Haven't written in a while and I don't know how far I want to go with this story. Let me know what y'all think. Nothing smutty yet, but there could be. Don't think too hard about when this takes place. Maybe the war happened maybe it didn't. Only Hermione and Neville are in this story, maybe mentions of others, so just focus on the romance.
Cheers ~ink

Hermione glanced down at her watch. They had been at this for three hours now. The air was thick with steam and the malodor of a dozen potions gone wrong. Neville was a dreadful potion maker and tutoring only seemed to make it worse. This was the second Saturday that Hermione had devoted to helping him prepare for his N.E.W.T.s. How he had managed to make it through O.W.L year was beyond Hermione. He seemed to be barely capable of making a first year potion. Hermione sighed. It was a glorious day out and the small classroom they were using was stuffy and unpleasantly warm. Hermione wanted nothing more than to leave the castle and jump into the lake. It didn't even matter if the Giant Squid touched her. Her hair was out of control from the obscene humidity and her fuse was growing ever shorter as Neville continued to blunder through the simplest steps. She hated to let loose her frustrations on him but it was getting harder.

"Neville, what do you say we call it day. I really can't handle the heat in this room anymore and we don't seem to be making any progress at all."

Neville blushed, "I'm so sorry, Hermione, I'm just not focusing well today. Could we give this potion one last shot? I know I can get it right. Just let me get out of these school robes. I can't breathe in them well."

Neville looked so hopeful that Hermione couldn't help but sigh again and rub her temples as she nodded in consent. Hermione had taken off her school robes nearly two hours ago at this point. She was now in a pair of jeans and the button down shirt she wore with her uniform. The sleeves were rolled up and the only window in the room had already been thrown open. There was no breeze and the heat just sat there on their skins and in the air as if it would never leave. Hermione began looking at the window wondering how much it would hurt if she flung herself from the third floor. She supposed she would die if she landed properly. If not she would probably just be in a lot of pain. After judging the merits of that particular endeavor as not quite worth it yet and filing it away as a plan B she looked towards Neville. He had discarded his robes and his tie and Hermione's eyes widened. Gone was the chubby boy from first year and in his place was a man. A man with muscles. Herbology did a boy some good. She no longer wanted to fling herself from the window. His robes had been covering up broad shoulders, muscular arms, and a flat stomach. Hermione swallowed as he began rolling up his shirt sleeves past his elbows. How had she not noticed his hands were that large? They were sexy. Hermione widened her eyes even more. Had she just thought some part of Neville was sexy? This was Neville. He was not sexy. Except there he went unbuttoning the top two buttons on his shirt and Hermione was staring. He picked up his wand and vanished the remnants of the last potion and some of the steam dissipated with it.

"Hermione are you ok? Is there something on my shirt?"

Neville was looking confused and concerned at Hermione. She shook her head and tried to look nonchalant.

"No, no. You're fine, totally fine. Must be the heat. I just zoned out a little. Let's do this potion."

Hermione sounded too chipper, too cool and collected and she couldn't help thinking he was so fine. So so so very fine. Hermione took a deep breath. She was above all this. She could handle being in the same room with a boy she had known since she was 11 and had heretofore never had a romantic feeling for. She slowly moved closer to him and watched him cut up the ingredients for the next potion. Focusing on academics helped her gain some clarity of mind.

They worked silently for ten minutes before Neville made his first mistake again. He was about to add powdered lizard eyes when the potion clearly stated they were not to be added until it was stirred seventeen times. Hermione quickly reached out and grabbed his arm to stop him. She felt the strong current of attraction tingle up her arm making her hair stand on end. Neville looked down at her hand on his arm and then to Hermione's face. The intensity of his gaze made Hermione avert her eyes. She was entirely unsure of how she was handling these brand new feelings for Neville and it was scaring her.

She cleared her throat, "Yeah, erm, don't, erm add those just yet," and slowly removed her hand from his arm. She clenched her fist as she mentally berated herself for acting like an idiot. She was always eloquent and loquacious. Never in her life could she remember stammering. Anger started bubbling up inside her and she quickly moved across the room from Neville as he was checking the potion recipe again. When he looked up again he furrowed his brow but otherwise said nothing.

The remainder of the session went uneventfully if you count Hermione muttering direction from across the room and Neville making a fairly accurate potion then Hermione flying out of the room as uneventful.

Well, that's the end of that bit. If the inspirations strikes I'll write some more. Let me know how you feel about a Hermione Neville situation.