Green Eyed Monster
The Quidditch League Competition
Title: Green-Eyed Monster
Team: Ballycastle Bats
Position: Chaser Two
Prompt: Write about a character flaw: Jealousy
Extra Prompts: (Object) Bottle of wine; (Object) Pocket watch; (Dialogue) "You think you're so clever, don't you?"
Word Count: 1,267
Daphne was grinning as she headed for Greenhouse Two once her classes were over for the day. She knew that the object of her affections would be there, as he always was after classes on Fridays. She sighed as she thought about the boy who had captured her attentions. Thought about how his eyes shone with excitement when he told her of various plants and their properties. How happiness seemed to radiate from him whenever he was working inside one of the greenhouses. How he would smile whenever he spoke of his friends.
Daphne loved the last thing about him most of all. He was such a caring and compassionate boy, and he dearly loved his friends. He had told her of how for most of his life people had thought he was a true nobody, a Squib even, without any magic. Some had even gone so far as to say he was a disgrace to the house and name of Longbottom.
Today, she found him in a very uncharacteristically foul mood, banging pots down on tables, muttering under his breath, slamming windows open or closed depending on what plants were near them. Daphne had never seen Neville in this state before, and worry flooded into her thoughts.
"Neville? What's wrong?" Daphne's voice was shaky.
He spun to face her, his face covered with a scowl. "What are you doing here?" His voice sounded like a sneer.
"I-I came out to see where you were." Her eyes were round with shock. "What's wrong?"
He glared at her for a moment before turning and starting to pace around the greenhouse. Finally he stopped and faced her.
"I'm nothing, compared to them! Does Harry Potter ever get called out by teachers? Oh no, Harry can do no wrong! In fact, he can break every rule there is in Hogwarts and get away with it! No, not just 'gets away with it', but he gets rewarded for breaking rules! Everyone loves him, because he's the famous Boy-Who-Lived! Oh Merlin, let's all talk about how amazing Harry Potter is! And it's all so stupid! He didn't even do anything, he was just a baby! It was a complete fluke that he was somehow able to defeat You-Know-Who!
"Everyone feels sorry for him because of You-Know-Who killing his parents. But no one ever even mentions my parents! Sometimes—sometimes I wish Bellatrix had just killed them. They'd be better off, and maybe people would comfort me about them being vegetables, locked away in St. Mungo's! It could have been me, you know…I might have been 'The boy-Who-Lived'! But no, it had to be blessed Saint Potter!
"And Hermione, let's talk about her for a minute! She's a genius! Gets top marks out of everyone else in her classes, knows all the answers to every question,
"As for Ron, don't even get me started! The only reason he's anything is because he's Harry's best mate! He's nobody without that! And yet everyone fauns over him, too! For Morgana's sake, did you know that people actually call them 'The Golden Trio'? The Golden Trio!
"And what am I? The tag along, that's what! The spare! People only remember me at all because I'm sort-of friends with the wonderful Golden Trio! 'Oh look, how sweet of Harry Potter to include that useless Neville Longbottom with his friends.' That's what they all whisper behind my back, I know it! They all look at me with smirks. Like I'm a charity case or something!"
He turned his glare on Daphne. "And I'm surprised your dad doesn't have any problem with you dating a blood traitor's squib of a child!"
Daphne sighed. "I already told you, Neville, my father doesn't pay any attention to that blood-traitor nonsense. He's just glad you're a pureblood."
"Well, still, I bet you even had a crush on Harry at some point! All the girls have, and most still do! They all ramble on about Harry this, and Harry that, yet when you and I became a couple, no one could believe it, and most of the girls said I must have used a love potion on you. Otherwise, how in Merlin's name could a Pureblood Slytherin Princess like Daphne fall for a waste of air like Neville?" He looked away from her and fell silent, still scowling.
Daphne put her hands on Neville's face and turned his head to face her. "Neville Frank Longbottom, you are the most amazing man I know! You are a genius at Herbology, and practically anything else about nature. You are a loyal friend, sticking by people even when, as you say, they get all the praise and glory. And you are the most amazing boyfriend any girl could hope for." She pressed her lips to his in a gentle kiss, before whispering in his ear, "Even if you forget that you had a date with your girlfriend after classes today."
Neville startled and pulled back from her but still kept his hands on her shoulders. "Wait…what?" He glanced at the bottle of wine in Daphne's hand, then fumbled around in his robes before withdrawing a pocket watch and looked at the time. His face paled and his eyes grew wide as he realized what time it was. "Merlin, Daph, I'm sorry! I got so caught up in my pity party that I completely lost track of the time!"
Daphne leaned in and kissed his cheek. "You are completely forgiven." Then she sighed and brushed her knuckles against his cheek.. "You also seem to have forgotten how many times people were either scared of Harry, or angry with him. He and Hermione and Ron are good friends to you, Nev. For the very reason that they do include you in their circle. Not many people are as close to Harry and the others as you are."
Now it was Neville's turn to sigh. After a long moment of silence, he sighed again and nodded. "Yeah. You're right. I'm sorry again. The silly thing is, it wasn't even some big thing that set me off. It was just overhearing someone talking to him, acting like Harry was the only good thing in the world or something. And I just exploded, storming out here." He shook his head. "I am an unmitigated ass."
"And I love you anyway," Daphne murmured. Bringing a flush and a smile to Neville's face.
Then Neville frowned as he once more stared at the bottle in his girlfriend's hand. "Um, Daphne? How on earth did you manage to get a bottle of wine at Hogwarts?"
A smirk spread across her face and she shrugged. "I asked Lizzy to bring me a bottle from my father's wine cellar. And no, Nev, I didn't just take one. I asked him if we could have one and he said yes."
The smirk on Neville's face matched the one on Daphne's. He brushed the tip of his nose against hers, claiming a giggle from her. "You think you're so clever, don't you? Trying to cheer me up without me realizing it."
Daphne wrapped her arms behind his neck leaning close and this time brushing her nose on his. "It worked, didn't it?"
He nodded. "Yes, it worked." With one more gentle kiss, the two sat down and opened their bottle of wine.