Race Against Time
A HariPo oneshot
by mew-tsubaki
Note: The Harry Potter characters belong to J.K. Rowling, not me. Neville/Hannah bothers me…but I can see it early on when they're young adults. Ah, well. Again, with the HP Ship Weeks! :x Read, review, and enjoy!
- ^-^3
"I'll be going out now, Gran," Neville called to Augusta as he pulled on a lighter cloak than usual. It was still early spring, but it was fairly warm now.
Augusta groaned and ran a hand across her face. "All right, boy… Is it too much to hope that you won't come home tonight?"
He turned Gryffindor maroon. "Grandmother!" he scolded.
The Longbottom matriarch sighed. "Neville, dear, let me tell you a little something about women—"
"I really don't want to hear this…"
She harrumphed. "Fine, then. May I point something out to you?" She fixed him with a glare that put him in mind of the time she'd sent him the Remembrall; already he felt small, and he kept shrinking in his shoes. "You have been dating sweet Hannah for six years. You act as though every date's the first one. Did I raise such a timid boy? Is this the same man who cut down the Dark Lord's horrid snake?"
Neville fidgeted. He hadn't been expecting a lecture on his way out. But he knew his grandmother also had a point. "I'm…just taking things slow."
"Surely you've done more than kiss? She's a lovely girl. You can't let her get away."
He wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it. "Grandmother!" His voice was embarrassingly shrill. …but he knew he had to answer her. "…of course. But that's between Hannah and me!" Neville added on hastily.
Augusta pinched the bridge of her nose. Then she pointed a well-manicured finger at her grandson. "Do me a favor and don't come home until you can convince me that Hannah is yours for good. If you lose this one, it'll be on you." She hesitated for a moment, as if reconsidering the harshness of her last words. But then she gave up, frustrated, and turned, waving goodbye to him over her shoulder.
Neville left the house then, dwelling on her words. He knew exactly what she'd meant. She was referring to Luna, who had only ever seen him as a friend, and who had seemed to fallen for one Rolf Scamander a little too quickly for Neville's tastes.
But while that loss still stung a bit, the old flame of his dead love didn't burn him anymore. He had fallen for Hannah Abbott after the war. They had both been trying to become Sprout's apprentice, but Hannah had conceded to Neville. She didn't want to teach. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do, but she admired Neville's passion for Herbology, and so he'd taken the apprenticeship. Now he was looking forward to the next school year as his first teaching, since Sprout was retiring this year.
Things were looking up for him. Everything was working out to his favor, at last.
- ^-^3
He'd spoken too soon.
When he got to Hannah's flat, he was surprised to hear laughter coming from inside. That was odd, because Hannah rarely had visitors besides him. He knew she often saw Justin, as the two were still close, and she sometimes saw Zacharias, but no one had seen Eloise or Susan after the war, and Megan and Leanne had been lost…
He shook his head free of those thoughts and knocked on his girlfriend's door.
"No, no," a man said, laughing. "I'll get it. Go clean yourself up, luv." And then he opened the door. Light brown eyes met brown. "Oh. Wow. Longbottom."
It took Neville a minute to recognize him, as he hadn't seen him in years. "…Macmillan."
Ernie broke into a grin—which at least was nicer than the smirks and sneers Neville recalled from their time at school—and clapped him on the shoulder before dragging him inside. "Come on in, mate. Haven't seen you in a long time!"
"Funny. I was just about to say the same thing," Neville managed. He didn't take off his cloak until Ernie asked to hang it up.
"Yeah, I'm not surprised. I've been here and there, going from place to place, sometimes with my parents, sometimes without." The blond shrugged. "I still haven't figured out what I want to do, but that's where coming from an old pureblood family has its perks."
Neville nodded. A few of the old families still had money, Ernie's included. Neville and his grandmother rather just got by, considering his parents' long-term care did cost money.
"But you're not here to see me," Ernie noted with a smile. He cleaned up some spilled food dish in the living room and then turned and walked down the hall. "Hey, Hannah. Neville's here."
There was a crash as Hannah tripped over something, but then there she was. She looked to be a bit of a mess, with her shirt untucked and a jumper hastily pulled over her top. "Neville!"
"Hello," he said, and he went to her. "I didn't think I was early."
She pecked his cheek and gave his arms a squeeze. "No, no, you're—" She checked her watch and smiled. "Right on time, as usual."
"Are you ready to go?" He re-buttoned her cardigan for her so that the buttons and buttonholes matched up.
Hannah sighed. "Thank you, Nev. Had to put on a new shirt. And…not quite. As you can see, Ernie's here."
"Yep. I saw," the Gryffindor said tightly.
Hannah must've missed his tone. "I haven't seen him in forever…," she began.
Neville dreaded what came next.
"Maybe we could reschedule? Ernie doesn't know how long he'll be here this time. And I last saw him…" She was thoughtful for a moment. Then she called back to the loo: "Ernie, when were you last in England?"
"Two years ago" was his reply.
Neville blinked. "I don't remember that."
"Oh, well…" Hannah gave him an apologetic look. "It was only a short stop, and I think that was when you spent that month at Hogwarts with Sprout, dear."
"Oh… I guess that makes sense."
Ernie returned and came right up to them, as if the three of them and not just he and Hannah were old chums. "So, Neville, stay for a bite, yeah?"
Neville had the urge to tell Ernie that no, he would not be staying for a bite, because Ernie was supposed to leave so Neville could take Hannah out for an early dinner. But Augusta Longbottom had raised him with more manners than that, so Neville shook his head politely. "No, I couldn't possibly. You two are still catching up." Politeness aside, he couldn't help the edge his voice had.
Ernie wouldn't take no for an answer, though. "No, no, it's fine. Besides, I know you're an important part of Hannah's life, so we've got to fill each other in on everything. Best mate to boyfriend. Man to man."
Hannah gave Neville another apologetic look, but their date did indeed turn into a night in at Hannah's, with Ernie ordering delivery from a restaurant not far from Hannah's place.
At the end of the evening, Hannah announced that she was tired. "Ernie, you've got the couch in the living room. Try not to make a mess of my place, will you?" She kissed Neville goodnight, and tried to convey with her eyes that she'd make it up to him somehow, their wasted evening.
The men bid her goodnight…but then it was awfully quiet in the apartment. Neville stood. Ernie stood with him.
"So, uh, nice to see you again, Neville," Ernie said, walking him to the door.
Neville nodded stiffly. He didn't trust his voice if he parroted Ernie's words.
Ernie shook his hand. "You've been with her for so long now… I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of each other than we used to," he remarked.
"I suppose so," Neville said as he put his cloak back on. "Uh…goodnight, Ernie."
"'Night, Neville. Have a safe trip home."
"Hmm."
And then Ernie closed the door in his face.
Or had he? Neville walked for a short while before Disapparating home. Ernie probably meant nothing by it. Neville was reading into it too much. Besides, talking of a devil just to have it show up the next minute? That kind of thing only happened in stories, not in real life. Neville had nothing to worry about…and he chanted that to himself until he fell asleep that night.
- ^-^3
"You. Have something. To worry about," Dean told him two weeks later, after Ernie had been at Hannah's every night since then and wouldn't leave whenever Neville showed up.
They were at Dean's old home, which Dean had taken over following the war. His family had moved out of it during the war and had never returned, though it was still listed under the Thomas name. Now Dean used it as half apartment, half art studio since he freelanced these days. He liked to escape magic sometimes.
But it didn't mean he'd cut all his ties with magic or magical people, hence Neville's being there. "Don't get me wrong," the black man continued. "You and Hannah are great together, mate. But all the alliances were clear back in year one."
"How do you mean?" Neville asked, picking up some filthy cloth beside him and sniffing it. Merlin, that smelled utterly foul.
Dean took it from him and wiped his paint-dotted hands on it. "Don't tell me you never saw it. Even in our House alone. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were thick as thieves. Parvati and Lavender were inseparable. Fay and Sally-Anne were always found in a pair. And then there's Seamus, me, and you."
Neville gave a weak chuckle. "Sorry for being the third wheel."
"No, no, Seamus and I are best mates, but we love hanging out with you, too, Neville. But that's just the thing. Lines were drawn even back then. If I recall correctly, Hannah drew hers primarily with Ernie, though they were close to Justin, too, and kind of to Susan."
"And?"
"It's hard to forget where your loyalties lie when you grow up with them." Dean mussed up his hair…which now, as a result, had paint in it. But Neville didn't find it important enough to interrupt. "Look, Hannah's not going to stop being best mates with Ernie."
"So?"
"She's not going to stop being best mates with Ernie."
Neville still didn't get it.
Dean groaned and pulled up his art stool so that he could stare Neville in the face. "Where's Seamus to explain this stuff when I need him…? Look, Neville, Parvati and Lavender used to joke about who they thought would marry when we got older. They saw Hermione and Ron, Pansy and Draco—though that didn't happen—and…they saw Hannah and Ernie."
Neville felt hot under the collar all of a sudden. "Well, just because you're close doesn't mean you'll marry the person. No one thought you and Seamus would marry."
Dean nodded. "True. Who'd thought I find the love of my life last year only to let her walk away?" He was quiet for a moment; he didn't like talking about the Muggle woman who'd been too brash for him. "And who would've thought that Seamus and Lavender would marry and settle down and have a son?" he added, referencing his godson Troy Thomas Finnigan, who was little more than a year old. He smiled a bit.
"Still…Hannah and Ernie? I thought they were like siblings," Neville said stupidly.
"Isn't Hannah a bit gullible, though? No offense, mate."
Neville deflated. Dean had a point.
"Can I ask something, though?"
"Shoot."
Dean stroked his chin as he sat up on his stool. "You've been with Hannah for a long time now. Even Seamus and Lav didn't wait this long, and he had to see her through treatment at St. Mungo's after Greyback's attack. What's keeping you from putting a ring on her finger?"
Neville wished he had a snack to stuff in his mouth, because he didn't know how to answer that.
But Dean stared at him intently. He truly wanted an answer. Neville didn't blame him. It still stung Dean that he couldn't have married his woman. Naturally he wanted his friends to have the happiness he couldn't have.
"I dunno," Neville mumbled. "Does not having the ring count?"
To his surprise, Dean laughed and playfully punched his arm. "Neville! If that's all that's keeping you, then you should've said something! Have any idea what she likes?"
"Um…yellow gold and peri…what's it called?"
"What, peridot?"
"Yeah, that."
"Hmm." Dean stood and got back to work on his canvas. "Well, ask your grandmother or something, since Susan's not around to give a woman's opinion. Or ask Justin for help. I'm sure he'd give it—he's an all-around nice bloke," he added with a tiny grin, not remarking that Justin was also a tad effeminate.
"All right, then… I guess I'll give it a shot…"
- ^-^3
Augusta was ecstatic that Neville was finally going to buy Hannah a ring. "And? When are you proposing?"
"I haven't figured out that part yet," Neville told her as they ate lunch together one weekend.
"Well, you at least know her ring size, right?"
"Yes, Gran, I do."
"Don't be a spendthrift, either, boy. Spend a few extra Galleons than you were planning."
Neville, as he often did when he spoke with his grandmother about Hannah and their future, wanted to sink through the floor. Was he or was he not a grown man? …who was still living with his grandmother merely to keep her company, of course.
He was thankful to Justin for meeting him the following day, though. Justin, like Neville, sought to teach at Hogwarts. The only difference between them was that Justin had already been teaching for a year, partially because his studies had finished faster than Neville's and partially because Hogwarts had not been able to fill Charity Burbage's position since the war. But now Hogwarts had a Muggle Studies professor once again, and Justin had never been so busy.
"But I can make time when it concerns Hannah," he assured Neville when they met in Muggle London. "She's like a sister to me, so I want to see her happy just as much as you do, Neville."
The lion smiled. "Thank you. And thank you for your guidance, too. I haven't the foggiest where I'd get a ring for her, anyway."
Justin nodded. "It's fine. This jeweler is a client of my parents, so they should be helpful as well as reasonable since I know them personally." He paused Neville with a gentle hand on his chest. "You did stop by Gringotts first, correct?"
"Yes. I've a few hundred quid to spend. I don't think I'll ever spend so much in my life ever again."
Justin nodded. "Don't fret about it. You'll find what you're looking forward and it won't kill your wallet, I guarantee it."
They walked into a section of London that looked to be run by bankers and the business type. Yet tucked away was a small, two-story building labelled Brahms' Finest.
"With a name like that, you'd think it'd be a music store," Justin remarked as they entered. But he dismissed the joke with a wave of his hand when Neville didn't laugh at the Muggle reference.
Inside, it was so shiny and sparkly it almost hurt to look. But, unfortunately, look Neville did. He gawked at not only the prices but the designs, as well. It was like stepping into another dimension where the beings didn't have the terms "modest" or "conservative." "I'm not sure this is the right place to look, Justin…"
"Nonsense!" Justin snapped his fingers and flagged down a clerk who greeted him with a warm smile. After exchanging pleasantries, the clerk went and fetched some settings for Neville to see.
"Um…they…look alike to me," Neville confessed.
"Well, I'll tell you that Hannah wouldn't want something entirely plain," the Hufflepuff commented. He raised his eyebrows and jerked his head a bit to the left, so that Neville was only looking at three bands.
"Uh…that one," he said randomly, pointing to the middle one.
Justin stared at it for a moment and nodded. "That's a very good choice indeed."
Neville felt as though he'd just earned a N.E.W.T.
The clerk then explained the various cuts, and so Neville settled on a "square-cut, satin-finished peridot." Neville could only afford the one stone in the band, but he felt accomplished by the end of the day, and he and Justin waited while the stone was set.
"Now I just have to figure out when to pop the question," Neville told his companion.
Justin grinned from ear to ear. "As long as you do it soon, you should be fine. You really shouldn't drag your feet any longer, Neville. It's about time you two got married."
Neville nodded, because he couldn't agree more. So at last he paid and he walked away with Hannah's ring tucked safely inside his shirt's break pocket, hidden and protected by his zipped-up jacket.
"I'm glad I could help," Justin said, his tone a little sad. But he shook Neville's hand. "Since I'm here, I might as well catch a cab to my parents' work and see them. Good luck, Neville! And remember, don't dawdle any longer!"
Neville nodded again, and waited until Justin got his cab and sped off. Then Neville headed home.
- ^-^3
He showered, shaved, and put on his best (and mild) cologne. He dressed better than he normally did, though he made certain that he didn't look too formal. He didn't want to alert Hannah to anything different tonight. Otherwise that would ruin everything.
Still… Neville shook his head, trying to wipe the giddy grin off his face. Justin hadn't said to propose tonight, but Neville was good about taking someone else's idea and running with it. Like when Gryffindor's sword had landed at his feet. He'd just run with that idea, and it had turned out to be one of the best decisions in his entire life so far.
He arrived at Hannah's place and paced a few times outside her door before knocking. He prayed to the powers that be that Ernie didn't answer. He wasn't sure what he'd do if Ernie was still there…but he'd figure out something. He'd have to.
Thankfully, Hannah opened the door, and her eyes were bright as they landed on him. "Hi, Neville," she said cheerfully, and she hugged and kissed him as he came inside.
"Hey, Hannah." The place was fairly quiet… "Oh, is Ernie not here?" He hoped she couldn't hear the excitement in his voice.
"Not right now. He's over at Zacharias and Parvati's place, since he hasn't met their son, Xerxes, yet." She led him into the living room and sat him down beside her on the couch, but they faced each other. "I have big news, by the way."
Neville's giddy grin returned. "Me, too."
"Oh?" She wasn't expecting that.
"But you first, Han."
She nodded and then burst: "I'm taking over the Leaky Cauldron!"
He gaped at her.
"I know, right?"
"But, you…"
"I know, I know… I don't know the first thing about running an inn or a pub. But old Tom's got the 'Help Wanted' sign in the window, and when Ernie and I talked to him earlier today, Tom confessed that he really just wanted to sell the place and move on to better things. It took him a while to repair it after the war, you know."
Neville numbly nodded; he couldn't picture living above a pub… "You and Ernie…?"
"Well, initially I wasn't sure about it, but Ernie convinced me of it, saying it'd be a kind of investment. And I'd be my own boss. 'Course, Tom will stay on for a little while longer while he shows me the ropes, but it'll be mine someday soon." She laughed, and she was happy. "Can you imagine? Just a stroll to Diagon Alley and suddenly I know what I want to do with my life."
"You and Ernie…," Neville repeated.
Hannah's laughter died down. "Yes, me and Ernie." She sounded defensive. "That shouldn't be a surprise, Nev. He's been here almost a full month, and we've spent most of our days together. We were just going out for a bite earlier when it happened."
A lump formed in his throat, the kind he couldn't swallow. "You and Ernie," he choked.
The blonde witch crossed her arms in front of her chest, and the room felt cold. "…sweet Merlin, Neville. Is it finally time to have this argument?"
He didn't know where to look, so he just stared at the fabric of her couch. It was bright chartreuse. Like the stems of the flowers they used to cut in the greenhouses. Like the stone of the ring he'd just bought for her.
Her voice broke. "Neville…" Her voice was breathy. "Neville… Oh, Neville…" Hannah shook her head. "Luv, when will it be you and me? Not me and Ernie, but you and me? It's not that I'm begrudging you working. Your passion for Herbology is one of the things I love the most about you. But…but sometimes I wonder if this is all you want out of us," she said, gesturing between them. Her eyes were wet and blurry. "Neville, when will you say that you want to marry me, to do something with our lives? To have a real future together?"
Neville picked his head up, furrowing his brow. Was this his cue? No, it was a bad time to ask what he wanted to ask.
Hannah looked away. "If it's not you and me…then maybe it is Ernie and me," she muttered.
His heart—that was the lump lodged in his throat.
"He proposed to me. I can't say I wasn't expecting it. He's loved me since we were little. I…" She fidgeted with her denims, picking at the material where a thread had come loose. "I used to have a crush on him when we were younger. I can almost see it now." She faced Neville again. "But I want you, Neville. Do you want me?"
What was this, an ultimatum?
"Neville, tell me, now or never—are you ever going to consider marrying me? If not…then maybe I'll finally say 'yes' to Ernie."
That shook him out of his stupor. "Wait, 'finally'?"
She blanched for a second, but then she fixed him with a glare. "Yes. I happen to be very marriageable. Ernie's been proposing to me every year since sixth year, I'll have you know."
"So when he last visited two years ago—"
"Yes, he said it then, too."
He stood abruptly, causing her to jolt. "Um. Give me a night to think, will you?"
Hannah stared at him confusedly. "I…I guess…"
Neville nodded, and then he left her building. He made it to the park-like clearing across the street before he began pacing again.
It didn't come as too much of a surprise, this news about Ernie. Especially not after Neville's insightful talk with Dean. But he'd been about to propose tonight. And Hannah in the Leaky Cauldron—
Good Godric, it was too much information, too much change for one day.
But…but maybe that was what he needed.
He thought about how his grandmother treated him as if he had yet to grow up. He thought about Ernie's ease around him, as if he weren't a threat. He thought about Hannah's statements about Neville being happy in this homeostasis.
And then he realized he'd thought too much about everything. He needed to summon his Gryffindor courage and outline things immediately.
So Neville stormed back into Hannah's building. He knocked and prepared to unleash his real thoughts before he proposed because, so help him Merlin, if there was one thing he'd get right tonight, then it would be his bloody proposal.
But Hannah shocked him when she answered the door, solemnly. Her eyes were red, but she'd stopped crying. That was stunning, considering he'd only been out for five minutes.
Every other thought flew out of his head. He even forgot to get down on one knee or even open the box as he passed it to her. "Will you marry me?"
Hannah smiled and nodded and kissed him, and it was one of their best—in fact, their true best, as he'd later learn, years after they'd divorced and he'd look back on their time together even a little fondly. When they broke for breath, she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Justin Floo'd me. He couldn't keep it a secret. Said you'd just got the ring today."
"See? It's a sign. Before you even said anything, I had been considering marrying you. I just needed to give my two pence."
They laughed then, because this had been so silly. This had been so them. Timid Neville and shy Hannah—it would be the beginning of a journey. A journey that would come to an end someday, but they didn't know that or need to know that in that moment, because the journey was theirs to have.
- ^-^3
Yup, I did that. ;P If you've read any of my other fics, then you know I ship Neville/Victoire (M&MWP, which also describes Zach/Parvati; see my profile for details about that and the "Maydayverse"). However, Nevannah, for me, has to happen in order for Vicnev to happen…but I don't agree with the random pairing JKR gave Neville. I would've been fine with him with Luna (and thank the movies for nearly making that canon!), but Hannah… Hannernie, sorry. ;P I do think that Neville would have this issue, regardless; he's the type of guy to take things painstakingly slow. And while Dean was kind, I hinted that Justin here had a feeling that Neville and Hannah wouldn't last… And Ernie. So stubborn! In my head-canon, he never gives up…but will Hannah ever say yes? (Prolly. 'Cuz I'm a sucker for happy endings. ;P)*sigh* Anyway, Troy and Xerxes are OCs of mine, and I have yet to write Dean's story (though I do have it planned!). Fay and Sally-Anne aren't OCs, though—they're Fay Dunbar and Sally-Anne Perks, who I assume to be the other Gryffindor girls in their year. And Justin is effeminate for a reason…! *jamestin, jamestin, jamestin* And I give Justin's parents names and jobs in my oneshot, "Trial By Fire," if you're curious. And, lastly… (Because this A/N is now TOO long…) If you liked this and/or enjoyed how I wrote Neville, I would definitely recommend my fics, until the ride ends & even after that and "Impudent You." Or my other fics in general. ;P But yeah. Apparently, this is me on HP Ship Weeks. xD *instead of doing an English paper* Thanks to autumn midnights, my FFN lil' sis, for rec'ing this on her tumblr since I'm too lazy to get a tumblr. *glomps* -w-
Thanks for reading, and please do review! Reviews feed authors, you know.
-mew-tsubaki B)