His head was going to explode, he was sure of it. After a long day of classes, during which he progressively started to feel worse and worse, he felt like actual, real, undeniable shit. But he couldn't just saunter off to get medicine before classes were finished, so he made it through the day—just barely—before he finally made his way towards the hospital wing yet again.
There was one student, a 5th year Ravenclaw boy named Thomas, laying on one of the beds with bandaged hands and neck, eating his dinner with a visiting student (Gryffindor, 5th year, named Elizabeth), and Neville walked quickly past them as he attempted to avoid eye contact. Kyle wasn't immediately visible, but her office door was slightly open so he came to the threshold and knocked.
"Come in," called Kyle, followed by the rustle of pages as she closed a book. Neville pushed the door open and popped his head in.
"Hi, Kyle. I believe I have come down with a cold. Don't suppose you have some Pepperup available?"
"I can hear it in your voice! Come in!" she said, quickly rising to her feet and adjusting the long skirts of her dress—white and blue today. She pointed to a soft, beige lounge in the corner of the office and he sat down, grasping his hands in his lap. Kyle left the office briefly, coming back with the familiar orangish potion. "It's gonna make your ears steam for a while, so if you want to sit in here, I can go grab dinner for you. I don't think I'd want to be sitting in the great hall, blowing smoke all over Trelawney. She might think it's a new prophecy."
Neville stifled a giggle as he took the vial from her and uncapped it. "You're right, better stay put." He downed the potion in one go and took off his shoes before getting comfortable on the lounge. In short order, his ears began to emit little puffs of steam, and his entire body got warm and his skin reddened. Seemingly pleased with this, Kyle gave him a pat on the arm before going back out of the office.
Neville watched her as she pulled up a chair beside the bed Thomas was on with a fresh roll of gauze. The boy put his hands out for her, and she slowly began unwrapping his bandages, talking to him and Elizabeth as she did so. She examined his hands very carefully, pressing on spots Neville couldn't quite see, but Thomas wasn't screaming in pain so he assumed things were going well. After a moment of looking at each hand, she stood back up, taking the apparently unneeded gauze, and dismissed both students from her care.
Neville felt all the mucus stuffed in his poor throbbing skull start to melt away as Kyle stepped out of his view. He could still see the bed begin to make itself and the dinner trays zipping out of sight. Very suddenly, he was much, much hotter than before, so he stood to remove his robes and his sweater, much cooler just in his undershirt.
"Comfortable?" Kyle asked as she came back into her office carrying a small armful of empty glass flasks.
"Moreso now, thanks," Neville said, putting his hands up to his ears to feel how much he was steaming. "Haven't had a cold in so long I forgot how miserable it is. And how weird Pepperup is."
"It would do this school some good to have better disinfecting practices, if you ask me." She dragged her chair over to a shelf, having to climb up to put the flasks away. She gathered her skirts so as not to trip, showing off the opaque white stockings underneath. It almost felt scandalous to look, Neville thought, but it wasn't like they were living in the 17th century.
As she hopped down, they dropped back into place, and she put her hands on her hips. "Bit warm, though? Would you like water?"
He nodded, and she set back off outside the office. He heard some clinking as she got a cup from the cupboards and then returned with two plates and a cup, wand out as she conjured water into it for him. It was cold and fantastically refreshing, and he thanked her as she also handed him a plate of roasted root vegetables, and bread and butter. She took a plate for herself over to her desk, and they began eating quietly.
"What part of St. Mungo's did you work in?" Neville blurted out after a few minutes of unbearable thought, turning his cup in his hands. Remembering the last time he asked her a question, though, he uncomfortably muttered, "Oh, but ignore that if it's too intrusive."
She finished chewing and set her fork down on the side of her plate before looking up at him, a soft look of recognition on her face. "Nev, I don't know what response you're hoping for... When we're new, we work all over the place to get a good feel. I worked mostly in the Magical Bugs Ward after I was acclimated, but—"
"But you were there, too," he finished quietly. He wasn't even sure what he wanted to hear. He had long ago given up on hiding that part of himself, but that didn't mean it was easy to handle knowing that she had, for at least a time, been around his parents in some capacity. He was stuck somewhere between relief that she already knew and he didn't have to explain, and disappointment that he couldn't compartmentalize these things in the real world quite as much as he wanted. His classmates, or in this case underclassmen, were grown up and had jobs, and it couldn't be denied anymore that people he grew up around would meet them in a setting he couldn't control.
"I can't imagine what it's like," Kyle flicked her wand toward the door, and it shut softly, giving them a little more privacy. "But I know that I would have been proud to have worked with them longer. Two unequalled heroes, the backbone of the resistance against evil. I know that doesn't really help, but... Can I tell you a story about the day I met them?"
Neville nodded, though conflicted on whether or not he actually wanted to hear. She moved over to him, taking a seat on the edge of the lounge beside him and took his hand in hers. She spoke softly to tell him her story.
"We went on a little walk around the ward, just to get them moving for a bit because it keeps their mood up, I think. It was quite warm, so I took off my cap, and your father saw the ribbon in my hair. I guess he really liked it because he would touch it every so often. After about the fifth time, I took my hair down and gave it to him, and he would feel it and let it kind of flop around as he handled it. Then, he turned to your mother, and he tried to put it in her hair. I don't think she was very happy about it, but what I remember so vividly is that he seemed very enamoured with her. He had this look in his eyes like... like he loved her a lot. I can only imagine how strong their relationship was for that to endure through everything."
Neville decided that the story was, actually, quite nice. At least, it was better than most of the "stories" he heard about his parents from healers who care for them. He gave her hand a little squeeze and smiled briefly.
"I'm glad they had someone like you to care for them," he said after a moment of reflection. "I am proud of them, you know. I just have so many feelings, it's hard to wrap my head around everything that goes through my head. But that's a lovely meeting with them, I think."
Feeling better, he let go of her hand and began to eat again.
She turned slightly, looking across the room at the short little bookshelf she had stuffed with books on healing and potions and the occasional Muggle novel. "Healing magic is a difficult subject, you know? We're still looking to improve on things, and find new ways to help people. It's not easy, but it's progressing. I'm hopeful that, someday soon, we can do more for people like your parents. Oh, for heaven's sake-" She reached over and brushed the crumbs off his shirt with a roll of her eyes.
"Sorry, bread's quite... crumbly," Neville said with a little grin, making sure to hold his plate to catch any further fallout. Kyle returned to her desk to eat her own dinner, and they made a bit of idle conversation about interesting things they'd seen doing their jobs. Neville recounted some harrowing tales about being an Auror, and Kyle told him about a vanishing sickness outbreak that led to the hospital adopting Muggle infrared goggles. By the time they were done chatting, they were well past dinner and it was getting late.
"Seems you're about done steaming up my office," she stated after a brief lookover of Neville. "As long as you're feeling well, I'd say you're quite cured."
"Thanks again. I'll try to stay away from sick students going forth." He stood up, and making an impulsive decision, came a little closer to her. "But I don't think Madam Pomfrey was quite as conversational as you."
"You're welcome here any time, Professor, ill or not."
As she spoke, he came closer still—but then stopped. It wasn't right. This was not what he was supposed to do as a Hogwarts professor, yet his hands twitched, wanting to just reach for her and see...
"Nev," Kyle whispered, one hand coming up to lightly touch the collar of his shirt. "If you're going to kiss me, do it before you get another cold."
That little bit of permission restored his confidence just enough for him to lean down and gently touch his lips to hers. She pressed back into him, both hands now gripping onto his collar as his hands found her waist. They shared that lingering kiss, then another for good measure, before he pulled away with a conflicted sigh.
"Tomorrow is Saturday," she reminded him as she let go. "Perhaps we should talk about stuff then. We'll have quite a bit of time."
Neville nodded, not sure he could string together a coherent sentence. That sounded like a good idea—talking. Maybe kissing again. He felt floaty.
His head buzzing, part with anxiety and part with elation, he wished her a goodnight and stepped out of her office, having to take several deep breaths before he could walk out back towards his office.