Fourth Seed; [Action]

[nearlychosen]

[This morning isn't terribly different from any other morning near House 26. The lawn there is a little bit greener than the neighboring homes, and the multicolored plantlife is as healthy as ever, fed a steady diet of the best quality dung Neville can get his hands on. The gardener is even mostly the same, a boy of average height spending far too

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[esper_flight]

[Soaring about town, Terra catches sight of Neville. She hasn't talked to him in a while, so why not now? The Esper woman glides on over, hovering before him and nodding at him with a light smile.]

Hello, Neville!

[nearlychosen]

[Terra, why are you pink today? And also naked? Neville reflexively clutches his wand out of jumpy instinct when she approaches, trying to make out what curses might have been lain upon the woman who certainly sounds Terralike, but looks so very very different.] ...Terra?

[esper_flight]

[That questioning tone catches her off-guard.]

Of course it's me, silly. Who else would it be?

[nearlychosen]

It's just that you're... different today. [Like many of the neighbors seem to be. He doesn't really trust all that black metal that seems to be moving around House 25, personally.] I suspect there's an experiment.

[hisdarkmark]

[Hey Neville, it's your favorite person ever! Sorta. But see there might be something wrong with the way his favorite person ever appears.

For one thing, he looks about two or three years younger than he should be. There's also the fact that he's dressed a lot more casually than any Malfoy should be. He isn't quite sure where he's going, he's just sort of wandering when he stumbles upon the garden and a much-different Neville Longbottom. Still covered in dirt, but larger.]

...why are you hissing?

[nearlychosen]

[Neville doesn't really care much about the wrapping. That voice is enough to send a prickling down his spine. It's mostly in an instinctive reaction that he pulls his wand out in a single fluid motion and has it trained firmly at Malfoy's middle.] Flipendo!

[He absolutely refuses to speak to a Draco Malfoy that hasn't at least been sent to the ground once. Malfoys are less harmful when one has a vertical advantage.]

[hisdarkmark]

[There's a yelp that's much higher pitched than it should be as he suddenly finds himself landing on his back in the dirt.] What the hell was that for!?

[nearlychosen]

[That was what happens to someone who's learned how to hex before he can be hexed himself. He stalks closer to Draco while still maintaining a few paces' distance out of arm's reach.] What the bloody hell do you want, Malfoy? You know you're not welcome here. [No matter what Harry says. Harry Potter needs to learn how to be more serious about things anyway.]

[action]

[loyalotter]

[Luckily for him, Hermione wasn't around while he was talking to the plants. She was in the library. Getting her laughs at the books talking about that ridiculous fantasy thing called magic. So when she runs into her housemate, who she's been avoiding in her room because of her studies, yes, she's still laughing. And then she sees Neville and her eyes go to that scar.]

Honestly, are you trying to copy Harry's ridiculous scar? It's not really working and it's not going to get you any further than it got him. [Which is clearly amusing to her for some reason.]

[action]

[nearlychosen]

[What, doesn't everyone sit around having deep involved conversations with plantilife? Perfectly normal.]

I'm not copying anything, Hermione. [Though his voice shrinks to something just above a mumble at the amusement in her voice.]

[action]

[loyalotter]

[Not normal. Never normal :| Unless you're Petunia Dursley.]

Then why do you have that ridiculous scar on your forehead? It doesn't do a thing for Harry, so why would it do anything for anyone else?

[action]

[nearlychosen]

It's not ridiculous, even when Harry thought it would be funny to charm one onto himself for the attention. It's just a stupid scar I've had for years now. I wouldn't have thought you'd be the type to tease anyone about something like this.

[invidia_keeper]

[Staring at the lighting scar. Even as a kid, Naoya doesn't have much manners.]

Neville, that's new. [Literally pointing at it now.]

[nearlychosen]

[Qayin, why are you so small. :| It's dawned on Neville that there's some kind of experiment happening, and he'll at least take it at face value for now.]

It isn't. [He reflexively reaches up to tug his hair over it and better hide the mark.]

[invidia_keeper]

It wasn't there yesterday! I wouldn't forget. [He's very adamant on these last words.]

I don't forget anything, remember?

[nearlychosen]

Your body is different. It's possible that your memories are too.

[Action]

[lunarwit]

[And out comes your BFF with a cup of tea. It's a universal solution for all ills, after all, and she crouches next to him in the dirt as he's tending the plants. This is a very familiar sight, after all, and the garden is quite soothing. Luna is unchanged, though - she's strange enough as it is to begin with.]

Do they ever say anything back to you?

[Action]

[nearlychosen]

[BESTIE! Neville's hissing stops abruptly as Luna settles down beside him; even if she's always been the most accepting of his talents, he's never liked to advertise. He accepts the tea with a small smile.] They speak in their own language. It's just a matter of knowing what to listen for.

[Action]

[lunarwit]

[And she smiles at that, very widely.] Good - I always thought so! But if they talk back to me, I don't think I speak their language. That can make it hard to communicate sometimes.

[But then she blinks at him and narrows her eyes just a little bit at the scar.] Why did you draw Harry's scar on your forehead?

[Action]

[nearlychosen]

It's something that can be learned. [If you're lonely enough. And if you don't terribly mind the medical implications of thinking plants talk to you.]

[Though his smile is suddenly fading.] Because it's not Harry's.