Little League Round 1

Gryffindor

Captain: familial relationship

WC: 1,480

Hogwarts: Magical Objects and their Uses

Write about someone viewed as 'cursed' - Well, Frank is actually cursed to insanity and Neville is sort of cursed because he has no real relationship with his parents, and this is basically showing the relationship he could've potentially had had the Lestranges not tortured the Longbottoms... so I'm hoping this sort of works?

8:15 AM

"Frank! You brought him!"

Frank Longbottom turned around to see Lily Evans Potter happily striding down the corridor of the Aurors department, red hair in a curly ponytail and coffee cup in hand.

"Oh, Frank, he's so cute! He and Harry are going to be great friends, you know, I can tell," she said, grinning.

Frank smiled, gazing at his own little boy. "Yes, I do think they will be, won't they? If Harry's anything like your husband, though, my Neville will be getting into a lot of trouble!"

"Gee, Frank, you're already preparing for your son to be a troublemaker?" called a voice. "I marvel at the faith you have in your offspring!"

The two friends turned to see James Potter striding towards them, still managing to look handsome with a baby strapped to his chest.

"Hullo James!" Frank called, and all three adults grinned as the two baby boys babbled at each other. They were almost ten months old, but they couldn't have been more different. Harry was already a mischievous child, toddling away whenever he could, but Neville preferred to hold onto his father's hands and walk that way.

"Frank, how's the ankle?" Lily asked. Frank had injured it two days earlier on a mission, and while it had healed with magic, he'd taken the day before off, just in case.

"It's still a little sore, so I think I'll stay off missions today. But other than that it's fine! Besides, it's a Saturday, nothing big ever happens on Saturdays!"

"Well, I wish we could make things more interesting for you, Frankie-boy-"

"James! Lily! Frank! There's been another report!" Sirius yelled, racing into the break room.

James quirked an eyebrow at Frank. "'Nothing happens on Saturday' hm? Spoke to soon, mate."

Sirius waved a hand at them impatiently, wanting them to shut up so he could get on with his news. "Death Eaters attacked a Muggle food court. They've got Obliviators on scene for the muggle witnesses, but they want us to question them first. They want four Aurors to go - oh, bugger, mates, you brought the little tykes with you?" Sirius groaned, finally noticing the bouncing baby boys. "We've only got four Aurors on duty, and we can't take the kids with us!"

"Five," Frank said.

"Five - wait, what? Five what?"

"Five Aurors. We have five Aurors. Alice came in today because she wanted to catch up with stuff. So we've got her, too."

Sirius grinned. "Perfect! Frank, you stay back with the kids, because you're injured, and we'll go grab Alice and go!"

The three Marauder Aurors rushed off before Frank even had a chance to protest.

10:28 AM

Frank sighed as he read through the same page of paperwork for the thirteenth time. He was so exhausted from being up with Neville, and also nervous that something would happen - like his friends wouldn't come home, or Harry would get sick on his watch, or Neville would be his clumsy self and injure something.

But right now, Harry and Neville were playing comfortably on the little mat Neville had brought with him, seemingly content with the trucks they had with them and not the other child's toys.

But then that moment changed.

Frank rushed from his desk to child in record time when he heard the angry screech. "Neville! What happened!"

"Tuck! Tuck bye bye!"

"Oh, sweetheart, sometimes, you've just gotta share it. Wanna hear a story about meeting you for the first time? "

July 30, 1980

Frank grimaced as his wife squeezed his hand, hard. Her face was beet red and sweat poured down it and she screamed like a banshee, but Frank couldn't even think about that while she was trying to push his child out of her legs.

"MERLIN HELP YOU FRANK LONGBOTTOM FOR KNOCKING ME UP! YOU ARE NEVER ALLOWED NEAR ME AGAIN!" Alice screeched, and Frank saw one of the mediwitches chuckle. Alice squeezed his hand, hard, one last time, and then -

"Waaahaaaaaah!"

"Mr and Mrs Longbottom, it's a boy!" The mediwitch cried as she held their tiny baby boy aloft. She wrapped him carefully in cloth and placed him in his mother's arms.

"What should we name him?" Frank whispered in awe, looking at his son.

"Neville. For your father, Frank. Neville Billius Longbottom."

Frank smiled as she placed his son in his arms. The little boy waved his arms sleepily, his fat pink face peaceful as he rested.

"Hullo, Neville," he whispered, tears in his eyes. "Hullo, my beautiful baby boy."

11:16 AM

"And that, my boy, is when I first met you!" Frank said happily, bouncing the ten month old on his lap. "Now, where's Harry? I do believe it's about time for a spot of lunch, so I can have you nice and fed by the time your mums come back!"

He looked around his desk at the playmat the boys had been on.

There was no sign of the raven haired boy.

"Harry? Harry Potter? Neville, have you seen Harry?" he asked the boy absently, forgetting his son was too little to actually say anything.

"Tuck!"

Well, anything but his word for 'Truck', that is.

Quickly, Frank gathered up his son and his wand, plopping one in the baby carrier on his front and the other in his back pocket. He quickly hurried out the door of his office.

"Harry! HARRY POTTER!" he yelled, Neville bouncing on his chest.

"Tuck! TUCK!" Neville shouted, happily waving his arms.

Frank stopped, looking for clues as to where the little boy could have gone. A knocked over piece of paper between two desks, a sticky hand print on the chair...

Frank bent down, causing Neville to squirm at the sudden drop in height.

"Neville," he whispered, crouching closer to the corner. "Can you help me find Harry? Yell Tuck when you see him, ok?"

"TUCK!"

Frank grinned. "No, not now. When you see him."

"TUCK! TUCK!"

"Neville! When you see him!"

There was a little giggle from behind him, and Frank whirled around to see two little boys crouched beneath a desk he'd first passed by.

"Harry? And - wait, who're you?"

The other boy had caramel colored skin, curly black hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a devilish grin on his face that didn't match his angelic features.

"Dean! Dean, where are you?!" A new voice called, and a young man ran from the Head Auror office, where Moody's office was when he didn't have a mission.

"Dean, oh thank merlin, you're alright! Don't go running off like that again!" The young man noticed Frank standing there with Neville on his chest.

"Hey, mate, thanks for looking after him. I swear, every time I turn around he keeps running off on me! I didn't even mean to take him with me, but the sitter fell through and Moody said it was alright... I'm the new Auror."

Frank smiled. "Oh, you must be Auror Thomas! I'm Frank Longbottom. This is my son, Neville, and that's a colleague's son, Harry."

At this, Neville yawned and laid his head onto his father's chest. "Tuck," he muttered quietly, before dropping off to sleep. The new auror swept Dean into his arms and grinned. "It was nice to meet you, and your son. You're a great team," he said, voice soft so as to not wake the sleeping Neville.

He walked away, leaving Frank with a sleeping Neville, a squirming Harry and a huge grin on his face.

"Come on, Harry, let's get back to the office," he muttered softly, then kissed his son on the head and went back to wait for the others.

It had been a good day.

December 26, 1996

"Neville?" Neville jumped in surprise when he heard the familiar voice of Harry Potter. He blushed, glancing at his friend and surreptitiously trying to hide his deranged parents.

"Harry? Hi..." he began, but then his grandmother opened her mouth and he shrank back into the shadows. Not very Gryffindor of him, he thought sadly. He wished he could talk to his parents about things, but maybe, if he had his parents, he would be a very different child.

Harry was nodding uncomfortably now, clearly trying to escape. Neville stood, ready to leave, but a tap on his shoulder made him turn his head and glance back.

His father stood there, and he was staring at Harry as if he could really see him, as if he really knew him.

"Tuck," he said, pointing at Harry Potter. "Tuck."

Then he smiled, and turned from his son, back to the comfort of his insanity.