(no title) (original) (raw)

Characters: Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom
Location: Neville's flat in Diagon Alley
Rating: G
Summary: Ginny visits Neville and they exchange Christmas gifts.

There is a knock on Neville's flat door.

Neville answers it.

"hi!" Ginny says with flushed cheeks.

"Hi," he replies. "Come on in." He holds the door open for her.

She walks in, looking very bundled up.

"Looks like it's cold out there."

"It is very cold, but nothing some warmth cannot cure!" She says with a very happy grin. "Merry late Christmas!" She says and hands him a package.

He takes it. "Thank you. Take your coat off and things. Would you like something to drink?"

"Alright," she says as she does so. "Um....what do you have?"

He names a number of things to choose from.

"Butterbeer, please," Ginny says with a grin.

"Okay. Have a seat," he says, indicating a chair, and goes to get two butterbeers.

She takes the chair and grins happily.

He comes back out with two butterbeers and hands one to her.

She takes it and opens it, drinking some.

He sits down too. "How is your Christmas break?"

"It's nice....but I know once it's over, I'm going to be moaning about how short it was. So I'm trying to get some things done before I have to go back. Pulling a Hermoine as it were."

"Makes sense," Neville replies.

"Thank you."

A calico cat comes into the room and yawns, then rubs itself around Neville's ankles.

"Cute cat."

"She's yours," he says.

Ginny blinks. "what?"

"You said you wanted a calico cat."

"Neville, she's wonderful...." she says quietly as she gets out of the chair, kneeling down and offering her hand to the cat.

"She's shy." The cat sniffs at her hand but doesn't back away.

"Won't hurt you, pretty one," she coos at the cat.

The cat nudges its head against her hand in an attention-seeking manner. Rather like 'you're a friend of his, and I like him.'

She very gently gives the cat scritchies.

The cat starts to purr.

"You're so pretty," she says quietly as she continues to gently give scritchies.

The cat continues to purr and rubs against her. Neville smiles. "She should be fine at Hogwarts around so many people as long as she's got places to hide."

"I agree....and she has a lot of places in my room to hide."

"Good."

She gently takes her other hand and rubs it gently along the cat's back.

The cat arches its back at this. It likes this. "She doesn't have a name yet," Neville says. "That's up to you."

"Hrm.....I'll think on a good name," she says with a grin. "Is it a he or a she?"

"She."

He picks up the gift from her and opens it.

"Do you like the name Tabinda?" She asks of the cat.
It is a rare plant that he loves but hasn't really been able to find.

'Purr purr' goes the cat. Neville looks at the plant. "Where did you find this? I haven't been able to find it."

"Charley and Bill helped me find it."

"Oh. Well thank you."

"You're welcome!" She says with a grin as she looks up at him from the floor.

"Did I hear that you've decided on a name?"

"Yes. Tabinda."

"Where did you find that name?"

"Just came into my head."

"Oh. It's a nice name."

"Thank you," she says as she very gently picks up the cat and sits back in her chair.

"You're welcome." The cat settles into her lap, still purring.

She pets it every once in a while. "Thank you so much, Neville."

"You're welcome. How did you get here?"

"I have my ways."

"Do you have your Apparating liscence yet?"

"Yep! You know me too well."

"If I had to go somewhere today, I'd want to get there as fast as possible.:"

"Because it's so cold. But snowing!"

"Is it? I haven't been outside today, because it's so cold."

"You're wise."

"Being wise and having common sense are two different things.:"

"I think you have both."

"Perhaps."

"I think so."

"When do you have to be back at Hogwarts?"

"Whenever I want to be as long as it is before break ends."

"Oh."

"Yeah....so if you want me to stay, I can."

"Or we could go for a walk. This is Diagon Alley, after all. We could go through the shops. Go to the Leaky Cauldron, Florean Fortescue's..."

"Let's go to the Leaky Cauldron and get food? On me, by the way."

"I couldn't ask you to do that."

"Let me, Neville. I have some money....I earned it from Fred and George, testing things for their joke shop."

"Nothing that turned you into a canary though, right?"

"No, nothing like that!" She says with a happy laugh.

"Then let's go."

She looks down at the cat. "I have to set you out of my lap."

The cat stretches.

Ginny gently picks up the cat from her lap and then sets her down on the chair where the warmth is.

The cat stands up, walks in a circle three times, and lays back down again,

Ginny grins. "I'll put all my stuff back on."

"And give me a minute, and I'll be ready to go too."

"okay!"

And he gets all bundled up and ready to go.

She's all bundled up, takes his hand gently if allowed, and goes out the door with him.

She's allowed. And they go the Leaky Cauldron, which is luckily only a few blocks away.