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ATHENA DASHED ACROSS THR PITCH along with everyone else. Pointing her wand at Crabbe and Goyle, she pushed them back causing them to topple into the mud as she went to grab Neville's arm. His nose was dripping blood as he held his hands over his face in pain.
McGonagall had managed to get Malfoy and Weasley apart and both were looking very ashamed as they stood kicking their shoes into the ground.
"Malfoy, Weasley, Crabbe, Goyle follow me to my office now!" McGonagall called sternly, "Athena you might want to take Longbottom to the hospital wing"
"Will do Professor" Athena agreed as she placed her hand on Neville's back and started leading him away from the rallying students. There were still ongoing cheers of ceremonious victory as Athena and Neville pushed through the crowds of red and gold.
The mob were following them back up to the school yet together Athena and Neville walked a lot faster. Neville's jeans were coated in mud which had splashed up onto his favourite Gryffindor jumper. Athena waved her wand hastily and the mud vanished. She would do the same with the blood however she thought it best to get him to Madame Pomfrey first.
"What were you thinking Neville" Athena sighed, "did they start it? They're just the type—"
"I started it" Neville murmured quietly. Athena looked down at him in surprise however he was still sheltering his injury between reddened hands.
She didn't say anything else as she led the small boy blindly into the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey had been busying herself rearranging ointments as they walked in. She hurried over and led Neville to a bed where she cleaned him up with some quick spell work. Neville's nose had been broken however the matron was able to put it back to normal with a simple Episkey spell.
There were more injuries coming in after that from the game. Bludgers seemed to be the bane of Poppy's job as she hurried around the players looking weary and pained. Neville sat on the white linen bed staring at his now clean hands. He gave off a strong feeling of shame and Athena let out a long sigh as she sat down in the chair beside him.
"Why did you try and take on both Crabbe and Goyle at the same time Nev? They're twice your size" Athena began.
"They were being horrible about Harry" Neville huffed, "and about me and well... both you and Harry told me I should stand up for myself"
"Yes but standing up for yourself doesn't mean fighting people" Athena continued, "I thought you knew better Nev"
"They were being horrible about Harry!" Neville protested, "Harry doesn't deserve that"
"They're just jealous" Athena smiled calmly.
"Yeah of Harry not of me" Neville huffed,
"They should be jealous of you" Athena went on, "there's a lot you have that they don't"
"Like what?" Neville asked bitterly, "idiocy? Clumsiness?"
"Bravery for one" Athena suggested,
"I'm not brave" Neville shook his head, "I'm a coward, that's what they all say. I think the hat chose wrong, I don't think I should be in Gryffindor"
"The hat is never wrong Neville" Athena sighed, "you are a Gryffindor even if you don't feel like one"
"Gryffindors are supposed to be brave!"
"You just took on two of the biggest bullies in the school because they picked on you and your friend, I'd say that was pretty brave"
"I thought you were annoyed at me for doing that?"
"Well I'd rather you didn't get your nose broken" Athena laughed, "but it still shows bravery even if for the wrong reasons, it's inside you Neville and the hat saw it which is exactly why it put you in Gryffindor"
"I don't think I should be here at all" he muttered, "they're all right, I'm not good enough"
"Of course you're good enough!" Athena argued, "you are Neville Longbottom! Son of Alice and Frank Longbottom!"
"I'm nothing like them" Neville shook his head, "I'm a nobody"
"You are not" Athena frowned, "people are going to remember your name Neville, I know it"
"They are?" Neville looked up hopefully,
"You'll make sure of it" Athena grinned, "but please don't fight any more students!"
☽☽☽
Ron had gotten off easily with his punishment. It seems that McGonagall's exhilarated mood caused by the success of Gryffindor had softened her strict temper somewhat. He'd only received a warning along with a couple of detentions.
Neville hadn't received anything at all. It had been atomically assumed that Crabbe and Goyle will have started the fight. Athena didn't tell them any different, of course this was unfair but she knew that Crabbe and Goyle would have fought Neville at any opportunity.
The small brunette boy knew to not make the same mistake again. Athena worried that the thoughts he spoke to her had been corrupting his mind. The idea that he was not only unworthy of his Gryffindor title but also of being at the school at all.
Athena hated how Neville looked on himself. She knew it wasn't helped by the words of his own peers, the constant snide words of Malfoy and his comrades. However Athena knew that this anxiety was deep set in his brain from an early age.
Neville felt the way he did because he'd been raised with high expectations to be a perfect copy of his parents, something Neville could never be. Neville was Neville and he felt that this wasn't good enough, he believed that this would never be good enough which completely broke Athena to even think about.
She hoped that her advice had gave him even the smallest part of consolidation. Athena knew that Neville deserved to be a Gryffindor, she did see his parents in him even if his grandma didn't. Augusta had been looking for specific parts of her son and ignoring the ones that Neville actually possessed such as his kind natured generosity and shy demeanour.
After the match, things went back to normal. The excitement died off rather quickly and students were back to studying and complaining about homework. Athena went back to her regular boring timetable again, feeling as though her lessons were constantly missing something as though the spark she'd once used to inspire others was faltering somewhat.
On Monday evening, Athena did the thing that she'd been thinking about all weekend. Call Ben again. She'd missed his voice however mainly she'd worried her head off about his well-being. After all, he'd never ignored or missed one of her calls before.
At first she'd passed it off as something unthreatening like an illness or a bad day. They'd all had them, of course Athena had never missed a call because of them but she'd understand if Ben didn't need to pretend to be strong for her in that moment.
However over the two days that had passed, the images that had entered her mind had poisoned her nerves and played on her imagination. The idea that something was very wrong, that he was lost somewhere or had fallen down.
Athena heard about terrible things happening in the muggle world all the time. Horrible things, crimes and fear around towns and back alleys. Athena didn't want to think that anything like this could have happened to Ben yet over the weekend this is the exact route that her mind had taken her towards.
She knew that they hadn't arranged a call but Athena also knew she couldn't wait until Friday to call him back. Her mind would have shrivelled up with worry but then. Therefore after her minimal Monday lessons, she left from Hogsmeade and arrived in the familiar Scotland town.
Athena hurried to the telephone box which (as always) stood empty. It seemed people believed it to be broken as Athena had never seen anyone else use it before. However she was grateful for this as it meant she had never missed a call.
She pushed in the combination of numbers that she had memorised. Standing with the receiver pressed to her ear, Athena found herself holding her breath as she heard the dull ring playing through her mind.
What felt like an eternity later, the line clicked and the buzzing of background noise reached her ear.
"Ben?" Athena gasped in relief,
"Rena?" He replied. His voice, the one that she'd been dreaming in her mind.
"Yeah it's me" Athena continued, "are you ok?"
"Of course I'm ok" Ben replied,
"You didn't answer on Friday" Athena frowned. She was concerned about the calmness in his tone as though nothing had happened at all. Maybe he really had forgotten.
"I know and I'm so sorry" Ben sighed, "I had to take a last minute call with that publisher I was talking about, she wanted to talk to me"
"Oh right" Athena murmured, "how'd it go?"
"It's looking really good" he replied and she could almost see his grin as though he was standing right in front of her, "I think this could be it, the chance to get published"
"Oh that's incredible!" Athena smiled as she leant against the glass wall behind her, thankful purely to hear his voice. Slowly the anxiety and panic started to fall away as though she'd been hailed with a shower of rain.
"Yeah it looks promising!" Ben continued, "I'm so sorry I couldn't call you. You weren't worried were you?"
"Oh no it's ok" Athena lied quickly suddenly feeling stupid for all the anxiety she had building up inside of her, "I'm just happy for you!"
"Thanks Rena that means the world" Ben replied, "how are things there?"
"Normal" Athena sighed, "you know how kids are, very predictable or unpredictable at the wrong moments"
"Sounds testing"
"I'm used to it" Athena laughed, "I wish I was there with you—"
As she spoke the words she heard the crisp sound of a doorbell in the background of his call.
"Sorry Rena what was that?"
"I said I wish I was there with you" Athena spoke again yet she could hear the prickle of static and knew he'd moved the phone from his ear to open the door.
"Oh shit Rena I have to go, Carol's here"
"Carol?"
"My publisher" Ben replied quickly, "speak to you on Friday"
"Bye I love you!"
The phone line had gone dead before she'd even got a chance to finish her sentence.
"Love you too Rena" she whispered bitterly as she shoved the receiver back into its place. She felt weirdly like someone pushed to the side, like a child hurried to their room when someone important had arrived. Maybe she was being selfish, this opportunity meant everything to Ben. Athena shook the anger off herself as she left the telephone box feeling no better than she had done when she arrived.
☽☽☽
A/n
Words - 1808
Published - 26th April 2021
Just finished reading
Song of Achilles and omg
I'm never going to be ok again
Going to read shadow and bone now tho