Being Different Year 5

“Remus, can I go around to Neville’s?” asked Anne over the breakfast table a few days later.

“Oh yeah can I go too?” asked Harry.

“Of course, you can,” said Remus, “we would have invited him to your birthday, but he and his family were on holiday.”

“If you’re going around to Neville’s can I come to?” said Ron.

“And me!” added Ginny.

“It seems like Neville is a very popular boy today,” said Sirius.

After breakfast the four of them headed over to the Longbottom’s after Anne had run upstairs to fetch her photos, she wanted to show Neville.

“Good morning Mrs Longbottom,” said Harry and Anne when they arrived at the Longbottom’s.

“Good morning Harry, Anne, I see you’ve brought some of the young Weasleys with you?” she said noticing Ron and Ginny.

“Hi guys,” said Neville coming over to give them all a hug.

“Do you guys want to see my Mimbulus Mimbletonia?”

“Your what?” asked Ron confused.

“Mimbulus Mimbletonia,” said Neville proudly, “I got it for my birthday.”

“I still don’t know what it is,” muttered Ron as they walked up the stairs.

When they got to Neville’s bedroom one of the walls was covered in a huge Gryffindor banner, two of the other walls were full of an assortment of photographs. Some of the photos were of Neville and his friends at Hogwarts, some of them were of Neville growing up with either his grandparents or his great uncle Algie.

There were even a few photos of his sixth birthday party which he had shared with Harry and Anne. It had been a fancy-dress party, one of the photos showed Harry, Anne and Neville who were dressed up as a Dragon and Anne of Green Gables and then Neville had come as an owl. The other photo showed all the children from the party in their costumes, the Weasleys had come, as had Luna and even Cedric who had been nine at the time. Ginny and Luna had come as fairies and were wearing pretty dresses with fairy wings, Ron had come as a pirate. Fred and George had for some reason decided to dress up as Hogwarts teachers, Fred was wearing a long white beard and kept on tripping over his overly long purple robes because he was being Dumbledore, George was wearing a pair of his mum’s robes which were emerald green and a matching witches hat because he had wanted to be McGonagall, he was also holding Anne’s cat Athene. Percy had come as a hobbit from the Lord of the Rings. Bill and Charlie had come but were getting a bit old for dressing up so had both come as Quidditch players in their school Quidditch robes. Cedric had been invited as well and he had come dressed as a hippogriff, his mum had spent ages making him the costume with all the tiny feathers. Cedric was standing next to Percy, and they were both laughing at Fred and Georges choice of costume.

Cedric was only nine in the photo, but it was strange to think that he had been so happy then but that now he was dead.

A few of the photos in the room were of Neville’s parents, their wedding day, holding Neville when he was a few days old. There weren’t many but they looked very happy in all of them.

The last wall for some strange reason was covered in Droubles Best Blowing Gum wrappers that had been stuck up by a permanent sticking charm.

On the bedside table there was a tiny little grey cactus which was covered in little boils instead of spikes.

“It’s really rare, I don’t think even professor Sprout’s got one,” explained Neville, “I’m going to see if I can try and breed from it.”

“That’s amazing Neville,” said Anne inspecting the tiny cactus.

Harry, Ginny and Ron found it really weird but didn’t say anything because they knew how much Neville loved plants.

“There’s something I wanted to show you Neville,” said Anne fishing out the photographs, “one of Mum’s friends gave me these for my birthday, she was in the Order with both our mums.”

Neville looked longingly at the photograph were Frank was holding the baby Neville on his lap and helping him wave at the camera.

“What have you got there Neville dear?” asked Mrs Longbottom coming to check in on Neville and his guests.

Neville grudgingly handed the photographs over to his grandmother.

“Where did you get these?” she asked curiously.

“Um, it was one of our Mum’s old friends from the order, Hestia Jones.”

“Ah yes,” said Mrs Longbottom, “I remember Hestia, she was a very good friend to Alice during the war years.”

“Do you mind if I borrow these for a moment Anne?”

“Err,” Anne stuttered, she didn’t really want to give the photos away, but she knew that the photos also had Mrs. Longbottom’s son in, “of course.”

“How are your parents Nev?” asked Harry.

“The same,” muttered Neville, “we went in to see them yesterday when we got back from France.”

“That’s nice,” said Ginny.

“I told them about school and stuff, and my new plant, Dad almost seemed recognise me for a moment.”

“I’m sure he did Nev,” assured Harry.

Mrs Longbottom returned with Anne’s photographs and handed them back to her.

“Here you are dear,” she said giving her back the photos, “I particularly liked the one where Frank had stolen James’ glasses.”

“It is quite funny” admitted Anne.

“Yeah Dad’s completely blind and fumbling around trying to get the glasses back off him,” chuckled Harry.

“I hope you don’t mind Anne, but I made a copy of the photographs for Neville, these are the originals though.”

“Of course, I don’t mind,” said Anne, “I should have thought of that myself.”

They helped Neville find some spare space on the photo walls and stuck up the ten photos of their parents.

“Thanks Anne,” said Neville, “I don’t have many photos of Mum and Dad just having a laugh.”

“Neither did we,” said Anne.

“And the ones where Mum and Dad looked really happy usually had the rest of the Marauders in too including Peter.”

“It wasn’t for Mum and Dad being in them Sirius would have burnt them years ago,” muttered Harry.

“So, what’s this I heard about the Dementors Harry?” asked Neville enthusiastically.

Mrs Longbottom even invited them all to stay for lunch and they all had a lovely time.

When they all went back home that evening then Anne found herself staring at the photos of her and Neville’s parents. She was sat in her room with the lights turned out the only light on the room was the electric tea lights that Remus had given her for her birthday.

It was kind of weird, Anne didn’t know who had it worse, Neville or her and Harry. Harry and Anne couldn’t even remember their parents, because they had died when they were so young. But Neville’s parents were still alive but didn’t recognise him. Whereas Harry and Anne got all the sympathy at school because of their parents being dead, most people at school didn’t even know about Neville’s parents.

“Anne are you alright?” asked Remus from the other side of the door after a while.

“I’m fine,” she called.

“Do you need anything?”

“No,” she muttered looking at Lily and Alice laughing, “I’m fine.”