Authors Note: I do not own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does. Nor do I claim to own these wonderful books.
027. Waste
Rating: K
Hannah Abbott turned around the corner, her breathing growing heavier and more uneven. The white in her eyes were turning red, and her teeth grabbed onto the corner of her bottom lip to quell the quivering. She looked left and then right making sure that no one was in sight before she leaned her back against the wall. Her chest heaved emitting the first sob. Tears began to well up in her eyes.
Why wasn't she good enough? All the other members of Dumbledore's Army were catching on to Neville's newest defense spell except for her. She felt like a failure. Maybe Alecto was right. Anyone with even a hint of Muggle blood was useless. The blonde slid down the wall bringing her legs up to her chest. Her head fell forward cradled by her arms. All of her long, blonde hair created a curtain of sorts around her as tears ran down her cheeks.
"Hannah?" Her head shot up. With wide, surprised eyes, Hannah looked up at Neville Longbottom. He was looked worriedly down at her, his hands bunched into fists at his side. The young man gulped before speaking again. "Uhm, are you okay?"
The sleeve of Hannah's robe wiped away the stray tears. Of all the people who could have found her crying, it just had to be Neville - the last person she wanted catching her like this. He was the leader of Dumbledore's Army now that Harry Potter was gone and was one of the most powerful and courageous member of the DA. In fact, she admired his bravery. Especially when he stood up for the younger kids against the Carrows and their horrid punishments. Only a really good man would take a Cruciatus curse for a First-Year that he did not even know.
Hannah shook her head slightly before sniffling. Neville took that as an invitation and slid down the wall next to her. Their shoulders were only a couple inches apart, and she could feel his warmth soaking into her side. It felt nice. He turned his head to face and questioned her. "What's wrong?" His cheeks turned a light shade of red. "Err, I mean, if you don't mind talking about it, of course."
"It's just," Hannah felt tears prickling her eyes again. Could she confide in Neville like this? They were good friends but not the type that confided in each other when it came to deeper matters. Hannah turned her head slightly to meet his gaze. His warm green eyes expressed nothing but concern for her, and she knew then that yes, she could confide in the brave young man next to her. "I feel like I'm failing you and the D.A. I can't even get the spell you last taught right. Maybe the Carrows were right, you know? Maybe the half of me that is Muggle makes me unworthy of even possessing magic."
Ashamed of her declaration, Hannah tipped her head downwards to stare at her crossed arms. Not even a second had gone by before Neville replied, "Hannah! How could you say such a thing?" Her head lifted at his exclamation. "You are a very talented witch!" Now that all of her attention was on him, Neville felt that he could continue. "Don't listen to those bloody Carrows. You know everything they talk about is complete rubbish. All they want to do is hurt people, especially people that they think are below them. But Hannah, you're not below them. You are twice the witch Alecto will ever be. Blood isn't everything, and you have proved that with your compassion to everyone in the D.A. and to everyone outside of it. You are also really good at Defense Against the Dark Arts and Herbology. Any person below a Carrow couldn't possibly excel at that. So see, you are not a waste of magic. You're just a bit down right now, that's all."
Hannah's warm brown eyes were shimmering with tears by the end of Neville's little speech. She suddenly felt worthy and like she could make a difference. A huge weight had just been lifted off her chest all thanks to Neville. Tears of relief threatened to fall, but Hannah refused to let them. The brave leader of Dumbledore's Army was right. She was a bit down right now, but she would pick herself back up. There was a hidden strength somewhere down deep inside her that Neville had helped found, and she intended to use it.
The warmth that she had previously noted radiating from him suddenly became intoxicating, and she felt herself lean into him. Her head gently rested on his broad shoulder. She felt Neville tense up and was about to pull back when he shifted. His arm slowly came up and over her head with his hand wrapping around her shoulder. With a gentle tug, he closed the few inches between them until she was snug up against his side. "You know, if you ever need help, I'm here for you, Hannah."
For the first time that day, Hannah smiled. She rested her cheek against the side of his chest. His slow breathing relaxed her and chased away any lingering worries. It felt as if Neville was silently giving her some of his strength, not that she needed it now. He had already helped her enough, but she was not going to be rude and reject his offer so she simply snuggled in a bit closer to him. A light blush tickled her cheeks that matched the one Neville was once again sporting. "Thank you, Neville. I truly mean it." The couple sat in silence after that basking in the moment's simplicity. Their strength would be tested later on, but for now, they could be care-free.