Brave { Neville Longbottom}

Chapter Fifty Six

"You think they'll let you come back?" Neville whispered to Kefira as they sat on the train on their way home for the summer.

"I don't know Neville, but if I know my mum...probably not." she sighed looking at him. "I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be sorry." Neville frowned. "But I really hope they let you come back. Everything is back to normal at school-"

"Yeah but we see as normal, is probably still going to be too much for them." Kefira said. 

"I don't want to lose you as a friend." Neville admitted.

Kefira grinned at him as Trevor sat in her lap. "Don't be silly Neville, you couldn't lose me as a friend even if you tried."

"What?"

"Just because we won't attend the same school doesn't mean we can't be friends. You'll always be my best friend, and it's not like I'll disappear off the face of the earth. We can still send letters! And I bet if I ask my parents they'll let you come over and visit over the summer! It would be awesome! Do you think your grandma wouldn't let you?"

"I don't know. I've never had to ask her." Neville said.

"Well, we should definitely try, my dad likes to have a lot of fun over the summers. Besides traveling, we have bonfires like every night and sometimes we tell scary stories-"

Neville's eyes widened. 

"But we can also tell funny happy ones too. You like my dad's jokes anyways, so that won't be hard."

When they arrived to the train station, Kefira hugged Seamus, Dean and Faye and told them to write to her over the summer so that they wouldn't lose touch. All the while, Kefira hid the sadness she felt knowing that  she would have to leave the magical world behind. But she wouldn't cry in front of her friends and she wouldn't cry in front of Neville, even though he looked to be on the verge himself.

Finally, finding her parents outside of the platform, Kefira approached them, as soon as Cardel caught sight of her, the father instantly ran over and lifted his daughter into a tight hug. Her mother joined in and soon enough the entire family was wrapped around the youngest Walsh. All of them incredibly thankful that she was okay.

"You guys are squeezing me to death." Kefira breathed before she was placed down on her feet.

"We're so glad that you're okay." Rosemary told her sister.

"Well, of course I'm okay." Kefira said. "What made you guys think otherwise?"

She wore a sheepish grin on her face until her eyes settled on Neville as he stood with his grandmother. Then her grin turned into a frown.

"What's wrong, sweetheart? Are you feeling okay?" Alana asked worried.

"Yeah I'm fine...I just...I'm going to miss all this." she said.

"What do you mean?" Cardel asked lowering himself to her eye level.

"You guys aren't going to let me come back are you? Professor Snape said...well..you guys are upset aren't you?"

"Yes we were upset! I for one am still upset with what happened." Cardel said. " Kefira, we're your family and we never want to see you get hurt."

"I know but-" Kefira stopped as her father held up his hand so he could finish speaking.

"And I know that if we keep you from going to this school, that it'll hurt you even more."

Kefira looked at her father and then to her mother. "So...what does that mean? I get to back after the summer?" she asked with a hopeful look.

Alana sighed, still not fully convinced that it was the best idea for her daughter returned but she had no other choice. "Yes, you will be going back in the fall."

The family was startled as the girl screamed happily, hopping around them, even a few other people standing around had been startled as well.

"Kefi!" Nellie laughed. "You're making a scene."

"I don't care!" Kefira said before hugging both of her parents. She looked up at her mother. "Professor Snape had me believe that you guys were going to do everything to keep me from going back."

Cardel laughed slightly. "I think Professor Snape enjoys pulling your leg, Kefi."

"You know what, I'm beginning to think that too." Kefira smiled. "But this is great! I'm so happy, I have to tell Neville!"

Neville stood with his grandmother as he tried to get Trevor settled for the trip home when suddenly Kefira ran over to him.

"Nevs!" she said launching him into a hug.

He nearly fell back but steadied himself just in time as his grandmother watched the two young ones.

"Guess what?" the girl said bouncing up and down.

"What?" Neville said.

"I get to go back, my parents are going to let me go back!"

"To Hogwarts?" he said in a lower voice.

Kefira nodded her head excitedly.

Augusta Longbottom watched in slight amusement as her grandson's face lit up bright and then he returned the hug.

Once the two pulled away, Kefira turned to the tall older woman.

"Hi Mrs. Longbottom."

"Hello...Kefira, is it?"

"Yup, that's me!"

"If it's not too much trouble, Mrs. Longbottom, my parents would like to meet you."

Augusta looked over to where the muggle family stood a little distance away.

"Don't worry, they don't bite." Kefira said sensing the woman's hesitation. "Except Nellie, but that's only when you wake her up from a nap."

Neville watched as Kefira's father approached his grandmother with a smile before extending his hand out to the woman.

"My dad said he would ask your grandmother if it was okay for you to spend some time at my house for the summer." Kefira whispered to him.

He wasn't sure how his grandmother was going to react to that idea.