Finally, after getting showered and dressed, they descended the stairs together, smiling as they reacquainted themselves with each other. Feeling each other's skin and drinking in the sight of each other as though they had been apart for months. Neville couldn't help it as he brushed her hair away from her face, cupping her cheek in his hand. She gripped his shirt and pulled him close as they kissed.
The world around them disappeared as his lips touched hers. He pressed her against the wall as he held her face in his hands, enjoying the feeling of her hair in his fingers. She groaned against him as her fingers tightening in his shirt.
Someone cleared their throat loudly, Pansy ignored it as Neville opened his eyes. His gran cleared her throat again, and they broke apart. Neville felt his face burn at the thought of his gran catching them kissing. He released Pansy but took her hand and smiled gently. Her face was also pink as they moved towards the kitchen and where Augusta Longbottom sat reading the newspaper. She looked up as though seeing them both for the first time that morning, but he was sure that she smirked as they entered the bright room.
"Good Morning," she greeted brightly. "Sleep well?" She looked up at him and smiled, but there was a twinkle in her eyes.
"Yeah, thanks, Gran," he answered, with a smile. "How are you this morning?"
"Yes, as well as can be expected after last night's excitement. My door frame may never be the same again," She replied wistfully.
"Sorry about the door, I didn't want you getting hurt," His gran waved a dismissive hand at the apology. "Now, come on, sit down the both of you. We need to discuss some ground rules." Pansy and Neville looked at each other curiously before they sat down. "Now that things are… back to normal between the two of your, I have some rules I wish you to follow. Firstly and most importantly, last night was the only exception, there will be no more sharing a bed. We don't want any happy little accidents coming along in a few months, do we?" They both shook their heads remaining silent as they waited for her to continue. Neville would be lying if he wasn't disappointed, but knowing that she was in the same house would just have to do.
"We understand, Mrs Longbottom," she said calmly. He half expected her to kick up a fuss.
"Come on, girl! I'm sure we're past such formalities, It's Gran,"
Pansy smiled bashfully and nodded "Ok, Gran" If Neville didn't know better, he would have said that the gesture had touched Pansy.
The older woman nodded "Good," She had obviously been expecting more resistance to her rule, "I'm glad we all understand each other. Now, that small display in the hallway just now… Please keep the necking, or whatever you kids call it these days, to a minimum, your aunt Ursuline is a judgemental prude, I dread to think of the ear bashing I'm going to be getting just for having you both under the same roof together. Pansy without a Chaperone and all." Gran rolled her eyes and smirked. "So if the need takes you, go well out of eye line and earshot," Neville smirked as Pansy started to chuckle. "Yes yes, In her defence I should leave you two alone with each other at all. However, I trust you both not to disgrace yourselves and me in the process. Finally, no leaving the grounds alone, agreed?" She offered.
They both nodded wordlessly. From his point of view, he was just happy to have Pansy there, and conditions on that were nothing.
"I'm going to be leaving for the hospital soon, and I have a list of jobs that I want done by the time I get home. I'll pick something up for dinner on my way home."
"Make sure it's meat-free, Gran," Neville reminded sheepishly as he expected her to roll her eyes and make a fuss.
"I am well aware of Pansy's dietary requirements, we had a long discussion about it this morning." She said matter-of-factly.
Neville looked between the two women and felt suddenly like a fly trapped in a web. If these two, formidable women had been plotting together unsupervised, he was in trouble,
Pansy smiled knowingly and nodded before catching his eye. "Is there anything you need while I'm out, Neville?" The older woman asked as she stood up.
"I have got a small list if that's alright? A few things I need for tomorrow." She nodded as she held her hand out. "Oh, I'll need to write it down," He said standing He went to move to his room when he almost tripped over his own feet. Pansy stifled a giggle as his gran huffed.
"Mind yourself," Augusta chided with a roll of her eyes. Neville looked back and met Pansy's eyes, who grinned at him. Just seeing her laugh uplifted his heart.
They sat on the sofa and sighed as he held her against him. He found it strange how he had never noticed just how perfectly she seemed to fit against him. How she was the perfect height for his arm to cross her shoulders. So many things about her were perfect that he continued to make a list in his head.
"Are you listening to me?" she asked playfully,
"No," He admitted with a laugh as he pulled away to look at his face. "Sorry,"
"What was more important than what I was saying?" She asked, poking him gently in the stomach. He laughed as he followed suit, making her squeal as he started to tickle her ribs. "No, stop, Neville," she laughed as he pulled his hands away. She breathed deeply as tears rolled down her cheeks. He wiped them away with his thumbs as they both continued to laugh.
"If you must know, I was thinking about how perfect our resident princess was!" He grinned at her as she reacted to the nickname.
"Resident princess?" She asked, scandalised "Who said that?"
"Gran," Neville giggled "After the Mince pies,"
"Oh, yeah. I'll give her that one, I was bring awkward just for the fun of it," She laughed as she pushed against him again, rubbing the tip of her nose against his jaw. He hummed in contentment before turning his head and kissing her. It was just like the first time they had kissed at the waterfall. The heavenly sensation of their lips touching as his mind was blown wide like an exploding star. Her lips sending tingles to every nerve as they parted, letting his tongue slide against the plump, silky skin.
They stopped after a while with a laugh "No necking," Neville added as Pansy snorted.
"No necking," she repeated with a chuckle. "Tomorrow is going to be fun! I feel like if I even hold your hand, I'll make your aunts brain explode,"
"Well that would be entertaining, I'm tempted to see what we can get away with," Neville offered teasingly feeling punch drunk by her presence. "Do you have that charm I bought you?" He grinned knowingly
She blushed slightly and nodded "It may be in my suitcase, why? Is someone feeling naughty?" She asked teasingly. They kissed again as Neville nodded. He didn't think he would ever be able to get enough of her.
There was a cry from the kitchen as the post arrived. Neville chuckled again before pulling away.
"Post is here, want a coffee?" He asked as he stood up, offering her his hand. She took it with a smile as he pulled her up from the sofa. Pushing into his arms, she held him captive for a moment, her head upturned as she silently asked for another kiss. He conceded without a second thought, running his hands around her waist and neck, trapping her to him.
She sighed as they parted and rewarded him with a bright smile.
"I love you," She whispered, and he grinned, He would never get tired of hearing those words in her beautiful voice.
"I love you too," He whispered back as he slowly guided them to the kitchen.
An unfamiliar long-eared owl stood on the work staring at them. It shrieked suddenly, it's burnt orange gaze on them intently as they neared.
"Do you recognise it?" Neville asked as they got closer. Pansy shook her head, stopping by the table as Neville pressed forward. He saw the Department of Magical Law Enforcement's insignia and let out a breath that he didn't realise he was holding. Reaching forward, he took the envelope from where it lay, before giving the bird some treats.
The envelope had his name on, but he felt no fear as he recognised Ron's scrawl.
"Everything alright?" Pansy asked. She looked indifferent, but her white knuckles on the back of the chair said otherwise.
"Yeah, it's from Ron, He said he would find a copy of the contract so that we could try and find a loophole." He explained as he opened the envelope.
He cleared the table, smoothing the parchment over the surface as he started to read. It was a few seconds before he looked up to her where she was pressed against the wall. Her eyes firmly fixed on the document. "Pansy?" He asked, turning to her.
"I can't," She shook her head, and he noticed that she was shaking. He placed his hands on her arms, hoping to calm her.
"Can't what?" he asked calmly, watching her face as she stared, wide-eyed at the contract.
"I can't look at it, I know what it says," She closed her eyes.
"We need to look at it to see if we can get you out of it."
"I just can't, it's too much," She shook her head, a little too vigorously.
"Help me understand. I want to help," Neville replied, stroking her face.
There was a long moment of silence as she closed her eyes. Watching her, Neville could see her fighting to let her walls come down, to let him in.
"I got home from the train station with my governess-the evil bitch. As soon as I saw her, I knew that I was in trouble. My father, Graham, and his father were waiting for me in the drawing-room. I didn't know my father had been in talks with anyone about my betrothal. When I refused to sign that fucking contract, he made an example of me." She shuddered as she pushed into his touch as though he could keep the memories at bay. "You know what he said?" she asked with a humourless laugh "Graham, watch and learn how to control your new wife." She shuddered again, hiding her face in his chest.
Neville didn't need to ask for more details, he had seen the evidence of Linden's handiwork for himself. He held her tightly as she gripped his shirt, twisting her fingers into the material as though knotting herself up with him.
Closing his eyes, he could feel the anger at her treatment boil up inside of him. He clenched his teeth as a familiar white haze seemed to settle over everything, the roaring in his ears deafening him to all else. Tears pricked at his eyes as he remembered the way she had writhed in pain on his bed. His fury felt so close to exploding as his blood simmered. Rubbing his face against her hair, hoping that the scent of her would still the gathering storm inside him.
"Neville?" She whispered from in his arms, and he could hear the fear in her words. He wondered whether she had sounded so scared that night?
The sounds of something shattering made him open his eyes and look around, pushing her behind him to keep her safe.
An ugly ceramic vase on the window sill had shattered into dust. The shards of which covered the work surface and sink. He looked around for what broke it, but nothing was immediately apparent.
"Careful," he warned as his eyes scanned the room for the threat. Holding his arm out to keep Pansy behind him. If anything else was going to happen, she would at least be safe.
"Neville. Darling. It was you," She whispered tugging at his shirt.
"What was me?" He asked, looking at her over his shoulder.
"The vase," She said with a soft smile on her lips. "I felt it, your magic,"
"My Magic? Did I?" He asked in surprise. Even as a child, he didn't remember causing accidental magic. According to his family, he never had done.
She nodded as she pulled on his shirt again, turning him around. "You're so sexy," she smiled weakly as she attempted to cheer him up. "My great protector," He smiled bashfully as she buried her face into the bend of his neck, breathing him in to steady herself.
"I'm sorry," He said, holding her again before pulling her back so he could meet her eyes. "But, we need to go over the contract with a fine-toothed comb so that they can never hurt you again."
Pansy took a deep trembling breath before nodding. "You had better fix that vase before your Gran gets home; otherwise we're in for it," She smirked weakly. He carded his fingers through his hair and nodded.
"Good idea,"
