Disclaimer: Harry Potter is from the creative genius that is J.K. Rowling. We are not her. This is merely a fan fiction to tide us over until Book 6.
A/N: (From ForeverLadonna) For those of you seeking some H/G action, which will not be in this story (sorry) I will be posting a one-shot called Baptism by Dungbombs dealing with Hogwarts when the Weasley/Potter children from Bedfellows start to attend the school. That story will be up in the next few weeks. Enjoy.
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"FIRST of all," Alaire said as her voice took on a coldness that neither boy had ever heard before. "I am not removing the petrificus totalus. The two of you obviously wouldn't listen to each other or to me if you could take a swing at each other. SECOND, I don't want to know what was said before I stepped into this room that caused fists to be thrown. Something tells me that my opinion about one or both of you would go downhill dramatically. That means I do not want to hear one word about what was uttered in here EVER. If I do, so help me, you will learn what it means to TOTALLY PISS ME OFF, and that would NOT be a good thing in any sense of the word."
Alaire began walking around the room, fixing items that had been burst or cracked in the fight between the two seventh-years. Her eyes remained very cold and she avoided going near either Neville or Harry.
Neville was trying hard to calm himself down, fearing that the amount of bad emotions in the room may overpower Alaire, but he was finding it difficult and he really doubted that Harry was trying to mask any of his arrogant stupidity or anger either.
"Both of you stop it!" Alaire said standing in between them as the two boys stared daggers at each other. "You are giving me a headache."
Neville began to panic as his eyes darted up to Alaire's. He hoped that she was going to be all right. "
I'm fine for now," Alaire snapped. "Thank you for your concern, what little of it you have. I can't believe your anger toward one another destroyed all these things." To prove her point, she held up the ragged remains of a pillow that must have been magically blown to bits sometime during the fight by a burst of magical energy.
"I believe the two of you have more constructive things to do with your time than fight." She took another deep calming breath as she turned to face Harry. "I was trying to make this easier and soften the blow when you found out Harry. I can see now that nothing would have done that," she said as she knelt down beside him. Neville felt a bit of jealousy surge up, but fought to keep it down.
"I told you the reasons why already. I'd like to think we are still friends. I know right now those seem bitter words, but I can't help it. I can't be what you want, and you can't be what I want right now. Somehow, I think you know that," she said calmly.
"Neville," she said getting up and coming over to him. "You are what I want, though I am severely disappointed in you at the moment." Whatever happiness Neville felt with her saying that he was what she wanted deflated with those last words.
Alaire sighed and kissed Neville's forehead before getting up. She took out her wand and cast several healing spells that whizzed around the room.
"That is the last time I will heal either of you for fighting each other. There will be no other fights, boxing bouts or whatever between you two," she said angrily as she felt a bit of resentment surge up in the two boys again as they were able to see each other clearly.
"You two will get along and be friendly toward one another or you will personally learn what all castration charms they teach American witches. I assure you while Lorena Bobbit may have botched her spell, but I assure you that mine works EXCEEDINGLY well. My granny made sure of that!"
Both boys flinched even under the petrificus totalus spell.
"Now, I am going downstairs and sending your roommates up, that is if they aren't waiting outside the door, and then I'm going to bed. Hopefully, one of your roommates will take pity on you and release you from the spell. Depending on what kind of a mood I am in tomorrow, I may or may not talk to either of you after this show of Neanderthal behavior you displayed. Goodnight."
Alaire opened the door and sure enough Seamus, Dean and Ron fell into the room. Hermione and Ginny were leaning against the wall opposite the door.
"Well done," Hermione commented to Alaire as the three girls went down the stairs.
"You don't think she gave either of them any ideas do you?" Ron asked the men as he watched them walk down the stairway and turn toward the girls' dormitory.
"I hope not," Seamus said cupping himself protectively before turning and clearing his throat. "I suppose we should lift the spell."
"Just don't the two of you start up again or she is liable to bust in here cracking spells and, personally, I don't want anything of mine to come up missing. Understand?" Dean said before waving his wand to release the spell.
"Perfectly," Neville and Harry said while shooting glares at one another. However, the two knew that Alaire had a dangerous temper and while she might not actually chop off a vital organ, the potential for great personal loss existed.
Upstairs, Alaire slammed her bureau drawers open and closed as she got her clothes for bed.
"Stupid, asinine, idiotic, insane, ignorant jackasses!" she fumed.
Hermione and Ginny sat on one of the beds and watched in amusement as Alaire shrieked and threw everything in one of her drawers up in the air.
"Now, isn't that better?" Ginny asked calmly with a smirk on her face.
"Yes, actually," Alaire said sitting down with them. Hermione waved her wand and the clothes automatically put themselves back in the drawers.
"Thank you," Alaire said sniffing.
"No, thank you," Hermione said. "That was an inspiration to us all."
"We knew this was coming," Ginny said putting her arm around Alaire to comfort her.
"You did?"
"It was fairly obvious," Hermione said. "Though the castration charm bit was a little over the top. I think I'll tell Ron you have been teaching me some of those just in case I need to keep him in line in the future."
"They really do teach us those, you know," Alaire said sniffing. "American girls take a self-defense class aimed at stopping unwanted advances when we're around 12. Though I did lie. I've never really used them before on anything other than a dummy and it's been years."
Alaire rubbed her eyes as tears began to fall. "I just didn't want this to happen. I feel like I ruined a friendship."
"You did no such thing," Ginny said. "Truth be told, Harry and Neville have never been close friends."
"She's right, you know." Hermione added with a pat to her knee.
"Harry and Ron have picked on Neville several times for being forgetful and clumsy," Ginny explained. "That wasn't nice of either of them. Out of all the flaws in the world I would rather have a little bumbling than Harry's mood swings and arrogance. And my brother, well, Hermione, there's no way to say this nicely, the boy is just thick. Not Goyle thick, but thick nonetheless and a bit overbearing. I'd pick being forgetful and sometimes a little less than elegant any day over those two's faults."
"Neville's not forgetful," Alaire said. "He's just thinking about other important things like his plants. He's like Albert Einstein, you know. Einstein would get lost blocks from his home because his mind was calculating equations not paying attention where he was going. He's not clumsy either. He can be very well coordinated when he wants to be." Ginny and Hermione smiled. Hermione cast a silencing charm on the door and turned back to Alaire.
"While we're on the subject, we were just wondering what Neville's like in the romance department."
"You're not planning on making any moves on him, are you?" Alaire asked blowing her nose.
"Heavens, no! I've got Ron."
"And I'm not giving Draco up, although," Ginny said examining the huge Malfoy ring on her finger. "I wish I could get this blasted thing off. Mum and dad are going to kill me if I go home this summer with the Malfoy family ring on my finger. I know the Malfoys are rich, but do they have to have such gaudy taste in jewelry?"
Alaire laughed.
"Now, come on, tell us. Is Neville a good kisser?"
Alaire turned pink.
"I'll take that as a yes," Ginny said before looking at the seventh-year again. "Or make that an Oh, God! Yes!"
"The latter," Alaire said. "And he has a nice body, too. You can't spend half your day lifting big bags of dirt and fertilizer without building up some muscles. But, he's still very comfortable too and I love it when he just holds me, you know."
The two girls sighed in reply, "Yeah."
"I mean, he's totally cute but he just doesn't realize it. I think that's what really attracted me to him. Harry's good looking but he knows it. Neville – Neville . . . well, you know what they say about the quiet ones."
"Which brings me to another question. Does his name match his . . ."
"Ginevra Weasley!!!" Hermione interrupted. "Don't you dare! That's-That's . . ." Her voice trailed off as the three girls were engulfed in laughter. "Ginny, that's wicked!!"
"Ginny, if I ever find out, you'll be the first – No, wait! – You'll be the third to know!"
After they finally calmed down, Alaire remarked, "We were supposed to watch the movie together tonight, but I'm just so ... so... well put off that I don't want to go down there and see either of them."
"That's all right," Hermione said. "Why don't we sort of just have a girls night? I'll ask the seventh and sixth years to skip the movie tonight. We'll get some popcorn and have party in our dorms so no boys allowed. It will drive the boys batty!"
"Draco swears all girls belong to a secret sorority anyway. I've heard Ron say the same thing. This will just help add a little fuel to the fire. If anyone asks, we'll just say we're having a girls night because we're sick and tired of boys' stupidity."
"Yeah, we might get some apologies and a few nights without quidditch talk."
"Or families hating one another."
"Or talk about what's the fastest racing brooms or which one is more sturdy."
"Maybe some romance instead of all that junk," said Hermione.
"They'd better wisen up. Either that or they will be polishing their own 'brooms' for a long time," Ginny said as the three of them burst out laughing.