She's always kind (Neville X Reader story)

Chapter 22

Deardrie explained that this couple had experienced an unbearable fate, almost worse that death. She wasn't able to explain any more than thaat due to the privacy policy the hospital had. All she could say was that their names were Alice and Frank. No last name was given. The routine would be that she would guide Frank back to his bed during quiet hours when he had wondered off somewhere. Then in the afternoon, she would sit with Alice and do a simple puzzle with her, no more than about 40 pieces. The woman's hand would tremble as she searched for the right piece while (Y/n) patiently waited and smiled at the picture that was coming together.

After a while, Alice began to hold and squeeze (Y/n)' hand while she did the puzzles, she still wouldn't smile but it gave the girl a feeling of acceptance and joy. On a calm Thursday afternoon at the end of August, Alice had just finished another puzzle, earning praise and claps from (Y/n) who admired the picture the puzzle created. Suddenly, a throat was cleared from behind her which made her jump slightly. She turned around to see an older woman with a shawl, long skirt and red handbag. "Excuse me my dear but I have a visit today with my grandson's mother and my son." She spoke with a strict but kind voice.

"Oh yes I'm so sorry madam, I forgot that it was 3 o'clock already, I'll let you enjoy your visit." She smiled brightly whilst walking past the older woman but then immediately bumping into someone else. She stumbled back with a groan before looking up to see Neville all flustered and apologetic until he realised who he was in front of. The pair stood in front of eachother, staring at the other with flushed cheeks and embarrassed looks. "Well Neville? Aren't you going to introduce me?" The voice of his grandmother sounded from behind her, prompting her to swiftly turn around and stand at the side of him.

""Uh...gran, this is (Y/n), my friend from Hogwarts, the one I've mentioned to you before" Neville spoke whilst scratching the back of his neck nervously. His Gran's face twisted into a sweet smile, "oh so this is the lovely girl you've been talking about, the lovely Gryffindor beater as you put it." She grinned mischievously as Neville went bright red and chuckled nervously. (Y/n) blushed as she smiled at the older woman. "He also tells me that you have a keen eye for Care of Magical creatures and a wonderful notebook with all the creatures you've seen, I simply adore art." The girl grinned, "well I'd be happy to show it to you someday Mrs Longbottom."

She then unexpectedly grabbed her hands and turned sorrowful for a bit "my dear, I was so sorry to hear about your auntie, she was a fine witch back in the day." (Y/n)'s face twisted into one of confusion, "I don't really remember much about aunt Orla, I've seen photos of her though." The older woman looked confused but decided to say nothing and instead thanked her for her work at the hospital before turning to Alice. The pair stood in the aisle between hospital beds beds, "you think I'm lovely?" The small girl asked the taller boy who was trying not to look at her "well...I uh....I did say that yeah" his face was beet red.

(Y/n) smiled and grabbed the boy's hand, walking towards the outside gardens. "So how long have you been working at the hospital?" Neville inquired, "since the second week of summer holidays, my mam thought it would be a good opportunity for work experience and to take my mind off my night terrors." She explained carefully. Neville had a worried look on his face, "oh dear...well, are you feeling any better?" He asked. She smiled and nodded at the boy who smiled back at her in relief. "You've gotten taller, and you're hair is longer" She pointed out to Neville giggling. He rolled his eyes, "I wish I could say the same about you, but your still the same size you were last year and I can't see your hair....hey why is it like that? You only ever wear it up for Quidditch."

The girl bit her lip and blushed, while she was flattered that Neville noticed little things like that about her, she was hesitant to tell him the truth. She sighed, "Well, last term...when I was down in the Chamber, I was hurt pretty badly, but whenever I have nightmares about the memory, it's always the same, me being held by my hair with a wand in my neck. I've grown to hate my hair because all it does is reminds me of that moment." She looked at the floor with tears in her eyes. At that moment, Neville didn't feel nervous anymore, instead, he wrapped his arms around the girl's small figure and pulled her close.

He was over half a foot taller than her, but he didn't care, he wanted her to feel safe and calm, seeing her cry was heartbreaking for him. He rubbed her back and deemed it best not to say anything, but just comfort her. "Well, since you've told your secret, I might as well tell you mine" Neville spoke as he sat down on one of the garden benches, guiding (Y/n) to sit down beside him. She wiped her eyes and listened curiously. "Well, those two people who you care for in the hospital are my parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom." He explained. The girl covered her mouth as gasped, the couple that suffered a fate worse than death, was the mother and father of her best friend.

Neville choked a little but kept his composure, "They were tortured, by a mad death eater by the name of Bellatrix Lestrange." His voiced laced with venom when he spoke the name. (Y/n) was left speechless, "So that's why you live with your Grandmother, how often do you come to see them?" She inquired. "Once a week, usually we come early in the morning when there's less people visiting, but we had to run errands today so we came in later." He finished. The pair stared at the fountain that sat in the centre of the garden, not saying anything to eachother. (Y/n) looked to her side at the taller boy's hand, slowly reaching over and lacing her fingers with his.

At first the boy flinched but soon relaxed into the gesture, humming a little. "I won't tell anybody, I get the feeling you're not ready for them to know." Her words moved Neville, "Why are you so kind to me? Everyone else just laughs and makes fun of me." He questioned. The girl turned to look into his hazel orbs, "because genuine people don't make fun of others, I like you because you rise above it, you're an amazing person Neville, don't let others put you down for meaningless things, you're so much more than that."

From that day onwards, the boy was convinced, he loved this girl like no other, no doubt about it.