Date: 30 May 1998
Characters: Neville Longbottom, Eloise Midgen
Location: Hogwarts, by the lake
Status: Private
Summary: Neville and Eloise meet for lunch and to let Trevor and Marmite play.
Completion: Complete
This time, he didn't forget the blanket. It rested on the cot beside him, neatly folded, right there for when he left for his lunch with Eloise. There would be no soggy wet patches or grass stains on their robes this time around. Neville smiled, giving the blanket a little pat before reaching beneath his cot for Trevor.
Trevor's home since the battle was a small glass terrarium, provided by the Room of Requirement when Neville had first gone into hiding from the Carrows. His original terrarium, twice as large and, for a toad, much more luxurious, had been destroyed along with much of Gryffindor Tower. Trevor grudgingly accepted his new quarters, but as time passed and things didn't improve he'd been giving Neville the amphibian version of the cold shoulder, retreating into his terra cotta pot whenever Neville came near, making it clear he didn't want company.
Removing the lid, Neville reached inside and grabbed Trevor, tucking him securely into his robe pocket. "We're going outside today," he told his familiar. "Marmite will be there. You'll get to play. Won't that be nice?"
Picking up the blanket, Neville left the Hufflepuff common room and headed outdoors toward the lake, where he was supposed to meet Eloise for lunch. The day was cloudy but warm, perfect for two toads at play.
He saw that El had arrived before him and waved his arm to catch her attention. Trevor, peeking from Neville's pocket, saw her as well. He slipped out a moment later, hopping toward the lakeshore and his friend as fast as his legs could carry him. Neville followed, smiling.
"I haven't seen him this excited in weeks," Neville told Eloise as he approached. "He's missed being outdoors." Unfolding the blanket, he spread it over the grass and straightened to give her a hug. "How have you been? Holding up all right?"