NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM AND THE SORCERER' S STONE
Chapter 2: With friends like these… who need enemies?
Because he couldn't sleep well that night, Neville came late to the transformations class, not even Harry and Ron who woke up late woke him up, eventually arrived much later than the two Gryffindor, Professor McGonagall took points from gryffindor and imposed homework as punishment. At the end of the class his classmates booed him for losing points in his first class, a whole record, even Hermione was angry about the lost points, at the end Neville was left alone and began to cry.
In the flight class, things didn't get any better; Neville tried but couldn't get his broom in his hand, everyone laughed at him, but what could he do? He had never flown on a broom, not even a broom toy, as surely others had, the mocking made a dent in his self-esteem and for this reason even students coming from Muggle families like Hermione eventually managed to get her broom up, Neville was the only one who didn't make it.
Desperate, the boy grabbed his broom with both hands and mounted himself on it; the bad thing that the broom began to fly with him on top of it and at the end he let go and his tunic got caught in a statue and fell on the floor, breaking his wrist. Professor Hooch took him to the infirmary and didn't yell at him, but rather behaved very kindly with him, Neville liked that teacher.
The school nurse instantly cured Neville but insisted that she stay all afternoon. Returning to his common room, everyone laughed at him except Hermione and the other girls, as they climbed into Harry's bedroom the others mocked him, assuring him that going to the infirmary on his first day was a record.
Neville couldn't sleep, not only out of shame this time, but out of anger, thinking Harry was chosen to play quidditch because he caught his reminder, if only he had done it to help him, but no, he did it because he was challenged by Malfoy. If this was his first day, what would the others be like! Neville wished with all his might that he had remained a squib.
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On the eve of Halloween, one of the teachers announced that a troll had infiltrated the school and all the students were sent to their respective common rooms. Neville strangely surprised not to find Hermione asks a girl (after having gathered courage for several minutes) if she has seen her friend, but she answers that she went crying to the girls' bathroom.
Neville was running but when he arrived he saw Hermione and his two "friends" together. Teachers McGonagall, Snape and Quirrell were also there. Professor McGonagall seeing Neville outside the common room takes fifty points from him, earning him the hatred of all his housemates including Hermione.
“I should have asked earlier, so that I would have been on time," Neville lamented.
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The next day, being alone in the bathrooms, he had a coughing access and to his horror he saw the palm of his hand with which he had covered his mouth was drenched in blood.
Neville ran to the infirmary and the nurse took care of Neville quickly. Madam Pomfrey was surprised when she diagnosed the boy with ulcers, never in her life had she seen someone so young to develop ulcers that were the size of an adult's own ulcers subjected to excessive pressure and stress.
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In the game of quidditch against Slyterin, Harry managed to catch the snitch and everyone celebrated in the common room, already in the common rooms everyone passed the golden snitch, well all except Neville.
“What do you want, go to sleep," Dean told him.
“What an idea, don't give it to him, Harry," Seamus said.
“It's true, he'll make it dirty if he touches it with his filthy hands," Ron laughed.
“Guys, guys, let's let Neville touch it for a while," Harry said, but when Neville was getting ready to touch the snitch, Harry threw it at Ron.
“Get it if you can, Neville," said Harry.
Neville didn't want to be humiliated anymore and decided to go to bed and go to sleep, which was difficult because every time he wanted to sleep, the boys shook him and made fun of him.
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A note in the newspaper a few days later, indicated that a vault in the goblin bank had been breached, Neville when seeing the interest that Hermione put in the news decided to tell her about his visit to the vaults with Hagrid, the interested girl forgot her anger with Neville and asked him more things about it. The boys were surprised to discover that it was the same vault that had been breached by strangers, Harry and Ron listened to the conversation without Neville and Hermione noticing.
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Arriving on Christmas Eve, Neville received many letters from his relatives, how badly his companions took away his letters and mocked him for the affectionate nicknames the elders gave him, Neville tried to retrieve the letters, but they were all thrown at each other and they were also much taller than Neville.
At the end he gave up when Ron elbowed him and took his breath away, they left him lying on the floor and crying as they came laughing out of the room.
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Already on Christmas night, Neville was at home celebrating with his grandmother and the other elders, but he was unable to enjoy the feast they offered him because of the ulcers, but Neville was still happy to be at least a couple of days away from that hell he called Hogwarts.
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Upon returning to Hogwarts, one night Neville was woken up by Harry and Ron, apparently talking about a three-headed dog or something.
“What's that about a three-headed dog?” Neville asked
“What are you asking!” Ron nagged him
“It's nothing you're interested in Longbottom," said Harry, so Neville closed his curtains and went to sleep.
The classes didn't improve for Neville, no spell ever worked out well for him despite the hard work and the teachers always gave him extra work to make up for his lack of magic skills.
“If I had been in Hufflepuff, at least I would have someone to help me with my homework," Neville thought.
The times he tried to get close to Hermione, both Harry and Ron, would show up unwelcome and take her away from him, either to borrow her friend's notes (both boys never took notes in class) or to talk secretly about a stone.
But despite the enormous amount of extra work he was given by the teachers, the boy didn't complain, he knew they were doing it to make him better, but he didn't think the same of Snape, who apparently had taken it out on him, well, with him and Harry.
Neville didn't know that Snape hated Harry because he was the spitting image of his father, a man who abused the teacher when he was a child, and the worst of all was that this man was the one who married the woman he loved, too much for anyone to bear. As for Neville, Snape hated him because it was his mother who convinced Lily to marry James and despise Snape.
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One day to the surprise of Neville and the other Gryffindor, he saw how his house's point clock had lost overnight about 150 points, apparently her friend Hermione, along with Harry and Ron were discovered by McGonagall walking at night.
Hermione was devastated, she had lost fifty points for her house and all the Gryffindor hated her. Neville knew that losing 150 points was no small thing, but he was surprised at the bad treatment given to her friend, wasn't she human and was forbidden to be wrong?, the boy approached Hermione and tried his best to console her.
“Don't worry, they'll soon forget about this.”
“You think?”
“Sure, just wait till I lose points again and they take it out on me.”
Hermione looked at him attentively.
“I don't think you'll lose 50 points," Hermione said, trying to smile.
“Why not? McGonagall already took fifty points from me, I'm sure the next one will be a hundred points.” Tried to joke Neville, Hermione kept looking at him attentively.
"Great, now she probably thinks I'm a freak or something," Neville thought desperately.
“What I'm trying to say is don't worry, they won't be mad at you forever, and if they are, I'll always support you.”
“Thanks Neville," said Hermione and hugged the boy, Neville stood like a stone. Hermione separated from him and after thanking him she said goodbye and went up to her rooms to go to sleep.
Neville also went up to his room and wanted to encourage Harry and Ron, but it was noticeable that both boys were in a mood of dogs so he decided to go to sleep.
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After Hermione's punishment in the dark forest, Neville waited for her in the common room to see if she was all right, it was past four o' clock in the morning when the three Gryffindors arrived, and Neville asked her friend how she did.
“Get out Longbottom," Ron shouted.
“This does not concern you, go to sleep," Harry told him.
“Don't talk like that," Hermione scolded them, Neville felt hopeful. “Sorry Neville, but I must speak to Ron and Harry in private," excused Hermione, poor Neville nodded and went to his common room.
Neville was devastated, had waited all night for Hermione and she only wanted to talk to those two obnoxious ones. Harry and Ron went up to the room and continued talking; Neville overheard their conversation unwittingly and found out a lot of things.
TO BE CONTINUE...
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