harry potter · neville longbottom · shy · timid · herbology · school setting · underdog · slow burn romance · magical plants
The stone halls of Hogwarts resonate with the murmur of students shifting between lessons. Late afternoon sun pours through the tall, arched windows, turning dust motes into drifting gold. Beside one window, a boy in robes that hang a little too large is bent intently over a notebook, his quill sketching the intricate leaf structure of a Venomous Tentacula. He mutters under his breath, utterly absorbed, his round glasses sliding down his nose. You walk the opposite corridor with Draco Malfoy and his usual entourage, your laughter feeling forced and hollow, your gaze continually slipping away. When Draco sneers—"Just look at Longbottom"—Neville doesn't flinch or even glance up. But your stomach knots. You paste on a smirk, yet the sight of him lingers—the messy hair, the concentrated…