September 1st.
The rough, dark blue cushions creak and scratch her thighs as she leans onto them, sitting down after hoisting her carry-on up to the shelf situated above her.
Y/n takes a deep breath before looking around the all too familiar compartment, feeling the almost stuffy air flood her lungs as she inhales, rushing out of them as she exhales, bringing her at ease slightly.
The hufflepuff definitely needs this new found rest as the past year was certainly— action packed.
Voldemort has been confirmed to be still alive and well, it's a fresh start for him, A chance for him to take over the entire world- not just the wizarding world.
Y/n's having trouble believing people now days.
Y/n's parents were murdered for information about the Potters by a couple of death eaters, ordered by you know who.
Her grandmother told her they ransacked the house- tore it apart little by little, destroying every part of the life she'd known as an infant.
y/n was just an 18 month old, a baby who had just learned to walk, not being able to do anything for herself. her grandparents took her in after that.
her grandfather passed away when she was five, leaving her with only her elderly grandmother.
She fears she can't trust anyone anymore, they might turn to the dark side and betray her.
she has barely anybody anymore— well anyone except him.
Her best friend. Neville Longbottom.
She'd been friends with him since second year.
Y/n is positive that he would never join you know who.
Just the way he walks, slightly hunching over everyone, trying to not be seen- so keen to avoid conflict.
the way he talks to her nervously, flushing instantly as she calls out his name.
the way he smiles at her, the lines on his face as he stretches the muscles of his mouth, his cheeks making perfect, squish-able, rosy, skin rise into lumps just below his cheekbones.
The way he cares about everything and everyone, making sure to ask if they're ok when they seem down or distraught, moving animals away from danger, taking such exquisite care of his plants.
No one else does this, not that y/n would notice, she only sees Neville.
Y/n has had a fascination for Neville since 4th year. They had been close friends since 3rd year but she started looking at him differently when he matured a bit, taking things a little more seriously.
when he felt like he could trust her, he gave her the first gift she's ever gotten from a friend.
A plant.
He had gifted her aconite, a popular ingredient in the wolfsbane potion and the wideye potion. The venom colored foliage, sticking up to a curl
before each violently purple bud.
a calcified, red terra cotta pot paired with the herb.
She was astonished someone would ever give her something of the sort, especially as she's never expressed her interest in plants, except with him.
She liked the idea of being out in nature, being surrounded with only her pure thoughts, cleansed by the fresh air and the raw earth.
If she could bring nature into her indoor life, that was the best possible situation, as it was seen as vile to society to live outside, being able to breath in the wonderful crisp, filtered air every morning.
She often wondered back then if anyone else thought as she did, wanting to abandon everything she's been taught, being free of what everyone has told her, every negative being, everything she's ever been judged on, maybe she could forget it.
She thought people who didn't enjoy being in nature had some anger they hadn't dealt with, or maybe they just wanted to seem cool, denying their need for Mother Earth.
She felt safe with Neville, like he'd never judge her.
She felt as if he understood her, urged to breath that same air she did, To be cleansed from deep within the earth. Be buried and secure in its core, no worry in sight.
Just as she almost blocks out the world around her by her thoughts— she's jolted from of her pondering by her best friend,
jumping onto the ground, chasing after his beloved pet toad, the tall boy appearing a lot shorter and smaller as he's crouched on the ground, diving under a seat in the compartment next to y/n.
The smooth sided toad was always escaping from Neville somehow, sure he turned up eventually- he always gave Neville a nasty shock while searching.
Y/n chuckles to herself as she remembers when Trevor leapt into the black lake after Neville had taken him to the knee-deep water search for gillyweed, only to realize the aquatic herb doesn't even grow in this part of the world.
Neville was sure that was the last he'd ever see of him- but later that term Trevor mysteriously showed up in the corner of Neville's spare drawer in his desk.
It was almost the happiest she's ever seen him when he informed her, his smile lines the biggest she's ever imagined, it made her stomach swarm with a wiggly feeling as he laughed, holding Trevor up in front of her face, daringly close to her nose.
She laughs a little louder, getting his attention, he turns his head, still reaching for his pet as he chuckles along with her, his knees kissing the floor, arms out in front of him, tugging under the seat.
Harry Potter steps cautiously around him, making quick work of his time, trying to find a free compartment.
Following him was Luna Lovegood, carrying stacks of her father's newspaper, the quibbler.
Y/n has always been fond of the Lovegoods, Luna especially, She has never been the type to judge.
Luna herself has been tormented and bullied all throughout her life.
The charming girl sports a pair of spectrespecs, made by her father, the pink glasses matching her outfit.
Y/n had read about the peculiar glasses in last weeks' quibbler. They were briefly advertised in the final statement of the magazine.
excited to be stimulated through the train ride,
y/n stretches her legs, stepping towards the girl.
"Luna, how have you been?" Y/n smiles as the girl with the strange-looking spectacles quickly looks up at her, smiling with a dazed look.
"oh pleasantly, quibbler?" Y/n nods eagerly, knocking some hair in front of her eyes, before pushing it behind her ear after the curious girl walks away.
She glances at the cover before turning her attention to her newly standing best friend, now with his precious toad in hand.
"Neville! I missed you, are you doing alright?" She questions before pulling him into a hug, his arms stretching out, embracing her warmth and the material of her jumper, the smell of her hair, the feeling of her right up against him, the green yarn of his jumper stretching as He hugs back instantly, smiling before he can get any words out.
" i-I've been great, Gran's saw what I did last July- at the ministry. She's real proud, even bought be a new wand!"
Neville gently switches Trevor to his other hand, almost letting him escape again before dipping his hand into his pocket, pulling out a 13 inch, dark wooden Wand, the handle almost black and twisted at three points, connected to the base at a slight dip.
"Cherry wood with unicorn hair core- not flexible though, gran already warned me not to try to bend it. She says she won't be investing in another" he chuckles nervously at his last sentence, rubbing the back of his neck.
Before Y/n can respond Neville gets called over by a familiar boy, Harry Potter. The short boy with dark hair, barely caring to cover the lightning scar on his forehead, unlike his past years at Hogwarts.
"I-ill stop by your compartment before the train stops, I have a lot of new plants to talk to you about-" he says as he waves and starts to jog towards the 'chosen one' as everyone is calling him.
Y/n chuckles as she watches him nearly trip on the sill of the compartment.
she turns around, the encounter fresh in her mind. She sets out for her familiar, rough blue fabric seat.
Once settled on the cushions, she directs her attention to the cover of the quibbler, the front page reading:
"Quibbler
Pandemonium at the ministry
"What a pavaler"
Wrackspurts,
unfuzz the mystery, (pg 12)"
She chuckles at the pop-out spectrespecs I
On the cover, quickly following the instructions on the paper, ripping them out gently and constructing the curious object before placing her new spectacles in her pocket, making sure she doesn't lose them.
Y/n is greeted by three forth year hufflepuffs, they distractedly wave their busy hands and throw their bags up on the shelf above the window, next to y/n's carry-on, not bothering to speak any words to her as they huddle together and chat.
The hufflepuffs gossip to themselves as she continues to read her interesting magazine, the fellow hufflepuffs surely whispering about her.
Y/n Taking note to remember the information in the magazine, just in case it does come in handy, making sure to pinch the edge of the page that has information on preventing wrackspurts from climbing into your ears, hoping she doesn't already have some lurking.
Right after she turned to page 13, Neville walks past her compartment, looking worried, twiddling his fingers while following Harry.
Neville Suddenly makes eye contact with her, y/n gets lost in his tense, hazel eyes. He stops, admiring her y/e/c eyes.
his cheeks flush a light pink as he slowly reaches his hand out, quite like he was under a spell-almost opening the door to y/n's compartment.
His Eyebrows soften, compared to before, scrunched.
His gaze and body relaxing as he continues to stare into her eyes, waiting for his hand to turn the handles and enter the cramped compartment.
She got so distracted by his soft gaze she barely noticed her compartment door swing open, revealing a panting 3rd year ravenclaw, clawing at her chest like she's just run 16 kilometers, almost throwing Neville over at the force of her, surly knocking him out of his trance.
"I-I'm looking for y/n y/l/n, s-she's needed in professor s-slughorns compartment" the thirteen year old claims, still panting, slamming the door shut as Y/n stumbles up, left Leg asleep from being rested on the tough cushions too long. Pulling her shirt down, incase it bunched up onto her hips a little too much.
She pushes her copy of the quibbler up along with her bag, having to stand on her seat as she situates it with her other belongings.
She tightly grasps the door handle, sliding the glass to the left, stepping through before dodging people who walk outside the door. Straightening her jacket while taking a breath.
This must be why Neville was so nervous, are we in trouble-
Y/n gets cut off in her head as she sees the person she was just making intimate eye contact with, her best friend.
She opens the sliding door to the compartment slowly, questioning as to if she's in the right place.
Her eyes meet a large, rather old man dressed in velvet, his head completely painted in silver strands, he's laughing almost fake-ly, surrounded by students.
Assuming this is Slughorn, she takes the last seat available, next to Ginny Weasley, across from her best friend, the shy tall boy, Neville.
her legs hangoff the side of the seat, not wanting to intrude on Ginny Weasleys personal space.
She looks around before greeting everyone with a smile.
In the compartment is Harry Potter. Blaise Zabini, a Slytherin in malfoys posse. Ginny Weasley. two 7th year boys y/n doesn't recognize, both of which seem most intimidating. Neville of course, and Slughorn.
The cramped compartment is nearly exploding, the engineers never expecting this many people to be in a single compartment at once.
"Ah- We have the whole bunch,
Mrs, y/l/n! So glad to meet you, as we were talking about- our family- Mr. Zabini has quite the interesting case-" slughorn squinted his eyes while raising both his eyebrows quite obnoxiously at the boy.
"he was just telling us about his mother, she had- was it seven- seven suitors.. all of which have passed by now- poor Mrs Zabini" slughorn continues his last sentence with fake sympathy.
Neville looks at y/n as his throat moves down in such a way, gulping.
"A-and of course Potter! His story is legendary- I'm sure we've all heard it by now!" Slughorn gawks as Blaise makes an unamused chuckle, sending Ginny into a frenzy.
"wouldn't make any noise like that if I were you, not like you have talent like Harry does-"
"now now- Mr. Zabini, I wouldn't mess with this one- I saw her conjure a very impressive bat-bogey jinx only moments ago on the most unfortunate Mr. smith" slughorn interrupts her, not trying to have jinxes being thrown at anyone, especially not at himself.
Neville chokes back a laugh by covering his mouth with the back of his hand, not daring to look at y/n as he knows if he even so much as thinks about her she'll make a face and then he'll crack, scared knowing Blaise will jinx him much worse than a bat-bogey jinx.
"And Mrs. y/l/n!- I don't think we've heard about your family- what do they do?- their occupation?" slughorn leans back onto the blue cushions, waiting for her response.
"Um- well,-" y/n looks up at Neville before continuing, their eyes meeting to give each other a look full of worry.
"They um- died during the first war..some death eaters killed them for information abou-"
she's cut off, staring at Harry.
" Um- just information..." she finishes quickly, looking away from Harry as soon as she can.
"Oh- oh dear...well not too far off from Mr.Longbottom's" Slughorn chuckles to himself, somehow amused at his joke.
Y/n sneaks a horrified look from Neville, she knew about his parents, and he knew about hers.
How on earth could he say that-
Neville and y/n bonded over the fact that both their parents were in the Order and they were both raised by their grandmothers, and the fact that their grandfathers died, only Neville's grandfather passed just early last year, before fifth year started.
————
after a half-hour of speaking about their families and fake sympathy, the group moved on to the subject of favorite candies, all are unfortunate enough to learn that Slughorns is candied pineapple.
Half the compartment excuses themselves from the conversation as the subject occurs, Neville and Y/n are part of them, Slughorn seems most upset as Harry leaves the compartment, along with Blaise.
Y/n spots Harry sneak a glance at Blaise before disappearing suddenly, almost as if he had become invisible.
As soon as Neville and Y/n escape the sliding door, almost nipping their ankles at the speed they shut it at,
Y/n invites him to her compartment while smiling hopefully.
"hey- neville, you should come to my compartment- i-i could share my copy of the quibbler with you- so you dont have to go back to your compartment to get your copy" she holds onto his arm while other students walk past them- rushing to get somewhere.
"yeah! lets go!-" Neville exclaims excitedly. "I-I have new plants to talk to you about!" Admitting while grabbing a hold of her gray jacket and pulling her to her compartment, it being halfway full of the hufflepuffs, she left them the compartment when she was called to Slughorns'.
the bunch stops talking as Neville pushes open the sliding door, looking up at him before returning to their conversation and gossiping, gasping every once in a while as the other person spews secrets of others.
Neville quickly extends his arm after shutting the sliding door, reaching for the magazine off of y/n's carry-on, his sleeve riding up his forearm, exposing his watch.
The trinket with a metal circle just before a bunch of Roman numerals, representing numbers.
after the metal stops, it's follows by thick, dark brown, leather straps, slightly peeling and scarred.
He grabs the curious magazine before adjusting his sleeve, hiding his watch.
"I like your watch, Neville" y/n says smiling, looking down at the barely exposed accessory.
"T-thanks, gran said it was dads- she said she doesn't really have a need for it anymore" he says before pulling back his sleeve, giving y/n full view of it.
she slowly pulls his hand closer, She carefully touches the cracked glass to notice it doesn't work.
her heart sinks and warms at the same time by this fact, she guesses it brings comfort to Neville to have something of his fathers. He watches her smile at the thought.
Neville's mind racing at her touch, her hand holding his but not like how he'd want her to, it really doesn't matter as long as shes touching him tough. Their fingers almost inter winded, he blushes deeply, a smear of crimson being pulled over his previously light pink cheeks.
Neville's attention is pulled back to the magazine, seeing the pop-out spectrespecs have already been popped out.
He looks at y/n curiously before seeing she's dropped his hand and pulled the funny looking glasses out of her large pocket, quickly re adjusting the frames back into place, them being scrunched up in her pocket for a while.
Neville smiles even more, his smile lines increasing as he carefully takes the spectrespecs from y/ns soft grasp, placing the seemingly small glasses on his nose, them almost falling off as a result of the frames not being able to reach his ears.
Y/n giggles as he looks at her through a small space where the glasses refuse to touch his nose, her looking into a sliver of his enchanting, hazel eyes.
She jokingly plucks the glasses off of his nose, making sure to stick out her pinky as she pinches her thumb and pointer to grab the frames before pulling them onto her face, them fitting almost perfectly.
She gasps as she looks over to the hufflepuffs with the glasses on, the students still gossiping.
She notices faint little pink and blue fly-like beams of light swarming around their heads, dipping dangerously close to their ears.
Y/n quickly takes off the glasses, rubbing her eyes furiously before looking at the fellow students.
Confused at the non visible floating creatures, she places the spectrespecs back on, revealing them again.
"Neville- look-" shoving the glasses into his hand and subtlety pointing to the trio, giving him an opportunity to look at the strange creatures.
He smiles questioningly as he puts on the glasses, having to hold them against his face as they're too small for him, his mouth gaping as when he notices.
Y/n laughs as she has to push his mouth shut, His face washes over with crimson again as he feels her nails on his chin, barely touching him but still making contact.
he quickly grabs the magazine, flips to page 12 and starts reading.
"T-tha- I didn't think it woul-" he stutters, amazed, his eyes graze over the reading material quickly, trying to soak up all the information he can.
"is this the first time Luna has actually made sense?" Neville questions, shutting the magazine.
"she talked about them in my compartment, before i left with harry" he fumbles with his fingers.
"-harry thought it was a load of rubbish- he kept looking at me like she was mad, it was honestly kinda of annoying- he's really close-minded" Neville admits, looking down at his hands.
"i used to think she was a little off- though not as much as Harry does apparently" y/n replies, scooping her arms up to rub the back of her head.
"me too- though at the ministry, she helped us all so much that i kind of forgot about it- it didn't matter" Neville admitted, smiling up at y/n.
"im sorry i couldn't be there- i really tried to- i did, but the inquisitorial squad was too strong, i couldn't get away-" Neville interrupts her apology.
"-y/n- its really ok- even if you did manage to break free from the inquisitorial squad, and if you did come with us- i wouldn't ever forgive myself if something happened to you" he pushes the hair away from his eyes, getting a better look at y/n.
she blushes. he knows she probably cannot respond to that, shes too humble and he knows that.
"Grans been really happy you've been writing to me all summer- she said she wants to meet you one day" he changes the subject, taking off his jumper, it riding up along with his red gryffindor shirt, exposing his bare back for a moment or two, making you blush. His sleeves coming down to his wrists before he tugs them up to his elbows, getting ready for the long train ride.
"Grandmother too, she said you seem very polite. She said you remind her of my father, she always talked about how he cared about animals, much like the way you care about herbology.
Apparently he was training to be a Magizoologist before he joined the order" she continues looking down while smiling.
"but- he wasn't as brave as you are, he was a hufflepuff like me, but-"
"anything from the trolley dears?" The trolley lady screeches, cutting y/n off.
Neville hops up, he glances at y/n before standing up fully, his shirt stretching as he flexes his back, reaching for his money.
Y/n catches a glimpse of his back muscles through his shirt, blushing as she catches herself staring, she feels her face get hot, placing both her hands on her cheeks to hopefully cool them before Neville notices.
"Two chocolate frogs, and a packet of bertie botts, please" Neville smiles excitedly before handing the trolley lady his money, handing her 3 galleons for the very overpriced candy.
as the lady reaches for his snacks, Neville looks back at y/n, he sees her with a big goofy smile on her face, y/n biting her lip trying to suppress it.
She fiddles with her fingers before he sits down with his snacks, his feet flat on the ground- unlike y/n who's feet dangle off the seat- as he hands her a chocolate frog.
"Neville- you really shouldn't have bought that- those are really overpriced-" she bickers, her getting ready to hand it back as she's cut off by his light scoff.
"Y/nnnnn, it's fine really, gran gave me a few extra galleons this term, by the way- are you staying for Christmas?" He changes the subject quickly, distracting her as he pushes the chocolate frog back to her.
"Oh yeah- I am. Grandmother said I'm finally at the age where she can trust me to take care of myself-" y/n responds before Neville jolts from excitment, y/n jumps slightly from Neville's movement, the quibbler slightly moving on the seat as he replaces himself in his seat.
"Me too! We can go to hogsmeade, and-and look around for winter jasmine flowers- they're supposed to be pretty rare-"
Neville rambles as he ponders out into the window, quickly staring at y/n every once in a while, seeing her paying imense attention.
he notices her movement, she directs her attention to her chocolate frog, her arms at her side as her hands take apart the package it was placed.
She takes out her card from under the half eaten chocolate frog, carefully placing the plastic wrapper on the blue cushion, guarding the seat from the messy chocolate.
She ooohs as she pulls out the character, the person moving around as if they were in a hurry.
"Artemisia Lufkin- the first minister of magic, I don't have that one yet!" She laughs as Neville beams at her happy face, his teeth showing chocolate as he smiles.
Blushing as she asks who he got on his character card.
Neville got a pretty ordinary card, Dumbedore.
————
The pair joke happily and read the quibbler together as the train makes its way closer and closer to the castle, Protective spells being cast in the distance as hours pass.
not a smidge of boredom in sight between the two. they're just so comfortable with each other its hard to not make a good conversation. y/n just feels safe with Neville, like he'd protect her without a thought.
"Oh Neville- there's the gryffindor tower, right there!" y/n points out the window at the castle, far in the distance but within twenty minutes of arrival.
"We should change into our robes" y/n ushers as she stands up, climbing into the seat, setting her feet on the cushion before reaching for her carry-on, along with Neville's bag, he placed it there after he bought snacks off the trolly, Grouping his with hers.
He blushes as she's taller than him for once, he has a clear view of her face as she looks over to the shelf, reaching for the bags.
She hands him his bag before digging in hers to find her set of assigned garments, her house colors peaking through any fabric that isn't black or grey.
she leaves the compartment, Walking out and into the washroom to change.
Enchanted by her, Neville follows, barely noticing when she goes into the washroom, walking into the washroom door as she shuts it, not noticing him following her.
he comes back from his trance at the restroom door wacking his nose, Seamus pats his back, witnessing the entire ordeal.
Neville pulls himself together before picking his own washroom, changing into his uniform, his sweater vest lined with red and gold thread, his white button-up peaking through, under his sweater vest.
his robes hiding most of his attire, except the front of his body, showing the V-neck of his sweater vest.
Y/n finishes first, trotting back to her compartment so she can grab her copy of the quibbler, her feet stomping on the floor as she attempts to beat Neville there.
She reaches the door just he exits the washroom, closing the door as y/n shoots him a smile, happy he's there and well.
His face blushing, not realizing what she was smiling at, he shoots a curious look before an understanding one, soon realizing she was just smiling at him, just him.
He soon returns the sweet smile, as soon as she turns away to walk in her compartment he switches to a stupid grin on his face, happy that he can even exist in same vicinity of the love of his life.
————
On their way off the train, they bump into Ron and Hermione, missing a very important person in their group, they instantly ask Neville where Harry is, seeing as Neville went with him to Slughorns compartment.
Apparently they haven't seen him since they got back from prefect duty, their patience growing thin as Neville struggles to remember what he did after walking to the compartment with harry.
y/n answered for him. "i saw him just- disappear after he left the compartment-" Ron and Hermione look at each other, their faces appearing worried. "- Slughorn wasn't that happy to see him go- but he did seem interest in what Blaise Zabini was doing" y/n tells them, her watching them intently to see if she was any help.
"W-well I'm sure he's already on the platform-" Ron butts in hopefully, walking to one of the exits of the train to open the door for the first years, part of his prefect duties, he puffs out his chest, gripping the gold handle before twisting it the wrong way, running into the door with his face.
once he finally opens the exit door correctly, Neville and y/n follow them in their search for Harry, riding the thestral drawn carriage to the front gates, the mysterious creatures not making any noise, as they were trained to.
y/n sat across from Neville, their knees touching from the cramped space, she, nor him, minded though, almost seeming as if they both want each other to touch the other.
the mysterious trees seeming as if a light fog was extruding out of them, making the air of entire forest somewhat opaque.
they're met with large iron-looking gates with large spikes on top of them.the gates seemed to be incredibly strong, being there were probably strengthening charms built up on them.
The gate itself being over 20 feet tall, the spikes adding a good 3 feet.
Standing just over to the right of the gate is Professor flitwick, the ravenclaw head of house.
he checks them in, small clipboard clutched in his small hands, his fingernails gripping onto the parchment on the clipboard.
checking in the students was a new security measure in at hogwarts, along with scanning them with secrecy sensors before they can walk through the doors.
the group huddled through the gate, still looking for Harry as they made their way up to the castle before being scanned with the secrecy sensors.
they only heard the sensors beep once, it was when filtch was searching Vincent Crabbe, he apparently brought a cursed ring into the grounds, he doubted that hogwarts had any more security than last year, when everyone doubted that you know who was back.
the boy was brought up to his head of house to be dealt with, the group didn't hear anything else of it.
They make it past the big doors, the entrance to the castle. walking into the great hall, the doors doors open as students flood the already crowded hall, stirring into their seats at the benches.
Neville and y/n part ways with a wave, y/n heading to the hufflepuff table with her fellow students, finding some ease with the yellow accents on their robes, she sits next to Malcolm Preece, the hufflepuff chaser.
he quickly makes conversation, a bold boy. hoping to be entertained, he asked if y/n had any interesting stories from her summer, if she had any experiences he'd enjoy listening to.
she quickly turned away, tired of the boys' antics.
Neville escorts himself to the gryffindor table, he takes a seat next to Ginny. Ron pulls himself away form his conversation with hermione, leaning towards Neville to inform him.
"Neville- scoot down, Harry still hasn't come, If the bloke isn't already bleeding out on the ground he might wanna sit there" Ron whisper-shouts with a sour expression on his face, looking away and continues to talk to Hermione.
Neville scoots down the bench, feeling somber at the fact no one wants to sit next to him, leaving him next to a random gryffindor, them silently scooting away as he moves towards them.
The sorting hat sings a new song, about staying
calm in troubled times— or something like that, she wasn't paying attention, she was looking at Neville.
The back of him.
The way his hair swooped a bit right at the top of his head, the way it curled right at the very bottom, making the cutest little ringlet.
The way his uniform rubbed against his neck, the way it stretched as he reached for the rolls, his arms extending, revealing more of his neck, further down.
The way his jaw moved as he chewed his food. She was half glad he sat in this seat, he couldn't see y/n stare at him.
She's was almost certain he could feel it though, the way she was staring, almost burning a hole in the back of his head.
She did miss his charming, hazel eyes meeting hers, but that was a price she has to pay to be able to stare at his without worry of him knowing.
After she decided to start eating her mashed potatoes, looking down at the plate, smushing the substance with her spoon, seeing bits of chicken accidentally mixed in with it from before when she was cutting the meat up.
she looked up at Neville again, finding those familiar eyes staring back at her, his body twisting around just to see her, his eyes staring almost longingly.
Like he hadn't seen her in year, like he just got back from war and hadn't talked to her yet. Like he truly missed her, even though he just rode with her on the train.
To be honest, Neville couldn't get enough of
y/n, she was all he thought about.
The only person he could ever muster up the energy to write to.
The only person he cared for like that. The only person he truly longed for.
Those moments in the train, her smile, just seeing her happy. Is the only thing that motivates Neville.
He always wanted to be around her, even when he couldn't. During the summer, he just mostly wrote to y/n and slept, his sleep cycle became almost overbearing- just being awake would nearly pain him- he just wanted to be unconscious so he could dream, hoping he would dream about y/n.
It was excruciating to be without her. She made him whole.
She made him complete.
He was willing to risk everything for that girl. He couldn't stand just being friends with her, he needed to feel her fingers in his, her hair on his chest as they lie down together, lips on his, her arms around his neck, her fingers through his hair, her nails scratching his back as he-
he's cut off by his thoughts by a bloody Harry Potter, now rushing into the great hall with Luna Lovegood.
Y/n also sees this, almost everyone in the great hall does. He sits down next to Neville, closer to Ginny.
Right as ginny starts to wipe away harrys blood, dumbledore stands up at the front of the hall.
Everyones attention is shifted to his right hand, black and almost charred looking, undoubtedly infected. the skin basically withering off his bones.
some kids quickly look away, still trying to use their ears in hopes of catching something important from his speech. holding their mouths and stomachs, scared they've suddenly become sick.
Dumbledore quickly announces updates with the school, upcoming events and new a teacher, not even trying to distract people from his hand.
"We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year-" he says, resting his hands on the alter standing just before the staff table. '- i hope everybody will warmly welcome, professor Horace, Slughorn" Dumbledore moves to the side, exposing the familiar face to the hall. his silver hair exposed to everyone in the hall, he stands up, his velvet covered stomach almost knocking over a few goblets on his way up.
" he will- be taking over potions.." Dumbledore continues, his body moving back to the center of the hall. "..as professor Snape will be handling the spot..for defense against the dark arts"
many students gasp and turn to whisper to their neighbors.
Neville immediately turns around to face y/n, sending her a timid look, visibly scared.
The entirety of the Slytherin table cheer, some punch the air, their sleeves riding up as they do so.
Dumbledore finishes his speech, something to do with Voldemort and how basically they all have potential to become like him- or that's what y/n heard, she was too busy paying attention to Neville.
she could see how the idea of Voldemort being back really scared him, to be honest, it scared her too, who didn't it scare?
dumbledore dismisses the children, sending them to bed after dessert.
Kids suddenly stand up from their benches, screetching the wood on the stone floors as many students try to get up at the same time.
Swarms of students leaving for the door, waiting to find a space they can squeeze into, making their way to their dorms, moving as if Voldemort himself was behind them, their robes merging together as one black blob, occasionally letting a slip of color shine through.
Y/n spots Neville just outside the door, his straight hair slightly swooping over his forehead, exposing a slight flash of his pale skin.
He's looking around, looking for something, his eyes clearing searching for one specific thing.
Y/n sees his eyes almost light up as he looks at her.
He found what he was looking for.
Even though there were students running all around them, everyone else looking like a blob, Neville being the only person she can see clearly.
They stare at each other from across the hallway, not even trying to hide the fact that they're looking at each other, talking with their eyes as their irises glisten at the sight of one another.
their friends around them try to chatter amongst them, trying to get in a conversation before a staff member or a prefect yells at them to go to bed.
y/n and Neville just ignore their friends trying to speak to them, responding with one word sentences.
Neville and y/n look away from each other while blushing furiously, standing about ten feet apart from each other, both not wanting this moment to ever end- suddenly they're pulled away from their thoughts, interrupted.
"Oi- Neville, stop flirting and get over here, we don't wanna get yelled at by ronnikins on prefect duties!" Seamus yells, arching up the first few stairs of the moving staircases.
"we aren't-" Neville says panicking, cut off by Seamus.
"yeah yeah I don't care, come on" Seamus laughs at Neville, causing him to sigh.
Neville waves to y/n his blush showing up in his hand. y/n waves back, her chuckling at Seamus's comment before turning away and smiling at her feet, still blushing.
She sees Neville, out of the corner of her eye, almost trip as he catches the moving stairs, his robes flailing behind him as he runs up the stairs behind Seamus.
She laughs, rubbing her face with her hands, hoping to get rid of her blush before heading down into the basements, the cracked stone standing out on each step down.
she maneuvers the pair of barrels, right of the door leading to the kitchens.
behind the barrels y/n taps the rhythm she's known for six years, not feeling like she wants to get drenched in vinegar tonight.
she stands next to the door as it swings open, she steps in, ignoring anyone and everyone in the common room, she makes her way to the shared washrooms, then to her obnoxiously yellow dorm, more like her obnoxiously yellow bed. shes immensely tired and just wants to rest.
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She Immediately engulfs a big sigh as She lands on her familiar, yellow bedsheets, on the bed she knows and loves the most.
just getting back from the shared lavatory, Changing into her most comfortable pajamas.
Her grandmother always bought her somewhat revealing clothes, as of last year, since she turned fifteen.
she would usually wear them to bed, so one body would see them but so she would still use them so she didnt feel bad about then just wasting away in the back of her drawer.
but It's a bit chilly today, even though it's only September, so she chooses long, red and blue plaid trousers and a white tank top, the tank top the only thing that her grandmother sent.
She crawls under her cotton sheets, snuggling against her pillow and part of her headboard, sitting up slightly. she grabs her hairbrush off her of nightstand.
her roommate comes in from the lavatory before she sits down on on her bed, across the room from y/n she unpacks her large suitcase at the end of her bed, the yellow bedsheets clashing with the gold suitcase.
y/n's running her wooden hairbrush through her hair while she waits for her roommate to finish up unpacking.
"Soo...you and Neville seem really close~" she says raising her eyes brows, suggesting a number of things.
Y/n panics, dropping her hairbrush, blushing as her roommate laughs out
"nonono- he's just a friend- it's n-nothing more" y/n panics before laying down on her bed, turning her head into her pillow, smiling into the cotton at the idea of him.
"Well, I can tell he really cares about you- he's not a bad guy" her roommate expresses, her while pushing her hair out of her face, back onto her head.
"he's always been the sweetest person here just about- but he doesn't feel that way toward me-" y/n rubs her face, her fingers massaging her cheekbones as she prepares to sleep.
"y/n- you obviously don't see the way he looks at you- i'm surprised you don't see it, you look at him pretty much every second" y/n smiles into her cotton pillow, not responding, the her muscles in her face stretching as memories of him flood her mind as she prepares to sleep and, hopefully, dream about Neville.
she quickly turns off her light to cover up the giddy smile on her face.
just the idea of neville longbottom made her blush, the fact that he could feel the same way- possibly even like her more, that made her skin jump with excitment, her stomach swirl with butterflies, her cheeks flush a deep red.
———————
Neville lurks up the spiral staricase to his dormitory, smiling a toothy grin as he has a memory of y/n fresh in his mind.
he prances with his chest a little higher than usual, surprised at the new-found confidence, showing off his maroon and gold tie.
him marching behind the laughing Seamus Finnagin, probably making a joke about Ron and Hermione's prefect duties, if Neville was being honest, the prefect jokes were kind of funny.
Neville and Seamus have always been close, not really voluntarily, Neville was almost forced to as they share a dorm. its not too bad until Seamus starts being just flat out rude.
on his way up, Neville accidentally bumps into Cormac Mcclaggen as he was lost in his own world, definitely not thinking about his encounter with y/n-
the rather sort and musty colored hair boy feeling rather insecure today, deciding to mess with Neville.
"you excited for defense against the dark arts this year?" Mcclaggen asks with a smirk on his face.
"too bad Snape isn't a boggert this year" Cormac laughs as he purposefully knocks Neville into the wall of the staircase, Neville hitting his shoulder on the hard, stone wall, covering up his wince with a cough.
He shudders as Seamus tells him to keep up, quickly collecting himself and direct his attention back to the memory of y/n.
Her eyes, the way they flutter open when she blinks.
Her lips, the way she unknowingly licks them, her saliva sending a light gloss over them.
Her cheeks, the way they blush when Neville looks at her.
The way she parts her hair, it being tangled most og the time, y/n has never cared if her hair was perfect, Neville had seen other girls not care about their hair but it was different when y/n did it, even if it wasn't different at all.
Neville climbs into bed after taking off his robe, layers combined of of shirts and sweaters, then his trousers.
Neville gets hot easily, he almost always sleeps in just his boxers. He also loved the way the sheets felt on his bare skin,
The cotton making a calming contact, as if someone was touching him.
He pulled the red curtains of his bed shut before taking a spare pillow, Turning it sideways, and cuddling it, spooning it as if it was a person, a specific person, protecting it as if it was alive.
Y/n- you're so soft, I could lay here all day with you..
his imagination works wonder, envisioning him laying with her, his arms wrapped around her as he whispers sweet nothings to her while she drifts into a deep sleep.
Him quickly following his daydream by actually falling asleep, still holding the pillow, gripping it tightly, making sure it never falls off the bed or leaves his grasp, he guards it from any dark Magic that could ever come his way.
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This is me two years after writing this..... I disappeared for a while but I figured I should just release this one chapter and see what people think. I have a few ready but we'll see how this does!! (Not editing this before I post so...)