wanderlust ☆ n.longbottom

.:32:.

"Knock knock." Daisy was at Neville's door, tapping it gently.

"You don't have to say knock if you're knocking," came Neville's grumbling response,  but Daisy was sure he was smiling. 

"I'm coming in."

Neville was lying on his bed, his head stuffed under his pillow. Daisy sat beside him and lifted up the cushion. He looked up at her through tear-stained eyes and her heart shattered in two. Seeing him like this was even worse than seeing him with Vivienne. 

"Oh, Nev," she gasped. He sat up and pulled him into a hug. He sobbed into her shoulder, shaking uncontrollably. She was too consumed with sympathy to absorb the sudden closeness to the boy she loved. They pulled apart and she grabbed his face with her hands. How could he look so beautiful, even at this moment? Even though his heart was breaking in two. 

"Talk to me, Neville."

And so he did. He poured his entire heart out. He left nothing unsaid and Daisy listened to it all, word for word. 

"I don't know what I'd do without you," he concluded his monologue with.

"You'll never have to find out." 

"I'm serious. You and my Grandma are the only constants in my life."

"That won't change. Even if you start dating another menace to society." 

Neville laughed. "I'm done with dating. Too much drama."

Daisy couldn't stop the smile from blossoming across her face. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. It was still, calm.

"You've stopped biting your nails." Neville grabbed her hand to inspect her nails. Her stomach flipped and she prayed he couldn't hear her heart pounding in her chest. 

"Well, I guess sometimes I do listen to you." She subtly tried to remove her hand from his. She couldn't handle the physical contact anymore. She wanted to kiss him. She turned away. 

"I'm tired, I'm off to bed." She began to leave the room but Neville stopped her by grabbing her arm. Electricity soared in the spot on her bare arm where his calloused thumb caressed her. Her eyes flashed and she took a deep breath to steady herself. 

"Thanks for today. I see a way out now. I'm no longer blinded by anger."

"I know, I'm the best."

The smile on Neville's face reached his eyes. "You really are."

With that last comment, she left and let the tears fall. She couldn't keep doing this. She was supposed to be there for Neville, she can't let her feelings ruin that. 

All night, she was wide awake on the couch in the Longbottom's spare room. She was upset about Bellatrix escaping, she was upset about her feelings for Neville. Despite all of that, she still couldn't stop thinking about what Vivienne said to her:

"He chose you, Daisy! You won!"

She buried her head under her pillow and began biting her nails. She had no one to talk to about this. She usually told Neville everything. But not this. Never, ever, this. Emmeline would know what to do. Emmeline. She wished she was still here, she would listen intently about boy drama and would know exactly what to say. Now, she had no one...Hermione. She dove off the couch and began routing through her bag for a quill and some parchment. She scribbled down everything to Hermione and sent it off using her owl. Immediately, she felt better. Like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She crawled back onto the sofa and finally fell asleep.