Stitch Me Up
Tress Blues

The Parents

"Oh hello there, Hannah," said the small, stout witch at the reception desk at St Mungo's, surprised. "I didn't think you had a shift today."

Hannah fidgeted, uncomfortable. "I don't, I'm here to see my dad, actually." She tried to sound cheerful but Morgan's face fell slightly, pitying.

"Of course dear," she said, quietly, sliding over a pair of passes. Hannah frowned, quizzically. "Well I take it Neville's going in with you." Morgan explained, sounding bemused. "He's here twice a week usually."

Neville behind her shuffled and smiled at Morgan, bashfully. "Hi Mrs Potts."

"Hello there dear," Morgan greeted him, happily. "You two know where to go, I suppose."

Indeed, Hannah and Neville both knew exactly where to go.

They boarded the elevator, both of them feeling intensely awkward. Hannah hands were sweaty as she thought of how her father might react to Neville's presence today. She'd only seen him every now and then, busy with school and the apprenticeship to spend enough time with him. But Hannah had long ago realised and accepted that Alan Abbott was sick and probably incurable.

It made her feel awful that she was nervous about introducing Neville. The two had gone to dinner at the Longbottom Mansion and had gone out a few times after that as friends but this was wildly different; this was meeting the parents.

"Hannah? You okay?" Neville asked, quietly as the elevator pinged at the fourth floor. The Psychiatric Ward.

Hannah nodded, grimly. "Yes, let's go." They stepped out onto the floor and, almost on automatic, made their way down the hall to the Intense Division. "Shall we see mine or yours first?" Hannah tried to keep her tone even but it cracked, as it always did when she visited her Dad.

Neville grabbed her hand before he could talk himself out of it. "It'll be fine. How about we see mine first? I don't think your dad would want to see you upset?" he soothed.

Preoccupied with the feeling of her hand in his (which was rough from all his days working on the Hogwarts Gardens), Hannah didn't realise she was beginning to cry. She sniffed, pathetically and nodded. "Alright, yours first."

The pair entered the Longbottom's room, Room 521 and found themselves greeted by a cozy little environment, with two chairs, a table and a pair of beds. In which were the Longbottoms.

Hannah could immediately see Neville in both of them: Alice Longbottom was short and tiny, with a lovely round face and huge eyes. She seemed very pleased that Neville had entered the room and she clapped her hands, clumsily like a little girl.

Frank Longbottom, on the otherhand, seemed curious about the girl who'd entered with his son. He was much taller than his wife, very much like Neville in stature and his eyes were the same shade as well. He seemed tired and twitched when Neville came closer but didn't make much more of an effort to respond.

"Hey Mum," Neville leaned down and kissed Alice's cheek. She giggled and tried to grab his hair, her movements awkward and stiff. "Yeah, I know, I got a haircut. It was getting too long to work with since its normally sunny when I'm at Hogwarts. The gardens are looking pretty good though. They've almost got the Great Hall back up and running and it's like it was always there."

Alice patted his cheek but her gaze had turned to Hannah, who, carrying a bouquet of Ever-White Blooms, hung about at the foot of the Longbottom's beds, unsure of if Neville wanted some time alone. "That's Hannah, Hannah Abbott, Mum. Oh Dad, don't frown." Neville laughed, patting his father's hand. "She's alright. She's a Hufflepuff, she's shy. Come over."

He beckoned and Hannah walked over, delicately taking a seat beside Frank on his bed. He seemed very bewildered by her presence but something in his eyes flickered at the sight of her and Neville together.

"I'm Hannah." She murmured, gently. "I think you knew my parents at Hogwarts. My mum at least. Her name was Debra Harding, she was a Hufflepuff like me. You know your son's helping to rebuild the area around the Hufflepuff Commons? It was destroyed but since the rooms are underground, everything was alright. It's just the outside." Hannah cast a small smile at Neville, who was holding his mother's hand, carefully.

"Actually, he's put up lovage and whistlewood, because when lovage blooms, it turns golden yellow and whistlewood has black bark. It's subtle but I s'pose it's fitting, considering the House colours." Hannah shook her head, ruefully. "However shall we remain hidden now?"

"You'll find a way, I'm sure. No outsider's been in the Hufflepuff Commons for hundreds of years. Even during last year, the Carrows couldn't find their way in." Neville replied, shrugging.

"Of course they couldn't." Hannah said, proudly. "But how do you know that?"

Neville sighed, laboured. "I'm working with Hermione every day. The woman can recite Hogwarts: A History in her sleep."

Frank let out a snore-like sound and they all laughed. Neville had explained that his parents were conscious but their minds were degraded and all but gone. They had just enough cohesion to realise when someone was in the room apart from themselves and they'd completely forgotten their son.

They continued talking but eventually, it was time for their daily naps so Neville and Hannah lifted themselves off the beds and made their way to the door. "Thanks, for this," Neville mumbled.

Hannah returned the favour and slipped her hand into his. "It's my pleasure. Honestly, your parents are sweet and kind. Just like their son."

Neville looked like he was about to reply but he paused when they heard commotion from inside the room. "Eurgh." Called Frank and Neville was immediately by his side, frowning.

"What's wrong Dad?" he asked, concerned.

Frank waved him away. "Eurgh!" he yelled again. Hannah realised he was looking at her and slowly made her way over, which seemed to calm him down a little more. Frank held out his hand and Hannah carefully slid her shaking palm beneath it, only to feel a very familiar softness brush her fingers.

"Thankyou," she whispered, realising that there was a very small part of Frank Longbottom that recognised that she made his son happy. Hannah pulled away, sniffling and showed Neville what his father had given her.

She unfurled her fingers and inside was a dry but pristine Ever-White Bloom, crumpled and dainty in her palm. Neville swallowed behind her and reached forward to hug his dad, tightly. "Thanks Dad," he said, sounding a little hoarse. "We'll be back later, alright?"

Frank seemed to switch off at that point. He grunted and walked over to where his wife was wiggling her fingers in front of her face, in total amazement. The small, sweet act of Frank taking Alice's hand as he settled in to listen to the Wizard radio was enough to break Hannah's heart as she made her way outside.

"My mum loved Ever-Whites." She whispered to Neville as they slowly walked to the next room. "She knew your Dad at school. He must have known." She didn't add the second part of her realisation that Ever-White blooms were traditionally given to the bride by the groom's parents at their wedding but she figured Neville would work it out later.

As they paused outside Room 736, Hannah hung back to speak with Neville. "Just don't mention the war, remember?" she pleaded and Neville simply nodded, having heard the precautions over and over before they'd decided to make this trip.

Hannah brightened herself and entered the room. "Hi Dad," she murmured to the man sitting at the table. He was handsome in a ruined way- time and pain had turned him grey where he was once blonde and dull where he was once blue eyed.

His face crinkled as he smiled at Hannah. "Hello darling," he said cheerfully. "My goodness, has Hogwarts ended again? So early, it seems." His gaze slid onto Neville behind her. "And who's this? A boyfriend brought home from school?"

"No Dad," Hannah blushed. "Just a mate. This is Neville. We'll only be here a little while but he wanted to say hi."

"Of course," Alan Abbott greeted, cheerfully. "Hello Neville, how are you?"

"Very well sir." Neville responded, shaking the man's hand.

"Here, darling, I'll ask your mother if she's made tea yet. Debra? Debra, Hannah's home!" he called and chuckled when there was no reply. "She must be in the garden. No matter. So how are you darling?" Alan pulled Hannah down into a kiss and a hug.

"Good thanks Dad. How's things here?" She handled him like a pro, Neville noted. Never pointedly referring to Hogwarts, or St Mungo's or her mother or brother. Everything was 'there' or 'here' or 'he' or 'she'. His own parents had never required this kind of treatment; he knew Hannah must hate it, see it as lying but Alan Abbott was stuck in delusions of the past and it would do no good to upset him over it.

While the three of them chatted, Neville found himself wondering about the flower his Dad had given Hannah. Frank Longbottom was one of the reasons Neville liked Herbology so much; even though he was much better at it, Frank had been a top-student back in his day. He'd known Hannah's mother so maybe it was just a gift to what he thought was an old friend?

"…and what do you do Neville?" Alan asked, agreeably. "At school?"

"Neville's helping remodel the Hogwarts Gardens Dad," Hannah began happily. "He's excellent at Herbology."

"Hannah makes me seem a lot better than I am," Neville said, modestly.

Alan laughed but he paused mid-chuckle. "Remodel? Why would they need…no. They don't need remodelling." Alan muttered to himself. Sensing the rising danger, Hannah gestured to the Healer-Button on the side of the door and Neville pressed it quickly as Alan's delusion began to crumble.

"Doesn't need it…no, there wasn't…oh no…oh Merlin, oh Merlin, no…Debra? Debra? CHRISTIAN! Hannah, where are they? Hannah why are you bleeding? Hannah! Debra! Christian! Oh Merlin, no!" the old wizard began screaming, thrashing about his room as his daughter tried to settle him.

"Dad, Dad, please, Dad, I'm alright! Dad, look at me, please…?" she begged but Neville pulled away just in time as Alan swung around and threw a chair where Hannah had once been standing.

"Nooo! My baby! My wife, my child! My daughter! My baby! Nooo!" he wailed, agonized as the Security-Wizards arrived to restrain him. A Healer waved his wand and the Sedative Spell quickly took effect. "My baby…my little girl…my sweetheart…"

Hannah sobbed in Neville's grip, turning away from the scene as they slowly levitated him into bed, where Alan Abbott's fractured mind would no doubt piece itself back together by the morning, back into the hallucination that he was alive and well, living peacefully with his wife and daughter and son.

Neville slowly guided Hannah out of the room, down the elevator, barely tossing the security passes back to Morgan as he left the building. She was so tiny, so thin and blonde and pale. She hadn't been eating properly or sleeping enough, the application for her apprenticeship was driving her to destruction and all of it was pouring out of her in waves, her father's voice still ringing in her ears: My baby, my little girl, my sweetheart…

Though he'd never had much experience comforting witches, Neville knew how to comfort families of patients in the Psychiatric Ward and Hannah appreciated it as she clung to his shirt and bawled her eyes out. Almost fifteen minutes later, once she'd calmed down, Hannah sighed, miserably.

"He was going so well…" she whimpered. "I thought he'd be fine for today."

"It was my fault," Neville said, feeling rotten. "If we hadn't mentioned the Gardens…"

"Stop," Hannah said, tired. "It was me. I should've known that would set him off." She sighed again. "Sometimes I wish I lived in his world. It must be beautiful there."

"Well…" Neville mumbled. "I rather like you this world."

Both parties turned bright pink.

"You…you do?" Hannah whispered.

Neville nodded, awkwardly. "Well, yeah, I mean…we've been talking and we're really great mates and-"

"Right. Mates." Hannah said, morosely.

"But I'd really like it if we could be…more." Neville finished off in a whisper, so faint Hannah could scarcely believe she'd heard it.

"What?" she murmured, not daring to believe her ears.

Come on mate, Neville thought inwardly. Time to show some of that bloody Gryffindor courage… "Look, Hannah, I don't know another girl on the planet who would come here with me today and meet my catatonic parents and treat them like you did." He began, taking a deep breath. "Nor do I know anyone who would let me meet someone so important to them and forgive me when I messed up so badly. No, it's alright, it was my fault.

And look, I know this probably sounds really stupid to you because you're just…gorgeous and I'm me and I know you probably want to be friends but I just can't help telling you all of this because your sweet and kind and funny and bloody beautiful and ifancyyou." Neville finished with a whisper.

There it was. Everything was out in the open and Neville had never felt more like throwing himself under the Knight Bus than he did now, in the face of the silence of Hannah Abbott.

"What?" came the faint, stunned whisper of words.

"I-I fancy you, Hannah." Neville said, once more, this time feeling more and more stupid for telling all this after he'd just set her father off on a panic attack and they were outside St Mungo's.

"What?"

"I fancy you!" Neville yelled and was immediately greeted by a 'shush!'. His spirits sank.

She didn't want him to tell her. She was embarrassed. Of course she was, she was beautiful and probably had hundreds of wizards ask her out, Merlin knows Neville had watched a lot of them make eyes at her when they passed by-

"Don't say it so loudly!" Hannah murmured, sounding very close to his face. Of course, he wouldn't have known since he hadn't opened his eyes since his first confession.

"Sorry, Merlin, that was stupid, can we just pretend that didn't happen?" Neville gushed, feeling lower than horned snails.

"It's not that."

What?

"What?" he echoed, dumbly. How could it not?

"I'm trying to keep those words to myself. I want to keep them forever." Hannah confessed, her breath brushing his cheek as she did. Neville slowly opened his eyes and found her endlessly blue gaze staring right at him, bursting with happiness. "I want them. I want them for my own. I don't want everyone else to have them." She breathed against his lips.

"They're yours." Neville mumbled, honestly.

She broke into a beautiful, bright smile. "I would be honoured to have them Neville. You wonderful, silly wizard." And then she kissed him.

And it was soft and sweet and Hannah realised her mother had been right:

You really did see stars.