Perfect Ravenclaw
The next morning Lirum made their way to the library first thing attempting to find ‘Hogwarts, A History’ only to find their where no copy’s available and a week long waiting list for the books. They mentality cursed the twins. If they hadn’t run into one another the night before they’d have the book and their answers, but Lirum didn’t have time to dwell on it. Today would be their first tutoring Neville.
Taking notes from Percy’s book they went and collected the books they had relied on in their second year. They found ‘A Standard Book of Spells, Grade Two’, ‘A Beginners Guid to Transfiguration’, ‘A History of Magic’, and their ever trusted copy of ‘magical Drafts and Potions.’ The last seemed to be the only book Professor Snape ever taught from. Lirum piled them all on the table, along with some parchment and a well of ink. Rearranging them a few times to trying make the table feel as comfortable as possible, less ridged. Stopping only when they heard the footsteps of the little Gryffindor approaching their table.
“O-oh! Good morning Lirum!” Neville said as he shuffled toward the table.
“Good morning Neville. I’m glad to see you made it.” Lirum said motioning to the seat across the table.
“I can’t lie, I thought you might have caught ill. You weren’t in the great hall this morning, and in would be just my luck.” The brunet boy ranted shyly fumbling his attempt to pull out his chair.
“Calm down Neville. Theirs nothing to worry about.” Lirum said trying to get the boy to take a rest.
“I was just so worried, the Weasley twins were asking after you as well and I just-“ Neville trailed off looking at Lirum.
“You call them the Weasley twins?” Lirum asked eyebrow cocked not use to hearing them called that way.
“Well, yeah? Sometimes why?” Neville answered.
“I’ve never heard anyone call them anything but Fred and George. Well except at Christmas. They called themselves Gred and Feorge, or calling each other Georgie and Freddie. Anyway not to important!” Lirum rambled before realizing. “Why where they asking for me?”
“Oh, right they wanted me to give this to you!” Neville finally took his seat at the table. He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a book handing it over, the same one they told Lirum they would get.
Begrudgingly Lirum took the book from Neville. As much as they hated to admit the boys had saved them, their was no way they’d be getting their hands on this book otherwise. So they tucked it away in their school bag for after they’d finished.
“So Neville, where do you believe you need the most help.” Lirum asked, motioning to the stacked books around the table.
“Well, I need help just about everywhere really. I don’t think I’m good at anything. Honestly though I’m bugger all at potions.” Neville replied sheepishly.
“Well I’ve never been to bad at potions so let’s start their and work out way around shall we. In Snape’s class it’s best to listen to every word he says. He teaches from experience not verbatim from the book. I’ll be sure to look for some of my old notes for next time we meet. For now what are you studying at the moment?” Lirum says thumbing through the potions text book.
“Well, currently we’re covering Fire Protection Potions. We’re supposed to be writing a full three feet on it but I don’t even know where to start.” Neville say looking hopelessly up at the fourth year.
“Well why don’t we start with common uses for the potion. To do that it’s easiest to remember It’s common name is the Ice Potion. When you drink it if feels like there’s Ice in your veins, You’ve just jumped into a frozen lake or that you’ve stepped into a freezer.” Lirum started. “It’s best kept on hand by people who work with fire cooks, potions masters, and dragon tamers alike all need to keep them on hand just incase. Their also good to keep at home in easy to reach spots incase of emergency. Just keep in mind it will stop you from getting burned but smoke is still dangerous.”
“How do you remember all that?” Neville asked looking up from the notes he was taking.
“It’s nothing really we should move in to the ingredients and proper brewing method do you remember them?” Lirum asked only to be met by a nervous face and a sigh.
“No, I’m sorry. I also seemed to lose my book on the way here.” Neville said not lifting his head to meet Lirum eyes.
“That’s all right, Neville just use mine for now.” They said passing over their book.
“The ingredients required for that where; sliced bursting mushroom, salamanders blood, and crushed wartcap powder.” Lirum finished helping Neville find the page for brewing the potion.
“And you just know all of that? Off the top of your head? Oh, what it must be like to have been sorted properly.” Neville said looking desperately though the book for answers.
“What are you on about?” Lirum asked the Gryffindor boy.
“You’re so smart. You know everything of the top of your head. You where made for Ravenclaw! Everyone talks about how hermione is the only person who’s rivaled you scores.” Neville ranted. “And then theirs me who got sorted into Gryffindor! Im nothing like a Gryffindor at all! I begged to be put into Hufflepuff! I’m not brave! Everything around me goes wrong! It’s always me!”
“Neville, no one is made for their house. We are all people who can’t be defined by a single trait.” Lirum explained remembering meeting Tonks at the lake.
“Well I’m sure that’s easy to say when you fit so well.” Neville said with a huff. “People literally call you the “Perfect Ravenclaw.”
“Neville, Would you want to give up everything that makes you a person to be a “Perfect Gryffindor”? The reason my scores were so high was because I stayed up every night and never did anything but study. I didn’t think I was a “Good Ravenclaw”. I didn’t think I fit so I threw everything out the window to force myself to fit. That is not something you want.” Lirum explained fiercely.
“But you-“ Neville was cut off by a look from Lirum.
“If you don’t believe me ask Fred and George when we become friends. Ask them who I was friends with before them. The answer will last year and no one. Last year I met a student who taught me something very important. We all find our own way and when you find yours, which you will, that you’ll no longer be just a Gryffindor, or a kid, you’ll be a person. You will be Neville and people will point at all the things that make you you and tell you that’s why you’re a Gryffindor. Just like they do me as a Ravenclaw, or Tonks as a Hufflepuff. Just give it a few years.” Lirum finished looking at the boy who still seemed unsure.
“How can you be so sure? I’m not anything like a Gryffindor.” Neville said looking down at his notes.
“I was nothing at all like a Ravenclaw. I thought I should’ve been a Gryffindor. I was dead set on it actually tried to argue my case with Professor McGonagall once. She told me my argument was very sound and logical and that it proved I was in the right house.” Lirum laughed at the memory, if the quizzical face the professor made at them when they presented their list on why they’d been in the wrong house.
“Shouldn’t that have proven you where brave? That’s far braver than me.” Neville said mortified.
“That’s what I thought at the time too. Just like I proved to be a Ravenclaw with my oh so logical list of all the reasons I wasn’t one. I’ll ask you this, do you plan on giving up?” Lirum shrugged.
“What do you mean?” Neville said looking back up from the books.
“Do you plan on giving up? Going to the muggle world, and living as a squib for the rest of your life. You said you don’t think your good at any of it are you going to keep trying?” Lirum asked arms crossed leaning back in their chair.
“N-no? This is my life. I couldn’t just abandon it, run off pretending it never happened.” Neville said anxiously.
“So you’d stay and face it? Even though it’s hard? Even though you don’t think you’re good at any of it, and bad things keep happening to you?” Lirum asked again.
“W-well yeah, I have to. I want to make my Nan proud. To live up to my parents, and become an auror.” Neville said starting a of nervous but becoming more certain with every word.
“That sounds pretty brave to me. I’d even say courageous. Especially from someone who’s nothing like a Gryffindor at all.” The fourth year joked before nodding to the window where the sun was beginning to set. “Common we’ve got to go to dinner or you’ll starve tonight. Next time you’re bot getting out of studying, let’s go.”
“Oh, I didn’t even notice the time. Here’s your book back. I swear I’ll really study next time! I won’t waste your time I promise!” Neville said jumping from his seat causing the parchment he’d been writing on to roll back up flipping itself before bouncing off the table and hitting Lirum. “Oh, come on!”
“Don’t worry about it accidents happen.” The ravenclaw said as they reached beneath the table retrieving the roll of parchment before standing. Offering the roll to the second year they said “Let’s get you to dinner.”
The pair walked together towards the great hall. In a comfortable silence as they approached.
“Did you mean what you said before?” Neville asked as the door to the great hall came into sight.
“Mean what?” Lirum asked.
“All of it? Doubting you were a Ravenclaw, becoming one by stopping focusing on it, being yourself making you one? That I’m brave? It all just sounds fake. Like the lesson from a fairytale. Where how being yourself is all that matters.” Neville said stopping in front of the double doors.
“I know right? I thought the same thing when I meet Tonks the first time. Just be glad I didn’t accuse you of wanting to throw yourself in the lake.” Lirum joked nudging the second year.
“That Tonks Person didn’t actually do that, right?”Neville asked shocked.
“Oh, how we both wish that was the case.” Lirum said about to push the door open. “How about I show you a little secret instead?”
“A secret?” Neville asked.
“What do you say we don’t get dinner at the great hall?” Lirum suggested leaning against the large door.
“But won’t we be hungry?” The boy said confused.
“I didn’t say we’d skip dinner let’s get food somewhere else tonight.” Lirum said pushing themself back off the door and heading to the stairs.
“Where are we going?” The Gryffindor spoke rushing down the stairs after his Ravenclaw counterpart who’d already made it a good distance.
“It’s a surprise! The same place Tonks brought me after. I haven’t been in their since.” Lirum said as they rushed to the paining of a pear that hung blocking off the kitchen door.
“Why a Portrait of a pear?” Neville said confused trying to catch his breath.
“A friend of mine told me they change the password and this might be a little weird but just trust me.” Lirum said as they reached out to tickle to portrait of a pear.
“Please don’t tell me that’s the password to the Hufflepuff dorms.” Neville said eyes as wide as saucers.
“That would make you glad to be a Gryffindor, huh? Don’t worry we’re not sneaking into other common rooms today.” Lirum joked waving the brunet boy inside.
“Is this the kitchen? Where the elves make all the food for the feasts?” Neville asked looking around at all the food that still sat on the counters.
“Why yes it is! However their all out and about straightening things and snapping food out to the tables when trays run low so if I where you I would quickly make a plate.” Lirum said leaning back against the cabinet taking a few pieces of food of the platers here and their.
“Wow this is cool! Why’ve you only come down here once?” Neville said face shown with amusement as occasionally a plater would disappear.
“If I missed supper every night people would start to question it, now wouldn’t they?” Lirum joked again taking a bite of food.
“I guess you have a point their I-“ he was cut off be the sound of something scratching against the door behind him. The pair turned and watched as the portrait whole opened for a moment as something dark green and scaled scraped across the entrance. Causing a deathly silence between the two students.
Neville looked to Lirum panicked unsure of what he’s just seen. Only to see them mouth. Don’t move. Don’t speak. The pair did not breath until the end of the scales had passed. Counting every second as it slithered past. How enormous must it be to constantly move and still block. Thirty feet since it first opened the door. Heart pounding as it seemed it wouldn’t end. After the last of the scales had passed the door Lirum counted forty. Still unsure how many had passed before the door opened Lirum began to panic, turned to the second year, grabbed his shoulders and looked him in the eyes before speaking.
“You need to run. Run to your common room. Don’t stop. Don’t look back. Don’t look for me. Just run.” Lirum said dragging him to the door as they began running as quickly as they could out of the dungeons.