through some boxes of my parents stuff to put it together but I hope you like it."
"Nev, not to be nosy but what happened to your parents?"
"A couple days after the attack on your family when You-Know-Who disappeared, some death eaters paid a call on my parents, they tortured them. With… an Unforgiveable curse.. the cruciatus curse." Neville took a deep breath."I've never talked about it before. I sorta remember it I remember the screams; and I remember her laugh, LeStrange's I mean. My parents had hidden me in a cupboard. They told me to stay there until I heard Gran. No matter what I heard I was to stay hidden. It had seemed so long but it probably wasn't. They tortured Mum to the point of her being… she doesn't recognize me anymore not really. But the Death eaters found my hidey-hole and were about to drag me into being tortured but Dad stepped in between me and the curse. He'd already been tortured to a state similar to mum's but his instinct was still to protect me… He's worse off than her now." Neville blinked back tears.
Harry leaned over and gave him a hug. "Didn't mean to bring you down. I'm sorry."
"It's okay. I think I feel better for you knowing. Anyway that's about when the aurors showed up. Mum and Dad went to St. Mungo's and have been there ever since. I got checked out then they sent me home to live Gran. The memories aren't super sharp they're just there you know, I don't dwell on it. It usually takes something to bring them to the surface."
Harry's lips quirked into a wry smile. "I know. Sometimes in my dreams I half remember too. So shall we open presents?"
Libby popped in with a breakfast tray that she put on the sideboard. The boys opened their presents. Hermione had gotten both of them boxes holding eight Chocolate frogs. Harry asked, "What did you get her?"
"Gift certificate for Flourish and Blott's. You?"
" Helga's Guide Of Do's and Don'ts for Young Witches and Wizards. "
"You didn't."
"Yes, I did. Come on even you have to admit her manners by wizarding standards are frightful. I mean can you picture her here?"
Neville shuddered. "Gran invited her because I've mentioned her. I was never so relieved as when she told me she was sorry she couldn't come because her parents were taking her to Switzerland to skif?.. skill?"
"Try ski. Open mine."
"Lilywhites gift certificate. Harry you shouldn't have."
"I got permission from your Gran to take you too. I hope you have some muggle clothes."
"Yeah, Cousin Callidora usually gives me some every year."
"Here's mine to you."
"Mind if I save it till I'm done with the ones from my family?"
"No cause it will take a while, and I'd like to go through it with you."
Harry dove into his stack while Nev dug into his. Aunt Petunia had gotten him some books for him to self study Latin. Dudley had gotten him a book on Heraldry so he'd be able to figure out the meaning of his coat of arms. He snickered when he opened Vernon's . In it was sketch paper and charcoal for sketching. It was probably as inexpensive and as close to a comment as Vernon dared make.
Neville looked at Harry. "What's funny?
"My uncle's gift. Muggles have stories where Father Christmas leaves naughty children coal in their stockings and," He held up the charcoal smiling . "My uncle gave me coal. Paper too. It just struck me funny."
"Okay." Neville said not really understanding.
"My stomach thinks my throat's been cut. I'm going to grab plates for us. You keep working on that pile." Harry went to the sideboard to see what Libby had brought. Eggs benedict, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms, caramel nut rolls, kippers, baked apples, poached pears, porridge, a blueberry and cream cheese flaky pastry and tea; Harry started dishing up. A knock sounded.
With a nod from Harry, Libby opened the door it was Lady Longbottom. "Is Neville in here?"
"Yes, would you like to join us? I was just about to dish up some breakfast."
"Thank you. Harry. I would like that very much. By the way thank you for the chocolates."
Harry had found out from Neville how many guests were going to be at the house party and had gotten ten piece box chocolates one for each guest and one for his hostess for Christmas rather than be thought to have poor manners. But apparently none of the other house guests did the same. "You're welcome Lady Longbottom."
"I think you should Call me Lady Augusta. Especially since I have been approached about being on a trustee board for you." At Harry's confused look she chuckled. "Magical children all have a magical guardian. Muggleborn children it's usually their Head of House at Hogwarts. Your solicitors have decided you will have a trustee board instead of Minerva McGongall or Severus Snape; myself, Tiberius Ogden, Felicia and Stephen Corner, Horace Ogden and Perseus Davies."
Harry's face which had tensed relaxed slightly. "Thank you Lady Augusta." Harry noticed Libby had popped out and back with dishes for Lady Augusta. So he showed her to the side board. Harry finished dishing up and then carried his plate and tea cup to where he could watch Neville as he ate.
Neville worked he way through the stack of twelve gifts. The last he opened was the one from Cousins Callidora, Harfang, and their children. "See, Harry, muggle clothes!"
Harry looked and winced. To his mind, striped polyester pants, lime green polyester shirt, and a loose white leather vest did not equate clothes; rejects from the disco era maybe, but not clothes.
Augusta and Neville both noticed. "What?"
"Those might have been in style when our parents were kids, nowadays people wouldn't be caught dead in something like that."
"Oh." Neville looked very downhearted.
"Cheer up Neville, We are wizards after all I'm sure Lady Augusta can transfigure them into something presentable."
Neville looked to his Gran. She nodded, "If Harry shows me an appropriate example I'm sure I can manage."
Harry put his finished breakfast dishes back on the sideboard. Libby handed him a washcloth and he cleaned his hands. Then he moved to the present from Neville. It wasn't a large box but Harry unwrapped it carefully then he opened it. Inside was a photo album. He opened it. The first photo was of two women both holding babies. One was his mother, he assumed the other was Neville's.
"Our first meeting I think."Neville said, Harry turned the page. "I sorted through mum and dad's photos of their Hogwarts years and found a fair number of photos with your mum and a few with your dad. I duplicated them and this is the result."
Harry flipped through the pages and saw pictures of his Mum and Alice Longbottom throughout their Hogwarts careers. He was a little surprised to see Severus Snape next to his mum in several of the early photos, trying to hide bashfully behind her. The photos of his young father seemed to center around quidditch. Harry flipped the page.
"Now these photos were in an envelope marked Marauder Blackmail. I opened it because of the map you know."
Harry laughed as he saw a photo of his mum hexing his dad with what looked like bats made out of his own boogies. There was one of a boy with light brown hair so intent on his studies he didn't notice as Harry's dad changed his robes into a pink frilly dress. There was one of a dark haired boy intent on his cauldron that caught his shocked expression as it exploded in his face leaving a sooty residue. Then there was one of a pudgy, rather rat-faced boy stuck to a wall. There were several more photos featuring the four boys, all of them caught in a potentially embarrassing moments.
"I remember Frank telling me about these." Lady Augusta laughed. "Your father and his friends, Harry, were notorious pranksters. Frank got caught in several of their pranks. Finally Frank caught them in several embarrassing moments and then blackmailed them into leaving him off their target list.
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