Little Brave Hearts || Neville Longbottom

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Christmas holiday went by pretty quickly, and before she could even realize it, Maykha was back in the King's Cross Station with her parents, being pushed by the crowds as she walked towards the Platform 9 ¾. When she told her parents the method of getting into the platform, they weren't very welcoming to the idea of having to run straight to the wall and they had asked her more than a hundred times if she was sure that was the only way for her to get in.

"Love," her mother stopped her as they stood in front of the barrier, "are you really sure this is the right platform? You know, if you bump your head there, it wouldn't be a good pain."

She chuckled, "Mum, I promise this is the right and only way. Just trust me on this one, yeah?"

"Fine, but be careful, okay?" Her mother pulled her in a tight hug, "We will miss you, Maykha."

Her father joined them, making the hug tighter, just as Maykha loved, "Remember, no boys."

"Dad!"

"What?" Her father asked innocently, "no father wants to see his child fancying someone!"

"Whatever, don't listen to your father. Just enjoy your time, and don't forget to send us an owl."

Smiling at her parents, Maykha tied her curly black and ran towards the wall. Just a moment later, her scenery changed and the familiar scarlet train was surrounded by so many witches and wizards. She stepped in as it looked like it would be leaving any moment soon, and she went to find her friends, which did not took her long enough as she immediately spotted the frizzy hair of Hermione in one of the compartments and lucky enough, Neville was already there too, talking with Hermione.

Maykha slammed the door open, making her entrance more dramatic than her two friends wanted it to be as they both jumped from their seats. Laughing at their reaction, Maykha took a seat next to Neville.

"Can't you come in like a normal person, Maykha?" Hermione scolded her.

"Oh, how was your Christmas, Maykha? It was fun, Hermione, thanks for asking!" Maykha sarcastically replied as she mimicked her friend's voice.

"How was your Christmas, Maykha?" the boy asked.

"Why, thank you for asking, Nevy, that was so sweet of you! I hope someone could learn a thing or two from you, right, 'Mione?", Maykha said, looking at Hermione who only rolled her eyes at her. "Well, it's beyond fantastic! My cousins were really fun to be with, and trust me when I say it was impossible to make one of them to shut up. How about you two?"

"Fine," the two said in unison.

"Oh, well, I don't know if I mentioned this in my letter but..."

Their compartment was probably the loudest out of all, thanks to Maykha and her non-stop mouth. She narrated her holiday from day one with sound effects if needed. However, she of course skipped the part where her whole family teased her with Neville, Harry or Ron, making it a game of guessing which if the three would she end up with in the future. It was, to say the least, the most embarrassing part of her holiday, as she was always in the verge of casting a vanishing charm on herself.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?"

It was a blessing in disguise for Hermione when the Trolley Witch came and stopped by their compartment because it was only then that Maykha paused with her storytelling, giving Hermione a bit of a time to continue reading her book.

"Ah, just what I needed! Can I have a blood-flavoured lollipop and a box of Fizzing Whizbees? Oh, and Drooble's best blowing gum, please!" she then reached the inside of her pocket to get a fair amount of sickles.

As the trolley witch handed her the bag of her purchases, she noticed how her friends look at her with a strange look.

"What?"

"That's a lot of sweets," Neville commented.

"Oh yeah? I didn't know", she said flatly. "Still not enough, honestly."

"Really though, don't blame us when you have a sudden sugar crash later."

"Thanks for your concern, 'Mione, but I think I can handle." she said as she opened her blood-flavoured lollipop and started licking it.

"You'll have no appetite for the dinner feast later, Maykha."

"Neville's right, just save some for later, would you?"

Maykha's eyes went back and forth between her two friends until she held her palm up. "One more word from you guys, and I won't give you your gifts."

...

"Maykha, Neville, Hermione! You guys are back!" Harry greeted them, running with his arms flapped open. The boy hugged Maykha tightly.

"Too tight, Harry. Too tight"

"Oh sorry," he said and released the girl.

"Where's Ron?", asked Hermione.

"Eating in the Great Hall. I couldn't convince him to come with me, he said he'll save us some seats, but you and I know that it's nothing but a pathetic excuse."

Maykha frowned. "Seriously, I'm starting to think that food is more important than us."

"It's Ron we're talking about," Hermione shrugged.

The four of them walked towards the Great Hall and immediately saw Ron, piling up his plate with all sorts of food from the table. Harry tapped Ron's back to get his attention.

"Guys, you're back! I missed you!" Ron was about to hug Hermione but the moment the girl saw how dirty his hands were, she stopped him and just gave a good glare.

"Lay your dirty hands on me, and you won't greet the morning sun tomorrow, Ronald," the girl threatened, making Ron step back and hide his hands behind him.

"You don't look like you're half as sad as your letters claimed you to be," Maykha said, looking at Ron's plate.

"Yeah, somebody told us that you preferred eating than to see us," Neville giggled.

"Hey, that's not true! I was just...I was just saving you guys a seat" Ron said, "Right, Harry?"

The boy just shrugged. "I know nothing."

Maykha was just about to say something again when Dumbledore gathered their attention. They sat on Ron's 'saved' seats and listened.

Dumbledore cleared his throat before speaking. "Welcome back, students, I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas. You will be having your second semester of this school year starting tomorrow and I again hope that you will have a great time ahead. Be mindful, students, of your exams by the end of the semester and it is my greatest wish for all of you to pass with flying colors, especially for our fifth-years who will be having the most important examination in their lives as a student, their O.W.Ls. Do not slack off, students, and study your arse off if you may."