Chapter 204

"So," said Scimitar. "He figured out the Longbottoms were not suffering from overexposure to the Cruciatus, but were under a curse. That curse was likely put on them by the Mad Bitch. He had Black find the book in the Black library. Black found it and the counter-curse.

"With that information and knowing the old dragon would block him in the name of the House of Longbottom, he organised for the Longbottoms to be secretly removed from Mungo's and taken to Gringotts.

"And you're saying they've gone in to the Gringotts time dilation chamber?"

"Yep," replied Croaker. "They're due out during the early hours of Tuesday morning. That'll give them just enough time to be brought up to speed and readied for the fuddy-duddy meeting, which'll start with the trial of Black for breaching the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Statute."

"The young knight's going to make a big play with the Longbottoms either just before or during the meeting," he suggested. "But, what?"

"Our analysts think it is highly likely he's going to have the Rosier woman publicly and resoundingly slapped down by her son. It's quite clear he truly hates the woman for what the Heir Apparent of the House has had to go through under her dubious regency," Croaker replied with a shrug. "Personally, I think they're right."

"Un-believable," muttered Scimitar. "Are we sure this boy is only fourteen?"

"Marked as his equal," replied Croaker.

Scimitar winced.

_‗_

―==(oIo)==―

ˇ

Neville was all set to give up and send Fluxy to Harry with a message when, while he was doodling with his quill and ink on a parchment in the greenhouse he was currently within, he realised what he was doing.

Looking down he saw that he kept drawing two lines, one after the other. A pair per line before moving down and doing the same thing again about half an inch lower.

Eyes widening, he quickly snatched the letter from Harry out of his pocket and read it again.

Sometimes, when it is the most darkest, a line appears to guide the way.

"That should be 'light', not 'line'," he muttered "'Sometimes, when it is the most darkest, a light appears to guide the way'. That makes much more sense!

"So... 'line' is the key."

He then looked over the letter and realised Harry had underlined two parts of different areas in the letter.

"'You do not need to worry' and 'they will soon be returned to you'," he muttered.

Eyes widening again in shock he reread them more clearly for himself, "'You do not need to worry, they will soon be returned to you.'

"Mer-lin!" he exclaimed. "He did it! Bloody hell, Harry took them!"

He quickly looked around to make sure he hadn't been overheard. His heart was pumping away in his chest in shock. He quickly started to pack away his tools and notes to run inside, before he suddenly stopped.

'Wait!' he thought. 'Harry knew I'd figure it out. He probably hoped I'd figure it out before now and I was just too stupid to. So, why did he want me to know?'

Slowing down and putting things away properly, he continued to think it through.

'Harry's not evil. He didn't do this because he's dark. It was also him who told me to read the...' he stopped again. "The Charter," he whispered. "It's about 'aid'!"

'But, could I dare hope he's found a way to cure them?... No... He's good, but not even Harry's that good... No... This is about aiding the House of Longbottom... He did say in his letter the other day that he would do something that was to aid the House... and that I'd probably not like it... so, no cure, then.

'So. The next question is; how did taking Mum and Dad from Saint Mungo's in secrecy aid our House?'

He returned to the Hall a little later, still full of questions floating through his mind. He also debated whether or not to tell his grandmother. However, he was trusting in his friend and fellow alliance partner-Heir to do right by him, his parents and his House.

He'd sleep on it, tonight. However, if he couldn't figure it out by tomorrow morning, he'd go to his grandmother. She was still, after all, Regent. As Heir Apparent he had a responsibility to the House - friendship with Harry or not.

_‗_

―==(oIo)==―

ˇ

Even though he had a restless night, Neville was up early, dressed and waiting down in the dining room when his grandmother entered. She didn't look like she'd slept well, either.

After she sat at the head of the table and gathering his Gryffindor courage, Neville said, "Gran, last night while I was in my bed trying to sleep, I kept thinking about a letter my friend, Harry, sent me."

As she was sitting down she almost angrily said, "What makes you think I want to know anything that boy has sent you?"

Knowing that was Harry's demand of her to relinquish the Seat on the Wizengamot talking, and that she was as worried as he about his parents, he said, "Gran, this is important."

Taking the letter out of the inside pocket of his robes he said, "You need to read this. Once you have I'm going to tell you something about it."

Almost snatching the letter out of his hand, she read through it, frowning.

"And?" she said, trying to hand it back to him.

"Gran, look at the last line. The message at the bottom. Does anything seem wrong about it to you?"

She read it and snorted. "I think the stupid boy meant to say 'light'," she sneered.

"But he doesn't, does he?" said Neville. "Look at everything he wrote in that letter. Does it seem to you he'd get a line like that wrong and not notice it?"

Frowning deeper, Augusta read through the message more carefully. "Alright," she said. "I'll give you that. But, it obviously means the boy must have added it after he probably had to rewrite the letter a half dozen times or so."

He was beginning to lose his temper with her. His lack of sleep had his irritation spiking and temper frayed as quick as her own.

"Gran, stop it!" he snapped. "Look at the letter. He didn't write 'line' by mistake. He meant it!"

"Neville!" she exclaimed, scandalised by the way her grandson was speaking to her.

"He said 'line' because it was a hint, Gran!" he snapped. "He said 'line' because he's referring to the two parts of his letter where he used lines!"

Again, Augusta returned to the letter. This time to read it more closely.

Irritated with his grandmother, he said, "He's saying, 'You do not need to worry, they will soon be returned to you'. What does that tell you, Gran!?"

He watched as his grandmother's face went from confused and irritated, to white with shock, to red with rage.

"That... little... bastard!" she exclaimed. "He's responsible for taking my son! He's responsible for taking your father from us!"

Before he had a chance to say anything she was up, out of her chair and striding for the fireplace with Harry's letter in her hand.

After she left the room, he sank back into his chair with a sigh and sadly muttered, "And my mother, too, Gran."

As he heard his grandmother yelling into the fireplace to 'Amelia', he knew she had called Amelia Bones at home.

"Gods, Harry," he muttered. "I'm sorry about this. I know you sent me that coded message so I wouldn't sorry so much, but House is House."

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