ditzydawn11

[ditzydawn11]

Beneath Still Waters

Neville Longbottom x Y/N (Slytherin Reader) Alt Universe – Peaceful timeline, post-Voldemort's first fall

In the remote peace and quiet of the secret Hogwarts oasis, Neville grows close with an unlikely someone

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Neville Longbottom was not known for being brave, not really.

Yes, he was in Gryffindor, and yes, he could hold his own in Herbology class like no one else—but put him near a Slytherin, especially one like Y/N, and he might as well be a flobberworm in a thunderstorm.

Y/N wasn’t mean. That was the unsettling part. She didn’t hex people in corridors or mock younger students or bark like some kind of regal she-wolf like other high-ranking Slytherin girls. No, Y/N was poised. Cold. Observant. Quietly dangerous. And beautiful in a way that made Neville forget how to operate basic limbs.

Long hair. Piercing green eyes that tracked people like owls. She didn't bother playing by anyone else's rules, and she walked through Hogwarts like she had nothing to prove.

Which is why, when Neville stumbled into the hidden bath chamber beneath the greenhouse wing on a cold February evening, towel in hand, and found her there already—he nearly dropped said towel and fled.

She was lounging on a wide, curved rock shelf above the pool, one leg lazily stirring the steaming water. She wore a dark green bikini that accentuated everything in just the right way. Her hair was damp, half-down, and her wand rested nearby, unbothered.

Neville froze mid-step, mouth parting.

Her eyes flicked up. “Oh. Longbottom.”

He blinked. “Er—hi.”

A smirk twitched at the corner of her lips. “Didn’t peg you for the secret-oasis type.”

“I—I heard about it from Sprout. Said the humidity was good for rare herbs,” he muttered, then winced. “I mean—I wasn’t trying to spy. I didn’t know anyone else came here.”

She raised a brow. “Relax, Gryffindor. You’re allowed to be here.”

“…Really?”

“I’m not gatekeeping the bath.” She kicked her foot again, ripples flowing out. “But don’t make it weird.”

He nodded. “Right. No weirdness.”

And weirdness was exactly what followed—on his part, anyway. He sank into the opposite end of the pool, barely breathing, pretending not to notice how the steam curled around her collarbones or how her eyes kept flicking toward him when she thought he wasn’t looking.

They didn’t speak much that night.

A week later, she was there again.

So was he.

“Didn’t expect to see you back,” she said, easing into the water.

“I figured if I didn’t show up, you’d think you’d scared me off.”

“Did I?”

He grinned nervously. “A little.”

She let out a soft snort. “You Gryffindors are so fragile.”

He tilted his head. “Is that what they tell you in Slytherin? That we’re soft?”

“No,” she said. “But we’re taught not to flinch. You flinch a lot.”

“And yet I’m still here.”

That earned him a long, assessing look. “Point taken.”

They swam separately at first—she always hovering near the deep edge, he lingering by the waterfall wall where rare moon lilies grew. But slowly, the silence shifted. Became companionable.

Once, she asked about the plants he tended in the Herbology greenhouse. Another time, he asked if it was true she’d turned down a spot on the Slytherin Quidditch team. (She had. “Too many egos,” she said. “Besides, I’d rather fly for fun than fight over a ball.”)

Then came the fourth meeting.

He arrived late, breathless from a prefect meeting. She was floating on her back, eyes closed, hair spread like a halo on the water’s surface.

“Didn’t think you’d come,” she murmured.

“Sorry,” he said. “Potter was late again.”

She opened her eyes. “You didn’t need to come at all.”

“I wanted to.”

That earned him a pause.

He slid into the water, closer this time. She didn’t move away.

“Do you think we’re allowed to be friends?” he asked quietly.

She tilted her head. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

“I dunno. Slytherin. Gryffindor. Feels like we’d violate some unspoken code.”

Her lips twitched. “I don’t bite, you know.”

He laughed. “You keep saying that. I’m starting to think it’s a lie.”

She turned to face him fully, hair drifting around her shoulders. “You’re not like other Gryffindors.”

“Why? Because I don’t treat you like a villain?”

“No,” she said, voice softening. “Because you listen. Most people assume they know me. You… look like you’re still trying to figure me out.”

“I am.”

Another silence. Warmer this time.

Then she asked, “Do you like being afraid of me, Neville?”

He met her gaze. And for once, he didn’t flinch.

“I think I like what I become when I’m around you.”

Her breath caught—just a little.

The sixth time they met, he didn’t sit on the opposite side of the pool.

He sat beside her.

They talked. Really talked. About families. About the pressure of expectations. About how she hated being called “ice queen” behind her back. About how he once wet his bed at age nine because he thought a gnome hexed his chamber pot.

She laughed so hard she snorted. He was mortified.

“Don’t stop,” she said between giggles. “I like this side of you. The weird, confident one.”

“I think it’s just you,” he replied. “You make it easy.”

That time, when their hands touched, neither of them pulled away.

On the ninth night, it finally happened.

It wasn’t sudden. It wasn’t dramatic.

It was after an hour of floating side by side, fingers brushing underwater, tension building in the silence.

All of a sudden the words escaped his mouth before he had a chance to think.

"God, I just want to kiss you." he blurted

She was shocked with his blatant honesty and confidence. Neville was shocked that he just said that out loud. He slapped his hand over his mouth as if to keep any other rogue sentences from escape.

Without saying a word she grabbed his face and initiated a kiss.

Slowly. Warmly.

He kissed her back.

When they pulled apart, her forehead pressed to his, she whispered, “Tell me this isn’t a mistake.”

“It’s not,” he said. “But if it is, I’m still choosing it.”

She smiled against his lips. “You’re really not scared of me anymore?”

He tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear. “Terrified. But I think that’s half the fun.”

They kept their secret. Let everyone think they were still just opposites passing in the halls. But in their quiet corner beneath the school, in the warm water between house rivalry and growing desire, they became something else.

Not Gryffindor and Slytherin.

Just Neville and Y/N.

And somehow, that was enough.

[ditzydawn11]

masterlist

teenage wizards

nev

he hates me

study session

secrets & sweets

bloody twins

keep me safe

beneath still waters <<< NEW!

chaotic profilers

[ditzydawn11]

he hates me

Neville Longbottom x fem reader not requested warnings: like one swear world maybe but it's fluffy

260 words

Neville does not get along with your beloved pet

(i love cats and i wrote this bc my cat is mean to everyone except for me lol)

“I am not coming anywhere near that thing,” said the tall brown-haired boy.

“Please Nev! He’s not that scary,” you replied back to your stubborn boyfriend, Neville. He gave in and cautiously made his way over to your bed. All he wanted tonight was to cuddle with his girlfriend but unfortunately couldn’t due to the devil’s reincarnate interrupting his plans.

Neville took a hesitant seat on the edge of your bed while you comfortably sprawled out on the other side without any worry for your safety or vulnerable body parts that were being threatened by the unwanted guest occupying the middle of your bed.

“Come here,” you said motioning with open arms for Neville to come to cuddle with you. He began to scoot closer but quickly jumped 6 feet off and away from the bed due to a hiss and claw that came his way.

“He hates me,” said Neville.

“He doesn’t hate you, he’s just…. territorial,” you said trying to make Neville feel better.

“I can’t believe I have to share my girlfriend with a bloody cat,” he said plopping down at the chair of your desk with a puzzled look on his face over the entire absurdity of the situation. “He’s honestly a sweetheart. Look!” you said directing Neville’s attention to your beloved cat purring his heart out and curling up in your arms.

Neville admired the cuteness of his girlfriend but could swear he saw the damn cat glare at him before it settled down and closed its eyes.

“I guess I'll be sleeping on the floor tonight,” said Neville.

[ditzydawn11]

Neville x reader fluff where they accidentally fall asleep together !!

study session

Neville Longbottom x Female Reader

requested!

warnings: none just fluff!

1290 words

When you and your best friend fall asleep together after studying, feelings only grow stronger

Look, you didn’t mean for it to happen but boy are you glad it did.

Neville Longbottom was your best friend in the entire world. You had first met when you were asked to escort Neville to the nurse when he had fainted during herbology from the Mandrake cry. You two instantly hit it off and you thanked Merlin every day that you got to call him your best friend. However, as you both grew older and were now in your 5th year, you couldn’t deny the fact that you had a major crush on the shy boy. 

“Neville!” You screamed as you ran down the corridor to catch up with him. “Hey y/n.” he said with an instant smile forming on his face because he was greeted by his favorite person in the entire world. He wrapped an arm around your shoulder and guided you down the hall with him. A year ago, Neville would have never been able to find the courage to do this simple gesture but recently both of you have found more confidence in yourself, and little physical displays of friendship, or affection, had become part of your normal routine. You leaned into his side and sighed “Sprout assigned a test on underwater grown plants for tomorrow and I could really use your help. Pleeeaaassseee.”Neville chuckled “of course y/n. But I have plans with Dean and Seamus in the afternoon. Could we do it after dinner in my dorm?” “Sure thing Nev!” you said and gave the hand on your shoulder a squeeze. “I’ve got transfiguration now but I’ll see you later. You’re the best!” you said as you separated and ran to your next class. 

“Would you gits straighten your sides of the room before dinner, y/n is coming over and I don’t want her to think we live in this dump,” Neville said while frantically cleaning his desk and bed. “Ooooh, are you going to finally tell  her that you are head over heels in love with her?” Dean laughed. “God no. She’s my best friend. She obviously doesn’t feel the same way and I can’t lose her when she rejects me and it becomes awkward.” Neville huffed while sitting down on his bed and putting his head in his hands. “Neville you are so oblivious, she has to like you, or else why would she hang around you all these years,” Seamus said. Neville gave him a look of confusion “I don’t know, maybe because she's my friend and enjoys my company?” he said, still stunned by Seamus’ words. “Whatever, y/n will be here after dinner so you two go occupy yourselves so we can study in peace.” Neville huffed while finishing straightening his bed up. “Whatever you say loverboy,” Dean said as he headed out the door to go to dinner.

“Thanks again, Nev. You have no idea how much this means to me,” you said while Neville escorted you up the stairs to his dorm. “Of course, y/n, you do the same for me,” he said while opening the door to his dorm. You two had a mutual agreement to help each other with homework and classes, specifically Neville helping you with Herbology and you helping him with Potions. 

After what seemed like days but was probably only a couple of hours, you finally had a good grasp of the concept and felt prepared enough for the test tomorrow. “Okay I just want to go over one more thing and then I think you’ll be good to go,” Neville said oblivious to your droopy eyes and the clock that read 11:30 pm on the wall. After his rambling about the differences between salt and freshwater plants, he finally stopped to get a breath of air when he saw that you were asleep with your head resting on the desk. ‘Um y/n?” he whispered but you didn’t budge. Neville didn’t know what to do but he would much rather get in trouble for having you up in his dorm than disturb an angel such as yourself. So he scooped you up bridal style and placed you in his bed, tucking you in. He stepped back feeling prideful in what he did but soon panicked when he realized that now he didn’t have anywhere to sleep. 

“I mean we sit next to each other, hug, and even share drinks so what harm is sleeping next to you, right?” he thought to himself. He changed in the bathroom into some pajamas and climbed into bed with you still keeping some sizable space between your bodies in the tiny twin bed. He turned over to look at you and admired your peaceful face and tranquility that exuded from your being. He must have fallen asleep that way because he doesn’t remember anything until he was startled awake but Dean and Seamus talking quite loudly. 

‘Hey, lovers! Are we interrupting something?” Dean laughed out. “What? What’s going o-” Neville was cut off when he soon realized that he was spooning y/n who was still sound asleep. He quickly pulled away which woke you up. “Where am I?” you said while rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. You sat up to Dean and Seamus staring at you and Neville looking mortified. “I’m so sorry y/n, I must have rolled over in my sleep. I swear I-” you cut him off “Neville it’s fine. We're best friends, I don’t mind.” you said with a chuckle trying to calm him down. The two other boys were looking down at you both and were laughing their heads off at everything unfolding before them. “Seamus, Dean, could you give us a second,” you asked. “Sure thing but breakfast is starting, don’t be late!” the Irish boy said as he left the room with his friend. 

“Sorry you fell asleep and I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t know where to sleep and I guess I just grabbed you while I was sleeping and-” you cut him off yet again “Neville! It's fine! Honestly that was probably the best sleep I got in ages. Thank you for looking after me. I’ll see you at breakfast,” you said as you gathered your stuff and began to head back to your dorm for a fresh change of clothes. However, before you left you ran back to Neville and gave him a kiss on the cheek. A kiss that was nothing like any of your previous “friendly” displays of affection. A kiss that had more than “just friends'' written behind it. 

Neville touched the spot on his cheek where your lips had just been and smiled with a dopey grin. “Wow.” is all he managed to say, still starstruck from everything that happened in the past 9 hours. 

That night Neville was actually disappointed that you weren’t there beside him. Nevertheless, he turned off his light and turned over to try and get some sleep. About half an hour went by and he was still wide awake thinking about you. But his thoughts were soon interrupted when his door creaked open and your small frame came into view in the moonlight. “Hi. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind sharing your bed for another night.” you squeaked out in the quiet room with bashfulness in your voice. Neville didn’t say a word but he scooted over and opened the comforter for you to climb inside. He tentatively put his arm around your waist as you shimmied backward into his chest. “Oh, I forgot to tell you that I aced my quiz!” you said trying to alleviate some of the tension in the air. Neville smiled and responded, “I knew you would.” 

[ditzydawn11]

secrets & sweets

Neville Longbottom x reader

not requested

warnings: nudity? sexual undertones? swearing? idk

1170 words

Dating in secret is challenging, especially when your boyfriend's roommates are always interrupting

(This is 110% based on that scene in Friends where Monica and Chandler are taking a bath and Joey interrupts them lol)

You and Neville had been dating in secret for a little over three months now.

It's not like you didn’t want your friends to know but you didn’t want to get caught up in all the drama and rumors that would come with making things public. For now, both of you were happy and content in your little bubble that consisted of stolen kisses in empty corridors, secret glances, and late-night meet-ups.

You two had been careful not to get caught but knew that sooner or later someone would catch you. But you decided to cross that bridge when you got to it.

Neville had told you that he had the dorm all to himself for a couple hours tomorrow evening so you knew that you guys had to do something since getting alone time was hard to come by. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were off doing god knows what all night while Seamus and Dean were serving detention for a potion gone wrong in Snape’s class. So that left three hours of uninterrupted time for you two to spend together.

Neville snuck you through the common room and up to his dorm fairly easily since it was about 10 pm and most students had retired to their rooms for the night. As soon as the door shut behind you two and Neville made sure that everyone was gone, he spun around and placed a passionate kiss on your lips. He started to guide you both over to his bed, never letting his lips leave yours. You quickly pulled away “Uh uh, I have something else planned for tonight,” you smiled. With no other words you walked to the bathroom leaving the door open signaling for Neville to follow behind. With a quick spell you had learned yesterday (for this exact occasion) you turned the school-issued standing shower into a large bathtub complete with candles and rose petals.

“Well I won’t say no to that,” he chuckled as he pulled his shirt over his head. After he was completely naked he stepped into the soothing warm water but was confused to see that you were still completely dressed and making your way back into the dorm room. “Where are you going? You better not leave me like this?” he shouted into the other room. You popped your head back through the door “Relax Nev, I was just grabbing something and making sure we locked the door. We don’t want any company,” you laughed. You came back into the bathroom forgoing the lock on the bathroom door since you already locked the entrance to the dorm. In your hand was a bottle of champagne and two flutes to drink out of. You pulled off your top and began to pull your pants down. “Man, I’m the luckiest guy in the world,” Neville said staring at you unashamed. “Well I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” you said while taking off the rest of your garments. You poured two glasses and handed them both to Neville while you got in.

You sat in front of him with his legs on either side of you leaning into his chest. He handed you your glass and you practically melted into his touch. After about an hour of quiet small talk or just comfortable silence you both heard the door from the other room open and two voices talking on the other side.

“Nev you in there?” Seamus called out. ‘Shit he must have undone the lock with a spell.” you said in a panic. “Yeah, well, I’m busy… I’m-” Neville was cut off when he heard the doorknob jiggle. “He’s coming in!” Neville whisper-shouted. You panicked and ducked under the water plugging your nose. ‘Eh mate, Dean and I….what are you doing?” he said questioning the lavish setup and tub. “Um..unwinding from a stressful day. Sometimes I like to do this when I’m...alone.” Neville said, turning pink from embarrassment from the lie. “Well Dean and I got out of detention early and are going to go raid the kitchens for something sweet, what anything?” he asked. “No! Now please go,” he yelled why shooing him out with his hand. He pulled you up out of the water and you took a big breath. “I’m sorry! He wouldn’t leave. He kept asking if I wanted sweets,” Neville said to you. Instead of getting mad like he thought you would for being interrupted you shocked him with your response. “Sweets? I could eat some sweets.” you chirped. “Um, Seamus?” Neville called out. You quickly ducked back under the water's surface being consumed by the bubbles. “Actually I’ll take some sweets. How about a large bowl of ice cream, two brownies, and a hot chocolate,” but he was cut off by a rude squeeze you gave his dick due to your dissatisfaction with the order. “Ah! Um hot chocolate with whip cream please,” he squeaked out in pain. “Um okay buddy we’ll be back soon,” Seamus said very confusedly as he left.

You came back up to breathe while Neville gave you a look of confusion for the unpleasant pain he experienced. “Sorry darling, but you know I love my whipped cream,” you smiled and leaned in to give him a much-deserved kiss.

The next few months were about the same with the constant sneaking around however you and Neville were starting to get sloppy since you had been flying under the radar for this long. There were more close calls and “almosts” but you were probably going to tell everyone soon so it didn’t really matter. One night you guys once again had the boy's dorm free so you were getting some alone time in. You hadn’t taken another bath since the run-in with Seamus, both being a little scarred from the incident.

Unfortunately, Neville got the times that everyone was supposed to get back wrong. So that's how your steamy makeout was interrupted when Seamus, Dean, Harry, and Ron all walked through the door. “WHAT THE FU-” Seamus screamed out before being cut off by Neville’s own scream to try and get on top of you to cover your bare top half. “You and y/n?” Ron said with a very confused look on his face. You giggled why Neville buried his face into your neck out of embarrassment.

You perked your face out from under Neville and spoke “hey why don’t we get dressed and discuss this over some sweets. I could kill for a hot chocolate with whipped cream right now.” you winked.

Seamus’s mouth dropped and his eyes grew huge when he realized that he had walked in on your bath months earlier. All four boys ran out of the room while you and Neville laughed at the situation. Though you were quite embarrassed (though Neville probably more than you) you were just glad to be able to proudly be with your boyfriend in public and not hide any longer.

[ditzydawn11]

bloody twins

Neville Longbottom x reader (non-gryffindor)

not requested

warnings: the twins being assholes

1065 words

You fall victim to one of the infamous Weasley Twin pranks but thankfully Neville is there to stand up for you

You knew you fucked up as soon as the words left your mouth.

You were hanging in the Gryffindor common room waiting for your boyfriend to get back from class. You and Neville had been dating for quite a while so you had pretty much been adopted into his friend group despite not being in the red and gold house. You got along well with everyone and were happy to make more friends outside of your own house. You had particularly grown closer with Hermione and Ginny, exchanging girl gossip frequently since most of the group were made up of guys. However, you enjoyed talking Quidditch with Harry or talking about classes with some of the other boys. You were comfortable and friendly with everyone but enjoyed spending your time with Neville the most, though you may have a slight bias as to why.

You and Hermione were discussing an assignment from your shared Transfiguration class. That was before the infamous Weasley Twins bolted through the door riding the adrenaline high from their most recent prank. You weren’t particularly close with either of them simply because your paths had never crossed.

“What poor student did you two torment today?” Hermione questioned. “No student,” George replied, “We charmed Snape’s robes to catch under his feet and trip him when he walks” Fred finished. Hermione just rolled her eyes as the redheads made their way to the stairs to go to their shared dorm room. You leaned over to Hermione and whispered “I’m glad to say I’ve never had to endure one of the twin’s pranks before.”

Saying those 15 words were probably the worst thing you could have done because unluckily for you, both boys heard every word. They both quickly turned back around to face you two who were sitting on the couch. “Freddie, I think we have a Weasley prank virgin over here,” George said with a shit-eating grin. “You’re right Georgie. I reckon we will have to change that. Though we’ll have to make it a quickie because we’ve got practice in a bit.” Fred announced. Before you could run, curse, or even blink George tossed a Jelly Legs Jinx your way leaving you unable to escape and Fred picked you up and tossed you over his shoulder.

You pounded your fists against his back begging them to put you down but the stubborn assholes didn’t show any mercy. You began to piece together your fate when you realized that you three were approaching the black lake.

“Shit. Shit. Shit. Put me down. No-,” you screamed as you were tossed in the freezing lake. Of course, it had to be January so the lake was still ice cold. When you came up to the surface for air you saw two lanky gingers running far away back into the warm castle. Luckily the jinx had worn off so you swam to the shore and crawled out coughing up icky lake water and wringing out your shirt.

You trudged back to the castle completely freezing and soaked with the little dignity you had left. You would just dry yourself except you didn’t have time to grab your wand before you had been rudely kidnapped. Fortunately, most students were in class or were studying so the halls were pretty empty saving yourself from any further embarrassment.

You turned a corner on your way back to your common room when you coincidentally saw Neville a few yards away. When he realized who the sopping wet figure walking towards him was, he quickly rushed to your aid.

“Darling what happened?” he said while simultaneously examining you for any injuries. “Bloody twins.” was all you said which was enough for Neville to put together the pieces. “Come here,” he said with his arms outstretched. “I don’t want to get you wet.” you chuckled. Instead of protesting he just wrapped his arms around you letting you melt into him. He walked you back to your dorm so you could change and gave you his sweater that was already warm from his body heat to heat you up quicker. You two then went back to the Gryffindor common room to retrieve your wand and meet up with Harry, Hermione, Ron, Dean, Seamus, and Ginny.

All of you guys sat and laughed on the couches enjoying your evening together. You explained what happened and everyone shared their Weasley prank stories to make you feel better and know that you weren’t alone. Ron unsurprisingly had countless stories to tell about growing up as the twin’s personal test dummy for all their pranks.

When Ron was telling everyone about the summer where they bewitched all his pants to constantly fall down to show his knickers, Neville had excused himself. “Sorry I just need to grab something from my dorm, I’ll be back.” You figured he was just getting a jacket because he had given you his. You didn’t pay much thought to it and continued to listen and laugh at Ron’s story.

What you didn’t know was that Neville didn’t go to his dorm and actually stormed into Fred and George’s room. Neville seemed to abandon all his shyness and insecurities at that moment when he flung the boy’s door open and chewed their ear off. “Hey if you two ever come near y/n with any of your pranks again, I will hex you into oblivion. I’ll rat you out to Snape for cheating on that potions test, I’ll tell Filch who actually turned his cat into a mouse last year, and I’ll make sure to let Molly know all the crap her sons have done at school without her knowledge. Leave y/n alone.” and with a slam of the door, Neville was gone.

Fred and George were terrified and actually a little impressed with Neville’s outburst. Neville came back downstairs and snuggled up to you on the couch. “Hey what did you need to get?” you asked not seeing anything new on Neville. “You know when I got to my dorm I couldn’t remember for the life of me what I came to get,” he laughed. You smiled and pressed a short but lovely kiss to his lips and curled into his side ready to enjoy the rest of the night with your best friends and boyfriend.

And let’s just say Fred and George never came near you again.

[ditzydawn11]

keep me safe

Neville Longbottom x reader

not requested

warnings: attempted sexual assault

2500 words

THIS STORY HAS MATURE THEMES. My heart goes out to all of the ladies who are a part of the 97%. You are strong, you are beautiful, and you are not alone.

When someone tries to hurt the reader, Neville steps in and protects her like the true Gryffindor he is. 

Neville was your best friend in the whole world.

In third year you had asked Professor Sprout to use her greenhouse to cultivate a plant for your own needs. You had a knack for potions and although you couldn’t stand Snape’s constant droning in class, your passion for the subject was unmatched compared to any other of your studies. 

You had been trying to create a potion that would allow your pet cat, Socks, to levitate. Ever since you first picked her out in Diagon Alley during your first year she had longingly stared out the window in your dorm admiring the owls flying outside. 

Obtaining the magical ingredients was no trouble, Snape often let you come and take what you needed because you were his top student. However, to make it cat safe you needed muggle cat-nip, something Snape definitely did not have on hand. 

That’s what led you to the greenhouse on a cold and rainy April morning with your small pot and bag of seeds in hand. You didn’t expect anyone else to occupy the small plant house at 7:00 am on a Tuesday so you didn’t bother to knock. You let yourself in and were startled to see another student with his back towards you tending to some plant. 

“Oh, hi!” you squeaked out. Before you could react, the poor boy dropped the empty pot he was holding creating a large crash and shattering the clay everywhere. “Oh I-I-I am so-so sorry. I-I didn’t know anyone w-was here,” he said between frantic breaths as he was focused on trying to pick up the pieces. “Don’t apologize, I should have knocked. Let me help you.” you kindly offered. You bent down onto your knees to his level to help pick up the broken pieces. “Here,” you said handing him a rather large piece that was still intact. Neville looked up to grab the piece from your hand. He was so caught up by his own clumsiness that he didn’t get a proper look at you. He was taken back by your beauty, the way your hair perfectly framed your face, the subtle red tint to your nose and cheeks from the cold, and the way your eyes sparkled in the early morning light. Neville could barely get a sentence out when your hands met exchanging the Terra Cotta. “Uh..thanks,” he said quickly looking back down at the ground.

You stood up and dusted off the front of your skirt. “I’m y/n by the way. Sorry again for startling you,” “Don’t worry about it. Oh um I-I uh I’m Neville.” “It’s nice to meet you, Neville, Sprout is letting me use the greenhouse to grow a plant of mine for a potion. So it looks like we will be seeing more of each other,” you happily stated.

From that moment on you and Neville became the best of friends. Though if you were being completely honest, you longed for more. You had gone out with a couple of guys on small dates over the years and Neville even took Ginny to the Yule Ball but you never really clicked with someone like you did with Neville.

Now you were in your 5th year starting to think about life after Hogwarts. Laying with your head in Neville’s lap under a big tree near the black lake you two discussed your futures and what you think you would do after graduation. “Hey Nev?” you asked interrupting the comfortable silence between the two of you. “Yes y/n?” he responded setting down the book he had been reading. “What do you want to do after we’re done with school?” you asked him while staring up at his face from down below. “I dunno, maybe teaching. I’ve pretty much taught you everything you know about Herbology,” he responded with a chuckle. “Hey!” you gave him a playful smack “though I do suppose I wouldn’t have passed my last exam without you basically teaching me the last chapter.” 

“What about you?” the brown-haired boy asked while playing with the ends of your hair. “I think I want to continue my study of potions. I mean imagine developing a potion to finally reverse horrible diseases and terrible curses,” you replied subtly referencing what happened to his parents.

You were the only person Neville had told the story of his parents to. Ever since then you always made an effort to remind him of how proud his parents would be of him. He often doubted his abilities but you how brave and capable he was. You would trust him with your life.

“If anyone can brew those potions it’ll be you,” he said in a quieter tone. “Aww thanks, Nev, I know exactly who I’ll be getting my ingredients from,” you said with a smile. Nightfall was approaching so the two of you made your way back to the castle for dinner. The two of you were an unconventional duo to everyone else but to you, you were best friends and wouldn’t want it any other way. 

Later that night you closed your eyes to fall asleep but your mind began to drift. You began to think about Neville which isn’t uncommon seeing that you spend most of your time together but you were thinking about him in a different way. 

You’d be lying if you said you hadn’t thought of him like this before but what’s even worse is that part of you wishes it was this way. You had noticed a bit of...tension between the two of you on occasion. Like the time you couldn’t reach the top shelf in the greenhouse so Neville came up directly behind you to get the watering can for you. Or when you grabbed Neville from the library to go and watch Fred and George’s newest prank unfold and you held his hand the whole way there. You so wished that something more could blossom between you two but the last thing you wanted to do was jeopardize your friendship. I mean having Neville as a friend is better than not having him at all. You knew you could spend hours thinking about this so you just decided to roll over and try to get some shut-eye.

A few days later you were supposed to meet Neville in your guy’s usual spot after lunch, in the greenhouse, but he didn’t show. You figured he probably forgot (something he does quite often but you secretly think is absolutely adorable) so you left to go and find him. After searching for a bit you went to check for him in his dorm. Before you knocked you could hear faint sniffling from the other side of the door. You gently knocked and called out “Neville? Is that you? Can I come in?” After a few seconds of quiet the door slowly opened to a teary Neville on the other side. You instantly dropped your bag and gave him the biggest bear hug you could. You broke the hug and asked “Neville what’s wrong?  What happened?” “y/n why am I a Gryffindor? I’m so pathetic I can’t even stand up for myself,” he said through his sniffles. “Neville you are far from pathetic. You are the bravest, and most kindhearted, and loyal person I know. That’s why you’re a Gryffindor. Your parents would be so proud of you. I’m so proud of you.” you assured. It turns out that a few Slytherins sabotaged Neville’s potion in Snape’s class so it would explode everywhere. When Neville went to confront them he froze which caused everyone to laugh at him. You continued to hug him until he calmed down but you wished there was some way you could get Neville to believe in himself as you believe in him.

About a week later you found yourself sitting in the courtyard reading your transfiguration textbook for your test tomorrow. You were sitting on a small bench by yourself in a relatively secluded area of the outdoor space. You saw a figure approaching and looked up to see none other than McLaggen, someone who you often complained to Neville about on a regular basis. “So sweetheart, there’s a trip to Hogsmeade coming up and you look like you could use a date,” he said with a sickening smirk. “Bugger of Cormac,” you said as you began to collect your things. “Aww that’s no way to talk to me darling,” he said inching closer to you “you know I don’t like taking no for an answer.” Cormac McLaggen was just about the most disgusting guy at Hogwarts. He had asked out pretty much every girl in the school including yourself on multiple occasions. The answer was always a hard no but he couldn’t seem to get that through his thick skull. “I said I’m not interested now I have to get to class. Goodbye.” you hastily replied while trying to get as far away from the douchebag as you could. Before you could get very far he grabbed you and pinned you up against the stone hedge directly behind you. “What the fuck” you screamed as he began ripping open your uniform blouse and putting his hands on your chest and neck. You fought back as hard as you could but he was just too strong. 

What you didn’t see was Neville watching you from afar. He had been sitting with Dean and Seamus when he saw McLaggen make his way over to you. He knew that you would never stoop to that level but it did spark a kind of jealousy in him seeing another boy talk to you that way. When he saw him push you against the wall Neville reacted before he could think and sprinted over to you as fast as he could. 

“What the hell do you think you’re doing Cormac?” Neville yelled as he pulled the asshole off of his best friend. “Just showing her what a real Gryffindor is like since she seems to spend all her time with you, a pathetic excuse of a wizard,” said Cormac as he began to get closer to Neville who was standing directly in front of you as a shield. “Don’t you ever come near her again? You hear me?” Neville threatened without any hesitancy or fear in his voice. “Yeah right,” McLaggen scoffed as he advanced on Neville. However, before he could do any more damaged Neville punched him straight in the face causing Cormac to fall to the ground. 

By this time a small crowd was beginning to form. McGonagall broke through the mess of students “What in the world  is going on here?” She looked at the scene in front of her and quickly put together the pieces. “I see, students get to class, I’ll be taking Mr. McLaggen to Dumbledore. We do not tolerate this kind of behavior. Longbottom, I trust that you will make sure Miss y/l/n is alright. Please take her to Madam Pomfrey if she needs anything. Very well.” and she grabbed McLaggen by the arm and made her way back to the castle. 

The crowd had dispersed leaving just you and Neville. Neville realized that he hadn’t even checked in on you yet because he was so disoriented from everything that just happened. He quickly spun around to face you. Your mascara was completely smeared, you were sobbing, and your blouse was ripped open leaving your bra and chest exposed. “Can I- can I touch you?” Neville softly asked not wanting to make you uncomfortable in any way. Instead of using your words you just collapsed into Neville letting his arms wrap around you in an effort to keep all the pain and ugly things as far away from you as he could.

You don’t know how long you two stayed like that but Neville pulled away eventually and used his thumb to wipe off some of your smeared black eye makeup and tears. “Here,” he said while pulling off his burgundy Gryffindor sweater and putting it over your head. He saw that you were still exposed and didn’t want anyone seeing you like that. “Do you want to go to Madam Pomfrey?” he softly asked while rubbing soothing circles on the back of your hand. You shook your head no “can we just go sit by the lake. I don’t want to go back and deal with everyone yet.” “Of course,” he replied. 

Neville guided you over to the lake and you two rested under your favorite tree. There were no words exchanged between the two of you. Just comfortable silence and a telepathic-like connection that told you that everything was going to be alright. Neville rubbed soothing circles on your back as you lay your head on his lap. You don’t know how long you two stayed there but you soon realized that you must have fallen asleep because it was nearly dusk and you were in Neville’s arms walking back to the castle. 

He carried you back to your common room and up to your dorm. Neville layed you down on your bed and tucked you into the covers. He made his way to the door but stopped when he heard you call out his name. “Hey, Nev? Could you maybe stay? I just don’t want to be alone right now.” “Oh, uh sure,” he said making his way back to you. He didn’t want to make you feel bad for seeming hesitant because honestly, he would love nothing more than to stay with you. However, the last thing he would want to do is to make you uncomfortable or seem like he was taking advantage of you in your time of distress. Plus with his massive crush on you, he gets incredibly nervous any time something remotely intimate or romantic occurs between you two. But he swallowed his nerves and kicked off his shoes to be there for you when you need him most. He would do anything for you. He crawled under the covers and kept a substantial amount of space between you two though honestly, the school-issued dorm beds weren’t that big. 

You didn’t say a word but gently turned over so you were facing away from Neville. You scooted closer to him and in a moment of bravery grabbed his hand from the opposite side of the bed and pulled it over you so you two were cuddling. You let out a sigh of relief partly from Neville not pulling away and partly from finally finding some peace from the stress of the day. 

“Neville?” you called out. “Yes y/n,” he called back. “Thank you for keeping me safe.” and soon after those few words left your mouth in the still silence of the room, you were asleep.

Neville let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and bravely planted a kiss on the top of your head. Maybe he really was a Gryffindor after all.