Disclaimer: Harry Potter is from the creative genius that is J.K. Rowling.
I am not her. This is merely a fan fiction to tide us over until Book 6.
A/N: Hello everyone I'm back. I want to thank you all for reading this and my previous stories. I'm also trying to come up with another H/G or D/G story, but so far no plot bunnies have hopped into my head.
The aroma of books filled the air. Hermione Granger loved the smell of the library. It was a smell that brought thoughts of peace, solitude and a wealth of information. It was the aroma of knowledge and with it, a person could get some real work done IF someone would just stop pestering her.
Normally the culprit was Ron, but not today.
"Please Hermione, just explain this to me one more time," Neville pleaded. "I need to make sure I don't mess up again during potions."
She let out a sigh before answering him, "Neville, you'll do fine. You know what you're dong, if you didn't you wouldn't have gotten an O in potions."
"That's because Snape was around!"
Hermione climbed up a stepladder to get a book from the top shelf and looked down at Neville. "Honestly, McGonagall is right. All you need is confidence. You're confident enough in herbology in D.A. I mean look what happened last year."
"I'm good at those because of practice and vigilance, not by confidence," he mumbled. "Maybe if you could just brew some confidence I wouldn't be here."
That was it! Hermione thought. While there really wasn't a confidence potion, Neville didn't know that. Maybe if he thought he had confidence he really would. All he needed was to believe it worked.
"Neville, you're a genius!" Hermione exclaimed closing the book in her hand.
"What?"
"A confidence potion," she replied happily climbing down and thinking what feasible ingredients such a potion should have. "It would only take a day to make. Then again, I would need a strand of hair each from the three people you would like to have confidence like. Do you know who they would be?"
Neville eyed her nervously. "The three people I think have the most confidence?"
"Yes. I can get the rest of the ingredients, but you'll have to get those strands of hair. Whose hair will you be getting by tomorrow?"
"Well I guess for it to work right, that they'd have to be Dumbledore, Harry, and well, Ginny."
Hermione must have seemed quite shocked by Ginny's name – indeed she thought that maybe he would say her or Ron, but Ginny?
"She's very determined," Neville explained, seeing Hermione's expression. "She sees what she wants and she goes after it. She really doesn't give up easily if ever at all."
"Yes. I guess that does sound a lot like Ginny," Hermione said. "Do you think you'll be able to get the hairs by tomorrow at this time?"
"I think so."
"Good. Then meet me back here tomorrow around 8 and I'll have the potion ready."
Neville smiled broadly and rushed out of the library. Now all Hermione had to do was sneak down to the kitchen and get some kind of unusual drink to put the hairs in to convince Neville.
The next morning, bright and early Neville got a hair from Harry off his pillow, while the other boy was in the shower. He bounced down the stairs and saw Ginny and Hermione talking at the table.
"Good morning ladies," he said cheerfully.
"While good morning Neville," said Ginny. "You must have slept well or had a very good dream. IF the last bit is the case, I don't want to hear about it. I've been traumatized enough with six brothers."
Neville laughed and Hermione looked over at her younger friend in shock.
"Don't worry Ron keeps his dreams about you to himself, or just tells Harry," Ginny said to Hermione without skipping a beat.
"THAT wasn't what I was thinking!" Hermione snapped.
"Sure, sure," Ginny said under her breath before speaking to Neville. "So why are you in such a good mood this morning?"
"No reason," he said before twirling a strand of Ginny's hair with his fingers. "Hey Gin, could I have a strand of you hair?"
"What? Why? You're not going to use it for some love potion or anything are you?" she said curiously.
"No, no love potion. I promise."
"Fine," she said tugging a strand and handing a single red strand to Neville. "But if I wake up in the boys dormitory tomorrow in your bed you do realize Ron will kill you."
"It's not for a love potion I promise. I want to win you over the old fashion way," he said before realize what he just admitted. "I mean if I wanted to win you over I wouldn't do it with a love potion."
Ginny shrugged and got up. "Well I'm headed to breakfast, any one want to come with me."
"I'm waiting for Harry and Ron," Hermione replied with a smile.
"I'll be with you in a second if you want to wait," Neville said.
"Sure," Ginny said picking up her bookbag. "I'll be on the other side of the portrait."
Once she left the room, Hermione turned and looked at Neville.
"It looks like her confidence isn't the only thing you fancy about Ginny," she teased light heartedly.
Neville blushed slightly and then put two strands of hair in front of Hermione.
"I got Harry's off his pillow this morning. Know him he might think I was going to use it for polyjuice potion. I'll get the third one after breakfast. How is the potion going?"
"Good," Hermione replied crossing her fingers under the table. "It will be ready tonight."
Neville smiled and then turned and left the common room. Hermione sighed and wished Neville would realize he did have confidence.
As the trio arrived for breakfast, they noticed an unusual sight at the front table. Neville stood beside Dumbledore and the two of them were speaking. It also looked as if no one else could hear what they were saying.
Hermione saw Dumbledore's eyes look at her for a moment and she hoped the headmaster wouldn't tell Neville there was no such thing as a confidence potion. She saw Dumbledore wink and a moment later Neville happily walked back to the table.
"Wonderful day isn't it?" he said happily sitting down beside Ginny and Seamus.
"What was that all about Neville?" asked Ron as he scooped eggs onto his plate.
"I just wanted to ask Dumbledore a question privately. So he cast a secrecy charm around the two of us, and I was able to get the information I need for a project."
"Oh. Must be for herbology then," Harry said shrugging as he turned to eat.
Neville just smiled.
"Neville, what exactly did Dumbledore say?" Hermione asked nervously.
"I'll tell you later," he said. "Right now I'm hungry."
It wasn't until nearly eight o'clock at night before Hermione was able to hear what Dumbledore said. She was waiting outside the library with the mug of some sort of punch mixed with butterbeer Dobby made. It was golden in color and had quite an exotic smell. It would be very easy for it to be considered a potion.
Finally, Neville came running around the corner.
"Is it ready?" he asked gasping for air.
"Yes," she said. "You have all the hairs?"
Neville nodded as he caught his breath.
"Why did you run all the way up here? And what did Dumbledore say this morning?"
"I didn't want to be late," he panted. "Dumbledore asked me what the hair was for this morning. I told him you were brewing me a confidence potion and I needed a strand of his hair to go with the others. He asked who the other two were and I told him. He said I chose well," he said smiling.
"What else?"
"Oh he said he didn't really think I needed the potion, that he had confidence in me. I told him having confidence in one's self is sometimes harder than having confidence in others. All he said was 'indeed' then he gave me the hair," he explained before looking at the cup in Hermione's hand. "Is that it? It smells unusual."
Hermione nodded and handed the glass to Neville. He added the hairs and looked at her.
"How long does this last and how powerful is it?"
Hermione searched her head to come up with the answers.
"Well that depends on you Neville," she said. "The last component of the potion is what you feel you need from it on how long it lasts and how powerful it is. When you wake in the morning it should be working."
"Then it will last forever and be the most powerful confidence potion ever made. Thanks Hermione," he said before chugging the entire glassful.
Hermione just smiled not knowing what she just unleashed.
A/N: Hello everyone I'm back. I want to thank you all for reading this and my previous stories. I'm also trying to come up with another H/G or D/G story, but so far no plot bunnies have hopped into my head.
The aroma of books filled the air. Hermione Granger loved the smell of the library. It was a smell that brought thoughts of peace, solitude and a wealth of information. It was the aroma of knowledge and with it, a person could get some real work done IF someone would just stop pestering her.
Normally the culprit was Ron, but not today.
"Please Hermione, just explain this to me one more time," Neville pleaded. "I need to make sure I don't mess up again during potions."
She let out a sigh before answering him, "Neville, you'll do fine. You know what you're dong, if you didn't you wouldn't have gotten an O in potions."
"That's because Snape was around!"
Hermione climbed up a stepladder to get a book from the top shelf and looked down at Neville. "Honestly, McGonagall is right. All you need is confidence. You're confident enough in herbology in D.A. I mean look what happened last year."
"I'm good at those because of practice and vigilance, not by confidence," he mumbled. "Maybe if you could just brew some confidence I wouldn't be here."
That was it! Hermione thought. While there really wasn't a confidence potion, Neville didn't know that. Maybe if he thought he had confidence he really would. All he needed was to believe it worked.
"Neville, you're a genius!" Hermione exclaimed closing the book in her hand.
"What?"
"A confidence potion," she replied happily climbing down and thinking what feasible ingredients such a potion should have. "It would only take a day to make. Then again, I would need a strand of hair each from the three people you would like to have confidence like. Do you know who they would be?"
Neville eyed her nervously. "The three people I think have the most confidence?"
"Yes. I can get the rest of the ingredients, but you'll have to get those strands of hair. Whose hair will you be getting by tomorrow?"
"Well I guess for it to work right, that they'd have to be Dumbledore, Harry, and well, Ginny."
Hermione must have seemed quite shocked by Ginny's name – indeed she thought that maybe he would say her or Ron, but Ginny?
"She's very determined," Neville explained, seeing Hermione's expression. "She sees what she wants and she goes after it. She really doesn't give up easily if ever at all."
"Yes. I guess that does sound a lot like Ginny," Hermione said. "Do you think you'll be able to get the hairs by tomorrow at this time?"
"I think so."
"Good. Then meet me back here tomorrow around 8 and I'll have the potion ready."
Neville smiled broadly and rushed out of the library. Now all Hermione had to do was sneak down to the kitchen and get some kind of unusual drink to put the hairs in to convince Neville.
The next morning, bright and early Neville got a hair from Harry off his pillow, while the other boy was in the shower. He bounced down the stairs and saw Ginny and Hermione talking at the table.
"Good morning ladies," he said cheerfully.
"While good morning Neville," said Ginny. "You must have slept well or had a very good dream. IF the last bit is the case, I don't want to hear about it. I've been traumatized enough with six brothers."
Neville laughed and Hermione looked over at her younger friend in shock.
"Don't worry Ron keeps his dreams about you to himself, or just tells Harry," Ginny said to Hermione without skipping a beat.
"THAT wasn't what I was thinking!" Hermione snapped.
"Sure, sure," Ginny said under her breath before speaking to Neville. "So why are you in such a good mood this morning?"
"No reason," he said before twirling a strand of Ginny's hair with his fingers. "Hey Gin, could I have a strand of you hair?"
"What? Why? You're not going to use it for some love potion or anything are you?" she said curiously.
"No, no love potion. I promise."
"Fine," she said tugging a strand and handing a single red strand to Neville. "But if I wake up in the boys dormitory tomorrow in your bed you do realize Ron will kill you."
"It's not for a love potion I promise. I want to win you over the old fashion way," he said before realize what he just admitted. "I mean if I wanted to win you over I wouldn't do it with a love potion."
Ginny shrugged and got up. "Well I'm headed to breakfast, any one want to come with me."
"I'm waiting for Harry and Ron," Hermione replied with a smile.
"I'll be with you in a second if you want to wait," Neville said.
"Sure," Ginny said picking up her bookbag. "I'll be on the other side of the portrait."
Once she left the room, Hermione turned and looked at Neville.
"It looks like her confidence isn't the only thing you fancy about Ginny," she teased light heartedly.
Neville blushed slightly and then put two strands of hair in front of Hermione.
"I got Harry's off his pillow this morning. Know him he might think I was going to use it for polyjuice potion. I'll get the third one after breakfast. How is the potion going?"
"Good," Hermione replied crossing her fingers under the table. "It will be ready tonight."
Neville smiled and then turned and left the common room. Hermione sighed and wished Neville would realize he did have confidence.
As the trio arrived for breakfast, they noticed an unusual sight at the front table. Neville stood beside Dumbledore and the two of them were speaking. It also looked as if no one else could hear what they were saying.
Hermione saw Dumbledore's eyes look at her for a moment and she hoped the headmaster wouldn't tell Neville there was no such thing as a confidence potion. She saw Dumbledore wink and a moment later Neville happily walked back to the table.
"Wonderful day isn't it?" he said happily sitting down beside Ginny and Seamus.
"What was that all about Neville?" asked Ron as he scooped eggs onto his plate.
"I just wanted to ask Dumbledore a question privately. So he cast a secrecy charm around the two of us, and I was able to get the information I need for a project."
"Oh. Must be for herbology then," Harry said shrugging as he turned to eat.
Neville just smiled.
"Neville, what exactly did Dumbledore say?" Hermione asked nervously.
"I'll tell you later," he said. "Right now I'm hungry."
It wasn't until nearly eight o'clock at night before Hermione was able to hear what Dumbledore said. She was waiting outside the library with the mug of some sort of punch mixed with butterbeer Dobby made. It was golden in color and had quite an exotic smell. It would be very easy for it to be considered a potion.
Finally, Neville came running around the corner.
"Is it ready?" he asked gasping for air.
"Yes," she said. "You have all the hairs?"
Neville nodded as he caught his breath.
"Why did you run all the way up here? And what did Dumbledore say this morning?"
"I didn't want to be late," he panted. "Dumbledore asked me what the hair was for this morning. I told him you were brewing me a confidence potion and I needed a strand of his hair to go with the others. He asked who the other two were and I told him. He said I chose well," he said smiling.
"What else?"
"Oh he said he didn't really think I needed the potion, that he had confidence in me. I told him having confidence in one's self is sometimes harder than having confidence in others. All he said was 'indeed' then he gave me the hair," he explained before looking at the cup in Hermione's hand. "Is that it? It smells unusual."
Hermione nodded and handed the glass to Neville. He added the hairs and looked at her.
"How long does this last and how powerful is it?"
Hermione searched her head to come up with the answers.
"Well that depends on you Neville," she said. "The last component of the potion is what you feel you need from it on how long it lasts and how powerful it is. When you wake in the morning it should be working."
"Then it will last forever and be the most powerful confidence potion ever made. Thanks Hermione," he said before chugging the entire glassful.
Hermione just smiled not knowing what she just unleashed.