white roses // neville longbottom

twenty

-a day later-

"have you spoken to hermione?" i ask. "she should be out of the hospital in a few days. when she stops coughing up fur balls." harry says. we chuckle. we reach the top of the staircase and there's water flooding it. "what's this?" i ask. we all look at eachother and begin running to the source. "yuck!" ron says. "looks like moaning myrtle's flooded the bathroom." i say. we walk into the lavatory. we can hear myrtle wailing. she's sitting on the big window sill. "come to throw something else at me?" myrtle asks. "why would i throw something at you?" harry asks. "don't ask me. here i am. minding my own business. and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me." myrtle says. "but it can't hurt if someone throws something at you." ron says. "i mean, it'll just go right through you." he adds. myrtle angrily flies towards him. "sure! let's all throw books at myrtle because she can't feel it. ten points if you get it through her stomach!" myrtle shouts and her hand goes through ron's stomach. "fifty points if it goes through her head!" she shouts again and punches through ron's head. "but who threw it at you?" i ask. "i don't know. i didn't see them. i was just sitting in the u-bend, thinking about death and it fell through the top of my head." myrtle says nodding. she turns around again wailing. harry notices the book on the ground and walks over to it. he picks up the soaking book. "gross." i whisper to ron.

-the next day-

"it was hagrid. hagrid opened the chamber of secrets 50 years ago." harry says. "it can't be hagrid. it just can't be." i say. "we don't even know this tom riddle. he sounds like a dirty, rotten snitch to me." ron says "the monster had killed somebody, ron. what would any of us have done?" harry asks. "look, hagrids our friend. why don't we just go out and ask him about it?" hermione says. "that'd be a cheerful visit. 'hello, hagrid. tell us, have you been setting anything mad and hairy loose in the castle lately?'" ron says cheerfully. "mad and hairy? you wouldn't be talking about me now would you?" hagrid asks coming behind us. "no." we all say in unison. he looks at all of us. "what's the you got hagrid?" harry asks. "oh it's uh, flesh eating slug repellent. for the mandrakes, you know. now, according to professor sprout, they've still got a bit of growing to do. but once their acne's cleared up we'll chop them up and stew them and then we'll get those people doesn't at the hospital un-petrified...in the meantime, though, you four had best be looking after yourselves. all right?" hagrid asks. we all nod. he hums in response and walks off. neville comes running past hagrid. "harry, i don't know who did it, but you better come! come on!" neville says out of breath. we all look at eachother and follow neville in a rush.

he leads us to the gryffindor common room and into the boys dorms. harry's stuff is disheveled, there's broken glass and other things all over the floor. "it had to be a gryffindor. nobody else knows our password." i say. "unless it wasn't a student." hermione says. "whoever it was, they must have been looking for something." ron says. "and they found it. tom riddle's diary is gone." harry says.

-the next day-

i sit with ron in the quidditch stands. we were just told that the game was cancelled but we had already bought a lot of snacks. "i wonder where hermione is." i say and lean my head on his shoulder. "she never misses harry's games." ron says. we sit in silence for a bit. "er, thank you for standing up for my family to malfoy. you really didn't have to." ron says. "your family is amazing, i would stick up for them any day." i say. "mr weasley, miss lestrange." mcgonagall's voice calls from behind us. "i have something you three need to see." she says. i look at harry standing behind her and he shrugs at me. what is this about.

mcgonagall walks us to the hospital. "i warn you. this could be a wee bit of a shock." she says. we walk farther in and hermione lays on a cot, petrified. "hermione!" ron whispers. "she was found near the library...along with this." she says and shows us a small handheld mirror. "does it mean anything to any of you?" she asks. "no." we all say.

-back in the common room-

"could i have your attention please?" mcgonagall asks walking in. ron, harry, and i had been sitting by ourselves, not saying much. "because of recent events, these new rules will be put into effect immediately: all students will return to their house common rooms by 6:00 every evening. all students will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. no exceptions. i should tell you this. unless the culprit behind these attacks is caught it is likely the school will be closed." she says. she gives all of us a small nod and walks out. "we've got to talk to hagrid ron. i can't believe it's him but if he did set the monster loose last time he'll know how to get inside the chamber of secrets. that's a start." harry says. "what about me?" i ask. "no y/n, you can't go. we've already lost hermione we can't lose you." harry says. i roll my eyes. "i can handle myself potter, thank you very much." i say. ron puts his hand on my shoulder. "please. please just stay and sit with oliver and dean. we can't lose you." ron says. i look at him angrily. "fine." i spit. i walk over to the boys. i plop down on the chair. "i can't believe they may shut down hogwarts." i say. "i know. how are you holding up? with hermione and all." oliver asks. "thank merlin she's only petrified. i can't even imagine if it was worse." i say. neville walks up and stares at me. "oh was this your chair neville? i'm sorry." i say and stand up. neville sits down. "if you need a place to sit lestrange, my lap is pretty comfortable." lee jordan says and winks at me. george turns around and hits him with the daily prophet. "stop being a perv lee, she's only a second year." fred says. "two years never stopped anyone." lee says. i fake gag. "you can squeeze in with me if you'd like y/n, this chair is pretty big." neville says innocently. i smile at him and slide in next to him. i shoot lee a playful glare.
i can't help but think how neville and i fit together perfectly.

i guess all the crying from today had tired me out, because my eyes started drooping and my mind started to fog. i slowly brought my head down to nevilles shoulder...drifting away