Brave { Neville Longbottom}

Chapter Forty One

Neville boarded the train after saying goodbye to his grandmother, he held Trevor tightly in his hands but Trevor appeared restless squirming in the boy's grasp.

"Hold still, Trevor! We're almost-" The toad slipped from his hands and before Neville could react to grab him, Trevor disappeared down the train.

Neville sighed. "I'm beginning to think you don't like me much, Trevor."

Kefira had yet to find any of her friends, but she did find an empty compartment. She was standing on her tiptoes trying to throw her bag overhead when she heard a croaking sound. She looked down to see Trevor hop into the compartment.

"Well, hello Trevor." the girl greeted the toad. "Did you have a nice summer?" she asked as Trevor hopped about. She knew if Trevor was on the train that Neville must have been close by. She quickly stuck her head out of the compartment and spotted the boy looking at the floor.

"Neville!"

Neville let out a screech that startled several other students that were around.

"Sorry." he muttered to them as he made his way over to Kefira hurriedly. "Hey Kefi."

"Hey Neville. I figured you were on the train. Trevor found his way in here before you did."

Neville looked down to Trevor who was resting contently in the middle of the compartment peering up at him.

He smiled at the toad before turning his attention back to Kefira who was still struggling to put her bag up.

While Neville wasn't much taller than Kefira, his arms were longer than hers, giving him the advantage of helping her place the bag up.

"Thanks!" Kefira told him as she plopped down. "Did you have a last few good days of summer?" 

"I did. It took me up until yesterday to identify that last plant you sent me though. Where'd you find it?" he asked her.

"I didn't. My dad did. I told him that you liked plants, so he keeps an eye out when he's working. Whenever he found an interesting one, he would bring it to me."

"That's amazing. You did find some pretty cool ones."

"Yeah when we were traveling, I thought it would be fun because all the souvenirs were really lame."

"I liked the plants the best." Neville reassured her.

Neville listened as Kefira told him some of the adventures that she and her family had over the break, until Seamus and Dean arrived.

"It's Fire Ant and Goat!" Kefira laughed as she greeted them with a wave.

Seamus only shook his head while Dean grinned.

"Well, it's nice to see you too, Kefi." Dean said as he took his seat.

"Have you guys seen Faye yet?" Kefira asked them. "I haven't seen on the train at all."

"No." the boys shook their heads.

"And we've been up and down the train." Seamus said.

"That's weird. Well, I hope she's alright."

Unlike the first year, instead of taking the boats up to the castle, the second years took carriages up to the castle  like the rest of the older students.

"This is awesome!" Kefira said sticking her head out the carriage door while it was still moving.

"Kefi!" The three boys pulled her back.

"Oh will you guys calm down, we're moving at walking pace." Kefira said as she sat down beside Dean.

"I think we were more concerned with you getting in trouble, not with you getting hurt." Dean said. "I don't think you're capable of getting hurt."

"Tell that to my parents and the medical bills I've racked up over the years."

"Well quit doing dangerous stuff." Seamus replied smartly.

"This is coming from the boy that always has his cauldron blowing up in his face!"

"Those are accidents! I'm only learning right now how to do this stuff!"

"Excuses, excuses Finnigan."

"It's the truth!"

When they arrived to the castle, Kefira told Neville she had to speak with someone before the Sorting Ceremony began.

It didn't take her long to spot the professor sitting among the others at the head table. Besides the fact that he was always dressed in all black dress robes, he was the only professor who wasn't smiling. She walked over to him as students moved about the Great Hall to sit down at their tables.

"Hi Professor Snape!" she greeted him with a bright smile.

Much to the amusement of the other professors, they all turned their attention to watch the potions master interact with the young girl.

"Miss Walsh," Snape said with little to no emotion, " you should be sitting like the rest of the students-"

"Did you have a nice summer?" she interjected.

"Yes. A very nice and quiet summer." he placed a strong emphasis on the word quiet but Kefira paid no mind to it.

"I had a pretty nice summer too. I traveled with my parents and my sisters.

"Wonderful." he said flatly hoping she would pick up on his disinterested tone, instead she continued to tell him about the places she traveled to.

She spoke with him excitedly until the ceremony was getting ready to begin. She turned to leave when she caught herself and faced him again.

"I also wanted to thank you for picking up my school supplies for me." she told him before skipping off.

Snape could feel all eyes on him as he turned to the rest of the Hogwarts staff.

"I don't know what she's talking about."