"Because who would really choose a daisy in a field of roses?" (Julie Martinez)
It was five months after the war- October the second to be exact, when Neville Longbottom decided to visit his former school. Hogwarts had been his home throughout the past seven years of his life, and somehow, deep down, he knows nothing could ever replace that.
He just built and changed along the castle. It had been such a bumpy road. It never was easy, yet he was thankful for everything.
Even with Draco Malfoy's bullying tactics.
He smiled sheepishly through the memory. Merlin knows what his dear friend, Luna, has seen in him. Yet, being Luna Lovegood, she just has this ability with seeing the good in people.
No matter how snotty and arrogant that person could be.
He stood outside the huge glass doors of the Herbology greenhouse, inhaling the fresh smell of plants and somehow, faint flowers. He kept in touch with his former professor, who has been standing as a mother for him ever since. Professor Sprout told him excitedly that throughout the months, 'a kind hearted little witch' helped her with tending the plants and played a huge role in the installation of a garden on the back of her greenhouse. Being a green thumb that he is, he immediately told the aging professor that he would visit as soon as his work could allow him.
Opening the door, he walked inside the green scenery with eyes scanning the place.
There is a woman squatting on what seem like the garden his professor told him about. Glancing nervously around, it seems as if they are the only people in there.
"Lovely afternoon isn't it, Mr. Longbottom?" the woman addressed him with an air of ease- he subconsciously wiped an invisible sweat from his forehead. Learning how to handle society had always been such a hard thing to learn. Proving himself in the battle was such a huge boost, but it is not as if he already mastered such skill. Infact, he had never been good with talking to women. Especially when they're just strangers having this air of authority surrounding them.
"Pardon me Miss, I sort of missed your name" his footsteps sound normal, yet sheepish. Cursing himself inwardly, he remained his eyes to the woman-which in this much closer inspection, is brunette and quite younger than he expected.
The brunette turned and sets her small hand infront, angling it towards him. Even if the top of her head only meets his nose, she seemed capable of getting the upper hand of their conversation. With just a single glance, Neville knew that this woman was born and raised to perfect the art of business talking and polite chit chats.
"You might not know me, but I know you know a former housemate of mine? Luna Lovegood?" her voice sounded strained by the end of her sentence, as if she had just swollen a bee, sting and pain first and the realization later. He stood there for a while, reminiscing the times when Luna would just sit in the Ravenclaw table with a certain brunette in it.
Throwing her another cautious glance, her gray eyes and smirk were suddenly familiar. He has seen it before.
"Are you, by any chance, Astoria Greengrass?" he asked. Ofcourse, how could he forget? Her sister's a living breathing nightmare.
And well, although she is much more tolerable than her dear sibling, she is as quiet as he is. Except that no matter what she does, you would not fail to feel the superiority oozing out her solemn gray eyes. And he, in contrast, oozes out thick metaphorical fogs of awkwardness.
Besides, it was once well known that Astoria Greengrass was destined to marry the Malfoy heir. But Luna, being Luna, never liked to do things out of declared parchment and half hearted biddings.
"In flesh, blood and soul. Oh, what an honor! It is truly nice to meet you" Neville blushed by the bluntness of her excitement. He stared at her eyes, how they seem to blink alot as she shift to one emotion to another. And her lips, how they curve teasingly but with obvious shyness in them. It is really fascinating to see purebloods being themselves. Without all that stiff regulations and forced sophistic ways they usually follow.
Oh and well.. Merlin's beard, she is really, really pretty.
"To meet me?"
"Why not?"
She smiled easily, her grey eyes cold but have an inviting effect in them. Then, she blinked a few times again.
Her hair, which is being held limply by a green ribbon at the back of her head, swung gracefully with the twist of her petit body. Somehow, he felt as if she was born to tend the earth. Inside the high walls of the Greenhouse, she looks in place, her smile effortless and her cold eyes warm with hidden passion.
Like a rose she stood. Poised and simple.
He observed her as she inserts her manicured hands inside two worn out gloves, not once did she gave any negative reaction with the old thing.
Unfortunately, he must've spaced out for a while thinking about Merlin knows what. His eyes were glued to her hands, which earned him a small smile and slight raise from the witch's brow.
"Are you going, Mr. Longbottom?" He furrowed his brows together, alarmed and quite embarrassed with the way he made a fool of himself. Surely she must be making fun of him in her thoughts now. Surely she might be thinking how painful his company is and how much of an idiot he could be.
"I'm-I'm sorry I-" Her eyes widen, her blinking session fast and clumsy. She must have realized how it must've sounded like and so she quickly threw water upon the fire.
"Oh goodness, I meant Draco and Luna's wedding. Yes, their wedding" She sounded unconvinced, her second statement was primarily, a note to herself. Neville noticed she blinked a few flashes of emotion upon her eyes. Once or twice, he saw gloom written in them.
"It is really happening isn't it? Draco's finally happy"She turned her back on him, avoiding his eyes, wearing a lose smile. The tools she gathered inside her arms clucked to one another, her clumsy hands slightly cold with containing her nerves.
"Well, they're both a bit mad aren't they? Luna's insane, and Malfoy, well, he's plain angry and mad all the time" He followed suit, his hands folded to the handle of her basket. She muffled a thank you, whilst her eyes casted downward. They sauntered through the rose and daisy bush, she must've been tending them before he arrived.
"And yet, he had never looked content-placid until she showed up" she heaved a sigh, kneeling down the dirt patched soil with her back straight and her hands folded upon her thighs. Through his hooded silhouette, she stared at him, her blue eyes blinking and anticipating.
As sad for him as it sounds, Luna looked so genuinely happy when she distributed her invitations and talked to him about her relationship with the Slytherin. He might've missed the whole concept of their love, but he saw the depth of her dedication and compassion for Malfoy. Merlin knows what she saw in him, but being her, she might have seen something so tremendously hidden.
"Well, she's unorthodox. Quite a special little bird. Nice, calm, wise, empathic-different. No wonder why Draco took such deep liking with her" She took one large gap between the two blades of a huge muggle scissor and cut the excessed weed out of the rose shrub.
Not entirely sure as to what to do and say, he stuttered and sat rather slouchily at the other side of the shrub. Blimey, he wishes he knew how to ease her struggling thoughts, but frankly, he was still overwhelmed with realizing the notion that he was removing weeds with a pureblooded aristocrat.
"Oh you do not need to join me with trimming all these. I just want to make sure they will be cut right and even"
Between two roses' spaces, he glances to the other side. Staring at her crunched face filled with concentration.
"Are you alright, Ms. Greengrass?" the witch's snapping stopped it's marathon. Her ever present frown ceased from her face, a small forced smile replacing it.
"Oh I am sorry if I have worried you, I cannot seem to get this right. What is the beauty of these bountiful roses when they cannot compete with the effortless beauty of a single daisy?" Neville's eyes came across the innocent towering daisy inside the shrub, it's white petals dominating the dark red of the roses'. Yet, despite those, he saw no reason as to why the roses were ugly in her sight. They were as equally beautiful as the daisy-he thinks all classifications of plants are beautiful and unique in their own relevances.
"Perhaps-Perhaps they should not try to strive for perfect?" there was a pregnant pause as he responded. He knew she was registering his words deeply. Somewhere far down he knew she was not just talking about the said flowers, and also a bit farther down, he wishes he could listen to himself and stop being so intimidated and low all the time.
"It is by creatures nature to possess a competitive strike. If they do not outrun anyone and anything, then they'll be left unnoticed. Be seen as dull as how they enormously try not to be"
It is by nature people strive to be noticed. To be appreciated because they are relevant. Neville saw that yearning in Astoria Greengrass. He is certain she was not inlove with Malfoy, yet the prospect of being left despite being the perfect pureblooded witch scratched a huge slash in her self esteem.
And perhaps, despite her trained confidence, she sunk low deep inside. She was just like him, insecure and unaware of his own relevance in this world. Nobody wants to be just an addition, a filling inside a space just to fill the gap needed in the moving cycle of this rock, the last player being entered in a team just because there's no one else left to pick.
She leaned deeper inside the bush, only to gasp in shock as a thorn scratch a gash upon her arm. Harsh pink colored itself on her skin, once, twice, droplets of red trickle from the abused flesh.
"Maybe you should be kind to yourself, Ms. Greengrass. Maybe a rose can never be perfect or it could not outrun some of the others but that is it's gift. To have flaws and beauty at the same time. It has a lot of thorns but it is it's mark. Your hands are clumsy, you blink too much and you never seem to master controlling your nerves but that is who you are, and that makes you special from the others." He kept his eyes busy the whole time, they're pretending on looking for his wand that he settled just next to him. Behind his peripheral vision, Astoria blushed whilst smiling behind her scratched arm. She was taken aback, not knowing someone has seen the things she desperately tries to hide. Her pet peeves her mother scolded her to remove.
He straighten his back and ushered onto her, his wand ready inside his hand
"I am no good with wand, I tend to be fidgety-"
"Please do, Mr. Longbottom. I trust you would not let anything happen to me" if his heart was busy tugging quite fast in his chest, he did hid it by not meeting her eyes. He was flabbergasted and overwhelmed by her ease with his skill. Nobody has ever been that trusting, especially when he's with a wand and their lives could be on the line if he would mess up
He could feel her eyes boring, blasting holes on his scalp. She watches him with her mind adrift, a small space in the middle of her mouth. She tends to do just that when she's focused onto something.
Her hand was light inside his, once or twice, he felt her squeeze him to show support
"Just because he did not see you doesn't mean nobody ever would. Appreciate yourself Ms. Greengrass"
"I do hope you would tell that to yourself too, Mr. Longbottom. And I wish you would start that by resigning from the Ministry and do what you've always wanted to"
The spell smoothen the gash, making the twosome smile with the little victory Neville have done. Astoria took his hand in her gloved coated one, giving it another squeeze.
"I do hope I'll see you this upcoming semester Professor"
Smiling shyly, he squeezed back.