Harry Potter - Series Fan Fiction ❯ The End ❯ This is Where it Begins ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Sometimes we fall in love with celebrities because of their fame. Maybe because of their looks. However, Neville Longbottom fell for the Hogwarts' celebrity for reasons much deeper than fame and looks. The heroic Harry Potter had stolen his heart from the moment their eyes first met. To the often bullied Neville, Harry was kindness and sadness. Life and death. Love and pain. . . Everything that Neville had seen deep within his own soul, though he'd never admit it, not even to himself.

As their years at Hogwarts progressed and Harry and friends were pitied against many trials, Neville grew. His demeanor changed from a quiet, scared boy to a slightly braver, outspoken young man. In his seventh year, Neville now spoke more to his fellow Gryffindors. Still, he kept things about himself, namely his past, quiet. Every now and then, he spoke of the privacy of his past with Harry. Though only on quiet nights, long after the others had gone to bed.

Finally, they were now in the beginning of their last year at Hogwarts. The now leaner and less chubby Neville, woke up one late September morning knowing that today would be the day he would proclaim his love for Harry. Sitting up, he pulled back the drapes around his bed only to find that Harry had already arisen and had, most likely, gone down to breakfast. Disappointed, he clambered out of bed, his legs tangled in his blanket. Tripping, he fell face first out of bed and smashed to the cement floor. Luckily, he only obtained a small bump on his forehead, which was the intital point of impact.

Ten minutes later, dressed and full of his recently discovered bravo, Neville raced down the stairs in search of Harry. He knew if he didn't find him soon, eventually, his courage would dissipate. Under his new image, he was still that quiet boy who had stood up to his friends, very much reluctantly, back in their first year.

Out in the halls, he had the misfortune of bumping into Crabbe and Goyle, Draco's former bodyguards. Former, as in, Draco disregarding everything Death Eater and Voldermolt in order to spite his father, with whom he had a severe falling out with the year before. Since Crabbe and Goyle's fathers were Death Eaters, he had rid himself of their service, saying he was fully able to fend for himself. Oddly, since then, Draco was more often than not in the company of fellow Slytherin, Pansy Parkinson. Spectulation was that they were dating. Many believed that the chicken was simply hiding behind Pansy now. Of course, 'many' being nearly all the students in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw. . .

Since then, the huge duo had been terrorizing almost any student they sought fit to. Feeling his courage rapidly vanishing, Neville attempted to squeeze past the two huge young men, or beasts, as he liked to think of them, as quickly as possible. They blocked his escape by pushing him against the wall and closing in around him, leaving barely enough room to breathe. While he had become braver, he had not become stupid. Any attempt to fight these two away would result in a guaranteed trip to the hospital wing. Especially since Neville had forgotten his wand in his haste to find Harry. And so, the brown-haired Neville remained as still as death.

"60 galleon to pass," Goyle sneered.

"I. . . I don't have any money," Neville gulped.

"Then a beating will be paid to you," Crabbe smirked, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

Closing his eyes, Neville thought of what a bad day this was slowly turning out to be. Just as he prepared for several fists to turn him into a slab of meat, someone behind the two beasts shouted, 'Immoblius !' Instead of feeling the four fists attacking him, Neville felt, well, nothing. Blissful nothingness. Opening his eyes cautiously, the brown-haired young man stared at the motionless fists several millimeters from his face. Letting out a small yelp, Neville ducked beneath the fists and darted out of his prison.

"You all right? ," A familiar voice asked from above him.

Looking up slowly, Neville's face blushed as he came eye to eye with green eyes. Grabbing Harry's outstretched hand, which was surprisely soft despite his many ordeals, he nodded. Neville was greatly relieved that he had been saved from the beating but he couldn't look his rescuer in the eyes to thank him properly. He knew any eye contact now would result in Neville doing one of two things. One, blushing brighter than he already was and stuttering as he thanked Harry. Or two, kissing Harry until the other boy knew nothing but the tenderness of his kiss. So Neville opted for his third option.

Pretending to dust off his robe and not picking up his head, he thanked Harry in a low voice. Harry opened his mouth to say something but he stopped suddenly. There was a tense silence in the air that forced Neville to pick up his head. He looked at Harry, but only to follow the direction he was staring so intensely in. A familiar tattered looking rat watched them from the end of the corridor. When Neville noticed a piece of the rat's ear missing, his jaw dropped. "Scabbers. . . ? ," He breathed slowly, unable to move in fear of scaring the rat off.

Scabbers had been Ron Weasley's pet rat before it was revealed that 'Scabbers' was really an animagius by the name of Wormtail, who happened to be one of Voldermolt's faithful servants, as well as Harry's father's old friend. Before Neville knew what was happening, Harry sprinted toward the rat, who equally as fast, raced down a seperate corridor. Knowing that he should probably go get a professor, Neville instead chased after Harry. The two followed the rat until neither one could keep up with it any longer. Mainly because 'Scabbers' had managed to squeeze through a crack in the wall and disappeared completely before either of them could reach him.

"Damn! ," Harry shouted as he examined the wall and crack, to no avail.

"What was Scabbers doing here? ," Neville asked as he watched Harry. "I thought he'd run off four years ago."

No one, except Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the professors, knew the truth about 'Scabbers'. Since the incident at the Ministry of Magic, none of them had spoken of Wormtail. Of course, that didn't mean they occasional didn't think of him. Take Ron for example, when he sees Croonshanks, he often wishes that he had let the nasty beast eat 'Scabbers'. Alot of grief could've been avoided by that simple act. In the end, all three knew no was to blame. How could there be anyone to blame? No one knew the truth about Wormtail except Sirius.

"It's like this, Neville. Scabbers was really an animagus by the name of Wormtail. He was my father's friend until he betrayed him and told Voldermolt where to find my parents," Harry said, falling to his knees in mixed frustration and sadness.

And now Neville knew the truth too.

"You mean he was the one who got your parents killed and you almost killed? ," Neville asked, pausing as Harry nodded. "I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't know."

Now he understood why Harry had gave chase when he saw Scabbers, er, Wormtail. Neville didn't know which name to call the rat. Harry got to his feet and knelt over to brush the dust off his robe. Biting his lip, Neville wondered if he should say what he had wanted to say or try to say something helpful. In the end, he decided that Harry needed a friend and not the confusion of a boy's sudden confession of love.

"Why do you think he was here? ," Neville finally asked.

"Don't know. I reckon he was keeping an eye on me for Voldermolt."

"Harry. . .?"

"Yes?"

Harry met Neville's eyes as he waited for what Neville was going to say. In that single moment, Neville knew for a fact he shouldn't confess his heart. It just wasn't the right time. Smiling, Neville placed a hand on Harry's shoulder as he spoke. At the same time, enjoying the small contact he felt.

"Harry, I'll help you if anything happens. I swear." Neville dropped his hand down to his side.

Smiling back, Harry thanked him before turning and leaving. As Neville watched the messy haired young man walk away, he suddenly felt very cold and alone.
* *

If Neville had known as much as he thought he knew about Harry, perhaps Halloween wouldn't have bothered him so much. Not to get ahead of this part of the story, it began as a regular Hogwarts morning. Almost a month since Neville had bit his lip and swallowed the emotions that welled up when he saw Harry. Things had grown silent between the two since that day with Scabbers. Neville felt the hopelessness of not being able to help Harry with the sadness that he saw shine from his messy haired friend.

Shortly after lunch on Halloween, there was a trip to Hogsmeade. The air was nipping mercilessly at the students as they trekked across the school grounds, past the school's entrance and all the way down to Hogsmeade. Neville had decided to accompany Harry and Ron to Zonko's Joke Shop. Which was decorated with jack-o-lanterns that talked as you passed them! Unforunately, as they exited the store, several explosions rang from the direction of the long abandoned mansion. The one Remus Lupin had used as his monthly hideout in his youth. Harry and Ron exchanged curious looks before running to the mansion. Uncertain, Neville followed the duo.

Even from a distance, Neville could tell that what he was running into was dangerous. Two Death Eaters sent several more explosions at the abandoned mansion with the assistance of their wands. The mansion began to collaspe into itself as the explosions blew chunks of walls, plaster, and windows into oblivion. Bravely, Harry stopped twenty feet from the Death Eaters, whose faces were impossible to see due to the heavy hoods they wore.

"Stop! You can't do that! ," Harry shouted angerily.

One of the Death Eaters turned toward Harry, and a rigid Ron, with a sneer. "Mind your business, brat. You've caused enough trouble for our master," He snarled, pointing his wand at Harry.

"I'll cause even more trouble for you if you don't stop."

"Such a nuisance you are! I can't understand why master hasn't properly disposed of you yet! ," The second Death Eater shouted, turning away from the now dilapitated mansion.

The Death Eaters raised their wands in preperation of quickly kill off Harry and whoever else dared get in their way. However, neither had suspected the "Accio Wands! " that came from the unseen brown haired young man named Neville. He had hid in the shadows of a nearby inn, out of the Death Eaters sight. Fearing the worst may happen, he quickly brought out his wand and performed one of the many spells he had learned from Harry in DADA.

Stunned, the Death Eaters watched their wands float safely away from them and into Neville's outstretched hand. Realization struck them too late as Harry had casted a shield around them to prevent them from running at or away from anyone. Furious, one shouted curse words at Harry and the smiling Neville. Taking it a step further, Neville approached Harry, turned toward the enraged Death Eaters, and snapped their wands in half with a simple spell Hermione had taught him in their sixth year.

"Bloody hell to the lot of you! Master shall destroy you the next time you cross paths with him! ," The second Death Eater sneered.

"Tell your master, we'll be waiting," Harry smirked.

A sudden fog covered the two Death Eaters. When it vanished, so had they. Neville dropped the broken wands onto the ground, where they landed on soft ground without a sound. He turned to Harry with a smile on his face but it went unnoticed. Harry and Ron had moved past Neville and now stared helplessly as the abandoned mansion fell completely into a pile of nothing. While they both knew full well that Remus had been nowhere inside it, they still felt the emptiness of long ago memories. While it contained no actual emotional attachment, this abandoned mansion had represented the end of peace and the beginning of terror unseen for thirteen years. It had also represented the end of childhood, mainly for Harry, and the beginning of something deeper and scarier than adulthood.

These were things Neville had not known about Harry, yet understood them just as well. Well, if only he had known them at that moment.

"Harry. . . ? ," Neville asked quietly, noticing the distress on his friend's face.

"Leave me."

"But. . . !"

Harry pushed past the slightly shorter brown-haired young man, as he ran away from what he had just seen. Away from the now emotionally bruised and confused young man who loved him without his knowledge. Turning to Ron, Neville knew he would get no answers from him either. The tall red head had tears in his eyes that he fought desperately to hold back. Neville felt a shroud of darkness wrap around him as he tried to understand what had been so important about this abandoned mansion. In the end, he was exactly where he had been an hour ago when it came to the depths of Harry's emotions, completely lost and in the dark.
* *

"Harry? ," Neville whispered into the dimly lit common room.

Near the fire, Harry slumped further into the chair he was occupying, in hopes he could somehow blend into it and not be seen. As it was, that wasn't something that was bound to happen, possibly, ever. In the silence of two in the morning, Neville hesistantly claimed the chair across from his friend. This was the first time Neville had seen Harry since the incident back at Hogsmeade. The messy haired young man had missed the last Halloween dinner he was to ever spend at Hogwarts. Even a pale looking Ron had managed to wolf down a plate of food before running off with a concerned Hermione behind him.

"Harry."

The messy haired young man refuse to meet Neville's eyes at the sound of his name.

"Please say something, Harry."

Again, he recieved no reply.

"Harry, I told you I would help you no matter what. But it's impossible if you won't even tell me what's on your mind," Neville said in an oddly soothing way.

"There's nothing on my mind," Harry finally said, a sharpness to his tone.

Frowning, Neville stood up from the seat he had been in and walked up to Harry. Kneeling down, he nervously claimed Harry's chin with his left hand. The messy haired young man remained silent as Neville forced him to meet his eyes.

"The Harry Potter I know, is not a liar. He'd tell me what was on his mind, even if the absolute truth was nothing at all. He wouldn't lie because he's not a coward," Neville said firmly, though his voice quivered slightly at the end. "That's not the Harry Potter who I fell in love with." Neville added the last part in a low voice, but the boy-who-had-lived had heard him as clear as a bell.

"You what? ," Harry asked in a low voice. His eyes had widen and his breathing had become oddly shallow.

Realizing what he had said, Neville quickly pulled back his hand and stood up. "Nothing. Forget it," He mumbled before making a dash up the stairs to the bedroom he shared with Harry, Ron, Dean, and Seamus. Throwing himself into bed, he pulled the drapery around his bed closed and burrowed his face into his pillow. As harsh tears flowed from his eyes, Neville heard the door open. Knowing full well it was Harry, he remained silent, struggling to choke back the tears. Footsteps approached his bed, stopping short of the drapery.

"Neville? ," Harry whispered.

No reply. Then Neville heard Harry move away to his own bed. Silent tears still fell from the brown eyed young man as he eventually cried himself to sleep. In Harry's bed, silent tears carried the green eyed young man to sleep.
* *

Several nights later and hours wasted upon avoiding him, Neville was awoken by a soft poke in his back. Grumbling, he turned over to see Harry's thin frame silhoutetted next to his bed. His first reaction was to hide his head under his pillow but even in the pale moonlight, Neville could see the urgency on Harry's face. So he got out of bed and followed the messy haired young man down to the common room, which was empty at this late hour. Neville and Harry claimed the chairs by the fire that they had several nights ago. It was strange for Neville seeing Harry. He had felt he had completely destroyed any possible hope for romance that Neville had hoped existed. Now these two young men were staring quietly at the fire in an uncomfortable silence.

"Remember in our third year, we had Professor Lupin as our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? ," Harry finally said.

"The bloke that was a werewolf? ," Neville asked, remembering how terrified his grandmother had been for his safety back then. Harry nodded. "Best professor I can remember for that class! ," He cheerfully replied.

And so Harry told Neville everything about Professor Lupin and Sirius Black and the Order of the Phoenix. Everything that Harry had gone through, yet only a limited amount of people knew, he told Neville that night. Whether or not Neville believed what he was saying, the boy-who-had-lived continued his story until Neville knew everything. In the end, the brown haired young man sat in awe at what he had just heard. Harry's gaze returned to the fire as he let Neville digest everything he had just heard.

"Harry, if all that's true, then why did you tell it to me? ," Neville finally asked curiously.

"You were right, and wrong, the other night. You said I was a liar and a coward. Even though I didn't mean to be, I was exactly that. So now I've told you the truth and now I'll prove I am not a coward," Harry said as he stood up from his seat and moved silently toward a suddenly nervous Neville.

Years of being bullied had caused Neville to flinch whenever someone approached him. He might've done that just then if it hadn't been for the immense anticipation of Harry being so close to him. A little piece of him did fear that the boy-who-had-lived might've killed him on the spot because he knew all his secrets. Yet, another, larger, piece of him knew that wasn't the case. The green-eyed young man bent over toward Neville and placed a small kiss on his lips.

A sudden overwhelming joy flooded Neville and he began to cry. He felt Harry's arms wrap themselves around his shoulders. The tenderness of the hug eased him and he felt sleepy.

"Harry, why?"

"Sometimes love is blind. However, anything between us remains secret." Harry caught Neville's eyes. "For our safety. More so, your safety."

Neville smiled and nodded. This was the greatest moment in the brown haired young man's life.

Unforunately, it was to be short lived. . .