NothingsoSweet

A/N: Those who review will get a magical draco doll that says "Hey, you know what I Love? Snakes!" every time you pull its little rope. Ok, just kidding, but review anyway, ok? Love :D

Chapter 2: Pixie Fertilizer

"Ms. Abbott, there's a visit for you downstairs." A kind voice said in a tone that indicated a bit of fear. It belonged to Eugene, one of the new employees Hannah had hired.

"Hm, a visit?" At the first sign of light on her eyes, Hannah felt her head explode and was immediately reminded of the three bottles of Ogden she had emptied by herself the night before.

"Yes, yes! A handsome young man, I might add. And he has such a familiar face…Like I had seen him somewhere else before, you see? And, oh, he has such beautiful eyes, a shade of grey that's so gorgeous that should be illegal!"

Hannah rolled her eyes at this but felt her head throbbing even more from the effort. She summoned her anti hangover potion from the bathroom counter.

"Maybe you do know him, Eugene. Is there any chance your children collect the pictures that come in the chocolate frogs?"

"Of course." The housekeeper answered while watching Hannah turn the tiny bottle at once on her mouth and make her way towards the desk in the corner of the room. She browsed around a few messed parchments and smiled when she finally seemed to find what she was looking for. She handed a small picture to Eugene:

"Here. Could these possibly be the astonishingly beautiful grey eyes you were talking about?" The man in the picture seemed much younger than the one she had met just a few minutes ago, Eugene thought, but it was definitely the same. He looked shy and utterly embarrassed to be there, like he was too modest to even smile to the camera. The image in the picture didn't even wave at her. Eugene's eyes went for the name written under the boy's photo:

"Merlin's beard!" she exclaimed. "Longbottom! Are you telling me that Neville Longbottom is here, right now, waiting for you downstairs at the pub?"

"I'd say yes."

"And why are you dressed like that!? Miss Abbott, please forgive me, but the boy is here to see you! You could at least try to look presentable. He seems worthy of your attention – more than the other one did, if I might add and…"

Hannah flushed; possibly from embarrassment but most likely from anger:

"Eugene! I'm sure I never gave you freedom to speak of such things with me and…" – she moved from side to side, not knowing what to think, choosing clothes and combing her hair. She stopped for a while and took a deep breath. "And, besides, I can guarantee that Mr. Longbottom it's not here with this kind of intention."

"But he brought flowers."

Hannah chocked with the toothpaste, her toothbrush in one hand:

"Flowers?"

"Flowers. Quite dazzling flowers by the way; looked magical."

"Is it possible that he actually thought this was some sort of date after all?" Hannah wondered to herself. She had just finished a three year relationship and she didn't think she was quite ready to start anything new, actually, she thought, "ready" would be the last word she'd use right now. She tried to shake the images away from her head. And Neville Longbottom of all people? That frightened her to death. She didn't want a new relationship at all, especially with someone who was about to start a fulltime career at Hogwarts and…

"Miss Abbott?" Eugene faced her with puzzled eyes.

"Oh, right. Please tell Mr. Longbottom I'll be there in twenty minutes and please…" She prolonged the sound of the first "e". "Please try no to scare him."

"And just how would I do that?" Eugene said, cynical, leaving the room. Hannah stared at her reflection in the mirror that looked at her with despair:

"Please tell me you're not wearing that, darling."

--

Tom, the old barman, seemed to clean the same glass for the thirteenth time, the nice lady who welcomed him simply couldn't avoid to stare every time he turned around – and he could swear he saw her holding a chocolate frog picture – and a few kids at a table just a few inches from him pointed and giggled from time to time.

"I shouldn't have come here at all! I had already forgotten; it was sign! A sign from heaven, but noooo, Sprout had to force me into coming, hadn't she? I bet even Abbott forgot! Ugh!"

"So, Longbottom, are you ready for all the super spontaneous hours of fun Susan and Professor Sprout prepared for us today?" The ironical smile appeared among the golden buttercups he had brought her and he noticed that somehow, they seemed to be a perfect match.

Neville stood up to give her a "hi" but, in his hush, he accidentally dropped the vase along with the chair he was sitting on.

"Oh, lord, I'm so sorry!" Hannah laughed and Neville suddenly felt nostalgic. He smiled apologetic, she beamed:

"I could swear you had changed, Longbottom! I mean, you're a war hero and everything, but I now see that you obviously haven't changed a bit." She picked the buttercups one by one. "You're the same lumbering boy that used to lose his frog every night."

But Neville didn't seem to be paying any attention to whatever she was saying; he took the flowers from her hands gently and put them back in the vase:

"Be careful. They only blossom correctly if you treat them carefully." Hannah let go of the flowers and watched him work, completely immersed. She realized she'd been wrong; he was a totally different person right now.

"You know…I can't really remember the last time somebody brought me flowers…"

Crash!The vase was on the floor again and Neville's face had assumed a peculiar shade of red. Hannah blushed too.

"Calm down. Reparo!" she said pointing her wand to the vase. "There. Sorry, I didn't really mean it that way, I was just saying…"

"Yeah, yeah." He muttered; his eyes back on the flowers. "I brought them for good luck. Flowers to thank you for wasting your time shopping with me and it's not like I have any interest in you at all, besides, I…" He gasped and choked, completely tongue-tied.

"Longbottom!" Hannah pulled the vase from his hands. He was being so harsh about her comment that she was starting to feel offended. "I got it, alright? There's no need to explain it so vehemently. I'll put these on water and then we're good to go, ok?" She said turning around.

"Abbott…"

"Yes?"

"These flowers are not supposed to be put in water. We put them in pixie fertilizer." Pixie fertilizer like in Pixie shit? Hannah thought:

"What!?" she asked instead.

"Er…I brought some with me." He said, handing her a smelly packet with an awkward smile. Hannah controlled her urges to bump her head against a wall.

This was going to be such a long day.

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A/N: Small chapter, I know, but please, read and review. Thanks to everyone who already did, love you all.