Written for my real life friend, Victoria, for her birthday. She insisted that I write her a story of her and Neville, where Neville proposes or they get married, and something to do with dragons.

Flying High

The Battle at Hogwarts was well and truly over now; it had been for some months.

Amongst all the death and destruction that had taken place, there were chances to smile. There were parties and celebrations all over Britain, celebrating the demise of Lord Voldemort. Death Eaters still roamed, of course, but it was only those who remained truly loyal. Many had denounced themselves as Death Eaters, claiming they had only done his bidding due to the Imperius Curse.

Whether that was true or now was a matter for the Ministry of Magic, and the greatly depleted Auror department.

The majority of people were simply trying to move on with their lives; trying to forget.

Neville Longbottom was one of those people.

He had played such a large role in the final battle, and it still felt strange to be waking up to a proper bed with no burns, or gashes, that had kept him awake for the most of the nights in his seventh year. He was safely inside his grandmother's house – his wand under his pillow just in case – keeping warm.

The memories still haunted him, but as a whole, Neville was doing okay. Not two days ago, he had received a letter from the Ministry, congratulating him on his successes over the last year.

Neville didn't think it was anything to be congratulated on – after all, it had been out of necessity, not desire – but as his eyes darted further down the letter, he let out a squeak of surprise.

Augusta – Neville's grandmother – poked her head around the corner. "What is it, Neville, dear?" she asked.

Neville looked at her. Despite her age (how old was she anyway?) she looked very much alive and well. The only thing that had changed was the look she gave her grandson. An expression that had once been filled with something bordering disappointment now watched him with adoring, proud eyes. He had finally lived up to the standards of her son, and Augusta couldn't have been more proud of him.

"They-they have…." Neville couldn't get the right words out. The shock was too much.

"Out with it!" Augusta demanded, waddling over to him.

Neville glanced back down at the letter. "They've accepted me into an Auror program," he said.

This time it was his grandmother's turn to be surprised. "My boy, are you sure?" She snatched the letter from his hands, reading through it. Her eyes widened in surprise. "But, you're barely out of school!" she exclaimed. "You're just a child; a child who is yet to complete his NEWTs."

Neville wanted to question why he needed to finish his NEWTs when he was being offered this position anyway. Neville had always wanted to be an Auror, he just never thought it possible to do it. He had thought himself not good enough for the demanding task (or the grades).

Augusta watched him. "What will you do?" she asked.

"Well…" Neville reread the letter. "There's a meeting midday tomorrow for all those that were accepted… I guess I could go and see?"

Augusta nodded. "Go, Neville!" she said. "Oh, your parents would be so proud of you."

Neville smiled at her. "Do you think?" he questioned.

"Yes, of course! Oh, what a day this is. My grandson, an Auror!"

"Maybe," Neville reminded her. "I'm just looking, remember?"

Augusta brushed him off. "You'll be fine," she promised. "Oh, what a day this is!"

Without another word, she waddled off, probably to inform all of her friends of her grandson's success.

OOO

It seemed Neville was one of just 10 people selected for a meeting with the Aurors the following day. As he timidly entered the room, he instantly recognised all but two people.

Harry Potter waved to him, offering the empty seat beside him. Nevile complied, relieved to have found somebody he knew.

Fidgeting beside Harry was Ron. He looked just as surprised as Neville felt to be there. On Ron's other side was Hermione. She was sitting there placidly, looking neither shocked nor pleased to be where she was.

"Hi!" Neville said to the three of them.

They all smiled fondly at him.

"Hey, haven't seen you in a while," Ron commented, smiling uncertainly.

Neville shrugged. "I've been keeping low," he said. "Which is something I can't say for you," he added. Every second day, Harry Potter appeared in the Daily Prophet for one thing or another. As much as he liked Harry, it was getting rather annoying.

Harry groaned. "I wish I could," he said.

"So… you all got your owls yesterday too?" Neville then questioned.

The three of them nodded.

"Yep. I'm not gonna lie, though – it was a bit of a shock," Ron said. "I mean us… Aurors!"

"It's cool, though," Neville added. "Being Aurors. And we didn't even complete Hogwarts properly!"

At those words, Hermione gave an indignant laugh. If Harry and Ron had heard her, they chose to ignore it. Perhaps they were used to it.

There was no more time for talking, because Kingsley Shacklebolt – the temporary Minister – had just entered the room. His arrival silenced any chatter that had been present, and they all turned to him in anticipation.

"So," he began, looking around at the ten of them, "I am sure you're all curious as to why you are here?"

"Because you want us to join to Aurors," a man Neville recognised, but didn't know the name of, said.

The Minister nodded. "That is true," he said. "You have all been individually selected by myself to join a program I have named The Battle Program. Many of you are aware that our numbers greatly diminished a few months prior to this meeting, and we are looking to restore the department over time. Of course, to become a fully qualified Auror, it will take years of training and persistence, and I have no doubt not all of you will be here by the end of it."

Neville grimaced. The process sounded painful.

"Nonetheless, I have selected the ten of you based on my own observations. You have each shown strength and determination in various situations, and I think you will all be suited."

Hermione raised her hand.

"Yes, Hermione?" Kingsley asked. "You don't need to raise your hand, you know."

Hermione blushed. "Kingsley… sir… Minister… I was just wondering… to become an Auror, isn't it necessary to have completed our NEWTs successfully?"

Kingsley nodded. "In normal terms, yes," he said. "However, I also believe that an exam result does not always show one's ability to engage in strenuous tasks such as these. You have all shown your ability in action, though, so I see no issues as to why you need to complete your NEWTs."

Hermione still looked troubled by this, but remained silent. Kingsley continued.

"Any other questions?"

Nobody spoke.

"Great. Now, this is intended to just be a meeting, but the best part of Auror work is the field work, so I'd like you all to pair up and we'll practice a few basic spells."

Naturally, Ron grabbed Hermione instantly, so that left only Harry. Neville was about to join him, but was beaten to it by Ernie MacMillan. What was he doing there?

"Pair-up, Harry?" Ernie asked. "I could do with some tips."

Harry shot Neville an apologetic look, before nodding. "Sure, Ernie," he said. The two went to find a spare area in the room.

Neville sighed. It was typical to always be left to last.

"Oh, hi. It looks like we're the only ones left."

Neville spun around, blinking wordlessly at the young woman standing before him. She looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't name her. He guessed that she might have been the year ahead of him at Hogwarts, but he wasn't certain. A Ravenclaw, perhaps.

He looked uncertainly around the room. It seemed that she was right. Everyone else had paired off.

"Er, okay," he said awkwardly.

She smiled at him. "I'm Victoria," she said. "Nice to meet you."

Neville returned the smile. "Neville," he said.

They found an empty space in the room, right beside Ron and Hermione. Kingsley stood in the centre.

"Just some basic spells," he reminded them. "Nothing you wouldn't have learnt by third year."

Once upon a time ago, the idea of performing magic in front of people would have frightened him, but nowadays, he felt rather comfortable. He had some faith in his own ability now, so it wasn't all bad if he misfired a spell every once in a while.

And, it certainly wasn't so bad when Padma Patil (what was she doing there?) exploded a window.

Everyone stopped to watch, as the young woman blushed.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

They returned to their tasks, muttering spell after spell. Neville was actually quite impressed by Victoria. He couldn't remember her being in the DA, so he'd never seen her use magic before. But, she blocked all of his spells rather comfortably, and when Kingsley called an end to their session, she tucked her wand in her pocket, and smiled again.

"That was fun," she said.

Neville nodded. Yeah, it was.

"Well done, everyone," Kingsley said. "We'll have another meeting this coming weekend. There, we'll discuss your potential future with the Aurors. It was wonderful to see you all again. You'll each receive an owl with times in the next few days."

Everyone looking flustered and worked from the small training session, Neville took his time in gathering his stuff. He thought he was the last one left, but when he turned around, he found Victoria waiting at the door for him.

"Hey, thanks," he said, feeling a touch of disappointment that none of the others had waited for him.

"That's okay," Victoria answered. "So, how are you?"

"Exhausted after that," Neville responded, feeling more than awkward talking to somebody he had just met. "Kingsley really knows how to work us. It's worse than the DA."

They walked in silence for a few moments before Victoria spoke again. "How was the DA?" she asked. "I was never part of it."

Neville beamed. "Fun!" he said. "Though, a lot of work."

"I wish I could have joined it, but it didn't feel right."

"You should have," Neville told her. "You would have been welcome."

Victoria smiled. "Oh, thank you," she said. "But, it doesn't matter now."

They reached the exit of the Ministry.

"What way are you going?" he asked her.

"Back to Ireland," she replied. "I need to use the Floo Network."

Neville blushed. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Victoria shook her head. "Don't be," she said. "It's okay… well, I'll see you soon. On the weekend." She gave him another smile.

Neville nodded. "Okay," he said. "Partners again?"

"That sounds great," Victoria answered. "See you."

And before Neville could speak another word, she was gone.

OOO

Neville attended the next meeting with more anticipation, and the one after that, even more so. He actually enjoyed this Auror business. Being able to use all he learned in a profession was a fantastic idea, and he really couldn't see himself doing much else when he was in the room, facing Victoria, or Harry, or Ron.

His grandmother had told everybody she knew, and before long, the majority of the wizarding world were aware of the ten selected to participate in the Auror program.

Kingsley gave them pamphlets, brochures, and even verbals about what being an Auror pertained. It was interesting and frightening all at once.

By the time the fourth meeting came around, Neville felt more than comfortable in the presence of the other nine. He had bonded well with Victoria – which surprised him. She was kind, and she seemed to enjoy working with him when no one else did.

Smiling to himself as he entered the room, he was disappointed to find only six others there. He glanced at the clock.

"Everyone's late," he observed, taking his normal seat in between Harry and Victoria.

"No, mate, I think they've left," Harry said. He pointed to the empty seat beside Ron, where Hermione used to sit.

"Hermione's gone?" he questioned, extremely surprised.

Looking less than pleased by this, Ron nodded. "Yes," he groaned. "She wanted to go back and finish at Hogwarts. Apparently, as much as she admires those who can do it, being an Auror is not for her." Crossing his arms, he sunk back into his chair, an unsatisfied expression on his face.

Neville and Harry shared a look.

Harry shrugged. "I think he's just upset that he's lost his partner," he whispered so Ron wouldn't hear.

Neville grinned, before turning to his left, greeting Victoria. "You're still here," he observed.

"Of course," Victoria replied.

The previous meetings had been just Kingsley, but this time the Minister brought along with him two other people.

"I'd like you all to meet Benedict and Lucia," he said. "Benedict is the new Head of the Aurors, and Lucia is third in charge. They are here to talk to you about the risks involved when accepting missions."

The topic was very interesting, and of course, important. Although before the battle there had been very few deaths, in times before that, it was known for some Aurors to lose their lives on particular missions.

It concerned Neville, but he was far from frightened by the prospect. After all, he had survived a war, where he could have died at any moment. Maybe he should have died, even. Any time he had now was just a bonus.

It wasn't until after the meeting that Neville learned more about why Victoria was in the small group. She introduced him to Benedict, her father.

"This is Neville," she explained. "Neville Longbottom."

Benedict held out his hand to shake. "It's a pleasure, Neville," he said. "Victoria has talked a lot about you these past weeks."

Despite himself, Neville blushed. "R-really?" he asked.

Benedict nodded. "Yes."

"Oh, well, I must have had an influence," he said bashfully. And it was in that moment that he realised that perhaps the reason he looked forward to every meeting was not all to do with becoming an Auror. It might have also had something to do with the people (or person) he'd get to see while he was there.

This new revelation caused him to blush again, and he surreptitiously left Victoria and her father to themselves.

Things became rather uncomfortable after that. Neville tried to sneak out of the room without being seen, but Victoria found him just by the exit.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yes," Neville assured her.

"Are you sure?" There was concern on her face, one that Neville tried to ignore.

"I'm fine," he promised.

"Okay. Well, I'll see you on the weekend." She turned to leave, but on the spur of the moment, he called her back.

"Hey!" he said. "Would you like to maybe… get… go to Diagon Alley… tomorrow?"

At the question, Victoria's eyes brightened. "That would be lovely," she answered with a smile. "Where should we go?"

Neville bit his lip, thinking. "Just… er… a coffee shop somewhere?" he asked hesitantly.

Victoria nodded. "That's a great idea," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow." She turned to leave again, but turned back for a second time. "Oh, what time?"

"Er… ten?" Neville said.

"That's perfect!" Victoria said. "I'll see you then."

Neville left the Ministry that afternoon feeling rather accomplished. He hadn't really made the best impression, but at least she had agreed.

Now, all he had to do was wait for tomorrow to come.

OOO

Tomorrow came by faster than Neville expected. Before he knew it, it was nine-thirty, and he'd probably have to think about leaving.

It wasn't until he Apparated into the Leaky Cauldron and made his way through the brick-wall entrance that he realised out of everything they had organised, neither of them had bothered to actually wonder where they were meeting.

Neville had said a coffee shop, but there were multiple coffee shops in Diagon Alley and Victoria could have been at any of them.

That was, of course, if she had bothered to come at all. Maybe she'd had second thoughts and not bothered to come….

No, that didn't sound like her.

But, he didn't even know her. He'd spent some one hour meetings with her, but he didn't even know her last name….

Groaning, Neville had every mind to turn around and maybe come back in a few months' time, but he never got the chance. He spotted Victoria waving to him out the front of Florean Fortescue's ice-cream parlour.

"Hello," she said.

"Hi," Neville replied. "You came."

"Of course!" Victoria answered.

"Well… where would you like to go?"

Victoria shook her head. "It's up to you," she said. "Wherever you want to."

Neville thought about it for a while. He wasn't all that familiar with the coffee shops in Diagon Alley. The only memories he had of ever going into them was with his grandmother when she met up with some of her own friends. Those times were some of Neville's worst memories. He'd hated it.

However, there was one place that came to mind; a place he'd never been to before, which meant no memories to go with it. He didn't know what it was like, but he'd heard people speak highly of it.

"Can I show you a place?" he asked.

Victoria nodded. "Of course."

He led her around a corner. The alleyway was dark and narrow, and barley able to fit a person either way through, but it was still fairly busy. Witches and wizards strolled past, talking and gossiping. Eventually, they came to the place Neville wanted.

It was an older café, and only a few people were inside. Sorcière à Manger, it read. Neville didn't know what it meant, but it sounded nice.

"Is this okay?" he asked nervously.

"It's perfect!" Victoria answered. "After you."

"Er… thanks," Neville said, pushing open the door to the small shop. As they entered, not a single person looked their way. They were all too engrossed in their own problems to notice Neville. The only one who did approach them was the waitress.

"Would you like a table?" she asked.

"Yes, please," Neville said.

"Just the two of you?"

Neville nodded, and the waitress smiled.

"Follow me," she said. She led them to one of the corners of the shop. A wave of her wand set the table straight, and both Neville and Victoria sat down.

"Thanks for coming," Neville said after the waitress had left them. "I was bit worried you wouldn't." He blushed.

"Of course I would!" Victoria answered.

Neville smiled. "Thanks."

After that, Neville had no idea what else to say to her. He tried asking her about herself, but the words came out all jumbled. It was Victoria who initiated the conversation, and once Neville got started, he couldn't stop.

He told her about everything that had happened to him in his life – well, everything except about his parents. That was a story for another day, he decided. Maybe once he knew her better.

Victoria listened without saying a word, and before he knew it, the waitress had brought their food over to them.

All in all, it was a lovely time for the pair of them, and an enjoyable date… because that was what it was, Neville decided. A date.

They left after spending a good few hours together, and wandered down the street.

"Er… so that was nice," Neville said.

"It was lovely," Victoria replied. "I had a lovely time."

Neville felt his stomach flip upside down, and he swallowed an invisible lump in his throat. "Maybe we could do it again someday?" he asked nervously.

"I'd love to!" Victoria replied. "Where would you like to go?"

"You choose this time," Neville responded. "I chose today."

Victoria nodded. "Okay," she said. She smiled. "I've always wanted to ride a dragon."

Neville stopped where he was. He turned to face her. "You what?" he questioned. Surely, he had misheard her. Surely, she had not just suggested they ride a dragon.

"We should ride a dragon!" Victoria repeated, and this time Neville was sure he couldn't have misheard her.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

Victoria nodded. "My uncle works with dragons," she said. "I'm sure I can talk to him."

The lump in Neville's throat had become bigger in a matter of seconds. His stomach lurched. "Um…."

"But you've fought Voldemort," Victoria protested, seeming to sense his uneasiness. "A dragon should be nothing."

They breathe fire! Neville wanted to say. They're dangerous. But not wanting to appear a coward in front of her, he nodded. "You're right," he said. "It is nothing. A dragon it is! Next weekend?"

Victoria nodded. "Sounds great!" she said. "And I'll talk to my uncle, though it may take a little longer than a week to talk him round!"

Neville wasn't convinced her uncle would think it a fantastic idea either, but he didn't say anything. After all, not many people would have the chance to ride a dragon in their lives.

Then again, there was probably a very good reason for that.

Saying goodbye to Victoria, Neville made his way back to the Leaky Cauldron with a sense of dread. Surely, coffee at a café like the one they had just been to was good enough. Surely dragons were a bit extreme.

Apparently not, he groaned to himself. He'd just have to accept the fact that he'd only had one more week to live.

OOO

The next few weeks went by faster than Neville hoped for. Despite his grandmother's prompting, Neville didn't breathe a word about Victoria, or why he kept seeing her.

Two days after their first date, he received an owl from her, informing him that her uncle (against his strong insistence it was a bad idea) had granted them permission to ride one of the dragons he cared for.

It was an older one, apparently. One that was in its last hundred or so years of life. Her uncle thought it would be relatively harmless.

As excited as Victoria sounded at the prospect, Neville had been hoping that her uncle would have refused them. That way, maybe he could have taken her to another coffee shop. Maybe in Hogsmeade this time.

They met for their Auror meeting (where yet another person – Ernie MacMillan – had left to pursue a different career) that morning (five weeks later), and then Victoria gave him the coordinates to her uncle's reserve.

It was back in Ireland (only a small place, with five dragons).

Swallowing hard, Neville Apparated there, and received the fright of his life when he almost landed on top of one of the vicious looking things.

"Watch it!" a middle-aged man cried, stepping in front of Neville with his wand. The dragon cringed away at the sight, moving to join his fellow dragons some distance away.

"You need to watch where you're Apparating, son," the man replied. He studied Neville. "And you are?"

"Neville, sir," Neville replied. "Neville Longbottom."

It took a moment, but the man finally registered. "Ah, of course. Patrick informed me of his niece coming for a ride on one of these dragons. You must be her date."

Neville nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Well, I'll take you to my boss," the man said. "The name's Cillian O'Hare," he added.

"Nice to meet you," Neville answered.

Cillian chuckled. "I take it you are not so keen on this outing?" he asked.

Neville shook his head. "I can't say I am," he confessed. "Dragons aren't really my thing."

Cillian laughed again. "Don't worry, the one Patrick has put aside for you is rather harmless. Half blind, the poor creature. Lost her breath, too. She won't hurt you."

The man's words gave Neville little comfort. Half blind? That didn't sound good.

He was taken to a dingy old building with one desk and an empty cup sitting on the desk. A greying man sat behind it, and to Neville's relief, he spotted Victoria to the side. She smiled at him, giving him a wave.

"I found this young man almost Apparate onto Anáil de Dóiteáin's head." Cillian laughed. "I take it he's with you?" He looked to Victoria who nodded.

The man behind the desk got to his feet and extended his hand for Neville to take. "You must be Neville," he said. "Yes, Victoria has told me a lot about you. She seems to think you're a bit nervous about this little trip."

Neville rubbed the side of his neck. "A little bit, sir," he confessed. "I've never really been close to a dragon before."

The man smiled. "Call me Patrick, please," he insisted. "But, not to worry. Although I don't condone this often, I was almost begged." He glanced to his niece.

"And the dragon is harmless?" Neville asked.

Patrick nodded. "As harmless as a dragon can be," he said. "Now, are you ready to meet your ride?"

Victoria was more than excited at this prospect, but Neville trailed back out into the yard. From the corner of his eye, he spotted two dragons engaging in a battle. He was quite glad he wasn't anywhere near them.

"Here she is!" Patrick said. "Tine D'aois."

Before Neville, stood a completely black creature. It seemed to have sensed their presence by the way its nostrils flared, but it remained calm. Neville looked up at in awe.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Patrick said. "My first ever dragon… of course, I got her at a fairly old age. Too old to parent any more babies, but I couldn't let her out into the wild. She wouldn't have lasted a month."

The creature bent down low, and Patrick stepped forward to pat its nose. He smiled. "You two ready?"

Victoria was the first to approach the dragon, apparently very eager to ride it. Her uncle helped her on, and then offered to help Neville too, but Neville's pride got the better of him.

In a very inelegant fashion, Neville managed to drag himself onto the old dragon. Patrick instructed him to sit behind Victoria, which he did. Strangely, the closeness didn't make him feel strange at all. It felt nice, actually.

"Just make sure you don't let go," Patrick instructed. Without another moment of warning, the dragon took flight.

Neville had no worries about not letting go. He held onto the reigns so tightly that his knuckles went white. The wing span of the dragon was about four times Neville's length, and the take-off was bumpy.

Was that how Muggles felt when they got in one of those flying things? He'd seen one once. He and his grandmother had been terrified.

"This is great!" Victoria said from in front. Neville thought otherwise, but kept his mouth shut.

Eventually, the dragon steadied, and soon they were soaring through the sky.

Neville had never been this high before. He'd never been a good flyer, but he wasn't sure brooms could go this high anyway. Once the dragon was in the air, the ride was fairly smooth. However, he didn't dare let go of the reigns.

The clouds below were white and fluffy, and Neville had no means of determining where they were, but it didn't matter.

"Are you okay?" Victoria asked, turning her head slightly.

"Kind of!" Neville responded.

"It's wonderful, isn't it?"

"I guess," Neville replied.

The dragon made a sharp turn, almost throwing both of them from its back. For the first time in a very long time, Neville swore.

Victoria laughed.

"Sorry," he replied, feeling rather embarrassed by the slip-up.

"Don't be," Victoria replied. "It's okay."

They flew for some time in silence. It wasn't until Neville's mind started to wander that he spoke again. Up in the fresh air, feeling like he was floating, he realised that despite the terror he felt, it was relaxing at the same time.

"Hey, thanks for suggesting this!" he shouted over the rushing wind the dragon's wings were creating.

"I said it would be fun!" Victoria replied.

"We should so get married on a dragon!" The words were out of his mouth before he knew what he was saying. His face burned a deep red. What the hell had he just said?

Victoria was silent for a moment, until eventually, she replied, "That's a lovely idea," she answered.

Neville froze. "Wait… what?" he questioned. He hadn't meant what he had said… had he? Well, she was nice, and they had seen each other a lot these past weeks and… she seemed to like him.

"We should get married up here," Victoria said. "It's a lovely idea."

Neville was thankful she couldn't see him in that moment, because his mouth was moving up and down stupidly like a fish. He had no idea what to say to her.

"G-great," he responded. "I-I'll get onto it." Was he just engaged, or was she joking? He had no idea, but at the same time, the thought didn't terrify him. So what if he got married? It didn't matter that he'd only known Victoria for a few weeks, or that he'd only kissed her once.

No, he cared about her, and….

He smiled. "It's a wonderful idea!" he exclaimed cheerfully. "And… Victoria?"

"Yes?"

"I love you!"

So, I tried my hardest to convince Victoria (my friend) that this story wasn't going in the direction where Neville should propose... but she insisted, so I had to squeeze it in there somehow. If it had been up to me, I would have completely left that part out, but oh well.

Anyway, much of Victoria's dialogue is actually what I've heard her say before, so yeah, I stole it. I hope you liked haha. It felt so weird writing her, and I'm not sure I'll ever do it again... ever.

Please review!