Do You Believe It?

Neville paced through the waiting room of the maternal ward in St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. He chomped fiercely at his thumbnail he had shoved in his mouth. He was never really one to bite his nails, but he felt that if he were to ever become one, now would definitely the time. He was going to be a father. Neville Longbottom: professor former auror, now a father. Neville laughed nervously at the thought. His friends had become fathers long before he had. Harry had several, Ron had his share, Even Dean and Seamus adopted a son after they had gotten together. Now it was just Neville, the quirky Herbology professor, left childless.

It wasn't that he and Hannah didn't want children, they did. Especially Hannah. Shortly after she and Neville were married, she wanted children. "a small army of little ones," in fact. It was just that Neville was afraid. Terrified, actually. He knew that he would never end up like his parents, but he couldn't help that thought resurfacing in his mind. Nothing hurt more than having your parents look you in the eye and have them not recognize you as a human, much less a son. He couldn't stand to have them happen to his child.


"Do you believe it, Neville Longbottom?" a pale girl asked as she helped Neville out of the cupboard Crabbe and Goyle had shoved him into, her blond hair framing her delicate face.

Neville stared blankly at Luna."Who are you?" he asked, ignoring her vague question.

"Luna Lovegood: Ravenclaw, first year, though, you may know me as 'Looney.'Some of the boys in my year have taken to that name," she stated plainly, yet she had an airy tone to her voice as if she was always thinking of other things when spoke to you. "Now," she began, "do you believe it?" she asked once more.

"Believe what?" Neville asked, his voice more curious than annoyed, while swatting the dust that had collected on his pants from banging on the wooden door to the cupboard.

"You're a Gryffindor, House of the bravest. Do you believe you are brave?" She watched him adjust his clothes and shake out his numbed limbs.

"Yeah, sure. About as brave as a cardboard box," Neville scoffed at the strange girl.

"Oh, but I don't think so." Her eyes widened and stepped closer to Neville. "You'll believe one day. Even if you don't, others will," said Luna before she turned quickly and skipped down the corridor.


"Mr. Longbottom?" A nurse's head peered around a large swinging door. A small smile spread across her face and sparkled in her tired eyes. "Your family is waiting for you." She held the door open for Neville.

"My family," Neville whispered to himself. He wasn't sure whether to break out into a dance number to to run relentlessly in the other direction. He settled for a grin and followed the woman down the seemingly endless corridor to the room where his wife and child were waiting for him.


"Well done, Neville," Luna sounded from behind Neville. The war had just ended, Neville had killed the snake, and the Dark Lord was to never rise again.

"Luna!" Neville broke from the celebrating crowd and rushed to Luna, picking her up and swinging her in circles, a broad grin painted on his dirty, blood-stained face. "Harry's done it, Luna! It's over! It's all over!" he screamed, finally putting Luna back on the floor.

She staggered and put her hands on each of Neville's shoulders, a smile playing at her bloodied lips. "Do you believe it now, Neville Longbottom?"


"Here we are, Mr. Longbottom. Congratulations," said the nurse as they reached the door marked 'Longbottom.' She clapped her hand on Neville's shoulder before disappearing into one of the other rooms.

Neville grasped the cool metal of the doorknob in his sweaty grip and entered the room. Hannah was lying on the bed, their child, wrapped in a fluffy orange blanket, in her lap. Hannah's hair was a mess: stringy and matted to her face in places. Her face was pinked from labor and she looked like she hadn't slept in weeks, but with Neville's child placed just so in her arms, Neville couldn't think of any other word to describe her but beautiful.

Hannah looked up from the infant and managed a grin. "Daddy's here, baby," she cooed into the blanket, earning a small chuckle from Neville. He stepped froward to be at Hannah's bedside and looked into the bundle. "Would you like to hold her?"

Neville reached down and cradled the small child in his hands and held her close. Her hair was as blond and blond could ever get and her eyes were a milky brown, just like her mother's. She stared up into Neville's eyes imploringly and squirmed slightly in her blanket.

"Do you believe it?" Hannah asked sleepily before falling back onto the pillows stacked up behind her. "We're parents."

Neville eyes watered and beamed into the bundle. "Yeah, I do."


Here it is! My first HP fanfic to be posted! I hope to post more soon! This will probably be my only one with these pairings. Thanks for reading! ~Ember