Brave { Neville Longbottom}

Chapter Ninety

Kefira sat with Neville long after McGonagall had sent everyone back to bed. The Gryffindor Tower would be on high security that evening for Sirius Black, however, the only person who had gotten in trouble that night was Neville. Once it had been discovered that Neville had been writing down the passwords, McGonagall had little mercy on the boy. She gave him detention, banned him from all future trips to Hogsmeade for the rest of the year, and forbade anyone from giving him the password. Which meant he would have to wait outside the entrance until someone came along to let him in. If that wasn't bad enough, Neville took upon himself to call himself a worthless excuse of a Gryffindor.

"Neville, don't talk like that." Kefira told him as they sat on the floor near the fireplace.

"But it's true. I don't know why the Sorting Hat put me in this house, it was wrong. "

"I don't think it was wrong."

"How could you even say that? Look at me Kefira, do I look like a lion to you?" he asked her.

"Well, you probably need to work on your mane a little bit more.." she smiled at him before playing with a lock of his hair.

Neville didn't bring himself to smile at her teasing.

"You made a mistake, Neville, it happens to everyone. "

"Yeah but do other people's mistakes allow a mass murderer into the Gryffindor Tower and almost let them slash open their friend?"

When Kefira didn't reply, Neville looked away with a frown.

"You didn't do it on purpose, Nevs. Just because you made this mistake, it doesn't automatically erase all the good things you've done in the past three years going here."

"What have I done that's so good?" Neville asked her.

"You won us the house cup first year, you stood up to Professor Snape twice last year and this year... even if it was just his Boggart form. Still you put him in your grandmother's clothes which I think everyone could agree was amazing."

A small smile appeared on his face. 

"You're getting braver and braver every year, Neville. Don't let one little hiccup set you back." she said before yawning and leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I guess you're right. But I know I should've been more careful with that list. But...I won't talk about it anymore." Neville said. "I will just have to suck up the fact that I have detention. I just hope my grandmother doesn't find out."

Neville waited for a response, but as he looked down he saw that Kefira had fallen asleep leaning against him.

"Well...at least I have you on my side. Literally and metaphorically."

Kefira was passing through the halls after over sleeping one morning on her way to the Great Hall in hopes of catching a late breakfast when she crashed into someone rounding the corner.

She groaned as she fell back on her butt before looking up. She let out another groan as she saw Professor Snape. He was definitely the last person she wanted to see in that moment and the look he gave her only reiterated that feeling more.

The two remained in complete silence for a few seconds staring at one another. Kefira hadn't spoken to him in awhile, and she had to admit that while he had made her quite angry before, she really did miss the playful banter between them. At least, it came across as playful to her the majority of the time. She didn't want to mad at him anymore, but she really wished the man would lighten up and quit being such a buzzkill all the time.

Instead of glaring at him or ignoring him as she had been doing as of late, Kefira looked up at her professor and stretched out her hand to him.

"Can you give me a hand here, Professor Snape?" she asked with a small grin.

Severus looked down at the girl on the floor before him. He was quite surprised by her actions, he was ready for her to give him a nasty look and stalk away. But as she held her hand out towards him, it seemed she was asking for more than him to help her up. She was asking him to mend things between them.

He opened his mouth, fully prepared to give a snarky reply but before he could speak, Kefira spoke again.

"Please?"

With one word, she had gotten to him. The word please paired with the green eyes and red hair was enough. Looking away with a heavy sigh, he extended his hand out and pulled the girl up to her feet. Either she was incredibly light or didn't really need the help as she bounced back onto her feet within seconds without really pulling on him.

"Thanks Professor Snape." she said smiling up at him.

He didn't respond.

"You're welcome Miss Walsh." she said mimicking his voice, better than he would have ever admitted.

"Well, bye Professor Snape."

"Bye Miss Walsh and don't let me catch you running in the halls." she said narrowing her eyes at him.

"Yes Professor Snape." she nodded before walking off. "Bye!"

Severus had witnessed the child converse back and forth with herself in place of him before she left, earning her a shaking of his head as he left down the opposite way.