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In all his 13 years, Neville didn’t think he’d ever met anyone nicer than Hermione Granger. He didn’t really count Gran, who was nice in her own, severe way, or his parents, who were too addled to be anything but kind (and because thinking about them hurt too much). Professor Lupin came close, he thought fairly, remembering his Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson when Lupin had asked him for help against the boggart.
But Hermione had been consistently kind, even in first year, when they’d been outcasts together. Even now, she was helping him with their potions homework, checking his answers against hers. She looked up at him and smiled, front teeth overlapping her bottom lip. Neville thought he was a little bit in love.
"You only missed a few," she said, pointing out the ones she’d circled. "But this is really good. You aren’t as bad at Potions as you think you are."
Neville grimaced, but didn’t correct her.
"No, really," she insisted. "Don’t let Professor Snape intimidate you so much."
"Easier said then done," Neville said. He glanced at his paper. "I’ll probably get points off for sloppy handwriting or something."
Hermione frowned. “He’s not usually unfair about work, no matter how awful he is in class,” she said. “We can compare grades after and if they’re different, I’ll take it up with him and tell Professor McGonagall and even go to Professor Dumbledore if I have to.”
Neville smiled at her. “Thanks.”
She brightened. “Anyway, I have to finish my Herbology. Have you done that yet?”
"Yeah, I did it first," he said, shuffling around with his parchment and books to show it to her. "It was pretty easy. I’m going to start on Transfiguration, then, I think."
Hermione looked at it approvingly. “You’re good at Herbology, better than anyone else in the class, I think.”
"Next to you," Neville amended, and she shrugged.
"If you have any questions about the Transfiguration stuff, let me know, but it’s all in Chapter 13 of the book," she said, opening her textbook, all business again.
Neville turned to his own work, cheeks flushed pink from her compliment.