neville longbottom (longbottom) wrote in caged, @ 2013-08-09 20:24:00 |
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Entry tags: | [ backstory ], [ log ], hannah abbott, neville longbottom |
WHO: Hannah Abbott and Neville Longbottom
WHEN: As the Yule Ball approaches, 1994
WHERE: The library
SUMMARY: Neville asks Hannah to the Yule Ball
RATING: PG for Awkward
STATUS: Completed Log
Hannah, like all the other girls in her dorm, was excited about the Yule Ball. Some of her friends had been bemoaning the fact that Hogwarts never had any dances late last year, as friendships started blossoming into relationships and Hannah herself had started eyeing her relationships with Justin and Ernie with a different look. Nothing had come of that but, all the same, things were somehow different now. Girls wanted the chance to keep boys close at their side and dance through the great hall. Dates offered giggles and speculation about the truth meaning behind the request. While Hannah would have rather had someone ask her that she might have some great romantic tryst with, she had jumped at the chance to be Justin's date. Just friends they had clarified, but she didn't want to be a dateless wonder or say no to her best friend anyway. Ernie had Susan and the four of them would have a world of fun together. Since Cedric hadn't asked her, anyway. She probably would have extricated herself from her date with Justin if he had. Lucky Cho Chang. Hannah hummed as she browsed the library, looking for a text to use for her Herbology assignment. She was taking her time, casting glances at Viktor Krum. She wasn't bold enough to go and be one of his many admirers, but she was certainly happy to let her mission be delayed by glancing at him often. It wasn't meant to be creepy, but Neville had followed Hannah to the library. He was following her around the library too, which wasn't really helping his potential stalker status, but really he was just trying to work up the nerve to ask her if she'd go to the Yule Ball with him. It wasn't usually his style to make gestures where girls were concerned. They were confusing, especially Hannah, who inspired a host of confusing feelings in Neville. It wasn't creepy -- it wasn't -- but he'd been watching her a lot lately. She was pretty and nice and more than anything he wanted to go to the Yule Ball with someone. Mostly, he just really wanted to go with Hannah. Neville had nearly worked up the nerve to casually appear behind her when he tripped over his own feet and fell hard against the shelves, his chin connecting with the hard wood with a crack that he was sure the entire library heard. The shelf wobbled, but something held it up. He brushed his sweaty palms against his trousers and straightened, glancing over at Hannah as though he'd had no idea she'd been there. "Oh, hi, Hannah," he said, smiling and then wincing as the skin over his chin shifted with his smile. Hannah jumped when she heard Neville falling and smacking against the shelf. "Oh, Neville!" she said. She was frozen for a moment before she rushed forward, her hands hovering over his shoulders as she peered over him as he straighted. She gave him a tight lipped, awkward smile. "Hi, Neville," she said as she took a step back. She glanced over her shoulder at Viktor Crum, who was evidently doing something exciting if the oohs and aahs were to be believed. But she couldn't see anything exciting from this angle. "Are you here to get some books for the Herbology assignment?" She knew it was important to be nice to people, even people as awkward as Neville, and so she always did her best to be nice to him. It seemed like he needed it more than some others. "Um," was Neville's eloquent reply. "Well, no." He nervously ran his hand through the crown of his hair a few times, making a complete mess of it in the process and doing absolutely nothing for his nerves. "I'm here to see you actually. I wanted to know if you wanted to go to the Yule Ball. You know. With me. This year. I mean, obviously this year. We won't be here for the next one." He trailed off with a laugh, shutting up and letting Hannah get a word in finally. "Oh," Hannah said before he could make everything far more uncomfortable. But even just his nervous gesture made the hairs on her arms stand straight and she shifted her weight. Call it women's intuition, or Hannah intuition, she knew that something was about to be brought up that would make her uncomfortable. And at his question, she swallowed. She couldn't hear the giggling and crooning of the girls just a few feet away anymore. Hannah was completely focused on Neville and his messy hair, the look in his eyes and the question that had been so pathetically given that it hadn't even sounded like a question. The castle had never felt so suffocating before. Her chest tightened. Her friends had been so excited to be asked by one boy that none of them had had the misfortune of having to turn down a boy. How did one do that? Especially when you were trying to be nice. "Oh, wow, uhm," said Hannah. She realized she shouldn't have started talking before she knew what she was going to say, but it was too late now, so she plowed full steam ahead. "Sorry. Someone's already asked me and I said I'd go." Well. Neville laughed just once, a little too loudly and a little too falsely, and then his face twisted into a grimace of a smile. He didn't know what to say either. He'd expected to be turned down, of course, but he hadn't gotten far enough in the planning process to figure out what he'd say when she did. Luckily, he was trusting enough to believe Hannah's excuse. He was self-loathing, not a jerk, so he didn't accuse her of lying. His hand found his hair again and he ducked his face, deciding the floor was a good place to stare for the remainder of this hopefully blessedly short conversation. "Oh, yeah, of course you've got a date. You're..." His mouth twisted for a moment and then he was grimacing back down at the floor. "Yeah. All right. Well, thanks." Thanks? She didn't know what to say to that. "Okay!" Hannah said, sounding unnaturally cheery. She stared at his head, glad that he wasn't looking at her or trying to press her into going to the dance with him. She felt awful and awkward. She didn't want to go with Neville at all, but she still didn't want to be the one who had to turn him down. "Uhm, I've got my books so I've got to go. But I hope you have a really great day!" "Thanks," he said miserably, looking up finally, but at a spot far above Hannah's head. "I hope you have really great day too. And a nice time at the Ball. And good luck on your Herbology assignment." Why couldn't he stop talking? Neville gave himself a mental kick and, even though it was Hannah who'd been trying to excuse herself, he turned on his heel, walking right up to the library door and out into the corridor beyond. She gave him a moment to make his exit. Hannah knew she would have had a miserable time with Neville as her date, but she couldn't help but feel really sorry for him. She was glad Justin had asked her, otherwise--What could she have said? Just no? Now that she'd given Neville enough time to disappear she grabbed the books and headed over to check out. She was torn between finding her friends and telling them about all of this or not. She wanted to share her mortifying experience with at least someone, but she also didn't want anyone teasing her that Neville Longbottom might fancy her. Now that would be mortifying. |