Who: Neville and OPEN What: Shopping in Diagon Alley When: Sunday afternoon, just around lunchtime Where: Diagon Alley Rating/Warning: TBA
He never opened on Sundays. That was his one day of rest but Neville found himself, as customary, still rising early and still puttering about with his plants. He had apparated to the outside gates of Hogwarts and had gone in, to check on the existing plants left behind by Professor Sprout. She had been more than generous with her list of things to do, to prepare for the upcoming school year. First years were going to need a variety of medicinal harmless herbs to practice with, and Professor Sprout had encouraged Neville that starting them in the summer was the best way to have mature plants for the fall. Never mind the bubotubers would need to be started in mid July. It was a year round affair, growing plants, and the summer months really produced the best growth for all of them, the longer days shedding more sunlight that made most of them double in size.
Neville was dressed in something clean, and had firmly decided he would not mess about too much, but inevitably, he found himself watering inside and splashing a bit of mud on the cuffs of his pants without really noticing. He decided against popping in on Professor Snape but in his walk across the green, he noticed smoke coming from the chimney in the Games keeper's cottage; when he paused, he saw a strong looking man come out the door and the bloke looked up and waved to him. Walking down the hill towards the hut, Neville had to pause as he recognized the man; it was Greg Goyle. He had only a brief yet surprising pleasant interaction with Greg, greeting him and declining a cup of tea at that moment; Neville found himself suggesting that they meet a different day as he made his excuses about his errands to finish and water running in one of the Greenhouses. Stunned at how cheerful and intentionally pleasant Greg had been, Neville went back to check the waters, pondering Snape's decision to hire the ex-con. Leaving the school in the late morning, he made his way back to Diagon Alley, still puzzled but thinking that Snape must know something the rest of them had missed; hadn't Severus turned out to be a better egg than anyone thought?
Redirecting his attention, Neville first went into Flourish and Blotts, looking through their various Herbology selections. For as much time as he spent on the street of Diagon Alley, he rarely had the time to venture into the shops; he had books on his mind at the moment, and thought he'd visit the various book shops in the Alley. He found familiar selections and passed over them, itching for something new to read. He left and hit the street, heading in the direction Memorial Alley, and the Velveteen Rabbit next.