Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I do own the Sneezing Suckercup and the Snoring Pufferfluff.
Note: A story longer than a drabble? Say it isn't so! But, gasp! It seems to be! Short little fluff about two, very well suited characters. At least, they are in my opinion. Read, please? I'd love a comment or two.
Of notes and scarves
"Has anyone seen my Potion's notes?" A worried voice called out. No one seemed to hear it. The speaker let out a sigh. It was times like these he still wished he had his Remembrall. But, he'd lost that years ago.
"I don't know where your notes are, but maybe they're in the same place my scarf is." A dreamy voice said. The first speaker turned to the voice at his elbow. Luna. She didn't seem to be the type to misplace things. "Though, you know, Neville, there has been a rise in the births of Sneezing Suckercups. So, really, our belongings are probably a nest at this point."
Neville nodded thoughtfully. "Wait. Sneezing Suckercups?"
"Oh yes! Dad's been up in arms with misplaced things ever since he received a report that one had been spotted. I'm surprised more people aren't missing things! " Luna replied, her eyes dancing. Neville had never seen anyone with such a large imagination. "I've been meaning to go to Dumbledore about putting wards up, but they're just too impossible to catch if one is untrained."
"Why's that?" Neville asked, temporarily forgetting about his notes.
"For one, Sneezing Suckercups can only be seen when they're sneezing." Luna said, her voice full of passion. "With everyone in the castle getting sick, we can't just assume every sneeze is from the Suckercups."
Neville nodded, glancing around. No one seemed to be paying any attention to the two, not even Madame Prince. "So, how does one get trained in finding them?"
Luna's eyes shinned as a smile crossed her pale features. "Meet me in the Room of Requirements at midnight. I've got much to show you."
The young blonde skipped off, humming under her breath as Neville's eyes followed her. Much to show him? Why did this sound like a very bad idea? He turned his head back to his disorganized school work on the table. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his missing Potion's notes.
LL
Neville's eyes popped open as the clock struck ten. The meeting with Luna crossed his mind. Luna. She was crazy. Sneezing Suckercup? What was next? Neville wondered how she managed to get through life with such a lax approach. He, on the other hand, couldn't make it through the day without losing at least half of his possessions. There was an air of admiration, where Luna was concerned. She stuck by her convictions and didn't let anyone bother her. She would be the perfect Gryffindor.
He yawned loudly and got out of bed. He wasn't one for naps, but seeing as he had to be up to meet with Luna, he thought it would be best to have some rest. It was hard enough keeping up with Luna's crazy stories when he was awake. Asleep? That would be a bad idea.
For now, however, he had nothing to do. Being a typical Thursday night, the common room would be essentially vacant. Hermione would be there, either finishing homework or reading. Ron and Harry would, of course, be there. Most likely playing wizarding chess as Hermione would ask them if they'd finished their work. It was a scene Neville was used to.
Instead of padding down to the common room, he went to his trunk and pulled out a Herbology book. Lighting a candle, he began to read, waiting for his meeting with Luna.
NL
"You came!" A surprised Luna said as Neville entered the Room of Requirements five minutes after midnight. He'd lost track of time and remembered last minute about their meeting.
"Of course I would. You asked me to, didn't you?" Neville replied warmly, glancing around the room. He was used to seeing it decorated to how when Dumbledore's Army met. His eyes were now greeted with a disorganized desk surrounded by book cases. Luna was sitting behind the desk, humming happily.
"I've found some information on the Sneezing Suckercups. I also think you should know that they have a cousin. The Snoring Pufferfluff. Dangerous little things, they are. Did you know that they are attracted to hair? The longer the better." Luna said, her tone soft but full of life. She stood up, grabbing a stack of papers. She walked over to Neville, holding them out. Neville took them gingerly. Detailed drawings of the Sneezing Suckercup littered the top page. "Only one person has ever truly seen a Sneezing Suckercup. They are only visible when they're sneezing, after all. But, I decided to draw what I think it'd look like, possibly to help us in our search."
"Search?" Neville asked, flipping through the drawings. It seemed that she'd put so much effort into them.
"Oh yes. We must find them. Even if we can't retrieve our items, we need to be able to warn the school of them!"
Neville paused. Should he tell her that he already found his notes? "Luna, the truth is…" He began. He glanced at her. Her eyes had diminished with the hope he'd gotten used to seeing. "I think we need to know more about these creatures before we go looking for them." Her eyes once again filled with life.
"Well, of course!" Luna sang. She smiled as she pulled Neville to the desk. He followed, wondering what exactly he'd gotten himself into. She picked up an issue of The Quibbler, upside down. Neville strained his eyes, trying to read the print. "It says here that the Sneezing Suckercup only comes out for four hours a day. They really like cloth and parchment. Which, would explain why my scarf and your notes are missing!"
Neville nodded, noticing that she still held his arm. Heat rose to his cheeks. Luna didn't seem to notice; she was engrossed in the article. He cleared his throat. "Erm. Luna?" She didn't seem to take notice.
She dropped the paper a moment later, humming. "So, all we have to do is set up what the muggles call mousetraps. Do you have any idea where we can find those? I'm not even entirely sure on what they look like."
"Maybe we can ask Hermione." Neville offered. Luna's eyes grew wide with excitement.
"Yes! She would know!"
"We can ask her in the morning…" Neville began. He paused as he noticed Luna stepping closer to him. His heart began to race as she reached up and pulled a small white feather out of his hair. The two remained perfectly still, eyes locked. Neville bent down slightly and kissed Luna softly on the lips. Both were shocked by his actions, but no one was more shocked then Neville when Luna began to kiss back. He pulled away softly, searching her eyes.
"Snoring Pufferfluffs sure do make one do crazy things." She said wistfully, placing the feather onto the desk.
LL
After Neville had left, he spotted a blue and brown stripped scarf wrapped around a suit of armor. He removed it and began to fold it as he walked. He knew who it belonged to. Maybe returning it to her would earn him a kiss. Or at least her giving up on trying to find these imaginary Sneezing Suckercups.