𝓔𝓾𝓹𝓱𝓸𝓻𝓲𝓪

We've Come a Long Way

I was staring at the wall covered in sweets and taking slow steps backward when I suddenly bump into something. I lose my balance and fall hard on my bottom.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!"

I look up to see Neville Longbottom, one of my closest friends of almost two years, with a pained expression on his face. He crouched down just a tad and reached a hand down to me, "Let me help you up."

"Thanks, Neville," I take his hand, and he helps me to my feet. " I really appreciate it, but I should be the one apologizing. I really wasn't looking where I was going." Remembering the pained look he wore earlier, I asked him, concerned, "Are you hurt?" I reach a hand up to his cheek, not realizing I was still holding his hand and gripping it tighter. I've never been this affectionate toward someone I care about.

He blushed, "Nonsense, I'm okay," he smiled, holding our already intertwined hands with his other. "You, on the other hand, looked like you took a pretty hard fall." We both chuckle, I take away my hand, and we release our grip.

I shrug, "I'll live, I suppose."

"Oh, good. Thought I'd killed you," he laughs.

"Nah, you're still stuck with me!" I nudged him

"N/n, you know that you're never a bother to me." He blushes.

My face went red. "Aw, thank's Neville." I hug him, hiding the colour on my face. Out of shock, it takes him a moment to embrace me back. I pull away, but leave little space between us, "What do you say we go to the Three Broomsticks and grab some butterbeer?"

"Sounds nice," he gave me a wide grin before we walked out of Honeyduke's together.

*Mini time skip*

"Wait, wait," I interrupt laughing, "hold on here, you mean to tell me that earlier this year, you and all the other people in your dorm, were eating sweets, that made you sound like objects and other animals?"

Neville gives a small laugh, "Yeah, it was definitely a wild night."

"Strangely enough, it sounds like it was loads of fun." I took a sip of my butterbeer when I thought of a mini-game we could play. "So, Neville, we've been good friends for a while now," at my words his eyes seemed to fill with worry and curiosity, "but there's still a lot we don't know about each other, and I figured we could play a sort of 'game.'" At this point, he seemed more relaxed but had a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

"Okay, that sounds fun. What is it?"

"We each have to give three facts about ourselves that no one or at least the other person doesn't know yet. Sound good?"

He thought for a moment. "Yes, let's do it."

"Why don't you go first, Neville?"

"Oh! Erm, okay. Okay, three things not a lot of people know-and please say you won't laugh when I tell you the first one?"

I gave him a warm smile and gently squeezed his hand, "Promise."

"When I was a little kid, I liked to pretend I was Harry. I'd put a pretend scar on and everything."

"Aw, Neville, that's so cute!"

He gave a little chuckle, "The second thing is that I told the sorting hat to put me in Hufflepuff, and I still think it should have today."

"Hm. Well, I think the sorting hat chose right."

He looked at me, "You do?"

"Yeah, I do. You have so much great potential in you. I know that you belong in Gryffindor, you have mass amounts of courage, you haven't even discovered yet. Although, if you had been put in Hufflepuff, we'd be able to hang out more!"