In Harry Potter as Neville Longbottom - Chapter 95: Halloween Hero

Harry Potter woke up after a long sleep. He found all the scratches and light wounds he received were gone and even the pain he was feeling was nowhere.

He was basically fit and back on his feet again.

“Good Lad! Are you feeling fine?” Madam Pomfrey who was brewing another potion looked carefully at Potter.

Potter saw the potion in Madam Pomfrey’s hand and immediately he felt he must escape the Infirmary.

“Of course, Madam Poppy,” Harry smiled and before Madam Pomfrey could feed him another potion, he ran away from the Infirmary.

“Mad Lads these days,” Madam Pomfrey just shook her head and then drank the potion in her hand.

Unknown to Harry, that potion was the latest Fire whiskey Madam Pomfrey brewed privately. As a skilled potion master and healing master, making these small drinks are quite easy for her and Halloween does call for a quiet celebration.

All the students and professors that were sent here first have already been sent out and no one is sick or injured.

“What a wonderful Halloween,” Madam Poppy said while taking another sip and falling asleep on an empty bed.

Harry entered Hogwarts Castle and found it beautifully decorated with floating pumpkins and flying bats. The ceiling was like the dark night sky with some stars twinkling from time to time.

“Potter!” Ron Weasley who was just outside Gryffindor’s common room noticed Harry and shouted loudly.

Then, Harry was dragged by Gryffindor’s students, and many started clapping as he entered the common room.

“Make Way! Make Way!” Harry heard the twins shouting and then he was magically lifted up in the air before someone put him on his shoulder and started running inside the common room.

“Halloween Hero, Harry Potter!”

“Potter!” “Potter” “Potter!”

Students inside the Gryffindor room started shouting and clapping on Harry Potter’s name. Harry felt amazing and it was the same feeling on the first day when he came in the flying car.

Dean and Seamus were watching this scene feeling something was odd and Neville was sleeping in his room at this time. The whole Hogwarts knew how Harry Potter risked his life and defeated the evil spirit that controlled another student and removed the fear of fake secret chambers or monsters.

However, Neville just laughed when the prefects announced this news and went back to sleep. Something is wrong with the whole scene. However, they were not sure what.

Anyway, both the boys were happy that the fake monster is dead and Harry Potter defeated the evil spirit.

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“Gaunt’s ring… Gaunt’s ring…” Headmaster Dumbledore was busy thinking of all the possible Horcrux Voldemort might have created.

The diary proved what he always suspected and even gave the clue of the next Horcrux.

“Harry…Gaunt’s Ring…This Diary… What else…?” Dumbledore was confused. This was not something the old headmaster could solve without going out and he decided he must check Tom’s life and his legacy to find the hidden Horcrux.

“Harry…For the greater good…” Headmaster Dumbledore said the last few words in a barely audible voice and then closed his eyes and sat on his chair.

He knew he had to make a difficult choice. It’s just his heart was not ready to accept it. Harry was a Horcrux and to destroy Voldemort, Harry must die.

It was one of those moments that Headmaster Dumbledore would feel that the threads of fate were really playing him like a monkey.

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“Let me Go! I said Let me go!”

“What…?” Neville who was just sleeping had a nightmare and he saw one yellow eye that nearly froze him. The fear was real, and his heart was still beating fast.

“That was…Basilisk?” Neville knew in the world of magic, dreams and nightmares are more than just words.

Looking at his closed suitcase under his bed, Neville knew the captured Basilisk wanted to go out and he was thinking of the next step.

“Should I release him? Should I kill him?” Neville was thinking deep in his head when suddenly his wand shook and vibrated in his pocket and then a white mist covered him.

Neville found the mist leaving him and then he found himself standing inside his suitcase in front of the trapped Basilisk. However, he was watching the Basilisk with naked eyes but he was completely fine.

“What the Merlin?” Neville muttered.

“Young Wizard from Hogwarts, let me go. You should not harm me,” Basilisk spoke in a pure English voice or that what sounded like to Neville.

“Wait…I can hear you…It’s…It’s my wand…Neville checked his pockets but found his wand and everything missing. He had no idea how he got transported from the mist to this room but after spending so much time with his wand, he knew his wand was really not like others.

“Young Wizard…Let me go…” Basilisk spoke again and tried to move but the vines of Devil’s snare tightly held him in his position.

Neville had prepared extensively for this moment, and he was not going to let the Serpent King escape from his hands.

“A beast like you who can kill anyone just by looking at the person. You had already done this. Your life means death and despair. Why should I let a beast as you live?”

Neville asked seriously.

“Why…Why not? Just because I am a beast, don’t I deserve to live? And mind your manners boy, I am not a bloodthirsty monster.

I am the Guardian Beast of Hogwarts. The one who has been protecting it and protecting the kids for 1000 years before you even put a foot inside Hogwarts!”

The Basilisk roared in anger.

“You…A Guardian Beast?” Neville felt the serpent was lying to save his neck, but he had no idea about the truth buried in the sand of time.

“You have killed a young innocent girl…inside Hogwarts! Have you forgotten that? Guardian Beast?!” Neville felt like using his magic to kill this lying serpent right then and there, but he found when he mentioned that incident, the Basilisk went silent.

“I… It was an accident. I have atoned for that sin!” Basilisk replied in a low voice.