Can Last Night, Last?
A/N: So, this is sort of a song-fic. In the sense it was inspired by the amazing Lady Antebellum song, 'Last Night Last'. Which I made a Hermione/Neville music video to, and then thought, gosh I have to explore this properly, its fanfic time!
Here's the link to the video by the way, if anyone is interested!
watch?v=S52Z06-TKWg&feature=
So here are some of the key lyrics that inspired the fic!
'All these years…we've been nothing but friends…and even though, we didn't plan on this…Can last night, last? Or was it just too much red wine? Or one too many lonely nights?'
'I probably should be going now because I'm not quite sure what to say. I'm so afraid you might get scared, if I told you how much I wanna stay…Here we are, somewhere between lovers and friends. Is this the end? Or where it begins?'
Enjoy!
In some ways the war had changed everything. Yet, in other ways, everything was the same. Hogwarts was the same, it had been restored to its former glory yet the corridors felt different. The castle, although it looked the same somehow felt changed.
Neville had decided against returning to redo his 7th year. He wanted to move on with his life, and put the events of the last year behind him. The sight of the dungeons still made his skin crawl with the things he had seen there. The things he had seen the Carrows inflict on his friends. There were good memories of course, mixed in with the bad, but he had thought a fresh start was the best option.
He wasn't the only one. Harry and Ron didn't want to go back either. The Ministry had opened up Auror training to those who had proven themselves fighting in the war. It was an attempt to fill the gaps left by Aurors who had died in the war, Aurors like Moody and Tonks. And it meant that regardless of your grades, you could enter Auror training. Harry had leapt at the chance, and Ron and Neville had gone to the testing day. They had both decided it wasn't for them, Ron couldn't be bothered with the pressure and all Neville wanted to do was put the fighting in his past. So, Ron had signed a contract and was now co-owner of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, taking his older brothers place. Harry, no surprises there, had loved Auror training and decided to stick it out. Neville could have sworn that boy needed the adrenaline rush to keep him alive.
Ginny and Luna had no choice of course, they had to return for their final year of school. Neville would never admit it, but Luna had become one of his best friends and he was missing her now that term had commenced. Despite his job at Hogwarts Neville rarely saw or interacted with her. He supposed Harry felt the same, about Ginny, because they had rekindled their romance not long after the final battle. Neville had ended up back at school, in a funny sort of way, but not as a student. As a temporary helper, or in other words, general dogs body for the staff of the school. Still, it paid well enough and it was the one place Neville had always felt at home, he just made sure he avoided the dungeons.
Everyone was still working their way back to their old self. Nobody had quite gotten there yet. Hermione seemed to be the closest to normal, despite the torture she had endured during the war. She and Ron, again no surprises there, had leapt into each other's arms the moment it was all over. They, along with Harry and Ginny, were the wizarding worlds golden couple, according to the Prophet anyway. She had left a few weeks ago, she had said something about going to Australia and finding her parents, and Ron had said he couldn't go with her, because he had the shop.
But, Neville, on the other hand. He was not entirely back to normal yet, he was getting there and he was pretty damn close too but he wasn't there yet. His best friend, Justin, was also a temp at Hogwarts, and although he constantly nagged him, Neville was grateful about that. He was sure his situation would be worse if Justin didn't search the house for firewhiskey to make sure he didn't drink too much on one of his bad-tempered nights. Justin, who fancied himself as a bit of a healer, training alongside Madam Pomfrey in his free time, used medical terms like 'post-traumatic stress' and 'triggers' and Neville rolled his eyes and said he just needed to forget sometimes.
On this particular Saturday night, Neville had indulged in a couple of drinks. Or was it more like 4 or 5? It was enough to blur his judgement, if nothing else. But he never expected that he would have company, so he didn't see any harm in it.
When there was a knock on the door to his little Muggle flat in central London he frowned and glanced up at the clock. It was 1.15am. Who on earth would be knocking on his door at this time of night? The knocking got louder, and more frantic, so Neville pushed himself from his armchair and walked down the hallway to the door. He yanked it open, and was completely taken by surprise when he saw Hermione Granger standing there, soaked to the skin from the heavy rain, and sobbing her heart out.
Without a second thought Neville ushered her inside and shut the door, locking it behind her for good measure. If nothing else the war had made him paranoid.
'Hermione,' Neville said gently, 'what's happened?'
His initial thoughts had been confusion. After all, why on earth would Hermione show up here? They were friends of course, they had been friends since they were 11 years old. But he wasn't exactly Harry or Ron. Ginny and Luna were at school, so that put them out of the equation. Neville then remembered that Harry could not see anyone at the moment, because for the first three months of Auror training you were in 'isolation'. The fact Hermione was here and not with Ron therefore probably meant that Ron had caused the problem.
Hermione took a shaky breath and sobbed, 'My parents are dead Neville….V…Voldemort…f…f…found them….and…when I got there…they…they were…'
Her sobbing got so bad that she couldn't speak, so Neville put his arm around her and led her to the living room. He literally guided her onto the sofa and cast a drying charm on her soaking clothes in a futile attempt to stop her from shivering.
He didn't know what to say. What do you say to someone when their parents die? I'm sorry? He knew that one didn't work, it just made people angry. They didn't need to hear that you were sorry. They didn't need to hear anything, really. They just needed comfort, and that was what Hermione was really seeking here. What would Harry have done? Hugged her probably, in an attempt to make it seem like he was being helpful when really he couldn't do anything.
Neville sighed and wrapped his arms around Hermione. He had clearly done the night thing because she leant into him and cried, quietly now, but the force of it still shook her entire body and for the first time Neville realised how small she had gotten. She had always been quite short really, she couldn't have been much more than 5 foot, but then again he had gotten quite tall in the past couple of years so it was hard to tell. But that wasn't what Neville noticed, it was how small and fragile she had become. He had always remembered Hermione as full of life, with a big personality and big hair to match it. But now, with her hair falling flat around her face she looked so broken. Her face was gaunt, and where she had once had curves, that Neville had always tried very hard not to notice, she was now more skeletal. He supposed it was the effect of the war, the effect of not really eating properly for months. Or maybe it was the torture, because the cruciatus curse was not something you easily recovered from, physically or mentally. Neville could only think that she needed someone to look after her, to feed her up, and to help her forget. And wasn't that supposed to be Ron's job?
He lost track of time as they sat there, he didn't know for how long as the rain ceased outside and the room quietened. After a while all they could hear was each other's breathing. When Hermione had calmed down enough to speak, she whispered. He didn't know why she didn't talk normally, maybe she just wasn't up to it. He pondered offering her a drink, but he decided against it. A glass of firewhiskey could make you feel better once, and then everytime you felt bad you wanted one. He didn't want to set her on that path, he didn't want to make her like him.
'I'm sorry Neville,' Hermione said, 'I shouldn't have come here so late but I didn't know where else to go.'
'It's okay,' Neville said honestly.
'I just…I was sure I had been so clever…I didn't think he would ever find them out there,' Hermione said.
'You were clever, but he was always more clever Hermione,' Neville said, his hands stroking her drying hair absentmindedly. He had to bite back a smile, it was getting frizzier and frizzier.
Hermione sighed deeply, it was a sigh of someone older than their years, 'I don't know what to do now.'
'You just have to carry on,' Neville said honestly, 'I know it's hard, but that is all there is to it. We can't bring them back, so we have to learn to live without them.'
Hermione nodded, but she remained silent. She had stopped crying, and Neville couldn't help but wonder what was on her mind. He had always admired Hermione, in fact he had always adored her. When they were very young she was this smart girl with a big heart who would help him whenever he needed it. Maybe he remembered things differently from her, but to him those early years at Hogwarts were filled with study sessions in the library, and whispered potions tips in the dungeons. He smiled slightly at the thought of it.
'Why are you smiling?' Hermione asked curiously.
'I was just thinking about our friendship over the years,' Neville said honestly, 'and how it evolved…I used to be the one who you had to come and help. You were always the one saving the day.'
'And now it's you,' Hermione said with a weak chuckle.
Neville's smile remained on his face as he thought to their 3rd year when Hermione had spent more time with him after Ron and Harry had fallen out with her over something trivial and stupid, like a broomstick. They had sat by the lake and eaten toast for breakfast so that she could avoid her friends, and they had worked together late into the night in the library. After that, they saw each other less, with Hermione trying so hard to help Harry in the tri-wizard tournament. But then there had been the DA, and Hermione had been as supportive of him then as she had ever been, her confidence in him had really helped and it had been those memories of breakfast down at the lake that helped him conjure his first patronus. He remembered how proudly she had smiled when she saw it dart across the room. She had visited him every day he was in the hospital wing, after the incident in the Ministry that year, she had told him how the whole school thought he was so brave and it had lifted his spirits more than anything else could. In 6th year she had been preoccupied with the whole Ron/Lavender drama, so he had spent a lot of time listening to her ranting and bitching about that which was suffice to say, not the way he wanted to spend his time with her, and then…well, then the war had happened and now everything was different.
'I miss it,' Hermione said out of the blue.
'You miss our friendship?' Neville asked in surprise, 'we're still friends.'
'I know,' Hermione said as she shuffled around so that she could look at him. Neville had noticed that his arm was still around her, and he briefly wondered if he should move it but decided against the idea.
'But I miss how carefree we were then…the biggest problems were my idiot friends and the giant squid stealing your breakfast,' Hermione said, with a reluctant giggle.
Neville grinned, 'I was quite outraged that morning,' he admitted.
Hermione choked on her laughter and Neville was so relieved to see that smile plastered on her face again. It had been so long, too long really, since she had smiled properly. She looked up at him, and a little frown formed on her face, 'When did you get so tall, Neville?'
Neville laughed quietly, 'Yeah, I had a bit of a growth spurt over the summer before 7th year,' he admitted.
'I nearly didn't recognise you,' Hermione admitted, and Neville noticed a faint blush on her cheeks, 'when we came back to Hogwarts…you changed, quite a bit.'
'Yeah, and you were stinking and covered in dirt,' Neville teased, to try and make her feel more comfortable.
It worked because she laughed and weakly hit his arm, with a vaguely irritated, 'Hey!'
Neville smiled somewhat sadly, 'You have changed Hermione. You don't look well, you need someone to look after you.'
Hermione sighed and looked him in the eye, 'Do I?'
Neville frowned slightly, 'Yes,' he said.
She continued to look into his eyes, he didn't know what she was looking for, or whether she found it. Her eyes were puffy, and bloodshot but despite that, and despite her gaunt features, she was still as beautiful as she had always been. He had to admit, he had never doubted her beauty, even when she had those big front teeth she had hated so much. He thought they made her look quite cute when they were younger.
'You've always been a great friend Neville,' Hermione said quietly.
Neville sighed, looking into those hazel brown eyes, 'I know. But that's all I've ever been, isn't it?'
Hermione seemed to be trying to work that out for herself. Her eyes searched his, and then she shook her head, 'No,' she whispered.
Before Neville had time to even think of a response to that, let alone to get it out of his mouth, she had pushed herself onto her knees so that she could reach his lips, and then captured them in a searing kiss. In any other situation, or more to the point, at any point when he had not been drinking since 7pm, he would have pushed her away and told her that it wasn't the right time. She had lost her parents, she was upset, and she wasn't thinking straight. If he had been sober his brain would have reminded him of that, and this wouldn't have gone any further.
But Neville was not sober. He had been drinking since 7pm, and all his brain could do was shout and scream about the fact the thing he had been daydreaming about since he was 11 years old was finally bloody happening. So his morally weakened mind told him it was a good idea to kiss her back, and he did. He deepened the kiss, his hands losing themselves in her frizzy hair. She made a sound, somewhere between a sigh, and a moan, and Neville knew that if he didn't stop now he stood no chance of ever stopping this thing.
'Hermione,' Neville protested weakly, as he broke the kiss.
Hermione groaned. She actually groaned in frustration and looked at him, with a fire burning in her eyes, 'I don't need your moral bloody conscience tonight Neville. If that's what I was looking for I'd have gone to Harry.'
Neville knew she couldn't have gone to Harry, but he didn't comment on that. He was going to ask her why she had come here, and why she wasn't with Ron. But then she was kissing him again, and straddling him on the sofa, and his brain went completely blank of all the important things that should have been filling it like the fact she was one of his best friends, and the fact that she had a boyfriend, who also happened to be one of his best friends.
He didn't think about that though. He just thought about how it was everything he always thought it would be, and more. The faintly flowery smell of her perfume invaded his nostrils, and before he knew what he was doing he was kissing her back with just as much fervor as she was kissing him, and his hands were roaming down her back. As wrong as it was, for a million reasons, they clearly both wanted it, and it wasn't like they were shy teenagers anymore. It wasn't like they didn't know what they were doing. Hermione had been with Ron for a few months, and Neville knew everything that happened in that relationship because Ron liked to brag. Neville's skin crawled when Ron had talked about her in such a derogatory way, because in his mind she was a beautiful, independent strong woman and she was worth so much more than her body. And then Neville, as awkward as he had once been, had really grown into himself during the war and in his short-lived, and disastrous relationship with Susan Bones after the war, he had seen his fair share of action too. They knew exactly what they were getting into, they knew exactly what kind of fire they were playing with and when it should have burned them, as a warning sign to stop, it didn't. Instead it only fuelled whatever this was, because neither of them could deny the chemistry, or the sexual tension, that they had never felt so strongly before.
Neville was pulled from his thoughts sharply when he realised that Hermione had been unbuttoning his shirt and had just pulled it off his body, rather violently. He had to admit, it was different, Susan had always removed clothes magically, with a simple wave of her wand. Hermione took care to undo every button, and unzip every zip and it only made the tension build even further.
She must have seen the surprise in his eyes, because Hermione fixed him with an intense, almost amused look and said, in a voice far smoother than her ordinary one, 'Why am I not surprised you do things the pureblood way?'
Neville raised an eyebrow at her, 'The pureblood way?' he asked, his own voice sounding completely different with the intensity of the moment.
Hermione's lips quirked into a smirk, and he saw the Slytherin side of her that he had always known was there, 'There's something a lot more fun about taking every piece of clothing off by hand,' she murmured as she claimed his lips once more.
As Neville began to unbutton her blouse, he couldn't help but entirely agree…
Fuck…Fuck…Fuck…Shit!
Those were the rough thoughts going through Neville's head as he emerged from the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He looked into the mirror, and shook his head at his reflection, 'What the fuck have I done?' he muttered as he turned the hot water off and sat down on the edge of the bath, letting his head fall into his hands.
'You don't look that bad dear,' the mirror said absentmindedly.
Neville ignored it, and groaned. He had taken his time in the shower, in the hope that when he left the bathroom the bushy haired beauty in his bed would be gone. He was killing time, afraid to leave the bathroom and face her. Because what would he say? What did you say to someone who you had lov - loved? No, known - for years…who you had just slept with? Someone who was dating one of your best friends. What did you do when you became the 'other man' in that person's life?
Neville groaned again, and cursed his moral compass for leading him so astray last night. She had been vulnerable, what kind of sick monster was he for sleeping with her? He had entirely taken advantage of her, and he was disgusted by himself. But there was nothing left to do now but face it. He got to his feet and blew out a long breath before leaving the bathroom and padding into the adjacent bedroom.
Hermione was still there, but she was fully dressed and in the process of lacing her boots up. She had tamed her hair, and when she saw Neville she instantly looked away.
Neville sighed, 'Right. Well I'll go and get the coffee on. Have you got time for a cup?'
Hermione looked up at Neville in disbelief, 'Are you seriously asking me about coffee right now?'
'What else am I supposed to say Hermione?' Neville asked honestly.
Hermione shook her head and pulled her laces tighter than she needed to, 'Oh I don't know. How about, I'm so sorry, last night should never have happened?'
'You're right, it shouldn't have,' Neville said, grabbing his wand from his bedside table and transfiguring himself into clothes, 'but it did and unless you have a timeturner hidden away somewhere you can't change that.'
Hermione got to her feet with a sigh, 'Neville. Last night was…I wasn't…I wasn't thinking straight-'
'I know,' Neville said honestly.
'And you…' Hermione frowned, 'well, I thought maybe you would have a little more…'
'Restraint?'
'Yes,' Hermione said honestly.
'Hermione,' Neville said quietly, 'we all have our vices. Let's just say I have nightmares and firewhiskey is the only thing that makes them go away.'
'I'm sorry Neville,' Hermione said quietly, 'I never knew.'
Neville shook his head, 'It's alright, nobody does. It's not exactly the kind of thing you want your friends to know about.'
Hermione nodded, unable to meet his eye, 'I understand,' she said, with a sadness in her voice.
Neville opened his mouth to explain properly, and to apologise. But Hermione was faster. Her eyes snapped up to his, 'I need to get going, I have a job interview.'
'You only got back yesterday,' Neville said pointedly.
'Yes, well, I had it lined up,' Hermione said.
'Hermione-'
'Look, Neville,' Hermione said firmly, 'I don't know what to say to you right now.'
'Hermione,' Neville began again as she turned her back on him, 'can you at least hear me out?'
Hermione kept walking, and Neville followed her through the hallway.
'I need to go Neville!'
Before she could grasp at the door handle Neville grabbed her wrist and stopped her. Hermione whipped her head around and a fire was burning in her eyes, 'I mean it Neville!'
'Go if you need to,' Neville said simply as he stared in her eyes with the same intensity that he had the previous night, 'run away if that is what you need to do. But we are talking about this, we can't just leave it like this.'
'Neville, can't we just forget that it ever happened?' Hermione asked desperately.
'No,' Neville replied, 'I will not let the only person who has bothered to be my friend, and stay my friend, since I was 11 years old, walk away because of this.'
Hermione kept her gaze locked on his for a moment, as if trying to assess the depth of his words. She sighed and pulled her wrist out of his grasp. He let her, and he watched as she silently unlocked the door and left.
When he shut the door behind her he hit his head against it with a groan of frustration and then kicked it, and let out a string of swear words. He was withdrawn from his moment of self-pity by the whirring of the fireplace in the living room. Neville trudged through, and was not at all surprised to see Justin Finch-Fletchley's face peering at him.
'Are you going to show up to work today?' the former-Hufflepuff asked with vague amusement.
Neville frowned and looked at the clock on the mantelpiece, 'Shit!'
'You can say that again, you've already missed half of your first class,' Justin said, 'and it's Wednesday isn't it?'
'Pomona's research day,' Neville groaned, 'Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!'
'Alright, calm down,' Justin muttered as Neville transfigured himself into his work robes.
'Move back so I can come through,' Neville said to his best friend, and the other boys face disappeared from the fire.
When Neville emerged in his quarters, on the 1st floor of the castle Justin raised an eyebrow at him, 'So, why the late morning Nev?'
'Walk me to the greenhouse, and I'll fill you in,' Neville said as they walked out into the empty corridors.
'So,' Justin pushed, 'what happened?'
'What do you do when you sleep with your best friend?' Neville asked the shorter man.
Justin raised an eyebrow, 'Well, that depends which best friend you mean. Are we talking about Harry?'
'No,' Neville scoffed, 'we are talking about Hermione.'
'Hermione Granger?'
'How many other Hermione's do you know? You Hufflepuff twat.'
'Alright, no need to be rude you heroic bastard,' Justin retorted, 'hang on…you slept with Hermione Granger…the Hermione Granger in the papers…the better half of golden couple #2 Hermione Granger…the Hermione Granger who is dating one of your best mates Ron. That Hermione Granger?'
'Oh for fucks sake,' Neville spouted off as they left the empty entrance hall for the rain-soaked grounds.
'Whoa, Neville, we're in a school. Watch your language,' Justin teased.
'I'm serious,' Neville said anxiously, 'what the hell do I do now, Justin?'
'Do what you normally do and down a bottle of firewhiskey?' Justin remarked bitterly.
'Justin,' Neville groaned, 'that's not helpful, that's what got me in this situation in the first place!'
'Oh, are you going to stop drinking then?' Justin asked pointedly.
Neville glared at his friend, 'I'm thinking about it,' he said as he disappeared into the chaotic greenhouse full of boisterous 2nd years.
Neville was walking back towards the castle for lunch, inwardly cursing himself for everything that had happened when he saw the person who was occupying his thoughts, walking right towards him. They both stopped, rather awkwardly by the lake, and asked each other at the same time...
'What are you doing here?'
'I work here,' Neville replied honestly, 'what are you doing here?'
Hermione bit her lip, 'I just accepted a job offer.'
'Here?'
She nodded.
Neville laughed, and shook his head, 'I suppose we should really have that talk then.'
'What is there to say?' Hermione asked quietly.
'Was it a mistake?'
Hermione didn't answer.
'Do you want me to lay all of my cards on the table? Because I will,' Neville warned her.
'What cards?' Hermione asked weakly.
'Right,' Neville said, crossing his arms and staring resoloutely at her, 'I have liked you since I was 11 years old. Jesus Hermione, to me you are perfect. You have always been bloody perfect! I don't care what Ron and Malfoy said about you becoming a 'girl' at the Yule Ball. You were always a girl, and I've always noticed you. Since I was 11 years old, and yes, we didn't plan on last night! But does that make it a mistake? It wasn't drunken sex, it was more than that and you know it and I know it's complicated because you and Ron are together but-'
'What?' Hermione asked sharply.
Neville frowned, and stopped mid-rant, 'You and Ron are-'
'We are not together,' Hermione said in disbelief.
'You could have told me that! Last night or this morning, for example,' Neville blurted out in irritation, 'I've been freaking out that I just destroyed two of my best friend's relationships!'
'What? I…Merlin…Well, I thought I had,' Hermione said completely flustered, 'well, I did…when I was crying.'
'When you were speaking a different language, you mean?' Neville teased, gently.
Hermione glared at him, 'When I got back from Australia I went to his flat, and because I got home a few days early he wasn't expecting me…so, I caught him in bed with some skank that only wanted to shag him because he was famous,' she spat bitterly.
'I don't suppose that skanks name was Lavender?' Neville asked with a raised eyebrow.
'What?' Hermione barked, 'how did you…'
'It's obvious that she's got something going for him, frankly it's a bit obsessive,' Neville said offhandedly.
'Yeah it is…wait, did you say something about liking me since you were 11 years old?' Hermione asked in disbelief.
Neville rolled his eyes, 'It baffles me how somebody so smart can be so clueless sometimes.'
Hermione's cheeks flushed with colour, 'Screw you, Nev,' she said half-heartedly.
'But it's fine,' Neville began, 'I know you don't feel the same, and I know you have different priorities. And, I've always been a great friend, but never anything more and it's the story of my life so I'm totally used to it and-'
'Neville-'
'- and I know that last night should never have happened -'
'- Neville…'
'- and I know you're too good for me-'
'Neville!'
'- and I just really hope we can still be friends-'
'Neville! Shut up!' Hermione exclaimed loudly.
Neville stopped abruptly and looked at her.
She was staring at him in amusement, laced with exasperation, 'Did you never wonder why I came to you last night?'
Neville shrugged, 'Well, Harry is in isolation. And Ginny and Luna were both here, so I assumed you'd had a fight with Ron and I was your last resort.'
'Neville, you've never been my last resort,' Hermione smiled, 'I've never told you this, but I really wanted to say yes when you asked me to the Yule Ball. Only, Viktor had already asked me, and I couldn't change my mind on him.'
Neville smiled slightly, 'Really?'
Hermione nodded.
'I did fantasize about that situation, but I didn't think it was actually the truth,' Neville said thoughtfully.
'You fantasized about me?' Hermione asked with a raised eyebrow.
Neville raised one right back at her, 'Aren't we supposed to be having a serious conversation?'
'You're right, I'm sorry. No, I don't think last night was a mistake. But you've been my best friend since we were kids and now…well now we're in some weird place between lovers and friends…and I just…it's either…' Hermione trailed off with a sigh.
'It's either the end, or the start of something,' Neville finished.
Hermione nodded.
'Well, what do you want it to be?'
'I don't know,' Hermione replied honestly, 'part of me is so confused because of everything that has happened recently…I feel different, and you are definitely different….and the world is different…and then there's this other part of me that has had feelings for you, in some shape or form since we were partnered together in potions all those years ago.'
'I guess it comes down to the decision the hat made when you were 11 then,' Neville said with a small smile, 'are you going to go with the Slytherin side it wondered about and run away from the problem? Or are you going to embrace the situation like the true Gryffindor you are?'
'Don't challenge me.'
'Why?'
'Because you know it riles me up,' Hermione said pointedly.
Neville's smile widened, 'Then doesn't that prove that we should at least try and make something of this?'
Hermione shook her head, 'Neville, you will always be one of my best friends. And I will always have feelings for you, but I can't make sense of them right now. I have a double funeral to plan, I have a will to set in order…I have so many horrible things that I have to do. And what I feel for you, and whether a one night stand should mean any more than that…those things just aren't important right now.'
'I understand,' Neville said quietly, 'and if you want to forget about it for now then that is fine. I will be your friend, I will help you in whatever way I can with all of this Hermione. But when the dust settles, we have to talk about it.'
'Deal,' Hermione said quietly as she caught his eye.
Neville nodded and held out his arm to her, 'And on that note, I'm hungry, and I already told you that you are far too skinny. I hear there's stroganoff for lunch.'
Hermione smiled weakly and took his arm, 'If I didn't know better I'd say you were trying to feed me up,' she joked.
And at once the tense air was gone, the confusion of the previous night pushed to the backs of their minds. Shelved, until there was time and space to take it out and examine it in detail.
In the following days Hermione and Neville tried their best to return to 'normal'. Whatever normal was these days. It turned out that the job offer she had accepted was very similar to his own job. She was basically a temp, she was to keep an eye on the library as Madam Pince had become the 'part-time' librarian, and she was to be a substitute for other classes. Minerva, since being hit by a damaging spell in the war, occasionally took bad spells that left her in bed for the best part of a week so Hermione would be covering her classes.
Harry's isolation was still in place, so Hermione had nobody else apart from Neville. He knew that, and he made sure he was the perfect friend. He gave her his own lawyer's number, he helped her transfer her parent's bank contents into wizarding money, for her Gringotts account. He helped her empty the house, and sell the furniture. It was all left to her, but she didn't want it. She didn't want the house either, so she put it up for sale.
As a temp at Hogwarts she had somewhere to stay if she wanted it, and with everything else that was going on in Hermione's life, she decided she would wait a little while before buying or renting a flat. After a week of tidying, and selling, and setting her parents affairs in order, the day Hermione had been dreading finally came.
On the Sunday morning of her parent's funeral she showed up on the doorstep of Neville's flat. She was dressed from head to toe in black, and she looked terrified. He knew as soon as he opened the door what she wanted.
'Will you come with me?' Hermione choked out.
Neville glanced down at himself and then looked back up at her, 'I don't wear this much black every day, you know. I'm not channeling Snape or anything.'
Hermione gave him a weak smile, 'You knew I'd come,' she said.
'I knew you needed me,' Neville admitted as he stepped out of the door and linked his arm through hers, 'will you let me apparate us there? I'm not sure you're mentally up to it.'
Hermione nodded as they walked down the concrete stairs outside his flat, 'You're right, I don't want either of us to lose any body parts.'
Neville squeezed her arm tightly as they reached the bottom of the stairs and slipped into an alleyway. They turned together, and disappeared into the early morning fog.
The funeral was small, and Hermione spent it leaning into Neville and quietly sobbing. Ron wasn't here, and Harry's isolation ended at midnight tonight. Neville really was all that Hermione had, and in a sense he felt like she was using him, but he also knew that if the situation was reversed she would do exactly the same for him.
She was supposed to speak at the funeral, but she didn't want to. When the speaking was over, when they had heard how amazing, and lovely, Hermione's parents had been, they rose and followed the coffins outside. They were placed in the ground, and as Hermione bent down to throw a handful of dirt over both coffins, Neville kept his hand firmly on the small of her back. They all walked away, as the coffins gradually became buried in the graveyard. Neville's hand stayed on her back for the entire walk back to her parents' house, around 10 minutes away from the graveyard. It was empty, apart from the sofas and some wooden chairs, which had been left for the purposes of the wake.
Several people called round, with containers of food, and flowers, and apologies. And Hermione smiled falsely and thanked every single person, because that was the kind of person that she was. She didn't want to be rude, she didn't want to hurt anyone so she put on this front of politeness when inside she wanted to shout that she didn't care about their apologies, inside she wanted to scream and cry. But Neville stood by her side, his hand either on the small of her back, or around her shoulder. He was vaguely aware, that to every person who visited with their food, flowers or words, he looked like her boyfriend. With his arm protectively around her, his occasional soothing words to keep her going until it was over, and the looks of concern that he kept sending her way.
Eventually, the last person left and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. Her shoulders slumped, like a weight she had been carrying on them had been lifted.
'Come on,' Neville said gently, 'let's get you back to your quarters at Hogwarts.'
'I just want a bubble bath and the world's fluffiest blanket,' Hermione said heavily as they left the house, and locked it up behind them. Hermione's eyes flicked to the 'for sale' sign in the front garden. Neville gripped her arm a little tighter and they found a quiet alleyway so that they could apparate away. They didn't speak as they walked up the path to the castle in the light rain. In fact, they didn't say a word to each other until they were safely sitting on the sofa, in front of the fire, in Hermione's quarters. They were small, a little living room with a fire and desk, a small bedroom with a double bed, and an adjoining bathroom. But already Hermione had made them feel very homely.
Neville sighed as Hermione tentatively took a bottle of firewhiskey from the living room cupboard. There were two glasses inside, too.
'Do you drink?' Neville asked.
Hermione shook her head, 'Not firewhiskey, this was here when I moved in. I like a glass of wine as much as the next girl but…'
'But sometimes the occasion calls for a glass of firewhiskey,' Neville said, his eyes fixed on the bottle as Hermione poured out two glasses. She placed one on the side table by Neville and took a sip of her own.
Neville would normally have smiled at the expression on her face, her nose wrinkled up at the bitter taste. But he didn't even see her. He stared into the depths of his own drink, and Hermione looked up.
She saw the darkness in his eyes and she silently walked to him.
'Don't drink it Neville,' Hermione said quietly, yet firmly.
Neville cleared his throat and shook his head, 'It's just one glass. It will be fine.'
He picked it up, and Hermione pulled it from his grasp before he could take a sip.
Neville looked at her in alarm as she threw the glass into the fireplace. It roared, and then settled back down.
'What was that for?'
'When are you going to admit it?' Hermione asked, crossing her arms and staring him down.
'There's nothing to admit,' Neville said, 'and the last time I checked you weren't my girlfriend so you can't control my life.'
He saw hurt flash in her eyes, and Neville immediately felt guilty.
'Yes, Neville. I'm not your girlfriend, I'm just that easy best friend who you sleep with, right?' Hermione said bitterly.
'You know that's not true,' Neville said quietly, 'I told you how I feel about you Hermione. You know how I've always felt about you.'
Hermione turned her back on him and stared silently into the fire.
'What's happened to us Neville? What went wrong?' Hermione turned around, with tears in her eyes, 'we used to be innocent, and happy. All of us…and now Ron can't even say Fred's name without breaking down…and Harry has to chase danger to stop himself from feeling numb inside…and I can't look at my own arm because every time that I do everything she did to me just floods my brain.'
Neville watched as her tears began to fall, 'And then there's Malfoy. I don't care that he was on the wrong side, how do you cope with coming home one day to find your own mother hanging by her neck with a sign saying 'it's not over'?'
Hermione shook her head, and her bushy hair bounced with the motion, 'And then there's you Neville,' her voice broke slightly, 'you were always the one solid thing in my life. You were the one thing that never changed…the one person I could always rely on. You were always there, you always knew what to say and no matter how bad it all got there was always you.'
'And now?' Neville asked quietly.
Hermione wiped her tears away angrily, 'You're still there…but in some ways I don't recognise you at all. You're so bitter…and the alcohol…Neville, it scares me. I had a friend at Muggle school, her Dad was an alcoholic and it ruined her life…he would get drunk and do horrible things, and then apologise in the morning and everybody would forgive him…'
'Hermione,' Neville said gently, 'I'm not an alcoholic. I can stop drinking whenever I want, trust me.'
Hermione met his gaze, 'How am I supposed to believe that?'
'I'm lonely,' Neville admitted honestly, 'I have nothing, I really don't. My parents are gone, I don't care that people say they aren't dead, because they basically are. I have Harry, who I barely see these days, and Justin, who is an arrogant, irritating twat. And I have you, but you were gone and even when you were here you spent all of your time with Ron.'
Hermione watched him curiously, waiting to see where he was going with this.
'So I drank, I'll admit that. I felt lonely, and I felt numb and it hurt and when I had a couple of drinks it didn't hurt anymore,' Neville told her truthfully, 'but there are other things that help. When I'm with you, I don't even think about the war, and when I was with you that night…it was the only night since the war ended that I haven't had a nightmare.'
'So I'm your dream catcher?' Hermione asked angrily, 'is that all I am to you Neville? A way to stop yourself thinking about the war?'
'Hermione, I didn't mean it like-'
'No, Neville! That's exactly what you meant! I was the one who stuck around to fix Ron, I was the one who dealt with the break-downs, and the anger, and the alcohol! Do I look like some stupid little girl whose only goal in life is to fix other people's problems?' She stormed towards the door and yanked it open, 'I am not that naïve!'
'Hermione!'
Before he could say anything else she had slammed the door shut, and left him alone in her quarters.
Hermione got as far as the lake and stopped walking. The light rain from earlier had turned into a downpour, but she ignored it as she sat on a large rock by the lake and stared out over its rippling surface.
What was she doing? Why did she keep running away? Neville had always been there. He had always been her friend. He was just Neville, what was she so afraid of?
Hermione sighed, she knew what she was afraid of, she was afraid to tell him how she really felt. She was afraid of losing another friend, like she had surely lost Ron. But she couldn't deny it anymore, Hermione couldn't hide from it. Neville had been by her side for longer than anyone else in her life. She had met him on the train, she had seen a sweet boy when others had teased him and she had helped him find Trevor. They had spent the rest of the train journey talking, Neville had told her all about the wizarding world, and she had bombarded him with questions. They had sat close together as she poured over pictures in a photo album he had in his trunk. They had shared a boat together to Hogwarts, and Hermione had chewed her lip anxiously as Neville sat down on the stool, and had the sorting hat placed on his head. She was bouncing nervously on the bench and she jumped up and cheered loudly when the hat shouted 'GRYFFINDOR'.
Neville had grinned. He ran to the table and took his seat, next to Hermione, who had positively beamed at him. From that moment on they had become friends. Hermione had helped Neville in potions, and they had spent hours in the library talking about everything from Herbology to Quidditch. Over the years Hermione had explained Muggle technology to him, and had promised to take him to a cinema one day. Hermione supposed, looking back on it, that she had always had a little bit of a crush on Neville.
But, third year…that was when it all changed. That was when Harry and Ron avoided her for weeks. She had spent those weeks with Neville, they had sat by the lake and talked while he catalogued interesting plants. Occasionally he'd find something really interesting and Hermione would kick her shoes and socks off, grin and hike her school skirt up and join him in the water. They often hung around in the paddocks that they had gotten their Care of Magical Creatures lessons in, and fed the animals that happened to be there while they talked to Hagrid. When they were inside they would often be in the library studying, and whispering about something or other. And Hermione had actually really enjoyed those few weeks. She remembered their breakfasts by the lake, more than anything else however. Especially the morning when Neville had been starving and they had been running late. The giant squid had grabbed his toast and pulled it underneath the water and Neville had been so outraged that Hermione had to give him half of her own breakfast while trying to contain her giggles.
Hermione found herself smiling slightly as she sat in the rain. She wished she had been able to say yes when Neville asked her to the Yule Ball. He hadn't even been his normal, fumbling self, he had been so brave and confident and it broke Hermione's heart to say no. He had asked her as they took a secret passage from potions to the common room, and she had been telling the truth when she told him that she had already agreed to go with someone else. But seeing his face fall like that had been horrible.
They had danced together. After Hermione's falling out with Ron, Viktor had left. Hermione had gone back into the hall, to see if he was still there and Neville had nervously walked up to her and asked if she wanted to dance, he suggested it might help and he had also called Ron an idiot which had produced a watery laugh. So she had said yes, and then the song had changed to a slow one, and they had danced together. Looking back, Hermione could see it more clearly than ever before. That night, in the emptying great hall, when they had danced, and when she had caught his eye as the song ended…that was the night when she fell in love with him.
And the following years only proved that. Hermione had always been so proud of Neville in the DA, she had done everything to help him. She was good, she didn't need Harry's training, so she had spent most of her time at DA meetings with Neville. She had visited him, every single day in the hospital wing after the Ministry…and when he gotten out she had taken him to see the Thestrals, the Thestrals that they could both see because they had both seen Sirius die.
She wished she had seen it sooner, because all Hermione had done was whine to Neville, or rant to Neville, about Ron for their entire 6th year, and he, bless him, had let her do it. She always got the impression that Neville didn't like Ron much, and now she knew why that was. It was because he had always liked her. In fact, if she was being honest with herself Hermione was fairly certain that Neville loved her, the question was, how long had he felt that way for?
Hermione got to her feet abruptly. She realised how stupid she was being. This was Neville Longbottom. He was the nicest guy she knew. The smartest guy she knew. The most genuine, brave, wonderful, bloody amazing person she knew. And she was being a complete bitch. She was in love with him, she had been for years and she had never seen it even though he had always been there next to her. It had always been right in front of her, but she was too busy looking in other places to even see it. She shook her head angrily and darted back to the castle, but by the time Hermione got to her quarters Neville had already left. Which meant, there was only one thing to do, she was going to have to go to him.
Neville was lying in his bed. He was staring at the lion etched into the wooden top of his four-poster bed absentmindedly. He couldn't sleep, and he had thrown out every bottle of firewhiskey that he had stashed away in the flat.
It was well past midnight. But all that was going through Neville's mind was Hermione. He loved her, of course he loved her. He had loved her for years. It had started as a crush, and during those few weeks when Ron and Harry ignored her in third year, he had completely and utterly fallen for her. And ever since, nobody had been quite right for him because nobody was Hermione. He sighed heavily, but at the same time he was so angry at her. He had done everything right, he had been the perfect friend, and yet she threw it all in his face and made him seem like the bad guy. It was infuriating, she was infuriating but she was so goddamn intoxicating too and he groaned in frustration because he couldn't decide whether he wanted to yell at her or kiss her right now.
Neville was drawn out of his thoughts by frantic knocking on the door. He got to his feet, wondering briefly if the knocker was Harry who would not long ago have gotten out of isolation. He padded down the hallway in his lounge pants, and yanked the door open. The rain was coming down in sheets, and standing on his doorstep, once more looking like a drowned rat, was Hermione.
'What do you want Hermione?' Neville asked with a resigned sigh as he stepped back and let her walk in.
'You,' Hermione said with a smile. She shut the door behind herself and fixed him with an intense look, 'I want you Neville.'
Neville frowned in confusion, 'Herm-'
She closed the gap between them and kissed him, he gasped at the coldness of her clothes and her skin. And he pulled away, 'Hermione, I can't do this again. Not like this,' Neville mumbled as he cast a drying charm on her clothes.
'I'm not sad, or broken, Neville!' Hermione said hotly.
'I took advantage of you once, I won't do it again,' Neville said firmly.
Hermione actually stomped the ground in anger, or frustration, Neville wasn't sure which one it was, 'Oh for god's sake Neville! For somebody so smart, and so wonderful, and so sweet you are so clueless!' she shouted.
Neville raised an eyebrow at her, and tried, in vain, to hide his amusement.
'I was right, you have always been there! You've been there since I was 11, you were my first friend, you are my best friend and I don't want to screw that up,' Hermione began, speaking very quickly, 'but then I can't let this slide either because…well, because I want it to happen. I've wanted it since I was 14. I mean, Ron was always so brash and stupid and I mean really, what was I thinking? Because, look at you, you were right there! You were right in front of me for all of those years, and you danced with me at the Yule Ball, and I nearly kissed you but I didn't and I told myself I was just upset and Ron broke my heart about a million times and I've lost him as a friend. And I don't want to lose you as well Neville, I can't lose you...because I'm in love with you.'
'You're in love with me?' Neville asked in disbelief.
Hermione took a breath, 'Is that the only thing you took out of that?'
Neville cleared his throat, 'To be honest, yes.'
'Neville,' Hermione sighed in amusement and exasperation as she kissed him once more.
Neville pushed her away again, 'Hermione, is this actually happening because you want it to, or is this just because of your parent's funeral? Because I won't wake up tomorrow morning and have you running out on me, like the last time.'
'I'll never run out on you again,' Hermione promised, her hands on the side of his face, 'and I fully intend to try that coffee you offered me last time.'
Neville chuckled, and Hermione did too, her breath was hot on his face and it sent a shiver down his spine. It was more than enough confirmation for him to close the small gap between them and kiss her more passionately than he ever had before. She squealed in surprise as he lifted her up with ease, like she weighed no more than a feather, and carried her down the hall, into the bedroom.
Neville was awoken from a very deep, and very peaceful sleep, by loud, frantic knocking on his door, again. He opened his eyes wearily and looked at the clock, he smiled as he did so, because to look at the clock he had to look over the beautiful woman lying in his bed, who was also waking up due to the loud knocking.
'Who's that?' Hermione mumbled as she curled up into Neville's chest.
'Dunno,' Neville said, 'but it's half 4 so whoever it is can wait.'
'Might be important,' Hermione whispered into his chest.
Neville yawned, 'Can't be that important or they'd use the emergency floo. I'm ignoring it, I've got far better things to do.'
Hermione smiled into his chest, 'Hmm, I've no idea what you could be talking about,' she joked, her voice still thick with sleep.
Neville chuckled, and from the hall there was a loud banging noise as the locking charm on the door was blown open and the knocker stormed into the house, shouting loudly as he did so.
'Are you deaf or something Nev? I literally just got out of isolation, and there is no way I'm waking up Molly and Arthur, and you said I could sleep here. I've been standing out in the rain for 5 minutes and if you're bloody drunk again then I'm dragging you to St. Mungo's to get help-'
He reached the bedroom and stopped in his tracks, 'WHAT THE FUCK NEVILLE?' Harry positively roared, 'how do you think Ron would feel if he knew about this? HERMIONE! How could you do this to Ron?'
'Fucking hell,' Neville muttered, grabbing his dressing gown and jumping out of bed, 'you have been completely isolated from the world for 3 months. Your bloody ginger haired mate didn't give a shit about the fact Hermione had to go to Australia to find her parents, and when she came back to tell him they were dead, he was fucking Lavender Brown. So maybe you should go and shout at him, you fucking arse!'
Harry frowned, 'What? Lavender Brown? Wait, what…Hermione, your parents are dead?'
'Yeah Harry,' Hermione said quietly, she had pulled the covers up to cover her modesty, 'the funeral was today.'
Harry's face fell, 'Oh my god…I'm so sorry Hermione. I'm so sorry that I just left you all for three months. I just abandoned you, and I wasn't there for you when you needed me-'
'Harry,' Neville said in disbelief, 'stop having a bloody guilt trip.'
'If you should be feeling guilty about anything, it's the fact you knew about Neville's drinking problem and you didn't help him!' Hermione said with narrowed eyes, 'you just left him for three months! He could have killed himself!'
'I'm sorry,' Harry said miserably, 'I'm such a bad friend. You should all hate me, you both hate me. You're right I deserve it.'
'Fucking hell, you're no less of a drama queen after 3 months away,' Neville said with a raised eyebrow.
'Oh fuck off Neville,' Harry said offhandedly.
Hermione looked between them with a mixture of amusement, and surprise, 'When did you two become such good friends?'
'Every time Ron fell out with me,' Harry said with a wave of his hand.
'Yeah, it built up into quite a few weeks over the years,' Neville said with a pointed look to Hermione, 'sound familiar?'
'Not at all,' Hermione replied sarcastically.
'Yeah, speaking of Ron. Where is he so I can curse his fucking balls off?' Harry asked angrily, 'Hermione's like my sister, I've basically adopted her. So I'm intending to fulfill my warning, which goes for you too Neville. Don't be a dick unless you don't want to have one anymore.'
'When has he ever been a dick?' Hermione asked Harry with a grin, 'he's Neville. You described him as the nicest guy you know.'
'Aw, cute,' Neville smirked.
'Yeah, my judgement is clearly terrible,' Harry said with a mock glare at Hermione.
Neville yawned and walked towards Harry, 'I'll sort the spare room out for you mate. You can get back to sleep, Mione.'
Hermione nodded and pulled the duvet over her head as Neville left the bedroom with Harry and pulled the door shut quietly behind them.
'What really happened Nev?' Harry asked in a whisper as they walked into the spare room next door and Neville searched the cupboard for bedding.
'What we told you,' Neville said honestly, 'Hermione got back from Australia and found Ron in bed with Lavender. Then she showed up here.'
'And?'
'And I comforted her,' Neville said evasively.
'You mean you slept with her,' Harry said irritably.
'How can you know that?' Neville groaned, 'for somebody so clueless you can read me like a book.'
'You're easy to read,' Harry said angrily, 'how could you take advantage of her like that?'
Neville sighed and threw a duvet onto the bed, 'Because I was drunk, and she flung herself at me and I couldn't stop myself.'
Harry narrowed his eyes at the man, 'You could have.'
'How do you stop yourself from sleeping with the girl you've loved since you were 11 when you're already in a state of total inebriation?' Neville asked simply.
Harry frowned, 'Since you were 11?'
Neville nodded as he began to throw pillows onto the bed.
'You never said anything,' Harry said.
'I know, I didn't want her to find out,' Neville shrugged, 'she was my best friend, she still is. I didn't want her to find out I liked her, and then lose her as a friend because she didn't like me.'
'I understand that,' Harry said thoughtfully.
'I hated myself the morning after, Harry,' Neville said, shutting the cupboard with a snap and turning to his friend, 'I felt like a monster, I felt like I had completely taken advantage of her. I'm not proud of what happened, but in a sense it made us both realise that we couldn't keep our feelings for each other locked up anymore.'
'Alright,' Harry sighed as he sat down heavily on the bed, 'then I guess I'm alright with this. If you get me a drink.'
'I can't,' Neville said honestly, 'there's none here.'
Harry raised an eyebrow at the taller man, 'Really Neville, I need a drink.'
'Really Harry,' Neville echoed, 'I chucked it all. Hermione doesn't want that kind of man, and I'd do anything to be the kind of man she wants to be with.'
Harry smiled slightly, 'You're far better for her than Ron.'
'I know,' Neville said simply.
Harry nodded and caught Neville's eye, 'I'm officially giving you permission.'
'Thank you,' Neville said genuinely, 'I know we didn't need it…but I wouldn't have wanted to lose you as a friend.'
'Nah, you'll never lose me as a friend,' Harry said honestly, 'not unless you do something really stupid, that is.'
Neville laughed, 'So, do you need anything else or can I get back to bed?'
'I'm good,' Harry said with a yawn, 'thanks for letting me crash here Nev.'
'No worries, Harry,' Neville said as he slipped away, longing to get back to his bed, and longing to get back to Hermione.
When Neville emerged from the bathroom the following morning, with a towel wrapped around his waist he could have laughed at the sense of deja-vu that overwhelmed him.
Hermione peered up at him, and Neville grinned.
'What?' Hermione asked self-consciously.
Neville shook his head and sat down on the edge of the bed, 'I love it when you're like this. Without any glamour charms, and your hair all bushy…it's just how I remember you.'
Hermione smiled weakly, 'I hate myself like this.'
'I think it's when you're at your most beautiful,' Neville said softly as he gently kissed her lips.
Hermione smiled against his lips, and pulled back.
Neville had a stupid smile on his face as he quickly dressed in his Herbology robes, which were thick, dark brown robes that were made from dragon-hide, 'So...I'm going to get the coffee on. Reckon you have time for a cup?'
Hermione laughed and nodded, 'I have time,' she said.
Neville grinned at her and left the bedroom. Hermione felt giddy as she dressed quickly in her clothes from the night before and transfigured them into basic black robes. It would have to do for now, but she was only on library duty today anyway.
When she emerged in the kitchen and pushed herself onto a bar stool, Hermione chuckled, because Neville slid a steaming cup of coffee over to her.
She took a sip of coffee and glanced at the clock, 'I wish we didn't have work today.'
'If it wasn't for the fact I have a class first thing I'd just skip,' Neville said with a grin, 'but I've got one half of the first years.'
'Of course,' Hermione said, 'and you wouldn't want to let them down.'
'Ah well, it's a Hufflepuff/Slytherin class, so I have no loyalty issues there,' Neville joked.
Hermione laughed, 'You still have to go. But anyway, what did you and Harry talk about last night?'
'He was just giving us his blessing,' Neville said with an amused smile, 'and despairing at the fact I couldn't give him a drink.'
Hermione scoffed, 'He's got some cheek, asking you for a drink.'
Neville sipped his own coffee, 'Yeah well, I couldn't have given him one even if I'd wanted to. I threw it all out.'
'Did you?' Hermione asked in surprise.
'You said you had a problem with it, so I'll stop drinking it,' Neville said, 'it's as simple as that.'
Hermione smiled into her coffee, 'I take back everything I said, you haven't changed a single bit.'
Neville smiled at her, 'No…I guess I haven't. Mind you, you haven't changed as much as I thought at first either. But I stand by the fact you need to eat more.'
'I know,' Hermione said, 'and since you've taken the initiative to throw out all of your firewhiskey, I'll make an appointment at St. Mungo's about the after effects of the cruciatus curse I'm experiencing.'
'I'll put you in touch with my parents carer,' Neville said, 'she's great. She can give you little exercises for when the pain flares up, and she's got some handy tips on how to get your appetite back too. She's great for dealing with the emotional side of the whole thing as well.'
'Thanks Neville,' Hermione said. Her hands shook a little, just talking about it, 'I guess we both needed to fix ourselves.'
'Or fix each other,' Neville said softly. He leant across the bar to kiss her, and just as he did the kitchen floo whirred.
Neville rolled his eyes at Hermione and turned to the fireplace where Justin's face had appeared, 'Are you going to show up to work - oh, Hermione, hey.'
'Hello Justin,' Hermione said in amusement as she got to her feet, 'yes, we are going to come to work today. We were just a little pre-occupied.'
Justin grinned.
'Yeah because we have better things to do on a Monday morning than marking,' Neville retorted as he grabbed his cloak and flung it on.
'Don't worry Justin, I'll find you a girlfriend,' Hermione said kindly, 'we'll be at Hogwarts on time. Don't worry.'
'Which is polite for, bugger off,' Neville said as he locked the floo and turned to Hermione in amusement, 'Good luck finding him a girlfriend by the way.'
Hermione frowned as she followed Neville into the hall, 'Why? Justin's a lovely guy.'
Neville grinned at her, 'He's gay, Hermione,' he said in amusement as he opened the door to Harry's room and said, 'Alright, mate, we're off to work. Help yourself to whatever in the cupboards, and lock up when you leave.'
'Huh? Where d'you work?' Harry asked sleepily.
'Hogwarts,' Neville said in amusement, 'we're both temps.'
'When did that happen?' Harry asked.
'Over the last three months,' Neville chuckled, 'you have missed quite a bit.'
Harry yawned loudly, 'I'll stick around and have dinner here tonight, and you can catch me up, kay?'
'Alright, sounds like a plan,' Neville said, 'we'll smuggle Gin out of Hogwarts with us.'
'Nice one Nev, you're the best.'
'I know,' Neville laughed as he shut the door and turned to Hermione, whose cheeks were still pink.
'You could have told me he was gay,' She muttered as they left the house, and locked it up.
'It never came up in conversation,' Neville said with a raised eyebrow.
'Yes, well I've made a complete full of myself now, haven't I?' Hermione asked in disbelief.
'He won't care,' Neville said honestly, as they reached the quiet alleyway.
Hermione hit him gently on the arm, 'I'll find him a boyfriend then.'
'Oh yeah, who do you know whose on the market?' Neville sniggered.
'Well, there's always Theodore Nott.'
'Theodore Nott is gay?'
'Jesus Neville, did you have eyes in school? He was always looking at you, and chatting you up in the library.'
Neville shook his head in disbelief, as his eyes found Hermione's amused, sparkling eyes, 'Yeah well, I only had eyes for one person at Hogwarts.'
Hermione grinned at him, 'Let's get to work, you cheesy git.'
Neville returned her grin, and they both spun on their heels. They arrived at the gates to Hogwarts, and as they began to walk up towards the school in the early morning sunlight, Neville slipped his hand into Hermione's and she held on tightly.
For the first time since the war, everything felt normal. And everything felt good. Hermione felt like she could smile again, and despite everything that she had been through she felt like her life was finally starting to turn around.
And it was all because of Neville.
The End :)
A/N: Just a cheerful little oneshot. Well it's not that little! But I wrote something that was like 80% not angst, miracles do happen!
Hope you enjoyed it! There is not enough Hermione/Neville out there!
:)