Neville went to Hannah for advice. She was easy to talk to and as a half-blood, she would be able to guide him through the telephone ritual. Hopefully without laughing at him. If Flint could be blasé about it then he could too. He did not want to leave Hermione thinking she was alone with her grief.
Hannah made it look easy. After she got off work, they Apparated to her Muggle grandparents' house. She was minding the place while her grandmother and grandfather were on a Caribbean cruise.
"They caught the travel bug when they had to leave England after mum died." Hannah explained as she escorted Neville into the cosy sitting room. "They'd never been out of the country before. Now they're junketing all over the place. They went to the Pacific last year and Alaska the year before. They like cruises. My granddad's knees aren't too good any more."
"Does your dad go too?" Neville asked. He wanted to ask how Mr Abbott was but did not know the family well enough to pry. He could not even pick him out in the photographs all over the walls, though it was difficult to judge likeness from the still images. The wizard found the static pictures faintly disquieting.
"They don't get along." The blonde witch said simply. "Mum didn't see much of her family while she was with dad. It was too awkward. Dad tried hard to blend in but things always went wrong. He had a lot of accidental magic problems." Hannah smiled at the memory of a levitating Christmas turkey. At seven years old, she had thought that the best trick ever. "Mum didn't want her relatives constantly being Obliviated so we didn't visit often."
"I don't know what that's like. It was all my family could do to provoke me into something magical. Great-Uncle Algie almost made it a hobby." Neville had lost count of the number of times he had been dangled, pushed, surreptitiously shoved, or otherwise prodded near something dangerous to prompt a magical outburst.
"The pure-blood Abbotts all have control issues. Aunt Bethany had to be warded against poltergeists it was so bad. That's why dad's parents let him marry a Muggle. They were frightened if he had kids with a witch, things would start exploding." Her dad had been so relieved when Hannah had not blown anything up when she had got her first wand. Mr. Ollivander had looked quite relieved too.
"Would you, um, marry a wizard?" He tried to make the question sound idle. It mostly was. There was nothing serious yet between them or between Hannah and Ron. Neville thought he should ask though. Because if there was going to be something, he wanted that something to be serious.
"Depends on the wizard." Hannah winked. "I'd be more interested in his heart than his magic." She handed him the phone. "You press those numbers in order on the keypad here. There'll be some beeping noises. When Hermione answers, tell her who you are. Calling long-distance to a mobile will be expensive. She'll keep it short."
Happy to change the subject after his awkward inquiry, Neville pushed all the buttons that corresponded with the line of digits on the card. There was a repetitive sound then a sort of chime before Hermione answered.
"Hello?" She did not sound far away so Neville did not shout.
"Hello, Hermione, it's Neville." The wizard spoke exaggeratedly clearly, uncertain how garbled the transmission would be. There was crackling in the background.
"Give me your number. I'll call you back."
Striken, Neville handed the telephone to Hannah, who rattled off a string of numbers including area codes and international codes. It sounded like Arithmancy. Then Hannah put the handset back down. He jumped when it made a loud ringing sound a few moments later. She handed back it to him.
"Do you have to do that every time?" Neville asked, wondering at the procedure.
"I'm using the hotel phone now." Hermione laughed, in good humour. "The cost of the call will be billed to my room account and the line is more reliable. Mobile service out here is patchy."
"Are you well?" That was the most important question. "I just found out about your parents. I am so sorry, Hermione. Flint gave me the card with your number. I want to offer my condolences."
"Thank you." She bit her lip, not wanting to start crying in the lobby. "I appreciate that, Neville. It's been an awful beginning to the year but I'm coping." To divert them both, she pulled her notebook out of her bag. "Look, Marcus is paying for my stay here so I can't chat but I think I found something very interesting. I'm almost sure it's an Arachnis orchid. If you've got time to come out here, talk to Justin. He's organising the bookings."
"The magical Arachnis went extinct when their native hopea species was over harvested in the Philippines." Neville had read extensively on the epiphyte as it had once been a promising ingredient. He and Hermione had been researching memory restoration potions to help their parents. When they had discovered the Arachnis was gone, they had turned to other resources.
"A lot of Filipinos settled here during Spanish colonial times. More once the Americans annexed the islands. I think someone must have brought garden samples over. I found a little grove while I was touring." Hermione had been visiting less developed areas of the archipelago to find a suitable retreat. "Justin will be able to include you in our travel plans if you want to see for yourself."
"I'll speak with him." Neville assured. Perhaps it would be better to talk with Hermione in person. The Arachnis was a good excuse to go, if he could get the time off. As an apprentice, he was not supposed to leave his Master's borough without permission. However, as his Master was Professor Sprout, he could probably wangle a holiday.
"Good. I'll see you then." Hermione said cheerfully. Her voice faltered a little as she added. "And thanks again, for my parents. I hope you understand why I kept it private."
"I understand." Neville confirmed. He had kept his parents' medical condition to himself for much the same reasons; the less he had to talk about it the less real it felt. Pretending circumstances were otherwise had helped him deal with the loss.
After Hermione had said good-bye and there was a clicking noise, Neville looked to Hannah for further instruction. She mimed putting the putting the phone down so he returned it to its stand. He had successfully used a Muggle device for the first time.
"It's the same number every time to reach Hermione so you can call her from any phone." Hannah gave him a playful nudge. "Better than having to stick your head in a fireplace, isn't it?"
"It is." Now he had done it without making a fool of himself, Neville could laugh at his own nerves. "Could I telephone Justin? Does he have a number?"
"Most people have phones. It's a basic service like water and electricity." Hunting around in her handbag, Hannah found her address book. It was yellow with badger stickers on it. "Don't laugh. I've been getting badger present since I was sorted. My uncle Jeremy gave me a stuffed badger for my fourteenth birthday. A real one, stuffed, not a toy. He thought it was hilarious."
"My gran wears a vulture on her hat. I won't laugh. I'd never make fun of you." Neville did smile though when Hannah handed him the number she had written out on a scrap of paper. Their fingers brushed and suddenly he felt twelve and awkward. He clutched her hand then hesitated unsure whether to pull her towards him or move closer to her.
Hannah made it look easy again, stepping up to him and pressing her mouth against his as though it was the simplest thing in the world to kiss him.