The students around them watched the scene with undisguised admiration in their eyes.
What they saw was no longer the clumsy Longbottom who needed protecting.
Instead, they saw someone with genuine leadership qualities, a leader worth following.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood beneath an oak tree not far away, silently watching it all.
"Seriously,"
Ron rubbed his eyes, his face full of disbelief.
"if I hadn't seen it myself, I'd swear that was Percy wearing a Neville wig."
"No, Ron, they're completely different."
Hermione shook her head, her gaze fixed firmly on Neville, her eyes shining with excitement and admiration.
"Percy seeks the sense of authority that order brings, but Neville is showing the order that comes from confidence.
He's no longer afraid of making mistakes or of what other people think. He's found his own rhythm."
Harry said nothing, but a complicated, warm feeling welled up inside him.
He remembered how they had applied to take part in the Forest of Delusions over the weekend.
When Neville faced the Mindscape Mirror, the mirror had shown a heroic figure wielding a sword against Voldemort.
Professor Holmes's words had changed them all:
"The strongest enemy is never in the outside world, but inside each of your hearts."
In his own way, Neville had defeated the dragon called inferiority that had lurked in his heart for years.
And his growth was the most perfect proof of Douglas's philosophy of diverse forms of strength.
Strength had never had just one form.
With his resilience and composure, Neville had forged an entirely new path, one belonging to a leader.
Just then, it was finally the group of Slytherins' turn to be assessed.
The wizard at their head stepped forward with a faint, rehearsed, insincere smile.
"Club president Longbottom, we're here to apply for membership."