AN: Thank you for all the support! It is very deeply appreciated!
Severus had no idea what was going through Neville's mind. It was difficult to predict how he would react to finding out his former girlfriend was married, especially given their public breakup. Neville needed support, though how much and what kind were unknown to Severus.
Severus didn't believe Neville was at risk of injuring himself. When they had spoken about Hannah a few months ago, he had seemed at peace with how things ended, at least as much as he could be. That didn't mean he would feel nothing towards the situation. At the time, her picture wasn't splattered on the front of The Daily Prophet, nor was she discussing every detail of her marriage with reporters across the world. Severus knew from experience how a wedding announcement could reopen old wounds. While he highly doubted Neville was going to join a pureblood supremacy group, he shouldn't face this article alone.
Severus knocked upon the door, a bottle of Chardonnay in one hand. He hoped he'd timed the visit right. Neville shouldn't be in the greenhouse, though an emergency may have arisen. Granted, he didn't know what a plant emergency would look like, but he'd heard of weirder things.
"Coming." The voice on the other side didn't sound too distraught. In fact, it seemed downright cheerful. Had Neville seen the paper? Was it ethical to bring it up if he was ignorant as to its contents?
"Hello, Severus," Neville was smiling. "Nice to see you."
"Likewise." He held up the wine bottle. "I was wondering if you would appreciate a glass of wine."
"Certainly." Neville stepped aside and glanced at the bottle. "Hermione brought some biscuits that would go great with Chardonnay."
"Ms. Granger is here?" Severus shut the door behind him.
"Severus?" She poked her head out of the kitchen and smirked. "Are you so eager to see me that you've taken to stalking me around the castle?"
"Hardly," he said. "It is simply my misfortune that you are here with Neville. It is taxing enough to deal with one Gryffindor, and nearly impossible to deal with two."
"Pity. I was beginning to think you enjoyed my presence."
"Do not flatter yourself. If I did not enjoy Neville's company so much I would leave right now."
"I am thankful Neville is here then, for I enjoy seeing you greatly," she said and Neville and Severus entered the kitchen.
"I am thankful he is here too. It means there will be at least one rational person in the room other than me."
"You have yet to see me behave irrationally."
"If you have been behaving rationally, I fear how you would appear acting irrationally."
"Please be nice to my guest," Neville aimed his wand at the wine bottle. "As excellent as your banter is, I would like you both to stay."
"I fully plan to stay so long as Ms. Granger can control herself."
"I was technically here first, so if you find me out of control, you should be the one to leave. The saying is 'first come, first serve' for a reason. It's only polite to follow that advice," she argued.
"As if you care a thing for politeness."
"Of course I care. I've been nothing but polite to you."
Neville pulled out three wine glasses, shaking his head while grinning.
"If you have been polite to me I shudder to think of what you consider rudeness," Severus argued.
"I do consider it rude not to have the biscuits of someone has spent half the afternoon baking." Hermione took the silver platter full of the treat and held it up to him. "Feel free to take one."
"What kind are they?"
"Chocolate chip."
"They're pretty good," Neville cut in as he poured the wine into the glasses.
"I suppose even you could not ruin biscuits too much." He took one and chewed upon it. His eyes grew as the sweetness overtook his senses. Very few cookies managed to balance the chocolate with the sugar properly, but Ms. Granger's had done so.
"Well?" She gave him an expectant look.
He shrugged. "They are adequate."
"In other words, they are the most amazing biscuits you have ever tasted."
"How does adequate equate to excellence?"
"You use different wordings than others do," she explained. "Whereas most people admit they like something, you will downplay it until they swear you hated it."
"Others give away compliments too easily. I am more reserved in my emotions."
"Which is why 'adequate' means more coming from you than 'amazing' does from someone else."
"It certainly does." Neville levitated the wine glasses and set them on the table.
Hermione and Severus uttered their thanks before picking up their glasses.
"I propose a toast." Neville raised his glass. "To friends."
"To friends." Hermione raised her glass.
"To my friend and the acquaintance I'm forced to endure," Severus raised his glass.
"Cheers." They clinked their glasses together and took a sip. Afterwards, they all sat at the table.
"I thank you both for coming," Neville sat. "It means so much that you both would come to support me, especially in light of today's Daily Prophet."
"I take it you read the article then," Severus said.
"I did," there wasn't a hint of sadness in Neville's voice. "They both looked very happy together, much happier than Hannah and I ever would've been."
"I still wish things had ended differently than they did," Hermione replied.
"Things could have gone better for both of us. I wish I'd seen the signs that she was drifting away. I wish she would've told me she was in love with someone else in person instead of through a letter," Neville replied. "But looking back, the relationship was doomed from the beginning."
"How so?" She asked.
"We were hardly ever in the same room together. Even before Astoria entered the picture, she was always at the Leaky Cauldron, and I was always here. We used to talk every night via floo, but then we kept finding excuses not to do so. Towards the end, we rarely talked to each other, which may have been why she decided to write me instead of explaining herself."
"Sadly, the life of teaching does not always lend itself well to romance," Severus admitted. "Especially at a boarding school such as this where we have os little contact with the outside world at certain points in the year."
"If two people are willing to make their relationship work, anything is possible," Neville answered. "Still, it takes a united vision, compromise, and above all, honesty."
"Indeed it does." Severus took a sip of wine.
"Yes, honesty," Hermione looked at a crumb on her plate.
"Things were rough for awhile, but I've come through on the other side. I am content with my life as it is now," Neville continued. "I have my plants and my two good friends who work with me. There is not much more I could ask for."
"How you manage to be friends with Ms. Granger I will never understand," Severus said.
She returned her attention to her companions.
"To begin with, I call her by her first name." There was a twinkle in Neville's eyes.
Severus shot a look at Hermione, who sipped her wine.
"Don't give her that look," Neville continued. "There is no reason for you to be so formal with her."
"I am formal with most of my coworkers."
"Not to ones you spend every day with."
Severus raised an eyebrow.
"Madame Pince told me that you have tea together every afternoon."
"Madame Pince is a gossip," Severus frowned. In the future, he may want to bribe her with a glass of tea to keep quiet about his whereabouts. It would save him trouble once the other professors returned and the gossip mill churned up.
"Would it kill you to admit that I am not as horrid as you make me out to be?" Hermione asked.
"Yes," Severus answered. "I would die an excruciating death if I ever admitted that you were not completely horrid."
"We wouldn't want you to die too horribly, especially when we prize your life so highly."
"Since when did the person who set my robes on fire care a thing for my life?"
"Since I had such an attack of conscience after almost burning you that I could not sleep for a week."
"You'd be the first person to care if I was burned or not." He huffed.
"She cares for you," Neville cut in. "Just like you care for her."
"I care for her muggle IDs. There is little else I care for concerning her."
"Admit it, you would be lonely without me," she said.
"Why ever would you think that? I have Neville for a companion."
"He cannot babysit you all the time."
"It's true," Neville said. "My plants are so demanding I could never give you the undivided attention you crave and deserve."
"I am not that demanding."
"No, but you enjoy friendship more than you let on."
Severus' frown became a scowl.
"There is no reason to be so formal with her," Neville continued. "Hermione won't mind if you use her first name."
He looked at her. She gave him a small smile.
"Fine," he kept his gaze on her. "Hermione, your biscuits are adequate enough for me to have another one."
"Thank you," she answered. "That is a nice compliment coming from you."
He took another biscuit form the plate.
"See, that wasn't so hard," Neville replied.
"But it was. I expended so much energy saying her name, I barely have enough to do anything else." He took a bite.
"I care about you too, Severus," she replied.
"Indeed you do." Severus darted a look at Neville, who was beaming as if he'd been approved to expand his greenhouse.
"I would love to hear more about your poinsettia project," Hermione said.
"Oh yes," Neville began. "It's all very fascinating. Some herbologists in Mexico have been experimenting with the magical properties of their leaves. Their research appears promising."
"Perhaps they could help with our antibiotic potion."
"Indeed," he turned to Hermione. "But poinsettias aren't traditionally associated with curing diseases. It may be a dead end."
"We need to think outside the box though," she replied. "It couldn't hurt to look into it."
"I could provide the notes given to me by some herbologists on the project," Neville offered. "I just translated them, so they would be ready to go once I copied them."
"If the notes do not prove useful in this project, then they may prove useful in another project," Severus said. "Go ahead and give them to us. It couldn't hurt to look them over, if only for curiosity's sake."
"I'll get them copied first thing in the morning," Neville answered.
"And then Ms. Gran-I mean Hermione-can pick them up," Severus said.
"Why do I need to pick them up?" She asked.
"Because I want my chair back. I have half a chance of doing so if you are late to our meeting."
"You haven't sat in that chair in weeks, and you still claim it as yours?" She asked.
"Wait, Severus lets you sit in his chair?" Neville asked before taking a sip of wine.
"No, she has forced herself into the chair, and I cannot find a way to extract her," Severus said. "Though I have been contemplating a few methods for doing so."
"Like what?" Hermione asked.
"If I told you, I would lose the element of surprise."
"Then I eagerly await your schemes. I do love a good plan to foil."
Before Severus could answer, there was a pecking at the door.
"Please don't tell me someone wants me to comment on the story," Neville groaned while putting his head in his hands. "I really have nothing to say."
Severus looked at the window and snarled. "No, I fear it is for me."
"Oh?" Neville glanced up.
"The letter is from Lucius. I would recognize his owl anywhere," Severus stood. "He probably needs someone to rant at."
"Is he still upset about Astoria?" Neville asked.
"You have no idea." Severus strolled over to the window and opened it.
"I still don't understand why he's raising such a fuss over it," Neville said. "You'd swear he was the one dumped instead of his son."
"I agree, but it's all about his reputation. The Malfoy name must be preserved and maintained at all costs." The man in black removed the letter from the owl's foot. "Even if it annoys the piss out of the rest of us."
"That's a ridiculous way to live," Neville said.
"Yes, it's ridiculous to obsess so much over someone else's life." Hermione's voice was soft.
"I agree." Severus unfurled the letter. "But getting Lucius to understand that is another matter."
Neville and Hermione watched as the potions master read the letter. He shook his head and crumpled it. "This can wait until morning."
"Are you sure?" Neville asked. "If you need to write him back or see him I'll understand."
"I'm positive it can wait." Severus returned to his seat. "Lucius wants an emergency meeting for the sole purpose of railing against about Astoria. If I pretend I'm asleep and answer in the morning, he may have calmed down enough to think more clearly."
"And if he hasn't calmed down?" Hermione asked.
"Then I'll deal with it tomorrow night. In the meantime," he raised his wine glass. "I am enjoying wine with a friend and an acquaintance I'm forced to care about."
"So you do care for me," Hermione's eyes gleamed.
"When Neville is in the room, I make an effort to do so. When I am away form him, I give you little consideration."
"He should be in the room more often then."
"No," Neville cut in. "I don't think I'll need to be in the room the next time he admits to caring for you."
Severus rolled his eyes and muttered, "stupid, idealistic Gryffindors."
"Would you have us any other way?" Hermione asked.
"Absolutely," Severus answered before taking a sip of wine, knowing full well he was telling a lie.
Neville and Hermione were fine just as they were.