Neville's Redeption

Hi!!!! How's everyone. Nope, I have not fallen in the black hole of writer's block, Real Life is again kicking me in the arse. Ah, well, if there were obstacles, we'd all get bored. Here's another chapter, hope you enjoy, and don't forget to leave that review! I live for the accolades :-)

Marti

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Neville entered the library after dinner, having gobbled his dinner hastily so he wouldn’t miss even a minute with Mary. He was probably putting too much into their little time together, but he was very attracted to her; he felt a connection with her that he rarely felt with other young women.

He waved hello to Madame Pince at the circulation desk and hurried to the back of the study area. He gaped and stopped in the middle of the aisle when he saw what Mary had laid out on the desk.

“Does Madame Pince know what you have here? What do you have here?”


“Mr. Longbottom, you’re going to learn how to make spaghetti sauce from scratch, using a potions formula instead of the cooking directions. They’re really similar and besides, I’ve been craving some homemade spaghetti for weeks. I can’t wait til Christmas holiday! Come on, it won’t bite you, you know!” Mary smiled at him and gestured to all the ingredients laid out on the table. “Just like in Potions: you have to chop, dice, slice, mince and grate finely all of these ingredients. Combine them in the cauldron to simmer for forty-five minutes, stirring occasionally. This isn’t a very difficult potion, Mr. Longbottom. Let’s begin.”


Mary had written the directions on a conjured chalkboard and now sat next to Neville, watching him as he ruminated over them.

“Does Madame Pince know you have a cauldron and all this stuff?”

“Yes.” Mary grinned as she watched him dice the onions finely, not once shaking or quivering as he would in Potions class. “I told her that if you didn’t bugger the sauce, we’d share with her. She said she’d not had spaghetti since she left the Muggle world twenty years ago.”

“That was nice of you.”


“Madame Pince and I spend a lot of time together. I help her during the holidays sometimes. I come back a few days early from Christmas or the summer break and help her organize the stacks, and any new books that come in.”

“Which is why I don’t remember seeing you on the train before term.”


Mary smiled at him and motioned towards the ‘potions’ ingredients he needed to prepare. “Get to it, Mr. Longbottom. We’ve not got much time.”

@#@#@#@#@#@#

Mary watched him as he concentrated and considered everything in front of him. He read through the directions and made sure he had everything he needed. With a frown, she realized that his horrible classroom reactions were probably left over from his time with Professor Snape. It was a mental thing.


Of course dealing with Severus Snape had made quite a few students mental over the years.


An hour and a half later Neville offered up a ladleful of his concoction. Mary had a stomach-ache potion available just in case. She bit down into the meat/tomato stew and covered her mouth quickly. It was still terribly hot. She swallowed and took a sip of water. She watched Neville frown and drop his shoulders in misery.

“No, wait. It was still a bit hot. It’s really good. See, you can follow a potions direction.”

“Those were directions for spaghetti sauce, remember?” Neville took a bit of his sauce and acknowledged how good it was. Mary laughed and picked up the cookbook. She waved her wand over it with a ‘revelo.’ It changed shape into the more common potions textbook.

“This is the ingredient list and directions for a simple sleeping draught. I replaced every ingredient with the more common one for our sauce. The method of preparation and cooking directions were identical. You can do it, Neville.” She smirked at him and handed him the textbook. He stared at it, then at her in disbelief.

“You’re joking, right?”

“Not even a little. You did it all yourself.” Mary grinned at him. Seeing him start to return her smile, she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the cheek. She pulled away with a blush, one mirrored by Neville and dropped her head. She continued smiling though.

“Sorry. I was just excited for you.”

“It’s alright. It was nice. Thanks for helping me. I know it’s not something you’d do normally, tutor a Gryffindor, but thanks anyway.”

“Its fine, Nev. You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re getting over your anxiety.”

“Having such a good teacher helps.”


“Well, Snape did have a way of making students quake with fear. He made Louisa Barcomb so nervous she had to be taken from Potions in restraints.” Mary leaned forward and whispered, imparting a bit of gossip to their conversation. Neville nodded in commiseration.

“I’d believe it. I’ve felt like going completely off the deep end a few times myself.”

“You haven’t? What about all those melted cauldrons?”

“That was me at my best in his class.” Neville watched her laugh, a tinkling of crystals in a light breeze. Without thought, he leaned even closer and kissed her lightly on the lips. She gasped and pulled away, her eyes wide in wonder. Neville sat upright and started stammering an apology. “I—I’m sorry. I don’t kn-now what came over me.”

“It’s alright, Neville.” Mary smiled and cupped his cheek tenderly. “I liked it. Not bad for one’s first kiss.”

“You knew that was my first?”

“No, mine, silly!”


Neville blushed, feeling the heat rise to his ears. The tips burned and he bent his head in embarrassment. He was surprised when he felt her lips on his this time, her tongue darting out to lick his bottom lip before moving closer to him until he could feel her body heat through not only his clothes but hers.

His body started reacting like it did in the early morning hours, the mornings when he rushed out of the dorm to the bathroom to relieve himself. He gasped and sucked her tongue into his mouth, liking the feel of her body as it moved closer to him.

“Mr. Longbottom, Miss Brazel!” Madame Pince’s sharp gasp pulled them apart, breathing heavily as they avoided the other’s eyes. “Behavior unbecoming of students in my library, my word!”


“I’m sorry, Madame. We got carried away with celebrating Neville’s completion of this sauce. I promised you could have it, remember?” Mary wasn’t above bribing a teacher or staff member to get out of minor trouble. And she had promised the old librarian earlier.


Mary watched the older woman’s face lighten instantly, her head bending forward over the cauldron to sniff appreciatively. “Merlin, that smells divine. The House-elves just don’t get it right for some reason.”

“The whole cauldron’s for you, ma’am. If you put a stasis charm on it, it will be better than an icebox.”

Neville watched Mary wheedle her way out of trouble as his body calmed down enough that he could move away from the table’s edge without embarrassing himself. Again.


“I’m sorry for that, ma’am. If you’d like, I’ll carry the cauldron to your desk?” Neville gave the old witch a half smile, one that he knew had interested a few fourth years in the Gryffindor tower.

“Well, don’t let it happen again, you two. It is nice to see you socializing, Mary. Like Granger, I thought you only had your nose stuffed in a book.”

‘That’s the pot calling the cauldron black.’ Mary thought with a snort as she gathered Neville’s and her stuff, banished the last of the ingredients and garbage, and then followed Neville, holding the full cauldron, who followed the librarian through the stacks.


After saying their goodbyes to Madame Pince, Neville took his bag and walked with Mary through the corridors in silence.

“Mary? I didn’t mean to do anything wrong. When you kissed me, I went overboard.” He said without looking at her. He may not be popular with the girls, but he had always been taught not to assault young ladies.

“I kissed you, Neville. I liked it, and I’m glad you kissed me back. And I hope you do it again.” She said boldly, stopping him at the end of the corridor leading to her House Tower. She pulled him into a dark nook, a spot used for couples for a little snogging time before separating to go to their different Common rooms.

“Okay.” He breathed in sharply when he felt her arms wrap around his neck and pull him close to her, their bodies only separated by their clothes now. Barely thinking, he dropped his bag and pulled her even closer, his head swooping down to kiss her hungrily. He felt her fingers tunnel through his hair, pulling him even closer as their tongues met and caressed, rubbing together as their bodies moved against each other. After realizing that they didn’t have to part, that their noses actually had a purpose during a snogging session, Neville relaxed against her.

Most of him anyway.

He pressed against her as his fingers wandered from her waist up underneath her jumper. She gasped as she felt them lightly brush against the underside of her breasts.

Encouraged that she wasn’t going to slap him or push him away, his hands moved to cover her bra-clad breasts, rubbing against the hardened tips beneath. Mary moaned and instinctively pressed her stomach against the part of Neville that was digging into her as her hands let go of his head and moved down to his waistband. Hesitantly, she slipped her fingertips beneath the edge of his pants and into his underwear, while with her other hand, she followed an identical path up his chest as he had done hers.

She hadn’t expected to feel the crisp hair under his shirt and she moaned in appreciation. When Neville squeezed her left breast, pinching her nipple accidentally, Mary pulled away and moaned. She threw her head back.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt--.” His apology was cut off when her fingernail scraped across his nipple. He hissed and pushed his hips automatically against hers.

“It’s okay, Neville," Mary’s whisper reverberated against Neville’s skin, her lips moving to his neck, biting below his right ear. She took her fingers from his waistband and moved them lower, to cup his erection through his trousers. He moaned and pushed against her hand, turning her tentative strokes into firm ones. His fingers rubbed against her breasts now, unconsciously mimicking her motions on him.

Neville was pressed against her, her teeth and tongue and lips tormenting his neck. How could he have known that below the ear was so sensitive? He considered trying to reach under the lace undergarment, then lost all thought when she squeezed his cock. His balls tightened up and he pushed harder against her stomach and hand.

“Oh, shite!” he muttered as he felt his underwear fill with cum. He breathed hard as he pulled his head away from her lips and clenched his jaw. He didn’t want to be too loud, didn’t want to attract attention to them.

“Neville? Did I hurt you?”

“No.” His voice cracked as he pulled away from her in embarrassment. Usually when that happened, he was in the shower and alone.

Mary had felt the pulsing of the hardness beneath her hand and wondered what was going on. For the first time, she wished she’d joined in with the other girls when they gossiped about boys and other things that didn’t usually interest her in the slightest.

“No. I’m fine. Are you alright, Mary?” He cleared his throat and gave her breasts a gently squeeze before removing his hands. Mary pressed her hand to his burning cheek and turned his head towards hers. He couldn’t look her in the eye.

“I’m sorry if I hurt you. Did I touch you wrong?”

“Uh, no. It’s alright, Mary. You did fine.” He cleared his throat again, wishing he could adjust himself, but didn’t want Mary asking yet another question. She kissed his quickly on the lips and smiled at him. “I should head back to my tower before I get in trouble for being out after curfew. Come on.” He lifted his bag as well as hers and gave her his arm. She followed him down the corridor to the Ravenclaw portrait and waited at the entrance. He bent forward and kissed her again, handing her bookbag to her. he turned away quickly and started down the hallway. Behind him he heard the portrait swing open and he turned around before he knew what he was going to say.

“Mary!”

She popped her head back around the portrait, her pale face hopeful as she watched him lope back towards her.

“What?”

“Will you go to Hogsmeade with me this Saturday?”

She grinned and nodded. “Alright. I’ll meet you at the gates.” She winked and closed the portrait then.

The euphoria of her acceptance at least overshadowed the discomfort of walking down up three flights of stairs with wet and sticky underwear.