Chapter Text
Neville wished he was in Hufflepuff, although his Gran would kill him if she knew that. He wasn't brave or brass or any of those other traits his house would known for. He would much rather stay in the greenhouses with Mrs. Sprout than have adventures with Harry and his friends. For goodness sake, he had gotten house points his first year for trying to stop Harry from having his adventure!
Perhaps he should tell Dumbledore he was put in the wrong house. He thought about it as he walked into the empty greenhouse. He picked up the potted plant Mrs. Sprout was letting him take to his dorm for extra credit. Of course, he didn't really need the extra credit, but he found that taking care of the plants was calming and relaxing. Neville almost dropped the clay pot when he saw a blond Ravenclaw girl searching the plants.
Hearing him start she turned around. "Nargles hid my shoes. They aren't in that Shrivelfig, are they?" She asked with an airy, calm voice, that suggested she thought talking about some made up species was totally normal.
Neville shook his head. "Sorry."
She looked at him. "There's nothing to apologise for, unless you moved them."
They talked for a while, and Neville helped her search. After a few minutes she glanced around and said with certainty. "Well, the nargles aren't here. I'll bet they're in the hydrangeas." Neville thought she was going to walk out without another word, but she turned and looked at him. "It was nice talking with you about the nargles. Most people just call me odd and stop listening."
"It- It was nice talking to you too, Luna." But she was already gone.
Neville walked out of the greenhouse carrying a large plotted plant he was bringing to his dormitory for extra credit. He didn't really need the extra credit, but he enjoyed taking care of plants. It was calming and the scent of wet dirt that filled his side of the dorm was nice.
He gripped the pot tighter as he passed a group of Griffindors that often bullied him. He speed up, but they saw him before he could make it back. "Hey, Hufflepuff!" The boys voice was cheery, but Neville was wary as he turned around. "Why are your robes red? Did one of your plants die it?"They laughed and Neville took a step back.
"Its not very nice to walk away when someone's talking to you." A girl spoke, smirking at him. "You cant even manage to be nice like a proper Hufflepuff. Look at that, you fail at being a failure." The other Griffindor's cheered and laughed.
Neville blinked away tears and brought the plant closer to him, focusing on the sent of the leaves. The girl walked up to him. "Are you trying to bury yourself in your plant?" She laughed. "Here let me help!" She pushed him back and dirt spilled over him.
Unfortunately, she pushed too hard and the pot broke. Ceramic shards cut into him and dyed his robes red. She stopped smirking. "Oh, shit. I didn't think I pushed him that hard."
The boy who first called him a Hufflepuff walked up. "Is he hurt?"
Another girl spoke up. "Guys, Mrs. McGonagall's heading this way. We need to leave."
Neville had never seen Mrs. McGonagall so angry and for once it didn't scare him. "Lets get you to Madam Pomfrey." She was quiet in her rage, which has good because Neville was already far to close to tears. He wondered if she knew that.
"Now who did this to you, boy?" Her tone was serious, but kindly.
Neville shrugged and looked out the window in the Hospital Wing. "I dunno. It was dark, I didn't catch their face." It was obvious he was lying, he was never that causal. He didn't want to lie to a teacher, but if those other Griffindors knew that he told, life would be hell for the next few weeks.
Mrs. McGonagall sighed and walked out. "If you remember anything, Ill be in my office." She walked out of the Hospital Wing, her robes trailing behing her.
Mrs. Pomfrey quickly cast episkey and kicked him out, not waiting to see if he left before moving on to another patient.
The halls were quiet, save only for his the soft rhythmic sounds of his shoes on the floor and the breeze rustling his robes. Everyone was down eating dinner, giving him a chance to relax in blissful solitude. He reached the hallway where his plant lay strewn across the concrete floor. Crouched over his plant was Luna, her face focused on the dirt in front of her. "Repario." She said softly, pointing her wand at the shards.
Neville walked up as the pot magically repaired itself and Luna, after tucking her wand behind her ear, began scooping up dirt in her hands and putting it in the magically repaired pot.
Neville sat down next to her and silently helped, making sure to avoid the wiggling roots, stained red with the blood that had fallen on the ground when he finally put the plant back into the pot. "Thank you." Neville said to Luna, who waved it off.
"Of course." Luna said. "What are friends for?"
Only a Hufflepuff would consider them to be friends after one meeting. Why was she in Ravenclaw? Surely no Ravenclaw would believe the stuff her father told her. They were supposed to be the smart house. The curious house that learned the truth. Only a Hufflepuff would be this loyal after only one meeting. He thought about this as he made the trip back into his dorm.