Neville Longbottom never thought he'd live to see a Hogwarts reunion. Yet twenty years after the Battle of Hogwarts, here he was, coughing up a storm as he put on his dress robes.
They'd been tucked in a closet far too long, waiting to finally see the light of day. His wife, Hannah, had warned him that he might need new ones, but Neville had insisted his good old robes would do just fine. Perhaps he'd been wrong.
The castle was dressed up more than ever, candles flickering bright. Neville made his way to the great hall, silently terrified that all he would see were ghosts. Seeing his old friends, he couldn't help but think it would only remind him of those who were missing. So many had died here. It haunted him every day, even now, on New Year's eve twenty years later. But Neville was not one to let fear or pain prevent him from joy. He wanted to see all his old friends. To celebrate that they were all still here.
The moment Neville entered the room, he was met with a hundred familiar faces. Grinning, he shook hands, exchanged stories, and caught up with those he hadn't seen in a long time. As Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts, Neville had reunited with many of his old classmates, teachers, and friends already. Others, he hadn't seen in twenty years.
Then, he saw the face he never thought he'd see again. The boy who lived. More like the boy who had too many close calls with death. When they'd been Aurors together years ago, Harry always seemed to attract danger. It was a marvel he was still in one piece.
"Harry Potter! I never thought I'd see the day," Neville exclaimed. Indeed, it couldn't be easy for him to return to the place where he endured such horrors. Harry grinned and the two exchanged a quick embrace.
"Neville. It's been too long. I haven't seen you since- well, since your wedding. How is Hannah?"
"Fantastic. And Ginny? Is she here?"
Harry nodded. "She's great. Parading around here somewhere, I'm sure." He craned his neck, searching the crowd for his energetic wife. Neville patted his shoulder.
"It's alright, mate. I'm sure I'll bump into her sooner or later. Now tell me, head Auror, how has life been?"
The two caught up about everything that had happened since they last spoke. Harry told Neville about his family and his ridiculous adventures as an Auror. In return, Neville told Harry about his time teaching at Hogwarts as the new Professor of Herbology.
He pulled a shiny object out of his pocket. Harry's eyes widened.
"The coin? You kept it all these years?" Neville nodded. He carried Dumbledore's army coin with him everywhere as a reminder to stay brave, even in the face of the darkest nightmares.
"I show it off to my students every now and again. They love it."
Harry chuckled. "I'm sure they do." He leaned closer, admiring the coin. "Never thought I'd see it again."
The moment was interrupted by a scream echoing through the castle. Harry's head snapped up, senses at the ready. Neville scanned the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Some of the guests hadn't even noticed. Harry and Neville exchanged a look.
"So I'm not mad? You heard it, too?" Harry asked, eyebrows raised above his glasses.
"It might not have been anything. Perhaps one of the ghouls is making trouble again?" Neville suggested.
Harry cocked his head. "Perhaps. But I have a feeling it's something worse."
"You do have a habit of attracting trouble," Neville mused, pulling out his wand.
"Yeah, sorry." Harry did the same.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Neville said with a grin. It was true. Harry kept things interesting.
"Shall we investigate?" Harry offered. Neville nodded. Another scream echoed, louder this time, higher pitched. A buzz of concerned voices echoed through the room.
Neville raised his wand to his throat, amplifying his voice. "Not to worry, everyone. Mr. Potter and I will go take a look." The entire room calmed immediately at the name Potter.
"They have entirely too much trust in me," Harry muttered.
Neville snorted. "I think they're at least a little justified."
The two set off through the hallways. The candlelight that had been joyous and bright hours before now looked eerie. Footsteps echoed, prompting Harry and Neville to take up a fighting stance, wands at the ready. Just like they had twenty years ago. It was a student, a boy. They straightened, lowering their wands a tad as not to scare him. His face was streaked with tears.
"I saw a spider. Larger than a broom closet. On the fourth floor," the boy's voice quivered. He'd barely finished when a little girl nearly ran into him, terror on her face.
"My owl is dying. Please help. It's on the fourth floor," she pleaded.
Harry and Neville exchanged a look.
"Boggart," they said in unison before breaking into a sprint. More screams echoed. The students must have been having a party up there. Merlin's beard, what a mess.
Neville and Harry made their way through the halls. They began to meet groups of children, clearly terrified.
"Go to the Great Hall. Tell them that there is a boggart on the fourth floor and that Mr. Potter and I will handle it," Neville told a passing group of students.
"To the Great Hall," Harry pointed.
A brave student finally led them in the direction of a mysterious door. Neville didn't recognize it, but then again, Hogwarts was full of mysteries. At Harry's nod, Neville opened the door. It creaked in the night, the only sound in a quiet room that was just a little too dark for comfort. The moment they entered, nightmares flooded their vision. Multiple nightmares. There wasn't just one boggart, it was three. At least. The overlapping horror scenes created a busy soundscape and Neville wanted nothing more than to cover his ears and close his eyes to the horrors of war. Before him, he saw Harry dead in Hagrid's arms, a sea of familiar dead bodies, the dark lord rising again.
"Bloody hell. There isn't just one. We've found a boggart's nest," he said through gritted teeth.
"Remember Lupin's lesson?" Harry shouted over the noise.
"How could I forget?" Neville responded.
"Riddikulus!" He shouted. It wasn't strong enough.
He tried again, no luck. His heart began to beat faster as he began to lose his fight with fear. He looked to the side to see Harry doing the same.
"We have to do it together," Neville said. Harry nodded, his adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed, raising his wand.
"Ready? On three," Harry prompted. "One, two-"
"Riddikulus!" They shouted in unison. The vision that had been Harry's dead body in Hagrid's arms became Harry dancing an Irish jig. He heard the real Harry begin to laugh beside him and Neville joined in, creating a chorus of mirth that drowned out the terrors before them.
"It worked! Again."
"Riddikulus!" The dead bodies disappeared as they healed their souls with laughter.
"Riddikulus!" Voldemort was gone for good once more.
Neville wiped the sweat from his brow.
"We should do that more often. We make a good team," Neville chuckled.
Harry exhaled a laugh beside him. "Perhaps we can team up against something less threatening next time?"
Neville nodded. "I'd like that."
"It seems we both still have demons," Harry noted.
"I think we always will. But we owe it to them to laugh once again." They owed it to those they'd lost along the way. To live their life with jokes and joy and jubilee.
"Well, the festivities are waiting for us downstairs."
They made their way back to the Great Hall. Eyes turned to them. Students mingled with partygoers, meeting the heroes they'd only heard stories about.
"The boggart has been subdued," Neville announced. The students pouted, not wanting to return to bed, where they were supposed to be. Clearly, they'd been eager to join in on the festivity.
"However, students may stay to enjoy the party!" He announced, hoping the other staff members wouldn't hate him too much. No one seemed to mind.
"I think you'll be the favorite teacher soon enough," Harry said conspiratorially.
Neville chuckled. "Perhaps I already am. It's your fault, you know. All they want are stories about Harry Potter."
"Well, I hope I don't disappoint!" Harry said, going off to meet the students. Neville followed, introducing them to his friend, the living legend, Harry Potter.
After they'd made their rounds, a countdown began, and everyone raised glowing wands into the air. This time, it wasn't in mourning, but in celebration.
"Three, two, one, Happy New Year!" Shouts of excitement echoed through the room as fireworks erupted from everyone's wands.
"You know, I've been thinking about bringing in some guest lecturers to teach students. I can't think of anyone better than you. Would you do it?" Neville hollered to Harry above the ruckus of celebration.
Harry grinned. "I suppose I can stomach being in this castle a little longer. Someone needs to teach them how to deal with a boggart."
They shook hands.
"Happy New Year, Harry."
"Happy New Year, Neville."
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