Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. This story is purely meant as a tribute to the original work.
The next couple of months after the Battle of Hogwarts were a bit of a blur for everyone. The grisly task of removing the dead came first. Priority was given to those who had fallen in the defense of the school. When it finally came time to remove the bodies of those who had followed Voldemort, strict instructions were issued not to desecrate the bodies. The order was fairly easy to follow for most, grudgingly for some others. The next order of business was the restoration of Hogwarts' structures and grounds. Using standard Muggle construction practices, the reconstruction would have taken years. Using magic, most of the task would be done within a month. There would be a very long list of minor reconstruction tasks that would actually take the better part of a year but the major structural tasks were completed in short order. Half of the time saved was from the lack of lengthy bidding wars and union politicking that was so common in the Muggle world.
Re-building the school was only the first of many obstacles in putting Hogwarts back in working order. The question soon came up of what to do about the, mostly, squandered previous academic year. Everyone agreed that not all the professor's courses had been a waste but those taught by the Carrows certainly were. There was also general agreement that attempting to study and learn under a tyrannical regime, trying to avoid torture, and living in hiding was not the best academic environment. Therefore, any coursework completed over the past year would not be fair representation of a student's academic performance. The first solution suggested was that everyone simply repeat the previous year and the incoming first year would be taken on as an extra class year. Not only did this present a serious logistical challenge but there were very few people who liked this solution. Furthermore, the new Minister for Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, had announced that NEWT requirements for application to auror training would be waived for those who had participated in the battle. This led many to question just how important one's NEWT year academics could be when one had just been through the mother of all practical tests. There was speculation that the waived requirements were just a way to replenish the depleted auror ranks and replace those who had exhibited poor judgment in blindly following the ministry under Voldemort's allies. No one really felt comfortable voicing that theory though.
The solution that was implemented was that compressed, accelerated courses would be held over the summer. The academic expectations were relaxed somewhat as the goal was to prepare students for the upcoming year or, in the case of the seventh years, prepare them for future occupations. Even so, the schedule was crushing and extremely demanding. Dean Thomas commented that it was like "taking a sip from a fire hose." Muggle-borns readily understood his analogy but those unfamiliar with the Muggle world were understandably baffled. The closest Dean could describe a fire hose to those who had never seen one was a wand during an Aguamenti spell. Zacharias Smith blundered into commenting on why someone would put their mouth on a wand casting that spell. It became the source of much raunchy humor in the dormitories. The grueling schedule took its toll on the staff as well. Anyone complaining about the summer session within earshot of the new Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, received a lengthy lecture on the logistics of maintaining Hogwarts during the summer, re-working lesson plans, stress on the faculty and staff, and the burden that overtime placed on the budget. In fact, McGonagall was heard muttering "bloody budget" so many times during the summer that if you were unfamiliar with those terms you'd have thought the phrase was actually one word.
Against the backdrop of this bustling mess was Luna and Neville's blossoming relationship. "Well not so much blossoming as growing…at the rate of a luminescent lignum vitae." Neville winced at his train of thought. "Good Lord, I know I like herbology and all but this has got to be a sign that this insane course load is getting to me." They had not had much time to spend together that did not involve studying and cramming. What little non-studying time they shared was spent in hidden corners of various towers, bookstacks, greenhouses, the thestrals' grove, and the Room of Requirement. Privacy turned out to be quite a premium. The two of them quickly discovered that they, Harry and Ginny, and Ron and Hermione were not the only ones who had recently realized their feelings. It seemed there was a new couple established almost every other day. And on every other odd day it seemed like there was also a couple breaking up. Regardless, Neville felt his heartrate increase slightly the more he thought about their time together. They had not gone beyond snogging and a little exploration but Neville still found himself growing warmer just thinking about it. As he entered the library, he found Luna seated at a table, hunched over a book. She caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye but pretended not to notice. Neville moved in behind her, slid his hands onto her shoulders, and began lightly massaging. She produced a sound resembling a feline purr that indicated that his efforts were most welcome. "Knut for your thoughts.", he whispered.
"I'm imagining a warm, relaxing afternoon in a quiet meadow.", Luna whispered as she leaned back into him.
"That sounds lovely."
"With a handsome, dapper-looking gentleman…" Neville's hands stopped abruptly. "…with dark hair, deep, soulful eyes you can lose yourself in, a penchant for toads, a master swordsman, and a love for flora."
Neville's hands resumed their gentle ministrations. "Good answer! He sounds like a decent fellow. I'd like to meet him someday."
"I'll be sure to introduce you, I think you two would get on rather well."
Neville leaned down as Luna turned her head to meet him halfway. He touched his forehead to hers and stopped just shy of her lips. "Studying hard or hardly studying?", he whispered.
"A little of both.", she giggled. Neville grinned and closed the remaining distance to kiss her. Luna had just begun to lean into the kiss when a low whistle sounded from across the room. They had no idea who had whistled as it was promptly followed by an "Eh-ehm!" and a stern glance from Madam Pince. Luna and Neville shared a half amused, half exasperated look. Privacy was certainly at a premium.
Author's Note: Hopefully, this take isn't too far off from a plausible scenario of how the disrupted school year would be handled.