Chapter 7

Monday came around and Claudia was none the wiser to what Neville had been trying to acheive by talking to her. She was also none the wiser as to why she'd flirted with him. By now she'd assertained that it was indeed flirting she was taking part in. Nothing else sounded right.

As she woke up for that mornings lessons she had a certain feeling of satisfaction however. She had pondered it enough and come to the conclusion Pansy was right. He wasn't taking the mick out of her. He just didn't seem the type. The little she knew about him pointed to him being gentlemanly and definitely not cruel.

Now she just needed to try and find out why he had talked to her. She decided it was time she put her observation skills to good use to try and find out as much as she could about Neville Longbottom.

Neville had decided something very similar.

He was a shadow to most people. You know its there but pay no attention to it. He decided to use this to his advantage. His plan was to stay in the background as much as possible and watch.

As he made his way to his first lesson he saw her around 6 feet ahead, its fate he thought. She was alone, no Pansy to be seen, and everyone near her wasn't achnowledging her. Not even a look her way infact. It was as though she was entirely invisible to everyone but himself and that idea excited him no end. The idea of having her all to himself was intoxicating.

As he watched her walk in the smooth and deliberate way he noticed she seemed to be looking for someone. Pansy he assumed. She would turn back every so often or search the crowd infront of her. They were subtle movements but he saw them.

They reached their destination of the charms class room and he was utterly gobsmacked when she wandered through the door in front of them. She was in his class? He thought he'd never seen her before but she must of been part of his weekly routine for years and he hadn't even noticed. She really wasn't exagerating when she said he hadn't seen her because he wasn't looking. He was so glad he looked.

She sat on the back but one table in the class so Neville sat on the other side of the room one table behind her. It would be difficult to hide from her if he sat directly behind her. She could turn around any moment.

He watched her the entire class. He learnt a lot about her in the hour they were in the same class room. He saw that when she knew the answer to a question asked by a teacher (which was nearly always) her right arm flinched as though she wanted to put her hand up and say she knew but she never did. He noticed that when Pansy whispered something in her ear she never really smiled she just smirked and carried on writing. He noticed that when she finished whatever task they'd been set she just sat back and watched everyone else. She looked at everyone and no one once looked at her.

He had also noticed she had still searched for someone even when Pansy sat next to her not long after the lesson began. He desperately wanted to know who she was looking for. Who was so important to the girl who he had only ever seen talking to one person.

She was sure he was in this class with her. She was sure she'd seen the back of his head at one point or another during the year so where the hell was he? It was like he'd just disappeared like a puff of smoke.

Perhaps he's ill? She thought. She was unable to know he was sitting one row behind her and to her right.

They went in seperate directions after charms and he firgured she must not be in those lessons with him then. It seemed strange that he didn't really know.

Infact he only saw her again at lunch when she slunk into the great hall with Pansy at her side. He took the time to notice how she sat a few seats away from Pansy, allowing other Slytherins access to her popular friend. It angered him that she wasn't the one with all the attention. She was so unique and different to anyone else so why was it that Pansy got all the attention.

He was snapped out of his people watching when Ron slapped him on the back all too hard and plonked himself down gracelessly next to him.

"What's up Nev you've barely touched your food. We've only got 20 minutes of lunch left hurry up." Neville laughed at his over eagre friend and decided that eating lunch might be a good idea.

As he began to eat he watched Ron beside him. He was eating with less vigor than usual and seemed to be sending indiscreet looks somewhere on the other side of the room.

He followed his eye line and saw Pansy Parkinson sending the same none to subtle looks towards his read head friend. Neville smiled. It was good that Ron had a new love interest. He'd spent so long pining over Hermione who, it was painfully obvious to anyone but Ron, was not interested in him at all. Infact he had it on good authority that she was dating Luna (Luna herself had told him so).

A thought struck him. If he'd spent some time with Pansy, maybe he knew something about Claudia. The two were very rarely seperated.

"So when did this happen?" He asked Ron while the other boy was very obviously staring at Pansy.

"When did what happen mate?" Ron asked, still staring.

"Pansy Parkinson." That's all Neville had to say and he had Ron's full attention.

"How did you-?" Ron was cut off.

"You don't exactly hide it very well. You've been staring at her since you sat down." Neville said trying do hide a devillish smirk as his friend cringed and put his head in his hands.

"We danced at the ball and we just hit it off. She was so funny and not at all stuck up like some of girls in our year." Neville knew he was talking about his ex, Lavender Brown. "She was friendly and sweet and had this mischevious look in her eye." Ron's voice was taking on a whistful tone which Neville had never heard from the boy before. "We haven't even spoken since then but we've got a date on christmas eve. Actually thats a funny story. This girl i've never seen before pretty much set us up on that date. Good job she did I don't think I had the balls to do it myself." Nevilles ears pricked.

"A girl you've never seen before?" He asked.

"Yeah she was dancing with Pansy when I asked her to dance a slow song with me. I don't even know why I asked her to dance to be honest she was just so captivating. You know?" Neville nodded in understanding. Oh he knew all to well. He had to force him self to stay looking at Ron and not turn towards the Slytherin table. "Well anyway this girl was dancing with Pansy and you know what i'm like, I get my tongue tied around women and she just knew somehow I was going to ask Pansy to dance so she answered for her and wandered off. Then later, after the ball finished I was trying to build up the courage to ask Pansy out when she comes tearing over and pretty much does it for me before dragging Pansy off. Pretty funny one that one."

"You know much about the girl?" Neville asked. Trying desperatly not to sound too interested.

"Not a lot Pansy told me her name was Claudia. Apparently we've got charms and potions with her but i've never seen her before in my life." Ron said, clearly confused.

"You obviously weren't looking." Neville mumbled but Ron didn't hear. He was back to staring and the rest of lunched passed in silence.

She saw him at lunch. He was talking to Weasley.

She knew they had double potions after lunch for two hours and she knew he was in that class with her. There was no way she was going to let him out of her sights this time so she left the hall without waiting for Pansy and waited around the corner from the potions classroom for the end of lunch.

Him and Ron were one of the first to come down from the great hall and she entered after them, noislessly, when they went into the dingey classroom.

She saw how Ron near enough dragged Neville to near the middle of the class and smiled at her good fortune. Neville obviously wanted to sit near the back and that would make it difficult for her to observe him. As it was she sat at the back of the room in the far right hand corner. This place was perfect. It was hidden behind a large pillar but by moving only slightly to the left she had the perfect view of the whole class but if she didn't want to be seen she could easily move to her right out of anyone's view.

The class started not long after they sat down and Claudia watched her target with avid interest.

He talked with Ron the whole class it seemed and it was obvious neither of them had any talent in the subject of potions. It didn't seem as though either of them minded though. Neville especially seemed to have an avid dislike for the subject and it's teacher. He'd snear, ever so subtly, every time Snape made a comment or even when he just talked. It made her want to laugh that mild mannered Neville Longbottom so obviously disliked the professor.

As she had noticed similarities between them at the ball she noticed differences now. While she was unwilling to talk to most people other than Pansy, Neville seemed willing enough he just didn't get given the opportunity. He didn't shy away from people as she did. His body language was open and his facial expression was relaxed where she realised hers were probably very standoffish and unfriendly. He talked with anyone that talked to him it was just those that made the effort were few and far between.

She realised his gentle nature in those lessons when he was cutting the ingredients for the potions he was always very slow and deliberate and very delicate with them. The also noticed how long and slender his fingers were in those moments but blocked that image from her head as quick as it appeared for fear of entering dangerous territory.

All in all the noticed a lot of very nice things about the boy she'd only shared a passing thought for up until Friday.