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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.

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Author: enchanted nightingale

Beta Reader: pussycatadamah

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

Days in their lives

September 1st, Hogwarts, Great Hall

Harry's return to Hogwarts was not easy. Apart from the eccentric Luna Lovegood, most students avoided him. The majority of the school thought him insane and a liar it seemed as soon as he got out of his compartment. Only Luna and Neville joined him in a carriage, the rest of the Gryffindor's keeping a safe distance away from him. He had expected that from them, especially after the way they reacted to his Parseltongue ability back in second year. What hurt was the fact that Hermione and Ron were silent among the accusations and would not even look his way.

Luna reached over and patted his arm. "Don't think about it," she told him.

"I try," Harry replied.

"What happened exactly?" Neville asked.

"The articles in the 'Prophet'," Harry told him.

"Not those! Gran says the 'Prophet' writes nonsense and no decent wizard believes in that paper," Neville said. "I meant why Ron and Hermione don't even look at you."

"Ah! That one." The green eyed teen shrugged. "We had a falling out."

"Worse than last year when Ron was being an idiot?" the usually shy Gryffindor asked.

Harry chuckled. Neville was observant it seemed. "Yes, worse than that."

Neville chewed on his bottom lip. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Harry had to consider the offer. So far Neville had not once said anything against him. When Hermione second guessed him, he never questioned. When Ron was being a jealous prat, Neville was reasonable. He remembered how Neville had stood up to him before he and the other two had tried to go after the thief of the Philosopher's Stone. The boy was brave, he had heart and guts and it seemed that Neville had grown during this summer holiday.

And after one look at the odd blonde at his side Harry had a feeling that Luna was trustworthy and loyal as well.

"I told them I was gay," Harry spoke up. He waited…but the other shoe never dropped.

Luna yawned. "Good for you."

Neville's eyes widened but then he grew thoughtful. "You mean that you like boys?"

"I cannot see Harry Potter liking boys," Luna said then. "Perhaps someone older? A boy would do nothing for you."

Harry smiled at the Ravenclaw. "It was someone older. And he did not know I was Harry Potter. I hid the scar and it did wonders for my summer inFrance."

"You were inFrance?" Neville's eyes were wide with wonder. "Gran never let the family travel. How was it?"

And Harry spent the ride telling him small trivia about Paris and the family he stayed with.

At some point his curiosity made him ask Neville, "Why are you so accepting of… this Neville?"

The shy boy had shrugged. "My father was a bi. I saw him in a picture with professor Lupin when I was eight, though of course then I did not know who Lupin was…"Neville blushed. "Sorry, I'm rambling."

"Nothing to excuse," Harry assured him.

"Yes, well. You have it. Gran had also drilled to me not to be a prat about this. Turns out her brother once dated Dumbledore's brother."

Harry blinked. "Small world."

Neville nodded.

When the time for the Sorting ceremony and the welcoming feast came, Neville sat next to Harry, apart from the rest of the Gryffindor's, the two boys still discussing their summer vacation. They did not see the smile on Dumbledore's face or the looks Hermione and Ron threw them.

Ciel was on the bed when Harry entered his dorm. Neville had seen the wolf cub on the carriage ride but after that a House elf came and took the animal away. The other boys, Ron, Dean and Seamus were left staring at the black furred animal.

Dean did not even blink. "Is that…"

"…a wolf?" Seamus exclaimed his voice much louder than his friend's.

Harry shrugged. "His name's Ciel. And yes, he is a wolf."

The boys starting muttering and protesting but among themselves, turning their backs to Harry. Said teen rolled his eyes and ignored them. It seemed that the 'Prophet' was doing a fine job so far. So Harry ignored them, pretending it did not hurt. And Ciel was there, offering his comfort freely.

September 3rd

Potions

Neville was trembling as they neared the classroom. Next to him Harry was still not properly awake. The first day had been taxing on him. While he only had charms, history and transfiguration all the hostile looks from the majority of the school gave him a headache. Neville was the only one not bearing a grudge, apart from the Weasley Twins and Luna, who Harry had only seen in the Great Hall between meals. He was thinking of sending her a letter by Hedwig to arrange a day to meet.

"Well, if it isn't Potter and Longbottom," Draco Malfoy drawled from his place near the lab door.

Harry had a sudden need to run and hide, not out of shame, but because he was too tired and not in the right mood for whatever comment the Slytherin wanted to throw at them and he had noticed that Neville looked anxious. Harry knew he did not have nor he should expect the aid of the Gryffindor's when an impossibly brave, or stupid-that-by-sheer-luck-turned-clever as he would later think, idea came to him. After all Gryffindor had only been an afterthought for the Sorting Hat.

With a slowly blooming smirk on his face Harry pinned the Malfoy heir with his green gaze. "Good morning to you too, Malfoy. What can I do for you this day?" Harry drawled in a way Rabastan often did when they ate outside and strangers would stare at them. The dark haired man had told him that you could go far being polite. It seemed it did the thing this time around as now he had Draco Malfoy and all the Slytherin's, and Gryffindor's too, gaping at him.

"Harry! What are you doing?" Dean demanded.

"Why are you talking to him?" Ron piped up then.

Green eyes narrowed at his best friend. Or was it ex best friend now? "Are you talking to me again? I feel honoured, I truly do."

Neville stared as Harry's personality revealed a side he had only learned the Boy-Who-Lived had during the last couple of days. Harry was possibly risking even more by revealing his darker, more serious side. Luna had been of the opinion that it was about time. Neville was still reluctant though. While he fully supported Harry he was unsure of what exactly his friend hoped to achieve. Still, he stood next to him and Harry was both proud of him and relieved.

The Slytherin's on the other hand merely smirked when the two Gryffindor's flushed in shame and anger. The drama alone was highly entertaining.

Hermione too was now looking at Harry hard and Malfoy was chuckling.

"There's hope for you yet Potter," the blond drawled.

"Heads up, Snape's coming," Blaise Zabini said then.

Harry nodded and pulled Neville after him.

It was a quiet corridor that met Severus Snape that morning and it had the professor suspicious. He unlocked the door and allowed everyone inside searching the quiet faces. He noticed that the Gryffindor's were shunning Potter, Granger and Weasley included, while Longbottom was still with the boy wonder. It seemed that the news about Potter's lover had not sat well with two thirds of the Gryffindor trio. If there was one thing he did not like it was hypocrisy and traitors, an irony in his adult life.

"Malfoy, pair up with Longbottom, Zabini, you get Potter. The instructions are on the board, begin."

It was the first time Neville's potion did not blow up and the first time Harry's was not sabotaged by the Slytherin's.

Defence Against Dark Arts

In the corridor near the DADA classroom Neville was telling him how Malfoy had scared him into following orders.

I did not blow up," the shy teen was still in a daze.

Harry was laughing. "You sound like a broken record."

"What's a recort" Neville asked.

"Record," Harry absently corrected him, "And it's a Muggle thing, I'll explain another time…"

"Potter! Wait up!"

Neville froze. "It's Malfoy again," he whimpered.

Harry patted Neville's shoulder and turned around to wait for the blond Slytherin and his group to arrive.

"Malfoy," Harry nodded curtly and waited.

"What the hell is the matter with you this year?" Draco asked.

"Nothing really; Why? Are you concerned about my health?"

The Slytherin scoffed. "Hardly." He looked around. "Listen, in DADA, keep your mouth shut. Whatever the Toad says."

"That Umbridge woman?" Harry asked.

"You weren't here in summer," Neville said then. Harry and the Slytherin's turned to look at him. The teen flushed bright red at all the attention but he continued with what he wanted to say. "She works for the Minister and is against half breeds, be they wizards or creatures. Gran says she's not at all sane with the way she acts and all that. She can be very mean. Uncle Tabbolt said that she was the one who told the papers to slander you."

"Tabbolt as in the Wizengamot member?" Pansy Parkinson questioned.

Neville nodded.

"He is right," Draco said then. "And what did Longbottom mean Potter with you not being here?"

Harry shook his head. He appreciated the advice. But as it had been discussed at the Order table, he merely had to hold on long enough for Fudge to lose power with the Ministry, and then the Toad would be gone. "I cannot say. Still, thank you for the tip. We better get inside," he told the group.

The Slytherin's nodded.

The DADA lesson that followed was the worst class Harry ever attended in Hogwarts. There were many times when he wanted to speak up but held himself in check, unlike the other Gryffindor's. Draco Malfoy met his eye once class was over and nodded approvingly.

"That was weird," Neville said once the class was over and after he noticed the look Malfoy gave to Harry.

"It was, even by my standards," the green eyed teen agreed.

September 8th

Hogwarts grounds

Harry was feeling free outside the castle walls a feeling he never thought possible. He considered Hogwarts his home but now that Toad had ruined that for him. The mantra he kept repeating under his breath kept him going: 'Ignore her. Don't curse her. Don't say a bloody thing. Don't make any smart comments. Don't compare her to Trevor.' But out here, he was free indeed. Never mind that theForbiddenForestwas dangerous.

And he could not have done it without the blonde Ravenclaw at his side.

Luna patted the small Thestral that trotted up to her, tempted with the meat she held between her fingers.

Harry stood a few steps behind her, feeling strange at being so close with these unique creatures.

"…You are being unreasonable," Luna told him. "Neville petted them."

"And promptly fainted," Harry returned. "He was dead terrified of them. I'm not, they just unsettle me," he admitted.

Luna shrugged. "I just hope the Nurggles don't get mad."

Harry blinked. "Okay…" he muttered and moved past that. He had so much practice with Dumbledore that Luna's comments were a breeze.

The Boy-Who-Lived eyed the castle in the distance and sighed. 'And the month is not even over yet,' he glumly thought.

September 10th

Gryffindor Tower

Harry was curled up on his bed, a large piece of parchment drying in front of him. He had just finished writing to Apolline, Armand and the girls. It was a general letter with several paragraphs dedicated to each member of the family that he held dear. It was also a foot long, certainly longer than any essay he had ever cared to write.

Neville had not said anything to him when he saw him like this, merely left to give him privacy. And Harry needed that. He had a lot to write and not enough parchment for it. He knew Apolline was waiting for his letter and he wanted to ask them how Gabrielle was doing and whether the pregnancy was progressing well or if Fleur had found a job inBritain. When he was done he still felt very odd, almost like he was homesick. Funny thought that. He had never felt that unless it was summer inPrivet Driveand he waited for Hogwarts to open. Harry realized he really missed the family and writing to them was helping him but it was just not enough. He had been happy during that summer and now he had none of them, not the Delacour's and not Rabastan.

"This sucks," Harry muttered.

September 12th

Great Hall

Hedwig was in front of Harry, nipping at a piece of bacon from his fingers while Harry absently replied to a letter from Remus, when a cream coloured owl came and landed beside Hedwig.

"Circe?" the Gryffindor exclaimed.

Said owl hooted and gave a nip at him and then turned to Hedwig and the two owls started chattering away. Harry had to struggle to get the letter from Circe and when he did he smiled. His letter could not have reached the Delacour's yet but Fleur had written to him. Then Harry got an even bigger surprise when he saw a second letter within the scroll with very familiar writing.

"No way," Harry gasped and hurried to read it.

Neville watched his reaction with interest. "Something good?" he asked.

Harry seemed startled he was even there. "This? Yes, it is great news," he told Neville.

He stared at the letter from Rabastan and he could not wait for the month to pass as he scribbled his reply and the next scheduled Hogsmeade trip weekend.

"Harry?" Neville asked.

"I'll tell you later," Harry promised.

The smile did not leave his face for days.

September 23rd

Malfoy Manor

Rabastan twisted and turned on the soft mattress, the sheets tangling around his naked body.

His green eyes were shut and he could not see what it did to him, but his face was equally expressive.

The warm air and their even warmer, hot even, bodies were simply too much after their most recent round of sex.

"Can't…" Harry gasped.

"Hush, of course you can," he crooned.

The teen shook his head. "Oh, Rabastan, I can't breathe. So close, so close but I can't."

"Almost there, you'll find release," he promised him, knowing his lover was hurting when his peak was so near yet he was held back.

"Please, please, please," the teen kept begging but Rabastan was enjoying this too much. His little Harry had asked for toys, a very bold move, so toys he was getting. A simple spell that worked just like a ring and Harry was prevented from coming despite how aroused his body was. He knew he was in pain, but his dark nature enjoyed it even in this way.

"Rabastan," Harry pleaded.

Those green orbs were now staring straight into his own dark gaze and Rabastan lost the battle just like that.

The ring vanished and Harry's sweet cry of release was loud around him, that sweet heat clamping around Rabastan, making him gasp out.

"Harry!"

"Harry!" Rabastan exclaimed and sat up on his bed.

It took him a few minutes to get his breathing under control. When he was collected enough he noticed the wetness of his sheets. With a sneer on his face he summoned his wand and a couple of cleaning spells later he fell back on the clean mattress.

It was the third time in a row since he got back Harry's reply that he had not slept without having at least one dream about the younger wizard. He had not realized how much he had missed him but it turned out he had very much. He turned on his side and closed his eyes.

"A few more days," he muttered.

September 25th

Hogwarts

Harry sat at Gryffindor table, his eyes red with lack of sleep. Neville noticed his state and shook his head.

"Again?" the shy teen asked.

Harry let out an odd sound.

Neville sighed. "Madam Pomfrey can give you a potion you know, she did it for me last year after Moody's lessons."

"I'll think about it," Harry promised. He was not about to visit that witch and however much he trusted Neville he did not want to tell the other Gryffindor that the source of his dreams was himself and that they were far from nightmares. Mentioning the phrase 'wet dream' around Neville seemed like a taboo subject. Perhaps Luna would be the one to hear about this, or she already knew; that girl was odd that way. Harry no longer thought of her as a female Dumbledore, no; Luna was Luna, with her own world, her own laws and her own book of conduct. He considered writing Fleur but one could never know with Umbridge around the school. And Hedwig had already been intercepted once, and hurt pretty badly too, so he guessed that was it, Luna would hear all the embarrassing details.

"Do that," Neville told him seriously and then focused on his own breakfast.

Harry stabbed a piece of fruit on his plate intending on eating it when Hermione dropped into the seat across from him. Harry paused for a minute.

"Good morning," Hermione greeted them both.

Harry and Neville shared a look before saying a mumbled 'good morning' to her.

"I need to talk to you," Hermione said again. "I need to talk to Harry," she then clarified when Neville stared at her.

The shy boy was about to move a bit away when Harry gave him a look and then turned to Hermione.

"Neville stays," the green eyed teen replied.

"Harry…" Hermione stressed but Harry would not budge. He was on the defensive and Neville was his tower.

"Is it about Harry's lover?" Neville asked then.

Hermione gasped. "You know?"

"It's not such a bad thing," Neville told her. "I don't know why you and Ron are being prats."

Hermione opened her mouth but no sound came. And in Harry's mind Neville got promoted to King.

"Look," Harry said then and before Hermione got a chance to start a lecture. "If you really want to talk to me then fine, we will talk. But first you better grow up. This will not be a dirty secret we won't mention again. And I do not believe it will just go away or pass. It is who I am Hermione, not a trend I follow." He left the table at that, not wanting to see her anymore.

Neville shook his head at the smartest witch of his year and left as well.

There were many students that noticed the scene and soon new rumours spread across the castle concerning the falling out of the Golden Trio. As usual none of them was correct and Harry ignored them.

The days that followed the Slytherin's were especially harsh towards Ron and Hermione while Potions was quickly becoming a class Harry and Neville had a sort of immunity from the House of Snakes. Many teachers had noticed the change in tide but no one said anything, not even Snape, who was still his usual self but now Hermione and Ron also got a taste of his special venom which was no longer Harry and Neville's exclusive 'privilege'.

Harry was especially subdued during Umbridge's class, never giving the pink suited witch a chance to go after him no matter how hard she tried. Though Harry had seen several Gryffindor's earning detentions with her, especially the Weasley Twins, who came back stronger after every time she went after them, and with more prank ideas too.

Harry also met with Luna Lovegood a number of times, usually when the girl went on to explore and discover the various imaginary creatures she said lived on Hogwarts grounds. The girl was a real relief with her imaginary stories about creatures, conspiracy theories and the like. She also spoke about her father, Xenophilius Lovegood, who from her words seemed to be a great man, if not a bit… wonky. But then again most wizards and witches had a healthy dose of craziness in them.

End of chapter
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A Winter's Reprieve