A/N: Here is the first chapter of my new Neville x Hermione. It's only got nine chapters, each between 2k-3k words. It's just meant to be a fun romance, after writing such a heavy story like Sleeper. We should have an update about once a week. You can follow me on tumblr (nauticalparamour) where I frequently post sneak peaks and the like.

Please let me know what you thought of chapter one, and be on the lookout for chapter two soon!


In the months that had followed the war, there had been an explosion of romance and dating and sex and weddings and just general nonsense. Everyone in the wizarding world had been faced with their own mortality, many of them losing friends and family in the fighting, and they'd decided to grab life with both hands and clearly that meant hopping into bed with the first person that looked at you.

It was driving Hermione bonkers!

Her own friends were the worst. Harry and Ginny had slipped off the Grimmauld Place, shutting down the floo and putting up anti-apparition wards for a week, until they came out firmly dating and obviously over the top in love. No one seemed to mind that Hermione had left all of her stuff there and had no way to get any access to it, and instead had to live out of that blasted tent for an extra week!

It hadn't taken long for the star-crossed lovers to be engaged and now every wizarding magazine and newspaper was following with bated breath to learn every little detail - what color were the bridesmaid's earrings going to be? Who is providing the flowers? Would Harry have to fight any of the Weasley brothers in order to win their sister's hand? - of the upcoming nuptials.

Hermione wouldn't even go shopping with Ginny any more because of the all of the photographers that followed them around. Of course, Ginny just loved the attention, but Hermione insisted she have her own gown fitting for the hideous red bridesmaid's dress that Ginny had selected done in the privacy of her own flat.

Ron was just as bad as Harry though. He had kissed Hermione in the Chamber of Secrets in what had to be the most lacklustre kiss she'd ever received, during the Battle of Hogwarts, but it had taken him literally two hours to dump her and get back together with Lavender Brown. Not that Hermione wanted to date him, but...well, it would have been nice for him to clear the air first.

Lavender had been attacked by Fenrir Greyback during the battle, receiving a set of claw marks across her face. Hermione had felt sorry for the girl, that she would have to carry the scars for the rest of her life, when Hermione had her own set of awful scars. It had quickly dissipated when Lavender constantly told her she should only wear high necked shirts with long sleeves to hide the evidence of what she'd survived at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange and Antonin Dolohov.

Witch Weekly had even run a story about the brave heroine, and how she was dealing with her disfigurement - I wear my scars proudly as a reminder of what I've survived - which just made Hermione more mad. She knew that she was a little bit jealous, but why were her scars considered ugly and Lavender's just something she could wear proudly?

Ron would constantly invite Hermione for lunches, just the two of them, he'd say, only to have Lavender swoop in and join them. She would dominate the conversation, essentially ignoring Hermione, and sometimes she would even pull Ron into a passionate snog. Usually, Hermione would just get up and leave at that point.

Ron would accuse her of being jealous of Lavender, which was purposerious. She was glad that she and Ron had finally kissed, because it proved to her that they were not compatible in any way. She couldn't imagine an instance in which she would enjoy being intimate with Ron.

It wasn't just England that was overcome with love and romance. She'd recently gone to Viktor's wedding to some pretty Bulgarian girl, but she'd definitely been the odd one out not bringing a date. While she watched the dance floor, yes a bit wistfully!, Viktor had approached her and asked her why she didn't bring a plus one? Why hadn't Hermione Granger settled down like the rest of them?

She'd left not long after that.

And, it wasn't like there weren't opportunities for her to date someone. She'd been asked out by all sorts of wizards - she was a heroine after all - both those she knew and some she didn't. Hermione had rejected them all after her first disastrous date with Terry Boot.

She'd thought she might have a lot in common with the Ravenclaw, but it turned out that he just wanted in on some of the fame of being associated with her, to her absolute disgust. That or for her to put out on the first date! It had ended when she threw the fruity cocktail he bought for her in his face.

The magazines wanted her to neatly pair up with someone, but because she wouldn't they speculated that there must be something wrong with her. She must be pining after Ron or Harry or both. She was trying to steal the wizards away from their perfect girlfriends. Every wizard that she even looked at was her secret lover.

Hermione Granger hated romance! She couldn't wait...no, she needed everything to calm down in the wizarding world before she could even think about dating someone again. Maybe she should take a grand tour of the world for a year or two or five and then see what had happened. Merlin, she was only nineteen! She wasn't ready to get married yet.

But, she knew that her friends would never forgive her if she missed Harry and Ginny's wedding, and so she was stuck here, until at least June. She would be the reliable Hermione, counted on to help plan their wedding because she was just so organized and she would never overlook a single detail!

No one seemed to worry that she had her own job, in the Magical Law Department of the Ministry of Magic, which took up enough time. Sometimes when she got home, she just wanted to take a bubble bath and read a book on the most dull boring topic possible, not decide exactly which floral centerpiece would be best for the theme.

She didn't want to read through archaic binding vows that would be a step above the normal vows that were recited, but didn't restrict them too much. Their love was just so much more special than the average couple, so they just had to do something to elevate the ceremony. Hermione was the perfect person to do the research! She loved research!

Hermione scowled, knowing that she sounded bitter. But if she had to look through another color swatch of pink to dye the doves that Harry and Ginny were going to release after their ceremony, she was going to rip out her curly hair.


By the time December rolled around, Hermione had lost almost all filter around her happily dating friends, and she made an effort to avoid them as much as possible for fear of saying something that she wouldn't be able to take back.

But, this was Harry and Ginny's engagement party, and that meant she wouldn't be able to get out of this one, unfortunately. She'd put on a slinky dress as was expected of her, but she'd chosen one in a green color - unexpected. If she had to see one more shade of red, she was going to vomit.

She'd made a promise to herself to be friendly and nice and dance with whoever asked her, and surely she could put the intense bitterness she felt off for one night couldn't she? This was Harry's engagement party, after all, and if anyone deserved happiness it was Harry.

Too bad for her, Ron and Lavender were seriously trying her patience. Not only had they come over to talk to her - she said talk, but she really meant grope and snog with her as an audience - and they wouldn't leave her alone. Plus, Lavender wouldn't stop with all of her backhanded little compliments. "Oh, Hermione, I am just so glad that there are no hard feelings between us, even though I am dating your ex."

Hermione gave her former roommate a tight smile, trying to communicate to Lavender that she was over her bullshit. "Well, Lavender, Ron's not my ex. We never dated, so there are of course, no hard feelings."

"But Won-Won told me you kissed during the battle?" Lavender said in that insipid baby voice of her's, and Ron just looked on with pink cheeks. Did that voice work for her, Hermione wondered?

"Ah, yes, we did share a lacklustre kiss in the Chamber of Secrets." Hermione said snidely wanting them to know that she didn't want, and would never want Ron Weasley. "And, as you know Lavender, not everyone you kiss is your boyfriend. I mean, you've kissed several guys who you didn't date...Seamus, Dean, Anthony Goldstein, the list goes on." Hermione gave her a fake smile. "Oh! And who can forget the time that I walked in on you and Parvati kissing? Don't you remember that?"

Lavender huffed, clearly annoyed that Hermione was suggesting that she got around or something. Clearly thinking this was still a battle she could win, she tried to twist in the proverbial knife. "Oh, Won-Won, I want something just like this when we have our engagement party."

"Engagement party?" Hermione asked, draining her champagne. "I didn't realize you'd gotten engaged. Why didn't you tell me Ron?"

"Well, we're not engaged yet." Ron told her, sheepishly. "But, I don't think it's too far off in the future." Lavender absolutely beamed at him.

"You'll have to help me plan something just like this, Hermione." Lavender demanded, assuming a smug smile.

Hermione laughed. "After everything that Ginny has put me through, I am afraid I'll have to start charging!" Honestly, it took up way too much of her time.

"No! You'll have to give Ron and I an equal job!" Lavender insisted, stomping her foot on the ground like a child.

Hermione snorted before realizing that she was serious. "And just why would I have to do that?" She asked. "Let me make something clear, Lavender. I can choose to give my time the way I see fit, not the way you see fit."

"But Ron is just as much of your friend as Harry is! It isn't fair!" Lavender squealed, drawing the attention of the room to their little conversation.

Hermione was actually about to pull her hair from her head, when an unexpected knight in shining armor tapped her on the shoulder. She turned to face none other than Neville Longbottom, her fellow Gryffindor. "Hey, Hermione. I brought you a champagne, noticed you were out."

He handed her the tall flute glass, which Hermione took gladly, taking a generous sip. Ron, smartly, took the opportunity to pull Lavender away before she pissed Hermione off another iota. Sensing that the annoyed blonde was gone, Hermione took a deep breath, trying to let off the steam. "Thanks Neville. You have impeccable timing."

"Uh, is everything alright, Hermione?" He asked her, his cheeks slightly pink, figuring that he'd obviously interrupted something, though he understood that Hermione was at least not upset about it.

"Lavender was just...being her usual self. If you hadn't gotten here, I probably would have punched her."

Shocked at the suggestion of violence, Neville felt his eyeballs nearly pop out of his socket. Still, he could commiserate. Sometimes Lavender could be the most irritating girl...she just...expected so much out of you. "It's not about Ron is it?"

"What?" Hermione squawked. "Merlin, no! Why does everyone assume I am so heartbroken over that tosser? Did he tell everyone who would listen about our lacklustre kiss?"

Neville's cheeks turned a bit pink. "Err...yeah, actually, it's come up a time or two." Ron certainly had a big mouth after the war, and when the Gryffindor guys met up for drinks, he could usually be counted on to brag about he'd kissed Hermione in the Chamber of Secrets. Neville, privately, didn't think it was a very good story.

Hermione growled. Well, that explained it. "Just to be clear, I would rather kiss a flobberworm than kiss Ron Weasley again. It was awful." She knew it was a bit spiteful to gossip about him, but he was already gossiping about her, so what did it matter.

"Noted." Neville smiled down at the fiery witch, reminding himself to never get on her bad side.

Hermione finally seemed to look him in the eyes. "Oh, Neville. I'm sorry to be so ornery tonight, but I swear if I have to see one more happy couple shoving their relationship and how romantic it is, I just might snap my wand and go back to the Muggle world. I am just sick of everyone feeling sorry for me because I don't want what they have."

"I know what you mean." Neville said, with a wry grin, finally understanding her frustration. "Some of the students have been unbearable. Kids as young as fourth years are talking about how they've found their one and only someone. It's a load of bollocks. But, you know, the same thing happened after the first war. It will die down." He promised.

"I've been thinking about traveling until that point. I think it would be the best option for my sanity." She told him with a smile. It was sounding more and more attractive every day.

"Well, if you're just looking to get out of London for a while, I'm going to Fiji on a short research trip in January. It's just for a couple of weeks." He offered, not really sure why. He liked Hermione, but it wasn't as if they were best friends. "And, I'll be there looking for plants to complete my Herbology mastery, so you probably wouldn't have to see me very much. You could spend all your time on the beach, reading."

"Fiji, you say?" Hermione asked, her mind instantly thinking of white sand beaches and clear blue water. But most importantly, she wouldn't know anyone there, well, no one but Neville of course. There would be no romance, just time to herself. "That actually would be lovely. If your offer was serious."

Neville never imagined that she would agree to go with him on the trip, so that was a surprise. But, it would be nice to have someone he knew while he was there for a month. "Of course." He nodded enthusiastically. "I'll owl you the details."

Hermione rewarded him with a bright smile. "Excellent. Now, let me go track down Kingsley while he's drunk, so he'll approve my time off."

Hermione skipped away, finally feeling excited about something for the first time since the war. It was going to be a lovely vacation, and she was glad to go with Neville. When they were younger, they had been much closer, but they'd grown apart. It would be nice to get to know him a bit better.

It would be an interesting few weeks.