Author's Note: WARNING. This chapter is rated 'T' for very mild sexual references. If you're not comfortable, please continue on to the next chapter. No lemon though, I promise.
Prompt 2: Clock
The constant waiting was setting Neville's teeth on edge. Hannah said she had a surprise for him. He was supposed to meet her exactly at midnight. The Astronomy Tower, she'd said, kissing him behind the ear gently, was the perfect place for what she wanted to show him.
Well if that wasn't suggestive, Neville didn't know what was.
He blushed furiously at the thought of what might be awaiting him there. Neville was a more modest bloke than most. Sure, he wouldn't totally mind if his girlfriend was there in only her knickers… But…B-but…He wasn't ready for it.
He loved her, no doubt. But that could mean he'd have to confess his own fears that he was…erm…Less than satisfactory in that department. Being still a virgin, and a sheltered one at that, Neville was a tad worried about what lay waiting for him up all of those stairs.
He gulped.
The clock ticked on, closer, closer…Closer to midnight.
Neville absentmindedly scratched his ear.
Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
Fidgeting uncontrollably, Neville resorted to pacing around the room.
Tick, tock. Tick, tock.
He let out a mildly animalistic noise before plopping back into place in front of the common room fire.
DONG! DONG! DONG!
Twelve times the clock let out the loud chime, and Neville practically leapt out of his chair. Why was it that a loud noise was all the worse when you were expecting it? He flew out of the common room before the portrait was all of the way open. Neville could hear the Fat Lady grumbling behind him as he sped down and up a separate flight of stairs two-by-two.
The Astronomy Tower was fast approaching, and he could feel his breath coming in shaking gulps, be it because he was out of shape and this was a lot of stairs, or because he wondered what lay ahead, he did not know. When he reached the top, his breath caught in his throat.
Hannah's back was turned to him, her blonde tresses billowing down her back, the moonlight highlighting her sinewy body.
Sweat broke out across his forehead and down his palms. It was the stairs, right? Yeah, the stairs.
He finally mustered up a bit of Gryffindor courage and spoke up softly to his girlfriend.
"H-hey, Hannah," he whispered, blushing fiercely.
"Hey, yourself," she said just as quietly, still not yet turning to face him. Her soft, pale hands were grasped gently around the balcony edge, and Neville wondered for a moment what it might feel like, to have those hands running up and down his back. He shook his head of the mildly dirty thoughts.
"Turn around," Neville said huskily, waiting, wondering what was in store. Painfully slowly, the Hufflepuff pivoted on her feet, facing him.
"Are you ready for your surprise?" she said with an eager smile.
"Erm..I think so…" he replied nervously. Hannah gently grasped his left hand with her right and pulled him closer to the balcony.
"Accio Orchideous Locomortis," she said slowly, waving her wand in a complicated fashion and ignoring Neville's confused expression. From down below, in the Forbidden Forest, a bright white orchid came fluttering upon the balcony ledge.
The flower began an intricate dance, the roots still attached to its stem, petals racing in a ballet of sorts, and a soft voice came echoing into Neville's mind. He knew from her face that Hannah could hear it as well.
"Duret amor volutpat. Sed in aeternum vivas in pace et laetitia sempiterna ignoret reliquis diebus vitae tuae. Jam non ferent umbrae tenebrae super amorem. Et hanc solitudinem usque tandem."
He didn't know what it was saying, only that it spoke in the earliest forms of Latin, the earliest forms of magic. All he did know that even if it seemed impossible, the Orchideous Locomortis was speaking to them. And then he remembered.
"Wait, that was your surprise?" Neville said quickly. Hannah raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, yeah? Wasn't it good enough…?" She replied with curiosity. In response, Neville burst out laughing.
He had been nervous coming here because he was totally under the impression she wanted to shag him. She actually just wanted to show him a dancing orchid. It was hysterical.
"Nev, what's so funny?"
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." She glanced at him dubiously.
"Well, I just know how much you love plants. The Orchideous Locomortis is the rarest flower alive. It's the only one that can sing and dance. They only dance at midnight on a half moon though, so I thought I'd show you up here. They are supposed to be prophetic, you know. They give blessings to people. Usually good ones, but then again, I don't speak Latin so I guess I'll never know…I got one with roots and all. If anyone can learn to plant and care for them, you can. You could help grow the species back again," Hannah said sincerely.
"It's a beautiful present Hannah. The second most beautiful I could ever ask for," Neville managed.
"What's the first?" She replied.
"You," he said, leaning down to place a tender kiss on her waiting lips. Neville could scarcely believe that only minutes ago he had been frantically worrying, pacing the clock, and fearing what to do with this gorgeous woman in front of him. And now, here she was, perfect for all of her imperfections.
"You already have that," she whispered.
And boy was he glad of that.
Author's Note: For those who are wondering, the Latin the flower said means: "May you live within your love forever, where nothing can affect you for the rest of your days. May no shadows cast their darkness upon your love. And may this joined solitude last forever." Please don't forget to review!