Chapter 4: The end of normal times

The day after I got my wand, I had a long discussion with my Nan and only when I showed her that I could control my wand, she was able to calm herself. This unique wand looked pink and girlish and considering what Mr Ollivander had said, it was really unstable if the user is not attentive to it.

Winny and the other two house-elves we recently purchased would teach me their wandless magic in a language they possibly can and I have been learning that. They were born with their magic and they use their magic only out of sheer will and intent.

I, for a second, do not believe that human kids can do accidental magic but they need a wand when they go into their teenage years and suddenly are able to do wandless magic in their old age.

Wands are simply tools that help in directing magic and are mostly used in Europe and America but it is not even mentioned in any schools in Africa or Asia. In Africa, they have eleven wizarding schools but they practice magic with only runes and gestures.

Egypt is the birthplace of magic and has the earliest records and it is all about the art of runes, rituals and symbolism.

The only reason I bought my wands was to accelerate my progress on charms and transfiguration. I can do the first year and second year charms and spells from the Hogwarts coursebook easily but anything above that takes too much time and the progress is too slow for my comfort.

Also, unlike what I thought initially, my wand is now more suitable for transfiguration and rapid commands that gives me more options with my charms. In a duel, this was the most important aspect. If you can launch faster and more varied spells than your opponent then your chance of losing will always be minimal.

On my personal request, My Nan had invited a natural-born legilimens, Ms Rose Thacher. Her family is also an old magical family but they allowed marriage with muggles and a lot of kids from their families are half-bloods. Most of her family has already migrated to the US where they are doing quite good for themselves.

She was here to help in my Occlumency. Occlumency is taught in almost all magical families especially old ones like ours. Every future lord or lady of a house must learn and perfect Occlumency, as much as they can before they can claim the position of the head in the family.

After all, if you cannot protect your own secrets, you are not fit to lead a family that has hundreds of years of history and secrets.

"Very Well, I shall be your teacher, Mr Neville Longbottom. You can relax your mind around me. Trust me, I already signed the magical contract your Grandmother had prepared. Quite a few scary terms if I say. Now our first lesson is quite simple actually, 'focus on one thought'.

This thought could be anything from 'I like to eat apples' to 'I like quidditch', anything but make sure there is only one single thought inside your head!" She guided me during our first lesson.

Well, this is too easy for me.

"I am ready!" I immediately replied.

Ms Rose smiled and without any spell or wand, she just looked at me and I felt a slight tingling inside my mind and I knew she is already reading my thought. After a few seconds, and some uncomfortable looks, she spoke.

"Very well, Mr Neville, though I might have preferred something well suited for your age, this still works. Now, I need you to keep doing this for the next 10 minutes and then try to have no thoughts or an empty mind."

Hence my lessons on Occlumency started. After just half-hour, I felt a slight headache and sleepiness, Ms Rose said it was enough for the day.

Before leaving, Ms Rose said in a low voice - "Killing is a crime that goes beyond the realm of law Mr Neville. It can taint or destroy a soul and hatred is not a good companion. We must not give in to hate but accept the love!"

"A noble thought Ms Rose but then my hatred is not something I can give up. Love was the first emotion I felt in this life and then it was taken away from me. If you know the history of my family, like the rest of the wizarding world, you can understand that.

Also, killing a pest in a house never taints a soul and I believe my intent and will is similar in this sense. I will practise what you taught me, Ms Rose. I hope to meet you soon again." I gave her my neck bow and replied with a smile.

I doubt she could find words to refute me. She would regularly visit our manor for the classes after that and was quite good in her teachings. Two very important books - 'Protection Charm Your Mind: A Practical Guide to Counter Legilimensy' and 'Living With Legilimens: Choose Your Minds Wisely' were also added to my collection.

I am also good at herbology. From the day I ruined the relationship between the potion guild and our house, my Nan hired dedicated staff to maintain our magical garden and greenhouse. I would regularly visit there to collect materials for my own potions practice. The rest of our plants and their ingredients are sold directly at our shops now and considering our reputation in wizard society, they fetch a good coin.

I also tried my hands at using the broomsticks to fly and I think it was a fun and nice experience. Though I didn't like it too much. I think using a broom for a small distance is nice but for a larger distance, a magical carpet might be better. Why the magical folks in England are against it is beyond my understanding.

I would attend my first year Hogwarts with Harry Potter, the boy who lived and if my memory is correct, he would directly clash with a weak soul of Voldemort. I thought about this for days and decided to not participate in it.

First, Dumbledore basically monitored and controlled everything and every move of Harry and Voldemort in the first year and set up a stupid puzzle that any second or third-year student would have easily crossed as a challenge for philosopher's stone.

Seriously? This is a philosopher's stone. An alchemy wonder, a fucking red stone that had the ability to turn any metal into pure gold or create the Elixir of Life, a potion that just by drinking can make you immortal. For this, do you need to play wizard chess?

I don't know what Voldemort was smoking, but that shit was too high. Maybe he was too weak to think properly but Dumbledore was clear in his planning and execution. So, nope. First-year for me should just be a standard boring year and I don't even want to stand out.

The only thing or a person in particular that makes me restless is Draco Malfoy. He is the only son of Lucius Malfoy and the nephew of Bellatrix. I never invited him to my manor and his father never had the balls to try.

For nights, I have been thinking of how to use him or torture him. I ended up writing several possible plans for him but in the end, thinking about the second year where I need the Horcrux diary I think I would have to leave him untouched till the third year.

I had already decided to steal the diary from Ginny before she can even take it to her home from the book shop. Why let a poor girl gets tortured and her soul suffer when I can do much more to the soul of Dark Lord!

In one of our visits to family vaults, I had found an old rustic knife. Our fund manager at Gringotts, Mr Kauff told me that weapon like this was a goblin made with some metals and sliver mixed together and the family crest presented the authority of the family head.

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These were generally made during the times when Muggles and wizards were in constant wars and after that, it was more of a fashion statement to carry these knives to show one's position in a family.

However, as times changed, wearing rings became a more acceptable fashion and these types of heirlooms or status symbols were put into vaults.

For destroying Horcrux, I had been thinking of using this particular knife. All I need is to dip in something like Basilisk's venom that can destroy it but finding the venom was impossible. The only alive basilisk is hiding under Hogwarts and I would test myself for mental injuries than going to collect its venom.

I think I need to go on a trip before my second year to a particular cave. But this can be put for later.

All in all, progress on wand magic, wandless magic and runes is slow. Potions and Herbology are better. Occlumency is something new and will take time to show any possible effect or progress. I think I need to do these regularly till the third year to be anywhere near before I can do things I have planned properly.

All that is left is to visit my parents before I had to leave for school. Somethings no matter how hard you try to forget or avoid, you have to face. My parents in a mental hospital ward were that thing for me.

I could pretend they are dead and somehow it was more comfortable than the truth. Anyway, it's time to meet mom. She must be waiting.

A few days later, my Nan and I arrived at the ugly looking hospital - St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. A huge hospital with fewer doctors or nurses that they should have and too many patients to count. My parents are on the 4th floor, ward 49, Janus Thickey Ward.

This is my third visit to my parents over the years but if you can remember things like I do, every visit is just like it happened yesterday. I have the cookies, my mother, like and the fruits my father enjoyed last time. My Nan, despite how strong she appears, had no courage to go above the stairs and sat in the reception area.

"You can go back to the manor, Nan. I will come back after the visit," I offered her.

"What rubbish, my legs are not what they used to be when I was young. You shall head upstairs and I will follow you in some time. I will sign the register in the meantime. Go." My Nan replied. I pretend to believe her lie, smiled, took the bag and headed upstairs towards the ward.

"I am here Silvi. How are my parents?" I asked our new house-elf who is now, taking care of my parents in their ward. She was new in the house but elves are by nature loyal and don't feel displeasure in serving wizards.

"They are well, master Longbottom. Silvi feeds them, give them a haircut and properly give baths. Silvi never misses any task assigned to Silvi, master." Silvi said in a hurried manner. Afraid I would say something negative or punish her. Needless fear. I feel she is doing more than I could ever do even if I am their son.

"Good Silvi. You have been great. Please head to the manor. I will call when you are needed. You should relax properly to serve them better. This is an order. Go." I said to her and she smiled and disappeared. I know she feels we are very kind to let her relax but anyway, not the point.

I spent hours talking to my parents. They are still very wary of me but I don't use a wand and that somehow relaxes them. They have developed an instinctive fear of wands and behave more like a newborn baby now. I shed tears, made promises and then called Silvi back.

"Silvi, you are doing a good job. Also, I think it's time to shift my parents back to the manor. I think bringing my parents into real-world, in their own home would help. You should try to arrange things. I would go talk to the head chief here." I informed Silvi of a decision I just made.

I am not going to talk to Nan because I know she is still hiding on the ground floor of the reality we have to face. My parents can live in the manor now since we have three elves and I am going to spend the rest of the year I have with them. They took care of me when I was born as a child and now, I will take care of them when they are as one.

Soon, I will head for my boarding school. Filled with kids of death eaters and future saviours of the wizarding world. At least I still have my parents or whatever is left of them for me.

--------11 Months Later---------

It has been almost a year. My birthday is just around the corner and any day now I can receive the owl.

There were things that happened apart from my ongoing education. My uncle came recently to meet me and discuss shifting my parents back to Hospital because people were gossiping recently.

He should have been careful.

The next day, it is said he lost a few of his fingers of his hand when he accidentally put them near a teething Venomous Tentacula. It was the plants I had just recently planted around the windows. Sad. Real Pity.

My Nan did a handover ceremony of family's head seat making me Lord Longbottom now. I am currently the youngest Lord as per The Daily Prophet but I know Harry is younger than me.

In the next months, I invested heavily in the business world purchasing a few shops all over Europe, the US and also two in Nepal and one in Egypt. I have no reason to concentrate on Longbottom business or family in the UK now.

This provides me with the business license for the international Portkeys and channels to buy and sell magical items I may need in future without question. I almost emptied our family vaults in Gringotts alarming the goblins but I assured them it's temporary. I have no plans of turning goblins against me anyway.

Our Longbottom family is more of an import and export business family now. No more poor Aurors as we were known once. We don't have any animal farms or magical plants farms like other families and hence we hardly produce anything that we can sell on a large scale.

So, selling 'EXOTIC and AUTHENTIC' alchemy items, potions and other candies and gadgets directly from the international market gave breathing space to our drying vaults and our reputation.

Our shops - "Local-Global" are gaining popularity among the magical crowd now.

I was looking outside the window, my parents near the flower garden and smiling and my Nan, on her rocking chair. Well, I was just smiling when I saw the damned Owl in the sky. Well, it seems the school is going to start soon.

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