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in
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FIC: Falling Short (Neville, Gen)
Title: Falling Short
Author: shiiki
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Neville Longbottom, Augusta Longbottom, Gen
Fandom: Harry Potter
Word Count: 1,022
Summary: Prefect? The thought hadn't crossed his mind. Now he felt his cheeks burn. Here was yet another way he'd failed to match up. A Neville-centred missing moment from OotP, for lyras.
The owl was late this year. Usually Hogwarts had their booklists sent out by Neville's birthday, giving students a month to gather their equipment for school. As his fifteenth birthday passed without a sign of the official-looking post owl, Neville couldn't help feeling worried. The Daily Prophet had been full of sly jibes at Dumbledore and Harry, to the point where Gran had cancelled their subscription from August onwards.
'I hope you don't believe a word of this rubbish they're printing,' she had said sternly when she caught him poring over the paper.
Neville didn't. As little as he wished to believe that You-Know-Who might be back, he knew Harry, who'd always been decent to him. Neville was certain that Harry wouldn't lie about something as terrible as that.
With all the Prophet was saying about Dumbledore going senile and Harry being a nasty, attention-seeking liar, Neville couldn't shake the feeling that something might be happening to Hogwarts, which would explain the delay in the letters.
It was a relief when the owl finally arrived two weeks before September, the form letter reminding them that term on September first bearing the heading that proclaimed Albus Dumbledore as headmaster. The fifth-year booklist was short: he was only required to purchase two books that hadn't been on his previous lists. One was the standard Miranda Goshawk for his level, the other was a title Neville didn't recognise. From the looks of it, they had a new Defence teacher.
Gran was surprisingly curious about this year's letter. She hovered over him when he slit open the envelope and even asked to read it, which she hadn't done since his first-ever Hogwarts letter. He attributed this to her concern over Dumbledore, as he was sure Gran was quite as anxious as him for proper news.
It was only when he overheard a Floo conversation between Gran and Great-Aunt Enid that he realised that Gran might have had something completely different on her mind.
He hadn't meant to eavesdrop; he was just passing from the garden with a pot of soil for his Mimbulus Mimbletonia when Harry's name drifted out.
'... being in Harry Potter's year. Still, Frank was a prefect, you know, and Head Boy after that.'
Prefect? The thought hadn't crossed his mind. Now he felt his cheeks burn. Here was yet another way he'd failed to match up.
'Neville's a good boy, Gussie.'
'Of course, of course.' Gran sighed. 'And I doubt the notion even crossed his mind. Not a sign that he expected the letter to contain anything other than the usual.'
Of course he hadn't expected anything out of the ordinary. It had been obvious from the beginning that of all the Gryffindors, he would be the last choice. There hadn't been any point thinking about it.
He supposed Harry must be the Gryffindor prefect this year -- no surprises there. Hermione would likely be his counterpart. Well, they deserved it. There was no point in he, Neville, feeling disappointed. Yet his mind imagined, just briefly, receiving a badge in the mail and seeing for once a look of pride on Gran's face instead of that familiar, tolerant expression that always made him feel like a second-best, washed out imitation of his father.
'I had it from old Cornell, though -- he's on the school board, you know -- the Potter boy isn't the Gryffindor prefect, though.'
'Well, who, then? I would have thought Dumbledore ...'
'A Weasley, apparently!'
Ron? In his surprise, the pot slipped from Neville's fingers and made a loud crash on the floor. There was a pause in the conversation. Neville winced -- Gran would know for sure he'd been listening. That would mean a lecture on eavesdropping for certain.
'The Weasleys are a good family,' said Gran finally. 'Surprising news, but still understandable.'
'I wonder why, though ... perhaps there's some truth in what they're saying ...'
'I highly doubt it.' Gran's voice became very firm. 'Do not let yourself be lulled into a false sense of security, Enid.'
'Well, I just thought it very odd. Anyway, I'd love to stay and chat, Gussie, but I've a kettle on the boil and Algie's calling -- yes, Algie, I'm coming! Give Neville our love, won't you?'
Gran said her goodbyes and then called out to him. 'Clean up the mess, Neville, and then come in.'
With a sigh, he fetched a broom and quickly swept up the shards of pottery and soil. He left the pile of dirt in a corner and entered the room.
'Sorry, Gran,' he said right away, 'I didn't mean to overhear.'
'How much did you hear?'
'Just -- about Harry ...' Gran waited. '... and the bit about prefects,' Neville finished miserably.
Gran pursed her lips and considered him for a while. Finally, she said, 'Neville, I hope you don't feel as though I'm faulting you in any way for failing to become a prefect.'
Neville squirmed. Gran never actually blamed him outright, but knowing that he could never live up to her expectations still weighed heavily on him. 'No, Gran,' he said quietly.
'I understand that there is some stiff competition for the position in your year. The Potter boy has quite the impressive record, and yet ... I must say I'm rather surprised by Enid's news, if it's true.'
Neville wondered what it would have been like if he had somehow got the badge. Gran might be satisfied at last ... but surely other people would wonder: how had he beat Harry Potter to it? Just as Gran was doing now. It had even been his own initial reaction on learning that Ron had got the badge. He felt a surge of guilt and sympathy for Ron.
'Ron's a decent bloke,' he told Gran. 'Harry's a good friend, but Ron gets along better with everyone.'
Gran looked at him in surprise. 'I see,' she said. For a moment a faraway look came into her eyes. When it cleared, she briskly changed the subject to the school supplies Neville would need for the coming term. They didn't mention the matter of prefects for the rest of the summer.
Author: shiiki
Rating: G
Characters/Pairings: Neville Longbottom, Augusta Longbottom, Gen
Fandom: Harry Potter
Word Count: 1,022
Summary: Prefect? The thought hadn't crossed his mind. Now he felt his cheeks burn. Here was yet another way he'd failed to match up. A Neville-centred missing moment from OotP, for lyras.
The owl was late this year. Usually Hogwarts had their booklists sent out by Neville's birthday, giving students a month to gather their equipment for school. As his fifteenth birthday passed without a sign of the official-looking post owl, Neville couldn't help feeling worried. The Daily Prophet had been full of sly jibes at Dumbledore and Harry, to the point where Gran had cancelled their subscription from August onwards.
'I hope you don't believe a word of this rubbish they're printing,' she had said sternly when she caught him poring over the paper.
Neville didn't. As little as he wished to believe that You-Know-Who might be back, he knew Harry, who'd always been decent to him. Neville was certain that Harry wouldn't lie about something as terrible as that.
With all the Prophet was saying about Dumbledore going senile and Harry being a nasty, attention-seeking liar, Neville couldn't shake the feeling that something might be happening to Hogwarts, which would explain the delay in the letters.
It was a relief when the owl finally arrived two weeks before September, the form letter reminding them that term on September first bearing the heading that proclaimed Albus Dumbledore as headmaster. The fifth-year booklist was short: he was only required to purchase two books that hadn't been on his previous lists. One was the standard Miranda Goshawk for his level, the other was a title Neville didn't recognise. From the looks of it, they had a new Defence teacher.
Gran was surprisingly curious about this year's letter. She hovered over him when he slit open the envelope and even asked to read it, which she hadn't done since his first-ever Hogwarts letter. He attributed this to her concern over Dumbledore, as he was sure Gran was quite as anxious as him for proper news.
It was only when he overheard a Floo conversation between Gran and Great-Aunt Enid that he realised that Gran might have had something completely different on her mind.
He hadn't meant to eavesdrop; he was just passing from the garden with a pot of soil for his Mimbulus Mimbletonia when Harry's name drifted out.
'... being in Harry Potter's year. Still, Frank was a prefect, you know, and Head Boy after that.'
Prefect? The thought hadn't crossed his mind. Now he felt his cheeks burn. Here was yet another way he'd failed to match up.
'Neville's a good boy, Gussie.'
'Of course, of course.' Gran sighed. 'And I doubt the notion even crossed his mind. Not a sign that he expected the letter to contain anything other than the usual.'
Of course he hadn't expected anything out of the ordinary. It had been obvious from the beginning that of all the Gryffindors, he would be the last choice. There hadn't been any point thinking about it.
He supposed Harry must be the Gryffindor prefect this year -- no surprises there. Hermione would likely be his counterpart. Well, they deserved it. There was no point in he, Neville, feeling disappointed. Yet his mind imagined, just briefly, receiving a badge in the mail and seeing for once a look of pride on Gran's face instead of that familiar, tolerant expression that always made him feel like a second-best, washed out imitation of his father.
'I had it from old Cornell, though -- he's on the school board, you know -- the Potter boy isn't the Gryffindor prefect, though.'
'Well, who, then? I would have thought Dumbledore ...'
'A Weasley, apparently!'
Ron? In his surprise, the pot slipped from Neville's fingers and made a loud crash on the floor. There was a pause in the conversation. Neville winced -- Gran would know for sure he'd been listening. That would mean a lecture on eavesdropping for certain.
'The Weasleys are a good family,' said Gran finally. 'Surprising news, but still understandable.'
'I wonder why, though ... perhaps there's some truth in what they're saying ...'
'I highly doubt it.' Gran's voice became very firm. 'Do not let yourself be lulled into a false sense of security, Enid.'
'Well, I just thought it very odd. Anyway, I'd love to stay and chat, Gussie, but I've a kettle on the boil and Algie's calling -- yes, Algie, I'm coming! Give Neville our love, won't you?'
Gran said her goodbyes and then called out to him. 'Clean up the mess, Neville, and then come in.'
With a sigh, he fetched a broom and quickly swept up the shards of pottery and soil. He left the pile of dirt in a corner and entered the room.
'Sorry, Gran,' he said right away, 'I didn't mean to overhear.'
'How much did you hear?'
'Just -- about Harry ...' Gran waited. '... and the bit about prefects,' Neville finished miserably.
Gran pursed her lips and considered him for a while. Finally, she said, 'Neville, I hope you don't feel as though I'm faulting you in any way for failing to become a prefect.'
Neville squirmed. Gran never actually blamed him outright, but knowing that he could never live up to her expectations still weighed heavily on him. 'No, Gran,' he said quietly.
'I understand that there is some stiff competition for the position in your year. The Potter boy has quite the impressive record, and yet ... I must say I'm rather surprised by Enid's news, if it's true.'
Neville wondered what it would have been like if he had somehow got the badge. Gran might be satisfied at last ... but surely other people would wonder: how had he beat Harry Potter to it? Just as Gran was doing now. It had even been his own initial reaction on learning that Ron had got the badge. He felt a surge of guilt and sympathy for Ron.
'Ron's a decent bloke,' he told Gran. 'Harry's a good friend, but Ron gets along better with everyone.'
Gran looked at him in surprise. 'I see,' she said. For a moment a faraway look came into her eyes. When it cleared, she briskly changed the subject to the school supplies Neville would need for the coming term. They didn't mention the matter of prefects for the rest of the summer.