Becoming Neville

Chapter Thirty-three

When they woke, the dim light had faded considerably. They searched for their shoes, ran their fingers through their hair, and headed downstairs where they found Tonks seated in the kitchen, poking a spoon at a bowl of cauldron noodles. She looked up when they entered, her face sporting a rainbow of bruises.

"Your hair's gone all white!" Neville exclaimed, shocked by the sight of her snow-white curls.

"Nah," she shrugged. "I just couldn't find a color that didn't clash with my bruises. But white draws them out quite nicely, don't you think?" She fluffed her hair and preened as if her injuries were a fashion statement. Neville laughed at her light-heartedness, and even Harry cracked a smile.

"Pull up a chair and make yourselves comfortable," she invited. Giving her wand a flick, she summoned two bowls of cauldron noodles to the table. They jostled and banged into each other before settling down. She sent another spell at the tea kettle, and it poured hot water into the bowls, sloshing quite a bit onto the table.

"Looks delicious," Harry said, grabbing a spoon and digging into the soup.

Tonks grinned. "Slaved all day over a hot stove!"

Neville hadn't thought he was very hungry, but his stomach rumbled at the savory smell rising from the bowl, and he slurped the noodles up with relish.

Tonks fetched a couple of butterbeers from the ice box and set them down before the boys. Picking up her spoon again, she asked, "How's Lupin doing? McGonagall couldn't tell me much before she went back to Hogwarts. She just said you found him in a really bad way."

Again Neville saw that bright red smear on Snape's pale cheek, and he looked into his bowl of soup as Harry answered, "He was in bad shape, but they say he'll be all right."

"Poor bastard," she said. "Here he is, a hero, and not only do we have to keep mum about it, but he goes and rips himself to shreds over it." She sighed, idly stirring her soup. "She deserved what she got."

"Yeah," Harry agreed.

"I know it wrecked up the laboratory," Tonks continued, "but I'm glad she's dead, even if she was my aunt."

"Me, too," said Harry.

"And you two blokes - holding her off like that. That's Gryffindor spirit! You two should be inducted as aurors right this minute! Who needs training?"

Harry shied away at the praise and concentrated on his soup, but Neville was distracted by a new thought. "So what will happen with the laboratory now? I mean, it's still the full moon, isn't it?"

Tonks scratched at her nose, pondering. "I don't know. I think Snape's standing guard over Lupin tonight to make sure he'll be all right. McGonagall didn't say anything about it, other than that she'd cleaned up the mess. I guess we'll have to wait until next month."

"But we don't have to," said Neville. "Harry and me know all the spells. We've been drilling it for ages. We could help you."

Harry glanced up at him, his eyes bright with interest, and Tonks cocked her head to one side. "I don't know. No offense, but two kids?"

"But Harry's really powerful," said Neville.

Harry piped up, "And Neville's nothing to sneeze at. He's got a new wand. We both know the spells."

"Well...." She glanced overhead, as if looking through two floors to the laboratory above them. A grin flashed over her face, making her bruises dance. "I like the way you boys think: tenacious, like good Hufflepuffs. Never surrender!" She bared her teeth at them. "All right, let's do it!"

They hastily finished their soup and butterbeers, their spirits lifted by the plan. After everything had gone so horribly wrong, it was encouraging to think they still might be able to salvage the laboratory.

After dinner, they trooped upstairs. Neville felt a twinge of panic as Tonks pushed open the door to the laboratory, but the gas lamps flared to life, revealing no trace of the previous night's trauma. Everything was spic and span, the walls and floor clean, all the ingredients and supplies neatly arranged on their shelves. It looked so eerily the way it had the previous night that for a moment, Neville had a horrible sense of déjà vu, as if Bellatrix Lestrange would burst through the door all over again.

"Wotcher, Neville," said Tonks, breaking through his morbid thoughts. "All right there?"

He blinked to clear his mind. "Yeah, I'm ready."

"Good." She clapped her hands, rubbing them together. "Well, let's get set up, shall we?"

They fetched the supplies they would need, laying everything out in preparation. The scroll on which they had taken notes was still there, and Neville read through the list out loud as Tonks and Harry double-checked each item.

When everything was prepared, Tonks dusted her hands together and pulled out her wand. "All right. I've reviewed the procedure, and with Snape gone, we'll have to divide up the duties differently. I'll do the incantations and oversee everything. Harry, we know you can handle a wand, so you do the charmwork, and Neville, with your green thumb, you'll handle the herbs and potion work."

Neville's heart skipped a beat, and he could feel sweat break out all over his body. "Me? But - but - I thought I could just, you know, sort of hand you everything when you need it."

Tonks shook her head. "No. None of us can take on Snape's role by ourselves. We all need to do our part."

All his old insecurities flooded over him. He knew by now that he could handle being a sidekick, but there was no way he could be a major player. "I always mess things up. Ask anyone, they'll -"

"Neville." Harry stood before him, his voice surprisingly gentle. The kindness of it caught Neville's attention. Those green eyes that he had always fancied gazed steadily at him, and Harry smiled. "Neville," he said again. "When was the last time you messed things up? Because I can't remember. Was it last night when you risked your life to protect me and give Tonks the chance to recover? Or was it when you figured out something was wrong with your parents ad finally got Driftwood sacked? Or maybe you're talking about when we did the purification spell, and you did everything perfectly, and even fought off the evil spirits? Or at the Ministry, when you were the only one left standing with me, and you attacked MacNair." Harry smiled again. "That doesn't sound like someone who messes things up. That sounds like a powerful wizard to me."

The way Harry described it, it did sound like a powerful wizard. But it was still hard for Neville to believe Harry was actually talking about him. He'd done so little in his life that was praiseworthy. "But I'm not special, Harry. Not like you."

"Yes, you are." Harry laid a hand on Neville's shoulder. "You're Frank and Alice Longbottom's son. That's very special."

A warm feeling spread throughout Neville's body, starting in his heart and moving out to the very tips of his fingers and toes. He was Frank and Alice Longbottom's son. Yes, that was indeed special. Taking a deep breath, he squared his shoulders. "All right. Let's do it."

As the moon approached its zenith, they began to work. All that drilling Snape had forced on them paid off. Neville knew every step of the procedure, how all the parts fit together. Each of them had a different role to play, but they worked with such unity that it was as if only one wizard with the power of three was working. Neville could feel his magic intertwine with that of Harry and Tonks, feeding off them and giving in return, making them all stronger. As it had the previous night, the magic sang and hummed with vitality, only this time he wasn't a mere spectator. He was part of it, making it happen. That harmony and ease that he had so envied was now his. The wand in his hand - his own wand - felt like a part of his body, an extension of his very soul. This was what wandwork was supposed to be like, a conduit for his own unique brand of magic. He was powerful. And it wasn't hard at all.

The time flew by, each stage of the spellwork playing out in its time. At last Tonks uttered the final incantation to seal the magic to the room. Her voice fell silent and she lowered her wand. The three of them stood still, attention focused on the power that now glimmered in the room, focused, ready to be harnessed for the creation of new magic. Neville's skin tingled from the potential.

Tonks smiled at Neville and Harry. "Good job, boys. Congratulations. I daresay even old Snape will be impressed."

Harry grinned back. "Thanks. I bet he will be, too."

"And I'm not even tired," Neville exclaimed. "Not in the least bit!"

"Oh, just wait about five minutes," Tonks assured him as she put her wand away. "You'll crash and sleep like the dead. Let's head out. We can leave the clean-up for tomorrow."

Closing up the room, they headed downstairs, saying good-night to Tonks. By the time he arrived at his room, Neville was already yawning. But even as fatigue stole over him, he still felt the thrill of that powerful magic. As he opened the door, he said to Harry, "That was awesome. I guess that must be what it's like to be you."

Harry shook his head. "Don't be me, Neville. Be yourself. That's the way I like you." Flashing a shy smile, he entered his room, shutting the door behind him.

Yawning so widely he thought he'd unhinge his jaw, Neville retired to his room. He got tangled up in his clothes as he undressed, and finally crawled wearily into bed, quickly losing the battle to keep his eyes open. As he drifted off to sleep, his lips twisted into a smile. Right now, being Neville felt pretty good.