Hey guys! I’ve been looking for a good idea for Neville and I didn’t have one. Shoutout to @ipunchedmalfoy for giving me this prompt. You’re awesome, man. I did change it a little bit though. I hope I did this justice. Hope you enjoy!
Pairing: Neville Longbottom x Reader
Requested: Not technically
Prompt: Neville Longbottom in his first ever herbology class with the reader. He sees something special but can't make a move because he is scared. After a few years he's borrowing her notes one day after missing class only to find a page from first year where he scribbled a few lines of extra notes in the margins.
You’d seen Neville around all through first year, but you never really thought much about talking to him. It took until second year when he passed out from the Mandrake cries to actually speak to him. After class, you had gone over to him, waiting for him to wake up so you could see if he was alright. As his eyes began to blink open, you leaned over him.
“Hey, are you okay?” You asked. He stared up at you, cheeks reddening.
“I’m fine,” He mumbled, looking away from you.
“You sure? I can take you to the hospital wing if you want,” You said, holding out a hand for him. Slowly, he sat up and took your hand as he stood.
“Yeah. This stuff happens all the time,” He said.
“You’re awfully unlucky then, aren’t you?” You said, smiling even though there was still a shadow of worry on your face.
“Tell me about it,” He said, sighing.
“I’m (Y/N), by the way,” You said, brushing some hair behind your ear. He gave you a shy smile.
“I’m Neville Longbottom,” He replied.
From then on, you really only spoke to one another in Herbology and that only started because you absolutely did not have a green thumb. It wasn’t because you disliked him or anything. Just the opposite really. The problem was that both of you were so awkward that you didn’t interact outside there. You bonded over your mutual talent in caring for things that didn’t speak. His talent was in plants and yours was in creatures. Neville quickly became a very set and expected part of your life.
“I’m gonna cry, Neville,” You announce one day after Professor Sprout set you lose with the plants.
“I’m not good with plants. What the heck am I supposed to do with this thing? Will you help me?” You asked. Neville nodded, offering you one of his adorable shy smiles.
“If you want me to.” You nodded, throwing your arms around his neck.
“Thank you! I’d probably kill this thing if you left me alone with it,” You said.
“N-No problem, (Y/N).” Realizing that you were hugging him, a pink smear ran across your cheeks and you pulled away. Neville was blushing something fierce. You began to fiddle with your fingers.
“Uh, anyway, thank you,” You said, quietly. Still red, he nodded and began to show you how to care for the plant. Both of you snuck glances at each other throughout the entire process, hoping desperately that the other wouldn’t catch you. Whenever you locked eyes, you’d giggle nervously and look away.
Neville was the only reason you were passing Herbology, so you were incredibly thankful that he didn’t miss class very often. You hadn’t actually seen Neville miss a class before fifth year. You weren’t sure why he was missing, but you were worried. You spent the entire day after Herbology wondering if he was okay. When you walked into class the next day, you were relieved to see him sitting there. You grinned.
“Hey! Where were you yesterday?” You asked, plopping down next to him.
“A spell backfired on me, nothing big,” He said. You sighed, shaking your head at him. He never really outgrew his bad luck.
“You seriously worry me sometimes,” You said, patting his hand. Both of you blushed at the contact and you pulled your hand back slowly.
“Well, um, could I borrow your notes from last class?” He asked. Nodding, you dug around in your bag and produced the notes from the day before.
“Of course.” He placed the notes among his things and smiled at you.
“How did you manage without me yesterday?” He asked, playfully.
“It was terrible, Nev. Don’t ever leave me again,” You answered, truthfully. He chuckled, his face flushing with a hint of embarrassment. You smiled at him.
“I doubt it was that bad,” He said.
“It was. I almost died,” You giggled. The conversation was cut off there because Professor Sprout began the day’s lesson. You snuck small glances at him, admiring how interested he was in everything. You liked watching his eyes sparkle when he learned something new about the subject. Class seemed to pass quickly with Neville there to help you out. By the end, you actually felt like you understood something.
“I’ll bring your notes back tomorrow,” He said.
“If you remember, that is,” You teased, enjoying the way he pinked up a little.
“Right. See you tomorrow.” The two of you parted ways and went about your day.
As Neville went though (Y/N)’s notes in the common room that night, he found an older looking page stuck in the middle. It was wrinkled and ink spotted, but still legible. It was the first ever set of notes that he’d helped her with. He could see his own writing in the margins where he’d added something or where they were writing little conversations with one another. He could see them hunched together during the lesson, him pretending to help her with her notes as they had a little conversation. The thought brought a smile to his face. This only made him think of how much he’d come to like her over the years.
It was something he’d been dealing with since he’d met her, but it was getting harder to skirt around. He’d wanted to tell her how he felt for the longest time, but he was just too nervous. There was such a slim chance that you liked him that way that he never wanted to risk it. He stared at the little page of notes.
“I’m a Gryffindor, darn it, I’m supposed to be brave,” He mumbled, tapping his quill against the parchment. Suddenly, an idea hit him.
Taking your notes, he began to scribble little notes into the margin. Some complimented the way you looked, some complimented her determination to pass Herbology, some were just random thoughts he’d had about her. The newest page began to resemble the one from first year. Words lined the margins, barely distinguishable from the notes themselves. The only way to tell them apart was the differences in the penmanship. Sitting back, he began to wonder if this was a good idea.
“Well, it’s too late now,” He sighed. He’d just have to hope for the best.
The next day, you waited patiently for Neville to show up. Professor Sprout had announced that you’d be starting a project today and you really wanted him as your partner. When he walked in, you waved happily. He waved back and took his spot next to you.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Nev. We’re starting a project today and I really want you to be my partner,” You said, blushing a little.
“O-Okay,” He stuttered. You furrowed your eyebrows. He seemed more nervous than usual today.
“You alright?” You asked. Nodding quickly, he pulled your notes from his bag and shoved them at you. You smiled at him, keeping a confused look on your face.
“Hey, you remembered,” You giggled. He gave you a small smile. Before you put them away, you looked over them. The margins were filled with writing, Neville’s writing. You glanced at him to find him watching you. You began to read through them.
Your smile to me is like the sun to plants.
I like that you try so hard.
Thank you for understanding how much I love Herbology.
You have the prettiest (E/C) eyes
It’s cute when you ask me for help
I’ve liked since I met you, but I’m worried that you don’t like me back. Do you like me back?
At the very bottom of the page was a note written slightly bigger than the rest. Letting your eyes drift down, skipping over the other ones, you went straight to the bottom one.
I think I’m starting to fall for you.
Your face had flushed as you read through the sweet notes, but this one made the blush spread to the tips of your ears and down your neck. You never thought that Neville Longbottom, the plant loving sweetheart that he was, would actually like you back. You swallowed thickly and risked a glance at him. He was watching you with hopeful eyes and a face so red it would put a Weasley’s hair to shame. Placing the notes in your bag, you turned to him.
“Wait for me after class,” You said, knowing the Professor Sprout would be starting the lesson soon. He nodded.
Just as you’d asked him, he waited for you after class just outside the greenhouse. You walked out, giving him a shy smile and a little wave. He reciprocated the gesture.
“Walk with me,” You said, leading him down by the lake. He followed, quietly. Finally, you stopped just by the edge.
“You like me?” You asked.
“Uh, yeah, I do,” He said, awkwardly. A grin spread across your face and you threw your arms around him.
“I like you too. A lot, actually,” You whispered, hugging him tighter. His arms slipped around your waist and you felt your smile grow impossibly bigger.
“Thank god,” He sighed, relieved. You giggled and pulled back just enough to press a kiss to his cheek. He grinned at you.
“I can’t believe that we wasted all this time being too awkward to say anything to each other,” You laughed. He laughed too, nodding in agreement. It was the start of a beautifully awkward relationship.
Years later, after the war and everything happened, you and Neville took teaching positions at Hogwarts. He was the Herbology teacher and you had taken over Care of Magical Creatures. Just after you took the teaching positions, you got married. You took long walks by the lake and sat next to each other in the Great Hall during meals. Life as you knew it was wonderful.
“Hey, Nev,” You said, taking a seat by the lake after dinner. He looked over at you with a gentle smile.
“Yes, love?” He asked. You leaned your head against his shoulder.
“Did you ever think that this would happen? You know, like us getting married and being this happy?” You asked. He laughed, softly.
“I didn’t even think I’d be capable of talking to you when I first met you, (Y/N),” He said. You laughed as you leaned up and pressed a kiss to the underside of his jaw.
“Well, you did. Now look where we are,” You said. He hummed, pulling you into a hug.
“I’ve got my dream job and you. I think I’m pretty well off,” He said. You smiled.
“Aren’t we though.” You pecked his lips once before pulling yourself off the ground and heading back towards the castle hand in hand with your husband.
