A/N: Written as the response of February 2019 Roll-A-Drabble for Hermione's Haven Roll-A-Drabble.
My Roll-a-Drabble prompts were:
1st Roll: Pairing: Hermione/Neville
2nd Roll: Trope: Creature
No beta other than Grammarly so please be little lenient.
I do not own either of these wonderful characters, they belong to JKR. Neither do I make any money with their help!
A seven years old Neville Longbottom stared at gardens in awe. The glowing soft blue light spread across the horizon captivated him. There was something in that direction, waiting for him to answer the unspoken summons. He took a step towards the light and noticed a small glowing creature. It resembled a blue fuzzy ball of energy had sprouted little limbs. It shyly waved at Neville and vanished only to appear a few feet further. Neville merrily chased after the little guy until he collided with a girl. Her large brown eyes widened when he pulled her to her feet.
"Sorry." She smiled timidly and continued "Did you see a small blue ball around here? I tried to follow it but it went, poof!"
Neville was going to tell her about his own encounter with the creature but he heard someone shouting in distance. He pointed out the obvious instead.
"Are they looking for you?"
"Oh bugger. I ran off on my own into the forest. They must be worried about me. I should go. Bye." She sprinted off in the voices' direction, leaving Neville in the middle of the field.
Neville plopped down, basking in the setting sun. 'It must be nice to have doting mum and dad.' he thought. 'Grandma is not bad, but she could be strict sometimes.' He didn't notice two small creatures in distance looking at him. The mischievous glint in their eyes was replaced with sadness.
Eleven years old Hermione Granger was ecstatic. Not a long ago she had discovered she was a witch. A proper actual real-life witch. She was going to a prestigious school specialized in Witchcraft and Wizardry. It wasn't until she sat on the train to Hogwarts she realized it wasn't a dream. As she sat in her compartment peering over disappearing scenery, a small noise in her compartment caught her attention. It was the same little blue creature she had seen in the forest a few years ago. It stayed still until she was close and disappeared before she could catch it. When she caught a glimpse of a blue light peeking from a closed compartment, she decided to investigate.
"No Trevor. I can't let you go. Owls and cats feast on toads. Uncle Algie will be cross with me if I lose you." A boy was talking with a struggling toad in his hands.
He let out a small shriek when she knocked on the compartment door and the toad slipped from his hands. She quietly introduced herself and offered her help to look for Trevor.
Neville and Hermione spent the rest of the train ride looking for Trevor who was in Hermione's compartment basking in the blue light of two giggling creatures.
Neville sat near the black lake in silence. The war was over and the wizarding world was at peace at last. Everyone was in the great hall, celebrating their recent victory. However, he couldn't stay inside, the crowds made him feel uneasy. Even when he was a child, he always knew he was missing something. Even during the festivities, he couldn't help but feel a little lost. Now that there was no imminent threat, tiredness and loneliness overwhelmed him. The hole inside his heart had widened over years. He was contemplating his life when a flash of blue caught his eyes. Same mystery blue creature that had got him into various troubles in his years at Hogwarts.
Neville smiled to himself and walked towards it, determined to catch it this time. He followed the blue trail venturing deeper into the forest. His merry chase would have gone on for a long time had he not run into Hermione.
"Hermione. Are you okay? What are you doing outside? Why are you not with others?" Neville asked, concerned.
"I couldn't stay inside. I came out for some open air. I was searching for the source of blue light. I should go." Before she could turn around and leave him alone in the forest, he grabbed her hand to stop her.
"let's look for it together. We will just lose our way otherwise."
After trying to find creatures for a few hours, Neville and Hermione were tired. They slumped across the giant tree huddling together for warmth. Minutes passed and neither of them moved. It felt right. Cuddling together under the starry night. It was as if this was the moment both of them looking for. A perfect moment of togetherness.
Neville looked at Hermione, who had curled up in his chest, deep in thoughts. She looked as content to be there. She felt his gaze on her and stared into his eyes. A small smile tugged on her lips as she moved her hands from his chest to his cheek. Neville leaned into her touch, goosebumps rising over his skin at her warmth. Without breaking the eye contact he brushed his lips against hers. She responded with a hesitant kiss of her own. His hands snaked towards her waist, pulling her closer to his body and she tightened her other arm around his neck. This time when their lips crashed both of them moaned. They pulled apart for a second and dived into the kiss again. Their lips moved in synchronization, desperate to tell each other how much they enjoyed it.
They pulled apart when a warm blue glow surrounded them. Two tiny blue creatures were pointing at them, giggling and bouncing excitedly.
"Will-o'-the-wisps" They whispered together.
"But they are a myth" Hermione blurted out, trying to remember what she had read about them.
"Legends says they bring soulmates together. They light the path towards your soulmate." Neville hesitated, "They led us to each other. Just like the first time we met in the field."
"And in the train when we were searching for Trevor." Hermione nodded.
"While you were smuggling the dragon and in the second year when I found you petrified on the floor." He absent-mindedly listed off other instances.
"It was the blue light which helped me track you down after Fake-Moody's class. And it was the same light which led me to Hogs' head before we sneaked inside Hogwarts." She added to the list.
"And tonight. They could sense we needed each other." He continued to look at Will-o'-the-wisps with fascination.
"It was you all the time." Hermione breathed and caressed his cheek again. When Neville turned to face towards her, she pulled him closer by his robes and pressed her lips against his.
Will-o'-the-wisps glowed brighter and vanished into the night, leaving the happy couple to enjoy their night.