Chapter 144 – Thoughts
Listening to Hermione's retelling of her experience and meeting with Quincy and Conrad, Neville couldn't help but display a wide range of emotions on his face at once.
"If she killed poor Squeaky, I can understand why Conrad did what he did. He lost his parents, everything that was his... And then Squeaky? I always told the others that he had to be convinced and not pushed away, but they were suspicious of his father right up to the end."
"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, making Neville sigh, recollecting his thoughts and telling them everything he knew.
"We were hiding in plain sight, under the Ministry's nose, the best hiding place, so to speak. Angus Anguine kept us well informed and ensured the other branches within the Ministry were fed the false information we provided. That way, we could help him build up his reputation while also keeping us hidden and informed. I learned this early because I was constantly being trained in magic and told about what was happening. What many call a normal childhood, I had never known it. I always had to think about my mission... Train, train, and train..."
"Which is?" They asked, looking at him while Neville took a deep breath, closing his eyes, tasting the words in his mouth before letting them escape through his lips.
"Killing the Dark Lord."
"..."
"I had very few contacts with kids from my age," He continued, ignoring their surprised faces, "but then I met Conrad. Although we could not meet every day or every week, he made sure to come and visit me often. We were... and I hope that we are still... friends."
"How was he?" Hermione pressed, wanting to know more, "And how was his dad?"