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Heavy is the Crown (Harry Potter) Chapter 42: Neville Longbottom
🕑 Added 2025-05-13 20:59:52 +0000 UTC[Third Person's PoV]
All four of them eagerly tore open their Chocolate Frog boxes, and in an instant, the enchanted sweets sprang to life. The frogs leapt out with loud croaks, their glossy, delicious brown bodies wriggling and hopping in every direction. Chaos erupted for a brief moment as they tried to escape, but the group quickly scrambled to catch them before they could hop out of reach.
“I can’t be the only one who finds it weird that I have to bite into the head of a croaking frog,” Arthur said with a mix of disgust and fascination. He held his frog carefully, gripping it tightly to prevent it from making another great leap.
“But they taste amazing,” Gwyneth responded casually, as if biting into enchanted chocolate animals was a completely normal thing. Without hesitation, she took a huge bite and cleanly ripped the frog’s head off in one go.
Lance stared at his own frog with visible hesitation. His brow furrowed and his lips pressed together in a tight line. For a moment, it looked as though he might not go through with it, but then he inhaled deeply, steeled his nerves, and mimicked Gwyneth’s example, biting into it with one quick motion.
Arthur let out a sigh, clearly still conflicted about the whole situation. “Cheers, I suppose,” he muttered dryly. Turning away from the others, he brought the frog to his mouth and stuffed it into his mouth.
“Mmph—Hey guys!” Arthur called out suddenly, his voice muffled by the mouthful of chocolate.
They all turned to look at him—and then burst into laughter.
To their amusement and horror, the frog was still animated, visibly bouncing around in Arthur’s cheek in a desperate attempt to escape. The sight of his puffed-up face, bulging slightly as the frog wriggled inside, was simply too much.
Lance clamped a hand over his mouth to keep from spewing his dessert across the train compartment. Gwyneth howled with laughter, practically doubling over as she pointed at Arthur with a trembling finger.
Even Merlin, who had been fairly composed up until now, couldn’t help but snort in amusement. She shook her head slowly, chuckling to herself.
Eventually, the chocolate frogs were all subdued—and eaten—and the group began to examine the collectible cards that came with each one.
“I got Dumbledore,” Arthur said, examining the card thoughtfully. The image of the famed wizard moved gently on the card, stroking his long silver beard and giving a slow nod.
“I’ve got someone named... Nicholas Flamel?” Lance said, peering at his card with narrowed eyes, clearly unfamiliar with the name.
Merlin gave a sly grin as she revealed her own. “I got Merlin. Imagine that,” she said, her voice filled with teasing pride. “How lucky of me~”
Gwyneth flipped hers over and read aloud, “Morgana Le Fay. Not a bad pull, I suppose.”
Arthur glanced over and blinked. “I’ll trade you.”
Gwyneth raised an eyebrow, surprised by the offer. “Seriously? Deal!” Without hesitation, they swapped cards.
As Arthur held the card in his hand, he stared down at the moving image of Morgana, his expression softening. The card depicted a regal woman with a sly smile, her cloak billowing dramatically. There was a strange glint of recognition—or perhaps memory—in Arthur’s eyes as he gazed at it.
Lance noticed the change in his demeanor. His curiosity piqued as he studied Arthur’s expression: it wasn’t joy or simple satisfaction—it was something else. A quiet melancholy seemed to settle over Arthur’s features, as if the card had stirred up something personal. There was longing in his eyes, a sadness carefully tucked away behind a small, distant smile.
Lance tilted his head slightly but didn’t ask. He knew they were still in the early stages of their friendship, and now wasn’t the time to dig into unspoken emotions. Still, he silently hoped that someday, perhaps far in the future, Arthur would trust him enough to share the story behind that look.
Wordlessly, Arthur slipped the card safely into an inner pocket of his robes, patting it once to ensure it was secure.
Next in their delightful—and at times questionable—arsenal of wizarding sweets, the group decided to try their luck with the infamous Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans.
Arthur, always the first to dive into danger when it came to food, popped one into his mouth without hesitation. A moment later, his confident expression melted into pure horror.
“...Mine tastes like a napkin,” he muttered with a grimace, as if personally betrayed. “Disgusting.”
Gwyneth giggled at his misfortune, clearly amused. “My turn!” she declared with enthusiasm and tossed a bean into her mouth. The effect was immediate. Her body tensed, her eyes widened, and she let out a tiny, horrified gasp.
“Earwax,” she managed to say, her voice filled with revulsion.
“Ew!” the others chimed in varying tones of agreement and sympathy.
Gwyneth scrunched up her face in disgust. “Tell me about it...”
Merlin, looking far too pleased with herself, crunched on a bean with no sign of distress. “Hmm... Mint,” she said cheerfully, smiling with satisfaction.
Gwyneth nearly choked on her next breath. “What?! How’s that fair? I get earwax and you get bloody mint?!” she cried indignantly, pointing an accusing finger.
Arthur looked at Merlin with narrowed eyes. “You cheated…”
“I have no idea what you mean,” Merlin replied with an exaggeratedly dignified air. The expression on her face practically screamed, ‘Who, me? Never.’
All eyes turned to Lance just as he let out a sharp, almost pained gasp. His shoulders stiffened and his cheeks sank inward as he cringed.
“Salt...” he whispered hoarsely, as though the word itself drained the last bit of joy from him. “Why are these even allowed? Who would willingly torture themselves like this?”
“They’re not that bad,” Gwyneth said with a shrug, trying to downplay the chaos. Everyone turned to stare at her like she'd grown another head.
Feeling the weight of their silence and the judgment behind their gazes, Gwyneth’s cheeks turned a soft shade of red. She quickly clarified, flailing her hands in protest.
“I don’t mean the earwax, okay?! I meant in general! Once the weird taste fades, it just tastes like a regular jelly bean! They’re actually kinda good!”
“...Right,” Arthur said slowly, turning his gaze elsewhere. “Sure.”
Gwyneth glared at him, her puffed cheeks and furrowed brows only making her look more embarrassed and adorable.
Just then, a gentle knock interrupted the teasing. The compartment door slid open to reveal a nervous-looking boy with rounded cheeks, slightly flushed from exertion or nerves. He stood hesitantly at the threshold, hands fidgeting as he spoke.
“Um, have any of you by chance seen my toad, Trevor? He slipped out of my hands, and I can’t seem to find him anywhere.”
Arthur blinked and sat up straighter. ‘Neville Longbottom!’ he thought with a jolt. ‘The second child of prophecy!’
“No, we haven’t,” Merlin replied, shaking her head politely.
“We sure it wasn’t the one hopping in Arthur’s mouth earlier?” Gwyneth asked with mock innocence, casting a playful glare at Arthur—her way of getting back at him for teasing her earlier.
Neville's eyes widened in horror as he looked at Arthur. “Y-you ate Trevor?” he asked in a meek, trembling voice, eyes welling up.
Gwyneth burst into laughter, pointing at Arthur with unrestrained joy. However, her mirth came to an abrupt halt the moment she noticed Neville’s watery eyes and trembling lip.
“Oh no…” she muttered, guilt creeping in.
Arthur sighed and rubbed a hand over his face before addressing Neville with sincerity.
“Don’t mind her—she was just joking. I had a chocolate frog in my mouth, not a real one. Promise.” He stood up and took out his wand. “Here, let me help you find him. You said your toad was named Trevor right?”
Neville sniffled and nodded. “Y-yeah... his name’s Trevor,” he confirmed quietly.
Arthur smiled warmly and extended a hand. “Give me your hand for a moment.”
Neville hesitated, unsure if this was part of another joke, but something in Arthur’s calm demeanor and kind eyes reassured him. Tentatively, he placed his small hand in Arthur’s.
Arthur pointed his wand at Neville’s palm and said clearly, “Accio Trevor the Toad!”
A sudden puff of gray smoke billowed out from Neville’s hand. As it cleared, there, sitting right in the center of his palm, was a warty toad blinking in confusion and letting out a low croak.
“Trevor!” Neville’s face lit up with pure, unfiltered joy. He cradled the toad in both hands, beaming as though he’d just been given the greatest gift in the world. “Thank you so much!”
Arthur nodded modestly. “Just be careful not to lose him again, yeah?”
As Neville backed out of the compartment, thanking Arthur over and over again, Merlin watched him go, her eyes lingering on the odd little toad in his hands.
‘What a funny-looking toad,’ she mused, her lips twitching in amusement as she silently observed Trevor.
Once the door closed behind Neville, the compartment returned to its usual buzz of warmth and mischief—though Gwyneth did shoot Arthur a sheepish look of apology, which he returned with a simple smirk.
Comments
Green223
The only Toad in HP is Umbridge so I'm pretty sure Neville is carrying Umbridge around.
Bryan Vargas
Who knows hehe
DJOK DJOK
Thanks for the chapter, don’t tell me that Trevor is an other secret amigust
