Disclaimer: All characters, places etc. etc. belong to the brilliant mastermind J.K. Rowling. Anyone who thinks otherwise, will have to answer to me... MWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!

A.N:) Sorry if I scared anyone... haha * grins sheepishly * Look, I'm really really sorry that it's taken me so long to update, I wrote the chapter a while ago, it's just that I hate typing! I'm really slow... and I had a good idea for this other story so I had to write it and post it. If you like the way I write, then you should definitely check it out, and please r/r on this chapter and on my other story. And so without further ado, I present you all with-

Chapter 5:

"Longbottom! What on Earth do you think you're doing?!"
Neville jumped and then froze as Snape's voice came from behind him.

That morning, over breakfast, they had received their class schedules and Neville had groaned when he saw that the first class of the year would be Potions. He wasn't the only one either, but amazingly, this year for the first time, they were going to be paired with the Hufflepuffs and not with the Slytherins! Though, while everyone else was ecstatic with this new arrangement, Neville was only moderately happy. True, last year he would have been dancing on the tables, but now... He would be making a complete fool of himself in front of Hannah all year long. And besides, they still weren't rid of the Slytherins. They now had Herbology with them and they still had Care of Magical Creatures together as well.

Neville looked over at Hannah who was sitting at the other side of the dungeon. She had stopped cutting her Flobberworms and was looking in Snape's direction with a stern expression on her face.
"It seems that Longbottom has once again managed to spectacularly bungle his entire potion." Snape said silkily as he looked down his hooked nose at Neville.
Neville, on his part, had begun to shake so much that he barely managed to look back at him.
"Not only did he show up for class completely unprepared, but he has decided to display the fact that he is utterly brainless only ten minutes into the lesson." Snape snarled and gave Neville a look that made him want to curl up and die.
"Ten points from Gryffindor for being a useless idiot!" Snape walked away, leaving Neville trembling from head to toe.
Neville looked over at Hannah again and saw that she was staring at him, mouth open in shock. He blushed so hard that he thought his face would catch fire.
Distracted, he returned to his Concentration Concoction and tried to figure out just what he had done wrong.
Snape continued to prowl through the dungeon, passing snide remarks at many Hufflepuffs and at all the Gryffindors. Neville looked up just in time to see him stop in front of Hannah and look down at her with distaste. Hannah stopped working to look back at Snape nervously.
"Miss Abbot," he started. Blood began pounding in Neville's ears. If he insulted Hannah...
"I would advise you to kindly come to class with something more in your head besides for air. You seem to have allowed the summer to empty it out completely. Not as though there was all that much in there in the first place..." Snape broke off icily.
Neville watched, a funny ringing in his ears, as Hannah turned a nasty shade of crimson and looked at the floor, humiliated. He was shaking, though this time, not with fear but with anger. Before he knew what he was doing, he got abruptly to his feet, knocking his stool to the floor. Everyone turned to look at him in wonder. Neville had never stood up to Snape or indeed any teacher before, but now, he was glaring at the Potion's Master, cold fury dancing in his eyes.
"Longbottom," Snape sneered, "Is there something you want to say to me?" His voice was low, almost a growl. He was taunting him, daring him to make the move that would be his last.
Neville knew he'd be an idiot to continue but, being as Snape had already called him one countless times, he might as well make it true.
"What did she do?" he said, his voice unsteady with anger; "Huh?! What did I ever do? Maybe if you didn't keep breathing down our necks, then we could get through a potion without making any mistakes! Or don't you want your students to pass? Maybe, you just want to be known as the teacher who flunks every single student who comes his way, except of course for your precious Slytherins!!!" Neville screamed the last word in indignation, finally letting loose these feelings he'd had for so long. But the entire while, a voice in the back of his head was saying "What in Gryffindor's name are you doing!? Are you suicidal? Do you have an unfulfilled death-wish? He's going to kill you!"
Snape froze at this outburst from Neville and he actually seemed to be in shock. But he soon recovered and said icily into the utter silence that now reigned in the dungeon, "Detention Longbottom, and seventy points from Gryffindor."
Every student gasped unbelievingly, and there were many curses muttered under breaths, including a few very colorful ones from Ron. But many of them noticed that Snape hadn't said this with his usual relish. Could it be that Neville had actually touched a nerve? Was there possibly anything that Snape was sensitive about? They quickly decided against it and figured that he was just being his usual vindictive self.
Neville fumed as he picked up his stool and slammed it on the floor upright, indeed, he was fuming almost as much as his potion, which had now turned an ugly shade of brown-green and was on the verge of bubbling over. He spent the rest of the class sending concerned looks towards Hannah who, in return, would send him her most radiant smile each time, grinning from ear to ear. This calmed him down very much.
However, throughout the entire lesson, that voice in the back of his head had been getting louder and louder so that by the time the bell rang, Neville gathered his things and practically flew from the dungeon, terrified that Snape might find some way to keep him down there so that he could murder him when there were no witnesses. He had almost reached the top of the stairs when someone called him from behind.
"Neville! Wait for me!"
Neville turned around to see Hannah running up the stairs towards him. She was smiling. "Neville, I can't believe you just did that! I mean, we both know how afraid you are of Snape!"
"I know." Replied Neville; "I can't believe it either. But he really went overboard this time. He was insulting you! I guess I just couldn't take it anymore. I burst!"
"Oh Neville!" Hannah stopped him and kissed him on the nose. Neville blushed profusely.
"You are the best friend anyone could ever ask for. I don't know what I would do without you!" she continued and hugged him.
Neville put his arms around her waist and held her, enjoying for the moment the smell of her hair and the sound of her breathing next to his ear. He sighed contentedly, forgetting for the moment that they were standing in the middle of a frequently used corridor in Hogwarts. He was reminded a second later.
Someone cleared their throat.
"Ahem."
Neville quickly let go of Hannah who looked as red as he felt and turned to see who had interrupted them (yet again...)
Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas were standing there wearing looks torn between amusement and wonder at the sight of a girl hugging Neville.
Dean spoke first. "Sorry to break up this Kodak moment,"
"What's Kodak" thought Neville.
"But we're due in Transfiguration." He finished, smirking.
Neville turned back to Hannah who was still blushing. "She's so pretty like that." He thought to himself. Then, in a quiet voice so that Dean and Seamus couldn't hear, he said, "I'll see you later and then maybe we could spend some time together without interruptions, ok?"
"Fine." Hannah replied, finally turning back to her usual color, and she walked away towards the Charms corridor.
"So, Neville, what happened to you over the summer?!" Seamus was grinning as he steered Neville away. "I mean, who would have ever thought that you would stand up to Snape?"
"Yeah." Dean agreed, amazedly.
"And what's up with Neville getting a girlfriend?" Seamus asked Dean in a disbelieving way.
Neville, who was already at the end of his rope after the incident with Snape, and was really annoyed that someone had interrupted him and Hannah yet again, found himself yelling at the two of boys. "Just stop it already! Stop teasing me! I'm really quite sick of it!"
"Whoa! Calm down eh? We just wanted to congratulate you on your fine taste in girls!" Seamus said in his defense, but he only managed in getting Neville even more upset at them.
Hannah was not just a girl.
"Wha-? Oh, shut up!" Neville rolled his eyes and stormed off down the corridor, leaving Dean and Seamus standing there wondering very much what on Earth had gotten into Neville?


A.N:) Well that's it, chapter five. I know, it's a bit short, but I was going for quality not quantity, and I believe that this chapter got it's message through, so please review. I hope everyone enjoyed and laughed a bit. My friends did when I read this to them. My friend Ginny (not her real name) is still in shock that Neville yells at Snape, but he finally reached the bursting point. Anyway, Snape has had it coming for a looooong time... Till next time:)