, still writing, asked calmly, "Is that all? Miss Granger"
Hermione nodded. "Yes, sir. That's everything."
Moody grunted. "We'll need to find the real victims. Might take some digging—memory charms like that don't always leave a clean trail."
Meanwhile, Neville—who was standing near Tonks—tilted his head slightly. "You were a seventh year last year, right? Hufflepuff? Nymphadora?"
Tonks's head whipped around so fast it was a miracle she didn't snap her neck. Her hair turned bubblegum pink on the spot.
"Don't. Call me that."
…
Tuesday, 16th February 1993 – Third-Floor Classroom, Hogwarts
Neville pushed open the door of the empty classroom they usually met in. The hinges gave a soft creak as he stepped inside. Harry and Hermione followed close behind.
They'd just come from the hospital wing after giving their statements to Moody, Shacklebolt, and Tonks. Lockhart—what was left of him—had been carted off, memory wiped clean, after they'd all given their testimonies. Moody told Hermione she might be contacted if they needed anything else.
Dumbledore had waved them off once it was all done.
But they hadn't even made it out of the hospital wing before they'd run straight into Molly Weasley.
"Why don't you all come have lunch with me and Ron?" she'd asked, bright as ever, like nothing had changed.
Harry had given her a stiff little smile, shaking his head. "We wouldn't want to intrude on your time with Ron, Mrs Weasley."
But Molly wasn't having any of it. "Nonsense, Harry! Spending time with you might help jog his memory."
"Why are you forcing them to stay? I don't even know who they are," Ron said, frowning in confusion as he folded his arms. "And they don't exactly look like they want to stay anyway."
Harry and Hermione both stiffened.
But Molly just laughed it off with a cheerful wave of her hand. "Oh, don't be silly, Ronald! Of course they'll want to spend time with you — they're your friends."
That was when Neville had stepped in. "Actually, Mrs Weasley…" He kept his voice light. "I think Ron should spend some time with his family first. He's just been Obliviated—he doesn't remember anything. If you throw too many people at him too soon, it might overwhelm him." He gave a small shrug. "I had the same problem last year. I know a bit of how Ron must be feeling."
Molly's eyes had flicked over to him, her polite smile faltering just a touch. "You had the same problem?"
Neville gave her a small nod. "Yeah. I fell off a broom first year, hit my head… woke up not remembering much. Had to get to know everyone all over again." He gave a light shrug. "Takes time."
Before Molly could say anything else, Dumbledore—still standing nearby in the hospital wing—had stepped in, his tone gentle. "I quite agree with Mr Longbottom, Molly. I think it would be best for Mr Weasley to spend some time with his family first. Let him reacquaint himself with those closest to him… there'll be plenty of time for him to reconnect with his friends later in the term."
Neville had blinked, raising an eyebrow at that. He'd half expected Dumbledore to nudge them to stick by Ron—but instead, the old man had backed them up.
They hadn't stuck around after that. The moment they were clear, Neville, Harry, and Hermione had slipped out of the hospital wing and made their way straight to the empty classroom they usually used for spell practice.
Which brought them to now.
Neville walked over to the teacher's desk, slipped his sling bag off his shoulder, and dropped it gently on the tabletop.
"Harry, mate—mind shutting the door?" Neville asked, hopping up to sit on the edge of the desk, letting his legs swing slightly.
Harry nodded, turned on his heel, and quietly shut the door behind them before crossing over to join Hermione, who was perched on the front row desk, her hands folded in her lap.
Neville flicked his wand, casting a Muffliato around them.
He let out a slow breath, rubbing the back of his neck. "Well… that went about as well as it could've."
Harry leaned back against one of the desks, folding his arms, a faint scowl on his face. "Yeah. For a second, I thought Mrs Weasley was going to drag us back by the ear to sit with her and Ron."
Hermione let out a quiet laugh. She perched beside him on the edge of a desk, twisting her hands in her lap. "I'm glad you said something, Neville. I don't think I could've."
Neville gave her a faint grin. "Wasn't about to let her guilt us into it. Besides…" He shot her a look, smirking a little. "Ron didn't exactly look thrilled to see us. Bet he hated how you dragged him halfway across the castle yesterday, Hermione."
Hermione huffed, though a smile tugged at her lips. "Well, maybe if he hadn't been so difficult about it…"
Harry snorted. "That's one way of putting it."
He shook his head slightly. "Honestly… I didn't think Dumbledore would've backed us. I thought he'd be the first one telling us to stick by Ron. Or by Mrs Weasley."
Hermione glanced between them. "Do you think… he knows?"
Neville shrugged. "Hard to say. But he must've noticed how uncomfortable you looked when she kept pushing. And did you notice how she barely said two words to me or Hermione? All her attention was on you."
Hermione gave a quiet nod. "Yeah… I caught that too. It's like we weren't even there."
Harry sighed under his breath. "Yeah, I noticed. She did it last year too… when we met her at King's Cross. Made a big fuss over me—and pretty much ignored you lot."
Hermione hesitated. "Do you think Ron will… try to be friends with us again?"
Neville gave a small nod. "Yeah. Most likely."
Hermione broke the quiet first, her voice soft. "Do you think… do you think we did the right thing?"
Neville met her gaze, steady. "Yeah. I do."
Harry gave a small nod, though his eyes looked tired. "Me too."
Hermione stared down at her hands for a long moment before whispering, "I just… I didn't think it'd end like this."
Neville shook his head, glancing between them. "Neither did I. But… I reckon it really is for the best."
Harry pushed off the desk and gave Neville a tired look. "So… now what?"
Neville gave a nod, hopping down from the desk. "Right. We've got somewhere to be." He grabbed his sling bag and slung it over his shoulder.
Before he could move, Hermione stepped in front of him, arms folded, giving him that look. "You haven't told us what we're doing."
Neville blinked. "Huh? Didn't I say? We're going exploring."
Harry raised an eyebrow. "You mean… back down to the Chamber?"
Hermione's eyes widened. "Are you insane?! Why on earth would you want to go back down there? That place could still be dangerous! Both of you barely made it out alive last time!"
Neville held up both hands, keeping his tone calm. "Hey—calm down, Hermione. I've got a good reason."
Hermione huffed, crossing her arms tighter. "You'd better."
Neville smirked. "First, I want to place a preservation charm on the basilisk. Forgot to do it yesterday."
Harry frowned. "A preservation charm? Why would you want to do that?"
Neville gave him a look. "To sell it, obviously."
Hermione stared. "Sell it?!"
Neville nodded. "Yeah. It's going to rot down there anyway—might as well sell it and make some money. I read basilisk parts are used in all sorts of potions. The skin's really spell-resistant, and the venom… that stuff's rare and worth a fortune."
He glanced between them. "And before either of you start—I was going to split it with you two. Fifteen percent each—for me, you, and Harry. Ten for Ron, Astoria, and Daphne, since they nearly got killed—and Ron did help us. Plus, maybe if Mrs Weasley sees Ron getting a cut, she'll back off Harry a bit if she's really after his vault. And another ten percent for the petrified students… then five percent we donate to Hogwarts."
Harry shook his head straight away. "I don't want it."
Neville raised a brow. "Why not?"
Harry gave a small shrug. "I've got money from my parents."
Hermione let out a soft sigh, folding her arms. "I don't want any either. I barely did anything. You two handled most of it."
Neville gave them both a flat look. "Don't be daft. Harry—your parents' money won't last forever, especially if you don't know how to manage it."
Then he turned to Hermione. "And you—stop selling yourself short. You've helped us more than you realise. The split's non-negotiable."
Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose. "Even if we agreed… wouldn't selling a basilisk make things complicated? Dumbledore's bound to notice if we suddenly start handing out gold."
Neville shook his head. "It's going to rot down there anyway. And I wasn't talking about giving out the money directly. We'll do it as anonymous donations or something."
Hermione sighed, her arms still crossed. "Where are you even planning to sell it? I doubt you can just walk into a shop—basilisks are illegal."
Neville shrugged. "Dunno. I'll ask Gran about it. But that's a problem for later. First, we need to make sure it doesn't rot—that means getting down there and sorting it out now."
Harry gave him a long look. "That's not your only reason for going back… is it?"
Neville met his gaze, his voice dropping slightly. "No. The basilisk's not the only reason I want to go back." He looked between them both. "Think about it—why would Salazar Slytherin build a massive hidden chamber just to stash a giant snake? Doesn't make sense, does it? There's got to be something else down there. A vault… a hidden room… maybe something he left behind for his so-called heir."
He turned to Harry, his expression serious. "You saw what Riddle could do—and that was when he was still a student here. He must've learned it somewhere. I'd bet my wand he found it down there. Maybe Slytherin left behind his personal library… notes… something."
It was one of the things that'd never made sense to him—not in the books, not in the films. Why hadn't Harry ever gone back to explore the Chamber?
Neville's eyes flicked to Hermione, and a smirk tugged at his lips. "Sounds like the sort of place you'd enjoy poking around in."
Hermione's eyes widened, her mind already racing. "A library… left by Salazar Slytherin?"
Harry crossed his arms, frowning slightly. "That… actually makes sense."
Hermione gave a slow nod. "If you put it like that… it might actually be useful. Knowing what kind of magic Voldemort's learned—or what he might still be using… it could help us."
Neville nodded. "Exactly."
Hermione let out a small sigh before giving another nod. "Alright… we'll come." She glanced at Harry.
Harry shrugged. "It's not like we've got anything better to do. Might as well help."
Neville smirked. "Right then—let's get going." He paused for a moment before calling out, "Lumina!"
With a burst of blue flame, Lumina erupted into the air in front of him, letting out a bright cry as she flapped her wings, hovering before them.
Hermione jumped back at the sudden burst of flames, hand clutching her chest. "Merlin's sake, Neville—give me some warning next time! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Neville scratched the back of his head, sheepish. "Yeah… my bad." Lumina fluttered up and settled neatly on his shoulder.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "We taking Lumina with us?"
Neville gave him a grin. "Yeah. More like… Lumina's taking us."
Hermione blinked. "How?"
Neville stepped closer. "Just grab hold of her leg—and don't let go."
Lumina stretched out her leg, already knowing what to do.
Harry and Hermione exchanged a look before both reached out and grabbed on.
Neville caught hold too. "Alright, girl. Whenever you're ready."
Lumina let out a loud cry before she burst into brilliant blue flames, the fire curling around all three of them before they vanished in a flash.
If you wish to support this story, please join me at patreon.com/Tilct
please contribute some power stone