One-shot request for PrincessNelly94.
"Hey Neville," Nelly Moonlight smiled as she greeted her best friend in the corridor. "You alright?" she asked as she noted his tense stance.
"I'm fine." he mumbled quietly as he stared down at his shoes.
"Neville?" she pressed quietly, knowing he was lying.
"Its nothing." he attempted to shrug it off.
"What—" And then she heard it. The quiet snigger across the corridor that came unwelcomed from a group of prowling Slytherins.
Nelly could see the contemptuous looks the group sent their way.
As she glared, one of them looked up at Nelly and Neville.
Draco Malfoy watched the blonde glare at his…companions. Her long hair fell in straight tendrils to her mid-back. If she hadn't been friends with Neville, he might've found her attractive.
xxx
A week later, Nelly found herself talking to Neville outside his Potions class. The Gryffindors had it with Slytherins, while Nelly had a free period.
The sniggers floated their way again.
"Longbottom," one said finally having wormed up enough courage to mock the Gryffindor. "what's it like, being the scum of our year? You're barely competent." the Slytherin.
"What's it like," Nelly unable to stop herself from beginning, "to have the worst insult in our year? Honestly, Zambini, I'd expect someone of your…." she giggled as if the thought was ridiculous, "intelligence to think of something better."
"Nelly, don't—" Neville whispered from behind her. But she didn't listen. She was glad to fight off Slytherins who had nothing better to do then mock her friend.
"Oh look its Nelly to the rescue." Pansy Parkinson sneered as she shrugged out of Malfoy's arms.
"Oh look, its Pug-faced Parkinson, ready to make a fool of herself." Nelly smiled as she raised her eyebrows challengingly at the spiteful girl.
Pansy growled and advanced toward Nelly but she was stopped by someone grabbing onto Pansy's hand. Nelly followed the arm up to its owner.
Malfoy.
Nelly warily narrowed her eyes at the couple as Malfoy pulled Pansy back toward him and gave nod toward Zambini. Some sort of message must've been communicated between the two for Zambini stepped back and the Slytherins gathered together and left Nelly and Neville alone.
The pair of friends exchanged a look before they separated to go to their own classes.
The next week, it happened again.
Just as Nelly was rounding the corner to return a book to Neville, she saw and heard Zambini talking loudly.
"He is a disgrace to all purebloods. He can barely perform first year spells. They should snap his wand!" Zambini proclaimed loudly, smirking maliciously in triumph as Neville flushed red.
Nelly clenched her fists in anger as the Slytherins laughed. Scanning the crowd of familiar green and silver robed students, she found one boy leaning calmly against the wall. Any other time, she was sure he would be laughing at his friend's jokes. But no. He wasn't. He was simply leaning against the wall, his arm wrapped around Parkinson's waist, watching Nelly as she stood at the mouth of the corridor.
"Have you heard about his parents?" Zambini said loudly.
Nelly's eyes widened as she sped down the corridor toward the Slytherin.
At the prompting of his friends, Zambini continued, "They in the mental ward of St. Mungo's, completely loony!" The boy smiled. "Must run in the family—"
Nelly reached Zambini and slapped him across the face. "What is the hell is wrong with you? You think it makes you better, mocking him all the time? You think it makes you powerful and popular to talk about his parents? You are the disgrace to the name of a wizard. Let's see someone talk about your mother, Blaise. What number daddy are you on now? How long will it be before your whore of a mother kills this one?" She taunted loudly as she fought to control her anger.
"You little bitch!" Zambini yelled. His arm ducked quickly into his robes and pulled out his wand.
Just as he was about to curse Nelly, Zambini's arm was stopped.
Nelly and the Slytherin both looked to the interruption.
"Snape will here soon. If he sees you cursing her, he'll have no choice but to punish you."
With a huff and an angry glare in Nelly's direction, Zambini lowered his wand and shoved past Nelly.
Nelly turned to Neville, asked if he was alright and then left, feeling Malfoy's eyes on her the entire time.
She didn't know why he kept helping her.
She knew that Snape wouldn't give his own students a detention for anything in the world. She knew that Malfoy knew that too.
But then why did he help her? And why did he keep staring at her.
xxx
At the library the following week, Nelly spotted a stock of ice blonde hair amidst the stacks. Making a quick decision, Nelly left her table and found the boy deep in the shelves.
"Thanks for what you did for Neville." The boy's head snapped up in her direction. He met her eyes for a moment before he returned to scanning the shelf before him.
"Didn't do anything for Longbottom. Zambini would've—"
"We both know you don't care if Zambini got in trouble. Just accept my thanks. It was a nice thing you did for him."
"I didn't do anything for Longbottom. I did it for—"
"For?" Nelly prompted as her heart thumped.
"I did it for you, alright?" He sighed before fixing his eyes more determinedly on the books before him.
"Really?"
"Don't let it go to your head, Moonlight." he said dryly.
"What did you help me?"
He didn't say anything.
"Malfoy."
He mumbled something under his breath.
"What are you trying to tell me, Malfoy?" she questioned as she stepped closer to hear him.
"That…I helped you because…" the boy paused, trying to gather his thoughts. "You're alright…for a Ravenclaw." She cocked an eyebrow in his direction.
"Oh?" she asked with a smirk to rival his. "Well, you're alright too…for a Slytherin." With that, she sent him a devious look and went on her way, with him watching her go.