In Harry Potter as Neville Longbottom

Chapter 33: Grumpy Diana Part - 1

Not for the first time, Winny came to wake up their Lord Neville Longbottom early in the morning. This was something he had personally instructed her to do but yet it was not something he is yet adjusted to.

"Thank you, Winny." He rubbed his eyes before he could feel he is finally up. "Remind me, what are today's plans?"

"Master has to go to the Greek store to collect something in the morning and then before lunch head to the new private island we bought for our plantation and animal farming. Also, Lady Augusta informed us that today Headmaster Dumbledore will be coming for a house visit and your presence might be helpful." Winny replied looking at the small list in her hands.

"Good. I will do my morning routine. Please make a good breakfast for me and also pack the lunch and dinner. Also, arrange a lot of meat and other items I had purchased for the travel."

Nev instructed Winny and decided to start his morning exercise. This year, he focused on running and jumping as part of his training. He wanted to develop good stamina for the future.

After breakfast, when Lady Augusta was still reading the papers with her tea, he came near her chair.

"Nan, I am going to take my leave to check out our stores. I have some work in Egypt and our small animal farm. I will be back before evening." Neville kissed his Nan on her cheek and before the old lady could voice her protest over this behaviour, Neville disappeared into the floor network.

"Humph! The boy certainly holds no regard for manners and etiquette. As a lord, he should act more reserved. Still, he thinks he can fool me with his sorry excuses! Dumbledore will come here before lunch, and he is certainly avoiding him. Well, it seems we need to prepare some sweets for the headmaster."

Lady Augusta went on to give instructions to her house elves while Nev was already working on his second-year plans. He had waited a long time for his Grimoire, the focus of his work in the first year.

Grimoire will allow him to cast charms at a faster speed along with the boost in using runes. This was not something to be neglected.

Now, the entire Europe Wizard community is on the edge and the hatred and fear of dark magic are at their peak. Thanks to the ministry crackdown on many pureblood families, a large number of prohibited items had made their way into the Knockturn Alley shops. He can never be certain that Sr. Malfoy will still send the Riddle diary to Hogwarts or will he still put it inside Ginny's cauldron.

Anyway, what he can do is prepare himself for all these things and his focus is on the Basilisk hidden inside the chamber of secrets. He was not going to look for it actively or involve himself in this year's troubles, but he will definitely try to maximise his advantages and make sure he is well protected.

If the last year taught him something then it was simply that somehow, he is dragged into these situations. So, he must look for the means to defend and possibly kill the serpent if the need arises.

In a well-furnished Egyptian store where one can see rows of many relics and historical parchments, Neville was waiting for the Grimoire book that he can use.

"Here Sir, this is a rare one, filled with pages made from 1000-year-old barks of the magical trees and soaked in the powerful saps. This one was recently finished and if a powerful magical core is added, its power will definitely be above any wand."

The shopkeeper excitedly presented the Grimoire book he had managed to secure and was smiling gleefully after holding the stretchable purse.

Nev took the precious book and went inside a small room he had booked here in a small hotel. After making sure the room was safe, he opened his suitcase and carefully placed the book in one room. This room was dedicated to storing all his research on runes and charms.

Then closing this room and placing protecting charms around it, he closed the door and went towards the other room. This room was the birthplace of his baby dragon Diana.

It has been a long time since he met Diana. Looking at all the meat hanging from the ceiling and other items, he made a mental note to thank Winny and others.

Today he wanted to try to communicate with Diana using his guardian animal (via Patronus charm). His strange wand had a very unique core which he knew the day he bought it. But in the last 2 years, the more he used his wand, the more surprises it bought.

One of the biggest ones was the ability where he can share his thoughts with his spirit animal, the white fox and it will convey the same to the animals. In this way, he had already made some friends in Hogwarts Lake, but this was the first big experiment.

He wants to test the ability with the dragon he hatched himself. Who knows, one day he can ride Diana like the dragon riders in past. Making sure the preparations are complete, he left the small hotel. After making his way to the only shop the Longbottom family owned here, he took out his portkey and appeared on his recently purchased island.

"DIANA? DIANA?" he shouted at top of his voice and in repose "ARRRRR!" a loud angry roar came from the hilly area and a huge shadow started flying towards him at full speed.

"Oh, Shit! Stop...Stop Diana..." He begged and ran before Diana decided to turn him into crispy bacon.

=========

Malfoy Manor

"That traitor. How could he attack the purebloods?! Does he not fear what will happen to him since 'he' has already come back?" Sr. Malfoy roared in an empty room to calm his beating heart. There was already a broken chair and some vases in the room that reflected his anger.

If anybody else saw him at this moment, they might not even recognise Lucius Malfoy. His perfect shiny blond hair looked dirty and had lost its lustre while his pale grey eyes never looked so lifeless.

Ever since his son came back and brought the news of the return of Voldemort, Lucius has never been the same. He lost his sleep, appetite and above all, his mental peace. Now there is another bad news.

The hunt for dark magic items being carried by the ministry and one particular Weasley made him determined to get rid of many artefacts he has in his possession, especially the one his master gave him.

If there is any chance to use the diary to frame him for the attack incident, Weasley will never let it go and he, Lucius Malfoy will never give him the chance.

"Since you want to collect the enhanced items, let me fulfil your wish, W E A S L E Y... HA HA HA."