During my reread of the Prisoner of Azkaban, it occurred to me that Neville and Lupin had the potential for a really sweet friendship. So here we are,

"Neville, could you stay after class?"

The boy in question immediately spun around, barely managing to avoid being snatched away by the retreating crowd of students. "Uh...sure."

Finally, the classroom was empty except for Neville and Remus. The boy was swaying on the balls of his feet. Any of the excited energy he'd felt during the Boggart lesson had dissipated into thin air in a matter of seconds.

"Am-am I in trouble, Professor?"

Remus raised an eyebrow at that. "What? No, no, of course not. I just wanted to talk."

"About…?" Neville seemed to be mentally preparing himself for a disappointment or a shouting match. It was causing Remus to feel unnecessarily tense even though he'd felt rather relaxed just seconds ago.

"Nothing bad, Neville."

He sighed in relief. "Oh, alright. Sorry, but when teachers want to talk to me...it's usually not for anything good."

"That's a pity," Remus said, inviting Neville to sit down. "You did a great job today. I just want to ask a question. I hope it isn't too intrusive, but...why Snape?"

"What?"

"Why is Professor Snape your fear?" Remus knew first hand that Snape wasn't the most pleasant person, (not that he could blame him) but he couldn't see why some grumpiness could cause him to be Neville's worst fear. Especially since he knew very well Neville had experienced much worse things.

"Oh...I'm sorry, I know I should fear something else like death or loneliness, but-"

"Goodness, Neville, there's nothing wrong with your fear. I only want to know why. It's alright if you don't want to answer…"

"No, it's okay…" Neville looked down at the floor. "I just...I tend to mess up a lot around him…"

"Meaning…?"

"Well, I drop things, and I make mistakes, and he doesn't exactly let it slide…"

Remus felt concern billowing inside of him. Despite being rather quiet, Neville had caught his attention immediately. He knew this was the age where kids starting getting more self conscious, but Neville seemed to go far beyond that. One look at him and Remus could see the little werewolf boy, terrified of being hated and questioning whether any friendships he made could last.

"What do you mean by that?" Remus asked.

"Well, you know… A lot of yelling and...it's really not a huge problem." Neville's expression said the contrary, but he didn't seem to notice. "I deserve it. I'm always so clumsy, and I can never do anything right-"

"Don't say that." Remus didn't mean for his voice to come out so harshly, but it happened anyway. It simply wasn't fair. Even he could at least say he had a safe space with his friends when he was younger. He'd lost them now, yes, but he still had them when it counted the most. Where was Neville's safe space? From what comments he'd heard Neville make about his family and grandmother especially, it didn't seem like they were sufficient.

"Please don't say that, Neville," Remus said, his voice as calm as it usually was. Neville seemed to relax upon hearing that tone. Remus never noticed how on edge Neville always seemed to be. Undoubtedly because he was always worried about messing up and getting in trouble.

"B-but it's true, isn't it? Even my family says it too."

"Families are always strict."

"Are all of them really that strict?" he asked, a clearly disbelieving look on his face.

"No, but not all of them have as high expectations as yours do. Anybody would crack under all that pressure."

"Someone who isn't bad at magic could handle it." Neville practically choked out the sentence.

"Who said you were bad at magic? You're not even halfway through your education."

"I'm close. It's been years and nothing's changed. What are a few more going to do?"

"Oh, believe me Neville, a lot can change in a few years." Remus shook his head fondly, memories of his Hogwarts time flashing across his eyes. "Even when things haven't changed in awhile."

Neville nodded, taking a deep breath. He obviously didn't believe him, but it wasn't as if Remus expected him to get over thirteen years worth of embarrassment in a few minutes.

"Thank you," he said at last. "But still...what about Professor Snape?"

"I don't think I can make him stop," Remus sighed. There was no use giving him false hope. All the bitterness Snape had built up was going to be taken out on somebody, even if they'd done nothing wrong. He tried not to think about how he contributed to that bitterness, but the thought was impossible to avoid. "But remember this: from what I've heard from other students, Professor Snape is always taking points away from any student that isn't a Slytherin for practically no reason. Do you think these students deserve that?"

"No," Neville replied immediately.

"So can you conclude that Professor Snape is biased?"

"Yes."

"And if his views towards so many students are unfair, do you really think you can say his views towards you are valid?"

Neville hesitated, clearly grappling with a response… Then, finally, he mumbled a yes. But he was smiling slightly.

"Exactly," Remus said, feeling the tension lift off of his shoulders. "Never forget that, okay?"

"I won't."

"Good. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'll listen."

"Okay," Neville said, standing up. "Thank you, Professor."

"You're welcome. Good luck with Professor Snape. If all else fails, just imagine him in your grandmother's clothes again."

Neville smiled. "I think that'll help, yeah." He left through the door, a bounce in his step. Seeing it, Remus felt he could rest easier. Whether it be him or somebody else, he knew eventually Neville would find a safe space at last.