Brave { Neville Longbottom}

Chapter Thirty One

Kefira was excited for the Quidditch game to take place between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. She didn't understand the game all that much but she was curious enough to sit and watch alongside of Neville. She felt bad for him although she wouldn't tell him that, it would only make him feel worse. But she felt bad for him with how others treated. 

Draco had gotten his revenge for the punch in the stomach by locking Neville's legs together with the Leg-Locker curse, and of course didn't get into trouble. However, the boy made no attempts to stand up for himself at any other point. Professors would shake their heads at him when he messed up in class, and their classmates would snicker calling him all sorts of names.

Kefira hated seeing such a genuinely good person be tormented for things that were out of their control. It filled her with anger, especially during the times that she wasn't there to help him. If there was one thing Kefira took pride in with the many things her parents had taught her, was to stick up for herself but also help others who couldn't. 

Her mother told her many stories where her father would intervene in all sorts of scenarios to help someone. Of course, it may have resulted in Cardel getting hurt plenty of times, but he always said it was worth it. So no matter how much trouble Kefira found herself in, if it meant protecting Neville from the likes of Draco and the other horrid classmates, it was worth it.

That afternoon she sat beside him, with Faye on her other side watching her first quidditch game. Ron Weasley didn't sit far from them either, keeping his focus on the quidditch field. However, it was just their luck that a certain nuisance decided to sit near them as well.

Kefira peered over her shoulder casting a dirty look at Draco, almost as if she was warning him to keep his big mouth shut.

Neville didn't seem to notice right away as he tried to explain the game to Kefira to the best of his knowledge. To be quite frank, he wasn't the biggest quidditch fan himself, unlike Seamus who was sitting a couple rows ahead of them shouting next to Dean.

"The game hasn't even started yet!" Kefira told Seamus.

The boy turned around and gave her a look before he continued on cheering obnoxiously loud.

"And people say I'm loud." Kefira whispered to Neville who smiled.

The Gryffindors did their best to ignore Draco who decided he would insult the Gryffindor team to try and get attention. 

"My mum always told me people who say nasty things like that don't come very nice homes..." she said to Neville and Faye. "Or their parents didn't teach them any better."

"I think it's definitely safe to say that the Malfoy home is probably not the nicest place to come from." Faye muttered.

"Just ignore him." Neville said, " he'll probably quiet down when no one gives him attention."

Kefira tried to focus on the game, watching as Professor Snape handed out penalties like it was free candy throughout the game.

"You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?' Draco said loudly.

Kefira rolled her eyes with her fists clenched down at her sides.

"It's people they feel sorry for. See, there's Potter, who's got no parents, then there's the Weasleys, who've got no money – you should be on the team,Longbottom , you've got no brains."

Turning around her seat, Kefira was fully prepared to throw Draco down the stands for the hurtful things he had said, when to her surprise, Neville turned around in his seat.

His full cheeks were tinted pink but he managed to utter out something in response to the foul boy.

"I'm worth twelve of you, Malfoy." Neville told him.

A wide grin spread across Kefira's face as she witnessed Neville stand up for himself. She looked to Faye who seemed to be impressed as well.

Draco, Crabbe and Goyle howled in a vicious laughter but Ron, not peeling his eyes away from the game offered his support to Neville's statement.

"You tell him, Neville ."

Draco snorted.

"Longbottom, if brains were gold you'd be poorer than Weasley, and that's saying something."

The unexpected happen when Ron and Neville both took to fight the boys. Ron took on Draco while Neville faced both Crabbe and Goyle.

"Wait Neville," Kefira tried to reason with him. She was proud of Neville for standing up for himself, but she didn't think he could take on two boys at once. Crabbe and Goyle were stupid but they were Draco's goonies for a reason.

It didn't take long for them to knock Neville out but that was enough to send Kefira over the edge. She didn't care how much trouble she got into.

Faye attempted to hold her back by the robes, but the fiery girl didn't hesitate to swing clocking Crabbe in the face.

Professors swarmed the scene to break up the fight, separating the students from each other while others went to assist Neville to see if he was alright.

Kefira was escorted off the field and brought to a classroom where she whipped her arm away from the grasp of the professor.

She turned around and glared angrily at Professor Snape who had been the one to escort her away.

"Miss Walsh, your exhibited behavior is unacceptable-"

"Are you kidding me?!" she snapped at him not allowing him to finish. "It was Draco's behavior that was unacceptable!"

"Violence is not tolerated at Hogwarts-"

"And I suppose bullying is then? Having students pick on others for no reason is fine with you?!"

"You lower your voice." he said between clenched teeth.

"Then be fair! Put yourself in Neville's shoes, how would you like being bullied all the time for no reason?!"