THE BOY MADE OF FLOWERS.

SHE DOESN’T APPROACH HIM,  keeps her distance from the tree she leans on as gaze studies the man before her.  definitely immortal.  but he can’t be very old if he’s wandering so far into this forest—  her forest.  her  HOME,  ever since she hid herself away from humanity so many decades ago.  “ it wasn’t very difficult, ”  she responds casually,  arms folded over her chest as she watches him.  “ you walked right into my territory. ”  a pause.  “ why? ”

Neville’s eyes didn’t leave the woman’s, his hands slipping into the pockets of his coat as his expression remained undefinable. He wasn’t aware someone lived in the forest he was trekking, nor did he disrupt anything. 

“Good morning,” Hermione replied with a bright smile, she was beginning to get things set up for the lesson that they were going to have when everyone arrived.

As he spoke again, she nodded, glad to see that he was taking such an interest in what they were doing. “Of course, we were working on shields yesterday if I remember right?

“ Ah, yes.” Neville replied with a small smile. “ I’m getting better producing the shield...but I can’t seem to keep it going past a few seconds.” He explained and sat his bag down in a spare corner. He strolled over to his spot on the floor and drew his wand. 

He muttered the spell, and within a moment, the shield appeared, sprouting from his wand like a beautiful array of vines, however, just as fast as they came, they were gone. Neville frowned. 

Neville resisted the urge to grimace at Draco. He should’ve expected some form of sharpness from him, after all, the Slytherin was notorious for his retorts, perhaps it was naive for him to think that Draco had outgrown such a thing and yet,  there was a part of him that found nostalgia within it. 

It didn’t stop him from exhaling a short breath in reply. His brows furrowed with resolve as Draco produced a list of plants he needed. This was something he could definitely help with. 

Reaching out to take the list, he read over it carefully and looked up at Draco incredulously.

 “ Many of these plants are dangerous to handle Draco and if I recall, you’ve spent a great deal of Herbology not paying attention. What kind of research are you doing that you need so many exotic plants? ” he had to know. 

    despite the ample collection of alcohol perched at his bar back at the manor ; the notion of getting some fresh air prevailed. more so, his craving for a new book. before he knew it he’d apparated to london, wandering amid the store fronts, until he settled on a pub. a glass of brandy donned his hand and a plate of bouillabaisse before him, the book he’d purchased pried open to the side. engrossed and intrigued with its contents, it wasn’t much longer before he noted the presence of the other, sauntering over. 

          ❛ longbottom,’ he nods in greeting, it had been…years indeed.  ❛ i’m well. and you ? i heard you became an auror. ’ he gestures for the other to join him across the booth and salvages the page he’d left off on. 

Neville hesitated for a moment  before settling down across from the other. He surveyed his face for a moment and gave a nod before smiling. It had been too long and Neville didn’t think he’d see Draco again. It was good to see he was doing well after the war. 

“ Ah, yes.” he replied in a timid tone. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. 

“Oh, I don’t think you understand the magnitude of what this gift is. It’s a modest five bedrooms, with two living spaces, formal dining and a gorgeous kitchen with an island counter,” she said.

Pansy took advantage of his aversion to take a seat in the nearest armchair, her legs dangling off the arm and her head propped up by her arm. It was a positively Malfoy look, but she had managed to make it all her own, even back in her Hogwarts days.

“And there’s a greenhouse,” she added, almost as if it were the least impressive thing about the place. As if she weren’t the one who said it was the only way she’d agree to the outrageous gift.

Neville exhaled a patient breath and quietly reminded himself it wasn’t worth the argument. He gently scratched at his beard for a moment before sinking into the arm chair adjacent to her. 

“ I suppose there is no avoiding it then...” he thought of the greenhouse and how much time he could spend in it and not with Pansy. Still, he began to feel like a prisoner. 

vampire startersAccepting@panalamb

“ An unfortunate turn of phrase.” Neville replied with a sigh. He hadn’t been home much since he’s been searching for the bastard that turned him, he had given up and returned home to Pansy in a gloomy mood. 

vampire startersAccepting@accidentprcne

He stared at her as a deer would when caught in headlights. It had only been a couple months since he had turned, and he was terrified that he would be eventually caught. 

He couldn’t resist the urge to feed–to drink just a little bit to get him through the term. He thought he was careful sneaking out of the dorms to hunt the animals of the forest, but he was followed and in his blood lust he hadn’t sensed being followed. 

vampire startersAccepting@oncelovcd

“ No.” Neville replied with his arms crossed. “ I am just wondering how you found me.” The young man, freshly out of school had been travelling between England, Ireland and Scotland in search for the vampire that turned him, but to no avail. 

He kept his distance from the stranger.