The next day, Ms. Breen had sent Astoria home with presents for her, Neville and Gladys. MIsty eyed and completely overtaken with the warmth her boss showed her, Astoria hugged her tightly and wished her a Happy Christmas while presenting the woman with her own gifts.
When Christmas Eve arrived, Astoria and Neville spent the day lounging about, watching films on his little muggle television stand while he recalled which ones were his favorite. As the day seeped into the dark navy of the night, they stayed up, baking cookies as fresh as possible for his parents.
A bottle of wine split between them left them to be a bit more handsy than usual. Astoria couldn't stop blushing anytime she watched him suck cookie dough off his fingers. Her thighs would clench and stomach would squirm. Disappointingly, no kisses led to more, though not for lack of trying on her part. She was sure it was because he thought she was tipsy, but even after she vehemently denied it, Neville suggested time and time again that they should head to bed.
On Christmas morning, the smell of peppermint and chocolate greeted her awake, along with the loud purring of Gladys right on her ear. Scrunching her nose and blindly reaching for her loud motorboat of a furball, she began scratching between her ears and finally peeled her eyes open.
Neville sat upright beside her, sipping on a comically large mug of what she assumed to be hot chocolate since a peppermint stick was lazily swirling itself around the mug and she could see a dollop of whip cream. He was reading from his daily magazine, 'Here in Herbology.'
With a sigh and a soft smile, Astoria moved closer to him, causing Gladys to hop down from her pillow and move to Neville's lap.
"Oh you're awake." Neville said, putting his mug of hot chocolate off to the side. He opened his arm out to her, allowing Astoria to squirm closer until she was huddled into his side and felt the warmth of his naked chest on her cheek.
"I am." She said tiredly, rubbing her face on him as she adjusted til comfortable. Her arms grabbed his waist, she kissed the skin on his chest and grinned when he kissed her head.
They both looked at each other. Neville brought his free hand up to pull back some of her hair off her face before bending his neck to give her a quick kiss.
"Merry Christmas, Astoria."
She hummed and reached up to kiss him again.
"Merry Christmas, Neville."
She cuddled herself further into his arms, relaxing heavily when he gripped her closer.
"I have those chocolate croissants. There's hot chocolate on the stove too, if you want some." He said, smoothing out her hair.
"In a moment." She said, "I'd just like to lay here with you, if that's alright."
Not that she could see, but Neville's face stretched into one of the widest smiles. He quietly agreed and grabbed his mug again.
After a lazy hour of quiet conversation, plenty of scratches for Gladys and soft kisses between them, Astoria's stomach began rumbling. So Neville laughed at her and forced her into the kitchen. They sat at his little table, sharing the sweet, warm bread and dipping it in their chocolate drinks. Underneath the table, their feet tangled with one another, sliding up and down each other's legs adorned in the large fuzzy socks Miss Green had gifted them. Neville's had plants on his, Astoria's had cat faces all over hers.
They grinned and giggled, kissing the chocolate off each other's faces while listening to Christmas music and playing footsie. Gladys was scampering around with her cat nip while Neville was swinging a stuffed fish on a string for her to jump and grab at.
When his clock chimed, he stood up.
"Blimey, I should be getting ready soon, but not before presents." He said and Astoria gaped at him.
She of course had gotten him gifts but was not at all expecting Neville to give her something. She was already staying at his place and had allowed him to see her cry an excessive amount of times. There was nothing else that she needed from him.
"Let me get yours then." Astoria also said, running to his room and reaching for a small box underneath his bed. She undid the shrinking charm with a quick finite and lifted the heavy box into the other room where Neville was waiting.
"Hell Astoria what—"
Neville chuckled as he rose from the sofa to grab the sparkly wrapped box and set it down on the coffee table with ease.
"Thanks." She said with a huff then plopped down beside him. There was a much much smaller box sitting on the coffee table next to hers. Astoria eyed it curiously.
"Do you want me to open yours first?" Neville inquired and Astoria excitedly bounced in her seat. She bloody well knew he'd love it.
"Yes, go on. " She tucked some of her hair behind her ear and lifted to sit on her feet.
Neville unwrapped the gold and glittery sheets of paper and carefully ripped open the box. Having to stand to properly grab what was inside, his face immediately gave away his excitement about his present. Astoria's face broke out into a wide grin.
"Do you like it? It's—"
"Oceanum Fluorescence. Home to only the coastlines of South Pacific Islands, mainly destroyed during early revolutionary wars between native Wizarding tribes and colonizers. It's…impossible to come by. How did you—where did you even get this?" Neville rambled as he lifted up the heavy pot with ocean blue plants that waved and swirled quite, literally resembling flowers moving over the ocean.
Astoria smiled somewhat sheepishly.
"I uh…I stole it." She admitted and watched as Neville frowned. "From my parents house! Not—oh Merlin me, not actually did I break the law and steal it from the South Pacific islands. No—this—this has been in our botanical gardens for some time. No one ever really goes in there except me and I—well, did some research one day, saw it was rare and figured if no one else were to appreciate it…that you might."
Neville stared in awe at the plant, eyes fascinated by the swirling movements of the flower. He inspected the plant and its pot, setting it down on the table then dipping his fingers in the soil. He checked the dampness, the quality of the delicate petals and looked for any abnormalities. Astoria couldn't help but giggle.
"It's in tip top shape. Our elves have looked after it for…well I'd say about over a century. I think it was given to my great, great, great grandmother." She told him and Neville for the first time since opening the gift, looked at her. Stars were in his eyes.
"Astoria this is just—phenomenal. I have never seen something quite so remarkable. Books don't do it justice, really. It's gorgeous, thank you so much I love it." He stretched across the couch to hug her but Astoria quickly pulled back after just a few seconds.
"There's one more thing." She told him. "It's at the bottom, go on, check."
Neville grinned at her and shook his head.
"I can't believe you." He said as he tore open the envelope that was sitting at the bottom of the box. "Not only did you get me one of the most rarest, and beautiful flowers to ever exist in the magical world, you also got me—"
He halted his speech as his eyes scampered over the text of the small little card. Astoria grew wary and her grin slid off her face as Neville gulped. Five heartbeats passed until he said anything.
"Astoria—" Neville said slowly, his gaze still taking in the small business-like card. It was shimmering green, holographic almost as it flashed across his face. "This…this is a membership card…to all Wizarding botanical gardens across the world, free of charge."
He turned his head, staring at her in disbelief. She nodded, now chewing on her lip. He seemed…shocked? But why did he seem mad as well?
"It's good for five years. It's—well—"
"It's too bloody much." He said cutting her off rather sharply. She swallowed and shook her head.
"No-no, they give it to those who make donations. And…well I made a donation." Astoria explained and Neville shook his head.
"A large one I assume to get one of these." He said with his mouth ajar. Her brows furrowed, not understanding why he was getting upset.
"I bought it before—um, well before everything. When I still had some money. So please don't feel bad. If anything I feel better that I got to use my family's money to splurge on you." She tried to say and he looked back at the card in disbelief. After a moment he shook his head and turned to give it back to her.
"Astoria I can't—"
"The donation has already been accepted, Neville, obviously." She pushed his hand down and scooted closer to him. "Plus…it's non refundable and I thought-I thought you'd really like it."
Neville's face loosened, the visible emotions battling within himself dispersing as a look of wonder overcame him.
"You're just—" He shook his head and smiled at her. "Come here."
He spread his arms and immediately Astoria moved into his hold. She sighed deeply when his hands rubbed over her back and he squeezed her to his chest.
"So sweet. Astoria I—I can't believe you did this for me. The Ocenum is one thing but the membership? Visiting some of those gardens are on my bucket list." He said quietly, voice right by her ear.
"I know." She giggled. "You've told me before."
When she pulled away, Neville cupped her cheek and leaned to kiss her. She could still taste chocolate and peppermint on his lips.
"Thank you." He said, hazel eyes looking at her so seriously. "This is by far the most thoughtful and best gifts I've ever been given."
She grinned and pecked him quickly for good measure.
"You're welcome. You deserve it."
Neville smiled and then moved to grab her little box.
"I think you've outdone me for Christmas but I still think you'll really like this." Placing the box in her hands, Neville threw his arm over the back of his sofa and Astoria naturally sunk into his side.
"Whatever it is, I know I'll like it." She said, tearing into the wrapping paper covered in dancing snowflakes.
When she opened the box, all that was in there was a teacup and picture of a presumed mother sloth with her baby on her back. Astoria held both in her hands then flipped the picture of the sloth over, seeing Neville's handwriting on the back.
—Costa Rica Sloth Sanctuary—
For three nights and two days, we will be living on a farm on one of the most popular Sloth Sanctuaries in the world where we'll get to feed and help take care of all the furry little guys with guidance from the farm's workers. Our portkey will activate March 13th, 4:30 pm and send us home March 16th 12:30 pm.
Happy Christmas Astoria!
xx Neville
Astoria wasn't sure if her mind was playing tricks on her or if Neville had truly bought her an experience where she was able to live amongst her favorite animals and be a caretaker for a weekend. Rereading the words, she was far too terrified to ask questions, fearing that it was all fake, that this was a dream and he was playing a joke on her.
"You're not saying anything." He said frowning. Astoria flipped the card again, the smiling sloths looking back at her. "Oh—why aren't you saying anything? Do you hate it? Is it stupid? Too much?"
The picture of the fuzzy headed creature with her baby on her back continued to stare. Astoria felt ringing in her ears and her face go hot as Neville continued talking.
"I—you can go by yourself? Or take one of your friends? I don't know—"
Abruptly, emotion swelled in her chest and her eyes stung. Bursting into tears and an almost scary giggle, Astoria looked at him finally. Neville seemed confused, weary even of the sudden influx of emotions.
"Oh Neville!" She blubbered. "It's perfect I—I never even knew this existed! How could you—how are you—" In the moments it took for her to cry of happiness, Astoria's laughs turned to heart clenching sobs. "Why are you so nice? Gods, I—I don't understand why you care so much about me?"
Her happiness soured and she felt totally undeserving. Not to mention, she felt idiotic for letting the picture of two adorable sloths making her so emotional.
"Oh Astoria—" Neville said with a chuckle and tucked her into his side. She buried her face in her hands, shoulder shaking as she tried to calm down. "You're a sweet, caring individual with so much compassion for others. You're far too kind for your own good, I don't understand how you're a Slytherin at times."
He joked but when she wouldn't look at him he grew worried. Astoria sniffled through her sobs.
"I just—I don't deserve this. You talk about kindness Neville and that's you. Everything you've done for me and had to put up with—"
"All of that was effortless." He cut her off and Astoria held her breath, lip quivering. "I'll always be here for you, in whatever way you need me. I care about you so much Astoria, when will you just accept that?"
She sniffled again, eyes welling with tears as she released a shuddering breath. She dug her face further into his chest, hand clutching his shirt and the card of the sloths. It was an awkward angle, her half laying over him while he essentially cradled her. The proximity made her calm, being close to him gave her a sense of serenity she only found when immersed in nature.
"Are you okay? Do you like it?" He asked quietly and she huffed a laugh.
"Neville, I love it." She said obviously. "I can't believe you did this for me. I'm so bloody excited." She said more cheerily and looked up at him. He grinned down at her and captured her lips.
"I'm glad." He said softly through tiny kisses. "Happy Christmas , love."
Astoria's stomach whirled and her body became alive at the little endearment.
"Happy Christmas. Thank you so, so much. I—" She shook her head and tried to adjust herself to be closer. Neville, seeming to understand what she wanted, grabbed her leg and helped her move to a sitting position, straddling his hips.
Her eyes went wide as she easily slid onto him. Neville seemed to feel the same amount of heat pass through him as his face went serious. She swallowed and threaded her fingers into his hair, accidentally dropping the card onto the floor.
"This has been a lovely Christmas so far. All thanks to you." She told him tenderly, chest flaring with heat when his hands automatically went under her shirt and large warm palms moved up and down her back.
"Thank you for spending it with me." He said blinking down at her lips, a knowing smirk on his handsome features. "I say I've been spoiled quite a bit this Christmas already."
The lowness of his voice made her navel twitch delightfully. Astoria couldn't help but smirk and press forward, joining their lips together in a sensual and heated kiss. The moan Neville immediately emitted gave Astoria the confidence to lick his bottom lip and wind her tongue with his.
Palms squeezed her sides and the slight surprise at the sensation caused her body to bounce up. Astoria slowly relaxed back down on him, breathing harder when she felt the press of his erection against the inside of her thigh.
Just then, his clock rang again and he regretfully pulled away.
"Bloody hell." He murmured, pushing one hand into his hair. "I really should get ready now."
Astoria bit her lip and nodded, eyes still fixed on his mouth. Shiny with their saliva and so plush. Neville groaned and brought her head down to her lips.
"Don't look at me like that." He warned, moaning with relief when her tongue flicked his.
"Why?" She breathlessly asked.
In a flash, Neville shifted his weight upwards and threw them down on the sofa, Astoria under him. She gasped at the movement but more specifically, at the way he slotted his hips directly between hers. His front pressed hard into her center.
"Because it makes me go crazy." He told her with a smirk, still resting his erection on her. Astoria wanted to rub herself on him, thrust her hips until he did the same to her. The ache between her legs only seemed to grow since he gave her her first orgasm.
With another slow and toe tingling kiss, Neville pulled away and placed his lips right at her ear.
"And It makes it nearly impossible for me to stop touching you."
A shiver reached through her body. Her nipples harder as he kissed her neck and very slowly rolled his hips forward. The heat inside her stomach suppressed all other thoughts. She didn't even remember he had somewhere important to be. Only thing she could think of was feeling him again, but possibly, in a completely new way.
"But I have to get ready." He sadly began pulling away, cheeks flushed and eyes bright. Astoria just gaped at him, licking her lips and accepting his hands to help her into a standing position. He sent her a smirk at her dazed appearance. She grinned shyly at him then watched him retreat to the bathroom.
Astoria sat back down, slumping into the throw pillows and wrapping herself in a blanket imagining what Neville looked like in a steamy shower. She was grinning to herself like a fool and only when Gladys meowed loudly and jumped onto the sofa did her hot little daydream go away.
She grabbed her cat and cuddled her hard.
"Lovely Christmas so far. Yes, very lovely." She said to Gladys.
Meeting Neville's Aunt wasn't as nerve-racking as she thought it would be, rather it was exciting. Flooing to the Potters' residence? That was nearly vomit inducing.
Astoria couldn't understand why her nerves were getting the best of her, but as she threw on her plaid skirt and cream turtleneck, she noticed her hands were shaking. Neville was oblivious, nearly bouncing off the walls with energy. She grinned at his behavior, knowing this was one of the only times all his old friends were in the same place at the same time.
For Astoria, she couldn't bring herself to match his excitement. There was the reassuring feeling that Draco and Hermione were going to be there, but who knew if they'd be occupied with other friends. Draco, from what she can tell, has met and been around them longer than she, so Astoria was going to be the odd one out.
"Astoria? How much longer do you think you'll be?" Neville asked, knocking on the door.
"You can come in, and I just need to put on my shoes and spray perfume." She answered as she clipped in her earring. Neville entered and stood in the doorway, mouth open as he smiled.
"You look beautiful." He complimented and she blushed, turning to grab her heeled boots.
"Thank you." She replied with a grin then quickly stood, walking towards him with as much confidence for the night as she could muster. "I'm ready to go."
"Great! Tonights always a lot of fun. Last year Seamus set fire to the tree." He recalled with a laugh and automatically grabbed her hand. It calmed her tremendously.
They stepped into the floor together, Neville threw down the powder and they were transported through the flames. Immediately the noisy chatter and lively music filled her ears. Neville hopped out of the pit first then helped her through. Before Astoria's scourgify was even finished, multiple people shouted.
"Neville!"
At the sound of his friends' voices, he turned and waved to them all. Almost routinely, perhaps even done without a thought, Neville grabbed Astoria by the waist and led them into the gathering room where most of the commotion was.
"Happy Christmas everyone!" He cheered, not removing his hand from Astoria's wait until Harry came and wrapped him in a hug. Astoria took a step to the side, already overwhelmed by the amount of people present and staring at her.
"Good to see you mate. How were your parents?" Harry asked with a bright grin.
"Good, yeah good. Loved their cookies. My mum even made me a card." He replied and soon was hugged by Ginny Weasley.
"Nev you look taller again! Stop eating the soil at work." She joked as she stretched onto her toes. A familiar face walked up to Astoria, Hermione looked genuinely happy to see her.
"Happy Christmas Astoria." She said and instantly placed her arms around her. Astoria was taken aback by the hug but more importantly, the amount of minty liquor she could smell on Hermione Granger's breath. Regardless, she accepted the hug gratefully.
"You too, Hermione. It's nice to see you again. How was your Christmas?" She asked politely and Hermione grinned and continued talking to her as she reached to give Neville a hug as well.
"So so nice! Draco and I had a wonderful day at my parent's home—hello Neville, so happy you two are here."
Following Hermione's lead, the chosen one then extended his arms to her.
"Hello Astoria, I'm not sure if we've ever met properly. Merry Christmas! We were so happy to hear Neville was bringing you." He said as he brought his arms around her. Astoria, again shocked, could do nothing but accept. Guess Gryffndors were into hugging.
"Oh, Merry Christmas to you too. Thank you for having me." She told him and then found another pair of arms around her belonging to Potter's fiancé.
"We almost didn't believe Neville when he told us you were seeing him. How on earth did he manage to bag a fit little number like you?" Ginny said, eyes trailing up and down her figure as she joked. Neville rolled his eyes and placed his hand back around her waist.
"I think I'm the one that did the bagging, honestly." Astoria quietly said, blushing a bit when she heard the three of them coo with 'awes.' Neville pressed his lips to the side of her head and she looked up to find his fond expression.
"That was disgustingly sweet Tori." A drawl came from beside them. Everyone looked to see Draco slither up beside his tipsy girlfriend. "You don't have to lie to the lions, though."
For the smallest of seconds, she felt Neville tense but ultimately relaxed rather quickly. Astoria rolled her eyes at him but moved to offer an embrace.
"Not a lie, Draco. Happy Christmas." She told him as they both kissed each other on the cheek. Draco smirked as took his place next to Hermione and offered Neville his hand.
"Of course not." He replied. "Happy Christmas to you both, bit surprised to see you."
Neville shook his hand and offered a half smile.
"Yes, well, some things changed, made us more free for tonight. We're grateful to be here together." He smoothly commented and Astoria relaxed at the delivery. Draco nodded, eyeing them suspiciously as he sipped his drink.
"Well welcome! There's plenty food and drinks, let me get you one. Astoria, would you like something to drink?" Harry offered and gestured to their kitchen. The couple followed, finding themselves chatting with Harry for some time in the kitchen and others as they passed to greet Neville.
She always knew Neville had friends, but she didn't realize how many close friends he had. They all seemed to know everything about one another. Quickly recalling details about life and work that made her wonder if she had someone or anyone like that in her life. Astoria couldn't think of one person that knew that much about her.
Except…Daphne.
The thought gripped her heart like a vice, and her happy and friendly mood suddenly dimmed. Daphne hadn't lettered to her, even though she changed her address and alerted the owlery for forwarding. Done in hopes to receive any sort of greeting from her sister, or even her father. But nothing came today and right now was the only time she truly thought about how much it bothered her.
Sensing her quietness, Neville looked beside him and noticed Astoria blankly looking at the dish of multiple cheeses. A frown appeared and he lowered his brow.
"Is a piece of cheese missing?" He asked with a little nudge, breaking Astoria out of her trance.
"Hm? What?" She looked back at the dish. "Oh! No, I was just...lost in thought." She tried to laugh at herself and cover her saddening mood but Neville saw through it.
"You okay? What's on your mind?" He questioned, standing closer to her so no others would hear.
Astoria shook her head.
"Nothing."
"You look…sad." He commented.
"I'm—I just thought of something silly." She tried to blow it off but he pushed.
"What is it?" He asked again and Astoria paused. She gazed into his hazel eyes, so full of concern and curiosity. She felt compelled to truthfully answer.
"Just…Daphne." She said, Neville's face dropped. "I—I didn't hear from her today. Not that I expected to, or maybe I did, I don't know. I figured since it was Christmas she-she might apologize or even reach out just because of the holiday but—but she didn't" She explained, ending her sentence with a shrug and grabbing a piece of cheese and meat to avoid Neville's stare.
"I'm sorry—"
"It's fine." She was quick to say.
"Astoria—it's not." He returned but she grabbed his hand and smiled, not wanting to ruin the night.
"It sort of hit me just now. But I am okay. I'm having a good time with you and I want to focus on that." She said, rubbing her thumb on his knuckles. The gesture seemed to make him melt. Neville nodded and leaned to kiss her cheek. She smiled thankfully at him.
"I'm here for you." He whispered. Her heart clenched at the simple yet meaningful words.
"I know. Thank you." Astoria replied with a private smile.
Someone in the other room announced they were playing a game and Neville's face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"Nev lets go. No way I'm letting Harry and Mione beat us again this year." Ginny tugged at his arm and Neville glanced between her and the redhead.
"I—blimey Gin, when did you get so strong? I'm coming, Merlin. Astoria, wait, just wait here?" He asked as he was being tugged rather forcefully into the separate room. Astoria watched with an amused face.
"Astoria wants to go home with the winner of Wizard's Taboo, not a loser. Lets go Longbottom!" Ginny pushed and Neville laughed with a stumble.
Astoria moved out of the kitchen and watched a gaggle of Gryffindors situate themselves in the living room, some playing, some just observing. She leaned up against the wall, still nursing her first drink.
Everyone suddenly began rambling random words, their partner attempting to guess what they were describing. A lot of shouting and accusations began flying through the air. Astoria couldn't help but laugh.
"Christmas with Longbottom?" Draco said, appearing from nowhere. He took the place next to her up against the wall. Drink in his hand, eyes focused on the group of Gryffindors all yelling at one another.
"Mhm." Was all she said. "Didn't want to play?" She asked, nodding to the crowd.
He shook his head with a face.
"It's far more entertaining to watch Hermione's competitive side come out and see her get on someone else's arse rather than mine." He commented and Astoria actually laughed.
After a minute or so of the two watching silently, Draco spoke again.
"How's living with Longbottom?"
Astoria tried not to give her cards away and kept a stoic face.
"It's temporary." Was all she said, somewhat tersely. She didn't look at him.
Draco scoffed.
"I know I shouldn't be saying this and Merlin knows Granger will deny it, but he called us you know. When…whatever happened happened."
At the admission, Astoria's jaw clenched and she couldn't stop the glare forming over her features as she quickly looked at Neville. A spark of anger spread through her at hearing he told people her personal and very private family business.
"What?" She spat and immediately heard Draco chuckling as he nudged his shoulder.
"Fucking hell Tori." He laughed. "Calm down. It's not like that."
She snapped her gaze back to Draco.
"What did he say then?" She questioned and he merely shrugged.
"Not much. He called for Hermione, asked her what she did for me when all the things with my parents went down. As much as we both tried to pry, Longbottom said nothing. Just looked for advice on what to do for you."
Astoria looked back at Neville, heart suddenly warm again and anger dissipating. He had just laughed at something the Irish one said, rather loudly as he clutched his stomach. Her lips pulled up watching the scene.
"Oh." Was all she could say.
"Bit annoying really, perhaps we could have helped more had we known what was going on." Draco said and Astoria ignored the implication. She just kept her eyes straight and hummed. Body going a tad too still as Draco continued to prod.
"So if you're here and not in Germany, may I ask what lie you told your family to get out of it?"
She breathed for a second, stomach dropping as he asked the inevitable. Of course he wanted to know, he and Hermione were really the only ones that had any insight to their relationship and their intricacies.
"I didn't have to lie. I—" She swallowed, her chest tightened. "I said all I needed to and it—it didn't go well. Obviously."
He snorted and squinted at her with an intrigued smirk.
"What happened this time? Mummy Greengrass threaten to write you out of the will? Did your dad finally speak?" His sense of humor was oftentimes lost on certain people. She knew he wasn't being malicious but even thinking about the situation made her eyes sting, especially since she was already sensitive earlier about Daphne.
"Draco—" Astoria said, her voice betraying her. With a whimpering lip and glossy eyes, she looked up at him with a pathetic smile, she could see his face fall as he took a breath. "I'm not—ready to talk about it. I'd rather not think about it at all."
Despite how Draco acted, there was a part of him that harvested more compassion than he would ever allow the world to see. It was reserved for those most important in his life and only came out when absolutely necessary. In that moment, he understood completely what Astoria was asking of him, knew that whatever transpired was most likely bad if not worse than his own situation. She was never one to show her emotions like this, a pureblood witch and all, so he knew the severity of the situation.
He rolled his lips into his mouth and nodded with the faintest movements. Facial features softened as he cleared his throat.
"Whenever you feel ready then, I have plenty of experience in disappointing my family and going against pureblood society norms. Have a couple bottles to help get you through it, too." Draco said, avoiding her eyes as he took a large sip of his amber colored drink.
She sighed relieved. Her body warmed with gratitude.
"Thank you Draco." She said, sniffing.
"Don't mention it."
And she wouldn't. Astoria blinked a few times and matched his relaxed position against the wall.
"So, what did you get Hermione for Christmas?" She inquired, watching as their significant others argued with each other.
"None of your business." Draco coldly replied. His brashness made her smile. The Draco she needed was here.
"I thought I saw her wearing a ruby betrothal necklace. Does she know what it means—"
"No and you'd do well to keep your mouth shut around her." Draco warned quickly. Astoria laughed.
"Do you have a date set for when you'll propose?" She then asked, her eyes glittering with excitement for the brooding blonde that was only a big softie for his lover.
"Possibly." He vaguely answered, body stiff
"Is it soon?" Astoria asked, her smile growing the more uncomfortable he looked.
"Maybe." He shrugged.
"How soon?" She pressed on.
"Fuck I look like telling you?" He snorted and took another sip as his eyes narrowed when Hermione began chatting with another Gryffindor male.
"Fine then. What did she get you?" Astoria questioned, raising her brows when he nervously looked at her for a second.
"Dumb little things." He mumbled while rolling his eyes. Merlin, this poor bloke was head over heels for the golden girl.
"Like…?"
Astoria watched Draco wet his lips. His eyes stuck on one spot in the entire room, directly on Granger. He squinted once and sighed.
"A picture of us for the flat, a personalized disc thing that plays all the muggle songs I like, tickets to the home opener for the Magpies, hand sewn mittens that she knitted herself." He suddenly grimaced at himself, in disbelief he was disclosing this information to her. "It's two sewn into one, so we can… hold hands while we walk."
"Sweet baby Merlin. That is the cutest bloody thing I've ever heard." Astoria beamed at his scowl.
"Shut up." He groaned.
"Draco, you're blushing!' She giggled and Draco gave her a pointed look.
"Okay, fuck you. Don't talk to me for the rest of the night and don't tell another bloody soul about this conversation." Draco suddenly pushed himself off the wall, leaving her alone while she laughed at his bright red cheeks.
She watched as he made his way over to Hermione, who immediately brightened when he threw his arm over her and kissed her forehead. Astoria's heart warmed at the sight and she sighed dreamily. Just as she moved her line of vision to find her own partner, Neville's head snapped behind him and his stare found her. He grinned as their eyes met and gestured for her to come over.
Astoria did hesitantly, careful not to step on anyone since some sat on the ground. She moved to the small corner of the sofa Neville was sitting on. He, still chatting with someone about a previous guess, grabbed her by the waist and effortlessly hauled her onto his lap. All while not even looking away from the person he was speaking to.
With a shaky gasp and frightened grip, Astoria looked down at Neville with astonishment, blushing furiously. He carried on speaking, but his smile grew and grew, knowing he was being watched. Leaning forward to grab his drink, Neville only gave her a cheeky smile from the side and winked before returning to the game. Her cheeks were impossibly hot now.
Hours later, Astoria was fairly sober and having an actual nice chat with Ginny Weasley and one of her teammates. The woman had grown up in France and had attended the sister school of the place Astoria went last summer to prepare for 'the real pureblood world.' They laughed about the rules and shared some stories about other horrid girls.
"You and Neville should come to a game next season!" Ginny said excitedly and her friend agreed.
"Yes oh please! It would be so nice to see you again."
Astoria smiled at the girls, sensing that they truly meant what they said.
"I'm sure we will. I know Neville mentioned previously his desire to attend more matches." Astoria relayed and Ginny's head peered around the lively room.
"Where is Nev anyways?"
Astoria also surveyed the home, not seeing Neville anywhere. She frowned.
"Not sure. I thought he went to the loo earlier. I'm going to go find him." Astoria told the girls with a smile and turned to head in the opposite direction. She checked the entirety of the first floor before moving on to the second. Bathrooms were empty and random bedrooms. It wasn't until Astoria moved to the end of the hallway that she heard Neville's voice chattering with another.
Astoria crept closer, leaning her body against the wall to not be seen or heard as she eavesdropped. Now she could clearly hear it was Hermione and Neville talking, but he sounded…guilty and frustrated.
"I feel selfish, I feel so horribly bad and selfish." Neville said, words sounding slow and slurred. She was positive Neville was drunk.
"But you shouldn't—" Hermione urged.
"No. I should, I know I should, Hermione—"
"Nev, the life she had with her family wasn't adequate. Sooner or later she would have realized—"
"It's not even that, it's—" a heaving sigh was released. "I got the best Christmas of my life Mione. I woke up with her beside me and had a great time with my parents, it was just the best day I've had in a long time. And I feel like a sodding prick because I'm selfishly happy that Astoria's here with me while she's got all this other shit to deal with."
She didn't hear Hermione say anything. Astoria moved closer to the crack of the door.
"I just—feel like the worst person in the world, because I'm so happy today and I know that she's not. I-I feel horrible. And I don't know how I'm supposed to make things right for her. It's just—"
A frustrated groan was released. Neville's voice grew louder and louder until he was just about shouting.
"Gods her fucking mother! And sister! Her family are just awful fucking people. I can't believe—"
"Shh—shh, hold on." Hermione said then suddenly, she heard nothing followed by the door clicking shut. The witch must have casted a silencing charm before she could hear anymore.
Astoria blinked at the wooden door, a frown etched into her face as she walked away. Neville had been rather quiet and respectful of Astoria's personal issues with her family, usually offering her encouraging praises of her character and never mentioning his opinions on the matter. It was…rather intense to hear how much disdain and anger was in his voice. Biting his tongue for so long clearly made him angry, but she wondered what he and Hermione were talking about to even get him to such a level.
She wandered back downstairs, almost in a trance. Neville's tone had caught her off guard tremendously. He was swearing and shouting, sounding absolutely livid. She had never heard such rage from him and it was about her family. Even though she assumed he found the situation awful, she was unaware that it was also affecting him.
Draco caught her eye from across the room, quirking a single brow at her expression. She simply smiled and shook her head, to which he nodded but still looked suspicious. Astoria headed back into the kitchen, wanting another plate of desserts.
Cluttered together was Ronald Weasley, his arm slung over a tired looking Susan Bones and Seamus Finnegan. The boys were talking about Seamus' work with another Weasley, possibly a brother, in Romania.
"Three of her four eggs all died, and the baby just started being able to feed on its own." Seamus said, making Susan coo.
"Aww that's so sad." She commented.
"Yeah, but we got great help from the sanctuary in Hungary. Really helped rehabilitate the fella. The mum's doing good too." Finnegan said and Astoria's ears perched up at the mention of the Sanctuary she turned to join the conversation.
"That wouldn't be 'Restoration of the Heart' would it?" Astoria asked and watched as the Irishman's face lit up. His cheeks were bright red and eyes glossy.
"Yeah! Ya heard of it?" He questioned.
"I accepted an internship there after graduation but ended up not going." She said a bit sadly, but carried on. " It's supposed to be one of the top creature endangerment refugees in the world."
Seamus nearly bounced up and down with excitement.
"Yeah! They are! Help us out from time to time with some of our dragons who are older. They know their shit when it comes to taking care of sick creatures." He said, accent stronger with the liquor in his system.
"I've heard! That's why I wanted to work there so badly." She relayed and Seamus furrowed his brow.
"You should apply again. I can put in a word with the keepers there to look out for your application. Or you can put me down as a reference if ya want." Seamus offered and Astoria realized he was entirely serious. Her face morphed into neutral shock.
"You…you would do that for me?" She asked and Seamus smiled and bumped her with his elbow.
"Course! Yer Neville's girl! Besides, if you already got in the program once, shouldn't be hard for ya to do it again."
Astoria felt her chest swell with warmth. She thanked him profusely to which he just shook off. They continued talking about the sanctuary and took their conversation to the front room where others were sitting. Astoria giggled as Seamus drunkenly recalled his stories with the dragons he oversaw and some other animals he came across since being there.
After a couple minutes, Astoria felt the sofa dip beside her and a warm body press up against hers. She turned to see Neville smiling at her, face flushed and eyes looking a bit droopy. He seemed in a far better mood than before. She grinned back at him and her body relaxed.
"Are you done hogging my girl, mate?" Neville's drunken voice questioned the Irish lad. Astoria made a face of amusement at the question but still felt herself blush as being so openly claimed by him. Not that she minded of course.
"Someone had to keep her company, Longbottom." Seamus joked with a wink and Neville gave him the finger. He wrapped one arm around her waist and once again hoisted her into his lap. She bit down on her lip hard to stop the ridiculous grin from spreading over her lips.
"Well I've got better company for her." He whispered lowly in her ear but still loud enough for people to hear. Astoria's blush deepened tenfold and a small shiver crawled up her neck. She sheepishly smiled and looked at his flirty grin. Drunk Neville was a very pleasant surprise.
"Oi! No public groping on my sofa. I don't care if you're the slayer of snakes." Ginny shouted from across the room, making them both turn and giggle. Neville's hand tightened on her waist and his other arm wrapped around her protectively.
"Don't act like you haven't done worse on this sofa, Gin." Neville retorted.
"Yes but in the privacy of their own home where no guests were forced to watch." Draco suddenly said. Hermione was also curled on his lap, eyes half closed and hair messily thrown up. She was way beyond gone.
"Oh lighten up Draco. We had sex in their bathroom hours ago. Neville and Astoria can have a cuddle or grope here." Hermione drunkenly said.
Neville bursted out laughing. Astoria's mouth dropped into a grin. Hermione just shut her eyes with a pleased little smile as Draco's cheeks turned an angry shade of red. Harry and Ginny were both shouting at them.
"You shithead!" Harry said.
"Which bathroom? I need to disinfect it." Ginny said scrambling from the living room.
"We welcome you into our home and you immediately defile it!" Harry shouted outraged. Hermione lifted up from Draco's lap and wrapped her hand around her best friend's hand to stop him from shouting.
"Oh Harry, it was my idea. Please stop the yelling. It's making me dizzier." She said eyes still shut. Neville laughed harder and now it was Harry's turn to go red.
"On that note." Draco mumbled and moved to stand the both of them up. Granger was swaying in his hold and Draco surprisingly lifted his hand to shake Potter's. "Thank you for the invite."
It was a stiff goodbye but Hermione got a burst of energy enough to say farewell.
"Harry, I'm so sorry about your bathroom. This was a great Christmas though. I love you all so much you are all my greatest friends. Never change! Never—"
"Granger move your legs—" Draco tried to haul her off to the floo but she kept shouting to the crowd behind them.
"Lovely people! Beautiful people! Happy Christmas I love you a—"
Draco got her situated in the fire pit then quickly shouted her address home. The crowd was still laughing as they left. Harry looked perturbed. Ginny returned a bit confused that they were gone suddenly. Neville was still shaking with chuckles.
"Hermione Granger is my favorite drunk person." Dean Thomas said with a wide smile.
"They're not getting invited back next year." Harry said with a serious expression but everyone still laughed.
"Make a note that we aren't to have sex at Grimmauld Place if we want to remain friends with Harry." Neville whispered in her ear.
Astoria's breath left her lungs. She barely nodded to him and wasn't able to look at him but he planted a kiss right below her ear and went off chattering about something else with Ginny.
The prospect of having sex was something she always assumed would happen with her husband. Old fashioned pureblood or not, Astoria had decided from a young age she would wait. Sex had never appealed to her, so she assumed it was the person. But now with Neville, her mind constantly drifted to it.
Then he made that remark. So casual and normal. A promise, implied knowledge that it would one day happen. Hearing the words coming from his mouth made her embarrassingly warm. Her belly tightened and a shock jolted inside her core. She squirmed in his lap and tried to keep her breathing level.
They said their goodbyes not long after. Ginny giving her a surprisingly big hug and told her to come around more often to which Astoria truthfully told her she would. Neville clapped a large hand over her lower back and guided them into the floo, both still sending goodnights over their shoulder.
Neville slightly stumbled in the darkness of their home. Quietly cursing to himself and Astoria lit up the room with a strong Lumos. It was late, both heading to his room to change for the evening. Neville was still drunk, Astoria was thoroughly exhausted and ready to fall asleep.
Neville apparently had other plans.
"Did you enjoy yourself?" He asked as she began removing her shoes and jewelry.
"Mhm. Your friends are so nice. Bit loud, but very sweet and funny." She said, turning over her shoulder to watch as he chuckled and removed his sweater. Her breath caught in her throat when she realized he was changing in front of her.
"They're great. All very fond of you. Can't say how many times Gin begged me to bring you out more." He said with a smile.
Astoria gathered her pajamas set in her hands, sure to keep her back to him. Once she got all her belongings, she'd beeline for his bathroom.
"That's nice. I like them all very much." She said, wondering where she left her hairbrush. Deciding to go without it, she turned and headed for the door but Neville had already crossed the room and blocked her exit. Standing a few feet away from her, the upper half bare revealing the dark curls on his chest and his lower half was only covered by a thin pair of boxers.
Usually he'd wear shorts to bed. There was another layer between them, always another layer.
"I had a great Christmas with you." He told her seriously. The light dim from the bedside lamp made his eyes look more bleary.
"I did too. It was a wonderful day." As she responded, he erased the small distance between them and traced her jaw with the faintest of touches. Her breathing stuttered.
"I—I should change." She looked up at him from under her lashes. Half of Neville's face turned up, his eyes following the trail of his fingertips over her cheek. His hand sank to brace the back of her head, thumb gently rubbing her cheek. He stared at her with an expression mixed between lust and…and tenderness.
"I'll do it for you." He told her then leaned down to kiss her. Open mouth, hot and tasting of minty liquor that warmed her from the inside out.
Astoria dropped her clothes on the ground and Neville's other hand snaked around her back to press her into him. His body was warm, like he'd been sitting in front of a fire all day. Her hands skated over the hard planes of his chest, finding home on the angles and bulges of his shoulders.
He walked them back, tongue coaxing small whimpers from her mouth until she was panting and her knickers had grown soaked.
She flopped down on the bed, Neville stood over her. The loss of his warm skin made the wires reconnect inside her head.
"Neville I really think I should go-mmph—" He ended her protests with a kiss hotter than the last. Large palms went underneath her sweater, hot flesh mingling with hers but goosebumps still birthed over her stomach. His lips trailed down to her ear and neck, alternating between heavy sucks and laps.
"You looked so good tonight, love."
The huskiness in his tone made her blink absentmindedly. She had no idea Neville could be so forward and aggressive. It…it was a large turn on, but still he was not sober.
"Thanks…" She breathed as he ducked his head down to kiss her lips again. "We—we should stop."
The suggestion made him pause, his pouty look nearly made her laugh.
"Why? I thought I could show you what I wanted to do to you earlier." He said, voice lowering somehow even more. He sank to his knees, and pulled her further down the bed. Astoria let out a yelp of surprise. He grinned in the light.
"I—maybe tomorrow? Or—" She began watching his fingers push up her sweater further to expose her belly. Neville' looked purely mischievous as he began kissing over her ribcage. "Not—not now. We shouldn't now. Not when—"
"When what?" He demanded and slightly nibbled on her side. It made her squirm and almost giggle.
"You're—you've been drinking." She reasoned through breathless pants. The heat between her legs was sweltering. The rest of her body was catching up.
"So? I want to do this." He told her, his own breathing coming out faster.
"But I think we should—"
"Should I get my pungi?" He then asked and she had no idea what he meant.
"What—what are you talking about?" She laughed, trying to ignore the way his tongue was flicking over her trembling muscles.
"To charm you of course. Since you're keen on refusing me." He replied simply. The words rumbled on her stomach.
"What on earth—Neville." She grabbed his hair as his tongue began licking down her navel. He instantly stopped, lusty eyes peering up at her with a coy smile. With all the seriousness in the world he spoke.
"I'm a snake slayer, Astoria, thought you knew."
Her jaw went slack and her nipples hardened immediately. Neville resumed kissing over her stomach while still looking at her. The ghost of a grin poking in his cheeks remained. For a moment, all coherent thoughts were lost. She gave into the feeling of her muscles coiling with every hot and wet kiss pressed to her navel. The muscles jolted and twitched when his tongue slipped out and his hands bunched up her skirt.
"Neville." Was the first word that came to mind. He grunted in response, trailing his mouth to her legs.
"Neville—" Despite her, a chill ran down her body. The kisses he pressed to her thighs were becoming increasingly hard to deny. "Neville—"
It was more of a moan and this time, instead of timid licks, Neville ran his tongue from the line of her knickers starting at the bone of her hip to the inside of her thighs. Her body buzzed with pleasure, his tongue flicking over her covered and damp slit. Astoria had never felt anything so lecherous.
"Neville you're drunk." She gasped out and finally he pulled away to give her a curious look.
"So?" He questioned again. Astoria blinked hard, trying to steady her eyes and give him a firm expression.
"If I was drunk would you let me do these things to you too?" She questioned with sound logic. Neville's eyebrows twitched.
"Course not." He told her and she scooted back, pulling her skirt down as she did and raised to her knees.
"Exactly. I don't—I want to but I'd rather the things we do…sexually…are done sober."
For a long moment that nearly teetered on being too long, he finally agreed.
"That's fair." He said with a sigh, running his hands through his hair. "Fair. You're a wise witch, ya know."
She grinned and leaned down to give him a thankful peck. He hummed pleasantly.
"I'm going to change. I'll be right back." She said then slid off the bed and gathered her items.
Inside the bathroom, the mirror revealed her to look positively salacious. Lips were swollen, cheeks were red and eyes were black. Astoria couldn't help but grin at her appearance. She looked good, felt great. And after she had returned from the bathroom, there was Neville on his side, already snoring. Astoria smiled to herself, her good mood increasing and settling inside her chest like a warm ball of fire.
She slid under the covers right next to him, gently kissing the back of his head and mumbling lowly.
"Merry Christmas, love."
