Work Text:
Neville knew he wouldn’t have much time between classes to find Hannah a present. He had spent the past few weeks trying to come up with the perfect gift to give her for their first Christmas together as a couple, and he still wasn’t completely confident in his choice. Nevertheless, he found himself walking into Honeydukes and heading straight for the chocolate section.
“Hello there, Professor Longbottom,” came the sound of an elderly wizard from behind the counter. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”
“I’m here to get a Christmas present for my fiancé, Mr. Flume,” Neville replied, still in awe at being able to call Hannah that, “I was thinking about buying her some chocolate, but I’m not sure which one.”
“Ah, yes, a common problem here at the shop with how many options we have. Do you know of any flavors she enjoys?”
Neville thought hard. “I know she’s partial to scones, Indian food, and pumpkin juice, as well as tea. Oh, and Scotch eggs, but I doubt that would be valid here.”
The shopkeeper laughed. “Yes, I doubt I would be able to sell many sausage and egg flavored chocolates, though bacon is occasionally doable. Hmm, based on what you have told me, might I suggest these options.”
Mr. Flume pulled down many boxes for Neville to inspect, and after a difficult few moments he had decided on what to buy. Now all he had to do was wait for Christmas.
*****
“Thank you for meeting me here, Professor Sprout,” Hannah greeted, shaking hands with the elder witch, “I’m trying to find the perfect gift for Neville, and I was hoping you might know of any plants he might be wanting.”
“Oh my dear, you can call me Pomona now. I’m no longer your professor after all. As far as plants go, I don’t believe there is all that much Neville is low on. I do remember hearing him recently talk about getting some Astragalus Membranaceus from southeast Asia and maybe some Brahmi. I know once he finishes a bit more with his mental health potions he plans to branch out into other areas to create new potions from hard-to-find herbs around the world, so there are plenty more I believe he’s going to be wanting in the near future as well.”
Hannah was feeling a bit overwhelmed. She hadn’t expected this much info all at once. She was already aware of Neville’s desire to branch out into other fields of medicine, but she didn’t know what he would need for that.
Apparently Hannah’s face betrayed her feelings to her former head of house, as the elder witch softened her features before continuing.
“How about this,” Professor Sprout suggested, “I’ll give you the contact info for Neville’s source of plants in Asia and he can tell you what plants he was planning to buy next.”
She quickly scribbled a note down and passed it to Hannah, who was now beaming.
“Thank you Profess- I mean, Pomona. This is more than I was hoping for.”
“I’m glad to be of assistance. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to hurry back to care for a few plants. There’s a full moon tonight and some of the darker exotics tend to get a little vicious this time of month.”
Hannah escorted Professor Sprout to the front door of the Three Broomsticks and as she was waving her off, she caught a glimpse of Neville leaving Honeydukes. They briefly locked eyes before looking off in different directions.
‘Hmm…I wonder what he is up to, acting all suspicious like?’ she thought before realizing she probably looked about the same from where he was concerned. Ducking back into the tavern, Hannah headed up to her room to pen a note she could send to Asia.
*****
“So, what were you up to today?” Neville asked later that night over dinner. “I saw you had a visit from Pomona.”
He watched as Hannah half choked on her chips.
“Oh, nothing,” she replied a bit too quickly when she was able, “just, you know, a friendly Christmastime visit from an old Head of House checking in to see how a student was doing. What were you doing in Honeydukes today?”
“Oh, uh, that…” Neville struggled to come up with something plausible in a short period of time. “I, um, had a terrible craving for…some toffees! Yes, I wanted a few toffees to get through the rest of my day.”
Neville was certain he didn’t sound believable, but aside from an unconvinced look, Hannah didn’t react much. They spent the remainder of their dinner in an awkward silence before heading to their rooms upstairs in the Three Broomsticks.
*****
“Can you believe it’s going to be Christmas in the morning?” Hannah asked as they left the Longbottom’s room at St. Mungo’s.
“Not really. These past few months have gone by so fast that I can barely keep up. Especially with the progress Mum and Dad have had.”
“I know! I was so excited when they remembered it was Christmastime,” Hannah exclaimed. “Who knows? Maybe they will be home by next Christmas.”
She saw the smile flash across Neville’s face before sombering again. “Let’s not get too excited. They still have a long way to go, but that would be fantastic. Shall we?”
Neville reached out his arm for Hannah to grab as they Apparated back to the Three Broomsticks. Once they landed, Hannah began to struggle trying to handle her excitement.
“Hannah Abbott, what on earth has gotten into you all of a sudden?” Neville asked in a curious tone.
“Let’s head up to your room and go see. Maybe Father Christmas left you an early present.”
He raised an eyebrow and Hannah was certain he didn’t buy her story, but he headed quickly to his room – even skipping a few steps up on the way up.
She wished she could have captured the look on Neville’s face as he opened his door. Hannah had asked Professor Sprout and Madam Rosemerta to set up Neville’s new plants around his room while they were at the hospital visiting his parents, and they had done a spectacular job.
“Hannah,” Neville finally was able to get out, “was this all your idea?”
“Happy Christmas, love,” she told him, raising up onto her toes to kiss his cheek.
“Wow. Is – is that a Bacopa? And an Astragalus membranaceus? Now I feel like my gift is no where near as good as this.”
“Oh don’t be silly, I’m sure I’ll love whatever you decide to give me.”
“Well, in that case-”
Neville reached under his bed and pulled out a long box.
“Happy Christmas, Hannah.”
Hannah shook the package a little and found it to be heavier than expecting. Slowly pulling off the paper and noticing the big seal that Honeydukes marks their sweets with, she ripped into the box to find four large slabs of chocolate.
“It’s a special blend they made just for you,” Neville informed her. “The one on the left is made with a touch of pumpkin juice, the one beside it has hints of curry mixed into it, the next one has tea both infused into it as well as some crushed leaves mixed in, and the last one has chocolate chip scones crumbs throughout. We got the idea from American’s sometimes putting bits of cookies in their dreadful excuse for chocolate. They are all uniquely formulated for your favorite tastes, and if you enjoy them, Mr. Flume is considering putting them in his inventory rotation.”
“You, you had special chocolates made just for me?” Hannah asked, feeling the tears well up in her eyes.
“Well, yeah. I remembered back when we first were dating you told me about your family’s Easter traditions, and I got to see how much you enjoyed chocolate. I figured Christmas was the perfect excuse to give you some.”
Tears started streaming unbidden down her face as she hugged Neville tight.
“Thank you so much! Before Mum died, she would always make sure Dad and I got our favorite chocolates for Christmas, but I’ve never had flavors made just for me. This is perfect! I couldn’t imagine a better present.”
“Well, I’m glad you like it,” Neville concluded before lifting her chin towards him. “Not a bad start to our first Christmas, though I’m uncertain now how I’m going to top this next year.”
Before Hannah had a moment to reply, Neville leaned in and placed a long, passionate kiss on her lips. As he broke away, he gave her a mischievous grin before pulling her close.
“Happy Christmas, dear. Now let me show you how thankful I really am.”