A/N: Hey y'all! This was written for Hogwarts and the Houses Competition. Prompts are below. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Those rights go to JK Rowling.
Hogwarts:
Arithmancy Task 2: Write about a big change in someone's life
Houses Competition:
House: Hufflepuff
Year: Year 1
Category: Standard
Prompt: Golden Era
Word Count: 1863
Warnings for war angst, not in too much detail
Enjoy!
"Expecto patronum!"
Hannah gasped as a flash of silver caught her eye. She turned just in time to see the light of the patronus burst forth from Neville's wand, chasing away the Dementor a few meters to her right.
She ran a hand through her blonde hair, breathing heavily. Neville rushed over to her, his eyes bright with worry. "Hannah! Are you all right?"
She shot him a shaky smile. "I'm fine. Wand up, Longbottom. This is war."
Neville heeded her advice, raising his wand a bit higher. He didn't release her hand though, for which she was grateful. The night air was cool against her skin, but Neville provided a comfort that the Warming Charms on their cloaks couldn't give. Hannah let herself enjoy it for a few more precious seconds before pulling her hand away. "Come on, Neville. We have to get back to the castle before we're discovered."
The Patronus had been welcome, of course, but they needed to get back to the Hog's Head. Aberforth would smuggle the Muggleborn students out the rest of the way; Hannah and Neville's job was done. If the Death Eaters caught them in Hogsmeade, the DA would have to figure out a new way to get those students to safety.
She led the way back to the pub, moving quickly. They'd completed their task of keeping the area clear of Death Eaters and Dementors while Aberforth took care of the students, and it was time to head back through the secret passageway into Hogwarts.
As she and Neville bid the old bartender goodbye, Hannah couldn't help but think back to the day she'd first met the boy beside her, back in happier, simpler times.
What she wouldn't give to be back there again.
Eleven-year-old Hannah skipped down the halls of Hogwarts, her black and yellow tie swinging with her every movement. Her blue eyes scanned the walls, searching for the entrance to the common room. It was three weeks into the school year, and she still hadn't quite memorized the exact location of the common room entrance, but she knew it was somewhere nearby.
Her paused her search when she spotted a figure sitting between two suits of armor. Curious, the young girl walked over. As she got closer, she realized that the figure was a boy, one she vaguely recognized from the train to Hogwarts.
"Hi," she greeted softly, not wanting to startle him. "Are you all right?"
The boy looked up sharply, brown eyes wide, like a deer caught in the headlights. "Oh. Yes—yes, I am."
Hannah frowned, unconvinced. She lowered herself down next to him, shooting him a smile. "It's all right if you're not, you know. I'm Hannah by the way—Hannah Abbott."
The boy smiled shyly back. "I'm Neville Longbottom," he murmured. Louder, he said, "And I'm fine. I've just—I only—" He stopped, his round face pink.
Hannah shrugged one shoulder in encouragement, nodding her head. Neville hesitated, but finally mumbled out a response.
"I've just lost my toad again, is all."
He looked so miserable, Hannah's heart went out to him. "Well, we've got to find him, then! What's his name?"
"Trevor." Neville was looking at her confusedly, but there was hope in his eyes. "You really want to help?"
Hannah nodded. "Of course I do! Come on, let's look."
He moved to his feet, seemingly still unsure. Hannah was determined to put him at ease.
"I haven't met many Gryffindors yet this term," she said lightly as she peeked behind a nearby tapestry. "Do you like being in Gryffindor? It must be nice, having bravery as one of your best defining traits."
Neville stared at his feet. "I'm not really—I'm not really brave." His head snapped up. "But I like it, I do! I'm just not sure why… why I'm there."
Hannah nodded in understanding. "The Hat sees what you can't, sometimes," she said kindly. "I'm sure you're very brave. But you know, Gryffindors aren't just brave. They're chivalrous, too. People forget that, I think."
She smiled at him, and got a tentative one back.
"Besides," Hannah continued chirpily, "I like you. You're very honest about yourself."
Neville grinned a little, looking amused by her candidness. "Thank you for helping me, Hannah."
Hannah blew a strand of hair out of her face. "It's no problem, Neville—oh! I found him!"
She turned to face him, triumphantly holding out Trevor, who was looking at her reproachfully.
Neville's entire face lit up as he took his toad back, and Hannah's heart swelled with the realization that she'd just made a new friend—even if Neville himself hadn't quite realized it yet.
Hannah and Neville crept through the castle, doing their best not to run in to any of the Death Eaters prowling the corridors. The halls were black with darkness, but the two students knew the way like the back of their hand. She always walked in front of Neville, since his extraordinary height made it impossible for her short frame to see around. She'd bumped into him once, unable to see the threat that he had stopped for, and they'd nearly been caught. They learned their lesson that night.
As they walked, heading towards the kitchens to restock the Room of Requirement, Neville kept a protective hand on Hannah's shoulder. He really was a Gryffindor, she thought. She could take care of herself, but she had to admit that she liked how much he cared about her. Maybe if things were different… if there wasn't a war going on… maybe they could have been a little more than friends. But that was a fantasy for when they weren't fighting for their lives.
She punched Neville lightly on the arm once they reached the kitchens, a grin on her face. "We made it," she whispered. "You know, we're getting pretty good at this sneaking around stuff."
Neville grinned back at her. "Better get inside before we ruin our track record."
She nodded and tickled the pear on the painting behind her. As she was slipping inside, Neville caught her arm.
"Hannah," he said, his voice low, "we'll make it out of here, you know. The war will be over, and they won't be the powerful ones. We'll fix the world."
It was a nice thought, and Hannah held on to it. But she knew, deep down, that there was no way either of them could ensure anything. Things always seemed to go wrong. But maybe… maybe they would be okay.
Hannah squeezed his hand and nodded.
The Yule Ball, in Hannah's opinion, was not living up to expectations.
Her date—a fellow Hufflepuff in her year named Jason—had abandoned her within five minutes to chase after some Ravenclaw she couldn't remember the name of. She looked down at her red dress robes and wondered whether she could get away with leaving early.
She scanned the room, and her eyes landed on a familiar figure. She smiled. At least Neville seemed to be having a good time. He'd been nervous about finding a date, and Hannah was glad that he had one. The two of them had become rather good friends over the years, and she was happy to see him happy.
Her smile turned to a frown, however, when she saw Michael Corner cut in the middle of their dance. She watched as Ginny looked to Neville to see how he felt about it, but Neville—the sweetheart that he was—put on a smile and let the Ravenclaw sweep the younger girl away. Hannah caught his crestfallen expression as he walked over to the chairs lining the walls and sat down.
Hannah approached him. "Hi, Neville."
He jumped, turning to face her with wide eyes. Hannah smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. Who'd you come with?" she asked, feigning ignorance.
Neville gave her a half-hearted smile. "Ginny."
"Oh, she's nice," Hannah commented as she sat down beside him. "Where is she?"
Neville shrugged. "Dancing with someone else."
Hannah sighed. "Mine too. Except he's not dancing, he's trailing after her like a lost puppy."
Neville looked amused by her exasperation, which Hannah counted as a win. The fourteen-year-old looked at the boy beside her hopefully.
"Do you want to dance? There doesn't seem to be much point in sitting here by ourselves, after all."
Neville brightened. "Do you really want to?"
Hanah beamed. "Of course I do!" she exclaimed. She hopped up and dragged him to his feet. "Come on, the night isn't over yet!"
She ignored the fluttering in her chest when he grasped her hand and pushed aside the butterflies in her stomach. It was time to have a good night with her friend.
After they had gathered enough food, the two DA members decided to split a butterbeer. They sat in companionable silence, their shoulders touching.
Hannah was thinking about Neville's earlier words. The war was taking its toll on her, on all of them, but she wanted to hope as much as Neville seemed able to.
"Everything escalated rather quickly, didn't it?" she murmured. "The war, I mean."
Neville looked at her sideways. "It was always brewing, really. It just got… very bad, very fast."
She hummed in agreement. "I never thought I would have to actually fight, you know," she confessed. "When I joined the DA. The war seemed so far away, then."
"It did for everybody. I don't think anyone really thought about fighting in it… not except Harry, Ron, and Hermione." Neville's face darkened when he mentioned his lost friends. He was extremely worried about them, Hannah knew.
She sighed, her shoulders drooping. "I just… I want some good news so badly," she whispered, her strong facade falling. "Is that too much to ask?"
Neville hesitated, then took her hand. "I could… I could give you some now," he offered. He sounded nervous. "You might not like it, though."
Hannah turned to him, her heart beating faster. "Oh?"
Neville swallowed. "Yeah."
Hannah ran the pad of her thumb over his wrist. "I think I'll like it. What is it?"
He looked conflicted for a second, the shy boy he'd mostly grown out of during wartime resurfacing. But then the man he'd become took over once more, and he leaned forward to press their lips together in a slow, sweet kiss.
He pulled away after a moment, eyes vulnerable as he awaited her response.
Hannah blew the hair out of her face. "I've wanted you to do that for a very long time," she said a little breathlessly. "Are you sure you want to do this, though? Take this new step? It is war, after all… nothing is promised."
Neville looked at her determinedly. "This is something I want, Hannah. And if you want it too… there's really no sense in wasting a chance to be happy. It is war, after all," he added, quoting her.
Hannah huffed out a laugh. "Well, we should start now then, shouldn't we?"
As Neville leaned in to kiss her once more, Hannah knew that, whatever happened, she would be happy to hold on to this. It was something to hope for after the war—and that was enough for her.
A/N:
Writing Club:
Assorted Appreciation: 3. Ash Wednesday — Write about the start of something
Disney Challenge: Characters 5. Gus-Gus — Alt. Write about someone who just wants to help.
Book Club: (word) protective, (trait) tall, (action) punch
Showtime: 6. Where is Love? — (dialogue) "Where is she?"
Amber's Attic: 20. "The future will soon be a thing of the past."
Em's Emporium: 1. Alt. Write about the Trio Era
Liza's Lodes: 10. Write about someone overcoming an obstacle
Angel's Arcade: 5. Ken Masters — (trait) blonde, (color) black, (word) powerful
Bex's Basement: Peter Parker 2. (color) red
Constellation Club: 2. Lynx — 6 Lyncis (word) startle
Fortnightly:
Elizabeth Appreciation: 8. Elizabeth Wakefield — Alt. Write about someone who is always looking out for others.
Zoo Lover's Day: 1. Giraffe — Write about someone tall
Insane House Challenge: 5. (word) crestfallen