Gift to caitieness from sa_brina86
To:caitieness
From: sa_brina86
Title: Kinda a Hero
Summary: Ginny tries to tell Neville that there are many kinds of heroes.
Characters/Pairings: Neville/Ginny
Genre: gen, but can be read as developing something else
Rating/Warnings: PG / no warnings
Medium: fic
Word Count: 979
Disclaimer: I DON’T own anyone or anything. I DON’T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.
He sat in the quiet darkness of the library, hidden in a corner from where he had a good view and would notice every arrival immediately. Although nothing but the occasional turn of a page, Neville was on alert. He always suspected danger lately, but could one blame him? Since Hogwarts had been taken over by the Death Eaters, students had to watch every step, every spoken word if they didn’t want to suffer cruel torture.
Not that the Death Eaters wouldn’t find a way to do that anyway. A sarcastic grimace of a smile lit Neville’s face as he shook his head. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could still remember the little boy whom everyone had believed to be a failure. That boy, having gone through more than all his fellow students knew for the longest time, struggled with almost everything, was scared of everything.
That boy...he sighed. That boy wouldn’t have been able to handle a bunch of Death Eaters. That boy would have needed protection. Neville couldn’t put a finger on what had changed. Maybe he had to thank his friends, maybe Dumbledore’s Army had taught him more than expected. Maybe the trip to the Ministry had awoken some kind of hidden courage, or maybe it had been there all along.
There was no time to go further into the topic and with a rush of concern, Neville realised he had been drifting off, had stopped paying attention. The fine hair at the back of his neck stood on alert as he listened closely. There was someone, he realised quickly, and cursed himself for being so reckless. Quickly, he shoved his books aside, as those weren’t exactly on the Death Eaters’ approved literature list.
“No worries, Neville, it’s just me,” a familiar voice whispered then. It caused a rush of relief that drew a nervous sigh from his lips, along with an awkward chuckle. He looked up to meet Ginny’s gaze as she made her way over to him and slid onto the chair at the other side of his table.
And as soon as it had appeared, his relief was wiped away again. Ginny Weasley was a year younger than him, but what he saw in those lovely eyes made her look like she had aged decades during the past couple of weeks. Sometimes, when he watched her, Neville wondered how she managed to keep going without losing her mind completely.
“Do I have something on my face?” she asked then, breaking the silence with a hint of teasing in her voice.
Neville could feel his cheeks heating up instantly. He shook his head. For a moment, he tried to come up with an excuse but eventually changed his mind and decided to aim for honesty instead. “You look tired,” he stated quietly. “Not that anyone can blame you, of course. What you’re going through…”
“Is exactly what everyone else has to deal with as well,” she interrupted, firm yet friendly.
Nevill rubbed the back of his head. “Um...yes, sure, but...what about…”
What about Harry?, he wanted to ask. He knew their friend had broken up with her to keep Ginny safe. He had left, along with Ginny’s best friend Hermione and her brother Ron: another obstacle she had to deal with. Along with many, many more. But the look she gave him in response made him shut his mouth again.
“It’s hard, yes,” she agreed. “But doesn’t that count for all of us?” She paused, giving him a long, thoughtful look before she added, “What about you?”
“Me?” He looked confused.
Ginny nodded, the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth now. “Yes, you, Neville. Of course I wouldn’t expect you to realise how rough the last couple of weeks and months have been for you, considering how busy you’ve been with keeping everyone safe.”
At this point, Neville felt like his face had been set on fire. Awkwardly, he toyed with the cover of a book, shrugging. “Well, I’m not really good at it as it seems.”
“Excuse me?” Ginny’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Did you forget how many times you bailed others out when they got in trouble? How many times you took punishment for them to keep the younger ones safe?”
“It’s what had to be done.” Neville shrugged again. “I mean...they’re little, aren’t they? I remember what it was like for me. Back then. I was scared, so often I had no idea what to do. Then imagine those monsters had been around...I don’t even want to imagine that. They must be scared out of their minds. If covering for the younger ones prevents them from suffering more than necessary in our current situation, I’m gladly doing it.” He cleared his throat. “Don’t look at me as if I was a hero, Ginny. Harry, Hermione, Ron...those are heroes. They’re out there, all by themselves, trying to stop you-know-who.”
“So?” Ginny shook her head at him. “Neville, not everyone can be out there. Not everyone can be a member of the Order, fighting Death Eaters. There have to be people like us who keep going. People like you who protect those that cannot protect themselves. There are many different kinds of heroes, Neville. Maybe one day, you’ll see that as well.”
With those words, she placed her hands upon his, giving them a gentle squeeze. Neville’s face still felt like it was burning, but no longer did he feel awkward. Ginny wasn’t teasing, wasn’t lying to keep him motivated either. Her words touched him, but he knew very well a compliment like that from someone like her wasn’t the reason why he did what he did. It was the right thing, and even Voldemort himself wouldn’t intimidate him enough to back off and hide in the shadows anymore.
Sabrina// Hufflepuff // 33 Points
From: sa_brina86
Title: Kinda a Hero
Summary: Ginny tries to tell Neville that there are many kinds of heroes.
Characters/Pairings: Neville/Ginny
Genre: gen, but can be read as developing something else
Rating/Warnings: PG / no warnings
Medium: fic
Word Count: 979
Disclaimer: I DON’T own anyone or anything. I DON’T own the characters. The fanfic is written for fun, NOT for profit.
He sat in the quiet darkness of the library, hidden in a corner from where he had a good view and would notice every arrival immediately. Although nothing but the occasional turn of a page, Neville was on alert. He always suspected danger lately, but could one blame him? Since Hogwarts had been taken over by the Death Eaters, students had to watch every step, every spoken word if they didn’t want to suffer cruel torture.
Not that the Death Eaters wouldn’t find a way to do that anyway. A sarcastic grimace of a smile lit Neville’s face as he shook his head. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could still remember the little boy whom everyone had believed to be a failure. That boy, having gone through more than all his fellow students knew for the longest time, struggled with almost everything, was scared of everything.
That boy...he sighed. That boy wouldn’t have been able to handle a bunch of Death Eaters. That boy would have needed protection. Neville couldn’t put a finger on what had changed. Maybe he had to thank his friends, maybe Dumbledore’s Army had taught him more than expected. Maybe the trip to the Ministry had awoken some kind of hidden courage, or maybe it had been there all along.
There was no time to go further into the topic and with a rush of concern, Neville realised he had been drifting off, had stopped paying attention. The fine hair at the back of his neck stood on alert as he listened closely. There was someone, he realised quickly, and cursed himself for being so reckless. Quickly, he shoved his books aside, as those weren’t exactly on the Death Eaters’ approved literature list.
“No worries, Neville, it’s just me,” a familiar voice whispered then. It caused a rush of relief that drew a nervous sigh from his lips, along with an awkward chuckle. He looked up to meet Ginny’s gaze as she made her way over to him and slid onto the chair at the other side of his table.
And as soon as it had appeared, his relief was wiped away again. Ginny Weasley was a year younger than him, but what he saw in those lovely eyes made her look like she had aged decades during the past couple of weeks. Sometimes, when he watched her, Neville wondered how she managed to keep going without losing her mind completely.
“Do I have something on my face?” she asked then, breaking the silence with a hint of teasing in her voice.
Neville could feel his cheeks heating up instantly. He shook his head. For a moment, he tried to come up with an excuse but eventually changed his mind and decided to aim for honesty instead. “You look tired,” he stated quietly. “Not that anyone can blame you, of course. What you’re going through…”
“Is exactly what everyone else has to deal with as well,” she interrupted, firm yet friendly.
Nevill rubbed the back of his head. “Um...yes, sure, but...what about…”
What about Harry?, he wanted to ask. He knew their friend had broken up with her to keep Ginny safe. He had left, along with Ginny’s best friend Hermione and her brother Ron: another obstacle she had to deal with. Along with many, many more. But the look she gave him in response made him shut his mouth again.
“It’s hard, yes,” she agreed. “But doesn’t that count for all of us?” She paused, giving him a long, thoughtful look before she added, “What about you?”
“Me?” He looked confused.
Ginny nodded, the hint of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth now. “Yes, you, Neville. Of course I wouldn’t expect you to realise how rough the last couple of weeks and months have been for you, considering how busy you’ve been with keeping everyone safe.”
At this point, Neville felt like his face had been set on fire. Awkwardly, he toyed with the cover of a book, shrugging. “Well, I’m not really good at it as it seems.”
“Excuse me?” Ginny’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Did you forget how many times you bailed others out when they got in trouble? How many times you took punishment for them to keep the younger ones safe?”
“It’s what had to be done.” Neville shrugged again. “I mean...they’re little, aren’t they? I remember what it was like for me. Back then. I was scared, so often I had no idea what to do. Then imagine those monsters had been around...I don’t even want to imagine that. They must be scared out of their minds. If covering for the younger ones prevents them from suffering more than necessary in our current situation, I’m gladly doing it.” He cleared his throat. “Don’t look at me as if I was a hero, Ginny. Harry, Hermione, Ron...those are heroes. They’re out there, all by themselves, trying to stop you-know-who.”
“So?” Ginny shook her head at him. “Neville, not everyone can be out there. Not everyone can be a member of the Order, fighting Death Eaters. There have to be people like us who keep going. People like you who protect those that cannot protect themselves. There are many different kinds of heroes, Neville. Maybe one day, you’ll see that as well.”
With those words, she placed her hands upon his, giving them a gentle squeeze. Neville’s face still felt like it was burning, but no longer did he feel awkward. Ginny wasn’t teasing, wasn’t lying to keep him motivated either. Her words touched him, but he knew very well a compliment like that from someone like her wasn’t the reason why he did what he did. It was the right thing, and even Voldemort himself wouldn’t intimidate him enough to back off and hide in the shadows anymore.
Sabrina// Hufflepuff // 33 Points