First and Second Chances at Love
Luna Lovegood stood at the freshly placed gravestone of her late husband Rolf. She knew her last name should have been Scamander but she couldn't bring herself to take his name. She was of course sad at his passing, as any widow should be, but she was mostly just upset that her 20 year old twin sons Lycan and Lysander wouldn't have a father. Luna sighed; she had never been able to truly love her husband. Although it wasn't for lack of trying. She had tried for years but it was a lost cause, there was only one man she knew she could ever love. She whispered his name for the first time in 20 years. Neville.
Neville Longbottom looked at his ex-wife, still holding the annulment papers. "I'm sorry things didn't work out Hannah."
"So am I, but there never really was any chance."
"Hannah are you ready to go?" Ernie Macmillian, Hannah's new boyfriend asked.
"Yes," Hannah turned back to Neville and held out her hand which he shook, "Goodbye."
As he heard Hannah say her goodbyes to their 20 year old twin daughters Augusta and Alice, and drive off with Ernie, Neville let his thoughts wander to a woman whom he had pushed any thought of out of his head for 20 long years. He had not permitted himself to think of her because she was the only woman he ever loved. But now he breathed her name. Luna.
Alice and Augusta were glad to be starting work, partly because they were able to work together, but more because their father had been acting strangely as of late. Their friends assumed he was just depressed because of the annulment, but they knew that their parents had been glad to get out of the marriage. They could tell that something else was bothering him, they just didn't know what.
Lycan and Lysander had been working for a year now, but had recently been told that they were going to get to work with an attractive pair of twin girls. They were excited at the prospect of girls working so closely with them, but they were worried about their mother, she was so quiet lately. They had always been able to tell that she didn't love their father, so why was she depressed?
The four's anxieties about their parents disappeared as soon as they saw their new partners. Alice and Augusta were stunned by the boys' gorgeous blond hair and wide silver eyes. At first glance the girls' brown hair looked perfectly ordinary and their front teeth were slightly crooked. But when Lycan and Lysander looked again, they realized that there was something about the girls, it was hard to know just what, but they seemed to glow from within, and their hair was a very dark brown, so dark it almost looked black.
The twin's boss introduced them; "Lycan and Lysander this is Augusta and Alice Longbottom. Augusta and Alice, I'd like you to meet Lycan and Lysander Lovegood." He left to let them get to work.
"Mum, we met the most amazing girls today!" Lysander shouted, bursting though the front door and into the kitchen where Luna was sitting, wiping her eyes.
"Alice and Augusta sure are something," Lycan added.
Luna smiled softly at her boys, "Who are Alice and Augusta? She asked quietly. "Our new partners!" The boys said together, "and they're fantastic mum!"
"How was your first day at work girls?" Neville asked as his daughters walked in.
"We're working with two really nice boys," Alice told him, "Lysander and Lycan."
"They are very sweet and were extremely helpful," Augusta agreed.
As they continued working together Augusta, Lysander, Alice, and Lycan also continued becoming closer. Augusta and Lysander fell for each other, as did Alice and Lycan.
A month or two after the girls started working with the boys; they agreed to go on a double dinner date together.
At dinner they started talking about their parents. "Our mum won't tell us much about her school days," Lysander said.
"About all she'll tell us is that she was a Ravenclaw and didn't have any real friends until her fourth year, before that everyone called her 'Loony'" Lycan added.
"Our dad doesn't talk much about when he was in school either," Augusta told them.
"He said that he was a Gryffindor and was good at Herbology," Alice said, "although now that I think about it, he did say once that he wasn't very close to any of the other students until his fifth year."
"Our dad should meet you," Augusta said, "It might loosen him up a bit; he's been so tense lately."
"I was just thinking that our mum should meet you girls," Lysander said, "she's been depressed and crying a lot. You two would cheer her up for sure."
They met in a park near where the girls lived. Augusta, Alice, Lycan, and Lysander were very surprised when Neville and Luna both stopped dead and stared at each other.
"Neville?" "Luna?" "The boys are dating your daughters?" "The girls are dating your sons?" "I don't believe it!" "You don't believe it? I don't believe it." And to the surprise of the 20 year olds, suddenly Neville and Luna were in each others arms, laughing and crying hysterically at the same time.
"We were friends at Hogwarts," Luna explained. They were sitting in the living room at Neville's house.
"We were the very best of friends and we fought together in the war," Neville continued.
"We lost track of each other a few years later," Luna said, taking deep breaths.
Neville looked at Luna gently and Alice realized… "You were in love weren't you?" Everyone gaped at her. Neville and Luna glanced at each other, blushed and looked at the floor.
"Well, were you?" Lycan prodded.
"Yes," Luna said in a very small voice, Neville couldn't even speak, he just nodded slightly.
The kids left the room, realizing Neville and Luna needed time alone. Neville and Luna sat close, just holding each other. "Luna… I still love you. You were the only one I ever truly loved."
"Oh Neville," Luna choked out, "I still love you too." She threw her arms around his neck, ran her fingers though his hair, and kissed him passionately.
"Luna… marry me?"
"Of course. Although the twins might mind."
"Mind?" asked Lysander as he entered the room. "Who'll mind?"
"We'll be able to have a triple wedding," Lycan added as Alice and Augusta showed off their engagement rings. Luna and Neville looked at each other and burst into laughter.
The triple wedding the next June was quite the event. It was hard to know who was laughing harder at how things turned out, Harry and Ginny Potter or Ron and Hermione Weasley. Hannah and Ernie were laughing almost as hard, even Rolf's family was laughing. But all laugher stopped when the brides entered the church, throughout the whole ceremony there wasn't a dry eye, everyone was so overcome by happiness. Neville and Luna never would have imagined their wedding would be such an amazing event. And the two sets of twins couldn't believe the change in their parents. The three couples felt that they were the luckiest people alive.
"I now pronounce you husbands and wives, you may kiss the brides."
As one, the three men leaned down and kissed their brides.