Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, brilliantly created by J.K.
Rowling. Most situations are based on those created by J.K. Rowling.
Chapter Ten: The Story of Neville and Luna
A twenty-four-year old Neville Longbottom was repotting mandrakes when he heard the door to the greenhouse open. Assuming it was his coworker, Stanley Wilkens, he said without looking up, "I thought you went home."
"I did," came a voice, very different from Stanley's. "But then I thought I would come here instead."
Neville knew that voice, but he hardly dared to believe it was her. He and Luna Lovegood had not spoken since Luna's graduation from Hogwarts, where they had decided to part ways. The break up had been very amicable and seemed for the best at the time, when they both had very different ideas of what they wanted to do with their lives. Still, Neville often found himself thinking about Luna, and even though he'd gone on a few dates over the years, it was always Luna who his thoughts returned to.
And now she was here.
Neville looked up and saw the familiar face in front of him. "Hello, Luna," he said, in shock.
"Hello Neville," Luna said with a smile. They stood facing each other, ten feet away, until Neville crossed the space between them and hugged Luna, holding her tightly against him.
"I missed you," she said to him, hugging him back.
"It's so good to see you," Neville said, still holding onto her.
"You too," said Luna, and Neville finally let her out of the embrace.
"What have you been doing?" Neville asked.
"Well," said Luna, "Dad retired last year and I run the magazine now."
"That's great!" Neville exclaimed. "I work here - obviously."
"It's what you always wanted," Luna said, and Neville nodded.
"I think we both found what we wanted," Neville added, and it was Luna's turn to nod. The mood got quiet. "So.. are you, uh, seeing anyone?"
Luna smiled. "No," she said. "I was for a little while, but that's done now."
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Neville.
"No, it's okay," said Luna. "We just wanted different things, I suppose."
They looked at each other. "Would you like to have dinner with me? Tonight?" Neville asked. "I just need to clean this up and then I'll be done here."
Luna smiled and nodded. "That would be really nice."
* * *
As they sat in the restaurant, Neville watched Luna in awe as she told him about her work at the magazine. "I've been traveling a lot, working a story about killiwiggles." Neville nodded. He knew Luna too well to question what a killiwiggle was, and if it really existed or not.
"Sounds interesting," he said.
"What do you do at work?" Luna asked. "Anything interesting?"
"We work closely with a lot of hospitals," Neville said. "We breed various plants to come up with antidotes for various creature bites, or cures for other maladies. Right now we're working on a special water infused with riglio sap. It's going to be an over the counter hiccup remedy. Works like a charm, at least on those we've tested. Just take one spoonful and your hiccups are gone."
For some reason, Luna laughed. "I'm sorry, she said. I don't know why that's funny."
"It's okay," said Neville, though he was a bit confused. "So, uh, what made you come to see me today? How did you even know I worked there?"
"I have my sources," Luna said mysteriously. "It's easy to find people when you run a magazine. And I don't know. I just wanted to see you again."
"I'm glad," said Neville, and he reached across the table and took her hand. Luna tensed for a second, and then relaxed, and returned the touch.
"Neville?" she questioned.
"Luna, why did we break up?"
"Sometimes I can't even remember," she said, looking right into his eyes.
"I've never really found anyone else, y'know," he said.
"Neither have I, I guess," said Luna.
"But I thought you said -"
"I may have made it sound more serious than it was," Luna admitted. "I don't know why. Maybe to make you jealous."
"Did you come to see me for anything specific?" Neville asked.
"I think we should get back together," said Luna. "I really missed you."
Neville smiled, realizing that he had been waiting five years for Luna to step back into his life and say these very words. He didn't want to waste the opportunity. "Would you like to marry me?"
Luna answered simply, and matter-of-factly. "Yes."
* * *
Due to the fact that they got engaged the very same day they got back together, Neville and Luna waited two years to have their wedding. The day was finally celebrated, and Neville was proud to have gotten permission for his parents to attend, even though they still didn't know who he was. However, it was nice to know that they could see his wedding, and even his grandmother made mention of that when she helped Neville get ready for the ceremony.
They spent their honeymoon in Spain, making it one month long by creating excuses to be there for business the last two weeks. It was easier for Luna to take off, as she ran the magazine and could send in her instructions by owl, but Neville claimed he was investigating what appeared to be a new plant species and would be testing and gathering samples to bring back to the greenhouse.
The first year of the marriage was spent happily in London, until they decided to move to Luna's childhood home. Her father wanted to trade in his house for a smaller apartment, as he lived alone, and so he gave the house to Luna and Neville. Once they had the space, they started talking about having a family. Both being only children, they wanted to have a lot of children themselves. "Maybe seven or eight," Luna said to Neville one night.
"Sounds nice," said Neville. "Eight little Longbottom children running around the house. Hope it's big enough."
"If not, we can always expand," said Luna, with a smile.
Seven months after their one year anniversary, Luna found out that she was going to have a baby, and the couple was thrilled. They spent the months planning and getting ready, and then they received the invitation to come to the Hogwarts reunion.
"Of course we'll go," said Luna when she saw it. "I can travel. And you should see all your old professors."
"I'd like that," said Neville, and they made arrangements to travel to Hogsmeade.
* * *
"And here we are," said Neville. "We were just arriving when we ran into you yesterday."
"I feel so out of touch," said Hermione. "I had no idea that you two broke up. I just assumed that you stayed together since Hogwarts."
"Hermione, not everyone is as lucky as we are," said Ron, and he put his arm around her and pulled her closer.
"But we were lucky enough to find each other again," said Neville. "I guess we just weren't ready the first time around." Neville started to tear up a little bit, and turned away embarrassed, as did Harry and Ron.
"Oh, Neville," said Hermione, "here." She reached into the purse she was holding for a tissue, and her hand brushed against a piece of parchment she didn't remember putting in there. She gave Neville the tissue and pulled out the piece of paper.
"What's that?" Ron asked.
Hermione smiled as she looked at it. It had a drawing of a castle on the front. She smiled wider when she opened it. "It's from Emma," she said.
Chapter Ten: The Story of Neville and Luna
A twenty-four-year old Neville Longbottom was repotting mandrakes when he heard the door to the greenhouse open. Assuming it was his coworker, Stanley Wilkens, he said without looking up, "I thought you went home."
"I did," came a voice, very different from Stanley's. "But then I thought I would come here instead."
Neville knew that voice, but he hardly dared to believe it was her. He and Luna Lovegood had not spoken since Luna's graduation from Hogwarts, where they had decided to part ways. The break up had been very amicable and seemed for the best at the time, when they both had very different ideas of what they wanted to do with their lives. Still, Neville often found himself thinking about Luna, and even though he'd gone on a few dates over the years, it was always Luna who his thoughts returned to.
And now she was here.
Neville looked up and saw the familiar face in front of him. "Hello, Luna," he said, in shock.
"Hello Neville," Luna said with a smile. They stood facing each other, ten feet away, until Neville crossed the space between them and hugged Luna, holding her tightly against him.
"I missed you," she said to him, hugging him back.
"It's so good to see you," Neville said, still holding onto her.
"You too," said Luna, and Neville finally let her out of the embrace.
"What have you been doing?" Neville asked.
"Well," said Luna, "Dad retired last year and I run the magazine now."
"That's great!" Neville exclaimed. "I work here - obviously."
"It's what you always wanted," Luna said, and Neville nodded.
"I think we both found what we wanted," Neville added, and it was Luna's turn to nod. The mood got quiet. "So.. are you, uh, seeing anyone?"
Luna smiled. "No," she said. "I was for a little while, but that's done now."
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Neville.
"No, it's okay," said Luna. "We just wanted different things, I suppose."
They looked at each other. "Would you like to have dinner with me? Tonight?" Neville asked. "I just need to clean this up and then I'll be done here."
Luna smiled and nodded. "That would be really nice."
* * *
As they sat in the restaurant, Neville watched Luna in awe as she told him about her work at the magazine. "I've been traveling a lot, working a story about killiwiggles." Neville nodded. He knew Luna too well to question what a killiwiggle was, and if it really existed or not.
"Sounds interesting," he said.
"What do you do at work?" Luna asked. "Anything interesting?"
"We work closely with a lot of hospitals," Neville said. "We breed various plants to come up with antidotes for various creature bites, or cures for other maladies. Right now we're working on a special water infused with riglio sap. It's going to be an over the counter hiccup remedy. Works like a charm, at least on those we've tested. Just take one spoonful and your hiccups are gone."
For some reason, Luna laughed. "I'm sorry, she said. I don't know why that's funny."
"It's okay," said Neville, though he was a bit confused. "So, uh, what made you come to see me today? How did you even know I worked there?"
"I have my sources," Luna said mysteriously. "It's easy to find people when you run a magazine. And I don't know. I just wanted to see you again."
"I'm glad," said Neville, and he reached across the table and took her hand. Luna tensed for a second, and then relaxed, and returned the touch.
"Neville?" she questioned.
"Luna, why did we break up?"
"Sometimes I can't even remember," she said, looking right into his eyes.
"I've never really found anyone else, y'know," he said.
"Neither have I, I guess," said Luna.
"But I thought you said -"
"I may have made it sound more serious than it was," Luna admitted. "I don't know why. Maybe to make you jealous."
"Did you come to see me for anything specific?" Neville asked.
"I think we should get back together," said Luna. "I really missed you."
Neville smiled, realizing that he had been waiting five years for Luna to step back into his life and say these very words. He didn't want to waste the opportunity. "Would you like to marry me?"
Luna answered simply, and matter-of-factly. "Yes."
* * *
Due to the fact that they got engaged the very same day they got back together, Neville and Luna waited two years to have their wedding. The day was finally celebrated, and Neville was proud to have gotten permission for his parents to attend, even though they still didn't know who he was. However, it was nice to know that they could see his wedding, and even his grandmother made mention of that when she helped Neville get ready for the ceremony.
They spent their honeymoon in Spain, making it one month long by creating excuses to be there for business the last two weeks. It was easier for Luna to take off, as she ran the magazine and could send in her instructions by owl, but Neville claimed he was investigating what appeared to be a new plant species and would be testing and gathering samples to bring back to the greenhouse.
The first year of the marriage was spent happily in London, until they decided to move to Luna's childhood home. Her father wanted to trade in his house for a smaller apartment, as he lived alone, and so he gave the house to Luna and Neville. Once they had the space, they started talking about having a family. Both being only children, they wanted to have a lot of children themselves. "Maybe seven or eight," Luna said to Neville one night.
"Sounds nice," said Neville. "Eight little Longbottom children running around the house. Hope it's big enough."
"If not, we can always expand," said Luna, with a smile.
Seven months after their one year anniversary, Luna found out that she was going to have a baby, and the couple was thrilled. They spent the months planning and getting ready, and then they received the invitation to come to the Hogwarts reunion.
"Of course we'll go," said Luna when she saw it. "I can travel. And you should see all your old professors."
"I'd like that," said Neville, and they made arrangements to travel to Hogsmeade.
* * *
"And here we are," said Neville. "We were just arriving when we ran into you yesterday."
"I feel so out of touch," said Hermione. "I had no idea that you two broke up. I just assumed that you stayed together since Hogwarts."
"Hermione, not everyone is as lucky as we are," said Ron, and he put his arm around her and pulled her closer.
"But we were lucky enough to find each other again," said Neville. "I guess we just weren't ready the first time around." Neville started to tear up a little bit, and turned away embarrassed, as did Harry and Ron.
"Oh, Neville," said Hermione, "here." She reached into the purse she was holding for a tissue, and her hand brushed against a piece of parchment she didn't remember putting in there. She gave Neville the tissue and pulled out the piece of paper.
"What's that?" Ron asked.
Hermione smiled as she looked at it. It had a drawing of a castle on the front. She smiled wider when she opened it. "It's from Emma," she said.