"I don't know sweetie. I really don't. I thought I had known him before all of this. He had rejected all of the pureblood supremacy nonsense like I had when we were younger… but he joined up with it as an adult. Against his best friend, against the family that took him in when he was cast out of his own. I don't know what was going on with him. I don't know what would have happened between then and now. Just know that if he IS after you for whatever reason, I won't let him get you. You mean far, far too much to me." Andy said, moving over and hugging Harry tight.
"I love you too Mum." Harry said, hugging her back.
"Looks like the park is out for today… feel like a game of Wizard's Guess Who?" Andromeda asked, wiping her tears.
"Sounds like fun!" Harry said, squeezing her into a hug.
The rest of June went without issue for Harry, although July had brought some mildly sad news. Charlie Weasley had stopped by and said that he wasn't going to be around this summer, because he and his family were going to go see his oldest brother Bill Weasley in Egypt, where he was working as a curse breaker in Egypt. Charlie explained that the Weasleys had won a drawing in the Daily Prophet, that was an all expenses paid vacation to Egypt, and everything had worked out for them. Harry was disappointed that he wouldn't see Charlie at all this summer, as he did quite like the man, but was happy he was going to see his family. Hermione had also gone on vacation, specifically to the French Alps, although she swore she would be back in time to attend Harry's birthday party.
Harry's party was once more set for the final day of July, and would this year be a joint celebration between himself and Neville, given that Neville was not even a full day older than Harry. The event was held at Longbottom manor, and Harry was excited to see his best male friend's home for the first time.
Despite being an older family, Longbottom Manor wasn't as extravagant or ostentatious as Greengrass manor was. While it was still an incredibly fancy home, it gave off a somewhat warmer and less sterile vibe. Where Greengrass manor had beautiful smooth marble, Longbottom manor had solid wooden floorboards, with warm colored rugs set about the place. Decorations on the walls told of a warrior heritage, with images and busts of great Celtic and even Nordic warriors lining the halls of the manor, leading to the primary centerpiece of the home, an extravagant kite shield, with the Longbottom coat of arms emblazoned on it. The main room where the shield was, also currently held several tables for the party they were having, with a few muggle birthday decorations strewn about, giving it a fun atmosphere.
Harry was admiring the shield when Neville came by and asked what he thought of the place. "It's really amazing Neville! I had no idea you came from such a warrior family." Harry said, elbowing his friend. "Guess I'm not the only one with big shoes to fill."
"No, you're not huh. I guess I'm just so used to it I forget about it. I'm no great warrior anyway. Without you guys in the Sphinx Club I'd probably be flunking my classes." Neville said, his original shyness coming back to the forefront.
"No way. You're almost as good at Defense as I am, and you trounce all of us in Herbology, and you can go tit for tat on the theory side of Potions with Daphne. You'd have done great without us, but I'm glad you didn't have to." Harry said, slapping his friend on the back. "Hard to believe we're teenagers though huh? I remember looking at them on the playground a few years ago and being like 'Wow, those are the BIG kids.'"
"Yeah, it is a bit strange. I still feel like one of those little kids though. Just looking up at everyone else looking like they have everything sorted out." Neville said. "Enough about that though. It's supposed to be a fun day yeah? I think the girls should be arriving soon."
"Hopefully, it's a bit strange we don't really have that many other guy friends right?" Harry said, looking at Neville. "I'm not complaining though, the girls are wonderful."
"Probably just a lack of great options. Gryffindor in our year is… odd. Seamus and Dean seem alright, but just… incredibly focused on finding ways to sneak alcohol into the castle. Ron is, well… not a pleasant person to be around. He's either trying to goad you into chess matches to prove his superiority over you, eating his body weight in whatever he can, or complaining about his brothers." Neville said, turning to look at Harry. "What about your roommates in Ravenclaw?"
"Outside of their studies, they're all Quidditch fiends. They're friendly and everything, good guys generally, but really focused. I didn't see them outside of classes at all when Quidditch try-outs happened. They were spending all of their free time practicing." Harry said.
"Sounds like Oliver Wood would love to have them. He's the Gryffindor Quidditch captain. He's been absolutely distraught that he hasn't managed a year win since he got the job during our first year. Says his team doesn't take the training seriously enough. He'll be in his seventh year this year, so maybe we'll bring home the Quidditch Cup this year." Neville said. "Admittedly, I don't really care for Quidditch that much. It's fun to watch I suppose, but you'd never catch me on the pitch. Ginny's going to be trying out for the team though, she had made that clear last year. Said she'll take over the vacant Seeker position, since we've not had an actual Seeker since we got to Hogwarts. Katie Bell, she's in the year above us, has been filling in, but she's better as a Chaser."
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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