Entry tags:

char: neville longbottom, location: hogwarts, location: leaky cauldron

Who: Hannah Abbott & Neville Longbottom
What: Different interactions over a number of years
Where: Various, incl. Hogwarts (Room of Requirement, Great Hall, Lake & Main Entrance), a field somewhere and The Leaky Cauldron
When: 1998, 1999 and 2003
Rating: NC-17 for violence, blood and death

Room of Requirement - 1998

His hand pressed against the wall, fingers tracing the cracks there, grazing the pattern of what could once have been a door. He had found it a few weeks ago, when he'd been standing outside the room trying to figure out what he wanted- no, what he needed- it for. Ever since every time he came to the corridor on which the Room of Requirement actually was he traced it. Today was no different. It was a routine, a pattern, one that had been drilled into him by now and he didn't want it to really leave. It was soothing, in a way, to know that even if the people within the castle were constantly changing, the castle itself was not.

Turning, Neville walked the corridor, concentrating as he'd been told he would. His steps were oddly light on the ground, his breath held in his chest like it was something precious. Nowadays there was forever the fear that he would get caught. Of course there had always been the fear but now...now it was far more pronounced. Now the consequences were far more serious.

When the door proper finally appeared, his head turned quickly from side to side, eyes scanning the corridors to ensure there was no one looking. There wasn't. Smiling slightly to himself, taking it as the small triumph that every little thing was taken as these days, Neville slipped into the room, his breath still mostly held. It was only expelled when his feet touched the carpet of inside, even his trainers seeming to sink down into the plush carpet. The room looked different today- it always looked different. Never the same twice. He'd learned it as of late, that the room always needed to change one small thing. It was almost reassuring.

"Hey?" he called, his voice low even despite the relative safety of the room.

Hannah had only been in the room, which was in the same location as the room they had held DA meetings in two years previously but which looked so very different to that room, for just over a week and it was already astounding her. It felt more like home than anywhere else so far that year and she felt that it was somehow right that when the people in the castle had failed them the building itself had opened up to offer them refuge.

Hearing the door open, Hannah slipped noiselessly out of her hammock, where she slept between her two closest friends, Ernie and Susan, her bare feet making no noise on the plush carpet. Her wand held tightly in her hand she approached the area from whence the noise had issued. Hearing Neville's voice she relaxed a little, but still kept her wand in hand. After all, they needed to be on their guard at all time. The Carrows would be looking for them, wondering how so many students could possibly disappear within the castle, and all it would take was for one person to get sloppy and to be followed back to the room and every single one of them would be dead.

"Neville?" Hannah called, keeping her voice low. "Is that you?"

He couldn't hear anything, really, in the room. Nothing except breathing, shallow enough to betray that the others housed in the room currently were sleeping. His ears pricked up slightly, straining for any sound but that and faint snoring escaping from one of the inhabitants of the room. He could hear slight shifting, deeper breathing. And then a voice called out, familiar yet sounding strange in the room. Maybe it was paranoia that made it sound different.

"Aye," he answered. "Aye, it is." His hand gripped his wand and a spell was muttered under his breath, light escaping from the tip and dancing across the floor. Shadows in the corners of the room recoiled and he twisted his head, eyes searching until he saw Hannah. Only then did the muscles in his shoulders loosen even slightly. "How're you holding up?"

Hannah let out a breath she hadn't even known that she had been holding when light appeared from the general direction of the voice and she saw the now-familiar figure of Neville standing by the doorway. She slipped her own wand into the back pocket of her jeans, and took a couple of steps in the direction of the light, being careful not to bump any of the hammocks on the way. The majority of their friends were still sleeping, the odd snore issuing from one or two of the hammocks reassuring Hannah. It was strange how this situation was made almost normal simply by the sound of a friends' snore.

"We're okay," Hannah replied with a curt nod. The situation was hardly ideal but they were in no position to complain. If Neville hadn't discovered the room then it would have been quite likely that they would have still been out there getting tortured and punished by the Carrows. Hell, Hannah thought, it could definitely have been so much worse. "How're you doing? What were you doing out?"

"I was," and he trailed off for a second wondering how he could explain why he had been out wondering the corridors. It wasn't too bizarre a situation but he knew the people in here- or he was beginning to get to know them, anyway- and he suspected that they were the kind who would worry over whatever he was going to say. No matter what it was.

His shoulders shrugged. "I was just wandering about, is all. Need to keep my eyes out and what not. No one else will do it, aye?"

Hannah considered Neville's answer for a moment before nodding. It was perfectly reasonable and showed that Neville had obviously thought about their situation a little more than some of the others who were just grateful for a safe place to sleep. "Okay," Hannah nodded again. "That's probably a good idea. Although, maybe we should take it in turns? It might be safer." After all, it would be less suspicious should anyone see them if it were a different person everyday rather than the same one. Habits were dangerous at a time like this as they could lead the Carrows right to their safe-haven.

A relieved smile spread across his face and Neville was ashamed that he hadn't thought about it. "That's a corking idea," he murmured, pushing his hands into his pockets, the light from his wand having been extinguished moments beforehand. "I- yeah, yeah, it would. I can ask a few others outside to do so, aye? And then you lot could...well, I don't know what you could but we'll sort it out later when everyone is awake, aye?" The smile he gave Hannah was wide and bright, lighting up brown eyes slightly as well.

"Thanks, Hannah."


Battle of Hogwarts - May 2nd 1998

Battle was nothing like Hannah had ever imagined it would be and she had certainly had plenty of time to think about. All those weeks spent hiding out in the Room of Requirement, all the subversive action, everything had been leading up to this one night. And now that the time was actually here it felt pathetically pitiful in comparison. Hannah could never even have begun to imagine the noise of battle - she could barely hear herself think - and the speed at which things moved - she had barely finished dueling one masked character than three more were attempting to step in and take his place. This wasn't like the DA or even the Dueling Club Gilderoy Lockhart had set up in their second year - their was no polite queuing, this was fast and furious and dirty and confusing and if you paused for even half a minute then you were dead.

Hannah had long since lost track of those around her - she thought that she remembered seeing Dean and Parvati dueling side-by-side in the Entrance Hall and she could have sworn Ernie, Seamus and Luna had gone running out into the grounds but that was all at the back of her mind and she certainly didn't have the time to dwell on it. She ducked as a green spell flew from the wand of the Death Eater she was currently dueling. She shot a stunning spell back but he was quicker than her and it bounced harmlessly off of his shield charm. Hannah had just conjured her own when she heard the person beside her fall and looking to the side she saw Remus Lupin, her old Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor laying lifeless on the floor.

She didn't have time to process this new piece of information before a spell came shooting towards her - there were now three Death Eaters on her tail and Hannah did the first thing she could think of: flee. Shooting a stunning spell over her shoulder she ran out of the room and into the Entrance Hall. Looking behind her to see whether or not her spell had hit its mark, Hannah ran smack bang into someone else. Her wand was raised and ready to hex them before she realised who it was.

"Neville!" Hannah had never been so glad to see someone in her entire life.

Perspiration made the hair on his head cling to his scalp, sweat beading on his upper lip and dropping down onto his lips. Every time he took a breath, his tongue flickered out to wipe away the sweat there, tasting the salt. For some reason it tasted more like blood than sweat- he wondered if it was just projection. Everything else seemed so laden with blood- the air reeked of it, the stench filling his nose, and all he could seem to see was blood. People were falling with pale faces, clutching wounds from which blood spilled, blood so dark it looked almost purple from where he stood. He wasn't even sure anymore if the blood on his clothes and his skin was his or someone else's. He wasn't sure and he didn't have time to stop and think about it.

His wand clutched in his hand, fingers pressed tightly against the wood, Neville ducked whatever spells he could see come his way, constantly muttering to himself, constantly throwing magical energy into keeping the shield in front of him. His breath was coming in short, sharp gasps and he was moving quicker than he had ever imagined he could have, his clumsiness gone and in its place simple determined strides and movements.

This wasn't something he'd read about in the papers in the morning. This was real. This was life or death and he could practically feel the thread of life snapping all around him as people crumpled onto the ground. Pink hair flashed in his periphery, meeting ground. For a second he almost hesitated but swallowed around it and kept going, kept pushing forward until he met a wand pointed squarely at his chest. He threw up an arm to try and knock the wand away, his own grasped tightly in his left fist. With the utterance of his name only did he contemplate not hexing the person- that and the familiar lilt to the voice.

"Hannah!" he cried and he fought the urge to hug her. The first familiar face he'd seen, the first one that wasn't frozen in death or taut with the anger and adrenaline a duel brought. "Merlin, Morgana, Circe and Hecate, am I glad to see you. Are you-?" The question was cut off by a spurt of purple light by his side and his wand flashed, a shield charm appearing by his side just in time. The purple bounced off it, but it was close and he'd reached out to try and tug the girl down to the ground when he'd instantly went down, chin nearly resting on the stone of the floor.

Hannah let Neville pull her to the floor, not realising until that moment just how tired she was. Every muscle in her body ached and she was gripping onto her wand, her only lifeline, so tightly her nails were digging deep into her palm, drawing blood. She raised herself onto her haunches, her entire body protesting at the movement as she realised what a vulnerable position they were in. Hannah held out her free hand to Neville, to help him up slightly, her other wand pointing outwards just in case, and it was only then that she noticed that her left hand was covered in what appeared to be blood. How odd, Hannah thought, although this had barely crossed her mind when she had to quickly cast another shield charm to stop a red spell colliding with the two of them.

"I'm okay," she nodded, more to reassure herself than anything else. "Professor Lupin's dead," Hannah was surprised at how little emotion her voice held but this was War and as much as she had liked and admired the man, it was a fact that they couldn't dwell on in the heat of battle. Afterwards, if any of them made it through, there would be plenty of time for grieving and mourning but this certainly was not it. "You-you're okay?" Hannah asked, pushing her hair out of her face, so that she could see properly, the blood staining her hair an unnatural orange colour.

He was barely on the ground for a second, palms pressing against cold stone floor to push himself up when Hannah reached out a hand. Neville grasped onto it gladly, half-pulling himself to his feet. It took him a second to notice that even his feet were slipping, sliding across the floor, trainers skidding in the muck, the blood that had been trekked through the Entrance Hall, leaving patterns and stains on the grey flags.

"I think I saw Tonks go down," he murmured in response to her statement about Lupin. It struck him, but barely, that every time he'd heard someone speak of death today it had been with a sense of resignation. It was all resignation today- at this moment they could do nothing but resign themselves to it. Resign themselves and then hope for better, fight for better. "And I'm fine, really. I- I just guess I'm as fine as anyone can be here."

A scream ripped the air, as piercing as a knife slicing clean through flesh, and there was a sicking crunch behind him as a body landed at the bottom of the stairs. Neville turned his head and glanced up at Death Eaters standing, towering over them at the top of the stairs leading down into the hall. The scream had come from a girl, now little more than a heap on the floor. His breath caught in his chest, hard and jagged as the familiar features, the too large nose and the wide brow and the beautiful, glossy hair caught his eyes.

His feet had taken him across to her before he'd really thought about it, wand flashing and shield protecting as best it could. Charms, hexes, curses he'd never thought he would use tripped easily off his tongue and only stopped when he reached the girl. Bending down, his fingers pushed the eyelids shut and he murmured, "Rest in peace."

A second later and he was moving, quickly, ducking into shadows and flattening himself against a wall for just a second. A band of Death Eaters, at least two dozen in number, were passing and he'd rather not die. "This is war," he breathed, and the words sounded almost awed. "This is proper war. And we can die." Neville turned eyes, glinting dark with panic towards Hannah.

Hannah turned as she heard that familiar scream, not even noticing that she had also cried out in horror, her own voice mingling with that of her friend and classmate. It was this pathetic little heap on the floor that had once been alive, had once asked Hannah to help her with her Herbology homework or who had giggled with her in the Room of Requirement as they had gossiped late one night, that finally brought this entire thing home to her. Before she knew what she was doing, Hannah had shot a stunning spell straight upwards into the crowd of Death Eaters standing at the top of the stairs looking down on them. The group dispersed quickly, but not quite fast enough for Hannah and with a grim satisfaction she noticed how one of them had fallen onto the stairs with a heavy thud.

The Death Eaters were not happy with this new development and soon a myriad of spells were reigning down on the blonde. Sending up a silent grateful prayer to Harry Potter and the DA, Hannah conjured a shield charm, watching as those spells bounced harmlessly off of it, ricocheting back towards their original casters. It was only then that she noticed that Neville was moving and mindlessly, she followed, ducking to avoid the Death Eaters who were not best pleased with her.

Hannah nodded mutely at Neville, the horror evident in her eyes. "Good luck," she murmured, grabbing hold of his hand for reassurance. If this was the last person she touched or spoke to, Hannah wanted it to be a friend.

The Aftermath of the Battle - May 2nd 1998

There were smiles on people's faces.

It was the first thing he noticed when he really cared to look. Wide smiles and dancing eyes and people were crying, but they were smiling and laughing. He could see friends throwing their arms around one another, families kissing each other on the cheek, on the forehead, mothers pulling children to them and weeping in relief. He could see them all and Neville smiled slightly just watching them. The dead were all around them, bodies laying scattered at their feet and yet the overwhelming sense of joy, triumph and victory that hung in the air, clinging to every and anything was insurmountable. Not even loss and grief seemed to be truly able to outweigh it.

He did not notice that his hands were shaking until he glanced down at them, just by chance, when he noticed a bloody handprint on the wall where he had been leaning. Blood coated his hands, dark and crusted in places, light and fresh in others and they were shaking almost imperceptibly. He took it as relief. Relief that escaped him in a sigh as he slid onto the bench closest to him that had been righted from where it had been flung against the wall during the battle. It was broken and chipped away, the wood split in places and yet it was still here. He supposed that was the important bit.

His elbow knocking off a body, he murmured an apology to the blonde. A moment later and he realised who it was. Neville grinned, wide and toothy, looking slightly childish- if it was possible to look like a child when caked with blood, slime and muck, hair singed from fire charms and bruises scattering pale skin- and the first words out of his mouth were, "Thank you."

Hannah could breathe. Finally, she could breathe. The stifling atmosphere that had pervaded the castle during the battle was gone, replaced instead with a unique combination of grief, relief and pure joy. Seeing You-Know-Who's body fall had lifted a weight from the shoulders' of the Wizarding World and for the first time in over a quarter of a century they were free. It was a strange sensation and one which Hannah didn't quite know how to react to. She could hear herself cheering, her voice hoarse and her throat dry, and yet she couldn't quite feel the joy. Not yet. No, the only thing Hannah Abbott felt was numb.

Her legs, already shaky, finally gave way, exhausted from a night of running, crouching, ducking and weaving, and Hannah dropped onto one of the wooden benches, grateful just to be able to sit. She didn't get the chance for much silent contemplation though, as a moment later a familiar voice was issuing an apology, although for what Hannah wasn't quite sure. She turned her face, streaked with tears, blood and sweat, to see and felt tears well in her eyes when she realised who was sitting next to her. "We did it," she said quietly, her voice cracking with emotion.

"Yeah. We did." Neville could hear the crack in his voice, the strain there that came from holding back any emotion and a moment later he was smiling, wide and joyous and free, a jubilant expression shining from his face though he suspected there were probably tears on his face.

Neville's Wedding - August 1998

His gran was pulling at his clothing, long, thin fingers tugging hard at the formal robes he had on as she surveyed him with a critical eye. Her mouth was drawn into a thin line, a slight crease in between brows and she was muttering to herself, her voice so low that even Neville could not hear what she was saying. He did not particularly want to ask, either. He had a feeling he wouldn't like it- he'd liked very little of what she'd said to him today.

"Stand up straight," she snapped. His shoulders straightened instantly, body uncurling itself from the hunched position he usually stood in. She looked only slightly appeased.

"You're actually doing this, then?"

It was on the tip of his tongue to ask her if he had a choice. If she thought he honestly would be able to turn around and say no and she would simply let it lie. He dug his teeth deep into his tongue, though, averting his eyes from grey so cold at the moment it looked like steel and nodded. 'Aye. Aye, I am."

Augusta Longbottom smiled, then, tugging once more on the sleeves of the robe. "You look very handsome," she said, her voice suddenly soft, softer than it had been before. It made Neville nervous and he offered her a slight smile, one that wavered on being non-existent. She sighed and pecked his cheek, putting a hand at his back and pushing him. "Get on with you- I've to go see to Lorna. Twenty minutes, Neville, or I'll come after you."

He almost scowled at her back when she turned away from him, but instead he took the opportunity to slip out of the tent, his feet carrying him to a nearby field. It looked like one of the few the wedding party had managed to simply leave alone with nature. Hooking an ankle under one of the slats of the fence surrounding the field, he hoisted himself up until he was sitting on top of it, the old wood creaking slightly under his weight as he shifted.

It had been a long while since the Wizarding World had had cause to celebrate. Living under the shadow of You-Know-Who meant that births and weddings, whilst joyful occasions, could never be properly celebrated and given the importance which they so sorely deserved. Now, three months after Harry Potter had defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named they were given a reason (besides the obvious of course) to celebrate. Hannah had been rather surprised to receive the invitation. She had always assumed that it was actually during War that couples married rashly, after knowing each other for very little time at all, not after the actual battle. However, if her friend was in love and happy then Hannah was more then pleased for him and his wife-to-be.

Dressing up for the first time since the War - if you didn't count the multitude of funerals they had attended afterwards, which Hannah didn't - felt nice and Hannah even felt that she didn't look all that bad either in her simple pale blue summer dress. Arriving at the site she had been immediately overwhelmed by the sheer busyness of the whole thing and decided to take advantage of this fact and slip off for a quiet wander through one of the neighbouring fields. It was a beautiful summer's day and Hannah took her sandals off, carrying them in one hand, to walk bare foot across the field, enjoying the tickling feeling of grass between her toes.

It wasn't until Hannah reached the other side of the field that she spotted Neville, sitting in his wedding robes looking out across the neighbouring field. "Mind if I join you?" Hannah asked, carefully lifting herself so that she was sitting next to her friend. "You know I just left Ernie running around looking for you to offer his congratulations," she chuckled softly, gazing out across the green. "I thought you would have been back there busy making sure everything went to plan."

The wood creaked again when Hannah lifted herself up onto it, the old fence unaccustomed to the weight on it. Neville was almost sure this was the kind of place that usually got about two dozen visitors a year- having a whole wedding party seemed to be making the nature around somewhat out of sorts. He could practically see the flowers drawing into themselves.

Smiling a greeting at the woman sitting beside him, he placed his hands on the wood, rocking backwards slightly so he could stare up at the sky, at blue that stretched for miles with barely a cloud in the sky. It was an unnaturally warm day and he was stuck in a robe, in an ugly robe, surrounded by a bunch of people who he wasn't really all that well acquainted with. He didn't even know his own wife-to-be. There weren't a whole lot of ways it could get much worse than that.

"Oh, no. My gran's taking control of it. She's a bit of a control freak. I think she's terrified I'll right mess it up, you know?" Neville's fingers curled around the uppermost slat, tips drumming a rhythm against it. "I'm glad you could make it, by the way. It's nice to see a familiar face.'

Breathing deep the country air, Hannah's heart swelled. That strange combination of grass and manure and something vaguely floral smelled exactly like freedom. The brilliant blue and greens of the sky and grass complimented each other perfectly and for a moment she could do nothing but marvel at the wonder and beauty of nature. Sometimes, Hannah couldn't help but think that there was more magic out there in that field with her and Neville, sitting on a creaky old fence, than in the entire of Hogwarts.

Hannah laughed, the light breeze carrying the sound across the field. She had only met Neville's grandmother briefly, just after the final battle three months previously but she was certain that if anyone could pull off a wedding single-handedly then it was Augusta Longbottom. Hannah swung her legs back and forth slightly, her sandals laying forgotten beside the base of the fence. "Congratulations," she finally said, "I hope you and Lorna are very happy together." Hannah offered Neville a genuine smile, one which her father had termed her 'million Galleon grin.'

"Thank you," he said, his own feet swinging out. Neville suspected that he was supposed to be wearing proper, formal shoes under his proper, formal clothing but it was one, tiny act of rebellion to wear battered trainers, the white stained yellow from use, underneath the robes. For the most part, when he stood, they weren't obvious at all but with his legs kicking out it was the first thing he saw.

"My trainers," he said, "are my last defiant act. Isn't that odd?" He didn't explain the statement, only murmured it; he wasn't even sure if she had heard him. Nevertheless, he offered her a smile back, not as bright as her own but it was hard not to smile back.

Seventh Year at Hogwarts - March 1999

Any naivety Hannah may have had vanished on the night of May 2nd 1998 along with what was left of her childhood. Which, she supposed was why returning to school felt so strange. It was such a normal thing to do and after a year of abnormal, trying to return to a routine of three meals a day in the Great Hall and classes during the day was difficult. Especially when there were so many empty beds. Beds that no one wanted to fill or remove and so they stood vacant as eternal reminders of their previous owners. It took twice as long to get anywhere in the castle because Hannah often found herself stopping to stare at grey flagstones remembering that one night when they had been dyed red with the blood of so many of her classmates. Of course, there were happy times too. The joy and sheer relief that came with the end of You-Know-Who's reign of terror still let itself be known throughout the castle and all it would take was for one of the younger years to skip past, a smile on their face, for Hannah's heart to lift.

They had been back at Hogwarts for a while now Hannah was becoming accustomed to this new normalcy. Leaning, as she was now, against the trunk of an old oak tree, looking out over the lake, it was easy to forget that not even a year previously a battle had been fought on these very grounds. Hannah plucked at the grass around her idly, watching as the giant squid propelled himself lazily from one side of the lake to the other. She had originally gone out there to try and finish her Herbology essay for Professor Sprout but had, as was usual for her, been distracted by the simple act of being outdoors.

"Alihotsy..." Neville breathed the word, a crease between his brows as he tapped his quill off the page in front of him. "Alihotsy...alihotsy...causes hysteria. It- it needs to be grown in the dark with only so many hours of sunshine." The quill moved across parchment, his barely legible, spiky scrawl spreading across it. Stopping, he sucked on the end of the quill, complete lost in thought as he tried to recall exactly how alihotsy had to be grown to make sure it turned out right and reluctant to reach for his textbook. He wanted to see if he could remember something without actually needing to reach for a book to double check it. And Herbology was his strong point- alihotsy, however, was rarely asked about. He was mildly surprised that Professor Sprout had asked him to do anything on it.

Leaning back against the tree, Neville continued to speak to himself, facts spewing forth from his mouth- most of them having nothing or very little to do with the plant he was supposed to actually be thinking about. His eyes were squinted slightly as he glanced up through the leaves towards the bright glare of the sun overhead.

"Seven in a month." The statement was followed by a slight whoop and he bent double, scribbling the number onto his paper. It was only then he realised that he wasn't alone and he coloured, his ears burning crimson as he caught sight of blonde hair and little else. "Oh, I am sorry."

Hannah was in a world of her own. her Herbology essay lay forgotten in the grass by her side, her quill had long since disappeared, stolen by a curious bird. Instead, she was murmuring ingredients such as Two grams of dark chocolate - melted or six bananas - sliced under her breath, as recipes raced through her mind, both traditional and bizarre. "Pear and gruyere," Hannah muttered, her hands digging firmly into the ground on either side of her, grasping grass and dirt, as if anchoring herself so that she didn't float away with her daydreams.

When her dessert-related musings were interrupted Hannah followed the source of the disturbance with a curious gaze only for a smile to break out on her face once she realised who it was sitting beside her. "Hey, Neville," she said, pulling her hands out of the grass and rubbing them together to get rid of any traces of dirt. Hannah glanced down at the parchment in front of her classmate and smiled, "Looks like great minds think alike," she nodded towards her own Herbology textbook, which lay open next to her own blank parchment.

"Aye, have you done much of yours, though?" he asked, eyes shining slightly, dark eyes glinting wickedly with the words. "It looks kind of...bare."

"Uh..." Hannah started guiltily glancing at her parchment. "I think I got distracted?" She suggested, colouring ever so slightly. It was easily done for her. All she needed was a day of sun and to be outside and then Hannah was able to distract herself. She considered it something of a talent.

"I knew coming out was a bad idea, but it was just too nice not to!"

He laughed and hands pushed up the sleeves of his jumper to the elbows. Leaning backwards again, he nodded slightly, still squinting up at a sun shining far too brightly for a season that wasn't summer. English weather was horrid, Welsh weather was worse and so was Scottish- but at least things were never predictable.

"It's better than being in cooped up in a castle with the stifled air. It's sort of horrid when it's sunny outside." He pushed his hands through the grass and then said, "I can't wait until our NEWTs. That sounds so odd but at least then we know we don't have to sit in a library for ages writing essays and all, aye?"

"Yeah but then we actually have to be grown ups," Hannah pointed out, closing her eyes against the sun as she slowly breathed out, "and that's a terrifying thought." The idea of actually having to go out there into the big bad world and find a job and a home was something that Hannah kept repressing. She didn't want to think about it now, not when she still had a couple of months of school left in which she could just relax and enjoy being eighteen years old and living in a Voldemort-free world. "Personally I plan to make the most of the couple months of freedom we have left. Even cramming in the library," she smiled, plucking the odd blade of glass.

"Grown up. Adults." He said the word a few times, testing it on the tip of his tongue and then scrunching his nose. "I vehemently dislike that word. It sounds like something you've to work hard for." Neville laughed, then, feet pushing out in front of him. The muck was dry and hard beneath him and his shoes barely moved it though he practically dug his feet in. He was almost scared to think what weather like this would do to the grounds during summer, when the sun was blazing overhead. If the weather ever managed to get 'round to doing that.

He wanted to ask what she was going to do when she left here and for some reason the question slipped out before he could really think on it. "How's life after Hogwarts looking for you?"

Hannah sighed, her eyes remaining firmly closed. She could just drift off, sitting there in the warm spring sun, which, she supposed was why it was a good thing that she was talking to Neville instead. After Hogwarts. The fact that there actually was life after Hogwarts was an idea that Hannah was just beginning to wrap her head around. Leaving the school had just been unimaginable before but now...well, now it was plaguing her thoughts a little more than she would like to admit. "After Hogwarts is looking like a giant void," Hannah admitted a sad smile on her face. It was true, she had absolutely no idea what she wanted to do or any sort of plan. Whilst there were some classes that she enjoyed more than others there were none that she really excelled in and nothing which called to her as a viable career option. "What about you?"

"Um, well, I guess I was going for the obvious." His fingers tapped against the book on his knees, one running down the spine as he stared down at words, lines of black text on white paper that blurred together if you stared at them long enough. "A herbologist, really. It's the only thing I'm really good at in class and surely it's not going to hurt to take up a job there, aye?" He didn't think about how hard it could be to get into it because right now nothing seemed too hard, everything almost seemed like it was within his grasp so easily. And that astounded him, somewhat, but he could definitely go along with it. If things went his way he'd end up as a herbologist, and things at home would be great- Lorna and he would get along, and the baby would be a talented, loved one. Neville did not think it seemed to unreasonable.

"I envy you," Hannah admitted freely, kicking her shoes off so as to further enjoy the simple pleasures that being outdoors brought. "Having something like that that you're naturally talented at - a calling, as it were." She shrugged a little, stretching her arms out in front of her. "I suppose I'll find something. You know me," Hannah smiled, "I'll muddle through somehow." Whilst things were a void right now Hannah held a firm belief that everything would be fine. "Things will work out in the end. And if they don't then it's not the end, is it?" After all, they had already faced and defeated the most evil wizard of all time - finding a job couldn't be as difficult as that!

"There's nothing to envy. Most other people are good at practical things- potions, transfigurations, defence. I'm good at playing with plants." A sardonic smile twisted his face, but it was there for only a brief moment and then gone, disappearing off slightly rounded features. "And, no. No, of course it's not. I mean, we're eighteen, yeah? There's at least another thirty years in front of us."

Meeting at the Leaky - 2003

The door of the Leaky Cauldron swung open, heavy wood hitting against the wall as a child's fist beat hard on it. Dark eyes flashed as Meggie Longbottom glanced around the inside of the establishment, her short frame outlined by the soft glow of lights from the street outside. Several of the Leaky's inhabitants turned around, some rolling their eyes at the sight of the child, others smiling warmly.

Meggie harrumphed.

Walking into the pub, short legs working quicker than seemed possible, she dived under the stool of one of the older men surrounding the bar, her dark curls bobbing as she tried to ensure that she couldn't be seen from the door. Crouching down until she was as small as possible, a few giggles escaping her mouth, Meggie called, "I'm ready!", a childish lisp in her voice.

Neville had been standing outside, leaning against the door frame, arms folded across his chest as a slightly amused, slightly tired smile played across his face. He'd not seen her, not properly, but he knew his daughter well enough to know she'd have squealed the house down if someone had tried to come near her who she didn't know. Turning, he stepped into the Leaky, low voice saying, "Ready or not, here I come."

There was a moment of silence following the words and then a string of giggles came from just in front of him. He tried extremely hard not to look directly at the girl.

It was one of those increasingly common days at the Leaky where Tom had not felt well enough to work. These were happening more and more frequently and Hannah was beginning to worry about the older man. He had taken her in, given her a job and a roof over her head on the basis of one apple pie and a smile. He had said that if all of Hannah's creations tasted as good as that pie then he would be getting a bargain. Of course, now and again, Tom would joke that the only reason he had hired her was because of that smile - he had known instantly that she would be a hit with the old men who spent most of their days playing darts or dominoes in the pub.

Because of Tom's illness Hannah had been forced to work behind the bar instead of her usual place in the kitchen. She was much more comfortable chopping vegetables than pouring pints but Hannah got by well enough. She had seen the little girl run in, recognising who she was immediately and so was already waiting with an expectant grin when Neville appeared through the doorway.

"Neville!" Hannah proclaimed, feigning surprise. "What on earth are you doing here? And where is that gorgeous little girl of yours? You haven't sold her off yet have you?"

"No," he said, a slight grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He walked over to the bar, resting forearms against it and leaning against it. One foot tapped against the floor, purposely only centimetres away from where Meggie was hiding under the stool. From the way she was laughing he was surprised she hadn't exploded.

"Or, at least, I haven't yet. I've been thinking of it. There's a children's market coming into town in a few days- it'd be a lovely chance to be shot of her, don't you think?" Neville's eyes were dancing slightly and he itched to stoop down and gather the girl up, to actually see the expression on her face for himself and to burst out into peals of laughter with it but he refrained. Barely.

"Oh the children's market coming back again?" Hannah asked conversationally, playing along with this little game, as she poured a pint of bitter for a little old wizard wearing an eyepatch at the end of the bar. "It's been a while hasn't it?" Now that no one else needed serving Hannah stopped opposite Neville, her fingers running over the wooden bar top, tracing the letters and messages people had so patiently etched into it over the decades the pub had been standing. "It's been a while hasn't it?" She asked, noticing that someone looped their ys in the exact same way that she did. "You'd best take her as soon as they come. You never know when they'll be back and who knows what you might get for her. Maybe some magic beans!"

"You're not trading me for magic beans!" The small figure of the excitable girl collided with his legs and Neville stumbled back a few steps, surprised by the sudden weight attaching itself to him. A small fist hit off his kneecap. "You're not."

"Oi, oi, munchkin-"

"You're not, are you, Dad?" Meggie turned wide eyes up at him, a slightly panicked look glinting in them. Neville sighed and ruffled the curls on top of her head.

"No, Meg, I'm not. You'll have to ask Hannah if she is, though. She's been wantin' some magic beans for a long, long time and she might just snatch you and trade you for those." Meggie's jaw dropped and she turned from him, finally unwinding her arms from around his legs and stamping her foot as she faced Hannah, chin titled so she could at least pretend to be looking directly at the woman.

"You are not selling me for magic beans!" she cried again, defiance etched in the set of her jaw. Neville tried desperately not to bend double laughing.

Hannah couldn't even pretend not to be laughing when Meggie finally let her existence be known. She somehow managed to reign it in, however, when the young girl looked up at her, a determined look on her face. Hannah leaned over the bar so that the youngster could see her better, sighing dramatically. "Oh, I don't know, your dad's right. I've been wanting some magic beans for ages." Hannah sighed again, as if weighing up her options as she looked down at the little girl. "Oh, okay, just because it's you though, sweetie." She finally said, a smile spreading over her face. "Well, now that you know I'm not going to sell you for any magic beans how about a milkshake and a chocolate brownie?" She asked, "Fresh out the oven?"

Hannah didn't have any children of her own - she wasn't even close to it, not having had a relationship that lasted more than a year since she had left Hogwarts - so she took it upon herself to spoil all of her friends' children whenever they were brought by to visit her. This, combined with her talent in the kitchen and her easy-going nature made her a firm favourite for the under-tens. "And what about a drink for your daddy?" Hannah still addressed Meggie but she glanced at Neville now, to see if he did actually want anything.

For a moment Meggie looked almost like she'd refuse just on principle- she couldn't have people teasing her, her gran said. But the offer of milkshakes and chocolate brownies was just a bit too much for her to turn down, she decided, and Gran wouldn't be too disappointed. No, she'd even be happy that she could actually have driven such a hard bargain.

Eyes lighting up, the girl bounced on the balls of her feet and nodded, a wide grin spreading across her face. "Oh, yes, yes please! I love brownies."

Neville covered his mouth for a moment, sucking in a deep breath so as to not burst out into peals of laughter and thankfully managed it, even if his face was slightly red from the effort of it. Smiling at Hannah, he said, "Just water, please. And, um, get something for yourself and I'll pay, aye? Would they mind you talking to us?" Meggie's hand was tugging at the sleeve of his jumper, her face turned up towards him and he could see her shaking her head, as if answering his question. Sometimes he wondered where on earth she got the confidence.

Meggie's childish enthusiasm was contagious and Hannah found herself smiling along with the little girl. "Of course," she nodded, "Chocolate milkshake okay?" She asked, knowing what the answer would be but still wanting to see the girl's reaction.

"What 'they'?" Hannah asked with a raised eyebrow, glancing around the half-empty bar. There were a few wizards sitting at the bar, including the one whose stool Meggie had hid under when she had first run into the pub, a few regulars playing darts and a haggard old witch bent over a steaming goblet at the end of the bar. "Talking to you two will make a welcome change from keeping score on their darts match, their-" Hannah broke off to look up across at the men by the darts board, "How many games is that now, Martin?" She shouted over, and a bald wizard replied with a surprisingly deep, "Fifteen!"
"From their fifteenth match of the day," Hannah finished with a bemused shake of the head and a smile.

"Okay a chocolate brownie and milkshake," she repeated, nodding at Meggie, "and a water for daddy." She disappeared for a moment, retreating to the kitchen to return a second later with a chocolate brownie on a plate and a chocolate milkshake for Meggie, a glass of water for Neville and a glass of apple juice for herself. "There you go sweetie," Hannah smiled as she handed Meggie her goodies. She enjoyed watching people's faces as they tasted her treats and there was nothing as delightful as seeing that expression on a young child. "And for you," she pushed Neville's water across the bar for him, naming a price as she did so. "Are you sure you don't want anything to eat? I've just made rhubarb pie..."

"I'm positive," Neville said with a slight nod to emphasise his point, tugging Meggie slightly and lifting her up to sit on one of the stools. She squirmed for a moment, as if she did not quite want to settle down, and then ceasing but only because Neville had started to push her brownies and milkshake out of the way, as if to ensure she didn't get it until she'd settled. It usually did the trick and it did not fail him this time.

Only when Meggie was settled did he seat himself and, taking a sip of water, asked, "How've you been?" It had struck him that he hadn't actually seen the woman in quite a while, been even longer since he'd actually asked after how she was rather than carrying on some rushed conversation that usually ended in him having to run to chase after Meg.

"I've been good," Hannah replied in answer to Neville's question, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "Busy with work. It's not always as quiet as this," she chuckled, waving a vague hand at the half-empty pub. "Susan came by the other day," Hannah smiled, mentioning their old school-friend and fellow DA member. Working and living, as she did, at the epicentre of the Wizarding World had its advantages - Hannah saw more of her old schoolmates than she would have done had she had a 'normal' job and she was always up-to-date on all the news and gossip.

"How've you been?" Hannah asked concernedly. It may have been a year since his wife had died but Hannah was certain that it must still be difficult, raising a young child on your own and she often pitied Neville for it. "Are you and this little angel getting by okay? You know if you need anything then all you have to do is ask, right?"

Neville sighed and shook his head, one arm lifting as his hand waved through the air. "We're more than grand. Aye, Meg's got some thing she's supposed to be doing next week. It's Gran's birthday and she wants to spend the night with her then." The expression on his face was a mix of mild amusement and slight horror; the thought of Meg and his gran spending time together was shocking. They were so different and yet similar, both with wills stronger than he thought most people even had. "I'd love to be a fly on the wall, then."

"And I'm fine. I sent off a few more job applications. The apothecary isn't much fun." His face twisted slightly and he offered the woman a slightly self-deprecating smile; he really should have known better than to take a job around potions. He was almost sure that he had burned the skin off some poor woman's hand yesterday from the way she had screamed.

Working in an apothecary seemed so completely un-Neville that Hannah had almost thought that he was joking the first time he had revealed that was where he was working. Now, she was used to it but it still made her shake her head in bemusement every time it was brought up in conversation. "Good, really that apothecary just isn't right for you," Hannah said, her fingers drumming a silent beat out on the bar. Da dum da dum da dum. "You should be working outside - with plants." That was always where she saw Neville and she knew that it was where he was at his happiest. "What jobs have you applied for? Anything interesting?"

"It's really not. I think I killed someone the other day," he murmured, his tone completely serious, his face almost managing the expression though his eyes danced slightly with laughter. He could never quite manage to keep the truth out of his eyes. "The shouts, the screams...could've been heard from Hong Kong."

Beside him, Meggie bit into the brownie, yelled, "Hot!" around her mouthful and then swallowed the rest of it almost whole. She grinned up at Hannah, her face covered in chocolate and her hands reaching out. "Thank you," she said, though the sound was muffled by food. Neville's nose scrunched as he scolded her for talking with her mouth full.

"Not really. A few things here and there. A few shops, two greenhouses..." His fingers unconsciously imitated the rhythm the woman had established with hers, blunt fingernails drumming against wood. He was quiet for a moment, wondering whether he should say or not. How embarrassing would it be if he didn't get it? On the other hand, he may as well. Hannah hadn't mocked him for the apothecary position. Overly. "There's a position going up at Hogwarts. I applied but, eh. I'm not sure I'll get it, you know?" His fingers reached for the glass of water in front of him, curling around it and taking a sip of the cool liquid.

Meggie's enthusiasm for her chocolate brownie was palatable and Hannah couldn't help but smile down at the little girl. "You're welcome, sweetie," she replied, thinking how adorable she looked all covered in chocolate. It was nice to know that her cooking was appreciated.

"Hogwarts?" Hannah asked, her approval evident in her broad grin. "Really? Wow, well I'll definitely keep my fingers crossed. Does this mean that Professor Sprout's retiring? Is she okay?" She asked, suddenly concerned for her former Head of House. The elderly woman had been a good friend, leader and confidante and Hannah held her in high regard.

"She's fine, aye. Just old." Neville looked down at his hands for a second and then smiled, shaking his head slightly. He wouldn't admit the hope he was placing in it, hope for a better life. "I was-"

"Hannah," Meg suddenly said and she lunged forward, with chocolate covered hands, placing them on either side of the woman's face and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I have go!" she yelled and started squirming in her seat. Neville had to blink at her a few times before he fully understood what she was doing, confusion clearing as her small hand slid into his. Giving an apologetic glance to Hannah, he said, "I think she was just saying goodbye. I'm- I'm sorry, Hannah. I'll talk to you later, aye? Owl me or something."

Try as she might, Hannah couldn't contain the laughter that Meggie's goodbye had induced in her and she could only offer Neville a smile and a nod. "Of course," she finally managed, once the laughter had died down. "And good luck with those job applications!"