A/N Big shout out to my friend and all around legend chris400ad for helping me with coming up with the idea for this story and lending his genius to this chapter, as well as writing an amazing synopsis for me. All the love.

Chapter One: Planting Roots

'Rejected?' Hannah Abbott said in shock. 'What do you mean rejected?' She slumped back into the incredibly uncomfortable chair she was sat in. She couldn't believe it, when Hannah was called to this drab little office, she was ecstatic. She thought finally things were going to go her way. And yet here she was, sat in the greyest room she had ever been in, surrounded by dusty books, ancient scrolls and stacks of parchment and hearing nothing but the loud, repetitive ticking from the clock on the wall, and the scratchy, monotone voice of the woman in front of her.

'I'm dreadfully sorry,' said Eleanor Rathbone, a pinch faced woman who looked like she'd never been sorry in her life and wasn't about to break the habit. She glared at Hannah over her large oak desk, her scowl getting more pronounced as she looked down at the papers in front of her. 'Unfortunately, you did not do well enough in the entrance exams to be accepted onto the training programme, as well as your interview being, well, subpar. I'm sorry Miss Abbott, but you're simply not what we look for in a healer.'

Miss Rathbone had never been one for tact or niceness, but it didn't matter, Hannah barely heard her. Her head was miles away, still in shock, thinking about what she was going to do next. She'd put her life into those exams, revising for weeks, months even. All Hannah had wanted to do was become a healer and now her dream was being taken cruelly away from her, by a woman who didn't seem to care.

Standing up from her chair and trying very hard not to let the tears escape from her eyes as they were threatening to, she stood up tall to Miss Rathbone. 'Thank you for the opportunity,' she said in a very small voice. Summoning all the dignity she could muster, Hannah turned on her heels and walked out of the door, leaving the vile woman in her tracks.

The next ten minutes of Hannah's life were a bit of a blur, all she knew was that somehow she'd managed to stumble down the halls of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, tripping over her robes as well as anyone who got in her way as she went. Luckily the administration offices were on the bottom floor, meaning Hannah could burst out of the door and into the streets of London as quickly as possible. She knew if she'd had to deal with the lift and people in there she would have lost it, and broken down in tears. With the fresh air, she was able to clear her mind a little, enough to apparate anyway. Instantly, Hannah found herself back in her two bedroom, London flat. She tore her coat off and threw herself down on the sofa, finally letting the tears that had been threatening her for the past ten minutes' escape as she started crying, her emotions pouring out of her so much she wasn't sure if she was going to be able to stop.

'Han, is that you? What's all that ruckus about?' shouted her flatmate from the kitchen. Ernie entered the living room with a gasp at the sight of his weeping friend, almost dropping the plate he was drying with a tea towel. He set them both down on the table and ran to the sofa, taking Hannah in his arms. 'Merlin, Hannah what's wrong?' he asked

'I. Got. Rejected. From. Healer. Training.' She replied through hiccuppy sobs.

'Oh Hannah I'm so sorry,' Ernie replied, tightening his grip on her, forcing her head into his chest. 'I know how much it meant to you, I'm so sorry.'

They stayed like that for what felt to Hannah to be forever, when really it was more like a few minutes. She just couldn't stop crying. Every vain attempt to stop the tears coming out of her eyes was just met with more sobbing, so Hannah eventually accepted that she'd have to ride it out in Ernie's arms. He was a good hugger, stroking Hannah's hair and patting her back while she buried her face into his t-shirt, probably staining it with her make up. Eventually, Hannah managed to stop crying enough to reach for the box of tissues they kept on their coffee table and blow her nose. She was still crying, but it had changed to the silent kind of crying accompanied by hiccups, the kind that meant she was almost done. She moved on the sofa, sitting down properly but keeping Ernie's arm around her. She wrung a tissue round in her hands, trying to think of what she wanted to say, or to muster up the courage to say it.

Eventually Hannah managed, and with a very small, hiccuppy voice said, 'I just feel like I keep letting her down.'

Hannah's mother had died a few years earlier. She'd been killed by Death Eaters in her sixth year of Hogwarts during the wizarding war. She was all the family Hannah really had, her father, a muggle had died when she was little, and she had few other relatives to speak of. Hannah thought about her mother every day; the way she laughed, what her hair looked like in the morning, all those little details that it would be a crime for Hannah to forget. She wanted to live up to her mother's legacy, she had been a healer, one of the best in fact, and Hannah desperately wanted to follow in her footsteps. More than anything, she wanted to make her mother proud

'Oh Hannah,' Ernie replied. 'Don't be silly of course you're not letting her down. Don't ever think that. She'd be so proud of you, of what you've done. You did your best that was all that you could do- '

'Yeah but that wasn't good enough!' Hannah shouted, standing up. 'All that work and nothing to show for it but a stained shirt and a half-empty box of tissues!' Her sudden outburst of anger had restarted the tears to her and Ernie's dismay. She plopped back down on the sofa, her head in her hands.

'Look,' Ernie said gently, very carefully placing his hand on her back. 'I understand you're upset, and nothing that I'm going to say is going to change that anytime soon. But you just need to realise how amazing you've done. You went back to Hogwarts, you caught up and got your N.E.W.T.s, with quite good marks considering. And now you've spent almost a year applying and studying for the training position, all while working a full-time job. You've done all this in such a short space of time after the 2 years of hell that was the war. You suffered so much loss, and yet you're still here. You're still fighting. You need to realise how incredible that is. So okay, you didn't get what you want this time. But that's okay! These things happen, it's what you do because of them that is the important thing. And what you can do go out there and try again.'

Hannah sighed, she had stopped crying half way through his speech. 'You're right, you're always right. I know I'm over reacting a bit. I just worked so hard, I really thought when I got that owl summoning me to the office I had been accepted. I didn't think they'd call someone in just to reject them, but I suppose it was more a courtesy to my mum. They all liked and respected her, even that dreadful Rathbone woman.'

'I know Han, I know. But you're going to be fine Han, I promise. Take a break for now, have a bit of fun for a week or two and then figure out what you're going to do next. You can always retake the exams if that's what you want to do.'

'Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I don't know where I'm going to go from here. I just wish she was here to help me, she always knew exactly what to say.' Hannah said, wiping her nose with what appeared to be the last tissue in the box. 'I'll be fine, I think. I just need to take my mind off it. Have a bit of fun like you said?'

'That's the spirit, shall I put the kettle on?' Ernie replied very enthusiastically, he often thought a cup of tea could fix everything. Unfortunately, Hannah didn't really like tea that much, but she still hadn't had the heart to tell him after nearly ten years of knowing him.

'Yeah that'd be lovely, I actually have work in about an hour,' she said, glancing down at her watch, 'I'd better go get ready.'

She got up from the sofa and wandered slowly to her room while Ernie bustled to the kitchen, wand in hand ready to battle with their ancient stove. Her bedroom was only just down the hall from the living room, but Hannah trudged slowly, a headache getting worse as she went along after all that crying. She burst through her door, her bedroom in the terrible state she'd left it in after getting ready in a rush this morning; clothes were strewn everywhere with various potion bottles of makeup and other such things scattered on the floor around them.

Her owl, Humbug sat on his perch in the corner, hooting happily when he saw her come in. He was a tiny brown owl with white stripes, like his namesake, only just big enough to carry letters and nothing else. He'd been a Christmas present from her mother years ago, so Hannah could send letters whenever she wanted. She didn't really have anyone to send letters too anymore, but Humbug was a comforting sight all the same. Hannah walked over to his perch to give him a stroke, to which he nipped her back affectionately before going back to sleep.

Hannah sat down on her bed, needing a few minutes to prepare herself to get ready for work. She could hear Ernie running about the kitchen even from here, cursing occasionally as he did battle with the stove and the other muggle appliances he still hadn't quite gotten used to. He was a strange wizard, was Ernie Macmillan. He and Hannah had been friends since first year when they were both sorted into Hufflepuff together, and out of all the people she knew at Hogwarts Ernie was definitely her favourite. Not that he couldn't be exceptionally annoying; he'd only just grown out of that air of pompousness that surrounded him throughout Hogwarts after all, and even then, he still got a bit snooty when Hannah refused to buy branded toilet paper. But he knew her better than she knew herself sometimes, so when he asked her if she wanted to live together, it had been a no brainer. She needed some company after all.

Hannah started to get undressed, becoming painfully aware of the clock that was ticking on her bedside table. She couldn't be late for work again, even if she had a good excuse this time. She pulled on her work uniform, which was just a plain black skirt and top; nothing too fancy for a barmaid at The Leaky Cauldron. She glanced in the mirror above her desk and pulled a face. Her blonde hair was sticking up in all directions and her face was a rather fetching shade of blotchy red, as well as her make up being smeared everywhere. With a sigh, Hannah got her wand out of her boot, where she liked to put it if she was in a rush, and cast a few spells to fix her hair and clean her face, not being bothered to style anything properly. With a final look into the mirror when she was done and thinking she looked an awful lot better, Hannah left her bedroom in search of her coat which she threw down earlier, and Ernie, who'd probably have a cup of tea with her name on it.

'Ern?' She shouted as she entered the living room, picking her coat off the floor.

'Yes?' he replied, sticking his head out of the kitchen door.

'Do you want to do something later maybe, like we could go out for tea or something, I don't know. Just something to take my mind off things.'

'Oh Hann, I'm really sorry but Justin and I have plans tonight. I'd invite you to come but- '

'It's your anniversary,' Hannah finished with a nod 'I'm sorry Ernie I completely forgot. Maybe tomorrow then'

'Are you sure that's okay,' Ernie asked looking concerned 'We can probably reschedule if you don't want to be alone.'

'Don't be silly Ernie, you only get one first anniversary, and you're not messing that up for me! I'll be fine, I'll find something else to do, maybe Susan or someone will want to do something, don't you worry about me!'

'Ok if you're sure.'

'I am. Right I'm off, put the tea on hold I'll have it later. Have fun tonight if I don't get back in time.' She said as she crossed to the fireplace, preferring to use the floo network to get to work as she still hadn't quite got the hang of apparating to The Leaky Cauldron, often ending up in the rooms with the guests, or one time the broom cupboard. Hannah grabbed some green powder from the little jar they kept on the mantle and threw it into the fire, that she assumed Ernie had made for her as it wasn't lit when she'd apparated in before.

'Have a good day okay,' said Ernie with a kind smile as she climbed into the hearth, 'Try not to dwell too much on this morning if you can help it.'

'Don't worry Ern, I won't,' she smiled back, and then to the fire she shouted 'The Leaky Cauldron.'

And with a flash of green, she was gone.

xxxxx

Neville Longbottom was sat in the headmaster's office. He'd only been in there once before when he was back at Hogwarts, and even then it was to steal the sword of Godric Gryffindor to try and get to Harry during the war, so he supposed that didn't quite count. He'd never sat in this chair anyway, a plush, plum armchair across from the large claw footed desk that, whilst it was in the centre of the room, was not the defining feature. No, that came in the various instruments and other such artefacts dotted around the tables around the room; tiny silver appliances running around the tables with a tiny tinkling noise following him, shelves upon shelves of books and scrolls stretching high up into the sealing, and even the portraits on the wall were magnificent, all the past headmasters stared down at him, well not stared, they were all trying very hard to look like they were doing other things and not eavesdropping on what was about to happen in the office. One portrait took Neville's attention, as the silver haired man smiling warmly at him was someone he recognised. The portrait of Albus Dumbledore peered down at him from his place on the wall, his piercing blue eyes looking at Neville over his familiar half-moon spectacles. Neville smiled back at him, wanting to start a conversation when Professor McGonagall burst into the office.

'Well, Mr Longbottom I am dreadfully sorry to have to leave like that in the middle of your interview. We had an incident in a potions class, apparently leaving a cauldron of Dog Breath potion unattended is too enticing for a group of third years, we'll be putting out fires for days. And whether Maisie Browns eyebrows will ever grow back remains to be seen.' She sat down behind the desk and picked up the piece of parchment in front of her. 'Anyway, enough of that. So, Mr. Longbottom you have applied to become our new Professor of Herbology now that Professor Sprout is looking to retire. Of course, I remember from your days in school that you were most proficient in herbology, gaining an Outstanding in your N.E.W.T, as well as another handful of excellent grades in the rest of your subjects, when you finally got around to taking them.' She said, peering over her glasses, her piercing stare being the same as when Neville had been a student. Most of his year had to retake their seventh year, after Death Eaters had taken over the school, as well as the Battle of Hogwarts being a massive blow to everyone who lost someone.

'Well, I have just a few more questions for you Mr Longbottom; firstly, If I walked into the greenhouse during an excellent lesson, what am I likely to see and hear?'

Neville took a deep breath and replied, 'Well Professor, you would see a high level of student engagement, whether it be listening to me explain something or focusing on the task that I had set with the plants. I would also like you to see some animated discussions regarding the work we were doing, with clear student cooperation as they garden.' And then added with a sheepish grin 'You'd probably also hear a few swearwords Professor, that Venomous Tentacula can be a bit of a bugger if you turn your back to it'

A bare hint of a smile played on McGonagall's lips, 'Okay then, next question; What do you think are the key qualities and skills a student looks for in a teacher?'

'Well I think fairness is the number one thing a student will look for. Punish students when they've done something wrong certainly, but I see no reason to make them suffer when they haven't done anything wrong. It just makes them dislike you, and then by extension the subject you teach,' Neville knew all about that from his potion lessons with Snape, which he hated and was even scared to attend at one point. 'I also think making the pupils feel confident in the lessons, to do the task at hand or to ask questions or for help should they need it. They need to be comfortable with you as a teacher otherwise it could limit their learning. These are skills that I have definitely picked up over the years.'

'Excellent. Now, lastly; why do you want to be our Herbology Professor?'

Neville had prepared for this question, as well as a few others he thought might come up. When he got the letter inviting him for an interview, he was practically straight to the mirror to practice. He sat up in his chair, smoothing the robes his grandmother had insisted he wear, he would have much preferred to be in his muggle clothes but he didn't want to have an argument with his Gran again, she'd already kicked up a fuss when he said he was moving into his own house, so he was trying to keep in her good books.

He cleared his throat and said, 'Well, Professor, as you said Herbology was always my strongest subject when I was here, and ever since I finished Hogwarts I've done nothing but focus on herbology, trying to expand my knowledge as much as I can. You know I've been travelling for the past year, I've been all around the world looking for magical plants and learning about them and what they can do. I don't want to blow my own trumpet professor, but I'm probably one of the leading experts in the field at the moment, despite my age, and I'm really keen to pass on my knowledge to the students here. Hogwarts has always been home to me, as it has to many of the young witches and wizards that pass through here, and I'm looking to give back and really make a difference here.

Professor McGonagall looked at Neville, her hard stare slowly transforming into a warm smile. 'Well Neville, that was very well said. And on behalf of the staff and students here at Hogwarts, I would very much like to offer you the job.'

Neville stared at her in shock. He'd got the job. He'd actually got the job. He never in his wildest dreams thought this would happen, surely there be someone far more qualified to teach these kids. Neville didn't know the first thing about teaching children, he just had his plants and that was it. He wasn't even going to apply for the job until his gran talked him into it. Of course, he wanted it, otherwise he wouldn't have come this far, but he never in a million years thought McGonagall would be here smiling at him, offering him the job of a lifetime.

'I don't know what to say Professor, I, thank you- '

'Don't look so surprised Neville you were our strongest applicant. You practically had the job before you'd walked in today.'

'Really?' said Neville, slumping back into the comfy chair. 'Wow. I don't know what to say.'

'Well you don't need to say anything. You know term starts in a month, on the first of September as usual. You'll have to let us know if you'll be requiring a permanent room, so the house elves can make one up for you. Of course, you'll have to put in a shift every now and again over night on duty but we have plenty of guest accommodation for that. You'll be given full charge of the greenhouses of course, if you want to come and check on them or perhaps move things around before term starts, then you're more than welcome to. That's all I can think of off the top of my head; you'll be sent an owl with all the details, as well as a contract for you to sign. But unless you have any questions were done here.'

Neville was still in slight shock, but he managed to stir himself enough to jump out of his chair and shake the good professor's hand and say 'thank you' another few times. As he turned to leave the office, he glanced back up at the portrait of Professor Dumbledore, who was smiling at him warmly. Neville smiled back again, and as he turned away he heard the portrait say in a very familiar voice that Neville hadn't heard for years; 'Congratulations Neville, your parents would be so proud.'

Neville turned back to face the portrait, giving him a small nod as a lone tear escaped from his eyes. When he was alive, Dumbledore had always known about his parents, and it was heart-warming to know that even in portrait form he still thought of them.

He left the office with one final goodbye to Professor McGonagall and started to walk back down the stair case that lead to the rest of Hogwarts, but he before he could he felt a sharp tap on his shoulder. He turned around to look at the familiar face of Professor Sprout. She looked exactly the same as she did when she was Neville's teacher; same floppy hat, same patchwork robes and same kind smile that lit up her face.

'Well done Neville my dear,' she said, taking his hand and shaking it it vigorously. 'I knew you had it in you I knew it. I'm so glad you're the one to be taking over from me. I couldn't think of a better replacement.'

'Thank you Professor, that really means a lot,' Neville replied.

'Nonsense my boy, nonsense. You are a fantastic herbologist; I've been hearing wonderful things about you, you've ran into a lot of my friends on your travels who've given you nothing but glowing recommendations.'

'Well I did try and learn as much as I could while I was away. I met some excellent herbologists, I'm very honoured to have been taught by them.'

'Excellent my boy. Well I'm afraid I must dash off and start packing my bags, but really Neville, I'm so proud of you. Feel free to send me an owl now and again, I'd love to hear how you're getting on. You'll have to stop for tea one day too. Cheerio!' And with that, Professor sprout turned on her heels and scurried away.

Neville smiled at the retreating back of his favourite teacher, then turned himself and started walking the opposite direction, walking down the spiral staircase and through the familiar halls of Hogwarts, only getting lost a few times as he found the great doors to leave. Before he did so, he decided to peek through the grand door leading to the great hall. Neville hadn't been in there for years but it was exactly the same as it was when he was at school when he would be in there every day with his friends. He looked up at the high table at the very top of the hall, thinking he would be sat there in September, rather than the house tables he was so used to. Whilst the thought exited him, it also struck a little fear in his heart. He had a very long road ahead of him if he was going to become a good teacher, and looking at that table just made it even more apparent.

He quickly left the great hall and walked out of the doors to the Hogwarts grounds, heading towards the grand gate that lead to the town of Hogsmede and the train station. He would have to be through those gates before he could apparate, thanks to Hogwarts protective charms, but Neville was very aware he was going to be late for lunch. He was meeting Harry Potter at The Leaky Cauldron, he was one of Neville's best friends at Hogwarts and on that he hadn't seen since he'd been on his travels. Neville was really looking forward to meeting him again for a catch up, but he didn't want the news of his new job to put a damper on his day; Neville knew he'd end up thinking about it over and over in his head, so he made a silent promise to himself to not bring it up until had had a chance to think about it further.

He walked through the gates leaving the bounds of the protective charms, and with one last look up at the magnificent castle, he apparated, disappearing with a loud pop.