The Boy Who Lived

Chapter 1

'Crucio' shouted a woman with heavy-lidded eyes.

Screams everywhere.....

'Leave him, please, he's not the One' a voice screamed.

An evil cackle cut it off.

A shadow of a terrifying man fell on them.

He raised his wand and everything went black.

11-year old Neville awoke with a start, sweating.

He fumbled with the bedsheets and searched desperately for the tablets in his side-table.

He gulped them down with water, still shivering.

He finally lay down again trying to sleep.

He still tried to process what he saw along with trying to sleep.

After deserting any hopes of sleep coming again, he went outside.

He went to his grandma's room and lay beside her, thinking about the dream he just had.

'What is it, Nev?' asked Augusta Longbottom. 'Did you have those nightmares again?'

'Yes, Grandma.' said Neville as he snuggled closed to her. 'Why do I keep having them again and again?'

'It's not time yet, Nev and I am not the right person to tell you.'

Neville shot her a wondering look.

'In time, you will know why, trust me.'

'Can you tell me the story of my parents again?' asked Neville.

'They were Aurors, dear, amongst the bravest of them. Their job was to protect the wizarding as well as the Muggle world from threats. It was the reign of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and so they had a lot of work on their hands.'

'What was the reign like?' interrupted Neville.

'It was a dangerous time. All happiness was sucked from life. Everybody was afraid and terrified of him. No wizard had ever commanded such fear as he did. However when there is a force of evil there is an equal force of good as well. This force was Dumbledore. He founded The Order of The Phoenix in which he included your parents. They were constantly tracking the movements of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.'

'One day, some Death Eaters tracked your parents down. They tortured them for information but they refused to yield. They were tortured beyond repair. On the same day, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named attacked the Potters and killed Lily and James. However, he could not kill Harry and he himself died when he tried to kill Harry.'

'So, this Harry is a celebrity by now, right, since he rid the world of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?'

'Yes, but the common public doesn't know where he is. Only Dumbledore and his closest confidants know of his location. But wherever he is, he is secure and safe.'

'I wonder what it must be to be a hero?' wondered Neville enchanted by the thought.

Augusta ruffled her grandson's hair affectionately.

'Trust your Grandma on this, Nev, you are a hero, no matter what.'

Neville pondered on those words the entire night.