The lion with tangled magic
Chapter 23: The lion with tangled magic
“You sure he’s gonna be there?” He asks Luna as they walk down to the greenhouses, arms linked together loosely.
“Oh, yes. Quite sure.” She doesn’t elaborate any further, so Harry continues on.
“Do you think he will agree to let a Slytherin, help him with his magic?”
“Yes.” She replies in her typically aloof voice. “I wouldn’t know how to live if my magic was tied in knots, I'm sure he will be pleased for some help.”
“But Luna, you know most people don’t see magic the way we do. He probably doesn’t even realize something is wrong.” It’s going to be hard to help Neville without exposing themselves as not completely typical Wixen.
“I don’t see magic; I only feel it. Seers are more in tune with it than most. You are different, you can feel it and see it.” She pokes him in the shoulder affectionately, Selena extends her neck out to flick her tongue at Luna’s hand. “I think deep down Neville knows something is wrong, even if he doesn’t quite know what it is.”
“Hmm, maybe. I guess we’ll see.” He shrugs.
“Ooh!” Luna suddenly dives down to the floor, almost tripping Harry over in the process, Solace squawks in alarm and flies from Luna’s head to his.
“Feeble bird.” Selena hisses at Solace in annoyance, rearing up to bear her fangs threateningly at the little raven. Solace however is used to her threats and simply chirps and tilts his head softly.
“Christ, Luna, what are you doing?” He asks once he’s regained his footing, bemused.
She rises to her feet once more holding a pebble that looks like a strangely shaped duck. “It’s for my collection.”
“You have a rock collection?”
“Mm hm, I have crystals too, there very pretty. I collect all sorts of things.” She hums, tucking the rock away in the pocket of her floor length floral skirt. “At home I have whole room to keep all things I collect safe. It used to be my mother's room where she kept all her own special things, she used to do all her experiments in there to.”
“Huh that's cool.” He says thoughtfully, wondering if he’ll ever get to see Luna’s collection in person. Just as they arrive at greenhouse one, where Luna says Neville spends his spare time.
“Are you ready?” She asks.
“As I'll ever be. Teacher/magic untangler, Harry is a go!”
Luna laughs and pushes the greenhouse door open.
Neville Longbottom is kneeling on the ground repotting small sunflowers. He’s humming to himself and doesn’t notice that he has company, Harry uses the moment as an opportunity to look at the Gryffindor's magic.
Luna says that to her it feels tangled... but to him it looks more like the magic is confused, perhaps distressed. There are two separate magics, one is bright blue it flits around Neville like a swarm of buzzing bees, it seems unable to ever truly settle, almost like Longbottom is rejecting it somehow. The second magic is orange in colour, this one seems to be more at home, Harry thinks it must be Neville's own core magic, although it is calmer than the blue magic it still seems... desperate? Frantic? He’s not sure exactly what, but it kind of seems to be fighting against the blue magic, like Neville is subconsciously and constantly using his core magic to fend of the blue magic.
If that's the case it's no wonder he’s struggling in class, his body probably focusing all its energy and magic on fighting all the time, that whenever Neville needs to use his magic in class or for anything really, he doesn’t have any magic left to spare.
“Hello Neville.” Luna’s voice breaks him out of his silent evaluation.
Neville jumps practically out of his skin, snapping his head around to face them so fast it must surely hurt and overturning some of the sunflowers in the process. When he catches sight of Harry his whole body tenses up and he looks terrified. “Oh... H-hello, um I can go if you need the greenhouse.”
“The hatchling is feeble.” Selena declares snootily.
“No, he is not. He’s just scared.” He replies quietly, looking down at the floor so Neville doesn’t notice he’s speaking Parsel-tongue.
“It is the same thing.”
He shakes his head at her in exasperation, then he realizes he should probably say something to Longbottom. “No, it’s okay you don’t have to leave. We actually came here to speak to you.”
That does not seem to ease Longbottom's nervousness. In fact, it does the complete opposite, the other boys eyes widen with panic and he backs away from them a bit, clutching tightly at the garden trowel in his hand. “Oh, I-I'm sorry, whatever I've done I didn't mean to offend you, I promise! Please don’t hurt me.”
“What?” Harry is a little taken aback, at the terror on the other boy's face. “We’re not going to hurt you, Longbottom.”
“We came here to help you, Neville.” Luna says, tilting her head to one side as if she’s evaluating him. “And your magic.”
“H-help m-me?” The round-faced boy is stuttering worse than Quirrell at this point, looking like he expects to be brutally murdered any moment. “My m-magic?”
Luna stares at Harry imploringly, silently willing him to take some sort of action, to prevent the boy from spiralling any further.
He takes a moment to think what would put the other boy at ease? Harry pulls his wand out of his pocket, and Neville (predictably) flinches violently. “It’s fine, look,” Harry places the wand on the floor and steps away from it with his hands raised in surrender. “No wand I can’t hurt you. Okay?” Neville of course does not know that is a lie, wandless magic comes easier to him than magic with a wand. He could hurt Neville if he wanted to... but that is not the goal here. So, a gesture of peace is the best way forward.
Neville gapes at harry, seeming momentarily stunned into silence, staring from the wand on the floor to Him to Luna then back to the wand.
“Will you let us help?” Luna’s voice breaks the silence, she approaches Longbottom extending her hand slowly. “I’m Luna Lovegood. If you didn’t already know.”
Longbottom shakes her hand warily, but Harry thinks he looks less terrified, now just plain old nervous... which is much easier to work with. Fear is too unpredictable, unless of course you know how to use it your advantage. “What do you mean, help me with my magic.” He says quietly but thankfully without stuttering. “There’s nothing wrong with my magic, my gran says I just don’t have much of it... like an almost squib.” He wilts at that all the fight going out of him as he mentions his gran.
“She’s wrong. You have loads of magic.” Harry says abruptly, without thinking.
“W-what? How... how do you know?”
Harry groans internally and tries to think of a good reason that doesn’t expose his questionably powerful magical abilities or a way to make sure Neville can’t tell anyone about it. Maybe a vow of some sort? He’s read about many different types of vows in his copy of ‘Magical bonds and vows’ he bought it in flourish and blots thinking it looked interesting. An unbreakable vow is probably a very bad idea, so not that one. Maybe a blood vow? But that would be considered blood magic which is classified as a dark art and is technically illegal...
“A vow of magic.” Luna says suddenly in a dreamy voice, as if she has heard Harrys inner turmoil. “It is a vow between the magic of two people, it is more of a promise than a vow and it does not have violent consequences.”
That could work. If Neville agrees to swear not to tell anyone of the magic sensing or any other magical display harry shows him today, then... it would be much easier to help untangle Nevilles magic, if Harry doesn’t have to come up with elaborate lies to cover up his power. So, he nods slowly and turns to look Neville in the eyes. “If you agree to swear a vow between our magics then I can answer that question and help you to the best of my abilities.”
Neville looks scared again but also... intrigued. He hesitates for a long while before slowly nodding his head. His eyes taking on the typically Gryffindor bravery that Harry was unsure Neville was capable of. But... maybe Neville is more than he seems. “Okay. I-I want to know what you know about my magic. Gran says... says I'm a defect. But maybe that's not true?” The last part is a question and he looks between Luna and Harry hopefully.
“I think you are many things, Neville Longbottom, but a defect is not one of them.” Luna says smiling slightly.
“Do you know how to do the vow, Luna?” Harry asks steadily. Silently thinking that perhaps they would be better off by a mile if all the adults of the world stopped existing.
“Yes.” Luna replies, her voice taking on a dreamy quality. “Stand facing each other, link hands.”
Harry at Luna’s instructions, moves closer to Neville, the other boy shakily offers his left hand once Harry is close enough, he takes it with a nod.
“Neville, you vow to not speak of Harry’s secrets to anyone or anything living or dead, unless he gives you permission.” Luna says standing near them, her eyes glaze over slightly. “Harry, you vow to accept his promise and to honour him in turn.”
They nod in agreement. Neville steels himself and looks Harry in the eye properly. “Harry Potter, I swear to keep any secrets you share with me today, I vow to not speak your secrets to anyone dead or alive, unless you give me explicit permission.”
Harry can feel the magic in Neville's words even if Neville himself does not realize it's there. “Neville Longbottom, I accept your vow and I will honour you in turn.” His own magic adds to Nevilles sealing their vow in a fizz of gold and orange, that only Harry can see.
Harry smile briefly at the other boy, as their hands break apart. “It’s done!” Luna declares happily.
Neville takes a deep breath and asks. “What did you mean about me having… loads of magic?”
“Let's sit down and I’ll tell you.” He gestures to the floor near where the sunflowers lay overturned in their pots.
The three of them move to sit down, Solace choosing (Much to Neville's surprise) to perch on the other boy's lap.
“So…?” Neville prompts hesitantly. “How do you know about my magic.”
Harry steels himself for the fact that he has to share a precious secret with an almost complete stranger. But it will be better for them long-term if they can get a Gryffindor ally from a light family, so he thinks it’s worth the sacrifice. Especially since they’ve taken the steps to make it less of a risk. “I can sense magic.” He begins cautiously. “If I concentrate, I can see magic, that’s why we are here today… because I noticed something was wrong and wanted to see if we could help.” It is honestly quite far from the truth, he has barely crossed paths with Neville before this and he did not take the time or have any need to look at Neville's magic, if Luna hadn’t brought it up then he probably never would have noticed. And although he does want to help Neville it is not out of the goodness of his heart, they have a plan and Neville is a part of their success.
Neville looks surprised, and then amazed. “Wow, that’s so cool. I thought only really powerful Wixen can sense magic, like headmaster Dumbledore.”
He needs to steer this away from Dumbledore and questions about his power. “I’m not powerful like that, it’s a skill that runs in the Potter blood line, it’s a family secret so it’s not widely known.” He shrugs, the lie rolls easily of his tongue. It’s common to keep family magic a secret so the lie does not seem farfetched.
“It’s still really cool.” Neville says. “What does my magic feel like then?”
“You have two magics, one is your core magic, the other is something else but I’m not sure what. I was thinking maybe a family magic of some sort?”
Neville pales at that looking sick. But Harry pushes on, because the only way to get to the bottom of this is to move forward.
“It seems like you’re subconsciously using your core magic to try and fight the other magic… I’m not sure why though, because whatever the other magic is, it’s not dark or malicious in any way. So, there’s no reason for your magic to want it gone.”
By the look on Neville's face he seems to know exactly what the other magic is.
“Neville? You know what the other magic is. Don’t you?” Luna prompts gently.
Neville takes a shuddering breath his face scrunching up as if he’s trying not to cry. “It’s…it’s my family magic.” He says his lip trembling.
So, the blue magic must be the Longbottom family magic. Which makes sense, since Neville should be the heir to the house of Longbottom, Harry doesn’t think he has any siblings. The thing that doesn’t make sense however is why Neville seems so shaken by his family magic? And why would he reject it? “Why are you trying to fight off your family magic? Your heirship.” He asks confused.
Neville shakes his head, looking down at the ground. “It’s not an heirship, it’s a lordship. I’m… I’m lord apparent to the house of Longbottom.” He croaks out a few tears spilling from his brown eyes.
So… Neville is an orphan? Harry didn’t know that. But he gets it dead parents are a touchy subject. But it does make sense, when the lord of a family is dead the mantle passes to the heir.
“It's okay Neville.” Luna takes Neville's hands which are still muddy from repotting sunflowers, into her pale slender ones, her nails painted dark purple with yellow polka dots. She looks sad, so clearly Harry has missed something vital. “Tell us.”
“I don’t want the family magic. I-I didn’t accept the lordship it just fell to me… on a random day when I was five the lordship passed to me. I was small but I knew - I know what it meant.” He says looking distraught, blinking harshly to stop his tears from falling. “I thought - I thought there was a chance, a chance that one day they will heal. That they can be okay again. And Gran can have her son back and I… I could have my parents back.”
Okay so Harry is definitely missing part of the picture. Because people have no chance of healing from death.
Neville keeps speaking. “But when I got the lordship, it was…” Neville trails off into silence.
“You knew you would never get them back.” Luna says softly.
And Neville nods, tears falling to fast for him to control. “I don’t want the magic; I don’t want the title or the ring… I don’t want it because I know what it means.”
Okay so Neville is rejecting his magic because it’s confirmation that his parents are definitely dead? That honestly does not make sense to Harry, the parents will be dead whether he accepts the magic or not… why cause himself so many difficulties for no reason. Maybe Harry has missed something, maybe the parents or not dead? “I… don’t understand.” Harry says slowly, sensing that this is a sensitive situation.
“Can I tell him? He was raised by muggles so he most likely does not know.” Luna asks Neville gently.
Neville nods again.
“Neville’s parents were tortured into insanity by You-know-who’s followers, the day after your parents died Harry.” Luna says. “They have been in saint Mungoes ever since.”
Oh. That makes more sense. Neville thought they might get better - regain their sanity. But the lordship passed to him and… lordships only pass from lord to heir once the lord is dead or it seems… if the lord is to broken to hold the title.
“I didn’t know.” He says quietly, because there’s not much else to say. It must be worse than having dead parents. To be able to see and speak to your parent's bodies but their minds are no longer there. Shells. Dead in all but name.
“So, you understand now why… why I don’t want that magic? I didn’t know I was fighting it… but I suppose that makes sense now I think about it.” Neville says sadly.
“I understand, Neville. I do, but… you're hurting yourself.” Harry says hesitantly. “It can’t be good for you or your magic to be fighting all the time. It's why you're struggling in classes and casting magic… you don’t have any left to spare.”
Neville looks stunned for a moment like the reality of it is hitting him. Understanding and realizing the consequences of blocking family magic that is already bound to you through blood and title. “All my delay with magic, all the times my magic just would not work, was… because I was subconsciously fighting my family magic?” He breathes out, eyes wide and red with tears. “Oh,”
“Yeah.” Harry says ruefully.
“But how do I stop fighting it? I don’t want them to be really gone. If I accept the lordship truly, won’t that mean I’m giving up on them?” Neville sniffles.
Luna speaks up. “Just because you accept the magic that is already a part of you, does not mean you are leaving them or hope for their healing behind.” She says looking at Neville with her blue eyes unblinking. “Your parents loved you?”
Neville nods. “Yeah. Or at least gran says they did.”
“Then they would not want you to suffer on their behalf. You deserve to grow Neville.” She picks up one of the fallen sunflowers, and hands it to him. “It’s okay to grieve the things we have lost and continue to live and thrive even when they cannot.”
Harry knows she is thinking of her mother.
“Maybe.” Neville whispers, staring down at the flower. “Maybe I’ll try.”
~~~
“That was…” Harry begins to say but trails off when he can’t find the words. Him and Luna are walking back up to the castle. Neville is still in the greenhouse. They talked to him for a longtime, and by the end of it His magic was looking much steadier. Although Harry thinks it will take some time for Neville to truly accept the blue magic and all it entails… but at least they helped him begin to accept it.
“Sad.” Luna says simply. “Successful?”
“Yes, to both of those.” He sighs. “Do you think Neville will be okay?”
Luna hums. “Yes, I think so. It's hard to accept death even more so when it’s a situation like Neville’s parents - where the people are dead but somehow breathing.” She stays silent for a moment. “But Neville… he will heal as much as he can.”
“I hope so.” Harry smiles ruefully. “I hate grief.”
“Me too sometimes. But you know, grief is love with nowhere to go. If we did not grieve the people who leave us… that would mean there was no love. I think it is a worthy price to pay, to have loved and to lose it rather than to never have loved at all.” She says sagely, her tone soft and sad all at once.
“Maybe.” Harry thinks of his parents. “Maybe.”