The mince pies were filled and browning in the oven as he waited for her to return, but she was still nowhere to be seen. He wondered whether she had apparated away after all. Still, a glance out the window found her walking around the greenhouse. He watched her as she moved between the plants, her face blank and oblivious.
He closed his eyes for a moment and wondered how wonderful it would be if she returned to him and was free of her family. How he longed for her, just to hold her close and keep her safe.
Opening his eyes, he felt a sense of panic rush through him. She would have nothing to eat on Christmas day. He would have to rush out and find something that he could make for her to eat. He wondered whether the Malediction kitchen would be open. He darted into the pantry, looking at all the food and ingredients that his gran had been hoarding and started to feel hopeful. There was a multitude of grains and dried fruits and vegetables. A small butternut squash caught his attention, net to the crate of peppers and mushrooms his gran had harvested from the greenhouse.
Slowly a plan came together in his mind. Maybe he wouldn't need to go out shopping after all. He would just need to get up earlier to get everything prepared. He was sure he could pull it off, but he did wonder whether it would be a surprise or not. He was just shutting the door to the pantry when he heard a shout. He turned and raced out of the house to the greenhouse, expecting the worst. The floor was covered in a thick blanket of snow which soaked into his slippers as he rushed to open the door.
Within moments of having the door open, he knew what had happened, and his heart rate returned to normal. The stench was incredible and so much worse than he remembered back in their fifth year when his plant had erupted on the train to school. The smell of rancid manure wafted out as Pansy groaned and retched within.
"Pansy, are you alright?" he asked as she stood there, arms out at her waist as dark green slime dripped from her in thick globs, slapping the floor as the viscous liquid landed.
"Your plant just sneezed all over me, and now I smell like the rear end of an erumpent. I'm living the dream!" She groaned sarcastically as she turned to him. He bit the inside of his lip to stop himself laughing. He knew that he wouldn't survive the night if she caught him. "What a stupid question! Do I look alright to you?"
He cleared his throat and shook his head as he tried to keep the giggles at bay. He stepped forward as he pointed his wand at her. "Scourgify," He cast, watching as the green goo evaporated and disappeared along with the smell. "Better?"
"No, it is not better. I can still smell it on me. Eurgh! It's in my hair." She turned back to the plant and scowled. "What was that plant?"
"It's my Mimbulous Mimbletonia, my uncle got it for me from Assyria a couple of years ago."
"Well, it's disgusting!" she grumbled as she touched her hair gingerly. "I need a shower!" She announced.
"Oh, ok, yeah, you know where the bathroom is, don't you?"
"Of course, the house is hardly large enough to get lost in! Now, do I need anything stupid to get this out of my hair? nothing ridiculous like custard?" She asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Custard?" He asked, surprised. Did she remember their time in the prefect's bathroom? The question seemed to stop her, and he watched as confusion and embarrassment filled her features. Her rosy cheeks flushed darker as the colour coloured her neck.
"Erm… never mind. I'll be in the um… bathroom." She muttered, suddenly nervous as she pushed passed him on her way back to the house. Neville watched her go his heart lifting more. Her memories were coming back. Soon she would remember everything, and he could hold her the way he wanted to.
He cast a cleaning charm around the greenhouse as he checked over his plant for damage. It was fine. Once satisfied that everything was alright, he followed her footsteps back to the house. As he shut the door, he heard voices coming from the living room. He frowned before removing the mince pies from the oven, they looked cooked to perfection as he rested them on the clear hob.
"Quite frankly, I don't give a Nifler's arse what your sources tell you. If there was an unknown young woman, wandering about my property, I can assure you I would know about it."
Neville stopped, his blood turning to ice. They had found her. He crept closer to the living room before looking around the doorframe.
"Now, Mrs Longbottom. There is no need to be rude. We are just trying to locate the whereabouts of my client's missing daughter. As a mother yourself, I'm sure you of all people can appreciate the worry over the loss of a child."
"How dare you call this house and dredge up such tragic memories for my family and me."
"That's not-" Neville recognised the voice the other side of the floo as Miss Ent, the Parkinson lawyer
"I'd bet the whole of the Longbottom estate that you wouldn't have said that to Walburga Black, were she still alive. Just because we don't have house-elves and a vault loaded to the hilt with tainted gold doesn't mean that House Longbottom will stand to such insolence,"
"Mrs Longbottom,"
"No, Miss Ant or whatever you said your name was. She is not here, and if you fire call this address again, I will be in contact with the Auror office about harassment. I know a good few prominent names in that office, and I am not afraid to call in my favours."
"That won't be necessary,"
"I'm sure it won't. Merry Christmas!" His gran announced as she flicked her wand at the fireplace, extinguishing that flames and ending the call.
She took a deep breath and let it out before turning around. As her eyes landed on him, she jumped.
"Oh, Neville, dear. You startled me." She said as she clutched as her heart.
"Are you alright?" He asked as she hobbled towards him. She nodded and patted his cheek with a smile.
"Fine, fine, just Linden Parkinson's Lawyer sniffing around looking for his daughter. Hopefully, I've put the fear of Godric into her, and she won't call back again, but I shan't hold my breath." She stopped as she passed him and looked around "Where is she?"
"She caught the Mimbletonia and got squirted with stink sap, She went upstairs to shower." His gran nodded knowingly and moved into the kitchen.
"Those pies smell wonderful, Neville. And look wonderful too, You both work well together," smiling she turned to Neville again after flicking her wand at the kettle. "Has she remembered anything yet?" Three mugs floated from the cupboard, landing before her
Neville blushed slightly as he remembered her reaction in the greenhouse. He nodded "I think she remembered some of the lessons we shared, but not a lot. Not yet,"
"Give it time, She'll remember," She paused as she started to make the tea.
"Gran, Pansy prefers coffee," he interrupted.
"Oh? And how does our resident princess drink hers?" His gran asked tartly.
"Black," He answered, wondering whether she still liked Pansy as much as she had done from her memories from Diagon Alley. She huffed with a nod as the door the to larder opened and the tea bags, and coffee jar floated out to land next to the mugs. She poured the boiling water into the cups before everything floated away to their homes again. "Gran?"
"Yes, Lad,"
"Don't be so hard on her, this isn't what she's normally like. You will like her when she's back to normal."
"I am well aware of her behaviour, and I also know true colours when I see it. She is testing me to see where her boundaries are. Don't worry yourself." She paused before turning to look at him straight on before opening her mouth to speak again. "Why did you tell me she was a vegetarian? What is she going to eat for Christmas dinner?"
"I have a few ideas, and there's some food in the pantry that I'm going to use if that's alright?"
"It will have to be," She sighed again as she added the milk before handing him his tea. "What are we going to do about tomorrow? We can't take her with us to St Mungo's and its not right for her to be left here all alone."
"I'll talk to her and see what she wants to do, worst case, I'll stay home with her while you go and see Mum and Dad," He said. His heart dropped at the thought of not seeing them, but he could go and see them after boxing day, they wouldn't know.
"If you're sure" Neville nodded, "Now, go and take the coffee to her royal highness,"
"Gran!" He warned with a look, and she smiled.
"Yes, yes, as you wish," She smirked with a roll of her old eyes as he carried her mug upstairs.
He could still hear the shower going as he travelled up the stairs, so he went straight to his room to leave the mug there for her.
As he moved back towards the stairs and the bathroom, he heard crying. He stopped, wondering what to do. He knocked on the door as he swallowed down his nerves.
"Pansy? Are you alright?"
There was no answer as the sobs continued.
"Pansy? Can I come in?" he asked again as he heard the door unlock. Slowly he opened the door, keeping his eyes pinned to the floor as he peered around the door. Wrapped in a towel and soaked to the bone, she sat on the floor against the iron bath pulling at her hair as she cried. Knowing that her dignity was safe, he leant into the shower curtain and turned the shower off, his sleeve getting soaked.
Kneeling on the floor next to her, he faced her looking for any wound or injury. "What is it? What's wrong?"
"It's the wrong colour, and I don't know why," she mumbled as she pulled at her hair. "Why is it this colour?" She cried as she started to rock.
"Your hair? What colour should it be?"
"It was purple and green. Now it's black, and I don't know why," She pulled at her hair again, painfully hard. "Why do I have these memories? What is happening to me?" She cried, looking up at him. Her stardust eyes looking like white silt through a river as the tears streamed down her wet face.
"Shush," He soothed as he reached out to touch her arm. She flinched violently, and he pulled his hand away. "You're recovering from something awful, it will take time to get better, that's why you're here."
"Recovering from what? What happened to me?"
"We don't know, just that your memories were affected, you might be able to tell us when your memories return,"
"They hurt," She whispered as more sobs started,
Neville watched her and felt helpless, desperate to take her into his arms and comfort her.
"Can I hold your hand?" He asked, his eyes watched hers as she weighed up the request. "Nothing more, just your hand." He said softly.
Slowly and shakily, she released her grip on part of the towel and offered him her hand. It felt cold and clammy in his but just feeling her skin against his eased the dread inside him. She watched wide-eyed as he just held her hand. He wondered whether she was waiting for an attack or some other deception. He offered her a smile as he surrounded her hand in his. The trembling slowly stopped as her sobs died away. "Come on, there's a cup of coffee in the other room, and I'll leave you to get dressed."
"NO," She shouted suddenly making him jump in surprised. "No," she repeated, quieter as she squeezed his hand fiercely.
"No, what?"
She looked away as she bit her lip and closed her eyes as though ashamed. He hazarded the chance to touch her further as he pushed her hair behind her ear. She looked up at him, the freckles across her nose visible now that her make up had been washed away.
"Don't leave me on my own," She whispered shyly as she gripped her towel tighter.
