The air was filled with an energy that can only be produced by an upcoming celebration. Women of all ages darted around the marketplace with bags swinging and pesos flying. The city was finally free of the oppressing heat of the summer but it was still warm enough to be comfortable. A young mother sat in the doorway of a shop hand-weaving a rug while her small daughter worked on a small practice piece beside her. The quickly selling rugs behind her reflected the bright colors found in the beautiful city. Out of every window wafted wonderful aromas of freshly made tamales and Tejocote Apples. Everyone in the neighborhood seemed to move in harmony. They were well practiced in the preparations for this day. But there was one person in the crowd who was new to all of this.

A young man was walking through the pedestrian section of Alcalá Street in Oaxaca, Mexico. His appearance wasn’t out of the ordinary other than the fact that he was obviously not a native of the city. His dark hair was long and a little untidy so that it almost covered his eyes. He was trim, and appeared relaxed and sure of himself. Whilst he wasn’t overtly handsome, he had a kind face and a nice smile. He wandered slowly through the marketplace that was crowded with women preparing for Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Stopping from time to time to peer at the many colorful stalls that lined the route, he appeared to be in no hurry and smiled at the children as they weaved between the legs of the adults trying to get last minute shopping done for the celebration. He was a long way from home and hardly anyone who had known him as a pupil at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would recognize this man as Neville Longbottom.

He had traveled to Oaxaca for their Day of the Dead celebration. Neville had discovered this custom while he was conducting research in his new apprenticeship. He had been researching marigolds for their rapid growth properties and was trying to cross breed them with slower growing magical plants so they could have them more readily. Marigolds, it turned out, were essential in the Day of the Dead rituals. Their strong scent was believed to help the returning dead find their way to the celebrations. The whole concept of celebrating death struck a chord with Neville; especially after all he had been through lately.

It was the thirty-first of October. Today’s celebrations were focused on the children who had died. He walked toward a graveyard where parents were remembering their children with altars and candles. He watched as a young couple held on to each other as they stood near a new grave. They didn’t look much in the mood to celebrate but the mother smiled as her other children played nearby with plastic skeletons and skulls. Their obvious grief brought back a flood of memories from the past few weeks to Neville’s mind.

---

Neville sat in Hogwart’s hospital wing watching over his friends who had barely survived the final battle that had taken place the night before. Hermione had received the most injuries at the hand of Lucius Malfoy. Her pale face had finally relaxed as she was placed in a dreamless sleep to help her mind and body heal. Ron had lost a lot of blood but was recovering quickly with the help of Madam Pomfrey’s Blood Replenishing Potion. Harry’s bodily injuries were not extensive but he was exhausted. Between the year he had traveled the world in search of Voldemort’s horcruxes and the exertion of the final battle, Madam Pomfrey suspected it would take Harry a while to fully recover.

As Neville sat at Ron’s bed playing chess, a tawny owl flew through a high open window. He landed on the chessboard and stuck out his foot to Neville. With a puzzled look, Neville untied the message and gave the owl a piece of a toast from the tray on Ron’s bedside table. His eyes became wider and wider as he read the letter.

“What’s wrong, Neville?” asked Ron.

“My parents,” Neville muttered as he continued to read. “I’ve got to go.”

Neville quickly put on his robes as he explained to Madam Pomfrey where he was going. She offered him the Emergency Portkey to St. Mungo’s Hospital, which Neville gladly accepted.

As he landed in the lobby of St. Mungo’s, Neville’s grandmother was just coming down the stairs. She took him by the arm as they climbed the stairs to the fourth floor.

“Now, boy,” she said. “Your parents are having brief periods of lucidity. You might have to wait a little while for one to come so just be patient.”

Neville tried to fathom what was happening. He would be able to speak to his parents for the first time. Would they even recognize him as their son? They walked through the ward doors to find Frank and Alice sitting together holding hands. They looked up and saw Neville enter the ward.

“Oh!” Alice gasped. “My little boy isn’t so little anymore.”

She pulled Neville into a tight hug before surrendering him to his father. Frank also held on as tightly as he could to Neville. At last he pulled back to get a good look at his parents. For the first time in his life, he was looking into his parents eyes and seeing recognition and love behind them. Neville was so overwhelmed that words escaped him and from the expressions on his mother’s and father’s faces, he could see that they shared this feeling. The three of them just gazed at each other until the Healer approached them.

“Good afternoon,” she said. “Thank you for coming so quickly Mr. Longbottom. We have a lot to talk about.”

“What’s happening?” asked Neville.

“Well, that is a good question,” stalled the Healer as she flipped through the Longbottom’s massive chart. “We can only speculate on the reason your parents have come back to us.”

Just then, Alice began to mutter to herself. No one could tell what she was saying. She seemed to be speaking her own language. Frank got up from her bed, laid down on his own and closed his eyes. Neville’s stomach began to ache as he watched his parents go back to their cursed states.

The Healer began to speak again. “I think when You-Know-Who…”

“Voldemort,” interrupted Neville.

“Excuse me?” exclaimed the Healer with a look of shock.

“His name was Voldemort. There’s no reason to be afraid of him now. Use his name or he will live forever through your fear.”

Neville’s grandmother cracked a rare smile as she listened to her grandson. The Healer looked at Neville in astonishment for a moment and then nodded her head.

“Very well. It would seem that your parents’ awakening is related in some way to Voldemort’s death. But in truth, we really don’t know why or how this change has occurred.”

“Why is my mother talking to herself like that?” Neville asked. “She’s never done that before.”

“Unfortunately, their conditions seem to worsen after each period of clarity. I’m afraid we might be looking at only a few more days before they…” The Healer broke off at the tortured look that had come over Neville’s face.

“Before they die,” Neville finished.

“I’m afraid so,” said the Healer.

Neville sighed as he looked at his parents. He had known this would come one day. He walked across the ward, grabbed a chair and positioned himself between his parents’ beds and waited. Neville vowed that he would stay there day and night; he didn’t want to miss any bit of time that his parents were lucid.

The next two days were both wonderful and horrible for Neville. He got to tell his parents all about Hogwarts. He got to hear his parents say how proud they were of him and how much they loved him. But then he had to watch his parents slip away from him again and again.

Late one night, he was awakened by his Mother softly shaking his shoulder. She was beaming at him, her eyes full of tenderness.

“I love you more than anything. You know that don’t you?” she asked.

“Yeah, Mum. I know. I love you, too,” Neville answered.

On his other side, his Dad added, “I’m glad you’ve been here these past days, Neville. I’m glad to know you’ve grown up into a fine man. I’m proud of you son.”

“Thanks Dad,” Neville managed as his throat began to tighten.

“I’m so sorry we have to leave you,” said Alice with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Neville couldn’t stop his own tears now. Frank left his bed and joined Alice and Neville enfolding them in his arms. The three continued to hold each other as the ward clock ticked off their remaining time together.

“I’m so very tired,” Alice whispered suddenly.

Neville drew a deep breath in. He knew it was time.

“Sleep then, Mum. I love you,” he managed as she clasped her hand tightly around Neville’s.

Frank smiled at Neville before he lay down beside his wife and wrapped his arms around her placing his hand on top of their joined ones. Then, they both closed their eyes and took one last breath together.

Neville stared at them for a long time before a Healer’s aide came into the ward to check on them. She gasped as she realized what had happened and rushed back out of the ward.

---

The next few days became a blur of people, activity and decisions for Neville. On one hand, he knew his parents were finally at peace. On the other hand, he missed them so much he couldn’t breathe. The funeral was small and intimate. Ron and Harry were able to be there with him along with the members of the Order of the Phoenix. The absence of Dumbledore and his wisdom were glaringly obvious at this time. He would have known the perfect thing to say to the group and to Neville. The members that remained from the first gathering of the Order shared their memories of Frank and Alice. Neville’s Grandmother spoke of her son and daughter-in-law fondly as she addressed the mourners. She was her usual unsentimental self but you could tell that she was grieving in her own way.

Real life pushed its way back into Neville’s existence. He still had to finish school. He made it though his N.E.W.T. exams but never knew quite how he managed it. At least being back at school with his friends did help the loneliness he felt. The seventh years enjoyed their last days together at Hogwarts roaming the grounds and staying up late talking in the Common Room. Hermione was able to finally join them a couple days before the end of term. She still needed help getting around but she was for the most part back to her old self.

Once school ended, things became even busier for Neville and his friends. The Wizarding World had been waiting for Harry to graduate from Hogwarts. There had been the issues of every publication from The Daily Prophet to Witch Weekly dedicated to Harry and his defeat of Voldemort, but on orders from the Minister of Magic, Harry was to be left to finish school in peace. The village of Hogsmeade couldn’t have held one more person the day the students arrived to board the Hogwarts Express. The train left the station two hours late because of the mob of reporters and admirers trying to get a picture or a word with ‘The Boy Who Lived’. They laughed all the way back to London after Harry recovered from the shock of it.

The members of the D.A. were celebrated by the Ministry of Magic as well. Most students who helped Harry Potter win the second war could write their own tickets when it came to the Ministry. The Minister himself had come up to Neville during one of the celebrations and asked him what he wanted to do now that he was done with school. Neville only wanted to work in the field of Herbology. The Minister took it from there. He found Neville an apprenticeship with Sebastian Thyrsus, the leading expert in modern Herbology. Neville had learned more in the four months as an apprentice than he had learned in seven years at Hogwarts. His mentor was quite impressed with Neville’s skill and originality when it came to research ideas. Harry and Ron didn’t want to think about their futures quite as soon as Neville did. They would be taking some time to recover and finally have some fun. Hermione still needed time to recover from her injuries. Since it was another Quidditch World Cup year, Harry and Ron had been invited to every Quidditch match up to and including the World Cup. They would be traveling the world with nothing to worry about but putting the past few years soundly behind them. But Neville got straight to work in his lab. He put in long hours coming home only to sleep. A few weeks into his apprenticeship he discovered the Day of the Dead celebration and decided to go.

---

Neville watched the children playing in the graveyard for quite a while before he made himself move again through the marketplace. He still had to buy items to make his altar for his parents. He stopped at a stand selling “papel picado”. They were like streamers but much more beautiful. They had intricate patterns cut into them and they were all colored very brightly. Neville picked out a bright blue one to put around his altar. He wasn’t really interested in the skulls and skeletons that were being sold at many of the booths. He knew they were part of the culture, but he didn’t really want them on his parent’s altar. Neville was getting tired of shopping very quickly. The noise level of the marketplace was almost deafening and the vividly colored displays were starting to make his head hurt. Luckily there was a larger shop that carried both incense and marigolds so he could finish up his shopping and get back to the hotel.

Once he got to his room, Neville was astonished at how quiet it was in comparison to the marketplace. He shook off the gloomy feelings that were threatening to take over his mind. He gathered the items he had brought from home and put them with his purchases. The vendors in the marketplace would be replaced in the morning with families constructing altars to their deceased family members. He wanted to make sure he got out there early. He didn’t want to have come all the way to Mexico and not be able to find a place for his parent’s altar. He looked around his room for any kind of distraction. His research logs called to him from his backpack.

He spread the paperwork out on the small table in his room and started going over his findings. He kept writing notes and making plans late into the night. He finally allowed himself to close his eyes for just a minute. The books in his lap slid to the floor and it was obvious that the minute would turn into the rest of the night.

---

A huge thank you to my beta HarrietEvans. She is a brilliant writer (check out her stories!!!), beta and britpicker.

Neville woke with a start the next morning. A pain had shot up his neck from sleeping in an awkward sitting position. Waking up with his face in a book, while not an uncommon occurrence, was not Neville’s favorite way to start the day. From the noise outside, the plaza downstairs had become lively with inhabitants. He rushed out onto the balcony to find the marketplace half filled with people setting up their altars. He could tell that is was still early with the sun barely above the horizon. He could see the graveyard a little in the distance and saw altars and decorations being set up there as well. Neville hurriedly washed up and grabbed the items he needed. He was almost out the door when he realized he should restore his magically shrunken table to its original size before going into a plaza filled with Muggles. He quickly uttered the incantation and carried the small spindly-legged table out the door.

Once in the plaza, he scanned the crowded square looking for a suitable place; somewhere quiet and a little away from the crowd. Along one side of the plaza ran a low wall. The area in front of it seemed a bit more out of the fray. It would be a good place to watch the rest of the plaza as well. He set his table against the wall and took a minute to relax now that he found somewhere to his satisfaction. As he looked around, he saw that the others were packed with memorabilia, food and flowers. He started to wonder if his table of memories would be rather sparse in comparison to the ones around him. The woman next to him had finished her preparations and had begun to light the candles and incense on her altar.

“Mi esposo,” she said as she smiled at Neville.

Neville nodded. He guessed that “esposo” meant husband since it sounded like spouse.

She had draped a beautiful orange material over the wall and down onto her table. Pictures of a man were leaned up against the wall documenting the many stages of his life. There was a plate piled high with tamales and strawberries in front of the most recent picture.

The woman saw Neville staring at the plate and said, “Eran sus favoritos.”

Again, Neville nodded kindly. He had no idea what she had said this time.

The small table was strewn with flowers, which filled every inch of the table left between the countless pictures and mementos of the woman’s husband. At the center of the altar stood the largest picture of all, with a silver cross on a chain carefully draped over on corner of the silver frame. Looking at the riot of colour from the many blooms, Neville was surprised that the mounds of marigolds weren’t on fire from all of the candles she had set up on the altar. It was very beautiful, yet haunting at the same time.

Neville looked at his empty little table. He opened his bag and pulled out the few things he had. First came his parent’s wedding picture. He had been sure to put a Freezing Charm on the picture to keep its inhabitants from moving around before he came out onto the plaza. Next came a small picture of his parents holding him as a baby. Alice was sitting holding Neville with Frank standing behind the chair. He had frozen that picture as his Mother was looking lovingly down at him in her lap. His Father was smiling down at them both. He sighed as he placed that picture alongside the first. Neville then pulled out a Honeydukes bag full of Drooble’s Best Blowing Gum. He poured them onto the table and made a little pile of them. Against that pile he laid his Father’s broken wand. He next found the velvet box that held his parent’s wedding rings. He opened the box and placed it in front of the wedding picture. Under all of that was one more picture. This one was of the first Order of the Phoenix. Harry had given him a copy of it after Moody had shown it to him.

Neville then opened his marketplace purchases. He pulled out the paper streamers and contemplated them for a minute. He had no clue as to what he wanted to do with them. The woman next to him came over and took them out of Neville’s hand. With a smile, she went over to his altar. She attached one end to the top of the wall and guided the streamer around the front of the table then attached the other end on top of the first.

Neville responded with the only Spanish he had learned, “Gracias.”

“De nada,” responded the woman.

He set up the candles and incense next. They helped fill up the space nicely. He also put out a bar of soap and a dish. He had read that this is so the dead can wash themselves after their long journey. He thought it a bit silly but he had already decided to do without the skeletons and skulls around his altar and didn’t want to stray too far from tradition. Next, he laid the marigolds out among all of the items. Their orange color looked nice with the blue papel picado. Neville stood back to admire his work.

“Muy bueno,” commented the woman nodding enthusiastically.

Neville took that as a good sign. He wandered what to do next since he had finished his altar. Everyone was milling around talking to each other. But Neville didn’t have anyone to talk to and didn’t want to leave his altar. He sat down beside the table and leaned against the wall and prepared to spend the morning watching the people around him. When he had read about the Mexican holiday, he couldn’t quite comprehend that it was a celebration. But it certainly was. Neville couldn’t quite make himself believe that the dead would really be allowed to return to the mortal world to visit loved ones. But the concept of spirits coming down and walking among the living fascinated him. He would be happy to spend another couple of days with his Mum and Dad.

Neville studied the altars around him. Almost all of them were more intricate and larger than his but Neville liked his small altar. He felt that it represented his parents well. He smiled as he stared at the picture of his family. Scrambling to his feet, he took it off the altar and then sat down again resting his back against the wall. He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to him before he cautiously pulled out his wand to perform the counter charm to the picture’s Freezing Spell. He loved the part when his mother leaned her head to give him an Eskimo kiss. Neville’s hand went to his nose. He could almost feel it if he concentrated hard enough.

As the sun rose higher into the sky, the day became comfortably warm. Neville started to feel drowsy and leaned his head back on the wall. He had just closed his eyes when he felt a shadow fall over him. He opened his eyes to see the outline of a young woman standing in front of him. As his eyes tried to focus on the woman’s features, a familiar voice spoke.

“Neville, is that you?”


A million thank yous to my beta Harriet_Evans. You are the best!!!!!!!!!

“Neville, is that you?”

Neville blinked hard to make his eyes focus on the person who was standing in front of him. Who could he possible know here in the middle of Mexico? He stood up to get a better view.

That did the trick. He could see the face of Susan Bones smiling at him. It took Neville a minute to comprehend the presence of a Hogwarts friend in this new place. Susan must have taken his confusion for disappointment because she began to look horribly embarrassed.

“Hi, Susan!” he finally replied. “I’m surprised to see you.”

Neville looked at the familiar face for a minute. There was something different about her. He realized that the ever-present plait in her hair was gone. Her hair was cut shorter and framed her face very nicely. She definitely didn’t look like a little girl anymore.

“Not that I’m not glad to see you,” Neville hastily added. “I just didn’t expect to see anyone I knew here.”

Susan looked at the ground for a minute and wrung her hands nervously.

“It’s such a coincidence isn’t it,” said Neville encouragingly, noticing that she seemed a little embarrassed. “I mean, us both being in Mexico for a start and then actually running into each other.”

“Actually, I knew you were going to be here,” admitted Susan as she raised her eyes to the sky.

“Really?” asked a confused Neville. “How?”

“It’s a long story,” said Susan.

“It looks like we have plenty of time,” said Neville. “Let’s hear it.”

Her smile was bright again as she explained. “I’m training to be a Healer at St. Mungo’s.”

“Yeah, I heard that,” said Neville.

“Yeah, well, I’m working on a project right now. The Healer I work for may have found a way to advance the Wolfsbane potion so that it stops the transformation of the body as well as the mind.”

”Wow!” exclaimed Neville. “That’s amazing. How far along is it in development?”

“Not very far. We’re still trying to determine whether this new ingredient will integrate with the others without spoiling the whole thing. We’ve been in close contact with Sebastian Thyrsus. He’s helping us.”

“Really? I’m his apprentice and I didn’t know anything about it,” said Neville looking even more puzzled.

“I know. We just started communicating in earnest this past week. He mentioned you in his last letter but said you would be away for a while,” explained Susan.

The puzzled look on Neville’s face had not lessened so Susan plowed on with her explanation.

“I saw Hermione at St. Mungo’s. She was there to see her healer. She got a clean bill of health, by the way. She’s fully recovered.”

“Oh, good,” said Neville distractedly.

“We had lunch and I kind of asked about you,” said Susan as a blush crept up her neck.

Neville expression cleared as he realized that Hermione had been the one to tell her where he had gone. He and Hermione had spent a lot of time together and become even closer friends while Harry and Ron were traveling. He’d miss her now that she was well enough to travel with them. But he was happy for her. Hermione had missed her two best friends, especially Ron, while they were away.

“Hermione told me about this place and the festival,” explained Susan. “All I could think about for the next couple of days was making an altar for my Aunt Amelia and Uncle Edgar. So I decided to take some time off and come down here. I didn’t know if I would be able to find you or not but I wanted to come anyway.”

Neville didn’t know quite what to say to all of this. The phrase “asked about you” kept echoing in his head. Susan was starting to get a panicked look about her so Neville reckoned he better say something.

“Well, I’m glad you did find me,” he said.

Susan broke out in a gleaming smile, which made Neville’s stomach do some very annoying flip-flops.

“Do you want some help setting up your altar?” asked Neville.

“Oh, yes, please,” said Susan. “I have no idea what I’m doing. Especially after seeing the other altars. I’m afraid mine will be rather pitiful.”

“No it won’t. I’m an expert at them now. I had a most helpful tutor,” said Neville as he nodded and waved to the local woman next to them.

Susan pulled out the mementos of her Aunt and Uncle while Neville set up her little table next to his. She looked disconsolately at the small pile of treasures laid out on the table.

“I haven’t got much,” she said sadly, starting to arrange her meager possessions on the table. “I only got here a couple of hours age and it’s all so confusing. I didn’t really know what to buy.”

“It’ll be fine,” Neville reassured her. “Here, let me give you a hand.”

Neville covertly took his wand out again and whispered a Growth Spell to make his papel picado long enough to span both tables. He then took half of his incense, candles and marigolds and put them on Susan’s altar.

Susan looked like she was going to cry from Neville’s show of kindness. The two of them stepped back and surveyed their work.

Susan looked over at Neville. As luck would have it, Neville turned a second later to find Susan looking him up and down. With a barely audible gasp, Susan turned her attention back to the altars. He smiled at the blush that had taken over Susan’s entire face.

Hmmm…very interesting, he thought.

Neville he had seen Susan blush before, but never like she was at that moment. She looked like she wanted to melt into the ground below her. Neville tried desperately to keep himself from laughing. He was usually the one to get embarrassed.

Susan broke the silence by asking, “So, what have you been up to since leaving Hogwarts?”

“Well, as you know, I’ve been working with Sebastian Thyrsus. That work has been very fulfilling and interesting.”

“What do you do when you’re not working?” asked Susan.

“Hmmm…good question. I do a lot of reading. Sometimes I go to museums or the theatre with Hermione. We’ve keep each other company the past few months.”

Neville watched something flash across Susan’s face. He couldn’t quite tell what it was exactly. It was gone too quickly.

“I thought she was going out with Ron,” said Susan trying to sound casual.

“Oh, she is,” said Neville. “But he and Harry have been traveling quite a bit. As you can imagine, they’ve had invitations from all over the world. But Hermione hasn’t really been well enough to travel with them. So when Ron was away, I tried to keep her distracted and busy.”

Susan sighed out loud. “That was so kind of you! It must have helped Hermione a lot. And I’m sure it was nice to keep in touch with people from Hogwarts. I miss everyone so much.”

Susan’s babbling was interrupted by a bell ringing in the nearby church.

Neville looked at his watch and nodded. He saw Susan’s inquiring look and explained.

“The bells will ring every thirty seconds until the sun comes up. They are summoning the dead.”

“You think we’ll see any ghosts tonight?” Susan asked.

Of course, Susan and Neville were quite used to the presence of ghosts from their time at Hogwarts. But neither had run into one since they left school.

“Probably,” said Neville. “I hadn’t really thought about that. It might make for some interesting sights tonight.”

They laughed as they imagined Nearly Headless Nick and The Fat Friar making their way through the festival.

“Look at that family over there,” said Susan pointing to a group of people gathered near them.

Neville watched as an elderly man was telling stories to the children sitting at his feet. The children laughed as their parents smiled and looked lovingly at the portraits of a woman behind them.

“That’s sweet,” said Neville. “Do you have any idea what he’s saying?”

“No,” answered Susan. “I don’t speak Spanish. But it’s not hard to imagine. I’m sure their stories aren’t that different from ours.”

“Probably not,” agreed Neville. “Just with a lot less snow and cold weather.”

Susan laughed at Neville’s joke, which made him feel like the cleverest bloke within miles.

Their conversation continued right along with the bells throughout the night. Even if any ghosts had shown up, Susan and Neville wouldn’t have noticed. They were completely focused on one another. Neville told Susan about the last days with his parents. Susan shared what she went through after her Aunt was killed.

Before they knew it, all was quiet around them. They looked to see the sun barely visible over the horizon. It was morning already. The bells had stopped ringing and people were quietly taking down their altars. Neville and Susan did the same. They were walking toward Neville’s hotel when he broke their comfortable silence.

“I’m glad you came, Susan,” said Neville. “It would have been a long night without you.”

“I’m glad I came too,” she said. “When are you going home?”

“Probably tomorrow,” answered Neville. “All I want to do right now is sleep.”

“Yeah,” agreed Susan. “I’m exhausted. Well, I guess I’ll see you sometime.”

Neville felt like he better grab this chance before it was gone.

“Do you want to have dinner with me tonight?” he asked.

“That would be lovely,” said Susan. “Let’s meet here at six-thirty. My hotel is just down the street. That’ll give us plenty of time to sleep.”

“Sounds good,” replied Neville. “I’ll see you then.”

“Okay, good night then,” said Susan.

“Good night,” replied Neville.

Neville made a small movement toward Susan. He wasn’t quite sure what exactly he would do; he was just drawn to her. Susan mirrored his approach, which Neville took as a good sign. He took a deep breath and moved in for a brief hug. After a moment he stepped away from her. They smiled contentedly at each other, neither apparently willing to be the first to turn and leave.

Finally, reluctantly, Susan turned in the direction of her hotel with a look and wave back at Neville. Neville returned her wave feeling very content with how the night had turned out.

Neville was dreaming peacefully when his eyelids were lit up by a deep orange glow. He rolled onto his side to turn his back on the intruding light but it was no good. The illumination had done its damage. He stretched lazily and enjoyed the vaguely happy mood of his half-awake state. As he came around a little more, the previous evening flooded back to his mind. He rolled over to glimpse the alarm clock beside his bed. It read seven minutes after five. The setting sun had just begun to come through the top of the french doors that led out onto his balcony.

He was stiff from standing and sitting on the ground the whole day and night before. The stone floor of the plaza was not the most comfortable place to spend the night. What his body ached for was a good run.

Anyone who had known Neville in his younger days would be shocked to know that one of his favorite pastimes was running. One of the additions to the Defense Against the Dark Arts curriculum was the development of physical as well as magical strength. Again, no one person seemed willing to take the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. A team of professors taught it in Neville’s seventh year. It was Madam Hooch who decided that everyone was too soft for a war and convinced Dumbledore to let her train the students.

Every morning Neville and his classmates would meet in front of the castle to take a run around the lake. The first day Neville thought he would die from exhaustion and lack of oxygen. Then one day, after about four weeks into the training, everything changed.

Running was suddenly exhilarating. It had become easier over the course of the past few weeks, but this day it was fun. He felt free of his clumsy body and it felt like he was flying. He even started running on the weekend when he was tired of studying or stuck on an essay. His chubby body transformed into a lean, toned one. His Gran didn’t even complain about having to buy a whole new wardrobe for him.

“You look so much more like your father now,” she kept saying.

Neville threw on some shorts and T-shirt before lacing up his trainers and heading out the door.

~~~~~ : : ~~~~~ : : ~~~~~ : : ~~~~~

Susan was still asleep when Neville began his run. She had set her alarm for half past five so she would have plenty of time to get ready. As its bells rang in her ear, Susan shoved her head under the pillow. The clock was enchanted to keep ringing until she had been standing for at least two minutes so she couldn’t turn it off and go back to sleep. She groaned as the pillows did little to drown out the alarm. At last, she forced herself into a sitting position and glared at the clock.

Susan eventually walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth and take a shower. Once she was fully awake from her shower, she put on her robe and went out onto the balcony to watch the sunset for a while. Her mind drifted to the previous night. She had actually enjoyed herself. Neville wasn’t the same as he had been at Hogwarts. He didn’t jabber on anymore about Herbology or his Gran. He seemed much more relaxed and at peace with himself somehow.

She looked down at the street below her as a fast moving object attracted her attention. As she focused on it, she realized that it was Neville. She remembered Professor Lupin’s morning assignments and was amazed that he had continued running after Hogwarts.

Hmmmm, she thought, I guess that explains the nice body.

Susan watched Neville run all the way up the street until he disappeared over the hill.

He has a very nice bum, passed through her mind before she caught herself.

She laughed at herself as she shook her head. If someone had told her a couple of years ago that she would be thinking of Neville like that, she would have laughed for days.

~~~~~ : : ~~~~~ : : ~~~~~ : : ~~~~~

Five miles and half an hour later, Neville made it back to his hotel room. As he stood in the shower letting the hot water pound on his back, he began to get nervous about meeting Susan. He wasn’t much of a dater and hoped that he wouldn’t embarrass himself during dinner.

Neville went down to the lobby a few minutes early to find Susan coming through the doorway. She was wearing a while cotton dress that seemed to float around her, casting a glow that added to her ethereal appearance. Neville stood stunned for a minute as she looked around the lobby. Then, Susan turned her face in Neville’s direction to find him staring with his mouth hanging open. She gave a bright smile and headed in his direction.

Pull yourself together, man! thought Neville as she approached.

“You look beautiful, Susan,” said Neville, relieved that his voice had not failed him.

“Thank you,” said Susan shyly.

They stood there in silence for a minute looking at each other. Neville came to his senses first.

“Are you ready to go to dinner?” he asked.

Susan nodded as she took his arm. They walked out into the plaza to find it almost as crowded as it had been the night before. The locals had apparently slept most of the day just as Neville and Susan had. They were sitting at the tables that had been brought back out after the altars had been removed. Families had pulled tables together to have dinner. Children were running around with the leftover candy skulls after being cooped up all day inside.

Once in the restaurant, Neville and Susan were seated at small, cozy table at the back. They ordered enchiladas, tamales and chile rellenos. Then the waiter came by with a cart to make fresh guacamole at their table. When he had gone, Neville felt a brief apprehension now that they were alone. But his fears vanished quickly as easy conversation started.

“So what made you want to be a healer, Susan?” asked Neville.

“Well, I went to work at the Ministry after I left Hogwarts. Nothing special, it was just an entry level job in the Department of Magical Transportation. But I really couldn’t bear it. Everyone treated me like I was some fragile china doll because of my Aunt. I couldn’t stand how everyone would look at me with pity.”

“I know that look. I’ve lived with it all my life,” said Neville.

“Yeah, I was tired of it. So I applied to the Healer Program and here I am.”

They were interrupted by the arrival of their dinner, but their conversation flowed freely for the rest of the meal. Neville told Susan all about his research.

“That would be amazing if you could grow the plants we need more quickly. It’s always nerve racking when we’re low on a potion and have to wait for one of its components to mature before we can make more,” commented Susan.

“Just think about all those people in our second year who could have been unpetrified if we had been able to brew the Mandrake draught earlier,” said Neville.

“Definitely,” agreed Susan, “it will be a wonderful advancement. You’ll have to keep me updated on your progress.”

“I will,” promised Neville.

They slowly ate their food as they continued to talk. Neither of them seemed to want the meal to end. They were both stalling the end of the meal when the waiter brought a basket of sopaipillas. The waiter had never received such appreciation over a dessert in his life.

Finally, Neville paid the bill and they left the restaurant. They walked very slowly down the plaza, looking in every shop window to delay their arrival back at the hotel. But all too soon they soon found themselves in front of Susan’s hotel.

“Are you going back to London tomorrow?” asked Neville.

“That was my plan,” replied Susan.

“We could travel together, if you like,” said Neville.

Susan beamed at Neville as she answered, “I would like that very much!”

Neville found himself drawn towards her. He gathered his courage and leaned down to kiss her softly. A soft sigh escaped Susan as their kiss continued. Neville smiled inwardly and forced himself to pull away. He smiled down at Susan who had not opened her eyes. When she looked up at Neville, he pulled her into a tight hug.

“Thank you for tonight,” he said. “I’ve had a wonderful time.”

“So have I,” said Susan. “I’ll see you in the morning, then?”

“I’ll be here,” answered Neville.

Susan sighed deeply as she turned away. She continued to look back at Neville as she made her way inside the hotel.

Neville remained motionless for five minutes just gazing at the space where Susan had stood a few moments ago. Somehow, he didn’t want to let go of that moment. Finally, he turned towards his hotel, his mind full of what had happened that evening; of Susan, her smile, how she had looked in that white dress and how they had kissed. He had never felt less like walking as he broke into a run and sprinted the rest of the way back to his hotel. Neville felt that the morning couldn’t come fast enough.

A quiet plaza greeted Neville the next morning. He looked around as he stretched before his morning run. Only two days ago, it had been a strange and uncomfortable place. But now it was where he had made a fresh and exciting start with Susan. The whole town seemed much friendlier as he ran the same course he had run the evening before. Even thought he had not slept much, Neville felt energized. He was happier than he could remember being. As he headed back toward his hotel, Neville looked up to see a young woman walk out on a balcony gripping a coffee cup for dear life.

“Good morning, Susan!” he called.

A small squeal escaped from Susan as she spun around to the source of Neville’s voice. She narrowly avoided dropping the cup as hot coffee scalded her hands.

“Good morning, Neville,” she managed as she shook the coffee from her hands.

“Sorry,” he said fighting the laugh that was tickling his throat. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Susan tried to respond but had started giggling so much that she was in danger of spilling her coffee again. Neville stopped fighting his impulse to laugh and joined in.

“Well, you did a better job of waking me than the coffee would have,” Susan finally managed to say.

“Give me fifteen minutes. I’ll be back,” said Neville.

“Fifteen minutes!” exclaimed Susan. “Better make that half an hour, Longbottom.”

“OK,” he said, smiling up at her. “I’ll try, but I’m not making any promises.”

Neville jogged backwards as he left Susan standing on her balcony. He finally turned around and ran the rest of the way to his hotel.

Twenty-two minutes later, Neville was pacing in Susan’s hotel lobby watching the clock above the reception desk. He had showered, shrunk his luggage, checked out and walked over to her hotel. He had hoped that all of that would have taken up most of the half an hour that Susan demanded, but he still had eight whole minutes to wait.

---

Neville looked around the lobby of Susan’s hotel. It was more luxurious than his hotel had been but rather touristy. Oaxaca seemed to be best enjoyed if you stayed amongst the locals. Neville vowed to learn more Spanish before he returned. He was sure he would come back.

The door of the lift dinged and Neville turned around to find Susan grinning at him. He was quite stunned yet again at her appearance. She tiptoed to kiss him quickly and brought Neville back to his senses.

“Have you have breakfast?” asked Neville.

“No,” answered Susan. “Just some coffee.”

“Do you want to eat here or back at home?”

“Let’s go home,” said Susan. “I would kill for a bowl of porridge. This Mexican cooking is good but I don’t think I can handle any more.”

“Me neither,” agreed Neville. “Let’s go.”

They walked together to the edge of town where they found a nice secluded spot to Disapparate. They both closed their eyes so they could focus completely on their destination. It was such a long way to go and Neville did not want a splinching to ruin his day with Susan.

When Neville opened his eyes, Susan was still there but instead of warm sunshine around them, there was the cool darkness of the Leaky Cauldron. Susan smiled at Neville and took his hand. Neville fought the urge to check body parts to make sure everything was still there and followed her to a table to order breakfast.

---

By the time they had finished their breakfasts and passed through the archway, Diagon Alley was packed full of shoppers. Even in the crowd, Neville and Susan seemed secluded in their own world. They window shopped and talked. Lunchtime was upon them quickly and the rest of the afternoon melted away. Before either of them was ready, it was time to part.

“Do you have to work tomorrow?” asked Neville.

“Yes, do you?” responded Susan.

“Yes,” said Neville, for the first time regretting the fact that he had a job to go to. “Can I see you on Friday?”

“Yes, I would love that,” she replied, taking a step closer and turning her face up to his.

As he bent down to meet her lips, Neville realized that everything was right in the world.

---

That Friday night turned into every weekend, and very soon every weekend became every day. Soon enough, Susan was all but moved into Neville’s flat. As Ron and Hermione’s wedding day approached, Neville became increasingly nervous. Susan assumed he was apprehensive about standing up in front of everyone as one of Ron’s groomsmen. But Neville had an altogether different reason.

The day of the wedding was the first truly warm ones since the beginning of spring. The sun was bright and there was a freshness in the air that invigorated anyone who stepped outdoors. Susan was admiring her new dress in the mirror when she caught someone else in the mirror behind her. Neville had just come from the bathroom nearly dressed for the wedding. He looked very handsome in his new dress robes. Susan smiled as he struggled with his tie.

“Let me help,” she offered.

“Thanks,” said Neville with a sigh. “I just can’t get my mind together today.”

“Are you nervous about the wedding?”

“No, not really,” he admitted.

Susan looked into Neville’s eyes questioningly. “Well, what then?”

He took a few steadying breaths of air before reaching down into his pocket. He pulled out a small purple velvet box. Susan’s hands froze in the middle of tying the knot.

“Susan, these past few months have been incredible. I want us to be together forever. Will you marry me?”

Susan gave a whoop and started jumping and spinning around the room. This went on for what seemed like an eternity to Neville before he interrupted.

“Um, Susan?”

“Oh! Yes, Neville, yes!” she said as she threw her arms around his neck.

At that inopportune moment, a knock came at the door.

“I guess that’s Harry and Luna,” said Susan with a heavy sigh.

“I guess it is,” said Neville holding her back for just another moment. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

---

As the four made their way to the Chelsea Physic Garden, Susan and Luna gushed about her new ring and the beginnings of wedding plans. Neville was content to walk behind them with Harry and observe her as she laughed and talked with her friend. The Chelsea Garden was a place Neville was looking forward to visiting. It had been established over three hundred years before by a group of Apothecaries but had been used primarily by Muggles. He was interested to see what kinds of plants would be in there though he would have to be discreet. Susan had threatened him with a Babbling Curse if he tried to work while at the wedding.

As Susan sat with Luna, Harry and Neville went to check on Ron. He was in a tent near the lawn where the wedding would take place. He was pacing back and forth with ears as red as Neville had ever seen them. Fred and George were no help.

“Don’t trip on your way back up the aisle,” teased George.

“And don’t say someone else’s name during your vows,” added Fred.

At this, Ron spun around, “Why in Merlin’s name would I do that?”

Harry put his hand on Ron’s shoulder as Charlie forcibly ushered Fred and George out of the tent.

“You know they’re just teasing,” said Harry. “They just don’t know how to show their excitement any other way.”

“I know,” said Ron, flopping down in a chair. “I just want to see Hermione and finally be married. I’m going to go crazy in here.”

“Just ten more minutes,” said Neville. “You can make that, no problem.”

Harry and Neville managed to distract Ron until Mrs. Weasley stuck her head inside the tent.

“It’s time!” she trilled. “My little Ronnie is going to be married! Oh!”

The flap swung shut as she fluttered away to gather the rest of the wedding party.

Ron beamed as he stood up and lead the way out of the tent. They took their place by the Ministry official and waited for the music to cue the bridesmaids. The Garden was a magical setting on this spring evening. Everything was perfect as Ron and Hermione recited their vows to each other and exchanged rings. As Neville made his way up the aisle with Hermione’s childhood muggle friend on his arm, he winked at Susan.

When he had passed, Susan heard excited twittering behind her. She looked back to find Lavendar, Parvati and Padma whispering excitedly while staring at Neville’s retreating form. She turned back to Luna and smiled. The guests were finally excused to the reception and Susan went to find her new fiancé. She found him surrounded by the three women looking bewildered and a little bit frightened. She bit her cheek to keep from laughing and went to his rescue.

Susan laid her left hand casually on Neville’s arm and greeted her former classmates.

“Lavendar! Parvati! Padma! How are you?” she said.

The three women just stared from Susan’s ring to Neville and back at the ring again. Parvati came out of her astonishment first and greeted Susan with a hug.

“It looks like you’re doing well,” she Parvati as she took Susan’s hand to get a closer look at her ring.

“I am,” responded Susan as she looked up at Neville. He seemed to relax as he looked into her eyes and smiled gratefully.

“So when is the big day?” asked Lavendar.

“We haven’t set it yet,” explained Neville. “I just proposed earlier today.”

“Well, congratulations!” said Padma. “I’m dying for some punch. You girls coming?”

“Yeah,” responded Parvati and Lavendar.

“It was good to see you,” said Parvati as they walked away.

“You too!” responded Neville and Susan.

The band started playing a slow song as Ron and Hermione walked out onto the dance floor. Neville put his arms around Susan as they watched the couple waltz around the floor. After a minute, Harry and Luna joined them and other couples followed suit. Neville took Susan’s hand and led her to the dance floor.

Just a few months later, it was Susan and Neville who were the first on the floor to celebrate their marriage. They built a peaceful life together. Very soon, Neville was named the Head of the new Herbology Research Department of the Ministry of Magic. But Herbology wasn’t the most important thing in his life ever again. Susan stopped working at St. Mungo’s after the arrival of their first baby and when after fourteen years their third child left for Hogwarts, she couldn’t resist the opportunity to go back to work. The new Minister of Magic, Hermione Weasley, asked her to serve as the Ministry’s liason at St. Mungo’s and Susan had taken the job enthusiastically.

Neville and Susan spent a happy life with their family and friends. They returned to Oaxaca many times but it was only Neville who returned for a second Dia de los Muertos. This time his altar was much bigger and filled with many precious memories. He sat through the night as the bells rang, summoning the dead to join them.

Neville blinked as a young woman walked up to him. His eyes couldn’t quite focus on her until she was right in front of him. He blinked harder. It was his Susan, just as she looked when they had first come to Mexico. He didn’t care what was possible and what was not. There she was, with him again. She took his hand and they walked again through the plaza as they had done so many years ago.

As the sun rose, a young man who had often seen Neville and Susan over the years noticed Neville still sitting at his altar. He came over to check on the elderly man.

“¿Señor Longbottom?”

There was no answer.

“¿Excúsene, Señor Longbottom?” he said louder.

The man placed his fingers on Neville’s throat but could find no pulse. He sighed as he looked over the altar at the pictures and momentos of Neville and Susan’s life together.

“Resto en paz, Señor Longbottom,” he said softly. “Resto en paz.”