Halloween Gift for Hannelore
Gift for: _hannelore
From: flipflop_diva
Title: Today, I Walk Within
Characters: Neville Longbottom. Mention of Pomona Sprout.
Rating: G
Summary: Neville Longbottom hated venturing into the Forbidden Forest. But on All Hallow's Eve, he would make an exception.
Notes: Thank you to the mods for hosting this awesome fest! It's one of my favorites of every year, and I get so excited each time signups go up! Also thank you to Avi/flyingharmony for her wonderful beta skills and her general awesomeness in life. And _hannelore, I hope you enjoy!
Neville hated going into the Forbidden Forest. Not because it was dark and creepy - it was, but he could deal with that. He hated going into the forest because of the feelings it always provoked in him when he was there.
A sense of despair, of hopelessness, a feeling that it was never going to be okay again.
But he couldn’t let that stop him. Not today.
Professor Sprout had promised him it would work. She said it had never failed if you did it on All Hallow’s Eve. Neville believed her.
So he waited, heart thudding, hands slick with sweat, until the clock struck eleven, and then he took off, straight into the forest without a backward glance.
The directions were easy to follow. He found the clearing, bordered by the tallest trees he’d ever seen, without a single misstep.
And then he waited, until midnight, to say the words.
At first he thought it failed. At first there was nothing.
But then a shimmer, a shift in the light.
Neville choked down a sob at the sight that even death couldn’t change. The ghost moved closer, and Neville smiled.
“Hello, Gran,” he said. “Nice to see you again.”