This is a collection of one-shots and drabbles focussed on a variety of characters and pairings. It's my response to Written Sparks' "26 prompts, one for each letter of the alphabet" challenge.
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Killing the snake was the grandest gesture that he would ever make in his life, and Neville Longbottom knew it. His career would never be a string of spectacular adventures and – beyond discovering the medicinal properties of plants – there would be no more saving lives or making a difference in the magical community.
For one moment, Neville had been a hero; not quite a fairytale knight in shining armour, but it was his sweaty hand that had held the sword and he who had swung the blade through the air so quickly that it had whistled. And for those few brief seconds, the clumsy, careless boy was replaced by a fearless man – the one his grandmother had been waiting for since before his Hogwarts letter had arrived.
Truthfully, his one brush with danger was enough to do Neville for a lifetime. As he had sliced into Nagini, he had felt like his father's son. He had that golden thought; that, just maybe, his parents had been repaid for all of their suffering. But would his grandmother feel the same way?
As Neville pushed through the sea of hands seeking to congratulate him, he scarcely heard the cries of thanks and praise; there was only one opinion that mattered to him, really. Apprehension coiled in the pit of his stomach. He had achieved one moment of bravery, and his father had lived a lifetime of it. How could that possibly compare?
He rounded the Hufflepuff table, careful not to look at any of the bodies (he would make an appalling auror) laid out, and made his way to where his grandmother stood. Augusta looked smaller than he remembered, although her presence was every bit as formidable judging by the small crowd of people surrounding her, all of whom appeared too intimidated to move. Neville could more than sympathise. He paused, waiting for the opportune moment to interrupt, and was shocked by what he heard.
"...and that was my grandson, you know – my Neville who killed that filthy snake. Harry Potter couldn't have done it without him." She nodded knowingly, as though daring the surrounding people to argue with her. Pushing a strand of grey hair behind her ear, Augusta opened her moth as though to continue.
"Come on, Gran." He glanced apologetically at Padma Patil, but she only beamed at him in response.
"And here he is now! Tell us all about it, boy, don't be shy-"
"Oh, Gran. Can't we go home now?" Neville tried his best to sound exasperated, although he couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face.
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Thanks for reading. Please review.
