It was a rainy Saturday morning, the first Saturday of the school year, and the water was churning much more ferociously outside Briar's dorm room window that day. Her roommates were off somewhere else, so she just got ready in her bedroom. She tugged on a soft, dark blue sweater and a faded pair of blue jeans. She was going to spend time with Neville after that week's happy realizations, and she couldn't wait to be near him again.

The week had been busy since many of her 6th year courses had been shaping up to be incredibly difficult, but she thought about the next time she'd see Neville through all of her stress and studying.

She tugged on a pair of boots and hurried out of the room with her sketchbook. She decided that she would sketch Neville. She had practiced regularly over the summer, and she believed that she could depict him much more accurately than her mediocre skills from before would have allowed.

Briar had almost cleared the Slytherin common room when a hand latched around her upper arm. She whipped her head and narrowed her eyes immediately when she saw that the hand was connected to none other than Malfoy.

"Get your slimy hands off of me this instant, you ferret," Briar snarled, irritated at the tight hold Malfoy's hand had on her arm. Her mind was spinning with her sudden irritation, but she blinked in surprise when Malfoy released his grip on her and took a step back.

She wasn't used to him backing down so easily. Something had changed.

He glanced around the room quickly before he leaned towards her and hissed, "I need to speak with you in private."

"I'm busy."

Malfoy ran his hands through his hair and groaned, "It's important."

She rolled her eyes and jerked her head towards the entrance to the common room. She climbed out the exit and walked silently to a space a few paces away, turning to the mopey Malfoy with crossed arms and an even stare.

Briar raised a single eyebrow at Malfoy's continued silence and snapped, "Come on. Out with it then."

He ran his hands down his face and blew air between his lips. He groaned, "It's about my soulmate."

With an irritated eye roll, Briar huffed, "I don't have time for this."

She started to storm off, but Malfoy quickly latched onto her arm again and begged, "Briar...please."

Her movements came to a standstill, and the corridor grew quiet after the sound of her heavy footsteps disappeared. When was the last time she heard Malfoy use the word please?

After she turned around, she crossed her arms and stared at him with slightly softer eyes. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she knew she had to wait and see what he had to say. It was clear he needed to talk to someone about this, but it was questionable that he chose Briar of all people to be that person.

Malfoy took a labored breath and stared at the wall behind Briar's head. He swallowed hard as he admitted, "She's a Hufflepuff."

Briar blinked and nodded her head slowly. She trailed, "And why is this such a big concern? I know I don't have the best memory, but didn't we already discuss how you knew your soulmate wasn't a Slytherin?"

He let out an obnoxious groan and grumbled, "You don't understand... I-I think I know who she is, and it's...it's bad, Briar. She hates me."

"Oh," Briar replied, standing stiffly at this confession. It didn't surprise her really; Malfoy was a brainless git.

Malfoy threw his head back to let out a guttural noise as he hissed through his teeth, "And father would not approve."

"Well, your father is a monster just like mine, so-"

Briar narrowed her eyes and tightened her jaw when Malfoy roared, "Shut up, Davies! You know nothing!"

She snarled, "Screw you. How dare you say something like that to me after knowing what I've been through?"

Even though the corridor had remained empty for the entirety of their conversation, Malfoy dropped his voice to a whisper and sighed, "But you don't know the half of what I've been through."

With that, he left with his body quivering and shoulders tense, and Briar knew that the boy needed to be alone. He didn't want to talk to her anymore. He had already felt like he said too much, and he was slowly descending into the same despair Briar had been fighting back her entire life.

-

Briar made it to the Gryffindor common room a little late that morning, and Neville's anxiety about it made her feel considerably guilty.

Once she entered the room, Neville crushed her into a hug and exhaled deeply into her hair. He didn't even have to say a thing about his fears since she could feel his body releasing its tension once he processed the fact that she was alright.

Neville brought Briar over to the couch in front of the fireplace that always reminded her of 12 Grimmauld Place and the safety of Neville's embrace. As if sensing her thoughts, he pulled her in close and wrapped his arms around her, snuggling his face into her neck, causing her to chuckle slightly when his nose brushed against her skin.

Moments like these were what made her feel immeasurably more confident in her soulmate status with Neville. She had never seen Neville act as confidently as he did with her, and the changes in his demeanor seemed like positive ones.

He was finally starting to see his own worth and power.

He walked with his chin a little higher and his chest a little more puffed in the corridors between classes, but not in a self-centered way. In fact, he was starting to realize that he was exactly what Briar wanted, and that made him feel...enough. He didn't need to try to be someone else because his soulmate adored him for everything that he was.

Briar carefully brushed some hairs back from his forehead, feeling surprised at the softness in her own touch. She never imagined she could be this gentle, but it felt wrong to be anything but that with a boy as angelic and sweet as him.

Neville lifted his face up to hers when her fingertips lightly stroked his forehead. He stared down at her lips with round eyes, and Briar grinned, planning on closing the space between them like usual, but she was taken aback when Neville dipped his head forward and brushed his lips against hers.

His lips were soft, and the sensation was enough to send shivers across Briar's entire body. Judging by the way Neville always sucked in a breath when their lips touched, she knew he felt the same thing.

He lifted both hands to cup her face, and his soft, warm hands made her feel as if she were wrapped up in a warm blanket somewhere far away from all of her problems.

The sensations made her feel both giddy and warm, and that was the best way to describe every moment she spent with Neville.

He was good, warm, and light, and as she slowly broke down her walls, she let herself believe that she deserved to feel that too.

———