Chapter 7
hey, here´s the next chapter. i don´t think i will be too quick in updating right now because i have finals coming up (yeeiii1!). anyway, enjoy!
D: I do not own hp nor Les Choristes (and the song I will be using in this chapter)
Neville POV
I decided to apologize. I never thought it would be me the one to end up apologizing, but it was the right thing to do. I recognized I had been a little too harsh. I spent the whole week thinking of the right moment to talk to Kate. I was in the halls looking for her when I spotted Rachel Moore. I never really talked to her, I only recognized her as Kate´s friend. She didn´t give me as much attention as her.
"Ms Moore!"- She turned around and raised her eyebrow.
"Yes Professor Longbottom?"
"Do you happen to know where Ms Green is at the moment?"
She smirked.
"What do you need her for Professor?"
"*sign* I need to talk to her?"
"Oh yeah? She went…that way!*her fingers pointing to opposite directions*"
Haha. Stupid, annoying Slytherins.
"Very funny Ms Moore. I can give you detention you know?"
"For protecting my friend from the Dark Gryffindor?"- She answers in an innocent tone.
"What? Ms Moore I warn you."
I was starting to get really desperate. For Merlin´s sake it was hard enough to get the guts to talk to her and now I also have to deal with her "hilarious" friend?
"Fine. She´s in the library."
"Thank you."
I entered the library and spotted her in a corner very well concentrated in her reading. She was sitting on the floor and I stopped at her feet. She sensed me and looked up but didn´t say anything.
"Erhm, hello Ms Green. I think I o-owe you an ap-p-pology. "- why do I have to stammer when I´m nervous?
No answer, she just stared at me with blank eyes.
"*clears throat* I…um…recognize I w-wasn´t v-very…um…pleasant to you. I…. learned my lesson. "
She now raises an eyebrow as if to say "And?"
"*sign*Ms Green will you forgive me?"
She stands up, looks at me in the eye and I feel my knees buckle. Well, to be honest I feel my knees buckle every time she walks past me. I just never allowed myself to admit it.
"No."
That´s it. She walks away leaving me shocked. Had she really become a bitch because of what I said to her?
She avoided me during the next days. She stayed quiet during class (which was extremely uncommon), and she constantly glared at me although I could see hurt in her eyes.
Professor Movin (the choir master since Professor Flitwick had also retired leaving him and Luna in his post) had asked me and Luna to go to the school choir rehearsal on Friday. He said he wanted to test a new student and we agreed. He used to teach music at Beauxbatons and transferred to Hogwarts about 3 years ago.
"Ah, Professor Longbottom! Come in! Take a seat; we were just about to start."- He greeted me with his thick French accent.
Luna was already there. I sat next to her and whispered "hey".
"Hey Neville, glad you could come."
"Professor Longbottom, Professor Lovegood, I have taught them a bit of French and now they can sing it too! Alright students, let´s show these two professors the last song we´ve learned without the solo."
They started singing and it sounded very pretty, I saw Luna smiling at the melody of the song even if we didn´t understand much of the words.
Caresse sur l'océan
Porte l'oiseau si léger
Revenant des terres enneigées
Air éphémère de l'hiver
Au loin ton écho s'éloigne
Châteaux en Espagne
Vire au vent tournoie déploie tes ailes
Dans l'aube grise du levant
Trouve un chemin vers l'arc-en-ciel
Se découvrira le printemps
They finished and we both clapped our hands and complimented Movin on the excellent job he did. Suddenly the doors opened and guess who it was.
"Hello Professor Movin, sorry I´m late."
"Ah, Ms Green ! Come in ! Merci beaucoup for taking my offer of trying out for the choir ! You see I brought two nice teachers to watch today´s rehearsal."
"Oh hey Luna!"
"Hello Kate!"- Luna answered kindly.
Then she spotted me and I noticed she started to feel nervous. I nodded as if to assure her everything was going to be okay.
"Now Ms Green if you please, stand up at the back, left corner. We are doing Caresser sur l´ocean, I would like to hear you doing the solo. "
She stood where he told her to and they started again.
Caresse sur l'océan
Porte l'oiseau si léger
Revenant des terres enneigées
Air éphémère de l'hiver
Au loin ton écho s'éloigne
Châteaux en Espagne
Vire au vent tournoie déploie tes ailes
Dans l'aube grise du levant
Trouve un chemin vers l'arc-en-ciel
Se découvrira le printemps
And then, there it was. Her voice loud, clear, but most of all beautiful. She really sounded like an angel. So beautiful it almost made me cry. I couldn´t stop staring at her with admiration, neither could she. We looked into each other´s eyes with longing as she sang :
Caresse sur l'océan
Pose l'oiseau si léger
Sur la pierre d'une île immergée
Air éphémère de l'hiver
Enfin ton souffle s'éloigne
Loin dans les montagnes
(everyone starts singing the chorus along with her now)
Vire au vent tournoie déploie tes ailes
Dans l'aube grise du levant
Trouve un chemin vers l'arc-en-ciel
Se découvrira le printemps
(she closes the song alone with the phrase)
Calme sur l'océan.
I couldn ´t believe it. Luna and I were too astonished before we remembered to clap our hands.
"Perfect Ms Green! That was trés beaux. Welcome to the choir!"
They did the song a few more times and I never grew tired of her voice. Actually I was kind of disappointed when Movin decided to call it a day.
"Well Professors thank you very much for the honour of your presence. I hope you enjoyed it."
The words escaped my mouth before I could stop them.
"It was awesome!"- God! I just sounded like a teenager again!
He and Luna chuckled a little.
"Thank you for inviting us. It´s been a real pleasure."- She added.
They all went out, Kate without even a glance at me.
"SHE was awesome."- Lune whispered into my ear looking at her.
"What? I don´t know what you´re talking about."
"Neville, we didn´t meet yesterday. I saw the way you were looking at her. You like her."
"Actually I think I´m starting to feel something more than liking."
"Mhmmm. Like love?"
"*sign* Yes. But Luna, this is wrong."
"I don´t see anything wrong with it."
"She is in Slytherin, she´s mean."
"Your judgment is rather premature. I´ve talked to her many times and I think she´s a nice person. Slytherins tend to be ambitious and cunning, but that doesn´t always mean evil."
"She´s a student."
"She graduates in 7 months."
"She will be an ex-student."
"Exactly, no more classes, no more grading, the rules say nothing about dating ex-students."
"You think we will date?"
"I don´t know. Why don´t you find out?"
"I´ve never felt like this before."- I said worried.
"I understand you´re scared, because it´s something new for you. But, you are a brave Gryffindor, and who knows? Maybe it is a risk worth taking, maybe, she loves you as well."
"Hardly."
"I saw the way she was looking at you too. You could have something."
"Thanks a lot Luna. I don´t know what I would be doing without you."
"Anytime Neville."
Luna was like fresh air in the face. I felt relieved and hopeful after talking to her. But suddenly, I also had curiosity about what Harry, Ginny, Ron, and Hermione would think. We often owled each other, but I hadn´t seen them for a while.
We arranged a meeting at Harry´s that weekend. Luna was visiting her dad so she couldn´t come.
"So Neville, what´s new? Anything interesting at Hogwarts?"- asked Ron.
"Ron, EVERYTHING is interesting at Hogwarts!"- said Hermione laying a plate with the muggle chips she had brought on the table and sitting on the couch beside Ron. Next to him was Harry putting an arm around Ginny.
"Nothing aside from the fact that Professor McGonagall just decided to add a muggle subject for 7th years."
"Which one? A muggle subject at Hogwarts is a little weird."- asked Harry.
"Social service. You guys know what that is right?"
Harry and Hermione nodded, but the Weasley siblings looked lost. I was about to explain, but Hermione was quicker. After she finished they were both like "AAhhh."
"And how are the students doing with that?"- asked Ginny.
"Fine. A few Gryffindors help attend the Leaky Cauldron along with some Slytherins.."
"They don´t throw butterbeer at each other?"- chuckled Ron. I chuckled a little as well. Then I remembered they were Kate´s friends.
"I don´t think they do. I heard most Hufflepuffs help Ollivander to learn a bit more about wandlore or help clean the streets, and Ravenclaws preferred to go to the Ministry as internships."
"So that´s why I´ve been seeing students at work!"- said Hermione.
"And Slytherins?"- asked Harry.
"I don´t know much about them. "- Harry, whyyy did you have to ask that?- "I know about a couple who went to a day care, others complain about having to help their house-elves, other think walking around by their parents ´side in the family business counts as social service."
Then they all said, ahhs and mmmhmms.
"Any girlfriend Neville?"- asked Ginny. Right, out of the blue and directly to the point. That´s Ginny.
"Yeah!"- exclaimed Harry and Ron.
"Er…nop."- their faces fell.
"Aw, come on Neville!"- spoke Ginny again.-"I don´t want to put pressure on you, but when will you finally come and say to us "guys I fell in love"!"
"Yeah…"- the rest agreed.
"One thing is to fall in love and another thing is actually dating."
"Well, are you?"- now asked Hermione.
"*sign* Listen, I´m only telling you because, like Luna, you´ve been my friends for quite a long time now. Yes, I fell in love."
"Woooo!"- shouted Ginny jumping while seating. "With whom?"
"That´s the tough part. I fell in love with the last person I was supposed to. A student."
oooo, what will they say? so how good was this chapter? do you guys thinks they should date secretly, or after she graduates? feedback and suggestions are always welcome:)
