When life Gives You Lemons
Neville Longbottom had been raised by his grandmother to always accept what he was given, and make a fair hand out of it.
When he was sorted into Gryffindor, he tried to be brave. When Ginny asked him to the Yule Ball, he let her kiss him, despite his buckteeth of the time and his insecurities.
When Luna admitted that she liked him too, after the Final Battle, he left no time on taking her on a date. Then a second. Then a third. Then Luna ran off to Sweden to find the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, before her seventh year began.
She came back, and dumped Neville. Politely, because she was Luna, but she was in love with someone else. Neville spent a little time crying, then some more time screaming, and even more time punching up flowerpots and decorating the Greenhouses with dirt.
Hannah Abbot asked him to Hogsmede. He accepted, which turned out to be a stupid decision as Hannah was controlling, annoying, and really the only good part of her was that she was easy. Almost too easy. But Neville wanted to lose his virginity to someone, and Hannah was the first one to come along.
She didn't even mind the Greenhouses. In fact, that seemed to make her all the more eager. Neville was a little shaken, especially as all he could see was Luna Luna Luna, but he had been raised by his grandmother to make lemonade when you were given lemons.
Hannah wanted a shiny diamond ring. Neville gave her one. Hannah wanted the Leaky Cauldron after Tom died; Neville brought her it with the Longbottom fortune. They had a big white wedding in the summer, because Hannah wanted one.
Harry had voiced that Neville seemed happy. So had Ron. And so Neville was content that his façade was holding.
He hadn't counted on Luna being there at the wedding. Hannah had invited her, along with her fiancé Rolf Scamander.
Probably Hannah hadn't meant for Neville to sneak out after they shagged (he didn't want to call it 'making love' when he didn't love Hannah Longbottom as much as he should) to meet Luna. In fact, he did 'make love' that night, to Luna Lovegood.
She felt like home. Hannah felt like hell. But Neville was told to make the best of what he could. And so he made a gin and tonic with his lemons.
Hannah was pregnant within the year – probably because they fucked every night because that was what Hannah wanted to do. Hannah's pregnancy coincided with Hermione's and Ginny's, so Neville knew Hannah would be okay.
He went on holiday, apparently to find some foreign plant, but it was actually to visit the newly married Luna Scamander as her husband went to some conference in Melbourne.
When he left, he felt unhappy again. Luna was pregnant. She had twins. Neville worked at Hogwarts, with one son, whom they named Matthew (he wanted to call him Frank, but Hannah still controlled everything.
Neville loved Matthew. But… The truth was, he loved Luna more. He began to leave on longer and longer business trips, to spend more and more time with Luna and Lorcan and Lysander (the twins looked a little like him – could it be…?) and to spend less and less time with Hannah and Matthew.
But then, the Great War hero had enough.
"I'm leaving." He said one night, over tea.
Hannah had screamed, forbade him to go, but Matthew ran to his father and hugged him around the legs. Neville love Matthew. So he took the son that had perhaps always felt unwanted with him when he left.
Rolf had died overseas, on his way back from a conference. So when Luna opened the door to see Neville standing there, she fell in love with him all over again.
They were married in autumn.
Neville had been given lemons, and found a way to make them taste like Gurdyroots.