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Chapter Text

Something had been bothering Y/n during the holiday.
Y/n couldn't believe that he had made it to his third year honestly. He had spent his second year in fear due to the mysterious muggle-born murders. You see, he didn't know his blood status, he knew nothing about his family asides from his Non-Magic Grandfather, who stubbornly refused to tell him. Y/n had made the mistake of telling his Grandfather about the blood statues in the Wizarding World, which ensured that Y/n would not be receiving any information about his family or his blood status.
Y/n had written a letter to Dumbledore, but he had received no letter back.

All of that fear, and the possibility of death or serious injury any day, left a lot of room for introspection. As soon as he had settled into their bedroom for the first time in a year, it began to settle in just how much danger he was in. By the start of the second week, Y/n had come to realise just how scary dying truly is.
On top of that, the usual comfort that sleep brought had been ripped from him as Y/n's nightmares had been increasing in frequency. They were pretty unusual at first; not nightmares, just dreams that had a looming sense of dread. But, of course, they had to get worse. Y/n tried to ignore them as much as he could.
After all, life's too short to waste worrying about something you can't control.

Y/n's summer days based themselves on coffee and creative activities: drawing, painting, crocheting, knitting and writing letters. They took their mind off their struggles by sending the odd owl to their "closest" friends; Fred, George, Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Y/n even sent Harry a homemade chocolate cake when he inexplicably asked for one.
However, the friend to receive most letters was Neville. They were sending and receiving letters twice, sometimes three times or four times a week.

Y/n and Neville had always been close, ever since they met on the Hogwarts Express. Throughout the entirety of first-year, they were joined at the hip whenever possible, even though they were in different houses. During the second year, they were still close, but they focused a little more on academics, often hanging out with Hermione or one of the other Gryffindors for studying. Neville didn't want them to be alone for long, for obvious reasons. He was concerned about his friend, even panicking when they were late for a study session.

The disconnect from the Wizarding World was the last thing Y/n needed, following their full year of unceasing panic.
Neville didn't seem to enjoy it either, often inquiring about their safety, or talking about the many oddities and goings-on in the Wizarding World. His gran, the adamant woman that Augusta Longbottom was, had even insisted to take them in if blood-status concerns ever got tough.
Some mornings, the past years just didn't seem real in Y/n's mind. However, the messily scrawled parchment that scattered his desk hammered it into the forefront of his mind that, yes, the last two years did happen. Each of Neville's letters was sealed with wax; in fact, it was so neat that Y/n could tell that his Gran would always check before he sent it.

Then the nightmares got worse. Y/n would fend off sleep for days, busying himself with chores, or his 'creative hobbies' which felt much more like distractions than fun. Considering it carefully, Y/n realised that anything was better than that creature. He recognised it as that little illustration Neville showed him back in the first year. The tall, hooded figure of Death from The Tale of the Three Brothers.
He mentioned it being one of his favourite stories as a kid. His gran would always read it to him. Y/n thought it was an intriguing tale, discussing little theories that cropped up in his mind with Neville for weeks after. The boy would always smile, and say, "It's only a legend,". That only fascinated Y/n more. The Deathly Hallows were real, so where did they come from? Such legendary artefacts must've come from somewhere or someone. So must the tale.

Y/n hadn't told Neville about the Nightmares yet. Not because Y/n didn't trust him, but because they didn't want it to upset him. Neville knew he was having trouble sleeping, but that was all Y/n could bring himself to say.

Every time they fell asleep, Y/n had a similar dream. The content was always different, but the structure had been the same.
They would be doing something with Neville; studying, sneaking around the castle, baking in Y/n's grandad's house, in the courtyards or doing other Hogwarts-y things together. Every dream was always roughly set around the Christmas break of their second year.

One minute, they'd be happy, laughing and smiling. The next, Neville was dead.
Why he had died was different from dream to dream. Sometimes, he had slipped around something dangerous, causing him fatal injuries. Other times, what Y/n imagined could only be Bellatrix Lestrange would appear out of nowhere. She would perform the Cruciatus Curse on Neville countless times before killing him, and Y/n was powerless to stop her.
All of the dreams ended the same, though. Everything in their nightmare world would crumble into grey around them, and Death would stare at them ominously from a distance. Waiting.
Its hood shielded its face, one hands pale, bony fingers curled around a Scythe.
They couldn't make out what was on the other hand. It was something brown. The more Y/n had the dream, the clearer the object got.
On the very last night of the holidays, Y/n figured out what it was.

It was Neville's favourite jumper. Oversized, with pale stripes on the arms and torso, it was the softest and warmest jumper he owned. Y/n mentioned how jealous they were.
There it was, deaths corrupting clutches.

Chapter Text

Six weeks and about forty letters later, the familiar whining of the Hogwarts Express rang in Y/n's ears, gently accompanied by the chattering of students eager to get back to Hogwarts.
They took a deep breath, absorbing the warm atmosphere their senses had so unjustly threatened to forget. The familiar anticipation radiated from the first years, one in particular, recoiling against their parents; Malfoy
already chastising them for knocking over his suitcase.
The buzzing fifth-years thundered past Y/n as they clamoured over each other, eager to buy out the Chocolate Frogs for their ongoing search for a rare new card. Y/n noticed a group of second years reuniting with their friends for the first time, and he smiled enviously.
Steam hissed and churned from the Locomotive, the mist giving the station an even more ethereal feel as it expanded through the air.
They tried briefly to relive the first time they had turned up at the station; the innocence and fascination a bittersweet memory.

The Hogwarts Express wails out one final time, alerting the students of its imminent departure. Y/n couldn't make out many voices in the flourishing atmosphere; only now waiting for Neville to show up as they had planned. Students began to shuffle through the train doors and into the compartments.
Y/n briefly considered just how peculiar Witches, Wizards and Magical people are.
Remembralls. Amortentia. Handwriting-Correcting Quills.
Most novelty pieces of magic are commonplace. Y/n supposed muggles were similar, always collecting small bits and bobs that hold no real value, but the sentiment is enough for them to rationalise keeping.

Y/n was plucked out of their contemplation by a pair of arms wrapping around them from behind.
"Haha, gotcha!" It was Neville's voice, his soft yet distinct Yorkshire accent ringing out from behind them.
"Neville, don't do that!" Y/n tapped Neville's padded shoulder, "You gave me a damn heart attack."
Midway through exasperated laughs, their eyes locked. Neville's brunette hair was longer and messier; face slimmer than Y/n recalled. His tooth gap was still as prominent as ever, which Y/n smiled at. Despite only the smallest changes, he looked very different,
"I'm sorry, I promised. I always hold up a promise,"
"Neville, you look-"
"I know, I'm a mess. My hair wouldn't-"
Y/n shook his head, "No, no, you look good," before gesturing over at Draco, "In fact, you nearly had as good a glow up as Malfoy."
Neville fumbles out a breathy, "Thanks." whilst trying to avert his gaze, "You look good, too."

Waving a quick and cheery goodbye to Neville's grandmother, the two started the hunt for a space on the train. Their footsteps clunked on the metal floor, only subtly stifled by the tacky carpet. Neville was close behind Y/n, as per usual. Y/n's thumb, pointer and middle finger hooked to his plush jumper also eve to not lose him, bravely searching for their seats. They both had briefcases full of their luggage. Relatively small, they had cast simple expansion charms the previous year to carry everything you needed.
"I think all of the compartments are taken..." Neville stumbled, squishing past two broad-shouldered, black-haired fourth years.
"I guess we'll have to go sit in the open seats?" Y/n whispered, standing still. Neville took a small shuffle away from them.
"Oh.. yeah, okay," Neville spoke, turning to walk in the opposite direction. His arm extended behind him so Y/n could keep their grip on his sleeve as they hurried past the compartments into the next carriage.

"Hey, could we join you? Everywhere else is full." Y/n queried. The dirty-blonde haired girl, whose hair flowed down and twisted around itself like hanging vines down a tree, looked up at Y/n and Neville. She had hot pink glasses, with two different coloured filters on either lens. It reminded Y/n of a pair of 3D glasses, one that would be found at a muggle movie theatre.
"Oh, I know you." The girl spoke in a calm, consistently lilted tone, "You're Y/n. We were friends back in the first year. Of course, you can join me."
"Luna?" Y/n baffled. They held an arm out so Neville could sit down next to the window since he always mentioned a preference for it. They took his suitcase and placed it in the luggage compartment, alongside their own, the both of you already having books out to read, "It's nice to see you again! You were absent last year, I hope you were alright," Y/n then next to Neville. They realised that they'd never sat next to each other on the Hogwarts Express.
"I'm Neville. Longbottom." Neville reached his hand out to Luna nervously. They shook hands, and Neville continued, "It's nice to meet you, Luna."

"I'll be back in a short while." Luna stood up, rigidly collecting her bags from the seat to her left. "I've got a friend I need to catch up with."
"Oh okay, see you soon, Luna," Neville spoke, waving goodbye to what both Neville and Y/n would like to think is their new friend.
"Imagine making friends with a freak like that." The familiar nuisance that was Draco Malfoys' laugh could be overheard about three tables down on the opposite side of the train coach. Neville's breath caught in his throat, and his hand hooked on his friend's wrist. Y/n's hand rose to Neville's shoulder,
"Ugh, Malfoy. Ignore him."
Neville nodded. His book slipped, falling onto the floor with a clunk. He sat up and dipped his head under the table to pick the book up. Neville bumped his head on the way up, rubbing his head and spitting out an apology. He set the book on the table, Flesh-Eating Trees of the World.
"Isn't that newt level content?" Y/n muttered to their friend, idly placing their Care of Magical Creatures book on the table, too. The textbook looked a little scary, so you had decided against opening it, electing to buy an entirely new book just to research.
Neville chuckled, "I want to get ahead in Herbology."
"Well if that's the case, I'm getting ahead in Care of Magical Creatures." Y/n turned their gaze to Neville, who had already started idly playing with his hair. Neville's elbows pressed into the table as his eyes scanned the pages in front of him. Y/n smirked affectionately, redirecting their line of sight to the window.

"I never checked my timetable," Y/n gawped out of nowhere, eyes being torn from the passing trees. They pulled out the folded timetable from an inner pocket. Neville gasps and reaches for his, too. You sit in silence, digesting the newest organisation of your torture.
"What options did you end up picking?" Y/n asked their friend, peeking between Neville and his sheet.
"I took... Divination and Care of Magical Creatures."
"Huh. Me too."
"Divination seemed like an easy subject."
"How about Care of Magical Creatures?" Y/n smirked. They knew that they talked about COMC a lot. Neville started with little to no interest in it, but he still listened.
Neville's eyes darted away from theirs, "You twisted my leg." Y/n smirk evolved into a smug grin, "Stop smiling like that."
Y/n laughed and shrugged, reading the sheet one more, "What time do you have potions?"
"Well, I have late morning double on a Thursday."
"Wait, me too." Y/n's eyebrows furrowed, leaning over to see his sheet, "We have a bunch of lessons together? They must've mixed up the sorting system. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw rarely ever have lessons together. I wonder why they changed it?"
"I'm not sure. I don't think Snape will be all too pleased about teaching Slytherin and Hufflepuff together," Neville chuckled under his breath,
"Unfortunate for the Hufflepuffs." Y/n laughed. The chuckling died down immediately, and Neville took a sharp breath,
"Just, promise you won't laugh when Snape shouts at me."
"Partners?"
"W-what?" Neville swallowed nervously.
"In potions, you dork." Y/n explained, "If you want to be partners, I'll do my best to make sure nothing explodes, I promise. At the very least, I'll join you in detentions."
"No, you don't have to"
"You think I'm going to let that edgy bastard of a teacher bully my best friend? Not a chance,"
"Thanks," Neville hummed, leaning back into the uncomfortable train seat.
"Of course," Y/n also sat back in his seat. Neville did the same, albeit more awkwardly.
"We have Divination together. First period," Neville observed, "I've never seen a Divination classroom?"
"Maybe we're supposed to be able to use our third eye to find it," Y/n joked, wiggling their fingers. Neville's eyes settle on his friend, studying their expression hesitantly, awkwardly nodding, "Hey, are you alright Neville? You seem tense. Is Malfoy looking at you weird?"
"No, no. I'm okay. It's just been a while since, I've, um, seen you, you know?"
Y/n's eyebrows furrowed, placing their hand back on his shoulder and smiling, "Well, I promise it's still the same me."
Neville nodded, his longer, messier hair rustling against his shirt collar, "Yeah, I know. I'm s-sorry for being so weird."
"You're not being 'weird', don't worry. Say," Y/n gestured at Neville's book, "Tell me about those trees?"

Y/n and Neville sat and explained things to each other. The conversation went back and forth from Herbology, Magical Creatures, Potions and Transfiguration. The conversation lasted for a full hour before anyone noticed the terror that was gradually closing in.

"Is it just me or... is it a bit too dark outside?" Neville shivered as he spoke, his teeth chattering. Other people in the compartment also apparently noticed the sudden temperature change. The uncivilised chatter picked up again, people desperately debating a reason, "Sure it was a bit dull earlier but..."
"It's only supposed to be, what, Eleven at most?"
"Is it raining?" Neville searched, leaning forward and checking, despite the fact you would've heard the rain clearly against the window.
"What's going on?!" Malfoy scoffed loudly, "Honestly, this school-"
Crack. Crack. Crack.

The windows had begun to freeze, a faint crackling sounding from every direction as the frost scarred all the glass in the compartment in an obnoxious cacophony of spine-chilling cracking.
"What was thaT!" A small voice whined, "It- It looked like a hand!"
The disruptive babble had ceased, only the occasional sob from first-years or shaky breath sounding. Everyone's heart dropped, chests welling with overwhelming dread. The room appeared darker, noticeably more so than when they stepped in. Alongside the colour, all hope had fled the room, running for its life.
The door on the opposite side of the compartment slid open. A deep, perpetual groaning filled the still air.
Like a dam bursting, Y/n remembered every single one of their nightmares. Every time Neville died, his pained screaming was almost loud enough to be real. Not only that, but every rejection, anxiety and loneliest moment crashed down on their mind. Y/n couldn't cry, too overwhelmed with the flashing memories to so much as shed a tear. Y/n's breathing was jittery and patchy, which of course, startled Neville.

Y/n felt a nudge on their side. They tore their attention from the door, turning back to Neville with an achingly heartbroken glance. He didn't hesitate to grab their hand and squeeze it tight, fingers finally lacing together.
Unable to talk, Y/n's eyebrows furrowed, but they sighed in what Neville had hoped to be out of relief. Something crept into his line of sight. His eyes pinned vaguely in the direction of the door, so Y/n turned.
A tall, hooded figure loomed over the Malfoy, its long, inky black fingers twitching closer to the boy. Draco's mouth stretched open, appearing as though he would shriek. He couldn't.
Y/n had a silent heart attack. It looked so much like the Wraith that, under different circumstances, they would've thought this to be a nightmare. Instead of panicking, Y/n forced themself to focus on Neville's hand. They ran through steps in their head to fight away the feelings, tenderly rubbing their thumb on the back of Neville's palm, only hoping that their actions soothed him, too.
The creature abruptly stopped. Its hooded head turned to you and Neville instead. Malfoy ran out of the carriage, blithering about his father. Although Y/n couldn't see any eyes, they could feel the Wraith-like monstrosity staring into their soul. They mentally wrestled themself to stay calm, but this thing was overpowering. It felt as though it was examining every day of their little lives, flipping through Y/n's memories like a journal. It hovered past everyone all, the other door sliding open as it took its leave.

Nobody moved, all frozen in shock, for at least five minutes when a scruffy man rushed in. His face was scarred, and his eyes heavy.
"Are you all okay?"
Nobody spoke, four or five people nodding hesitantly. He continued to walk down the middle aisle, nodding at students as he passed.
"Y/n, a-are you okay?" Neville replaced the silence with his voice. Y/n nodded weakly, eyes still pinned where the creature had hovered. Neville's other hand clasped over Y/n's, "You sure? You look like you just saw Death."
"N-no, I- 'm okay, are you?" Y/n stuttered out, eyes still tracing over the compartment. Neville shakily reached out, his clammy hand hovering over their cheek, hot fingertips barely brushing against their skin. Only then did Y/n turn to look at Neville.
"What's wrong? You can trust me. You don't have to, I just want you to know I'm here."
Y/n nodded weakly, thoughts drifting to Neville's hand, which fell from their cheek quickly, "I'm alright. Sorry- they just looked familiar."
Neville awkwardly scrunched his face at a thought, before looking back at you with a sparkle of intent in his eyes. Before you realised it, he slid his hand out of yours and wrapped his arms over your shoulders. It was a sort of awkward hug, but Y/n reciprocated almost immediately, arms curling around his waist. They buried their face in his warm neck, breathing in the nearly fresh linen smell of his recently washed jumper. Neville did the same, except he muttered an "It's okay,"
After the long hug, of which neither of them wanted to end, Neville's hand caught Y/n's again. His cheeks looked very flushed, Y/n noticed, although they ignorantly shrugged it off. Neville had always been a warm guy. His cheeks had a pink dusting almost every time Y/n was around.
Y/n mumbled, "You sure okay?"
"Yeah... look I'm sorry for hugging you. I know you said I can, but I should've asked."
"Hey, no," Y/n's voice cracked as they spoke, "Thank you, for the hug. You're... you're a good hugger. Also, your jumper smells nice."
After a small smile, Neville tightened his grip on Y/n's hand. His eyes fixed on Y/n's thumb, still idly running shapes into his palm. Y/n returned his nervous smile, making sure to squeeze his hand in reassurance. They sat in silence before Neville spoke, of which he mumbled out an, "I've never seen a dementor before."
"Dementor?" Y/n tilted their head,
"The thing we just saw? They're azkaban guards. The prison Sirius Black broke out of? You're hopeless."

Chapter Text

Neville woke up to his arm and hand being shaken. He hazily looked up at his friend.
"Up you get, sleepyhead." Y/n soothed. Neville released his grip on Y/n's hand to cup his mouth with his hands, yawning loudly.
"'m sorry for falling asleep on you,"
"Don't worry about it." Y/n smiled, "Here's your book."
Neville took the book, noticing the pages wedged open by a small letter, "Huh?"
"Note. For you. Next time you're having a rough day." Y/n shrugged, "You were out for a while and Luna didn't come back."
"Y-you could've woken me up," Neville mumbled, sitting forward and standing up, holding his book tight.
"And disturb your peaceful sleep? Never."

Neville, being ushered out of the train by his friend, stepped out onto Hogsmeade Station. People pushed and shoved past each other, one fellow-third-years spitting a short, "Move, Longbottom," of which Y/n mocked them. Neville tippy-toed in an attempt to find somewhere to walk with fewer people. Y/n and Neville exchanged a short conversation about how rowdy the students were when Luna and Ginny approached them.
"Y/n, Neville," Luna called out, waving the two down, "I'm sorry I left so suddenly. I got carried away."
"Oh, it's alrighty, Luna," Neville rolled on his heels.
"You're Ginny, Ginny Weasley, right?" Y/n held his hand out at the short, ginger girl next to Luna.
"Yeah. Do I know you? You friends with my brothers?"
"Eeh," Y/n's face scrunched, head tilting to the side, "I've been in a prank war with Ron once. I asked Fred and George for help. Ron says it was cheating, but I just call that resourcefulness. But that's not relevant- we talk every so often. I'm Y/n, by the way."
"You what?" Neville's head whips around.
"That's brilliant. You'll have to tell me about that," Ginny laughed, "I take it that you're Neville?"
"Yep," Neville stood awkwardly, unsure how to greet Ginny. She nodded, puffing her cheeks awkwardly.
"Do you two want to take a carriage with us?" Luna spoke. She seemed about as direct as always.
Y/n turned to face Neville and waited for any response from him. Neville wavered for a moment, before nodding, "Yeah! Yeah, sorry I was- You know, just thinking,"
Y/n smirked, looking back at Luna and Ginny, gesturing towards the carriages, "After you?"
Luna and Ginny nodded, leading the way. Y/n and Neville followed closely behind, side by side.

Hogwarts felt different this year. The early September evenings were grim, with cold air and haze smothering the surrounding forest. The further the four got from the strident students, the more the deafening silence of the Forbidden Forest stole their attention. The absence of the rustling grass and the distant scampering was unusual; the forest was usually teeming with a little sound of owls, rats, flies. The atmosphere of Hogwarts had been completely crushed. There was no more cheery giggling or second-years chasing each other around; everyone was relatively quiet as soon as they left Hogsmeade Station. They all step off the cobblestones and into squelching, sopping mud as they neared the carriages. The odd groan or "yuck" as their heels sink into the ground.
Neville kept his head down, looking down at his shoes. He peeked up at Y/n, noticing that he was looking at him.
"A bit tense, isn't it?" Y/n commented, attempting to lighten the mood.
"Y-yeah, it is." Neville breathed out, "It's like we're all feeling the same thing." Neville gestured at the people in front of them.
"At least when we're in the castle we'll be safer."
"Relatively," Neville remarked.
Y/n chuckled gently, looking down at his feet, "Relatively,"

Neville sat next to Y/n, who had sat in the corner of the Carriage. Y/n was reading his Care of Magical Creatures book idly as Colin went on about his new camera. There wasn't any space on the other carriages, so he asked Ginny. Colin took pictures of everyone and everything. He also gave them all the pictures he took. He specifically gave Neville a photo of Y/n looking at him and chuckling as he told a story. Neville smiled, thanking Colin, but quickly turned his attention back to the conversation.
"Oh, Luna, what subjects did you pick?"
Luna glanced at Y/n for a moment, as she replied, "Divination and Ancient Runes."
"M-maybe we have Divination together?" Neville stuttered out, hand reaching to his pocket.
Luna shook her head, "I lost my sheet."
"Huh," Y/n mumbled to himself.
"Well, this is boring." Ginny uttered, "C'mon, there's got to be something interesting to talk about?"
Everyone thought quietly for a moment, before Neville piped up, "Do you think that scruffy-looking guy is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"
"Did you see his scars?" Colin buzzed, "I wonder how he got them?"
"Hermione told me that his name is Professor Lupin." Luna stared off into the distance, "Hermione also said Harry passed out when he saw the Dementors."
"Harry?" Neville stuttered, "I-Is he alright?"
"I saw him back on the station. What if something bad happened to him?" Colin murmured.
"I'm sure he's alright, Colin. You remember how the Dementors made you feel, right? It was more than enough for anyone." Y/n lectured Colin.
"Do you think he got the Dementor's kiss?" Ginny provoked, her tone hushed and conspiratorial.
Neville shook his head, "I don't see why they'd target Harry. He hasn't exactly done anything wrong? If they wanted souls, there were thousands of others on that train. There were also people more related to Sirius Black than Harry, too, so it just... doesn't make sense."
"Well, it is Harry Potter." Luna shrugged, fiddling with her bracelets and necklace.
"That's going to be a mess in the Ministry," Ginny remarked.
To anyone not raised in Wizarding families, the concept of a Dementor's kiss would completely elude them. Unfortunately, both Colin and Y/n were subject to muggle culture all of their upbringings.
"You know," Neville smirked, "It's so easy to forget you were raised by muggles. Dementors, they... sort of suck people's souls out from their mouths, I suppose? So it's not really a kiss. Your body can survive, but you won't be... you won't be you anymore. Just an empty shell." Neville divulged, keeping his eyes on his shoes as he spoke, continuing with, "Which is why Azkaban is such a brutal punishment."

It has always been unfortunate that students should sit at their house tables. Particularly, when said students didn't have much in common with their housemates. At the Sorting Assembly, and other events, it's understandable.
But as a Ravenclaw with few Ravenclaw friends, Y/n could only really sit where he could make occasional eye contact with the Gryffindors.
He was by no means a Gryffindor or put in the wrong house. Y/n just preferred to hang around the community of people who challenged his views, and Gryffindors are certainly good at that.
Ravenclaw is a pretty independent house, being the house of scholars and wise souls, so his classmates question it when Y/n sat alone. Flitwick confronted him at one point about whether he was coping well in Hogwarts, and if there was any support that he could give.
Y/n just said that his friends are in Gryffindor; Flitwick seemed to understand. However, the odd first-year would sit with Y/n.
Maybe because their friends had bullied them, or some drama had gone down. By about half the way through the year, Y/n had become a weird older-cousin figure to the first years. Well, at least during dinner and in dorms. At lunch and breakfast and any other free time, Y/n preferred to sit with his Gryffindor friends, as the teachers turned a blind eye to people mixing houses.

For the first time in a full year, Y/n had a friend his age at the table; Luna. They observed the Sorting, infrequently looking over to the Gryffindor table, Neville catching Y/n's gaze. He didn't really understand why; he had been fine on the train, and it's not like Neville looked any different from then. Y/n shrugged it off, gazing back at Luna, who was sitting opposite him, and a few of the second-years that sat nearby. Even though it had been a while, the group of second-years still saw Y/n as a friend.

"Oh there he is, does my hair look okay?" The small, brunette girl muttered, turning to the group. They all nodded, as Harry Potter finally strutted through doors, a full twenty minutes late, alongside Hermione. Ron was already sitting with his brothers, Neville and his friends close by, Harry sitting to join them.
Harry isn't usually late, but Y/n presumed it was related to the rumour about him fainting.
"I'm not sure Harry even knows you exist, Louise," Dana remarks, "Don't take it personally or anything. Besides, you could do better."
Dana was short-haired and crude-mannered, but she was incredibly academic and took great interest in potions.
"Ugh. Nobody likes me." Louise stropped, burying her face in her sleeves, hat sitting oddly on her head.
"Eh, I wouldn't be sure about that, Lou." Y/n shrugs. Louise looked up at him, "Just because 'the almighty chosen one' doesn't know you don't mean you're not cool-"
"You know him,"
"I also don't think he's as high and mighty as you make him out to be." Y/n shrugged, taking a sip from his goblet before proceeding, "He's quick to antagonise people,"
"He's a Gryffindor." Dana scoffed.
"Gryffindor isn't that bad," Y/n defended, "They have their strengths, just like we do."
"Just because your boyfriend Longbottom is in Gryffindor," Dana mumbled, pulling her sleeves down and looking over to the teachers. The others chuckled amongst themselves. Y/n remained still.
The thought of dating Neville was unusual, yet not entirely unwelcome. Y/n shrugged those thoughts away, after all, Neville was his best friend. Y/n glimpsed over at Neville and, as if on cue, locked eyes. He beamed at Y/n, and Y/n grinned back, waving at him. One or two of the group around them noticed and smiled among themselves. Y/n heard Dumbledores' throat clear. His attention redirected to Dumbledore; who had stood up in preparation for his speech.

After a short goodnight from Neville, and thanking Neville curtly for comforting him on the train, Y/n was off to bed. He couldn't say he wasn't nervous, but he had always felt more comfortable at Hogwarts.
Most likely because there were so many people around, plus his dormmates, which rarely ever acknowledged him.

Chapter Text

"Well, well, look who decided to show up!" Fred observed, back on his typical antics already.
"I thought you'd be busy sleeping your whole life away," George grinned slyly.
"That's actually on my schedule," Y/n groaned. The moment he sat down at the Gryffindor table, he pressed his forehead against it.
Neville poked at Y/n's shoulder, "You can't sleep before Divination, I need you for moral support."
"Just twenty-five more seconds."
"Hey, Potter!" Pansy Parkinsons' loud voice snatched Y/n's attention. He lifted his head as the table creaked under the addition of two new weights, "The dementors are coming, Potter! Woooo!"
"So..." Neville stammered, attempting to distract from whatever nonsense was going on at the Slytherin table, "How did you sleep?"
"Alright," Y/n started, yawning into his hand, "First decent sleep I've had in a while. How about you?"
"I struggled to fall asleep. Ron wouldn't stop snoring."
"Have you considered smothering him with a pillow?" Y/n scrutinised his friend closely.
Neville stifled a laugh, "Maybe once or twice."
"Next time, I recommend it."
"I'll keep that in mind," Neville hummed, looking at the two goblets in front of him, gasping lightly as he slid the full one across the table, "Orange juice."
In his half-asleep state, Y/n couldn't care less if he liked orange juice, he just took a mouthful, "Thanks."
"New third-year timetables." George set the papers in front of the two.
Fred leaned back over to the third-year's conversation, "Oh. I wouldn't trust that. What if he spiked it?"
"Well it better have been a damn good poison," Y/n droned.
"What if we said we saw him do it?" Fred whispered. Y/n snickered and sipped the drink again.
"You know, we should've done it ourselves," Fred laughed.
"Depends on how you're drugging me. Say you used-"
"Y/n! Don't encourage them." Neville drove his forehead into his hand.

"New third-year timetables." George offered Harry and his friends, "What's your problem, Harry?"
"Malfoy," Ron gestured to the Slytherins, who were still laughing and competing over mock faints.
"The little git," George said calmly, "He wasn't like that last night."
"He was terrified." Y/n agreed, "Ran out of the carriage after a Dementor so much as looked at him."
"Came into our compartment, didn't he Fred?" George confirmed with his twin. Everyone except Harry smiled at that, "Nearly wet himself."
As the Gryffindors continued to talk about Azkaban, Y/n and Neville got up and said their goodbyes. They wanted to make sure they had enough time to find the classroom, as neither of them was particularly amazing at finding their way through the twisting walls of the school.

"Okay so... Up here?" Neville asked, looking very confused.
"I think so. This is the north tower, right?" Y/n proceeded to begin the walk up several flights of stairs.
"You better be right, else this will be a pain to walk back down."
They continued up the stairs until top floor, until the both of them were exhausted, where they walked past a staircase and into a cluttered corridor.
"What about the staircase?"
"I'm not sure, I think it might be here. It feels like it." Y/n half-mocked, shooting Neville a sarcastic little eyebrow wriggle, "Just trusting my intuition, even if it is wrong." There was a circular trap door in the ceiling, with a plaque on, "Sybill Trelawney. I knew it, Neville." Neville just stood there, rolling his eyes.
"Sure you did. Well, after you."
Y/n shrugged and climbed the silvery ladder, pushing the weighty door open with one hand.
"Students!" A woman's voice echoes from deep in the classroom.
"Sorry, we're a teensy bit early, Professor." Y/n spoke, taking in the classroom around him. It was incredibly foggy, and all the windows were closed. Y/n breathed in, recognising the smell like incense. There were candles everywhere, their orange glow the only source of light, set in the centre of the circular tables, "Neville and I are usually awful at finding our way about the castle, so we left early."
"Nonsense, dear boy. You found your way here, didn't you?" Y/n glanced over to the teacher, who already had her hand out for him to shake. She had large circular glasses and a particularly odd fashion sense, "I knew you were coming." Y/n shook their professor's hand, noting how slim and cold her hands were, "I can tell we're going to get along well. Please, take a seat. You too,"
She also shook Neville's hand, before gasping, and scurrying back up some stairs and into her office. Y/n looked about again, eyeing up the shelves crammed with cards, teacups and crystal balls nervously. The placement was particularly precarious, and many things looked like they were about to fall. Neville took a seat around one of the small tables, balancing himself on a pouffe.
"Hopefully she doesn't arrange a seating plan." Neville addressed his friend, waving them over. The table was at the front of the rows in the class, although slightly to the left, close to the shelves. Y/n joined Neville, sitting in relative silence as they waited for their classmates to pile in.

As the final student closed the trapdoor, Sybill Trelawney exited her office, gliding down the stairs and confronting the class, her voice soft, "Welcome. How nice it is to see you in the physical world at last. Sit, my children." She gestured at the last few people who were standing awkwardly, trying to spot a good seat. "Welcome to Divination." She settled into an armchair of her own, "My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before, as I find descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the school clouds my inner eye. So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of the magical arts."
Y/n and Neville exchanged nervous eye contact, as neither of them had thought Divination to be difficult. Trelawney continued, "I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books will only take you so far in this field. It is a gift granted to few. You, boy." Trelawney pointed a bony finger at Neville, who leapt backwards in shock, "Is your grandmother well?"
"I think so," His eyes nervously darted at the teacher.
"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, dear."
Neville gulped, letting out a shaky breath. Y/n, who had already been looking at Neville, shifted his hand so his pinkie brushed against Neville's. He then whispered, "Maybe your gran just dropped her favourite tea cup or something. Just, uh, make sure you write her a letter?"

As Trelawney explained the task to everyone, making sure to spring the odd prediction on an unsuspecting teenager. A lot of it was particularly vague, or somewhat obvious, such as Neville breaking a teacup. The moment the china hit the floor, Neville had apologised twice and had knelt to help pick it up. He had neglected to check where he had pressed his palm, pulling his hand away with a quiet hiss. The Professor swept up the ceramic, again reminding Neville to get a blue-patterned cup instead.
After Neville and Y/n had both filled their cup with tea leaves and hot water, they sat down at their table. Y/n also picked a blue cup in case he tripped on the buckled carpet.
As they began trying to drink the searing liquid, Y/n noticed a red smudge on the base of Neville's palm.
"Neville," Y/n purred, holding his hand out to Neville. Neville's eyes were wide, flinging the cup back on the table, a splash of tea landing on the lace drape. Y/n's hand remained out, waiting ardently. Neville reluctantly placed his hand in his friend, who delicately flipped it. The cut was relatively small, just at the base of his thumb.
"It's not that bad,"
"It's still bleeding," Y/n whispered, looking up at the remorseful brunette with concerned eyes, gesturing at their robe, "Can I...?"
Neville nodded.
Y/n pulled their wand out of their pocket and tapped his palm. The cut healed quickly, and Y/n slid their wand back into their robe, "How's that?"
"It's- alright now. You really didn't have to." Neville hummed, slightly flustered over his friend's concern.
"'f course I did." Y/n lifted his cup back up, eyes still on Neville, "You're my mate, I've got to look out for you."
"Well, t-thanks again." Neville sighed, bringing his cup back up to his lips.

After the boys had gulped down their tea, they swilled the dregs around the bottom of the cup, draining the cups and swapping them.
"Wow, this is not as easy as she made it seem," Y/n muttered, staring into the cup. His eyes scanned the page of the book which was supposed to guide him through the work.
"You have... a sort of, horse-shoe... so you'll either go on a journey, OR you'll uh, find a girlfriend, o-or you know... a boyfriend, if you like boys. Which is cool if you do,"
"Sounds lovely, but I'm actually going to France. I forgot to tell you." Y/n bragged sarcastically, flipping through the book, "You've got a sort of dodgy closed umbrella up here, which may symbolise annoyance or trouble. Sorry, that's me,"
Neville smirked, "You couldn't annoy me. Maybe it's Malfoy."
"I'm flattered." Y/n looked up at Neville briefly, "Oh! You've also got a sort of star, so, good luck! No dots, so you're not getting money I'm afraid."
Y/n looked back down at the cup, furrowing his eyebrows.
Trelawney, who had been making her way around the class, had finally made it to your table and looked expectantly at Y/n, "Your aura is pulsing my dear, what do you see?"
"Uhm. Well, he has a sort of closed umbrella at the top of the cup, which may symbolise trouble or annoyance."
"Mhm?" Trelawney gazed at the candle on the table,
"He also has few wavy lines, so he may lose something, but there aren't many, so it isn't anything too important like a loved one. It's probably Trevor, again. He also has a sort of ring. I'm not sure if it's a circle or a wedding ring."
Trelawney took the cup from Y/n, looking into it through her warping glasses. "Oh well done. Do you see this?"
Trelawney leaned the cup so he could see it, "It is a wedding ring, there's a small collection of leaves there, like a diamond. There's also a letter next to it. It's an... maybe a Y/l. That's a marriage omen, as it's at the middle of the cup far from the handle, sometime in the distant future, and as there are no clouds, it'll be a happy one."
"Good on you," Y/n nodded. Trelawney smiled, then turned to Neville.
"And you, dear?"
"Well, there's a sort of horse-shoe, so uhm... potentially a journey or a new relationship. There's also a vaguely bird-like shape, so that could be good luck?"
"The cup." Trelawney ushered, taking the cup, and avidly scanning the shapes, "Horse-shoe. Mhm. There's a harp down here, that symbolises success in love... oh and a raven. The raven is at the top of the cup, so you're going to have a horrible disappointment, maybe death or in love, but as the harp is in the middle, you'll end up happier afterwards!"
"Oh. Well, I hope nobody dies." Neville mutters, looking down into the cup. Trelawney smiles at the two boys, patting Neville on the shoulder and scurried to the next table.
"That was interesting." Y/n kept looking into Neville's cup, scanning for another letter, specifically around the ring.
After a short moment, they traded cups back, so they could have a look at their readings.
"I don't really trust it." Neville whispered to Y/n behind a hand, "I mean. Me? Married? Can you imagine?"
Y/n smiled weakly, eyes pinned down, "I'm sure your gran would love to hear that you'll settle down."
"I suppose," Neville smiled, looking back down into his cup dreamily, "It's supposed to be happy, too. I..."
"Well, you deserve that. To be happy." Y/n was deep in thought, having noticed something off about his cup. Then his eyes stuttered over a clump of leaves that looked... like a scythe. Without consulting the book, Y/n knew what that meant.
His nightmares. It had something to do with his nightmares.
They sat in silence for a moment, before Neville looked up at his friend with a smile, only to notice their somewhat dull expression, "What're you thinking about?"
"Nothing."
"You're doing that thing, where you're zoning out. I can tell something is on your mind."
"I'm just, thinking. Nothing important."

Chapter Text

"Y/n!"
"Hey, Nev," Y/n grinned, joining Neville and Seamus at the Gryffindor table. "Hey, Seamus."
"How was charms?" Neville muttered, looking across the table to Y/n.
"Oh, um, well Flitwick nearly had a heart attack. Goyle set Luna's textbook on fire. So of course, I hexed him. The Professor couldn't work out who did it. Asides from that, I didn't pay attention." Y/n wasn't lying, but he felt like he was. He could've told Neville right there about the Scythe, and how he thought it had something to do with Neville. Y/n didn't have a clue what; maybe his friend was in actual danger. However, the last thing Y/n wanted to do was alarm his already paranoid friend.
"Nice, Y/n," Seamus nodded.
"How was Transfiguration?"
Neville fumbled, "I couldn't concentrate either, honestly."
"Did he get a bad omen in Divination?" Seamus addressed.
"The opposite. Thought of anyone yet?"
Neville shrugged halfheartedly, "Not really." Y/n's heart sunk in his chest.
"You can't not tell me, Neville." Seamus shook his head, face scrunching in expectance.
"I'll tell you later, yeah?" Neville nearly begged, Seamus, rolling his eyes and nodding.
"Sure, yeah."
"Thanks," Neville looked away from Seamus, and back to Y/n, "It's the care of magical creatures next. Aren't you excited?"
Y/n looked up at Neville, forcing himself to smile, "Yeah, I'm sure it'll be fun."

Honestly, Y/n couldn't understand why he was so conflicted. Maybe the dreams had been reflecting Y/n's fear of losing Neville in a literal way, and after his prediction, he's had his head in the clouds over some girl he doesn't even know yet.
"The books are terrifying." Neville gestured at the Monster Book of Monsters that was sitting on the desk in front of him.
"Apparently Dean got bitten by his," Seamus recounted, "I don't see how we're supposed to open them without losing our faces."
"Is there a blurb?" Y/n muttered, pulling out his book from his satchel, of which he had tied a few bootlaces around, and gently tilted it, "Nope. Well, we'll just have to ask Hagrid. I can't believe he's finally us about teaching Magical creatures! I wonder if he'll want help with the scale rot this year..."
"You what?"
Neville explained, "Hagrid used to ask Y/n for help when he needed fire salamanders scale-"
Hermione slammed her book on the table a dozen or so feet away from where Y/n was, drawing the group's attention, with a quiet gasp from Neville.
"Blimey, Hermione." Seamus hushed, as the three watched as Hermione stormed out of the hall.

"C'mon Neville, Hagrid's hut is this way." Y/n ushered Neville, who was just in front of him, "Honestly Neville, I'm not sure how you'd cope without me."
"Sorry," Neville breathed out, Y/n barely being able to register what he said.
"No- I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry, please don't apologise," Y/n stuttered, now walking alongside Neville.
"Sorry- wait, sorry, no I mean-"
Y/n grinned, stifling a chuckle, "Let's just... not worry about it."
They reached the edge of the hallway, leading into the lush, if not damp grass of the grounds at Hogwarts. The sun wasn't particularly noticeable, but Neville's hazel eyes still glistened in the ambient glow. They trudged down the steep hill, Neville diverting his attention away from the Slytherin Trio by idly discussing his herbology essay. Y/n had to admit that having a class with all four houses was incredibly unusual. It must've been brought on by the teaching staff, to get the school community to feel more like a community.
They stood outside the hut, waiting for their final classmates to catch up. After about two minutes of idle chatter, Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way down, in unusual silence. They must've been the last people to arrive.
"C'mon, now, get a move on!" Hagrid bellowed at the whole class. "Got a real treat for yeh today! Great lesson comin' up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"
Hagrid leads everyone around the edge of the verdant forest; with quiet chatter from everyone.

After a brief walk, they had made it to a sort of empty paddock, students flooding around the outside of it.
"Everyone, gather around the fence here," Hagrid started, "That's it, now first things first, I want you to open your books-"
Y/n had stood right at the front, much to Neville's dismay. He know how much Care of Magical Creatures fascinated Y/n, so he decided to put up with it; standing ever so slightly behind Y/n as a safety precaution. Besides, he enjoyed seeing Y/n so happy.
"How?" The familiar voice of Draco Malfoy drawled from the other side of the paddock.
"Eh?" Hagrid pivoted, turning to face the class.
"How do we open out books?" Draco repeated.
"Hasn't anyone been able ter open their books?" Hagrid looked crushed.
Everyone shook their heads, the odd 'nuh-uh' from a few students.
"Yeh've got ter stroke 'em." Hagrid demonstrated with Hermione's book.
As Draco proceeded to be difficult, Y/n and Neville ran their fingers down the spine of the spider-y book, only for the book to quiver and fall open. Neville's book pushed him to the floor, of which Y/n kicked it out of his hands, and stepped over Neville in order to squash the book under his foot.
"Y'alright down there?" Y/n grinned down at the messy haired klutz, "I think he meant stroke the spine."
"Oh," Neville propped himself up by his elbow, opening his eyes. He peeked up at his friend,and then at the book, "Makes sense."
"Doesn't it just," Y/n hummed as Neville pushed down on the book with one hand, "You got it?"
"Yeah,"
Y/n held his hand out for Neville to take, quickly pulling his friend up, "There."
"Thanks," Neville averted his eyes towards Hagrid, cheeks warm with embarrassment. Y/n smiled cheerily at Neville.
"T'salright."

Hagrid left to collect the Magical Creatures, but Draco still wasn't finished.
"God this place has gone to the dogs," He spat, "That oaf, teaching classes, my father will have a fit-"
"Shut it, Malfoy," Harry countered, only to be further taunted by the Malfoy gang over Dementors.
"Hippogriffs. Real, actual Hippogriffs!" Y/n shook the book that he was cradling in his hands, eyes pinned on the plethora of half-eagle half-horse creatures that strode into the Paddock. Y/n immediately noted their delicate feathers, in both their impressive wings, but also their head and face. They had read a lot into Hippogriffs over the holiday, but they didn't expect their first lesson to feature such a beautiful beast. They were grinning giddily and shook Neville's shoulder.
Neville turned to his energetic companion, breathing out an, "They're... certainly something."
Everyone except Harry and his friend, Y/n and Neville shuffled back.
"Hippogriffs!" Hagrid roared happily, waving a hand at them, "Beau'iful, aren't they?"
Neville tugged at Y/n's sleeve, in an attempt to pull them back. He rolled his eyes, "There's a fence, Nev."
"So, if you want to come a bit closer," Hagrid ushered, of which Y/n willingly did.
"Now, firs' thing yeh gotta know abou' hippogriffs, is that they're proud," Said Hagrid, "Easily offended, Hippogriffs are. Don't never insult one, 'cause it might be the last thing yeh do. Yeh always wait for the Hippogriff ter make the firs' move."
"It's polite, see? Yeh walk towards him, an' yeh bow, an' yeh wait. If he bows back, you're allowed to touch him. If he doesn't, get away from him sharpish, 'cause those talons hurt."
Hagrid then scans the class, rubbing his hands together, "Right, who want's to go first?"
Y/n, rather hesitantly, raised his hand, "Can I, Professor?" He hated raising his hand in any other lesson, but his curiosity and admiration had gotten the best of him.
Hagrid beamed thankfully at the boy, "Good man! Anyone else?"
Harry Potter, in an attempt to support Hagrid through his first lesson, also offered an, "I'll do it."
"Let's see how yer get on with Buckbeak and Drafthook. Harry, this side, Y/n the other."
Hagrid untied two of the chains as the boys slipped through a gate and stepped forwards, Y/n sending a reassuring smile to Neville. Neville wanted nothing more than to slap his friend for his impulsiveness. Neville could tell, however, that Care of Magical Creatures was Y/n's subject, and didn't want to get in the way.
Guiding the two Hippogriffs over, Hagrid muttered to the two, "Easy now, yeh've eye contact, now try not ter blink - Hippogriffs don't trust yeh if yeh blink too much."
Both Harry and Y/n struggled to keep their eyes wide, eyes watering from a gust of wind. They looked up at the towering Hippogriffs, Harry feeling incredibly small in comparison. The elegant beasts both tilted their heads so that their firey-orange eyes could lock. Buckbeak, who was staring down Harry Potter, had a warm grey horse half, of which also flecked in their silky feathers. Drafthook was much darker, with silky mahogany brown and black feathers, which only made his eyes and beak stand out more.
The Hippogriffs keenly observed, eyes reluctantly flickering over their respective student.
Y/n's pupils were wide with admiration, which was something Drafthook seemed to recognise in the way he rustled his feathers confidently. Neville's eyes were pinned on Y/n, shakily hugging his Monster Book of Monsters to his chest.
"Tha's it," Hagrid encouraged, "Both of you, bow..."
Y/n slowly bowed his head and torso toward Drafthook, nice and low, trusting in both Hagrid and Drafthook, staying there until he heard the crunch of a twig in front of him. His eyes widened and he looked up, only to see that Drafthook had reciprocated. Hagrid congratulated Y/n quickly, before turning to harry and telling him to back up, only for Buckbeak to bow too.
"Well done, Y/n, Harry." Hagrid grinned, ecstatic, "Right, yeh's can touch 'em now. Give 'em a pat."
Y/n approached Drafthook smoothly, careful to hide any nerves, and bringing one hand to the side of Drafthook's beak, rubbing along and into his feathers,
"You're beautiful," Y/n breathed out. Drafthook thrust the top of his head into Y/n's chest gently, encouraging more petting, of which Y/n's smile grew.
"Natural!" Hagrid assured the both of you, "Drafthook, the big sap. Only a young un', mind. Now lads, I reckon they migh' let yeh ride them now!"
Y/n was a bit distracted patting Drafthook, scratching gently atop his head and jaw.
"Yeh climb up there, jus' behind the wing joint," Said Hagrid, "And don't pull any of their feathers out, they won't like that."
They hoisted themselves up onto the Hippogriffs, Y/n more reluctant than Harry. After all, Y/n was far happier just patting Drafthook.

Flying around on a Hippogriff was, for lack of other words, breathtaking.
Asides from the awkward bumping and bouncing, it was one of the most relaxing experiences Y/n had ever had. Drafthook flew exceptionally higher and more unpredictably than Buckbeak, allowing Y/n to see the whole school and forest around him before Hagrid whistled him down.
Hair a mess, Y/n leapt of Drafthook gently, greeted by the cheering from their classmates. "Well done! Now, who else wants a go?"

Neville was the first person to step into the paddock, rushing over to his friend, "Are you okay?"
"Neville, you have got to try it." Y/n beamed, taking a few steps further from Drafthook to talk to Neville, wrapping his arms around him in an excited hug, "That was so fun."
"I- I don't think that's a good idea... I'll get hurt."
"Not on my watch, I've got you," Y/n reassured, gesturing to Drafthook, who was already eying Neville up, "Go on, give it a shot! He's a sweetheart."
Neville hesitantly made eye contact with the beast, gulping as Y/n took a step back.
"Try to keep your cool. Remember, he won't attack you if you're friendly, and you're friendly! You've got this."
Neville nodded, eyes still trained on the Hippogriff, which dragged a talon through the dirt. Neville bowed his head quickly, looking back up at Drafthook. He let out a hot breath, head wavering slightly in Neville's direction. Neville retreated behind Y/n immediately.
"So close, Nev." Y/n encouraged, hand falling on Neville's shoulder, "Keep your head down a little longer,"
"It's hard to bow to something so... intimidating."
"I won't let anything happen," Y/n consoled the shaking teen, "I'll pull you back, I promise. I believe in you,"
Y/n ended up pulling Neville away by the hips once, much to Neville's surprise, before Drafthook bowed back to Neville.
"You did it!" Y/n grinned, walking up to Neville's side and patting him on the back, "Do you want to pat him?"
Neville nodded, edging softly towards the Hippogriff, who nudged Neville's palm with the side of his head. Neville chuckled a little, "Amazing."
"You're both amazing," Y/n joined Neville in petting Drafthook, "Well, do you wanna see if he'll let you fly?"
"S-sure."
Y/n helped his clumsier half up and onto Drafthook's back, Neville immediately wrapping his arms around the Hippogriff's neck as it took off, taking Neville on a short joyride around the enclosure. Neville looked as though he enjoyed himself, awkwardly reaching out a hand to his friend, who helped him back off.
Seamus and Dean had made their way over, briefly asking if they were done with Drafthook, but the moment they stepped away, Draco decided to pull his stunt.

Chapter Text

With his first day behind him, Neville collapsed onto his bed. The weighted covers of the Gryffindor bedsheets clinging to Neville as he did his utmost to get cozy.
Hell, if he fell asleep fast enough, he might not get disturbed by Ron's snoring.
The day had been tedious, and combined with his sleep-deprived night before, he was more than eager to get some rest.
However, just as he finished that thought , in came Ron, thrusting the door open and into the wall. Harry, Dean and Seamus followed; announcing their arrival to everyone at Hogwarts. Neville, who had been lying on his back, sighed haughtily and turned so his back faced the door. Neville tugged the blanket aggressively, wrestling the hefty sheets so they better kept Neville warm.
As Ron complained about his friend Hermione, who excelled at seemingly every subject she attempted, they all changed into their sleepwear. Loudly.
Neville sat in total silence, squeezing his eyes shut and clenching his fist.

After a few minutes, Neville realised he would not be able to sleep. He sat up, running his hand through his hair as he slouched forwards, the heavy blanket doubled on his legs.
"Ah, Neville, you're up," Seamus commented, "Come 'n join us."
"Yeah, Fred and George gave me some cool sweets to try."
"Besides, we might as well all catch up, right?" Harry offered, sitting on a chair next to a window a few feet away from Neville. The others quickly joined, Ron and Dean sitting on the bed just next to Harry. Neville shifted so he was sat cross-legged on the bed, and Seamus sat on Neville's bedside table.

Ron went on about his families trip to Egypt for a while, Dean and Seamus pitching in with unusual facts about the tombs there.
Seamus, well Seamus' mother had been keeping up to date with the news, and refused to let him leave the house when she found out about Sirius Black's escape. Dean had experienced much of the same.
Harry had told the group about his aunt, and his run-ins with the Minister of Magic.

"How 'bout you, Neville, what'd you get up to?" Ron asked, mouth half-full with toffee sweets.
"I mean, my gran didn't really let me out, either. It's okay, though. I got tons of spare time to read up on herbology, and I got to write to Y/n a lot,"
"How 'bout you, then. Did you get anythin' back?" Ron mumbled through his sugar-coated teeth.
"Of course. He always responds quickly, doesn't he?" Neville explained, noting how Harry smugly grinned at Ron.
"What a load of bollocks," Ron huffed, "took him two weeks to get back to me with the potions answers."
"He sent me a cake within a day. Ron, why didn't you just write to Hermione?" Harry let out an amused breath.
"I did! first week! She sent me a piece of paper with just 'no, Ronald,' written on it. Nearly as bad as my mum!" Ron sighed, "At least I knew Y/n would give me something,"
"He mentioned that," Neville then hoped he had reassured Ron when he said, "He didn't do potions till the sixth week of the holiday. He helped me with it, too."
"Can't blame him, really," Dean chuckled.
"I can! My bloody life was on the line." Ron scoffed, "Last thing I need is Snape on my arse about homework again."
"Maybe you could start by trying listening to Snape when he explains?" Neville suggested.
Ron rolled his eyes at Neville, "I would say the same to you, but you don't exactly have to pay attention."
"Wha-?" Neville's eyes were trained on Ron, his eyebrows knitting together as he shifts slightly on the bed.
"Yeah. I mean, Y/n'll probably be doing the potions for you this year," Seamus smirked, responding to Neville's silence with a nudge.
Dean looked between the others with a hesitance, before whispering to Neville, "Rumour is lately that you are up to more than just classwork together, apparently you two were kissing in the hall to Trelawney's room,"
Neville looked between the others in palpable confusion, "No, no."
"Then why did you leave the hall early together?" Ron scoffed.
"We wanted more time to find the classroom, honest!"

And that my poor readers is where I stopped writing.