Dedicated to Helen, Happy birthday!
Disclaimer: I'll own Harry Potter when Luna says Blummering Humdingers aren't real.
Prompt: Snow
Pairing: Neville/Luna
Summary:"I love the snow. My mum used to say that it was gods way of making the earth beautiful again. He wanted to make all the bare trees covered in white magic."
Neville sighed and picked at another fuzz on his uniform sweater. He was bored, more so than he really cared to admit. It was getting dark and he didn't really want to go to bed. He sighed yet again and shuffled in his seat, trying to bring his attention back to the book he was supposed to be reading. It was honestly boring and the library was far too quiet for him to really be able to focus properly.
The entire year had been rather dull, actually. He probably should have gone on to join the rest of his Gryffindor friends and become an Auror, but he didn't want to. He'd had enough fighting to last himself a lifetime.
His eyes drifted to the window, again, and he let himself get lost in studying the familiar designs in the glass. It was several, long, minutes later when he realized it was actually snowing outside. The first snow of the year! A childish excitement filled him at the thought. He looked back down at his book and smiled mischievously. He shut the book and grabbed his bag up before running out of the library. He could read later, he needed a study break anyway.
He snuck out of the castle, making his way to the bottom floor carefully. He didn't want to run into anyone right now. He needed some alone time and he was tired of having people tell him how much they appreciated him leading them. He still felt like he had failed in that aspect. They'd lost so many students…
He forced the thoughts away from his mind before pushing the front doors of Hogwarts open. Being a head had advantages. He could come or go anytime he wanted.
He stole out onto the quiet grounds with a sincere smile, the first one in too long. It was beautiful and magical, just like it had always been. The snow was falling in soft flakes that stuck to his robes and hair, the chilly little drops disappearing as they melted against his warm flesh.
A faint giggle sounded behind him, one he knew well and secretly loved. He turned towards the sound and saw a faint figure by the lake. She was dancing in the moon light, her hands over her head as she twirled and leap from one spot to the other. Neville snuck closer up to her so that he could watch her.
She'd abandoned her robes by the water front, and was, he realized with a start, wearing only her night dress. It was long, flowing, and a pale yellow that was perfect for her personality. Her long, wavy, silvery hair had been left out and was flying about her shoulders as she danced.
"Come and join me, Neville?" She called to him, never stopping her strange dance and he felt a blush warm his cheeks. He hadn't intended for her to find him spying on her. He felt like such a stalker now. He stood up intending on apologizing, but she gave him a warm smile and beckoned him closer. Apparently she didn't mind him peeping on her.
"You're barefoot." He pointed out, making his way towards her, fighting a shiver from the cold and another, strange feeling he didn't really want to acknowledge.
"My shoes have gone missing again. I don't need them to dance though. it's easier barefoot."
"Don't you have to worry about getting sick?" He asked, partially out of curiosity but mostly because he wanted to hear her voice again. he loved the dreamy quality it had in it. he had always looked for it last year. He'd felt like it would be okay if she could keep that innocence. If she stopped believing then he would have. There wouldn't have been much reason to fight anymore anyway.
"No, the marblors keep me warm enough." She replied, stopping her strange dance and turning towards him. "Did you not come out to dance in the snow?"
"Not really… I came to just see it." she smiled and sat down on the snow, not caring that it was cold or wet apparently. She motioned for him to do the same, and he did after a moment, despite his better judgment.
"I love the snow. My mum used to say that it was gods way of making the earth beautiful again. He wanted to make all the bare trees covered in white magic." Neville nodded his head and turned towards the lake, taking in the picturesque scene. The snow was starting to cover the ground quite heavily, and it was unquestionably beautiful and magical.
"Do you think I'm odd?" She asked suddenly, startling him out of the revere he'd fallen into. He tilted his head towards her and studied her face as he formulated an answer. He'd become accustomed to her rather blunt and truthful manner sometime ago. It hadn't startled of worried him for quite some time now.
"Yeah, I think everyone's a little odd." He replied equally as truthfully. He'd also learned that truthfulness was the best way to answer her. She appreciated it and didn't take it offensively.
"Most people think I'm quite odd. I don't mind though, they just don't understand. You can't judge or condemn people on something they don't understand, it's not very nice." Neville nodded his head and wondered why he had ever doubted the sorting hats sanity in putting her in Ravenclaw when he was younger. She was brilliant, even if it wasn't the 'traditional' way.
"Not very nice at all. Most people are a little too eager to judge though." His eyes widened in surprise when she placed her hand on top of his. He raised his head to look at her eyes and saw she was offering him a small, understanding smile.
"Would you dance with me? I'd like to welcome the snow with you." he was standing up with her before he quite realized what was going on. She started to twirl her arms in the unusual way she had during Bill's wedding last year, and he mimicked her after a moment. They spun around in the snow, laughing and slipping on the cold snow. Neville caught his foot on a particularly slick rock and fell down, accidently taking Luna down with him. he landed on his back with a painful thud, and she landed on top of him with a quiet 'thump.'
He sucked in a breath and nearly sneezed as her soft hair covered his face. She pushed herself up a slight bit, smiling in her wonderful, dreamy way and he felt a familiar flutter in his stomach. The snow kept falling around them, and he suddenly found himself filling up with the courage that had seen him placed in Gryffindor. He took a page out of her book and acted on what he was feeling, deciding not to care what others might think.
He kissed her, softly and tentatively, not wanting to scare her off. He needn't have worried though. She happily kissed him back before pushing herself up into a sitting position. She pulled him up with her, never saying a word. He was beginning to feel worried until she stepped close to him and wrapped her arms around his neck before laying her head against his chest. He wrapped his around her waist, savoring the warmth of her thin body and the way she fit his height perfectly. They began to move slowly under the moonlight, dancing as the snow made the world beautiful again.
A/N: Happy birthday Helen, I hope you enjoy it!
To everyone else, I hope you also enjoyed it and don't forget to review!
