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FIC: Not Alone (Neville/Lavender)
Title: Not Alone
Author: shiiki
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Neville Longbottom/Lavender Brown
Fandom: Harry Potter
Word Count: 585
Summary: Lavender Brown finds comfort after being attacked by Greyback. (Written for queenb23more's birthday.)
Maybe if she were Hermione Granger, she might appreciate the irony of the situation, but Lavender just felt bitter. She kept her eyes firmly shut, regulating her breathing.
Perhaps he knew she was feigning sleep; she didn’t care. Hadn’t he done it often enough to her last year?
Finally, Ron said softly, ‘Take care, Lavender,’ and left the room. Lavender rolled over with a sigh, not bothering to wipe the tears from her eyes. Actually, she didn’t even want to touch her face and feel the deep scars running across it.
The door opened again and Lavender hurriedly squeezed her eyes shut, but the voice that spoke wasn’t Ron’s.
‘I know you’re awake,’ said Neville.
She opened her eyes, surprised - how did he know? Neville took a seat at the side of her bed.
‘Are you feeling better, Lavender?’
‘I’m fine,’ she said crossly, pushing herself into a sitting position against the bed head.
‘You’re angry,’ he noted, sounding a little puzzled. ‘At Ron, I suppose?’
‘No I’m not!’
Neville, however, didn’t look as though he believed her protests. ‘Why?’ he asked.
Maybe it was because he was looking at her kindly. Or because his face was scarred, too - not as badly as hers, but still lined with the deep gashes he’d sustained over the year. It might simply be that she needed someone to vent her frustration and fears on.
‘He - he and Hermione -’
‘But you’ve known that for a year,’ said Neville, nonplussed. ‘Why now-?’
‘They have each other now!’ she nearly spat out the words. ‘I - I - I wanted …’ But there was so much more to it than just wishing Ron could be there for her. In fact, it wasn’t really about Ron or Hermione. ‘Look at me,’ she whispered. ‘I’m horrendous. And they - he and Hermione - they’re so perfect and they have each other, and I have no one now, and I want … I wish …’ She felt the tears coming again, her throat choking up so that she couldn’t continue.
Neville patted her awkwardly on the back. ‘You’re not alone,’ he said quietly.
She let out a loud snuffle. ‘My face is ruined. No one’s going to want to get close to me now. Everyone I meet now is going to be disgusted, just looking at me.’
‘I’m not.’ Gently, Neville reached out and covered her hand with his own. He gave her fingers a little squeeze. ‘I look at you and think you were very brave. And if anyone thinks otherwise, then - then they aren’t worth it.’
The conviction in his voice filled her with hope. Not for the first time that year, Lavender wondered, again, when Neville had become such a - such a man. And she felt guilty, ashamed that she had ever belittled him.
‘You must think I’m a horrible, shallow person,’ she said in a small voice. ‘What sort of person am I, Neville, when I can be mad at Hermione after she saved my life?’
‘You’re not really mad,’ said Neville. ‘You’re grieving. You’re afraid. And that makes you - well, it makes you just like the rest of us.’
‘I’m jealous of her,’ whispered Lavender. ‘She’s not alone. I am.’
Neville shook his head. ‘You’re not,’ he told her firmly. He hadn’t let go of her hand yet, and she found herself clutching it now, as though it were a raft in the middle of a terrifying ocean.
‘You’re not alone,’ he repeated, and with her hand warm in his, Lavender believed it.
Author: shiiki
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Neville Longbottom/Lavender Brown
Fandom: Harry Potter
Word Count: 585
Summary: Lavender Brown finds comfort after being attacked by Greyback. (Written for queenb23more's birthday.)
Maybe if she were Hermione Granger, she might appreciate the irony of the situation, but Lavender just felt bitter. She kept her eyes firmly shut, regulating her breathing.
Perhaps he knew she was feigning sleep; she didn’t care. Hadn’t he done it often enough to her last year?
Finally, Ron said softly, ‘Take care, Lavender,’ and left the room. Lavender rolled over with a sigh, not bothering to wipe the tears from her eyes. Actually, she didn’t even want to touch her face and feel the deep scars running across it.
The door opened again and Lavender hurriedly squeezed her eyes shut, but the voice that spoke wasn’t Ron’s.
‘I know you’re awake,’ said Neville.
She opened her eyes, surprised - how did he know? Neville took a seat at the side of her bed.
‘Are you feeling better, Lavender?’
‘I’m fine,’ she said crossly, pushing herself into a sitting position against the bed head.
‘You’re angry,’ he noted, sounding a little puzzled. ‘At Ron, I suppose?’
‘No I’m not!’
Neville, however, didn’t look as though he believed her protests. ‘Why?’ he asked.
Maybe it was because he was looking at her kindly. Or because his face was scarred, too - not as badly as hers, but still lined with the deep gashes he’d sustained over the year. It might simply be that she needed someone to vent her frustration and fears on.
‘He - he and Hermione -’
‘But you’ve known that for a year,’ said Neville, nonplussed. ‘Why now-?’
‘They have each other now!’ she nearly spat out the words. ‘I - I - I wanted …’ But there was so much more to it than just wishing Ron could be there for her. In fact, it wasn’t really about Ron or Hermione. ‘Look at me,’ she whispered. ‘I’m horrendous. And they - he and Hermione - they’re so perfect and they have each other, and I have no one now, and I want … I wish …’ She felt the tears coming again, her throat choking up so that she couldn’t continue.
Neville patted her awkwardly on the back. ‘You’re not alone,’ he said quietly.
She let out a loud snuffle. ‘My face is ruined. No one’s going to want to get close to me now. Everyone I meet now is going to be disgusted, just looking at me.’
‘I’m not.’ Gently, Neville reached out and covered her hand with his own. He gave her fingers a little squeeze. ‘I look at you and think you were very brave. And if anyone thinks otherwise, then - then they aren’t worth it.’
The conviction in his voice filled her with hope. Not for the first time that year, Lavender wondered, again, when Neville had become such a - such a man. And she felt guilty, ashamed that she had ever belittled him.
‘You must think I’m a horrible, shallow person,’ she said in a small voice. ‘What sort of person am I, Neville, when I can be mad at Hermione after she saved my life?’
‘You’re not really mad,’ said Neville. ‘You’re grieving. You’re afraid. And that makes you - well, it makes you just like the rest of us.’
‘I’m jealous of her,’ whispered Lavender. ‘She’s not alone. I am.’
Neville shook his head. ‘You’re not,’ he told her firmly. He hadn’t let go of her hand yet, and she found herself clutching it now, as though it were a raft in the middle of a terrifying ocean.
‘You’re not alone,’ he repeated, and with her hand warm in his, Lavender believed it.