New and Improved
A/N: I finally updated this! And like, two chapters! Okay, one, but I'm working on the next! Go me! I love three day weekends!
DW,HH update: It's coming along, one sentance at a time. I may need some positive reinforcements...coughcoughREVIEWSFORANYSTORY!coughcough...to break my writer's block. No, that is not a threat, I'm just saying that might help.
Later, at the Longbottom's house, Neville was helping Gran set up for lunch. Hermione was putting her suitcase in the guestroom.
"Erm, Neville?"
"Yes?"
"Don't you think that Hermione is a little over packed?"
Neville looked up from the stew, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well, bringing a huge suitcase for an overnight visit. Don't you think that's over packing? Just a tad?" She added sarcastically.
"What do you mean, an overnight visit?" Neville began to feel a familiar feeling, like he'd forgotten something very important again.
"Neville, did you forget again?" Gran demanded sternly. "It's the twenty-second tomorrow."
Neville turned a very pale white as he whipped his head around to stare at the calender on the refrigerator.
She was right. There was a bright red ring around the date.
Neville hated the twenty-second. For him, it always signified the day when...when...
He gave an involuntary shake. Gran's expression softened, and she gathered her grandson in a hug.
"It's all right, Neville. I'll tell her if you want. I'll say you forgot that you asked her for a week and thought you only asked her for a day. Alright?"
It wasn't all right. He wanted to tell her. To tell her that he had just gotten his dates mixed up. He wanted her to say "It's alright, Neville, it happens to everyone." He didn't want her to think "I should have known, Neville always does stuff like this." But it was true. He couldn't deny that. It was true. (A/N: Slightly melodramatic, isn't he?)
"Alright." He conceded.
"Hermione?" Gran knocked on the door. "Could I speak to you for a minute?"
"Sure, Ms. Longbottom." Hermione said.
"Um, you know how absent-minded Neville is, right?"
Hermione instantly felt a feeling of dread. "Did he forget something important?" She asked softly.
"Yes. We're going to visit his parents tomorrow." She said, looking down. "He forgot about it."
"I understand." Hermione said. "May I use your phone?"
"So you only stayed one day?" Harry asked at breakfast the first day back..
"Yes. Neville had forgotten he was going to visit his parents the next day." Hermione said. "I had to call my mom and ask her to pick me up four days ahead of schedule."
"She couldn't have been too happy." Ron said, spitting crumbs on Hermione's books.
"She wasn't." Hermione started. "And neither was I. I had to sit around at home all vacation. Though I don't suppose Neville could have had a much better time."
Ron was about to comment when Parvati and Lavender came rushing up.
"You guys, new student, really hot guy, probably a fifth year, just saw him in the hall, pass it around." The said almost in unison, before running off to the Ravenclaw table, presumably to tell Padma.
"I didn't think Hogwarts accepted new students except during the sorting." Harry said, confused.
"They don't, and even in the three special cases where they have admitted new students, it's never been in the middle of the school year." Hermione said, glancing at the doors to the Great Hall.
"Besides, Dumbledore would have announced it by now." Ron said, gulping down his orange juice. "We'd better hurry, McGonagall always expects us to be early."
By the time they reached their classroom, a group of girls were standing around the doorway.
"Wonder what's going on?" Ron said to Hermione.
"I don't know. Wait, there's Padma, let's ask her."
"How do you tell them apart?" Harry asked, but Hermione ignored his question.
"Padma, what's going on? Why are all these girls here?"
"Oh, Hermione, didn't you hear?" She whispered. "You are so lucky, the new boy's in your class. He looks familiar, though. Isn't that weird?"
Hermione sighed. "Hogwarts doesn't accept new students unless the circumstances are dire, and never in the middle of the school year. It's probably just some really quiet kid who got a new haircut." She glanced in the room and gasped.
"Oh come on Hermione, you're supposed to be the sane one here." Ron elbowed his way into the classroom, then stopped short.
"Hi Ron. Hi Hemrione."
It was Neville.
A/N: I finally updated this! And like, two chapters! Okay, one, but I'm working on the next! Go me! I love three day weekends!
DW,HH update: It's coming along, one sentance at a time. I may need some positive reinforcements...coughcoughREVIEWSFORANYSTORY!coughcough...to break my writer's block. No, that is not a threat, I'm just saying that might help.
Later, at the Longbottom's house, Neville was helping Gran set up for lunch. Hermione was putting her suitcase in the guestroom.
"Erm, Neville?"
"Yes?"
"Don't you think that Hermione is a little over packed?"
Neville looked up from the stew, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well, bringing a huge suitcase for an overnight visit. Don't you think that's over packing? Just a tad?" She added sarcastically.
"What do you mean, an overnight visit?" Neville began to feel a familiar feeling, like he'd forgotten something very important again.
"Neville, did you forget again?" Gran demanded sternly. "It's the twenty-second tomorrow."
Neville turned a very pale white as he whipped his head around to stare at the calender on the refrigerator.
She was right. There was a bright red ring around the date.
Neville hated the twenty-second. For him, it always signified the day when...when...
He gave an involuntary shake. Gran's expression softened, and she gathered her grandson in a hug.
"It's all right, Neville. I'll tell her if you want. I'll say you forgot that you asked her for a week and thought you only asked her for a day. Alright?"
It wasn't all right. He wanted to tell her. To tell her that he had just gotten his dates mixed up. He wanted her to say "It's alright, Neville, it happens to everyone." He didn't want her to think "I should have known, Neville always does stuff like this." But it was true. He couldn't deny that. It was true. (A/N: Slightly melodramatic, isn't he?)
"Alright." He conceded.
"Hermione?" Gran knocked on the door. "Could I speak to you for a minute?"
"Sure, Ms. Longbottom." Hermione said.
"Um, you know how absent-minded Neville is, right?"
Hermione instantly felt a feeling of dread. "Did he forget something important?" She asked softly.
"Yes. We're going to visit his parents tomorrow." She said, looking down. "He forgot about it."
"I understand." Hermione said. "May I use your phone?"
"So you only stayed one day?" Harry asked at breakfast the first day back..
"Yes. Neville had forgotten he was going to visit his parents the next day." Hermione said. "I had to call my mom and ask her to pick me up four days ahead of schedule."
"She couldn't have been too happy." Ron said, spitting crumbs on Hermione's books.
"She wasn't." Hermione started. "And neither was I. I had to sit around at home all vacation. Though I don't suppose Neville could have had a much better time."
Ron was about to comment when Parvati and Lavender came rushing up.
"You guys, new student, really hot guy, probably a fifth year, just saw him in the hall, pass it around." The said almost in unison, before running off to the Ravenclaw table, presumably to tell Padma.
"I didn't think Hogwarts accepted new students except during the sorting." Harry said, confused.
"They don't, and even in the three special cases where they have admitted new students, it's never been in the middle of the school year." Hermione said, glancing at the doors to the Great Hall.
"Besides, Dumbledore would have announced it by now." Ron said, gulping down his orange juice. "We'd better hurry, McGonagall always expects us to be early."
By the time they reached their classroom, a group of girls were standing around the doorway.
"Wonder what's going on?" Ron said to Hermione.
"I don't know. Wait, there's Padma, let's ask her."
"How do you tell them apart?" Harry asked, but Hermione ignored his question.
"Padma, what's going on? Why are all these girls here?"
"Oh, Hermione, didn't you hear?" She whispered. "You are so lucky, the new boy's in your class. He looks familiar, though. Isn't that weird?"
Hermione sighed. "Hogwarts doesn't accept new students unless the circumstances are dire, and never in the middle of the school year. It's probably just some really quiet kid who got a new haircut." She glanced in the room and gasped.
"Oh come on Hermione, you're supposed to be the sane one here." Ron elbowed his way into the classroom, then stopped short.
"Hi Ron. Hi Hemrione."
It was Neville.