[4]
Home for Christmas

"Ms.O'Riley, go back to your Common Room and change."

"But- Professor Potter! You always wore pajamas to breakfast" the fifth year whines. I give her a glare before guiding her away from the Great Hall.

"You fail to remember my guardian was a Professor and I grew up in this castle for the most part. They had leniency towards me, I do not have any towards you, when you're Harry Potter sister I promise you can wear all the pajamas to breakfast, as you want. Now go put your robes on." I order feeling more like a Professor in that moment then I had ever felt before.

I watch the Ravenclaw student stomp up the stairs her friends following behind her as they shoot glares over their shoulders at me. This was always a problem, when students who went to school with me try and get away with things. They didn't hold all of what I said to heart and tried to argue with me quite regularly about the things I had done in the past and why couldn't they do them.

"You would think they would be dressed already, we are all going straight to the train." Hermione frowns appearing beside me.
I grin at her, "Ms. Granger, shouldn't you be eating with the rest of the students?"
"Only two more hours Lizzie, don't think for a moment Ginny and I aren't getting our revenge." She warns before turning on her heel and strutting into the Great Hall.

"LOOK FORWARD TO IT!" I yell after her, smoothing down my robes before I follow her lead and make my way to breakfast.

"Lizzie, there are students here. Students you teach, you have to remember that before yo-"
"Neville!" I yell ignoring my best friend and pushing a few second years out of the way. I grin as I watch my boyfriends head snap up and my brother rolls his eyes from beside him as I quickly make my way through the students rushing to meet Neville who had started striding towards me. I take him in, he looked like he had grown if that was possible, he looked more sturdy, solid and his hair was shorter now, a little messy with a bit of a five o'clock shadow. In that moment I realized how much I missed him before launching myself into his arms, our lips latching in a hungry kiss.

"Yuck!"
"Is that the Professor?"
"I told you she was dating Neville Longbottom!" I pull away giving one of my sternest looks to a group of sixth years.

"Go find your families or I will give you detention." I tell them, "Honestly, Lizzie" Hermione breaths dragging my bag alone with hers. I lean myself against Neville's chest as he pulls me close greeting both Hermione and Ginny who walked past without a second look, her eyes honed straight in on my brother.
"You're just jealous Ron isn't here," I tell her taking my bag from her, allowing Neville to take it from my hand putting it on to his own shoulder.
"Actually he is, he just went to go get some trolly's" Neville explains just as some student begin to part, flaming red hair becoming visible. Hermione begin to blush and I smirk as her hand tightens on her bag. Christmas was going to be just what we all needed.

"Harold! Don't think you can get away without giving me a hug!" I yell making Mrs. Weasley jump a bit. Rushing across the room I jump into the arms of my brother who had been slightly occupied with his girlfriend for the journey home. Not that it had taken long, Apperation from Kings Cross, and a quick floo from the Leaky C and we were here. "Missed you" I tell him giving him a squeeze, noticing that like Neville he was developing muscles that he didn't have before. Auror training does the body good I guess. "You too, it's been weird without you." I could agree with that.

Christmas was a time I had been looking forward to awhile, and it wasn't until later that night as I sat watching my family interact that I really began to think about how lucky we all were. How lucky I was to have Harry, how lucky I was that I still had Neville. That even though we only saw each other once since September we managed to keep our relationship going through letters, it was hard but we managed.

I smile seeing Ron and Hermione hovering over a game of chess, shooting each other little looks every once and awhile. Ginny and Harry were wrapped up in a corner talking quietly to one an other in a way that made me want to gag and smile at the same time. I feel the grip around me tighten and look over to Neville who had a book in his hand as he read up on Defensive spells, his other arm around my waist as he kept me close to him.

"You know, you can go home and study if you like. I won't be offended if you need to read" I assure him, Neville shakes his head and pulls me closer his eyes still locked on the pages in front of him.
"I my have to study but this is the first time I've seen you in months, you're not getting rid of me that easily"
"You're starting to sound like me," I joke watching as his lips turn up in a small smile.
"Your brother tells me that all the time"
"Must be true then," I chirp snuggling into his side, reading the book along with him. I feel my hair move as he presses a kiss onto the top of my head and smile thinking about how far he had come over the last year, how he was hardly the same person I had grown up with, yet, he was the same person.

"I missed you," he says quietly.
I smile to myself, turning my head up and press a kiss onto his jaw.
"Missed you too Nev."