A Neville SI

A Neville SI chapter 8

Neville then looked up at the ceiling, expecting something magical. He saw candles floating above them, but otherwise, the ceiling looked quite ordinary. He thought, "Huh, I thought the ceiling was enchanted to show the sky outside… maybe that's just at night."

His thoughts were interrupted by Hermione calling out, "Neville, come on!"

He followed her to the right-hand side of the hall, where they sat down. As soon as they did, breakfast appeared on the table toast, sausages, and eggs.

They began eating, with Hermione continuing to explain the differences between the houses. Neville listened attentively, nodding along as she spoke.

As they ate and Hermione explained things to him, the Great Hall gradually filled up with more students coming in for breakfast.

…

Neville took some bacon and placed it between three slices of bread. As he took a bite of his sandwich, he turned to Hermione and asked, "So, what have we learned in Potions so far?" Neville knew that Snape would harass him, but he didn't want to be caught off guard. If memory served him right, after Harry, Neville was always Snape's preferred target.

Hermione nodded, pulling out her Potions book. "Well, let's go over what we've done," she said, ready to explain. She pointed to a page and slid the book over to him. "We've just covered the Cure for Boils potion."

Neville took the book and began reading about the potion. Hermione leaned in and added, "Chances are, we'll be asked to brew the next potion in the book."

 Neville flipped to the next page, revealing the Forgetfulness Potion. He hummed thoughtfully, scanning through some of the ingredients: "2 drops of Lethe River Water, 2 valerian sprigs..."

The Great Hall gradually filled with students as it always did. Harry and Ron came in and sat with the rest of the Gryffindor first years. Neville looked up from his book and saw them sitting a bit further away from him and Hermione.

Both Ron and Harry were deep in conversation about what the large three-headed dog might be guarding.

Hermione leaned over to Neville and whispered, "You should steer clear of those two. they're always getting into trouble and don't seem to care much about their studies." She then added, "I warned them that Malfoy would overhear, and they nearly got caught by Filch. They could've been killed!"

Neville smiled and replied, "Well, if you hadn't snuck out last night, I'd have just stayed asleep on the floor." Hermione huffed and said, "Just make sure you don't get tangled up in their shenanigans."

A few minutes earlier, a flock of owls had delivered the mail and newspapers. Neville smiled and nodded, finishing off his sandwich, then asked, "What time do classes start?"

She glanced at her wristwatch and replied, "Classes begin at 9 a.m., and it's about 8:30 now, so we should get going." Neville looked surprised he hadn't realized how quickly time had flown by.

They packed their books and got up to leave the Great Hall, with Neville following closely behind Hermione. On the way, Neville asked, "Which floor is the class on?"

Hermione replied, "For first years, classes are in room 1B, on the Ground Floor, near the Middle Courtyard." Neville nodded and followed her.

They were the first to get to the Transfiguration classroom. Professor McGonagall was seated at her desk, engrossed in some paperwork. Hermione knocked on the door and greeted, "Good morning, Professor McGonagall."

Neville followed her lead and added, "Um, good morning, Professor."

Looking up from her papers, McGonagall set down her quill and said, "Ah, good morning, Miss Granger, Mr. Longbottom." She then focused on Neville and continued, "Hagrid informed me that Augusta dropped you off at the front gates rather late."

Neville scratched the back of his head and replied, "Ah, sorry, Professor. It was my fault; choosing the right wand took longer than we expected." McGonagall nodded, removing her glasses. "That's alright. I hope everything has been sorted now." Neville nodded in agreement.

McGonagall then asked, "So, how have you found Hogwarts so far?"

Neville answered, "So far, so good, Professor," and added, "Hermione has been helping me a lot."

McGonagall remarked, "I see you've found assistance from Miss Granger. Use this opportunity to help you catch up with the rest of your year."

Neville nodded, and McGonagall directed him to take a seat, saying, "We'll start the class as soon as everyone arrives." As some of the first years began to filter into the room, Neville walked over to Hermione, who had been reading her Transfiguration book while he spoke with McGonagall.

"Is anyone sitting beside you?" Neville asked.

Hermione looked up from her book and shook her head. "No, you can sit next to me."

Neville took the seat beside her as more students with green, blue, and yellow ties entered and settled down. Hermione was seated in the front row.

As Neville took his place beside her, he noticed students with green, blue, and yellow ties coming in and finding their seats.

He turned to Hermione and asked, "Do we share classes with all the other first years from the other houses?"

Looking up from her book, Hermione nodded. "Yes, we share Transfiguration, History, Charms, and Astronomy with all the houses. We have Herbology with Hufflepuffs, Defence Against the Dark Arts with Ravenclaws, and Potions with Slytherins."

Neville nodded in understanding, then took out his notebook and Transfiguration textbook. After rummaging through his bag, he found some quills and a bottle of ink, placing them on the desk as he waited for the class to begin.

After a while, everyone had arrived, and the clock struck nine. Harry and Ron were seated at the back of the class, engrossed in a conversation.

As soon as the clock chimed, McGonagall stood up and announced, "Alright, class, today we'll be reviewing the Match to Needle spell." She flicked her wand, and a matchstick floated from her desk to each student's desk, one in front of everyone.

McGonagall continued, "Since only some of you have successfully cast this spell so far, we'll spend the rest of the class practicing until everyone can do it. For those who have already mastered it, try to make the needle more intricate with engraved designs. It will be good practice. In our next class, we'll move on to the next topic."

She added, "I'll be walking around to assist you. Remember the incantation: 'Aku-sig-nis,'" she said, spacing out the words and repeating it a few times. Neville assumed this was for him, as he didnt know the incantation.

McGonagall then said, "Now, wands out."

Neville pulled his wand from his robe, and as soon as he grasped it, he felt a subtle thrumming sensation. Looking at the wand, he wondered, "Do all wands feel like this to their masters?" He turned it over in his hand, inspecting it closely.

He tried holding the wand with a full grip, much like one would hold a flag, but found it uncomfortable. Shifting his hold, Neville adjusted his grip to rest between his ring finger and index finger rested on and pushed the wand down while keeping his thumb near the ring finger and wrapping his other fingers around the base of the wand.

He thought, "Ah, it feels right holding it like this."

Beside him, Hermione spoke the incantation and tapped her wand on the matchstick, transforming it into a needle adorned with intricate patterns. She beamed down at the needle, examining it carefully.

Neville smiled and said, "Congratulations, Hermione, you managed to change it."

Hermione grinned at him and advised, "You should give it a go. Remember to say the incantation clearly and imagine the matchstick turning into a needle."

Neville nodded, turned his attention to his own matchstick, and, gripping his wand firmly, closed his eyes. He visualized a needle with detailed engravings, then tapped the matchstick with his wand.

Neville felt a warm sensation flowing through his hand and into his wand as he touched the matchstick. As soon as his wand made contact, the matchstick shimmered and transformed into a shining needle with engravings, just as Neville had imagined it.

Neville stared at the needle, then at his wand, wondering, "Was it supposed to be that easy?"

Hermione, from beside him, exclaimed, "Well done, Neville! You managed to do it on your first try!"

At that moment, McGonagall arrived next to Neville, took the needle from his desk, and examined it. "Well done, Mr. Longbottom. It seems you just needed a change of wands. This is the finest piece of Transfiguration I've ever seen a first-year perform. Five points to Gryffindor for Mr. Longbottom," she said, handing the needle back to him.

Neville smiled and scratched the back of his head.

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