Title: Awkward

Rating: K

Summary: Neville is working on a Potions essay in the library when Hannah Abbot says some things that make him wonder...

Characters: Neville/Hannah

Spoilers: none

Disclaimer: Don't own; don't sue, si'l vous plait.

A/N; Cyber cookie to whoever can figure out the Relient K reference.

"If I see the word awkward one more time today, I just might snap…" Neville Longbottom muttered, somewhat unconsciously running his fingers through his hair for the millionth time that day, causing it to stand up a bit on the side.

Across the table, Hannah Abbot gave a chuckle brimming with mischief. She lifted the corner of the parchment where he was meticulously writing, and wrote that very word on the top page of the pile beneath, the page with his writing curling back slightly. He looked at her in mock consternation for a moment before focusing once again on the paper he was writing. Without looking at the paper, he flipped it over. She snorted indelicately.

"You're so awkward sometimes, but you know, it makes me smile." He looked up at that. "I may tease you whenever you turn bright red, but it's 'cause it makes me smile. It's quite adorable, really." He scoffed at that and turned back to his Potions essay, however he could feel the red tinge creeping over his face making its way to his ears and neck.

Thanks for passing that gene on, Dad, he thought. It's rather difficult to seem nonchalant when one's face keeps turning scarlet. Silence reigned for a good while as he constructed sentences and referred back to the books he'd checked out. He didn't look up, but he was sure she was studying him for some reason or another. Girls were pretty frustrating, he'd decided years ago when he'd first realized there was more than a slight difference between male and female. They were just so complex. It was rather difficult to keep track of when they were mad at you or what tended to make them as such. He was tempted to suggest that all girls should wear mood rings for the general safety of males. You never know what might set them off.

"Neville?"

"Hmmm?" He looked up, a bit startled. He'd been so absorbed in his own thoughts that he hadn't realized that he had been reading the same sentence over and over again for the past few minutes.

"I meant it…" That voice was far too quiet to be Hannah's, not to mention she wouldn't meet his eyes at all. She was instead fixated on her hands, fiddling with the bright yellow quill she always used. Her shoulders had slumped a bit as if everything in the world had been placed squarely upon them.
He reached across the table and took the quill from her hands and set it aside.

"What did you mean?" Her head snapped up and he wasn't so sure he liked the look he saw in her eyes. The spark there scared him more than just a bit. He tried to go the appeasement route. "I'm sorry, I got distracted. This essay is due tomorrow, and it's got me kind of nervous." You've got me kind of nervous… he added mentally.

Hannah gave a sort of a sigh and smiled, shaking her head. He let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. "What am I going to do with you, Neville?" she said wryly. She paused briefly to tuck an errant bit of hair behind her ear. "But I meant what I said before about you being awkward." Awareness came rather slowly, and then the realization of what she was saying hit him, causing him to turn red once again. She must have seen both, because he heard her quiet chuckle. "It's adorable when you get embarrassed; I'm most definitely telling the truth. If you weren't awkward, you really wouldn't be you."

He interrupted. "But, you know, I've always wanted to be able to converse normally with people. And girls in general just make me nervous, and I end up sounding like a complete idiot."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Then how come you're talking to me normally? 'Cause last time I checked, I confirmed I'm most definitely a girl." He could hear the underlying smile in her voice and got the impression that she was laughing at him.

"Well…" he hesitated. "You're an exception."

She shrugged that off, and continued. "You are awkward about certain things, but it's part of who you are. Without it, you really wouldn't be the same. I may tease you about it, but it's all in good fun. I wouldn't want you any other way." He gave her a doubtful look and then turned his attention to his library books once again. He almost missed the roll of her eyes as she reached for her book bag and began to put her things away.

"Where are you going?" He didn't really try too hard to keep the confusion out of his voice. That girl seriously needs to get a mood ring.

"I have some writing to do before I start on my Transfigurations project. I'll see you later?"

"Um yeah. Probably."

"Alrighty then."

"Bye, Hannah."

"Bye." He just barely caught her movement out of the corner of his eye before he felt her press a kiss to his cheek. Oh Merlin. He could already feel himself turning bright red once again. She didn't look back at him to gauge his reaction or anything. She just kept walking until she was simply not there anymore. But if she had looked back at any point, she would have seen him frozen in the same surprised posture that she had left him in.

He had finally gotten it.