The Depressing Reality of Christmas - Alone

by viv-heart

Christmas isn't merry for everyone. Let's not pretend otherwise. Sometimes you can't help yourself but to hate the holiday as it reminds you of all the things you have lost. But sometimes reminding yourself that you aren't alone with your feelings helps. Stay strong. With Love, your personal Grinch Part 2. Warnings Canon character death, alcoholism, depression

4. Neville

Neville – a Christmas as a kid

Neville smiled at his mother and thanked her for the sweets-wrapper. His grandmother tried to take it away immediately but he managed to put it into his pocket before she did. It would be his best present this year and he didn't want to lose it. His grandmother grunted and dragged him away, muttering something about how great Frank, Neville's father, used to be. What an accomplished auror and skilled wizard.

Neville smiled sadly as he followed his grandmother to the hospital's exit, clutching the sweets-wrapper in his hand. He wondered if his grandmother would notice if he disappeared. He wondered if she would notice if his parents did. After all, she only really cared about the son she had lost.

"Neville," she shrieked and he hurried to catch up with her. Yeah, she would notice. At least now that she was sure that he was a wizard. Even though he was a bad one. He would never manage to be as good as his father. He would never make her proud. They had told him that often enough. Neville knew that he was barely a wizard but he loved the wizarding world anyway. It was his home.

When they arrived at home, his grandmother had told Neville he should get dressed. Their guests would be there shortly and she had ordered the houseelves to cook his favourite dishes.

Neville thanked her politely and hurried up the stairs.

He really didn't look forward to the Christmas feast. All invited were adults who would subject him to boring adult-talk and he was sure his grandmother had ordered his father's favourite dish, not his. He was pretty sure she didn't know what he liked. But that was fine. She had so many things to think about. That's why Neville would be a good boy and sit still and listen to the adults talk and eat the dish he didn't really like even though he would have preferred it to stay at the hospital with his parents.