Neville blinked against the thin line of light that forced its way through his curtains and smiled. Memories of his date the night before filled his head and his body as he cuddled the warm covers closer, wishing they were Pansy.

He stretched slowly before pushing the curtains out of his way and swung his feet out of bed. The dim light filtered through the windows as he noted that he was one of the first up. He stood up and stretched before grabbing his towel and heading for the showers. He slowly crept through the quiet dorms. It was usually about this time that everyone had managed to sleep regardless of their nightmares. He fought every instinct in his body to not tiptoe past Stephen and Oliver's beds. He clenched his teeth in determination. He refused to be intimidated by the. He'd been in a war and killed a giant snake for merlin's sake. He took a deep and steadying breath before entering into the showers.

He was relieved to see it was empty as he looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was still green and purple like the centre of a nebula. He didn't think it suited him, but it meant that Pansy's hair would still look like the aurora borealis. He smiled as he pushed his fingers through it. He kinda liked it. With a smile and a determined nod, he turned to the shower and stripped off his boxers. He went to step into the shower when he heard someone walk in. He looked up when something caught him around the ankles. He felt the air leave him and the world flash white as his face collided with the floor. He groaned as his face went from numb to throbbing. He tried to push himself up when a foot pushed down on his back.

"Good morning, Shortcock," Stephen snarled as he pressed down on his shoulders. Neville didn't respond as he tried to ignore the throbbing in his cheek and jaw. "I bet you thought it was funny last night, didn't you? Showing off with the Slytherin slut. It certainly threw us. We didn't see it coming." Neville heard the shower turn on as the water started to pool around his mouth. He began to panic, thinking that if it got any deeper, he could drown. "I'm not sure you're cut out for school life, Shortcock. If I were you, I'd consider your career options without your N.E.W.T's" His foot lifted from Nevilles back. Neville took a deep breath as he lifted his head from the tiles. "Maybe train as a clown, Have a good morning." He said cheerfully as he left the room. Neville groaned as he pushed himself up, feeling his face already begin to swell and throb. He touched it gently and whimpered slightly as he stepped into the shower. The water seemed to make the pain worse as he tried to get clean. He didn't want to be naked and at the mercy of Stephen again. He rinsed off and stepped out, determined to get somewhere safe.

He held his towel as though his life depended on it as he walked through the dorms. He locked eyes with Theo and Blaise before looking away quickly. Once back near his bed, he started to relax. He unlocked the wards on his wardrobe and changed into his clothes quickly before retreating to the common room. He went to get coffee from the kitchenette, passing a screwed up blanket from where he'd covered Hannah the night before. He grabbed one of the large mugs and poured in the coffee before adding a generous amount of milk. He sniffed the warm liquid as he took over the window seat.

He could barely make out the quidditch pitch through the low cloud as the rain pelted the windows. He watched the vivid green and grey landscape through a kaleidoscope of colour as the droplets distorted his view. His mind wandered as he stared into the distance. He wondered whether Stephen was right, he didn't know whether he could last much longer with the bullying. He winced as his cheek throbbed. He contemplated about pressing it to the window pane when a hand caught his knee. He turned with a flinch, expecting Stephen to be standing there.

Grey eyes met his with a warm smile, and he relaxed. Her mouth moved to form words before her eyes glanced to his face. Her smile dropped

"Salazar, what happened to you?" She asked as she gently tried to turn his face.

"It's nothing, I fell in the shower." He shrugged as he held her hand. "It's nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Neville. You're shit at it!" She said through clenched teeth. "I am going to go and get coffee, and we are going to sit here and talk." Neville felt his mouth dry up as she walked away, her robes floating behind her. He closed his eyes as he leant his head against the window. He didn't want to have this conversation. He didn't want her to know how weak he was. He also didn't want to lie to her and make her angry.

The thought of making her angry scared him to most. He didn't want to lose her. He swallowed the ash that had been coffee as he waited for her to join him. He took a deep breath and wondered whether there was anything he could say to distract her, but his mind went blank.

He felt the cushions sink down in front of him as he opened his eyes. Her hair was as beautifully vivid as it had been the night before, but now the daylight drew the metallic tones through. She looked annoyed as she sipped on her coffee. She swallowed her first mouthful before looking at his face.

"If you want to break things off. I- I understand." He said as he closed his eyes again and rested his face against the pane of glass. Her anger made him uncomfortable, like biting ants up his arms. He couldn't take it. He didn't want to lose her, but if she were going to finish with him because he lied, he understood.

"Break things off?" He heard her voice break slightly, he opened his eyes and looked at her shocked face, gone was the anger. Her freckles seemed more pronounced against her pale skin as she studied his face. "Do you want to break things off?" She asked quietly. He saw her hands shake slightly as she wrapped them tightly around her mug.

He shook his head. It was the last thing he wanted to do. "Then why did you say that?" She asked, her face looking crestfallen.

Neville sat up straighter as he stared into the mug as though looking for answers.

"Of course, I don't." He reached his hand out to touch hers. "I just thought- thought that you were angry with me." He felt his insides squirm with awkwardness as he explained himself. "Why would you be with someone that lies and makes you angry?"

"Neville, you don't dump someone just because you're angry with them, and I wasn't angry at you."

"Oh," he replied shyly.

She squeezed his hand before taking a sip of her coffee. She looked down at the black liquid before looking up at him.

"And I know that you're not a liar, you're just covering for someone. I know that you didn't fall in the shower, "

He looked out the window and sighed.

"Can we not talk about it now. Am I ok to ask for a hug instead?" He asked as he looked back to her hopefully. She smiled and sighed before putting her mug down. She turned around and leant against his chest, pulling his one arm over her chest. She looked up at him and smiled as he sipped his coffee and smelt her hair.

"You really should talk about it with someone Neville" She advised as she kissed his palm. He nodded as he rested his head against her hair and breathed in the scent of cherries and violets. "Bottling it all up doesn't help, it builds until it explodes out."

He pulled her closer to him and shut his eyes momentarily. She felt so good in his arms, and he wanted to savour her warmth and softness. He opened his eyes and looked out of the window as the rain hammered against the window.

"I remember when things were really bad, last summer sometime," She murmured, her voice vibrating against his chest. "I used to sit in our conservatory at home and just listen to the rain. I felt so alone. I could see that the world was falling around my feet but, I wasn't able to say anything, I've never felt so alone," she confided in barely a whisper. He nodded again feeling her hair against his stubble. He'd meant to shave in the shower. The throbbing in his cheek seemed to calm slightly as they just sat, enjoying each others company.

"You can't get the flowers without the rain," he replied just as quietly so only she could hear him. She nodded gently as she snuggled in more closely. Despite the pulsating pain in the left side of his face, he felt at his most peaceful and content. They were silent for a while longer before Pansy moved. She turned and kneeled in front of him, a small smirk passing her face as she glanced at him.

"I enjoyed yesterday," She murmured to him as she gently turned his face again.

"So did I," he smiled, feeling the skin tightening where the swelling had blown up. She leant closer as she examined his face.

"Does it hurt? It looks like it should." He nodded against her fingers as they tenderly held his chin. "You should go to the hospital wing, see Madam Pomfrey."

"Neville? What happened to your face? and your hair?" Hermione cried as she placed her books down on the nearby coffee table