Bumping into an old friend
Who: Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood Where: By Diagon Alley, off Memorial Alley near Sugarush ConfectionaryeWhen: Tuesday morning What: It was amazing what having some help did; time to wander a bit and run into friends Warnings: None
Nevile had spent the morning with Alfie, taking him to the different farms that he visited in the morning to collect the wares for the day. It might not have been the most time efficient process, but Neville had cultivate relationships with these growers, and the daily collection of the vegetables and fruit he was to sell was part of the ritual. Apparating was the key. Neville could easily collect all of the crates, and apparate with them from farm to farm, and deliver them to the stand himself in less than an hour. Then he and Alife had set up, opening to a growing crowd of early morning shoppers. At one point, Neville decided to let Alfie handle it on his own, his plan to go and fetch some coffee and maybe a few treats to take Luna when he met with her.
He was surprised how seeing her entry in the journals made him feel. All of these memories from their time during school had flooded back to him, making him curious to see how much she had changed, if she had changed at all. They had spent a great deal of time together during seventh year, and had been close; her disappearance had been more than a bit troubling to himself, even if he had never really shared it with her. Then she had been found, and the battles had begun, and it had been over. She had vanished, but this time by choice.
Neville had thought about her often, those days he spent at Hogwarts, repairing the damage that had occurred so quickly; he was not a huge talker when working, enjoying the solitude of using his magic to repair the structures. But his mind was thinking constantly, and it was fitting to think of her as he put his hands into soil to re-plant destroyed stock that Professor Sprout would need. He remembered her bright eyes, blue like cornflowers, and her long blond hair, like corn silks moving in the breezes about her; he couldn't help but smile as he recalled her infectious smile and startling observations, usually so accurate and yet so perplexing. Neville wandered into Sugarush as it opened, his eyes drifting over the candies as he thought about the many Hogsmeade trips to get treats. He absently stared at the glass case of brightly color confectioneries until he started at the inquiry of the sales witch, asking if he could use some help.
"Some sugar quills," and he paused, "And a few of the candied lavenders," and he thought, "And an assortment of the chocolate covered fruit. You have blueberries in the mix, correct?"
And after a nod of confirmation, Neville walked out with a small sack of treats and stood in the street, trying to decide if he should go back and check on Alfie or head further towards Diagon Alley to get the coffee. He opted for the coffee and turned to the right,