The Boy Who Had a Choice (D.M)

Part 10

I made it 6 whole days before I'd had enough of my parents. As soon as the screaming matches had started again, I'd grabbed my stuff and headed straight for Lola's. Her family didn't even flinch as I walked through their fireplace. Her mum took one look at my tear stained face and pulled me in for a tight hug and drew me a hot bath before filling me up with delicious food.  I only stayed with them all for 10 day, they'd finished their Diwali celebrations before I'd arrived but still went out of their way to give me a nice Christmas, exchanging small gifts and enjoying a nice meal together. It was perfect, Lola's younger siblings had squealed with excitement at the pretend wands I'd got them to practice their spells with ready for when they came to Hogwarts.

I'd decided to head back to school early wanting to get a head start on my exam prep and to avoid overstaying my welcome. Her mum and dad had begged me to stay, insisting there was no such thing as I was part of their family, but I politely thanked them all, giving them my love before going back to Hogwarts.

It was eerily quiet as I strolled through the corridors, there were a few students who hadn't gone home for the holidays, but it was nothing compared to the usual chaos that lived in these hallways. I spotted Neville Longbottom sat on his own at one of the tables in the great hall and went to join him.

"Hey!" I said, smiling at him as I sat down opposite him.

"Oh, hi Olivia," I saw a blush creep up his neck as I realised this was probably the first conversation we'd ever had.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"Oh no not at all!" He passed a plate full of food towards me, "did you not go home for Christmas either?"

"I did, but I've come back early." He just nodded at me as we dug into our meals.

I honestly couldn't believe I'd let myself go nearly 6 years without speaking to Neville before, the boy was hilarious. We'd become fast friends, spending every day of the last two weeks of the holidays together. He was a genius in herbology, which was brilliant because it was my weakest subject and I'd begged him to help me.

"Okay, fine, I will help you with Herbology, but only if you help me in Transfiguration." I grinned at him holding out my hand.

"Deal," I said as he took my hand in his, giving it a small shake.

~

"I just can't do it," he sighed as he'd failed to turn a feather into a bird for the third time.

"You're overthinking it too much, you've got it, just take a deep breath and try again!" I explained, giving him an encouraging smile.

"Let me see you do it again." I sighed and waved my wand in the air turning the feather into a bird, then a cat before back into a feather again. "Show off," he muttered, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Come on, you can do it you just need to believe in yourself." He just stared at me, raising his eyebrows.

"Easy for you to say, you're one of the most powerful witches in the school!"

"You are just as powerful; don't you dare doubt that for a second. There is nothing stopping you being better than me even. You have to be brave Neville; you can't live your life in fear of everything"

"How do you do it? How do you have so much confidence with everything?" I shrugged at him.

"Fake it until you make it is what I always tell Lola, you're never going to make other people think you're the best if you don't even believe it yourself." He smiled his goofiest grin at me. "What?"