First fanfic, so be nice?

Um, yeah, I've always thought that the Potters and the Longbottoms were friends, so, I decided to make Harry and Neville best friends in this little fic, like brothers.

There are some direct quotes from the book in there, but not many. It's about the friendship of Harry and Neville, in their childhood. So, not slash.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the Harry Potter universe, I am merely tinkering around with them. The Harry Potter Universe belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Play

They were best friends, brothers, even. The Potters and the Longbottoms always were friends. Lily, Alice, James and Frank sat watching the two toddlers zoom around on two broomsticks. Under the oppression of war, two friendly families still had time to be together.

Harry Potter, the younger of the two by only a day, zoomed happily around the house, a born flier. He had raven locks, already uncontrollable like his father's, while his eyes were a startling emerald green like his mother's.

Neville Longbottom was rather wobbly on his broom, clearly nervous. He had smooth brown hair like his mother, but his honey-colored eyes were his father's.

Suddenly, Harry pitched backwards with a wail. He had flown too fast, and crashed into the cat. Luckily for him, the child brooms were charmed to fly only a short distance above the ground, but still, it hurt. Before any of the adults could do anything, Neville was already tottering towards his best friend.

"'ry! 'ry!" Neville cried. He patted his friend all over as if seeing that he was alright.

Harry smiled toothily at him, his pain forgotten. "Nev! Nev!"

Lily and Alice aw-ed at the adorableness, while the two men chuckled.

Harry and Neville, best friends at the age of 1.

Attack – Avada Kedavra!

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

"Not Harry, please no don't kill him, take me, kill me instead —"

"This is my last warning —"

"Not Harry! Please ... have mercy ... Not Harry! Please — I'll do anything..."

The Cottage in Godric's Hollow was filled with the laughs of a madman. The lifeless body of Lily Potter lay next to the baby's crib. Downstairs, James Potter's body lay spread-eagled where he crashed into the stairwell. In the middle of all this carnage was the Dark Lord Voldemort, and a softly crying baby boy.

"Soon," Voldemort sneered. "Soon, you'll be with your mudblood mother, and your blood-traitor of a father."

He leveled his wand at the defenseless boy.

"Avada Kedavra!"

A shield of pure love rose up around the child.

The green bolt rebounded, and crashed straight into Voldemort's heart.

Voldemort screamed.

He disappeared with a flutter of robes.

Green eyes gazed out of the bars of his crib.

A single wail rose up in the devastated cottage, of a child with bright green eyes, the colour of the Killing Curse, and a lightning bolt scar on his forehead.

Somewhere, in London, another child's eyes snapped open; eyes alight with the dying glow of green.

Their bond was not normal.

Attack- Crucio!

In that same house in London, a few months later, Christmas was being celebrated.

"Hey little guy, let's go into the kitchen to steal your mother's cookies!" Frank cooed to his child, who giggled and gurgled.

"Oh no you will not!" Alice said sternly, shaking her wooden spoon at the two.

"Where 'arry? Uckle Jamie? Auntie 'ily?" Neville asked, wide eyes staring up at his father.

The older Longbottoms instantly looked solemn.

"I'm sorry Nev, but they're not going to be here this Christmas." Frank sighed sadly, remembering the fate his best friends had met that fateful Halloween night.

"Well, we can't dwell on the past." Alice said firmly, though there was the barest hint of a tremble in her voice.

"Papa!" Neville said, pointing out the window. He looked entranced at the falling snowflakes.

"Yes Nev, snow!" Frank patted his son on the back. "Maybe later we can go outside! "

"Papa!' Neville shouted again.

"Yes son, I know, snow, we'll make snow angels later, I promise."

"PAPA!" There was definitely a tremble of fear in there now.

Frank spun around to see four Death Eaters standing in his kitchen. Before he could do anything however…

"Expelliarmus!"

Frank watched in horror as he was disarmed. He was even more alarmed to discover his wife being pushed into the kitchen at wandpoint. They were defenseless.

"Well, Longbottom, we came to wish you a Merry Christmas!" The single woman in the group drew back her hood to reveal Bellatrix Lestrange.

"It's supposed to be over!" Alice cried, looking fearfully at the Death Eaters.

"What do you want?" Frank glared the best he could while still standing protectively in front of his family.

"Well…" Barty Crouch Jr. smiled insanely, "we're here to kill you of course. But first, tell us, WHERE IS OUR LORD?"

"We don't know!" Alice said, voice shaking.

"YOU LIE! Everyone knows the Longbottoms were close to the Potters. CRUCIO!" Bellatrix laughed insanely and Frank watched in horror as his wife went down, screaming. He tried to move towards her but Barty grabbed him roughly. The other two Death Eaters, Frank saw them as the Lestrange brothers continued Crucio-ing his beloved wife, while Bellatrix cackled in the background.

"I'm sure you wouldn't want your end to be like this! Tell us!"

"We don't know anything about Voldemort! Even if we did, we wouldn't tell you!" Frank growled.

"You dare speak his name? Crucio! CRUCIO!"

Frank found himself screaming on the floor as every bone in his body seemed to be on fire and knives were digging into his flesh…

"Neville!" His son cried in pain as a wand turned on him as well. "No, not Neville! Not my son!"

Frank tried to get to him but the pain was too strong. Bellatrix Lestrange, Rodolphus Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jr. laughed at the pitiful display. Frank was just glad his mother was out, safe from harm. Speaking of his mother –

"NOT SO FAST YOU BASTARDS!" She had come, and bringing with her a group of aurors. She had felt the wards on the Longbottom ancestral home fall and brought help just in time. Frank felt the world swirl white as he faded away, his son's screams ringing in his ears.

James, Lily, we'll be with you soon…

In a cupboard in Surrey, a child's eyes shot open. They were green and they were bright with fear.

Neglect

Harry Potter sighed softly in his cupboard. He was turning seven that night, and the Dursleys had done nothing to celebrate the fact. Harry Potter knew nothing of his past, though sometimes he would have snatches of memories, of a red-haired woman with bright green eyes like his own, and a scruffy haired man laughing. Harry supposed these were his parents. The Dursleys never talked about his parents if they could help it, and anything about his parents would be foul coming from their mouths. Aside from his parents, in his dreams, he also saw a brown haired boy, the same age as him. The first time Harry dreamed this, they had played together, laughing, and it warmed Harry's heart to have a real friend. When he woke up, and found his friend gone, he was heartbroken. But he dreamed this again and again, and as Harry grew, his friend grew as well. They grew from toddlers to children. They never talked in the dreams, merely laughed and played, but they didn't need to talk. Harry felt that they knew each other inside and out.

Like brothers.

And he hoped that someday they would meet, for he knew in his heart, the brown haired, honey-eyed boy was real.

Expectations

Neville sighed sadly as his grandmother chastised him again. He was nine, and he had broken a vase, again.

"Neville, do try to live up to your parent's legacy, you owe it to them!"

Gran was never happy. Whatever Neville did, he could never meet her expectations. She wanted a miniature version of his father. When would she realize, Neville was not his father! Sometimes Neville hated his grandmother, and wished his parents sane again, just so that he didn't have to live with her. But he knew that he should be grateful. His grandmother took him in, and though sometimes she made him want to scream, she was family, and he loved her, and she loved him.

He was lucky he still had family. Augusta Longbottom had told her grandson the story of the Boy-Who-Lived, who had no family to speak of. Apparently Harry Potter and his family had been good friends with the Longbottom family. She had once mentioned that Harry and Neville had been best friends. Neville wondered, maybe this was the boy from his dreams! Neville had dreamed about a skinny scruffy haired boy, who he had played with, laughing and squealing, through the night.

Once, after the first time he saw his parents in St. Mungos , he had crawled sniffing into his bed. In his dream, he had been crying, but the boy had thrown his arms around him, and hugged him, and smiled up at him with green eyes. They never talked, and they didn't need to. They knew each other inside and out.

Like brothers.

And he hoped that someday they would meet, for he knew in his heart, the raven haired, green-eyed boy was real.

The Hogwarts Express - Harry

Harry lugged his trunk into an empty compartment. Finally, he was here! After the trip to Diagon Alley, he had been so excited even the Dursleys couldn't bring him down. He collapsed onto the compartment seat with a happy sigh and pulled out his wand. He was a wizard! The wand hummed in his hand, and Harry smiled goofily. He tucked the wand away and looked out the window. He was going to Hogwarts! And maybe, just maybe, he would find his brother there.

"Mind if I sit here?"

A brown haired, honey-eyed boy stood there. He was smiling.

"Found you, brother mine."

The Hogwarts Express – Neville

Neville sighed as his Gran tucked his shirt in for the gazillionth time.

"Make the Longbottom name proud, Neville!" Augusta Longbottom kissed his cheek, before sending him off to the train. Neville grumbled. Sometimes that woman was a tad over bearing. But, he was finally off to Hogwarts! Neville had been waiting for this day for years! And maybe, he would find his brother! Neville looked around and saw a familiar mop of scruffy hair disappear into a compartment. Speak of the devil.

Neville walked into the compartment, and saw a raven haired, green-eyed boy smiling goofily out of the window.

"Mind if I sit here?"

The boy turned his gaze to Neville's. He smiled that special smile.

"Found you, brother mine.

Potter and Longbottom.

Harry and Neville

Brother and Brother.

Hand in Hand.

Forever.

Would you be so kind as to leave a review for me?

~Raven At Night

Oh, and remember folks, this is a one-shot, so there is no sequel. :/