A/N: Hey, y'all! Have some cute Neville and Trevor friendship.

Celtic Studies Task 10: Write a fic that heavily features a childhood pet.

Word Count: 752

Enjoy!

"But… we're still friends, right?"

He felt—no, he was pathetic for even having to ask, but the words just slipped out of his mouth. Neville couldn't bring himself to meet Ginny's eyes; his gaze flitted between her shoulder and the floor. He hated himself for his own weakness, wished he could retract the words and erase them from her memory. If he had the courage to look into her eyes, he knew he'd see them soft with pity.

"Of course we are," Ginny answered him, her usually brash and confident voice soft and halting, like she was unsure what the right words were. "I just don't think going out again, like we did tonight—"

"Friends is fine," Neville blurted out. He felt his cheers grow hot. "I mean—friends is what I wanted."

It wasn't, not really, but he wasn't in love with Ginny. He'd just thought she was a nice girl, a good friend—someone who wanted company, like he did, and wouldn't mind his. He'd been under no illusion that he was her first choice of a date to the Yule Ball, but Harry Potter hadn't asked, and she was too young to go alone.

Now she was trying to let him down gently. Even though he hadn't expected more, the rejection still stung. He felt less like a friend and more like a means to an end.

Then he felt guilty for thinking Ginny could be that cruel.

"Oh." Now Ginny's shoulders relaxed, and Neville deemed it safe to look her in the eyes at last. There was nothing in her expression but relief, and somehow, that hurt more than her pity. "Good. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then, Neville." She smiled at him, stretching her freckled cheeks, then hiked her bottle green dress robes—the same color as Harry's, Neville had noticed—and ascended the staircase that led to the girls' dormitory.

Neville watched her go, fiddling with the hem of his own navy robes, and for a moment—just a moment—he let himself be jealous of Harry. To wish that there was someone out there who liked him enough to try and match the color of his eyes. But that was an ugly emotion, and he tried to never let it get the best of him, so he let it go in the next moment.

Heart heavy, hands stuffed deep in his pockets, Neville returned to his own room.

Dejected, he trudged over to his bed. Unsurprisingly, none of his roommates had returned from the ball; Dean and Seamus were probably busy snogging, and Ron and Harry were most likely neck-deep in some drama or risky mystery.

The thought itself was enough to make him feel even more lonely, so Neville tugged off his tie, shrugged off his robes, and crawled into bed. The warmth of the duvet was comforting, and he sank gratefully into it. He leaned back against the headboard, brought his knees to his chest, and closed his eyes. His exhales were shaky; his eyes were a bit wet.

A small weight suddenly settled on his arm. Neville opened his eyes a crack and looked down to see Trevor struggling to climb him. The toad always looked grumpy, but he had a real knack for figuring out when Neville needed company.

"Hey," Neville whispered, his voice cracking. He unfurled himself enough to scoop Trevor up in his palms. "Nice of you to drop by."

Trevor's beady black eyes remained expressionless, but Neville felt some of the tension leave him nevertheless. Trevor let out a low croak, and a grin split Neville's face.

"Guess I'm not really alone, eh?" He lifted a finger and ran the pad over Trevor's bumpy head. "You've stuck around a long time. Gonna stick around for even longer?"

Trevor's only answer was another long, deep croak, but it was the only answer Neville needed. When he first boarded the train to Hogwarts, he'd looked at all the other students' owls and cats and felt horribly out of place; now, he couldn't imagine having a better friend than Trevor. The toad had been there through all the bad marks, all the teasing laughter of other students, and all the insecurities that came with being fifteen.

Feeling a little lighter now that he wasn't wallowing by his lonesome, Neville gently set Trevor on his pillow, and, with little prompting from the toad, changed into his nightclothes. Then he climbed back into bed with Trevor, the memory of his failed date stinging just a little less.