5 years later…
"Willow are you almost ready, we have to leave in ten minutes!" Neville called up to her.
No, Willow was not ready, not one bit. She was going back to the place she swore never to go again; she was going back to Hogwarts.
Willow sunk to the side of the bed where Neville slept and stroked it; she would never see him on it again.
Her bags were packed, her jacket was on and her mind was set on going, but her heart wasn't. She didn't want to go back, all the happy and heart wrenching memories that she had left behind there were for her own good. She only kept Neville with her.
"Sweetheart I swear if you don't come down here now I will carry you down." He joked.
Willow smiled and yelled down, "I wouldn't mind."
She heard steps coming up the stairs, "Alright then, you asked for it." He strode into the room and picked her up in his arms, like she was a feather.
He picked up her suitcase and walked down their small cottage house, "Gosh honey, really you are so lazy making me carry you down the stairs."
Willow laughed and kissed him lightly, 'Well you're the one who proposed to this lazy wizard."
He sighed, "Yeah I should've thought about that one a little more."
She hit his arm and as they reached the end of the stairs he put her down bringing her to him, "Willow, are you sure?"
She ran a hand through his hair and lied, "Of course I am, you crossed a country to find me, I could at least do the same so you can accomplish your dream."
Neville took his face in his hands, "How did I find you?"
"I could say the same to you…"
The drive to the airport was filled with no conversation giving her time to reflect on the past five years.
She had left Hogwarts and England for America. With a full tank of gas she drove to nowhere in particular, crying the whole way, and ended up in a small town in Montana. The town she had just left.
She had settled there in a small cottage and had lived as contently as she could for six months working as a dance teacher, but she was alone, so alone. It ended though when Neville found her one snowy night. He welcomed her with a kiss pulling her into him.
Neville blocked the sadness, or as much as he could, since one part of her heart was still occupied by the man she had left 5 summers ago, but like she said Neville filled most of the sadness.
They started a relationship of sorts and fell in love with each, or for her she fell in love with him as much as she possibly could.
Willow had said yes to marrying Neville truly out of love for him and she was comfortable but lately, with Neville now going to be the new Horologist at Hogwarts, memories of the past had been distracting her, memories of him.
"Willow, are you alright."
She looked up realizing tears had slipped from her eyes, "Yes, just missing our home already."
Neville put a hand to her cheek, "Maybe leaving is the best thing, a fresh start, maybe it will fix us both."
Willow looked up at him and saw the bags under his eyes, the war, the one she had not partaken in, was still haunting him.
"Neville I'm so sorry here I am feeling miserable for myself when you are just as miserable, we are both broken."
Neville sighed, "But I can't fix you like Draco did."
Willow's heart sunk and she stiffened, Neville knew everything that had happened to her, and he knew of the friendship between them, but he didn't know the love; or at least the love on her side of their relationship.
Neville closed his eyes for a split second, "Willow I'm sorry, I know you're worried enough to see him again, and I'm not helping one bit."
She didn't say anything and neither did he but she mumbled under her breath, "Nothing can help…"
The wall to platform nine and three quarters stared out at her with a face of utter worry, she faced it with the same expression.
Neville had already left leaving her alone with a huge decision.
She could leave, though, never look back, abscond from reality.
But she loved Neville and despite all the worry about meeting Draco, she wanted one glimpse of him, to ease her heart and soul.
She ran through the wall not knowing if she would ever come back to face it again.
They boarded the train, trying to find an open compartment for them. She scanned the open ones only to find them filled with excited youngsters and smiling teachers coming back for another year.
She let Neville lead them to the last compartment hoping it would be empty, she peered in and froze. He was sitting there casually; white shirt half unbuttoned, hair shining and his grey storm eyes looking at the scenery.
She immediately turned away walking straight past him, concealing her face.
"Willow Woodson," a very female voice inquired.
Willow turned around instinctively and immediately regretted it; Hermoine Granger stood half out of the very compartment with the very man she had tried to ignore.
"It is you!" Hermoine shouted.
Willow smiled but didn't say anything; Draco hadn't seemed to notice.
Neville interjected the silence, "Hermoine, how are you? I haven't seen you in ages."
Noticing Neville, Hermoine stepped out the compartment and gave Neville a hug saying, "Neville Longbottom, you sure have changed!"
Willow's eyes were glued on the man in the compartment, who still hadn't looked up, which gave her a chance to examine in.
He looked lost and tired. The dark shades of purple under his eye lids were a contrast to his very pale skin.
But other than his exhaustion she saw a more confident way about him, as if he had everything he wanted, and by the looks of Hermoine's purse next to him, he did.
A surge of feelings rushed back into Willow, seeing him so content, while every second she stared at him longer she wanted him more, even loved him more.
A hand touched her shoulder lightly and she turned to see Hermoine smiling, "Would you like to join us?"
Hermoine was being overly nice; she knew how much pain Willow was in.
"Sure Hermoine thank you."
Sure Hermoine, thank you… Draco froze. That voice, it sounded so bloody familiar. He focused in on it, but fog clouded his mind.
He heard a door slide open and looked up finding his eyes meet with deep blue ones, he felt that he could stare in them forever.
His eyes travelled down and everything about her beauty looked familiar.
He looked up again and found her trying to avoid his eyes. He immediately looked away and smiled up at Hermoine.
She smiled back, "Draco, this is Willow and Neville."
A sudden willow tree came into his mind, but was then clouded over.
He shook his head and smiled up to him, "Nice to meet you."
They both looked confused but greeted him with a hello.
Draco still stared at Willow and found himself not being able to look away, but soon even that thought was covered by a fog in his mind.
He turned back to the scenery and thought that the trees looked extremely sad this morning, not sad shameful, shameful at him.