She had been avoiding Longbottom since she had found out that he was her other parent. She didn�t want anything to do with the teacher who had abandoned her father. However she knew that she would only make things worse if she didn�t go to detention. As far as the wizarding world was concerned, Neville would be the more desirable father for her. As he had told Harry to get rid of her, although he had still broken the law by helping to create a child out of wedlock, he was considered the guiltless party in the relationship. As a result Dumbledore and the rest of the Hogwarts staff had been trying to push her in Longbottom�s direction in the hope that she would take a shine to him and move away from Harry.
Harry had returned to London, as had been agreed with the ministry. A house was being set up in Hogsmeade for him to live in and he would be returning at the end of the week, at which time she would live with him for the weekend but for some unknown reason they would have to take lunch and dinner up at the school, most likely so that Dumbledore could keep an eye on them both.
Lizzy paused for a moment outside of greenhouse 2, where her detention was to take place, rather then delay the inevitable she pushed the door open and moved into the room.
Professor Longbottom was at the opposite end of the greenhouse harvesting potion ingredients for Snape so that the potions master could stock up the hospital wing. He didn�t pause when Lizzy entered but rather continued on with his work.
�You�re late. Grab those seedlings in the corner and start planting them into the bigger pots which are under the benches.�
He listened as she started to move around the room collecting the things she would need for the task. He could tell that she wanted to finish quickly so she could leave so he left her to her task.
Neville continued to ignore her until about an hour after she had arrived all movement behind him stopped.
�If you�re finished with that you can clean up and go.� He said before turning around to face her.
She hadn�t finished but instead she was staring at something on his desk. He moved towards her to see what she was looking at.
It was a photo on his desk.
It depicted Neville and his friends from school.
It was winter and they were out by the lake, some of them were having at snow fight while others were watching. It had been taken not long after Voldemort had been defeated and everyone was enjoying the freedom of not having to worry about the school being attacked. Neville was leaning against a tree with Harry in his arms. At the time he was still recovering from the last battle, his leg was in a cast and one arm in a sling, Hermione was nearby to make sure Harry didn�t do anything stressful. Luna Lovegood was in the background with her latest issue of the Quibbler abandoned on the ground next to her as she watched the game. Ron, Dean, Seamus, Ginny and some other people from other houses were throwing snow at each other while the others cheered them on.
It had been Harry�s first time out of the Hospital wing since the battle and it was easily tired. Neville remembered that Harry had fallen asleep in his embrace before the games end and had had to be carried back to the castle. However it was obvious by the picture that Harry had been content at the time as if he didn�t have a care in the world.
�He looks so happy.� Lizzy stated, still staring at the picture.
�He was.�
�While I was growing up he use to put on a happy face for me, but whenever he thought I wasn�t looking it would drop and I could see how sad he was.� She turned around to face him.
�He missed you. No matter how angry he was at you he still loved you. How could you abandon him like that?� She demanded. �He thought you would support him no matter what and you through it in his face at the moment he needed you most.�
�What was I suppose to do, I was 17 years old and still in school, I couldn�t afford to have a child in my life I wanted to study to be a teacher and travel the world, not get married.�
�Well then maybe you should have taken more precautions when have a sexual relationship with my father then I wouldn�t have been a problem to disrupt your perfect life.� She snapped back.
�Neither of us knew it was possible. Male pregnancy isn�t that common and it isn�t talked about much. It was one of the reasons Harry was gay he didn�t want to risk getting a girl pregnant while the Dark Lord was still alive. He��
�That�s beside the point you left him at the mercy of the world when you could have saved him with a single word.�
Neville sighed and sat down on a nearby stool.
�Your right, I could have saved him from the pain he went through. Then you would have had a proper family and Harry wouldn�t be dying.� He reached over and took Lizzy�s hands in his own and stared into her green eyes which reminded him so much of his ex-boyfriend.
�Elisabeth, I loved your father and I still do. Seeing you now and knowing how bad a turn his life has taken, I wish I could change what I did and accept your father, but its impossible now just as it was then. Even if I had accepted your father and married him, the ministry would have still hounded him about you and they would have still tried to take you off of him. The laws of not having children out of wedlock had been ignored most of the time before you were conceived. The ministry wanted you so that you could mould you to there own use. At the time many death eaters were still in the ministry and they saw it as a means to either control your father or remove him from the picture.
�Now that you are back they are trying again to get control of you and through you Harry. Even without his wand Harry is still a threat to them, though he won�t admit it he is an extremely powerful wizard and if he had wanted to he could taken down the ministry in a week.�
�That�s still no excuse to leave him.�
�No its not and I am not going to pretend that it is. Elisabeth I know that I can never change what I did and I can�t erase it either but I am going to try and help your father to get better. I don�t want him to die although I am not sure how much I can do I will try.� Neville told her, squeezing her hands which he still held.
�Thank you, I appreciate your help� but this doesn�t mean that I trust you and I am not willing to start a father-daughter relationship with you.� She said.
�I wouldn�t expect you to.�
�However I am will to put up with you as long as you don�t harm my dad again.�
Neville nodded, �alright you can go now I will finish with these,� he said, motioning towards the seedlings she had been planting.
�Ok �night,� she moved towards door but paused before opening it, �professor do you have any other pictures of my dad?�
�I believe I do, come with me.�
She followed him out of the greenhouse, then through a door into his office that was located nearby which was for his use only. He walked over to a bookcase and pulled out six huge photo albums.
CONTINEUE TO PART 2