NEVILLE
"Bloody hell."
Neville, Harry and Hermione walked down to dinner together on the night of Valentine's Day. Harry had just come to a full stop beside Hermione outside the entrance of the Great Hall. But Neville - having been warily eying his untied shoelace - came crashing into them from behind, pushing Harry and Hermione further into the lavishly decorated hall.
"Argh! Sorry."
It had been transformed by the staff in an over the top effort to celebrate the holiday. However attendance was low, seeing as most of the school's couples had foregone the dinner for more private celebrations. This left only the students without significant others to endure in soft torment of their singularity.
Standing tall on all tables were large vases filled with what looked like shimmery cotton candy and seemingly hundreds of folded paper hearts were enchanted to fly lazily through the air, batting their wings like butterflies. Soft orchestral music filled the hall. And the fires that lined the Hall were enchanted to blaze pink and red.
They were greeted by Professor Slughorn in salmon pink robes which resembled a plush housecoat.
"Harry, m'boy!" bellowed Slughorn. "Here with Miss Granger, I see. Smart match, very smart."
Harry and Hermione quickly stepped to the side to separate themselves, leaving Neville now in the middle of them. "No, sir. We're just friends," Harry said rushedly. And Neville noticed that Hermione had turned faintly pink.
"Ah, well," replied Slughorn, throwing his hands up as if to say: There you have it. The professor's eyes scanned over Neville, who couldn't help notice that it was not assumed perhaps he was with Hermione instead. Professor Slughorn ushered them further into the hall, "Take a seat, take a seat."
"Woah," Neville said, taking in the change to the Great Hall. "Professor Lockhart would've loved this!"
This earned a snigger from Harry, who tried to catch Hermione's eye.
"I thought they'd opened it to everyone?" Harry said out of the side of his mouth to Hermione.
"I did too," she said through clenched teeth. "You think they would've toned it down… Well, we have to eat, I suppose," said Hermione as if consigning herself to a most unpleasant task.
Across all the house tables, the staff had laid out short red table runners to indicate the spot in which couples may sit across from each other. When the three of them sat down, Neville watched Hermione tap the runner with her wand, turning it into a deep sage green "in protest."
She had also re-Transfigured her plate to be circular rather than the on-theme heart-shape (she did the same for Harry after he said, "Mine too"). Neville didn't mind all the decorations or the soft orchestral music. But he did wish someone was sitting across from him. He might've liked to take a girl to something such as this. But he supposed he should simply be grateful to be seated at the Gryffindor table at all.
The first stretch of dinner passed in relative silence among the three friends. But Neville plucked up his courage to be the first to speak.
"Did you both see that the Knight Bus driver, Stan Shunpike, has been arrested? Suspected Death Eater?" Neville asked.
"You've been reading the news?" Hermione asked interestedly.
"'Course. I want to keep up with the arrests, you know, in case they bring in Lestrange," he said, trying not to notice Harry and Hermione's shared meaningful look, likely reliving when they'd all met his parents in the hospital. "Only wish they'd go after actual Death Eaters."
"How've you been doing, Neville? After everything last year?" Hermione asked.
"M'alright. I thought Gran would be furious after she heard about it. And she was for a bit during the summer - mostly about me cracking my dad's old wand. But after a stretch, she came around. Even told me that's what dad would've done. And Ginny's been nice too, always checks in."
Neville thought he saw Harry give a strained smile, but was distracted when he saw Professor Snape in his periphery. He strode up to the doors of the Great Hall, took in the scene, sneered, and immediately pivoted to leave - apparently choosing to go hungry instead of suffering through the festivities. Neville scooped more shepherd's pie onto his plate and breathed a heavy sigh of relief. For he had long known that if he had been the hero of the story, Professor Snape would be his nemesis.
"I was looking forward to sixth year for so long, knowing I'd never take NEWT level Potions," Neville said darkly. "But of course, just my luck that Snape now teaches Defense."
Harry looked up and followed Neville's gaze. He leaned closer to him and said, "You gotta stand up to him, Nev. You improved the most out of anyone in the D.A. Plus, I didn't see sticking Snape go to the Department of Mysteries last year. And he's in the Order."
"He's right, Neville. The best way to stand up to a bully like that is to truly believe that you're better than what they think you are. It's all confidence. That way, whatever they say can't hurt you," Hermione added wisely.
His heart felt like it glowed anytime they spoke to him like this. Biting his lips together, he resolved to memorize what she said. Truly believe… It's all confidence… Whatever they say can't hurt you. He replayed their words on loop in his mind for several minutes, trying to solidify them in his long term memory.
You improved the most out of anyone in the D.A.
"Any chance you've reconsidered starting up with the D.A., Harry? I know on the train you said -"
"Sorry, Nev, I don't think so. Got a lot on my plate at the moment," he replied vaguely and Neville tried to hide his disappointment.
"Oh, okay. I just don't want to forget everything."
"Well, I'm sure you could round up a few old members to practice," Harry nodded encouragingly and smiled.
"You're right, I suppose," said Neville.
Just then a large heart-shaped bubble, sent from Romilda Vane's direction, came floating by to collide into Harry's head with a faint Pop! .This diversion caused them to notice that Ron and Lavender had also now entered the hall to sit at a spot closest to the door.
In the twenty minutes it took Ron and Lavender to finish their meal, Hermione had gone very quiet. She also didn't engage when Neville and Harry began reminiscing about the D.A. and the time that the Room of Requirement had supplied Zacharias Smith with the book entitled A Wizard's Guide to Communicating Effectively and Making Long Lasting Friendships.
When the couple left, Hermione strode over to the table laden with all varieties of desserts and brought back a large plate of eclairs, cakes and tarts to share.