The First Night
Ten Years Later
Professor Neville Longbottom rather enjoyed sitting at the teacher's table. After seven years sat on the opposite side of the invisible barrier between staff and pupils, it was rather interesting being able to see across the whole of the Great Hall. In particular, his eyes lingered over the group of Gryffindor sixth years, especially one small boy who's hair changed from blue to an impressive red and yellow. He leant across to the new sandy haired teacher sitting to his left.
"See the one with the re- no wait, lilac - hair? That's Lupin's kid," Neville hissed. Seamus Finnegan nodded theatrically as though he were imparting some sagely advice connected in some way to Defence Against The Dark Arts.
"Looks like a good enough lad," he said, a smile tugging the corner of his lips. The ex-Auror certainly looked the part; his robes were pinned up where he had lost his left arm hunting down Thorfinn Rowle after his escape from Azkaban. That was the trouble with the wizard prison these days; without the dementors it was just another prison. Neville had chosen not to mention how similar his demeanour now was to another ex-Auror who had taught Defence Against the Dark Arts a long time ago.
"You don't have a hip flask do you?" Neville asked before he thought to close his mouth. Seamus frowned.
"No, why do you ask?" he said in bemusement. Neville eyed the goblet in front of him with a hint of guilt.
"Oh no reason," he said, smiling airily. The herbology professor looked over the sea of faces and briefly considered running off to the Leaky Cauldron for a drink, as he considered every year. So far it had never happened. He'd been teaching at Hogwarts ever since he'd returned from the Great Tour with Dean Thomas and Seamus. He'd seen a great many things abroad in places as far as Prague, Egypt and Eastern Europe and even had a few scavenged artefacts that he kept in his office.
The general hum of the Great Hall died down a little as the doors opened and Professor Flitwick came scurrying in with a stool almost as tall as he was floating along behind him and the Sorting Hat in his other hand. The first years were lined up looking petrified, as was to be imagined. Neville guessed that Seamus' well trained eye had picked out young James Potter in the assorted mass, because the child was cowering from one thing or another. He surreptitiously elbowed his fellow teacher in the side. The Hat made a coughing sound and Neville cringed pre-emptively.
"Come young minds
I'll put you at your ease
A place for you all I shall find
Though you may do as you please
Brave Gryffindor lies for those
Large heart, strong willed
Sly Slytherin, wary of their foes
Through ambition and cunning shall they build
Sweet Hufflepuff
Loyal to the end
Sharp Ravenclaw
Quick witted, full brained
All of you shall have your place
For I can read it from your face,"
The Hat's song came to an end and Neville breathed a sigh of relief. It may have been terrible but at the very least it was short. Seamus was looking slightly stunned.
"It seems to have lost it's flair," he said blankly and Neville couldn't help but snigger. By this time the sorting was in full swing, and as the head of Gryffindor house, Neville felt obliged to give a polite round of applause at every first year sorted into his house. When Potter, James was read out, there was a hush over the Great Hall and then the whispering started. Poor James was looking about in astonishment, clearly not understanding what was going on. It seemed that Harry hadn't told him about all the events of the war yet. Catching the boy's eye, he gave him a very brief but very clear wink. The boy proceeded to sit on the stool and the very second the Hat touched the tips of his hair it shouted "Gryffindor". There was an eruption of cheers from the Gryffindor and someone who sounded very much like Teddy Lupin shouted "We got Potter!", but Neville wasn't sure. He made it a very significant point not to look.
The rest of the Sorting past without anything dramatic happening, but Neville made a note to give Teddy some extra house points later on. Then Professor McGonagall stood up, still managing to look severe even with grey hair and a cane. And she did something that she never did as Deputy Head Mistress. She smiled.
"Welcome, welcome," she said in her lilting Scottish accent "to another new year at Hogwarts. To those who are new additions to our ranks, welcome. To those who are returning…one can only hope your welcome hasn't run out,"
She paused as laughter rang out around the Great Hall, not least from the staff table, where Neville was sniggering into a napkin and even Seamus cracked a smile.
"A few announcements before you start your dinner," she said "Firstly, I would like to welcome Professor Finnegan as our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher,"
Seamus gave a polite wave at the scattered applause around the room.
"Secondly, I would like to congratulate Professor Malfoy on her marriage over the summer break," McGonagall said stiffly.
Neville leant over to Seamus and nodded his head at the black haired woman who was sitting on the opposite side.
"Astoria Greengrass," he whispered, and Seamus nodded, a dark look crossing over his face.
"Finally I hope to have a lot of guests teaching you this year; if, and only if, I continue to see the exemplary behaviour that I have come to expect from Hogwarts students. As ever, the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds, and I do hope that some of you will actually abide by that rule this year. That is all, enjoy the feast," the Scottish witch said, sitting down to more applause which stopped abruptly as the food appeared on the plates in front of them.
Neville ate fairly excessively evening, even by his own high standards. He bade goodnight to Seamus and the Headmistress before staggering into his office on the third floor, feeling significantly more circular than he had when he began the day. He cracked his knuckles, rubbed his tired eyes and threw some Floo powder into the fire.
"The Leaky Cauldron," he said clearly as he stepped in. He stepped out again onto an immaculately dusted floor, taking care not to trail soot across the room as he made his way to the bar. He hitched himself onto a barstool and caught the eye of Hannah Abbott, who had just emerged from the backroom.
"Good evening, Professor," she said, smirking as he flinched.
"Hannah, you know that makes me feel like I'm forty," he complained as she pulled a bottle of butterbeer from beneath the counter.
"I do apologise Mr. Longbottom," she said, pursing her lips. Neville shook his head in mock dismay.
"I dunno, some people," he said "so how's my favourite bar-wench today?"
"Wench?" she laughed, passing him the alcohol "You play a dangerous game, Longbottom,"
"It's a dangerous life, tending magical plants," he said, waggling his eyebrows mysteriously "but seriously, how's it going?"
"Really good," the blonde Hufflepuff said, grinning "I think Ernie may be getting ready to pop the question to Susan. She's so excited!"
"Excellent stuff," Neville chuckled "You'll never guess who's the new DADA teacher,"
"Finnegan?" Hannah said with a raised eyebrow.
"Very impressive Miss Abbott," the herbology teacher said with a slight smirk "dare I ask as to how you heard that?"
"It's a dangerous life, serving wasted Irishmen," she said, winking at her friend. Neville "smiled and stood up, tossing a couple of knuts over the counter.
"I should really be off," he said awkwardly "I just popped in to say hello,"
"That's what owls are for Neville," the bartender said as her friend stepped towards the fire. He turned and gave her a very brief flash of the nervous boy she used to know from school.
"Maybe I just like to see your face," he said, as he stepped into the fire and announced "Neville Longbottom's office,"
After he left, he couldn't see the pink blush that spread over the bartender's face.
AN: Please review
