Nellie Longbottom and the Failed Warning (DEC 2.0)
Title: Nellie Longbottom and the Failed Warning
Summary: Nellie overhears Malfoy tell his cronies that he plans to catch Harry and Co. in the act of sneaking out a dragon from the castle. This is an AU tag to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (in particular chapters 14 and 15).
Fandom: Harry Potter.
Characters Neville Longbottom as his female counterpart, Ron Weasley, Madam Pomfey, Hagrid, and Professor McGonagall
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Word Count: 1,227
Disclaimer: Rowling owns the magical world of HP. I’m just playing in her sandpit.
A/N: So I'm back into writing what with NaNo getting my creative juices flowing. This is based on a challenge from
hh_sugarquill: genderswapped sidekick. I chose Neville ;)
“Potter, Weasel, and the Mudblood definitely have got a dragon around here and they are sneaking it out of Hogwarts via the tallest tower tonight.
I am going to catch them in the act. I can’t wait to see their faces when they get detention and I will have the pleasure of knowing that I was the one who caught them red-handed…” I heard Malfoy tell his cronies as they passed me on their way out of the Great Hall after supper.
My heart stopped. I knew that I had to warn Harry, Ron, and Hermione that Malfoy was planning to catch them doing something with a dragon. A dragon! What were they doing with a dragon if it were true? I had no idea what… but that did not matter. I knew that I had to repay Harry for saving my remembrall from Malfoy. Besides Hermione was my roommate and she was nice enough to help me with my homework. It was the least that I could do.
I run up to the Gryffindor common room. In my haste to get to inside, I was barely muttered the password but the Fat Lady was nice enough to accept it and let me through. I glanced around the common room but I did not see any of the trio. I remembered that Ron was in the Hospital Wing getting treated for some mysterious injury to his hand so it was possible that Harry and Hermione had gone there after supper to visit him before curfew.
I headed down to the Hospital Wing. Fortunately, Madam Pomfrey was in a good mood and let me in to see Ron who wasn’t yet asleep. I did not see Harry or Hermione by his bedside. They probably must have left some time earlier.
He sat up in his bed as he saw me approach him.
“Nellie, what are you doing here?”
Suddenly, I felt nervous. Here I was about to intrude in their business. What if Ron did not want to tell me what they were up to? Then I remembered what Malfoy had said and I knew that I was the one who needed to let Harry and Hermione know about what he was up to. The thing was that I did not know where they were or what they were up to. Ron was the only one who could tell me that.
“I…I heard Malfoy mention…” I stuttered out.
“Nellie, come on and just spit it out!” Ron spoke a little louder than he meant to. His shout drew Madam Pomfey’s attention who then walked out of her little office to see what the fuss was about.
Ron, possibly noting how nervous I was, called out to her. “We’re fine Madam Pomfey. Nellie, here was just trying to tell me a story that happened earlier today in class.”
Giving us a frowning look, she turned and walked back into her office.
“Well?” Ron hissed at me.
“IheardMalfoysaythatyouhadadragonandheisplanningtocatchyouguysintheact.” I said in one breath.
“What?” Ron questioned.
Taking a deep breath, I repeated myself. “I heard Malfoy say that you had a dragon and he is planning to catch you guys in the act.”
Ron’s face went white and he grabbed my hand. “Nellie, you have to go and warn them.” He looked towards the window where dusk was falling, “Harry and Hermione are at Hagrid’s. It is his dragon. They should still be there if you hurry. ”
I nodded. I did not have much time to get to Hagrid’s.
I said my goodbyes to Ron and quickly left the Hospital Wing, running towards the grounds.
Thirty minutes later, I was banging on Hagrid’s hut door. I was gasping, out of breath. “HARRY! Hermione!” I tried to yell but all that came out was a squeaky yell. But Hagrid opened the door for me anyway.
“Nellie Longbottom? What are you doing here at this time of the evening?” He asked me, frowning.
“Ron sent me to find Harry and Hermione.”
Still frowning at me, Hagrid said. “I don’t know where they are. Aren’t they with him in the Hospital Wing?”
I shook my head furiously. “Hagrid, I don’t have time for all this-I know about the dragon and the mission.”
Hagrid seemed to deflate in front of me and he started to sob huge tears.
“Oh. They took my baby Norbert. My baby.” He cried and cried.
My heart softened at the sight. I reached up and patted his huge arm. “There, there. It will be alright.”
“Oh Nellie!” Hagrid sobbed and bent down picking me up to cuddle. I continued patting him as the huge tear drops rained down my face. I tried to avoid getting them into my mouth but I wasn’t so successful.
Finally after a few minutes of me calming him down, Hagrid calmed down but he continued to cuddle me, rocking from side to side.
“Um Hagrid?” I timidly asked. I certainly didn’t want him to start sobbing on me again-I had enough of salty rain to last a lifetime.
“hmm, Nellie?” He mumbled as he continued his rocking motion.
“I really do need to find Harry and Hermione.” I said plainly. “It is…It is about your baby dragon. Norbert, I mean. I need to warn them that Malfoy knows about the mission.”
At my statement, Hagrid gasped and I find myself falling to the ground and hit it hard.
“Ow.” I groaned.
“Oh I am sorry, Nellie.” Hagrid said as he bent to help me stand up. “You had better go and warn them, it is dark already. They are probably still on the tallest tower in the castle. GO!”
With that he pushed me out the door.
My interlude with Hagrid took longer than I thought as it was pitch black outside already and the temperature had dropped quite drastically. I was shivering with cold as I reached the castle doors.
I sighed with relief as I got into the warm castle but there was no time to waste. A thought went through my mind that I was way passed curfew and I was going to get into trouble if I got caught. But my friends were much more important-I had to warn them about Malfoy.
The problem was that Filch and Mrs. Norris were patrolling the corridors. I started to make my way to the tallest tower, occasionally ducking into the dark shadows when I would hear Filch coming towards me.
I was almost there when I heard “Hem, Hem”. I slowly turned around to see Professor McGonagall standing there staring sternly at me with her arms crossed over her chest.
“What are you doing out of bed, Ms. Longbottom if you don’t mind my asking?”
I felt my face turn bright red. I hadn’t thought of coming up with an excuse in case I was caught being out of bed.
It must have showed on my face because Professor McGonagall frowned and said, “Come with me Ms. Longbottom. We will discuss this in my office.”
I had no choice but to follow her. I could only hope that Harry and Hermione had gotten Baby Norbert away in time. I could not help but regret that I failed in warning them about Malfoy.
This entry was originally posted at http://pinkphoenix1985.dreamwidth.org/921009.html. Please comment there using OpenID.
Summary: Nellie overhears Malfoy tell his cronies that he plans to catch Harry and Co. in the act of sneaking out a dragon from the castle. This is an AU tag to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (in particular chapters 14 and 15).
Fandom: Harry Potter.
Characters Neville Longbottom as his female counterpart, Ron Weasley, Madam Pomfey, Hagrid, and Professor McGonagall
Rating/Warnings: PG-13
Word Count: 1,227
Disclaimer: Rowling owns the magical world of HP. I’m just playing in her sandpit.
A/N: So I'm back into writing what with NaNo getting my creative juices flowing. This is based on a challenge from
hh_sugarquill: genderswapped sidekick. I chose Neville ;)
“Potter, Weasel, and the Mudblood definitely have got a dragon around here and they are sneaking it out of Hogwarts via the tallest tower tonight.
I am going to catch them in the act. I can’t wait to see their faces when they get detention and I will have the pleasure of knowing that I was the one who caught them red-handed…” I heard Malfoy tell his cronies as they passed me on their way out of the Great Hall after supper.
My heart stopped. I knew that I had to warn Harry, Ron, and Hermione that Malfoy was planning to catch them doing something with a dragon. A dragon! What were they doing with a dragon if it were true? I had no idea what… but that did not matter. I knew that I had to repay Harry for saving my remembrall from Malfoy. Besides Hermione was my roommate and she was nice enough to help me with my homework. It was the least that I could do.
I run up to the Gryffindor common room. In my haste to get to inside, I was barely muttered the password but the Fat Lady was nice enough to accept it and let me through. I glanced around the common room but I did not see any of the trio. I remembered that Ron was in the Hospital Wing getting treated for some mysterious injury to his hand so it was possible that Harry and Hermione had gone there after supper to visit him before curfew.
I headed down to the Hospital Wing. Fortunately, Madam Pomfrey was in a good mood and let me in to see Ron who wasn’t yet asleep. I did not see Harry or Hermione by his bedside. They probably must have left some time earlier.
He sat up in his bed as he saw me approach him.
“Nellie, what are you doing here?”
Suddenly, I felt nervous. Here I was about to intrude in their business. What if Ron did not want to tell me what they were up to? Then I remembered what Malfoy had said and I knew that I was the one who needed to let Harry and Hermione know about what he was up to. The thing was that I did not know where they were or what they were up to. Ron was the only one who could tell me that.
“I…I heard Malfoy mention…” I stuttered out.
“Nellie, come on and just spit it out!” Ron spoke a little louder than he meant to. His shout drew Madam Pomfey’s attention who then walked out of her little office to see what the fuss was about.
Ron, possibly noting how nervous I was, called out to her. “We’re fine Madam Pomfey. Nellie, here was just trying to tell me a story that happened earlier today in class.”
Giving us a frowning look, she turned and walked back into her office.
“Well?” Ron hissed at me.
“IheardMalfoysaythatyouhadadragonandheisplanningtocatchyouguysintheact.” I said in one breath.
“What?” Ron questioned.
Taking a deep breath, I repeated myself. “I heard Malfoy say that you had a dragon and he is planning to catch you guys in the act.”
Ron’s face went white and he grabbed my hand. “Nellie, you have to go and warn them.” He looked towards the window where dusk was falling, “Harry and Hermione are at Hagrid’s. It is his dragon. They should still be there if you hurry. ”
I nodded. I did not have much time to get to Hagrid’s.
I said my goodbyes to Ron and quickly left the Hospital Wing, running towards the grounds.
Thirty minutes later, I was banging on Hagrid’s hut door. I was gasping, out of breath. “HARRY! Hermione!” I tried to yell but all that came out was a squeaky yell. But Hagrid opened the door for me anyway.
“Nellie Longbottom? What are you doing here at this time of the evening?” He asked me, frowning.
“Ron sent me to find Harry and Hermione.”
Still frowning at me, Hagrid said. “I don’t know where they are. Aren’t they with him in the Hospital Wing?”
I shook my head furiously. “Hagrid, I don’t have time for all this-I know about the dragon and the mission.”
Hagrid seemed to deflate in front of me and he started to sob huge tears.
“Oh. They took my baby Norbert. My baby.” He cried and cried.
My heart softened at the sight. I reached up and patted his huge arm. “There, there. It will be alright.”
“Oh Nellie!” Hagrid sobbed and bent down picking me up to cuddle. I continued patting him as the huge tear drops rained down my face. I tried to avoid getting them into my mouth but I wasn’t so successful.
Finally after a few minutes of me calming him down, Hagrid calmed down but he continued to cuddle me, rocking from side to side.
“Um Hagrid?” I timidly asked. I certainly didn’t want him to start sobbing on me again-I had enough of salty rain to last a lifetime.
“hmm, Nellie?” He mumbled as he continued his rocking motion.
“I really do need to find Harry and Hermione.” I said plainly. “It is…It is about your baby dragon. Norbert, I mean. I need to warn them that Malfoy knows about the mission.”
At my statement, Hagrid gasped and I find myself falling to the ground and hit it hard.
“Ow.” I groaned.
“Oh I am sorry, Nellie.” Hagrid said as he bent to help me stand up. “You had better go and warn them, it is dark already. They are probably still on the tallest tower in the castle. GO!”
With that he pushed me out the door.
My interlude with Hagrid took longer than I thought as it was pitch black outside already and the temperature had dropped quite drastically. I was shivering with cold as I reached the castle doors.
I sighed with relief as I got into the warm castle but there was no time to waste. A thought went through my mind that I was way passed curfew and I was going to get into trouble if I got caught. But my friends were much more important-I had to warn them about Malfoy.
The problem was that Filch and Mrs. Norris were patrolling the corridors. I started to make my way to the tallest tower, occasionally ducking into the dark shadows when I would hear Filch coming towards me.
I was almost there when I heard “Hem, Hem”. I slowly turned around to see Professor McGonagall standing there staring sternly at me with her arms crossed over her chest.
“What are you doing out of bed, Ms. Longbottom if you don’t mind my asking?”
I felt my face turn bright red. I hadn’t thought of coming up with an excuse in case I was caught being out of bed.
It must have showed on my face because Professor McGonagall frowned and said, “Come with me Ms. Longbottom. We will discuss this in my office.”
I had no choice but to follow her. I could only hope that Harry and Hermione had gotten Baby Norbert away in time. I could not help but regret that I failed in warning them about Malfoy.
This entry was originally posted at http://pinkphoenix1985.dreamwidth.org/921009.html. Please comment there using OpenID.