Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and settings from the Harry Potter world, which is trademarked by J. K. Rowling. I do not claim any ownership over them or the world of Harry Potter and will not receive any money or other financial profit for presenting the work on this site. The story I tell here as well as certain original characters are my own invention, and are not purported or believed to be part of J.K. Rowling's story canon.

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Chapter 22

Neville felt awful. Their first lesson had run smoothly and perfectly to schedule, leaving literally nothing to be desired. Yet, his heart grew heavy in his chest, as he watched Sage avert her eyes, wilfully staring at the floor to avoid his gaze.

He would've been lying to claim that her words hadn't hurt him. Though he knew that Sage tended to just lash out whenever she was put under pressure, he wondered how much of her words were actually said in anger only.

Of course there had been nights were Neville lay awake in bed and wondered whether he really was as much of a total dead loss as people usually assumed him to be. But when he dared to acknowledge any of his achievements, he immediately felt guilty about being proud. In his opinion, most of them must have happened by chance or sheer luck, so claiming success made him feel like an impostor or fraud.

However, fame and recognition had never mattered to him anyway. Neville always did what needed to be done, feeling a sense of duty toward guarding his friends and family against all evil. Anything else just seemed trivial to him in comparison.

The dead air between Sage and him put a suffocating weight on his chest. He wasn't mad, not because of a banal incident like this. They both were only human, after all. Whatever she said or did, in the end Neville always knew that her heart was in the right place.

Sage, however, seemed to think different. Still eager to not meet his gaze, she was fixing her eyes on a dandelion with two fully formed flower heads growing in the midst of their meadow. Like never before in his life, Neville desperately wished to be smooth enough to break up a tense situation like this without making things awkward. Why did he always have to be so sheepish about stuff like that?

"You know, such abnormal growth is called cresting," he finally said into the silence.

"Tell me about it," she demanded, the faint trace of a smile creeping onto her lips.

"If you insist," he gingerly teased, before reaching for her hand. When she didn't withdraw hers, he pulled her closer towards the dandelion.

As they both got on their knees, he decisively drew his wand. Since daylight had faded enough for flowers like this to close up for the night, Neville carefully touched upon its head with the tip of his wand, magically bringing it to reopen again.

"One stem, two flower heads. Pretty rare to see such a pronounced deformation of the plant, especially because it usually happens completely by chance. Virtually every little seed could result in a crested top like this," he explained, marvelling at the phenomenon unfolding in front of his eyes.

"Is this good or bad?" Sage asked rather clueless, though still seeming to be somehow fascinated by his explanations.

"Depends on how you see it. Some call it a monstrosity, others call it a unique display of nature's beauty."

"What do you think?"

"Well, I think it's somewhat absurd to detest something so remarkable, just because it differs from the norm. Imagine all the effort that went into both of these flower heads. Dandelions are such delicate plants.. and yet they manage to create life in duplicate without any additional resources. Nature is constantly exceeding its own limits and I can't help but admire this," he admitted, a warm feeling spreading across his chest. The comfort he found in his appreciation for the flora of this world never failed to make him feel more at ease.

"Only you would say that," Sage claimed, finally wearing a proper smile on her face again.

Only now Neville noticed that he was still holding her hand inside his own and gently squeezed it in response. They remained hunched over this dandelion for quite a while, before ultimately making their way back to the castle. Though Neville was still feeling rather upset at the back of his mind, he was glad to not have parted ways on a bad note.

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Author's note: Wrote this chapter completely sleep deprived, so it might seem a little odd. Hope the fluff at the end made up a little for the rather dark chapter before.

Thank you for your continued support and encouragement. Wishing you all the best and hope to hear from you soon!! :-)

Gonna get some sleep now! ;-)