Mac looked at the raw mess that used to be her right fist. That bloke had some sharp teeth. Her brother was fussing. She'd just broken up a bar fight. She was a bit of a mess because there had been a few of them. Even Brody was sporting a bloody nose. He'd flooed St. Mungo's and asked that they send someone out. She was wondering if they should floo for an Auror, but the situation was under control. It was just a few folks needing patching up now. She clenched her fist and winced in pain right as the fire flared signaling an arrival. Mac was certainly not expecting what stepped out of the fire.

"Well, this certainly isn't what I had in mind for my Sunday afternoon. Thank you all!" Neville said, brushing off his shoulder.

The corner of her mouth quirked in a slight smile. They certainly could have sent an uglier man.

"See to m'sister first," Brody all but barked.

Mac glared. Then she noticed the stranger heading towards her. Made sense. She was the only female in the place. Plus, she likely looked a fright.

"Brody, by the way you talk, your sister is the last person I need to see because she's probably the least injured. If she punches half as hard as you, she's going to be fine."

Brody did a double-take. "Longbottom? Fuckin' hell, lad! Give us a crush."

Mac watched with interest as her brother pulled a surprised... Longbottom? As he pulled a surprised Longbottom into a hug. Brody was laughing loudly and clapping Longbottom on his back.

"Now see to m'sister. Her hand's hurt, and though she willna let on, that scares her somethin' fierce. Plus, one of these wee bastards got a lucky one to her lip. Though mayhap tha' can stay. She willna be kissin' blokes wit a busted lip, aye?"

"Thanks, Brody," Neville said with a wince. "Now that I have no ribcage left, I'll just tend the to the patients, yeah?"

He turned to Mac with a lopsided grin.

"Hi. I'm Neville Longbottom. You went to Hogwarts, right? My year?"

"Aye," she said, wishing she didn't have bar fight hair and a busted lip just now. She extended her bloodied hand without even thinking about it. "Mac."

Brody snorted. "Morag really, but dinna ever call her that iffen ya like all yer parts where they're currently situated."

"Go put ice on yer bollocks," Mac snapped, then explained to Neville. "He took a kick to his crotch. Tha' was when I had to headbutt tha' cheater."

"Nice family. You're all so pleasant." Neville said with a grin. "Well then, Mac. Let's see the hand. I'll deal with your lips later."

Mac raised a brow at that. Oh really? She held her hand out towards Neville Longbottom. This did not look like the Longbottom she'd known in school. Well, known of. She had not known him. She had not really known anyone outside her own house.

He was studying the broken skin. Mac was surprised how gentle his touch was. Not that she expected a healer to be otherwise, but he was surprisingly soft of touch for having such large hands that were attached to such nice arms.

"There's bruising and tears on the skin, but the muscles and tendons will be fine. They'll still be a bit sore for a bit after I heal it, so that means constant coolness on your hand and little to no motion."

Neville waved his wand over her hand and whispered softly. The skin started healing itself and soon there was nothing but badly bruised skin. He grabbed a nearby cloth, spelled it clean and cool, and placed it on her hand.

"Hold that there," he said, looking in the bag he had brought with him. He pulled out a small bottle and an equally small cloth. He poured a drop on the cloth before lifting the cloth from her knuckles. He gently rubbed the soft terrycloth across her knuckles.

"Even though the skin is closed, there's still a risk of a small infection. This will help," Neville explained. He placed the cool cloth back on Mac's knuckles before looking at Mac's face. More specifically her mouth. He raised the same cloth he had used to wipe her knuckles. "I'm sorry to say this will sting. The busted area is too small to cast a mending spell on. The skin is too delicate, so this has to go straight on. Try not to move your lips while it goes on. This stuff tastes like something died in your mouth."

"Probably no' the most interestin' thin' she's had in her mouth in th'last twenty-four hours," Brody remarked.

Mac kept her head carefully still as she raised an arm and flipped her brother off. Neville was right though. It did sting just a bit, and it did taste rather disgusting. After he removed the cloth, she gave him a look.

"Tha' doesna taste like somethin' died. It tastes like the arse of a dead thin'."

"Ya go about lickin' dead arses?"

Mac was about to retort to her brother's quip when one of the unconscious brawlers decided not to be so unconscious any longer. He bolted to his feet and punched Brody in the face, making her brother stagger. Mac shouted and was headed that way when Neville stepped past her.

Neville narrowed his eyes when the man turned at Mac's shout and started towards them. The man held back his arm as if to punch them, when Neville grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it behind the man's back, using the leverage to slam him into the bar. Neville pushed the man harder into the bar when the man struggled.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. You see, this hold I have you in right now? With a simple twist I can snap the carpal bones in your wrist rather easily. I could fracture your ulna and radias." Neville leaned forward to speak in the man's ear. "Those are the two bones in your arm by the way. Then I could move onto the twenty seven bones and joints in your hand that I can break easily. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

The man started to whimper. Neville rolled his eyes and gripped the man's hair with his free hand, raising his head and slamming it back down onto the bar. He fell to a heap on the floor.

Neville grinned aand looked up at Mac.

She'd forgotten to breathe. Mac was just staring. Not only was he pretty, but he could obviously handle himself in a fight. Where had he been hiding from her?

"I like you."

Brody was picking himself off of the floor when he shouted, "Oh for fuck's sake! No! Absolutely not! No' again! Can't you keep it in your-"

"SHUT UP!" Mac screamed at her brother before looking back at Neville. She smiled brightly. "Ya dinna have to heal him iffen ya dinna want."

She was certain her face was carrying the dreamiest look it had ever carried, but he'd threatened a man! He'd used the words snap and fracture. He'd made the man whimper. He'd slammed a man's head against the bar and knocked him out. It had been like music. She didn't feel a great rush to get him out of his clothes either, not like with Harry, and not that she didn't want that, but she wanted to study before she devoured here. Her interest was piqued and that was the dangerous part. She was never honestly interested in them and attracted to them at the same time. The ones she was interested in became her mates, and the ones she was attracted to became a way to pass the time. They were never both.

And she was probably freaking him out with her wide-eyed staring, but she was just struck. Thank Mab he had not headbutted anyone, or she'd likely be a puddle on the floor right now.

Mac held a hand out to him in a daze. "I'm Mac."

"We've established that already," Neville replied, taking her hand again anyhow.

"Yer the prettiest man I ever saw."

"Fuckin' hell," Brody shouted. "What's WRONG wit ya? Did tha' punch to yer mouth knock somethin' in yer brain a'loose?"

Mac just ignored him for staring and smiling at Neville like an idiot.

Neville grinned a bit nervously. "She's not going to attack me, is she Brody? Did I break your sister or something?" he asked a little nervously.

"Oh she's gonna attack ya, all right. Just no' how yer thinkin'."

Mac looked at her brother in desperation. "Go away."

Neville looked between the brother and sister. "Now I remember why I'm thankful I'm an only child." He glanced between them a bit more before grabbing his bag. "So, anyone else I need to tend to? Shall I get some ice, Brody?" he asked with a snicker.

"I think Mac has somethin' she'd like yer attention to," Brody said with a chuckle.

"Yes," Mac snapped. "Perhaps we can attend to it right here on th'bar."

Brody shouted and started stalking to the back "Will ya stop talkin' bout THA' on m'bar, thank ya!"

Neville rolled his eyes. "I'm going to go check on some of the other injured people here, and you two can duke it out right here about whatever it is you're going on about now. I'll be back in about ten minutes to heal you. How does that sound?"

With that, he took off to the other side of the room where one of the drunkards had been woken up and was moaning about his shoulder.

Mac scrambled after Neville without giving her brother another thought. Following him was nice. His backside was situated just as it should be. Mac found herself staring at it so hard that when he stopped walking, she plowed right into him.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly when he gave her a look. "Thought I might..." have at you? "Help."

Neville grinned at her and squatted down next to the groaning man.

"The way I hear it, you'd know more about causing pain than fixing it." She kept staring at him with a grin on her face. "Alright," he sighed. "If you really want to help, can you fetch me wet flannels, please? Some of these injuries are cuts than need to be cleaned off."

Mac scrambled so fast, she nearly fell over.

"Can you not go fuckin' every member of the Order?" Brody hissed quietly at her. "Shall I owl Remus Lupin then?"

"He was rather fit from what I recall. I woldna kick him from th'bed."

"Morag Bride MacDougal," he snapped. Remus was old enough to be her father. His sister had no shame. "For fuck's sake."

Mac ignored him. "His hands are so gentle. Then dinna ya see him grab that man?"

She gave a dreamy sort of sigh and hurried back with Neville's wet flannels. She held them out of him, grinning.

"Thanks," Neville said absently, waving his wand over another man's black eye. He took the flannel from Mac and wiped off his hand and mended the cuts.

She moved so close to him as to nearly be touching him. She'd never paid much attention to mending. Like he said, she was usually the one doling out the punishment. She didn't even notice when she placed a hand on his shoulder. She was just watching intently, watching his hands.

After seeing to all the injured, Neville stood up and grabbed his bag.

"Well, Brody, it was great seeing you again. I hope next time it's on happier circumstances."

He could not leave already. Mac wasn't finished staring her fill as of yet. "Will ya no' have a drink or somethin' a'fore ya go then?"

"I'm working."

"Somethin' non-alcoholic of course," her face was actually going a bit pink.

"Pumpkin juice, sandwich..." Brody was saying under his breath. "Naked massage."

Neville stopped on his way to the fireplace.

"I'm going to pretend I did not just hear that. And besides, Brody, I thought you didn't swing that way." He turned with a sigh. "One water, and that's it. Sundays are supposed to be my day off, but since I'm getting extra pay for being here, I might as well be here as long as I can."

"Go away," Mac hissed at Brody.

"I wasna speakin' for m'self, Nev," Brody said, grinning. "I'll just be... somewhere else."

Mac grinned as she set a bottle of water on the bar for Neville.

"Well, I see subtlety runs in the family," he said dryly. "So, Mac, what have you done with yourself since Hogwarts? It's not too often I get to meet up with people from other houses."

"Nothin' interestin'. No' like yerself. M'brothers made me stay here in Scotland for the bulk of th'war. I just tend bar and play m'violin." She should not stop staring at him. He was going to think there was something wrong with her, but Mac was trying to soak him in. She was damned smitten, had been from the moment he'd grabbed that man.

"Hmm," Neville said as he finished taking a drink. "You play the violin? Pardon me, but you don't really seem the violin type. Do you play any other type of instrument?"

"Give me a bit and I can play anythin'." She reached under the bar and brought out her violin case. "Will holdin' m'bow hurt the mendin' ya did to m'hand?"

Neville shook his head. "It shouldn't. Your hand will be sore if you make too many fists, but that was it. If it gets too bad a mild pain relief will be fine." His face lit up. "Are you going to play something?"

"I am. Ya challenged me. Now I've to prove I am the sort that plays a violin."

Mac reached into her pocket and pulled out something to pulled her hair back with. Then she took her violin from its case. She rosined her bow and tested it against the strings, making certain it was tuned as she liked. She gave him one hooded look before she tucked the instrument under her chin and pulled the bow across the strings. Then she closed her eyes and just played. Her hand hurt a bit, but what was that when there was music to be had?

The music was beautiful. He had always liked almost any type of music. He liked to play some while he worked in his gardens, and when he worked at St. Mungo's, most of the time the music was truly horrible, but sometimes they had just calm, relaxing music... the type Mac was playing. He had always envied people who had an ear for music. He couldn't carry a tune, but he thoroughly enjoyed it when others could.

She she neared the end of the piece, Mac opened her eyes to see his reaction. Music lover. She was going to melt right here. She managed to hold it together until the song ended though.

Mac grinned. "And what type am I now?"

"My type," Neville said with a goofy grin. He quickly shook his head. "I mean my music type. I like you... I mean, your music. Your music is nice."

You could have knocked her over with a feather. He liked her music. Mac got the goofiest grin on her face as she tucked her violin in its case. She came around the bar and hopped up on a stool next to him. She was so close to him that her leg brushed his. To her the air crackled with energy when that happened. She took a deep breath and resisted the urge to hop into his lap. Damn, she really was having issues. Harry, now Neville, but there was something different about this to her. She didn't just want his clothes off. She was wanting to curl up inside him somewhere or something. It was strange for her. It was the violence. Now he liked the music.

"Do you play your music anywhere besides in private? It's been a while since I've been able to hear live music that good. The music they play at St. Mungo's is a load of crap, if you ask me. I don't have an ear for music, but yours was so much better."

If he was trying to flirt, he had figured out a way to get to her. "I play here on the weekends. I'd love it iffen ya came to hear me play."

"I may be able to late on Saturdays. I work late but since I don't have to work on Sundays I can stay up as late as I want. I'd love to hear you play."

Knickers melting? Check. Smitten beyond belief? Double check. "I'll keep somethin' warm for ya then."

"I look forward to it," he said with a grin. They both sat there for a moment before Neville cleared his throat. "Well, thanks for the... er... water. I best be on my way. I have some planting to do."

Planting? "Planting? Like wit plants?"

He gave her this look that made her chuckle.

"I mean... you have layers. Interestin'." I'm going to enjoy pealing them back.

She couldn't let him leave without touching him though. Mac braced a boot on the bottom of his stool between his parted legs and stepped onto it. His weight kept her from tipping over. She grabbed onto his shoulders, most definitely invading his personal space, but she had never been one for caution or patience. It was likely one of the main reasons her brothers had kept her as far from the war as possible. She was looking down at him. It was likely the only time she'd be able to. Mac grinned impishly.

Neville's eyes widened and he grabbed her hips to hold her steady.

"Mac? Are you alright?"

"Never better," she replied before leaning around and placing a rather chaste, for her, kiss on his cheek and hopping away. She started to walk off, but turned and walked backwards a bit. "I like yer company, Neville Longbottom. Dinna make the time between now and yer next visit here long, aye? Otherwise, I'll come lookin' for ya."

"But," Neville said with a confused face. "But you don't know where I live." He then became wary. "You don't, do you? You're not stalking me or anything?"

"No' th'now, but tha' can be arranged iffen ya'd like. I could find ya iffen I wanted. I'm no' patient and I can be powerful determined when I want somethin'."

She tucked her hands behind her back and walked towards him. She might be mistaken, but it seemed as if he was completely missing that she'd taken a liking to him. Mac cocked her head to the side and stared for a moment. Surely he knew his attraction?

"Well, then," he said with a grin, "Now that we know you're not stalking me... yet, I'll be off. To plant. With plants." He picked up his bag and started to walk towards the fire place before he turned around. "Nice meeting you, Mac." Neville turned to the other side of the room. "Nice to see you again, Brody!"

"I hate to see ya leave, but I love to watch ya go," Mac said with a suggestive grin on her face.

"UH! Must ya be so blunt bout thin's?" Brody said, look of horror firmly in place at Mac before he looked at Neville. "She's ogglin' yer arse, brother. Flee a'fore she decides to take a bite out of ya."

Neville walked into the side of the fireplace.

"Ow... um... I'm leaving. So... goodbye."

"Brody!" Mac snapped, before rushing over to where Neville was standing and looking a bit dazed. She put a hand on his arm, fingers testing the muscle there just a bit. "Are ya all right?"

"Yes... I just... was listening more than watching, really." Neville rubbed his head. "I've had worse. I'll be going, then, before I do any more damage to myself."

"Yes," Mac said, running her hand down as much of his arm as possible before letting go of him. "We wouldn't want ya damaged."

"Why dinna ya just kiss it and make it all better, Mac?" Brody snapped in a nasty tone.

Mac glared at her brother. "I will iffen he wants me to."

"No need," Neville insisted. "I'm going to head home now. To the plants. I'll see you Saturday night, Mac."

Neville stepped into the fireplace and flooed out, leaving Mac and Brody.

Mac grinned. She'd have to make sure she looked a bit more like a girl on Saturday.

"Ya dinna waste any time."

She didn't even look at her brother. She was still staring at the fire. "I feel tha' nothin' wit tha' one is a waste of time."

Brody just gave her an odd look.

{SUMMARY} Neville is sent to the Three Broomsticks to do a bit of healing after a bar fight. Mac takes a shine to him.