Get Neville Longbottomed
The Patronus, which he has mentally named Tenebris, shuffled closer and Umbra answered,,
“Magical Intention is to which a ssspell can be sssorted, whether it be one with benevolent or malevolent intent. You’ve been taught that magic isss Light and Dark, that it’sss good and bad, however thisss isss untrue. Magic isss magic, sssomething to be revered and ressspected, magic has no biasss or intention, it is the cassster that dictatesss that.”
Harry pauses as he goes through the overload of information he’s told.
“So my Patronus wouldn’t hurt a Dementor, if I didn’t want it to?”
Umbra nods, “Your Patronusss didn’t hurt me, in fact the your magic ssseemsss to be mixing with mine.”
“Our magic?” Harry hisses, thinking back to the incident in the Great Hall,
“Isss that why you ssshowed up asss my familiar?”
“Yesss.”
Tenebris shuffles closer to his arm, laying his snout along Umbra’s body. Magic flutters and translucent wisps of light begin to flow from Patronus to Dementor, Harry in the middle of the magical impossibility.
Professor Moody breaks the spell by dismissing the class, leaving Umbra’s scales with an eerie sapphire glow.
Harry entered Potions class with a few questions on his mind.
Hermione had it branded in his brain that “magical impossibilities were IMPOSSIBLE, harry james potter! So stop trying to do some daring-do and run around trying to solve every problem!"
Sitting in the back of the classroom, trying to avoid Professor Snape’s scorn for his stunt this morning, he watches Umbra as he slinks up his arm into his shirt’s shoulder opening.
As the Dementor from 3rd year, he was sure Umbra was going to have a few unexpected reactions to him and his magic. What he didn’t expect was Umbra absorbing his Patronus’ magic and the subsequent emotions from them.
Umbra said it was our magic mixing, mixing as if they were wet and dry ingredients in a cake! Just once, I want a normal fucking year with no bloody oddities!
Harry huffs in exasperation and startles when Neville taps his shoulder.
“Sorry!” Neville apologized as he backed up a step or two. “I wanted to know if you wanted to partner up? Cause…” He trails off, nodding slightly in the direction of Hermione and Ron bickering.
Harry grins wryly and pats the chair next to him, “Fine, but understand that Snape is going to come after us twice as hard.”
Neville grins after glancing between the bickering almost-couple and Harry, “I think I’ll take my chances with you rather than them.”
With a slam of the door, Snape enters the room and the noise in the room halts. Hermione pulls Ron into his seat and shushes him when he whines in protest. Snape turns to that corner of the room with a sneer.
“Five points from Gryffindor for making noise during my class Mr.Weasley.”
“Wha--” Ron starts but is quickly cut off by Hermione stomping on his foot.
Professor Snape “hmms” and turns his attention to the board. Pulling out his wand with a flourish, Snape spells the board clean.
“For all of you that cannot think clearly enough to pass this class,” Snape crosses his arms as he starts his lecture, pacing around the front of the room, “Or any of your classes. There is an option to aid your critical thinking skills.”
He stops infront of Harry and looks down at him. “However,” He starts with a cruel grin, “if you manage to fail most of your classes there isn’t much of a chance that you’ll complete this potion to a satisfactory level.”
Hushed laughter erupts from the Gryffindor and Slytherin sides of the room. Harry’s body tenses as he tries to keep down the flood of anger at the childish taunts. Can’t this git grow up!?
Snape’s lip curls into a mean little smirk, “Something to say Mr.Potter? You seem to be biting your tongue, however unrealistic that thought may be.”
Harry feels Umbra squeeze his torso and lets out a shudder of breath, “No. Sir.”
Snape sneers in disgust and turns to Neville with cruel mirth lighting up his eyes.
“Longbottom! What is the Wit-Sharpening Potion?”
Neville startles gapes for a second before rapidly composing himself to answer. “The um, Wit-Sharpening Potion is a po-a potion, Professor that allows the drink-the drinker, to um think more clearly.”
Snape sniffs in disdain at the stuttering, “Acceptable Mr.Longbottom.”
He whirls around with a sweep of his cloak, “Malfoy!”
Malfoy straightens up with a smirk, “Yes Professor?”
“Give me an example of what the Wit-Sharpening Potion would be the antidote for.”
Malfoy’s eyebrows twitch in surprise before he answers with a moment’s hesitation, “The Confundus Charm Professor.”
Snape nods, “5 points to Slytherin for browsing the assigned reading.”
Walking back to the front of the classroom, Professor Snape taps the board with his wand and instructions jump onto the slate.
“Hopefully, you haven’t lost your skill for putting together context clues and realized which potion you will be making today.”
He moves to sit behind his desk and spits, “Begin!”
Startling quickly, Neville jumps up to head over to the potions cupboard. Often, Harry’s partner went to grab the ingredients needed for the assignment rather than him, due to frequent jostling from Slytherins, or rather Draco. He instead had the job of copying down the instructions, as Neville often forgets a line or two.
As they made the Potion, Harry noticed Malfoy glancing their way occasionally, as well as Parkinson giggling at something in his hand.
With narrowed eyes, Harry glanced towards the Professor’s desk to see Snape absorbed in marking papers. Evident by the disgusted sneer on his face, if something were to ruin class now the consequences would be disastrous.
Neville was busy stirring the potion while Harry’s heart decided to join marching band.
“Jussst Harry!”
Harry startles as Umbra hisses near his ear. Neville jolts and glances at him at hearing hissing but pales once he sees the serpent.
“Harry is that--nevermind of course it is! Why do you have a snake with you right now?!” Neville says in a harsh whisper.
Turning to face Neville who’s just finished stirring he sheepishly explains, “I usually forget Umbra is with me since he’s always around my waist. It’s like background noise you know?”
Neville stares at him in obvious disbelief; “...your snake is…background noise?”
“...yes?”
Neville shakes his head and looks up to the ceiling, “Why is it always you Harry?”
Harry grins and an abrupt “Jussst Harry!” jolts him back to attention.
“Umbra! My apologiesss, what’sss wrong?”
Umbra squeezes him in reproach, “Why was your heart beating as quickly as a jackrabbit?”
Harry racks his brain for what he was thinking about before, ‘I was looking at the potion? because…?’
“Malfoy!” He hisses.
“What about the boy?”
“I think he plansss to throw sssomething in our potion! But I don’t know if I’ll be able to catch it without Professsor Sssnape blaming me for disssrupting classs.”
Harry glances back at Malfoy who is studiously watching Professor Snape, most likely for an opening to strike.
“Perhapsss a ssspell then?”
“I don’t know any protection ssspellsss!”
“Truly? Hmm, perhapsss Protego? I’ve consssumed the sssoulsss of many wizardsss who attempted this ssspell to ssshield themssselvesss from the Kisss.”
‘Unlike Hermione I’m not a one-hit wonder with spells, but I can’t take another failing grade in this class.’
He breathes out a sigh alerting Neville to his worries.
“Harry? What’s wrong?” Neville stopped to ask.
“Neville! Don’t wait to put those in!”
Neville jolts and drops the ground scarab beetles in quickly. Harry picks up the stirring stick and moves to mix the potion.
“Sorry Harry.” Neville frowns.
Harry shakes his head, “It’s fine! I was the one who distracted you anyway.”
Neville sighs and steps back as Harry continues stirring the potion.
“What were you sighing about? You sounded…distressed.”
Harry chances a glance at Malfoy whose own potion seemed to be right on track. Turning back to Neville he whispers, “I think Malfoy might throw something in our potion.”
Neville slumps in fret, “So we’re getting a Troll for today?”
Harry snorts and pulls out the stirring stick to allow the potion to simmer.
“No, I think I might be able to cast a spell to protect our potion.”
Neville sneaks a look at Snape, as if he could hear us from all the way over there.
“But Harry-”
“Please Neville? At least let me try!” Harry ruffles his hair in exasperated stress, “If anything we’ll still get a Troll and maybe a detention for me.”
Neville nods and Harry sneaks his wand out of his back pocket.
‘I don’t actually know the wand movement for this spell…’
Umbra squeezes his waist in support as if he could feel the tidal wave of emotions Harry’s trying to surf, so he takes the plunge and whispers “Protego” as he moves his wand in a circular motion. Barely rolling his wrist.
Fortunately, he did this just a few seconds before Malfoy threw something over to his potion. What seemed to be an orange-colored root bounced off the now visible shield into Malfoy’s own cauldron, alerting Professor Snape to a disruption in the classroom.
“POTTER!” He snarls as he vanishes Malfoy’s now ruined potion. He quickly waves his wand around the classroom to apply a stasis to the cauldrons as well, to keep the cauldrons safe as he lectures.
“Was this your idea of a practical joke? Ruining your classmates’ potions?”
The classroom is quiet as Snape strides over to Neville and his desk.
“I didn’t do anything Professor! He bites out.
“Nothing Potter? Then why did a see something fly from your corner of the room over to Mr.Malfoy’s cauldron?”
Harry takes a deep breath to steady his anger.
‘It’s just like him to take Malfoy’s side. The stupid- ugly- Slytherin jerk!’
“Malfoy tried to throw something in my cauldron so I put a shield around it.”
Snape’s sneer gains mirth, “A shield Potter? What spell did you use?”
“Protego, Professor.”
“15 points from Gryffindor for having a wand out in class!” He smirks. An uproar starts in the Gryffindor side of the room.
“What?!” Harry barks, He’s taking away points for protecting myself?
Neville frowns, “What about Malfoy professor?”
Professor Snape turns to face Neville with a cruel glint in his eyes.
“What Longbottom? Speak up!”
Neville startles at the shout but holds his ground, “Why is Harry being punished for defending himself when Malfoy could have hurt us by throwing something in our cauldron. Something that doesn’t belong in the potion?”
The room falls into a hush as Neville Longbottom, the shyest kid in Gryffindor, just questioned Professor Snape, just told Professor Snape, the meanest, snarkiest, cruelest teacher at Hogwarts, that he was wrong.
“What did you say to me, Longbottom?” Snape breathes out in a harsh breath.
Neville falters but glances back at Harry for a second who grins in appreciation.
“I said, why is Harry being punished for defending himself? I would think that something like that should be rewarded, rather than Malfoy getting off scot-free for nearly endangering not just us but also the entire class.”
Malfoy glares at Neville but he continues to look at Snape, “...Professor.”
Snape’s nose flares in indignation, “Are you telling me how to run my classroom Longbottom!”
“No. Sir.”
Harry’s eyes bug out of his head as his earlier reply to Snape is recounted.
Snape slams his hands on the desk and yells, “DISMISSED! ALL OF YOU GET OUT OF MY CLASSROOM!”
Neville pales and quickly grabs his bag and Harry mirrors his actions, hurrying to beat the flood of students racing for the door.
Harry recounts the story to Luna who’s tagged along with them to lunch.
“It was wicked! The bravest thing I’ve ever seen!” He smiles as Nevvile attempts to bury his head in his cloak. His cheeks flushing a bright red as Luna giggles.
“It does sound exceptionally brave to stand up to an authority figure like him.”
Neville’s ears even turn a light shade of pink as he groans. “Please stop.”
Harry laughs and puts an arm around Neville’s shoulder. He stops them in the corridor near the Great Hall and turns until he’s facing Neville, pushing his pointer finger into Neville’s chest he says in a stern voice.
“Listen, you just stood up to someone who you’ve been afraid of for a very long time. Snape was your bloody boggart! You deserve to be praised for something like this!”
Neville stares wide-eyed and Luna watches and Harry pulls his hand back to rub his neck,
“Plus you were defending me and I can’t thank you enough for that.”
Neville’s cheeks which had just lost their red color gained back a pink hue.
“I mean..what are friends for Harry?”