The Girl Who Vanished

Chapter 23: Family Matters

Ana and Neville reunited after few days had passed. Even though Neville was nervous when he first met her, he looked forward to seeing the girl in green again. She wasn't put off by his stuttering, she didn't even make fun of him slightly. Instead of judging him, she was kind to him and that was something the young boy didn't get to experience much. Excited by the prospect of a friend, Neville decided he was going to cling to this good thing as long as he could.

"Okay, Professor Sprout said this plant would grow better in a dark spot," the boy explained excitedly as he held the potted purple plant in his dirt covered hands.

"I do live in the dungeons, Neville," she chuckled which made his round cheeks tint a light shade of pink.

"I know, but I'd like- I would want to check up on it too, if that's okay."

Ana saw the boy start to slump again, like he did when he felt like he said something wrong; she didn't want him to feel like that. Whether or not he knew it, Ana was happy to have a friend who didn't side-eye her when she talked about plants during dinner. Lucian couldn't get the handle of it, Alex and Calista were always discussing something muggle, and Aeron hated dirt, so Ana was effectively out of luck among her friends. But perhaps she had a new friend in the skittish Gryffindor boy.

"No, you're absolutely right, Neville. We'll just have to think of another spot," she acknowledged with a smirk, "And I think I know the perfect place!"

She jumped from her spot and led the younger boy back into the castle with a skip in her step. The boy giggled and followed right behind her as she clumsily weaved herself passed people and around the corridors, nearly running into them all. He had only been at the school for a month at this point so he wasn't entirely sure where she was leading him, but Neville trusted the snake wholeheartedly.

Ana turned back with labored breath from both exhilaration and exhaustion as she took the boy to the library. He figured it was an odd place to suggest until she continued walking into the far back room, one that he had never seen before when he had looked for a book before. It was tucked away and out of sight from the main floorplan and he could see why it would be a great hiding spot for their shared plant.

When she was positive no one was watching the two, she opened the door with a wave of her wand and walked back into the room he ran away from during her first year. The room was giant with its familiar tiered steps and dark arches that led to nowhere. Every window was boarded up which made Ana shiver at the lack of warmth, but it was perfect.

"This is fantastic, Ana! I couldn't have thought of a better place," he complimented as he handed her the potted plant. He turned away from her as she surveyed where in the room she would put it, eventually she settled on a dark nook in the far back end of the deserted room. It looked right at home, and the leaves of their baby plant stretched as it settled into the shade.

Ana began telling Neville how she had to run away from a prefect last year and that's how she ended up in this very room, giggling at the ridiculous memory. It felt so strange to think about how scared she was of this room to only survive a Quidditch fire later that very year. She continued reminiscing for a moment, until she realized Neville's mind was entirely somewhere else. Instead of listening to her rather unimportant anecdote, the shivering boy was mystified by the floor length mirror Ana forgot was stored at the base of the steps.

Neville stared into the antique looking glass with longing, his eyes were welling with emotion and his fingers fumbled at the hem of his sweater sleeves. It was as if he was put in a trance, not even the sound of her approaching footsteps got the boy to break his focus. Ana stood off to the side so her reflection did not tamper with whatever was making Neville so entranced.