Chapter 2: Love makes us Fools

It has been five years since the day I lost my parents. No, they are not dead but just like the books and movies, they were tortured to the point where they lost every resemblance to what they were once. Nan told me that they are injured and in hospital and I will meet my parents soon once I grow up. Lies. Lies told to a young boy so his heart won't break.

But I am not a weak boy. My story or my destiny has been written as a shy and weak boy who will only shine during the final battle with Dark Lord. But now, I will not follow my destiny. I am going to gather whatever tools I can with whatever method I can and then hunt all those death eaters one by one. Death will be a mercy and it shall not be granted them too easily.

"Nev, where are you boy?" I heard my Nan shouting outside the library. The library was the only place anyone could find me in my Nan's house. Yet my Nan would find it amusing to play this little "where are you my child?" game with me. I on the other hand, find it anything more than annoying.

"Coming Nan. Tell me, Nan, what is it that you called me so sweetly and loudly from across the hall?" I asked innocently.

"Young Man, you should know how to show proper etiquette and manner when addressing and talking to people. I am your grandma, you should call me such. These nicknames don't suit the house of our standing," my granny chided me again.

How can I explain the difference between our 'normal' thinking? Leave it, one day she will accept it anyway.

My gran was very shocked after my initial magical explosion. I am noted as one of the few who survived such an explosion.

Other wizards took notice of me after the fall of Dark Lord. They kept visiting our house with their kids to offer condolences for my parents and trying to somehow get me to become friends with their little stupid kids.

"My dearest Nan, that scowl does not suit your face and it might give you more wrinkles. May I suggest accepting the love I show with my words in a more natural way than the fake customs people have imposed upon us?" I asked her patiently like a father talking to his young daughter. It would have made sense had our roles were not reversed.

"I don't know what to do with you, Nev. Now tell me why don't you play with those kids that came to our house or invite them again? You know a big tree alone is not as strong as hundreds of small trees in a forest. Unity is strength my grandson and our friends are our support." My Nan offered her pieces of wisdom. That basically boiled down to 'go and play with the other kids and stop spending time alone in the library.

"Nan, I find it is much more fulfilling to spend time around the books and learn of the magical world and abilities we have. Instead of trying to play wizards and witches, I am trying to be one. A proper one. Also, I remind you, my Nan, history is filled with those Big trees and no one remembers the smaller ones in the forest."

I gave my answer and then went back to the library. I am tired of these stupid kids and their games and if it was possible, I would rather have my bed placed inside the library.

No doubt my Nan was giving her 'a tired, head shaking' look behind my back but I have no patience or words for her in regard to those kids.

"Now, where was I? Yes, Wands and their properties," I mumbled to myself and then picked that book again. This was one of the most important books I think in this magical world yet often overlooked.

Why? Because not only does it explain the properties of wands but it also deeply explains various animals and their affinities in the magical world.

So, a creature like a Hippogriff and Griffin, both birds mixed with land animals, eagle with lion and eagle with horse respectively. However, they had two completely different affinities. Hippogriff had an affinity with fire and wind while Griffin had an affinity with metals and minerals. This resulted in their behaviour, one loved to fly and fight while another living in caves and hoarding treasures.

Their wands also followed the same principle, Hippogriff wands can provide more help with fire and wind spells but Griffin wands can do wonders in transfiguration. If one is aware of the animals and their affinities, they can easily master the spells thee match instead of wasting time on learning all the spells that they had no affinity with.

Now what I am trying to find is the reason why certain wands or more precisely the cores of the animals respond differently with different people.

"What is the secret behind this? Wands chose their masters but it is more like the magical animals choose who they bond with. But how can you find the animal with whom you can bond properly?" I was thinking about this question while picking several other books on wands and their cores and magical animals.

"Winny, please prepare some tea and snacks please," I ordered our house elf. Winny was a young house elf and I had taken a liking to her. Her family had served ours for generations and I had ordered her to dress properly like English butlers that I had seen in my time. The result was... some patched up black and white freckled dress but still it was an improvement.

"Yes, master. Winny is already ready master," Winny appeared behind me and then with a snap of her fingers my reading time snacks were placed nicely on the table.

"Good Winny. Now how is my Nan spending time today?" I asked her while tasting the delicious cookies.

"Lady Longbottom has already gone to Diagon Alley. Later, she is going to have a meeting with the potion guild master," replied Winny.

"I am not a cold person but the world is filled with those whose souls have turned into Ice and stones. The potion guild claimed, again and again, to make a cure for my parents and robbed a lot of gold from us.." I felt anger and hatred thinking this, so deep that my magic responded with some cracklings in the air. The cookies lost their flavor for me.

"Winny, can you bring the black water bottle I had kept on the shelf in my room. I think I do need to meet these 'wonderful' potions masters." I said coldly while putting down the books and snacks. Winny came back with a water bottle that I had once prepared for some special occasions and I think today is the one. I fixed up my clothes and told her to go.

We took our floo network and came out of the Longbottom shop in Diagon alley. Winny disappeared behind me leaving me alone. As an old and rich house, we did have a lot of shops in the area. Most of them were rented though but still, we had our floo network in proper working order. Minutes later, I was alone standing at the gates of the guild.

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"Hello! Can someone help me please? I need to meet the potions masters. I want to save them." I acted in a very pleading manner as a child who was lost and afraid.

"Oh boy! What happened to you? Did you run away from your parents my boy?" an old man with glasses who was at the reception and looked at me with sympathy.

"No sir. I heard my granny is coming with some cursed gold to punish some people in the potion guild. So, I came here from the floo fireplace. I have seen my granny using it so I imitated her. A lady helped me get here but she left. Can you help me please?" I asked again behaving like I was a shy and innocent boy.

"Who is you granny, my child? I don't think anyone will come to the guild to do something like this. You know we help people. This is Diagon alley, not the Knockturn Alley. Are you sure you are at the right place?" he questioned me properly this time.

"My family is called Longbottom. My granny was saying something like "....hmm....potion masters treating her like a fool....or something... and then she said she needs to give them some cursed gold. Something like this..." I said hesitantly.

The man at the reception had his eyes widened and he suddenly took me inside. He made me sit on a chair while he ran inside the guild. I am also waiting for these fools to show up. I felt Winny's hand on my shoulder and that confirmed her presence around me. I tightened my grip on the water bottle that had three drops of Veritaserum mixed with orange juice.

I saw a few people coming, I changed my expression and again became a shy and cowardly boy.

"Hello, young man. Can you tell me clearly what had happened?" A fat man with a pointy nose from this group asked me and I repeated what I had said earlier but with more theatrics.

They started talking something among themselves and I was looking at the door. I gave a signal to Winny and she placed a spell on that fat man. Soon I saw my Nan coming inside the guild and she was surprised to see me here. Before she could say anything, I rushed towards her.

"Nan, please don't harm them. They are good people. They won't rob our gold Nan," I said hurriedly. To anyone else, it may seem like a 5-year-old boy pleading innocently to his relative but my Nan knew me far better. She didn't say anything but waited for whatever I was planning.

"Lady Longbottom, your grandson was just telling us something about cursed gold or something. If you don't believe in the reputation of our guild, we don't force you to do business with us. Do we? So please explain how can such an old and noble house like yours would stoop so low to use such a thing." That fat man, clearly some high ranking personnel in the guild, asked loudly attracting a lot of crowd towards the doors of the guild.

Slowly, people grouped together outside to see the drama. Watching noble houses like ours getting publically humiliated is a very rare sight and I think it must have soothed their misplaced jealousy and inflated egos.

"Ahem...I think" My Nan tried to find an answer to this sudden question for which she was completely unprepared. Now was the time for my blow.

"Uncle, uncle please don't hate my Nan. She was just angry but she didn't mean harm. Please don't talk to her like this. I can give you my fav. juice for free. Okay?" I tried to act like I was bargaining with the fat man in a funny stupid childish behaviour.

The fat man without thinking took the bottle from my hand and drank a few times to solve his parching throat. He didn't find anything wrong with his behaviour and that did the final trick.

"Granny, they have real medicine for my parents. After all, my parents fought with the bad man. These men won't try to take advantage of us. Right, Uncle?" I asked the fat man directly.

After a few minutes, the fat man started laughing "Of course, we don't do cheating boy. We said the potion can help but we never said it will cure anyone. Did we? It can help them sleep properly and it tastes like oranges. Isn't it better than the ugly medicine they are taking? Ha ha ha..." and suddenly his eyes widened and he closed his mouth abruptly but the damage was done.

My Nan and all the people around saw the true ugly face behind the kind facade this group of bastards had. Someone in the crowd suddenly ran towards the man and started punching him.

"I spent all my family on buying the potions that you promised will heal my sister. Is this why she never got better? You fucking bastards are preying on sick patients! You vile fucking creatures...." and from the outburst of one man to another the fire spread.

After a few minutes, I took my Nan's hand and dragged her outside without saying anything. Winny also appeared behind us but Nan didn't say anything. She also willingly walked out and we all silently took the floo back. No one said anything. When we came out from the fireplace, Nan instead of walking down the stairs, sat on one.

"Do you think I am a fool Nev?" asked my Nan in a very bleak voice. I don't know what she is thinking but I can clearly feel that she is sad, angry and hurt.

"No Nan. It is not that you are a fool but it is that you are a mother. I know you will do anything for my parents as my father is your own flesh and blood. My drama was not to make you like a fool but it was to expose the noble and kind mask these merchants of profit were wearing. Humans behave worse than goblins for a few pieces of gold. This is wrong with human nature Nan. Not with you." I said to her and hugged her tightly.

My Nan hugged me more tightly and she started sobbing. we stayed like that. An old woman hugging her young grandchild, sobbing in a large empty house. Our elf was also sobbing while hiding behind the fireplace.

This house was once supposed to be filled with laughter with me, my mother, my father and my late grandfather. They were supposed to be here with us but it is the empty house now filled with people crying together. My parents lost to the torture by Bellatrix and my grandfather from the pain of that incident.

One day dear Nan, one day, I will burn those souls alive and torture them in the ways dementors would feel fear. I promise my Nan. I promised myself.

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