Young At Heart [Hannah]

[Deleted]

It had certainly been a long day.

Neville stepped out of the bathroom adjoining the master bedroom of the flat. His hair was still damp, and he was dressed in nothing but a baggy pair of black Muggle shorts (handy things for sleeping in, no doubt about it). He twisted his neck, popping it, and stretched, trying to pop his bad. He got a couple of the higher spots, but he was sadly too muscular to really pressure them the way he needed to without help. Neville was...mm...tired wasn't quite the right word. It was close, though. He still had energy to spare, but a lot of things had happened today—Jayden being sick, the revelation that Phil and Andromeda had more than a friendly interest in each other, messengers from Rabastan Lestrange to be sorted out (which he had done quite thoroughly, without htem even getting near the sisters). He wondered if Hannah had encountered similar troubles at some point in the day. Then, of course, there were the greenhouses. Largely self-sufficient, they could be left untended for quite long periods, and Hannah did a few things when she could, but she had the Cauldron to run.

So the first day or so back from Hogwarts typically involved a lot of cleanup in the greenhouses—weeding, pruning, harvesting. Philip normally sped things along, but Neville had left him to his own devices for the day. Morning antics aside, Andromeda needed someone to be there for her right now, and Neville hadn't wanted to remove the person she trusted most. So he'd worked alone today. He didn't mind, but he hated to leave the job half finished, so he'd done it all today rather than split it over two days. Then, of course, he'd helped wait tables and tend the bar during the dinner rush. He liked doing that, since he got the chance to say hello to quite a few old friends from Hogwarts during this time. The Cauldron was a popular place to stop and eat, and it was close to Christmas, which meant there were even more shoppers than usual. There were many Hufflepuffs here—loyalty was a hallmark of the badgers, and one of their own ran the Leaky.

It was just after midnight now, and Neville looked down at the bed. After a moment, he let himself fall forward onto the mattress with a loud flop, laying on his stomach. He grabbed the nearest pillow, twisting it up around both his arms, and lay his chin on it with a quiet sigh. He always relaxed easiest up here, with all his family gathered and safe, and close to him. He thought about what had happened to Ginny, the situation that Harry found himself in, and how his wife was probably almost as big of a target for opportunistic former Death Eaters.

He really didn't tell his wife how important she was to him often enough.

He should work on that tonight...

@hannah

[Deleted]

Even though her family was here, Hannah still had a business to run. She had people covering her a lot of the time, but she wasn't one to really take a vacation. Unless Neville was whisking her off to another country, there was no way she wouldn't go downstairs and check on things, especially during the busiest time of year. Plus, Neville had quite a busy day as well so it was all right for her to spend time down in the pub and checking on the guests. She loved every minute of it, the multiple spells at once to get things done, the old friends stopping in to say hi or stay the night, the hustle and bustle of it all. She lived for it.

Granted, she was often distracted by thoughts of the morning. Jaydens sickness plagued her mind as did her sons situation with their new tenant. She let herself smile at the thought of him being interested in anyone, but that didn't help the complication of it all. As the day wore on into the night, she finally was ready to get to sleep at about twelve fifteen, after making sure the kids were doing okay and spending a bit of time with Jayden.

She stepped into the bedroom, seeing Neville lying there on the bed. She smiled, almost a wicked smirk as she quietly slipped over to him, lifting on leg onto one side of him until she was sitting on him. She put both hands on his shoulders and leaned forward until her chest was flat against him back, "still awake, love?" she asked, pressing her lips to his ear.

Sure they had serious things to talk about, but that didn't mean she would jump right into that without properly greeting him.

@superluigi64

[Deleted]

He felt her enter their room, without having to open his eyes.

Hannah worked harder on a normal day than Neville. Some days, like today with the greenhouses, Neville did work harder, and he would argue that his job was more stressful, since he was looking after the youth of the wizarding world even if you didn’t count coordinating Hogwarts staff with Aurors or worrying about a killer or killers still on the loose. But on the whole, Hannah was on her feet and working much more than he, and he knew it. Even today, with him working almost nonstop, he’d still finished before her. What kind of husband would he be if he’d let himself fall asleep before her?

He felt one leg slide over his body as she straddled him, leaning down to lay against his back. He couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face as she pressed her lips to his ear and asked if he was awake. It was amazing, how easily she turned the clock back, making him feel like he was 21 again and she could leave him thinking about just one thing with nothing but a look. He reached up with one hand, running his fingers into his wife’s thick blonde hair. “Asking me that after you press all that into me is cheating, you know,” he teased, eyes still closed beneath her. “You know I can’t sleep through that even if I hadn’t been awake.” And she did, she knew exactly what she still did to him on every level.

But it never hurt to confirm that nothing had changed between them.

His other hand reached down to trace patterns onto her knee, just reveling in the touch of her skin. “I’ve missed you. I wish I could come home more often, but with everything going on…” he sighed. He knew he shouldn’t consider this to be a loss, not when people were actually dying. What was less time with his wife compared to the grieving parents of the children he’d failed to protect? But he loved Hannah more than anything else except his children, and he missed her every time he couldn’t go home and see her. “I didn’t know that Andromeda and our little lion had feelings for each other,” he said as last. “If I had, I…well, I don’t know if I would have retracted my offer. No, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have done that. But I’d have told you, and we could have taken more precautions to deal with it.”

“In a way, I’m kind of glad. I’d rather our children have these kinds of problems than the ones we did…what do you think about it all?” Truth be told, he liked Andromeda. And she seemed as responsible as Philip was, so they should be able to avoid going too far. He and Hannah had successfully avoided having children before they were really ready for it, and this morning had reminded him all too much of them at a younger age.

That did not mean he wanted to make it any easier on them, and he had impressed upon @philip the extreme importance of not abusing his mother’s trust and hospitality by taking things too far under her roof. But he wanted to know what she thought too. Maybe she disagreed, maybe she would want closer tabs kept on them, and frankly, he couldn’t blame her if that were the case. Trusting or not, desire was a powerful motivator and proximity made it worse. The situation was still scary.

@hannah

[Deleted]

As his hand reached up to run his fingers through her hair, Hannah relaxed even more onto him with a soft smile on her lips. She bit her lip mischievously, even though he couldn't see it as he called her out on knowing that he wouldn't have been able to sleep through her sneaky entrance anyway. "A woman needs to be reassured sometimes," she said. In all reality, she was sure there would never be a day that they didn't affect each other like a young couple again. Still, it was always good to reconfirm it.

Even though the world was crazy and their jobs were wild, Hannah felt it was still okay to be a little sad about the fact that they didn't see each other as much as they'd like. Yes people had more pressing and highly darker problems, but that didn't mean they shouldn't miss one another. She nodded, "I've missed you too," she said, nestling her face in his neck for a moment. Then he brought up one of the pressing topics at hand, Phil and Andromeda.

She sighed, she knew that there was no way he wouldn't have mentioned this sooner if he had known. She waited a moment to respond to his question as to how she felt about it. She bit her lip before squeezing his shoulders with her hands and pushing off, moving so that she was lying beside him, her one leg still wrapped around him as one of her hands stroked his back, "to be honest, I'm still a little torn about it," she started.

"I'd rather them have to deal with hormones and romance over our childhoods, of course," she continued. Her thoughts were interrupted by another sigh for a moment before she spoke again, "I know Phil would never do anything... reckless. I don't know Andromeda well enough, but she doesn't seem to be the irresponsible type either," she was thinking out loud now, trying to get her thoughts in a row. "I think caution is important though. Mainly, I think my worry stems from the possibility that this fire could burn out really fast and then they'd have to live together for another entire year being uncomfortable and unhappy."

@superluigi64

[Deleted]

Hannah moved off him now, lying down beside him, and Neville turned on his side to face her, one arm curled up under his head for support, the other running slowly up and down the leg she’d left draped over him. Neville was big on touch. Decades of having to speak had given him a certain eloquence while in front of crowds, teaching, or giving advice, but he’d had a much harder time speaking when he was younger, especially when he’d first started dating Hannah. Touch had been his medium to convey feelings he didn’t have words for, words he was too nervous to speak. He didn’t have that problem with her anymore, but he still liked to communicate feelings through touch as well as words.

He let her run through her thoughts on the matter, agreeing with most of the things she said—up until the end. That bit made him pause for a minute, hand resting on his wife’s calf, eyes glazed over as he considered that last point. It hadn’t even occurred to him. Finally, he chuckled, leaning forward. His hand left her leg, instead moving to brace himself behind her head as he hovered over her, pressing his lips to hers for a moment. A moment that stretched out, as he was reluctant to break away from the contact. Finally, he did, laying his head back down, his face now an inch from hers.

“No fool like an old fool,” he said ruefully, free hand now running through her hair, rubbing gently at her scalp. “Sometimes I forget that not everyone gets it right on the first try.” Like his daughter, pining away for Harry’s son, who only had eyes for another. Like Teddy and Victoire, in love before they had been ready. Though he still had hopes for that one. “So what do we do? Warning them that this could happen might frighten them away from even trying. And if we tell them to wait until summer, things could build up, and you and I both know just how many quiet corners this building has.” He grinned, in spite of the serious discussion.

Jayden was uncomfortable enough with them even kissing in public. Knowing the circumstances of his conception would kill the poor boy.

@hannah

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She smiled, giving a slight chuckle as he discussed that some people don't always get it right on the first try. She felt sad for those who had to deal with the heartache and craziness of trying to find the person they wanted to be with. Hannah hadn't really had time for dating in school, what with the war and her brothers to worry about. Her and Neville had found each other without having to stumble around other people. It was comforting to know that, but sometimes hard to relate to others because of it. As he grinned at the mention of the quiet corners they could utilize, Hannah faux glared and gently punch his arm.

She sighed, biting her lip in thought for a moment before speaking, "to be honest, I'm not entirely sure," and she wasn't. She hadn't ever had to deal with her son and his love interest living under her roof. Heck, very few people ever had to deal with that. The thought crossed her mind to ask Molly Weasley what she thought, considering she had Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione under one roof all the time. But, those for didn't really make time for romance either, at least not until later on. Oh how horrible simple things were back then when you were too busy fearing for your life to get a significant other.

Still, she found herself smiling, "I guess Molly may have an idea how to deal with it. Granted, she'd probably tell me to put charms on their rooms so the other couldn't get in there," she chuckled, but actually considered the idea for a moment. She lifted a hand to run her fingers through her hair, turning slightly to look up at the ceiling. "maybe we should just sit them down, separately, and let them know we support them but we'd like to set some ground rules?" ugh, but teenagers just love rulebreaking. Still, it wasn't a bad route.

@superluigi64

[Deleted]

Neville chuckled slightly at the glare and the punch Hannah sent his way. He looked not one inch repentant about what he said either. Strictly speaking, it was a valid point. If Phil and Andy wanted to disappear somewhere, they would be more than capable of doing so without being found. And given how much Phil had taken over the Grove, he might even have little private places there that Neville and Hannah didn’t know about. And he would want to show such places off to her. He knew, because he’d done things like that for Hannah, growing an entire field of her favorite flowers, hidden behind trees and bushes, just because he knew she’d love it. Phil was that kind of guy, too. And Andromeda was a rather assertive girl when she wanted to be. Honestly, it might be a hard combination to control. Phil would be good at giving Andy incentive to spend time with him.

Neville laughed when Hannah predicted Molly’s suggestion. That did sound fairly accurate. The Weasley matriarch was less strict and no-nonsense than Gran, but she still ruled her home unchallenged. “I guess we could leave mimbulus mimbletonia everywhere…but I remember the last time one of them sprayed Stinksap inside your house, nevermind. Besides, Phil could get past them.” He sighed, nodding when she suggested they just talk to them. That was probably the simplest response, and Neville didn’t really like the indirect approach. While nowhere near as blunt as Gran, Neville liked her approach to things: head-on.

“Alright, I’m on board with that. Our kids seem to appreciate honesty anyway, and I’d rather Andromeda learn quickly that we don’t intend to leave her in the dark about things the way her parents might have.” He frowned for a moment at that thought. Some Pureblood families expected blind obedience from their children and introduced them to the lives they were expected to lead, one step at a time. The Lestranges had historically been this way. Whether Rabastan Jr. was the same way, Neville couldn’t say, but he wouldn’t put it past him. “We need to make it clear to Andy that rule-breaking won’t threaten her or her sister having a home though. Given what their father did to Aurora, that’s probably something they expect, and I don’t want to rely on fear. Especially not the kind of fear Rabastan likes to use.”

He watched his wife for a moment, before smiling and reaching out, powerful arms effortlessly pulling her across the bed and into an embrace. “Tomorrow’s problems are for tomorrow. Let’s think about tonight, shall we?”

@hannah

[Deleted]

Yeah, Hannah was not dealing with that mimbulus mimbletonia again. Just like Neville said, Phil could easily get past it. Hannah nodded as Neville spoke about the kind of home they needed to show Andromeda and Aurora. "Agreed, we need to be upfront," she said. Soon he was pulling her to him and she let him without any hesitation. Aw, yes. Thinking about tonight.

She smiled and snuggled into him more as she then kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull her closer to him. Hannah and Neville could easily slip back into their old ways when it was just the two of them. They showed so much love to one another and so much respect in private and in public. Hannah hoped that her kids picked up on that from their experiences spending time with the family at home. Phil would do what was right, especially after Neville and she had a word with him.

But she didn't worry about that right now. For now, she simply let her worries go to spend a lovely night with her husband, the love of her life.

@superluigi64

[Deleted]

He could get lost in her, the same way he could twenty years ago. Her eyes, her touch, her voice, all made the rest of the world go away.

But he had one more thing to talk about before he could let go for the night.

Neville gently broke the kiss, smiling ruefully at her. “One more thing, love,” he said, reaching over to the nightstand and pulling open the drawer. Inside was a small box, which Neville pulled out and opened. “I had hoped to wait until Christmas to surprise you with this, but I think it would be safer to give it now, just in case.” He pulled from the box two identical silver chains, with a small, carved hearthfire pendant on both. Shaped gold formed the base of the pendant, and also shaped part of the flames. Around the golden flames were small pieces of carved topaz, a shimmering yellow to add to the image of flames. Attached to the bottom side of the gold was a chunk of obsidian, carved to look like a tiny pile of logs and flecked with chips of ruby for embers. Yellow and gold, black and red—the colors of fire, and of their houses.

Neville handed one to Hannah, then pressed his lips to the other. Immediately, the one in Hannah’s hand began to heat up, much like the old DA coins did. Smiling, Neville took hold of the pendant from both sides and pulled. The silver chain was sucked into the pendant as it pulled apart, stretching out until Neville was holding a palm-sized silver mirror, borders by mixed gold and yellow on the top half and black dotted with red flecks on the bottom. “Two-Way Mirrors. They’re attuned to us, so if anyone tries to impersonate me through the mirror, you’ll be able to see it's not really me. I had them made so the kids could activate them too, but nobody else can. I’ll have to take them back to the enchanter and have Aurora and Andromeda added to the enchantment, but for now, I’ll never have to make a decision without talking to you again.”

He grinned, squeezing the mirror to shrink it back down to a pendant, the mirror becoming a chain again as it seemed to pour back out. “How do you like it?”

@hannah

[Deleted]

”One more thing, love,” Hannah raised an inquisitive brow at him, holding place as he moved to open the drawer beside them. As he opened the box, she propped herself up on her elbow to get a better look. She took the little pendant and held it up to her face. It started to heat up and she gasped a little, but she didn’t drop it. She copied his movement, pulling to pendant apart until it was an identical mirror to the one now in Nevilles hand.

She smiled as he started to explain how it worked, staring at the mirror intently as she surveyed it. Her smile grew as he asked how she liked it, giving him a nod before pulling him into a short hug. As she pulled away she spoke, ”this is amazing, sweetheart,” her voice was soft, almost in awe. She moved her own mirror back into a pendant and held it out to him. ”Adding the girls is a wonderful idea. I think it will help even more with the transition...” she nodded again as she contemplated all the good this could do for their family.

She felt her eyes start to tingle a little with tears and she quietly laughed at herself. ”I love you,” she kissed him on the cheek and snuggled up to him. ”I wonder what Alice will think of this...” she half muttered half yawned.

@superluigi64

[Deleted]

Neville slipped his necklace around his neck, then took the one Hannah held out and put it around hers as well. He could go back and get it fixed later. For now, he wanted her to keep it until then. He loved to make her happy, and judging by her response, he'd succeeded this time. She kissed him on the cheek and buried herself into his chest, and Neville wrapped an arm around her and held her like he never wanted to let go—and he didn't.

“I love you too.” She was close to sleep—Hannah worked very hard, and like Neville, she often got by on less sleep than normal. Most of the time, the two of them didn't go to bed until after midnight and awoke early enough to prep the Cauldron or work on plants that needed the light of dawn to grow properly.

She wondered how Alice would take the inclusion of the Lestranges. Neville smiled slightly, thinking back to their conversation in her room earlier. “I think she'll be just fine. She's heartbroken, but she's tough. And she's too good to let her feelings keep her from doing what's right.” He closed his eyes and curled up around his wife now, letting the exhaustion of the day catch up to him now as well. “Let's worry about it tomorrow...”

@hannah