Chapter 42: Slughorn's Christmas Party

Spotting Hermione's brown curls from clear across the library, Neville called out a greeting to her. His best mate turned from where she had an open book cradled in her arms, and waved him over with a grin.

"What, no Ron today?" Neville wiggled his eyebrows at her. "I would have thought you two would be joined at the lips – I mean, hips."

Hermione swatted at him with her book, knowing the Freudian slip had been completely intentional, though a smile was fighting its way onto her mouth. "He has Quidditch practice," she murmured softly, pride lacing her voice. She beckoned to Neville. "Come on, walk with me. I need to put this text away."

The two friends moved through the bookshelves, Hermione retracing her steps back to where she had selected her book. As she was finally depositing it back where she found it, Neville happened to glance over her shoulder to where a girl with exotic-looking skin appeared to be watching him from behind a book of her own, curled up in a reading nook on this rainy spring day.

"Don't encourage her," Hermione whispered softly, using her library voice.

"I'm not; I'm just wondering why she's looking at me."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "As if you don't know!" When Neville maintained his blank affect, she huffed. "That's Romilda Vane, Ravenclaw. And I have it on good authority that she's been checking you out for months."

"She could check out one of the many books in here instead," Neville quipped.

"Be serious, why don't you?" Hermione quirked an eyebrow at him.

"I am being serious. And hang on, on whose 'good authority' did you get this information? Luna?"

Tellingly, Hermione blinked too rapidly. "How do you know that?"

"I didn't, until your eyes just gave you away." Hermione shook her head and turned back to the bookshelf, scanning for another title. As she did so, Neville listed to one side so he could peer around his best mate and study Romilda Vane again. Yup. She was definitely stealing glances at him.

He stared back too long, for suddenly he blinked at Hermione snapping her fingers directly in his face. "Hey! She's only interested in you because she thinks you're the Chosen One."

Neville smirked cheekily. "But I am the Chosen One." That earned him a wallop over the head with the piece of parchment she was holding. He blinked. "Right. Sorry. Kidding."

Hermione sighed tiredly and folded her arms. "Are you going to Slughorn's Christmas party?"

"Dunno. You?"

She flushed. "Ron's taking me. Well – I'm taking him, seeing as how I'm the one in the Slug Club. I was proud of him: he said Yes, even though he doesn't like Slughorn."

Neville shrugged. "Happy wife, happy life, I hear." Hermione nickered out a laugh through her nose and rolled her eyes, though her expression frolicked with happiness and amusement and there was a revealing pink to her cheeks.

Neville stared to ponder: going to Slughorn's party might give him a chance to get the man alone and extract that memory Dumbledore wanted. During his musings, he noticed Romilda Vane depart her reading nook, casting one more glance back at him as she went.

Hermione followed Neville's gaze and stepped into his line of vision, perhaps to cut him off from doing something stupid. "Neville Longbottom, I swear to Merlin, if you ask that slag to the party, I will pretend not to know you!"

"Oh, come off it, 'Mione! Like I would…" When she raised a prissy eyebrow at him, he grinned tiredly. "All right…. I'll ask someone I like. Someone…. cool."

It very well might have been Hermione's inadvertent mention of her during the Romilda Vane debate that nudged him in that direction, for the 'someone' who met Neville's standards turned out to be Luna Lovegood. It had perplexed Neville why he was feeling so nervous as he had paced outside the Ravenclaw Common Room, waiting for her to come out. When she finally had, he had felt a swooping in his stomach that he couldn't explain.

"Morning, Neville," Luna had smiled her bright, content smile at him, looking altogether lovely with her hair cascading like a blonde waterfall down most of her back. "Fancy seeing you out here!"

"Yeah. I, um…." Scratching at the back of his neck, Neville felt an inner voice telling him to get on with it. "I need to ask you something!"

Luna tilted her head and stared at him with a grin that might have been one of amusement. "OK."

"I, er…." he faltered. Tried again. "I was just wondering if…. Slughorn's Christmas party is coming up and…"

"Yes…?" Luna prodded.

"And I was wondering if…. you would maybe like to go with me?"

It had been a long beat in which Luna's silvery eyes searched his face with bemusement, sizing him up. When the pretty Ravenclaw witch had finally spoken, though, she seemed…. actually pleased. "Yes, all right, then. I'd love to!"

"B…Brilliant! I'll call on you here on Christmas Eve, then? Six?"

Biting her lip, Luna had nodded. Neville grinned. "Cool." And after standing there awkwardly for another moment, he had given her a wave and then turned for the Gryffindor Common Room at a light jog.

Now it was Christmas Eve, and Neville was blinking rather dumbly as he watched Luna step daintily out from behind the Ravenclaw statue that guarded their portrait hole. "Wow…." He breathed, taking in the silver cocktail party dress that matched the shade of her eyes exactly. "You look great!"

"Always the tone of surprise…" Luna chirped dreamily, a blissful smile on her face.

Neville couldn't help but smile back. "You've been hanging around Hermione, haven't you? She's always saying that!" When Luna neither confirmed nor denied this, he awkwardly cleared his throat and offered her his arm. "Shall we?"

Luna gazed up into his face happily, and the joy in her smile caused his heart to start pounding oddly. "We shall." Looping her arm through his, they proceeded to Slughorn's chambers down in the dungeons.

Neville ended up having such a wonderful time, dancing with Luna, that he completely forgot about trying to wheedle out that memory of Tom Riddle from Slughorn. Luna was dancing like no one was watching…. but Neville watched her and bathed in her smile.

Feeling a little hot, he took a break in the music as an opportunity to grab himself some punch at the edge of the dance floor. Ladling the drink into his cup, he thought he heard the soft sounds of kissing, along with some moaning, coming from behind a nearby tapestry. Interest piqued, he stepped closer and pulled back the fabric to catch Ron and Hermione in the act of snogging so passionately, it was hard to tell whose hands were whose, from how tightly they were wound about each other.

Hermione jerked out of the kiss sharply, squeaking and looking scandalized at being caught in the act by her best mate.

Neville smirked. "Care for a picture?"

"Of this?!" Hermione yipped, still mortified. Ron simply appeared dazed.

"No, of course not bloody likely! Will you two please get a hold of yourselves?!" He punched Ron in the arm. "Ask her for a dance, prat!"

Ron obeyed, taking his girl out behind the tapestry and onto the floor. Watching them go with a bemused shake of his head, Neville happened to catch sight of Draco Malfoy slipping out of the party early. Frowning hard, Neville almost followed him, remembered Luna, and decided to let him go. He couldn't worry about whatever Malfoy was doing just now.

At the end of the night, Neville gallantly walked Luna all the way back to the Ravenclaw portrait hole. The peck on the cheek she gave him was entirely unexpected, as she spun to face him suddenly and swayed onto her tiptoes, buzzing her lips along his skin.

For one moment, Neville had the sudden urge to pull Luna close and show her what a kiss could be, Viktor Krum be damned, and on the lips too. But she was now smiling gaily at him before stepping through her portrait hole and his courage failed him. He moseyed on back to Gryffindor Tower with his mind – and his heart – in a fog of confused feelings.