Written for Hogwarts Online Monthly Challenge for March. The Spring Challenge.
Title: In An Instant
House: Hufflepuff House
Author: Love From A Muggle
Character: Neville Longbottom
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize.
Author's note: Italics are flashbacks.
I should add, this is my 99th story! My 100th story is already written and should be posted soon.
He knew it was coming, he just didn't want to admit it. But Neville never would have thought she would do it in the spring. Luna's bright blue eyes stared at him differently one morning when she came to see him. She wasn't supposed to be there, considering it was during the school year and she was no longer a student, but three years after the war was long enough for her to be his girlfriend so the school got use to seeing her there.
Two years after war, Professor Sprout quit being a teacher. Like many other teachers, she wanted to enjoy retirement with all the limbs she had left, and the war was her close call. Neville went back to school after he helped restore the school. It took a year to restore Hogwarts, and another year for him to finish properly. Then, he was asked automatically to teach at Hogwarts. Neville accepted, because he always felt Hogwarts was home. He couldn't go back to his Gran, now that she was spending retirement traveling. So he accepted Professor McGonagall's offer with a smile on his face.
Luna stared at him by the greenhouse because it was there when they shared their first kiss after the war, in spring.
Neville ran to find Luna through the mess of war. His limp caused him to run slower than usual, but his mission was still the same no matter how long it took him to find her. He found Luna standing in front of the three greenhouses admiring them.
"Luna?" he asked out of curiosity.
"It's amazing isn't it?"
He stared at her confused. He couldn't see what was amazing about this dreadful spring morning. The castle was in rubble around them and little pools of fire still showed signs of life here and there, but yet she found something amazing.
"Sorry, I don't see what's amazing after a war." He crossed his arms.
"These three buildings, the greenhouses are the only three buildings standing strong, un-touched by war."
And then Neville took a second look. She was right. It was as if here, in what he called his peaceful spot, the three greenhouses stood unharmed by the war that had just occurred. Neville could still smell smoke coming from the ashes. He could see about three small fires in his sight if he turned around. He could feel sweat dripping from his face from running all night. He tasted blood on his lips, and brushed it off with his arm.
Neville blinked twice at the buildings to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
"Let's go inside," Luna said in her usual dreamy voice. She took him by the hand and gently walked inside.
"Luna?" Neville spoke her name softly. She turned around.
"I've always liked it here in the greenhouses. All the interesting plants intrigued me causing me to want to know more about them so I came here to study them a lot. It was as if I was under some sort of spell when I was in here," she admitted as she smiled as he nodded in agreement with her.
"Luna, I have something to tell you," he stated.
"I know what it is. That's why I came in here," Luna said softly.
As his eyebrows rose, she stood on her tiptoes, and leaned in and gently kissed his lips. He felt her soft lips against his chapped ones. He knew she tasted a little bit of his blood, but also knew that she didn't care for she kissed him first. She pulled back and smiled.
"What?"
"You have Nargles around you. They didn't like me kissing you, but I did," she admitted.
Neville felt the pain in his heart as he stared at her by the greenhouse. As he was brought back from his memory, he realized this spring was different. He could tell something was different about her. Sure, she was different, he knew that already, but this particular spring morning she was even more different than usual.
"Let's go in the greenhouse," she stated, just like that morning they started dating three years ago. He felt his heart cringe, every part of him wanted to say no, but he allowed her to pull him in the greenhouse knowing what was coming.
"Neville, I have something to tell you." Her blue eyes were paler than usual this morning as she turned around to face him.
"I know what it is," he stated, just like he had three years ago, but this time for a different reason.
"I've met someone else."
"Please, don't say anymore." He felt his throat go dry, and released his grip from her as he stared at her.
"I'm sorry. I tried not to tell you in your favorite season, but I need to end things with you if I'm wanting to move on with him."
She stood on her tiptoes just like she had three years ago and leaned in to kiss him once more. When she pulled apart, she didn't smile.
"What no Nargles?" he said trying to bring back a memory of theirs. She gave him a weak smile.
"They aren't here anymore. They've moved on too." Her radish earrings shook with her as her head shook. Her blonde hair was neatly pulled back in a pony tail. She wore a blue shirt to match her blue eyes. One thing he noticed was she wasn't wearing the sapphire necklace he had given her for their one year anniversary. He frowned.
"Why spring?" He felt himself asking before he could stop him.
"Neville, I told you, I needed to move on with him."
"You're not telling me something Luna. I can tell by your eyes, there's something more. Your eyes were always a paler color when there was something else. Not as bright."
"I was hoping you wouldn't ask," she said softly.
He knew something was wrong when she didn't look straight at him. Her normal dreamy voice wasn't there when she started to speak.
"I'm engaged," she said as she turned her left finger slowly over so he could see the rock.
"I'm leaving. You can stay here," Neville started to say as he felt the tears come.
Neville went straight to Professor McGonagall's office and knocked once.
"Come in," the Headmistress said.
"I need to take a night off, and since it's the weekend I was hoping I could stay in The Leaky Cauldron to think, instead of Hogwarts." He looked at her without saying anything else. It was as if she knew already, just by Luna's presence. She nodded slowly with a sad look in her eyes.
"Just be back before Monday," she stated.
"Thank you."
He went to his private quarters and packed quickly for over night. Neville then went to his fireplace, and used the Floo network to get to the Leaky Cauldron.
It was there, when his life changed again. He studied the woman behind the counter and recognized her as Hannah Abbot. She was someone who he use to speak with on occasion. Things like "can I borrow your quill." or "What are we to do next?" but never sat down and had a heart to heart talk. He looked at her shadows under her eyes and could tell she needed to talk to someone. Neville brushed himself off, turned around and wiped his tears before facing her. When he turned back around again, he picked up his luggage and walked to the counter with a fake smile.
"One Butterbeer, please," he asked as he sat on the stool after placing his bag next to him.
"Are you sure you don't want something stronger?" She turned around to face him.
"Hannah, are you alright?" he asked with a weak voice.
"I could ask you the same question, Neville," she stated as she handed him a Butterbeer.
As she handed him the bottle, he accepted it with her hand still wrapped around the cold bottle. Their fingers touched lightly causing Neville to look up and stare at her. He shook his head before he realized staring was rude, and took his fingers away from the bottle. A moment passed through them.
"I have to tend to other customers, but it looks like you need to talk," Hannah said forcefully as another customer from another table motioned to her.
"I'll still be here," he replied with a weak tone.
He finished his bottle as the last customer slipped off to bed. Neville yawned, but didn't really feel like going to bed. Hannah picked up the last glass and carried it to the bar.
"I hate spring," they said in unison together.
Neville looked up and frowned at her as she sat down next to him.
"I know why I hate spring, but why do you hate it?" he asked her.
"I was engaged to be married to a Muggle. He knew everything about me. And then I got pregnant, but lost the baby, and he left me. This all happened last spring," Hannah said sadly as she wiped invisible dust on the counter.
"Luna broke up with me today for another man." He didn't know why he was telling his private life to someone he hardly knew, but he knew she would understand his pain.
"I'm sorry," they said in unison again.
"I use to love spring," Neville admitted, Hannah shook her blond hair in agreement.
"Me too."
"I need a room for the night," Neville stated as he yawned again.
"Aren't you a teacher?" she asked him.
"Headmistress McGonagall gave me the weekend off since the students were going into Hogsmead tomorrow."
"I'll take you to your room."
He watched her stand up and go behind the counter getting the very last key to the Leaky Cauldron. He saw a tear form from her eyes, and watched her brush it off as if it wasn't there. They walked quietly to the last room. Each lost in their own thoughts to try to speak to one another.
"Isn't this your room?" he asked as he stared at the large room.
"There's a small room under the stairs that use to be a broom cupboard. I changed it into a bedroom when I bought the Leaky Cauldron; for emergencies like this," she said as she watched him walk in and set his luggage down. He turned around.
"Stay with me?" he knew it was too soon to ask, but he needed her company tonight. They both hated spring, and both were lonely.
"Of course, just let me lock up," she replied as he stared at the confusion in her eyes as she turned around.
"Hannah," he said stopping her.
"I know we hate spring now, but maybe together we can start liking spring again starting tonight?"
Neville watched her give him a slight nod with her head as she headed for the door.
"I'll be right back."
He knew he was different when he asked a woman he hardly knew to spend the night with him. That was something he never did. But at the same time, Neville knew they needed each other in a way he couldn't explain. He got undressed, put on his night clothes and got into bed, thinking she wouldn't come back. He was on his side away from the door when he heard it open again.
"You came back," he said not turning around.
Hannah quietly slipped into her night clothes and got into bed with him wrapping her arms around him.
"I never do this," she admitted. He turned around to face her.
"I don't either," he admitted.
"But tonight, I felt as if we needed each other more than usual," they said in unison.
Neville stared at her bright brown eyes and smiled.
"Maybe spring isn't so bad after all." He stared at her as he held her close to him listening to her cry.
He thought of how things had changed. He went from hating spring to liking it again in the same day. Neville didn't know what would come over this new relationship, but like the flowers budding in spring, this new friendship with Hannah would bloom into something good, or so he had hoped. He brushed the tears from her eyes as he stared into them.
"Thank you, Neville," she said quietly as she snuggled close to him.
"Maybe spring isn't all that bad," Neville said as he yawned, and drifted into sleep.