The news about Neville and Cassie becoming a couple spread like fire on a trail of gasoline around Hogwarts. Within the two weeks of them becoming a couple, chocolate frogs, galleons, sickles, quills and more got exchanged between the many students and staff members that had been secretly betting on them.
But they didn't care about that. They didn't care about the curious students asking about them, about the interrogations of their previous Professors and now colleagues, about the stares and giggles of other people as they walked through the corridors. Nothing bothered them because they both felt so happy.
Sure, Cassie still had to deal with that stupid little voice in her head but Neville was able to make that bearable and fairly easy. He would cup her face in her hands, staring at the top of her head and speak towards the voice angrily until she couldn't breathe from laughing so much.
Cassie was in her office patiently impatient waiting for Neville to come by to have some tea like they did every Friday afternoon to celebrate the start of the weekend. She bent over a piece of parchment and dipped her quill into her inkbottle before continuing the letter she was working on.
"...so yes. I finally came to terms with my feelings and I told him that. He wants to be with me and I want to be with me. I finally have a boyfriend now (I assume you'll be rather thrilled about that).
I sincerely hope that this won't change anything between us. I'm sorry that I have kept my lycanthropy a secret from you for so long. After my parents' reaction, I felt like everyone would feel that way, which kept me from writing to you these past three years. I'm terribly sorry.
I don't exactly know why I didn't just tell you, but I guess that part of me found comfort in knowing I still had some family left somewhere that loved me. I'm sorry.
I've now learned that well, simply put, I'm still Cassie. I'm still the same person. I don't harm people, I have the Wolfsbane Potion to help me. If people don't want to deal with me because of a tiny part of me, then fine. They don't deserve me. (Neville's been a great help in realising this).
I wish you all the best.
Love,
Cassie."
She was writing to her aunt Lydia, finally confessing that she was a werewolf. Though she still would not tell everyone, fearing her job and safety would be in jeopardy if she did, she wanted to tell her family. She had to tell aunt Lydia as she had always been so kind and loving and warm towards Cassie.
She just hoped all that wouldn't change.
She folded the letter, placed a stamp on it and put it in her desk drawer. She would send it later. There was a gentle knock on the door and her heart skipped a beat. She hurried over to the door and opened it, greeting Neville with a kiss.
He smiled against her lips as they stumbled into her office. "Hi," he said in his gentle voice. She smiled and hugged him shortly before dragging him with her to the sofa.
"Hi," she said, pulling him down to sit next to her. He giggled at her enthusiasm and wrapped one arm around her. "Sorry. I'm just happy to see you."
"I don't see why you should be sorry about that," he said, his cheeks pink. "I'm happy to see you too," he added quickly, stroking her cheek before kissing her softly again. "How was your day, sunflower?" She loved his new nickname for her.
"It was fine. I had a few classes and I just wrote that letter to aunt Lydia? Explaining my... my lycanthropy. When will it get easier to say that?" she said with a chuckle and scratched the back of her head.
"You're doing great already, Cass," he said, giving her a soft squeeze. She nodded and pressed a kiss on his cheek.
"Yeah. Yeah, anyway, do you want tea?" she asked. He nodded and she prepared a cup for the both of them. "Tell me, how was your day?" she asked. She wrapped her hands around her cup and pulled her legs up on the couch.
"Oh, a regular Friday," he smiled. "Had two classes in the morning, then I cleaned up greenhouse number three and five. Hagrid managed to get a hold of me and started showing me some plants he found near the edge of the Forbidden Forest - turns out they were just weeds. Hagrid's great but..."
"Yeah," Cassie chuckled. "I know exactly what you mean." He nodded and took a sip of his tea. "I got a letter from Hermione this morning. Ron and her invited us-," - she loved saying us - "over for the Easter holiday. Just for a day or two. To see the new house they got and to just catch up a little."
"Oh! Brilliant. What did you answer?" he asked her.
"Nothing yet. I wanted to discuss it with you first, of course. I have two days free of any duties at the school during the holidays. Sunday, easter, and Monday. What about you?" She twirled a strand of his hair around her finger. He leaned his head into her touch.
"I still have to discuss which days to take off with Pomona but I'm sure I can arrange that. I would like to visit them," he said, smiling gently at her. "Where did they move to again? Was it London?"
"No, near London. It's a small town, mainly wizards living there. Hermione said they practically live in the Surrey Hills Area, it's supposed to be gorgeous. Eptown it's called, I believe," she explained. Neville nodded and put both their cups down on the table.
"If it's near Surrey then I bet it is beautiful," he said. She nodded and wrapped her arms around his torso, laying down on top of him. He pressed a kiss on the top of her head and she looked up at him.
"After the schoolyear ends, are you moving back into your grandma's house?" she asked carefully. He shrugged his shoulders and played with her hair.
"I don't know. I should definitely go through all her stuff. Perhaps I'll sell it, move somewhere else. Closer to you maybe," he suggested.
"Yeah. You can figure it out, baby," she said and pressed a kiss on his jaw. "We've got time to figure it out. For now, we've got a roof over our head, breakfast, lunch and dinner ready for us every day, and many more benefits right here."
He chuckled and nodded. "Yeah. We do. What a luxury, eh?" She nodded and pressed another soft kiss on his jaw.
"I'm just glad you're here this year. You're making it even better," she whispered. He smiled and placed one hand on her cheek, gently stroking his thumb up and down. He leaned in to kiss her and their lips touched gently.
Cassie moved up slightly so she could deepen their kiss. She swung one leg onto the other side of him to straddle his lap and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He kept one hand on her cheek while the other found its way to her waist.
He brushed his tongue against her lips and she parted them slightly. Their tongues met and started dancing their favourite dance right away. She wrapped her arms tighter around him, her chest pressed against his.
Both his hands were now on her waist and as their kiss grew more passionate, he carefully slid them under her jumper. She pulled back right away and placed her hands on his, looking at him with big eyes.
"I'm sorry," he immediately apologized but she shook her head.
The thing was, they hadn't gone any further than snogging yet. Both were fine with that. But both wanted more than that. However, Cassie was incredibly insecure about the many, many scars that she had gotten during the full moons.
"It's fine. It's fine, really, I just-" she hesitated for a moment. "Look, I really want to go further. Wtih you. But I just- I should tell you that I'm covered in scars. From the full moons before I had the Wolfsbane Potion."
He smiled at her and gently squeezed her hands. "Cass, my love, that's okay. I actually have a few scars too, from when I worked as an Auror," he said softly. She smiled a little and nodded.
"They're really big though. Especially the one here," she traced her biggest scar over her jumper, "It's really big. I just don't want you to get- I don't scared? Or turned off? I just- yeah." She sighed and shrugged her shoulders.
"Cass, you could never turn me off," he chuckled softly and pressed a kiss on her jaw. "And they don't scare me. I promise. If you're not comfortable we don't have to do anything but I just want you to know that I'm really not bothered by it. If I would be I would be such a git."
"You would be, eh?" she chuckled. "Are you sure? That it's okay? If you see them and you change your mind just-"
"I won't change my mind but okay. If you're not ready, we don't have to do anything, Cass," he reminded her again.
"I know. But I want to. I really really want to. Do you want to?" she asked him, her cheeks flushing red.
"I really want to too," he smiled. She smiled and kissed him softly again. He kissed her back, placing his hands on her waist again.
"The bed's more comfortable though," she whispered before pressing soft kisses on his neck. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and stood up, carrying her. She giggled at his enthusiasm and kissed him again as he carried her to her bedroom, laying her gently on the bed, their lips staying glued together.
Her heart was beating fast and she heard his beat at the same pace. She started to unbutton his blouse, throwing it off the bed before pulling back from the kiss for a moment. They looked at each other and he gave her a reassuring smile.
"Only if you're comfortable too, Cass," he said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. She nodded and smiled, before grabbing the hem of her jumper and pulling it over her head. She pressed her lips onto his again and his fingers trailed down her body. She was comfortable. She was ready. And so was he.
Cassie laid on her back as Neville laid on his side. They were both looking at each other. Cassie was looking at Neville's face, admiring how beautiful he looked; his lips were slightly swollen and red, his hair was a right mess which only made him look more handsome, his eyes were fixated on her body and his cheeks were still slightly red.
Neville was looking at Cassie's body, trailing the scars on her skin with his fingers. They were both still panting softly, covered in sweat and still high from arousal and their climax. She didn't even mind that he was focusing so much on the thing she often felt most insecure about. She felt at ease, relaxed, comfortable.
He traced his fingers up again, following her biggest scar, before brushing his hand gently past her breast, up to her collar bone, neck and then resting it on her cheek. There was a gently smile on her lips as their eyes met again.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly. She nodded and turned on her side too, moving closer to him.
"I'm feeling fantastic," she whispered, kissing him softly again. He pulled the blanket over them and held her close in his arms. "Are you okay?" He gently played with her hair and stared at her lovingly.
"I'm feeling great," he told her, pressing his lips shortly on her forehead before returning to stare at her. She felt all giddy and warm inside. Her heart was still beating fast but not from excitement, but because she was looking at Neville.
It had been so great. It had been her first time in three years and though she may have felt slightly worried before, it had been fantastic. Neville was so sweet, so gentle, yet so incredibly passionate. He had been so good.
He made sure she felt secure and comfortable enough. He cared for her needs. He somehow knew exactly what she liked. He made sure she felt as good as he did. He was gently and sweet and slightly rougher as they both eased into it.
It was yet again so easy with him. They were compatible on all levels, that was for sure.
And now, laying in bed with him aftwards, she couldn't stop smiling. She felt so nice around him, she couldn't properly comprehend it. She felt like she was floating, like she was constantly in the loveliest place on earth, or like she was in a bubble of happiness whenever she was around him
He felt the same way. He was totally mad about her and didn't mind expressing that. She was glad he didn't. She loved it when he hugged her, when he held her hand at dinner, when he kissed her gently, when he played with her hair, any type of touch she loved.
And then, of course, there were his words of affirmation and his compliments; you look incredibly beautiful today, you'll do a great job with your classes, I really like what you did with you hair, you're so smart, those earrings make your eyes shine even brighter, you're so kind, the students love you, I think you're a wonderful person, you deserve the world.
Just everything about him was so amazing and she loved being around him. Whether she was laying on his chest, drinking tea with him, walking around the castle with him, watching him take care of his plants, grading papers in the same room as him, whenever she was around him, she felt so at ease.
And yes, there were moments where she was questioning everything. When she felt terrified that he would soon change his mind and leave her anyway. That he would wake up after a full moon and realise his girlfriend truly was a monster.
These thoughts usually popped into her mind when she was alone. Especially after a nightmare they would become stronger and overpower her positive and realistic thoughts. But the following morning she would see him walk into the Great Hall again and all her worries would disappear.
Neville was a genuine guy and she trusted him with all her heart.
"Nev?" Cassie asked softly. She was tracing the scar on his chest this time around. He had a few, but far less than Cassie - Thank Merlin.
"Hm?" he hummed.
"How did you get it? If you want to tell me of course," she said softly, looking up at him. He placed his hand on hers and gave it a soft squeeze, leaving it on his chest.
"Yeah, yeah, sure," he said, clearing his throat. "Well, I was out with Ron and Proudfoot. We had received news that two Death Eaters had been spotted. It was a few months after the war ended, I believe." She cuddled closer into him, sensing he found it hard to tell. He smiled a little and gave her hand another squeeze.
"We were somewhere in an abandoned building. We split up to look around and uhm, well I came across one of them," he continued, his voice trembling slightly. She gave his hand another squeeze.
"Baby, it's okay," she whispered. "If you want to stop, it's okay." He shook his head.
"It's okay. I can continue," he reassured her. She nodded. "Before I could even lift my wand he used the Sectumsempra curse on me," he sighed. She gasped.
"Neville," she whispered, in shock.
"It's okay. Ron managed to block part of it right on time so now I'm left with only these two scars, thank Merlin," he said, pointing at the two biggest scars on his torso. "The other ones are all from other small accidents. Hexes, curses, creatures. It's tough to have people fire Dark Charms at you but it was part of the job."
"I'm glad you've retired from it then," she whispered. She would hate to come home to seeing that Neville got cursed. Home.
"Me too. I mean, it was fine most of the time. I've only had a few accidents, no need to worry, my love," he said, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead. "It just wasn't what I wanted. I never fancied a career as an Auror. I just did it to help round up the last few Death Eaters and to get it all going again, you know?"
"I'm so proud of you," she said, making him blush. "I mean, not just for your short but very impactful career as an Auror. Also for how you handled things during our seventh year, how you started Dumbledore's Army again, how you stood up against the Carrows, how you protected all those younger students," she continued.
"I'm proud of you too. I mean, you joined us. I've lost count of how many times you and Padma patched me and Seamus up. You learned how to make Healing Potions in secret to ensure everyone's wounds could heal. You were such an important part of the operation too," he said. She shook her head.
"I did the bare minimum, Nev. You, you were the true leader, you were the one who made everything worth it," she said, stroking his cheek.
"We all made it worth it," he said, being very modest.
"I guess. I still think you've been the best," she smiled and kissed him softly again. "Can you just say thank you and accept it? Instead of being so modest and kind?" she giggled. "I'm proud of you for everything you've done for Hogwarts, the Wizarding Community and for yourself. You're one of the strongest people I know."
"You're one of the strongest people I know," he said. She raised her eyebrows. "Fine. Thank you. I accept your compliments," he chuckled. She looked content with his final acceptance and kissed him again. She could never get enough of his lips.
"Neville," she whispered.
"Hm?"
"I like you so much."
"Me too."