Hogwarts' John Wick

Neville stood alone in the corridor, his hand unconsciously clenching tightly. 

"It hurts, it hurts..."

The armor he used as a sparring partner screamed, and Neville finally reacted. Looking at the armored hand that was crushed by him, he was a little embarrassed.

Hermione, who had already been worried about Neville, noticed something was off. 

"Neville?" she asked softly, approaching him cautiously. 

"Oh! Hi," Neville stammered, trying desperately to bend the crushed hand of the armor back into shape, clearly flustered. 

Seeing the mangled hand, Ron gulped hard and whispered to Harry, "He could totally crush my head with one hand." 

Harry nodded in agreement. Neville had grown significantly taller and noticeably more muscular. His arms were now thick and defined, and the little belly he once had was gone, replaced with a well-developed chest. 

If it weren't for the loose wizard robes, his physique would be impossible to hide. 

Hermione, ever observant, moved closer with concern. She could tell something wasn't right with Neville. 

As the trio tried to comfort him, Malfoy's aggravating voice echoed through the hallway. 

"Hey, Neville Longbottom! Did you get so scared you lost your mind?" 

Ron immediately spun around like a hound catching a scent and shouted, "Get lost, Malfoy!" 

Malfoy ignored him and continued provocatively, "Three laps around the Black Lake—are you in, or not?" 

"What's this about three laps around the Black Lake?" Harry asked, confused. 

Neville abandoned his attempts to fix the armor's hand and replied to Malfoy, "Add some weight to it." 

Malfoy grinned and turned to leave. 

Neville thanked the trio, saying, "Thank you for checking on me. I'm fine, just a little..." 

The words caught in his throat, and a hint of melancholy flickered across Neville's face before he quickly headed downstairs. 

Harry, puzzled, asked, "Since when did Malfoy get along so well with Neville?" 

Hermione glared at him with exasperation and snapped, "Have you ever noticed what Neville's been wearing?" 

"What?" Ron looked equally clueless. 

"The badge. Percy mentioned it before—the Constellation Society badge." 

Hermione, the future Minister for Magic, stared at the two dimwits as if they were hopeless. 

"No way," Ron said, incredulous. "When did he join? I had no idea." 

Harry nodded in agreement. They had shared a dorm with Neville all this time and never noticed. 

Hermione's expression was one of utter exhaustion. She'd had enough. The world might as well just end now. 

The sound of heavy footsteps echoed from behind.

The trio turned around to see Moody limping toward them, his gruff voice booming, "Have you seen Longbottom anywhere?" 

...

Neville was trudging along with weights strapped to his body, dragging a suit of armor behind him on a wooden plank. The armor was shouting loudly, "Slow down, I'm falling apart!" 

Neville pressed forward with determination, panting heavily, while Malfoy, drenched in sweat and gritting his teeth, trailed behind, also pulling a suit of armor. 

The armor Malfoy was dragging yelled out, "Woohoo, I'm a knight! Faster, my little dragon!" 

Malfoy looked like he wanted to throw the armor into the lake. Near the edge of the Black Lake, tentacles surfaced. 

The giant squid watched the scene with interest, while a few merpeople emerged, placing bets on who would win. 

John sat on a large boulder, which bore marks from being dragged over a long distance. 

He stared at Neville and commented, "Neville seems preoccupied today." 

John reflected on Neville's parents in St. Mungo's, suspecting that the Cruciatus Curse from class had stirred up unpleasant memories. 

Beside him, Heinrich took off his robe, revealing a short-sleeved shirt, and handed John a glass of water. 

John accepted it and downed it in one gulp, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. "Neville's parents' situation needs to be addressed. The torture from the Cruciatus Curse left their minds damaged." 

To help someone regain their mental stability was as complex as performing a soul surgery. With his unicorn-based mental magic, John figured he might be able to give it a try. 

Glancing at his magic reserve, which was set to level up in a few days, John decided to make his attempt after the upgrade. 

After three laps, Malfoy collapsed onto the ground, while the suit of armor behind him waved a stick it had picked up, complaining, "How dare you stop!" 

"Shut up!" Malfoy snapped, glaring at the armor. 

Looking ahead, he saw Neville still running. 

"Neville," John called out from atop the boulder, signaling him to stop. 

When Neville turned, his face was streaked with something—sweat or tears, it was hard to tell. 

His eyes were red, his emotions raw. He seemed desperate to release his pent-up feelings through sheer exertion. 

John lightly touched his Constellation Society badge, a calm smile on his face. "Your parents—I will heal them for you." 

Neville, who had been pushing himself to his limits, suddenly seemed to lose all strength. His legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed to his knees by the lakeshore. He tried to stand but couldn't, eventually propping himself up with one hand on the ground, the other wiping his eyes. 

"John, I know—I know how they tortured my parents. Everyone says my parents are heroes, but, but I…" 

Neville sobbed, letting loose tears and snot, emotions he had suppressed for far too long. 

The members of the Constellation Society didn't laugh or tease him. Instead, they stood silently, waiting. 

"I just want to see my mom and dad happy and healthy. Even if it's just to hear them call me 'Neville' once more!" he shouted. 

Everyone mourned the loss of Harry Potter's parents, the tragedy of the Boy Who Lived. 

But in that same year, Neville Longbottom's parents had also met a cruel fate. 

Malfoy staggered to his feet and growled, "Stop... crying! Huff~ I... I'll run another lap with you!" 

John glanced at Malfoy's trembling legs, his expression a mix of amusement and disbelief. He waved dismissively and said, "You'd better go lie down in the common room. Neville, it's alright now. Trust me—I can heal your parents." 

Neville cried his heart out, finally releasing all the emotions that had been bottled up since leaving the hospital. 

The next day, Neville was radiant, as if nothing had happened. 

Meanwhile, John was writing letters in the Great Hall. 

A hundred owls flew into the hall, creating their usual lively commotion. 

Amid the flurry, no one noticed a black, long-eared owl landing on John's shoulder. 

The snowy owl, Basil, nuzzled against the black owl, Riddle, before both owls took off in different directions, each carrying several letters. 

"I'll need to make a trip to the Forbidden Forest," John murmured. "I'm running low on unicorn horn." 

Treating Neville's parents would require the aid of potions, and John had already used his last batch of unicorn horn in a potion for Nagini. 

Friday arrived. 

In class, John remained consistent in his performance—a relentless point-scoring machine. 

Outside of Defense Against the Dark Arts, he was almost always the top scorer in every subject. 

Malfoy managed to answer a few questions as well, earning 5 points. 

After a full day of classes, John headed toward the Constellation Society's secret chamber. 

Before entering, John glanced at the magical wards. 

Since the incident at the start of the school year, there had been no further intrusions. 

"This Confundus Charm is quite powerful?" 

John stepped into the secret chamber and raised his hand to summon the next star chart. 

After inspecting various aspects of the chamber, he upgraded the wooden door's enchantments. 

Entering the armory, John replenished the materials needed. 

He had designed the armory as a production line for crafting Strike Rings and various other items. 

Powered by a large, perpetual alchemy array, the Constellation Society's secret chamber operated continuously. 

A special faucet in the chamber dripped pure magical liquor, while any liquid with impurities flowed back into the chamber's pipeline to fuel its maintenance. 

John capped the bottles, sealed them with wax, and carefully placed them into the storage cabinet. 

As he exited, he ran into Luna. 

She was wearing the meteor-patterned shoes John had gifted her. While they fit perfectly, the flashy design didn't quite match her whimsical demeanor. 

"John," Luna called out, her voice ethereal and pleasant. 

John didn't mind her seeing him emerging from the Constellation Society's chamber. Smiling, he said, "Perfect timing. I was just about to look for you." 

Luna tilted her head, her expression slightly dazed. "It seems like a good thing." 

"Of course," John said softly, walking beside Luna. "Do you have time tomorrow? I have a gift for you." 

"I was planning to look for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks tomorrow," Luna replied. 

John chuckled and said mysteriously, "What a coincidence. That's exactly what I'm doing too. Don't you remember? I promised you last term." 

Luna's eyes lit up, and the two made plans. 

After parting ways at the staircase, John headed to the library to look for books on mental healing. 

In the library, he ran into Hermione. 

He stared at the badge pinned to Hermione's chest, hesitating. "Spew? As if the act of expelling large quantities of something rapidly and forcibly? Is that a joke or are you gonna run a Vomiting club" 

"Hey! It's not Spew! It's S-P-E-W, the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare!" Hermione huffed indignantly. 

John's eyes widened in confusion. "You created this?" 

Hermione nodded firmly. "Yes, I initially wanted to name it the 'Stop the Outrageous Abuse of Our Magical Brethren and Campaign for a Change in Their Legal Status,' but it didn't quite fit." 

"It definitely doesn't," John said dryly. "So, you're trying to fight for equal rights for house-elves?" 

"Exactly!" Hermione exclaimed, clearly finding talking to John far easier than dealing with her two clueless friends. Smiling, she extended an invitation: "John, would you like to join us?" 

"Sounds great...?" 

Hermione's smile grew even brighter. 

The next second— 

"But I refuse!" 

Hermione's smile froze on her face. 

In disbelief, she shrieked, "Why?!" 

_________

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