Wolfsbane // Neville Longbottom

Chapter 19: Tea

The news about Neville and Cassie becoming a couple spread like fire on a trail of gasoline around Hogwarts. Within the two weeks of them becoming a couple, chocolate frogs, galleons, sickles, quills and more got exchanged between the many students and staff members that had been secretly betting on them.

But they didn't care about that. They didn't care about the curious students asking about them, about the interrogations of their previous Professors and now colleagues, about the stares and giggles of other people as they walked through the corridors. Nothing bothered them because they both felt so happy.

Sure, Cassie still had to deal with that stupid little voice in her head but Neville was able to make that bearable and fairly easy. He would cup her face in her hands, staring at the top of her head and speak towards the voice angrily until she couldn't breathe from laughing so much.

Cassie was in her office patiently impatient waiting for Neville to come by to have some tea like they did every Friday afternoon to celebrate the start of the weekend. She bent over a piece of parchment and dipped her quill into her inkbottle before continuing the letter she was working on.

"...so yes. I finally came to terms with my feelings and I told him that. He wants to be with me and I want to be with me. I finally have a boyfriend now (I assume you'll be rather thrilled about that).

I sincerely hope that this won't change anything between us. I'm sorry that I have kept my lycanthropy a secret from you for so long. After my parents' reaction, I felt like everyone would feel that way, which kept me from writing to you these past three years. I'm terribly sorry.

I don't exactly know why I didn't just tell you, but I guess that part of me found comfort in knowing I still had some family left somewhere that loved me. I'm sorry.

I've now learned that well, simply put, I'm still Cassie. I'm still the same person. I don't harm people, I have the Wolfsbane Potion to help me. If people don't want to deal with me because of a tiny part of me, then fine. They don't deserve me. (Neville's been a great help in realising this).

I wish you all the best.

Love,

Cassie."

She was writing to her aunt Lydia, finally confessing that she was a werewolf. Though she still would not tell everyone, fearing her job and safety would be in jeopardy if she did, she wanted to tell her family. She had to tell aunt Lydia as she had always been so kind and loving and warm towards Cassie.

She just hoped all that wouldn't change.

She folded the letter, placed a stamp on it and put it in her desk drawer. She would send it later. There was a gentle knock on the door and her heart skipped a beat. She hurried over to the door and opened it, greeting Neville with a kiss.

He smiled against her lips as they stumbled into her office. "Hi," he said in his gentle voice. She smiled and hugged him shortly before dragging him with her to the sofa.

"Hi," she said, pulling him down to sit next to her. He giggled at her enthusiasm and wrapped one arm around her. "Sorry. I'm just happy to see you."

"I don't see why you should be sorry about that," he said, his cheeks pink. "I'm happy to see you too," he added quickly, stroking her cheek before kissing her softly again. "How was your day, sunflower?" She loved his new nickname for her.

"It was fine. I had a few classes and I just wrote that letter to aunt Lydia? Explaining my... my lycanthropy. When will it get easier to say that?" she said with a chuckle and scratched the back of her head.