J.K. Rowling is a genius. I’m playing with her stuff, but I’ll put it all back when I’m done. No infringement is intended.



Second Chance


The evening air was cool, just lovely for sitting outside with friends and family. The sun had slipped down out of sight and the strings of lights that hung from the lowest branches of the trees twinkled above their heads. The group was seated at a long table on a patio connected to the house Neville and his Gran had lived in since he was a baby.

Everything was beautiful, and Hannah felt calmer than she had all day; she felt all of the unsettled thoughts beginning to find their places in her frazzled mind.

The party had come here after the wedding rehearsal, and been served a delicious meal on dishes that had been in Neville’s family for generations, according to Gran. The conversation had been full of joy and celebration; Hannah’s dad and Gran had been bursting with pride and excitement over the wedding and had even whipped out baby pictures to show everyone. Their friends had looked at the photos patiently, shooting both Neville and Hannah looks of amusement as they did so.

Ernie—Best Man and Hannah’s dearest friend in the world—had come alone tonight. It had quickly been decided that he would not do well in the green dress she had chosen for a matron of honor, and so Neville had taken him on instead. The two men had grown to be good friends in the time since the war, specifically since Neville and Hannah had begun dating almost a year ago. Also present tonight were Ron and Hermione Weasley. The happiest result of getting to know Neville’s friends had been discovering a connection with Hermione that had developed quickly into a genuine friendship. They’d always been friendly in school and DA, but Hannah had to admit that Hermione had mostly been Harry Potter’s Friend to her, a kind of accidental celebrity. When thrown back together somewhat recently, the two women had found so many things in common that both wished they had known one another better at Hogwarts. Hannah knew she would never be as brilliant as Hermione, but they both loved books and reading and, well… quieter things. Hermione didn’t play Quidditch either, and though she was now good friends with her sister-in-law Ginny, Hermione had never been one to run around much with girls. She had rather, like Hannah, been drawn into friendships with boys. Hannah could hardly remember Hermione being apart from Ron and Harry at school, and the same had been true for Hannah and Ernie.

So Hannah had fallen in love with Neville, and as a delightful by-product, found her first close girlfriend very shortly thereafter. She had always been friendly with Susan Bones, of course, but for some reason it had never developed into the kind of intimate friendship that invited late night talks or confidences. So when the time came to choose a woman to stand by her side in the front of the church as she said her vows, it had been easy, and Hermione had beamed with pleasure when Hannah had asked her.

Ron was with her tonight and they looked very happy, as happy as she hoped she and Neville would still be when they were a couple of years into married life.

And so they were only seven people tonight, the cozy result of two small families coming together for a very small wedding. Hannah enjoyed herself immensely, laughing a lot and basking in the celebration of what was coming tomorrow. Sooner than she preferred, their friends began to head home, and she was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude for them. By being here tonight, they had completely forced out the strain and sadness of the day. It was gone now, having slid down some invisible drain inside her mind.

She and Neville walked the three to the edge of the property, said their goodbyes, and watched as they Apparated away.

“What a wonderful time,� she said, still looking at the now-empty spot where their friends had been.

“It was perfect.�

She looked left to smile at him. “My dad and Hermione were both going on about the incredible garden.�

He put on a face of false modesty. “Ah, well, that was nothing really.�

She chuckled as he stepped slightly behind her.

“Everything all right?� She heard his voice very near her ear, and then felt his arms sliding around her waist from behind.

She smiled, tipping her head back into the space between his chin and his shoulder. “Of course… haven’t you heard? I’m getting married tomorrow.�

He didn’t say anything right away, but only held her for a few moments. Finally, he said, “Was it a hard day?�

Hannah closed her eyes. Of course, he knew; she could never hide anything from him. “It was a rough start, but it’s ending beautifully,� she said truthfully, turning to face him with a smile.

“Tell me.�

She sighed. “It’ll only make us both sad, and we deserve to be happy this weekend, don’t you think?�

“I do, but we’ll only be sad for a bit, and then you’ll feel much better. Tomorrow will still be wonderful,� he promised, pushing a bit of blonde hair behind her ear. “Really, I want to know.�

She swallowed and glanced at his house in the distance; she could just make out Gran through the window cleaning up as her dad straightened up outside. “I just miss her.� Her voice cracked hard on the words; her face crumpled but she somehow managed not to fall apart. “She should be here. You didn’t even get to know her—and she would have just loved you, Neville.� She wiped away the tears as she continued. “I woke up this morning and saw my dress hanging there on the wall… God, that dress… it’s just incredible, and you know it was hers… she picked it out… she wore it…� she trailed off, unable to speak again for a moment. His arms tightened around her waist, drawing her closer so their faces were only a couple of inches apart. Finally, she continued. “It’s almost like the dress is this connection to her… a bridge from our wedding to my mum, you know? Is that silly?�

“No,� he whispered. “No, love.� He kissed her and brushed her hair with his fingers.

“I got in the shower and had a good, hard cry… sobbed myself sick, really, but then I felt better.� She looked up at his eyes and smiled. “I had lunch with Ernie and my dad, which was really nice. And then I came here and helped Gran with the decorations—did you know Hermione came to help, too? Things must have loosened up at the office… anyway, that was fun. She put the lights in the trees,� she added in a dreamy voice. Then she shrugged and wrapped her arms around his neck, giving him a watery smile. “So it ended up being really a good day, especially tonight.�

“Rough start, though,� he concluded for her.

She nodded.

“I’m sorry,� he said, packing the words with meaning. She knew he wasn’t talking about her bad day; he was saying how cruel the entire thing was—the fact that they only had one out of four parents present on the day of their wedding because of things no one should ever have to bear, things like torture and murder. It was completely unfair, and it meant the world to her that Neville was willing to say it, in so many words. “I went to the hospital this morning,� he added.

Concern clouded her expression. “You didn’t mention… did you want to go by yourself?� She almost always went with him when he visited his parents.

“It just felt right to go alone today, I’m not sure why.�

“They were the same.� It wasn’t a question.

He released her, slipped a hand into the pocket of his trousers and pulled out a handful of gum wrappers. Her eyes went from his open palm to his sad eyes.

“May I?� she asked as she moved to take one.

He smiled sadly and raised his hand to her. She took one and turned it over in her hand several times before closing her fingers around it and looking back up at him.

“Tomorrow is a new day, Neville.� The words made her want to cry and sing at the same time. How could they do this with so little of their family there with them? Could such devastation really be redeemed in any small way? And yet, looking at him now as he shoved the wrappers back into his pocket and placed his hands on either side of her face, it felt possible.

The words must have meant something to him, too, because he was looking at her now with fierce determination. “I love you, Hannah.�

She smiled and kissed him, letting it linger, and then kissed him again.

He pulled back to see her. “It’s a second chance for us now. I really believe it’s going to be different for us than it was for our parents. It’s a different world, and I just… it gives me so much hope to think that maybe we’ll be able to watch our kids get married… to think this tragedy… it ends with us. We’ll remember, of course,� he insisted. “But starting now… I don’t know… our future won’t be anything like our past.�

“I need to believe that,� she whispered. “I’m trying to believe it.�

He kissed her then; his hands slid down to her hips and pulled her against him as she tightened her arms around his neck. She drew in a ragged breath as he kissed his way down the line of her jaw to her neck, then her collarbone. He felt wonderful to her, and she wished with all her heart that the honeymoon was not still a day away. Ten glorious days together with no fathers, grandmothers, work… it was almost enough to make her consider skipping the ceremony all together.

At this moment, they heard her father’s voice in the distance calling her name. She laughed quietly as Neville cursed under his breath. “What are we, fifteen?� he demanded, but then gave in to a reluctant smile.

She kissed him one more time, then grabbed his hand and began pulling him toward the house.

“No,� he groaned.

“It’s probably getting close to midnight. You know how he is about Muggle traditions.�

“I thought that was just the dress.�

“He thinks our marriage will be doomed if you see me on the wedding day.�

“Ridiculous,� Neville said, but held up his hands in surrender. “I’m not stupid enough to argue with my future father-in-law the day before I plan to steal away his beautiful daughter.�

“Your restraint is admirable.�

“Speaking of stealing you away, Ernie told me tonight that he would pretty much kill me if I ever did anything to hurt you.�

Hannah laughed. “Are you serious?�

Neville looked grave. “He seemed pretty serious to me.�

“That’s funny.�

�I guess I’ll have to be nice to you.�

“Poor baby,� she teased him. They were back in the yard now, and Hannah’s dad was hugging Gran and thanking her for everything. “I think we’re going,� she said, smiling adoringly at him.

He took her hands in his. “The next time I see you, we’re getting hitched.�

“Definitely.� She leaned in conspiratorially and kissed him before saying, “I’ll be the one at the back, in white.�

“Right,� he grinned. “I’ll keep an eye out for you.�


~~~~~~~~


Hannah closed her eyes tightly, and opened them again; she hardly recognized herself. The woman staring back at her from the glass was beautiful, a vision in blonde curls and a white robe-like gown that flowed from the high waistline down to pool behind her in the floor like water. She looked like a princess, like something out of one of the Muggle storybooks her father had read to her when she was a girl. She considered briefly that Neville might be disappointed in the morning, when she woke up looking much like her old self again, quite plain and unglamorous. But she was not really worried; Neville often told her she was lovely on the most ordinary of days.

The door creaked and she was no longer alone. Hermione entered from behind, and Hannah caught her eye in the mirror, her smile widening. Her friend wore a beautiful emerald dress that brushed the wooden floors of the church’s study as she walked.

“Oh, Hannah,� she breathed as she approached. “You look just… wow! You’re incredible. Poor Neville, he’ll be incapable of speech.�

“I suppose as long as he can manage his vows,� she said, smiling in return.

Hermione fussed at the short train of the bridal gown, then snatched the bouquet of roses from a nearby desk. As she brought them to her friend, she felt something loose in the stems. “Wait, there’s something stuck…�

“No, leave it,� Hannah said urgently as Hermione spotted the small bit of colorful paper that had been tucked between the stems and the ribbon. The sight of it struck a chord in Hermione’s memory, and she met Hannah’s eyes, a moment of understanding passing between them.

Hermione held the bouquet out to her friend as if it was made of diamonds. “You’re stunning, Hannah… truly. How do you feel?�

She looked past Hermione to her own reflection in the mirror. “Is he out there? Have you seen him?�

“I have,� she teased in a sing-song voice.

“Does he look nervous?�

“Hannah,� Hermione said softly, studying her friend. “No. Actually he looks more full of himself than I have ever seen him.� She took Hannah’s hand and stood next to her, meeting her eyes in the glass this time. “And he looks very handsome, too, if I may be so bold.�

They stood there a moment, two friends grasping hands and smiling into a mirror as if for a photograph, and Hannah felt the warmth of gratitude rushing through her again. Her mum wasn’t here, but she had Hermione and her dad, and of course Ernie was with Neville. Susan and her other friends were out there somewhere, waiting. She had lost a lot, but she had gained love and friendship, too; today she would bask in it, in the love she shared with Neville and the sanctuary of friendship and family.

“Is it time?� she asked, wanting to see him.

“Nearly,� said Hermione as a knock sounded at the door to the study.

Mr. Abbott poked his head in and said, “Darling, are you ready?�

Hannah was. She clutched the flowers and let Hermione scoot her out into the hall where her father’s eyes immediately filled with tears. He embraced her so enthusiastically that Hannah saw concern for the dress appearing in Hermione’s eyes.

Moments later, Hannah stood out of view as Hermione gave her one more smile and then began her own journey down the aisle.

“She’s here with us.� Her father had taken her arm in his and whispered the words into her hair.

She gave him a tearful, but happy smile.

“I mean it, Hannah. I’ve not felt her like this since…� he shook his head, smiling through his own tears. “You’re beautiful, and I’m so proud of you.�

“I love you, Daddy.� She kissed him on the cheek as she heard the music change—their cue.

They stepped into the open doorway like subjects taking their places in a portrait; the floor of the church groaned loudly as this community of loved ones rose to their feet and turned smiling faces on Hannah. She didn’t see any of them. Hermione and Ernie and the minister were on the edges of her vision, mostly out of focus. In that moment, there was only Neville—sweet Neville, with his eyes full of wonder and a smile stretching so fast and bright across his face at the sight of her that she might not be the only one remembered as radiant on their wedding day.

She thought of the future, the immediate one and the one far off… the dream they had of an ordinary life, a whole family, a second chance for both of them. Her smile broke open into a watery little laugh, and Neville’s reaction was so full of joy that more than one guest worried he might sprint right up the aisle to fetch his bride. Such action proved unnecessary, however, as Hannah tightened her grip on her father’s arm… and began to walk.


END