Ficlet: In Decisions (Neville/Cho)
Sep. 18th, 2008 09:08 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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rarepair_shortsTitle: In Decisions
Character Pairing: Neville Longbottom/Cho Chang
Prompt: To Feel or Not To Feel
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1079 words
A/N: beta'ed by![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jtav
Summary: Follows an hour after the last chapter. Cho must come to a decision on how to react to Neville's slip of the tongue. Can she do it without hurting their friendship though?
“’So why don’t you catch me?’ That’s what he said?” Marietta asked. She had never taken a liking to Neville. He was a slow, bumbling little boy who had never afforded her anything other than a polite greeting in the hallway. “What did you say to that?”
“Nothing,” Cho replied miserably from her bed. “I just laughed it off and we went back to the castle. You don’t really think he has a crush on me do you, Marietta?”
“Of course he has a crush on you, Cho. Haven’t you seen him staring at you with those big brown eyes of his? He’s probably already got the cottage the two of you will summer in all picked out,” Marietta said teasingly as she began to brush her hair.
Cho scowled, but said nothing in return.
Marietta examined herself in the mirror again and then turned to her friend. “You know, all you have to do is simply be short with him. Answer his questions, but don’t ask him anything. Be polite, but nothing more than that. In time he’ll get the message and he can find a girlfriend that’s his own age.”
It wasn’t as if other boys hadn’t made their attraction known to Cho before. She’d always dealt with them politely, but now it occurred to her that some of those boys might have had hurt feelings as a result of her rejection. She didn’t want to hurt Neville if it came to that, and she refused to simply ignore him. “Perhaps I could have a talk with Neville about it.”
“You could just save yourself the awkward situation and ignore the rather fat elephant in the room.”
“No, it needs to be said.”
“And what will you do if he does confess his crush?”
“Let him down gently and let him know that I would like to continue to be his friend.”
Marietta scoffed at the idea. “That’s ridiculous, Cho. He doesn’t want to be your friend. He wants to carry your books and wait on you while you primp before the two of you go to Hogsmeade. He wants to be the boy who gets to cheer you on at Quidditch matches and then be the one who can claim you as his girlfriend after you’ve won the game.”
“He already carries my books and he always cheers for me anyways…unless his house is playing ours.”
“He wants you to be his first kiss and to hold his hand,” Marietta said with a knowing smile. “There may even be some small, dark, distant part of Longbottom that wants to see you in a broom closet.”
“Oh shut up, Marietta.” Cho sat up in bed, her cheeks flushed just a little from the mental image.
“You know I’m right, Cho. As kind and nice as Longbottom is, he’s still a boy. No better or worse than Harry Potter, but at least Potter has fame and power. All Longbottom has is a dying glimmer of a pureblood name and a penchant for plants.”
“You’re right, Marietta. Neville’s not as a great as Harry, but he’s comfortable in his own skin and that’s more than I can say for you. I may not feel for Neville the same way he does for me, but that doesn’t mean you can put him down.”
“Excuse me for pointing out the truth about your friend, but you know I’m right,” Marietta huffed.
“I’m going to talk to him now,” Cho said as she sat up from her bed and pulled on a pair of shoes. “I have to tell him, Marietta.”
It was her luck that she was unable to actually find him until after dinner that evening. Her initial confidence had waned over time to the point where she thought Marietta might have a good point. What was the point in having a terribly awkward conversation that could only end in more awkwardness? Just when she’d given in and decided to go back to her common room though, she bumped into him as she rounded the corner.
Neither of them had been particularly affected by the bump, not physically anyways. They were both still standing, but neither could think of anything to say, which only gave credence to what Cho had thought this conversation might be.
“ ‘lo, Neville,” she greeted.
“Hello, Cho,” he returned, his hands quickly making their way into his pockets as if he couldn’t seem to think of what to do with them.
“I need to talk to you.” She winced at the sound of her voice, soft and apologetic--the very things she didn’t want to sound like.
“All right,” Neville said with a firm nod of his head as if putting on a brave face before one of Snape's detentions.
Cho took a deep breath and then slowly let it out as she collected her thoughts. “I don’t mean to insinuate anything, but I felt earlier, when we were talking about finding you a girlfriend, that you might have been implying that you fancy me. Am I--am I wrong?”
Neville smiled sadly. “No.”
Cho nodded, hoping her face didn’t have the same sad look his did. She couldn’t bear to think she was doing anything to make this any worse than it already was. “I’m flattered that you think of me so highly, Neville, but I--“
“You don’t have to say anything, Cho. I understand why,” Neville said earnestly.
He did understand and what’s more he wasn’t even that upset, at least not from the look of him. Cho found it odd that she had spent so much time wondering how she could go about this without actually hurting Neville. She had been hoping for a friendly conversation with no tears shed or a hurtful parting of ways and yet she couldn’t help but feel that her heart was one large bruise.
“You’ll be all right then, Neville?”
“I’ll get over it, Cho. Are you all right?”
“No,” Cho said with a sad shake of her head. “I will be though, eventually.”
“Are we still friends?”
Cho laughed bitterly at the irony. “I think I should be asking you that, Nev. Are we?”
“Yeah.”
“Good,” she said, smiling just a little.
Character Pairing: Neville Longbottom/Cho Chang
Prompt: To Feel or Not To Feel
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1079 words
A/N: beta'ed by
jtav Summary: Follows an hour after the last chapter. Cho must come to a decision on how to react to Neville's slip of the tongue. Can she do it without hurting their friendship though?
“’So why don’t you catch me?’ That’s what he said?” Marietta asked. She had never taken a liking to Neville. He was a slow, bumbling little boy who had never afforded her anything other than a polite greeting in the hallway. “What did you say to that?”
“Nothing,” Cho replied miserably from her bed. “I just laughed it off and we went back to the castle. You don’t really think he has a crush on me do you, Marietta?”
“Of course he has a crush on you, Cho. Haven’t you seen him staring at you with those big brown eyes of his? He’s probably already got the cottage the two of you will summer in all picked out,” Marietta said teasingly as she began to brush her hair.
Cho scowled, but said nothing in return.
Marietta examined herself in the mirror again and then turned to her friend. “You know, all you have to do is simply be short with him. Answer his questions, but don’t ask him anything. Be polite, but nothing more than that. In time he’ll get the message and he can find a girlfriend that’s his own age.”
It wasn’t as if other boys hadn’t made their attraction known to Cho before. She’d always dealt with them politely, but now it occurred to her that some of those boys might have had hurt feelings as a result of her rejection. She didn’t want to hurt Neville if it came to that, and she refused to simply ignore him. “Perhaps I could have a talk with Neville about it.”
“You could just save yourself the awkward situation and ignore the rather fat elephant in the room.”
“No, it needs to be said.”
“And what will you do if he does confess his crush?”
“Let him down gently and let him know that I would like to continue to be his friend.”
Marietta scoffed at the idea. “That’s ridiculous, Cho. He doesn’t want to be your friend. He wants to carry your books and wait on you while you primp before the two of you go to Hogsmeade. He wants to be the boy who gets to cheer you on at Quidditch matches and then be the one who can claim you as his girlfriend after you’ve won the game.”
“He already carries my books and he always cheers for me anyways…unless his house is playing ours.”
“He wants you to be his first kiss and to hold his hand,” Marietta said with a knowing smile. “There may even be some small, dark, distant part of Longbottom that wants to see you in a broom closet.”
“Oh shut up, Marietta.” Cho sat up in bed, her cheeks flushed just a little from the mental image.
“You know I’m right, Cho. As kind and nice as Longbottom is, he’s still a boy. No better or worse than Harry Potter, but at least Potter has fame and power. All Longbottom has is a dying glimmer of a pureblood name and a penchant for plants.”
“You’re right, Marietta. Neville’s not as a great as Harry, but he’s comfortable in his own skin and that’s more than I can say for you. I may not feel for Neville the same way he does for me, but that doesn’t mean you can put him down.”
“Excuse me for pointing out the truth about your friend, but you know I’m right,” Marietta huffed.
“I’m going to talk to him now,” Cho said as she sat up from her bed and pulled on a pair of shoes. “I have to tell him, Marietta.”
It was her luck that she was unable to actually find him until after dinner that evening. Her initial confidence had waned over time to the point where she thought Marietta might have a good point. What was the point in having a terribly awkward conversation that could only end in more awkwardness? Just when she’d given in and decided to go back to her common room though, she bumped into him as she rounded the corner.
Neither of them had been particularly affected by the bump, not physically anyways. They were both still standing, but neither could think of anything to say, which only gave credence to what Cho had thought this conversation might be.
“ ‘lo, Neville,” she greeted.
“Hello, Cho,” he returned, his hands quickly making their way into his pockets as if he couldn’t seem to think of what to do with them.
“I need to talk to you.” She winced at the sound of her voice, soft and apologetic--the very things she didn’t want to sound like.
“All right,” Neville said with a firm nod of his head as if putting on a brave face before one of Snape's detentions.
Cho took a deep breath and then slowly let it out as she collected her thoughts. “I don’t mean to insinuate anything, but I felt earlier, when we were talking about finding you a girlfriend, that you might have been implying that you fancy me. Am I--am I wrong?”
Neville smiled sadly. “No.”
Cho nodded, hoping her face didn’t have the same sad look his did. She couldn’t bear to think she was doing anything to make this any worse than it already was. “I’m flattered that you think of me so highly, Neville, but I--“
“You don’t have to say anything, Cho. I understand why,” Neville said earnestly.
He did understand and what’s more he wasn’t even that upset, at least not from the look of him. Cho found it odd that she had spent so much time wondering how she could go about this without actually hurting Neville. She had been hoping for a friendly conversation with no tears shed or a hurtful parting of ways and yet she couldn’t help but feel that her heart was one large bruise.
“You’ll be all right then, Neville?”
“I’ll get over it, Cho. Are you all right?”
“No,” Cho said with a sad shake of her head. “I will be though, eventually.”
“Are we still friends?”
Cho laughed bitterly at the irony. “I think I should be asking you that, Nev. Are we?”
“Yeah.”
“Good,” she said, smiling just a little.
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no subject
Date: 2008-09-19 02:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-20 02:29 am (UTC)I figure Cho and Marietta are like those two girls in school where one's really nice, but she always has to apologize for her rude, obnoxious friend.
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Date: 2008-09-19 04:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-20 02:32 am (UTC)I'm really glad you're enjoying this series so far. I hope it gets better as it goes on. :)
no subject
Date: 2008-09-21 08:21 pm (UTC)Also, I'm really glad you've decided to go with an unrequited relationship here - it really suits Neville best, and it makes everything seem that much more real.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-16 11:45 pm (UTC)I definitely think Neville's the sort who's not really thought much of upon first glance, but the more you get to know him...
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Date: 2009-03-16 06:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-16 11:42 pm (UTC)