It was a particularly windy September morning at Hogwarts school for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Neville had only attended the school for a week, yet it hadn't gone as smoothly as he would've liked. In fact it hadn't gone smoothly at all. Before he even arrived, he lost Trevor, his toad. He was clumsy in Charms and especially in Transfiguration. But his worst subject was surely Potions class. Professor Snape berated him constantly during each class, making Neville wish he could just crawl underneath a rock.
But today was off to a good start. Herbology was the very first class this Monday, so Neville's spirits rose. In Herbology, he actually retained information and had no trouble understanding notes or details on plants. And because he was competent at the subject, Professor Sprout had seemed to have taken a liking to Neville. He walked down to the class with his fellow Gryffindors, flanked by Hermione. She was chattering about how excited she was for this lesson; apparently they'd be working with an actual plant instead of taking notes or observing.
Upon entering Greenhouse One, a wave of warmth greeted Neville. It was a welcome change from the bone-chilling winds outside. He closed his eyes for a breath second and inhaled the earthy aroma of the greenhouse. It was a much more friendly atmosphere compared to the dank dungeons where he was criticized by Professor Snape. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about Potions until later that day. The Gryffindors continued to chatter excitedly until the Hufflepuffs arrived and class began.
" Today, we will be repotting Flitterblooms," said Professor Sprout. "Can anyone tell me what they know about Flitterblooms?" Hermione's hand shot into the air, where it quivered slightly, waiting to be called upon. No other students seemed to have any idea what a Flitterbloom was, as they hadn't read the every page of 1000 Magical Herbs and Fungi as Hermione had done.
"Yes Ms. Granger?"
"Flitterblooms are completely harmless plants resembling the Devil's Snare. There are subtle differences between the two, but they are still often confused. In certain situations, this can lead to deadly consequences," Hermione spouted quickly, as though not wanting to miss a single detail.
"Excellent, Ms. Granger!" said Professor Sprout. "10 Points to Gryffindor! Now I've made quite sure that these are Flitterblooms because, as Ms. Granger has previously stated, there are subtle differences between Flitterblooms and their deadly twin, Devil's Snare. We will be moving these to larger pots, as they have outgrown their current ones," She explained. "I will be partnering you all up randomly-" The class gave a simultaneous groan when she said this. "Now now, it's not that bad! You all could do with making friends with those from other houses!" Several of the students still wore annoyed expressions, including Ron Weasley, who was seated next to Neville.
"Now I have all of your names written on slips of paper, and I'll just draw them from my hat." With this, she swept her hat from her head and deposited a handful of scraps of paper into it. Rummaging around for a moment, she drew out two slips.
"Dean Thomas and…Susan Bones!" The pair rose, gathered their things, and sat at Station One. "Hermione Granger and…Ron Weasley!" Ron's frowned deepened considerably and he reluctantly joined Hermione, who seemed annoyed at the arrangement as well, at Station Two. "Next up, Justin Finch-Fletchy and…Lavender Brown!" Lavender cast Parvati an apologetic look, as Parvati was looking forlorn at the prospect of not being partnered with Lavender, and followed Justin to Station Three. "Hannah Abbott and… Neville Longbottom! And last but not least, Parvati Patil, Harry Potter, and Ernie Macmillan!"
Neville rose and walked nervously to Station Four, joining a small Hufflepuff with her light blond hair in pigtails. She smiled warmly at him, making room for him to take his seat beside her.
"Hello, Neville is it?" she asked.
"Yeah, Neville Longbottom, t-that's it…" he replied timidly.
"Well, hello Neville Longbottom. I'm Hannah Abbott." Her tone was unconditionally friendly and Neville couldn't help returning her warm smile. The knot in his stomach loosened slightly and some of his shyness dissolved. Soon enough, the two of them began emptying their first Flitterbloom's pot to transfer it to the larger one.
"So how is it like, being a Hufflepuff?" Neville asked.
"Oh it's fine, our common room is near the kitchen, so we never get hungry." Hannah saw the look of confusion on Neville's face and explained further. "One of our fourth years, Cedric Diggory, knows how to get into the kitchen and grabs us treats occasionally.
"Oh that's pretty cool. The Gryffindor common room is in the North tower. There is a lot of staircases we need to climb, and they always shift, or disappear. Some have trick steps that, if you step on them, get you stuck until someone comes along to pull you out…" Neville broke off glumly.
"That sounds bothersome, but I'm sure you'll get used to it." Hannah said, attempting to sound encouraging. The pair continued to work, packing the soil onto the Flitterbloom after transferring it.
"What house did you think you were gonna be sorted in?" Hannah asked. Neville considered this for a moment before replying.
"Definitely not Gryffindor. I was hoping not to go into Slytherin because my Gran would disown me if that happened. I'm rubbish at academics, so I knew Ravenclaw was out. I suppose I'm loyal, so I was expecting Hufflepuff," he said.
"I didn't have any idea which house I was going to be sorted into," said Hannah. "To be honest, I thought that they'd have to ship me off to another school because I wasn't right for any house. I'm not brave, or smart, or cunning, or hard-working from what I know." Neville chuckled when he heard that.
"Those were my exact thoughts," he explained. Hannah laughed as well, relieved she wasn't the only one who felt this way.
" But I'm glad I'm in Hufflepuff. I feel like I finally belong somewhere," said Hannah. Neville busied himself with grabbing another Flitterbloom before replying.
"I don't really think I belong in Gryffindor. I'm not brave to any degree…I barely ever stick up for myself…and I'm about the least daring person on earth. Gryffindor is the very last house I expected to be placed in. I think the Sorting Hat malfunctioned or something when it sorted me…" Hannah cast Neville a sympathetic look.
"Well you'll always be welcome in Hufflepuff!" She said good naturedly. "But I'm certain the Sorting Hat didn't just place in Gryffindor without good reason to. I'm sure it's reasoning will become clear soon enough. And I'm sure you'll be a great Gryffindor. You could even make Head Boy!" They both laughed at the ambitious prospect. The pair continued repotting their final Flitterbloom before Professor Sprout dismissed class.
"Well bye then, Neville," Hannah said.
"Bye Hannah!" He said before following the rest of the Gryffindors to the dungeons for Potions. Professor Snape critiqued his Fatigue Fusion, which was supposed to have green tint instead of it's current shade of violent red. The smoke was a pale gray, even though it was meant to be green. Neville must've added the crushed beetle too early. But even Snape's constant criticism couldn't dampen Neville's spirits today. A smile still graced his face as he ascended the stairs leading out of the dungeons after Potions ended. He couldn't stop thinking about his newfound friend from Hufflepuff, Hannah Abbott.