"However, now that your mother and I are... back. We are now your rightful guardians. And, while your grandmother didn't act when she should have, we will. We're back and we can protect you. Your friend, Lord Potter, has ensured we can be there for you."
Neville sadly nodded, but he'd... uncurled... as his father spoke. "Yes, Dad." Then he gave a smile and looked to his father. "It's nice to say that... 'Yes, Dad'."
Both Longbottom parents beamed back.
It was when Harry's stomach growled yet again, that Andi said, "Time for you to go and get something to eat, Lord Potter. And don't go trying to tell me you're not hungry, because I know you must be famished!"
When Harry turned begging eyes on her, she just scowled even more and said, "And don't go trying the 'whipped puppy' look. Your godfather tried that on me and it didn't work for him, either."
Sirius chuckled and said, "I did, too."
Harry sighed and said, "Well, I guess I better go and track down the trained attack dogs Madam Bones has saddled me and the Grangers with―"
"I'll summon them," Bones immediately cut in.
Harry sighed and nodded.
Ten minutes later and, though expecting to have to go out by way of the atrium, Madam Bones allowed them to use her floo to the Leaky Cauldron. They then portkeyed from there.
This time it was only Hermione and Harry heading back to the Grangers; with, of course, three aurors.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After getting 'home' and changing into muggle, the two teens met back in the dinette. Dobby had already begun to build a lunch for them all before they even had a chance to change.
"Yous didn't eats you's meal at morning tea, Master Harry, " Dobby scolded him. "Dobby now be makings Master Harry a big lunch!"
Harry gave a sigh and shrug before walking out of the kitchen and to the dinette. Hermione had only just beaten him in there.
Once the two sat, she said, "I wonder how Frank and Alice are going to deal with Regent... I mean... Frank's mum."
"It is not our business, Hermione," he replied. "Because it is an internal matter of another House, especially one that is a Noble and Most Ancient House, we don't even get to hint at asking about it."
"But, you've been doing that a lot, such as organising Frank and Alice's treatment, since soon after you got here," she said, a little confused.
"That's because Lord Franklin Longbottom wasn't available to handle matters himself," he replied. "Now that he is back and capable of handling House business himself, I have to step completely away from it. And, because I do, so do you.
"If Frank... not Alice... wants me to become involved again, he will specifically ask me to. Not even Alice can ask me to become involved, unless Frank loses his mental faculties or something similar again; and she becomes Regent.
"It's an internal House matter. So, it will be handled internally."
Hermione nodded and asked, "Do you think he will disown her, as he threatened? I mean, that's a pretty big thing."
"Possible," he shrugged. "We'll find out pretty soon, if he does. That's the sort of thing that gets announced in the Prophet. Besides, he'll have to notify me, as an allied House, due to the Charter that she'll no longer be part of the alliance. House Rosier is not a member House."
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Frank and Alice, not trusting apparating yet and unsure of the state of the wards at the Hall, were given a portkey by Bones to their front gate.
As with Harry and Hermione and their escort, they flooed from Bones's office to the Leaky Cauldron and immediately activated the portkey from there. It took them to right outside the main gate of the property.
Only one person in the Leaky even recognised them. And that person was stunned silent until after they'd already portkeyed away. Even after they'd gone, that witch thought she had to have been hallucinating, or something.
On the walk up from the gate to the Hall, Neville was quite jittery.
Alice hung back with him a bit and said, "Neville, relax. There is nothing you can do, but allow what happens to happen. Your grandmother has a lot to answer for regarding how you were raised, how you were treated, what she has done with the affairs of the House and quite a bit more. This is only to do with you, peripherally. Understand?"
"Errr... yeah, Mum," he replied. "I think so."
"What I mean is, you did not cause any of this," she explained. "This is all on your grandmother, by her own actions."
Neville thought it through, saw where his mother was coming from and gave a firm nod back. He didn't notice that he also shifted in his posture, standing up straighter and walked with a stronger gait.
His mother did, though. 'Harry started this change,' she thought. 'It's up to Frank and I to keep it going until it's there, permanently.'
When Frank walked in he felt the full wards with his senses. He frowned and then made his way directly into the basement and to the key ward-stone. That was the stone that was both the anchor of the wards and to which the other ward-stones that surrounded the perimeter of the property were linked.
Alice already knew where he was heading, so led Neville into the parlour.
After directing him to a seat she sat close, but almost facing him. "So, sweetie; tell me what you normally get up to around here. I've been told you're somewhat of a prodigy in Herbology and like to work in the greenhouses."
Neville coloured up and said, "Harry's got a big mouth."
She chuckled and said, "While we were under time dilation and recovering, he knew we would be going a little crazy not knowing what was going on outside. So, he sent us regular letters. For us, those arrived about just over one a week to ten days. For Harry, that meant he was sending them mornings and evenings.
"And, honey, they weren't short letters; not by a long cast. Think of an assignment you'd have to do this year, fourth year; double it and you'd get pretty close.
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