Twelve Days: Part 7
Summary: On Christmas Day, Neville receives a mysterious gift... Set during DH. A twelve-part serial, plus epilogue. Chapters vary in length from about 500-1000 words. Gen. PG-13.
The Seventh Day
The Gryffindor table was almost deserted when Neville returned from Greenhouse Three. He frowned. It was still early, but not so early that none of his friends would be down yet.
A house-elf scurried past, heading towards the High Table. 'Excuse me!' Neville said. The house-elf stopped dead.
'Master Longbottom, sir?'
'Do you know where the rest of my table is this morning?
The house-elf nodded enthusiastically. 'Tipsy is serving them in the Common Room, Master Longbottom, sir.'
'Thank you.' Neville turned and hurried out of the Great Hall.
--
The great four-poster bed had had its curtains removed and a white tablecloth had been used to cover the mattress. Around the bed sat Ginny, Romilda, Dean, Seamus and the two Creeveys. Behind Dennis, twelve geese were arrayed in three rows of four. They looked a little like a military escort; as Neville stepped into the Common Room the first row began to honk a warning.
'S'all right, geese,' Dennis mumbled through his cereal. The honking ceased.
Neville looked round. Turtle doves were perched on every possible vantage point: on top of picture frames, on the ornaments on the mantelpiece above the fireplace (from the white streaks running down the wall below, obviously a favoured location) and clinging precariously to unlit candlesticks. Every now and then a dove would give a soft coo and launch itself across the room to land on Romilda's shoulders, where she had placed a strategic towel.
'Ah, Neville.' Seamus waved a sausage at him. 'You're just in time. Though we can always get more. Watch out, though, it's a bit unsteady. Maybe we should have taken the mattress off as well.'
'What's going on?'
'Gryffindor revolt. If Professor McGonagall can't eat in the Great Hall, nor will we.'
'I thought that was her choice.'
'Snape banned her.' Ginny spoke for the first time. 'Said he couldn't hear himself think for all the tweeting.'
'I suppose it's only for a few days.'
'That's what Snape said, so he did.' Seamus nodded. 'Until then, here we stay. At least, at mealtimes.'
Neville considered this. 'Where will you sleep?'
Seamus' face fell. Clearly he had not thought of that. 'I'll move back into the dormitory,' he decided. 'Harry Potter's bed for me!' Ginny scowled at him. 'On second thoughts, Ron's nearer the window. I'll have that one.'
'Is there any bacon left?' Neville took a step forward. The three nearest geese broke formation and surrounded him, their wings beating ominously. The other nine swivelled to face his way.
'Don't go near that,' Dennis pointed to the pile of curtains and bedlinen in the corner. 'They're nesting.'
'Nesting?' Rather than take another step and risk being ripped apart by angry geese, Neville stood on tiptoes and leaned forward. One of the geese hissed. Nestling in the fabric folds were a cluster of dull white ovoids. 'Eggs?'
Dennis nodded. 'Six geese a-laying.'
'Seven swans a-swimming!' Romilda exclaimed. 'They'll be at the lake!' She jumped up and ran to the window.
--
There were indeed seven swans swimming backwards and forwards across the lake. Every now and then they detoured towards the shore where Hagrid stood, throwing in wheels of bread that could easily have sunk a fair-sized battleship. It seemed to please the swans, who swallowed the bread greedily.
'Of course,' Ginny murmured. 'Hagrid's a Gryffindor.'
'I didn't know he was still here,' Seamus observed.
'He won't come up to the castle while - well, you know.'
Seamus glanced at her and nodded. 'Yeah. Shame he didn't get those bloody partridges, eh, Neville?' The dig to Neville's ribs was harder than it might have been.
'Oh, right.' Ginny's tone was scornful. 'Because you'd have preferred forty-two swans, eh, Seamus?' Neville saw Seamus jump and knew the dig had been returned with interest.
--
Neville spent most of the day with Professor Sprout, cajoling a furious Alihotsy , which had taken a strong dislike to its new pot, and cataloguing a delivery of Mandrakes. Earmuffs on, he was lost in his work until he felt Sprout tap him on the shoulder and point at the fading light outside. Neville nodded and they left the greenhouse together.
'I could do this for a living,' he said, blowing on his hands in the sudden cold.
Sprout gave him an odd look. 'And you've only just realised that now? It's time you stopped underestimating yourself, Neville. Don't believe everything Augusta says.'
'Gran's all right. Just a bit fierce sometimes.'
Sprout grinned unexpectedly. 'Did Minerva ever tell you about the time your gran came to Hogwarts and hit the Headmaster with her umbrella?'
'No!'
'Oh, yes. Come and help tomorrow and I'll tell you all about it.'
--
On his way back to the Common Room for dinner, and wondering how the mattress would fare if they were having soup, Neville ran into Ginny. She was sitting on the stairs with a face like thunder. He sat down beside her.
'What is it?' he whispered. 'News about Harry?'
She shook her head. 'I wish. I hate this waiting. I've got to go and see Amycus Carrow tomorrow after breakfast, that's all.'
'Don't go,' Neville said at once.
'I can't. Everyone will be punished if I don't turn up.'
'Snape won't let anything really bad happen. You're a Pureblood.'
'Snape's at the Ministry.' Ginny bit her lip. 'Umbridge got wind of what's going on here and summoned him. That's what worries me. He's not expected back till tomorrow night.'
--
part six
part eight
The Seventh Day
The Gryffindor table was almost deserted when Neville returned from Greenhouse Three. He frowned. It was still early, but not so early that none of his friends would be down yet.
A house-elf scurried past, heading towards the High Table. 'Excuse me!' Neville said. The house-elf stopped dead.
'Master Longbottom, sir?'
'Do you know where the rest of my table is this morning?
The house-elf nodded enthusiastically. 'Tipsy is serving them in the Common Room, Master Longbottom, sir.'
'Thank you.' Neville turned and hurried out of the Great Hall.
--
The great four-poster bed had had its curtains removed and a white tablecloth had been used to cover the mattress. Around the bed sat Ginny, Romilda, Dean, Seamus and the two Creeveys. Behind Dennis, twelve geese were arrayed in three rows of four. They looked a little like a military escort; as Neville stepped into the Common Room the first row began to honk a warning.
'S'all right, geese,' Dennis mumbled through his cereal. The honking ceased.
Neville looked round. Turtle doves were perched on every possible vantage point: on top of picture frames, on the ornaments on the mantelpiece above the fireplace (from the white streaks running down the wall below, obviously a favoured location) and clinging precariously to unlit candlesticks. Every now and then a dove would give a soft coo and launch itself across the room to land on Romilda's shoulders, where she had placed a strategic towel.
'Ah, Neville.' Seamus waved a sausage at him. 'You're just in time. Though we can always get more. Watch out, though, it's a bit unsteady. Maybe we should have taken the mattress off as well.'
'What's going on?'
'Gryffindor revolt. If Professor McGonagall can't eat in the Great Hall, nor will we.'
'I thought that was her choice.'
'Snape banned her.' Ginny spoke for the first time. 'Said he couldn't hear himself think for all the tweeting.'
'I suppose it's only for a few days.'
'That's what Snape said, so he did.' Seamus nodded. 'Until then, here we stay. At least, at mealtimes.'
Neville considered this. 'Where will you sleep?'
Seamus' face fell. Clearly he had not thought of that. 'I'll move back into the dormitory,' he decided. 'Harry Potter's bed for me!' Ginny scowled at him. 'On second thoughts, Ron's nearer the window. I'll have that one.'
'Is there any bacon left?' Neville took a step forward. The three nearest geese broke formation and surrounded him, their wings beating ominously. The other nine swivelled to face his way.
'Don't go near that,' Dennis pointed to the pile of curtains and bedlinen in the corner. 'They're nesting.'
'Nesting?' Rather than take another step and risk being ripped apart by angry geese, Neville stood on tiptoes and leaned forward. One of the geese hissed. Nestling in the fabric folds were a cluster of dull white ovoids. 'Eggs?'
Dennis nodded. 'Six geese a-laying.'
'Seven swans a-swimming!' Romilda exclaimed. 'They'll be at the lake!' She jumped up and ran to the window.
--
There were indeed seven swans swimming backwards and forwards across the lake. Every now and then they detoured towards the shore where Hagrid stood, throwing in wheels of bread that could easily have sunk a fair-sized battleship. It seemed to please the swans, who swallowed the bread greedily.
'Of course,' Ginny murmured. 'Hagrid's a Gryffindor.'
'I didn't know he was still here,' Seamus observed.
'He won't come up to the castle while - well, you know.'
Seamus glanced at her and nodded. 'Yeah. Shame he didn't get those bloody partridges, eh, Neville?' The dig to Neville's ribs was harder than it might have been.
'Oh, right.' Ginny's tone was scornful. 'Because you'd have preferred forty-two swans, eh, Seamus?' Neville saw Seamus jump and knew the dig had been returned with interest.
--
Neville spent most of the day with Professor Sprout, cajoling a furious Alihotsy , which had taken a strong dislike to its new pot, and cataloguing a delivery of Mandrakes. Earmuffs on, he was lost in his work until he felt Sprout tap him on the shoulder and point at the fading light outside. Neville nodded and they left the greenhouse together.
'I could do this for a living,' he said, blowing on his hands in the sudden cold.
Sprout gave him an odd look. 'And you've only just realised that now? It's time you stopped underestimating yourself, Neville. Don't believe everything Augusta says.'
'Gran's all right. Just a bit fierce sometimes.'
Sprout grinned unexpectedly. 'Did Minerva ever tell you about the time your gran came to Hogwarts and hit the Headmaster with her umbrella?'
'No!'
'Oh, yes. Come and help tomorrow and I'll tell you all about it.'
--
On his way back to the Common Room for dinner, and wondering how the mattress would fare if they were having soup, Neville ran into Ginny. She was sitting on the stairs with a face like thunder. He sat down beside her.
'What is it?' he whispered. 'News about Harry?'
She shook her head. 'I wish. I hate this waiting. I've got to go and see Amycus Carrow tomorrow after breakfast, that's all.'
'Don't go,' Neville said at once.
'I can't. Everyone will be punished if I don't turn up.'
'Snape won't let anything really bad happen. You're a Pureblood.'
'Snape's at the Ministry.' Ginny bit her lip. 'Umbridge got wind of what's going on here and summoned him. That's what worries me. He's not expected back till tomorrow night.'
--
part six
part eight