Week Four.

Character Given: Neville Longbottom of Gryffindor

Character Chosen: Hannah Abbott of Hufflepuff

House: Ravenclaw

Notes: Slightly suggestive in some parts and drinking. Reference from Legally Blonde. A huge thank you goes to amerikanka for being my beta for this round ;D

Changing

Hannah Abbott/Neville Longbottom || Romance/Friendship/Hurt/Comfort

Hannah Abbott had been a dangerous girl. She was the sort of person that every girl hated because of the length, or lack thereof, her skirt and the size of her bra. And it's for those reasons exactly that every boy loved her. She would flirt a bit here and there – 'dropping' her quill became a regular occurrence, as did flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulder and winking in not-so subtle manners.

Neville Longbottom had been a different story. He stuttered at the very thought of even looking at a girl in that way. He wasn't blind though, and he did notice Hannah's looks and didn't mind running his eyes over her every now and again. Either way, Neville knew that he had no chance with a girl like her, and he wasn't sure that he wanted one.

It was five years later when he met up with her. Five years after meaningless bend-and-snaps, awkward silences, too short skirts and dreams that had left him hot and sweaty.

"Neville. Neville Longbottom?" Hannah questioned. She took a moment to peer at his face, squinting as she tried to see the weedy boy she once knew in the man in front of her. But instead of a lanky boy with shaking hands and a good-for-nothing aura, she saw just another man – a man in desperate need for a drink.

"Hannah. Hannah Abbott," he replied tiredly, running his fingers through his brown hair. Slapping a few coins onto the counter top he pushed them towards her, raising his eyebrows expectantly at the bartender.

The treatment was nothing new and almost automatically she gathered up the galleons and in return handed over a bottle and a glass. Hannah watched him carefully as he ignored the glass, opting to drink straight from the bottle instead. It was a curious sight. She never would have expected Neville Longbottom, of all people, to be in her pub in the middle of the night and drinking like that.

"How are you, Neville?"

He gazed at her for a few moments. Yes, she was definitely Hannah Abbott, all right. It had always been like that with her. A simple 'how are you' paired with a seductive little smile as she ran her hands up and down your arm. Except, she wasn't doing either – not this time.

"You've changed too," Hannah forced a weak laugh, seeing the dismayed look on his face as he stared across at her in disbelief. "Probably a lot more than I have," she added, shrugging at him.

"Uh. Well…" he trailed off, looking at her modest neckline, scruffy hair that had been thrown into a ponytail in a few seconds and face void of make-up. Not exactly how he remembered her. "Maybe not."

"Maybe not," she mused. "You look good though."

He blushed at this, reminding Hannah of the geeky boy she remembered from school. As he stammered through his thanks, she poured another glass, this time popping a bottle for herself at the same time.

"You've changed a lot," Neville muttered, casting a quick glance around the counter, almost expecting someone to leap out and hit him for talking to her. If he remembered correctly, all her past boyfriends had been rather possessive of her – probably because she had gone through them so quickly.

"So I've heard," Hannah smiled, watching as his eyes darted nervously around her. "Who are you looking for?"

"Your boyfriend." The words slipped out of Neville's mouth before he had a chance to think about them, and so did her laugh.

"I'm single," she explained, giggling quietly. "And you?"

"The same."

They looked at each other over their glasses for several moments. Neither war nor time had treated them kindly. Dark circles rimmed their eyes and scars marked their bodies. She had forgotten the beauty that she used to live for, and him the spirit that he used to let run free. Childhood was long forgotten between the two – like a faraway fantasyland that they had never been able to explore thoroughly, thanks to the war.

"So… I'll see you around, right?" Hannah said with a hopeful smile as he got up to leave.

He turned back, a flash of the flirtatious Hannah he used to know flashing through his mind. Choking slightly, he managed to mutter, "Y-yeah…"

Maybe they hadn't changed that much.