"Right Neville, want to come with me?"
Jessica approached Neville with cautious positivity. He was standing at the Grand Entrance, clearly not wanting to be there, waiting to go down to Crabbe and Goyles assigned room in the dungeons.
"I'm with you?" Neville asked, his eyes widening with hope.
"Yeah," Jessica answered. She had just left the Slytherin common room where a massive party was being thrown for Goyles birthday. After her epiphany with Luna, Jessica had identified an opportunity to start her new plan and convinced Crabbe and Goyle to let her take over their detentions for the night so that they could enjoy themselves. They resisted a little, as they found the whole punishment experience fun, but after she supplied them with more drink and cake, they were happy to stay on the sofas.
"Do you want to come with me then?"
She led Neville up to the seventh floor, to the place she knew they wouldn't be seen.
"Alohomora," she enchanted, and the door to the little broom cupboard opened quietly. Neville was reluctant to go in at first, but after asking only once more, he followed Jessica's orders. She locked the door behind them and followed Neville down to the small room that used to be so familiar.
It used to feel so much bigger than what it did now. The wide window now had no view due to the outside fog, and most of the interior was filled with brown boxes marked with a 'W'. There was still an ink stain on the floor from where Fred made her drop a quill once by kissing her during study time, and it made her briefly reminisce about good times.
"You can relax Neville, you're not getting punished," Jessica told the confused boy next to her. She then pointed to the old armchair in the corner, "you can sit there if you like."
Neville walked over to it and sat down like she had given him strict instructions. He sat on the edge and bent over his knees, trembling, like he was preparing for something to happen. One thing was for sure, he certainly wasn't relaxing.
"What's wrong?" Jessica asked.
"Please don't be offended, but I...don't believe you," said Neville with a long face, staring at the ground instead of directly at her, "I know you're going to hurt me so I'd rather just get it over with."
Jessica compressed a huff. She couldn't feel more sorry for him. He had been groomed to expect fear from all Slytherins. This was why she was doing this.
"I'm not offended," Jessica said understandingly as she sat down on the step opposite him, "I know there is a lot of things being said about me. Some of them true, most of them not. But you can trust me, I'm on your side."
Neville still didn't look as if he was trusting her and continued staring hard at the ground like a frightened schoolboy. He really was expecting her to change it up at any moment.
"What grounds did they have you in for tonight?" Jessica asked as she played with her wand in between her hands. Perhaps a few normal questions would get him to loosen up.
"Sneaking out late after curfew," answered Neville, "I was a minute late, but they were waiting outside the Gryffindor common room."
"Were you alone?"
Neville winced and blinked his eyes three times. "Yes."
"You weren't," said Jessica, even the most oblivious person in the world would see that he was lying, "you were with the others weren't you, Harry, Ron, Hermione, their friends."
Neville looked awfully worried.
"I know you're doing something, but don't worry, I don't care what it is," Jessica told him, "Though I would like to mention I have known for a while and have willingly turned a blind eye if that goes for anything."
Neville finally mustered up enough fight to look her in the eye, the first time they had been directly face to face since the Hogwarts Express. "I won't give it up to you, I won't tell on my friends. You could do anything to me, I won't tell you. You can use all the reverse psychology you want."
Jessica admired his bravery very much, as she recognised that it would have taken a lot for him to stand up to her like that. She just needed to get more of it out of him. "You're not used to people being nice to you, are you?" she asked.
"I am," Neville snapped defensively, "I have friends."
"And yet you still get beat up by Crabbe and Goyle every day. Is that why you don't trust me? You think I'm like them?"
Neville smartly said nothing.
"You know we're not that different, you and I."
"You?" Neville retorted, looking her up and down in wonder, "I can't imagine us having the same life here thanks."
"Well," Jessica laughed sadly, "don't let this purple badge confuse you. Believe it or not, I know what it's like to have someone pushing you around, constantly telling you what to do. I'm not going to say things change because they don't, people will always try to tell you what to do. What you can change is yourself, you can say 'no, I'm not going to let you treat me like that'. You were put in Gryffindor for a reason, you must have it in you."
"Well I've always said that was a questionable decision," mumbled Neville as he scuffed his shoe on the floor, "I've never done anything brave."
"Oh so because you're not fighting dragons or evil wizards like Harry every day you don't think you're brave?" asked Jessica, "I've heard a lot about you Neville, of things you've done. You're not a loser, you're braver than most of the Gryffindors I know because you're not afraid to be yourself."
Neville looked pleased with her encouragement but was too humble to show any kind of acknowledgement or gratitude. Instead, he repaid her niceties the way he felt most natural...by believing her.
"So...you're really not going to punish me?" he asked timidly.
Jessica shook her head with a friendly smile, "no, we have to chill out here though for about an hour so they don't suspect anything. Would you mind keeping this as our secret? I need to keep up appearances."
She winked at him and Neville nodded with a shy smile, relaxing into his shoulders and falling back into the armchair. The moonlight shone over the both of them and Jessica rested her head against the stone wall. She had forgotten how cosy this little room was.
Neville looked behind him at the brown boxes and with Jessica's approval, started opening the top one out of curiosity. He pulled out box after box of multicoloured sweets wrapped in bright packaging and it clicked in both of their minds what the 'W' on the boxes stood for.
Jessica got an idea.
"I guess you're friendly with Fred and George right?" she asked Neville casually.
"Well I wouldn't call us friends," said Neville as he placed the sweets back in the brown box, "they're popular and I'm well, me. It doesn't mean they're not nice though, they speak to me sometimes if I do something they find funny, but I'm more Ron's friend."
"But are you familiar with their products?" Jessica asked. It was a shame Fred and George hadn't made that much of an effort with Neville, he could've used friends like them, but she also understood the age gap and appreciated that they weren't mean to him when their prankster lifestyle could've led them to be.
"Yeah, I quite like them," Neville chuckled, "they're really funny."
Jessica's smile lit up watching his do the same. "Which one's your favourite?"
"Well I'd never like to have one myself but the puking pastilles are great. They're these here I think, the yellow ones," said Neville and he lifted out a bag of little circular yellow gummies. Then his face fell into a panicked frown, "you're not going to tell on them are you?"
"And have everyone hate me more than they already do? No thanks," laughed Jessica, "but I think there's a way we can have a little end of term fun with their leftover stock."
"Won't we get in trouble if we do that?" Neville asked worriedly.
Jessica walked over to Neville and opened the orange cloth bag that contained the yellow gummies. "Neville, you're with me," she said as she dropped a few of them into his hands, "I'm literally the police, we'll be fine."
"But I don't want to hurt anyone," Neville refuted.
"You won't be," said Jessica and she resealed the brown boxes with a roll of spellotape which was lying around, "Fred and George are good with charms, the effects are sure to wear off after a few hours. Plus, we won't be using them on anyone innocent. If you need more convincing, we can take this."
Jessica reached into her robe pocket and pulled out a small vile of polyjuice potion that she had found in Draco's bedside desk when he had asked her to fetch his potions book once. She hadn't bothered to question why he had it in the first place as she didn't care about what Draco did in his spare time, but she thought it would become of use to her one day, and that time had come.
***
"I don't get how you walk in these, and how tight is this skirt around your waist..." laughed Neville as he and Jessica stopped to catch a breath on the fourth floor.
They had just run away from Filch who's tea they had just spiked with puking pastilles. Neville had done the honours, transformed as Jessica, and had offered him the cup before quickly walking away. Jessica knew Filch liked her, so she knew he wouldn't blame her even if she did do something directly under his nose.
"Fashion is pain," Jessica, transformed as Neville, panted, "but you can take the shoes off if you want, they're kind of my only pair now and I don't want you to break the heel if you fall over. Or we could always swap outfits and people can see you roaming the halls in a skirt and knee-high socks?"
This wasn't a bad idea to Jessica, as Neville's layers of clothes were really weighing down on her, but being in Neville's body wasn't all bad. He was taller than she was so she could see further ahead, and his natural scent was like a garden centre, his robes infused with soil and fresh leaves. It was quite entertaining watching Neville be her. He walked rather flat-footedly and hunched his shoulders a lot, giving her a completely masculine and incorrect posture. It would've been quite handy taking him clothes shopping so she could see what she looked like from the back.
"I'll take the shoes off," said Neville as he really didn't fancy the alternative, and he grunted out of relief as he took off each heel. Once he was done and was happy to walk again, they set off to find what Jessica hoped would be the main event.
They walked down to the third floor and heard snorted laughs and childish giggles. Jessica smiled as she realised that they had walked straight into her targets. She pulled Neville to the side of the wall just before the corner of the corridor and signalled him to be quiet.
"Right, that's them, that's our next target," she whispered.
"Who is it?" Neville asked back excitedly, having been given his first taste of revenge.
Jessica debated whether to tell him or not, but ultimately, she had to. "Crabbe and Goyle," she answered.
"CRABBE AND GOY-"
Jessica had to slap Neville's large hand to his mouth to stop him from shouting further and giving away their position.
"You can do this Neville, this is your chance. Get your own back, make them know what it feels like to be made fun of for a change. You're not stooping down to their level, you're not hurting them intending to hurt, this is just getting even."
Neville looked up at her with her own frustrated eyes. It was like giving herself a pep talk in the mirror. She wanted to shake him to make him see sense, but she couldn't decide for him.
"Okay," Neville said, Jessica's eyes narrowing back at her with his determination, "I want to do it."
"Cool," said Jessica, and she pulled out two cauldron cakes from Neville's pockets that she had laced with puking pastilles before they left the broom cupboard. She handed them to him and he put them in Jessica's pockets. "Those are the cakes, I'm sure they haven't learnt their lesson from when Hermione drafted them sleeping potions in the second year....oh that's another secret, don't tell Hermione I said that."
Neville nodded and scratched his head nervously before taking a breath and pumping out his chest, which Jessica hoped wasn't the way he thought he was going to persuade them to take the cakes. Without another word he turned the corner, walking straight up to Crabbe and Goyle. Jessica watched him as she hid behind the turning, seeing him confidently approach the two who were currently graffitiing a classroom door. A bit nervous at first, Neville said a weak hello to them. Once he realised that he was not himself and that Crabbe and Goyle were actually being pleasant towards him in Jessica's body, he quickly became brave and calm.
Jessica beamed...her plan for him had worked.
"What are we spying on then?" whispered a voice behind her that made Jessica jump.
She turned around ready to attack as she was in Neville's body, but lowered her arms as soon as she saw that it was Fred and George.
"Calm down hands of fury," said Fred with a grin and he knocked her knuckles down playfully.
Her brain froze and pressed pause. Fred hadn't authentically smiled at her for months.
"Ah I see, the Inquisishits," said George who had taken a peek around the corner, "smart thinking."
"I'm not spying," stated Jessica defensively as she returned to normalcy. She was still furious with them both.
"Well I hope you're not hiding," said Fred and his eyebrows flattened as he frowned, "Ron's right, you really need to stand up for yourself Neville. You can't show them you're afraid."
If anyone else had said that, she would've gushed over how sweet it was.
"Heard anything interesting?" whispered George curiously, still looking at Crabbe and Goyle, "might be useful for the DA."
"The DA?" Jessica asked, not knowing what strange phrase he was talking about. She thought she knew everything in this place.
George took a double look at her and then turned his attention fully onto who he thought was Neville, Fred also crossing his arms at her too. "Dumbledore's Army," whispered George, "you know that thing you've been attending for the last six weeks?"
Dumbledore's army...but Dumbledore didn't have an army did he? There was no way in a school full of children he could have a- oh, oh no, she had been truly stupid. That was the name of the club Hermione had created for Harry to teach them Defence Against The Dark Arts. That must have been where they had all been coming from that late night on the upper floor that time...she had simply chosen to forget it.
"Oh yeah," Jessica stuttered, true to Nevilles's character she thought, "sorry. No, I haven't, I just got here and you can't hear anything."
"Well let's get a better look," said Fred and a mischievous grin appeared on his and George's faces. They scurried off to a little side passageway and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Jessica wondering how they really did know all these little passageways. A second later, George came back down.
"Come on Longbottom, want to hear something interesting?"
Hesitating at first as she thought she really shouldn't leave Neville on his own, Jessica gave in to George's excitement and he led her up the stairs to the little secret crook in the walls. It was only about ten feet wide, and it was dark and cramped, but there was a small hole in the wall which gave them a great look down onto the corridor. Jessica squeezed in between Fred and George and Fred got out an extendable ear from his pocket, a final polished design Jessica hadn't seen yet. He lowered it down, and they all hunched over the monitor to listen in.
"Oh come on, you must be hungry. All those detentions," said Jessica's muffled voice through the speaker.
"Yeah, I guess we could have one," said Goyle, "where did you find them?"
"Uh, I just found them lying around."
"What idiots, we'll take them as ours then," Crabbe said greedily as he and Goyle snatched the cakes out of Neville's hands.
They had taken the bait.
"Why aren't you wearing any shoes?" asked Malfoy as he came strutting out of the shadows. Jessica nudged to the front of the hole, this was something she definitely hadn't planned. She hadn't briefed Neville on this.
Neville stuttered, immediately showing signs of nerves. "I uh-they-uh...they hurt."
"But they were specially designed for your feet, Pansy made sure Madam Malkin did so."
"Oh for god sake really," muttered George, "specially tailored shoes...how spoilt can you get?"
"How many pairs must they go through if that's the case?" said Fred, "and there's mum having to make Ron wear Bill's old shoes still."
Jessica felt funny in her stomach and looked down at the floor. When they put it like that, her perspective had really been skewed. She had let a pair of shoes just wash away into the water like they were common sand.
"Doesn't mean they can't hurt," answered Neville down below, he knew what he was talking about now, "what-what's it got to do with you?"
Malfoy was taken aback, but as he was so used to Jessica being tough with him, he simply smiled. "You're right, nothing."
Crabbe and Goyle then grabbed their stomachs, suddenly turning green as the puking pastilles started to take effect. They both looked at each other in horror and ran towards the boy's toilets. Crabbe was too late, throwing up all over the floor as he turned the corner. Goyle didn't look at where he was going and slipped in Crabbe's sick, skidding out of sight.
All three of them up in the crook laughed quietly as Neville tried to stay straight-faced in front of Draco.
"Amazing," laughed George as he silently clapped.
"Couldn't get an action replay of that could we?" joked Fred.
Jessica grinned with pride that it had gotten the jokers approval.
"Disgusting," spat Malfoy as he turned his nose up at the mess his friends had made, "though serves them right for not watching what goes in their mouths. Probably ate something laced by those loser Weasleys."
"Thank you," said Fred proudly and he patted himself smugly on the back, causing Jessica to laugh.
"Yeah probably," answered Neville nervously.
"Wait, Jessica gave them those cakes," said George and he turned to Fred over Jessica's head, "if she knows how those pastilles work, you don't think..."
"She did it on purpose? No chance," said Fred dismissively. Though he didn't look so sure of his statement.
"I wouldn't say no chance, everyone's got a sense of humour you know, and Jess is alright," said Jessica. It might have been a self brag, but she didn't know that, and Fred glanced down at her like she had just said the most profound thing he had ever heard.
"Now," said Draco, "I'm glad we're alone. I want to talk about tomorrow."
Fred and George huddled in closer and Jessica was stuck between them. She thought this would trigger her claustrophobia, but actually, it didn't affect her at all. She was just enjoying being around them when they weren't calling her bitch. It was like old times.
"Tomorrow?" Neville asked worriedly as Draco stepped in closer to him. He hadn't a clue what he was talking about.
"Yes," whispered Draco as he checked that both sides of the corridor were empty, "I want to let you know the plan whilst it's just us. We'll leave from Umbridge's fireplace mid-afternoon to the manor and get ready from there. I hope you don't mind but mother has sorted you a dress, we kind of have a code and can't risk anyone standing out from it."
"What the hell is he talking about? She can't be going to Malfoy Manor surely?" George whispered. Fred just met his eyes and leaned in closer to listen, saying nothing as to not miss anything said. Jessica thought the concern was not needed, given that they had shown no regard for her personal safety in recent weeks.
"Why not, they're friends," shrugged Jessica.
"Because it's Death Eater central there," Fred told her, "and she's a part of-" George shook his head at him and Fred never finished his sentence. She knew he was going to say 'The Order' but of course, Neville wouldn't have known about that.
They all continued listening to Draco talking, Jessica taking mental notes for things she had to remember.
"There's a lot of important people to meet, I've put you next to me and one of Dad's colleagues from work at the dinner. I'm hoping you can charm him, Father wants to make a deal. Then there's dancing and music and all that stuff but that's the chance to network. I'm hoping you can be my partner for most of the night though, can't stand dancing with someone with two left feet. Then you can sleep in one of our spare rooms, but if you get lonely well," he stroked up Jessica's arm, "my room is always open."
Jessica was horrified but also tried to hold in the laugh that was so desperate to escape. She was the only one in the vicinity who knew that Draco had just flirted with Neville Longbottom. Oh, poor Neville. Luckily, Neville was so scared he didn't know what to do, he just stood there with no emotion.
"Bloody hell," said Fred and he inched away from the speaker, "what a creep."
"I would say she's with Adrian but let's be honest her morals are grey at the best of times," said George, "wouldn't put it past her to sleep with Malfoy to get ahead, he's got the connections for a smart girl like her."
"She's not with Adrian," Jessica had to mention, though she was somewhat happy that George called her smart.
"And you know that how?" Fred asked curiously, "you haven't actually been spying on her, have you? Because if so, we need to have a talk with you about social norms Neville."
Jessica tutted, it was good that she could think quick on her feet. "I had her for detention and overhead Pansy and her talking. They're well...I guess like you and Angelina."
"I'm not with Angelina," Fred snapped and he shifted awkwardly on his knees, "I'm not with anyone."
"Exactly," said Jessica, her lips curling up diagonally, "neither is she. Girls can have casual things too you know."
"Being partnered with Ginny in the DA has really rubbed off on you hasn't it," said George as he rubbed Jessica on the back, "good for you Neville, bringing on the Feminism."
"Wouldn't hurt you to do it either," Jessica joked, "girls like it when you stick up for them rather than bring them down for something boys get prided on."
"We could use you actually," said Fred putting his arm around her and changing the conversation direction quickly, "we've been lacking in product ideas for the female demographic and well, due to recent circumstances we don't have the access to their minds like we used to, but they trust you don't they? Think you could do a bit of market research for us? Find out what products ladies are wanting?"
"If the price is right," Jessica jibbed, "but if you're in need of any tips for talking to girls, which you clearly are, I'll have to charge extra."
Both Fred and George laughed as they pulled her in for a chokehold and ruffled Neville's short black hair in a brotherly way. Though a bit boysterous, she was not ready for how much that simple action would affect her. They were just joking with her, being the guys she used to know.
For a moment she wished she could just stay in Neville's body forever so that she could go back and live out the rest of Hogwarts as him and live an uncomplicated life, but that would still not excuse how they had acted towards her. It was still unfair how they had just switched it up when they were this nice to others.
Fred asked her to confirm her involvement with a final fist bump, and as she hit his fist with her own, she rested it there for a second, analysing the unstable sensation she felt by being near him. She didn't know if it was out of joy, or resentment, she had yet to make that clarification. However, she didn't have long to focus on it, as she saw a bubble pop up under the skin on her hand.
The polyjuice potion. It was wearing off.
She was going to turn back into herself at any moment.
"Where are you rushing off to?" Fred asked as she got up frantically and lept up to her feet.
Jessica rested her hands on the back of her head to hide the bubbles that were coming up in tens now. Neville's short hair took her by surprise as she was used to playing with a long mane.
"I-uh I just remembered, I have detention with Jessica, I can't be late."
"Neville come on stay up here, she won't find us-"
But Jessica had already gone. She ran down the nook and called out to Neville, who looked like he was in urgent need of saving from Malfoy.
"Jessica, I'm here for my detention now!" Jessica called out. It alerted both the attention of a relieved Neville and a pissed off Malfoy who hated being interrupted.
"Alright, bit excited for it arent you?" asked Draco mockingly and then he turned to Neville, "Want a bit of help with this one? I don't really want to go back to the Party."
"No thank you," Neville spluttered politely. He ran towards her and grabbed Jessica's hand, both of them running off up the stairs until their polyjuice potion wore off. Once they were comfortable that no one was going to catch them and they had transformed back into themselves, they fell to the floor laughing.
"Are you alright Neville?" Jessica asked with concern whilst wiping her happy tears, "with what Draco did?"
"Are you kidding? That's the most fun I've had in months, seeing them slide in their own sick," said Neville with a big grin on his face, "besides I can't take Malfoy seriously now that I know how he flirts. Proper creepy lad isn't he."
"Yeah," laughed Jess, "that's Draco alright."
"Thanks, Jess," said Neville and he patted her on the shoulder, "I wish you could take all my detentions."
"Come next term I'll try and make it that way," said Jessica, making herself a promise, "oh, by the way, I just got you a job working for Fred and George, in case they spring it on you."
"You did what?!"
From that night, Neville and Jessica became good friends. Not friends forced by duty, nor by circumstance, just normal friends. It felt good, having a friend, and Jessica felt a new lease of life knowing she now had someone with who she could have a blank slate.
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Luna, Neville and Jess...a new trio perhaps?
Next Chapter will be the Christmas Ball...I have now planned the end of the fic and will be getting underway with the rest of the chapters soon!
As usual keep up with the comments, it really means a lot <3
K xx