Reborn As A Squib In Harry potter

Neville had really begun to hang around them after an 'accident' during Flying Class. Draco Malfoy hadn't gotten over being snubbed on the Hogwarts Express, and seemed to have made it his mission in life to be an annoying ponce for Harry and the other Gryffindors.

Draco (Harry refused to call him by his last name because the blond twit seemed to have an inordinate amount of pride in being a Malfoy) had stolen something from Neville, a Rememberall, and then tried to chuck it away towards the Forbidden Forest.

Harry had not let that happened, zooming off on his broom to catch it. He caught the ball before it got anywhere near the spooky forest on the edge of the school grounds, and found he had a knack for broom riding.

Also, he became the Youngest Seeker in Hogwarts history when Professor McGonagall saw him doing so from her office window. Which was neat, but felt a little too much like favoritism. Still, the chance to rub it in Draco's face was too great to pass up, so he agreed. Something he slightly came to regret after being run into the ground during training by Oliver Wood, the Gryffindor Quidditch team captain, but he'd gritted his teeth and kept at it. Harry Potter was not a quitter!

Ever since then, Neville had been an integral part of their team, and more than once, Harry had overheard the magical portraits and teachers, especially the older ones, whisper amongst themselves about some group called 'The Marauders' who'd apparently gone to Hogwarts in the past. He didn't know why his friendship with Ron, Hermione, and Neville made people compare them to that group, but it felt nice in a way. Though Snape certainly didn't seem to like the comparison. Whoever the Marauders had been, he wasn't a fan, and his glaring just got worse whenever it came up around the Potion's Professor.

Eventually, the Charms lesson was over and the class was dismissed. It was also the last lesson of the day, leaving them free to head directly to the Great Hall.

"Finally, I'm starving," Ron said, rubbing his stomach eagerly at the thought of the Halloween Feast as the four of them walked out of the classroom.

"Mmm. I'm curious about what sort of food they'll have. Even more pumpkin based stuff, I'll bet," Hermione said with a shake of her head.

Harry and Neville shared a look. Not because of the food, although Harry agreed with Hermione's opinion on the overabundance of gourd-base foodstuffs. It was because he and Neville weren't particularly fond of October 31st. For obvious reasons.

Ron and Hermione both noticed their silence, and winced.

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry," Hermione apologize.

"No, it's fine," Harry said with a shake of his head.

"We could always skip the feast," Ron suggested, even though it looked like it physically hurt him to suggest such a thing.

"Right! I've heard that there's a kitchen somewhere, we can get food from it and eat somewhere if you don't want to be around so many people," Hermione offered.

"You don't have to do that for us," Neville said softly. "We don't want to be a bother."

At that, Ron and Hermione both shared a look with each other, then nodded as if they'd spoken telepathically.

"Wait right here," she ordered the boys, before jogging off down the hallway towards a cluster of Hufflepuffs who were also making their way to the Great Hall. "Susan! Hannah!"

The two girls in question, Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot, both turned at the sound of their names being called, and smiled when they saw who it was.

"Oh, hi, Hermione, what's up?" Hannah asked curiously. She had blonde hair, and wore it long and loose.

"I read in Hogwarts, A History that the kitchens are near the Hufflepuff common room," Hermione said.

"Yes, that's true," Susan replied with a nod. Susan wore her brown hair in a plaited braid, and it was shorter than her friend's hair. She was also shorter than Hannah in height as well. In fact, Susan was the shortest witch among the First Years, Harry noted.

"Do you think you could show us? We're not going to the feast tonight."

"You're not? Why?" Hannah asked, surprised.

"We just wanted to have a quiet dinner amongst ourselves," she replied.

"Oh," Susan said, eyes widening as she looked past Hermione at Harry and Neville, realization flickering within. "I see."

"Sure, I guess," Hannah said, shrugging at the response.

"Actually, do you think we could join you guys?" Susan asked suddenly, causing Hermione and Hannah to both blink in surprise.

"I don't see why not," Hermione said slowly. "I'll have to ask them." She ran back to her friends, and then a moment later they all came walking over.

"It's fine with us," Harry said, noticing how Susan had tensed up before relaxing when she heard his answer.

"Thanks," Susan said with a faint smile. Hannah suddenly seemed to understand why Harry and Neville wouldn't want to be around other people for Halloween, and she quickly nodded her thanks as well.

"Come on, the kitchens are this way," Hannah said, leading the group down to the first-floor corridor where a large painting of a fruit bowl was hanging.

"Oddly fitting," Harry muttered as he watched the Hufflepuff girl tickle the pear and have it laugh, then turn into a doorknob.

Hannah then opened the painting up, which had become a door. Harry thought that it wasn't the most secret of entrances since the painting was big enough to conceal a door behind it, but he didn't say anything as he went inside with the rest.

"Oh, House Elves," Harry said as he looked around at the bustling kitchens. "Neat."

'I wonder how Inky is doing?' the Boy-Who-Lived idly mused, reminded of the old but funny House Elf that helped Edward.

"How can Sweepy helps youses?" a House Elf asked, popping over to them as they entered.

"Hi, there," Harry said politely. "We were wondering if we could have some food delivered to a classroom tonight, if it's not too much trouble?"

"Oh, it be's no troubles," Sweepy said, floppy ears shaking as it spoke.

"Great! Um, do you know of a room that's unoccupied we could use?" Harry asked, turning back to the group.

"There's a room on the second floor that's empty," Susan said after thinking it over.

"There's a lot of empty, unused rooms in Hogwarts," Hannah pointed out, to which they all nodded.

It was true, after all. Hogwarts was a giant magical castle meant to hold the entirety of Britain's young magicals, but barely had around a thousand or so students spread out through all seven years and all four houses, when it could easily hold ten times as many.

"Yeah, but the one I'm thinking of has that really big window that over looks the lake," Susan said. "It has this painting of a pig with wings."

"The one near Moaning Myrtle's bathroom?" Hannah asked for clarification. When Susan nodded, she hummed thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess that would work."

"What do you say, Sweepy? Can you deliver some food to that room?" Harry asked, and the House Elf nodded so fast he thought their head would fly off.

"Sweepy can!"

"Alright, then," Harry said, and the group told the elves what they'd like to eat. Sweepy promised it would be there waiting for them, and the group went off the second floor.

....

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