Nothing But You // N. Longbottom

Five: The New Professor

On the Hogwarts Express, Neville and Norvina sat in a train cart, alone for a while. Their friends must have found another place to sit or were just running a bit behind, though that didn't seem to bother either of them. They quite enjoyed each other's company.

As they waited for the train to leave the station, they discussed their summers. 

Neville told her about how his grandmother had given him another picture of his parents that he hadn't seen. He showed her the picture and Norvina watched peacefully as a genuine smile was displayed across his face. 

Norvina was happy to see Neville smiling, for she knew the pain of losing a parent. Though Neville's parents aren't dead, that didn't make his pain any less meaningful. Norvina lost her mother as she had died giving birth to her. Neville knew this and decided not to talk about it, unless of course she wanted to. 

A quick thought passes through Norvina's mind, and she laughs absent-mindedly. This seemed to have sparked Neville's attention.

"What?" Neville asked, turning to face the young girl. Norvina looked at Neville, and decided to share her thoughts, even if it may go sideways.

"There's just something I've been wondering about." Norvina spoke, nervously fidgeting with her hands and trying to look busy. Neville's face became more serious as she became more nervous. Was something wrong? His mind wandered around, trying to think of what might be troubling the girl.

"You know that you can tell me anything, right? We've been friends for five years." Neville spoke in a low, comforting voice. He was scared that she couldn't trust him with something, and that deeply bothered him. The truth is that he'd do whatever he could for Norvina, so much so that it scared him a little. He never knew he could care about someone so much.

"About that..." Norvina spoke, her eyebrows furrowing as she looked up from her lap. Neville looked nervous, did she not like him anymore?

"You're making me nervous, Nora. What's going on? Did someone say something to you? Did someone hurt you?" Neville was really nervous now, not knowing what this was about. His heart began to beat so loudly in his chest, he could hear it in his ears.

"No! Nothing like that, I just wondered what we are, you know?" Norvina let out a nervous laugh in an attempt to calm the Longbottom boy down. She sensed his growing tension, and she needed to calm him down. Neville simply laughed and began to understand where the conversation was going.

"You mean, boyfriend and girlfriend?" Neville asked the girl, feeling his heart skip a beat as he spoke, the words feeling somewhat foreign to his tongue.

"Yeah, that. Are we official? I-It's just something I thought about, but if you don't want to that's totally f-" Norvina continued to talk, she talked a lot when she was worked up about something and couldn't stop. Neville was quick to interrupt her as he placed a gentle hand on her cheek.

"Norvina, you have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that. I was worried you didn't feel the same." Neville spoke, caressing her face with his hand. He took a mental note of just how soft her skin was, just as delicate as glass.

Norvina smiled and giggled, "Was our kiss last year too subtle for you?"

"I guess, a little maybe." Neville laughed, pulling his hand from her face and back to his lap. Norvina laughed and her body collided with his.

"Oh, Neville. I guess we should kiss under the mistletoe next time." Norvina laughs and pecks him on the cheek, hoping he'd make it happen one day.

Neville blushes as he looks out the window.