The immediate look of profound relief on the other boy's face had Harry snickering again.
After telling Hermione he'd meet her back at the apartment, Harry escorted Neville, Hannah and Susan through the castle and to the gargoyle that guarded the Headmistress's office entrance.
On the way, he quietly said to Neville, "Don't forget to ask about the apartment in the Lords' Quarters."
"I won't," the boy softly but firmly replied.
Reaching the gargoyle and indicating it, Harry said, "It's through here. To have the gargoyle step out of the way for you, you need the password. However, if you don't have it and you need to see her, just inform the gargoyle and wait."
When Neville stepped forward to put deed to word, but hesitated, Harry gestured for him to go on and smiled.
Neville then firmly said, "Heir Longbottom, Heiress Bones and Miss Abbott to see the Headmistress."
Harry ignored how the statement almost turned into a question at the end. And waited for the gargoyle to step aside.
"Give it a few seconds," he said.
Almost as he finished speaking, the gargoyle did it's nimble little jump to the side and the stairs beyond began rotating upwards.
"There ya go," he said. "Step in and ride the stairs to the top."
Neville gave a nod, turned to the girls and let them precede him past. "Thank you, Harry," he said.
Once they were on their way up, Harry smiled in fondness, mentally wished them the best and made his way back towards his and Hermione's apartment.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Reaching the top of the stairs and the small landing, the two girls waited for Neville before the only and heavy oak door.
Neville took a deep breath and knocked.
Straight away, they heard the Headmistress call, "Come in, please!"
Relieved, he opened the door and yet again allowed the ladies to precede him inside.
As he stepped within he then closed the door behind him before turning back - and stopped to gawk about.
All those portraits of old and dead Headmasters and -mistress's were quite intimidating, before you even looked at the rest of the room.
The three were snapped out of their looking about by Marchbanks calling, "Come forward, you three."
As soon as their attention was back on who else was in the room, both girls almost squealed as they ran forward into the arms of their loved ones. Neville was able to more calmly walk to his father, before the man wrapped him in as much of a hug as the two girls were being wrapped by Hannah's father and Susan's aunt.
After a few seconds, the adults pulled back. And Marchbanks said, "We're all here. Let's get on with this."
After conjuring a table and chairs in the middle of the room she gestured for them all to sit.
Twenty minutes later, after all three had the details of the agreements explained to them and all three agreed with them, the signing went ahead. As expected Marchbanks, in her role as Lady Griselda Marchbanks, signed them as official witness.
Once it was done, Neville felt quite relieved and almost cried in happiness.
Looking to Marchbanks after a glance at his father, he said, "Headmistress?"
"Yes, Heir Longbottom?"
"I was wondering if..." he stuttered, "That is... I would like to... No, that's not it." Bracing himself up he firmly said, "I request permission to move myself, Hannah and Susan into the Lords' Quarters."
As his father looked upon him with pride and Marchbanks grinned, she replied, "Request granted, Heir Longbottom."
Though Harry had said he doubted she'd say no, he was still surprised she granted it so easily.
Turning slightly to the side she called, "Toby."
When a little elf appeared, unknown to the others as the same elf Marchbanks had called to take Harry and Hermione's trunks to their apartment, she ordered, "Please move Heir Longbottom's, Heiress Bones's and Miss Abbott's personal effects from the Fourth year Gryffindor boys' dormitory and the Fourth Year Hufflepuff girls' dormitories, respectively... and move them to Apartment 10 in the Lords' Quarters."
"Yes, Lady Headmistress," the elf replied before popping away.
Turning back to look at Neville and the two girls, she said, "Your apartment will be the one right across from Lord Potter and his Lady Presumptive. Also a three-bedroom. I hope that is suitable?"
"Yes," replied Neville, relieved. "Thank you."
With a nod back she said, "I'll send a note to Lord Potter asking him to meet you outside your new apartment and showing you how to claim it and enter it."
"Thank you, Headmistress," he replied.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Not too long back in the apartment, Harry was in the kitchen going through the pantry and cold storage when a house elf popped in and offered him a note. "From the Lady Headmistress, sir!"
Harry indicated the counter next to him and said, "On the counter, please."
With a snap of it's fingers the note appeared where Harry indicated and the elf popped away again.
He cast the detection charms he knew on the parchment, found nothing untoward and picked it up.
Opening it, he read and learned the Headmistress was asking him to show Neville and his girls how to get into Apartment 10, the one across from theirs, when they arrived. And that they were heading there, directly.
With a wide grin he walked into the living room. Hermione was sitting on the couch and reading one of the books they'd collected from the library that very morning.
As he walked over to her she looked up. He offered her the note and said, "It's done and he did it. He asked for an apartment."
Accepting the note she read and grinned back. "You thought he might not?"
"Yeah," he replied. "I didn't know if he would be able to 'man up' in front of the guardians of his two ladies, let alone his father, and ask. I was pretty sure he would, but there was a chance he wouldn't."
"You going to wait outside for him?" she asked.
"No, no need," he replied. "They know what apartment we're in and he'll knock on the door."
She nodded back.
.
.
.
🎉The novel is available in PDF with more than 400 chapters, visit us in our Ko-Fi store🎉
🎉ko-fi.com/gokublack444🎉