Brave { Neville Longbottom}

Chapter Fifteen

"Did you hear?" Faye asked after Kefira returned from the hospital wing with Neville, who's wrist had been healed promptly.

"Hear what?" Kefira said removing her robes after breaking into a sweat from all the stairs they had climbed to get back to the Gryffindor Tower. She was sure by the time she graduated in seven years that she was going to be in peak cardio condition.

"Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are set to duel here shortly."

"Why?" Neville pondered.

"Because," Faye began, " Draco Malfoy didn't have the nicest things to say about you after you left Neville, he had your Remembrall."

Kefira's eye narrowed. "What did the git have to say?"

"I rather not know." Neville sighed. "It's not a big deal. Harry doesn't have to duel for me-"

"Neville, you can't let that nasty boy to say things like about you." Kefira told him.

"Why not? Ignoring usually works."

"No, it doesn't. It only lets them make fun of you later on, if they know you won't say anything to defend yourself, they'll keep doing it. I never let anyone get away with saying things about me, back home."

"People made fun of you back home?" Neville asked in disbelief. He wasn't sure what they would make fun of Kefira for. There was nothing to be made fun of.

"Plenty of times." Kefira said with a shrug. "But you know what I did?" 

"No, what?" 

"I punched them in the face. They never made fun of me after that."

"Kefira, punching people in the face isn't a problem solver." Faye sighed.

"Worked pretty well for me." Kefira told her. "Look, I'm not saying go around and punch people in the face, but don't let them walk all over you either Neville. You don't deserve that."

Before they could go on any further, Harry interrupted them with Ron Weasley and Hermione in tow of him to head to the Hogwarts Trophy room to hold the duel. Hermione tried to stop Harry and Ron from going but they ignored her.

Neville tried to beg him not to fight anyone for him.

"I think it's a great idea." Kefira encouraged Harry.

Faye didn't want to get involved, but Kefira joined to watch her first duel while dragging Neville along.

As she walked alongside Neville, he couldn't help become curious as to what other children had teased Kefira about and soon found himself blurting out the question.

"Why did others tease you?"

Kefira turned to him while Harry shushed him to keep quiet so they didn't get caught as they were out after curfew.

"Keep walking Potter." Kefira told him, before turning her attention back to Neville.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to ask-" Neville whispered.

"It's okay, Neville. It's not a big deal. I mean, I don't know half the things I was teased about, I know a lot of it had to do with the fact that I was a girl. The boys didn't want a girl hanging around them because they thought I would slow them down. Which was complete rubbish considering they couldn't keep up with me." she said proudly. "I got teased about my hair for a while, and then some of the kids kept telling me I was adopted because I didn't look like my older sisters."

Neville frowned.

"But if you saw my parents, it's pretty obvious that I'm not adopted. I look a lot like my dad except I'm not bald thank goodness."

Neville smiled slightly. "A lot of people say that I look like my mum." he told her.

"I bet she's beautiful." Kefira told him.

"Y-yeah, s-she is."

When they reached the area chosen for the duel, the group quickly came to realize that it was a set up as Draco was nowhere to be seen. The entire duel had been a scheme to get Harry out of the dorm to get him out of the dorms passed curfew.

"That little snake." Kefira said with an eye roll.

But the real fun began when Filch the caretaker began to pursue them in order to give them detention.

Neville seemed frozen in place from fear.

"Come on, Nev." Kefira grabbed his hand and pulled him along. "Now is not the time to play statue."

She and Neville followed the other three until they all realized they had made it to the forbidden area on the third floor.

"W-w-wh-wha-"

"What is it, Neville?!" 

The group turned to see a large, three headed dog, chained up, as it laid down on the floor.

"Whoa..." Kefira squeaked. 

She could feel Neville grip her hand tightly as his face paled.

The students swallowed as the three-headed dog began growling.

  "Anyone have a dog treat on them?"Kefira asked. "Or three?"