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What If	By : BlackDawnRose Category: Harry Potter > Slash - Male/Male > Harry/Neville Views: 8249 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in HARRY POTTER or its respective worlds and I make no money from this work of fiction.

Chapter List
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Hellooooooo!! Long time no see and very sorry about that. Having a one year old as well as an almost two year old three days a week as well as work another three days a week does not make for easy writing time. Anyhow I’m back now with an update and I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for all the favourites and alerts added for this story, it makes me really happy to see so many people enjoying it. My favourite thing is reviews though so even if you only write to say great chapter please do, I love them sooooooo much. Anyway on with the story.
Courage
Draco left the medical wing, or more accurately was kicked out of the medical wing, when breakfast time rolled around. He made his way toward the great hall, wondering if perhaps Harry might like to have something read to him and what. A quiet shriek caught his attention and he paused to look around for the source of the noise. He couldn’t spot anything behind him or ahead of him in the corridor and there weren’t any turns coming up for a while. The next place he looked was outside through one of the castle windows and that’s when he spotted the group of Gryffindors, standing around in a circle, jeering at someone they had hanging upside down in the air.
Draco ran back to the closest door, which thankfully wasn’t too far away, and made his way quickly back to where he’d seen the group. As he approached he saw clothes flying away and another shriek met his ears followed by a lot of laughter from the group. A quick expelliamus had several in the group flying backwards. The rest saw him coming and ran off, leaving the figure who’d been hanging in the air to drop heavily back to the ground.
He ran over to the downed figure and was horrified to find it was a girl they’d strung up and stripped of all her clothing. She was curled up in a ball, shaking and sobbing when he reached her and he immediately pulled his robe off to cover her. She shrieked at his first touch and pulled away.
“It’s okay,” he soothed her gently, wrapping the robe around her. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
She looked up at him then and he saw that it was Astoria Greengrass, the young Gryffindor who’d helped them find Harry the previous night. He knew her elder sister, Daphne, well, she was in his house and the same age so they had some classes together. He’d never really spoken to Astoria though.
“Malfoy,” she sobbed, tears streaming down her face. “They took my clothes and my wand.”
“It’s okay, I’ll find them for you,” Draco assured her. “Let’s get you inside out of the cold first, okay,” he suggested, moving to help her stand up. She got up onto one foot okay, but gasped in pain when she tried to put the other one down. “Did they hurt you?” Draco asked concernedly.
Astoria shook her head. “I was running away and I fell,” she replied with a sniffle.
“Okay, come here,” he said, leaning down to scoop her up into his arms. She pulled his robe closed around her and snuggled into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding on, still sobbing lightly into his shoulder. Her body felt cold in his arms and he rushed to get her back into the castle and out of the elements. He slowed down slightly once he was inside, but still headed with purpose toward the hospital wing. Those Gryffindors needed to be taught a lesson, it was about time Dumbledore did something about them.
He strode through the hospital wing doors and Madame Pomphrey looked about to give him a good tongue lashing until she spotted the shivering girl in his arms.
“What happened to her?” the matron asked.
“A group of Gryffindors chased her out into the snow, then stole her wand and clothes,” Draco informed the lady. “She’s obviously freezing, but she’s hurt her ankle as well.”
Madame Pomphrey directed Draco to a bed where he put the still shivering girl down, before Madame Pomphrey once more insisted he go to the great hall for breakfast.
“Are you okay?” he asked Astoria.
She nodded, tear tracks still marking her skin even though her sobs had subsided.
“All right, I’ll be back in a little bit anyway so I’ll see you shortly. I’ll find your wand and your clothes and I’ll bring your sister back with me,” he promised.
“Thank you,” she replied tearfully and he gave her a sympathetic smile before turning to leave the hospital wing. He went out to where he’d found her first and located her wand and her clothes. He spelled the clothes dry and folded, then slipped the wand into them so it wouldn’t get lost before continuing on his way to the Great Hall. He Figured Astoria would want her sister there ASAP and once he located Daphne he could give the clothes to her to take back to the medical wing.
He entered the Great Hall and spotted the elder Greengrass immediately, sitting with Pansy and Millicent. He beckoned her away from the other two girls and told her what had happened. The look on her face was downright scary as she thanked him, took Astoria’s clothes and headed for the hospital wing. Draco watched her go, thankful that he wasn’t a Gryffindor right now, and made his way up to the head table to talk to McGonagall. Dumbledore may not have cared what the Gryffindors did, but McGonagall was a fair professor, she’d see that the Gryffindors were punished appropriately, especially as it was one of their own they’d attacked.
XX
Neville and Draco spent as much of the next few days as possible in the hospital wing with Harry, reading to him, talking to him, anything to let him know he wasn’t alone. They were surprised at how many other visitors he had, their friends as well as a lot of the Hufflepuffs, and Harry’s bed was soon surrounded by presents and cards. It made Neville happy to see Harry gaining so many new friends and he could tell it made Lilly happy too, even though the woman appeared to be nervous about it at the same time. Neville didn’t understand why, but maybe he’d ask Harry when he woke up.
That many visitors around meant that even when Draco and Neville returned to classes on Monday there was always someone free of class to sit with Harry, aside from his mother, that Made Neville happy as well. When Monday night rolled around Neville and Draco pleaded with Madame Pomphrey to let them stay in the hospital wing and wait for Harry to come round, but the Medi-witch sent them to bed and locked the hospital wing doors behind them.
Neville barely slept a wink that night, all he could think about was Harry and the fact that he wouldn’t be there with the Hufflepuff when he finally came to. It killed him to think that Harry might take his absence to mean that he didn’t care.
When morning finally rolled around Neville was out of bed, dressed and waiting in front of the Hospital wing doors for Madame Pomphrey to open them.
When at last she did the medi-witch eyed him sternly. “Did you even go back to your dorm last night?” she demanded.
“Yes, although I barely slept a wink,” he replied honestly.
She shook her head and waved him inside. Lilly was sitting up beside the bed, holding Harry’s hand and stroking it softly. She smiled in greeting as he approached. “He woke up during the night,” she told him as he sat down in the empty chair beside Harry’s bed.
“Was he okay?” Neville asked.
Lilly nodded, “A little disorientated and nervous at first, but he calmed down after a little while,” she replied. “He asked for you.”
“Really?” Neville asked, feeling the guilt at not being there heighten dramatically.
“Yes. I told him how badly you and Draco fought to stay with him, but Madame Pomphrey made you go anyway. It made him happy to hear it,” she told him gently.
“That’s good,” Neville replied, feeling a little better.
“He was a bit stunned by all the cards and get well gifts as well, he certainly wasn’t expecting them all. I don’t think he realised he had so many friends,” Lilly said, her eyes showing a mixture of sadness and happiness.
“He’s certainly gained a few these last few months. I think he just needed to get out of his shell and show them what a great person he is. Now that he has there’s no keeping them away,” Neville told her with a grin.
“Well he has you to thank for that, and Draco. You’ve both been really good for him and I’m glad he found you,” Lilly said sincerely.
“We are too,” Neville replied honestly.
He felt a gentle squeeze of his hand then and looked down to find Harry’s beautiful green eyes open and looking at him.
“Nev, hi,” he greeted sleepily, smiling serenely up at Neville.
Neville felt his eyes tear and he did his best to blink them away, returning the Hufflepuff’s smile. “Hi, Harry, it’s good to see you again, we’ve been worried about you,” he greeted back.
Harry’s look change to one of concern, “You’re crying,” he said worriedlym pulling his hand out of his mother’s grip to wipe away the first tear as it fell.
“Yeah I am, I’m sorry,” Neville replied, taking Harry’s hand from his face and gripping it tightly. “I’m just so happy to see you well again,” he told the other boy sincerely and Harry’s smile returned.
He heard Lilly get up from the chair and move away, most likely to give them some privacy.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you first woke up, I wanted to be,” Neville told him.
“That’s okay, I know you tried,” Harry assured him, gripping his hands in return. “Mum said you’ve been here a lot the last couple of days, you and Draco, that you’ve been talking to me and reading to me and that the others came to visit often too.”
“Yeah we were here and so were a lot of others, they were all worried about you too,” Neville told him with a smile.
“I didn’t expect so many people to care,” Harry said quietlym looking over at the collection of cards and presents on his bedside table.
“I guess that’s what happens when you come out of your shell and start showing everyone how awesome of a person you are,” Neville said with a grin.
Harry blushed, “I’m not that great,” he argued.
“Yes you are, even if you can’t see it I do,” Neville replied with a caring smile for his friend.
Harry’s blush deepened and he looked away, a soft smile on his face.
“You’re awake!” The pair looked up to see Draco enter the room with a big smile on his face for Harry.
Harry smiled back at the blonde, “Yeah, I am,” he acknowledged.
Draco leant down to give him a hug and Neville kicked himself for not doing that yet. Draco was just asking how he was feeling when the rest of Neville’s Ravenclaw friends entered the room, Draco’s Slytherins not far behind. Neville smiled at the group and stepped back so there was room for them all to come and talk to Harry. He was annoyed at the intrusion, and dare he say it, jealous of the happy smiles Harry was giving them all, but he was also happy to see so many people coming to wish Harry well.
“You feeling all right?” Draco asked quietly, coming to stand beside him.
“Yeah,” Neville replied, giving his friend a smile. “Just glad he’s okay.”
“Yeah, me too,” Draco replied and they watched Harry chat to the group around him with fond smiles on their faces.
“Wait!” Harry called all of a sudden, turning slightly horrified eyes on Neville. “The persimmon, is it okay?”
For a moment the group was completely silent, then they all dissolved into laughter.
XX
Harry returned to classes the following week and Neville and his Ravenclaw friends made sure he caught up on everything. The Gryffindors were very quiet, most likely having been on the receiving end of a severe tongue lashing from McGonagall. That suited Neville just fine, it meant they weren’t harassing Harry, although the Hufflepuff didn’t go anywhere on his own. He noticed Astoria had taken to sitting at the Slytherin table with her sister for meals and she seemed to be constantly looking over her shoulder. Neville felt sorry for her, all she did was help save Harry and the rest of her house ostracised her for it.
The Slytherins made no comment about her appearance, having obviously heard from Daphne what had happened and no doubt the older Greengrass girl had told them, in no uncertain terms, to be nice to her sister, which the Slytherins would have been mad not to listen to. Daphne was downright scary when she wanted to be.
Neville was slowly coming to terms with his feelings for Harry, although he still wasn’t sure what to do about them. He wanted to be with the Hufflepuff, that was a certainty for him now, he just wasn’t sure if Harry was straight, gay or bi, it had never come up in conversation. Draco kept telling him to just go for it, but still Neville hesitated, which was driving his Slytherin friend slightly mad.
On another note, Neville had noticed Astoria Greengrass casting her eyes in Draco’s direction quite frequently lately. Draco, for his part, seemed unaware of her attention. So as a friend, and as a bit of payback for the harassment Draco had given him about Harry, Neville decided to discuss it with him.
He caught up with Draco after potions class that morning, the blonde giving him a friendly smile of greeting as he approached. “So, I’ve noticed a particular brunette staring at you recently,” Neville began with a grin and Draco looked around him, as if there would be someone in the corridor Neville was talking about, a look of confusion on his face.
Neville laughed, “Not right now, dopey,” he teased, “In the great Hall.”
“Oh, who?” Draco asked.
“Miss Greengrass, who you saved from the Gryffindors like the big, strong, Slytherin hero you are,” Neville continued to tease.
“Oh, really?” Draco asked, a light blush appearing on his porcelain skin.
“You seem pleased about that,” Neville commented.
“Well, she is very pretty and she seems nice,” Draco said in explanation.
“Very pretty, yes,” Neville agreed. “Maybe you should talk to her. Have you spoken at all since you saved her?”
“No,” Draco replied. “I mean I’ve asked her how she is from time to time, but nothing more than that. I didn’t want to talk to her too much in case she was embarrassed after the incident, I did see her without a lot of clothes on.”
“Well, from the way she’s been looking at you I’d say she’d definitely like to talk to you,” Neville told him. “You should say hello at lunch time.”
“Maybe I will,” Draco replied thoughtfully. Suddenly his look turned sly, “and maybe you should ask Harry to have lunch alone with you in your room,” he suggested with a leer. “Don’t think talking to me about Astoria is going to get me off your case about Harry.”
Neville groaned, “Well, it was worth a shot.”
Draco just laughed evilly as they entered the great hall and split off in the direction of their tables. Neville sat down next to Hermione and watched as Draco walked along the Slytherin table, stopping beside Astoria and leaning down to speak to her. You would never know that he’d been hesitant to talk to her before now by looking at him, his demeanour exuded nothing but confidence. Such a Malfoy.
Neville allowed his gaze to wander to the Hufflepuff table then and he found Harry’s lovely green eyes looking straight back at him. The boy blushed and looked away immediately, causing Neville to smile. Maybe he did have a chance with the green eyed beauty after all.
XX
As it was it took another week for Neville to work up the courage to say something to Harry and he decided to do it in the nursery after class one day. He made sure Draco knew not to follow them down like he did most afternoons and headed out, ignoring the suggestive grin on Draco’s face.
Harry was already there when he arrived, tending to the persimmon which was singing away sweetly in it’s pot. He looked up as Neville entered and gave him a breathtaking smile.
“Hey, Nev, how were your classes today?” he asked.
“Good, thanks, how were yours?” Neville asked in return, hoping his nervousness didn’t show through in his voice. Unfortunately the universe seemed to be against him this time and Harry turned to look at him with concerned eyes.
“Is something wrong?” he asked.
“Well … no, nothing’s wrong I just … I want to talk to you about something,” Neville replied nervously.
“Okay,” Harry agreed. He turned back to do one last thing for the persimmon before settling in a chair and giving Neville his full attention.
“How do I say this?” Neville wondered out loud, avoiding Harry’s gaze as it only made him feel more nervous. Harry remained silent which Neville was grateful for, if the other boy had started asking questions he didn’t think he’d be able to get out what he wanted to say. “Okay, it’s like this. I … um …” he sighed in annoyance at himself before pushing ahead, knowing it was now or never. “I like you, Harry,” he confessed still not looking at the other boy.
“That’s good, Nev, I like you too, you’re my friend,” Harry replied, still sounding confused.
“No, I don’t mean like that. I mean I like you … a lot. Actually, I think I love you.” There, he’d said it. He wanted nothing more than to run away to his room and hide but he had to wait and see what Harry had to say about it.
There was silence for what felt like forever, then a quiet, “Really?”
“Yeah, really,” Neville replied, finally turning to look at the other boy who was staring back at him in obvious shock. “I don’t know what you feel about me, I don’t even know if you’re into boys but … I love you, Harry, and I want to be with you.” He may as well go for broke, there was no point leaving things out now.
“Oh, Nev,” Harry said, tears shining in his eyes. “That would be so lovely, you have no idea.” Happiness soared through Neville. “But I can’t.” The happiness died instantly. “I’m sorry, I wish I could, but I just can’t.”
“Why not?” Neville asked, his heart squeezing painfully in his chest at the anguish he could see in Harry’s eyes.
Harry shook his head, “I can’t tell you, I’m sorry,” he said, tears slipping from his eyes.
“Of course you can, Harry, you can tell me anything,” Neville argued.
“Not this,” Harry argued back, standing up from his chair and moving towards the door. “I’m sorry.”
Neville caught his arm as he passed and Harry turned tear drenched eyes on him. “Harry, please,” he pleaded softly, tears in his own eyes now. “If you don’t feel the same for me just say so.”
“No, it’s not that,” Harry admitted. “You’re wonderful, Nev, perfect in fact. That’s why I can’t. I’m so sorry.” He pulled away then and Neville let him go, watching painfully as Harry ran toward the castle, his sobs echoing behind him. Neville caste a patronus to follow him and make sure he got back to Hufflepuff tower safely, before sinking down into a chair. He felt sick and heartbroken, not for himself but for Harry. The other boy hadn’t rejected him, not really, if he had Neville would have been crushed but he would have worked through it and got past the hurt … eventually. He hadn’t though, he wanted to be with Neville too and Neville had to work out why he couldn’t. It was his mission now and he couldn’t allow himself to break down into a ball of sadness until he’d worked it out.
Draco rushed into the green house. “Hey, Harry just ran past me crying, what happened?” he asked worriedly.
Neville wiped at the tears that had fallen from his eyes and looked up into Draco’s worried, grey eyes, “I need a favour.”
XX
I’m a bit mean with the cliffies aren’t I?? Don’t worry there’s more to come soon. Please let me know what you think, favouriting the story is nice but reviews really make my day.
See you soon
Kayla xxoo
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