Chapter 33: Sage & Thyme
Gracewood Hall, Exmoor, Somerset, England
November 28, 1986
The little blonde haired girl looked around the elegant manor house in wonder. It was her first time visiting Gracewood Hall and she had been warned by her Mum that she needed to make a good impression upon the Regent Longbottom or else she would never be invited back. Lavender had not liked the idea of not being invited back. Neville lived at Gracewood Hall and if she did not receive an invitation to return then she would no longer be considered good company for the young Lord Longbottom.
Lavender liked Neville Longbottom, the Lord Longbottom. He was shy but sincere and she thought he might just be the kindest boy she had ever met. He didn't make attempts to flatter her. Even now there were boys who tried to do that. Her mother had warned her that as she aged it would become harder and harder to tell if a boy really liked her or if he liked that she was an heiress to a noble house and thus would come with a rich dowry and property. Her mother spoke from experience. Sabrina Brown nee Parkinson had turned down many would be suitors because she could not be sure of their true affections. Was it for her or her money? Sabrina had agreed to marry Basil Brown, the then Heir Brown, because he had seemed quite indifferent to her financial assets. Sabrina still said that the best thing about Basil was that he had never once dipped into her vaults. That simple act reassured Sabrina of Basil's love and devotion.
Lavender had the feeling that Neville would be like her Papa, oh not in temperament, but in honor. Neville's affection would be for the person and not for what they owned. She smiled as she fought the urge to fidget as she awaited his arrival.
"And what are you smiling at Little Mistress?" Callidora Longbottom the Regent Longbottom asked of her.
Lavender blushed and tried to school her features. "I," she paused briefly and decided that she should only tell the older woman the truth. "I was thinking about your Great-grandson, Lord Longbottom."
"Oh?" Callidora asked pleasantly as she took a sip of her tea. "What, pray tell, were you thinking about my Neville?"
She blushed again but knew that she couldn't just not answer the question. "I was thinking about how kind Lord Longbottom is. I was thinking about how honorable he is. That his affection, when given, is true and that he would never pretend to care for a girl when he cared for her riches more."
Callidora seemed to take in her words carefully and she felt the blue eyes of the older woman sweep over her. "You are a great beauty. Unquestionably you will be one of the Belle's of your year at Hogwarts."
"Thank you for saying so Ma'am," Lavender said in a rush.
"You are already dealing with it then, the boys trying to claim you without taking the time to get to know you," Callidora spoke with knowing experience.
"Yes," Lavender saw no point in not admitting it. "I have such trouble figuring out if they like me or the idea of my galleons."
Callidora nodded in pity.
"Mummy says that most boys will only like me for my galleons," Lavender said sadly.
"Oh, sweet girl, you should not have to worry about such things yet," Callidora said gently. "You are too young to worry about this. Your father will not let just anyone have you. Don't worry child, your father shall protect you."
"Grandmother is right," came the voice that Lavender had longed to hear.
She smiled as she turned her head to see her dear friend, Neville, coming toward her. She swiftly arose from the couch and she raced to him only to suddenly remember that he was not just Neville. He was Neville Lord Longbottom of House Longbottom. She dipped into a curtsy before him and noticed his frown. Had she done it wrong? She had been practicing with her Tutor on the right Etiquette because she wanted to impress Neville on this visit.
"You don't have to bow to me, Lavender," Neville insisted. His tone was different than she had ever heard it. He seemed happier and more self-assured.
She smiled at him. "Lord Longbottom honors me," she said sweetly.
His blue-gray eyes narrowed at her. She bit her lip then. She must have done something wrong. She was somehow ruining everything. The last time she had seen Neville he had been kind and sweet. She was confused as to what she must be doing wrong to make him scowl at her so. She opened her mouth to ask him when he spoke, cutting off anything she might have to say.
"Come along then, Miss Brown, let us walk in the garden," Neville said in a tone that was more order than suggestion.
Lavender was completely taken aback by his attitude. Had she offended him so greatly by her mistakes? She was still learning the Etiquette in how to greet a Lord. Her father had told her that she was doing well as had her Tutor so why was Neville offended?
She was left with little choice but to follow him. Still she turned back to the Regent Longbottom and dipped into a curtsy of respect and bade her a polite farewell before she followed after Neville whom had already strode toward the French doors that would lead them out onto a balcony and down the stone steps into the garden.
Neville seemed impatient with her and voiced it after the French doors were closed behind them. He was two paces ahead of her, walking down the stairs, not bothering to offer her his arm in escort. "Is it your habit to keep Lord's waiting?"
She nearly stumbled on the last step that led down into the garden as she stared at his back. "No, of course not," she said in her own defense. "I merely thought it best to politely bid farewell to Lady Callidora before I followed you. She was so kind as to allow me into her company while I waited for you."
She had been careful in her tones, trying to keep them modulated so as not to pick a fight with him. His behavior was bewildering and it hurt. Her sweet Neville had changed much in the time since she had last seen him. She watched his back for several seconds as he continued to lead her into the garden, farther from the main house.
Why was Neville so upset with her? He had looked happy to see her and then it had stopped. His blue-gray eyes had been like storm clouds and his face had transformed from welcoming into a scowl. How could she fix it if she didn't know what was wrong? Should she give him some sort of apology, an open apology for whatever it was that she did wrong?
She wanted to take him by the hand, like she had the first time she met him. She had loved holding his hand that day and had delighted in how he too knew how to channel his magic into the soil, into plants. His smile, tentative and shy had been marvelous. His laughter, hard won, was better than any praise she had ever received from her parents.
"I imagine you have been enjoying playing pretend," Neville said, and his words though soft held a bite to them that she didn't understand.
"What do you mean?" she asked curiously.
"Lady of the Manor," he said with a sneer that he must have learned from his cousins that he had been spending more time with. Lavender could not imagine the Neville she had first met ever being able to do that expression.
She flinched in hurt and confusion. "Lady of the Manor?" she asked softly.
"Yeah, almost everyone is talking about it. The beautiful Miss Brown and how she's going to be the Belle of her generation. She already has suitors calling on her, pushing for her to agree to a betrothal," Neville's voice was hard and cold.
She frowned at this. "Yes, I have had callers and yes, their parents have been in negotiations with my father to betroth me to their sons, grandsons, and nephews," she admitted. "It's not like I like it!" she tried to defend herself.
He scoffed. "Oh yes, I'm sure you hate every second of it," his voice was full of disbelief.
"I do hate it! They don't like me, they don't care about what I like, what I don't like, or who I am!" she exclaimed and stomped her foot at the last for emphasis. "They only care about my galleons. They want my money, they don't want me!"
"Oh, so that's the problem then?" Neville asked of her and his tone was still cold. "You don't have them hanging on your every word? I know how much you love attention, Lavender."
She gasped at that. It felt as though Neville had punched her in the stomach. She felt tears sting her eyes and she looked away from him, staring toward the path that led east toward the forest park that was part of Gracewood Hall's grounds. She felt the urge to take off down the path and run into those woods. She wanted to get lost there and escape from Neville. How ironic that she had looked so forward to seeing him today. Now she couldn't bring herself to look at him. How had he come to think such horrible things about her? Had he thought them as he left her after their first meeting?
"Please," she managed to whisper. "Whatever I have done to offend you, I am so very sorry," she said softly as she fought against tears.
His jaw clenched. "They are always sorry, after the fact," he said as he finally turned to look at her. His eyes widened suddenly in surprise as he stared at her. "Lavender," he said and he took a step toward her.
She shook her head and took a step back as though to somehow ward him away from her. With tears sparkling in her violet eyes, she turned to the east and began to sprint down the path leading toward the forested part of the grounds. She heard his voice calling her name and she heard it too close so she knew he had chosen to run after her, to follow her.
Faster, she needed to run faster. She managed a slight burst of speed but she was no match for Neville in the end. He reached her just before she could reach the trees. He grabbed her shoulder and she jerked away. He said something under his breath that she didn't catch and then suddenly his arm was around her waist hauling her back against him.
She stumbled, her feet wanting to go forward but he was ruthlessly pulling her back. They fell and rolled down the hill. She was grateful that the grass was soft and that they didn't hit any hidden rocks on the way down. They came to a rest with Neville half on top of her and he swiftly moved over her, effectively pinning her while she stared up at the sky dazed.
"Lavender?" his voice was urgent, full of fear. "Lavender, please Merlin be alright. Lavender, I am so sorry."
"They always are, after the fact," she murmured softly. They were his own words and she watched them take effect. His face crumbled and his eyes glistened with tears. She couldn't stand it. Couldn't stand the sight of him upset. She raised her hand to his cheek and wiped away a tear.
He leaned into her touch and then lowed his head to her shoulder and rested it there as he breathed, just breathed through the sobs that wanted to come but that he would not allow. They remained that way for a long time and then at last he rolled off her. He lay on his back in the grass beside her and he gently took her hand as though afraid she would refuse him. She didn't.
"I'm so very sorry, Lavender," he said softly. "Please," he paused and turned his head to look at her. "Please forgive me."
She stared into his blue-gray eyes and saw his sincerity. She knew that she had already forgiven him but, instead of telling him that, she asked him to explain. "What happened Neville? What did I do wrong?"
He seemed distraught by that and turned onto his side to better look at her. "No, Lavender you didn't do anything wrong. You, well you were just obeying the Etiquette lessons," he said softly.
She nodded. "I practiced. I wanted to get everything just right. I thought that you would be pleased and I thought that if I showed Regent Longbottom that I was serious about my studies that she'd think me worthy of your company and I would be invited back to see you," she explained in a rush. "But somehow I must have done something wrong because you were suddenly mad at me," her breath shuddered at that, as she fought the urge to cry.
He put his arms around her and pulled her to him then. "No, Lavender it is as I said, you didn't do anything wrong," he murmured to her. "It was me. It was all me."
She wasn't sure that she believed him, but she did like being close to him like this. She rested her head on his chest and listened to him struggle to explain what had happened.
"I was jealous when I heard that you were being courted," Neville admitted softly. "I didn't like the idea of those other boys around you, taking up your time and attention. They would make you forget all about me and you wouldn't want to come see me or invite me to visit you anymore. Then you were here and I was happy, but then you were so formal even after I asked you to stop. I thought," he sighed then. "I thought perhaps it was a sign that you were not really happy to see me, that you had been forced to come here because your family didn't dare refuse an invitation from House Longbottom."
She raised her head and stared at him. "So, that's why you started to be mean to me?"
He nodded. "I was jealous and I thought you really didn't want to see me, so I was hurt and I lashed out, trying to hurt you too."
She mulled that over and slowly nodded her head. She understood. She had done that to Pansy just a few weeks ago, when the other girl had visited her and had pranced around the garden bragging about her pretty red-haired betrothed. Lavender had been jealous that Pansy's future was already settled and secure, while Lavender still had to worry about boys who wanted her money more than they wanted her.
"I wanted to see you Neville," she told him, somehow sensing that he really needed to know that. "I practiced my Etiquette extra hard because I wanted you to be proud of me when we met again. I hardly knew any real Etiquette when we first met and didn't greet you properly then. I wanted you to know that I respected you."
"I felt respected by you when we first met Lavender," he promised her. "You were so kind to me. You took me by the hand and you showed me the fish pool, then the flowers, and you helped me to better hone my magic into aiding them. You warned me too, against doing too much."
She smiled at the memory of their first day together. "While I have been forced to spend time with those boys who have come calling, I have compared them to you," she confessed to him. "Each one has not measured up to you. You were so kind and sweet and these boys are not kind or sweet. One of them, Royce Spungen, he's a little arrogant brat."
Neville winced at the name. "I've met him, in passing," he admitted to her. "He's Draco's cousin and he feels that because he's older than Draco he should somehow be Lord Malfoy one day."
She nodded. "I heard him rant about that one day. He glares at Sorrel," she said referring to her little two year old brother.
"Sorrel's just a babe still," Neville said with a frown.
"I know," she agreed. "He muttered one day when I thought I couldn't hear him, how it was a shame that the House of Brown managed to have a son. I think he wanted to marry an Heiress, like my cousin Pansy."
"At least Pansy is safe from him. Her betrothal to Ronald Weasley is solid," he murmured.
She nodded. "Pansy can break it, but not until she is seventeen and only she alone can do so," she said with glee. "Her red-haired betrothed is effectively trapped."
Neville nodded thoughtfully. "I should ask Grandma Callie if we might host the Weasley's for a day. I should try to get to know them. They are closer cousins to me than Leonis, Draco, Dudley, and Harry and yet I spend more time in their company than in the Weasley's."
She smiled at him. "I think that is very kind. You spend time with those that are your social peers but the Weasley's are slowly moving up in society. That is what Pansy and my mother have told me. It might be good for them to be more associated with House Longbottom."
"Politics and rubbing elbows," Neville said and cringed.
She smiled at him. "Sorry, but yes, it is a bit like that. But mostly it's just you trying to get to know your family. If they can benefit from it in other ways, what's the harm?"
He sighed but nodded his head in agreement. "Dudley told me that Muggle children don't have to behave like we do, and they don't have to think about things the way we do," he murmured.
She looked at him in confusion, "How so?"
"In the Muggle World, children our age are figuring out their school assignments and who to play with," he explained. "Wixen children of this age are being taught how to act like adults and behave like adults. They are politely receiving people who are thinking about marrying them for some reason or another. Muggle children don't think about marriage until they are teenagers. We are forced to think about it now."
Lavender thought about that and then she sighed. "It's too easy to think of our worlds being the same except one is without magic, but it isn't true Neville," she said gently. "Once we grew together side by side with the Muggle World because we weren't really separate. But then we made a choice to be separate. You cannot expect us to have continued to grow side by side with the Muggles after that. You cannot even expect us to be just like them but slightly behind their advancements after that. We grew as they grew but in different directions. We aren't backwards or behind them as a lot of people like to think. We are just different from them. Muggles cannot do magic, so they focused on their techno thingies to help them and they kept advancing in leaps and bounds. We are Wixen and so we focused more on our magic and we also grew in leaps and bounds, but in a different way. Am I making any sense?"
He smiled at her and his finger curled a lock of her golden hair around his finger. "Yeah, you are making sense. We aren't backwards, just different."
She nodded. "What else could be expected? You wouldn't expect a British man to go to Africa and understand everything about their culture, overnight would you?"
He laughed then. "No, you are right. I just, I don't like that you have callers, and that you have to worry about that now," he admitted, having grown serious once more.
She nodded. "I don't like it either, but could you promise me that you will not do this to me again," she whispered. "It hurt so much Neville, please don't," she trailed off.
"I promise," he said. "I shouldn't have taken things out on you, and you have no idea how really sorry I am. When I saw you in tears, I wished that I hadn't been saved when Uncle Algie pushed me from the window."
She raised her head then and stared into his eyes in surprise. "Your uncle did what?" Fear beat at her heart as Neville slowly attempted to soothe her even as he told her the story of how he had come to be removed from Augusta Longbottom's care and to live with his Great-Grandmother Callidora.
Thank you once more dear readers. I hope you enjoyed this chapter about Neville and Lavender. Lavender is the first friend that Neville has ever made and I wanted to show them around each other again so that everyone can see how their friendship is progressing, especially since now he spends so much time with his male cousins. Also for those people who only watched the movies and therefore only see Lavender in a bad light, I would like to remind you that you cannot count on her to be that same way in Renewal. I find myself having to keep say this part to people at times, so here it is again - Alternate Universe. Next Chapter: Marius Black is contacted by an old lover, who has a problem.
