AN: I don't Own Harry Potter or any of the characters or world created by J.K. R. I only own this story and the Yates Family.
Neville found himself awoken in the morning by Madam Pomfrey who politely informed him that he was healed well enough to return to his normal schedule and thus was routinely dismissed from the Infirmary with a few instructions that should anything happen again to come to her or a Professor immediately. As was expected he marched down to Breakfast and found the other Gryffindors all excited to see his healthy return. Hermione had literally just about knocked him over in her rush to ensure that he was alright. He could tell that she had several things that she wanted to ask him but he simply shook his head at her and she frowned. As time wore on though it soon came to his attention that she had told the entire group about who had taken him to the Hospital Wing to begin with.
"So, what did she do to you?" Demanded Hermione with a frown as her curiosity got the better of her and her desperate need for answers became evident.
"Nothing." He said reassuringly, "It was Malfoy." He said with a sigh.
Harry perked up at that tidbit. "What did he do?"
Neville frowned and retold the story of what he could remember, all the while knowing that Hermione would not leave the blonde out of it. He hated that she could blame others when he was already telling the truth. Though he could also tell that she believed every word he was telling about Malfoy as well.
"Damned Moron!" Ron shouted with distaste as he scowled over towards the Slytherin Table.
"SHHH!" Exclaimed Hermione with a frown. "Don't talk so bloody loudly."
Harry shook his head and returned to his porridge while Neville took the opportunity to eat some of his sausage and eggs. No sooner had he finished off the remainder of the food on his plate than a sneering voice called from behind them.
"Oh, I see a little piggy returned from Market." Malfoy and his small band howled with laughter and exited the hall with glee.
"Insignificant, stuck up prat!" Hermione hissed as she watched them go.
Neville frowned, "I'll see you all in Potions later." He said as he stood and left before any of them could stop him.
He wandered out of the castle and towards the Herbology paddock where the green houses were kept, the only place he felt like he truly belonged. With a sigh of content he began to gather up some shears and a watering can, intent on watering some of the plants before the lessons of the day began. He knew each of the plants by heart, and each of them had a special place in his memories. He had helped Professor Sprout plant many of the various species and subspecies within the different green houses and had even made several personal relationships with many of the plants. In his mind, plants were some of the best people he could know, they didn't judge him or betray or even insult and harm him. They were his friends and as long as he took care of them and helped them to grow they would always be so. It was an irrational way of seeing things, but to him all beings were people, whether green, purple, human or not. He was just pouring a can full of water when he noticed a girl in the Mimbletonia building. Wondering who it was he proceeded towards the green house with a can full of water and his pants damp from accidentally planting his leg in a soft spot of the dirt that had nearly swallowed him whole.
As he pushed open the door he was surprised to see Alexis in there, several of the plants around her as she worked diligently on their project. He quietly crept up to watch her and she turned to face him with a frown.
"Spying on me Longbottom?" She said, no hint of her thoughts in her voice.
"No." He said as he held up the watering can for her to see. "I was just coming to water the plants before Potions class."
She nodded absentmindedly, "Well, I was just here to make up for lost time yesterday." She said with a frown. "Did you want to meet again this evening?"
He shrugged, "Sure, we need to work on the plants and write our paper for the class." He said with a nod.
"I am free after Potions, I don't have another class until Tomorrow." She said as she watched him for a moment.
"I am free as well." He said.
He really only had a few classes with his intentions to eventually become a Herbologist. He had even considered eventually teaching Herbology at a school or opening a string of companies dedicated to Herbology. As it was he had recently began sending off several samples of his plants to various companies who had taken a notice in his work. He was about to be releasing a string of perfume lines just in time for Christmas that would help to make his plans and dreams become a more realistic reality.
"I guess we will meet up then." She said, a small smile lighting on her face for a brief moment before it was replaced with her usual expression that was reserved for the public.
"Sure." He said with a nod that indicated he was okay with the plan.
As they stood there not saying much of anything to one another both were aware of the other watching them as they awkwardly attempted to try and think of something else to speak about. Both were saved when the bell rang signaling that it was time for their Potions class to start. They quickly packed up their things and proceeded towards the Dungeons, neither acknowledging the other as they walked wrapped up in their own thoughts.
Alexis entered the Potions class room with a quiet demeanor, she knew she would be expected to work with her sister and was glad for the reprieve from the rest of the house. As she took her seat near Marie her sister gave her a glance over and raised an eyebrow.
"You seem a little flustered." She said with a soft smile.
Alexis shrugged, "Odd morning." She said with a frown.
Marie didn't push for details, something that Alexis enjoyed most about her sister was her willingness to wait for people to explain their thoughts to her. If they decided not to share, Marie never pressed further, but she was not above trying if she needed to. As they waited for Professor Slugghorn to enter, they watched with fascinating smirks as Ron Weasley and Harry Potter entered the room and took seats. This was clearly not their scheduled morning which meant that something had changed for them. As she continued to watch, Neville's lone figure caught her eye and she noticed that he was staring off into space, though his eyes were focused at a point near her.
Are you staring at me Longbottom? Surely he was just lost in his own thoughts and wasn't paying attention to where his eyes were, but with a sudden blink she noticed that he gave her a nod and then returned his attention to his book. What the fuck? That really was strange. She was going to have to ask him about that later, it was one thing for them to be civil as he put it, but it was another for him to be trying to communicate with her outside of Herbology and their studying.
With a frown, she politely returned the nod and then returned to her own book noting that they would be working on a difficult potion that day. The Drought of Peace. She was surprised at how ill named the potion really was, it was not exactly a nice potion to make nor was it easy. She had successfully brewed it with her mother once, but it had taken a lot of concentration and effort. Potions had always been one of her best subjects, one of the many reasons she was caught between fully becoming a healer or a potioneer. It was not exactly a hard decision to make, but both career paths had several options for her to take along her life.
"Longbottom seems rather distracted today." Her twin imputed politely.
Alexis looked up to see him staring off into space again. "Isn't he always lost?"
Marie smiled and laughed a small chirp. "He is always a little off in his own world."
Alexis nodded and returned to her book, now was not the time to be discussing this with her sister. Nothing was going on between them but their Herbology partnership was not something she was ready to bring into life for her sister to scrutinize. As she flipped the page to read the ingredients for the potion, the door opened and an old, hunched wizard with black robes and a cap walked in, his belly protruding several inches in front of his body. She had to stifle a groan when she realized who the teacher was. Surely this man was not back at the school.
"Good Morning Everyone." Slugghorn proclaimed in a cheerful tone.
Several mutters met his greeting and he tutted but didn't make a comment further about the returned greeting.
"Today we are going to be working on a very dangerous and rather difficult potion." He said, waving at the board that held the lesson plan clear and precise. "The Drought of Peace." He continued with a smile that seemed to be bright enough to blind a chimera.
"So much for a quiet morning." Alexis sighed as she waited for the man to finish.
"You will have the rest of the class to make the potion and turn in a small vial of your finished product for sampling." He continued, "Now, before we begin I would like a volunteer to tell us what the potion I have siting on my desk is."
Immediately Granger's hand was the first in the air as several eyes turned to the potion in question. Alexis immediately recognized the gold liquid and an eagerness burned within her just to touch the Felix Felicis.
"Yes, Miss?"
"Granger Sir." She said as she stood and walked towards the golden potion with a smile on her face. "This is Felix Felicis, otherwise known as the Luck Potion." Granger continued as she watched the potion bubbling happily in its cauldron. "It has many qualities, but is best known for its ability to grant the drinker luck in all their tasks for the allotted time that the potion has been made to last, also determined by how much they drink."
"Quite right." Said Slugghorn with a nod.
"One can determine it by its look as well as by the fact that it will give off the scent of something that they find most pleasurable." She continue with a faint look of longing on her own face. "Like for me I smell fresh laundered clothes and..." She turned bright pink as her statement quickly stopped.
Several Slytherins made jeering noises as she returned to her seat with a frown etched onto her face.
"Excellent Miss Granger, ten points to Gryffindor." Slugghorn announced with a flick of his wand as he awarded the points. "Now, as Miss Granger pointed out, this is the luck potion often refereed to as liquid luck. Today you will all be competing for the reward of a single vial which will be given to the person who produces the best Drought of Peace."
Everyone in the class seemed to perk up at that and she noticed that even Longbottom seemed to be taking the class far more seriously than normal. Her insides burned as she knew she wanted the potion for herself, and something dark smoldered as well for her desires.
"You have two hours." Slugghorn said, pointing at the clock, "begin."
The class immediately erupted into movement as cauldrons were placed on their stands and potion ingredients were dragged from book bags to be placed ready for use. She was one of the first to have the cauldron already bubbling as her first ingredients were added. She tried to recall all that her mother had taught her the day that they had brewed the potion together, but somehow most of the instructions seemed to have left her in the past few weeks since that day. She heard Potter and Weasley ask the Professor for books and ingredients, explaining how they had believed that they would not be taking the class until the previous day when McGonagall had explained to them that they were expected to be here.
She sneered at the thought that Potter had not succeeded in gaining the grade that Snape would have required and then returned to her determined path. She was just beginning to feel at ease when she heard Slugghorn proclaim admiration for Potter's potion. Something was wrong if Potter was suddenly the star of the class, that had always been either Granger, Herself, or Malfoy. Now, however it seemed as if Potter had suddenly gained a mastery of the subject that passed even Slugghorn's meager expectations. She sighed, this was going to be a long and arduous task if this was going to be a Potter fan-fest infestation.
A few moments later there was a loud bang and she looked up to see Crabbe and Goyle covered in globs of goo and Weasley roaring with laughter. You really should be talking Weasel. She thought as she rolled her eyes and returned to her work. Several students were called up to the desk to be treated by the Professor before the class returned to normal. Her potion was finally turned the right shades it needed to have been several minutes before when Slugghorn called for the class to look over at Potter's potion again as it was now just the right shade for the last few ingredients to be added.
A loud groan nearby told her that Malfoy was just as upset by this as she was. Clearly he had been hoping to gain the prize to help with his mission. Well at least some of us had better ways of using it. She returned her attention to her potion which was now ready for the last ingredient as well when the Professor called out that there was only ten minutes left. No Pressure. She told herself as she let the last ingredient slip under the surface of the potion and proceeded to turn it the way that the book was insisting. Finally it turned the right shade of the last step but then with a puff of acrid green smoke it turned black and seemed to take on the consistency of tar.
Just as Slugghorn noticed and gave her a small frown of disapproval she noticed that class was over.
"Well done Mr. Potter." He said, rewarding Harry whose potion was the best in the class with the prized luck potion.
"Fuck." She said, flicking her wand into her cauldron and sending the contents into oblivion so that it shone pristine again and ready for use for the next class.
With a frown she packed up and headed towards the Common Room where she thumped her bag down and turned to the steps that lead to her dorm. Once in she began to look through her trunk for a pair of old jeans and a t shirt that wouldn't be missed it if got dirt all over it. Once she had succeeded in fitting together a decent outfit to work on plants in she changed and headed back down to retrieve her bag. Several of her housemates gave her a strange look as she grabbed her bag and left but she only shrugged at them and said she had to go and work on some Herbology homework and disappeared through the entrance.
When she entered the Green House a few minutes later she was surprised to find that Longbottom was already there, his robes left on a nearby chair along with his jumper. He had unbuttoned the top two buttons of his dress shirt and let his tie hang loosely as well. She looked him over for a moment, a little surprised at how much this improved his appearance before reminding herself that she was not here to drool over a blood-traitor, something she was clearly disgusted that she would even be able to do.
"Good." He said with a nod, "You ready?" He asked as he raised an eyebrow at her attire.
"Yep." She said and then "I changed so I wouldn't ruin my school robes."
He nodded and didn't pursue the matter further. "I have already laid the plants out that we are working on." He said with a nod towards the three pots that were ready for pruning and replanting.
"I see, where do you want me to start?" She asked as she set her bag down and began to gather tools from the cabinet so she could join him.
"Just grab a plant and gently trim its leaves." He said, indicating that he already had one he was working on.
She nodded and prepared to join him on the ground, noticing that he had not brought over a desk for them to work at. She gently grabbed the nearest of the plants and set to work, trimming the leaves and pruning any dead or yellowing ones from the plant. As she worked, she occasionally caught a glimpse of his beautifully done handiwork and felt a pang of jealousy over the fact that hers seemed like a butcher was going at it with a meat cleaver.
"So prim and proper." He said with a chuckle.
"What?" She said, turning to stare at him.
"You normally seem to have everything precisely as it should be, but you are butchering that poor plant." He said, a smirk on his lips.
"And what is that supposed to mean!" She said, glaring at him. She knew she was not cutting the plant like a gardener would who wanted to show the damned thing off, but this was not going to be graded on looks.
"Here." He said, gently taking the plant from her. "Let me show you." He continued as he gently cut a few dying leaves from the stem and edged up the poor job she had been doing. Within a few snips the plant looked nearly identical to his.
"Show off." She said, setting her shears aside as he continued to watch her.
"I can show you how to do it." He offered with a soft smile.
"Alright." She said. Why not, it's not like I am going to be all over him just with him teaching me how to trim a plant.
He gently moved to where he was behind her and took her hands in his, placing his shears in her hand. She tensed as he covered her, but then relaxed as he moved the plant closer and began to lead her fingers into deft, precise cuts that looked exactly like his. In a few moments he let her go and she continued on in the way he had just done, matching his cuts easily.
"Nicely done." He said, as he moved to gather a couple more plants and some empty pots.
She smiled inwardly at herself before mentally slapping herself for letting herself enjoy his compliment. As she waited for the plants, a mixture of anxiety and other unknown feelings ran through her mind for a moment before her stomach let out a small growl.
"Hungry?" He said, opening his bag and pulling out a few chocolate frogs and a pack of Bertie Botts.
She frowned, "For lunch?" She asked, clearly unsure of his choice in food.
"Sure." He said with a frown.
She giggled, "Why not." She said and gently took one of the offered Frogs with a polite thanks as she opened it and took a bite.
He smiled softly and opened his own frog. "I take it you don't usually eat sweets at meal times?"
She shook her head, "I normally keep a few for snacks during or between classes, but never for a missed meal." She said with a small hiccup as she realized she was eating the chocolate a little too fast.
With a frown, she pulled her wand from her pocket and transfigured two small stones into wine goblets and then taking the nearby watering can she poured some water into each before turning it into white wine. She gently pressed one of the glasses into his hand as she took a sip.
"Now who's the show off." He said with a grin as he took a sip of the wine she had offered.
"Hey, if ya got the talent, use it." She said as she set her glass back on the ground beside of her. "That is what my father always said."
Neville frowned at her, he had met her father only a few times at a few of the events that his grandmother still attended in the pure-blood society. "I see."
She nodded and then returned to her frog. As she finished the last bite she thanked him again and then returned to her plant, her glass of wine close by in case she needed a drink. After several more moments she soon had the hang of how he was trimming his plants so beautifully and could even nearly produce the same quality work he was. It wasn't long before he was showing her how to re-pot the plant she had just trimmed and then he left her to work on her own while he did his own share. Most of the time they didn't talk, but they weren't exactly quiet or rude to each other either. And though this didn't mean anything, she knew that it would definitely create issues should anyone come in and find them working together so pleasantly.
As she soon realized that the light from outside was dwindling she looked down at her watch and nearly screeched in surprise.
"It's dinner time." She said with a frown.
"Is it?" He asked, clearly shocked that so much time had passed in their quiet reverie.
She nodded, "I need to run and change before I join my table." She said, looking him over as well. "You may want to at least dust the dirt off yourself before you go in."
She was a little envious that he wasn't covered from head to toe like she seemed to be, but she also knew that he loved working with plants and had learned how to keep mostly clean as well. She had heard about his newest exploits in the business world and had even placed an order for some of the perfume he had made simply because she liked to try new fragrances. She had not realized until after she had placed the order who the creator was but had decided not to go back on the order and see what happened.
As she walked back toward the dungeons she passed near the Great Hall and could hear the noise that signaled the school was alive and well. She had been surprised at how comfortable it was to work alongside him, Longbottom really hadn't been that bad to work with. However, this was not something she could just go shouting out in the halls, nor would she. She knew that if she even let that thought become public knowledge it would place far too many ideas in the heads of others and that was not something she was ever going to let happen. For her this was just a way of getting school work done and appealing to the better nature of herself and her Professor in allowing for a more polite inter-house communication.
Neville entered the Great Hall several minutes later, his clothes nicely dusted and his hands washed, ready for dinner and with an appetite big enough to eat a whole horse. As he joined his friends at the table he was running over the events of the day in his head. He had just spent several hours with a Slytherin and was still alive, not hurt and not insulted it was quite a remarkable experience. As he sat down he barely registered that his plate was only half full before he began to eat, something that usually was not his style. He believed in eating a hearty meal, something his Gran had always insisted upon, though his version of hearty never quite matched up to Ron's.
"Something wrong Nev?" Asked Harry who saw he had broken protocol.
"Eh?" Asked Neville, turning to him a spoonful of peas hovering in midair.
"I asked of something was wrong."
Neville shook his head, the spoon still stopped where it had been when he was interrupted from his reverie. "No."
Harry and Hermione both eyed him warily before she said in a soft voice. "You sure?"
Neville nodded and seemed to remember his food now cool hovering so close to his mouth. Taking a bite, he returned to his meal wondering what his friends were so caught up on. He was hoping that the questions would cease when a flutter of motion caught their attention and Luna Lovegood settled herself down at their table with a bright smile.
"Hi." She said dreamily, her air of awkwardness ever present with her.
"Hey Luna." Harry said with a smile as she turned to grab a plate.
Normally students from other houses didn't eat at another house's table but Luna didn't seem to care about protocol and there was no rule against her joining them.
"So, how was your summer Harry?" She asked, watching him for an answer.
"It was well Luna." He said with a nod, returning to his food as he watched her. "How was yours?"
Luna smiled absently, "Oh, mine was very well." She said with a nod, "We, that is Daddy and I went snarlack hunting."
Ron chocked on his mashed potatoes as she said this, trying to cover up his laugh and only getting himself choked more in the process.
"Are you okay Ron?" She asked, oblivious to why he was choking. "Maybe you had a Gnargle try to help you eat faster."
Everyone rolled their eyes though the oblivious girl never once noticed. Everyone enjoyed her company despite how odd she was at times. Neville especially found her a great friend and comfort to be around. He had suspected that his friends thought that something was going on between them last year, and for a while they had tried dating but she was just too much for him to handle in that sense. Besides, she was more like the little sister he never had.
"I was glad you came to visit this summer Neville." She said, turning her attention to him. "Daddy was very glad to see me spending time with my friends."
Neville brightened as he pinked a little from the stares everyone gave. "Oh, yeah that was fun." He said with a grin. "Sorry I didn't get to invite you over after, we ended up having some issues afterward."
He had had to help his Gran watch his parents for a few days after and it had been a royal struggle just to keep his mother still. He loved his parents, but there were times he just wished that they would come back or move on, especially his dad. He never could recall a single moment in his life when Frank Longbottom had spoken, moved or made any other sign that he was still spiritually there. Neville had made it a point to ask the doctors the next time he visited why his father never responded in anyway to anything around him.
"It's alright Neville." She said with a nod, "Life has its moments when one is required to be elsewhere."
He noticed the way Hermione and Ginny were watching this line of conversation and could tell right away that they were thinking that something was going on between them. He would have to clarify on that later. When He had visited, it had not been an overnight stay only a brief afternoon call to see her and meet her father who he had never quite had the pleasure of meeting before. Really it had been a rather enjoyable experience, but did not make his feelings for Luna anything beyond that of friendship.
"Well, I must be going." Luna said with a small wave as she tottered off, her plate in one hand and a dreamy expression back on her face.
Neville returned to his meal only to look up as he felt the others eyes on him. With a sigh he raised and eyebrow at them and then the group exploded with their questions causing him to nearly go deaf from the excitement around him. Holding up a hand he chewed the steak he was eating and then set about answering their questions one at a time.
"No, we aren't dating." He said looking directly at Hermione and Ginny. Turning to Ron and Harry, "No I did not stay the night." and then looking at all of them. "Yes it was an enjoyable afternoon visit."
They gave him quizzical looks but he simply gave them a nod and then returned to his meal eating it in a rush and then grabbed his bag and headed towards the tower. As he exited the hall he noticed that Alexis was also on her way out, her school robes back on from the day. As he entered the hall she turned and nodded to him before entering the Dungeons. Wondering what that was about he proceeded up the stairs with a new item to add to the list of oddities for the day. He was glad of the long walk back to the seventh floor, it gave him plenty of time to clear his mind and prepare for the final moments of the day when he could relax and let sleep take him into its arms with a soft and welcome embrace.
He was just nearing the Portrait of the Fat Lady when someone emerged from a secret entrance and he stopped, noticing the corn silk blond hair in less than an instant. He was a little surprised at first to see her and then even more so when she walked up to him, a wine bottle in one hand and two glasses in the other. Raising an eyebrow he waited for her to speak.
She paused for a moment and then smiled. "I was thinking of having a drink, care to join me?" She asked, holding the tapestry aside and waiting to see if he would take her offer.
"Sure." He said with a nod, not quite sure why she would want to drink with him, let alone spend time with him outside of class.
As he neared her he noticed that he could smell a faint scent of firewhiskey on her and wondered if she had already been drinking and if so, how much. As she lead the way through the twisting and turning hall that lead down several floors he was surprised that no one had discovered this passageway yet. Only when he began to feel a damp stillness did he begin to wonder where the hall lead. Yet not daring to disrupt his guide to ask questions, he followed and was soon rewarded with an answer when they emerged in the Boat House. He stopped just beside of her as she turned and proceeded on to a small table and chairs that he was sure were not part of the original furnishings.
"I apologize for my unorthodox invitation Longbottom, but I don't like to drink alone and no one in my house wanted to join me tonight." Alexis said with a soft hiccup and sat down on one of the chairs waving for him to join her.
As he moved over and sat down he smiled politely. "It's okay, I am just glad I could be of service." He said with a nod which mad her laugh.
"Service?" She said, turning her eyes to focus on him.
"Sorry, wrong wording." He said and frowned. Dummy.
She giggled and set the wine down on the table, followed by the glasses. He had never been to a drinking party before and wasn't quite sure what to expect. Sure the Weasley twins had managed to smuggle in some Firewhiskey during the Tri-Wizard Tournament and a few times during other minor events, but he didn't think drinking in the Gryffindor Tower, surrounded by friends and housemates really counted much beyond just the normal House Party. As he helped her to pour the wine, he noticed that she seemed to get more at ease with him as she knocked back her first glass and drank deeply.
"Careful, you don't want to hurt yourself." He said, giving her a warning look.
She rolled her eyes. "I drink harder shit than this every weekend." She said, clearly not caring if she ended up piss drunk or not. "Besides, I need a good night's drinking and I think you could use a little loosening up yourself."
He wasn't about to argue to that, this whole summer had been a wreck with his Uncle handing over the patronship to him and his mother nearly blowing up the west wing of the small manor house his grandmother owned. Taking a tender sip of the wine he found that it was quite good. A moment later he had drained half the glass in his desire to taste more.
"Now who needs to be careful?" She teased with a grin as she knocked back the rest of her glass and poured another.
He smirked at her, "Point well taken Miss Yates." He said with a nod and drained the rest of his glass not wanting to be too far behind her in case she turned this into a contest.
She gingerly poured him another cup and set about relaxing even further. He wondered how often the Slytherins came down here or went other places in the castle to drink. Not knowing if it would be appropriate to ask, he decided to focus on his wine for a few more moments.
"I always find the view of the sky from here very breathtaking." She said with a nod towards the open end of the building, the moon reflected off the surface of the Black Lake, millions of stars encircling and surrounding it until the far distant mountain range behind the village of Hogsmeade could be seen though the forest blocked out all view of the village.
"It is very pretty." He said with a smile and she smirked.
"Wishing you had a way and excuse to come and see this more often Longbottom?" She said, with a laugh.
"It would be nice Alexis, but I don't think too many of your house is going to be inviting me on drinking parties."
She frowned, "Very true." She said with a sigh.
"Besides, I much prefer the view from the Black Forest." He said, remembering a few times when he had snuck out to explore and be alone at night during his fourth year.
"Really?" She said, wonder crossing her eyes.
"Yep." He said, not bothering to enlighten her.
The next few moments seemed to pass in mixtures of silence and varied conversation until she pulled out several bottles of rum from a basket near her seat. He raised an eyebrow at her and she merely shrugged before setting a bottle in front of him.
"The wine was just a warm up." She said with a laugh. "Think you can play with the big league?"
He smirked in answer to her challenge, "Just remember we have class tomorrow." He said with a glance at his watch which was already hard to read due to its swimming all around his field of vision.
"Class." She said, frowning at him. "Forget about class and have fun."
He shrugged and grabbed the offered bottle, yanking the cork out with his teeth before taking a long swig. Spluttering he coughed a little and she laughed at his response before knocking back a large swig of her own.
"First to finish the bottle gets a knut." She said with a grin as he regained his composure.
"You're on!" He said, wondering just how much his stomach was going to complain tomorrow morning.
They were soon lost in their second bottle, his winning the bet of the knut only by a mere nanosecond before she threw her bottle into the lake with a wide grin. Clearly this was something she enjoyed and he was finding it quite fun himself. He tried to pace himself a little after he threw his bottle in after her's and she noticed that he was trying to be more conservative as well. He was glad when she set her bottle down and he was able to enjoy the fuzzy feeling coursing through his body.
"Ya know, yer not half bad Longbottom." She said with a sigh.
"You're not either Yates." He said with a nod of agreement.
"For a blood-traitor and Gryffindor ya might actually be fun ter hangout with." She said, neither of them noticing how her speech had changed, slurred a little by her drunkenness.
"And for a Slytherin and backward sighted Priss you ain't so bad either."
They both laughed at their sideways compliments and insults before taking another swig of their drinks. It was turning into an interesting evening he had to decide when she tapped a wireless and music began to flood the building with a soft tone. He raised and eyebrow as she began to dance, waving him over to join her.
"I don't know if that's a good idea." He said with a laugh.
She shrugged, "Ya never know till ya try." She said with a smile as she waited for him to join her.
He sighed and stood, letting her grab his wrist and lead him onto the makeshift dance floor. He let her place his hands on her waist as she threw hers around his neck and held onto him as the music lead them through it's soft and enchanting notes. He flowed easily with her, surprised that he wasn't all left feet, but he had kept up his practice of the past time since he had learned to dance for the Yule Ball and as such had learned quite a lot in the last two years. He was just beginning to spin her when the music changed and she cursed at how loud it had become. She quickly turned it off and was just tucking everything away and pulling him into a hiding place when Snape entered the Boat House, a frown on his stern, pale face.
"I guess it's just the usual Slytherin party." He said with a sigh as he slipped back into the castle with a quiet whisk of his robes.
"He knows you all do this?" Neville asked with a breath of relief as they slipped back onto the chairs and he took another swig of his Rum.
She nodded, "He's even joined us a couple of times." She said to which Neville gave her a wide-eyed quizzical look.
She nodded again and they both burst into laughter at the thought of a drunk Snape. He was truly enjoying himself now and was well beyond just merely tipsy. He doubted that he would be too sober for much longer and any amount of pacing himself now would not save his mind or body from flowing too much with the alcohol. He could tell from her reactions that she was a little more used to this than he was and he doubted that she would be too happy if he passed out on her so he set the bottle down and stood, the room reeling for a moment before snapping back into focus.
"Are you leaving already Longbottom?" She asked.
"No, just wanted to stand for a moment." He said, motioning for her to join him.
She stood and came over to him with quiet footsteps still fairly balanced despite how drunk she was. As she evened herself beside him he looked down at her with a soft smile and she returned the gesture though he could tell she was still trying to figure out why it was so easy for them to suddenly be able to get along. As they stood there looking into each others eyes neither of the spoke, they just seemed to connect on an entirely different level one he was not sure he had ever had with anyone else.
Alexis awoke the next morning to the soft sounds of water lapping against wood, at first she didn't recall where she was until she remembered deciding to have a drink last night. Looking about she noticed the Bout House with its usual calming demeanor and the morning sun reflecting off the lake along with the beautiful bright blue sky. Taking in more of her surroundings she froze when she realized she was not alone, nearby a figure lay curled up against the wall soft, deep breaths of sleep faintly audible from him. Taking a moment to try and understand who he might be, she crossed over to him and jumped back when Longbottom rolled over to reveal his peaceful sleeping face.
"What the fuck!" She screeched trying to remain calm but panicking at the same time.
She didn't recall him being with her last night nor could she understand why he was here. When she had began to drink before going to dinner, she had asked a few of the other Slytherins who all turned her down due to school work and classes the next morning so she had come down here and drank a few glasses of firewhiskey before going to dinner. After dinner, she had seen him leaving the Great Hall and had politely nodded to him out of respect but then she had come back down here and had a glass of wine before opening the rum. Something was off, she vaguely remembered going through a long passageway and speaking to someone, but that still didn't explain why Longbottom was here with her now. Just as she was trying to puzzle out the unexplainable happenings he opened his eyes and stared up at her with a blank expression.
"Good mo..." He started before realizing who he was talking to.
"Hello." She said with a frown, not quite sure what else to say.
"What am I doing here?" He asked, clearly as surprised as she was.
"I was hoping that you could tell me that yourself."
She stood over him, watching him like he was some strange beast she had never seen before. This could be really bad if anyone saw them together like this, especially with neither of them knowing how he got here. This was not good at all, she needed to get an explanation to this and figure out why and how it happened.
"I remember you coming to me on my way back to the Tower last night, asking if I would come and drink with you." He said, sitting up and holding his head lightly.
"I see." She said, unsure what to say to that.
"Something about you didn't like to drink alone. So I agreed and you brought me here, where we drank the wine and then you produced something...rum I think."
She nodded remembering going from the wine to the rum, but this still was not a full explanation. "And why did you join me?"
He shrugged, "You were very determined to have some company and I decided to do the gentlemanly thing and oblige."
She frowned, that made sense but still what if they had been caught together. This was not an entirely good time to be having this discussion let alone for them to be caught here together. What if someone in her house came looking for her trying to find out why she was not in the Dorms or why she hadn't been at breakfast this morning. The position of the sun reflected in the lake told her that it was already afternoon, though only just. With a sigh she sat back down on the chair she had used last night and waited to see what he would do.
"What time is it?" He asked, looking down at his watch with a panicked expression.
"No idea." She said, clearly not sure why he would care about the time.
"I should get back to the tower and change for class." He said, "We missed Herbology today."
She noted the sadness at the mention of the class and frowned, that was the bad part for him. Clearly Longbottom didn't realize the position they were in right now, if anyone caught them it would be worse than just a simple hexing for him. Being alone with him could destroy her and her family, not just in their standing in the pure-blood society but literally get them killed. Blood-traitors were not people you drank with and expected to live to see tomorrow if anyone found out, though luckily it seemed like thus far no one had come looking for her or so she hoped.
She nodded, "I guess we shall see each other in Charms." She said, her icy tone clearly indicating that he needed to go and now.
She watched as he turned and found the passageway that lead up to the seventh floor and left along the dimly lit path. Sitting there for another moment she stood and proceeded towards the Slytherin Common Room wondering just what was going to happen when she entered. As she stepped through the entrance a few moments later she was surprised to find Pansy and Draco there alone. Not wanting to interrupt their time together, she slipped quietly towards the Dorms and was almost through the door when Pansy called out to her.
"Alexis!" She cried with a start.
Turning, she smiled over at the girl. "Hey Pansy." She said with a nod.
"You were not here this morning."
She shrugged, "I went and had a few drinks last night." She said with a frown as she crossed her arms.
"I see." Said Draco with a raised eyebrow. "And you slept in the Boat House?"
Alexis nodded, "I must have passed out." She said with a shrug.
Neither of the other two pressed her any further and a quick glimpse into their minds told her that neither of them had come looking for her which made her relax immensely. She turned without much ado and headed up to her dorm to change and prepare for her next class, still slightly surprised by how the day was starting off. As she stood in the shower a few moments later letting the hot water pour over her, she tried to remember the events of last night, some things had finally began to recall themselves and she could remember actually having a good time with him but none of it made any sense as to how it could have happened.
Stepping out and dressing, she sighed heavily and decided to just let the happenings of last night and this morning lay in the past where they now belonged, dwelling on them would only cause further panic and dismay on her part. She quickly sent her old clothes back to her place in the room and summoned her bag, knowing that she needed to get headed up to the Charms classroom if she was going to make it there on time. She was just entering the entrance hall when a barn owl swooped through the doors and dropped a letter on the ground before her. Looking down she noticed that it was addressed to her. Opening it she wondered who had sent it and what it could contain.
Alexis,
I was wondering if you would like to get together and work on our Herbology
Project after Charms class. We still need to finish re-potting the plants and make
a collaborative paper discussing our experiences and findings about the plants.
Let me know after class.
-Neville Longbottom
Unsure what to think but knowing that they did need to finish the project, she decided to think on it and let him know when class was over. She proceeded up the stairs with a somewhat less enthusiastic step but still a little excited none the less. It was definitely going to be an interesting day, she could feel it in her bones.
Hope you all are enjoying the story thus far. I will try to update again soon. Don't forget to leave comments, reviews what have you. All help to make the story better and to let me know your thoughts about it.