HP - A Less Than Immaculate Conception
Aug. 27th, 2004 11:23 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hackthis_archiveMy love for Neville is all consuming. Yes.
Harry Potter
A Less Than Immaculate Conception (un-beta’d)
We all hope to create what we would like to be. He was maybe a great deal more successful than some of us are.*
He wants to make a change, not necessarily for someone else, but for himself. He knows from the outset that it'll be a fruitless endeavour, but he tries anyway, because he doesn't necessarily think he needs to change everything, but he can see how he could stand a little improvement.
He thinks it would be nice if his hair were a little shorter, and he were a little less lanky. His teeth could stand a reducing charm, and maybe he could do with a bit of sun, but that only makes him turn red so probably not. He’s not sure exactly what he’s trying to do, but he just wants something else. He wants to feel like he fits in his skin a bit more; and if other people notice his attempts, that’ll be nice, and if someone in particular notices that’s even better, but it’s not really about anyone else but him.
It’s just about Neville.
*
Over the summer holiday he considers himself very carefully whenever he gets a chance. He’s all legs and arms and freckles and teeth. He can’t seem to stop tripping over his feet, and he’s growing out of his robes at an alarming rate according to his nan, but surely there has to be something he likes about himself. Surely there has to be one trait that he can say he’s quite pleased with. When he looks in the mirror he decides it’s his nose. Ever since that episode at the Ministry, his nose has been a bit unaligned and when he turns to the side he can see the small bump where it was broken. His mirror tells him that it makes him look ‘rugged, like that bloke in the cigarette adverts who rides dragons.’
*
For his sixteenth birthday, instead of asking for a broom, which he can’t ride, or an animal, which he’ll just lose, Neville asks his nan to shrink his teeth a wee bit. He also asks for Heather Fern’s latest volume of Where The Wild Plants Are.
*
On his birthday Neville gets a yellow card from Harry, a sack of seeds from Luna Lovegood, and small package tied with rope from Hermione that stirs about impatiently every time he puts it down. He worries about the sentient nature of Hermione’s parcel until he opens it and tiny rockets and balloons explode out of it. There are noisemakers and glittering confetti, and the note inside says the gift is part of the stock from George and Fred Weasley’s new store and if it doesn’t work or takes out someone’s eye, he should let Hermione know directly.
*
He does fifty press-ups every morning and then goes for a run around the tiny town he calls home. The first time he comes home after his run, gasping for breath and with sweat obstructing his view, his nan is downstairs stuffing a vicious hatpin into her favorite vulture hat and the hat is complaining. When Neville goes to ask her where she's off to she cracks him over the head with her wand.
“Next time, you tell me when you’re off running about,” she snaps, stabbing her hat again with the pin. “I thought you’d been snatched up by -- by You Know Who.”
When all the blood rushes from his head and his legs give out underneath him, Neville honestly thinks it's down to the running.
*
Lavender comes to see him the week before term begins and after six years of schooling, he finally caves in and allows her to do something 'different' with his hair. Neville always thought she’d meant to do something fixable like dying his hair blue or pink, but instead she pulls out a set of Muggle clippers and casts what she calls a Buzzer on the incredibly noisy device. It takes Neville approximately three seconds to change his mind and dash for the front door, but the clippers get there first, and he spends the next twenty minutes dashing all over his house to get away. The clippers follow him everywhere though, until he surrenders to their persistence and Lavender’s laughter.
*
His gran fusses with his hair outside entrance to Platform 9 ¾ even though his hair is barely two inches long, and he’s just beginning to get fidgety when she lets him go. “You look just like your dad did at your age,” she says with twitch of her lips. “All legs and arms and freckles.”
Neville swallows over the frog in his throat and offers her a watery smile.
“Perhaps a bit better looking with the teeth and the hair,” she concedes, producing his old Rememberall from thin air and slipping it into his palm. “Certainly better looking than Algie though - Merlin, he was an ugly child,” she says, pushing Neville towards the barrier.
*
Neville always tends to be a bit nervous about getting on the Hogwarts Express and getting back to school, but this time when he stumbles clear of the barrier and finds himself back in familiar company, there’s none of the normal anxiety. He smiles at Susan Bones and Luna Lovegood when they wave to him, and he can’t help but blink when Malfoy actually gives him a second glance before starting down his familiar road of insults.
He’s just making his way over to where Dean and Seamus are animatedly discussing something or other when he finds himself with an face full of brown, unruly hair and Hermione’s hugging the stuffing out of him.
Over her shoulder, Ron grins and Harry - Harry just stares.
“All right there, Neville?” Ron asks as Hermione steps back and looks him over. “You look, uh -"
Ron’s voice trails off as Hermione hurries to fill his gap. “You look brilliant. Did you go on holiday? Have you been in the sun? My mother and father took me to Greece and it was fascinating. You wouldn’t believe the history there.”
Neville’s just opening his mouth to respond when the whistle calls, and it’s a mad dash for the train. The next few minutes are full of getting on the train and trooping down corridors trying to find an empty compartment. Hermione and Ron stagger on ahead of Neville and Harry, arguing over something that’s only important to them.
“You do look quite fit,” Harry says so quietly that Neville almost misses it. When Neville glances over his shoulder, Harry flushes and pushes his glasses higher up his nose.
“Have you been up to anything in particular?” Harry asks. “Are you, um, are you seeing someone now?”
A small smile flits across Neville lips. “No, not really. Nothing special. I just - I got a haircut.”
“Oh,” Harry pauses. “I quite like it.”
Neville shrugs, but he can feel the colour heating his cheeks. “It just seemed like a good time for change.”
“It suits you.”
“I’m glad you think so,” slips out before Neville can think better of it.
Harry blinks and nods. “I do.”
“Anytime you two fancy getting it together!” Ron shouts from down the hall.
Shaking off the moment, Harry gestures towards where Ron and Hermione have disappeared inside a compartment. “We should get on with it.”
“We should,” Neville agrees, leaning forward and brushing his lips against Harry’s cheek before turning and heading down the hall.
With each step he can feel something cracking free in his chest. It might just be the Neville he’s been looking for all along.
-end-
1.For![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
serialkarma
2.Improv: freedom, yellow, stirring, rope
3. Quote from Cary Grant's widow, Barbara Harris.
My website, Dysfunctional, has finally been updated. Five fandoms, fifteen stories, lots of pairings, plus a new awards page. You know, most people take a holiday during the summer. *adores![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-syndicated.gif)
obsessedmuch madly*
Harry Potter
We all hope to create what we would like to be. He was maybe a great deal more successful than some of us are.*
He wants to make a change, not necessarily for someone else, but for himself. He knows from the outset that it'll be a fruitless endeavour, but he tries anyway, because he doesn't necessarily think he needs to change everything, but he can see how he could stand a little improvement.
He thinks it would be nice if his hair were a little shorter, and he were a little less lanky. His teeth could stand a reducing charm, and maybe he could do with a bit of sun, but that only makes him turn red so probably not. He’s not sure exactly what he’s trying to do, but he just wants something else. He wants to feel like he fits in his skin a bit more; and if other people notice his attempts, that’ll be nice, and if someone in particular notices that’s even better, but it’s not really about anyone else but him.
It’s just about Neville.
Over the summer holiday he considers himself very carefully whenever he gets a chance. He’s all legs and arms and freckles and teeth. He can’t seem to stop tripping over his feet, and he’s growing out of his robes at an alarming rate according to his nan, but surely there has to be something he likes about himself. Surely there has to be one trait that he can say he’s quite pleased with. When he looks in the mirror he decides it’s his nose. Ever since that episode at the Ministry, his nose has been a bit unaligned and when he turns to the side he can see the small bump where it was broken. His mirror tells him that it makes him look ‘rugged, like that bloke in the cigarette adverts who rides dragons.’
For his sixteenth birthday, instead of asking for a broom, which he can’t ride, or an animal, which he’ll just lose, Neville asks his nan to shrink his teeth a wee bit. He also asks for Heather Fern’s latest volume of Where The Wild Plants Are.
On his birthday Neville gets a yellow card from Harry, a sack of seeds from Luna Lovegood, and small package tied with rope from Hermione that stirs about impatiently every time he puts it down. He worries about the sentient nature of Hermione’s parcel until he opens it and tiny rockets and balloons explode out of it. There are noisemakers and glittering confetti, and the note inside says the gift is part of the stock from George and Fred Weasley’s new store and if it doesn’t work or takes out someone’s eye, he should let Hermione know directly.
He does fifty press-ups every morning and then goes for a run around the tiny town he calls home. The first time he comes home after his run, gasping for breath and with sweat obstructing his view, his nan is downstairs stuffing a vicious hatpin into her favorite vulture hat and the hat is complaining. When Neville goes to ask her where she's off to she cracks him over the head with her wand.
“Next time, you tell me when you’re off running about,” she snaps, stabbing her hat again with the pin. “I thought you’d been snatched up by -- by You Know Who.”
When all the blood rushes from his head and his legs give out underneath him, Neville honestly thinks it's down to the running.
Lavender comes to see him the week before term begins and after six years of schooling, he finally caves in and allows her to do something 'different' with his hair. Neville always thought she’d meant to do something fixable like dying his hair blue or pink, but instead she pulls out a set of Muggle clippers and casts what she calls a Buzzer on the incredibly noisy device. It takes Neville approximately three seconds to change his mind and dash for the front door, but the clippers get there first, and he spends the next twenty minutes dashing all over his house to get away. The clippers follow him everywhere though, until he surrenders to their persistence and Lavender’s laughter.
His gran fusses with his hair outside entrance to Platform 9 ¾ even though his hair is barely two inches long, and he’s just beginning to get fidgety when she lets him go. “You look just like your dad did at your age,” she says with twitch of her lips. “All legs and arms and freckles.”
Neville swallows over the frog in his throat and offers her a watery smile.
“Perhaps a bit better looking with the teeth and the hair,” she concedes, producing his old Rememberall from thin air and slipping it into his palm. “Certainly better looking than Algie though - Merlin, he was an ugly child,” she says, pushing Neville towards the barrier.
Neville always tends to be a bit nervous about getting on the Hogwarts Express and getting back to school, but this time when he stumbles clear of the barrier and finds himself back in familiar company, there’s none of the normal anxiety. He smiles at Susan Bones and Luna Lovegood when they wave to him, and he can’t help but blink when Malfoy actually gives him a second glance before starting down his familiar road of insults.
He’s just making his way over to where Dean and Seamus are animatedly discussing something or other when he finds himself with an face full of brown, unruly hair and Hermione’s hugging the stuffing out of him.
Over her shoulder, Ron grins and Harry - Harry just stares.
“All right there, Neville?” Ron asks as Hermione steps back and looks him over. “You look, uh -"
Ron’s voice trails off as Hermione hurries to fill his gap. “You look brilliant. Did you go on holiday? Have you been in the sun? My mother and father took me to Greece and it was fascinating. You wouldn’t believe the history there.”
Neville’s just opening his mouth to respond when the whistle calls, and it’s a mad dash for the train. The next few minutes are full of getting on the train and trooping down corridors trying to find an empty compartment. Hermione and Ron stagger on ahead of Neville and Harry, arguing over something that’s only important to them.
“You do look quite fit,” Harry says so quietly that Neville almost misses it. When Neville glances over his shoulder, Harry flushes and pushes his glasses higher up his nose.
“Have you been up to anything in particular?” Harry asks. “Are you, um, are you seeing someone now?”
A small smile flits across Neville lips. “No, not really. Nothing special. I just - I got a haircut.”
“Oh,” Harry pauses. “I quite like it.”
Neville shrugs, but he can feel the colour heating his cheeks. “It just seemed like a good time for change.”
“It suits you.”
“I’m glad you think so,” slips out before Neville can think better of it.
Harry blinks and nods. “I do.”
“Anytime you two fancy getting it together!” Ron shouts from down the hall.
Shaking off the moment, Harry gestures towards where Ron and Hermione have disappeared inside a compartment. “We should get on with it.”
“We should,” Neville agrees, leaning forward and brushing his lips against Harry’s cheek before turning and heading down the hall.
With each step he can feel something cracking free in his chest. It might just be the Neville he’s been looking for all along.
-end-
1.For
serialkarma2.Improv: freedom, yellow, stirring, rope
3. Quote from Cary Grant's widow, Barbara Harris.
My website, Dysfunctional, has finally been updated. Five fandoms, fifteen stories, lots of pairings, plus a new awards page. You know, most people take a holiday during the summer. *adores
obsessedmuch madly*
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-08-27 11:42 am (UTC)also, he considers himself very careful very carefully, no?
no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 10:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-27 12:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 10:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-27 01:41 pm (UTC)“Oh,” Harry pauses. “I quite like it.”
They're such boys! Which, as much as it should go without saying, is often not the case. And, yay! for Neville, taking Harry literally and bravely acting on it.
The last little bit is inspired and I am grinning stupidly as I type this! Just lovely.
no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 10:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-27 01:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 10:25 am (UTC)Yes.
no subject
Date: 2004-08-27 07:47 pm (UTC)I've long suspected that Neville had a good-shaped-head - he's that kind of a bloke.
no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 10:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-27 08:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 10:27 am (UTC)Feel the Neville love! Embrace it!
no subject
Date: 2004-08-28 05:41 am (UTC)“We should get on with it.”
“We should,”
I thought I might die, what with my heart pounding out of my chest and all. I love stories like this.
no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 10:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-28 06:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 10:28 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-28 07:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 10:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-29 05:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 10:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 01:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-29 08:16 pm (UTC)Gran! and cigarette ads with dragons! and magical clippers! yay!
This makes me so happy, and I'm only sorry it took me until *tonight* to read it.
*mwah*
no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 10:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-09 02:30 pm (UTC)*saves to Comfort-Food folder*
no subject
Date: 2004-10-26 09:44 pm (UTC)There's something very natural in Harry/Neville, almost as much as (tho the slasher in me gags to say it) Ron/Hermione. Once Neville gets over his shyness about Harry (and is there much evidence that it's really there in canon?), I think he'd be the best person for Harry. Someone normalish but also with inner reserves of strength.
However, I also love challenge pairs. So really mostly everyone/Neville is hot.
: )