Title: Tongue Tied
Rating: M
Pairing: Neville Longbottom / Luna Lovegood
Disclaimer: These characters belong to J.K. Rowling and rights-holders, one of whom I am not.
Summary: Even though Neville hadn't seen her in years, it made little difference to the fact that she still made him tongue tied… not to mention randy as Godric Gryffindor after a Quidditch Match. No, time made no dent in the in the very adult desires he harboured for Luna Lovegood. NevilleLuna.
Author's notes: Happy Christmas everyone! This is my first foray into this pairing; let me know what you think! I'm also going to kill two birds with this one & have it as my submission into two different Twin Exchange challenges: The Songfic/Albumfic Challenge & the December Exchange. Big thank you to angelically-devilish for helping me gather my thoughts.
The song that my iPod shuffled to while writing this was Tongue Tied by GROUPLOVE.
For the exchange part my main inspiration this year has been provided by alb33. My one-shot must include the following prompts, quotes and pairing:
1. Neville/Luna
2. Snowmen, Hot Chocolate, Candy Canes
3. "This happens every year." – "What are you doing way over there?" – "This is the best thing about Christmas."
I hope you like it! Don't forget to leave a review, it's the best Christmas gifts I can receive – and they just happen to be totally free!
Tongue Tied
Neville smiled as the sound of the bell above the doorway to his small Herbology supply store rang out merrily. The elderly gentleman he'd just finished serving whistled a Muggle Christmas tune as he slipped back into the crowds meandering the snow covered cobblestones of Diagon Alley.
This was his third Christmas Eve in the busy shopping district, and the sight of thousands of twinkling lights, more wreaths than a Hogwarts feast and the hundreds of Witches and Wizards rushing about their business never ceased to amaze and fascinate him. Most of the other shop owners around him complained the entire month of December about the noise, the foot traffic and the amount of window shoppers who wasted their time, but not Neville – he thrived on the busier periods and every year it got busier, a sure sign that the Wizarding World was returning to normal.
With a happy sigh, he turned away from the sight of a group of young children creating a family of snowmen, and began the familiar routine of closing the store up for the night. He looked forward to resting his feet upstairs in his flat with a nice hot cup of cocoa.
"Hello, Neville Longbottom," a low, lilting voice said from behind him.
Neville jumped with surprise, believing himself alone in the shop. He spun around, resisting the urge to reach for his wand, "Um, hello?" he asked, when his shop appeared as empty as he'd believed it had been a few minutes ago.
He scanned the dimly lit rows of garden equipment on the left hand side of the shop, half expecting a dark robed figure to jump out and attack him. However, something familiar in the voice made him suppress the urge to summon the Auror's – so familiar, and yet so impossible.
"Hello," she replied cheerily, her voice echoing slightly.
Neville frowned, "Luna?" he whispered, his heart pounding in his chest as he began to wonder if he was just hearing things.
"You remember me," her voice said cheerily, and he could imagine her silvery-grey eyes shining up at him with delight.
Of course he remembered her – how could he forget her?
But it couldn't be true, it just couldn't be Luna – the unfortunate object of his hidden desires, the girl who had plagued so many of his waking and sleeping thoughts during his final years at Hogwarts. It was impossible that the very same girl who had taken off shortly after the war to see the world – That same girl, who had been tragically lost on an expedition to find the Loch Ness Monster was in his shop.
It wasn't possible; Luna had been missing and presumed dead for almost three years.
"Are you a… a… a ghost?" he stuttered, silently cursing himself for becoming tongue tied, an affliction that only seemed to befall him around her.
Her laughter was like the tiny bells that adorned the streets outside, it made his insides jerk with awareness.
"No Neville, I am not a ghost," she replied, still laughing.
Casting Lumos, he lit up the shop better and was able to find the tiny witch sitting up high on a shelf besides a jar full of Bouncing Bulbs. Her dirty blonde hair draped around her in curling waves, so long the tips tickled her ankles where the swung merrily back and forth. Her eyes, so much brighter than his imagination conjured, sparkled with mirth as a long, thick red and white candy cane stuck out from between her lips.
It was then that Neville decided that he must be dreaming. Surely he'd been so tired from the day of last minute shoppers that he didn't remember mounting the stairs and falling asleep in his chair. This was apparently going to be one of those dreams.
"It's very busy outside," she commented, interrupting him as he went to pinch the skin on his forearm. He turned as if surprised that the world had continued to carry on outside while his had come to a screeching halt inside.
"People put off all their shopping to the last minute… this happens every year," he replied absently, sneaking in a pinch and quickly establishing that he was indeed awake. He frowned and turned back to look at the ghost of Luna Lovegood.
"Oh, do you think they forget the date every year? It doesn't change, does it?" she commented idly, sliding off her perch before landing deftly on her feet.
"No, it doesn't change." He replied with a small smile, stepping closer to her, "Um, Luna. Why are you alive?" the smile faded and he instantly turned red as he hastily tried to back peddle, "I-I mean… how are you alive… what I mean to say is… you're dead."
Luna remained silent as his rambling drew quiet, before replying airily, "No I'm not," before sliding the candy cane between her lips again.
Neville blinked, reminding himself that he was no longer a teenager, and thoughts of just what those lips could be doing instead, were not appropriate.
"But, it's been three years Luna," he choked out.
She took a step closer and blinked her huge eyes up at him, "I believe you exaggerate. It's been two years and eight months since I've been in England."
"Not dead?" he asked again, catching the minty scent of her candy cane spiced breath and the slight vanilla fragrance that clung to her, he remembered that scent from school. She reminded him of a fresh baked treat, one that made his mouth water and his fingers itch.
She popped the candy out of her mouth with a grin, stepping even closer to him, invading his personal space with her sweet scent, "No, not dead. Did you miss me Neville Longbottom?"
Neville blinked down at her, he was so much taller than the petite witch who had haunted his dreams well after graduating. The red velvet robe she wore hung loosely from her shoulders, affording him a view of the tightly fitted green dress beneath and the cleavage her low-neck line provided. Her hair was even wilder when she was standing up, he didn't even realize he had reached out to tuck a strand behind her ear until he was doing it.
"I… um, sorry. You have very nice tits…" he realized his error moments after the words had fallen from his mouth, "I mean hair! Oh, sweet Merlin," moaned, jumping back from her, mortified.
Luna didn't jump away from him, in fact, she took a step toward him again, "Thank you, they've grown quite a bit since you last saw me," she told him cheerily, staring down the front of her dress with admiration.
Neville couldn't help the nervous laugh that escaped him. Luna continued to admire her breasts.
"I was about to close the shop and head upstairs for a hot chocolate. Did you want to join me?" he asked, clearing his throat and thanking whichever gods were around for assisting him with the extraction of his foot from his mouth.
Luna looked up at him, a funny smile playing across her mouth. He had to drag his eyes away from her red-tinged lips, the urge to kiss her almost overwhelming. It was then he realized she must have polished off her candy cane while he was too busy admiring her body – the red lolly no longer to be seen.
"I'd like that," she said, looking grateful for the offer.
"Me too, you can tell me all about your adventures," he said conversationally, wiping his hands on his trousers as he turned to flip the closed sign over on the door, flicking the deadbolt to keep out any customers who lacked the ability to read and waving his wand at the lamp in entrance, instantly throwing the shop into darkness.
Luna clapped her hands together excitedly behind him, "I'm so glad I decided to visit you Neville. Spending time with those you love is the best thing about Christmas."
Neville blinked rapidly at the mention of love, reminding himself of just who he was entertaining. Pushing the thought that the beautiful blonde witch might love him to the side, he gestured to the staircase behind the front counter, allowing her to walk up to his flat ahead of him.
His feelings of apprehension returned as the mounted the stairs and she caught a glimpse of his modest home for the first time. Neville suddenly wanted her to like his place, to appreciate the cosiness of it's slightly cluttered confines, he worried she would think him strange for the enormous amount of house-plants he was currently nursing back to health.
He wanted her to like his place – he wanted her to like him.
She surprised him by clapping her hands together, "Oh, Neville. It's wonderful!" she exclaimed, gravitating toward the Honking Daffodil that had been damaged in a recent snow storm, it's feeble squeak greeted the blonde witch, the poor plant no longer able to reach it's full honking glory.
"It was my Gran's, but she forgot to bring in all her pot plants when the weather turned cold," he explained, watching as Luna stroked the stem of the yellow flower gently, "Do you, uh, do you keep up with Herbology?"
Luna turned her full, glorious smile on him, "Oh yes, I qualified as a Wizarding Naturalist just last year. Although, I find many of the text books supplied to be quite lacking," she explained. Neville didn't pursue what she meant by lacking, clearly remembering her fanciful ideas of alternative Magical Beasts during their Hogwarts years.
Turning away from her stroking fingers, lest he embarrass himself even more, he moved into the small kitchen. He made quick work of preparing the hot chocolate, levitating the steaming mugs into the living area and onto the worn coffee table that had once belonged to his Uncle.
He watched Luna for a few moments flitting between his ailing plants, taking to them, stroking them and watering a few that hadn't been tended to that day. The sight caused a twinge in his chest that he didn't want to examine too closely. Finally, he cleared his throat and drew her attention back to him.
"Thirsty?" he asked, sitting down on the couch and nervously patting the spot beside him.
"Mm, yes," she hummed, joining him on the couch. When he expected her to sit at the other end, she surprised him by sitting directly by his side, her thigh pressed against him. He watched from the corner of his eye as she sipped the hot beverage, her own eyes floating shut in pleasure as it slid down her throat.
He gulped and shifted uncomfortably, feeling the very real stirrings of desire coarse through his veins. His trousers we're suddenly feeling a little too tight as he watched her lick her lips with pleasure, "Good?" he choked out. Neville took a hasty sip of his own drink, grateful it wasn't scolding hot.
"Extremely. My father used to make wonderful hot chocolate," she told him, turning her tiny frame into his as she clutched the mug with both hands.
He knew her father's body had never been recovered after the war – their home near the Weasley's had been destroyed by Death Eaters – and he wondered if that had been what had prompted her disappearance. Not wanting to dredge up the morbid events of the war, he groped for a more appropriate topic, "So, where are you staying tonight?" he asked.
"I'm not sure. I flooed into the Leaky Cauldron this afternoon and was wandering the Alley when I spotted you," she confessed, taking another sip of hot chocolate while her big eyes shone up at him over the festive mug.
Neville's heart fluttered at the realization that he was the first person from her old life she had sought out, but reminded himself not to put much stock into it. Luna had never been aware of his feelings for her back then, it was unlikely if she even had that she would expect him to be still carrying a torch for her.
"Stay with me," he blurted, well before the filter between his mouth and brain had time to coordinate, "I… I mean…" he stumbled, realizing belatedly that she had probably already realized that his flat only had one bed and that the tent at the front of his pants hadn't exactly deflated since she'd stepped through his door.
Her reaction couldn't have surprised him more, as she placed her mug carefully on the coffee table and reached for his clenched fist, she took his mug from his hands and placed it next to hers, "I'd like that, Neville," she smiled, leaning into him and kissing his cheek gently.
Unable to stop himself, he turned his head and caught her lips with his own. He expected her to immediately recoil, but Luna wasn't just any girl. She returned his kiss enthusiastically, her fingers flexing with pleasure against his own. She tasted of mint and chocolate and Luna – he didn't think there was anything else in the world that could compare to her.
Her shaky sigh shifted the air between them when their tongues touched and her low moan had his hands moving from between hers, resting lightly on her waist so that he could pull her closer. This seemed to be all the invitation that she needed and within moments the kiss moved from chaste to snog, her lithe body moving over his, her hair cascading around them as she pressed him back into the couch.
Neville couldn't have stopped if his flat suddenly caught on fire, his desire for her mounting as she enthusiastically took charge of the situation, guiding his hands over her body, her actions telling him that she wanted this as much as he did.
Luna's red velvet cloak hit the floor; her green dress was revealed and was quickly hiked up around her thighs as she straddled his body, her knees sinking into the leather on either side of him with a whispering sigh. Her mouth slanted over his, her fingers between them fumbling with his trousers.
"Maybe we shouldn't," he managed to gasp when her small hand fisted his erect length.
She didn't stop her practiced moved, her head tilted to the side as she stopped kissing him, her eyes as inquisitive as ever, "Why?" Luna asked, breathless as he was.
He took the moment to run his palms up her thighs, his fingers connecting with the outer elastic of her knickers. There was probably a dozen reasons why rushing into bed with the witch of his dreams was a bad idea, but feeling the heat emanating from her core seemed to wipe all of them from his mind.
"Okay, you win. Maybe we should," he smiled up at her.
She returned the gesture and moved her hand a little quicker. Neville dropped his head back into the cushions, moaning with each flick of her wrist. Her lips covered his when his fingers finally touched her core, her hips jerking against his palm with each pleasure filled caress. They remained that way for long minutes, feeling each other, sharing each breath, building the attraction that had lay between them for years unrequited.
Before long she stood before him, her green dress falling to the floor, her underwear long gone. Her glorious, willowy frame was so pale it reflected brightly coloured Christmas lights that decorated his modest tree. Luna bit her lip and held her hand out to him, inviting him off the couch and then into his bedroom.
He tugged at his clothes, so that by the time they cross the doorway and hit the edge of the bed he was as naked as she was. They tumbled onto the mattress together, their bodies fitting perfectly as passions over flowed between them. Neville would never forget the sight of her beneath him, her hair spread around her like a cloud, her mouth full and kiss-swollen, and her eyes shone with thoughts of the pleasure to come.
Spreading her thighs, he settled between her legs and reminded himself not to start hyperventilating. Her fingers raked through his hair, pulling his face down to hers again, her kiss all the encouragement he needed to plunge forward.
She was so wet and so tight he fought to remain in control. He could think of nothing more embarrassing than finishing too early with the woman he had spent so long dreaming about. This was so much better than a dream.
"Neville," she gasped, her head tipping back in pleasure as he sunk in as far as her body would allow.
He withdrew and plunged in again, kissing her frantically as the sensations proved to overwhelm. Making love to her was pure bliss; a sensation he wished would last forever but knew his control wasn't anywhere near good enough to last more than a few minutes.
Luna's legs drew up and around his waist, his pelvis hit her clit with each thrust and her panting breath grew as loud as his. His small flat was soon filled with the sound of slapping flesh and ecstasy filled moans.
He drew back from her mouth, his lips resting against her sweaty neckline; his whispered words sincere, "You're so beautiful. So, so perfect. You have no idea how lost I've been without you, how much I missed you, needed you. You make me forget everything when you step into a room; you make me so tongue-tied I can't think straight. God's Luna, I've wanted this, us, for as long as I can remember," he moaned.
Her arms wrapped tightly around his as his body tensed. The tiny spasms that surrounded his cock, gently milking him, bought his own orgasm on quickly. Neville lost himself in her body, coming in hot spurts that seemed to reaffirm his desire for her, making them both cry out as they reached a higher level of pleasure.
It took everything in him not to blurt out his love for her then and there. His body sated and his heart content for the first time since the war. Without her knowing it, Luna was his salvation, the thing he had been waiting for without even realizing it. Her body gradually relaxed around him, her panting breath's slowing as he withdrew from her channel and he wondered if she would ever come to love him too.
Neville woke slowly, believing at first that he had just had the most erotic dream of his life. Luna had come back to him and he'd made love to her in his bed for the better part of a few hours.
He reached across the crumpled bedding for the warm body he still expected to be there, and was shocked when he found her gone. He closed his eyes with defeat, wanting to weep with the realization that she had left him in the middle of the night – that the intense feelings he felt for her were neither welcome nor reciprocated.
Sitting up slowly, he ran a hand through his tousled hair and contemplated a shower to wash the smell of sex from his body. Movement in the corner of the room drew his attention so quickly his neck cracked.
"Luna!" he sighed, relief flooding his body, "What are you doing way over there?"
Luna didn't respond straight away, her gaze fixed on the street far below them, "I was just watching the snow fall. Merry Christmas, Neville."
Returning her smile, he replied, "Merry Christmas, Luna. Now, come back to bed, it's cold."
Luna didn't hesitate this time, gleefully bounding across the cold room and back into his arms. Neville wasn't sure if it was forever, but for now he couldn't think of a better Christmas gift than the witch in his arms.
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