Chapter Text
Neville
Neville sucked in a breath and shook his hands out. Rolling his shoulders, he steeled himself as he hid just around the corner from his target. No, he wasn’t hiding, he was just… gathering his nerves. That was it. Just nerve gathering. That was all. Nothing to see here.
Neville breathed in another deep breath and straightened his back. He wasn’t a Gryffindor for nothing! He could do this!
He began to walk around the corner, lengthening his stride to put some purpose in it. It wouldn’t do to look nervous. He would probably sound nervous enough as it was.
His eyes narrowed as he saw some fifth-year Hufflepuff girl blushing and stammering in front of his objective. Although what made him frown, was the apparent discomfort his friend was exuding.
Back against the wall, hand clenched on his bag strap. The other shoved in his pocket as the girl placed her hand on his arm and giggled.
Neville felt a thrum in his throat and picked up his pace. Harry wasn’t good with casual contact, he didn’t like it - especially from strangers. All of Harry’s close friends knew it. The only people Harry readily accepted touch from were: Ron, Hermione, Fred & George and - himself, he thought with some small degree of satisfaction.
He neared them, and Harry must have heard his footsteps because he looked up and his face broke into a relieved grin as Neville drew closer. Neville could see the panic in his friend’s eyes and the pleading look on his face.
“Hey, Harry! I’ve been looking all over for you!” Neville said cheerily, as he stopped right beside him.
“Have you-?” Harry began in confusion, to which Neville gave him a pointed look to play along, “Oh! Right, right, of course. There was that… thing… we were going to do.”
Neville chuckled, “Yeah, that’s right, I’m glad you remembered. Did you want to go now?”
Harry began nodding fervently, “Oh yes, that would be fantastic, thank you!”
Relief coloured his voice, and he looked at Neville gratefully.
“It’s no worries, Harry,” Neville slowly reached up to put his hand on Harry’s shoulder, and he felt him relax further under his hand. He turned to the girl. “You don’t mind if I borrow him, do you? Only we’ve got something important to get too.”
“Well, actually-”
“We were just finishing up!” Harry interrupted, “Um- thank you for the offer, but no thank you. I’m already going with someone.”
The girl sniffed and whirled away, even as Neville’s heart stuttered. Had Harry already accepted someone else? Was he too late?
He began walking to the castle grounds, and Harry moved to walk beside him.
“Wh- What was all that about?” Neville asked as casually as he could, which was to say, not casual at all.
“Oh, she uh- she was asking me to the Yule Ball. But I don’t even know who she IS !”
“And you’re going with someone already?”
“No, Merlin no, but I just wanted to let her down easy. Urgh! I hate this stupid tournament! I hate this stupid ball! Everyone’s only asking me because I’m ‘Harry Potter’, they wouldn’t look at me twice otherwise! This is all just so...”
“Stupid?” offered Neville.
Harry looked at him and seeing the teasing grin he worem burst into laughter.
“Yeah mate, stupid.”
They laughed together as they stepped outside, and Harry paused, “where are we going? Did you actually need help with something?” he asked.
“No, I don’t need help with something,” Neville replied. He bit his lip before he gathered that courage again, “But um… would you come with me? I… I have something for you.”
“For me?” Harry asked in surprise.
Neville nodded, “Yeah, is that alright?”
Harry nodded back and they began walking again. Neville led him down to the greenhouses, and they chatted lightly about the classes Harry had audited today. Harry was slightly gleeful over the fact he didn’t have to do the six-foot essay Snape had assigned for potions. Still, he offered to help Neville with his defence assignment.
They came around the side of the main greenhouses to a smaller one near the back.
“What’s this one?” Harry asked, “I’ve never seen it before.”
Neville drew a key from around his neck and held it in the lock. The lock glowed briefly before he turned the key.
“This is Professor Sprout’s personal greenhouse. She, one seventh-year Hufflepuff, and I are the only ones with keys.”
“That’s seriously amazing! Oh, erm… Is it alright for me to be in here then? I don’t want to get you in trouble, Nev.”
Neville smiled, “it’s alright. Professor Sprout gave me permission to bring a guest with me if I wanted.”
He pushed open the door and stepped to the side so Harry could enter. He grinned at the awe on Harry’s face, his eyes bright as he looked around.
“This is amazing, Neville!” he exclaimed as he gazed about.
Neville let him look around, enjoying his friend’s joy for a moment. Harry hadn’t had much to smile about this year, but Neville was hoping to change that.
Eventually, Harry turned back to him, “Did you say you... um-” his cheeks went a little pink, clearly embarrassed that he was asking for a gift, “did you have something to do here?”
Neville smiled and walked closer, stopping just a foot away, “I have something for you,” he corrected, “just wait here a sec?”
Harry nodded, his eyes locked on Neville and cheeks darkening just a bit more.
Neville quickly hurried into the back room, it was sectioned off specially for his projects. To keep them from contaminating any others, or from Professor Sprouts or Beatrice’s from getting into his.
He quickly grabbed his present for Harry and placed it in the centre of his workbench, wanting to give it one last look over before revealing it.
The wood and stems all looked good, free from blight, and the leaves and tiny delicate flowers were in great shape too. The plant shifted slightly under his touch and Neville couldn’t help but rub a finger gently over it. He picked up the tiny watering can and gently dripped a little water into the soil. Not enough to make it wet, but just enough to dampen the colour of it.
“Alright, come on then, let’s go meet Harry,” he said softly as he lifted it again and slowly walked out of the room with it.
Harry was sitting on one of the empty benches, his bag carefully tucked under the table as he swung his feet gently. He was looking up into the rafters watching the climbing moonlight roses map themselves against the glass ceiling.
He turned to see Neville just as he approached the bench next to him and his eyes locked onto the plant in Neville’s hands. His jaw dropped open as he avidly watched Neville place it beside him.
“How- Wha- How?”
Neville ran a hand through his hair, “It was a bit of a fluke, to begin with, I was experimenting with new varieties of blossoming bonsais. I wanted to see if I could get regular flowers to grow on trees as if they were a part of it. Once I figured out the grafting… it, well… it gave the trees traits we couldn’t have predicted.”
Harry nodded as he watched the mahogany stag paw slowly at the ground. Red Asiatic Lilies ordained its antlers and hung around its neck. Brilliant, glossy green leaves marked its tail and there were knots in the wood where its eyes and nose would be. Harry slowly reached out a hand and trailed one finger down its smooth neck.
“I don’t… how…” Harry was at a loss for words, eventually he settled on, “why?” he asked as he finally looked up into Neville’s eyes.
Neville fidgeted, “I know, I know you don’t have much of your parents… I know what that’s like and I wanted to do something for you. It wasn’t until I discovered this that I knew what. So, I went to see Mr Ollivander during the summer holidays, and I asked him what wood your dad’s wand was made of, and then I searched for a Lily that could match your mum’s hair and- this is what grew out of the graft. The stag started to form on its own, but I had to help it along a little, it’s taken me since we came back to school this year to get it like this-”
“You’ve been working on this since before we came back to school?!”
Neville nodded.
“Why?” Harry whispered, “why do all this for me? Why go to all this trouble?”
“Because you’re worth it.”
Harry’s mouth twisted, “Because I’m ‘Harry Potter’ you mean,” he made to jump down from the bench, but Neville rushed forward to stand in front of him, keeping him in place.
“No. Just no, Harry. I did this because you’re this amazing person who does so much for others, and you ask for nothing back. You’re an amazing friend, you’re always there when someone needs you. You are always willing to help people with whatever you can. You’re fantastic at defence, but also transfiguration. You’re compassionate and strong, and you’re honourable. You’re quick, you’re really funny, even when you’re not trying. You love flying more than Quidditch, but you play because you know the team needs you. I just… I wanted to do something for you for once. You give so much of yourself to others… you deserve it.”
Harry was staring at Neville, his eyes wide behind his glasses, “You- You really believe all that?”
Neville nodded, holding Harry's eyes with his own to show how serious he was.
Harry bit his lip and looked back down at the plant, his hand lifting to caress it again.
“My dad… he was an animagus… he took the form of a stag.”
Neville choked slightly, “You’re kidding?”
Harry shook his head and looked back at him.
“Neville… thank you.”
The side of Neville’s mouth drew up, “You’re welcome, Harry.”
He placed his hand on Harry’s knee, squeezing it in reassurance. Harry sucked in a startled breath and glanced down. Sensing he might have been too forward, Neville began to draw his hand away, only for Harry’s to shoot out to grab his wrist. Neville froze and waited for Harry to make the next move.
His hand slid down the back of Neville’s hand to interlace their fingers. Seemingly working more on instinct than thought if the mystified look on Harry’s face was anything to go by. Harry glanced once more at the plant before he raised his face, letting his brilliant green eyes search Neville’s own blue.
“Neville…”
“Yeah?”
“ Willyougototheballwithme? ”
Neville’s small smile grew, it seemed he wouldn’t have to ask after all.