Her hands were cold as ice as she nimble touched the seeping wound that ran down his left cheek. He winced at her touch. "I'm sorry." Sam Calloway soothed.
"It doesn't hurt." He said through clenched teeth.
"Sure it doesn't." She replied with a small smile dancing around her lips as she tended to the wound. She was so close she could feel his breath on her neck and could smell his cologne. She felt so peaceful at that moment. She slowly breathed in the smell savouring it.
"Ow!"
"Sorry!" she blurted being pulled back to reality.
"It's fine." He grimaced shooting her a meaningful look as she continued.
God she felt stupid! How could she have been so oblivious! Why was she so clumsy and stupid around him? Whenever he was near her she lost her cool.
"I didn't make you mad did I?" Neville Longbottom asked with a tone of concern.
"Oh! No!" Sam replied a little too quickly "… I was just, ah… Daydreaming! That's it! Daydreaming."
"Okay?" he replied slowly and questioningly.
"So that weather is pretty nasty huh?" She so very un-casually slipped in. He chuckled at her obvious change of subject but winced in pain.
"Stop laughing, you're making me mess up."
"Sorry."
She continued to tend to his wound not taking her eyes or mind off the task at hand. She had to focus; she couldn't risk another mess up.
"Actually it is rather nice out. It would be a great evening for a stroll in the moonlight."
"Are you flirting with me? Or are you suggesting I hurry up so you can go seduce some love struck girl with your "charm"."
"Excuse me! I have charm. I am overflowing with charm. You're just jealous you don't have a cool scar like me."
"Oh please." she retorted unable to hide her smile anymore. She stopped what she was doing and burst into laughter. Full-fledged, snorting, can't breathe, laughter. He too began to smile, feeling the happiness radiate off of her.
"Stop it!" she cried, "You're going to make it bleed again I haven't bandaged it yet."
Neville grabbed her by the waist and pulled her onto his lap. Sam yelped and spun her head around to face him. Their lips rest only a few centimetres away from one another, they could feel each other's heartbeat and hear their breathing. Her light blue eyes meet with his soft, caring brown ones. She felt a jolt of excitement run up her spine. He began to lean forward closing the small gap between their lips.
"I should finish bandaging your cheek." She said jumping up just in time to miss the kiss.
"Wait... WHAT! I was just about to KISS you and you JUMPED UP!"
"Maybe I didn't want you to kiss me."
"Why wouldn't you want me to kiss you? You do A LOT more with every other person in the school."
"Not everybody." Sam replied coyly. "I don't do it with first or second years."
"Okay, but that leaves third to seventh years."
"So? I like boys... a lot."
"What does that make me?"
Sam finished bandaging Neville's wound then turned and walked towards the door. As she reached the door she turned and faced him then replied, "Special." She then left the room before Neville had a chance to reply.
"Special?" he contemplated. Then without thinking he raced down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room. There was no sign of her but her friends; Eryn Winters, Rose Carson, Annabelle Hawkins, and Kenzie Thorne; all sat around the fireplace laughing and talking. Neville raced over to them, "Where's Sam?"
"She just left." Eryn replied.
"Said she was tired." finished Annabelle.
"Probably had a "date" with someone." Rose speculated, laughing.
"ROSE!" Kenzie scolded smiling.
"Why?" they asked in unison.
"No reason." Neville said rushing out of the room before the girls could protest. As he ran down the moving staircases on his way to the Ravenclaw dormitory, he nearly fell off as the one he was standing on switched just before he got off. "Shit." He screamed frustrated. That's when he remembered it was after hours.
"Who's there?" the angry voice of Hogwarts' caretaker, Argus Filch, echoed off the surrounding walls. Filch was one of the meanest employees at the school. He hated children and always threatened to hang anyone he caught breaking the rules by their thumbs.
"No way Filch is taking me down. Not now." Neville thought to himself and that's when he jumped.
There was a crashing sound as he landed on the 5th floor. He could hear Filch yelling in frustration as he tried to get off the moving staircases and resume his chase of the unknown rule breaker. With a surge of adrenaline Neville raced to the spiral staircase that would lead him to the Ravenclaw dormitory. As he reached the staircase he stopped. What if she wasn't there? What if she didn't want to see him? What if she was with someone else? No! He couldn't think like that. Not after everything he'd done to get here. Neville pushed aside his thoughts and sprinted up the stairs. When he got to the entrance he stopped. There stood a door without a doorknob or keyhole but a bronze knocker in the shape of an eagle. He had no idea what the password was. He was so stupid.
"Where do Vanished objects go?"
"Who's there?" Neville asked as he whipped around to see who had caught him.
"It is I the guardian of the Ravenclaw common room. Now, where do Vanished objects go?"
"You're a... a... doorknocker. That's... that's great."
"Where do Vanished objects go?"
"I... ah ... I don't know."
"Wrong. You're not permitted to enter."
"Seriously? SERIOUSLY! After all I've done!"
"Please quiet down. You're making a racket and will wake my occupants."
"Which came first, the phoenix, or the flame?"
"A circle has no beginning."
"Correct."
"Luna?" Neville spun around and found Luna Lovegood standing behind him. "Where'd you come from? I didn't see you there. WAIT! How much of that did you hear?"
"Enough. Come on. We can go in now."
"Thanks!" Neville said as they walked into the common room together. He glanced over the room searching for Sam.
"You're looking for someone. Who?" Luna asked surprising Neville.
"Sam." He said blushing, "But she not here."
"Let's go."
"Where?"
"To the girl's dormitory."
"But won't there be girls there?"
"There all down here, except for Sam."
"Okay. But won't the staircase disappear?"
"No. Sam put an enchantment on it." Luna started towards the dormitory and Neville followed. As they began to climb the staircase Neville could faintly make out a song being played that become sharper as they neared the door. As soon as he was just outside the door he could make it out. "Every memory of looking out the back door I have the photo album spread out on my bedroom floor it's hard to say it, time to say it goodbye, goodbye. Every memory of walking out the front door I found the photo of the friend that I was looking for it's hard to say it, time to say it goodbye, goodbye. Goodbye." Nickelback's, Photograph, Sam's favourite song from the Muggle World. The music stopped abruptly.
"Who's there?" came Sam's worried voice. "Tell me. Right Now! I'm not afraid to curse you."
"It's just me." Luna replied dreamily as she entered the room.
"Oh. Sorry you scared me... what are you doing here?" Sam said looking straight at Neville.
"I ah... I was ah... I... I was looking for you." He stuttered losing all confidence.
"So you found me. Now WHY are you HERE?"
"I wanted to talk to you."
"So talk."
"In private."
"I'll be going then." Luna said as she made her way out of the room.
"You probably should have kept her here to keep you safe."
"Look!" Neville started his courage gathering, "That's not what I wanted to talk about. What did you mean by 'special'?"
"What's it to you."
"Answer the question."
Sam sighed, "Look it was an accident. It meant nothing OK."
"Not OK. It meant something. I could tell by your voice."
"Why do you care so much? I'm just some slut, you said so yourself." Sam spat trying to mask her pain and sorrow with anger.
"That's not what I said or meant and you know it so why are you doing this? What are you hiding? What are you scared of?"
"You want to know what I'm scared of? Really! Well here it is! I'm scared of EVERYTHING! I'm scared of admitting my true feelings because I'm scared of being rejected-"
"You know I'd never-"
"Of being loved for real! That's what I'm scared of!" Sam threw herself down on the bed, sobbing uncontrollably. "Go away, OK. Just go away."
"No. Not now." Neville made his way over to the bed and crouched down next to Sam. "Look at me."
Sam looked up eyes already swollen and red. "What." She cried angrily. "What more can you wan-"
That's when Neville kissed her. He could feel her soft, warm lips against his own. They faintly tasted of cotton candy. He loved the way it felt, the way they seemed connected. It was magical! Though he didn't want to stop he pulled away. "I love you he said staring into her shimmering eyes. He raised his hand and caressed her cheek, still damp with tears. Then like a waterfall tears again began to trickle down her cheeks.
"I love you too." and with that Sam pulled Neville's lips back to her own, letting her feelings take over and reality slip away.