"Three up... and two across".
Neville Longbottom swept back his overgrown mane as he waited patiently behind the Leaky Cauldron. The brick wall in front of him was rearranging, its bricks collecting to either side, leaving a gaping hole in the middle. A hole big enough to pose as an entryway and it was through this that Neville stepped into Diagon Alley. He had to admit, the hidden wizarding plaza had changer over the years. For starters, there was an increasing number of storekeepers in Diagon Alley, leading to a more crowded, bustling shopping experience. Diagon Alley had also grown in size over the past years, making it harder for less frequent shoppers to find their way around.
Neville, who visited almost every chance he got had no trouble cruising his way through the plaza. As the herbology professor in Hogwarts he was in constant need of extra blue earmuffs,bags of dragon dung compost and little spadefuls of mooncalf dung (mooncalf dung was very expensive nowadays). He also wanted to acquire spare dragon hide gloves and textbooks for those unfortunate students who forgot theirs.
After a bit of debating, Neville pushed open the door to Flourish and Blotts and soon he was enveloped in a crowd of wizards and hard-covered books. He left the store with 5 copies of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi. 3 Bags of dung and a handful of earmuffs later, he was sitting in front of the newly opened Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. The outdoor tables were cheap and plastic, with fold-able chairs and a checkered tablecloth. Neville had ordered 2 scoops of butterscotch ripple, and now he let a wave of nostalgia come over him as he sat eating it.
He studied the wizards and witches shopping in Diagon Alley. He thought he recognized quite a few of the younger ones from Hogwarts, and he laughed at their shocked faces as they saw him, the odd Herbology Professor at Hogwarts, seated by their favorite ice cream parlor. He was busy reading the bright poster hovering by Madame Malkin's Robes (Gran had been pestering him to buy a new pair of dress robes), when a wavy sheet of yellow hair and two pairs of over sized earrings caught his attention.
A cheery smile lit up his face, and his long figure leapt out of his chair, as he called out "Luna!"
She turned around, her neon green robes flashing in the morning light as she did, and Neville got to see her for the first time after 5 years. The first thing he noticed about her were those over-sized earrings. They faintly resembled the pink Pygmy Puffs that were still so popular among first years. They were paired with a fuzzy bubblegum pink necklace and clashed terribly with her robes. Her eyes were wide and arched, and as she walked nearer to him Neville glimpsed the silver in her pupils.
"Neville Longbottom?" Luna's voice questioned, sounding dazed and dreamy as always.
Five years was a longtime, but the man before her was barely recognizable to Luna. She hadn't visited Hogwarts since the final battle,but had been busy working as a wizarding naturalist. The job required her to travel the world, and Luna was proud to announce that she had made quite an addition to the Ministries Biology Records by discovering many species of plants and animals (Although much to her surprise, she had not encountered the Crumple-Horned Snorkack...yet). She had been given word,(from Ginny's kind owl, that Neville was now herbology professor at Hogwarts, but it was just this that she knew about him. He was as tall as she remembered him to be, but he had broader shoulders now, and instead of looking stout in his robe he was of a thinner stature. His brown hair, always cut in a boyish manner (by courtesy of his grandmother, she knew) had grown out, giving him a more carefree appearance.
It was his eyes that hadn't changed. They were as round as she remembered and were chestnut brown, with the faintest hint of gold in them.
He smiled ,his pink lips lifting into a grin,and his eyes twinkling, as Luna remarked, "It's been a long time".
His laugh rippled in the warm, summer air and his hands clumsily beckoned Luna to the cafe table. Sitting on either side of the small table, with a pool of forgotten butterscotch ice cream between them (Neville knew he should have gotten the Fortescue's Everlasting kind for the extra Knut), they got to talking. Their conversation ranged from their careers, to news from their friends, to the troublemakers of late now that You-Know-Who was gone.
Tactically, they both avoided the subject of their personal life, both embarrassed to remark that at their 20s each had not as much been on a date. As their chatter continued the wizards in Diagon Alley buzzed by, and as the sun receded storekeepers locked up and Neville and Luna were left alone in the evening sun, left to enjoy the peace and quiet. They could have kept at it, talking between soft chuckles, and happy sighs but the mooncalf dung in Neville's bag was giving off a strong,pungent odor, yearning for refrigeration and proper storage(in the barrels by his bed). Luna herself, had scheduled one last search for the Crumple-Horned-Snorkack tonight, and it was important that she apparated to Nightingale Camp-Site, Ireland, as soon as the sun set (the Crumple-Horned Snorkack only came out at night and Luna didn't want to risk missing it).
So, they said their goodbyes while promising they would write to each other and meet some time in their busy, separate lives.
Neville Longbottom watched as his friend disappeared into the darkness, her blonde hair circling the night air, leaving nothing behind but a single, silvery strand. Neville caught the luminescent hair before it fell, and pocketed it, a shooting star of his own. Picking up his many bags, he walked to the Leaky Cauldron with a little spring in his step, replaying in his head their long conversation from start to finish.
After a short talk with Tom about dinner, he was in his room sitting on his familiar four poster, fumbling with the latch on his largest barrel. There were three barrels each which contained a number of objects, from useless Christmas presents to Herbology materials.
He finally opened the latch(by using his wand), and Alohamora!,the barrel burst open it's contents sprawling over the room.
He muttered a swear word,and thankful Gran wasn't here to praise his spell-work, began to retrieve the various items. He noticed a few unusual items(the barrel hadn't been emptied in a long time) including a lone sock big enough to fit a child, a small pile of strange-looking emerald green rocks and a silver cup, with the words 2nd Place: Sasquatch Bay Fishing Competition, emblazoned on it. Now Neville had never been in any sort of Sasquatch Bay Fishing Competition, so am sure he was very curious as to where he had acquired the cup from. He thought back to past Christmases, and possible keepsakes from nieces and nephews, but he simply couldn't remember (This was hardly a surprise, Neville had always been known for his lack of memory). He was standing by his bed, hands clutching the trophy and eyebrows furrowed in concentration when the silver cup began to glow. It didn't glow so to say, more like it emitted light, bright blue light.
Now Neville was an adult wizard, a brave participant from the Second Wizarding War (rumored to have single-handedly killed You-Know-Who's viscous snake, Nagini) and a tactful, wise professor(after years of recognizing the familiar bulge of Dungbombs in the pockets of sneaky third-years). He was well-aware of the situation he was in, knew that in a matter of seconds the trophy would vanish taking him with it, to a destination unknown to Neville. He was holding a glowing Portkey, and the tactful professor in him urged Neville to let go, but the reckless warrior in him held on, awaiting adventure.