elemental (m.r)

six

6

"I'm not going." Neville shook his head at Annie, his cheeks bright red and eyes a little wide, hands smoothening the slight crinkles forming in his grassy toned knitted jumper, no doubt made by his grandmother before the school year had begun.

"Why not?" She frowned; the two of them stood in the Gryffindor common room, amongst the bustling of other people.

There was to be a party in the Slytherin common room at 11 tonight, something that many were excited about as it was very well known that they had the best parties. The music was always loud with a ton of fire whiskey provided - it was the Hogwarts staple. Annie had been on her way to get ready when she noticed Neville sat in the corner of the common room, book in hand, face slumped in one hand. It had been two months since the incident in the hallway, Crabbe and Goyle having kept far away from him, but it hadn't lessened his anxiety in the slightest. Annie usually escorted him to most lessons, especially during the last period, where they often shared with the duo, something she knew he was secretly incredibly grateful for. Blaise had helped a lot; also, the two having become much closer - to the point where he was taking an active role in his herbology classes as a means to strike up a conversation with Neville and make him more comfortable. The two were unlikely friends, but it did nothing to lessen the friendship that grew between them both, the two even sharing inside jokes.

"It's going to be awkward; I-I won't know what to do." He stuttered, shaking his head vigorously at the mere thought of attending such a party, mainly when he had never heard of one before; the concept seemed ridiculous!

"I want you there, Nev! So does Blaise; he said something about Luna coming; he needs a wingman." She pouted, throwing her arm around his shoulders in a comforting manner. "The second you want to leave, I'll bring you back. I won't leave your side throughout the night; I want you to have fun."

Neville's uncertainty made her pout further before he agreed, liking the idea of letting loose, but the concept of actually doing so seemed much too daunting. Annie meant every word she promised to him, and she planned to stick to her plan, no matter what.

"Okay, I'm going to get ready. I'll come down in an hour, and we'll go, okay? Everyone's going, so it'll be fun." She grinned at him, giving him a quick hug, turning to leave before he grabbed her arm, almost desperately.

"How do you do it?" He asked quietly, eyes meeting hers, displaying the genuine emotion swirling within them.

"Do what, Nev?" She asked.

"How are you so..confident? How do you do it?" With gentle orbs blinking away from her gaze, as though his show of vulnerability only embarrassed him further, she felt her breath hitch in her throat. She wasn't sure why his words pained her so much, as though she was living a lie that has panned out so well that even those closest to her started believing in it. What once was a facade was becoming true, and it terrified her.

"It's not about what you feel. It's about what they see." She whispered to him. "Vulnerability is not a cause I can afford. If they see even a morsel of it in me, they'll rip me to shreds. They're sharks, so you have to look bigger and better, even if you feel like a tadpole." Her eyes glazed with emotion that one could only describe as feigned passiveness, as though the conversation was as easy as breathing when it killed her to her very core. She didn't want him to be like her; she wanted him to be truly strong, to grow confidence in the most accurate form.

"Are you doing it right now?" He asked, a slight frown evident on his face. It was odd how easily Neville managed to look past her facade now he knew the real meaning; it was as though a light had switched on in his mind, and many things had become more evident.