I'm back! I only got one very appreciated review for this, but guess what? I'm pushing ahead anyways. Enjoy!
He'd watched her for nearly three years. From the night he danced with her at the Yule Ball, Neville Longbottom watched Kelly Macmillan with interest and wonder. He had introduced Ginny to Michael Corner from Charms class and they seemed to hit it off. Sitting at the only semi-empty table, they begun talking, and later they danced. Neither had much skill at the task and she laughed and joked her way through avoiding his feet stepping on hers and vice versa. They never actually formally exchanged names, and the only way he recognised her once classes began again was the silver chain with a phial of faerie dust in an ornamental dragon holder. He'd asked about it and she laughed the happy laugh he'd enjoyed most of the evening.
"My mother had it made for my first birthday. She said that I came into the world kicking and screaming; delicate as a faerie, bold as a dragon."
"Musta been loud too." Neville laughed. She agreed, laughing along.
After that, he didn't see her again until he recognised the chain around her neck and she was sucking on it, sliding the pendant along the siver rope. It struck him as odd that the sweet funny girl he'd dancedwith until two in the morning with was quiet Kelly Macmillan who never spoke to anyone and barely had an identity past 'Ernie's twin sister.' That was when he started watching her when in classes and the Great Hall. She kept to herself, only speaking to her brother who in turn only seemed to talk to her when he was asking about her grades. Neville couldn't help but think that he was something of a bully to her, only caring what her grades were and making sure that he was better than she was. He often saw her checking her grades quickly when they were returned, and though she made sure that no one next to her could see them,sitting behind her,he often sawwhat they wereand knew that she lied to her brother a lot.
She seemed happier when he wasn't around. If he was ill or missed a class for any reason, she was all smiles. She answered questions and could easily rival Hermione Granger and gaining points. When prefects in the DA had to miss a meeting because of duties and meetings, she was quicker than when her brother was around. Anyone who watched her like he didcould tell it wasn't luck, but the lack of Ernie's presence that made up for her performance. She even reverted to the true self he saw at the Yule Ball. She laughed and made witty jokes with the Girardi sisters from Gryffindor and their friends among whom were Ginny, Hermione, and Mandy Brocklehurst. When Ernie was around, he worked with her and she struggled. A struggle Neville was sure was pretence.
On occasion, he'd noticed a dark bruise on her wrists, something that no one ever really minded, even when she'd laugh it off as some bizarre accident like sleeping on it funny. One cold October day in their seventh year, Ernie was missing from Herbology and the bruises were on her wrist again. It was hand shaped, and he saw it only briefly as she prepared to extract Pitcher Plant enzymes. Other than that, she seemed in good spirits; she'd gotten 40 points for Hufflepuff by answering questions, and was ready to work with Neville. He took that as his chance while they worked.
"Kelly, what happened to your arm?" He asked pointing to her wrist with concern. She grinned sheepishly as she avoided his gaze and started to empty out the plant they worked on.
"This? It's nothing really. I was having a nightmare and I tried to get back at my imaginary attacker and grabbed at my own wrist instead." She blushed with embarrassment and Neville dropped the topic. He knew she was lying. The bruise was obviously left by a left hand on her wrist and was far too large to be her own. They finished up with class and as they walked into the castle, he saw Ernie waiting for her, smoke pouring from his ears.
"Hey, how was class? Any notes for me to copy?"
"No, it was apractical day juicing Pitcher plants."
"How didja do?"
"Pretty well. I got 35 points for the house." Neville balled his fists to keep himself from calling her a liar. She'd gotten the 40 points for questions, and they'd each gotten 15 points for gathering the most enzymes from their plants. Ernie however seemed satisfied with this and they went to Transfiguration while Neville went to Gryffindor tower for his free period. There he sat next to Seamus (who was skipping Transfiguration to work on a Charms assignment) and sighed.
"What do you do when a girl is in trouble and won't admit it?" Seamus looked around and realising that his girlfriend Bianca wasn't around to bail him out, he sighed back.
"I can't tell you mate. We all know that when Bizzy dated that guy from Durmstrang, I thought she was in trouble, and well, that didn't turn out so well." Neville laughed at him.
"Yeah, well, I don't plan on pissing this girl off out of spite Seamus." Even Seamus had to laugh. "Never mind I'll figure it out." He just knew he'd have to bide his time.
In Professor McGonagall's class, Kelly smiled to herself as she looked at her quiz grade. 94, not bad at all. She mused to herself. Unfortunately, it was a second too long as Ernie saw the grade. After class, he grabbed her already bruised right wrist and pulled her into an empty corridor where he pushed her against the wall, holding her tightly by her shoulder.
"Why do you do this to me? Do you always have to try and upstage me? I deserve to do better than you! I studied for hours for that quiz every day for a week! You, you studied for three hours and get a 94 to my measly 90? Must you always do this? GEEZ!" Ernie's grip on her got stronger and she cried out softly. He let her go, but only after he told her that she'd better stop being such a show-off. Rubbing her hurt shoulder softly, Kelly proceeded to the house common room where she curled up with a book and began to read.
The next day Neville saw her heading over to the Gryffindor table where she asked Ginny and Bizzy to let her join them. They agreed and Neville told her good morning as well, questioning the sudden change.
"Oh, you know how it is, sibling spat." Ginny raised her glass to that, and Bizzy grinned.
"Nah, I don't know." They all laughed. Though her sister was two years older, they had a relationship that people found scary and as close to twin like as non-twins could get. Kelly grinned softly and thought about how she'd have to patch this up. She didn't want to bear a morning of Ernie kicking her in the shins under the table like he sometimes did when he was angry with her.
All through the meal, Neville watched her and noticed that she moved her right shoulder as little as possible. The bruise on her wrist looked worse too. As she left the Hall, he followed her.
"He hurts you doesn't he?" She looked at him bewildered. "Ernie. He hurts you. You do better than him and he resents it. I've seen you lying over the years."
"What, Neville, are you watching me?"
"Only in classes, and only after I saw the drastic change in you between class and the Yule Ball. But in short, yes.You need to do something about it. Tell someone." He told her firmly. He didn't touch her, but his gaze held her none the less.
"You don't know what it's like. He thinks I'm trying to make our parents love me more than him. I have to let him think he's better than I am. He can be more popular then me, think he's smarter, whatever. Just so long as he doesn't think that they're comparing us and loving me more. You don't know what it's like to spend your life being compared to someone!" She hissed angrily. As she turned away, he spoke,
"My Gran compares me to my Dad every day of my life. I feel inadequate to him in every way. Of course I know what it's like. But I'm not going to alter myself for her to like me more. You shouldn't do that for your brother either." Neville said in a soft but strict voice.
"It's not like he hits me Nev." She told him equally softly, her eyes misting over.
"Yeah, but is it because he cares, or because he's smart enough to know that people would ask questions? He chooses areas that people can't see, your arms and shoulders. You have to tell someone."
"I'm not a damsel in distress Neville. I don't need saving." With one last stubborn glare, she shoved past him with her good arm and left.
All day he noticed Ernie's hostility to Kelly. He sat on her right; constantly hissing things in her ear that made her wince and shoving himself past her in the halls deliberately jarring her injured shoulder. Once again, at the end of the day, Neville turned to Seamus for help.
"Ok, why would I want to save a girl who doesn't want saving?" He asked exasperatedly. This time, Bizzy was there to help.
"Good friend?" She looked up at Seamus and grinned.
"Not really, more like an acquaintance." Bizzy smiled even wider.
"Then maybe you like her. If she's not your friend, then youcould have a crush on her and just be looking for reasons to save her!" Seamus sighed.Shehad a point.
"Maybe that's the case. I don't know, but I do know that she's being put in pain that she doesn't deserve and won't accept my help on." Neville sighed. She was probably right. Watching her for so long and being privy to the true self that didn't shine through often probably had lit the flame of an infatuation, but that wasn't the point. Ernie was hurting his sister by habit, and it wasn't going to stop on its own.
In OotP, I noticed Ernie badgering people about how much they studied compared to him so that he could feel good about himself. I couldn't help but wonder why he would be that way. That and the need for more Neville love in the world conceived this story. So Neville once again takes a stand when he sees a problem. Go him! Can he convice Kelly to tell the truth about her realtionship with her brother? Well, I guess only I know right? R&R.
Love Kitty Kat Mac