white roses // neville longbottom

fourteen

- in the greenhouse-

i stand next to neville in herbology class. "good morning everyone!" professor sprout says. "good morning professor sprout." we all say. "gather around everyone. today we're going to re pot mandrakes. who here can tell me the properties of the mandrake root?" sprout asks. hermione raises her hand. "yes, miss granger?" sprout says. "mandrake, or mandragora, is used to return those who have been petrified to their original state." hermione says. sprout nods. "it's also quite dangerous. the mandrakes cry is fatal to anyone who hears it." hermione adds. "excellent. ten points to gryffindor." sprout says. we smile and look at eachother. "as our mandrakes are still only seedlings their cries won't kill you yet. but they could knock you out for hours, which is why i have given you earmuffs for auditory protection. so could you please put them on quickly?" she says. everyone puts the earmuffs in. "you grasp your mandrake firmly. you pull it sharply up out of the pot." sprout says and rips her mandrake out of the pot. it lets out a loud shriek and we all cover our ears. she puts it back into another pot and replants it. neville faints. "longbottom's been neglecting his earmuffs." sprout says. "no ma'am he's just fainted." seamus says. "yes, well, miss lestrange take him to madam pomfrey." i sigh and pull out my wand. "wingardium leviosa." i say. neville lifts into the air and i guide him to the nurses.

-later-

neville wakes up. "hi nev." i say shutting the book i was reading. "you fainted in professor sprout's class. she asked me to take you here." i say. "well, you didn't need to stay." neville says. i can't tell if he's saying it bashfully or rudely. "..oh." i say and quickly stand up. "well..um.i guess i'll be off." i say holding my book close to my chest. i quickly walk out of the hospital wing and to the great hall. "look everyone, weasleys got himself a howler." seamus says. neville walks from behind me to the gryffindor table. "go on ron. i ignored one from my gran once. it was horrible." neville says. ron shakily opens the letter. i walk to the gryffindor table and sit next to hermione. "ronald weasley! how dare you steal that car. i am absolutely disgusted! your fathers now facing an inquiry at work! and it's entirely your fault! if you put another toe out of line, we'll bring you straight home!" molly's voice comes in through the letter. "oh and ginny dear. congratulations on making gryffindor. your father and i are so proud." the howler says. it turns back to ron, blows a raspberry, and rips itself up. ron looks frazzled.

-in defense against the dark arts-

gilderoy lockhart steps out to the class. "let me introduce you to your new defense against the dark arts teacher...me." lockhart says. ron and i share the same look of disgust. "gilderoy lockhart. order of merlin, third class. honorary member of the dark force defense league. and five times winner of witch weekly's most charming smile award. but i don't talk about that. i didn't get rid of the bandon banshee by smiling at him." lockhart says and flashes us a smile. i look over at susan bones and hermione and they're just gazing upon him. i fake gag. "now be warned. it is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind." lockhart says. he hits a small cage and it rattles. "you may find yourself facing your worst fears in this room. know only that no harm can befall you whilst i am here. i must ask you not to scream." lockhart says and lifts the velvet covering off the cage. i bunch of cornish pixies are flying around in the cage. "cornish pixies?" seamus asks mockingly. "freshly caught cornish pixies." lockhart says. most of the guys laugh. "laugh if you will mr finnigan but pixies can be devilishly tricky little blighters. let's see what you make of them.." lockhart says and pushes the pixies free. the pixies fly everywhere. the rip up papers and mess up girls hair. two pixies pick up neville by his ears. "lockhart's an idiot!" i say dodging some of the purple bastards. the pixies hang neville up on the chandelier by his robes. "please get me down!" neville shouts. "get off me!" hermione shouts to a pixie. "stop! stop! hold still!" harry says. he draws back a book and hits the pixies messing with hermione. "peskipiksi pesternomi!" lockhart says but the pixies take his wand. the pixies use his wand to knock down a large dragon skeleton. it crashes and cracks on the ground. "i'll ask you four to just nip the rest of them back into their cage." lockhart says to the trio and i before running off. we hit some of them with books. "what do we do now?" ron asks. i stand up and draw my wand. "immobulus!" i shout. the pixies all freeze and float in the air. "why is it always me?" neville asks.