Work Text:
What was happening on the grounds was madness.
Sheer and utter madness.
Hermione watched in a mix of worry and amusement as the majority of the school’s population was playing games, getting food at different booths and listening to music on the vast Hogwarts grounds with the expected chaos ensuing.
She could have sworn that she had heard someone talk about Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes earlier, and if she had not mistaken the grounds should probably be evacuated before anyone could suffer grievous bodily harm.
The festival – courtesy of the combined planning of Headmistress McGonagall and the Professors Sprout and Flitwick – that was the reason behind the mayhem was all in good fun though. After the Battle of Hogwarts, it had taken until September until Hogwarts was build up enough to commence teaching there, and when the students returned most of them were scarred from the war – both physically and emotionally.
Thus, it was decided that the student body as a whole could do with some good old-fashioned fun.
Hermione did not object – Merlin knew what the other students and herself had gone through in the last few years – but a loud festival full of running people was not her preferred method of relaxing and having fun.
She did better with crowds than she did a year ago, that much was true, but she doubted that she’d ever again voluntarily go to a concert if it meant being trapped in a crowd with no obvious way to exit the premises.
So now, while the other students were having fun and were enjoying herself, Hermione stood on the steps that led from the entryway of the castle outside into the grounds.
With a sigh and a wanting look into the direction of the laughing students she sat down on the cool stone steps.
This would be so much easier for her if Harry and Ron were here with her. No matter how much fun this festival was supposed to be, it was still held on the ground where she fought, killed and almost got killed. She could not easily shake the feeling that clung to her when she thought about it off. And both Harry and Ron had decided not to come back for their 8th year for exactly this reason – they could not stand the castle anymore.
Ron was now working with his brother George in Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes and Harry had started apprenticing to Kingsley Shacklebolt to become an Auror. Both were happy with their decisions – as was Hermione about coming back to Hogwarts to finish her education – but some things were easier to face with your best friends by your side.
Before Hermione could drift off into further thought she heard steps behind her.
“Don’t you want to see what our professors came up with?” Neville’s voice sounded from behind her.
She turned her head and saw him standing there, casually wearing muggle clothes in the crisp Scottish air.
“I do. I really do, but have you seen what is going on down there? They’re all losing it.” Hermione replied half-serious, pointing to several second-years who were chasing each other while screaming quite loudly.
Neville snorted. “Hermione Granger, war-heroine and Gryffindor extraordinaire, trampled to death by over-excited second-year Hufflepuffs. Imagine the headlines.”
Now it was Hermione’s turn to snort.
While she had always liked Neville, their relationship had changed from trying to offer help with schoolwork to just massively enjoying each other’s company, especially because they were the only two Gryffindor eight-years and thus spent a lot of time together.
When she did not reply, Neville put his hand out to Hermione. She grabbed it and he pulled her to her feet.
“We’re going to go down there, and we will have a great time.” He said sternly, only half joking.
“Of course, we will,” was all Hermione replied drily.
Neville pulled her by her hand down the steps until they joined the celebrating students. With Neville by her side, she could do this. There were different booths, wizarding drink and food was offered, but the main attractions were two stages where apparently popular music of the wizarding world was playing.
Hermione was fascinated – especially by the food options at the booths, they were surprisingly international and she did not know most of the offered foods – and did not realise that she was still holding onto Neville’s hand.
When she did, she thought about letting him go, but then decided if he did not care to let her go, she definitely did not want to be the one who broke their contact.
Maybe, just maybe, Hermione had caught feelings for Neville in the months since they both had come back to Hogwarts.
She could not put her finger on how it happened or why, but she knew that she enjoyed his company more than she enjoyed reading – which was quite the admission, coming from her.
And given that he was holding on quite tightly to her hand, it seemed her feelings might actually be reciprocated.
Harry and Ron would completely lose it.
But then again, maybe she was just imagining things? He could not really be interested in her, could he?
While Hermione was busy rationalising her fears about all the reasons why Neville could not possibly be interested in her, and Neville was lost in his own thoughts, the thing that Hermione had been worried about early on came to fruition.
Someone had set off a firework. Made by Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.
Students ran, jumped out of the way, and in general did their best no to be eaten by a giant fireworks-dragon, all the while giggling madly. Headmistress McGonagall had her lips pursed but a small twitch of the corner of her lips showed that she was also enjoying herself a lot.
The talk she had with George Weasley about how nothing that could seriously harm students would be sold by him to students might have been one of the reasons why she did not lose it when she saw the dragon.
But the students did not know that, so while they were still enjoying themselves immensely, no one actually wanted to test whether the dragon would be as aggressive to them as it once had been to Umbridge.
So, when it flew close to Hermione and Neville a very easily scared Ravenclaw first-year jumped out of the way of the dragon, right into Hermione.
Hermione was still holding onto Neville’s hand, who, once he realised Hermione was about to stumble, pulled her up to his chest and held her with his free arm close to him.
“Oh…” Hermione drifted off while she just stared at Neville’s lips. “I should probably…”
Neville’s eyes were locked on Hermione’s lips as well.
“I am actually really happy about where you are right now.” His voice was breathy, but he started grinning.
“You are?” Hermione was not used to feeling so confused.
“Oh yes.”
Hermione gave Neville a couple of seconds to try and retract the statement. When he did not, Hermione grabbed the front of Neville’s shirt and pulled his head close to hers, until she could press her lips to his.
His response was enthusiastic, with his arm tightening around her waist.
When they broke free from each other Hermione looked up at Neville with a smile on her lips.
“I definitely did not expect to enjoy this festival as much as I did. I really, really didn’t.” And they had not even managed to be there for more than three minutes.
Her smile turned into a grin when Neville’s ears turned a bit red at the tips, and he pressed his lips back to hers.
And so there they stood. Unmoving in the middle of a chaotic festival, with young students running and rushing past them, magic being cast everywhere, and under the watchful eye of Headmistress McGonagall.
The Headmistress meanwhile pointed discreetly at Hermione and Neville.
“I think you all owe me a Galleon.” She said with a grin to Sprout and Flitwick.
Finally life at Hogwarts was good again.