InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "You don't need to do this."

Neville Francis Longbottom (serpentslayer) wrote in irreparable,
@ 2011-02-24 22:10:00

Entry tags:

hannah abbott, neville longbottom

WHO: Neville, Hannah, Lucy, and GRAN
WHAT: Gran meets Hannah and Lucy
WHEN: Thursday Night
WHERE: Gran's House

Neville had initially planned to have Gran over to his flat, to keep it on his terms, but he couldn't pass up a home-cooked meal and he didn't want to have the added pressure of cooking for her while trying to earn her approval. So, after he got over his reluctance to meet on her turf, he told Hannah about the plans and got dressed in a light sweater Gran ad bought him for Christmas. Maybe it was sucking up, but he thought that it couldn't hurt to be polite.

He sat at the counter in the kitchen, waiting for Hannah to be ready, drinking a glass of chocolate milk for comfort. He really needed Gran to come around and approve of Hannah. He would be miserable if she stayed stubborn on the issue.

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h_abbott
2011-02-25 05:02 am UTC (link)

Hannah had been staying extremely quiet as of late and not just as a result of nerves. Though, truthfully, she wanted everything to go well with meeting Neville's gran. Hannah could see things, potentially, falling apart if it didn't. The idea that some woman she had never met had such a profound impact on her future was scary. Not only that, but the details Neville had offered were sparse and few between. It made the entire idea rather scary.

But that hadn't been the cause of her quiet as of late. Rather, the fear in the back of her mind about Winchester running about had combined with everything to make it feel easier to simply shut down a bit. She didn't want Neville to worry or end up hurt because of her. She also, of course, had no desire for anything to happen to Lucy. Her life had gone from Cloud Nine to reality... and she didn't like it.

Finally, she came out of Neville's bedroom with a dress on and a shrug over it. She had gotten Lucy ready a bit ago wearing a blue flowered dress and a really rather comfortable little grey sweater. It was something to allow both of them to look dressed up while still being comfortable. As it was, Hannah was simply hoping the comfort would keep Lucy happy during the exchange to come.

"Do I look okay?" Hannah asked, facing Neville. "I have a plain black dress I can change back into, but I thought it looked a bit too much like I was in mourning and I wasn't sure - I - is this too bright? Too... abstract?"

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	serpentslayer 2011-02-25 05:22 am UTC (link)
	Neville had a collared shirt and dress slacks with his sweater. The dress was a bit formal, but the sweater dressed it down enough because of the comfort. He thought she looked beautiful. "You look nice," he said. "I feel like I should have brought you flowers," he added. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

h_abbott
2011-02-25 05:27 am UTC (link)

Hannah let out a small, nervous laugh before moving to bite at the side of her thumb. She really didn't want to look like she was going to a funeral, but the reassurance that the dress was okay was a nice confirmation of her choice.

"Considering how many plants you have here, I'm not sure where we would put flowers. Inside, I mean. ... Where the cutie can't get to them." She moved to swoop Lucy up and out of her playpen. Lucy's bag had long since been packed with emergency everything. All Hannah needed to grab Lucy, the bag, and her stuffed bear.

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	serpentslayer 2011-02-25 05:30 am UTC (link)
	"I love you," he said, stepping close to hold her hand so they could apparate. He thought about warning her that Gran was going to be tough, but he didn't want to make her nervous. Maybe Gran would be totally civil. Was there any reason to tell Hannah that Gran didn't approve of Lucy being born out of wedlock? No. "Ready?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	h_abbott 2011-02-25 05:35 am UTC (link)
	"I love you too." That got the first hint of a smile out of Hannah since she had gotten home from work. "Ready." As she ever would be, at least. How badly could this go? After all, Neville's meet with her parents had gone rather well. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

serpentslayer
2011-02-25 05:55 am UTC (link)

Neville apparated with Hannah and Lucy. They appeared in the foyer of Gran's house. Aberforth's tattered brown leather cloak was hanging on the hook by the door and Neville could smell something with garlic wafting from the kitchen.

"Aberforth!" Gran hollered from the kitchen, "I heard a crack, I think they're here!"

Aberforth Dumbledore came hopping out of the sitting room, slapping his thigh. "My leg fell asleep sitting there," he said. He looked between Neville and Hannah and gave Neville an eyebrow raise meant to say 'nice work'. It was lost on him.

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h_abbott
2011-02-25 06:05 am UTC (link)

Hannah put a polite, though admittedly nervous, smile. Lucy started to squirm a bit in Hannah's grasp to turn and look about at the room rather than just staring at her mum's shoulder. She let out a quietly mumbled, slightly pleading request of, "Down."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Hannah managed to get off before letting go of Neville's hand to get a better grip on Lucy. She didn't sit the girl down, but shifted her around a little so she could see better. She knew what her seemingly innately curious daughter wanted.

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serpentslayer
2011-02-25 04:32 pm UTC (link)

"You must be Hannah," he said. "And this is Lucy?" And then, as it was only a matter of time before Aberforth made an inappropriate joke, he went on with "Looks like the boy has a sexuality after all."

Neville's face went bright red. Aberforth had always been trying to pick out girls for him when they were out in public together. His tastes were a bit unusual and borderline kinky, though. Neville liked nice girls.

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h_abbott
2011-02-26 12:57 am UTC (link)

Hannah nodded as he said her, then Lucy's names. Still, when the remark came out, Hannah found herself blushing a bit. She knew she wasn't exactly a Millicent Bullstrode, but -

One side glance at Neville and Hannah couldn't help but break into a slight smile. He was rather adorable when he was red. "And you must be Aberforth."

Lucy had gone silent and quit squirming. She was rather entranced, staring at Aberforth's beard as if trying to figure out what it was. Jack Abbott never grew his facial hair out that long, so really it was one of the little girl's few times seeing a beard that wasn't in passing.

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serpentslayer
2011-02-26 01:22 am UTC (link)

Aberforth's beard wasn't nearly as white or as clean-cut as Albus' either. He had adorned it with beads and let it grow a little wild. It was tied with a leather chord six inches below the chin to keep it from being too unruly.

"Please to meet'cha," he said with a nod.

Gran came out of the kitchen with her spoon in hand (she just couldn't justify dirtying a spoon rest). She was sans hat today, because she was home. Her eyes fixed on Hannah immediately and she stared hard at her for a long moment. Hannah didn't look like a tart. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"Gran," Neville said, "This is Hannah."

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h_abbott
2011-02-26 03:40 am UTC (link)

Hannah wasn't sure if she was reassured or slightly worried by the spoon in the woman's hand. She offered a polite smile, though she had a rather large knot in her throat and a growing sensation of butterflies in her stomach.

"Hello. It's wonderful to meet you." Hannah offered, hoping it would go over well. She would've offered a hand to shake, but her hands were occupied holding Lucy.

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	serpentslayer 2011-02-26 03:44 am UTC (link)
	"It would have been nicer to meet you before my grandson decided to propose to you," she said. She flashed a very forced smile with the comment. Aberforth felt the need to jump in. "We're making spaghetti. Everyone likes spaghetti, right?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

h_abbott
2011-02-26 04:57 am UTC (link)

"Spaghetti is one of Lucy's favourites." Hannah responded, her tone a bit tense as the smile stayed plastered on her face. It wasn't like she had expected Neville to propose. She hadn't pressed to meet his family because she had thought that, when he wanted, he would let her. The desire to have him adopt Lucy was the only thing that had made it

"We're in no rush to make this a short engagement. Even if it's a bit late, I'm glad we could meet now." Hannah tried to keep her tone even as she shifted Lucy in her arms yet again. The two year old was starting to squirm yet again and, honestly, she wasn't a small baby anymore that Hannah could swoop up and hold for hours.

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serpentslayer
2011-02-26 05:11 am UTC (link)

Augusta looked at Neville's pleading eyes and sighed. She wasn't sure if Hannah had the right intentions for Neville, but he was old enough to make his own decisions and mistakes. She had built it up in her head that Hannah was seeking Neville's inheritance, but all she could do was perhaps convince him to sign a prenup.

"Well, better late than never," she said, a hint of surrender in her tone. "Dinner's almost ready. Why don't you come to the dining room. I had Aberforth summon Neville's old high chair from the attic for Lucy."

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	h_abbott 2011-02-26 05:19 am UTC (link)
	"Wonderful." Hannah took a few steps forward with Lucy in arm, then did a quick pull to the right - taking care not to drop Lucy - when Lucy's hand went out to grab at Aberforth's beard. "No-no, Lucy. No pulling that. Play with your bear." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	serpentslayer 2011-02-26 05:29 am UTC (link)
	Neville chuckled. He followed close behind Hannah as they all walked into the dining room. Gran went back to the kitchen just as a timer buzzed to let her know that the pasta was cooked. "Augusta is protective of Neville," Aberforth said, leaning in to speak quietly to Hannah. "And she's a formidable woman. You're lucky she was so warm." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

h_abbott
2011-02-26 05:39 am UTC (link)

That was warm?! Hannah flashed a grateful smile at Aberforth, though the idea that it was a warm greeting had her feeling a little less than prepared for this exchange. "He's worth being protective of, but I only want him to be happy." She kept her tone extremely low as well.

After a moment, she moved to put Lucy down into the highchair. Lucy settled down fairly well, then proceeded to reach up toward Neville the instant she was secure with a slightly louder, "Aa!"

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	serpentslayer 2011-02-26 05:58 am UTC (link)
	Neville let Lucy grab his fingers. So long as they didn't end up in her mouth, he would endure her baby death grip. "Gran has to warm up to everyone," Neville mumbled. He heard the pot lid clatter as the spaghetti was levitated towards the dining room door. It was a long hall so they had plenty of warning. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

h_abbott
2011-02-26 06:04 am UTC (link)

Lucy, rather, started to randomly babble about a few things that were rather unrelated to anything at hand. Hannah, of course, caught "flower" and "bear" among the strains of word attempts.

"About how long does it usually take?" Hannah asked, again keeping her tone hushed. She had no issues with needing to win over the approval of her future grandmother-in-law, but she wanted a clue how long until she would have a clue if she was in the clear or in trouble.

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serpentslayer
2011-02-26 06:09 am UTC (link)

Aberforth laughed and shrugged. "Oh she hated me for years." He stroked his beard and took a seat at the table. Neville, remembering his upbringing, dropped Lucy's hand and pulled out a chair for Hannah.

Gran came in the room, just having heard Aberforth's remark. "I never hated you, Aberforth Dumbledore."

"No, you just thought I was crazy and uncouth. And you told me it more than once."

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h_abbott
2011-02-26 06:17 am UTC (link)

Years? Hannah smiled and almost let out a small chuckle, but it made the sensation of the growing knot in her throat far worse. She didn't expect this woman to welcome her with open arms, but she had hoped for a basic idea of how well things would or wouldn't go. Was it absurd of her to want to know? She, honestly, couldn't see having Neville adopt Lucy if his Gran disapproved utterly of Hannah... not to mention their wedding. Hannah couldn't think to come between Neville and his family - especially when his Gran had been the one to raise him and was one of the few people he had left in his family, distant cousins and the like aside.

"Well, so long as she came around." Hannah said lightly, then muttered a quiet thank you when Neville pulled her chair out. She sat down, then immediately turned to sit Lucy's bag down near her chair and out of the way. She pulled a spill-proof container of juice out and sat it in front of Lucy. The little girl ignored it, for the time being, her focus on taking in the room.

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serpentslayer
2011-02-26 06:23 am UTC (link)

Neville put his hand over Hannah's for a moment, trying to reassure her. He looked at Gran, but she was too busy arranging the bread basket and the pasta pot to return his gaze.

Neville finally sat down. Hannah was nervous, but Neville felt easily just as anxious. What if Gran said something? What if she drove Hannah out of here in tears? Neville wanted this night to go well. He would settle for false kindness at this point.

Aberforth opened the pot of pasta and picked up a ladle. "Pass your plates this way and I'll serve. Neville, pass the bread basket to your girl, will you?"

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h_abbott
2011-02-26 06:35 am UTC (link)

Hannah was, more than anything else, giving herself a bit of a mental kick for not anticipating the worst. Why had she thought that it would go as well as with her parents? Her father was excessively accepting, as he knew what she had gone through and wanted to see her happy in the end.

Hannah went along with passing plates and taking the bread basket, making a small plate with a small serving for Lucy off of her helping. She also made a point of carefully cutting the spaghetti. She, all the while doing it, kept it out of Lucy's reach. It was almost a force of habit with her to do it - and really, it wasn't terribly taxing to do it anymore. She was used to the ritual of it.

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serpentslayer
2011-02-26 04:31 pm UTC (link)

"So, Neville, how's work?" Aberforth asked. Neville froze and looked up from his dinner. He hadn't told them yet. "I actually resigned from the Auror squad," he said quietly.

"Why?"

"Well... there are ten left and I've got my own problem to deal with. It makes me a liability," he said, patting the still fresh scar on his arm. It was healed over but it was still puckered pink and white. "Well, thirteen left now. The break out was setback. But still, we got half of the remaining count this year alone... I'm going to have a family. I wasn't willing to risk it anymore and that is another thing that makes me a liability."

Aberforth nodded soberly. Gran set down her fork and started fidgeting with her napkin.

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h_abbott
2011-02-26 08:50 pm UTC (link)

Part of Hannah really wanted to duck her head down and try to keep things going as smoothly as possible, but she knew she couldn't just sit by after Neville broke the news. Regardless, she and Neville were friends before anything else. Even if something came up between Neville's family to cause problems in their relationship, Hannah still would've been Neville's friend. As his friend - and as someone who loved and cared deeply - she couldn't take his Gran's silence on the matter.

After giving Lucy a small spoonful of the cut spaghetti and watching Lucy happily eat it, she turned back to add to the conversation. "I told him that whatever he decided, I would stand behind what made him happy. He did a wonderful thing and was brave to be an auror, but the task is still in good hands even now that he has resigned. Harry and Ron are doing a wonderful job working on rounding up the last of the Death Eaters, even with the setback of the escape." She kept her tone calm - far more calm than she felt, really. She didn't want to be condescending. She just wanted to make it clear that she wanted whatever was best for Neville and would make him happy, as any friend - or love - would.