A/N: Who's up for a bonus chapter? Enjoy ;)

8 - Right Here

The sight of a growing plant had never made Neville this happy before. To be fair, seeing his plants grow healthily tended to make him happy in general but with this particular plant it was different. Tomorrow the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament was finally going to take place and so, the boy had made a trip to his secret spot (well, not so secret any more) and dug out the gillyweed along with its root. Now, he was running down the hall on the first floor, looking for Haley, who had wanted to do some last minute spell practising inside one of the empty class rooms. It wasn't curfew yet but already there were only a few people roaming around the castle. From one of the class rooms on the left, there was a faint light creeping into the hallway, indicating that someone was inside.

Should he simply walk in there? Or would it be better to knock? He didn't want to disturb anyone and he wasn't even sure this was the right class room. So, he lifted his hand and softly knocked on the door. It didn't take long for it to open. If only a crack.

"Password?" A familiar voice asked, then the freckled face of Ron Weasley came into view.

A password? He didn't know about a password? "Um…" He shrugged, wondering if Haley had mentioned something about a password. Perhaps he had forgotten?

"Depulso! Who is it, Ron?" That was Haley. She sounded breathless.

The redhead looked back over his shoulder. "It's Neville."

No more than a few seconds later, the door opened fully, revealing Neville's favourite person in all of Hogwarts. He smiled without actively deciding to do so. Haley smiled as well, like she was as happy to see him as he felt.

"Neville," she breathed, reaching for his hands. "Come on in. We're practising the Banishing Charm." She pulled him inside the room, never looking away from his eyes.

"Um… what about...?" He nodded in the direction of Ron behind them.

"Don't mind him. He's being silly." Haley answered, rolling her eyes. Her hair was partly up in a small ponytail and partly hanging loose around her flushed face. She was so beautiful. He could only stare at her, still not believing that she wanted to be with him.

"So, did everything work out with the gillyweed?" She asked anxiously.

Oh. Right. He was stupid. Of course she was worried. He should have assured her the moment he stepped inside the room!

In order to get the jar, in which he was keeping the water plant, he had to let go of one of her hands. Which was unfortunate. But seeing the girl's blinding smile, he decided it was worth it.

"Is it fully grown? Can I use it?" She asked excitedly. He nodded.

Then Haley attacked him with a fierce hug, her arms locking around his neck tightly. She was literally taking his breath away. Which wasn't really a good thing. But he was strangely okay with dying if it came in such a sweet form.

"Thank you," she whispered into his ear, her warm breath making him shiver pleasantly. After squeezing him once more, she planted a kiss on his cheek and took a step backwards. "You're the best," she whispered, grinning up at him happily. Neville gaped at her, not having an idea how he was supposed to respond to that.

"Here we go again," Ron commented with a groan. "Why do they have to be this disgusting?" He complained to Hermione, who was watching Haley and him with a soft smile.

"Shut up Ron," the brunette said, slapping Ron's arm lightly.

"Ow!" The boy exclaimed, rubbing his arm. "I'm kidding. Blimey."

Neville chuckled. He loved this playful atmosphere. They were like a warm family. But unfortunately the light moment wasn't meant to last much longer. Almost soundlessly the class room door opened and another person stepped inside.

"Professor McGonnagall!" Hermione noticed their Transfigurations professor first.

"Miss Potter," the woman turned to Haley. "There is a certain point at which practising causes more harm than it does good. I'm sure you want to be well-rested for tomorrow."

"Well…" the girl in question said somewhat sheepishly. But she gave a short nod.

"As for the two of you," Professor McGonnagall continued, pointing at him – him? – and Hermione. "I would like to have a word with you."

"Me?" Neville asked. He must have heard that wrong. Haley stepped forward, as if she wanted to protect him.

"It's not their fault!" she burst out. "I – it was my idea! I asked them to help me. Please don't punish them, professor."

Punish? But why… oh right. The champions were supposed to solve their tasks on their own.

"I am not going to punish them, Miss Potter. I merely want to discuss something with them."

"But-"

"And again, I would strongly advise you to return to your tower and get some sleep." She turned to Hermione and Neville. "Follow me, please."

He had the feeling that he was forgetting something. It was a feeling he knew only too well. But what was it?

"Mr Longbottom? Is something the matter?"

Neville's gaze fell to the jar in his fingers. How stupid of him. He had forgotten to give it to her! He stepped toward Haley and pushed the jar into her hands. "Almost forgot," he whispered sheepishly. "Don't worry. It'll be fine," he added, an impulse telling him to reassure her.

"I know," the girl said with a smile, squeezing his hand in gratitude. He felt trapped in her green eyes again. Every time she looked at him like this it was like time stopped…

Someone cleared their throat. They turned around to find Professor McGonnagall eyeing them with a raised eyebrow.

Neville dropped Haley's hand in surprise, feeling his face heat up. He waved at the girl clumsily, before turning around and following Professor McGonnagall and Hermione out of the room.

While they made their way down the hall, ascending two or three staircases, the boy wondered where they were going and what it was that their transfigurations professor wanted to discuss with them. Hermione was biting her lips as if she was stopping herself from saying something. Surely she was curious as well. But it would be fine, right? If Hermione was with him it wouldn't be anything bad, would it?

They reached the end of another hall and stopped in front of a gargoyle. Professor McGonnagall said something that sounded like 'Cockroach Clusters' and the gargoyle disappeared, revealing a hidden staircase. The woman gestured for him and Hermione to go first. There was a door at the end of the staircase, which opened on its own, once they reached it. Behind the door there was a circular room, in which a small number of people seemed to be waiting. For them? He spotted a blonde little girl, another girl – the one Cedric Diggory had gone to the Yule Ball with – Mr Crouch, Ludo Bagman and… Professor Dumbledore. What was going on here?

"Thank you, Minerva. It looks like we can begin now." The headmaster said, with a soft smile that made his eyes twinkle. He conjured up a wide couch with a flick of his wand and invited them to sit. Professor Dumbledore didn't waste another second, instead he began explaining that they were going to be part of the Second Task and that the champions were supposed to save them from the bottom of the Great Lake. All of what he said sounded extremely scary and he didn't make it better by telling them that they were going to be put into an enchanted sleep. He didn't really understand why he was here. Why had they chosen him to be part of the Task?

"Are there any questions?" Mr Crouch asked in a neutral tone.

"I – I don't really understand why I..." He stammered. "how did you chose…?" He didn't finish the question. He would look like a coward asking something like this!

"Oh!" Mr Bagman perked up. "For each champion we chose someone who is really precious to them."

"I – I understand that but…" He bit his lips. "She belongs to Cedric, she must belong to Fleur," he pointed at Cho Chang and the girl that looked like she was Fleur's little sister. Then he looked at Hermione. "And you obviously belong to Haley." He shrugged. She was her best friend after all. "So, why did you call me here? There has to be someone else for Viktor Krum. I've never even talked to him." He said, blushing again. The room was silent for a moment.

Then Mr Bagman burst into loud laughter. "Viktor Krum!" He snorted, elbowing Professor Dumbledore in amusement. "You're Haley's hostage."

"What?" He had misheard that, right? There was no other explanation. "What about Hermione, then?"

Seeing Hermione blush made Neville realise how stupid his question had been. Hadn't she gone to the Yule Ball with… "Viktor Krum," he whispered. "You're the person that's precious to Viktor Krum."

He looked around the room. "But that doesn't make sense. Haley wouldn't – I'm just – I mean – I… I'm just… Neville…"

Hermione turned to him, grabbing his hands. "Neville, don't talk about yourself like that. Can't you see that you're just as precious to Haley as she is to you? You don't need to be more than just Neville."

She was right. He knew that. Theoretically. But it was still hard to embrace that knowledge. He nodded, feeling warm at the thought that Haley might really like him just the way he was.

"Brilliant!" Mr Bagman clapped his hands once, beaming like a delighted child. "To be a teenager once again!"

"Shall we start, then?" Professor Dumbledore asked, raising his wand at them. Wait, they were put to sleep already? In alarm, Neville gazed from Hermione to Professor McGonnagall and finally to Professor Dumbledore. Then he felt his eyes droop and the world around him fade into darkness.

…

HALEY

All morning, Haley had felt a mixture between anxiousness and nausea. Where was Hermione? And Neville? They had both never returned to Gryffindor Tower. Ron had confirmed that. Had they really been punished? There was no other explanation. Otherwise they wouldn't abandon her on a day like this.

"Calm down, I'm sure, they're fine," Ron assured her. They were hastily making their way down to the Great Lake. They had been waiting for their friends until the last possible moment. "They're probably down by the lake already."

Haley doubted that, but she appreciated her friend's efforts. "Maybe."

Once they reached the lake, everything turned into a hazy blur. The girl kept worrying about Neville and Hermione and on top of that there was the Second Task. What if the gillyweed didn't work for some reason? Or what if it didn't last for a whole hour? Neville had mentioned that he wasn't completely sure how long it would last…

But no. This was stupid. She trusted Neville. He wouldn't have given the plant to her if he thought she would end up drowning by using it. The little plant was slippery in her hand. All she was waiting for was the sound of the cannon.

Someone was counting down from three. She didn't check to see who it was. The cannon sounded far too early and someone pushed her into the water. This was all happening too fast! Haley hastily stuffed the water plant into her mouth, before she hit the cold water. Her fingers began tingling, along with her toes. And what was that feeling in her throat? She didn't have much air left in her lungs. She had to breathe – she had to –

Suddenly everything came into sharp focus around her. Somehow she was breathing. Under water. And there were webs between her fingers and her toes. Amazing. It actually worked!

Thank you, Neville, she thought, while diving deeper into the waters. Where was she supposed to go? The merpeople… they were probably living at the bottom of the lake, right? So, to the bottom it was.

On her way down, she had a short encounter with a horde of grindylows. But she got rid off them with a quick stunning spell. That would hopefully distract them for a while. In the distance she could hear singing. The voices sounded similar to the ones that had been sealed inside the Golden Egg.

She didn't know for how long she had swum but the voices became louder and in the distance Haley spotted a big statue. The closer she came to the statue, she noticed that there were figures tied to it. Were they puppets?

No. With shocked surprise, she realised that they were humans. A blonde little girl, Cho Chang and next to her, there was Hermione! And on the far right… Neville! As far as she could tell they appeared to be sleeping.

She swam faster than she had ever swum. That's why they had been gone! She needed to free them. That was the thing that had been stolen from her! A spell – she needed a spell. What was that spell again? The one to cut things with? She didn't remember. Focus, Haley!, she told herself, trying to push down the feeling of panic.

There were countless stones and sharp looking shells on the ground. Maybe she could use one of those? She picked up a shell with a sharp edge and swam over to the hostages. For a moment, she was confused. Did she have two hostages? Both Neville and Hermione? Hermione was right in front of her, so she started to hack at the rope, tying her to the statue. It took a few minutes but then her friend was free. Haley sighed in relief. Then she turned to Neville. But as soon as she started to saw at his bonds, one of the merpeople who had been lurking around the statue appeared at her side and pulled her away from him.

"Your task is to save your friend only," the merman hissed. "Leave the others here."

"But – they're both my friends," she wanted to say but there was only an air bubble coming out of her mouth. "And I can't let the others die either."

What kind of an insane task was this? How could the organisers of the tournament put innocent people in danger? Haley decided to wait. Maybe the others were going to show up any minute. She didn't have to wait long. Only five minutes later it seemed, Cedric Diggory swam toward her from above. A massive bubble was surrounding his head.

"Lost my way." His lips formed the words soundlessly. "Fleur and Krum will be here soon." Krum… That reminded her. Was Hermione Krum's hostage? She was relieved. It seemed as if none of the hostages had to die after all. Cedric cut Cho lose with a knife that he brought. Then he pulled her away from the statue and swam away with her.

So, that meant that Neville was actually her only hostage. Would it be okay if she cut him loose? She carefully raised her hand with the shell but before she could only attempt to free him, one of the merpeople pointed their spear at her in warning. She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest and continued to wait.

There seemed to be someone else approaching them. Someone who also had their head stuck in a bubble. Fleur. When she saw the little girl tied to the statue it looked like she was going to break into tears. The blonde swam toward the little girl – who Haley figured was her sister – and tore at her bonds desperately. They wouldn't budge.

Haley swam over to them and handed her the shell. Fleur looked at her in gratitude and began to free her sister. When she was finished, she returned the shell to Haley and squeezed her hand gently. A moment later, they were gone as well.

Now, it was only Haley, Hermione and Neville. She wondered how much time there was left. What if Viktor wasn't coming? She couldn't leave either of her friends here. She couldn't. With new determination she swam toward Neville, where a group of merpepole had gathered. They were shaking their heads. But that didn't discourage her. Haley raised her wand at them and gestured for them to get out of her way. Her wand seemed to frighten them. Did that mean they weren't able to perform magic? With the hand holding the shell, she held up three fingers, to show that she was counting. Two fingers. One.

The merpeople swam away and finally let her approach the sleeping boy. She frantically sawed at the rope that was tying him to the statue. Just when the girl had cut him free completely, something tore through the water toward them. A shark? No, it was a person with a shark head, who was zooming straight toward Hermione. It had to be Viktor! It was a good thing Haley had already cut her free, otherwise he might have cut her in two with those teeth. The boy grabbed Hermione around her waist and swam toward the surface without a look back.

Well. It seemed just like she had been worrying for nothing. She needed to get back quickly, too. Who knew for how much longer her underwater abilities were going to last. Haley snaked her arm around Neville's waist and started swimming upwards. Swimming with an additional weight was much more difficult than swimming on her own. But at the same time the weight was reassuring. It meant that Neville was safe. And the thought alone gave her additional strength. She clutched the boy closer to her and continued swimming.

After what seemed like no more than a few minutes, Haley felt the breathing getting harder. Damn, was her time up already? A moment later, she noticed that her mouth was filled with water and there was a sharp pain on the sides of her throat. Shit, shit, shit. Was she going to drown after all?

Her eyes fell on Neville's sleeping face. He looked so peaceful. She couldn't let him die because of her. With the last surge of strength she began kicking her feet desperately. Already the surface above her became lighter. It couldn't be too much farther. It couldn't… She kept kicking her legs, even as the water began to fill her lungs. She needed air, she needed – she couldn't let it end this way – she had to get them to the surface safely…

Then suddenly she was breathing again. The air was cold around her and her lungs greedily sucked in bucketfuls of it. Next to her Neville opened his eyes, spitting out water and looking around in confusion.

Haley was alight with a relief that was so overwhelming that she was afraid she was going to burst. But it was a good feeling. A happy one. Because she was alive. They both were.

…

NEVILLE

He was wet. He was also in the middle of the Great Lake. And there was someone in front of him. Haley. She was just as wet as him and coughing out water. She was deadly pale and her lips a blueish grey. Her eyes were red and her hair was sticking to her face. But she looked happy. And to Neville she had never looked more beautiful than she did in that moment.

"Are you okay?" She asked, between quick breaths of air. It was typical that the first thing she did was worrying about others, when she should be worrying about herself. He nodded, suddenly feeling the strong urge to kiss her. He didn't though, figuring the last thing she wanted to do after almost drowning was getting her breath stolen away by a kiss.

"Are you okay?" He asked in return, while treading water in order to stay afloat.

"Fine," she replied, still breathing heavily. "Let's get out of the blasted lake." She smiled at him despite her words. They swam back to the shore in silence, the clapping of the audience greeting them from afar.

Professor Dumbledore and Ludo Bagman were pulling them out of the water toward Madame Pomfrey, who was waiting with thick, white towels. As soon as they were within reach, Hermione threw her arms around Haley and held her tightly.

"Are you okay?" They both asked at the same time, causing them to giggle. Hermione looked her over sceptically before dropping a kiss on the side of her head. Then Madame Pomfrey pulled at Haley's arm and gave her some kind of potion. Out of nowhere it seemed, Ron appeared, pulling her to the side and clapping his hand on her shoulder, congratulating her.

Should he go and congratulate her as well? He hadn't even thanked her for saving him. He reached out a hand toward her, taking a step in her direction but he was yanked to the side by a strong hand. Madame Pomfrey was giving him a spoonful of the potion as well. It made him feel warm and caused steam to come out of his ears.

"You're always watching over her, aren't you," a voice said from behind him. He turned to find Hermione come up next to him.

"Hm?" He asked, feeling strangely exposed.

"You don't have to watch, you know. You should go and join her," she advised, nodding toward Haley who was being hugged by Fleur Delacour.

Neville shrugged, shaking his head in disagreement. "She seems… busy." He whispered. "I don't want to interrupt."

Hermione sighed. Fleur was pulling back now, gripping Haley's hands in her own. It seemed like she was thanking her for something. Then the blonde leaned forward and kissed her on both of her cheeks.

Neville's eyes widened. Why was everyone kissing her?

"Jealous?" Hermione asked, sounding suspiciously like she was mocking him.

He shook his head. "I'm not..." He bit his lips, not even knowing what he wanted to say. He wished she would at least look at him. Give him some kind of sign that she wanted him by her side. He hated watching her. No, actually, he liked watching her but he hated, feeling like an outsider. Like he didn't belong…

It was like she had somehow heard what he had been thinking. Haley sharply turned her head, meeting his gaze and smiling warmly. Then she lifted her arm and held out her hand to him. In front of everyone! He only stared at her in confusion. She quirked an eyebrow expectantly. That was all it took. Neville walked over to the girl and placed his fingers around hers.

"Where were you?" She whispered, almost as if she had missed him.

"I-I," he stammered. "I was r-right there."

"Exactly." She pouted up at him. It looked so cute. "But I like it better when you're right here," she emphasised, tapping her finger against his nose. His breath hitched and everything besides her finger went out of focus. Then something softened in her eyes and she took a step toward him, her arms going around his middle. She held onto him so tightly it seemed she was trying to melt into him. Hesitantly, Neville lifted an arm, that was promptly grabbed by the girl and placed on her back. Then she went back to hugging him with a chuckle. He bit his lips and let his other arm rest on her back as well. When he looked down at Haley, he saw her smile. He was so happy.

Her arms around him were tightening even more.

"I couldn't let you drown," she whispered against the towel that was still wrapped around him. "I couldn't." Her voice sounded so vulnerable. And scared. Had she really been scared because of him?

Neville removed his arms from her back and cupped her face gently, making her look at him. He knew, he should say something. Something that would comfort her. But looking into her green eyes that were raw with emotion, he couldn't come up with anything. His mind was blank. Well, it wasn't completely blank. There was still the desire to kiss her. And after he had seen how casually everyone else had kissed Haley before, why shouldn't he do the same?

So, he acted on instinct, leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Haley gasped in surprise. But she soon kissed him back eagerly, her arms locking around his neck. Neville was vaguely aware that everyone was probably watching but as long as it didn't matter to Haley, he didn't care about the others either.

He pulled away after what felt like only seconds. And suddenly looking at her warm smile, he found the exact words he had wanted to say. "You're the bravest–" He stopped, pecking her lips shortly. "most amazing," another peck, "and most beautiful person, I know." He kissed her again, feeling unable to stop himself.

Haley chuckled, shaking her head in embarrassment. "Stop it," she mumbled sheepishly. "The way you talk, people might think you're in love or something."

"Maybe I am," Neville said, feeling terrified and brave at the same time. Perhaps the two feelings weren't that far from one another after all. His heart was beating madly in anticipation of her reaction.

Haley stared at him, her eyes widening comically. "You lied to me," she whispered then, a frown appearing on her face.

What? She thought he was lying? "B-but, I w-wasn't-"

The girl grinned, pinching his cheek. "Don't you remember? You said you could never be as brave as me. But I think," she reached up on her tip-toes and kissed his nose affectionately. "that you're even braver than me."

Neville lacked the words to describe the feeling that overcame him. How did he deserve to feel this happy? He felt like he was actually drowning in happine-

Something hit him from behind. He looked down to find a bundled up towel on the ground. Huh? Where had that come from?

The boy loosened his grip on her slightly and turned around to find a familiar redhead.

"What?" He asked confusedly.

"Your hair is still wet," Ron commented, nodding at the towel.

Neville picked it up. He hadn't even noticed. He wanted to thank him but Ron snatched the towel out of his hands and rubbed it over his head almost violently. "You wanna catch a cold or what? Is this how you're thanking Haley for saving your life?" He grumbled moodily, pushing himself between him and the girl.

"Um…" Neville was taken aback. Feeling like he was missing something.

Haley chuckled. "Ron is mad because you were my hostage and not him," she explained. "He feels left out."

"I don't feel left out!" He protested. "It's just… like… I'm your best friend. We've stuck together since we were little first years. It's unfair!" He pouted. Then his gaze fell on Fleur Delacour who was mothering her little sister. "Besides, I could have helped saving her sister and then she would have thanked me as well," he muttered, his cheeks turning pink.

Haley laughed. Loudly and without a care in the world. Neville watched her silently, an adoring smile stealing onto his lips. Then he noticed someone watching him. Hermione. She was smiling, too. She even winked at him. It was almost like a challenge. 'Are you watching her again?', she seemed to ask soundlessly. He looked back toward Haley, who was elbowing Ron playfully. He reached out his hand toward the girl, wondering whether his touch would be welcome.

But her fingers were meeting him halfway, interlacing with his in a way that seemed as natural as breathing. She grinned at him, before continuing to tease Ron.

This is it, he realised. This was what he had been looking for all this time.

"Right here." He whispered, too quiet for anyone else to hear.

But someone had heard him. Haley squeezed his hand and looked into his eyes.

"Right here," She whispered back. And in that moment Neville knew that she understood him. Perhaps she had always. There was something connecting them. Something beautiful. And deep. Something that scared him. And made him nervous. But it was also something that he felt brave enough to face. As long as she was by his side.

…

A/N: So... Due to popular demand I wrote this little bonus chapter! Hope y'all enjoy it :) Let me know what you think!