Post by Smaug on Mar 30, 2008 18:36:54 GMT -5
Right, technically it's the 31st here now. But it took me a lot longer than I anticipated because it grew as I wrote it. And the clocks went forwards here last night, so I'm still working on the old time which makes it an hour earlier. Honest. 
Love you all.
Included: Neville, Fanged Geraniums, 'Hide me.' and something else... Oh yes, a waving wand.
Rating: EH for Everyone here
Genre: Yeah, I really don't know. Unless someone suggests something it'll have to go in fluff I think but I'm unsure.
The room would have been silent had it not been for the occasional sound of someone turning a page, and the creaking of the worn office chair each time the Headmaster shifted his position. Sunlight flooded through the windows of the room bathing it in the late evening sunlight, giving Headmaster Neville Longbottom enough light to read by. It was barely a week into the summer holidays and Neville was taking a well deserved break. He had a stressful and busy summer ahead of him, and he couldn’t bear to allow it to begin yet. He took in his office with a smile; he’d been a teacher here for many years but only became Headmaster the previous summer when Minerva McGonagall sadly passed away. He listened to the sounds of the castle, and was pleased to hear nothing at all. He enjoyed the silence of his surroundings a moment longer before turning his attention back to the heavy herbology tome resting upon his knees.
It was at that moment his door bust open and Xiomara Hooch came charging into his office. The door slammed shut behind her, the silence left behind ringing as she looked frantically about the room.
“Hide me!” she exclaimed in stage whisper, looking around his office again.
Neville sat utterly flabbergasted and in complete silence, gazing open-mouthed at what he saw to be his now completely deranged flying instructor. It was only when he heard sounds of some kind of angry mob clambering up his stairs that he realised. Xiomara gave a complicated wand movement, finishing by pointing at the door and muttering what Neville assumed to be some kind of fashioned locking charm. At that Xiomara dived over to him, scrambling under his desk almost knocking over Neville’s potted Fanged Geranium. Neville snatched the pot up before it fell from his desk, almost tumbling from his chair in the process. The Fanged Geranium made a playful snap at his fingers as he righted the pot.
“Sit still, Headmaster. And act natural!” Xiomara hissed from her position crouched beneath his desk.
Neville didn’t even get the chance to form words before the door to his office magically burst open to reveal a livid Pomona Sprout. Not a very effective locking charm, then.
“Where is she?!” demanded Pomona, her normally calm and cheerful nature having vanished completely. Pomona, who had retired shortly after the war, but had still been a frequent guest to the school, had returned to the school this year. Neville, unable to find a replacement for himself as Herbology professor, had refused to settle for anyone unsuitable. And thus he and Pomona had split the classes this year, since she was willing to come out of retirement briefly.
Pomona’s eyes narrowed and she glared at the desk.
“Xiomara Hooch get out from under that desk this instance!” she bellowed. It was at the moment Filius Flitwick came skidding to a halt behind Pomona.
Pomona, however, ignored the addition to the party and concentrated instead on the desk. The aforementioned desk had just shouted ‘ouch’ rather loudly, when Pomona’s shouting had made Xiomara jump violently. Mere seconds later the tops of spiky grey hair and a pair of yellow eyes peeped out above the edge of the desk.
“Yes Pomona?” Xiomara questioned with just a hint of apprehension in her voice.
“I am going to kill you! What on earth were you thinking? You can’t possibly have even been thinking! How could you do this to me?!” Pomona wailed in anguish.
“Now Pomona,” Xiomara started, still crouched behind the desk, “You know why I had to do this. It was entirely necessary and I can assure you I was thinking. You have been in love with Fil for years. Someone had to do something!”
A spark shot from the end of Pomona’s outstretched wand and Xiomara shrank back even more, if that were possible. Xiomara’s eyes flicked around in desperation of an escape. Suddenly her eyes lit up at the sight of the portraits. She stood up, a barely suppressed smirk on her face.
“You know it’s true Mona. Tomorrow you’re going back into retirement and Fil is leaving this year too. Everyone else knows you’re both crazy about each other. Without here being somewhere you can always see each other how will you ever get together on your own? It’s now or never, and I wasn’t about to let it be never.”
Another spark jumped from the end of Pomona’s wand, this time narrowly missing Xiomara. Pomona’s face, however, was a deep red. And though she couldn’t see it, Filius looked equally embarrassed, but a lot happier than Pomona.
“Back me up here, Min, and stop pretending to sleep!” Xiomara pleaded.
From her position on the wall in her portrait she shared with Albus Dumbledore, Minerva glared at her friend.
“Firstly, Xiomara, my name is still Minerva, and is most certainly not ‘Min’. Secondly I never feign sleep,” at this she cast a glare at Albus who kept his eyes closed but tightened his hold on her waist, “And finally, I actually do agree with you for a change.”
Pomona spun around, the anger finally dying in her eyes replaced with something akin to emptiness.
“Xiomara is right, Mona. It’s now or never, please don’t let it be never,” Minerva finished, smiling sadly at her friend.
“No!” Pomona hissed. “No, no, no. I won’t let you do this to me. You can’t go about spreading the feelings of others around ‘for their own good’. And you can’t presume the feelings of others either! You had no right, Mara! None at all! You shouldn’t have done this, said what you said, revealed what you revealed. I am entitled to my privacy and my private feelings. You can’t come charging in with your presumptions and destroy relationships!” she was almost screaming by the end and a single tear had cut a path over her skin. She took a breath to begin again when she was stopped short when Filius finally spoke.
“I love you, too.”
Silence again flooded the room and Pomona turned sharply on the spot, her eyes scanning Filius’ in disbelief at what she had heard. He smiled gently at her, eyes filled with love. Reaching out he took her hand and began to lead her from the room.
“I think,” he said, “we have a lot to talk about.”
Minerva and Xiomara gazed happily at the retreating couple and Xiomara gave a loud whoop of delight when Filius leaned in to kiss Pomona at the bottom of the stairs. Minerva looked over to the desk, tearing her eyes away as Filius and Pomona rounded the corner. Xiomara and Minerva shared a smile.
And then, as quickly as it had begun it was over. Xiomara clapped a hand on Neville’s shoulder and wished both him and Minerva a good evening. By the time she had closed the door Minerva was already back asleep, her head resting on Albus’ shoulder. Neville looked from the door to the portrait in utter disbelief. He blinked a couple of times and shook his head. Did that just happen, or did he nod off? And suddenly he smiled the same soft smile Xiomara and Minerva had shared. Yes, yes it did happen, and it was about time indeed. And with that thought Neville turned back to his book and enjoyed the brief moment of silence he had.
Love you all.Included: Neville, Fanged Geraniums, 'Hide me.' and something else... Oh yes, a waving wand.
Rating: EH for Everyone here
Genre: Yeah, I really don't know. Unless someone suggests something it'll have to go in fluff I think but I'm unsure.
Silence
The room would have been silent had it not been for the occasional sound of someone turning a page, and the creaking of the worn office chair each time the Headmaster shifted his position. Sunlight flooded through the windows of the room bathing it in the late evening sunlight, giving Headmaster Neville Longbottom enough light to read by. It was barely a week into the summer holidays and Neville was taking a well deserved break. He had a stressful and busy summer ahead of him, and he couldn’t bear to allow it to begin yet. He took in his office with a smile; he’d been a teacher here for many years but only became Headmaster the previous summer when Minerva McGonagall sadly passed away. He listened to the sounds of the castle, and was pleased to hear nothing at all. He enjoyed the silence of his surroundings a moment longer before turning his attention back to the heavy herbology tome resting upon his knees.
It was at that moment his door bust open and Xiomara Hooch came charging into his office. The door slammed shut behind her, the silence left behind ringing as she looked frantically about the room.
“Hide me!” she exclaimed in stage whisper, looking around his office again.
Neville sat utterly flabbergasted and in complete silence, gazing open-mouthed at what he saw to be his now completely deranged flying instructor. It was only when he heard sounds of some kind of angry mob clambering up his stairs that he realised. Xiomara gave a complicated wand movement, finishing by pointing at the door and muttering what Neville assumed to be some kind of fashioned locking charm. At that Xiomara dived over to him, scrambling under his desk almost knocking over Neville’s potted Fanged Geranium. Neville snatched the pot up before it fell from his desk, almost tumbling from his chair in the process. The Fanged Geranium made a playful snap at his fingers as he righted the pot.
“Sit still, Headmaster. And act natural!” Xiomara hissed from her position crouched beneath his desk.
Neville didn’t even get the chance to form words before the door to his office magically burst open to reveal a livid Pomona Sprout. Not a very effective locking charm, then.
“Where is she?!” demanded Pomona, her normally calm and cheerful nature having vanished completely. Pomona, who had retired shortly after the war, but had still been a frequent guest to the school, had returned to the school this year. Neville, unable to find a replacement for himself as Herbology professor, had refused to settle for anyone unsuitable. And thus he and Pomona had split the classes this year, since she was willing to come out of retirement briefly.
Pomona’s eyes narrowed and she glared at the desk.
“Xiomara Hooch get out from under that desk this instance!” she bellowed. It was at the moment Filius Flitwick came skidding to a halt behind Pomona.
Pomona, however, ignored the addition to the party and concentrated instead on the desk. The aforementioned desk had just shouted ‘ouch’ rather loudly, when Pomona’s shouting had made Xiomara jump violently. Mere seconds later the tops of spiky grey hair and a pair of yellow eyes peeped out above the edge of the desk.
“Yes Pomona?” Xiomara questioned with just a hint of apprehension in her voice.
“I am going to kill you! What on earth were you thinking? You can’t possibly have even been thinking! How could you do this to me?!” Pomona wailed in anguish.
“Now Pomona,” Xiomara started, still crouched behind the desk, “You know why I had to do this. It was entirely necessary and I can assure you I was thinking. You have been in love with Fil for years. Someone had to do something!”
A spark shot from the end of Pomona’s outstretched wand and Xiomara shrank back even more, if that were possible. Xiomara’s eyes flicked around in desperation of an escape. Suddenly her eyes lit up at the sight of the portraits. She stood up, a barely suppressed smirk on her face.
“You know it’s true Mona. Tomorrow you’re going back into retirement and Fil is leaving this year too. Everyone else knows you’re both crazy about each other. Without here being somewhere you can always see each other how will you ever get together on your own? It’s now or never, and I wasn’t about to let it be never.”
Another spark jumped from the end of Pomona’s wand, this time narrowly missing Xiomara. Pomona’s face, however, was a deep red. And though she couldn’t see it, Filius looked equally embarrassed, but a lot happier than Pomona.
“Back me up here, Min, and stop pretending to sleep!” Xiomara pleaded.
From her position on the wall in her portrait she shared with Albus Dumbledore, Minerva glared at her friend.
“Firstly, Xiomara, my name is still Minerva, and is most certainly not ‘Min’. Secondly I never feign sleep,” at this she cast a glare at Albus who kept his eyes closed but tightened his hold on her waist, “And finally, I actually do agree with you for a change.”
Pomona spun around, the anger finally dying in her eyes replaced with something akin to emptiness.
“Xiomara is right, Mona. It’s now or never, please don’t let it be never,” Minerva finished, smiling sadly at her friend.
“No!” Pomona hissed. “No, no, no. I won’t let you do this to me. You can’t go about spreading the feelings of others around ‘for their own good’. And you can’t presume the feelings of others either! You had no right, Mara! None at all! You shouldn’t have done this, said what you said, revealed what you revealed. I am entitled to my privacy and my private feelings. You can’t come charging in with your presumptions and destroy relationships!” she was almost screaming by the end and a single tear had cut a path over her skin. She took a breath to begin again when she was stopped short when Filius finally spoke.
“I love you, too.”
Silence again flooded the room and Pomona turned sharply on the spot, her eyes scanning Filius’ in disbelief at what she had heard. He smiled gently at her, eyes filled with love. Reaching out he took her hand and began to lead her from the room.
“I think,” he said, “we have a lot to talk about.”
Minerva and Xiomara gazed happily at the retreating couple and Xiomara gave a loud whoop of delight when Filius leaned in to kiss Pomona at the bottom of the stairs. Minerva looked over to the desk, tearing her eyes away as Filius and Pomona rounded the corner. Xiomara and Minerva shared a smile.
And then, as quickly as it had begun it was over. Xiomara clapped a hand on Neville’s shoulder and wished both him and Minerva a good evening. By the time she had closed the door Minerva was already back asleep, her head resting on Albus’ shoulder. Neville looked from the door to the portrait in utter disbelief. He blinked a couple of times and shook his head. Did that just happen, or did he nod off? And suddenly he smiled the same soft smile Xiomara and Minerva had shared. Yes, yes it did happen, and it was about time indeed. And with that thought Neville turned back to his book and enjoyed the brief moment of silence he had.
Finite
)
