Chapter 8

They carried on in the same way for the two weeks before the end of term. They knew eachother so well by now that it was as though they had been friends for years except neither knew the other felt the same.

On the weekends both of them would miss the feeling they got when they were near eachother. The dangerous feeling they might be caught looking one time too many and the game would be up. The intoxicating feeling of thinking about someone who didn't know what you were thinking of.

By now their little game had become obsessive. Claudia had taken to writing down all of her observations, in list form, in a small book which she carried with her everywhere and was nearly full. Neville wrote his feelings and observations in a diary he kept. They were enraptured with eachother and neither knew the other felt the exact same way.

Neville was becoming impatient though. He needed more than watching and taking notes he wanted to know this girl on a personal level and if he was honest he wanted to know her intimately if you catch my drift. Everything about her just drew him to her.

When she walked he found himself hypnotised by the gentle sway for he hips and when she laughed (which was rare) he found himself captivated by the bounce of her round breasts. Even when she wrote he found himself staring at her small hands wondering how they would feel on his skin.

Claudia was enraptured in much the same way with him.

She'd seen him one day, tending to the plants in greenhouse #7 and he'd had his sleeves pushed up past his elbow and the subtle strength in those muscles had nearly bowled her over. He was so lean but she could tell from careful observations that, that didn't mean anything when it came to how strong he was.

It was now the first day of the christmas holidays. Claudia's parents were in France staying at their chalet in the alps so she was staying at Hogwarts, much to her relief. She didn't like the school but she liked skiing even less. She and Pansy were going to do the same thing they did every year. They opened their presents, ate too much, played card and board games.

Neville was also staying behind for this christmas. His gran had decided it was time she met some people her own age and was going on a cruise around the caribbean. Neville suspected it was something akin to a swingers cruise and so didn't ask too many questions. Besides he knew from listenning in to a conversation between Claudia and Pansy that she was staying to. He decided that made this christmas the perfect time to step up the game.

"So what do you think Ron and I will do for our date?" Pansy asked Claudia as they relaxed in an old unused classroom which they'd transfigured into a sort of den for the christmas break. The Slytherin common room felt so cold and damp when no one else was around.

"You mean you haven't talked to him about it?" Claudia asked her friend with an eyebrow raised. Pansy blushed and looked away from her friend.

"I haven't talked to him at all." She half mumbled. Claudia caught it though.

"What? You mean I set up this bloody date for you and you haven't even spoken to the boy?" Claudia was astonished at her friend's idiocy.

"I was waiting for him to make the first move ok? Besides you can't talk. You haven't spoken to Lovelybottom since the ball either! You just keep staring at him." Pansy retorted. She'd started calling Neville 'Lovelybottom' after Claudia had accidently let slip she thought he had 'the most tight arse' she'd ever seen on a man. Pansy didn't think she'd ever tire of teasing her friend about that. Claudia blushed, a rare thing for her, and agreed it was slightly hypochritical of her to comment on Pansy when she herself was in a very similar situation. "When are you actually going to make a move Claud?" Pansy spoke again.

"I don't know. I know I like him and i've learnt so much about him but I guess..."

"You're scared?" Pansy finished for her and Claudia hung her head but didn't deny it. "Why?" She asked.

"I don't really know. I suppose i've just never been in this situation before. I mean you've got experience with guys. You've had boyfriends before, done the whole dating game. I'm knew at this. I mean what if he doesn't like me? Or what if, when i actually talk to him, I don't like him as much as I thought? What if there's no spark, what if-?"

"What if he's the sweetest most gentle and perfect guy and you fall madly in love?" Pansy said, putting it simply. "You can 'what if' all you want love but you like him so why not see where it goes." Claudia just nodded and the conversation changed.

A few days later Pansy was off with one of her other friends and Claudia was left to her own devices. It was snowing heavily outside so she couldn't walk by the lake so she decided to wander the castle in search of something to do.

She was passing along the 6th floor corridor when she noticed a door was open that she'd only ever seen locked or at least closed.

Intrigued she passed through the doorway and was lead down a small dark tunnel which finally opened out in to a long thin room with a high roof and large tapestries hung from the right wall and a row of 5 deep set windows positioned on the left wall. The roof must of been half the height of the great hall but because of the small width of the room (it must of only been 12 foot wide) it looked impressive.

The wall with the tapestries was lined with rich red coloured sofas each one opposite a window and the deep window ledges had cushions on them which were the size of double beds.

Claudia tiptoed down the length of the room till she reached the second window where she stopped. It wasn't only her feet that stopped it was her heart also because there sat among the pillows on a windowsill was Neville, reading a book and not paying any attention to his surroundings.

"Oh." She gasped out upon noticing who was with her in this spectacular room. Neville nearly dropped his book and turned towards the noise in a second. Before him stood a goddess of a woman he hadn't seen face to face for three long weeks. He was thankful he was sitting down because he doubted his ability to stand.

"You scared me." He said, his voice coming out more breathy than he had intended.

"I didn't know you were here. The windows are so deep I couldn't see you from the door." It was a stupid thing to say but she didn't know what else there was to say. They sat and stood in silence for a moment while they both racked there brains for a semi decent topic of conversation.

"I've never been in this room before." It was Claudia who spoke at last. He smiled at her and she found her traitorous lips reacting in kind.

"It's not very well used. You'd only know about it if you'd read Hogwarts A History. It's classed as a reading room. Only Hermione and myself know about it really and she doesn't like it here. Too quiet she says." He was rambling. What did she care if Hermione hated silence.

Neville you're an idiot he was thinking at almost exactly the same time as she was thinking Neville you're adorable.

They were silent for another short moment.

"I'm sorry i'm interrupting you from your reading I should go." She said, she didn't really want to go but she was hoping he would object and let her stay.

"No!" He nearly shouted and she raised her eyebrows. That was definitely an objection, a fairly strong one to. "What i mean is um, no i don't mind if you stay. The window is big enough for the two of us." He patted the seat and she smiled and sent him a gentle nod.

She sat opposite him leaning against the wall. The seat was so big that when she crossed her legs she could easily avoid touching him. Not that she wanted to.

"So what brings you to the reading room?" He asked jokingly but she could hear the tenseness in his voice. She decided not to ponder it however.

"My friend is busy so I decided to wander the castle when I saw this door i've never seen open before. I was interested so I popped in and well here I am." She told him.

"Why did you decided to wander the castle? Isn't there someone else you could of talked to?" He asked. Did she really have no one other than Pansy?

"Well i'm talking to you aren't I?" She said. She didn't mean it to sound so acidic but it had come out that way. "Sorry. No I didn't have anything else to do." She said bowing her head slightly to hide a blush. Neville just nodded and continued to study her. "How about you? How come you're alone?" She asked when he blush disappeared somewhat.

"I told you before. I keep myself to myself." He said with a light smile. It was her turn to nod.

She didn't really have anything else to say so she turned her head to the window where she saw a spectacular view of a snow coverd hogsmeade and the mountains and valleys beyond it.

"I hate the snow." She said absentmindedly. Only half realising she'd said it out loud.

"Why?" Neville asked. Everyone loved the snow didn't they?

"Always have ever since I was a child. I think it's because I used to watch the other children play in it at christmas time and I would always get jealous."

"Didn't they ever ask you to play?"

"They asked for a while but I never went so they stopped asking." She answered. Still staring at the middle distance.

"But if you were jealous why did you say no?" He was confused no end but didn't want her to stop talking. The sound of her voice was like a symphony to his ears.

"I wanted to play but I didn't want to play with them. I never liked any of them. I was jealous because I wanted to play with someone I actually liked like they did." She was looking directly at him now. She was confused by her own words, she didn't understand why she was telling him this. She'd never told anyone this.

"Have you found someone you can play in the snow with since?" He asked, his voice was breathy and barely there again. The double meaning behind his words was evident to both of them but he didn't try and take it back. He was asking if she'd found anyone she liked since then and he was hoping she'd say she had.

"We'll see." Was all she said in an equally breathy voice.

They sat in silence from then on. Him reading his book and her looking out the window. The silence was comfortable and easy between them there was no tenseness in the air. At one point she saw him pull out a peice of parchment and a quill out of his bag and write a note which he tucked into his book but that was the only thing that happened in the hours that passed. Neville looked at his watch some time later and started packing up his things without a word while she watched on, disappointed he was leaving so soon. When he was done he turned to her.

"I have to go meet Ron for dinner i'll see you soon." That was all he said before he walked away from her and for a moment he was transfixed by his 'Lovelybottom'. She quickly noticed he'd left his book behind however and went to shout after him but she realised he had already left.

She looked back down at the book and her eyes widened ever so slightly. It wasn't his book at all it was her book. The one she had been looking for since the night of the ball and was convinced was lost. It was a book on ancient greek mythology she'd been given as a present from one of her aunts. She then remembered the note Neville had written and placed in the book and turned it up side down. The note fell on to her lap and she eagerly picked it up.

Her name was on the front written in small but neat writing. She opened it up and begun to read.

Claudia
I am sorry I am unable to pluck up the courage to ask you this face to face but a small note will have to surfice I am afraid. I was wondering if you would like to join me here tomorrow at around 12? I understand if you don't wish to and if you don't please leave this note on the seat and I will understand when I see it tomorrow.
Thankyou for lending me your book.
Neville
P.S. Aphrodite does not hold a candle to you.

She didn't breath the entire time she read.

He wanted to see her again? They hadn't talked almost the whole time she was here. Surely thats a bad sign. Admittedly she hadn't felt at all uncomfortable but people are supposed to talk on dates. Aren't they? Was this even a date? Perhaps he just wanted some company? Then why the reference to Aphrodite at the end? She blushed as she read the end sentence again. Aphrodite was the goddess of love, beauty and desire. Surely she couldn't even be remotely compared to a goddess.

As she left the room she realised she still had the note in hand. It appeared the choice had been made for her, she would be meeting him tomorrow.