"He didn't write to us and say 'This is who Neville is'. He wrote and said, 'This is my impressions of Neville after having lived with him in the Gryffindor boys' dorm for three plus years'. In other words, he gave us his impressions of you and what he thought you were like. He did not try to speak for you.
"What I'd like to hear is about you, from you. And so would your father. He should be finished with the wards―"
There was a strong thrum feeling that pulsed from the centre of the house and rapidly flowed out and away.
Neville gave a little jump of surprise. "What was that?"
"That was your father making a major adjustment to the wards, dear," his mother replied.
A few moments later there was the sound of rapid footsteps on the stairs from the upper floor. And Neville caught, out of the corner of his eye, his grandmother rounding the bottom of the stairs and running as quick as she could for the stairs down to the basement.
She'd barely got the door open and ducked inside before he heard his father bellow. "Get back to your room, woman! NOW!"
"But, Frannnkk!" his grandmother almost wailed.
"NOW!" bellowed his father, even louder.
He heard the door flung open again and heard his grandmother hurrying past going back the other way and then saw her hurry up the stairs. She sounded as if she was crying.
"Gran sounds upset," he quietly and sadly said.
"She's going to get a lot more upset before this day is through," his mother firmly stated. "But, that is not for you to worry about."
When Frank walked in, scowling, he looked to Alice and asked, "She gone back upstairs?"
"Yes, dear," she calmly replied.
"Good," he almost snapped. "She dared to question me about what I thought I was doing with the wards."
"Gran likes to keep firm control of the wards," said Neville. "She sometimes does little adjustments to them, too."
"Not any more, she won't be. I've locked her out," said Frank. Looking at Alice he said, "I was right in that you and I had been removed from the resident's list of those who can directly access by floo, apparation or portkey. We may have been in a coma-like state, but that gave her no right to do that.
"I've also removed Algernon and Enid Rosier from the resident's list. They don't even live here and she had them on the list.
"That's yet another two subjects we'll be raising with her."
Alice gave a nod and called, "Fluxy!"
"Yes, Misstress Ali? What can Fluxy be doings for you?" asked the elf.
"Can you get me my lap table from wherever it is now; and some parchment, ink and quill?" she asked.
"Yes, Misstress Ali," replied the elf with a little bob-curtsey.
It flashed away and was back a moment later. She was holding the items out for Alice.
Accepting them, Alice said, "Thank you, Fluxy."
The elf gave another little bob-curtsey and popped away.
She set herself up on her chair with the lap table on her lap; ink bottle in a little 'cup' holder for it and parchment with quill on top. Frank sat down on another chair, also facing Neville.
Frank then pulled out from within his robes a good sized stack of parchment, already covered in writing. Neville could also see there were what looked like quite a few clippings from what he thought must have been the Daily Prophet mixed in with that. And he could see it was once all folded in half, lengthwise.
"Alright, Neville," said his father, relaxing into his chair. "We've been given quite a bit of information about what's been going on, about you, about the school, about a lot of things.
"What I need is clarification of a lot of points. And, yes, a lot of that will be about you. But, I'm asking those questions of you because you're the best person to answer them.
"I'll also be asking a lot of questions of your grandmother about her and a lot of other things. And be asking questions of people such as Lords Potter and Black, Madam Bones, Professor Sprout, Headmistress Marchbanks, etcetera.
"Your mother and I have a lot of things we need to catch up on, or with. And the best way to do that is to ask the people themselves. Understand?"
"Yes, Dad," he replied.
Frank smiled back. "As good as it is for you to be able to say that; I think it's even better for me to hear it."
Neville smiled back.
As his father asked questions, his mother was writing things down. Then, when it looked like his mother's hand was starting to hurt, his parents switched. Then switched back when his father's hand looked like it was starting to hurt.
While both asked questions, they also talked a fair bit between them. One question did not immediately follow the previous. That way, to Neville, it did not feel like an interrogation. However, the real reason for the breaks to talk was because the writer wasn't finishing writing down what was being spoken.
When they'd finished, Neville was surprised to notice it was the middle to the late part of the afternoon. They'd been at it for hours, except for a short break while they ate sandwiches for lunch. During that time, they asked Neville to tell them stories about his time at Hogwarts.
After a shared afternoon tea, both his parents almost demanded he take them out to the greenhouses and show them what he'd been doing.
That was something he'd been most eager to do since he first accepted they really were awake and conscious again. That was while they were in Madam Bones's office. Before that, he thought he was experiencing a sort of surreal dream while being awake.
When he'd shown them what he was doing and had 'discovered' with Herbology, both parents were almost stunned speechless.
"Harry was right," said his mother. "You truly are a prodigy in Herbology. I'm so very proud of you."
That had the boy blushing almost to the roots of his hair.
"Why are you embarrassed about that?" asked his father.
Sadly, he replied, "Gran wants me to become an auror, like you."
Frank frowned and firmly asked, "I don't particularly care, at this moment, what your grandmother wants you to be. What do you want be?"
"A Herbologist!" Neville immediately and determinedly replied.
"Then, if that is what you want to do, your mother and I will give you as much support in that as we can," said his father.
When Neville looked in shock at them both he quietly said, "Gran says you'd want me to be an auror."
"Your grandmother is wrong!" his mother firmly stated. "Your father and I want you to be the best at what it is you want be. That has always been our hope for you."
"And your grandmother knew that," his father added a little angrily.
A little while later and back inside, his mother said, "Neville, would you like to go and spend some time in your greenhouses while your father and I talk for a bit?
"Based a lot on what you've told us, your father and I need to discuss between us what we're all going to do together from here. Is that okay with you?"
"Yeah!" he eagerly replied. "I'll need to go and get changed first. I don't want to wear my good clothes out and get them dirty. Gran gets upset when I get any dirt on my clothes."
"That's fine, dear," she nodded. "Go get changed, head out and we'll call you when it's time for dinner."
'Thanks, Mum!" he was about to dash out when he stopped and turned to his father. "Is that okay with you, too, Dad?"
"Yes, of course," his father smiled. "Off you go."
As soon as they heard the sound of Neville hurrying up the stairs while also trying to be quiet about it, Frank quietly snarled, "That bitch!"
"She's been doing her damnedest to turn him into you," said Alice a little sadly. "That was so very unfair of her."
"As soon as he's gone outside, I'll have Fluxy call her down," he stated. "Where shall we do this?"
"The office," she immediately replied. "You need to be sitting in the office desk chair, as Lord Longbottom, with me beside you. She can be sitting on a chair before the desk like a naughty little school girl called to the Headmaster's office."
He smiled an evil little grin at her and said, "That's perfect. But, I need to go and check the office to see if she's rearranged things to her own liking, first. I need to change it all back, if she has."
Alice nodded and said, "You go do that now. I'll wait for Neville to come back down."
Frank gave a firm nod back and made his way across the Hall to the office.
When Neville hurried back down the stairs a couple minutes later, again doing his best to remain quiet on the stairs, Alice checked him over and said, "Like a proper Herbologist. Take care and we'll call for you when dinner is ready."
Hesitating a moment, he quickly gave her a hug and, nearly running, headed outside.
She sighed and made her own way to the office.
"Time for 'Mum' to answer the Duelling Master's call," she muttered.
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