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A Winter's Reprieve	By : enchanted_nightingale Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male Views: 12790 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 4
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor the characters from them and I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
Author:enchanted nightingale

BetaReader: pussycatadamah

Disclaimer: The characters from Harry Potter books do not belong to me. I merely use them in my plot for fun.

Chapter11 – Catching Harry the Hare

Neville was getting good at stalking people. It was not a talent one advertised, not even a talent he would have ever before thought useful. For the last few days though he had done exactly that, stalk someone. And not a random person either, but his friend, best friend this year, Harry Potter. And it was a big challenge as the green eyed wizard had a knack of slipping through the thick crowds that filled the corridors once classes were out and had 'something to do so don't wait up' whenever Neville tried to get some time alone with him. The Longbottom heir was ready to pull his hair out when he finally got a break one Thursday afternoon after Charms. Luna had been waiting out of the hall, as per agreement, and she jumped in front of Harry looking all chipper and sunshine as she started talking to the Gryffindor fast enough that Neville wondered whether she had time to breathe or not. The rant included a string of conspiracy theories, questions about Harry's day and her inquiry on how he liked lunch that day, leaving Harry overwhelmed and making it easy for Neville to entwine his arm with Harry's grab hold of the other teen's elbow and steering him towards the grounds.

"Neville?" Harry blinked. "I…"

"No, you are not busy," Neville stated. "We are going to talk Harry, and you are going to listen. There might be questions involved, meaning you will be required to answer. It's called a conversation."

Harry was left gaping. Only then Neville noticed how pale Harry looked and he felt guilty for doing this.

Then Luna shot him a mild stinging hex and mouthed a 'Stick to the plan' and Neville gathered more courage.

Harry did not mind them; he just let them guide him.

In the end Neville and Luna came to a halt not far from Hagrid's cabin, near a small alcove that provided shelter from the cold, was not on a travelled path and offered them privacy.

"Sit," Luna ordered Harry.

The green eyed Gryffindor gave them a glare, dropped his book bag on the ground and sat on the stone bench.

Luna took his left side, Neville his right.

"You've been avoiding us," Neville stated with no small amount of hurt at Harry's behaviour.

"I…"

"You meant to do that," Luna told him gently but also with reprimand. "We want to know why."

"Was it something we did?" Neville asked. "If…"

"No," Harry told him.

"Was it something we did?"

Harry shuddered the moment he heard the question roll out of Neville's tongue. He felt like the worst person in the world. A strong and resounding "No" came from him. He was not about to let his two friends believe that they were at fault.

He could not look at them, especially not Neville. He had tried to get himself together after that Hogsmeade weekend. The Headmaster had offered his help as well and Harry was still mortified he had just blurted his deepest, darkest secret, his lowest point to the older wizard. Dumbledore had listened patiently, those blue eyes still warm and comforting, until Harry could no longer look at him because he feared what he would find. Perhaps his decision to cut ties with Neville and Luna was rushed, but he could not honestly be near the other two teens when he had spent months sleeping with one of the people who had ruined his family, drove his parents to insanity and committed too many crimes to name. Harry felt guilty just thinking about Rabastan and his relationship and even guiltier when he recalled how he enjoyed his time spent with the Azkaban escapee.

"No," Harry repeated. "It was not anything either of you did. It was me, all me."

"Okay, I don't understand," Neville told him.

"I think I do," the Ravenclaw among them mused. "Did you do something that might be a slight to us? Or perhaps something you just think is a slight to us?"

Harry's flinch alerted them to the validity of those statements.

"Okay, I think I'm getting it now," Neville commented. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Harry would not look at him.

"It concerns Neville," Luna could really spot the clues when she wanted.

"Me?" Neville was a bit surprised. "What could you possibly do to anger us?"

Harry felt nervous. He knew he could not lie to them, not when they had supported him so much from the beginning of the year. Still, the truth was hard to voice. Harry knitted his fingers together and stared hard at them. "It's not some stupid thing. What I did, it was big Neville. And I'm not sure if you can ever forgive me. I cannot forgive myself," he added the last it to himself but Neville and Luna heard.

"What is this Unspeakable act?" Luna inquired.

Silence stretched among them while Harry fought for courage he did not feel.

"Does it have anything to do with the attack?" Neville asked.

Harry allowed a short nod.

"But you helped us get out of there," Luna commented. "You stayed behind with the Aurors."

"And the Death Eaters," Harry's voice was low.

Neville frowned. "I just cannot guess, at all," he muttered.

Luna scooted closer to Harry and covered his chilled hands with hers. She squeezed gently and then urged him to tell them.

"We cannot fix this unless we know the problem," the blond witch told Harry.

The Gryffindor snorted. "It's not something you fix."

"Harry," Neville urged.

Harry met his eyes and sighed. He deserved to know.

"I did not know before, how could I? And I guess it was stupid of me not to know, not to realize. It did happen during the attack at Ottery St. Catchpole. It was during a skirmish, Tonks and I got separated and I saw them. The Wanted posters."

Luna and Neville shared a look. What did Wanted Posters have to do with anything?

Harry's face held a bitter smile and his eyes showed the pain he felt. "I did not know before but that moment I knew. Neville?"

"Yes Harry?"

"Do you know who my lover is?" Harry asked.

Neville and Luna looked at each other, realizing that no; Harry had never said his lover's name. It was always 'Him', my lover, and lately 'my boyfriend', but never a name to go with a vague description Harry had given. Tall, dark and gorgeous was not exactly a lot to go on. They had merely let Harry be happy, teasing when appropriate (sometimes even when it was not) and merely supporting Harry's decision to actually live his life and be a teenager just like the rest of his peers.

"You never asked," Harry's smile was bitter. "Perhaps if you had… Or even if I had simply offered it…"

"Harry?" Neville asked. "Just who is your lover?"

"He introduced himself as Rabastan Evrard Grave…" Harry tailed off.

Neville frowned. "Rabastan?" the name rolled off his tongue like it was something foreign.

"Yes," Harry nodded. "Also known as Rabastan Lestrange."

Neville lost all colour from his face so quickly that Harry feared for a second that he would lose consciousness.

Luna's eyes had also gone wide, the name ringing several bells for her.

"Ra-Rabastan Lestrange?" Neville stuttered.

Harry nodded.

"Rabastan Lestrange as in Rodolphus' brother, whose wife is Bellatrix?"

Harry swallowed hard. "The very same," he replied.

Neville slumped back, his body swaying a bit.

Harry turned to Luna. "I- I better go," he whispered. He lowered his voice even more. "Please take care of him?" And after that his voice cracked. Harry stood, shouldered his book bag and walked away briskly, before the tears that came to him so easily fell.

He missed the worried and trouble look Luna shot him. He missed how the gentle Ravenclaw scooted closer to a distraught Neville and hugged the shy Gryffindor to her.

"Hush, it's going to be fine," she whispered to Neville, saying nothing as he buried his face in her hair and sobs racked his body.

Harry felt that he had no place crying when Neville was the one betrayed by him. As he walked the distance from the grounds towards the castle in the still snow covered grounds Harry did not bother with a warming charm. The cold helped him get himself together. He had to keep reminding himself that the world did not revolve around him; this day should not be about him, but about his friend. Harry would be okay even if Neville never spoke to him again. Luna would be a great best friend for him. And if Harry was along after that then things would still be okay. He had survived a lonely childhood; he could survive a few more years in Hogwarts alone. He had to, right? And as long as he had Sirius and Remus he would survive.

Here, Harry stumbled a bit and fell on his knees on the soft snow.

He had never even considered the possibility that Sirius and Remus would learn about who his lover was. That Apolline and Armand would realize that Rabastan Evrard Grave was in fact Rabastan Lestrange, Death Eater and escaped convict. Would they allow the girl near him again or their newborn son? Harry did not know. Lately he knew nothing but the need to take things slow, one day at a time.

"Harry?"

The Gryffindor blinked. Then he looked up and saw the Headmaster was there, along with Snape, both men giving him looks. Dumbledore looked concerned, Snape's look was guarded but he also looked bit apprehensive.

"Headmaster?" Harry hardly recognized his own voice.

"Harry, my boy, let's get you out of the snow, shall we?"

"I…"

"Severus, help me," Albus turned to the Potions' Master.

The dark haired professor moved. Between the two of them they got Harry to his feet.

"My office it is," Albus told them even as he started weaving a 'notice me not' around all three of them so that they could walk towards the castle and up to his office unnoticed and unhindered.

Once in the Headmaster's office, Dumbledore gently dismissed Snape and focused all his attention on Harry. Seeing how cold the teen felt, Dumbledore asked for some hot chocolate from the kitchens, blinking once he noticed a vial of Calming Draught appear along with the hot beverage. Albus smiled a bit at Severus' thoughtfulness. Then he crouched before the distraught Gryffindor.

"Harry? Please drink this for me?"

The teen accepted the vial of Calming Draught, calming down a bit after ingesting it. The Headmaster then pressed a cup full of warm chocolate to Harry's palms.

"Drink Harry, but sip slowly, okay? I'll be behind my desk. Whenever you want, whenever you're ready, you can talk to me."

Dumbledore was half way through answering his fifth mail when Harry's voice cut through the silence of the office.

"I told Neville today."

Dumbledore let the quill down, turning his full attention towards his student.

"Oh? Mister Longbottom and Miss Lovegood finally managed to pin you down long enough to talk?"

A pained smile appeared on Harry's face. "Yes, they did."

"So, you spoke to Mister Longbottom. And you told him everything?"

"Yes."

"I see. Did he tell you anything?"

Harry shook his head. "I did not stick around. I… It was not my place to be there."

"Harry…"

"It was not a small thing he learned today," Harry defended Neville.

Albus smiled gently at the teen. Even now, he put his friend before himself.

"Everything will be alright," he told Harry.

"How?" the teen asked. "How can anything turn out fine?"

Dumbledore sighed and stood from his desk, walking around to stand next to Harry's chair. He drew the teen into a hug, not bothering with words of reassurance just yet; it was still early. But he would try and help as much as he could.

End of chapter
- 10
- 11
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A Winter's Reprieve