Wolfsbane // Neville Longbottom

Chapter 9: Snow

Before she knew it, it was already halfway through November. It was a cold November. An incredibly cold November. Probably the coldest one in years. It was rainy too but that was normal.

What was less normal was snow in November. But one Saturday morning she woke and there it was. A thick layer of snow covered Hogwarts grounds, looking like a gigantic, comfortable pillow. It made her want to run inside and jump into it.

There was a series of knocks on her door and when she opened it up, Neville stood there with a huge smile on his face. "Snow!!!"

She chuckled. "Yes, Neville, I saw the snow," she said, smiling. He was already dressed in a cosy jumper - Neville had the best jumpers - a pair of navy blue pants and he was clutching a pair of mittens, a hat and scarf tightly in his hands.

"Would you like to join me for a stroll around the castle?" he asked her, still smiling. They hung out almost every day now. They talked every day during meal times, yes, but even outside of breakfast, lunch and dinner, either one of them would just pop by the other's office.

She had never expected to find herself joint to the hip with Neville Longbottom but here she was. And it was nice too. He was an amazing person and friend. She found herself feeling sad that they had never truly noticed each other or hung out in their Hogwarts days.

"I would but-" she looked down at her clothes, or well, pyjamas and bathrobe.

"Oh! Oh, of course, it's still early," he said, blushing. It was eight in the morning, a pretty normal time to be up, but yes, for a Saturday morning, she didn't mind a slower start of the day.

"How about I go and get dressed, we grab some breakfast and then enjoy the snow?" she asked him. He nodded and smiled.

"I will see you at breakfast then," he said but she stopped him.

"Give me two minutes and we can walk there together!" She hurried into her bedroom and took a pair of burgundy corduroy pants as well as a black knitted jumper out of her wardrobe and put it on. She pulled her hair up into a bun and sprayed on some perfume.

Neville stood in her office, looking at all the books in her bookcase and scanning the backs. She picked her cloak off the hook and slipped it on, putting her mittens, earmuffs and scarf in the pockets.

"Ready when you are," she smiled after slipping on her shoes. He smiled back and walked over to the door. She locked her office before they walked over to the Great Hall.

They had a bite of breakfast as the Great Hall roared. Students were already wrapped tightly into their coats, wearing scarves, hats and mittens. They were yelling and shrieking, all excited to go outside and have a day off in the snow. Cassie shared their joy.

She loved snow, she always had. She either loved it because she and her friends would go outside, build a snowman, have a snowball fight, or even build igloos. Or she loved it because it gave her an excuse to cosy up near the fireplace with a cup of tea and a good book.

But besides the perks of snow, it also looked beautiful. From the outside, a snow-covered Hogwarts looked picture-perfect, the type of building you would so on a Christmas card. Especially the first day of snow always made everything look so gorgeous.

They ate their breakfast before heading outside. A group of students was already in the courtyard, letting themselves fall into the snow, throwing snowballs at each other or rolling a small ball of snow around until it became a good base for a proper snowman. Neville and Cassie passed them and took a stroll around the castle.

"So have you written to your sister yet?" he asked her, his hands were in his pockets. His nose was already a tiny bit red from the cold and they had only been outside for ten minutes. It was cute.