A/N: Written for HSWW (Challenges and Assignments) & THC
(THC) House: Hufflepuff; Category: Drabble; Prompt: Misunderstood [word]
(HSWW) House: Hufflepuff; Assignment #4: Astronomy & Horoscopes: Water Task: Write about someone discovering a friend/family member/ loved one's secret; Writing Club: Showtime/Act 2: We Know: (dialogue) "Do you promise not to tell another soul what you saw?"
Word Count: 858
The sun had gone down and the Weasley Twins were leaving the courtyard and heading back to Gryffindor Tower. As they passed by the greenhouse, George spotted some shadows. He stopped Fred with his arm and pointed towards the shadows.
"Fred, I think we've spotted something wicked," George stated.
Fred squinted his eyes and looked towards them. "Let's check it out."
George nodded and the twins moved stealthily towards the entryway of the greenhouse.
"Is that...Neville?" George asked.
"No, it's a fairy," Fred answered sarcastically. "Though it looks like...he's with a girl. They look chummy too."
George leaned in more closely. "That's the Brown girl!"
Fred pulled George away from the entryway after his outburst. "We're supposed to be sneaking, Georgie." He shook his head. "You're losing your touch."
His twin scowled at the name he was called. "Only Mum calls me that."
"That's never been important and you know that."
"You reckon that we should ask Neville about it?" George asked Fred, effectively changing the subject.
Fred scoffed. "Of course we're going to corner him about it."
"I didn't say corner, Fred."
"I know."
The next day had come, and the twins waltzed down the corridor, hoping to find Neville within the disappearing crowd. Their hopes were answered at the sight of the blonde with his books in his arms.
Fred cupped the sides of his mouth. "Longbottom!"
Neville jumped at the sudden call of his name and turned around. "Uh...yes?"
With a skip in their step, Fred and George approached Neville. George placed an arm around Neville's shoulders. "Our main man!"
"Just the main man we were looking for," Fred added while patting the younger boy's chest lightly.
"Me?" Neville asked with knitted brows. "What's going on?"
"Oh nothing," George said casually with a cheeky grin. "It's just that‒"
"Georgie and I‒" Fred interjected.
"Saw you near–"
"The greenhouse with-"
"A certain flower last night," the twins said simultaneously. Fred's eyebrows wiggled meanwhile George's grin remained wide. Neville's eyes flicked back and forth quickly between the twins.
"I-I don't know what you're t-talking about," Neville answered.
"Bugger off with that, mate," Fred said with a snort. "We know what we saw."
Neville shook his head. "It w-wasn't what it looked l-like," he tried to reason.
"Ah, so you admit that you were with Brown at the greenhouse!" George pointed out with another grin.
"N-No!"
"Well which is it, Neville, you sly dog you," Fred asked him with a smirk.
Neville had broken into a sweat and wiped his brow. "She's helping me with something," he mumbled.
"Something that has loooove in it?" Fred continued.
George nudged Fred. "Let him tell us, Freddie." Fred rolled his eyes but conceded. Both twins looked at Neville expectantly.
Neville took a deep breath and pulled out a sheet of paper from one of his books. The twins peered down towards the aquamarine colored scribbles and words. "Lavender is good at charms s-so I offered her help with her Herbology assignment if she helped me with a charm that I misunderstood."
"What charm would that be?" George asked.
Neville said something softly.
"I don't speak whisper without an extendable ear, mate," Fred told Neville.
Neville's body shook from another deep breath he took. "A...hair thickening charm…"
Fred and George blinked and looked to each other. Soon enough they looked at Neville once again. "You're going bald?!" They demanded simultaneously.
Neville looked around frantically as he placed a finger on his lips, shushing the twins. "Keep it down!" He put his finger down and bit his lip. "I was stressing over Transfiguration and...and I was trying to vent to myself!" Neville went to touch his hair subconsciously. "I yelled out the first spell that I could, but I didn't know it would work!"
"I honestly think that you snogging Brown in the greenhouse was a better secret than you having hair loss," Fred pointed out. "I am rather disappointed."
"Agreed," George added.
Neville's cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Do you promise not to tell another soul what you saw?" He asked. "I don't want to have to explain myself to anyone else."
Fred and George looked at each other before placing their left hands on their chests.
"Cross my heart," George vowed.
"And hope to die," Fred finished.
Neville looked at them with a skeptical glance before clearing his throat. "Best be off then." Neville stuffed his paper back into his book and hurried out of the corridor, leaving the Weasley Twins in his wake.
Fred cleared his throat and turned to his brother. At that same moment, George had done the same thing.
"Think we could make something out of this?" George asked.
A wide smirk spread across Fred's face. "We'll call it The Longbottom Approach."
George's face scrunched up. "I don't particularly fancy that name."
Fred placed an arm around his brother's shoulders, strolling along the hallway with him. "There's plenty more where that came from," he told Georgie, "as I'm thinking along the lines of Hairless Bottom."
"This is why you're not in charge of naming our products anymore, Freddie."
"You were going to be put up for adoptions, Georgie."
"Lies!"