Extra

I never saw him even look at me…
It was him, Harry and Hermione…always. We were just faces in the background that no-one ever acknowledged. Occasionally one of us would be chosen by the 'amazing three' to feature in their series of mishaps and adventures but as soon as they moved on we were never to be heard of again.

Welcome to the life of a Gryffindor who should have had their wild student days at Hogwarts but unfortunately shared classes with Harry Potter.

I thought he was amazing. Everyone stared when he walked in the room…every time he walked in the room. But I wasn't looking at the famous Harry Potter. I was looking at his best friend, the person everyone saw through. Ronald Weasley. He didn't notice me once. I guess we all saw ourselves as extras in a movie, waiting and waiting for our one chance to shine, clinging to the fleeting seconds where everyone noticed us. I lived my Hogwarts life as fully as I could in Harry Potter's shadow and I made amazing friends but I still felt unsettled and had a sense of longing that my friends never understood. They told me to not bother and to give up because he can't see anyone but Hermione, Harry and his family, they told me that he was hardly attractive and that Neville had his eye on me. I guess I listened to them instead of my heart because I started seeing Neville.

Neville Longbottom was really lovely. No one could ever deny that. He was sweet and kind and he treat me like a princess but there was one small problem. He wasn't Ron. My friends and I gushed about how Neville has hinted of marriage and planned what the dress would look like and who would be head bridesmaid. I managed to hide my feelings from everyone for what seemed like years but they were there every time I looked in his direction. But everyone thought Neville and I were madly in love. I did love him to bits but I was never in love with him. He made me smile and laugh but I knew there was someone that made me smile and laugh even more, if only he could notice me. The prefects had organised an almost end of term party and of course Potter and the gang were the star attraction. He was voted Most likely to be headmaster of Hogwarts and Most likely to rid the world of Voldemort, naturally. Once again it was all about them but I finally got my time to shine. That was when everything seemed to change. Neville and I were voted "Most likely to get married". I blushed as much as him and we went to collect our prize bashfully but I knew inside that Neville was secretly enjoying the attention as much as me. My eyes skimmed over the crowd and I saw this look Ron had, it was as though he had seen me for the first time but I shook it off and went for the customary kiss that made everyone cheer. Apart from him.

I finally had some time to myself in the common room. I was reading a magazine that kept me connected with the Muggle world. It was full of celebrity marriages, botox and sex scandals. I was loving it. I felt his presence in the room and it hit me hard, I always had this extra sense and I knew when he was around within about 100 meters of me, I guess I acquired that skill when I was 13 and tried to make sure my hair was perfectly straight whenever he was around. I heard his voice and presumed he was talking to someone else.

"Please don't tell me you are looking at wedding dresses" he said critically. I shivered at the sound of his voice but carried on reading about Katie Price's latest marriage. I noticed there was no reply so I looked up and he was stood in front of me.
"What me? Urm no" I choked quickly closing the magazine.
He stared hard at me then asked "Urm…are you new or something?"
That comment confirmed that all the times I thought he was looking at me, hopes I clinged onto for years, were unfounded.
"No. I came here the same year as you…I was 2 people after you in the sorting." I replied abruptly and opened my magazine. He looked shocked and then I realised I had given away one of my first memories of when I set my eyes upon him.
"So you're Nevilles bird then?" he said with a cheeky glint in his eye.
"I'm not a bird I'm a girl and you need to stop picking up that awful muggle slang". It was the time I was hoping for all my life. The time when I was approached by Ron Weasley… and I blew it.

A month passed and I was back in my old routine. Being with Neville and looking at Ron. It came so naturally I had the whole of the castle fooled. Then something awful happened which my friends had been hinting at for weeks. We were in the middle of the Christmas feast when Neville did it. I guess he did it to bring some attention to us…so that we were up there with Harry and the gang. I didn't want it to happen and I prayed that the look on my face didn't reflect how I felt inside. We were young. Far too young. Everyone was going to think he got me pregnant or something…Then Neville spoke with so much compassion that it made me feel even worse.

"Look I know we're young and…but this feels so…." He gushed then composed himself "look will you marry me..well… promise to marry me in the future? I love you." My heart sunk. It was too much. But, as much as I hated to admit it, I revelled in the idea that I would be the talk of the school for once. I cried. Not out of happiness, out of confusion. I replied quietly "yes". A roar filled the hall and I instantly regretted that one tiny word.

I ran.

I heard footsteps behind me. Was it Samantha my best friend or was it Neville? I only wanted one person but I knew it wouldn't be him.

"I'm sorry" the voice echoed around the room. It wasn't Neville. The voice carried on "I didn't mean to insult you before. I've had a hectic time at school and there's just so many people here it's hard to recognise faces…."

I don't know why I did it but I did and I guess I shouldn't regret it but my feelings gushed out. "You never would recognise anyone but your special Potter and Granger…We're all extra's to your amazing lives and you don't care who you pick up and drop as long as it makes you happy….It's been 4 years and you haven't even laid an eye on me, I'm in all your classes!"

"Woah look I know brides-to-be are meant to be emotional and stuff but this is just out of order. I don't even know you and you're pretending you know all about me?"

I looked at him properly for the first time and for once he was looking back. I noticed that his hair was messy, his nose crooked and he had huge bags under his eyes. For once he looked human and real rather than dreamy. That eased me a little…I felt I could actually talk to him.

"I'm sorry I just presumed…I tried to get on with everything and…" I was crying now which made my words muffled. Then he lightly took my hand.

"Look..you didn't look happy when he asked you…everyone believed you were but I knew… I told Neville I would sort this because he knew your real feelings too so I'm here to make things better." He looked in my eyes and I knew he had me sussed.

"It's just that there might be someone else that's all but he's never noticed me" I hinted. I'm not sure why I was telling him all this but I felt that despite everything I could talk to him easily as long as he didn't touch me again.

His face fell. "Oh I understand. I'll just urm leave you to it then." I knew it. He hated me. I wasn't important enough for him to care and it just made things awkward. I was one in a long line of admirers in Hogwarts and I certainly wasn't the prettiest. He started to walk away and I heard him mutter "always Harry fkn Potter". I laughed. The whole situation was laughable.
"HARRY POTTER?" I giggled…" You think I like Harry Potter?"
"That who everyone likes…you think I don't see people? You think you're the extra's? Try being the sidekick…try being the one that's always looked past." He looked upset and for once all this emotion felt raw and real.
"I'm not team Harry" I smiled.
"Oh god" he looked horrified "…don't tell me you're Team Edward….please tell me you have better tastes than reading that crap…Vampire's don't sparkle…they bite and they kill…and they don't seduce and make friends with muggles" he stared to rant.
"No" I giggled, trying to shut him up. "I'm team sidekick."
He looked at me with a half smile "What are you on about?"
"That's all I'm saying. I'm team sidekick." I walked off and, for once in my life, I felt vaguely mysterious and smooth. Until I tripped after a few steps. I knew he was staring at me as I walked away and I felt a real smile cross my face. I made my way to the common room once again feeling confused, excited and with a slight sense of dread about my accidental engagement.

What happened next could be viewed as a fortunate turn of events or a complete betrayal. I saw Neville going up to the common from the great hall early, long before dinner was finished. I had a meeting with Snape about my disastrous potions lesson so followed Neville quickly. I hate speaking loudly or shouting to anyone so, if I need to catch anyone's attention I will try and catch up to them silently. Then I saw her. Luna. Dressed in an odd outfit, I wouldn't have expected any less of course. She got close to Neville but maybe too close. Then I saw them kiss. I stood and stared. My heart sank when I saw it. Those two..together. After all he was my Neville and I had stayed loyal to him even when temptation had briefly passed me by. I could never say I was heartbroken or devastated but I felt hurt and betrayed. I went up to my room and waited for Samantha to come back from dinner. I lay back trying to decide how I felt about what I had just seen when something stuck in my back. It was a badge that flashed the words
"Team sidekick?" then had a moving picture of Ron winking. Underneath this was a parchment which read

Team extra's wishes to meet with Team sidekick to share some important information about how unimportant we are. Meet in your dorm in 5 minutes from now.

R. x

The only thing I panicked about was my hair…It looked ok at the best of times and this was not a good hair day at all. I did my best but it didn't matter. He had snuck in and sat on my bed. He didn't even seem to notice.

"You aren't wearing it." He said accusingly
"I can't…it's got your face on…" I said slowly
"Look I know this face aint pretty but just put it on" he insisted.

I put the badge on and it changed.
It faded in and out with the words….I know this is wrong….but I think….T.S & T.E…should join forces.

He looked at me expectantly. "I know…Neville and everything…it can't happen…and I've got so much going on but this is my one shot to star in my own story…" He started to blush and the colour of his face clashed terribly with his hair.

"Neville cheated on me." I said simply. My voice was so devoid of any emotion it didn't even sound like me. I was hurt and upset yet excited and hopeful. I needed to get things clear in my head. It was too much. He looked shocked.
"Neville…are you kidding. With who?" I couldn't help but notice the hopeful glimmer in his eyes.
"Luna, I just saw them that's why I came up here…it's not important anyway.."
"It is! I'll kill him!"
This was it. My time to take control. I took a sharp breath.
"I like you…I really like you"
He smiled…"I like you too…I didn't expect…"

"Can I just ask…why have you suddenly noticed me now?" I questioned carefully. I didn't want to give my emotions away.

"I've gone through being Harry's friend. Harry the amazing wizard, here to save us all from Voldemort. I've gone through being Hermione's friend. The amazingly talented witch that no one can out smart. But who am I? The side kick, loyal and funny but not that important." He drew a breath then continued "then I saw you for the first time at that party. I felt awful. Neville's my friend and you were obviously so important to him and I didn't even know. Then I spoke to you and I sounded like such a dick…and it felt too late. Until you looked at me when Neville asked you that question…I'm not saying we'll get married or have babies or even be together in 6 months…I'm saying I feel important to you and you need to feel important to someone too…"

I felt my eyes welling up. "Let's not be extra's anymore."
And that was how it happened. I took control of my life. I refused to be an extra. I threw myself into my own story.