Magnolia's Greenhouse [NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM]

13

Magnolia wasn't sure what changed, but it was something.

Ever since Hogsmeade day, things were different. Sure, she had hoped for some change after her date with Neville, but this wasn't what she had in mind. It wasn't bad but it also wasn't good.

Zacharias Smith was practically glued to her side and Cho looked at her with empathetic eyes.

"What's going on?" She finally asked as she sat in the library revising her school work with Cho and Zach sitting across from her.

"We are studying together, what does it look like?" Zach said with a smile, not looking up from his parchment.

Cho but her cheek as she looked between the two but ultimately went back to her books, attempting to shake the thoughts from her head.

"You know that's not what I mean." Magnolia continued.

Cho bumped Zach's shoulder to get his attention but he just continued working.

"Smith." Magnolia stated.

Nothing.

"Hello? Smith."

Still no reaction.

Magnolia slammed her book shut.
"Zach!" She said in a loud whisper, finally gaining his attention.

"What?" He huffed.

"It's not that I don't enjoy your company, Or appreciate your companionship. Though I wonder where this all came from?" Magnolia further questioned the Hufflepuff wizard.

"I- well I-" Zach began, looking between Cho and Magnolia. His words caught in his throat and his eyes had a fearful gleam.

Magnolia leaned forward with anticipation.

"Guess it's just the Hufflepuff in me, loyal friendship n all." He chuckled nervously.

Magnolia stood up abruptly from her seat, collecting her things and storming off.

"Maggie wait!" Zach called after her as he stood up himself.

"Don't follow me." The witch yelled back at him while still walking towards the library doors.

Everyone was acting so weird and different. It was getting on her nerves. Magnolia was someone who enjoyed sticking to a routine, nothing changing was something she was used to and didn't mind at all.

"Lia!"

Magnolia felt her tense shoulders relax almost immediately at the sound of his voice. She turned around to see Neville jogging towards her leaving Dean and Seamus behind him. They both gave a friendly wave towards her before walking away.

"I was actually going to come look for you." His words sounded confident but the nerves were evident in the way Neville scratched the back of his neck and couldn't match her eye contact.

"You were?" She asked in a cheerful and gentle voice.

Neville smirked down at her and nodded, feeling pleased that the witch reacted to his words and presence in such a way.

"I was wondering if, I mean if you aren't busy with anything..."

Magnolia wasn't sure where the confidence came from, but all she wanted to do in this moment was make Neville feel comfortable. She reached out and took his hand in hers, rubbing her thumb softly against his knuckles. Finally his eyes met hers as his breath hitched in his throat but his body seemingly melted from her touch.

"It's okay Neville, it's just me." She said with her honey sweet voice that drove him mad. Electricity shot through his body pushing him to take a step towards her.

"I was wondering if you'd want to come to the party Gryffindor is throwing this Friday, with me, as my date?" He finally asked.

The world could stay the same, the world could change a million times, none of it mattered. None of it mattered as long as Magnolia had Neville in her life. The worries she had just moments prior washes away and were replaced with this warm feeling she had in her chest now.

"Of course Neville, I'd love that." She replied with a cheeky grin and enthusiastic nodding.

"Really? I mean, great!" Neville noted.

Neville then found himself wrapping his arms around the witch and pulling her close. At first she was surprised and rigid. Making him believe he did something wrong, but then she wrapped her arms around his torso and laid her head against his chest.

Neville softly smiled to himself. He shut his eyes and placed his cheek against the top of her head taking in the sweet smell of citrus in her hair.

Magnolia relaxed from the sound of Neville's heart thumping against his chest and the smell of lavender and rosemary on his jumper.

¸.•'*¨'*•✿ 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 ✿•*'¨*'•.¸

"Where were you and why are you so red?" Zach questioned immediately after Magnolia slipped through the common room door.

"I'm not that red." She scoffed, pressing her hands to her cheeks to cover them. She was surprised to find how warm her cheeks truthfully were. Zach wasn't exaggerating. She didn't care though, it was for Neville after all.

"Yes you are." Zach noted, standing up from his seat and pressing the back of his hand to her forehead.
"Are you well? What did you eat today? Did anyone try to feed you something?"

Magnolia pushed his hand away from her, feeling yet again agitated by the Hufflepuff wizard's sudden interest in her.

"I'm fine, I ate lunch with you, and nobody tried to feed me anything. I was just talking to Neville is all, I guess I got myself a little worked up." She explained as she took a seat on an arm chair.

Zach let out a sigh of relief and collapsed into a chair across from her.
"So what were you two talking about? Four leaf clovers? Trees?"

"No." Magnolia chuckled. "He asked me to the Gryffindor party."

Zach shot back up, his full attention on her now.
"The one this Friday?"

"Yeah that one." She noted nonchalantly while flipping through a book she slipped out of her bag.

"Is Dean going? Don't answer that, of course he is going." Zach nervously ran his fingers through his hair.

"Why are you avoiding him again?" I saw him today, he looked happy."

"Who was he with?" Zach asked.

"He walked away with Seamus Finnigan when I was talking to Neville." Magnolia explained, her eyes still on the words of her book.

"Fucking Finnigan." Zach sighed.