Harry Potter One-Shots

Small Step | For Man

"Watch out for her, she deserves it"

June 2001

Neville Longbottom

The night was surprisingly humid to Neville as he tiptoed through his dark garden, trying not to squash his newly sprouting mandrakes due to the shrieking sound they would undoubtedly make from their disturbance. He'd only just freshly transferred them into the ground that morning, and he did not want to take any chances in the low, pale moonlight.

In one hand he held a fistful of flower seeds, just regular daisies, and an overly worn shovel in the other hand. Neville preferred to do all his gardening at night, finding the quiet, soft tones of chirping crickets and the light call of owls soothing. To him, it was a time of peace, a time where the world was at rest for a little while, just soaking up life before the next rush of day.

Sighing with contentment, Neville set his shovel against the small, white picket fence that guarded his plants from rodents, gnomes, and Wickergnats - he wasn't entirely sure what Wickergnats were, but Luna assured him they were garden killers. The thought of Luna's expression when she'd told him about the little beasts put a smile on his face as he began overlooking his gradually growing garden with a keen eye, deciding where the daisies would be placed. They were for Luna, the flowers.

While Neville had never been one for pretty flowers, he felt that they would be a nice touch to have around; they were Luna's favorite. In fact, they were the only thing she kept as a favorite. Everything else changed; her favorite animal, her favorite teacher, her favorite color - only daisies stood the test of time.

The sound of a bitter-sweet song from not too far off called Neville's attention, getting him to set aside his pouch of seeds and gently make his way back out of the garden and onto the small, grassy hill of his small property. It wasn't much land, but it was enough for him.

"There once was a man of shadows

who dreamed of chasing the moon.

He built a rocket of shoes and saw-dust,

and told the world he'd be back soon,"

Neville watched her, the woman who loved to sing to the moon, as he approached, smiling softly to himself at the melodic tones of her voice and the way her long, silvery hair shimmered in the pale light, reflecting love back to the source.

Luna was barefoot, twirling in the tall grass as her billowing skirt flying around her in a flurry of satins, hair a cloud of silver as she continued to sing the strange song.

"And in the mist there was a witch,

who spent her nights gazing at

the moon, the moon. And in her

dreams she would sing -,"

Luna turned in full circle, eyes landing on the quiet, smiling boy that was watching her from a few paces away as she sung. "Oh, hello Neville. Did my singing distract you?" She asked, turning her head to the side, concerned that she'd thrown him off.

Neville took a couple more steps, closing in the space between himself and the girl he loved, tucking his hands in his trouser pockets. "Of course not, Luna. We've been together for two years now; I'm used to the moonlit singing," he smirked down at her, watching the way her lips parted into a special grin, a grin just for himself.

"We haven't been together that long, Neville. It's only been twenty-three months," she teased a bit, watching Neville let out a tired groan as he lowered himself down onto the grassy hill-side, staring up at the moon and his girl.