"And after two damn days, she finally decided to call me" Seamus sighed over dramatically, in such a fashion that Neville mentally questioned his masculinity. "So you've got her, then? That Italian?" He pressed, raising an eyebrow as he sat, arms crossed, unconvinced at the Irish fellow's pathetic advances on the 19 year old muggle from across the near-vacent table.
Seamus shrugged his shoulders as a forced grin was full apparent on his lips, "I'm too much for her" Neviile muffled a chuckle, reached over across the table and sympathetically patted the wizard on his back. He needed some sort of respect for even trying with the beaut.
The room was near dead as they both sat at the end of the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, both equally picking at their food in a slow manner, catching up their recent activities over the summer break. A slow smile spread across Longbottom's face as he sat silently chuckling at the wizards stories, and spun his fork around the salad he served himself.
"Your teeth look great... You also lost a bit of pounds, haven't 'ya?" Neville took this as a rhetorical inquire as he pressed his lips into a thin line. Hermione asked him gently if he'd like his teeth straightened over at the Weasley's place in July, the results were great, though the shedding of weight was something unintentional. Nothing special.
"Its almost curfew, we best get upstairs", following suit, Seamus tagged along with the lanky Wizard as he walked out of Great Hall, both sharing stifled laughs as they began conversing on more of Seamus' antics over the gap they were apart, Neville was at the point whereas he couldn't hear his laughs, but only his harsh breathing.
Once they both fell into a comfortable silence, striding up the staircase, Seamus hit a random question that converted the humorous mood so hastily, it gave Neville whiplash.
"Have you watched that tape?"
It was a question that Neville would rather not bask in, because he has in fact watched the tape, though it was so disturbing, he felt a sickening lash in his stomach at the thought of Mckenzie Ravnerneil's corpse hanging in the center of his television screen.
"Yeah" Neville left it at that.
Though Seamus was oblivious at Neville's need to abruptly drop the subject and urged the topic further into detail, "Winnie acts like nothing ever happened, hasn't even mentioned him to anybody so far, and this happened when? Two months ago?" Seamus was having a one sided conversation with himself, as Neville decided to don his attention on a young student that came running down the stairs that would usually appear brash, and clumsy, although it was evident this girl carried the utmost grace and elegance that only either a Pureblood or Ravenclaw attained.
In the midst of it all, Seamus halted dead in his tracks as he gawked at the sight of the girl in the middle of the steps, Neville paused immediately once he noted that his friend wasn't at his side, and quickly spun around, harshly shoving a seemingly delicate shoulder in the process.
"Bah!" As soon as he heard the somewhat manly squeak, he out reached a hand to attempt to clasp the girl's form, though he was too late, & the gentle shove threw the girl off-balance and tumbling down the stairs from 4th to 3rd floor.
crack!
"Damnit!" Her voice was lovely, it had a sense of femininity, it was too pretty to be throwing around useless curses. Stupid, that this was Neville Longbottom's first thought once seeing the young girl sprawled across the 3rd floor, an obvious display that she was hurt as she focused her attention on her awkwardly formed ankle.
"S-Seamus! It hurts!" She cried, biting furiously on her bottom lip and averting her gaze back from her ankle to the Irish Wizard, "I-I'll go get somebody!". Quickly, the wizard left the girl and Neville alone at the staircase.
Neville sprinted down the stairs and bent down to observe the bone sticking out, almost penetrating her skin. He reached out a hand hesitantly to gently caress the wound, though she pulled away abruptly, which resulted her to hiss at the pain, "do not touch me, Longbottom" she spoke in a voice that was pressured to sound intimidating, although it betrayed her and resembled a kindergarten teacher tenderly scolding a 5 year old.
Nevertheless, her voice still held a firm malice, so he tucked his hand into his pocket and clasped an item in his jeans. Retrieving the ointment, he bit slightly on his lower lip while dipping his index finger into the mint-colored cream, and the girl clenched her eyes tightly together as she recognized the smell of her 5th year herbology project, and the healing qualities it contained. Neville tenderly rubbed the cream around her joint, to which numbed the pain at the touch.
"This is will only last 9 minutes and 16 seconds", suddenly catching Neville off-guard, the Ravenclaw jumped to her feet, absent mindedly adding pressure to her foot which was worsening by each moment she leaned her weight on the broken bone, "Are you mocking me?" Then it came to Neville.
"Winifred?" He questioned, her panting was something Neville grew wary about unconsciously, but the sight of the 6th year Ravenclaw's odd breathing didn't surprise him, it was the hand she clenched to her chest, and the perfect heart shaped grey skin that caught his attention, and a shiver was sent down his spine as his hair stood on end. Mental pictures resurfaced of the 21 year old guitarist, and his strainful singing.
"Sit down" although his voice was soft, and highly insecure in its results from the hot-headed Jessamine, she surprised him when she placed her bottom gently on the floor. It was apparent on her facial features she was furiously holding back from spilling her thoughts upon Neville, although before she could attempt to scorn the Gryffindor, Neville's mouth moved before she retort an utterance that would most likely put a sailor to shame.
"I'm so sorry, Winnie" although the sentence only held four words, it immediately caused Winifred to calm down 1/88ths of her rage, which totaled Neville as a walking wizard, "you best be, Longbottom. And do not refer me as that hideous nickname, I barely know you" she turned her head sharply, as her incredibly thick, wavy monstrosity of a mane followed her movements.
Neville couldn't help but feel slightly offended by the statement from the vixen, although hid his reaction by turning his head away from her.
The awkward silence that was passed between the two was cut short by a rushed Hufflepuff Prefect stomping up the stairs, "you clumsy witch", Winifred flicked her head in the direction of the voice, although her glare melted into her casual, well-practised smirk.
"It's not my fault, Gabriel" she huffed, pointing her nose in the air, her snobbish ways getting the best of that pretty little face, Gabriel tossed his hair and chuckled under his breath, "sure it wasn't" he murmured whilst digging in his shoe for his wand, Seamus trotted up to the trio at the moment Neville decided to lift up from the ground.
Kneeling down to the Ravenclaw, Winifred willingly outstretched her leg for the Prefect to fully examine the ankle, "ah, just a tiny bone I sense, nothing extravagant" he grinned over at Neville, "no hurt done, Longbottom" it was hard to dislike the wizard, Neville beamed a slight smile at the guy. With a precise flick of the Hufflepuff's wrist, the ankle formed back into place, leaving both Neville & Seamus simply staring wide-eyed at the expertise of this 7th year.
"I'd think he'd carry her to the infirmary, not fix her ankle" Seamus whispered, slightly annoyed with the Hufflepuff as he engaged into a conversation with the Ravenclaw, obvious to the fact that Seamus resented the charming Prefect.
"How'd you manage that?" Seamus asked, directing his attention back and forth from the Ravenclaw's ankle, to Gabriel as he smiled dashingly at the Irish wizard, "Six younger siblings & a Nurse as an elder sister, comes natural I suppose" he shrugged off the wordless magic, and gently took hold of the Ravenclaw's elbow to assist her from off the floor, "well thanks, Gabe" Winifred forced a faux smile that its only goal was to mock the seventh year, "goodnight" and with this, she turned on her heel, only to trip on the first step of stairs, Seamus stifled a loud laugh at the misfortune of this girl.
Quickly, she picked herself up from the steps and ignored the chants of goodnight's by the wizards, "I've got an eye on her, that one" Gabriel said confidently, evidently soaking his words with admiration towards the Ravenclaw that was now out of earshot, Seamus chuckled and tucked his hands neatly into his pockets, "you, and half of the school". Gabriel ran a hand through his hair and also smiled at this, "true, well, goodnight guys" turning, he walked down the steps, both the wizards parting their ways as they both mirrored his goodbyes.