You'll be the Death of Me

Chapter 15

Neville watched as Graces emerged into the hall with Higgs. She had just said something to the boy and was now smiling in amusement as the overly confident looking Slytherin just gave her a small grin that made Neville's blood boil. The boy caught Neville staring and gave him a pretentious look before turning his nose up at him. Graces frowned at the Higg's sudden change in demeanor and looked over at Neville before doing the same as she passed by.

Neville didn't know what possessed him, maybe he just wanted to make Graces admit that she had indeed lied to him, rile her up, or maybe he just wanted to illicit some emotion from her, but before he really thought too much about it he bit his thumb over at the girl. Next thing he knew he was being pinned against the wall. Graces' arm was across his neck and her bag was discarded.

"How dare you bite your thumb at me! You—"

"Dissembling folly-fallen fustilarian," Neville choked out before bringing up his arms and moving the irate blonde off him. He massaged his adam's apple and looked up to see Graces' face completely devoid of color, her hand raised almost to her mouth. "Don't read Shakespeare, huh?" he asked. His voice still strained from the pressure previously put on it, but staring angrily at the girl before him.

"Miss Malfoy!" Professor McGonagall shrieked, making her way through the crowd of gawkers. "What in Merlin's name do you think you are doing?"

Graces looked around, realising all the people that had witnessed her outburst. Neville watched as she swallowed some sort of raw emotion before looking up at the deputy headmistress.

"You're supposed to be a prefect!" the stern woman continued, "An example for everyone, and here you are participating in muggle dueling in the halls!" The blonde winced at the comparison to muggles. "You could lose your position over this, you foolish girl, and—"

"I provoked her," Neville confessed loudly, causing the stern woman to stop her rant and gape at him.

"You, Longbottom?" Neville nodded solemnly and shot an apologetic look at Graces who was so angry she was looking dead ahead at nothing her lips pursed. "What did you do?" she continued, her voice edging on surprise and irritation as if she didn't completely believe him, causing Neville flushed bright red from shame. Neville's head of house pursed her lips, and leaned down to his ear. "Neville," she whispered softly, "you weren't... vulgar to her were you?"

"No, no of course not," Neville stammered, even more embarrassed that his head of house had to ask.

"Then what, pray, did you do?" McGonagall berated, irritated now. Neville winced as her voice became shrill, a sign that she was very close to losing her cool temperament.

"I, uh.. I," Neville paused, as the hall became eerily silent. He looked around still able to see people talking and whispering to one another, but he didn't hear them at all. It was as if a bubble had been put up around him, Graces, the Professor and the other Slytherin.

"Thank you, Thomas," Graces said quietly, looking over at the boy as he stood tall against the wall, a hard look plastered on his face. He nodded his head slightly in acknowledgement, before continuing to stare over at Neville hostilly.

"Mr. Higgs, I believe you have class. You may leave," McGonagall stated briskly. However, Higgs did not move, he stood like a statue against the wall, only giving her a sideways glance acknowledging that he heard her. Professor McGonagall's eyes widened at the insolence, and her lips tightened so hard they were almost white. "Mr. Higgs, if you do not leave this moment I will deduct points from your house for insubordination. Is that what you want?" Higgs looked over at her coolly for a moment before shifting his feet slightly and leaning on the wall to make himself more comfortable.