Happy Birthday, Professor Longbottom!
Title: Happy Birthday, Professor Longbottom!
Words: 662
Rating: PG
Characters/pairings: Neville and Fawkes Genfic, with mentions of Harry and Professor Sprout
Summary/ Author's Note: I promised kit_the_brave a sequel to What Happens in the Greenhouses Stays in the Greenhouses "someday". I guess today is now "someday" . . . only a bit over two years later. ;) You will need to read that drabble first in order to understand this one.
Thank you to my awesome beta rumpelsnorcack!
Neville wandered around Greenhouse Eight breathing deeply. He loved all of the greenhouses, but Eight was his favorite. All had the same aromas of fresh potting soil, and "natural fertilizer" as Professor Sprout euphemistically called it, and the vibrant smell of fresh, bright, growing things-a unique scent of greenhouses. Neville supposed Eight was his favorite because the steam from the Fire-breathing Snapdragons lent an extra sweetness to the air. Besides, snapdragons, magical or Muggle, had always been his favorite flowers. His grandfather grew both, and Neville's love of gardening and Herbology stemmed from helping his grandfather when he was a child.
Today marked Neville's first trip through the greenhouses since they had become his. He knew they belonged to Hogwarts, not to him, but as Herbology professor, he felt the greenhouses were his in a way they hadn't been before. Professor Sprout had let him grow his own plants and experiment with whatever he wanted once he finished school, in exchange for helping to care for the greenhouses, but he always felt he couldn't take up too much space or do anything too unusual. Those restrictions no longer applied.
Neville wandered over to the corner where the Fire-breathing Snapdragons lived, knelt down, and peeked under the leaves of the middle plant in the back row.
"Hi Fawkes," Neville greeted the egg as always, and continued talking. "I hope you're warm and comfortable in here. I tried to get Harry to take you home, but he said 'it didn't feel right' and he wouldn't do it. Harry said since you'd turned into an egg in here, he thought you'd want to stay here. I don't know as much about you as Harry, so I told him I'd take his word for it. I hope he's right, and we haven't hurt you by leaving you in here. Once Professor Dumbledore died, none of us expected you to come back. I also tried to get Professor Sprout to take you with her, since you returned to save her life, well, my life, too, but she said she thought you'd be happier at Hogwarts, and would go wherever you wanted when you hatched. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you so much before, but Professor Sprout didn't want to bother you, and I felt inclined to agree, but today, I don't know, I just felt I needed to start talking to you."
Neville gently turned Fawkes' egg over as he, or Professor Sprout, had done every day since the Battle of Hogwarts. Now he supposed it would be his job alone.
Neville continued to visit Fawkes' egg every day as he visited all of the greenhouses and prepared his lessons for the fall term. He still had plenty of time, as term was over a month away, but he didn't want to leave anything to chance. Hannah had told him he should stay home on his birthday, but he couldn't make himself miss a day, although he did have a lovely lie-in with his beautiful wife. Neville grinned to himself.
He opened the door to Greenhouse Eight and went straight to Fawkes' egg, greeting him warmly as always, and something extraordinary happened. Neville heard a sound he had never heard before, and a crack appeared in Fawkes' egg. Neville watched with fascination as the crack deepened, spread, and a bald baby bird appeared in the remnants of shell cooing at Neville.
"Fawkes?"
The baby bird cooed, and Neville somehow knew the coo meant yes. Fawkes walked out of the shell remnants towards Neville, and Neville picked him up. Fawkes nuzzled against his fingers, and Neville petted him.
"Are you planning to stay with me?"
Again, Fawkes made the yes coo.
Neville considered pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and Fawkes began trilling. Without knowing how, Neville understood Fawkes' trilling.
Fawkes said, "Happy Birthday, Professor Longbottom!"
With tears in his eyes, Neville gentled nuzzled Fawkes' head with his nose and said, "Call me Neville."
Words: 662
Rating: PG
Characters/pairings: Neville and Fawkes Genfic, with mentions of Harry and Professor Sprout
Summary/ Author's Note: I promised kit_the_brave a sequel to What Happens in the Greenhouses Stays in the Greenhouses "someday". I guess today is now "someday" . . . only a bit over two years later. ;) You will need to read that drabble first in order to understand this one.
Thank you to my awesome beta rumpelsnorcack!
Neville wandered around Greenhouse Eight breathing deeply. He loved all of the greenhouses, but Eight was his favorite. All had the same aromas of fresh potting soil, and "natural fertilizer" as Professor Sprout euphemistically called it, and the vibrant smell of fresh, bright, growing things-a unique scent of greenhouses. Neville supposed Eight was his favorite because the steam from the Fire-breathing Snapdragons lent an extra sweetness to the air. Besides, snapdragons, magical or Muggle, had always been his favorite flowers. His grandfather grew both, and Neville's love of gardening and Herbology stemmed from helping his grandfather when he was a child.
Today marked Neville's first trip through the greenhouses since they had become his. He knew they belonged to Hogwarts, not to him, but as Herbology professor, he felt the greenhouses were his in a way they hadn't been before. Professor Sprout had let him grow his own plants and experiment with whatever he wanted once he finished school, in exchange for helping to care for the greenhouses, but he always felt he couldn't take up too much space or do anything too unusual. Those restrictions no longer applied.
Neville wandered over to the corner where the Fire-breathing Snapdragons lived, knelt down, and peeked under the leaves of the middle plant in the back row.
"Hi Fawkes," Neville greeted the egg as always, and continued talking. "I hope you're warm and comfortable in here. I tried to get Harry to take you home, but he said 'it didn't feel right' and he wouldn't do it. Harry said since you'd turned into an egg in here, he thought you'd want to stay here. I don't know as much about you as Harry, so I told him I'd take his word for it. I hope he's right, and we haven't hurt you by leaving you in here. Once Professor Dumbledore died, none of us expected you to come back. I also tried to get Professor Sprout to take you with her, since you returned to save her life, well, my life, too, but she said she thought you'd be happier at Hogwarts, and would go wherever you wanted when you hatched. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you so much before, but Professor Sprout didn't want to bother you, and I felt inclined to agree, but today, I don't know, I just felt I needed to start talking to you."
Neville gently turned Fawkes' egg over as he, or Professor Sprout, had done every day since the Battle of Hogwarts. Now he supposed it would be his job alone.
Neville continued to visit Fawkes' egg every day as he visited all of the greenhouses and prepared his lessons for the fall term. He still had plenty of time, as term was over a month away, but he didn't want to leave anything to chance. Hannah had told him he should stay home on his birthday, but he couldn't make himself miss a day, although he did have a lovely lie-in with his beautiful wife. Neville grinned to himself.
He opened the door to Greenhouse Eight and went straight to Fawkes' egg, greeting him warmly as always, and something extraordinary happened. Neville heard a sound he had never heard before, and a crack appeared in Fawkes' egg. Neville watched with fascination as the crack deepened, spread, and a bald baby bird appeared in the remnants of shell cooing at Neville.
"Fawkes?"
The baby bird cooed, and Neville somehow knew the coo meant yes. Fawkes walked out of the shell remnants towards Neville, and Neville picked him up. Fawkes nuzzled against his fingers, and Neville petted him.
"Are you planning to stay with me?"
Again, Fawkes made the yes coo.
Neville considered pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and Fawkes began trilling. Without knowing how, Neville understood Fawkes' trilling.
Fawkes said, "Happy Birthday, Professor Longbottom!"
With tears in his eyes, Neville gentled nuzzled Fawkes' head with his nose and said, "Call me Neville."