Disclaimer: I don't own canon Harry Potter. I merely write Harry Potter fanfiction for enjoyment.
A Field of Buttercups
Neville loved Herbology – still did, of course. It had been one of his best subjects when he was in school, and now, it was his job at Hogwarts.
It was summer now, though. He was at home – a small cottage surrounded by woods, lake, and field. This blue-paneled house used to be his Gran's, but she had died only two years ago, so it fell into his possession. He wasn't alone, though. Both of his parents were with him for the summer, as was his wife, Hannah.
The moment Neville had gotten out of school, it had been his dream for him to be able to afford home care for his parents. He hated seeing them stuck in St. Mungo's and knew that they would love coming to the cottage.
Neville walked toward the window and stared out into the moonlit night. It really wasn't dark at all, as the full moon was out and shone on the flowers, almost making the cottage glow with a violent yellow hue.
Neville stretched and, feeling a bit of nostalgia, went to the small bookshelf and picked up the leather photo album that was surrounded by dust instead of other books. Gran's excuse for never using the bookshelf was: "I'd rather tell stories than waste my time reading them, thanks!"
Neville began to flip through the photo album, unsurprised that each page was filled with pictures of his parents. Gran had never loved anyone as much as those two, and so, she never bothered to pretend that she did. Neville had liked it though. He knew he could always ask questions about his parents and get an answer from her.
The last photo was his favorite. It was on a night similar to the one blinking outside, and Neville himself was actually in it with his parents. He was only a baby, wrapped in a blanket and in his father's arms. His mom was leaning down in the grass, but took a moment to look up and laugh at something Neville's dad had said. Once she was standing upright again, she leaned into Neville's father Frank's arms, and gently slipped a buttercup into Neville's pudgy fingers.
Of course, being a baby he only waved it around and ripped it apart, but it was still his favorite picture. He just liked watching his parents care for him, showing that they loved him. Now, with their lack of conscious mind, they barely even knew he was their son. He just wished they could think of him as a child… or at least remember that he was important.
Neville sighed and plopped himself down onto the couch behind him. He then slapped the photo album shut and put it on the coffee table in front of him, his eyes wandering back to the window and outside.
A shuffling soon echoed throughout the house and Neville reluctantly rose to his feet, knowing that it was probably his mum wanting a glass of water.
"Mum?" Neville called as he walked towards the open kitchen. He flicked on the lights and jumped as a crash echoed throughout the room, followed by a scream.
Neville let his shoulders fall, seeing that it was his dad. The cupboard that was filled with plates was opened, one of the plates being in small pieces on the floor. "Don't worry, Dad. I'll pick it up." Neville walked towards the plate, ignoring his still slightly-terrified father, and began slowly picking up the pieces to make sure he didn't cut himself.
Neville watched out of his peripheral vision as his father walked away - in the direction of the living room - and placed all the pieces in a brown paper bag from under the sink. He would repair it later. Magic had a tendency to freak out his parents, and he didn't want to bother with having to calm them down in the middle of the night.
After placing the bag under the sink, Neville turned to the living room and watched both his parents stare out the window in complete awe. They were almost like kids, their eyes gleaming with happiness as they looked at the bright world illuminating their faces.
Neville walked behind them, making as much noise as he could to let them know he was there – they only turned around for a half second – and then picked up the photo album, holding it for only a moment before placing it back on the bookshelf.
"Mom, Dad, time to go to bed," Neville said softly as he touched both his parents on the shoulders. His mom was first to turn around, her eyes pleading for something.
"What?" Neville asked.
For a few moments, Alice just stared at him with the same expression, but then she turned back to the window, putting her hand softly against the glass panes.
Neville stopped all movement for just one moment, wondering if he should let them both go outside. Chances were that if he did, his parents would not only not want to leave when it was time for bed, but that they would also be very cranky and unmanageable the next day.
He was pulled out of his thoughts by something grabbing his hand. His mother held his hand softly and opened her mouth as if she was trying to speak, and Neville easily understood. He had grown quite used to talking to his parents without words.
Neville turned to his father, hoping that he would show unwillingness to go outside. His father didn't notice Neville staring though, and gazed around as if looking for something amusing. Frank often looked around like this, but it was rare that something would actually grab his attention. It was almost as if he wasn't really looking, but always thinking; his parents had retreated into their own minds for safety. But, to Neville, it seemed as if they had gotten lost as well.
Neville nodded, still watching his dad as he reached out and grabbed the photo album that Neville had just put away. "All right, for five minutes."
His mom nodded excitedly in response to Neville's nod and turned to Frank, tugging on his sleeve.
Neville's dad turned around, his eyes vacant, and looked back down at the photo album, caressing the faces of him, Alice, and Neville. It was Neville's favorite photo of him and his parents out in the field.
Neville quickly grabbed it from his dad's hands, just as his dad tried to pull it out of the sleeve. Neville swallowed a rising lump in his throat, now wishing that he had said no to his mom and just decided to put her to bed.
"All right, come on," Neville said as he slammed the photo album down on the table behind him. He quickly unlocked the back door and led his parents out to the surrounding yard.
Neville took only a few steps, watching as his father walked slowly out to the center of the field, following the running Alice.
Alice began to spin herself in circles, eventually falling down. Neville jumped, moving to quickly run over to help her up, but stopped as he watched Frank slowly lean down and try to pull her up. Instead, Alice just leaned over the flowers surrounding her, inspecting each petal and letting her hands run smoothly over all the buttercups.
Frank soon joined her on the ground, and after a few seconds, he pulled something out of his pocket and unraveled it. He shoved it quickly under Alice's nose and she reached out tentatively, grabbing it in her small fingers and staring inquisitively.
Now, Neville was curious. He quickly walked over to his parents and knelt in front of them. He stayed silent, though. He was unsure of what to say or what to ask because he already knew what it was. Slowly, he reached out and slipped the thing out of his mom's hands and saw the familiar picture of him and his parents outside surrounded by a yellow night.
Alice reached out to a small buttercup between them and reached as far down the stem as she could, and then pulled. Neville held his breath as his whole body tensed in anticipation. His brain was on pause, almost as if he had no idea how to move forward and was just waiting for something to change.
Then, Alice reached out with the buttercup in her hand. A smile was growing on her face, and she looked eagerly to Frank, who also grinned happily.
Neville just stared at the buttercup, and only after Alice forced it in his hand and pushed her palm against his comfortingly, could Neville smile and let himself believe that he was important to his parents – even if they didn't realize that he was their child.
A/N: All right, so this piece was written for the Reviews Lounge Summer Project. The Reviews Lounge is a forum that I am a moderator of and basically the idea is that reviews are essential to reading fanfiction. This project's idea was to have our pieces just to be based around summer in some way and I, obviously, chose Neville Longbottom.
I encourage everyone to go to the Reviews Lounge profile (link on my profile) and read the other submissions. You can even go check out the forum too, it's really extraordinary. :D
Reviews are loved.