Brave { Neville Longbottom}

Chapter One Hundred Fifty

Neville looked at Kefira in shock as the girl confessed to him that she had wanted to attend the Yule Ball with him the entire time. Her voice was sincere as well as the expression on her face as she waited for him to respond. However, Neville's head was spinning in confusion as he was sure that he had witness someone else ask Kefira to the ball earlier and now she was standing in front of him.

"I...I...what?" His book fell to the floor, but he didn't even notice as he looked up at her.  Kefira seemed relieved that she had gotten the weight off her chest with her confession.

"But what about..." He shook his head.

Kefira frowned. "I just figured you were going to ask me because well...I remember back at the airport and over the summer...everything that has been said between us. I thought you were going to ask, was I wrong?"

He could hear the hurt lacing Kefira's voice and it was only reiterated as she looked down to the floor at her shoes. Quickly standing up to his feet, Neville walked over to stand in front of her. 

"No, wait, Kefira, I really wanted to ask you. I was trying to work myself up to ask you, but I wasn't even sure if you wanted to go. I know you weren't happy about the idea of it being formal attire and-"

Kefira let out a laugh. "Well, no, I'll admit, I'm not very fond of the idea of wearing a dress, Nevs, but I think I could put up with it for one night."

"So you do want to go to the Yule Ball?"

"Yes," Kefira nodded.

"But what about Bisera, she asked you first and you've been hanging around the Durmstrang students a lot lately. I thought it was Viktor Krum-"

"Neville!" She laughed again. "Are you...really? You thought it was Viktor? No way!"

"But the robes, I saw you wearing his robes and then he gave it to you to have." Neville shifted awkwardly back and forth on his feet.

"What? No, he didn't. He let me try it on in the Great Hall, probably because I wouldn't leave him alone. And that robe didn't belong to him, it belonged to Bisera. It was an old one from her first year. She was using it as a pillow case before she gave it to me."

Everything was starting to come together and make sense to the girl as the two talked more and more. 

Neville was jealous.

Something she never thought she would witness come from the boy because she really didn't think she gave the boy a reason to be jealous. She had been honest with him from the start and she wished he had just been upfront about the matter if he was feeling that way. It would have saved them from all the awkward moments they had been sharing recently. 

"You were jealous about the robes? Is that why you kept offering me your jumper?" She asked him with a grin. 

Neville glanced down and rubbed the palm of his hands against his shirt. " That's not the only reason, I also think they look good on you."

It was Kefira's turn to turn as red as her hair, but the smile didn't fade from her face.

"I wish you just would have said something earlier, Neville, I could have reassured you that it wasn't like that between me or any of the Durmstrang students. They're just fun to hang out with.'

"Well, they obviously think the same thing about you,' Neville reminded her of the Bisera situation. "I want to go with you to the Yule Ball, but she did ask you first."

The girl let out a heavy sigh before she walked over and sat on the sofa. "I know, and I still haven't figured that part out yet. She's a really great friend and I think she's incredible to be around, but I wouldn't see this going any further than a friendship."

Neville sat down beside her and the two remained quiet for a moment trying to figure out a plan.

"I...I think you should go with her," Neville informed Kefira, bringing her to look over at him.

"What?"

"I said, I think you should go with her," he said again. "She had enough courage to ask you first and you wouldn't want her to go alone."

"But what about you?"

"I can just go by myself-" He went to shrug it off when suddenly the portrait swung open and  Ginny walked in. She greeted the two with a happy smile.

"Have you two heard all the fuss over people trying to find someone for the Yule Ball? It's absolute madness out there," the younger girl said.

Kefira grinned in response." Would you be interested in going to the Yule Ball, Ginny?"

Ginny gave her an odd look. "Are you asking me personally?"

Bisera was sitting at the Slytherin table along with the other Durmstrang students when the  bouncy little red head approached the table as dinner was getting started.

"Hey, Bisera!"

"Kefira," she turned to face the girl with a smile. "Do you have your answer?"

"I do," Kefira nodded, " and the answer is yes, I'll go with you to the Yule Ball."

Bisera seemed thrilled with the answer. "That is great! I'm glad, I could not imagine going with anyone else.  I don't really know anyone else from this school or Beauxbatons and he people from my school are...well..."

The two girls looked down the table to see another Durmstrang girl and a boy arm wrestling.

"Uh..." Kefira eyed the two with a smirk. "That's pretty awesome actually. My sisters and I arm wrestle all the time at home. Lottie cheats all the time when she uses two hands. But anyways, we're all set! I'll talk to you later, I have to go sit down! See you later!"

"Bye, Kefi!"

"Everything go alright?" Neville asked as Kefira took her spot by him at the Gryffindor table.

"Yup!" Kefira said as she began to fill up her plate. "We're all set and I think everything is going to be just fine. Knock on wood." 

She knocked her knuckles against the table before leaning up against Neville, bringing both of them to smile at each other.