Safe as Houses (Part Two)
Written for: 10tunes
Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine.
Title: Safe as Houses (Part Two)
Characters: Neville/Harry
Prompt Song: Everybody's Changing ~ Keane
Rating: Slash
Summary: There were ten moments when everything changed for the better.
Author's Notes: Prompt table is here.
Part Two
...everybody's changing... and I don't feel the same.....
Seamus keeps trying to get him to talk, but all he gets is the occasional 'um-hmm' and 'it's fine'. Neville's been getting rather a lot of owls from home, Seamus hasn't helped but notice, and Neville, if it's humanly possible, has gotten even quieter since he stopped going out with that Hufflepuff girl so they could both focus on their studies. Seamus knows that the end of this year is important and all, but if Seamus didn't get out of this place once in a while to Hogsmeade and the Broomsticks, he would go barking. It's put him and Dean in an awkward spot, too, when they go out on the trips they feel guilty, but Neville hardly seems to notice if they're there or not.
At least Neville's got Harry for company in the otherwise deserted Common Room. Harry never leaves the grounds anymore either, he's making Hermione look like a slacker in the book department. He's another one who, in Seamus' opinion, could use a good afternoon at the pub.
Meanwhile, Augusta's old owl keeps coming.
He guesses Neville will work it out in his own way. He always does.
~~~
When Neville decided lunch would be better enjoyed in solitude than sitting by himself in the Great Hall, he wrapped a few things in napkins, tucked them in his pockets, and went for a leisurely walk. He'd only been intending to settle somewhere in the courtyard, but his feet led him, as they often seemed to these days, on down to the edge of the Forest. After ten more minutes journey, he found himself at the hidden place by the lake that he occasionally liked to escape to.
It was already occupied. Not that Neville minded, it was Harry's spot, too. They had found it back in Fourth Year, when Neville had been exploring the shore line and Harry had tagged along to avoid Ron and, well, everybody else. A fallen tree provided a nice shelter, the little clearing by the water was screened from view unless you came down at just the right angle.
"Shall I go?" he asked.
Harry gave a little start and looked up at him, then shook his head. "No, I was just thinking."
Neville figured if there was one thing he and Harry were doing way too much of these days, it was that. He climbed down the dip of embankment until he was in the open space by the water's edge. "Did you have lunch?"
Harry blinked as if trying to place if he'd even had breakfast. Neville took a sandwhich out of his pocket and tossed it over. By the time Neville had settled next to him in the white sand, Harry had unwrapped it, pulled it apart and presented him with half.
For a while there was nothing to worry about except roast beef on pumpernickle. Harry wolfed his just a little.
Neville fished in another pocket and found the apple. Harry sectioned it with the simple little charm that Hermione liked to dote over First Years with. Eight white wedges, clad in red, core removed. They were sweet, crisp and soft at the same time. Neville managed to coax Harry into taking five.
Afterward they took turns scooping up lakewater in their hands, each of them purifying the water for the other with another charm, until both were sated and washed.
The two of them returned to the side of the fallen tree and sat back down. Neville had noticed a book spread open over the trunk, and wondered if maybe Harry might want him to leave now so he could concentrate on reading it. But Harry took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes.
"D'you want to lie down?" Neville found himself asking.
"Maybe for a minute."
Neville hadn't exactly meant 'right here', but he hadn't exactly not meant it, either. The offer was kind of understood, as so much between them was, and when Harry parked his glasses on the tree and laid back so his head came to rest on Neville's left leg, it didn't seem strange at all.
Neville reached over for the paper-backed book so he could have something to do while Harry rested.
He was surprised to find that it wasn't a schoolbook that covered any subject for NEWTs. It wasn't a book that had anything to do with saving the world or defeating dark megalomaniacal wizards. It was a Muggle book, and it had a man on the cover wearing a funny-shaped hat and sitting astride a horse. Neville wasn't an expert on Muggle literature, but he recognized a "Western" when he saw one. He smiled a little, and then he felt inexplicably sad about it, and found himself tenderly brushing the black hair off Harry's scarred forehead.
He continued stroking, marveling just a little that he dared to do so, and that Harry didn't seem to mind. Neville couldn't place exactly when their friendship had changed into something that could tolerate or welcome this, or what exactly it was called. He didn't think it was a sort of thing that had a beginning point, just like he didn't think it was the sort of thing that had a name.
It was just many years of knowing each other, he supposed, of observing without intruding.
It was just a long time of comforting each other when they didn't want anybody else to see them unraveled.
It was just Harry.
~~~
Continue…
Disclaimer: None of these characters are mine.
Title: Safe as Houses (Part Two)
Characters: Neville/Harry
Prompt Song: Everybody's Changing ~ Keane
Rating: Slash
Summary: There were ten moments when everything changed for the better.
Author's Notes: Prompt table is here.
Part Two
...everybody's changing... and I don't feel the same.....
Seamus keeps trying to get him to talk, but all he gets is the occasional 'um-hmm' and 'it's fine'. Neville's been getting rather a lot of owls from home, Seamus hasn't helped but notice, and Neville, if it's humanly possible, has gotten even quieter since he stopped going out with that Hufflepuff girl so they could both focus on their studies. Seamus knows that the end of this year is important and all, but if Seamus didn't get out of this place once in a while to Hogsmeade and the Broomsticks, he would go barking. It's put him and Dean in an awkward spot, too, when they go out on the trips they feel guilty, but Neville hardly seems to notice if they're there or not.
At least Neville's got Harry for company in the otherwise deserted Common Room. Harry never leaves the grounds anymore either, he's making Hermione look like a slacker in the book department. He's another one who, in Seamus' opinion, could use a good afternoon at the pub.
Meanwhile, Augusta's old owl keeps coming.
He guesses Neville will work it out in his own way. He always does.
~~~
When Neville decided lunch would be better enjoyed in solitude than sitting by himself in the Great Hall, he wrapped a few things in napkins, tucked them in his pockets, and went for a leisurely walk. He'd only been intending to settle somewhere in the courtyard, but his feet led him, as they often seemed to these days, on down to the edge of the Forest. After ten more minutes journey, he found himself at the hidden place by the lake that he occasionally liked to escape to.
It was already occupied. Not that Neville minded, it was Harry's spot, too. They had found it back in Fourth Year, when Neville had been exploring the shore line and Harry had tagged along to avoid Ron and, well, everybody else. A fallen tree provided a nice shelter, the little clearing by the water was screened from view unless you came down at just the right angle.
"Shall I go?" he asked.
Harry gave a little start and looked up at him, then shook his head. "No, I was just thinking."
Neville figured if there was one thing he and Harry were doing way too much of these days, it was that. He climbed down the dip of embankment until he was in the open space by the water's edge. "Did you have lunch?"
Harry blinked as if trying to place if he'd even had breakfast. Neville took a sandwhich out of his pocket and tossed it over. By the time Neville had settled next to him in the white sand, Harry had unwrapped it, pulled it apart and presented him with half.
For a while there was nothing to worry about except roast beef on pumpernickle. Harry wolfed his just a little.
Neville fished in another pocket and found the apple. Harry sectioned it with the simple little charm that Hermione liked to dote over First Years with. Eight white wedges, clad in red, core removed. They were sweet, crisp and soft at the same time. Neville managed to coax Harry into taking five.
Afterward they took turns scooping up lakewater in their hands, each of them purifying the water for the other with another charm, until both were sated and washed.
The two of them returned to the side of the fallen tree and sat back down. Neville had noticed a book spread open over the trunk, and wondered if maybe Harry might want him to leave now so he could concentrate on reading it. But Harry took his glasses off and rubbed his eyes.
"D'you want to lie down?" Neville found himself asking.
"Maybe for a minute."
Neville hadn't exactly meant 'right here', but he hadn't exactly not meant it, either. The offer was kind of understood, as so much between them was, and when Harry parked his glasses on the tree and laid back so his head came to rest on Neville's left leg, it didn't seem strange at all.
Neville reached over for the paper-backed book so he could have something to do while Harry rested.
He was surprised to find that it wasn't a schoolbook that covered any subject for NEWTs. It wasn't a book that had anything to do with saving the world or defeating dark megalomaniacal wizards. It was a Muggle book, and it had a man on the cover wearing a funny-shaped hat and sitting astride a horse. Neville wasn't an expert on Muggle literature, but he recognized a "Western" when he saw one. He smiled a little, and then he felt inexplicably sad about it, and found himself tenderly brushing the black hair off Harry's scarred forehead.
He continued stroking, marveling just a little that he dared to do so, and that Harry didn't seem to mind. Neville couldn't place exactly when their friendship had changed into something that could tolerate or welcome this, or what exactly it was called. He didn't think it was a sort of thing that had a beginning point, just like he didn't think it was the sort of thing that had a name.
It was just many years of knowing each other, he supposed, of observing without intruding.
It was just a long time of comforting each other when they didn't want anybody else to see them unraveled.
It was just Harry.
~~~
Continue…