Brave { Neville Longbottom}

Chapter Eighty Six

Kefira entered the Great Hall and found Seamus, Dean, Ginny and Faye already seated at the table enjoying dinner.

"Looks like the crew is all here." she smiled at Neville. They walked over and joined them, Kefira settling herself in between Seamus and Ginny while Neville sat beside Dean.

"Did you all have a nice Christmas?" Kefira asked them as she made herself a plate.

The group answered with mostly positive memories, except for Seamus, somehow his family's Christmas tree had been lit on fire.

"Why do I feel like you were behind that one?" Kefira asked the boy in amusement.

"I didn't do it!" Seamus told her. "I wasn't even in the same room."

"But you were under the same roof weren't you?"

"Shut up, Kefi."

After dinner, the group was going to head back to the common room to relax but Kefira informed them that she would catch up. There was something she had to do.

Neville seemed worried about whatever she was planning on doing.

"Don't worry." she smiled reassuringly. "I'll be there soon."

"I don't want you getting into trouble."

"That makes the two of us." she laughed. "I'll see  you up in the Common Room. "

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, because if I do get caught I wouldn't want you getting into trouble. Besides, it's easier to get caught with two people. I'll be fine, go on."

Neville didn't have much of an option as he found himself following after the group while Kefira went the opposite way. Avoiding all eyes of professors, Kefira snuck outside and approached the area where she would normally find the dog. She found the tree but didn't see the dog anywhere.

Opening up her robes she began pulling out the food that she had grabbed for the animal, hoping he was still alive. 

Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her and jumped, only to see the black dog approaching her slowly.

"Hello friend!" she greeted the dog. "I brought you some food, I'm sorry I've been gone so long, but I had to go home for Christmas break. But to make up for it, I brought as much food as I could stuff in my pockets and now my robes smell like meat."

She giggled as the dog let out a small yip and began sniffing at the food before gulping it down.

"You might want to slow down there, my mum says that's a surefire way of getting a belly ache." 

The dog didn't slow down a bit.

"Or maybe it's different for dogs." she shrugged before sitting down to keep the dog company while he ate.

"I can't stay for long." she told him. "It's way past curfew to be outside, but hopefully I won't get caught on the way back in....fingers crossed. But hey, now that I'm back I'll be able to provide you with more food."

She cautiously held out her hand for the dog to sniff and when he bowed his head, she gave him a small pat.

"I'll see you later."

Sneaking back to the castle, Kefira slowly crept inside, passing several sleeping portrait and headed down an empty corridor, keeping an eye out for Mrs. Norris and Filch. She rounded a corner and gasped when she  knocked into Fred and George, falling onto the ground.

She regulated her breath by inhaling deeply several times.

"What are you guys doing out here?" she whispered to them as they pulled her up to her feet.

"We're working." Fred answered. "What are you doing?"

"Heading back to the dorms."

"You're out awfully late." George said narrowing his eyes at her.

"As are you." she countered.

"Well, rather than question each other, how's about we join forces for the evening?" Fred offered.

Kefira glanced around. "I was supposed to head back to the dorms, I told Neville..."

"Come on, you know you want to." George encouraged her. "It'll be way more fun than hanging out in the dorms."

Kefira bit her lower lip for a second. "Alright, I'm in."

"What do you suppose Kefira was up to not coming back to the dorm?" Faye asked Neville.

"I don't know." he shrugged. "But I'm sure it was important."

The truth was, Neville knew exactly what Kefira was up to that evening, he had witnessed her stuff her pockets full of food and could only assume the reason behind it was she was going to feed the dog outside. However, as more and more time passed, he only hoped that she didn't get caught.

Kefira clapped her hands over her mouth to suppress the sound of her giggles as she hid behind the corner with the twins. Filch was cursing and yelling up and down the corridors in search of them after Mrs. Norris was the victim of a dung bomb. After the caretaker comforted his cat, he set off on the warpath for them.

"Time to go." Fred said as the two pulled her along. "Wouldn't want old Filchykins to come close to catching us."

"Yes, he gets way more into his detention punishments if Mrs. Norris was involved."

"Lead the way, gentlemen."