He blinked against the lights as he lay in the unfamiliar room. His back felt tight and sore as he tested some subtle movements. He grunted as the bandaged tightened with his breath.
"Ah, you're awake," Zabini said from off to one side. He tried to sit up, taking each movement gingerly as he straightened. He was surprised that he could move better than he had expected. "I patched you up as best I could, there may still be a few scars, but there shouldn't be many."
"Thank you" he croaked as he sat up. He felt self-conscious as he looked around for his tunic. Zabini sat in front of him with it folded on his lap.
"I have your clothes here, but before I give them to you, I have a crucial question to ask you."
Neville frowned and nodded. "Of course,"
Zabini pointed to his chest vaguely before speaking. "The mark on your chest. How long have you had it?"
"I was born with it, so I was told."
"Has it ever moved?"
"Not as far as I know. I've spent my life trying to ignore it as much as possible."
Zabini looked at him and nodded.
"With your permission, I would like to remove the bandaged and examine it further."
"If you must." He nodded.
Zabini stood and slowly began to unravel the bandages around Neville's torso. Neville waited for the pain and the sticKing of the bandages to his wounds, but the sharp pull never came. He was pleasantly surprised when the bandages came away clean.
Zabini smiled as he followed his gaze "It's amazing the power of phoenix tears. I use the Sharpe method, half for the belly and half for the back. Seems to have worked like a charm."
Neville nodded, not knowing what the Sharpe method was but feeling thankful all the same.
"Now, if I may?" Zabini asked, motioning with a pointy metal tool for Neville to lean back and allow him access to his chest.
"It's not that far down," Neville muttered as he felt the sharp points push into his belly.
"Are you sure?" Zabini asked with a smirk. Nevill looked down, and the mark had moved towards his navel.
"What?" Neville cried. "How?"
"I have a theory, but I need to take a few measurements first." Neville nodded eagerly as he watched Zabini work.
After ten minutes of silence, Neville had to break it.
"Have you seen the Princess?" He asked carefully.
Zabini smirked and nodded.
"Did you tell her what I said?"
Zabini smirked again and shook his head.
"I didn't think it would be prudent as I knew you were going to live. I thought you might want to tell her yourself."
"Tell her? I thought I was supposed to keep away from her."
Zabini finished and put down his tools.
"Something tells me that no matter what I say, you will find yourselves drawn together." He shook his head and stood up. Zabini started to put bottles back onto the shelves and books back into the bookcase.
Neville wasn't sure what to say. It seemed the most prudent to ask questions not related to the Princess. "So, am I all healed now?" he rotated his shoulders gently and felt a twinge of pain and some heat.
"Not quite, You will still be sore, and the muscles under the flesh haven't finished knitting themselves together yet. You will probably find yourself worn out and tired much quicker than normal."
Neville nodded as he stood. A fine tremor travelled through his legs as they took the strain.
"Sit down. You can stay here for a little while you gain some of your strength back."
"How long was I out for?"
"About two days. The Princess visited you while you slept."
He felt his face flame as he turned to Zabini in disbelief. Zabini nodded with a laugh as he put the final book away in his bookshelf. Neville covered his face with his hands, and he cringed at the thought of the Princess seeing him like this. He felt his self-doubt rise up as he thought about the extra weight he carried and the mark on his chest. He knew that he had managed to shed some of his weight, thanks to the steep stairwells; however, he couldn't bear the thought of her seeing him like this. How could she stand to look at him?
"She stayed here for a while, I think she was waiting for you to wake up, I told her it would be a while, but she was insistent."
"I wonder why." He mutters self-consciously as he picked at a loose thread on his bottoms.
"Don't be so obtuse, Neville." Zabini shook his head "I would say that it is painfully obvious why."
"I'm not obtuse, why did she come?" he whined back. Even to him, it sounded petulant and sullen.
"She likes you, boy!" Zabini smiled, kindly this time. "She wanted to make sure you were alright after the lashes."
"She was just being kind." He said, feeling his neck burn. He still couldn't bring himself to look at Zabini.
"I don't think so," Zabini smiled knowingly as he turned back to his books.
"Why? I thought that I was supposed to avoid the Princess? What's changed?"
"In light of certain…facts," he paused. "I believe that you would be well suited. Now, as you are at least partially healed. Let us continue with some of your training. I believe that your mind has been elsewhere over the past few weeks."
Neville nodded and readied himself. He was determined to prove his potions professor, Snape wrong.
