"Will I Ever Make it Home" / Ingram Hill

"I have something to tell you all."

Everyone in the Gryffindor common room turned their heads toward Hermione, sitting on one of the small couches next to Ron.

Harry looked up from his book and furrowed his brow. "Yeah?"

The light from the fireplace was casting everyone in a warm glow, and from his spot on the floor, Neville could see a storm was brewing outside the repaired castle. He could have gotten on one of the free couches, but it felt weird to be alone on one. Hermione and Ron snuggled on one, Harry and Ginny on another. The floor was just fine with him.

Neville's herbology books were scattered around him, Harry was reading a book on Hitler (whoever that was) and they were all struggling to return to a sense of normalcy in their final year. On account of the quality of schooling in the last year, they were all offered to go at their seventh year with a fresh start, and they were all grateful. It felt weird, but they were trying.

Ginny leaned over from her spot next to Harry to nudge her brother's girlfriend. "Go on with it, then?"

She wrung her hands. "Well, as you all know, I'm muggle-born."

They all laughed and Harry threw his hands up in mock surprise. "We had no idea!"

Hermione laughed and reached her leg over to kick him playfully. "and McGonagall thought it would be a good idea to allow family members of muggle borns into the school."

Everyone was suddenly silent for a moment, thinking it over. Neville was shocked; the idea of letting muggles into a magical school would have been unheard of not even a couple months ago.

Neville scooted closer. "Why?"

"Well," Hermione started, "she and I actually talked it over together. The idea of magic as an exclusivity is archaic and it's not a good memory for anyone at this point, right? So, she thought if we could begin to integrate certain portions of society who are already somewhat familiar with the concept of the wizarding world, it would be really healthy. It's not like everything we learn here requires or pertains to magic."

Neville laughed in surprise, causing the group to look at him. He blushed. "Well, I think it's a good idea."

Hermione smiled. "I think so too. I wanted to tell you guys because the first student they're going to allow in is going to be someone I'm very close with."

Everyone looked curious. "Really? Who?"

Hermione looked excited now; gone was the nervousness. "My cousin, actually. She's my age, so I grew up with her. She's from America, on my dad's sister's side."

Ginny clapped her hands. "I can't believe we're going to be going to school with a real life muggle! What's her name? Ah, what's she like?"

"Her name is Nadine Petrillo. She's the thing I missed the most when I went to Hogwarts, but I never wanted to mention her." She furrowed her brow. "I don't know why now, I guess I wanted to keep some part of my life special. She's magical, you know?"

Ginny huffed. "I thought you said she was a muggle."

Hermione waved her hands in frustration, nearly hitting Ron on the side of the head. He just ducked calmly and reinstated her place under his arm. "She is, but magical in a different way, you know?"

Hermione got a dreamy look in her eyes and absently played with Ron's hand lying in her lap. "I remember it was always like going to a different world when I would go and spend the summers with her family. It was such a tiny apartment but it was like a bottomless bag; there were so many people in that apartment!"

Hermione laughed at the memory, snuggling next to Ron further. "There were two elder sisters and two younger: Frida, Lauretta, Nadine, Perdita, and Roz. I remember summers in Brooklyn were the best years of my life. Uncle Sal and Aunt Rosa would give us five dollars and Nadine would take me all around the boroughs, and we would see how much food we could possibly buy on five dollars. Nadine knew all the best taco trucks, but the best were the bakeries. She knew all the bakeries and . . ."

Hermione went on with some of her adventures with Nadine, and they all lost track of time.

Neville had been listening quietly to all the stories, particularly liking the one where Nadine stole a plant from one of the pizza places in some place called the 'Bronx' because they weren't taking good care of it.

He asked, "When does she arrive?"

Hermione paused. "Actually, that's what I wanted to mention. She's coming tonight."

"What?" Ginny cried, falling back into the couch cushion. "When?"

"I don't know exactly. McGonagall said it would better to just apparate her in rather than have her come all the way from New York to Scotland, so she should be here any minute. I didn't want to freak you all out and tell you sooner, but I see now that that was not the brightest idea."

Ron laughed. "You? Not be brilliant? Impossible."

Hermione giggled and kissed him softly. "Clever."

Neville felt excited. It had been a while since he'd met a muggle on account of the policing done by death eaters, and though he didn't like to admit it, his pureblood upbringing meant he just didn't see them in general.

As everyone else got back to their work, determined to wait until Nadine got here, Neville began to muse about the new girl and what she would be like.

He worried the hem of his sweater, pulling his long legs up and resting his chin on his knees as he watched the fire flicker in its coals. Everyone else softly chatted in the background, and he tried to join in once or twice, but as usual, his soft voice got lost in translation.

He had just started to doze off when he felt a crackling in his ear and his head jerked up, along with the others. In the middle of the common room, there was a flash of light, and as quickly as the light had come, it vanished. In its place, however, was a girl.

A very unusual girl.

She was standing there, wide eyed. Neville scrambled to his feet and shoved his hands in his pockets while the others rose from the couches.

He saw her in bits before he saw the whole. Frizzy masses of curls, piled into a mad bun. Strong everything: brows, nose, shoulders, eyes. Leopard print leggings with a red sweater dress, curvy hips that led to long legs that led to red heels. Bright warm red lipstick that paired perfectly to the warmth of her dark green eyes. Hoop earrings flashing at him.

Hermione was the first to react, squealing with delight and running to launch herself into her cousin's arms. "DINA!"

Nadine screamed with equal fervor, wrapping her arms tightly around the smaller English girl and swinging her around. They danced around amongst all of the Brooklyn muggle's baggage, which were all either glittery or leopard print. Neville almost got dizzy with all the pattern overload.

Nadine set Hermione down, laughing loudly. She put her hands on her hips and let out a deep breath. "That was the worst five second trip I have literally ever taken."

Her accent was strange and very Brooklyn, but Neville felt himself biting his lip at her voice. He shifted on his feet.

Nadine waved to everyone, stepping carefully around her wall of luggage. "Hey-o, everyone! I'm Nadine Petrillo, Hermoine's cousin, and yes, very American."

She fidgeted with the hem of her sweater, and it was the only indication that she was anxious.

Everyone introduced themselves, and she shook everyone's hand. She got to Neville, and she smiled up at him. He saw her eyes widen slightly, and he looked away. He was gawky compared to his friends, but he didn't think he was that bad until that moment. She suddenly smiled brightly and grabbed his hand, shaking it firmly and slowly. He smelled fresh lemons and basil coming from her, and he was reminded of the greenhouses he spent so much time in.

He felt the pleasant sensation of her long red nails brushing down his hand as she pulled hers away.

She backed up slowly to rejoin her cousin, her gaze, curiously, lingering on Neville, before she turned to the others. "So yes, I'm a…." she paused, "muggle? Is that what I'm called?"

Hermione nodded, and she continued. "Yeah, whatever that is." she stopped again and looked around the room. "Can we sit down? I didn't walk all the way here from Bensonhurst but I sure as hell feel like it, you feel me?"

The others sat down where they used to and Neville, feeling like he should sit on a couch rather than on the floor while there was a guest, sat on a loveseat across from Ron and Hermione. He expected Nadine to take the chair closest to Hermione, but to his complete shock, she walked over and settled in next to him.

He felt her leaning along his side and he looked over and down at her. She blinked up at him with a glimmer in her eye. She looked back out to the others, but he couldn't bring himself to look away from her. They must have looked a pair, her talking away with her big hair and leopard tights and him, a lanky giant in an oversized sweater with his fingers nervously tapping the chair arm.

". . . See, I would have just matched my schedule with Hermione's, but I'm a botany wiz, not to blow smoke or anything. Plus, you know, no magic. I was so excited to see Hogwarts had this many plant-based classes!"

Neville laughed in surprise and nudged her, forgetting his nervousness for a second. "You like herbology?"

She looked up at him with a bright smile. "Of course I do! You should see the apartment! My room is more plant than anything else, and the balcony has barely any room to sit out on it anymore. My favorite flower is the leopard orchid. I have it absolutely everywhere."

"I have the same problem with my dorm. My roommates hated me for it, so I moved most of them out to the greenhouse to be with the other magical plants."

She gasped. "Magical plants? What's so magical?"

As Neville and Nadine talked, the others looked on in amusement. They were talking about their plants and gardening techniques so easily, Nadine with big sweeping hand gestures and Neville with small head nods and soft smiles.

Hermione looked at Ron with raised brows. One thing Hermione knew immediately as she watched her cousin gesture wildly about proper watering timing, her knees turned toward her companion on the couch: her cousin had a crush on Neville Longbottom.

Later that night, after Seamus had passed out in a heap on his side of the room, Neville brought out a tiny pot. He'd been puzzling over what to put into the pot for a while, something to remind him of the greenhouse when he was unable to be there.

He didn't want to exactly admit this to himself, but now he wanted a reminder of something else too.

Chewing his lip, he softly touched his wand to the dark soil in the pot before he changed his mind. When he removed the wand, a little leopard orchid sprout was left behind.