As I walked through the hallways of the school, my mind was in disarray, going from thought to another. Until now, I hadn't cared one bit about time or news from outside. Did I not care enough, or was I simply so focused on magic that the world beyond faded into the background? I started to wonder why. I genuinely didn't know how long it had been since I had let myself out of Azkaban—let myself out, not escaped— like the boss I am, which, I might add, still feels rather empowering.
Yet again, I experienced a fleeting burst of childish pride and arrogance. I couldn't recall when it began, but these feelings came and went. Was I prideful in my previous life? Honestly, I didn't remember much, but I doubted it. Perhaps this was a trait I acquired after gaining my identity. But why? My soul felt normal, as far as I could tell. True, my potential was ever-increasing as I absorbed and saturated in more Null energy, but surely I wasn't the only one who had noticed the peculiar changes within me. Questions swirled in my mind, with so few answers. I made a mental note to research emotions in depth; I was confident I'd uncover the truth soon enough.
Finally, I reached my destination: the Fat Lady painting on the wall. She glanced at me and opened the door without a word. It was strange—I'm still getting used to the fact that I now own Hogwarts. I knew this would forever be one of my most treasured possessions.
As I entered the common room, the noise abruptly ceased. There was no murmuring, no sounds at all. I scanned the room for Neville, but he wasn't there.
"What are you doing here? This isn't a place for Dark wizards….!" Ronald Weasley interrupted my search with his annoyingly loud voice. In a flash, I snapped my fingers, and poof— I transfigured him into a red rat. Even then, he squeaked noisily, so I silenced him with another snap.
"I have a question!" I said, turning to the twins, who were delightedly laughing at their brother's misery. "Sure, Harry," Fred replied. "Ask away," George chimed in.
"Did you and your brothers take all the good traits in your bloodline and leave him with the dregs, or did your mother take a defective potion when she was pregnant, and he's just the result of that?" I asked, half-serious and half-sarcastic. This prompted laughter from the entire common room.
"I really don't want to be the bully here, but he was asking for it. I can be anywhere I want; after all, I own the bloody castle," I said with exasperation, and handed him back to his brothers, who still chuckled.
"Has anyone seen Neville? I'm looking for him," I inquired.
"Uh, I think he's in one of the greenhouses. He mentioned something about most of the plants being harvested," Dean replied.
"Thanks, mate," I said, continuing my search.
When I arrived at the third greenhouse, having already checked the first two without success, I finally spotted him—elbow-deep in dragon dung fertilizer, looking sweaty and red.
"Hey, Neville! Do you need help?" I asked, though the thought of assisting him in this task didn't thrill me.
"Harry! What are you doing here? Come in!" he said, brightening at my presence. His face lit up with a smile, and I realized he was genuinely happy to see me.
"I've been looking for you for a while. Hogwarts was feeling mischievous and refused to reveal your location. I had to check the greenhouses after not finding you in Gryffindor's common room," I explained.
"So, what's up? What do you need?" he asked, getting right to the point. He was still working, and I understood why he wanted to be direct.
"Uh, I was in the library to ask Hermione, but Luna suggested I talk to you. So here I am. My body and emotions are finally syncing up, and since I'm still growing, my moods shift for little to no reason at all. I wanted to know what guys our age typically do—any advice you have would be great," I shared. He looked at me with a weird puzzled look.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I asked. He set down his tools and sat on the ground. I wanted to point out that I had conjured a chair for him, but I decided not to.
"Harry, let me get this straight: you're asking me what guys our age usually do?" he clarified, and I nodded. That was indeed what I wanted to know.
"Um, well, most guys our age are either dating girls, dreaming about them, trying to impress them, or just imagining them while... you know, relieving themselves," he replied. Usually shy, Neville seemed to have grown more confident. Good for him.
"So, what you're saying is that most, if not all, guys our age are chasing girls?" I asked, contemplating his words. "I guess I can see why, but what else do they do? What hobbies can I pick up? I don't want to think about girls right now; I have more important matters to focus on and can't afford to be distracted." I said this with a hint of frustration, and Neville laughed.
"Hahaha, okay, okay. I get it. Why don't you just do something you enjoy? Take me, for example. I usually go to the greenhouses here at Hogwarts to help with and check on the plants I cultivate, or I go out with Hagrid to look for magical plants in the Forbidden Forest. Sometimes, I just hang out with a few friends, chatting or having fun with jokes and pranks," he explained. I could see how that worked, but I didn't think I had many friends. Still, I was already here, so I might as well talk with Neville.
"All right, I can see how that could work. Let's chat now that I'm here." I paused after saying this, considering what I wanted to discuss. Seeing me think, Neville, as helpful as ever, chimed in, "Girls?" and laughed. I was glad he found it amusing.
"Okay, fine, girls. But what do you usually say? I can't think of anything to discuss about them," I admitted. It was true—what would I say?
"Uh, let's start with this: if you wanted to date someone, who would you pick?" he asked, visibly excited.
"I don't want to date anyone, though! It feels like a waste of time when I could be researching new magic!" I replied, though I wasn't entirely truthful.
"Come on, Harry! Think about it a little. Don't you find anyone in our year attractive?" he pressed, his excitement clear.
"Um, well, there's Hermione, but I don't want to risk our friendship like that. She's a good friend, and I don't have many of those," I confessed, feeling embarrassed to say it out loud.
"Yeah, I get it. But if you want my opinion, you two would make a great couple. Both of you are obsessed with magic, so it might actually work out," he said. I could see his point, but I decided to shelve that thought for later—maybe after I dealt with Voldemort.
"What about you, Neville? Is there anyone who's caught your eye?" Now it was my turn to ask him.
"Uh, um, well, there's Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff, but I haven't mustered the courage to ask her," he admitted, fidgeting with his fingers and darting his eyes in different directions. I couldn't help but laugh hard. It was fun talking about girls.
"Hannah, huh? That's the one who's always with Susan, right? She's cute. I can totally see you two working out—and imagine having mini-Nevilles together!" I joked, and I could see his face redden in embarrassment. Hahaha, this is too fun.
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Just wanted to let you know that the first and second chapter of my new One piece FanFiction has been uploaded on pat.reon.
Enjoy!!! And don't forget the power stones and all that😁😁😁