SMILE » n. longbottom

lv

"SETTING THINGS STRAIGHT"

Despite Professor Umbridge taking such precautions as placing multiple educational decrees on the wall surrounding the entrance to the Great Hall to prevent people to meet outside of class time, the two made plans to meet again. But this time for their own personal reasons rather than meeting to learn Defense Against the Dark Arts efficiently.

Fortunately the weekend had just begun so all students had the day to catch up on their studies. However, Christmas break was in approximately a week and professors throughout the school had wound down the material they had been assigning to their students. Which in turn had left the weekends' agendas to be left up to the students and what they had decided to do.

Just before Alana Wallace left the Hufflepuff common room, she grabbed her yellow knit scarf and called out to her roommate that she had been leaving. No one else had been in the common room, so then she did not have a worry about anyone overhearing their conversation. She continued on, "I'll be back, try and convince anyone who asks that I'll be in the library. That might save me some time."

And so Alana was off, careful to keep track of anyone who might rat her out. She hurried towards the Quidditch pitch that had been a clear shot but not covered by any foliage or large rocks. This had seemed like a bad idea for her, and to keep some sanity to herself: she looked swiftly behind her, towards the castle. Out by the entrance stood a very stiff Brooks with his arms crossed.

She was assured at this. He was hired to protect her, of course.

Alana then turned back towards the pitch and hurried on to make sure that she would not be caught by someone who has bad intentions. If Jayden Brooks were to snitch, that would bruise the promise he made to the Wallace parents when they sent him here to Hogwarts: to protect her.

The Quidditch pitch stands were cold from the wind that blew throughout the castle, and the clouds from above were a light grey, an underlying hint of possible rainfall or a little bit of snow to dash across the forecast. Alana wrapped the scarf across her neck, and grabbed her cloak closer to her body. She climbed the wooden stairs up to the stands, shivering every time the wind found a way though the cloth that covered the stands.

Alana sat down at the middle of the stands, breathing in the cold air that ran above her. She paused there for a bit. She would rather meditate than stare at the pitch in front of her. She heard a creak just a little ways away from herself, and to her right she saw Neville standing there, obviously uneasy.

Her heart sunk into a state of nervousness, as the sight of the Gryffindor boy reminded her what was shared between them last night. Alana patted the bench beside her, dusting off the frost that had collected there with the sleeve of her cloak.

Neville nodded slightly and unconsciously let out a sigh, as if he were just holding his breath just seconds before. He saw how she shivered beside him, and offered the safety of his own cloak. His attempt to comfort her succeeded, as she leaned closer.

Alana let out an icy whisper, as if it melted with the wind that blew past them, "Crazy weather, huh?"

He chuckled at that. He had not expected for that to be the first sentence that came out of her mouth when Neville had arrived. He mirrored her lack of tending to the elephant in the room, as so to say: "Of course. It is odd, since just yesterday — the sky was clear." Neville tilted his head to look up at the sky, seeing its tumbling clouds twist slowly into a flurry of powder. The silence grew between them but Neville looked to Alana, who just closed her eyes.

"Alana," she looked up to him as he spoke her name. "I never saw this side of you until just a few days ago."

Alana rolled her eyes, she let her gaze fall, looking to the mountains past the Quidditch pitch. She inhaled, her breath breaking slighty: "That's not really a bad thing."

Neville panicked a bit. "That's not exactly what I meant — I mean, I'm glad that I've seen that side of you now because now I have the satisfaction of knowing that you ... err ... like me back." He breathed out, sharply. He had concealed his feelings for her for too long of a time, especially since Alana had been the one to surprise him just yesterday.

Alana froze in place, as though the cold wind beyond his protective cloak had gotten to her. Her heart sunk even further than it had when he had arrived at the benches. Beside her, she could feel the cold air break through as she felt Neville move uneasily.

Say something, she said to herself. Alana gulped, returning her gaze to the Gryffindor boy that sat just beside her. She opened her mouth to say something but the words hadn't came out. She quickly shut it, and tried again, this time: turning her body to face him.

"I do like you, I—" she grabbed at Neville's face, so that he would see her completely with her words. "You were always there for me, even if I did not need or ask for your company. And I am grateful for that, especially since no one else had done the same." Her body sunk as she stated the last couple of words.

No one else had done the same as Neville had. No one else had distracted her from the disability that had haunted her last year, seen the pain that she felt throughout, and no one else could even vaguely relate to her. Well, at least someone who cared just as much as Neville had.

He grabbed at her hand in support, "Anyone could have done that, Alana. I ..." he hesitated for a moment. The words seemed odd but it seemed like the best her could express his feelings towards her," fell in love with you." Tears welled in Alana's eyes, but she wiped them away with her hand. Neville pressed his head to hers, as in a way of comforting her.

Alana's heart raced, she moved her head to meet his lips with her own. Her face became hot and bothered, but she allowed for the wind around them to cool her off. She pulled away, and leaned quicker into Neville's embrace. Perhaps they had no need to speak any longer, since they knew the feelings that they had for each other.

The Hufflepuff witch sighed as she came to a realization: winter break would soon be upon them. Now that she knew that she had someone truly caring for her, she remembered how she spent most of her breaks from school at home. Her parents would bicker and taunt the house elves, or yell at her sometimes saying such vulgar things that hinted at their disappointment. Alana did not remember when exactly they changed, but she remembered when there was a time when her parents were not so mean or irritating. She sighed deeply, slouching slightly.

"What is wrong?"

Alana scratched at her head awkwardly, contemplating whether or not to tell him. She finally breathed out, "I am frightened about this upcoming break — I've been beginning to hate the breaks I have at my house."

Neville took note of the oddness of how Alana expressed her home as a house, and she remembered how his friend, Harry, had troubles in his aunt-and-uncle's house for the first couple of years or so. He knew that perhaps she had been beginning to hate her home because of the experiences she had inside of them. "You can come home with me for this break, I do not mind. And, I do not think any of my relatives would mind if you joined us, either." He did not want Alana to experience anything bad, especially while on a break from her schoolwork here at Hogwarts.

Alana stared at him for a moment, thinking of the possibility in her mind. In disbelief, she questioned, "Are you joking with me?"