Disclaimer (1): You know what it is - all copyright retention remains in place.

Disclaimer (2): This story was written for the Houses Competition being hosted by MoonlightForgotten. All appropriate notes can be found at the end of the story.

Read & Enjoy

"I swear it! I wasn't trying to trick you into having me stay over. You know I wouldn't be afraid to ask," she laughs through her yawn.

Neville was astounded when he found his girlfriend, Hannah Abbott, in his greenhouse the night before once her returned from the Quidditch game he'd attended with friends. She was trying to do his usual tending in the garden so she could take him on an all-day date to London. When he looked at her, disheveled and bruised from the troublesome Cornish Pixies that also snuck into the greenhouse, he could only think about how truly terrible she is with plants and the pests that come with them.

Neville didn't try to hide his smile. In an attempt to be funny, he jokes with her, "And yet, here you are."

Hannah had been so angry and dirty when Neville found her. He'd set her up in the guest room of his cottage so that they could at least have breakfast together. He made Hannah's favorite meal: sausage, scrambled eggs, and toast.

Two years ago, Neville had been dating Susan Bones. Casual flirting evolved into a serious relationship. After nearly a year of dating, Neville invited her to live with him. Unfortunately, Susan wasn't ready for that commitment. The break-up had been difficult enough, but their shared circle of friends started choosing either Susan or "the ex." Neville was more pained by losing more than one person at once than being dumped by someone he thought he had loved.

Hannah was different from the others. Neville was more than her friend's ex-boyfriend. Apparently, he was the kind of guy she wanted to date. Something like six months flew by before Hannah made her move.

If Hannah was anything, she was bold.

She'd been eavesdropping on his conversation one night at the Leaky Cauldron, where she works, about needing to go to Hogsmeade. Since she lives in Dufftown as well, she showed up at his cottage with a carriage being drawn by thestrals; "A throwback to our Hogwarts days, isn't it?" Secretly, Neville was captivated by her tactic to take him on a date that only a couple of days later he'd purchased an engagement ring.

While Hannah carried on with her odd practice of making a 'fork sandwich' composed of eggs and sausage chunks, Neville tried to make conversation. Though he was distracted by his own thoughts. It took Hannah lowering her tone to capture his full attention once again.

"I suppose the ugly truth is that I simply am not as good with plants as you. Sometimes I don't know what you see in me. We're so different…"

Neville had never seen her confidence waiver. Everyone loved Hannah Abbot because she was comfortable around people. Making conversation came easily, and drawing out a laugh with her patrons was even less of a challenge. Just a few weeks back, she'd been asked to take over the Leaky Cauldron when the current owner retired. Nobody objected.

"That's nonsense," Neville protested. Hannah made a quick remark about her wrist hurting while she ate, which sent Neville flying. He kept a junk drawer filled with anything he could need in a pinch. He also had been keeping the engagement ring there.

"May I?" Neville's question trails off while he faces away from Hannah. With his left hand he rustles the objects around the drawer and his right opens a small velvet box. Inside is a simple ring with a silver band adorned with a small, circular gem. Something about it had been impossible to ignore, like Hannah.

A feeling of disgust had washed over Neville when he stuffed the box into his pocket. What if his ugly truth was that he always committed too soon? His mind went back to the Yule Ball and how hard he worked to make it a spectacular night for Ginny. He thought about all the ways he intertwined his life with Susan – how he asked her to move in with him on what was truly a whim – and now…

How he'd purchased an engagement ring without having a proper relationship…

Unable to convince himself otherwise, Neville returned to the table to bandage Hannah's hand. It is her right hand that needed attention, so Hannah was immediately confused when he took her left. "That hand is fine."

All at once, Neville knelt next to her chair. There were some incoherent mumbles that escaped his mouth before he actually managed to get his thoughts out. "I love that we are different. I love that being different doesn't make us unhappy. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life cleaning up the messes you'll make in my greenhouse."

Maybe it wasn't the way he wanted to actually propose but it was what happened. Several awkward seconds passed where Neville gawked at Hannah, waiting for an answer, and Hannah stared right back at him. Each moment filled with silence filled Neville with dread.

Then she smiled, "Can I make a recommendation?"

"S-sure."

She slammed into his face with a passionate kiss, even if a bit clumsy. Her hands eagerly pull him closer. As with all romantic scenes, the couple lost track of the progression of time. Hannah eventually had to part from Neville's lips though, "Perhaps you should have pulled the ring out when you asked."

Author's Note:

Ravenclaw, Drabble (All 10 Prompts), 896 Words