"Blimey?" Hannah stepped further into the room, now looking extremely nervous. "Was that a good blimey, or a bad blimey?"
"You look – amazing," said Neville. And she did. She was wearing a dress of subtle violet, with narrow shoulders and a modest neckline that still exposed a deal of milky white skin. Her long hair had been curled and cascaded in waves down her back. Small diamonds glittered from her ears and the hollow of her throat. At his response she had smiled and a cheery flush crept across her cheeks. Neville felt dizzy and light-headed at the very sight of her; a few seconds later he realized this was mainly because he'd forgotten to breathe.
"Thanks," said Hannah, still smiling shyly. "I was afraid I might be overdressed, I wasn't really sure what to wear. This is fine then?"
"You look amazing," repeated Neville and then blushed when he realized what he'd done. "And Merlin, I sound like a bloody git. Sorry."
"No, it's alright," said Hannah, hastily, and she seemed to be far more relaxed as she walked toward him. It suddenly occurred to Neville that it seemed Hannah had been as afraid of his reaction, as he had been of hers. This made him feel much better. "You look very charming as well," added Hannah and he felt her eyes panning over him.
"Thanks," mumbled Neville, although a second later he spotted a streak of gray ash on his sleeve and set about rubbing it away. After this the pair of them stood in silence, staring at each other and both shifting uncertainly. Neville felt as though he had been transported back in time into the body of his awkward, teen self. She said yes, he reminded himself. She agreed to go with you, and she's here, all dressed and ready and looking beautiful. He chanced a glance up at her face and when their eyes met she gave him a soft, encouraging smile, as if she could read his thoughts. He felt slightly less shaky.
"Er, shall we go then?" asked Neville. Hannah nodded and stepped up to his side. "You know the address, don't you?"
"Yes, but –" Hannah hesitated and the rouge in her cheeks darkened. Neville gave her a small nod to continue and she said, in one hasty breath, "I don't like to Apparate."
This surprised Neville, but he tried not to let it show. "I could see if Harry has his house connected to Floo yet, if you'd feel better about that."
"No, that – I wouldn't want to be such a bother," said Hannah quickly and her face seemed to be growing redder by the second. "I can Apparate, I'm just not fond of it. That one time, when we were learning in the Great Hall –" Hannah's embarrassment seemed to be beyond words by this point, but Neville knew what she meant now. He could remember in vivid detail the time when Hannah had splinched herself trying to Apparate, having been only two rings to her left and seeing the scene of her separated leg quite clearly.
"You don't like to Apparate on your own," said Neville, slowly and gently. Hannah went impossibly redder, now unable to look Neville in the face, but nodded. "That's no problem." He offered his arm to her, giving her a soft smile similar to the one she had given him minutes before. A look of intense relief swept across Hannah's face and in an instant she had reached out to grip his forearm with both of her hands. The contact sent a jolt through Neville's stomach, but he ignored it as he gave Hannah one more assuring smile and then turned on his heel.
The familiar, crushing feeling surrounded him, making Neville feel more than just a little claustrophobic. He felt Hannah's grip tightening on his arm, and although he was worried about her fears, he couldn't help but feel a satisfying sense of pride that she trusted him with her safety. It was still an unfamiliar feeling for him, being trusted to do things properly, but this time felt particularly important. This time it was Hannah.
Seconds later the world righted itself as his feet landed in a snow drift with a crunch and the overpowering darkness was replaced by light and colour. They were standing at the foot of a long drive, leading up to a large house. It was nothing too grand, displaying all of the modesty of its owners, although it was still much bigger than Neville would ever feel comfortable owning. The trim was lined with brightly coloured Christmas lights, and a stout pine tree in the yard had been decorated with what appeared to be gold and red bubbles. The small mansion greatly surpassed the extravagance of any of the neighbouring houses in Godric's Hollow, especially in its Christmasy glory.
"Wow," breathed Hannah, her breath crystallizing in the air before her as she stared up at the house in awe.
"Living well, isn't he?" asked Neville with a laugh, casting a glance at the house once again. He had teased Harry often on the luxury of his residence, to which his typical response was that after living in a cupboard for most of his life, he deserved it. Neville knew, however, that the excessive number of rooms came from Harry's desire to be able to surround himself with a large family that he'd always lacked before. It was one of those things they had in common.
Hannah shivered and Neville was jerked from his musing. "Oh, you must be freezing," he said and before she could protest he had draped his cloak around her shoulders. "Let's get inside, it's awfully chilly out."
Stepping forward, Neville pushed open the gate and held it for Hannah as they stepped onto the property. Hannah had once again taken his arm in one of her hands, the other holding the cloak securely around her shoulders, and she released neither as they walked up the lengthy gravel drive. She was looking timid as they finally reached the front step, and Neville paused before knocking, giving her a concerned glance.
"Are you alright, Hannah?" he asked.
Hannah flushed again. "Just a little nervous," she admitted. "I was never very close with them. You're sure they won't mind my being here, aren't you?"
"They'll love you, don't worry," said Neville encouragingly, and when Hannah finally returned his smile he knocked twice on the door. It was only a few seconds before it swung open in a flash of red and black. Ginny Potter was standing in the doorframe, a young boy with ruffled black hair perched on her hip.
"Neville, you've made it," said Ginny, excitedly. The little boy cheered sleepily, looking as though it was taking a great deal of effort to keep his light brown eyes opened even as he giggled. "And Hannah. It's good to see you again. Come in, come in." Neville stepped into the entrance hall, Hannah keeping close behind him, and Ginny shut the door. "I was just on my way to put Jamie to bed, but I want to catch up with you both when I get back."
"Mum, 'm'not sweepy," the little boy mumbled as he rubbed his fist into his eye.
"Nice try," said Ginny, laughing. Then she turned back to Neville and said, "Harry's down in the grand room with the others, you remember the way." Neville smiled back at his best friend and she reached out to touch his arm before turning and walking up the stairs. James' continued arguments that he wasn't tired echoed back down to them over Ginny's disbelieving laughs.
After helping Hannah off with the cloak and hanging it on a hook by the door, he offered her his arm once more, which she took eagerly, and then said, "This way." He led her down the hall to a door that was propped open and voices were audible beyond it. "I told you everything would be fine," he added in an undertone, fighting the satisfied smile that was threatening to take over his features.
"I know," said Hannah, still blushing but looking much less frightened. It seemed that being remembered by Ginny had eased her worries. They edged through the door, a bit awkwardly since Hannah was either unable or simply unwilling to let go of his arm, and Neville took in the sight of the Potters' grand room.
The room was large and the floor was empty except for a few small tables against one wall and a towering Christmas tree near the window that was decorated in lights and glittering icicles. Carols were playing from a large wireless on a small table by the fireplace. There weren't many people there yet, but Neville spotted several heads so red they could only be Weasleys, as well as the large figure of Hagrid sitting in a corner and drinking from a mug the size of a bucket. They had hardly stepped into the room when a tall, dark-haired man broke free from the people he was talking to and strode over, beaming.
"Happy Christmas, Neville," said Harry and he hastily shook hands with his friend. "Ginny was afraid you'd be too busy to make it this year, being Head of House and all, but I told her you wouldn't miss it."
"Never do," answered Neville. "Hey, Harry, you remember Hannah?"
Harry's eyes switched to Hannah and he smiled. "Oh yeah," he said and shook her hand as well. "You work down at the Leaky Cauldron now, don't you? I thought I saw you when I was coming through on some Christmas shopping a few weeks ago." Hannah nodded, apparently incapable of saying any more. "You look smashing," he said with a smile before turning back to Neville. "You haven't seen Hermione lately, have you?"
"No, not since her birthday," confessed Neville. "Haven't had much time to get away from the castle, with everything." He felt himself blushing, since every free moment he'd had that he might have been visiting his friends had been spent on Charing Cross Road with Hannah. She seemed to catch this as well and she smiled, cheeks brightening. Clearing his throat, Neville said, "She's really showing now, isn't she? In her last owl she was complaining about it."
"Large as a watermelon," said Harry with a quiet laugh. "Not that I'd say that in front of her, of course. Ron did the other day and she hexed him. Bloody hilarious, actually. He's still wincing every time he sits down." Neville laughed appreciatively and even Hannah gave a tentative chuckle. "C'mon, she'll go mental if she finds out you're here and haven't come to say hi yet."
Harry led them over to one of the small tables and he saw Hermione sitting down, one of her hands resting absentmindedly on her extremely rounded belly. When she spotted Neville she tried to stand up but Neville quickened his pace so he could reach her before she got up. Putting a hand onto her shoulder to keep her in her seat, he bent over to hug her and she placed a small kiss on his cheek.
"Almost the day, isn't it?" asked Neville, gesturing to her stomach.
"Only six weeks to go," said Hermione with an almost dreamy smile.
"And you said it's a girl, didn't you?" he asked, trying to remember the details she'd given in her last letter.
"We're naming her Rose," said Ron Weasley as he came up behind Hermione and handed her a glass of water. "Hiya Neville," he added and grinned. He pulled a chair up beside his wife's and Neville noticed that he was grimacing as he lowered himself into the seat. Harry caught Neville's eye and they both bit back snickers.