Know Thyself {Neville Longbottom}

V. Agrimony

Commonly known as "Fairy's Wand" this pleasant herb offers powerful protection from negative entities, and is said to reverse harmful spells, causing them to rebound on the sender. 

The morning of Quidditch tryouts for Gryffindor was a cold and blustery one that had me shivering from head to toe. I stamped my feet on the bleachers, and rubbed my arms in a vain attempt to bring some feeling back into them. Neville was sitting beside me watching the crowd of hopefuls gather down below on the field. Occasionally he would point out a student whom he knew, and whether or not he thought they might be a good fit for this year's team.

I pulled my jumper tighter around myself and tried to focus on his commentary, but my thoughts were pulled in another direction as I spotted Benny's stout form among the other Gryffindors. He had been on the team before, but that was a few years back, and with Harry as the new captain there was no telling who would make the cut this time. 

I had invited Cece to join us, but getting her out of bed before noon on a Saturday was a near impossible feat and so she had simply wished me a good time with the promise of meeting up later on to study. Stifling a yawn with my hand, I had to admit that being wrapped up in a blanket with a mug of hot tea did sound fairly tempting at the moment. 

A strong gust of wind blew through the arena, and I cursed under my breath at having left my scarf in the dormitory.

"Are you all right?" Neville's brow was furrowed in concern as he turned his attention to me.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine," I replied with a shrug, "just wasn't prepared for this weather."

He was quiet for a moment and then, in one swift movement, removed his red and gold scarf. 

"Here, you can wear this, if it will help."

A flush rose in my cheeks that had nothing to do with cold, and I took the thick scarf from his hands with a shaky smile.

"Thanks very much." I wrapped it around my neck, and pulled it up over my chin, suddenly relieved that Cece had not been present to witness our exchange. 

He nodded, and a pleased expression graced his features. "What position is your brother trying for?"

"Beater, same as before. He's really hoping to join the team since it's his last year and all. I just hope he's not too rusty."

Neville squinted down at the pitch, studying my brother. "I remember how he filled in last year when Fred and George were banned. He was a solid player, I'm sure he'll make it this time around."

I smiled gratefully, crossing my fingers inside my pockets, and hoped he was right. 

__________

A couple of hours, and several injuries, later Benny had successfully secured a spot as a beater for Gryffindor. 

I rushed down to the field as Harry called an end to the whole thing, and gave my brother a congratulatory hug.

"Seems like that broom's still got some kick to it," I commented, gesturing towards the Nimbus 2001 that was clutched in his left hand. 

He held it up proudly, "Sure does!" Despite the broom being four years old, and bought at a discounted rate, it was one of Benny's prized possessions. Similar to my receiving Bailey as a gift for passing my O.W.L.S, my brother had gotten his broom. 

We hung around for a few minutes until Benny announced he was going to lunch with Katie who had, not surprisingly, made team Chaser for the sixth year in a row.

Neville and I also made our way back to the castle recounting the events of the morning, particularly Ron's unexpected performance.

"I had no idea Ron was such a great keeper!" I said, my voice somewhat muffled by Neville's scarf that was still wrapped around my chin to keep out the chill.

"Me neither, but it must run in the family seeing as Fred and George were unstoppable, and Ginny's a force to be reckoned with."

A gust of wind pushed past us flattening his dark hair to his forehead. "Still, some of those saves were unbelievable--"

"What's really unbelievable is that you haven't been expelled yet for incompetency, Longbottom." A snide voice called out from the left.

Malfoy and his cronies were loitering by the stone pillars in the courtyard, and had decided to partake in one of their favorite activities: bullying Neville.

"Shove off, Malfoy." I spat, throwing him the nastiest look I could muster. I linked arms with Neville, who had grown rather sullen and still, and pulled him towards the Front Hall. 

"Oh, it seems you've got a little girlfriend now to stand up for you now. How'd you manage that?" Draco sauntered closer, "I s'pose it helps that you're not a fat crybaby anymore, or is she into that sort of thing?"

Anger flared within me and I stopped short, turning to face him.

"Considering how thick-headed you are Draco, I feel I must clarify the fact that Neville has always been ten times the person you are in both appearance and character, and regardless of your own inadequacy you really mustn't take out your frustrations on him. It's such an unsightly thing."

My lips twitched upwards as the tall blond froze, his mouth agape. "How dare you--"

"Good day, then." I called over my shoulder, already continuing on to our destination with a slightly stunned Neville by my side.

Obscenities were shouted at my back, but I ignored them as we clambered up the steps. I knew Malfoy wouldn't try anything with so many students milling about, and the blood pounding in my ears distracted me from fretting about how he might retaliate later on.

It wasn't until we reached the Great Hall that I realized Neville had been trying to speak to me, his words coming out in spurts and stutters.

"Laura, you didn't have to--I mean that was brilliant, but-- you probably shouldn't have--"

"Nonsense," I cut him off, "You're plenty capable and handsome, so all I did was tell the truth."

As the words slipped off my tongue I realized the weight of my statement and fell silent, staring pointedly at the students descending the Grand Staircase to avoid any further embarrassment.

Neville cleared his throat, "Actually, Laura, I was wondering--"

I spotted Justin and Susan, and waved amicably to them.

"--if you wanted to go together, to Hogsmeade I mean."

I glanced back at him, certain I had misunderstood, "Beg your pardon?"

He smiled hopefully, "The next trip is scheduled for October, and I thought we might go together."

The hall began to sway, and I struggled to draw breath, but a resounding voice in my head that sounded rather like Cece urged me to reply quickly.

"Sure! That sounds great, Neville. Hogsmeade, together, of course!" I babbled, my voice sounding several notes higher than usual.

He gave me a crooked grin, and nodded, "All right then, I'll be seeing you."

"Right, see you later." 

Neville walked away, a satisfied expression on his face, and it wasn't until he had reached the second flight of stairs that I remembered his scarf was still around my neck.