Fic: Wake Me When It's Over (Neville/Cho)
Feb. 21st, 2008 09:36 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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rarepair_shorts
Title: Wake Me When It’s Over
Character Pairing: Neville/Cho
Prompt: fall to your knees
Rating: PG
Word Count: just a hair over 1000
Summary: Neville attends the Ravenclaw tryouts and makes some new friends
Author's Notes: I’ve had a hard time believing that people make little more than small talk with people from other houses. It stands to reason that with such a small group of people to choose friends from the characters would begin to venture outside their house and make friends with people from other houses. Maybe that’s just me though. Title taken from a Longwave song.
Link to Prompt Table: prompt table
Neville ran excitedly up the bleachers, nearly tripping as he glanced down at his pocket watch. He’d carried the pocket watch with him throughout the day in hopes that it would remind him of the time of the try-outs. It hadn’t, but luckily for him he’d run into a few Ravenclaws discussing the upcoming Quidditch try-outs.
Stopping at the top step of the bleachers he quickly took a seat near a pair of first years he vaguely recognized from the Sorting ceremony. He looked out over the pitch and saw that it was every bit as professional looking as Cho had told him it would be. ‘Most schools,’ she’d written, ‘usually make do with an open field, some paint and a few hand-me downs from local quidditch leagues, but Hogwarts has an actual pitch with bleachers and everything. I can’t wait for you to see it.’ After taking it all in he started to realize that the only things missing from the pitch were quidditch players.
He scanned the field and the surrounding area behind the bleachers, but saw nothing. Had he gotten the wrong time? Were the try-outs moved somewhere else?
“It’s Davies’ fault,” a voice beside him said.
Turning to his right he saw that the two first years, a boy and a girl, were looking back at him as if they expected an answer. The boy was short and very frail looking, but seemed pleasant. The girl’s skin was a dark brown and wild hair. “Um, sorry,” he said, hoping he hadn’t offended them.
“Roger Davies, it’s his fault they’re taking so long to get out here. Some of the Ravenclaw players told me that he likes to take his time so that his entrances seem grander than the other teams,” the girl said, rolling her eyes.
“It seems sort of silly though,” the boy beside her said, “there’re only twenty-two people out here. Besides it’s the beginning of the year, who’s going to care what a team looks like at the beginning of the year?”
The girl gave the boy a nudge . “This is Terry,” she said. “He’s never seen a quidditch match before so he doesn’t know how rabid the fans can get, especially if the team isn’t looking their best at the beginning of the year.”
“Is it really as bad as Mandy makes it out to be? She told me the fans riot sometimes, but I just can’t imagine anybody getting that upset over a game,” the boy said as he adjusted his glasses.
“It’s not just a game to some people Terry,” Mandy said proudly before turning back to Neville. “So what’s a Gryffindor doing at Ravenclaw quidditch try-outs?”
“I’m here for Cho Chang. She’s a friend of mine. Um, I’m Neville Longbottom by the way,” he said holding out his hand to shake.
“Terry Boot,” the boy said with a strong shake that belied his appearance.
“Mandy Brocklehurst,” the girl said with a strong shake of her own. “Cho Chang, she’s a second year isn’t she? She’s very pretty. Are you her boyfriend?”
“No,” Neville said quickly, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks.
“Is that them,” Terry said, pointing towards an opening in the stands opposite them.
Neville squinted and saw a rush of flyers coming through the opening, each of them obviously experienced, and just behind them a larger group flying at a slower pace and none of them looking as comfortable as the original set.
“Oh please,” Mandy said with a huff. “Davies had better have a good keeper this year or all the showmanship in the world isn’t going to do us a hell of a lot of good. A good seeker wouldn’t hurt either,” she grumbled.
“Cho could be a good seeker. She’s fast and-“ Neville started.
“And,” Mandy prompted.
“And um good with her hands,” Neville mumbled. He’d been about to say short, but knew that Cho had always been very self-conscious about her height.
“Well I hope so,” Mandy said simply before turning back to the pitch.
As the try-outs wore on it became very easy to pick out who would be staying. A few of the players were asked to leave before the first drills had even been completed. More were dismissed as the practice wore on until finally only three were left.
“She’s going to be a starter from the first game,” Mandy said in awe as Cho took flight for a scrimmage. “I mean honestly, look at her Terry. She’s quicker than every boy out there, even on a Clean Sweep she’s quicker than all of them.”
“Ah,” Terry said. “What’s that?”
“It’s a type of broom,” Neville said kindly as he watched his friend soar around the opposition while in search for the snitch. He cringed every time a bludger came near her and breathed a sigh of relief every time she avoided one. Finally, just as he felt he couldn’t possibly take anymore he spotted the snitch just to the left of her. “The snitch, Cho, the snitch,” he yelled excitedly and then immediately flushed red with embarrassment as several other crowd members looked at him oddly. Mandy and Terry took up his cry though and began to echo it as Cho raced for the ever elusive snitch.
Her fingertips grasped it after nearly two minutes of chase, setting off an excited roar from Mandy and Neville. Terry simply gave a curious grin to Neville and Mandy as if he wasn’t quite sure what he’d witnessed. Neville knew his friend would have to be on the team now, but then he realized what this meant for him.
For the next six years he would have to watch his friend dodge bludgers, cheats and threats from the opposing teams. The reality of it all nearly brought him to his knees. It was one of the few selfish thoughts he’d ever had, but he could not help but wish Cho had never made the Ravenclaw team because he honestly wasn’t sure if he’d be able to stomach her getting hurt.
Character Pairing: Neville/Cho
Prompt: fall to your knees
Rating: PG
Word Count: just a hair over 1000
Summary: Neville attends the Ravenclaw tryouts and makes some new friends
Author's Notes: I’ve had a hard time believing that people make little more than small talk with people from other houses. It stands to reason that with such a small group of people to choose friends from the characters would begin to venture outside their house and make friends with people from other houses. Maybe that’s just me though. Title taken from a Longwave song.
Link to Prompt Table: prompt table
Neville ran excitedly up the bleachers, nearly tripping as he glanced down at his pocket watch. He’d carried the pocket watch with him throughout the day in hopes that it would remind him of the time of the try-outs. It hadn’t, but luckily for him he’d run into a few Ravenclaws discussing the upcoming Quidditch try-outs.
Stopping at the top step of the bleachers he quickly took a seat near a pair of first years he vaguely recognized from the Sorting ceremony. He looked out over the pitch and saw that it was every bit as professional looking as Cho had told him it would be. ‘Most schools,’ she’d written, ‘usually make do with an open field, some paint and a few hand-me downs from local quidditch leagues, but Hogwarts has an actual pitch with bleachers and everything. I can’t wait for you to see it.’ After taking it all in he started to realize that the only things missing from the pitch were quidditch players.
He scanned the field and the surrounding area behind the bleachers, but saw nothing. Had he gotten the wrong time? Were the try-outs moved somewhere else?
“It’s Davies’ fault,” a voice beside him said.
Turning to his right he saw that the two first years, a boy and a girl, were looking back at him as if they expected an answer. The boy was short and very frail looking, but seemed pleasant. The girl’s skin was a dark brown and wild hair. “Um, sorry,” he said, hoping he hadn’t offended them.
“Roger Davies, it’s his fault they’re taking so long to get out here. Some of the Ravenclaw players told me that he likes to take his time so that his entrances seem grander than the other teams,” the girl said, rolling her eyes.
“It seems sort of silly though,” the boy beside her said, “there’re only twenty-two people out here. Besides it’s the beginning of the year, who’s going to care what a team looks like at the beginning of the year?”
The girl gave the boy a nudge . “This is Terry,” she said. “He’s never seen a quidditch match before so he doesn’t know how rabid the fans can get, especially if the team isn’t looking their best at the beginning of the year.”
“Is it really as bad as Mandy makes it out to be? She told me the fans riot sometimes, but I just can’t imagine anybody getting that upset over a game,” the boy said as he adjusted his glasses.
“It’s not just a game to some people Terry,” Mandy said proudly before turning back to Neville. “So what’s a Gryffindor doing at Ravenclaw quidditch try-outs?”
“I’m here for Cho Chang. She’s a friend of mine. Um, I’m Neville Longbottom by the way,” he said holding out his hand to shake.
“Terry Boot,” the boy said with a strong shake that belied his appearance.
“Mandy Brocklehurst,” the girl said with a strong shake of her own. “Cho Chang, she’s a second year isn’t she? She’s very pretty. Are you her boyfriend?”
“No,” Neville said quickly, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks.
“Is that them,” Terry said, pointing towards an opening in the stands opposite them.
Neville squinted and saw a rush of flyers coming through the opening, each of them obviously experienced, and just behind them a larger group flying at a slower pace and none of them looking as comfortable as the original set.
“Oh please,” Mandy said with a huff. “Davies had better have a good keeper this year or all the showmanship in the world isn’t going to do us a hell of a lot of good. A good seeker wouldn’t hurt either,” she grumbled.
“Cho could be a good seeker. She’s fast and-“ Neville started.
“And,” Mandy prompted.
“And um good with her hands,” Neville mumbled. He’d been about to say short, but knew that Cho had always been very self-conscious about her height.
“Well I hope so,” Mandy said simply before turning back to the pitch.
As the try-outs wore on it became very easy to pick out who would be staying. A few of the players were asked to leave before the first drills had even been completed. More were dismissed as the practice wore on until finally only three were left.
“She’s going to be a starter from the first game,” Mandy said in awe as Cho took flight for a scrimmage. “I mean honestly, look at her Terry. She’s quicker than every boy out there, even on a Clean Sweep she’s quicker than all of them.”
“Ah,” Terry said. “What’s that?”
“It’s a type of broom,” Neville said kindly as he watched his friend soar around the opposition while in search for the snitch. He cringed every time a bludger came near her and breathed a sigh of relief every time she avoided one. Finally, just as he felt he couldn’t possibly take anymore he spotted the snitch just to the left of her. “The snitch, Cho, the snitch,” he yelled excitedly and then immediately flushed red with embarrassment as several other crowd members looked at him oddly. Mandy and Terry took up his cry though and began to echo it as Cho raced for the ever elusive snitch.
Her fingertips grasped it after nearly two minutes of chase, setting off an excited roar from Mandy and Neville. Terry simply gave a curious grin to Neville and Mandy as if he wasn’t quite sure what he’d witnessed. Neville knew his friend would have to be on the team now, but then he realized what this meant for him.
For the next six years he would have to watch his friend dodge bludgers, cheats and threats from the opposing teams. The reality of it all nearly brought him to his knees. It was one of the few selfish thoughts he’d ever had, but he could not help but wish Cho had never made the Ravenclaw team because he honestly wasn’t sure if he’d be able to stomach her getting hurt.
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Date: 2008-02-23 03:27 am (UTC)I really love the direction you're taking with this pairing!
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Date: 2008-02-29 11:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-08-05 04:39 am (UTC)