Knock knock... Date & Time: 27 September, 2002 | Early evening Post Type: RP Status: Closed: Complete Character(s): Mandy Brocklehurst, Neville Longbottom Location: Neville's place Summary: A night together.
It had started out to be a good day. and then gone horrible, as Maria had fallen ill. gone to more stressful as she'd put together lists and run tests that showed nothing. But she was stable. And the relief Healer was one Mandy trusted...
And then there'd been a note on her desk again late afternoon, and somehow just seeing Neville's writing on a bit of parchment was enough to soothe her mood and put Mandy's planning mind into gear. Not that she'd not already planned things. Well, to an extent. She'd done shopping with Sal, and been to the apothecary, but things had been awkward. And then they'd spent a night talking. Then a morning... Hm. Fooling around? A bit more awkward, and fumbling. She wondered if it was because they were both nervous, or inexperienced, or simply because they'd not planned to go through with it. It.
She shook her head at herself as she left her robes in the locker and gathered her bag. It. In capital letters in her head...
She stepped out of the Floo to find a note from Rachel on the table saying she'd be away for the night, and Mandy smiled to herself. She wouldn't even have to explain herself. Wouldn't have to take teasing about the blush she knew she'd have worn, or the stumbling way she'd try to avoid actually saying what she was up to...
Not that it was any of Rachel's business anyway. And even if things didn't work out the way she hoped, she didn't want to be alone after the day she'd had, so there was another reason to go.
Mandy smiled and headed up to her room, putting her work things away and heading for the bathroom. Shower. Shampoo. She dried and dressed, thinking about it. She was actually going to go. To Neville's. To Neville. She made her way through the house, gathering things and making a neat pile on her bed, then pulling a small bag from underneath. Socks and underthings. Jeans. A fresh shirt. She ducked into the bathroom for hairbrush and toothbrush, and the soap she liked for her face. They joined the clothes in the bag, and Mandy paused, then went to pull a plain bag out of the dresser. The gown she'd bought lay inside, cushioned in a fold of tissue, and she lifted it out slowly.
It was so pretty. She wasn't sure she'd ever had anything so nice. She tended to favour simple and practical. Light, neutral colours, so everything could go in the wash together. Things she could answer the door in without bothering with a dressing gown, or walk around the house in without being teased by Rachel. This... didn't fit any of those descriptions.
She bit her lip. Maybe it was mad, planning like this. But it was obvious that they wanted each other. A lot. Wasn't it more mad to keep avoiding it? She loved him. Dreamed about him. Woke up breathless and restless and unable to sleep afterwards. She closed her eyes, imagining the feel of his hands on her skin, then nodded once, folding the silk and laying it neatly on top of the bag, zipping it shut before she could change her mind.
She Apparated to a spot just beside Neville's building and headed up the steps. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the handle of her bag; she could feel every bit of the leather's grain. She could feel the weight of every single thing she'd put inside. Her heart was racing a bit by the time she reached his landing, and although her hand reached for the doorknob, she couldn't make herself just open it. Not now. Not yet.
She knocked instead, then clasped her hands tightly together around the handle of her bag, waiting anxiously for him to answer.