You'll be the Death of Me

Chapter 61

Neville watched the last few ticks of his watch's hand as it turned the hour to midnight. That was it. He had made the deal with himself that he would wait until midnight then leave. It made little sense to stay in a freezing barn waiting for someone who just wasn't coming. He sat up from the soft bed of hay he had chosen to lie down in for the past hour and picked up the gift he had brought to give Graces.

He was numb to feelings. He had felt way too much throughout the day to feel anything now at this time of night. He had believed that when midnight came and Graces wasn't there he would have been devastated, hating himself for breaking that bottle, but the time came and he wasn't. He just wanted to go to his dorm and sleep.

He had almost reached the door to leave when the wood burst open and Graces came staggering in still dressed in what he had seen her in earlier only now she was clutching her heels in her numb fingers and was soaking wet from the snow she must have stumbled in.

"Bloody hell!" Neville exclaimed, taking off his coat and wrapping it around her. "You're freezing. Why are you not wearing your shoes? Where's your coat?"

"Did you do it on p-purpose?" Graces asked desperately, her teeth chattering against one another. "Did you break the bottle on purpose?"

Neville wasn't even caring to answer that at the moment, he picked up the blonde in one swift movement, making sure to keep her bundled in his coat. He jumped a little as he felt her icy skin come into contact with his neck, but he just pulled her in closer, hoping his body heat could do something, before sitting her down on an old work table.

Her legs and feet were red and raw from the snow outside and Neville bent down and tried to warm the skin with his hands, hoping he could rub the cold off before she became ill.

"A-answer me!" Graces exclaimed, trying to move her feel away but to numb from the cold to succeed. "D-did you d-do it on p-purpose?"

Neville gripped her feet sternly letting them thaw in his hands and looked up at the hysterical girl above him.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Why would I break the professor's gift on purpose?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Graces snapped. "Why did you do it? Why?"

"Graces, calm down."

"I am calm!" Graces roared. "I'm calm! Draco however is having a panic attack! Why would you do this to us? You know what we face! We needed that bottle to—"

Neville stood up and covered Graces mouth to keep her silent. Both students were as motionless as statues, aside from Neville's labored breath. He didn't move his hand away, though it wasn't necessary seeing as Graces was too shocked to speak.

"You and your brother had nothing to do with that bottle," Neville snarled. "Absolutely nothing! I was just looking at the photos on the table and I accidently knocked a bottle of mead down. That's it. Draco never put down a bottle of mead and he certainly didn't crash a party just to slip that bottle there."

Neville removed his hand and looked away as Graces began sobbing openly in her palms.

"H-how did you know?" she moaned, her hands still buried.

"I don't know anything," Neville murmured. "Because if I knew something I would have to tell someone. I would have to. I don't know anything. Do you understand?"

Graces didn't answer him, but judging by the growing amount of tears Neville knew she understood. He jumped up on the table with her and held her close as he tried to warm her up. Eventually he realized she needed more than just his coat and he went over to her gift and ripped it open taking out a down comforter that was sheeted with a dark purple duvet. Graces hiccuped her sobs as he wrapped it around her and tucked the bottom in a way that warmed her feet. She looked around at her makeshift wrap and stared up and Neville questioningly.