Wolfsbane // Neville Longbottom

Chapter 4: Nina Flume

CW: mention of an abusive household

The day after the full moon, Cassie had taught all her classes again but she was very glad that it was Saturday after that and she had the day off. She slept in, well, sleeping in for her meant waking up at half-past eight, before getting dressed and wandering off to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Neville was already there and she sat down next to him in her usual spot. Her knee was still hurting, somehow it hadn't popped back into its usual spot and she now had a slight limp that she tried to hide. She was considering telling Madam Pomfrey but at the same time did not want to worry the poor Matron any more. Prank season had begun.

"Good morning," she smiled at him, putting some toast, sausages and hashbrowns on her plate. The smell of it alone made her stomach grumble.

"Morning, Cassie," he smiled back at her. He was almost done with his breakfast. "Sleep in today?" He drank his tea. Strawberry tea. She could smell it.

"Yeah. Fully recharged now," she excused herself, taking a sip of her own tea, regular earl grey. "Any big plans for today? Finally Saturday again."

"I was actually going to ask you for some help if you've got time. Besides that, my usual round of taking care of the plants and I might just relax for a moment with a book," he told her, finishing his food. She found herself hoping he wouldn't leave just yet.

"Yes, I have time today. Do you want to do it after breakfast?" she asked him. She took a bite of her food and looked around the Great Hall. More students had decided to sleep in as well it appeared, showing up much later than usual, rubbing their eyes.

"Yes, that sounds great," Neville replied. He had been really kind to her yesterday, making sure several times that she had recovered from her 'illness' again. She still hadn't told him. She would soon, she just wasn't sure when the right moment to drop the lycanthropy bomb was. He wiped his hands and stood up. Why did this disappoint her?

"I have to discuss something with Pro- no, doing it again. Pomona. With Pomona. It won't be long, so I'll be with you soon enough." He shook his head, his cheeks flushing pink again because he was going to say Professor Sprout again instead of Pomona. She chuckled and nodded, quickly swallowing a bite.

"'Course. You can just come by my office afterwards," she told him before turning to her plate again. She usually loved eating breakfast in silence or to join in on other professors conversations but she was starting to get so used to Neville sitting next to her, chatting with her, that it was too quiet now that he had already left. 

She finished her breakfast quicker than ever and walked back to her office. She cleared up her desk a little and dusted off her bookcase. She ought to ask Flitwick if he knew a Charm to stop dust from falling onto her books.

There was only one picture frame on her desk. While she was a student, she had five picture frames on her nightstand. One with a picture of her and her parents, one of her and her older sister (Amanda), one of them altogether, one of her and Hermione, Padma and Mandy, and one of her and Anthony.

Now it were only Padma, Mandy and Hermione's smiling faces that greeted her. Mandy had jumped onto Cassie's back, arms around her shoulders, their faces together. Cassie stumbled forward and their smiles changed into screams. Hermione stood next to them, laughing, her head fell back every time the image replayed. Padma was standing on the other side of them, trying to keep them from falling, laughing loudly when they almost did.

Those three girls were her rocks. They meant the world to her. She didn't know what she would do without them. If they had abandoned her as her family and Anthony had, she wouldn't have anyone left and she couldn't have gotten through all those full moons.