Predictably, Neville was left partnerless.

[adjunct]

Hullo, this is Neville Longbottom, I think I've done this right.
Erm, you can leave me a voiceletter. If you'd like.

Comments

private; video

[tonsofpun]

Neville, if you're tough enough to go through all that and keep fighting, then you're just about the opposite of useless.

[She almost tries for a smile, but doesn't.]

Actually, I guarantee that it makes you a certified badass.

private; video

[adjunct]

[Despite everything, this whole conversation, that still manages to make him go bright pink.]

Well-- [He ducks his head and shrugs.] I could use magic, then, couldn't I? Different magic, I mean. Stuff that I'd been trained with.

private; video

[tonsofpun]

Between you and me, I don't think magic had a whole lot to do with it.

[At least not about the badass part. And the blush makes her smile, mostly because she's glad to have told him something good after all this crazy bullshit.]

Now. When d'you wanna meet up?

private; video

[adjunct]

Thursday or Friday after your classes? If you'd like.

[He will come armed with library books and quiet nerdy delight.]

private; video

[tonsofpun]

Friday after classes.

I'm over in Odin, the paid housing place. It's a big building, but I'm in room 108.

Ignore our weird neighbors, and try not to knock on their door by accident, okay?

If anybody waves a gun in your face, tell them Ellie said you were cool. Don't try to pet the dog.

private; video

[adjunct]

[Well this suddenly sounds terrifying. The video goes very wobbly as he dives for something to write the number down with, because he is infamously forgetful.]

I'm not certain what a gun is, but alright.

private; video

[tonsofpun]

[It's less terrifying in practice, Neville. Ellie grins and waits for him, repeating parts of the information as needed.]

-you don't know what a gun is?

Holy shit. Do you guys not have them?

[Except Hermione and Harry and even Snape knew what they were. ... but Voldemort had been surprised by it. Maybe that was what saved her. Ellie shifts, and reaches down to take out her 9-mil, showing it on the screen.]

This one's mine. It's small, but it packs a pretty good punch if I'm close enough.

private; video

[adjunct]

No, I don't think so. It's a weapon?

[All of them were brought up in Muggle (or at least half Muggle) houses, but Neville is a full-on clueless wizard and comes from several consecutive generations of them.]

That... punches people?

[He can't see a fist anywhere on it, Ellie!!]

private; video

[tonsofpun]

[Ellie puffs out her cheeks while she tries not to laugh at him. No, no, stop Ellie, that's mean.]

It's... it's an expression. Here, look.

[With a jerk of her wrists, she ejects the clip, showing him the bullets loaded up into it, pulls one out to hold between her fingers.]

This is called a bullet. You load the clip of them into here, like this-

[She loads up the gun, keeping the safety on, and points out the trigger without touching it.]

Then you aim it, and pull here. The gun fires the bullet into whatever you're pointing at.

[Ellie's expression sobers.]

It's a muggle thing. And they're very dangerous, so if you find one, don't mess around with it.

private; video

[adjunct]

But it's so small.

[Neville seems a tad in awe. He can hardly wrap his mind around the idea that something like this - the tiny bullets pinched between her fingers - killed Lord Voldemort, now that he can actually see it.

He nods, quickly.]

I'll leave it be, if I ever do.

private; video

[tonsofpun]

So's a wand.

[Yes, she's seen wands. She gives him a brief smile, though it's a very serious thing.]

Seriously, though, if anybody ever points one of these at you, get out of the way. Even if it doesn't catch you anywhere lethal, it hurts like a motherfucker.

private; video

[adjunct]

[Neville opens his mouth to protest, but... she sorta has a point, doesn't she. Eventually he settles on shaking his head slightly.]

Makes me wish I could still do a shield charm here.

private; video

[tonsofpun]

That'd be awesome. The more you guys tell me about the magic, the more I feel like I missed out.

-but I can teach you how to make your own shield on the spot.

private; video

[adjunct]

Really? How do you do that? I'd like to learn, definitely.

private; video

[tonsofpun]

Whenever you come over, I'll show you. You might not get it right away, but if you practice as much as you can, you'll get better quickly.

It kind of comes in waves. Like every day, a few more things click.