United we stand! Maybe. (Neville and Alice)

[Deleted]

It was a really chilly day outside, but the sky was a bright clear blue and it was generally beautiful out there.  Philip found it too tempting to not go out there and take in the fresh air.  He thought it was a waste to not take advantage of a nice, sunny day like this, even if it was freezing.  To combat the cold he put on warm clothes, of course, donning on Gryffindor sweater, a hoodie, jeans, and sneakers.  It was pretty simple but Philip was a casual guy.  He wasn't into high fashion like male models were--that was pretty gross in his opinion.  And besides, men like that were probably trying to be perfectionists or something, and Philip found it distasteful.

His walk on the grounds had led him to the pond.  The water was very pristine and clear, and the fact that it was as cold as ice made it seem more pure and fresh to Philip.  Standing at the edge of the water, Philip bent down to kneel in front of the pond.  He dipped the fingers of his right hand into the water to feel its coldness against his skin.  Philip wasn't lacking in friends, but he wasn't the most social animal around here either.  The boy was introverted and had moments when he was a loner, just as he proved now.

Tag: @alice, @superluigi64

[Deleted]

Alice enjoyed fresh air and being outside as much as the next person, but there was just something about colder weather that the Hufflepuff just adored so it was only natural that the eldest Longbottom chose to take a little stroll down to the pond on a day like this.

It was freezing, just the way Alice liked it. The quiet badger's closet consisted mainly of pants and knit sweaters, the perfect sort of attire for this weather. Finally being able to wear her favorite pair of jeans with her warm, burgundy sweater, and her worn pair of light brown boots put a little smile on her face as she walked the empty grounds. Once of Alice's favorite things about cold weather was that not many people liked it as much as she did, so they tended to stay inside where it was warm. This left the grounds always practically free of all other people as as anyone who knows Alice knows... she isn't quite a fan of people.

Alice was just beginning to think of how nice it was to have the grounds to herself as she was coming up to the pond. It was then that she stopped, having spotted what looked to be a Gryffindor, by the color of his sweater. However this wasn't just any Gryffindor, she quickly realized. She could recognize that blonde hair anywhere, as it was much like the hair on her own head. Hair that the two of them had inherited from their mother. So it wasn't just some lion; it was her younger brother.

Alice hesitated for a moment. While most siblings saw one another and ran up to the other to talk incessantly or goof off, the relationship between Alice and both of her younger brothers was somewhat strained. Of course Alice loved them both dearly, and she didn't know it but she would take a curse for them in a heartbeat... things were awkward between them. Perhaps it was Alice's jealousy when Philip was born, how her parents no longer answered to just her. Or perhaps it was the fact that Alice always had her nose in a book and didn't realize that while she was busy studying, her brothers were forming a close bond; a bond she grew to envy and wish she had with them...

But she learned to go on. And so did they. But it was not without tension.

Finally, Alice walked up to stand beside her brother at the water's edge. She glanced at him briefly and put on sort of an awkward smile before averting her eyes to the middle of the pond. "Hey, Phil," she tried to sound as cheerful as Alice Longbottom could muster. The two did have a lot in common, after all... they both liked to be alone.

@philip & @superluigi64

[Deleted]

Quiet steps ghosted over dry leaves in the early autumn, four small feet moving in tandem. Two larger feet followed, the pace more shambling, though still very quiet, all things considered. Neville smiled as he watched the thorn elemental stalk ahead of him. He had to hand-raise the ones on Longbottom Hill to recognize friend from foe, or they would be a danger to everyone. The ones that spawned in the forbidden corridor didn’t need so much attention, being enchanted to attack or yield depending on circumstances, not identity. But the ones at the Hill had to be able to recognize the signs of a threatening person as opposed to an innocent. The people they were introduced to were safe. Those unknown but not considered hostile were encircled and held at bay until someone could come make a judgment call. And hostile unknowns…well. The Ryutoki was a big help at the Hill, able to coordinate and communicate with the thorn elemental packs, and could probably maintain control with ease if needed. But Neville liked to train them himself and then move them to the Hill, despite the difficulties in doing that without being caught out.

He watched the elemental move. Its body was designed to mimic a flesh-and-blood wolf in every way, save that it was herbivorous. For a stomach, it had a design similar to a pitcher plant, and could dissolve plant matter and insects into mulch. It made it easier to keep the elementals fed, as they could survive a couple of weeks from one meal. It had a skeleton, claws, and teeth made of hardwood, joints hinged with vines and tendrils, muscles of woven plant fiber, and a skin like tough, thick leaves. Its eyes, made of bioluminescent plant material, glowed orange. It was a vivid green along most of its body, with all of its back covered in thick grass. The elementals instinctively fed on grassroots any time it entered new territory, where its body could then grow that grass as camouflage. It had every sense that a wolf had, though its vision was partly thermal in nature. Neville considered it quite the magnificent creature, a magical plant that mimicked an animal perfectly. Few things could compare in nature, even among the magical, to elementals. The Ryutoki was in a class of its own, as far as plant elementals went, but there was a reason you didn’t learn about this class of plants, even in NEWTs. You had to take your education a step farther first, because to even begin to understand how this plant was alive, you had to have the dedication or talent to truly understand Herbology.

The thornwolf stopped, lowering its body down and looking out from the Forbidden Forest, where they currently walked, hidden from the prying eyes of the castle. Neville moved up, following the plant’s gaze. The pond was in that direction. “Follow,” Neville said quietly as he silently moved through the forest. It only took him a few moments to get within sight of the cold waters. He smiled, recognizing his older son—and that smile widened into a grin as his daughter approached him. Two of the four most important people in the world, in one place? It was a good day indeed. But Alice had only just arrived, and he didn’t think he’d been noticed yet. Perhaps a moment to themselves before he showed up might be prudent. He leaned against a tree, watching the pair, as the thorn elemental shuffled up beside him. “Hide,” he whispered, and it responded instantly, shuffling and restructuring its body until it lay almost flat on the ground, just another patch of grass to the naked eye.

[OoC: Neville’s being sneaky, but he’ll come say hi in the next post! ^.^]

[Deleted]

Philip had totally not been expecting anyone to materialize beside him.  Hell, he hadn't expected anyone to be following him out to the pond.  He didn't have anything against people appreciating it with him because the grounds were open to everyone, not just one Gryffindor named Philip Longbottom.  It was just that when he came out no one had been seen standing around, and he figured that was because it wast too cold outside for anyone's liking.

It seemed that Alice was a stealthy ninja of sorts, because Phil had not heard her approaching.  He continued to squat down before the pond and touch the water with his fingers, and when a voice said his name beside him, Phil jolted in surprise and fell back on his bum no the grass.

He looked upward and blinked at the familiar figure of his fair-haired sister.  Alice.  Actually, Phil didn't have to look at her face to confirm her identity, because he was very familiar with her voice as well, obviously.   She greeted him decently enough, but Philip of all people knew that it wasn't wholehearted, try as she might.  But because she was being nice he would return the favor to the best of his ability, however awkward it might be.  "Hey, Alice..." he summoned up a faint smile.  He cleared his throat and got up to his feet, brushing the grass off of his pants.  "Um, sorry 'bout that.  You surprised me there."

He wondered why she was out here, but realized that perhaps being related made them have a lot more in common than they knew.  Okay, so they both liked herbology--that was obvious.  But they did seem to like the fresh air despite the extreme temperatures as well.  And, of course, they did not mind the solitude.  "So...you out here to enjoy the pond too?"

[Deleted]

It was almost funny how two of the three Longbottom children managed to find themselves both out by the pond on this chilly day. It really did say more about their similarities than either of them probably cared to let on. To outsiders, it was clear that Alice and Philip both had so much in common when it came to being alone or being with others. The fact that they weren't as close as many other siblings was shocking to some. Take James and Lily, for example. Alice was sometimes jealous of how Lily and James were unafraid of what others thought of their relationship, and the way they were just so shamelessly best friends without any sort of tension. Alice wanted that with her brothers. But truth be told, she had spent far too long wishing for that relationship instead of making it happen.

When Philip jolted back onto his bum in surprise, Alice's eyes widened slightly as his movement had surprised her as well. She looked down at her younger brother blinking up at her and she just blinked back at him. She hadn't meant to startle him but the fact that she had made her think that perhaps she had interrupted a private thought process or something. She immediately became self-conscious of herself for sneaking up on him like that. But Philip's faint smile eased her a bit.

Alice watched her brother as he got up and dusted the grass off of his pants. "Yeah... I'm sorry about that, too," she gave a sort of half-smile, half-grimace as she shrugged her shoulders at him. Alice wasn't good at expressing her feelings with anyone, and it was just more awkward having to try to convey them to her brother. She let out a little sigh as she looked out toward the middle of the pond. "Yeah," she gave a little nod. "I like when no one else is out here." That surprised her. Almost as if Alice had just stopped thinking about what she wanted to say for once and let the words come to her. She didn't look at Philip but she glanced at the ground a moment in spite of herself. She blinked a few times and then returned her gaze out to the pond. She was back to keeping to herself.

@philip & @superluigi64

[Deleted]

Yeesh, you could cut the tension with a knife. Neville was not a proud man by nature; if one asked him what he’d gotten right in his life, he’d tell you his family and his gardens. His leadership, his role in the last war, his successes both as an Auror and a professor, were things he didn’t take pride in, though he did acknowledge his success, as it were. But even so, nothing was perfect. He’d never been able to nudge Alice closer to her brothers. He had wanted to, had made attempts, but it was…difficult. Making his children eat vegetables, and keeping them from running off to Fortescue’s all the time? That was easy, it was healthy for them, there was no downside besides a little pouting here and there. But Neville knew all too well that he could make his daughter spend time with his sons and it would have accomplished nothing. One could not make others feel against their will, not without creating false emotions through magic, and that was certainly not the answer. So while he tried, it had never really taken. His children loved each other, of that he had no doubt, and to threaten one was to threaten all three of them. But love and like were two different things, and though they were trying, Alice and Philip were loners by nature. This was complicated by them overthinking things—they believed they should get along better, which kept them from relaxing and actually learning to like one another.

…hmm.

Neville looked down at the patch of grass beside him. Now, there was an idea. A bridge not available to the siblings before. Yes, that might just work. But before that, he really ought to go save them fro mthe awkwardness, right? He’d waited long enough. “Stay,” he whispered to the ground, pushing off from the tree and making his way over toward the pond. Ears picked up Alice commenting that she liked being out here alone, and Neville smiled, stumbling a little as he stepped on the front of his robes—just as well, he was not about to make ‘sneaking up behind Phil’ the family tradition. “Well, I like it best when my favorite people in the world are out here. And since half of them are, I like it a lot today.” He looked over his two children, eyes lit up as they only were when he was with his family or closest friends and could just be Dad or Nev for a little while before he had to go back to being Title Longbottom. The chill air of fall was slightly more intense here, with the wind sliding over the water, but like his children, Neville was a bit more cold-natured than usual, so he barely noticed. He entertained the notion of summoning one of the castle house-elves to bring hot butterbeer out here…well, maybe later. “It is a nice day for a walk.”

@philip, @alice

[Deleted]

Awkward politeness was a strange thing.  You and the person who you were conversing with both knew that there was a certain strain between the two of you.  You still didn't like them a lot for having a rocky past with them--he loved his sister, of course, but there was a difference between love and closeness.  You still remembered, even if it the worst was already over.  And, even if the worst was already over, nothing had been done to improve it, much.  There was nothing bad in their relationship, but at the same time neither of them had tried to make it better.  They just...went with the flow of things, not really acknowledging that anything had been wrong in the past (if they had ever broached the subject, then Philip didn't remember), even if they were conscious that there had been.

 Normally you would feel more comfortable walking away, but for some reason you just couldn't bring yourself to make your discomfort blatantly obvious.  You had to feign causality as if you completely didn't mind being alone with the person, even if it didn't make you feel natural within.  Humans were just complex like that.  At least Alice was going along with his act, which gave him the means to resort to that same bland civility.  At least he knew how he could talk to her and keep to that demeanor, wherever their conversation may lead (although he was hard-pressed to think of something interest to say other than stilted small talk).  And, thank god, he was glad Alice chose to play it the nice way, because it actually made him feel less intimidated.  It helped to make him feel less tense and he would rather act pleasant than get into a sibling squabble. 

And really, it wasn't as if they were complete strangers who were wary and mistrustful.  No, it wasn't as extreme as that.  Rather, it was based on a  personal matter between siblings who hadn't gotten along over petty, childish reasons.  He was usually regular around Alice, considering he had lived with her for his whole entire life.  He hadn't really been completely alone with her for a long time, though.  Perhaps it was because they were each caught up in their own student lives at school, making their own friends and taking part in their own activities.  Philip was caught up in Quidditch and Alice was doing whatever.  That probably explained why they hadn't spent a lot of time together.  Therefore, he wasn't really sure how he should specifically act or to say to her in the case that they were alone and completely isolated from all civilization.  He just hadn't been prepared for an event like this.  It was no biggie, really, and the description above probably exaggerated the awkwardness a bit.  Philip was just a self-conscious person.

"No, it's okay," he reassured her, returning her faint smile with one of his own.  He nodded when she said that she liked it when no one else was out here and turned his gaze toward the vast lake, just as Alice was doing.  "Yeah...me too.  The solitude is peaceful..." It was nice to feel at one with the elements of nature. The water, the trees, the grass...Phil almost thought that he preferred them over human company.  Well, he liked his friends, but there were times when he just liked to be alone in such a relaxing atmosphere. 

Before anything else could be said, though, all of a sudden their father appeared.  He was approaching them, and Philip regarded him with surprise.  "Dad!" he said.  He blinked.  "Uh, hey, Dad.  Yeah, it is."  Well, wasn't this a coincidence? It was quite the Longbottom party already.  They were just missing mother and little bro. 

Glancing at Alice, and then his father, and then at Alice again, he said with a chuckle, "I bet little brother might show up here soon.  I can already imagine him explaining that he likes it when no one else is out here, too,"  He actually smirked playfully at Alice when he said that, for those had been her words as well.  He felt more comfortable with being open and speaking his mind candidly with his father around.                

Tag: @alice, @superluigi64

[Deleted]

Along with the envy that Alice sometimes felt when she saw her brothers bonding together, she couldn't help but also feel a little guilty. She was, after all, mostly the reason that she had such an awkward and rocky relationship with her brothers. She had pushed them away herself. She had always been cold or sometimes mean. It wasn't like Alice didn't know how she was acting. She had always been quite aware of her attitude problems, but much too proud to say anything. She was only a teenaged girl, of course. Sometimes she felt that her family wrote it off as hormones. Alice did. She really couldn't explain the way she had acted in the past. But... it was the past.

When Phillip returned Alice's smile, she felt a weight lift off of her shoulders. Almost instantly, she felt a little bit more relaxed than she initially had. Upon Phillip's agreeing to Alice, Alice couldn't help but turn to look back at her brother. A small smile appearing on her face as she did so. It made her happy to know that even though they weren't extremely close, they still liked the same stuff. And to Alice, this felt like bonding. Or at least as much bonding as they had done in a very long time. She couldn't even remember the last time that they had sat down together and just... hung out. Granted they were never really comfortable doing that, it still felt nice.

When another voice made their presence known, Alice felt whatever awkward weight that was still on her shoulder crumble away. "Dad!" She said, happily. What a delightful surprise it was to see their father out here as well. This didn't happen that often... But the fact that it was happening at all made Alice feel happy. She couldn't help but grin at her father as he approached them. As Phillip spoke, Alice glanced at him and caught eye of his little smirk as couldn't help but let one show as well. It was a good feeling to have this kind of communication with her brother, for it rarely ever happened. She supposed her father showing up really helped ease the tension, as the two always seemed to just get along better with their father around.

@philip & @superluigi64

[Deleted]

When at Hogwarts, Neville attempted to stand at arm’s length and let his children decide what was appropriate. He wasn’t out to embarrass them unnecessarily as a teacher. Now, when they were at home? All bets were off then. But here, at school, he let them close the distance however they felt was appropriate. This prevented them from feeling smothered, it made sure nobody cried favoritism (which was becoming more likely from people in Burt’s political camp now, particularly in regards to Philip, who had inherited Neville’s green thumb), and it let them have the independence their classmates got. As it turned out, neither Alice not Philip were bothered by this, and neither had any trouble coming to see him when they wanted his advice. He was glad there was rarely hesitation from them. Granted, Alice had been hesitant about confessing her feelings for James before, but that was entirely understandable, and she had not hesitated to come to him about it, just in actually spelling it out. Put simply, Neville was more than happy to be their father when his children needed that, he just made sure to be Professor Longbottom and let them ask for Dad instead.

But running into two of them on a quiet, cool day like this, with nobody else around, he couldn’t help but loop one arm around each child and squeeze their shoulders for a moment. If he had to pick one single person that was most precious to him in the world, it would be Hannah, but his children meant far more to him than anything short of his wife. And these days, time spent with them seemed ever more precious. His children were purebloods—and more than that, the Longbottom and Abbott bloodlines carried a great deal of respect among the old Wizarding families. Moreso than the Weasleys—all three families had long rejected the idea of blood superiority (Hannah herself was a half-blood), but the Weasley family was known for having a lot of interest in the Muggle world, which tipped the scales against them. Neville and Hannah were both priority targets for former Death Eaters and their kind, but they would want to keep the children alive. But he knew his kids, and he knew they’d never stand for such things. They would fight. Philip was ready to. Alice…maybe not yet. Unlike Neville, she’d never been faced with a situation that compelled her to action. But when she finally did decide to fight, she would be vicious. Philip was a more traditional Gryffindor, like Harry or Ron, at least now. Alice would be more like himself, he was sure of it—not interested in valor or glory, only in victory and keeping her loved ones safe.

That was half the reason he still fought today—Neville hoped that if he fought, his children would not yet have to. But worrying about the future did nobody any good, and he had such a nice present to live in. He laughed at Philip’s comment. “That would work for me. Sadly, the time where I could get my arms around all three of you at once has long since passed.” They were becoming adults. It was strange to him. He didn’t want to let go, much as he knew he must. Of course, the rational side of him said Alice wasn’t going to hope on the Hogwarts Express after graduation and never be seen again. She probably wouldn’t even be independent, not for a while yet. But he’d secured for her a place with Luna on the latter’s next expedition to study magical creatures, and it was…bittersweet, he supposed, knowing that his little girl was going to America to study jackalopes in the mountains. She didn’t know yet—that was a surprise he and Hannah were keeping for Christmas. He didn’t want to let go of any of them, and yet he was indescribably proud to let go at the same time. “So tell me how things are going with the two of you. Anything on your minds?”

[Deleted]

Seeing the playful smirk on her face actually caught at Philip's heart.  He realized at that moment that Alice's goodwill and comradeship actually meant more to him than he knew.  Aside from thinking that she was too prissy and uptight for her own good, he probably had wanted her approval, deep down inside of him.  After all, she was the eldest one.  His older sister, the firstborn.  The one who was a shining example of what a kid should do to make their parents proud.  She was good in anything she did, it seemed.  What kind of a brother wouldn't be proud to have a sister like that?           

Of course he wasn't going to admit that aloud, though.  That would be too cheesy and awkward for his taste.  At least, though, he could acknowledge that a closer relationship with Alice sounded favorable to him.  But how he was going to achieve that? Only Godric Gryffindor knew, Phil supposed, and the founder of his house wasn't exactly around to answer his questions.  He ought to look to his personality, and unfortunately, he wasn't the most daring of people when it came to mending sibling bonds.

He lifted an eyebrow at his father's quip about not being able to hug all three of them at once as he had been able to before.  "Yeah, I would rather you not try that."  Phil couldn't say he was a person who liked to hug.  Well, he felt less reserved about hugging his mother.  He would force himself to hug his father, but he wasn't so sure about Alice or the little brother.  And hugging his dad while being squished against his siblings? Eek. 

"Can't say anything is out of the ordinary," he responded when Neville asked them how things were going for them.  Everything was normal.  He went to class, did his assignments, took part in Quidditch practice, and hung out with his friends.  But then he did remember something that hadn't been usual for him that had happened recently.  "Well, actually, during my last Quidditch practice, a Bludger flew in my face and one of the Beaters couldn't get to it in time...so it impacted against nose.  It started to bleed, but after a visit to the infirmary, I'm alright now."  That had hurt like crazy, and Phil definitely did not want to have to go through that again.  But he was okay now, at least.  When his father then asked if they had anything going on their minds, Philip shook his head.  "Um, no, not really..." Philip glanced at Alice.  "You?"   

Tag: @alice, @superluigi64

[Deleted]

While Alice didn't have a close relationship with her brothers, she was thankful that she did with her father. She felt like she could share many things with her father, and she had never really felt embarrassed to do so. Except when she was telling him about her feelings for James, but that was different. That was a boy and talking about boys with one's father was going to be awkward but... Neville didn't make it awkward. Alice could only hope that one day she would have a relationship with her brothers like the one she had with her father. Alice never minded hugging her father. She loved her father and wasn't embarrassed to show that. When he wrapped one arm around her, she wrapped one of her own around his back, smiling. But... having Philip embraced in the same hug? That was a little awkward. She hadn't hugged her brothers since... probably since they were very small kids. It made her sad for a moment, but when Philip spoke, Alice brushed it off. It seemed like Philip wasn't quite comfortable with that fact either.

Alice shrugged, nodding along with what her brother said. There was a lot that was different, actually. James practically going off the map because of Aurora? Alice's frustrations with James and the Ravenclaw in general? Those things were bothering her a great deal but... that was not a topic she felt comfortable sharing around Philip. And she doubted he wanted to hear about his sister's love life either, especially with someone with whom they had grown up with. Alice would feel awkward if they were to talk about Philip and any girl, for instance. She thought it could only be the same.

As Philip spoke about Quidditch, Alice watched him. An eyebrow raised at him, half in shock. Alice went to the games. Obviously, because of James. A huge wave of guilt was suddenly rushing over her for she had not even noticed her own brother get hit in the face by a bludger during the last game. She was probably too caught up in James. She looked down at the ground, quietly ashamed for a moment. How could she be so shallow? Philip was a talented flyer, she knew that. But she hadn't even noticed? What a sad excuse for a sister she was. She bit her lip, forcing a little smile and looking back up at her family. "Same here. Same old, same old," she said, hoping against hope that her tone was enough to fool at least one of them. But with Neville... hardly anything got past him.

@philip & @superluigi64

[Deleted]

He chuckled when Philip requested he not try to hug them all. His son was decidedly not the touchy-feely type under normal circumstances. His mother could always hug him, but he was less than enthused if it were any other family members. Alice was more open to the gesture, so long as nobody saw it. Guess your parents were embarrassing, no matter what? He didn't know. His grandmother had been more intimidating than embarrassing. Philip did mention, however, that he took a Bludger to the face in his last Quidditch match. “I heard about that!” Neville said, reaching out to grab his son by the cheeks and turn his head left and right. “I couldn't come to that match, I had castle patrol duties at the time, but Miss King told me about it later. Can't tell it ever happened though.” He let go of Philip's face, half-smirking at the annoyance he knew he'd just caused. If his son was only ever injured by angry Bludgers, Neville would find that completely acceptable. And on days like this, he could almost believe that would be the case.

He had not failed to notice Alice tense up when Philip mentioned getting hit. Maybe she didn't know it happened? Alice had Neville's former aversion to violence, even if she was way more snarly than he had been, which seriously made him question what she would do if someone really, truly got hurt. But he wasn't sure this was that reaction. Either way...he supposed he would ignore it for now, seeing as Alice was trying to play it off. If she was really bothered by something and wanted to talk, she'd just find him later. He grinned when they both claimed to not be worried about anything. “Good, because I have something to show you. You'll want to keep it to yourselves, as technically I'm not supposed to have one out here, they're considered too dangerous. But...well, the why is unimportant. Come on, I'll show you something that's too advanced for NEWT-level Herbology.” He grinned at his son and turned, heading toward the Forbidden Forest once more. Of course, he knew his daughter would be just a little disappointed—Herbology was more Neville and Philip's subject than hers. So after a few steps, he stopped. “It's also too advanced for NEWT-level Care of Magical Creatures~” he added in a singsong voice without turning around to catch her response. He could pretty much imagine the mix of interest and confusion anyway.

The Herbology teacher slipped into the woods and made his way back to the thorn elemental, out of sight of the castle. He knelt down and paused for a moment, putting his hand over what would look to his children to be an ordinary patch of grass. “Rise,” he said quietly—and the grass did, revealing the wolflike plant in its entirety. It cocked its head, glimmering orange eyes looking over the two students as Neville placed one hand firmly on its back. After a moment, it dropped its head for just a moment, almost like a short bow, signaling its recognition of the two. Neville beckoned them both over. “Elementals are a very advanced magical contruct. Golems and Gargoyles are wizard-made, giving fake life to inanimate objects. But elementals occur naturally in the world. Fire, earth, water, air...and plants, like this one. Because it is a plant, but it mimics a wolf to perfection. Sap for blood, wood for bones and teeth...we still don't know why they exist as they do, or how they came to be.” The only thing they knew—no magic of wizard, goblin, or house-elf had created elementals. People skilled in Herbology, Alchemy, Transfiguration, Magical Creatures, and Alteration had spent their entire lives working on unraveling the mystery. Neville had learned about the various plant-based elementals, but that was as far as his own knowledge went.

He smiled at his children, beckoning them forward again. “It's okay, come have a look.”

[Deleted]

Phil's eyes widened when his father grabbed him by the cheeks and commenced to turn his head left and right in the pursuit of inspecting him.  "Dad! Seriously, I'm alright!" he protested, slightly annoyed by his father's obvious joke.  Neville was no idiot and knew that healers would be able to heal a wound like that as if it had been a bug bite.  It was just fatherly teasing, which Phil was rather used to but it still got at him.  Maybe because Neville found it funny while Phil found it unnecessary.  That smirk on Neville's face pretty much confirmed his suspicions.  "Of course you can't," he agreed, somewhat dryly.   

The annoyance was tossed right out of the imaginary window from what Neville said next--something about keeping a creature that he wasn't supposed to be keeping and was generally not a student-level thing to learn about.  AND FOR HERBOLOGY!!!  "What?! Cool! What is it?" he demanded, sounding more like a Philip from years past than the calm, chill, present-day Phil.  But seriously, that sounded way too cool.  "I mean, you're always doing the most impossible, unbelievable things, but--still! Dad, you rock."

And without further ado he eagerly followed after his father toward the forbidden forest.  It was forbidden, but with his father, he felt as if it were safer than a cozy cottage.  Neville also added that it was a Care of Magical Creatures thing for Alice's benefit, but Phil couldn't care any less and was impatiently waiting for Neville to presume walking. 

They entered the forest, and Phil stopped and stood beside his sister as their father went to fetch the thingamajig.  He could hardly contain his excitement.  He looked at his sister, practically beaming.  "What do you think it's gonna be, Alice?" he asked her, even if any guesses were going to be pretty lame.  But still, he just had to ask! "Dad's awesome, isn't he? He always makes interesting discoveries.  He's a genius!" That may or may not be exaggerating it, but at that moment, Phil felt as proud of his old man as ever.     
He turned again to gaze at the very man he was praising, and his jaw dropped at what he saw.  "Alice...it's..." He didn't complete his sentence because he wasn't entirely sure what he was staring at, only that it astounded him with its animal cuteness/plant beauty.  A wolf-like plant emerged from the grass!!! It's eyes--so orange!!! He stood there, gaping, taking in the information Neville was providing, but still gaping nonetheless.  It was so magnificent...he was speechless...

When Neville gave them the okay to approach, Phil grinned at his sister before making his way over to the plant and his dad.  He remembered to approach gently, though, even if he was still awestruck and felt like doing much more than just staring at it.  He stopped in front of it, smiling widely.  "Wow...dad, it's amazing.  May I touch it?" he asked.  "And what's it called? How did you find it?" If it was not man-made and a natural part of nature and not a thing that Neville should be keeping, Phil wondered where his father stumbled upon it. 

@alice @superluigi64 

[Deleted]

The shame was welling up in Alice but she tried to ignore it, much like one does to the tears they sometimes cry but don't want to show. She couldn't believe what an awful sister she sometimes was. How she had gone without even noticing a bludger hit her brother on the field was beyond her. As usual she had been too wrapped up in herself, her infatuation with her best friend. Alice was selfish and she was ashamed. She made an effort to try to not let it show but such efforts were useless when she was around her father. He saw through everything. Alice couldn't fight back the instinctive curl that appeared at the corners of her lips when her father grabbed his cheek to examine where the bludger had hit him. She knew her brother was not a fan of the handsy sort of affection like others were, namely parents. The sight of her father doing so anyway was humorous to her.

"Too dangerous?" Alice raised an eyebrow at her fathers words as he shifted the topic of the conversation to something that he had come into contact with. He had definitely piqued her interest when he had said that he was technically not allowed to have one on the grounds. As someone as high up in the administration at Hogwarts as their father, Alice supposed he was able to get away with a bit more than other people. Perhaps that was why he was keeping it on the grounds because whatever it was, if it had fit the bill of "dangerous" there was no way that Hannah would let it near the house or the Cauldron.

Alice was ready to get to the bottom of whatever this mysterious surprise was. She bit her bottom lip, wondering for a moment what it could possibly be. Oh... herbology. Alice made somewhat of a straight slant with her mouth as her eyes stayed focused on her dad. Herbology wasn't exactly her favorite subject, but as a Longbottom she excelled. It was in her blood, after all. It just wasn't her favorite. As she followed after her dad beside Phil, she caught what he said as he continued on. "Too advance for N.E.W.T. Care of Magical Creatures?" Alice's mind began to run wild. So it was something she could get into. Something all three of them could enjoy.

As they continued into the forest, Alice couldn't help but be momentarily distracted by the change in Phil's mood. Phil had definitely got his interest in Herbology from their dad. That much was certain. She had seen the two of them in the greenhouses together before but to this day, Alice admired how plants and Herbology made Philip feel. It reminded her of how Care of Magical Creatures made her feel. She only smiled widely at Phil's question as to what she thought it could be. With Neville Longbottom, there was truly no telling.

Alice raised an eyebrow as her father knelt down to a patch of grass. She glanced at Phil a moment but then the next thing she knew a creature made of plants that resembled a wolf was rising from the ground. Alice's eyes widened, for she had heard of them but never seen one before. All of the books of magical creatures that she had grown up reading had mentioned them at least once but little was known about them. How did her father get his hands on one? And had he commanded it to rise? Alice slowly moved forward with her brother, but she was silent as she did so, staring up at the creature. "An... elemental... ?" She said, almost unable to believe what she was seeing.

@philip & @superluigi64

[Deleted]

Alice had inherited mostly her mother’s looks. This, in Neville’s opinion, was a good thing. She wasn’t a carbon copy of Hannah by any means, but looking at them, it was easy to see they were mother and daughter. Philip had also inherited his mother’s blonde hair, which didn’t surprise Neville; Abbotts and Longbottoms were old Pureblood families, which meant they both had plenty of blonde in their genes. But Philip’s face was much closer to Neville’s own, in structure. He’d grown into his looks earlier than Neville, who’d still been a little round-faced at that age, but again, nobody would mistake them as anything other than father and son. Now, however, both of his children were sporting identically amazed looks that could have been inherited from Ron Weasley. Neville managed not to laugh at the sight, but it was a close thing. Not only for amusement, but out of pure joy for spending some time as Dad, a thing he knew was going to diminish greatly in the future.

Philip approached carefully, despite practically vibrating with intensity. Good. He lacked Alice’s instinct for interacting with animals, but he knew well the importance of caution around new plants. Alice was more cautious still, though Neville thought it might be from the shock of seeing an elemental—they tended to come up more often in texts on Magical Creatures, where they were more of an oddity than they were among magical plants. That, and Alice read more than Philip. So it was entirely possible she had a better idea of just what she was looking at than Philip. Neville smiled. “It’s alright to touch it, just treat it more like a big dog than a plant. I’ve got it partly tamed, but there’s no dog that won’t bite when threatened. Watch your sister if you’re not sure how to approach it.” He didn’t know why he hadn’t thought of this before. It would take brother and sister working in tandem to really study and understand the creature before them.

“This particular breed is called a thorn elemental. They mimic wolves, as I’m sure you can tell. They ingest water and grow through photosynthesis, but their stomachs are like pitcher plants and let them break plant and animal matter down too. They seek out seeds and roots of existing plants to absorb and grow on them as camouflage, which is why this one’s back is covered in the same grass as the ground. In the wild, they usually look for thorny plants, like roses or certain vines, to absorb, which is where they got their name. They’re also called thornwolves, and in a few older stories, grasshounds.” Neville rubbed the elemental’s nuzzle for a moment before stepping back a bit to give his children more room. This was an opportunity here, but he wanted them to get into it. “What else do you two see? Tell me something about it. What is the plant doing to mimic the animal? What’s off about the animal’s behavior because it’s a plant?”

@alice
@philip