Chapter 181: The Lemon Tree

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26 January 1994, Hogwarts

Neville Longbottom sat alone for breakfast while clenching his goblet full of juice tightly, remembering the events of the first task of the school tournament. Things hadn't gone to plan at all. It had been almost two weeks since he had completed the task, and yet he was still the pariah of Gryffindor House.

He had trained very hard for this, to make his performance as memorable as possible. He had learned spells that were far above his year, run every day like his old quidditch days – before he got banned – to build up his stamina, and damn it, he had delivered.

He was so far above most of his year, hell even above a few the fourth years, in terms of competence, that people should have noticed that something, that he was different. Hermione would have been so proud of him.

No, don't think about Hermione. Don't think about Hermione. He repeated this sentence in his head. It was something that he did almost every day, as he thought about his bushy-haired friend and remembered her fate. It was always there, in the background. He would think of a lesson and imagine Hermione studying it. He would see the Weasley twins playing pranks and imagine Hermione's face, a mix of exasperated fondness and disapproval at their behaviour.

Because Hermione would have stayed by his side. She would have supported him and helped him become the best wizard possible. She would have been proud of him.

It just wasn't fair. The Bones girl was celebrated in Hufflepuff for her ingenious thinking and usage of Rune. Even Babbling was giving her preferential treatment during class.

Hell, even Padma Patil received impressed looks from her house, and he hated it.

He hated it. He hated it. He hated it.

For a fraction of a second, a small voice in the back of his head was urging him to burn everything, to make them recognize his greatness or suffer. He suppressed it as much as he did. That small voice has been getting more persistent after the task. So much so that he asked his grandmother to give him a couple of meditation exercises to prevent himself from ever succumbing to it as he did right after the task.

After a couple of deep breaths, Neville was calm once more and his mind was clear. As far as his grandmother was concerned, he was just starting out learning a few exercises for Occlumency, which she would start to teach him during the following summer. He hadn't had the heart to tell her about the voice.

Would she think that he was unworthy of his family crest, that it was the crest trying to remove a user that he deemed insufficient, unworthy? Would she think that he was actually just as unstable and insane as those articles made him up to be?

Would she renounce him as her grandson?

No, he didn't want to continue this line of thinking. He was in control of himself now, and nothing was ever going to change that. He was just sad and angry about the task and was just projecting that into another problem that he had.

Why didn't the Gryffindors just celebrate his courage? He was smart with he summoned the platforms to him. He was fearless when he was sent into the air by that whale and righted himself in the air. He had braved himself and walked through the ice platform, attacked by a storm and was smart enough to bypass the fog. He was the only Gryffindor to finish the damn obstacle course. Why didn't they care?

An owl ducked down and sent today's issue of the Daily Prophet down on him. At the sight of the article, he suppressed the urge to snarl in anger.

THE HOGWARTS SCHOOL TOURNAMENT, A FARCE OR AN EXHIBITION OF MAGICAL SKILL

By Rita Skeeter

It's the talk of the magical community: the Hogwarts School Tournament of 1993, a competition that promised to showcase the brightest young minds in magic from the third to the seventh year of their magical education. However, the events that have unfolded beg the question: is it a true test of magical prowess, or merely a farce wrapped in the glamour of competition?

The tournament, exclusive to Hogwarts students, commenced with a riveting start. The first task was a two-part challenge: a preliminary task and a perilous obstacle course across the half-frozen Black Lake. The second part involved the best three performers from each year retrieving a key from animated ice statue warriors to unlock a chest containing their victory.

But controversy erupted when Harry Potter, a Slytherin third-year, emerged victorious in both tasks. Potter, demonstrating a cunning approach, summoned his broom and breezed over the obstacle course, completely sidestepping the physical challenges. In the second task, he resorted to trickery: transfiguring a fake key and creating an illusion of defeat to catch his competitor, Cedric Diggory, off-guard.

Opinions within Hogwarts are sharply divided. Some claim Potter has made a mockery of the event, employing 'dirty tricks' rather than showcasing his magical skills. Another faction, however, argues that Potter's cleverness is a skill in its own right. They point out the inherent imbalance in pitting students with varying levels of magical education against one another, suggesting that such disparities inevitably lead to unconventional strategies.

The next task, a duelling tournament set for mid-February, promises to offer a stark contrast. Here, raw magical skill and quick reflexes will reign supreme over cunning and guile. This upcoming event may well be the crucible that determines the true nature of this competition.

As the dust settles on the previous tasks, one question lingers: who is Harry Potter? Is he the nascent dark lord, as some in hushed tones suggest, echoing the concerns of Albus Dumbledore? Or is he simply a resourceful student, compelled to rely on his wits in a tournament seemingly stacked against him?

In the end, the verdict stands: Harry Potter has won the task. But the true measure of his character, and the essence of this tournament, will undoubtedly be revealed in the upcoming dueling challenge. One thing is certain – the wizarding world watches with bated breath.

For more information about the Hogwarts Tournament, view pages 2

For more information about Harry Potter and Dumbledore's accusations of him, view page 3

Neville couldn't help but wonder why they were still talking about the damn tournament. It was old news, and similar articles were published the previous week. Was there really no other news in Magical Britain, that they have to rely on old news to create controversy?

And the worst thing was the fact that Neville wasn't even mentioned once in any of the articles. One of the main selling points of the Tournament was people getting to see him perform. The articles from the previous year might have affected his popularity, but he was still the boy who lived. He was still politically important, and people did care when they heard his name.

And yet, it wasn't the case now. The truth was everyone was now obsessed with Harry, and the school was essentially pulling on his unorthodox solving the first task to sell more tickets for the dueling tournament.

He knew that it wasn't Harry's fault, that if he had the idea, Neville would have done the exact same thing. But it just wasn't fair. He couldn't help but feel bitter, like Harry was somehow replacing him, and his position in the wizarding world.

And his housemates really weren't helping. Gryffindor got trounced by the competition. Aside from the Weasley Twins and Percy Weasley, not a single Gryffindor made it to the finals, and those three were eliminated rather quickly. He was the only Gryffindor third year to finish the preliminary task. Out of the fourth years, Katie Bell was the only one to finish, even if she didn't do particularly well. Cormac McLaggen had finally shut his trap and stopped bragging like he did before the task.

This task was made with bravery in mind. As long as you didn't give up, you should have, at least, finished the race given time. It was tailored-made for Gryffindor House, the house of the brave. You didn't need to know any advanced magic or any difficult theorems…

And yet they had lost.

Yeah, that was a blow to their Gryffindor pride.

And they blamed Neville of all people for it. It didn't make any sense. Most of them didn't even finish the race, and they had the gall to say that he should have beaten Harry since they were both third years, when he outsmarted them all during the finals.

He started to see why Harry always looked at him with disdain during their first two years in Hogwarts. Was he like them back then?

Before he was an outcast, did he judge people without any thought? Was he as foolish as they were? He didn't like the idea. He must have been better, right?

Perhaps, he wasn't. But now he was better. He was blind and now he could see, and he would show the world what he was capable of. Neville clenched his goblet tighter, the juice sloshing dangerously close to the rim. This was his chance to prove himself, to demonstrate his growth, his skill, and his worth. The duelling tournament was his opportunity to show everyone, to silence the whispers and the doubts. He would no longer be the Neville Longbottom they thought they knew. He would no longer be a boy who rode on the fame of a magical accident when he was a baby. He would show them about who they kept dismissing.

He would train harder than ever, refine his spells, and hone his reflexes. Dueling required a blend of strategy, skill, and agility. It was a platform where he could excel, where he could outshine his peers and reclaim his place in the wizarding world. He had already learned the basics thanks to his grandmother, and he could easily go from there.

Unfortunately, he hadn't joined the duelling club. Instead, he had chosen to focus on Quidditch, which turned out to be a mistake considering the fact that he was banned from the sport the previous year, and the rumours of his mental instability stopped Oliver Wood from offering him the position once more, his skills as a seeker not being enough to face the uproar that would come with him rejoining the team. At least Wood was honest about it. He respected his former captain even more with that move.

He really should have joined another club instead of hoping the Wood would ask him to join back. It would have been a good opportunity to finetune his duelling skills.

The duelling club was led by Professor Flitwick. The half-goblin was a well-known duelling champion a few decades back before retiring. His insight would have been invaluable. Alas, with the task publicly announced to be a duelling tournament, the Charms professor was faced with innumerable requests to join the club. He refused them all, saying that you could only join the club at the beginning of the year.

The voices of his housemates, the taunts and the jeers, faded into the background. What mattered now was the future, the upcoming duel, and the opportunity to redefine himself. As he stood up, leaving the Great Hall with a newfound resolve, Neville knew one thing for certain: he would show them all in the duelling tournament.

No one would underestimate him again. No one would ignore him again. They would all come to respect him. He would no longer be overshadowed by legends and expectations. He would be his own legend, a wizard of formidable skill and undeniable power.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. In that moment of solitude, he made a silent vow to himself. He would rise above them all, no matter the cost. People will never dismiss him ever again.

And for a fleeting instant, as he opened his eyes and continued on his path, there was a subtle, almost imperceptible change. In the depths of his eyes, a faint red glow flickered and vanished as quickly as it appeared. Neville didn't notice it, and neither did his housemates. And just like that, the Longbottom scion got up and left for the library to research more duelling spells. He had a lot of work to do after all.

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I tend to upload drafts of early chapters on there to get people's opinions of them so you can read up to 20 chapters ahead as a bonus.

Thank you guys for your support in these hard times.