Just Add Love

☆ chapter three ☆

"What do you kids think you're doing out here? It's past curfew!" Mr. Filch snarls. He looks down at the two, who are very close in proximity. He chuckles, "This isn't good for either of you.." he grimaces. "Up, let's go. Now." He pulls the two up by their robes, not to hurt them, but hard enough to make them to stand up. Filch kicks Neville's belongings into the doorway they were just at. Must be the corridor to the Gryffindor dorms, Soleil thought.

Filch is dragging the two through the corridors when they stop in front of a big door that reads, 'Minerva McGonagall'. "Oh no..." Soleil mumbled.

"Wait here, and don't even think about leaving," Filch says with an intimidating look on his face, wagging his finger. He knocks and enters when he hears a soft, "Come in." The two outside of the door simply wait for the staff to come back out.

"I'm sorry," Neville says softly, breaking the uncomfortable, worried silence. "I should have just gone straight to bed, not wandered around.." He says. Soleil thinks back onto the disappointed look on Neville's face when he saw her talking with Viktor. "You would have never followed me if I didn't see you with..." Neville mumbles as he visibly cringes at the memory and remains quiet.

 Soleil says, "No, it's not your fault. I should have known not to follow someone that close to curfew..especially a boy, at that.." She jokes, trying to ease the tension. It works, as Neville lets out a small chuckle.

"Well...thank you for checking on me.." He says genuinely. Soleil looks up at Neville, meeting his eyes. He smiles and she mirrors him.

They both jump and focus their attention on the now open door in front of them. Filch comes out, grumbling something under his breath, and walks past the students. "Both of you, come in." They hear a small, yet authoritative voice speak out from the room in front of them.

"Here we go..." Soleil mumbles.

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"Now you are very good students, both of you." She looks at the two with a warm, yet stern expression. Neville and Soleil are sitting in front of Mcgonagall, as she sits behind a big, wooden desk. "I just simply cannot comprehend how both of you got into this mess." She looks a Soleil then at Neville. "I mean seriously, you two, being out past curfew? Really? What, is this your first year?" She chuckles softly with a tired complexion. She rubs her forehead and sighs, "I hate to do this, but there must be some sort of punishment for you two..." 

Neville cuts the teacher off, "I'm sorry, Professor, but this isn't Soleil's fault, it's mine. She followed me because...I told her I didn't feel well," He lied. "She was simply checking up on me like a good friend." The word friend stung into Soleil's ears. That's all she was to him? A friend? 

"She should not be punished." He finished, as he glanced over at Soleil. "Well, Mr. Longbottom, I appreciate your honesty and responsibility." McGonagall says, smiling. "Helping you or not, you both were out past curfew. I'm sorry. I'll have a detention arranged...for the both of you. You are dismissed." McGonagall says, gesturing towards the door. The two students stand but McGonagall states, "Not you, Miss. Sprout. I'd like to speak with you, privately." 

After Neville leaves the room, McGonagall closes the door and sits back down at her desk, her authoritative figure almost vanishing completely. "Soleil! What on earth were you thinking? What if your mother knew where you right now? Sneaking around with a boy past curfew?" She let all of her anger out in one breath. After a few moments of silence, Soleil sheepishly asks, "Are you going to tell mom?"

 McGonagall sighs, "As a teacher, no, only because it does not affect her or your class with her. But, as her best friend and your godmother, I am afraid I must." Soleil groans and asks, "Can youat least not tell her it was Neville? He just...he really likes my mom's class and I would hate for him or his grades to suffer because I went looking for him." McGonagall silently nods, "I won't tell her it Mr. Longbottom you were with. You are free to go, Soleil." She stands up and goes towards the door. 

"Soleil." She turns to McGonagall, sitting at her desk. "Make sure Neville is feeling all right, okay, dear? He looked awfully red while you two were in here." Soleil smiles and nods as she opens the door and closes it when shes in the hallway. She smiles and chuckles to herself as she walks to her dorms.

She lays in her bed that evening. 'He lied for me, he cares about me,' she smiles at her thoughts. "She was simply checking up on me like a good friend." The sound of Neville's voice saying that phrase played over and over in her mind. Was that all she was to him? A friend? Soleil groans as she shoves her pillow over her face and sighs.

Word Count: 853