Chapter 11: A Neville SI Chapter 11
A Neville SI Chapter 11
Neville shrugged casually. "A foot and a half is just pointless, Hermione. The whole point of the assignment is to show we understand the subject. I don't see the need to add unnecessary padding to reach some arbitrary length. As long as all the important information is there, who cares?"
Hermione frowned, clearly not pleased with his answer. "That's not how you're supposed to do assignments, Neville. You'll get into trouble for not following the instructions."
Neville just shrugged again. "Well, I'm not going to waste time writing an essay longer than it needs to be. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."
Before Hermione could respond, the entrance to the common room opened, and Harry came in, looking completely exhausted, followed by the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
….
Neville walked down the stairs of the Gryffindor dormitories, adjusting his sleeves as he went. His hair was still damp from his recent shower.
As he reached the common room, he spotted Hermione sitting alone, as she often did. She had a hard time making friends with the other students, but Neville had managed to form a good friendship with her.
"Come on, Hermione," he said with a smile as he approached her.
Together, they left the common room. On their way down, Hermione handed him the book he had lent her.
"Here you go, Neville. I've finished it," she said, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "It was quite interesting! I placed sticky notes on each chapter to summarise it like you asked for."
Neville took the book from Hermione, offering her a grateful smile. "Thanks, Hermione," he said, flipping open to one of the pages with the sticky notes. "This is brilliant! Now I don't have to read the whole thing."
Hermione gave him a mildly reproachful look. "You should still read the whole book, Neville. While I've noted down the key points, there's a lot of other interesting stuff in there."
Neville nodded thoughtfully. "I'll bear that in mind. So, which book would you like to borrow next?"
Hermione paused, considering. "The Noble Wizard's Path: Etiquette and Duties of Heirs. I'm curious to see what it's about."
Neville nodded again. "I'll get it for you later—it's on my dresser. I've read it already. It's mostly about manners and the etiquette expected of heirs, just like the title suggests. Bit boring, if you ask me, but you might find it interesting."
As they reached the first floor, Neville turned to Hermione. "I'll see you in the Great Hall, Hermione. I just need to pop by the hospital wing quickly."
Hermione looked at him, puzzled. "Why? Are you hurt or feeling ill?"
Neville shook his head. "No, just a bit sore. Madam Pomfrey said she could give me a Wiggenweld Potion to help with it."
Hermione nodded. "Alright, then. See you in the Great Hall." She waved before heading down the stairs.
It had been a month since Neville had transmigrated into the wizarding world, and honestly, it hadn't been as eventful as he'd expected. But what did he expect? It was a school for witches and wizards, after all.
Aside from learning magic, nothing particularly exciting had happened. However, in the realm of magic, Neville had made great strides. After mastering the Arresto Momentum spell, he had also learned the Disarming Charm (Expelliarmus) with surprising ease. If he remembered correctly, it was the only spell Harry Potter seemed to use in the films—there were even memes about it.
He'd also learned the Freezing Charm (Immobulus), the Banishing Charm (Depulso), and the General Counter-Spell (Finite or Finite Incantatem), a powerful spell indeed. He recalled that when used by someone strong—or multiple people—it could counteract spells as powerful as the one Grindelwald had cast at the end of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
At present, he was working on the Summoning Charm (Accio), though it was proving trickier than expected. For the past week, he had been stuck, only managing to move objects ever so slightly. It was frustrating, and he couldn't quite figure out why it wasn't working.
As for Transfiguration, Neville's prodigious talent had become quite clear. He'd mastered nearly all the spells taught to first-years and was eager to move on to second-year spells. However, upon discovering that many of them involved transfiguring living creatures—like mice, beetles, and birds—into inanimate objects, he hesitated. He didn't like the idea of tampering with living beings and decided instead to focus on perfecting the first-year spells.
His body had also adjusted to his workouts, and he no longer felt as worn out afterward. He had even found the perfect potion to help his recovery after training—the Wiggenweld Potion. It was part of the first-year Potions curriculum, and they'd be brewing it in about two weeks.
It was also the same potion Madam Pomfrey had given him the day he transmigrated into Neville's body. After feeling sore from his workouts, he'd asked her for more, and she kindly obliged, with a warning: he mustn't take it too often. Madam Pomfrey had advised him to only drink it every three days or so, as there could be side effects from overuse—like with any medicine.
With the potion's help and regular exercise, he had shed started some of his extra weight, and he could feel his muscles starting to develop.
After drinking the Wiggenweld Potion Madam Pomfrey had given him, Neville immediately felt a surge of rejuvenation. He thanked her, feeling refreshed, and made his way to the Great Hall.
It was Halloween at Hogwarts, and the castle was alive with a festive atmosphere. The corridors near the Great Hall were filled with the mouth-watering scent of baked pumpkin, blending perfectly with the crisp autumn air. The enchanted ceilings flickered with floating candles, casting a warm, flickering light over the castle.
When Neville finally reached the Gryffindor table, he greeted his friends, "Morning, everyone," as he sat down next to Hermione.
By the time he'd returned from fetching the potion, it seemed everyone else had already arrived. They greeted him in return as they continued eating their breakfast. The long table was heaving with a spread of pumpkin-themed dishes—pumpkin pasties, pumpkin juice, pumpkin pie—but Neville wasn't particularly fond of pumpkin. Instead, he opted for a more traditional English breakfast of sausages, eggs, and mashed potatoes.
While tucking into his meal, Neville pulled out the book Hermione had returned to him earlier and began to read, balancing a bit of sausage on his fork. As he scooped up a spoonful of scrambled eggs, Seamus leaned over, noticing the book.
"Hey, mate, what are you reading?" Seamus asked curiously.
Neville looked up from his book and replied, "Just one of the books my gran sent me. It's about wizarding culture." He then turned back to his reading, taking a bite of his scrambled eggs.
Ron, sitting across from him, raised an eyebrow. "Blimey, how can you read this early in the morning? You sure you weren't meant for Ravenclaw?"
Neville shrugged without looking up. "It's interesting, that's all. You should give reading a go sometime, you know."
Hermione snorted quietly at Ron's remark, but she didn't say anything. She hadn't spoken to Ron or Harry for a whole month, ever since the incident at midnight.
Neville reached out and took the cup in front of him, lifting it for a sip. As soon as the pumpkin juice hit his taste buds, he grimaced, spitting it back into the cup.
"What is this? It's awful!" he scowled.
"It's pumpkin juice," Hermione said, glancing at him with an amused smile from her spot beside him.
Neville scowled. "This is the worst drink I've ever had! How do you lot manage to drink this?"
He closed his book, placed it back on the table, and asked out loud, "Could I get some water, please?"
Knowing that the house-elves were responsible for cooking and cleaning the castle, he hoped that if he requested water instead of pumpkin juice, they would accommodate him.
His friends exchanged looks, as if to say he was being daft.
To his surprise, the cup of pumpkin juice vanished, and a cup of water appeared in its place.
"It really worked," Neville thought with a smile, taking the cup and sipping it while the others looked on, dumbfounded.
Hermione, noticing what had just happened, asked, "How did you do that?"
Neville shrugged. "I don't know—maybe magic?"
Hermione rolled her eyes and turned back to her book, clearly not amused.
Finishing up his breakfast, Neville glanced at the clock and noticed it was only 8 AM. He packed his book away in his bag, stood up, and slung it over his shoulder. "Well, I'm off, guys."
"Where are you going?" Hermione asked, looking up from her book.
"To the Charms classroom. I have something to ask Professor Flitwick."
Having finished her breakfast, Hermione stood up as well. "I'll come with you."
Neville shrugged and began walking out of the Great Hall, Hermione at his side.
As they exited and reached the stairs, Hermione asked, "So, what is it you want to ask Professor Flitwick?"
Not seeing any harm in sharing, Neville replied, "I've been having some trouble with one spell and wanted to see if Professor Flitwick could help me with it."
Curious, Hermione asked, "What spell is it? Maybe I can help."
Neville shrugged. "It's the Summoning Charm, Accio. I just can't seem to get it right."
Hearing this, Hermione stopped and looked at him incredulously.
Neville, climbing a few more steps, noticed she wasn't beside him anymore and turned to see her staring at him in disbelief.
"What? Why did you stop?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.
Hermione exclaimed, "The Summoning Charm? You're trying to learn the Summoning Charm?"
Neville moved closer to her, wincing slightly. "Shh, Hermione! Don't shout! And what's wrong with me learning the Summoning Charm?"
She looked at him incredulously. "Of course it's not working, you dummy! That spell is taught to us in our fourth year. How are you so far ahead already?" Her whisper-yell was tinged with exasperation.
Neville shrugged as they began walking up the stairs. "Well, it's one of the spells in the book my gran sent me." He pulled out the book to show her. "The Essential Spells for Every Witch and Wizard."
Hermione took the book from him, leafing through the pages as she read aloud. "Shrinking Charm, Engorgement Charm, Arresto Momentum, Disarming Charm, Freezing Charm, Banishing Charm, General Counter-Spell, Summoning Charm…" She looked up from the book, wide-eyed. "You've learned all these spells?"
Neville nodded, humming in agreement. "Yeah, those spells are really useful, just like the book says. They might come in handy."
Hermione bit her lip, a hint of sadness flickering across her face.
Noticing this, Neville said, "If you want, you can join me, and I can teach you the spells I've learned so far."
Hermione's face brightened, and she nodded as they reached the Charms classroom.
Entering the classroom, which was already open, they spotted Professor Flitwick sitting at his table, seemingly marking papers.
"Good morning, Professor!" Neville greeted him cheerfully.
Hermione also greeted him, "Good morning, Professor Flitwick!"
Flitwick looked up from his papers and smiled. "Ah, good morning, Mr. Longbottom, Miss Granger!" He then glanced at the clock. "You're both rather early today."
Neville scratched the back of his head. "Well, you see, Professor, I wanted to ask if you could help me with a spell I'm having trouble with."
"Ah, come, come!" Flitwick ushered them over to his desk. "Which spell are you having difficulty with, Mr. Longbottom?"
Neville took the book from Hermione's hands and showed it to Flitwick. "It's the Summoning Charm. I can't seem to cast it."
The diminutive professor exclaimed, "Ah, the Summoning Charm! That's quite an advanced spell you're trying to learn, Mr. Longbottom. We won't cover it until your fourth year in Charms."
Hermione sighed exasperatedly. "That's what I said, Professor."
Neville replied, "You know, there's no harm in learning it in advance."
Flitwick leafed through the book, glancing at the previous spells. "Have you learned the spells that precede the Summoning Charm?" he asked, flipping through the pages.
Neville thought to himself, Why did I show him the book? He sighed internally but nodded. "Yes, Professor."
The diminutive professor looked up from the book, his eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Really? Can you demonstrate one of the spells, Mr. Longbottom?"
Sighing again, Neville nodded. "Which one, Professor?"
Flitwick hummed thoughtfully and asked, "Could you perform the Shrinking Charm on the quill on my desk?"
Neville sighed and took out his wand. Pointing it at the quill , he cast the spell. "Reducio!" The quill began to shrink until he spotted the spell's effect.
Professor Flitwick jumped up and clapped his hands. "Excellent, Mr. Longbottom! That was a second-year spell! Ten points for Gryffindor for superb casting!" He examined the quill closely before asking, "Now, would you mind turning it back to its previous size?"
With a sigh, Neville cast "Engorgio," and the quill enlarged back to its original size. He stopped the spell as soon as it was back to normal.
"Excellent, excellent, Mr. Longbottom! You seem to have fine-tuned the charm very well," Professor Flitwick exclaimed, inspecting the quill again. "Ten more points for Gryffindor!" After a moment, he added, "Ah, how I missed out on having you two in my house—what a shame!"
He turned back to Neville and Hermione. "Now, what seems to be the problem you're having with the Summoning Charm, Mr. Longbottom?"
Neville explained, "Every time I try to cast the spell, it doesn't work. The most I've managed is to make the object shake a bit."
The professor nodded thoughtfully. "Hmm. Why don't you give it another go? Summon a pillow from the side of the classroom." He pointed to a shelf stacked with small pillows.
Neville nodded, turning to face the pillows. Holding his wand, he made the movement described in the book and called out, "Accio pillow!" One of the pillows wobbled slightly before coming to a stop, not doing anything else.
Neville turned to the professor.
The diminutive professor said, "Ah, I see the problem. It's your wand movement, Mr. Longbottom." He took out his wand and demonstrated. "Your movement is just a bit off at the end. See this?"
Neville and Hermione watched closely as the professor executed the wand movement, and then they tried it themselves.
"Ah, that's right! The half-circle at the end," Flitwick encouraged. "Now give it another go."
Neville nodded and tried again, this time using the wand movement that Professor Flitwick had shown him. "Accio pillow!" The pillow didn't just shake; it moved towards him before falling to the ground.
Beside him, Hermione attempted the spell as well, calling out, "Accio pillow!" while making the necessary wand movement. One of the pillows on the shelf shook and moved a bit, but that was all.
"Excellent, excellent!" Professor Flitwick exclaimed. "As you can see, it was just the wand movement. With a bit more practice, both of you will be able to perform the spell flawlessly!"
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