Turning to look back with an expression of both remembered anger and frustration he continued, "But I was hoping her response to my second letter would change her instruction. It didn't.
"Her response to my second letter arrived the nextmorning during the normal owl delivery time. I'd eagerly opened it, expecting just such a change. However, she again instructed me to do and say nothing."
Neville had stopped walking at that point. His eyes had lost focus, staring at the floor a dozen feet ahead of him; his whole body stood tense with fists clenched as his magic began to manifest in a slight aura about himself.
Harry stood a few feet away to the side and carefully watched his friend. He now knew it was not his friend's fault he'd never spoken up when he knew he should have. But he also knew the other boy had to work his way through it on his own.
"I couldn't believe, she told me that," Neville almost spat. "I tried, again and again, to convince her I had to step in and talk to you about it, or at least coming and talking to you about it herself; but she kept telling me to stay out of it. Eventually, after about our tenth time of me writing her and begging her to let me step in she wrote and told me 'No' and that I was to immediately drop the subject.
"I was furious, but she's Regent and I couldn't go against her. However, I definitely gave her a serve about it at Yule that first year. Even then, though, she wasn't moved. She just dug her heels in, refused to discuss it any more and told me the matter was closed until you raised it."
Harry thought about that for quite a while before he gave a nod to himself and said, "Then, please inform your grandmother, Regent Augusta Longbottom of Longbottom, that I, Lord Harrison James Potter of Potter and rightful Head of the House of Potter, hereby inform her that as long as she remains Regent of the House of Longbottom the long-standing alliance between our houses is hereby suspended for cause. And that said cause is a direct result of her failure to act when informed of obvious problems relating to then-Heir Potter by Heir Longbottom and when repeatedly encouraged to do so by Heir Longbottom.
"Lord Potter considers her lack of action as a direct betrayal of the principles of the alliance, if not the actual wording. And, therefore, sees her lack of action as a betrayal of the House of Potter."
Neville froze in place and stared at Harry in shock. "You... you―"
"Yes, me, Neville," said Harry. He hadn't raised his voice. He'd just spoken in a quiet voice without much inflection and without even anger or vindictiveness. His voice was just firm.
"Gran's going to kill me," Neville near-moaned.
"The fault does not lie with you, Heir Longbottom," Harry disagreed. "The fault lies entirely with her. She did not act as she should have done; as you tried to get her to allow you to do.
"What you tried to do was the right thing; what she did was not. She should be thankful that, due to your response to my question, I did not dissolve the alliance completely; only suspended it."
"She's not going to see it that way," Neville shook his head and sighed.
"Then send her to me and I'll deal with her," said Harry. "You honoured the alliance by letting me know as soon as you could; at the earliest you were restricted to by your Regent. That is, you told me as soon as I asked you about it. And you were straightforward and honest with me.
"Your Regent... your Gran... is the one entirely at fault. As I've now explained, if I had thought you had somehow or for some reason decided to keep me ignorant, I would have immediately terminated the alliance in its entirety. She should be thankful that, by your words and actions, I have only suspended it. And then, I've only suspended it until such time as she is no longer your Regent.
"If she wants me to remove the suspension she'll need to step down as your Regent and allow you to take up the Headship of your House. I will not remove it until then."
"Oh, Merlin!" the other boy moaned. Suddenly he squared his shoulders and looked more fully into Harry's eyes. "I shall contact Regent Longbottom at my earliest opportunity and ensure she is informed of your decision."
Harry smiled back and said, "Good man! And, if you need my help in writing down exactly what words you should use, find me and I'll help.
"After all, we definitely do not want her to have the wrong impression, do we?"
"No, we do not," replied Neville, a lot more serious about it than Harry was about asking it.
Heading for lunch, as soon as Harry walked into the Great Hall he noticed there were a couple of new faces sitting at the head table. They seemed to be waiting and watching for something.
As soon as it appeared pretty much all students were sitting at the House tables, quietly eating and or discussing who was sitting at the head table among themselves, one of the two, an older gentleman, rose from his chair and made his way to the lectern Dumbledore often used for his announcements.
By the time he arrived behind it and looked about the Hall, most students had quietened right down, with only a low murmuring coming from those still softly talking between themselves while keeping an eye on him.
"Students!" he quietly but firmly began, before pausing as the remaining noise dimmed down to almost silence. "Students. For those who do not know me, I am Bartwinkle Creston. And I am the Chair-wizard of the School Board of Governors."
He gave that a few moments to sink in before he continued. "Like the vast majority of you, I'm sure, I was shocked at the information Lord Potter brought to light during his attempt at the first task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament yesterday. There was so much information, in fact, that many of us, including myself, have not had time to... reconcile... what we learned with what we thought we knew. However, of what we've now come to know is true, it is sufficient for the Board to determine that we will be allowing, without dissent, the DMLE to complete their full and ongoing investigations before we reach a final determination as to what changes need to brought in here, at Hogwarts.
"However, that does not mean we are not going to act on what we already know.
"First, Madam Bones's assuming Acting Headmistress of Hogwarts for the duration of the investigation is supported by the Board, irrespective of her assuming control of the school and its grounds as part of her remit as senior investigator of the DMLE investigation of crime on the grounds. Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall are suspended as Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress, respectively.
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