Summary: Some of the Gryffindors are in need of some gossip and Neville is their target

Neville's Gossip

"Where were you last night?" asked Ginny when Neville sat down to breakfast in the Great Hall.

Neville stared at Ginny with a confused look. "In the library."

"No," Hermione said sweetly, "I was in the library last night."

"Even we were in the library last night," Harry said, signalling himself and Ron, "but no Neville."

Neville spooned some cornflakes into a bowl. "Maybe I left before you lot got there," he muttered, refusing to look them in the eye.

"So where were you?" Seamus asked with a grin.

Neville sighed heavily. "I had my dinner, which you all saw me have, then I went to the library, then I went to bed after I'd done my homework. Okay?"

Neville felt the heat in his cheeks had his stupid lie. Of course they knew. The majority of the people at the table with him shared a dormitory with him.

"Is that so?" Ron asked, helping himself to a slice of toast.

Neville ignored the question to pour milk over his cereal. So many eyes on him he was at risk of starting to fumble his actions and pouring the stuff all over the table. "Why the sudden interest in where I've been?"

"Well, I was meant to meet Luna in the library last night and she was missing too," Ginny explained with an innocence that wasn't fooling anyone.

"Luna was looking for Bowtruckles in the forest, I saw her on—" Neville cut himself off. The heat in his cheeks intensified.

His friends seemed to lean together and whispered manically, no words making sense. He sighed heavily and threw his spoon down. "Luna is not my girlfriend and I wasn't with her," he said loudly over their whispering. "I was with Professor Sprout because I wanted to help her organise her greenhouses for her lessons. Okay?"

Six disappointed faces looked at him.

"I like Herbology," he said quietly.

"Sorry, Neville. We've all gone a little mad with the exams," Hermione said on behalf of everyone.

He looked around at them again, their need for gossip obvious. "I saw Justin with Pansy by Hagrid's hut if that helps."

Word Count: 357

Written for:

Quarterly

Crumpets

- (dialogue) 'Where were you last night?' (2)

- (character) Neville Longbottom (3)