Hold On My Heart III
The halls of Hogwarts were buzzing with the praises of one Professor Longbottom. Students from all four houses—with the exception of a few sullen Slytherins—were elated with the change in teachers. It didn't even seem to matter that he had not forgotten about the essay they had been assigned before Binns retired, Professor Longbottom was easily one of the most popular professors after only one day. This of course did not surprise Severus. He had already known that his new lover was congenial enough to make a mark on students. What he hadn't expected was that Neville had a rather hefty workload for the student. Rolanda had given him a peak at the lesson plans Neville had turned. It amazed him that he had managed to find a balance.
By the time his free period came around, his curiosity was killing him. He swept back into his office muttering to himself about how utterly ridiculous he was being. Opening a small trunk, he had to fight the memories. Harry Potter had left many of his possessions to Remus Lupin, but being that Remus too had died, they had ended up with Severus. The Marauders map lay on top, and Severus touched it with a bitter smile on his lips. Such childish fancy. Remus was the last of the Marauders, he thought as he set it aside. He dug deeper. What he was looking for, Potter had left specifically to him—though Severus could not imagine why. Pulling it out, he draped the invisibility cloak over himself.
Severus tried to keep his step light as he moved down the hall and into Neville's classroom. Thankfully, it seemed that he had gone completely unnoticed. The class was orderly, he noted. Neville had a way about him that kept their attention without boring them to tears or watering down facts.
Occasionally, a student would have a question…though not always about history. The student wait until Neville finished a sentence, and then simply stated his or her name. "Thomas Larson, Hufflepuff."
Neville smiled in the boys direction. "Yes, Thomas, what is it?'
"I…I was just wondering how you move around the room without your stick and don't hit anything?"
This was obviously the question the entire class had been waiting for, and Neville was true to his word about not shying away from such things. "I count steps," he said. "I practice moving about a room and count all of steps around obstacles. I memorize where everything is. That's why it's important that you not move things around, or leave you chair out. Now back to Middle Ages. Can anyone tell me why….?"
Severus was impressed by how he diminished the importance of his blindness. Never once was the focus on anything other than history. He had to admit that he had been wrong about Neville's teaching ability.
What really surprised him though, was that he called Alana Gilmore to stay after class. It was the end of the day, and the rest of the students shot out of the room leaving Miss Gilmore to her fate.
"Alana, come sit at my desk," Neville said softly.
"A..am I in t…t..trouble?" she asked shakily.
He smiled. "Not in the least. I just wanted to talk to you about Professor Snape."
"P..p..Professor Snape?" The girl looked shocked, and Severus nearly fell out of his hiding spot in the back of the room.
"Yes, you seem scared of him," Neville began, "but you don't have to be. I happen to know that he is not a bad person at all."
"But he's head of Slytherin!" she cried. Afterward, she seemed to realize her folly. "I didn't mean…"
Neville laughed. "It's alright, Alana. But I know two men who were Slytherins who are very good and brave men. Think of it this way, are you a bad person?" The girl shook her head. "I can't hear you."
"No," the girl amended.
"Are your friends in Slytherin bad?"
"I..I..I don't really have friends." Now Alana appeared to be on the verge of tears.
"Shh…it's alright. Let me tell you something. When I was in Hogwarts, I didn't think I had friends either. I was shy and very unsure of myself. Professor Snape used to scare me, too, in my first year." Neville smiled. "But then I learned something very important about life. You can't be afraid of people until you truly know them, or what's inside them. Professor Snape may seem harsh, but he is one of the most dependable and strong men you will ever meet. I am glad to call him my friend. And I never would have gotten the chance if I had remained afraid and shy."
"Th..thank you, professor."
"You may go now," Neville told her. He waited until he heard her close the door. "You can come out now, Severus."
"How the bloody hell did you know I was there?" Severus fumed, embarrassed that he had been caught.
The blind man laughed. "Easy, I heard you come in, and I knew it was you because you smell of the last potion you brewed. I'm guessing you're in Harry's old invisibility cloak."
"Not that it works on you," he muttered.
Just then a house elf burst through the door wheezing. "Professors Snape, there's being a firecall for you."
"I'll be there shortly," he told the elf. He turned to Neville. "We'll finish this discussion in my chambers tonight."
Neville gave him a lopsided grin. "I look forward to it."
In his chambers, Severus stared at the floating head of Draco Malfoy. "It's been sometime," he said dryly. "I suspect you need something?"
Draco sighed. "I'm sorry to say that I do, but you have to keep this a secret."
"I'm a former spy, Malfoy. I think I can keep whatever you have for me quiet. Now get on with it, I have other matters to attend to."
He listened in disbelief as Draco told him about Harry. Severus never would have imagined Harry in such a predicament….one of the Weasley boys maybe, but not Harry. "Anyway," Draco continued, "I need you to help me find a way to get it out of his system safely."
"I know of a potion, but he'd still require strict medical observation. We are going to have to bring a few more people in on this."
The younger man looked worried. "Who?"
"Madame Pomfrey, Headmistress Hooch, and Neville Longbottom."
Draco nodded. "I understand Pomfrey and Hooch, but why Longbottom?"
Severus snorted. "Because I am not about to keep secrets from him."
Draco gave him an insufferable grin. "You and Longbottom? I never would have imagined."
"Indeed," he said shortly. "I will owl you when I have things in order. It should take me a day or so."
Severus ran a hand through his hair. He never would have believed the turn of events the past week had brought about. What was next? Fuzzy bunnies in the dungeon? He shuddered. One could only hope it would never come to that.
