The parseltongue Uchiha: Book 1

Dragons

"Yeah, mate he was, like, muttering non-stop under his breath! If that ain't casting a curse, then I dunno what is."

"Aaaah, but not everything's as it seems, ne," Harry said in a sing songy voice.

However, before Ron and Hermione had time to yell at him that this was no time to play silly cryptic games and to take this seriously, there was a large crash behind them. Everyone spun round; Harry's hand already halfway to his kunai pouch, only to pause at the sight that met his eyes. There, lying sprawled across the floor was Neville, his legs locked together completely due to some sort of curse. From the rumpled clothes to the slight redness on his forehead and nose, it was obvious that Neville had had to bunny hop the whole way to the tower and must have already had several other up-close and personal meetings with the floor.

Everyone collapsed to the floor laughing, while Neville's face grew redder and dipped towards the carpet. Harry, glaring fiercely at everyone until they cut themselves off with one of his darker Glares, quickly rushed over to the boy to help him to right himself, while Hermione muttered a quick spell under her breath to cancel the Leg-locker curse. Neville shot them a tearful, yet grateful smile.

"What happened?" Hermione asked kindly as she and Harry led a slightly shaky Neville to sit on the sofa that Harry had just vacated.

"Malfoy," he answered shakily. "I met him in the library. He said he'd been looking for someone to practice on."

Harry almost growled and wondered if Dumbledore would mind ever so much if a student went missing, because the next time he saw Malfoy he was going to kill him! Or at the very least rethink tying him in up by his ankles to a tree in the middle of the Forbidden Forest for a few days. Because no one hurt Harry's friends and got away with it!

"Go to Professor McGonagall!" Hermione was urging the boy. "Report him!"

Neville shook his head, his eyes hidden behind his bangs as he stared down at his hands. "I don't want any more trouble." He murmured.

"You sound like you've given up already," Harry snapped suddenly. Neville jumped and looked up at Harry, wide-eyed. "Listen to me. If you just stand by and let them trip, belittle you and pull you down, then what's stopping them from doing it again and again?" Neville stared at Harry; tears in his eyes as he stood looking down at Neville with shadowed eyes. Carefully, he knelt down and looked Neville in the eye in a way he had done with both his brothers when he wanted to show them he meant every single word he said. "No one stays weak forever, Neville. Strength isn't something we're born with, no matter what anyone says. Strength is something that we must work on over time. But to achieve that strength, you need to believe in yourself, in your own strength and power. After all, there was a reason that hat sorted you into Griffindor."

Neville's eyes were wide; shining overly bright as what Harry said began to sink in. "Harry, I-"

Harry beamed at Neville and stood once more, ruffling his golden hair. "Here," he threw him one of his last chocolate frogs to the boy, who caught it clumsily. "Next time, make sure you're the one sending him splat on his face, ne?"

Neville brushed his eyes with a slight laugh at the picture of the 'Slytherin Prince' flat on his face and unwrapped the frog. Before heading up to bed, he gave Harry the chocolate Frog collectable card, trotting off to the dormitories, looking a little happier than before. With a small smile at the retreating boy's back, Harry absently studied the card (the face of Dumbledore looking up at him curiously) and flipped it over to see what it had to say about the old man. He choked when he read exactly what the card said.

"Flamel!"

"What?" Hermione and Ron suddenly jumped up in surprise. The two of them practically surging towards him, snatching the card out of his hand and reading what was written there. Suddenly Hermione's eyes lit up to dazzling levels and she darted back up to her room, yelling at the two of them to stay where they were, leaving Ron and Harry to share mystified looks and Harry to wonder when Hermione had reached the speed of a genin. A few seconds after that thought crossed his mind, Hermione came back down, taking the steps two at a time. She was carrying a big, thick book that put the Quidditch Through The Ages to shame.