Fic : Just The Two Of Us (N/L)
This is for ginnyhermione, who wanted a Neville/Luna fic of her very own. Enjoy! :D
Just The Two Of Us
Rating: PG
Pairing: Neville/Luna
Summary: Takes place post-HBP. It is the start of Neville Longbottom’s seventh and final year at Hogwarts. With Harry, Ron, and Hermione off on the horcrux hunt and the D.A. essentially disbanded, a lonely and restless Neville finds comfort and companionship with Luna Lovegood.
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me.
Neville Longbottom sat by the water’s edge under the low branches of a tree. The legs of his trousers were rolled up, and his shoes and socks sat next to him on the grass while his feet dangled in the water. His shirt was untucked, with the tie loosened, and the top two buttons of his collar unfastened. Trevor was peeking out from the breast pocket of his shirt, along with his wand. He’d been sitting there for over an hour, and the sun was starting to dip; soon it would be time to go back for dinner. But for now, he stayed where he was. He was happier here than anywhere else; other than working in the greenhouse, the banks of the Hogwarts Lake was probably his favorite place to be in the entire world.
He passed the time by skimming rocks across the lake, and occasionally thumbing through the Advanced Herbology textbook that he’d brought along straight from class. Or he played with Trevor - as much as it was possible to play with a toad. But mostly he gazed over at Hogwarts on the other side of the lake and reminisced about all that had happened over the last two years, from the formation of Dumbledore’s Army to the climactic battle in the Department of Mysteries, and Dumbledore’s death. Then Neville’s thoughts turned to the funeral itself. He remembered vividly the white tomb going up in flames; the somber, almost eerie fog that hung over the lake; and the heartwrenching sound of the mourners including professors, and his fellow students’ sobbing, and Fawkes’s melancholy song. But what he remembered most was the feeling of Luna’s hands, one on his arm and the other on his back, as she helped him into his seat just before the service started.
Just then he heard a faint melodic humming which grew progressively louder, and was followed soon after by crunching leaves and brush. Neville glanced over his shoulder. His heart lifted when he saw Luna wandering toward him wearing her characteristic radish earrings and bottlecap necklace. Her long silvery blond hair was pleasantly dishevelled, with her wand poking out from behind her right ear. It was as if she had known he was thinking of her - but of course, she couldn’t have known…
“Hi Luna,” Neville said enthusiastically, as took his feet out of the water and stood up. If he had to be interrupted, he was happy it was by Luna.
“Hello, Neville,” Luna said. “Hi Trevor.” She fondly touched the toad’s head. Then from behind her back she produced some yellow flowers. “I picked these on the way over, would you like one?”
“Yeah, okay.” Neville said. The touch of her fingers on his hand left an imprint of warmth; as he realized this, Neville’s cheeks flushed.
“Are you not feeling well?” Luna asked.
“What? No, I’m fine.”
“I hope you don’t mind but I saw you come this way earlier, and I decided to follow,” Luna said. “I didn’t come right away because I thought you might want to be alone for awhile first. I’ve always found it pleasant to sit alone and think, but then I also like having company, especially friends. Let’s sit by the water so you can rinse the dirt off your feet.”
“Yeah sure, okay.” Neville hadn’t even noticed the dirt and grass clinging to his damp feet; even though he knew Luna didn’t care, he still felt a bit embarrassed. Nonplussed, Luna simply sat down next to his shoes. Setting down the flowers, she removed her own shoes and stockings and scooted closer to the water to dip her feet.
“Sometimes, if you wait long enough, the merpeople will come and tickle your feet. But they don’t like it when you splash the water. Then they get upset and poke you with their pitchforks.”
Neville smiled, and he sat down next to her. Slipping his feet into the water, he watched as the grass and mud came away and floated off. “So, how was your summer?” he asked, after a brief silence.
“It was very nice, thank you for asking.” Luna replied. “But I did think a lot about the D.A. It was so much fun, wasn’t it?”
‘Fun’ wasn’t exactly the word Neville would have chosen, but he thought he knew what she meant. “It was nice to be part of a team,” he said.
“Yes.” Luna looked at him and smiled, and Neville was momentarily taken aback by the look in her eyes; it was pure undiluted happiness. “Do you miss it, Neville?”
“Kind of,” Neville replied, although that wasn’t the whole truth. Actually, he missed it a lot. For the first time in his life he’d felt confident, useful; and perhaps most importantly, needed. As part of the D.A., he was a different person, and he had the battle scars to prove it. He was capable of so much more than people gave him credit for; now if only he’d get the opportunity to do it again.
His left hand slid surreptitiously into the pocket of his trousers, and his fingers closed around the familiar flat, rounded shape of the galleon. He still carried it with him, even though there was no longer any use for it - part of him just couldn’t let go. He looked at it every day, and each time there was a twinge of anticipation, as if he hoped to find the serial number had changed, which meant that Harry needed them. But the number hadn’t changed in a long time, and he didn’t expect it would again.
“You never know,” Luna said in a dreamy tone, swirling her feet around in the water. “Just when we think something is gone for good, it comes back.”
“What do you mean?”
As Neville looked on in surprise, Luna produced her own galleon from the pocket of her pleated dark gray skirt. “I miss the D.A., too,” she said. Then her hand moved, and was on top of Neville’s own as it rested on the ground next to him. At that moment, his vision went blurry around the edges; it seemed as though he were looking through a telescope and the only thing he could see clearly was Luna’s face. He didn’t know what to do with himself.
“I really like you, Neville.” Luna squeezed his hand.
“I - um - I like you too,” Neville replied, finally. But by then Luna had turned her attention back to the lake.
“The merpeople must be busy today,” she said, sounding disappointed. And even though he didn’t believe the merpeople liked to tickle people’s feet, Neville was disappointed too.
They sat quietly for some time. Typically Neville didn’t like long silences; they made him uncomfortable. Whenever there was a lull in conversation, he was compelled to talk, even if he wasn’t the only other person in the room. Except now, with Luna, it didn’t seem to matter if anyone spoke, because they didn’t need to. He didn’t know how he knew this, he just did.
Then something occurred to him. “Luna?”
“Yes, Neville?”
“The Hogsmeade trip is coming up, and I was thinking….d’you want to go together?”
Luna looked genuinely delighted. “Go to Hogsmeade, with you? Oh yes, that sounds like great fun!” she said, her eyes wide with excitement. “Since it’s close to Halloween, do you suppose I should wear a costume?”
“Erm, I don’t think they’ll let us wear them. Well I suppose we should be heading back to the castle, it’s getting dark and I’m sure dinner will be on soon.”
“Yes we should get back. Considering that Voldemort and the Death Eaters are around I think it was smart of Professor McGonagall to set a curfew, don’t you?” Luna lifted her feet from the water. In one easy motion she took the wand from her ear, and performed a hot-air spell on her feet. Then she turned to Neville.
“Here, give me your feet,” she said enthusiastically. Neville did, and after performing the same spell on his feet, Luna tucked the wand back behind her ear.
The two of them put on their socks and shoes and stood up, then dusted the grass from their clothes. Luna retrieved her yellow flowers, then after Neville checked to make sure Trevor was securely in his pocket, they started back toward Hogwarts. The sun was nearly gone, and the lake was cast in shadow. Fortunately it was not a long walk back to the castle. The breeze had picked up; Neville shivered, wishing he’d brought his sweater.
“Neville?”
“Hmm?”
“I had a wonderful time. Let’s do this every week, all right?”
“Okay. Sure.” Neville smiled to himself; he’d had a pretty nice time, too.
“Except if it’s raining. Then it wouldn’t be much fun.”
“Right.”
Then Luna stopped walking, and looked at him. “Neville?”
He stopped. “Yeah?”
“Thank you.” She smiled warmly, then kissed his cheek.
Neville felt a rush of warmth. “For what?”
But Luna had already started walking again, humming to herself, so Neville caught up to her and they walked back to Hogwarts together.
Just The Two Of Us
Rating: PG
Pairing: Neville/Luna
Summary: Takes place post-HBP. It is the start of Neville Longbottom’s seventh and final year at Hogwarts. With Harry, Ron, and Hermione off on the horcrux hunt and the D.A. essentially disbanded, a lonely and restless Neville finds comfort and companionship with Luna Lovegood.
Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me.
Neville Longbottom sat by the water’s edge under the low branches of a tree. The legs of his trousers were rolled up, and his shoes and socks sat next to him on the grass while his feet dangled in the water. His shirt was untucked, with the tie loosened, and the top two buttons of his collar unfastened. Trevor was peeking out from the breast pocket of his shirt, along with his wand. He’d been sitting there for over an hour, and the sun was starting to dip; soon it would be time to go back for dinner. But for now, he stayed where he was. He was happier here than anywhere else; other than working in the greenhouse, the banks of the Hogwarts Lake was probably his favorite place to be in the entire world.
He passed the time by skimming rocks across the lake, and occasionally thumbing through the Advanced Herbology textbook that he’d brought along straight from class. Or he played with Trevor - as much as it was possible to play with a toad. But mostly he gazed over at Hogwarts on the other side of the lake and reminisced about all that had happened over the last two years, from the formation of Dumbledore’s Army to the climactic battle in the Department of Mysteries, and Dumbledore’s death. Then Neville’s thoughts turned to the funeral itself. He remembered vividly the white tomb going up in flames; the somber, almost eerie fog that hung over the lake; and the heartwrenching sound of the mourners including professors, and his fellow students’ sobbing, and Fawkes’s melancholy song. But what he remembered most was the feeling of Luna’s hands, one on his arm and the other on his back, as she helped him into his seat just before the service started.
Just then he heard a faint melodic humming which grew progressively louder, and was followed soon after by crunching leaves and brush. Neville glanced over his shoulder. His heart lifted when he saw Luna wandering toward him wearing her characteristic radish earrings and bottlecap necklace. Her long silvery blond hair was pleasantly dishevelled, with her wand poking out from behind her right ear. It was as if she had known he was thinking of her - but of course, she couldn’t have known…
“Hi Luna,” Neville said enthusiastically, as took his feet out of the water and stood up. If he had to be interrupted, he was happy it was by Luna.
“Hello, Neville,” Luna said. “Hi Trevor.” She fondly touched the toad’s head. Then from behind her back she produced some yellow flowers. “I picked these on the way over, would you like one?”
“Yeah, okay.” Neville said. The touch of her fingers on his hand left an imprint of warmth; as he realized this, Neville’s cheeks flushed.
“Are you not feeling well?” Luna asked.
“What? No, I’m fine.”
“I hope you don’t mind but I saw you come this way earlier, and I decided to follow,” Luna said. “I didn’t come right away because I thought you might want to be alone for awhile first. I’ve always found it pleasant to sit alone and think, but then I also like having company, especially friends. Let’s sit by the water so you can rinse the dirt off your feet.”
“Yeah sure, okay.” Neville hadn’t even noticed the dirt and grass clinging to his damp feet; even though he knew Luna didn’t care, he still felt a bit embarrassed. Nonplussed, Luna simply sat down next to his shoes. Setting down the flowers, she removed her own shoes and stockings and scooted closer to the water to dip her feet.
“Sometimes, if you wait long enough, the merpeople will come and tickle your feet. But they don’t like it when you splash the water. Then they get upset and poke you with their pitchforks.”
Neville smiled, and he sat down next to her. Slipping his feet into the water, he watched as the grass and mud came away and floated off. “So, how was your summer?” he asked, after a brief silence.
“It was very nice, thank you for asking.” Luna replied. “But I did think a lot about the D.A. It was so much fun, wasn’t it?”
‘Fun’ wasn’t exactly the word Neville would have chosen, but he thought he knew what she meant. “It was nice to be part of a team,” he said.
“Yes.” Luna looked at him and smiled, and Neville was momentarily taken aback by the look in her eyes; it was pure undiluted happiness. “Do you miss it, Neville?”
“Kind of,” Neville replied, although that wasn’t the whole truth. Actually, he missed it a lot. For the first time in his life he’d felt confident, useful; and perhaps most importantly, needed. As part of the D.A., he was a different person, and he had the battle scars to prove it. He was capable of so much more than people gave him credit for; now if only he’d get the opportunity to do it again.
His left hand slid surreptitiously into the pocket of his trousers, and his fingers closed around the familiar flat, rounded shape of the galleon. He still carried it with him, even though there was no longer any use for it - part of him just couldn’t let go. He looked at it every day, and each time there was a twinge of anticipation, as if he hoped to find the serial number had changed, which meant that Harry needed them. But the number hadn’t changed in a long time, and he didn’t expect it would again.
“You never know,” Luna said in a dreamy tone, swirling her feet around in the water. “Just when we think something is gone for good, it comes back.”
“What do you mean?”
As Neville looked on in surprise, Luna produced her own galleon from the pocket of her pleated dark gray skirt. “I miss the D.A., too,” she said. Then her hand moved, and was on top of Neville’s own as it rested on the ground next to him. At that moment, his vision went blurry around the edges; it seemed as though he were looking through a telescope and the only thing he could see clearly was Luna’s face. He didn’t know what to do with himself.
“I really like you, Neville.” Luna squeezed his hand.
“I - um - I like you too,” Neville replied, finally. But by then Luna had turned her attention back to the lake.
“The merpeople must be busy today,” she said, sounding disappointed. And even though he didn’t believe the merpeople liked to tickle people’s feet, Neville was disappointed too.
They sat quietly for some time. Typically Neville didn’t like long silences; they made him uncomfortable. Whenever there was a lull in conversation, he was compelled to talk, even if he wasn’t the only other person in the room. Except now, with Luna, it didn’t seem to matter if anyone spoke, because they didn’t need to. He didn’t know how he knew this, he just did.
Then something occurred to him. “Luna?”
“Yes, Neville?”
“The Hogsmeade trip is coming up, and I was thinking….d’you want to go together?”
Luna looked genuinely delighted. “Go to Hogsmeade, with you? Oh yes, that sounds like great fun!” she said, her eyes wide with excitement. “Since it’s close to Halloween, do you suppose I should wear a costume?”
“Erm, I don’t think they’ll let us wear them. Well I suppose we should be heading back to the castle, it’s getting dark and I’m sure dinner will be on soon.”
“Yes we should get back. Considering that Voldemort and the Death Eaters are around I think it was smart of Professor McGonagall to set a curfew, don’t you?” Luna lifted her feet from the water. In one easy motion she took the wand from her ear, and performed a hot-air spell on her feet. Then she turned to Neville.
“Here, give me your feet,” she said enthusiastically. Neville did, and after performing the same spell on his feet, Luna tucked the wand back behind her ear.
The two of them put on their socks and shoes and stood up, then dusted the grass from their clothes. Luna retrieved her yellow flowers, then after Neville checked to make sure Trevor was securely in his pocket, they started back toward Hogwarts. The sun was nearly gone, and the lake was cast in shadow. Fortunately it was not a long walk back to the castle. The breeze had picked up; Neville shivered, wishing he’d brought his sweater.
“Neville?”
“Hmm?”
“I had a wonderful time. Let’s do this every week, all right?”
“Okay. Sure.” Neville smiled to himself; he’d had a pretty nice time, too.
“Except if it’s raining. Then it wouldn’t be much fun.”
“Right.”
Then Luna stopped walking, and looked at him. “Neville?”
He stopped. “Yeah?”
“Thank you.” She smiled warmly, then kissed his cheek.
Neville felt a rush of warmth. “For what?”
But Luna had already started walking again, humming to herself, so Neville caught up to her and they walked back to Hogwarts together.