Neville spent most of the day going through his clothes trying to find something that wasn't covered in dirt stains or spilled potions--or something that his Gran had sent him. Towards the bottom of the stack he found a charcoal grey short sleeve shirt and a zip up cardigan that had matching strips of grey. He tossed them on the bed and then rooted around for a suitable pair of khaki's. The only bad thing was that from where they'd laid in the bottom of the closet they were shrouded in wrinkles.
He looked over at his wand and then back at his clothes; he knew a smoothing charm but the last time he'd tried it the dining room table runner had gone up in flames and his Gran had used his freshly potted Flutterby Bush cutting to put it out. 'Dirt is the best thing to smother a fire Neville.' She had screamed as she threw the potted plant into the flames.
With a head shake he thought about finding Hermione, after all if anyone knew the charm it was her and he could trust her not to set his clothes afire. He gathered them up and headed down towards the common room, looking for the bushy haired female but instead ran across Ginny. He smiled in passing and she called out as he headed towards the portrait hole.
"Where are you going with those Neville?"
"I need to find Hermione, I have to get these smoothed out." He said as he held up his arm full of clothes.
Ginny got up from the chair she'd been studying in and walked over, eyeing the armful of clothes. "I can help you with that. I have five older brothers, Mum always made sure that I knew how to remove wrinkles."
"You sure?"
"Positive. Now lets head up stairs and get this done."
Neville blinked at her for a moment, trying to make sense of her words--well they made sense but it just took him a moment to realize that she meant to go upstairs to the dorm and get dressed. He opened his mouth to protest but she just pushed at his back, sending him back towards the stairs.
"Five older brothers Neville...five. You don't have anything I haven't inadvertently seen before."
The knowledge didn't sit well with him but he wasn't going to contridict her in any way; he'd seen Ginny Weasley mad before and it wasn't something that he wanted to see again. Silently they trudged up to the boys dorm and she pushed him through the door; waiting as he changed. Thankfully the room was empty as he changed; his face in flames as the static from the cardigan made his curls stick up in odd angles over his head. He tried to flatten to them but they just resisted and with a crimson face he stepped out in the hallway to see Ginny talking with Seamus.
"Oi Mate! Got a hot date tonight?" He asked as his eyes flicked from Neville's head to his feet.
Neville mumbled incoherently but stood with his arms out as Ginny flicked her wand. A gentle warming covered his body and when he looked down the clothes looked as if they'd just come off the ironing board.
"Now your hair."
He gulped as Ginny circled him, eyeing his head from every angle until she made a noise of satisfaction. Once more there was a mumbled spell and he felt his hair being lifted by invisible hands and moved into place.
"Perfect!" She exclaimed as she clapped her hands and summoned a mirror for him to look into.
His was was still in curls but it was slicked back from his head, very much like he'd worn it for the yule ball; the ends curling roguishly at the nape of his neck. He grinned and handed the mirror back, pulling Ginny into a one arm hug before taking off.
He heard Seamus call something at his back but it went unheeded as he disappeared down the front steps and out to the pitch, if anyone would have asked he was getting something from the broom shed for Harry, but thankfully no one asked. He skidded around the corner and into the Quidditch pitch with only a moment to spare and when his eyes landed on Draco his ability to breathe was gone.
The formfitting black outfit he'd picked out hugged him in all the right places and it only accentuated the paleness of his skin that seemed to catch the little bit of moonlight and reflect it back so that he seemed to be illuminated from within.
"Sorry I'm late Draco." He murmured, almost afraid that the sound of his voice would break the spell and he'd find out that it'd all been a dream and that he was laying back in Gryffindor tower alone in his bed.
Home 
