Neville leaped out of his bed in excitement. Christmas was finally here! The book on herbology his Great Uncle Algie had promised him would finally be his. And there would be the best bit of the day: visiting his parents. He ran into his Grandmother's room.

"Grandma, Grandma! Wake-up, it's Christmas." He shouted, excitedly, she rolled over in the bed and looked at him.

"Neville what have I told you about waking me up early? Especially at Christmas. It's only 6am go back to bed. And at 8:30, and only 8:30 come back with my breakfast." She grumbled, and went back to sleep. Neville's shoulder's drooped. He turned around and slunk out silently. He walked back to his room and lay on his bed, and in the dim light, started crying quietly.

"Why did this always happen?" He thought, "Why does Grandma have to be so strict? Everyone else gets up at 6 at Christmas. But not her. She always spoilt everything" Not for the first time he imagined what his life would have been like if it hadn't been for Bellatrix Lestrange. He would kill her in a second if he had the chance. But she was safely locked away in Azkaban. If anyone deserved that place it was her.

Later that day

"Hello mum, dad." Neville smiled, walking over to them, Neville's mum had something in her hand, she gave it to him with a shaky smile. Neville took it and smoothened it out on his trouser leg. It was a Drooble's best blowing gum wrapper. "Thanks. I bought you both a present too." He took out of a bag a drooping bunch of flowers.

"Oh for goodness sake Neville," His grandmother grumbled "I told you to water them before we left." Neville smiled apologetically at his mum and put them in a vase while his grandmother watered them.

"Oh aren't they lovely, Alice?" A nurse said coming over as Neville went over to his dad, and took an old battered book out of his bag.

"I wasn't sure what to get you dad. I sent some owls around and got some photos of you and mum with your friends and put them in an album, so you can look at them when you like." Neville said, Frank shakily moved his arm to pat Neville's as a gesture of thanks.

"Well, we have to go now." Augusta announced "We'll come and visit soon, come along Neville." When they were off the ward Augusta turned to him "Give it to me, I'll put it in the bin, it was a nice thought but it's just rubbish." Neville reluctantly handed it over, thinking about why she may have given it to him. He remembered his Great Uncle Algie telling him that the first time his parents spoke was Alice asking Frank for a piece of gum in the middle of a particularly boring history of magic class.

That evening

"Neville, get down here now!" His grandma shrieked. Neville got up. What had he done now? "I told you to keep an eye on the turkey. It's burnt to a crisp. It's inedible now. Why do you always have to do this? Every single year." Augusta yelled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. It's just I started reading my herbology book, and I didn't realise the time." Neville wept. "It was an accident."

"It always is with you. Go to bed, NOW. And I'm confiscating that book of yours until you can be a bit less careless." She replied, snatching the book out of his hand. Neville went up to his room. Not for the first time he cried himself to sleep.

Nearly one year later

"Anyone that is wanting to stay here for Christmas needs to put their name on the list." Professor McGonagall said. Neville immediately got up, tripping over his chair on the way.

"Nice one Longbottom!" Malfoy jeered. His face burned bright red. "Take no notice of him," Harry said quietly, also getting up. "Are you staying for Christmas too?" He added, Neville nodded glumly. "We'll have company then." Harry smiled. Neville took the quill and wrote Neville Longbottom in his small spiky writing, then walked out.

Christmas day

Neville woke up at 6, as usual he watched Harry and Ron get up and go through the presents. He saw them happily tearing through their huge piles. He stopped watching after a while. When he saw them leave he got up and looked at his presents. Just some sweets. He went to leave the common room, but found it was locked.

That evening

"Neville, have you been in here the whole day?" Ron exclaimed. He nodded glumly. Peeves had locked the door so he had been stuck shouting for hours until someone had finally heard. "Sorry, we didn't even miss you." Neville just turned around and went back to the dormitory. For the second Christmas running he cried himself to sleep.

One year later

"Well Neville, I think you should have taken some initiative!" Augusta yelled at him.

"It wasn't my fault." He protested.

"No it never is, didn't it cross your mind to do a simple agumenti to put the fire out?" She retorted.

"I've never learnt that. It wasn't my fault the tree caught fire, from one of the candles."

"I bet that Hermione Granger friend of yours knows it." She replied sharply.

"I'm not Hermione Granger." He muttered

"I wish you were." She replied angrily. "Just go to bed."

2 years later

Neville smiled at Ginny, "Shall we?" He asked. Ginny, in her beautiful flowing dress nodded.

"Yes." She replied. They walked down to the great hall hand in hand. Neville tripped on a stair.

"Well done." Someone yelled at him.

"Don't worry about them." Ginny comforted. Neville just ignored her, all he could think about was all the other Christmases and hoping this one would go better.

A few hours later

"I really loved this evening." Ginny smiled, nervously. "Thanks for inviting me to the yule ball."

"It was my pleasure." He replied, finally this Christmas hadn't been a disaster.

"There would be just one thing that would make it perfect." Ginny said.

"What's that?" He asked. "This." Ginny stood up on tiptoes, and kissed him gently on the lips.

"There now it's perfect." Neville smiled. "Thank you, for tonight." He said. Ginny smiled.

"Goodnight." She said, and walked off. For the first Christmas in years Neville didn't cry himself to sleep.