Harry Potter: Another Chance

Disclaimer:

Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling. I own nothing but the original characters I create.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author Notes-

Chapter 402: The Second Time Around

"Harry, are you even listening to me?!" Neville shouted, tugging at his robes in frustration.

"Shh! Stop making a fuss and come with me. We don't have all day," Harry replied, his voice a mix of urgency and irritation.

"But I can't find Lyra anywhere! How can you not be worried? Something could have happened to her!" Neville insisted, his concern unmistakable.

Harry stopped, glancing around to ensure they were alone in this deserted wing of the castle. "Didn't you figure out the task already? Surely, you managed that much…" Harry's voice was low but sharp, his patience wearing thin.

"I did!" Neville fished a few leaves from his pocket and held them up triumphantly. "I got the egg underwater and heard the clue. The task is underwater...look! This is Gillyweed!"

"You won't be needing that, remember?. " Harry said flatly. "And that's not the part that I was referring to…"

Neville froze as he thought about the next part of the message, the leaves still clutched in his hand. "You mean… 'We've taken what you'll sorely miss'...oh no! I thought it meant something like an important object, a family heirloom or something… Are you saying they took her?, are they really going to put people inside the lake?, that's crazy!."

"That's Hogwarts for you..." Harry shook his head. He'd known from the beginning that Neville's greatest treasure wasn't an object, but his sister, Lyra.

Harry would have preferred someone else...Ron perhaps would have been taken instead, but the Weasleys were still taking refuge at his home, making Lyra the most obvious choice.

Despite the risks, Harry had taken every precaution to ensure Lyra's safety during the task.

"She'll be fine. Now come on, we need to hurry before anyone sees us," Harry said, steering Neville down the corridor.

"This isn't the way to the Headmaster's office," Neville said nervously as he noticed that Harry was leading him toward the dungeons.

"You'll see soon enough." Harry didn't bother explaining.

Minutes later, the reason for their detour became clear.

Neville stopped abruptly, his face draining of color. "Snape's office?!"

Not giving him time to panic, the door creaked open, and the familiar voice of Professor Snape greeted them.

"It's Professor Snape to you, Longbottom," he sneered.

"Oh… sorry," Neville stammered, his voice trembling.

Snape turned to Harry. "Did anyone see you coming here?" he asked, poking his head into the corridor and glancing both ways.

"No. Everyone should already be at the lake. That's why we waited until the last moment," Harry said, brushing off the concern.

Snape muttered something unintelligible under his breath before ushering them inside. "Good. We've only thirty minutes until it begins. Let's get this matter solved already."

Inside the office, a wooden box rested on the last table at the far end. Snape walked over and opened it, producing two potions.

"You know how this works already so I won't explain. Drink it, but change your clothes first," he instructed.

Neville hesitated, eyeing the potion nervously. Harry was far less squeamish, downing his dose before pulling a set of robes over his head.

Moments later, Neville doubled over, his stomach lurching as his body twisted and transformed.

"Urgh!" Neville groaned, trying to steady himself.

"Don't you dare ruin my robes!" Harry scolded, his voice sharp.

Snape's cold eyes scrutinized them both, ensuring the transformations were flawless. Harry stepped to a nearby mirror, checking his reflection.

As before, the Polyjuice Potion had worked perfectly. No one would be able to tell that he wasn't the Boy Who Lived.

"Harry… where should I sit?" Neville asked shakily.

"Go to the Gryffindor section of the stands. You'll find my parents and the Lovegoods there. Stay with them...they'll protect you."

Harry's tone left no room for argument. He'd warned his parents that something might happen during the task. Though the chances of them needing to fight were slim, Harry wasn't willing to leave them unprepared.

Neville blinked, confused. "Protect me? From what? I'm just going to be sitting in the stands."

Snape remained silent, observing Harry with an inscrutable expression. Even he wasn't entirely sure how Harry planned to keep his bold promises of defeating the Dark Lord today.

Dumbledore had insisted over and over that Harry could handle the task, that he had a plan. But Snape struggled to accept that, even knowing how powerful Harry had become. But it was too late to go back now...the cards were on the table, now he could only hope he was on the winning side.

"You'll be fine, Neville. Just stay with them. And don't be surprised if they say anything strange...they already know who you are."

"They do?!" Neville exclaimed, his nerves briefly giving way to relief. If nothing else, he wouldn't have to pretend to be Harry in front of them. Something that he had proven to be incapable of doing.

"Yes, but the rest of the audience doesn't know. So watch what you say and how you act. You have to pretend to be me in public. Understand?"

"Right… I'll do my best!" Neville said, trying to muster some confidence.

"Well, then," Snape said, his dark eyes narrowing as he turned to 'Neville.' "The great champion shouldn't keep everyone waiting, should he?"

"Harry, are you sure you don't need the Gillyweed?" Neville asked, holding out the slimy plant.

Harry waved it off. "I hate that stuff. I've got a different plan this time."

"This time?" Neville echoed, confused. "When have you done this before?"

Harry smirked but didn't answer, walking out of the office and leaving Neville to ponder the mysteries of his friend's past adventures.

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