"You know, I really missed you last year, when you'd gone.." eighteen year old Neville Longbottom told his seventeen year old friend, Luna Lovegood as they sat soaking in the glorious bathtub of the prefects bathroom. The last year of school had been horribly disrupted by the Death Eaters that took over school, and the end of the year was marked with a tremendous battle that left many dead. Neville and Luna had fought until the end, both bravely putting their lives on the line to help defend the wizarding world. Neville had drawn the sword of Godric Gryffindor from the sorting hat whilst under extreme pressure from the now deceased Lord Voldemort. From here he had proceeded to destroy Nagini, Voldemort's snake, and one of his Horcruxes. For this he had been awarded the Order of Merlin, First Class, to his grandmother's immense pride. She had always feared that Neville would not show the talent and ability of his parents, tortured to insanity by a particular Death Eater by the name of Bellatrix LeStange, who in the battle was killed by Molly Weasley to great applause. As a result, the last year had been very disrupted so Neville had opted to return to Hogwarts to redo his seventh year. When he received his new book list for the year, he was informed that he had also been awarded the position of Head Boy, beside Hermione Granger as Head Girl. He was slightly confused, then, to receive a letter by owl from Luna Lovegood, a true friend of his from the year below, telling him that she too had been appointed Head Girl. On further examination it was revealed that there were two Head Boys and two Head Girls, due to so many students repeating the seventh year, so there was one Head Boy and one Head Girl from each of those years. His grandmother had burst into tears upon finding this out, and told him that she had never been so proud.
"I rather missed you too Neville," Luna said dreamily, smiling sweetly at him, "It was hell being trapped in the Malfoy Manor," she told him, "I think the only reason they didn't kill me was that my mother and father both had magical blood..." she trailed off, the smile sliding from her face.
"Yeah, I know the feeling," Neville grimaced. He too had possibly been spared due to the fact that his parents both had magical bloody running through their veins, "It's disgusting though, killing people because their blood 'isn't pure enough'.... I am very glad that they didn't kill you though." he concluded, turning to face Luna again, who smiled back at him.
"I'm very glad that they didn't kill me too, and I'm also very glad that they didn't kill you." she finished firmly.
"Then it's settled, we're both glad that we're both alive!"
"Yes.. Would you like a small glass of Purple Flame?" Luna asked, her voice as dreamy as ever as she turned and pulled herself out of the tub. Neville squeezed his eyes tight shut, as the naked girl revealed herself fully, crossing the room to where she had left her bag, from which she produced a bottle of virulent looking purple liquid. Alcohol was, strictly speaking, forbidden at Hogwarts, and this was the strongest of the strong, two shots of it could have you completely hammered for hours, but tonight was a night to celebrate. It was his first night back at school without the risk of Lord Voldemort jumping out from around a corner to torture people.
"Go on then, just one," he said with a grin, as Luna produced two shot glasses and filled each to the top. She carefully walked back to the pool, but the two shot glasses on the edge, and jumped in, splashing Neville, his eyes bursting open in shock. He was just in time to see Luna's head emerge from the water, grinning widely. She swam over to the side and picked up one glass, offering the other to Neville.
"To Hogwarts!" Neville toasted, to which Luna nodded her agreement, and they clinked glasses and downed the liquid in one. It was like swallowing cold fire, it both burned and froze at the same time. Neville choked, his eyes protruding dangerously far, but Luna sat quite serenely, a smile playing across her lips as she watched Neville's reaction.
"Are you alright Neville?" she asked him.
"Aye, never better," now the sensation had passed, he was quite enjoying the after taste, but could already feel clouds closing in on his mind.
Conversation turned to the new prefects for their houses, over whom they had control. Luna seemed satisfied with hers, but Neville was not convinced by the Gryffindor ones.
"I mean, don't get me wrong," his voice slurred slightly as he spoke. Luna poured him another shot, "They're nice enough kids, but that Joseph Dickinson couldn't tell his arse from his elbow, if you know what I mean," Luna was clearly amused by his intoxication, and downed her own shot, encouraging him to down his.
"I suppose that could be a little problematic..." she conceded, pouring a third shot, which Neville happily took and drank in one without any prompting. Luna did the same.
"Not that I could really talk..." Neville said, a mood swing suddenly leaving him downbeat.
"Well..." Luna swam up to him and placed her feet on the floor so he was stood right next to him. "This is your elbow," she grabbed his right elbow, much to his amusement, "And this is your arse." She said dreamily, pinching his backside, much to Neville's amazement. He couldn't imagine Luna ever doing anything like that. He blushed as she swam back to her previous position and smiled at him.
They were halfway through discussing the Quidditch World Cup in which England would play New Zealand not far away from the school when the door burst open, and the sound of giggling floated in. Both turned around to find Hermione giggling, but apparently talking to herself. She shut the door and cast various locking spells as Ronald Weasley emerged from under an invisibility cloak, chortling slightly. They both turned around to find Neville and Luna staring at them from the tub.
"Sorry!" Ron was suddenly shocked back to his senses, "We'll leave you two to it!" he made to leave, but Neville protested,
"No, come on in, we're just discussing the Quidditch World Cup- did you hear that they've started building the stadium about twenty miles from here?" he asked enthusiastically. A wide grin stretched across Ron's face as he pulled off his over clothes. Hermione looked slightly put out. She had clearly intended for herself and Ron to have a romantic bath together, having snuck him back into the school especially for the occasion. Neville felt slightly guilty, but the alcohol clouded everything, so instead, he slurringly invited Hermione to join them, which she did so after insisting that everybody look away as she climb in. Ron and Hermione had clearly just come from one of the pubs in Hogsmeade, where Ron was now living as he helped his brother George to open another branch of the joke shop here, as they could smell the firewhiskey on their clothes and their breath when they were close enough.
Ron and Neville started fiddling with the taps, after deciding that it would be awesome to have it set to "jacuzzi" mode, and both let out a triumphant cry as they succeeded in finding the tap that provided the most powerful bubbles and jets of air.
Luna smiled at Hermione and offered her the bottle of Purple Flame and a shot glass. Hermione hesitated, but then smiled,
"Well, we should be celebrating, I suppose," she said as she poured a shot and downed it as Ron settled down next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, taking the bottle from her and swigging from it directly, "To Hogwarts!"
"So Ron, Hermione," Neville began, looking at each in turn, "How was it that you two got together?" he asked, causing them both to blush slightly. Ron told them about the kiss during the battle, and about how it had basically developed from there. Luna watched him in interest.
"Congratulations, I remember saying to Ron two years ago that you two should be together," she told Hermione, who looked surprised.
"Really? Why did you say that?" she asked, pouring another shot.
"Well, Ronald walked in on me in the bath whilst he was hiding from that silly girl he went out with but didn't really like," she began, Ron determinedly avoided her eyes, trying not to remember the sight of her naked, "And I asked him why he was with her and not with you, and asked if he liked you, and we came to the conclusion that he did like you very much." she concluded. Ron was extremely glad that she conveniently left out the part in which she offered to have sex with him and he agreed, just to be knocked back.
"Oh." Hermione looked pleasantly taken aback.
"How's Harry doing? And Ginny?" Neville asked Ron, who had taken the bottle from his girlfriend and passed it back to Neville, who then took a swig, "I heard they were back together again."
"Yes," Ron admitted somewhat grudgingly, "They are."
"Oh Ron, you know you're happy with it really," Hermione protested, her face was becoming rather red, "You've said yourself you would much rather her be with Harry then any of the other boys she's been with!"
"That's true," Ron agreed, but his tone suggested otherwise.
"Ron, I wonder if your brother is a good teacher," Luna pondered with a smile. Percy Weasley had taken up a temporary post of Professor of Transfiguration whilst Professor McGonagall was acting the head teacher until they could appoint somebody else to do it. Ron smirked,
"I don't know..." Ron thought about it, "He always was very bright, he might be, I guess... Who's the Defense teacher this year?" he asked with curiosity. It had been rumoured that the position had been jinxed so that each teacher would only last one year, which Harry then verified, claiming that Tom Riddle had been rejected from a job there, and thus he cursed the position so nobody else could have it. Because Tom Riddle was now entirely dead, would the position still be cursed?
"Why, do you remember Viktor Krum from Durmstrang school?" Luna asked happily, completely unaware of Hermione and Neville shaking their heads and widening their eyes in attempt to steer her from answering.
"Oho, so Vicky's working here now is he? No wonder you wanted to come back Hermione, or should I say Herm-own-ninny?" Ron turned angrily on his girlfriend, "Why didn't you tell me? Hoping for lots of cosy little catch-up sessions in the library without me around?"
"Oh Ronald don't be so ridiculous!" Hermione snapped at him, "I have already told him that you and I are an item now,"
"Oh yeah, and what did he say to that? 'I don't care Herm-own-ninny, you have detention now, stay back with me'?" Ron snarled.
"Ronald you are absolutely pathetic sometimes!" Hermione's anger was no doubt aided by the alcohol she had consumed, "How DARE you suggest that? Me and Viktor were never really a couple! But you know what, if you keep up this immaturity, I might be willing to give him a second chance!"
At this, Ron roared in anger, pulled himself out the tub in one fluid movement and angrily stormed over to his clothes. He pulled them on hastily and bade Luna and Neville goodnight, deliberately ignoring Hermione. He stormed out of the room, slamming the door as loudly as he could, prompting Hermione to burst into tears.
Neville and Luna exchanged a look. This was not the celebratory evening they had anticipated.
