Keeper of the Tutshill Tornadoes. Round 2. Herbology: Write about a student's relationship with their teacher for the subject.
* this is my AU story for round 2*
"A FRIEND IN NEED"
Neville Longbottom stood once again in the men's toilets on the first floor of Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. It had been almost 25 years since he had last been in the grand castle, and as much as it felt like home, this time was different.
This time the knots in his stomach were so tight, he didn't think he was going to throw up, no. This time he thought he was going to pass out.
He stared hard at his reflection in the great mirrors, and tried his hardest to gather his composure. Nope. Wasn't helping.
When all else failed, he resorted to his latest habit. He slapped his cheeks three times, splashed his face with cold water, and stared himself in the eye.
"Get a grip Nev! You've worked too long and hard for this. You're a man now- Act like one. You can do this"
He didn't know why, but his pep talks to himself always seemed to work. He'd gotten into the habit at the age of 14, and as mad as it seemed talking to himself, it had never failed him.
He took a deep breath, grabbed his coat and bag, and strode from the bathroom with the confidence of a man that knew his place.
He was no longer Neville Longbottom, the clumsy student that would forget how to tie his shoes if he didn't have written instructions written somewhere- He was now Neville Longbottom, Herbology Professor of one of the finest Wizarding schools in the continent.
He strode down toward the Head Masters' quarters, greeting students with a confident nod as he passed them. He found himself feeling sorry for the younger ones- The look of nerves and fear etched on their small faces struck a deeper chord with him than he cared to remember.
Still, there was no time for reminiscing. He had a job to do.
He tapped on the door, and waited to be invited in.
"come" commanded the voice on the other side.
The authority of the tone sent a chill down his spine. He knew that voice!- No, it couldn't be, could it?
He opened the door and stepped in without speaking.
The piercing stare of Minerva Mcgonagal bored into him from behind the great oak desk.
He couldn't help but feel a cold chill run down his spine. Even after all these years, the woman still had a stare that could reduce a statue to rubble.
It may have taken a few moments, but her hardened expression softened as the dawn of recognition hit her.
"Neville Longbottom! I should have recognised the name! Especially after all the hours of detention we spent together" she teased, her thin lips pursing in to a wry smile.
"Hi Professor McGonagall, Long time no see, how are you?" he replied, awkwardly shuffling on the spot.
Seeing shades of the hapless boy she had met all those years ago brought back fond memories of yesteryear that raised an even bigger smile.
"If we are going to be working together, it might be an idea to use my name now dear- you're staff. No need to be afraid of me anymore- unless I give you reason to be" her eyes twinkling with mischief behind the half moon specs perched on the end of her nose.
"Sit down man- you're making the place look untidy" she coaxed, gesturing to the empty chair in front of her.
Neville sat down, and drank in the memories of being back in that office after so many years.
Before he could stop himself, the thoughts in his head slipped out.
"It feels so weird to be back in here after so many years- especially knowing this time it's not because I'm in trouble."
Minerva couldn't help but laugh. The irony of it wasn't lost on her either.
"Yes. Albus and I used to remark to each other that it would take years for the dent in the cushion from your bottom would take years to disappear completely"
With the ice now well and truly broken, it was time to get down to business.
"I assume you've had chance to read through the notes Pomona left for you on where she was up to with her classes?" she enquired.
"yeah, I have. Got the lesson planner done for the next two terms, should be pretty straight forward stuff."
"Excellent. If you can get copies to me by later, I can review them for you, and make sure you have plenty of provisions for the entire first quarter. "
"You can have these now. I've memorised the whole schedule, so don't really need them back in any hurry". Neville replied proudly.
Unable to resist one final dig, McGonagall put on her sternest voice.
"Well! This certainly makes for a change Longbottom- I was concerned I'd have to order a few hundred rememberalls in with you running about the place." winking at him.
Neville felt himself blush slightly. In spite of her advancing years, it was good to know her mind was still as sharp as her tongue. ( even if it did still have a way of terrifying him.)
"Right then my lad, off you go. Go get set up for your day, and we'll catch up later."
"Thanks really is lovely to see you again." he replied.
He steeled himself mentally, then walked round the desk, and planted a gentle kiss on the old woman's cheek.
Minerva, stunned, placed a hand on her cheek and watched him walk out of the room with slight tears of pride in eyes.
Neville slowly made his way across the lawn towards the greenhouses, drinking in yet more memories of days gone by, and the great Wizards that had fallen during the battle. A kind of sadness filled him. It seemed such a shame even now that so many good people had died, and with the exception of he and the remaining staff, not one of the faces busying about the place knew anything of those great people they hadn't read in "Hogwarts: a history".
He just had time to get the greenhouses opened up, and all the plants watered, as the first wave of students made their way to the door of the greenhouse like a swarm of hungry locusts. He took one final deep breath, and welcomed them all in.
He scanned every face that came through the entrance, hoping that he would spot familiar looking kids, and be able to remember at half of them least by name or some identifying feature by the end of the first day. Only one stood out.
Most of the kids seemed enthusiastic, fresh faced, and eager. Only one seemed to look for a place to hide, staying as far at the back as he could get away with. Neville studied him observantly. His blond hair, sullen expression and sunken eyes left him with no doubt. It had to be Draco Malfoy's son, Scorpius.
Naturally, his first though was that the boy didn't want to be anywhere near him: No doubt his father had told him all kinds of things about him, and ensured they would get off to a bad foot.
Determined to make the right impression, Neville shook it off, and carried on with his lesson like a true professional. Before he knew it, first period had passed. He had faced his first baptism of fire, and come out seemingly unburned. He watched as the kids piled out of the green house.
He felt quite proud. He'd learnt as least seven names, followed his lesson plan to the letter, and hopefully inspired them to want to learn more about the fascinating world of Herbology.
He started to put things back in order while he waited for the next group to arrive, and looked out across the lawn, watching All the kids re enter the castle, and make their way to lessons. As he bent down to pick up a dropped trowel, he noticed a piece of paper on the ground. He was about to put it straight in the bin, when the light caught it, revealing there were words written on it.
He opened it up to see a list of features of the castle written on it:
The great tapestry.
The room of requirement.
Slytherin common room.
The greenhouse.
Third floor bathroom.
He had no idea who it belonged to, but he found himself curious. It didn't seem like a list that any of them would need to memorise specifically for finding their way around. He folded it back up, and put it in his trouser pocket, as well as the back of his mind, as wave after wave of students passed through his entrance over the next week.
With his first week successfully completed, it was time to sit down with Professor McGonagall to give her a progress report, and update on the progress of the students.
Most all seemed to be doing well, and flourishing nicely. The only student that didn't seem to want to learn was Scorpius, but Neville just naturally assumed this would be bad blood passed from father to son. He decided to omit him from his report- If he already assumed this; McGonagall would no doubt do the same. He had no intention of inviting trouble on himself, let alone a child over an assumption that nay not be anywhere near accurate. It could have been a more simple matter of the boy not liking the subject, or struggling.
As the weeks went on, he decided to keep a bit of a closer eye on the boy, and try and work out which it was. If this was because of Draco, He wasn't about to let a child he'd never met form an opinion on him- especially based on presumed lies and halve truths from someone he hadn't seen in years (and didn't want to. ) If it was a simple matter of struggling, then it was his duty to help his students where he could.
Week seven came and passed, and no improvement. It wasn't that he wasn't doing the work- he was. His practical work was good, but his written work however, just never seemed to appear. This concerned Neville further, as the standard pass marks for all subjects had been altered dramatically since the reformation of the ministry. Now, course work assignments were worth more marks than the practical element. If the course work and written papers weren't up to standard, you failed. He wasn't about to let any student fail on his watch.
After several conversations with other professors, it emerged that the lad either didn't turn up at all for classes, or it was the same thing: no effort. Knowing who the lad's father was, made it more difficult to swallow. He'd spent years in the school with a Malfoy- and knew they were a ruthlessly clever bunch. There had to be something more to this. He was determined to find out what.
After another busy morning, Neville decided to seize the opportunity. He waited for the class to pack up, and sidled up to Scorpius.
"Scorpius, can you hang back for five minutes after class? I want to have a quick chat with you."
Scorpius eyed him with a slight air of nerves and suspicion, but said nothing.
"Well done everyone, good to have your written assignments on my desk by Thursday afternoon." he called out as the rabble ensued to get out through the door.
Scorpius hovered near the door, watching the rest leave. It was obvious that he was just as uncomfortable with the rest of the group as he was didn't escape attention.
Neville pulled up two chairs, and gestured to Scorpius to sit down.
"Erm, is everything okay Son? At home? At school?" he asked gently.
Scorpius avoided eye contact, and seemed intent on focusing his gaze on a stain on the wooden desk opposite.
"yes it's fine sir, why wouldn't it be?" His answer didn't seem convincing.
Neville searched for a gentle way to approach the subject, but the northerner in him took over, and he answered a little more bluntly than he intended.
"I don't think you're being entirely honest with me. I've noticed that you're missing the written assignments in my class, as well as most other classes. I've spoken with several of the other professors, and they have told me, so I know that as fact."
He watched the boy stiffen even more, But still nothing.
"What's up? If you're struggling to keep up with the work, tell us: We can't help you if you don't let us... So far professor McGonagall seems blissfully unaware of things, but it won't be long before word reaches her ear, and this will get a lot bigger."
Scorpius looked up at him, slightly taken aback at the bluntness of his approach.
"I'm doing my best sir" he replied weakly.
Not satisfied, Neville went in for the kill shot.
"Where are you disappearing off to when you don't attend classes? They might be fairly large classes, but we still notice when a student is missing."
This seemed to hit home. Scorpius' eyes widened. He seemed to want to say something, but held back.
Neville lowered his voice to just above a whisper. " It's tough in the grown up world isn't it? I know what it's like. I'm sure your dad has mentioned he knew me, and how much of an outcast I was at times."
He now had the boy's was almost like he could see inside him.
"Dad hasn't really said much about you. He mentioned that he went to school with you, but not much else. All he said was that you were okay, and this was definitely your area of expertise. A good replacement for professor Sprout."
This news really did come as a surprise to him. He'd almost convinced himself that Draco would have tried to discredit him before the start of term.
"You're a bright lad, Scorpius, and you've come from a long line of intelligent ancestors. I know both your father, and your grand father. They may not have been the most popular of people; but what they lacked in social graces, they made up for in smarts. I know you an do this. What ever it is that's bothering you, open up. It will be between us; I promise."
Finally, the flood gates opened.
"It's dad that seems to be the problem. Don't ask me to name names, because that will just make matter worse. I am not fitting in anywhere. Certain individuals are making my life hell. The constant jibes about my father being a killer, and the biggest turncoat since professor Snape, the threats of physical violence pretty much every other day. I just don't want to be here."
Neville stared at him dumbfounded. Tears started to roll down the boy's face.
Sighing deeply, he handed Scorpius a handkerchief while searching for the right words.
"I'm so sorry you're going through this." he said, putting a hand on sympathy on the weeping boy's shoulder.
Scorpius didn't speak, he just nodded.
"you're dad was no killer, any more than professor Snape was. Both of them were put in a very difficult position... It's too long a story to explain, but you'll just have to take my word for it for if you talk to your dad, he might be able to fill you in- but I doubt it's something he'll really want to talk about."
He waited to see if Scorpius would say anything. He didn't.
Neville really felt for wasn't really bullied himself; but knew what it felt like to feel isolated and alone. Although he had a few that would make the effort, he wasn't exactly overly popular as a child himself. He felt a surge of anger rise up in his throat, but swallowed it down.
"Look, let me talk to professor McGonagall. She may be able to help."
Scorpius looked up at him with fear etched on his face.
"You can't- please. They'll know I've will just make matters ten times worse than they are at the moment."
As much as Neville knew there was a risk of it, he couldn't leave had to help the lad.
"Hey! Look, I promise none of this will come back on you. Your head mistress is a very smart woman. She'll know how to handle this- If we don't get this under control soon, she will find out you've been skipping classes,and that your grades are she finds out the hard way, she may suspend you, or worse... expel you."
Scorpius knew he was right. If he got expelled, there was no telling how his parents would react. He knew his father would certainly hit the roof. It seemed hopeless.
He looked up at Neville. "You promise this will go away, and that no one will find out I have spoken to you?"
Neville gave him his best smile. "You'll on, we'll go see her now."
He put a hand on the lad's shoulder, and walked with him across the grounds.