Bab 16: A Neville SI Chapter 16
A Neville SI Chapter 16
Neville slumped back, exhaustion washing over him. Hermione turned, her eyes wide.
"You... you did it," she whispered.
He gave a weak smile. "All in a day's work," he mumbled, his voice barely a whisper. He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh of relief, only for it to turn into a grimace as a fresh wave of pain rippled through him.
Ron approached the troll cautiously, giving it a poke with his foot. "Is it... is it dead?"
"I'd say so," Harry replied, staring at the lifeless creature.
"Is he alright?" Harry asked, rushing over with Ron.
Hermione knelt beside Neville, checking his pulse. "He's hurt, We need to get him to the Hospital Wing."
"Quickly," Hermione urged, glancing over her shoulder. "Help me lift him."
Suddenly, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.
…
Professor McGonagall, Snape, and Quirrell arrived on the scene, McGonagall's eyes widening at the sight of the fallen troll and the battered students.
"My goodness!" she exclaimed, moving swiftly towards the students. She knelt down beside Neville, checking on his slumped form while asking, "Is everyone all right?"
Hermione, seeing the professors, said urgently, "Neville is hurt, Professor. He can't move."
McGonagall nodded, and without wasting a moment, she pointed her wand at Neville. "Mobilicorpus!"
Neville's body lifted gently off the ground, floating slightly as McGonagall began to escort them. "We need to get all of you to the Hospital Wing immediately," she said firmly.
Professor McGonagall's gaze turned to Snape. "Professors Snape and Quirrell, please see to the removal of this troll. Afterward, we shall have a very serious discussion about this security breach."
Snape's eyes flashed as he looked at the students, particularly at Neville. "Very well, but I'll be back," he sneered, clearly annoyed as he and Quirrell reluctantly set about dealing with the troll.
With a swift motion, McGonagall conjured a silvery tabby cat—her Patronus—which dashed off down the corridor. "That will inform Professor Dumbledore to meet us there," she explained.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione followed closely as McGonagall guided the floating Neville through the winding corridors. Madam Pomfrey was already waiting for them, alerted by the Patronus.
"Neville Longbottom!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, her tone a mix of exasperation and concern. "What have you gotten yourself into this time?"
Neville managed a weak grin. "Had to rescue a damsel in distress, Madam Pomfrey," he joked softly.
The professors moved away, and Madam Pomfrey turned back to Neville, muttering under her breath as she examined him. "You lot will be the death of me, I swear."
She shook her head, guiding him onto a bed. "I might as well reserve a permanent bed for you if this is any indication of how your years at Hogwarts are going to be."
Neville chuckled and winced. "Suppose you might at that."
Shaking her head, Madam Pomfrey cast a diagnostic spell over Neville, her expression turning to exasperation. "Broken ribs and a bruised spine by the looks of it. Worse than the last time you were here. This will require Skele-Gro, I'm afraid. It won't taste pleasant."
Turning to the others and fussing over them, she said, "Let me have a look at all of you to ensure you're not hurt."
After finishing her examinations, she announced, "Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger you all seem unharmed. You're free to leave but do get some rest. Neville, you'll need to stay overnight. The potion will mend your bones, but it's best if you remain here." She left to fetch the potion.
Just then, Professor Dumbledore entered the Hospital Wing, his eyes grave yet kind. "I came as quickly as I could. It seems we have much to discuss."
"Explain yourselves. All of you," McGonagall demanded, her tone sharp and unyielding.
Hermione, ever quick-thinking, took a step forward, her voice steady though she was visibly shaken. "Professor, it was… we were… I was the one who went-" She glanced nervously at Neville, who was shaking his head slightly.
"Actually," Neville cut in, giving Hermione a frown. "I came looking for Hermione because she'd been missing all day, thanks to an idiot who decided to make her life difficult out of jealousy."
McGonagall's eyebrow arched slightly. "Jealousy?" she asked icily.
Neville nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Someone said something to Hermione, and she didn't come to the Great Hall. I learned from Parvati and Lavender that she'd been in the first-floor girls' lavatory all day. But on our way back, we, er..." He glanced down, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "We sort of ran into the troll."
"Harry and I came looking for them when we noticed they weren't with the rest in the Great Hall, and we saw Neville leaving earlier to look for Hermione," Ron added quickly. "Neither of them knew there was a troll loose in the castle, so we wanted to inform them."
Dumbledore looked between them all, his eyes twinkling. "And the troll? How exactly did it end up dead?"
All eyes turned to Neville, who managed a small, embarrassed laugh. "Well, that was me. I used a Banishing Charm to send the sword into the troll's mouth because the troll was magic-resistant," he admitted, looking down. "Though I got hurt doing something stupid." He chuckled a little, though it ended in a grimace. "Tried to cut its arm with a sword, but, er, turns out troll skin's a bit tough for that."
Dumbledore and McGonagall's eyes widened upon hearing that Neville was able to perform advanced spells. "That's quite an advanced spell, Mr Longbottom; it's not taught until your third year," McGonagall remarked.
Dumbledore added, "Indeed, that is quite an advanced spell. What other spells do you know? How far ahead are you in terms of spellwork?"
Neville started, "Um, not many—just a few from a book my gran sent me. I'm not that far ahead of the others."
Just then, Professor Snape strode in, his robes billowing behind him. He eyed the students coldly. "Headmaster, these students were out of bounds during a dangerous situation. They should be expelled for their reckless disregard of safety."
Rolling his eyes, Neville winced slightly as he sat up and interrupted, "Professor Snape, we weren't aware there was a troll loose in the school. And is it against school rules to leave the Great Hall during dinner? Perhaps you should adjust your priorities and ask the real question here: why was there a troll in the castle in the first place? Isn't Hogwarts supposed to be safe for students?" He continued, "I mean, aren't there security measures in place? Don't other schools make sure creatures like that don't get anywhere near students? Or is that just a Hogwarts thing?"
Snape looked livid, but before he could respond, Dumbledore spoke up. "That's quite enough, Severus."
Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully. "An excellent point, Mr Longbottom. Rest assured, we will be investigating how this breach occurred. In the meantime, I must commend all of you for your bravery."
Neville rolled his eyes, thinking, "Yeah, like you'll actually do something since you already know who let the troll in."
Dumbledore smiled gently at them. "For your courage, quick thinking, and loyalty to your friends, I award Gryffindor fifty points."
Ron looked down, guilt flickering across his face as he remembered how he'd treated Hermione earlier.
"Now," Madam Pomfrey interjected, returning with a vial of potion. Her voice was exasperated as she waved her hands at everyone crowding around Neville's bed. "I need space to tend to Mr Longbottom, so kindly take your congratulations and scoldings elsewhere!"
She handed Neville a goblet filled with a steaming, foul-smelling liquid. "Drink up. I won't sugarcoat it—it's dreadful."
Neville grimaced but drank it all in one go, coughing slightly. "Ugh, that's worse than I imagined."
Madam Pomfrey patted his shoulder. "Well, perhaps you should avoid getting injured if you don't want to taste my potions."
Professor McGonagall addressed them. "I'll be back shortly to escort you back to the Gryffindor common room. Your dinner will be brought here while I attend to something."
As the professors left, Ron and Harry lingered awkwardly by Neville's bed. Once McGonagall was out of earshot, Ron cleared his throat.
"Er, Neville, Hermione... we just wanted to say thanks," Ron began sheepishly. "You know, for everything."
Harry nodded. "Yeah, we really appreciate it."
Neville looked at them seriously. "You know, Ron, you've been acting just as badly as Malfoy. The only difference is that Malfoy's rich."
Ron flushed, his gaze dropping to the floor. "I... I know," he mumbled.
Neville turned to Harry. "And you, Harry. You only stand up to Malfoy because he picks on your friends," he nodded towards Ron. "But you don't seem to care if the bully is your friend. A real friend tells their mates when they're being gits."
Hermione placed a gentle hand on Neville's arm. "It's all right," she whispered.
But Harry shook his head. "No, Neville's right," he admitted, his voice tinged with regret. "I haven't been a good friend. This is the first time I've ever had mates, and I didn't want to lose them. But that's no excuse."
Ron looked up, eyes earnest. "Hermione, I'm really sorry for what I said. I was wrong, and I didn't mean it. I was just frustrated because you're so good at everything, and I felt... left behind. I'm sorry."
Hermione's eyes shimmered with tears. "I forgive you," she said softly. "And I'm sorry if I was a bit much. I was just trying to impress you both. I wanted to make friends, too."
They exchanged small smiles.
Harry extended his hand. "Friends?"
Neville looked at Harry's hand, then over at Ron and Hermione. A smile slowly spread across his face. "Friends," he agreed, shaking Harry's hand firmly.
Just then, plates of food appeared magically on the table beside them. Ron's eyes widened. "Finally! I'm starving," he exclaimed, grabbing a piece of bread.
They all settled down to eat, the delicious aromas making their stomachs rumble. As they dug in, harry leaned forward, his fork hovering over his plate. "Neville, that spell you used to stop the troll for a moment. what was it? I've never seen anything like it."
Neville swallowed a bite of shepherd's pie before answering. "Oh, that was Arresto Momentum. It slows down moving objects. I wasn't even sure it'd work on a troll."
"That's brilliant!" Ron said, eyes wide. "Where'd you learn that? We're only first years!"
Neville shrugged modestly. "It's from one of the books my gran sent me. I've been practicing a few spells from it on my own."
Hermione nodded enthusiastically. "That's actually really advanced magic. I'm impressed you could pull it off under pressure."
Neville smiled sheepishly. "Well, it's a good thing it worked, even if just for a second. It gave us enough time to get out of the way—or we might've been squashed flat.". The earlier tensions seemed to fade away as they got to know each other better.
After they finished their dinner, Professor McGonagall returned. "Time to head back to the Gryffindor common room," she said kindly to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "Mr. Longbottom needs his rest."
Hermione leaned over and hugged Neville. "I'll visit you first thing tomorrow," she promised with a smile.
"Get well soon, mate," Ron added, giving him a thumbs-up.
"See you tomorrow," Harry said, nodding.
Neville watched as they left, feeling a warm glow inside. He leaned back on his pillows and sighed, happy that everything had turned out relatively okay. Only he had gotten injured, and no one else was hurt. Closing his eyes, he let sleep claim him.
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