Arriving back at the Leaky Cauldron, he thought, Home. And was surprised for a moment, at how short a time it had taken to feel more at home there than any place he had ever lived, except possibly Hogwarts. It was certainly a brighter, warmer, and livelier place than it had been before Hannah had taken it into her care, but that wasn't all of it, certainly. She brings the warmth with her. Catching sight of her smile from across the room, as she rose to greet him, he knew it was true. I wonder if it's part of her magic? A gift, that maybe she doesn't even realize she has?

He remembered the way everyone had looked to her, last year, when someone was hurt or upset or wounded. She had come back from settling her mother's affairs to find herself smack in the middle of a world at war, and the woman she had become in that year away had proved herself more than capable of coping with that. In that short time away, she had gone from the shy, insecure fifth-year prone to anxiety attacks, to a calm, capable, stabilizing force who tended wounds, made the younger students smile through their tears, and with a gentle but firm hand here and a quiet word there, had kept the morale of the DA from going under on more than one occasion. He'd asked her about it, and all she said was, "I have nothing left to go home to, not in that world, so I have no choice but to do what I can in this one. I can't afford panic any more."

And now, he realized, she was making herself the hub of a new community - the Leaky Cauldron had gone from a dark, rather dismal-looking bar to a cheerful, welcoming space that, most evenings, bubbled over with happy activity. Now, though, it was silent and empty, but that was, if anything, more comforting for him. It felt like a privilege to him to be allowed here in its quiet hours, he and Hannah the only current residents, a place just for them. She'd do this for any friend who rented from her and didn't know how to cook, you know. But he couldn't help hoping that there was an extra brilliance in her eyes, a warmth in her smile that was just for him. You're imagining things. Didn't Luna teach you anything about the dangers of falling for a friend?

The way I felt about Luna was nothing like this.

No, this is far more dangerous, his heart told him sternly. Luna was wise enough to know the two of you wouldn't work long-term, and kept things playful and arm's length, so you could keep the friendship after the affair was over. Hannah is just being her sweet self, and doesn't realize just how susceptible you are to her. She'll break your heart without ever meaning to.

Or maybe she won't. Maybe she does...

"Neville? You seem preoccupied - everything OK?"

He shook off his musings and smiled at her. "Everything's fine. I'm just struck by the change in this place since you took it over. And now that I've seen it - you modeled it on the Hufflepuff Common Room, didn't you?"

She grinned."You caught me. Yes, yes, I did, and do you blame me?"

"Not in the least. It's the single coziest place I've ever been to. Thanks for bringing me there, and for letting the rest of us get a taste of it here."

"My pleasure. That tree really liked you."

"She's bringing it out for the Herbology N.E.W.T. classes later this semester. I'm trying to convince her to bring it to one of Professor Flitwick's Frog Choir concerts, to see how it reacts."

"Oooh, I bet it'd love that." She grabbed an apron hanging from a hook, and handed it to him, her own already tied around her waist. "Put that on and come with me."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Last time someone said that to me, it was Seamus and he was about to test a new type of explosive spell - it took me two weeks for my eyebrows to grow back."

She laughed. "I remember that. And this is why I'm not starting out with anything you have to set on fire."

"You know me too well for that."

"And myself. Remember those flamingoes from my Transfiguration exam..."

"Hey, I was grateful to you for that one - I was really struggling, and you gave us all a needed break. So what are we starting with?"

"Just the simple basics. Roast beef, mashed potatoes, peas, followed by apple dumplings."

"That doesn't sound all that simple."

She shrugged. "Now if we were Muggles, this would be a lot more difficult - it takes time and careful temperature control to slow-roast a good piece of beef so that it's falling-apart tender. Luckily, magic accelerates things considerably. What we want to do is make a small bubble around the beef in which time speeds up - we want it to cook for at least 24 hours in maybe half an hour of our time - and we want to keep the ambient temperature in that area at precisely 60 degrees Celsius."

"Isn't that awfully cool for roasting beef?"

"We're slow-roasting. Speed-slow-roasting, really, thanks to magic. What you want to do is to cook the beef at the temperature you want it to be in the end, but to do that safely, you have to cook it for a very long time, a full day really, which is why we need to speed up time in that little bubble. We'll sear it at the end, to brown the outside and give it flavor. That technique makes the tenderest beef, because there are enzymes that break down the meat and make it tender, that become more active when you heat the beef a bit, but die when it gets too hot. But Mum taught me a trick..."

He was astounded, as the lesson went on, what complex magic cooking took, and he said as much to her. "It can be simpler. You can always do things the Muggle way, at worst, it just takes more time and energy. But I have faith in your skills." She shot him a teasing glance. "And it's fun, really, to figure out how to use the magic you have to make the food as tasty as possible. Can be useful in other contexts, too. Remember how Mrs. Weasley took down Bellatrix Lestrange?"

As if he could ever have forgotten that beautiful, beautiful moment. "Of course. It was one of the highlights of my life."

"I'll bet." She grinned impishly at him. "That was a cooking spell she used, at the end. For making breadcrumbs. Basically, it dries things out and then shatters them. When you use it on bread, it makes a tasty topping for casseroles or a crunchy crust for cutlets. You can use it on beef, too, to make jerky, if you alter the motion a bit for slicing, rather than shattering. When you use it on people...well, you saw."

His jaw dropped. "Breadcrumbs, you say."

"Do not ever make the mistake of underestimating household skills, especially those involving knives and fire. Any competent cook could write a book on the topic - Combat Tips From the Kitchen."

"I...bet you could at that. So what else are you teaching me that could be useful in battle?"

"Well, the time acceleration spell we're using on the roast beef can age a person quickly, and then there's the spell I'm about to teach you for peeling potatoes and apples, which I suppose could take off someone's skin if you aim it right..."

"Remind me not to get you angry at me, Hannah."

"No worries, I know better than to kill my tenants." She laughed, and aimed her wand at a potato. "See, watch, it's a twisting motion like this, and the word Pilare." She demonstrated, and the peel came off in a neat spiral as the potato turned. "Peelings go in the compost pile, there, and the potatoes go in the pot, like so. Now you try."

An hour or so later, they were enjoying an excellent meal, and Neville was feeling rather proud of himself. "Thanks, Hannah. This was the most fun I've had in ages."

"Anytime. I enjoyed it too. Plus it's nice to be able to pay you back a bit for all the tutoring you've given me in Herbology."

"As if it's any hardship for me to spend more time around plants." Or you.

"It was a godsend for me, anyway. I was so convinced they were going to send me home, tell me I was no good at magic and should go join the Muggle world as Mum wanted."

"Not a chance. Magic's your birthright. They couldn't kick you out unless you did something that actually got someone killed. And sometimes not even then. Remember that time when Harry..."

The conversation rambled, in its old accustomed fashion, and they were sitting cozily on the sofa talking about anything and everything when there was a tapping at the window, and they both turned to see a very impatient owl pecking the glass. Hannah got up and opened the window, and the owl promptly flew in and landed next to Neville.

He recognized the bird immediately, having shared a dormitory with his wizard for seven years. "Hello, Oscar. Seamus all right?"

The bird's natural air of dignity remained unruffled as he carefully dropped an envelope in front of Neville. He opened it, handing a chunk of roast beef to Oscar, and read:

Dear Neville,

Well, it finally happened. Our Dean's gone completely round the bend, and forgotten everything everyone's ever warned him about getting involved with Irishmen. This evening, the fool actually went and proposed. Naturally, I said yes before the poor bloke could come to his senses and escape.

But I've a bit of a problem, you may guess. Since there's no way we can get married in a Catholic church, what with Dean being both male and worse, Protestant, there's also no way I'm going to persuade my family to attend. Seems to me, though, that last year you were willing enough to be a brother to me when I needed one - would you do me the honor of standing with me at the altar and helping to keep Dean from running away?

Official invitations will be going out later - and yes, you can bring a date, if only to keep the other ladies from starting a fight over who gets to dance with you. Please do, actually - it's going to be a small wedding, but I'd still rather not have my side completely outnumbered and overwhelmed by Dean's.

Yours,

Seamus

He looked up at Hannah, who was barely containing her curiousity. "From the look on your face, that's good news, I hope?"

"Very. Dean and Seamus are getting married, and Seamus wants me to be his best man."

"Oh, how lovely! They're so sweet together. But...doesn't Seamus have brothers?"`

"Two, neither of them wizards. But they, um, don't approve of Dean. Protestant and male, you see. Shay says no one in the family's spoken to him since he came out to them."

She closed her eyes, her face pained. "I know how that is. I'm so sorry."

He kicked himself internally. I should have remembered, her Muggle family disowned her when she went back to Hogwarts after her mum's death. "I'm sorry, too, Hannah. Didn't mean to reopen old wounds." He took her hand, gently, concern in his eyes.

"It's all right." She shook her head, visibly pushing aside the momentary grief. "I knew the choice I was making, and so did Seamus, and I think we both chose rightly. I can't live without magic, and Seamus can't live without Dean."

"It was horrible for him, last year, when Dean was on the run." The times I walked in on him curled into a ball on Dean's bed, pretending he hadn't been crying...but he wasn't going to talk about Seamus's secrets publicly, not even to Hannah. "And I'm, um, really glad you came back to us too. Last year was pretty chaotic, and I never did tell you, I don't think, just how much I missed you when you were away."

"I missed you too," she said, softly. She wasn't letting go of his hand, he noted.

His heart was doing odd jumping jacks in his chest, and without knowing quite what he was saying, he blurted out, "Would you like to come with me to their wedding, as my date?"

"I'd love to." Her eyes were shining. That look is for me? From her, for me?

The mood was broken by Oscar, who tilted his head and raised a talon, as if to say, "I have things to do, and I am not opposed to scratching if that's what it takes to get your attention so that I can go."

"Fair enough," Neville gestured with his wand, summoning a quill and parchment, and wrote a quick, congratulatory reply, his heart suddenly light as one of the owl's own feathers. He handed the paper to Oscar, who took it delicately in his beak, and carried him carefully to the window, opening it to the cool evening breeze. The owl gave him a single, solemn glance, and flew off.

"I'd best be getting to bed myself," Hannah said shyly, brushing a bit of hair behind her ear. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow."

"For us too. The Minister's had us hunting Dementors, and those things are nasty."

She shuddered. "I hate them. Awful things." A thought occurred to her, and she tilted her head at him. "You've got a corporeal Patronus now, then? What is it?"

He grinned at her. No problem casting one now, not after she just agreed to go out with me..."Expecto Patronum!" The small silver mongoose leapt from his wand, darting happily around Hannah's ankles, and she laughed out loud.

"It's adorable, Neville! Some kind of ferret?"

"No, it's a mongoose. Hermione says there's a Muggle story about them, called..."

"Rikki-tikki-tavi!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together in delight. "My mother used to read me that one. Oh, that's too perfect!"

"What's yours?"

"Nothing so fierce," she said ruefully, raising her wand and concentrating for a moment before calling out, "Expecto Patronum!" A small wrenlike bird with a long tail feather flew out, swooping over the mongoose's head playfully, starting a game of what looked very much like tag. "Padma says it's a tailor-bird - she's seen them when she and Parvati went back to visit their great-grandparents in Maharashtra. They make nests by weaving vegetation together."

"So they're good at making beautiful homes - I can see why that would be appropriate for you. Look at this place." He smiled at her. "Perfect against a Dementor, actually. You don't need fierce, fighting a Dementor - it's not like they can be defeated by force. You need something that fights the sadness, that sparks joy, and you're really good at making spaces joyful and warm and light."

` "I never thought of it that way before. I always envied the stronger Patronuses - what good is a little bird in a fight?"

"Against a Dementor? Brilliant. Anything that makes the world happier and more beautiful fights Dementors. I don't think you need to fear Dementors at all- you'd defeat them just by being yourself." Neville paused for a moment, startled at his own audacity. Did I say that out loud? Oh, dear Merlin, did that just come out of my mouth?

"That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me." She couldn't quite meet his eyes, but her face was warmly rose-colored and the smile sneaking over her lips gave him the courage to let the rest spill out.

"I mean it. You were a light in the darkness for all of us last year, and you're making this place a haven here and now - you've got a gift. And it means an awful lot to me." He swallowed hard, and said softly, "You mean an awful lot to me. I think I'm falling for you, Hannah. Harder than I've ever fallen for anyone before."

She looked up through her lashes, a twinkle of mischief flashing in her eyes along with something else that made his heart hammer against his rib cage, and said, only, "Come on in, the water's fine. I've been in love with you for years." Before he could register what she'd just said, she had wrapped her arms around his neck and drawn his lips down to hers.

The kiss was Firewhisky and honey, ambrosia and Amortentia. Dizzily, he felt his world spin apart, fly into a billion sparkling pieces, and then reform itself with her at the center, except that she had always been there, would always be there. Great-Aunt Enid was right - when it's real, the magic tells you. I wonder how Muggles figure it out?

` "I have wanted to do that for so long," she murmured once they finally broke the kiss, resting her head on his shoulder.

"How long?" he asked, curious.

"Since at least fifth year," she admitted. "Auror Tonks used to come to the Puff Common Room and give us a talk every year on safety and relationships and all, and she always used to pass around a vial of Amortentia so that we could know what it smelled like for us, in case someone tried to slip it into our drink or something. I took one sniff, and it was green plants and Butterbeer and you...I'd suspected I had a crush on you, but that told me it was a lot more than a crush."

"I am such an idiot. If I had known..."

"Would you have...I mean..."

"Are you kidding? I'd've leapt at the chance." He kissed her nose lightly. "Once you convinced me it wasn't some bizarre prank."

"I never would!" She was indignant.

"I know, I know...but the thought of you loving me was so far beyond anything I could conceive of back then..."

"You dated Ginny fourth year, after all, didn't you?"

He laughed out loud. "Only the Yule Ball, and only as friends, I assure you. I haven't got the firepower to date Ginny. Or the Quidditch skills. No, it's Harry for her, it's always been Harry, and not even Michael or Dean could distract her for long. They're good for each other." With Hannah in his arms, he noted, it was easy to be happy for his friends and their successful love lives, without a twinge of jealousy or loneliness. It was a good feeling.

"So, um. I'd invite you to my room tonight...but that's probably rushing things." She was blushing again.

"And I do have to get up early tomorrow, and if we did that, I don't know if either of us would get any sleep." He grinned at her, and leaned down again to kiss her lips, softly, tenderly this time.

"We have time."

"All the time in the world. I love you, Hannah."

"I love you, too."