One Shot: Sorting
Rating: T (due to topic, mentioning of sex)
Disclaimer: I give up: I might never own Harry Potter. All characters belong to J. K. Rowling and Warner Bro's studios. The storyline is completely fictional and does not intend to have resemblance to any thing real.
Warning! This story is partly canon. It sways from that. But you cannot deny that NevillexLuna could actually be canon(If you ignore the fact that Rowling made Luna marry some random guy, and Neville marry a Hufflepuff, whom I remember not liking)
Luna breathed out, as if to steady herself. She pondered another moment before she erected a façade. A smile lit up her face, like it had done those 8 years before, but it did not reach her eyes. Those silver eyes that would only shine when she saw him. Glancing at her left hand, before lifting it up to open the bright orange entrance door to her home.
Before she could open it though, it was already thrown open, and two figures pounced on her. "Momma!", cried one of the blonde 4 year old, burying his face in her bright green skirt, she had decided to wear under her orange robes that day. "Momma's late!", the other murmured into the same skirt. "Yes, Momma is sorry for being late. Busy day, you know? We've found some Quarklers near Edinburgh and had to floo there right away. Have you two been behaving, while I was away?", she smiled at her two rays of sunshine and kissed their fore heads.
"They have. Although the Nigglers were quite offended by their invitation to tea.", a deep voice came from inside. "Those Nigglers. Don't mind them boys. They are not the most polite creatures. But they will come around one day. Just keep on trying.", she ruffled Lysander's hair, and looked up to meet her husband's eyes, who was standing in the doorway to the kitchen. "Did you have a nice day, as well, Rolf?", she asked and he nodded after hesitating for a moment. Luna feared he had noticed something in that moment, but after a second he beamed at her, like the day the two had met.
"Come on boys, let your mother hang her robes, dinner is almost ready.", the dark haired called out to his sons, who nodded quickly and simultaneously let go of her. Not letting her out of sight, the twins watched their mother hang her coat, her robes and untie her shoes. "Come on, you two let's go eat dinner."
Thus their daily routine went on. The four would eat dinner, the twins would clean the dishes under their parents' watchful gazes, then Luna would settle on the armchair by the fire place, her sons sitting at her feet on the carpet. After Rolf had made tea, Luna began to tell her stories, of wonderful creatures, she was sure existed. The boys would fall asleep against the armchair sometime during the name, leaving their parents to tuck them in bed. Then Rolf and Luna would go to bed themselves.
The times of whispered love vows, long gone, no tender embraces or kisses to share, Rolf usually fell asleep first, his back to Luna. The 26 year old blonde would lie on her side of bed and go over the day once more. Arriving at her office, finishing up her report on the Quarklers, that had indeed been found in Edinburgh, but many days before which Luna had not told any one about. Meeting him for dinner in the Hog's Head, where they were secured from all views. Only Aberforth Dumbledore and Ginny Potter knew of them. Luna remembered spending the afternoon (as he was back at the castle) chatting with Aberforth and caring for his loved goats,. One of them was particularly fond of the slim blonde. Luna waited until he came back, before she succumbed to his words, embraced and kisses of love and longing.
She wondered if he lay awake next to his wife, too. Pondered, if he thought about their meetings, as well. If he longed for the next one, as much as she did. If he went on with his life, just as she did. Or at least tried to. Contend with the way things were, Luna fell asleep soon.
Little did she know that everything would soon be changing.
Neville Longbottom waved at the guests in the Leaky Cauldron that greeted him. He put his robes, and his bag into the back room and stepped behind the counter to greet his wife. But Hannah moved away from him. The guests watching took it as a playful gesture. Neville, on the other hand, knew it was not.
"What's wrong, honey?", he asked raising a brow at her. Hannah scoffed "We'll talk about that later, sweetheart.",her voice was strained and Neville stood there confused. "Some things never change, Neville, do they? Need a remember all to remember what you did this time?", Dean Thomas teased him and Neville nodded "Maybe that would be helpful.", he murmured, before snapping out of it, fetching food and correcting his student's essays. It was his first year in Hogwarts and he wanted to do everything good. Minerva always rolled her eyes at his overeager tries at doing everything perfect. "You can't be loved by all your students, Neville keep that in mind. I do remember you not being too fond of my lessons, were you?", she had told him, after his first day. He was fretting over some Slytherin boy falling asleep half way through his lesson.
Once he marked the essay of mentioned Slytherin with a 'Troll', for it had no real content, he was finished and went back into the pub. Only a few drunks were left, that tried their best to grope his wife. "Lee, would you kindly keep your hands off my wife? I doubt she wants that, leaving aside that I cannot really allow you such actions.", Neville went up to them, when he saw his wife not able to get out of Lee Jordan's reach. "Oh, I doubt you know what I want!", Hannah spat and pinched Lee, making him let go.
"What is up with you, today, Hannah. What did I do. I'm terribly sorry I swear, please just tell me what I did?" "You know, Lavender Brown owled me today. She saw you with Luna Scamander in Hogsmead.", Hannah snorted at him. "You know that Luna is one of my best friends. Is it forbidden to spend time with your best friends?", Neville tried to cover up silently. "Don't lie to me, Neville. I know you've been cheating on me!" "Hannah-", a sob interrupted Neville. Suddenly the Leaky Cauldron was silent. Having sobered up in a matter of seconds, Lee Jordan put some coins on the table and grabbed his friends leaving through the ablaze fire place in the corner of the room.
"Oh how could I have been so utterly stupid. I knew from the very beginning, that you and Luna... And still I thought you might love me. But you only came to me, when she went off with that Scamander. How could I have been so blind. How long has this been going on behind my back?", her tears streaked down her face when she turned to Neville again. "Hannah...", he began trying to walk towards her and embrace her. "Don't even try, Neville. Just let it be. Pack your things and go. I don't want you near me any time too soon.", dejected Neville nodded, seeing no sense in arguing. He left upstairs and with a quick spell his things were packed and he stood in the pub part of the building again. "Are you sure you don't want an explanation? That you don't want to hear me out?"
"GO!"
She flung something at him, but before it could hit his face he had already apparated. At first he was disoriented and looked around. Only when he saw a 'Beware of impolite Nigglers' sign that he knew where he was. He had apparated to the Scamander's house. Levitating his bags with a swift movement of his wand, he moved to the door. He was just about to knock when a thought struck him. Why was he here? Of all friends to ask for shelter he went to her? Did her husband know? Did he suspect something? Would he let him in? Would Luna let him in? Aware of the attraction between the two of them, should would most likely not. She would not want to risk her family's happiness. Would she?
Neville sighed deeply and he sunk down against the door. He wrapped his coat tighter around himself and drifted off to sleep.
"Momma? Why's uncla Neville sleeping on the porch?", Luna was awakened by Lorcan's weary voice. "He's not. I'm sure you've only been sleeping Lorcan.", murmured Rolf from the other side of the bed. "But Lorcan is right, Dadda.", Lysander's voice came from the door. "You stay here Rolf, I'll go check.", Luna quickly stood up pulling a bright yellow bathrobe over her nightdress. Her sons led her to the entrance door, which she opened. Neville fell down on his back, as he had leaned against the door.
"Neville...what are you doing here?", Luna asked, when his eyes opened and he looked around disoriented. "Hannah... Lavender saw... she told Hannah. Hannah threw me out. I apparated and ended up here. But I didn't want to disturb me, as it already was rather late.
Luna was shocked. Although they had been so careful in making sure not to be seen, it had not worked. "Boys, why don't you go inside and wake your father, tell him Neville really is here. Come one, Neville let's get your things inside and I'll be making some tea for you." The twins nodded eagerly upon their favourite 'uncle's' arrival and scurried to get their father, but neither Neville nor Luna moved an inch. An awkward silence arose between the two of them, and after what seemed like an eternity Luna cleared her throat. "This didn't turn out as we thought it would, did it.", the only answer she got was a soft murmur from him. Their eyes were locked, and Neville could tell Luna was fighting the urge to fling herself into his arms. But she couldn't. Not when her husband, or her sons could see her. A hurt smile grazed his lips, and he also had to fight the urge to pull her into his arms. To embrace her, kiss her. Tell her how much he loved her.
"Good morning, Neville. What happened?", Rolf asked politely. He never had been much of a fan of Neville. But he tolerated him. Because his wife and his sons were so fond of the Herbology Professor. "He can tell us, when he's inside, can't he, Rolf? I think the Nigglers are starting to be annoyed at us. You know how they get." Rolf nodded and helped Neville with his bags, while Luna went to make tea.
"Hannah threw me out. She found out I... sort of lied to her." "Did you cheat on her or something?", Rolf asked right away. Luna dropped a spoon into the sink. "Don't be so pushy, Rolf. What if he doesn't want to tell us, what he lied about?", after having said that, Luna told Neville he could sleep in the guest room, and forced the topic to be dropped.
Soon it was almost normal that Neville was in the house. The three adults would get up first. Rolf made breakfast, while Neville and Luna readied for work. Then the twins woke up and the five ate breakfast together. Neville was always the first to leave, flooing to Hogwarts, while Luna apparated not much after to London, to go to the Daily Prophet to write about her wonderful creatures. Rolf stayed at home with the twins, playing with them, taking care of the house and writing a bit. (He was a free writer, publishing romance witch books like 'A Muggle Love', or 'With or Without Amortentia'). He did not know that Neville fetched Luna from work, that they would go to the Hog's Head for lunch, where he would leave her, for he had to get back to the castle. At first both were reluctant to go on like they had, afraid to be caught once more. But Lavender and Hannah had surprisingly not told anyone of the scandal they seemed to have found out. After living a week under the same house, the attraction pulled them together,like to magnets, and they vanished to the same little room they had rented for those purposes. Afterwards they cleaned themselves up and left towards the Scamander's home.
This went on for several weeks, until Neville had found himself a small two room flat across the street from Trafalgar Square in London. Then suddenly things went on too quickly.
He was supposed to leave on Saturday. Lysander and Lorcan were bawling by Sunday before that. They had grown quite fond of him. Friday morning the twins did not let go of his legs until he promised he would come back in the evening. Until lunch, things were normal for Neville.
But when he arrived at the Daily Prophet to wait for Luna to come down, he waited for half an hour. Thinking she was just caught up in her work, he went up to the front desk. He asked the elderly woman, that reminded him suspiciously of his grandmother, where he could find Luna. "Oh you're her handsome friend aren't you? I've seen you two go off everyday. You're not her boyfriend, are you? After all she is married. Such a shame you aren't though. The two of you would look absolutely great together. Well... where was I? Oh yes. Luna has not been in today. She told me that she was going to St. Mungo's for a check up. She thinks she's pregnant. I'm sure Rolf will be overjoyed, when he finds out." 'Oh, he will.', Neville knew that Luna and Rolf had not done it since he and Luna had met in the Hogs Head for the first time. Neville faked a smile, thanking the lady and decided to apparate to the 's.
He stood before the huge doors and waited. He did not have to wait for long, though, because Luna soon came hurrying out, checking her watch. Only to look up into Neville's eyes, when she had seen the time. "Neville...", she started, and Neville smiled at her. "I was at your work place. The woman behind the counter told me you'd be here. You were getting a check up. She said...", he trailed off, but Luna understood.
"I think that we won't be heading to Hogsmead today, will we?", she asked and Neville shook his head. "Wait a moment. I'll quickly owl Minerva. Remind me to tell her what happened, first thing in the morning." And together they apparated to the Scamander's home. Rolf was surprised to see them home this early, and even more puzzled when Luna asked to floo Ginny. "I'll ask her whether the twins could play with James, Al, and Lily. Maybe Rosie and Hugo will be around , as well. You know how inseparable Ron, Hermione, and Harry always have been. I'd bet a Bliggler that Ron, and Hermione have visited the Potters.", Luna hurried and asked Ginny to take care of the twins. When the twins had safely flooed to Grimauld Place, Rolf had prepared tea and the three had sat down in the sitting room.
"Now tell me, what is wrong?", Rolf asked once he was settled on the armchair.
"Rolf, I'm pregnant.", Luna simply said after struggling for a moment.
"What? But... How is... We had...",suddenly Rolf's gaze turned sharp and he set his eyes on Neville.
"That's why your wife threw you out... You have been cheating! You both have!", he began to accuse them more loudly, throwing insults at Neville.
Luna and Neville, both aware of their guilt endured it. Luna had tears in her eyes when Rolf demanded the keys to Neville's new flat, and went to pack his bags. "I don't care how you tell this to our sons. Well I'm not too sure whether they are ours. For all I know they could be Neville's too!", he spat, before apparating away.
Luna and Neville looked at each other before tears welled up in Neville's eyes. "We'll sort this out... We will...", Neville murmured into her blonde curls, when she flung herself into his arms.
Quite an open ending isn't it? Feel free to write what could happen to them afterwards. This one shot comes to an end here. But don't fret, I'll write others, which is the reason why this is still uncompleted. There will be some NevillexLuna One-Shots in the future. The summary is always the latest one.