The Darkening of Your Soul

Chapter 7

Blaise and Theo decided to join Harry for his trip to the library to meet Neville. Though Harry shrugged as if he didn’t care one way or the other, secretly he was very pleased by this development. Phase one of ‘Project Study Group’ was complete now that the core group of players had come together.

“Hi,” Neville greeted them, having secured a table for them. He looked a little nervous by the two extra Slytherins, but Harry was quick to give him a reassuring smile.

“This is my friend Neville Longbottom, distinguished Gryffindor,” Harry said with a flourishing gesture towards Neville. “And these are Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott, accomplished Slytherins.” Harry made the same dramatic movement towards his roommates and then slid into the chair beside Neville. “Good, now that we all know each other, tell us all the Gryffindor gossip, Nev.”

Neville sighed and shook his head, though the corners of his mouth twitched for a second. “Not so much gossip, just everyone losing their heads over your sorting.”

Harry snickered while Blaise and Theo sat down opposite them. “Let me guess. Harry Potter should be in Gryffindor, blah, blah, blah. His parents were in Gryffindor, blah, blah, blah.”

“Pretty much like that, yes,” Neville said, fiddling with his quill. “It started in the common room and didn’t stop when we got to our dormitory. This morning, I thought they might be done, but no, they picked up right where they left off the night before.”

“Who knew you’d be so popular in a House you’re not even sorted into,” Blaise commented with a disinterested shrug, but his eyes were far too keen and Harry just knew he was lapping this all up.

“Yeah, makes you wonder why,” Harry said with a sigh.

“You know why,” Theo said with a pointed look.

“If you mean my marvellous defeat of the Dark Lord Voldemort, then I have to disappoint you. That wasn’t me. I was one year old. I hadn’t even mastered the art of not shitting myself yet. It was my parents that arranged for Voldemort’s downfall.” When Harry saw doubt written across his friends’ faces he leaned forward in his chair. “Think about it. Magics using a willing sacrifice are the most powerful magics in the world. Powerful enough to stop a killing curse and return it on its caster, as it turns out.”

Harry had decided early on during the planning of his second chance that he was going to demystify the concept of the Boy Who Lived. He wanted everyone to know that Harry Potter was an ordinary young wizard. Smart and talented at magic, sure, but in the end just another student at Hogwarts, not some mythical defeater of the Dark Lord and defender of the Wizarding World.

In other words, he wanted to nip Dumbledore’s plans for him as the world’s saviour right in the butt, so that when Dumbledore would eventually try to publicly encourage him to pick up the mantle of the Boy Who Lived, no one would expect it of him and hardly anyone would blame him for not going along with Dumbledore’s schemes.

Let his parents get the credit. In Harry’s opinion they were the ones who had done all the work by giving their lives for him. They deserved to be recognized for that.

“I guess,” Neville eventually agreed after his friends had all sat in thoughtful silence for a few long moments.

“It does make more sense than a baby defeating a Dark Lord even Dumbledore himself couldn’t defeat and he made short work of Grindelwald once he got off his behind and duelled him,” Blaise said as he opened his bag and got out his Transfiguration book.