Revenge Most
Nice
Neville awoke
in the empty classroom, bumping his head on the desk above. Everything seemed a
bit hazy and he wished he knew where he was. He got up and tried the door, but
found it locked. Neville went to the window and realised he was on the first
floor and was a good fifteen feet above the grounds outside. Resigning to his
fate, Neville decided to risk climbing down the vines outside.
Halfway down,
gravity took over and Neville wondered what bones he would break next, if it
had not been for Draco Malfoy passing by underneath.
Draco was
winded and gestured his two bodyguards, Goyle and Crabbe, to offer retribution.
Neville was in
no state to put up a fight and was soon a bloody mess on the ground.
"That'll teach
you to try and ambush Draco, Longbottom!" sneered Draco and he and his cohorts
scarpered for fear of being found out.
Neville
staggered back to the common room. Ron, Hermione and Harry were chatting in
there when he got back. Ron went white at seeing Neville and Hermione immediately
bounded over to help Neville into a seat.
"Oh Hermione,
I'm okay," smiled Neville. Shrugging, Neville began to get a book or two out
and started to read. Harry looked at Hermione and many Gryffindors in the room
started to wonder about Neville's well-being.
"Did Draco do
this?" asked Seamus. "We'll go beat him up for you if you want Nev?" Others
nearby joined in and soon the room was a cacophony of threats and menaces. But
throughout, Neville sat reading his book.
Ron felt
terrible. Thoughts raced through his mind: He had not hit Neville that hard had
he? What would Hermione think? Even I cannot let Draco get beaten up for this,
surely? Well, maybe I could, but even so!
Hermione doted
on Neville and he turned to hold her hand. His hands were surprisingly steady
and Neville seemed to be in charge of the situation. Ron noticed all of this
and put his head in his hands. "What's up Ron?" whispered Harry. "Do you know
what's happened to Neville?"
Ron went rigid.
He stared at Neville and Neville stared back with a smug grin on his face.
Neville beckoned Ron nearer. Ron leant over Neville and Neville whispered in
his ear "If you love Hermione, you will tell her what you did to me. Promise me
you will and I'll forgive you."
Ron felt faint
but nodded. Everyone was looking at him. Neville was not a cruel person, so he
stood up and went to his room to catch some rest.
Long
afterwards, Ron and Hermione were alone once more. Hermione was so happy that she
had Ron but sensed he was holding something back. Ron kept staring towards the
dormitory where Neville lay and Hermione was getting worried.
"I got jealous.
I'm sorry," whispered Ron. Hermione followed where his eyes were looking and
realised what Ron was talking about.
"Oh my god! We
were only messing around Ron, you bloody idiot!" she felt betrayed and let down
by Ron again.
Hermione
grabbed Ron's hand and frogmarched him in to see Neville. Ron felt so silly and
embarrassed. Neville was sat up on his bed, reading and looking far too healthy
to warrant all of this attention.
"Apology
accepted Ron" joked Neville.
"Look, I really
am sorry! Really!" begged Ron.
"Oh Ron, we
both know it was an accident! Don't be so harsh on yourself!" Ron and Hermione
were both stunned as Neville smiled and turned back to his book.
"What is he
talking about Ron?" asked Hermione
"Erm…" Ron had
not a clue what to say.
"Why not tell
her Ron?" said Neville.
"Well…"
"About our
plan?"
"What?"
"About our plan
to get Draco?"
Ron's
self-preservation kicked in and he went for it. "Oh that! Yeah, me and Neville
were trying to ambush Draco, for what he's done against Harry in the past. But
it went a bit wrong. Sorry Neville."
Hermione looked
less than impressed. "What really happened Neville?"
Neville paused
and looked hard at both of them. "Ron loves you ever-so-much, but he has got an
awful temper on him! He hit me and I sort of ended up falling out of a window
onto Draco and he then beat me up – Ron was not to know about this though."
"Ron!"
"But,"
continued Neville loudly, "Ron was given the wrong idea by you on purpose, and
as he has recently been so frustrated about that whole Krum thing, what did you
expect?"
Ron and
Hermione looked shyly at each other.
"So, "
concluded Neville, "you both owe me big time." The lovelorn pair stared long
and hard at him.
Neville beamed
from ear-to-ear as Ron and Hermione kissed in the main hall at breakfast the
next day. The death of Cedric Diggory had cast a shadow over everything, so
everyone was pleased that they had something else to think about. Professor
McGonagall snapped at Ron and Hermione, lost in a long loving kiss. Hagrid
smiled to himself and whispered in McGonagall's ear, making her go quite pale
and she waded in and separated the amorous pair. Returning to their seats, Ron
and Hermione smiled red-faced at each other, and then glared at Neville.
"Will that do
you, Nev?" smiled Ron.
"I'm not too
sure that was punishment enough, not from where I was sitting anyway!" laughed
Neville and once more the Gryffindor table was filled with laughter and smiles.
After
breakfast, Neville left Ron and Hermione to kiss and cuddle in private, feeling
happy with himself for somehow becoming a cupid for the two. He saw Draco and
noticed an empty seat next to him at the Slytherin table. Neville limped over
and sat down.
A lot of the
Gryffindors stared at him stupendously from their table whilst the Slytherins
sat and stared hard at Neville.
"Hello Draco.
Mind if I have a word," smiled Neville.
Draco looked
terrified. It was as if he was somehow best friends with Neville. "What do you
want Longbottom?" he sneered.
The Bloody
Baron stared furiously at Neville and began muttering foul curses at him, but
Neville continued unabashed.
"I just wish to
apologise for hurting you yesterday, is all," smiled Neville and he extended
his hand in friendship. Draco smacked the hand away, disgusted at this affront
to his esteem.
Neville took
the hint and stood up, staring wistfully at Ron and Hermione. "Draco, a war is
coming. Many pointless squabbles are soon to be washed away in the face of such
adversity. There, with Ron and Hermione, lies our mutual goal."
Draco laughed
and the Sytherins began bombarding Neville with bread-rolls and rattling their
plates. The Gryffindors responded and soon the two tables were yelling insults
at each other. But Neville did not care, for he focussed on the love Ron and
Hermione had for each other and felt almost super-human and proud. An effect
only slightly spoilt when he slipped on a buttered roll as he neared his old
seat and went down on his bottom with a smack, to the delight of Draco and his
mob.
Dumbledore
smiled as he stared at Neville. He liked seeing a good metaphor in action now
and again, and Neville was the funniest he'd seen in a while. Neville returned
his gaze instinctively and smiled too.
THE END
[Okay, so that
was a really odd little story wasn't it. Funny how these stories take shape
themselves sometimes. Big hugs all. J]
…