#254 - Chapter 254 Stern Old Lady Longbottom

Seeing Neville close the office door, Sebastian sighed softly.

To be honest, Neville's lack of confidence is largely due to his grandmother's parenting style.

Neville had been afraid of his grandmother since he was a child, because she was a strict perfectionist, and her way of raising Neville was extremely harsh.

After all, Neville's parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom, were once famous heroes in the wizarding world.

They were not only brave Aurors, but also made countless contributions in the fight against Voldemort.

However, such an outstanding wizarding couple suffered a cruel fate.

After Voldemort disappeared, they were tortured into insanity by the Cruciatus Curse cast by Bellatrix Lestrange and other Death Eaters, and eventually forced to live in St. Mungo's Hospital.

After all of this happened, Neville's grandmother, Madam Longbottom, as the sole pillar of the family, withstood the blow, strongly supported the Longbottom family, and took over the responsibility of raising Neville.

She knew very well how outstanding Neville's parents had been as wizards, so she had high expectations for Neville.

Her demands on Neville were almost harsh, always hoping that he could be as outstanding as his parents and become the pride of the Longbottom family.

These expectations were often expressed in the form of stern reprimands and comparisons with his parents.

However, Neville had a gentle, introverted personality since he was a child, and his magical talent seemed mediocre.

What's more, in order to make Neville forget the scene of his parents being tortured by the Cruciatus Curse, he was given a Memory Charm, which caused him to have poor memory for a long time.

Therefore, the forgetful Neville did not have very good grades, which made it even more difficult to meet his grandmother's standards.

This excessive expectation and stern attitude made Neville more and more unconfident, more and more cautious, for fear of making mistakes.

.........................

At ten o'clock on a Saturday morning, the air in Hogsmeade was slightly cool, and the sunlight shone on the shop windows on both sides of the street, shimmering with a warm luster.

Sebastian, dressed in a neat wizard robe, led the slightly nervous Neville and walked into a coffee shop under the banner of Swan Alchemy.

This coffee shop is known for its modern and bright style.

The large floor-to-ceiling windows allow sunlight to pour in naturally, and accompanied by soft music, the entire space appears warm and cozy.

The environment of the coffee shop is extremely attractive, so many senior students like to come here on weekends, order a cup of fragrant coffee, and then start writing homework beautifully.

When Sebastian entered the door, he also saw several senior students gathering at a table to write homework, chatting in low voices from time to time, looking relaxed and happy.

Seeing Sebastian's arrival, the shop owner's eyes lit up and he greeted him with a bright smile: "Professor Swan, it's an honor today!"

Saying that, he enthusiastically led Sebastian and Neville to the reserved VIP booth on the second floor.

The environment on the second floor is more elegant, and light screens separate each booth, providing a private space.

These screens are all high-end alchemy props, people sit in the booths and chat, and people outside can't hear anything.

This ingenious design makes it not only suitable for gatherings, but also an ideal place to discuss private matters.

After about ten minutes, the shop owner led Madam Longbottom up.

She was wearing a green wizard robe, holding a huge red handbag in her hand, and wearing a tall hat with an eagle specimen on her head, looking extremely imposing.

"Sorry, I'm late."

Madam Longbottom opened her mouth with a slight apology. Her voice was very loud, showing that she was full of energy.

"It's not late at all,"

Sebastian smiled politely, "I brought Neville here early, I can't let you wait for us here."

Madam Longbottom nodded slightly, shook hands with Sebastian, and then sat opposite him.

Sebastian ordered a cup of coffee, Madam Longbottom ordered black tea, and Neville whispered for a glass of juice.

After some greetings, the topic gradually turned to the main point.

"Madam,"

Sebastian said gently, "I think Neville's wand doesn't match him.

If possible, can you take him to choose a wand that suits him better?"

Hearing this, Madam Longbottom frowned slightly, turned her head to look at her grandson, and after a moment of silence, pursed her lips and said.

"Not matching... understandable, after all, Neville has always used his father's wand."

She sighed slightly: "Actually, before he entered the first grade, I had intended to take him to buy a new wand."

"But he insisted on using that wand, saying that he wanted his father's wand to accompany him to grow up."

Her tone was a little helpless and nostalgic: "I saw that he was so persistent, so I let him do it."

"But now his performance..."

Her voice gradually became cold, "To be honest, it's the same whether you change the wand or not."

"His grades make me feel ashamed every year."

Madam Longbottom paused, her eyes fell on Neville, who was silent, and her words revealed deep disappointment.

"To be honest, it would be fine if his grades were just bad.

What disappoints me is that I can't see any shadow of his parents in Neville."

"Professor Swan, you used to work with Frank and Alice, you should know how good they were."

Her voice trembled slightly because of emotional fluctuations.

"They were all top Aurors, brave and fearless, even when facing the torture of the Cruciatus Curse from four Death Eaters, they never gave in."

Madam Longbottom picked up the black tea, took a sip gently, trying to calm her mood through this short action.

After a brief silence, she spoke again, her voice mixed with a hint of apology.

"Sorry, I get a little excited when I mention Neville's parents."

Sebastian nodded silently, Neville's face turned even redder, he didn't say a word, his fingers fidgeted together, his eyes fixed on the juice cup in front of him.

Madam Longbottom sighed, a trace of fatigue flashed in her eyes.

"I should actually be satisfied."

She said in a low voice, her eyes softening: "After all, I used to worry that Neville would be a Squib."

"When he was a child, he never showed any magical talent, until one time, his uncle accidentally dropped him from the楼上, and he showed magical talent."

There was an unspeakable complexity in her tone.

"I just never thought that Neville's performance was not much better than a Squib."

Hearing these words, Neville's fingers clenched tightly.

He tried not to look at his grandmother's eyes, just lowered his head and sat quietly, as if that was the only thing he could do.

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