"Harry Potter sir will not go back to Hogwarts?'*
"Whether I do or not is none of your business. Libby."
"Yes Master." She said as she popped into the room.
"This pathetic excuse for a house elf did me the service of warning me of danger this coming year at Hogwarts. However, he's also been a annoying little thief and taken my mail. I don't know the house-elf protocols for such things, apparently his family treats him quite poorly. Get my mail from him, then do whatever is appropriate."
The older elf nodded and grasped Dobby's ear the way an adult might an erring child's. "Give my master his mail."
The elf didn't immediately do as ordered so she twisted the ear harshly.
He immediately yelped, reached into his filthy pillowcase, and pulled a stack of letters out and handed them to Harry.
She then popped out, taking the errant elf with her.
Harry frowned as he looked at the stack of letters. He went through them. Most were pertaining to things he'd already dealt with. But there were three from Aaron, as well as a couple from the other members of his study group including one that was an apology from Hermione Granger. Harry sat down and quickly penned responses.
Harry's birthday plans to get together and go shopping in Diagon Alley with Neville and then eat at Florean Fortesque's were a go. Unfortunately Aaron wouldn't be joining them because his family was going to Greece that week.
On his birthday, they were having fun and browsing through Magical Menagerie when Harry saw and heard a snake. Harry had spoken to garter snakes in the garden growing up and had always liked talking to snakes so he was very surprised when Neville clamped a hand across his mouth and pulled him from the store into a deserted corner.
He released his hold on Harry and said, "You talk to snakes?"
Suddenly self conscious Harry said, "Yeah what of it?"
"That's dark magic, Harry."
"How is having a conversation dark?'
"I don't know… But You-Know-Who spoke to snakes."
"So I bet loads of people can." Harry looked at Neville's expression and saw the refutation of his assertion. "They can't?"
Neville shook his head. "It's a trait of the Slytherin bloodline. Are you descended from Slytherin?"
"Not that I know of."
Neville paced a bit. "We can't tell anyone until we figure this out."
"If you think that's best."
"Yeah in the meantime do me a favor; don't speak to any more snakes."
"Sure thing." Harry said, trusting his best friend's judgement.
The next week Harry and the Dursleys would be at the Potter family beach house and Harry had instructed his elves to be as little in evidence as possible for his relatives comfort. A couple of weeks later as they did their school shopping together. Neville said, "I think I found an explanation."
"You did? That's great what is it?"
"Well you know I've been studying my family magics?"
"Yes. So have I."
"Well the Longbottom family is really old we actually predate the founders by quite a bit. In one of the oldest family journals one of my ancestors noted a dark spell that allowed for a wizard to steal family magics. To do it the wizard or witch had to kill off the other family line to end it. The tricky part is they have to cast the spell before the final death and if the person casting the spell was the last of their family line and they lost, the spell could revert-"
"And take the family magic of the caster instead. So if Voldemort was the last of Slytherin's line and he cast it at me intending to take the Potter family magics; then when whatever happened happened and I got the Slytherin magics instead?"
"I think so. Harry, you can't tell anyone about this spell being in the records of the Longbottoms it would darken my family's reputation considerably."
"I can live with that explanation and I won't say a word." Harry pulled out his list. "Robes check, parchment and inks check, apothecary check, new boots check, supplies for Hedwig check, books and a broom and I'm done. What about you?"
"Books."
"Okay." They headed to Flourish and Blotts . As they entered the store they realized there was some sort of event going on. There was a huge line of witches and the place was a madhouse. There was a book signing for Gilderoy Lockhart, the guy who wrote their defense books for the year, going on.
Neville nodded hello to his roommate Ron Weasley who in turn tried to ignore him. Neville decided to irk his housemate by coming over and doing the mannerly thing. "Hello Ron."
"Neville." he answered stiffly.
"Fred, George, Percy."
"Longbottom."
"You all have met my friend, Harry Potter, right?"
....
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