Work Text:
Neville had his back to him as Harry let himself into greenhouse number three late one June evening. Although he did not turn around to greet him Harry was certain that Neville knew he was there
“Alright mate?” As Harry expected Neville showed no sign of surprise at his friends sudden and certainly unexpected appearance but merely waved a hand in half-hearted greeting and continued to diligently tend to the plant pot in front of him. It wasn’t often Harry made his way up to Hogwarts anymore and even more rarely during the summer. He usually met Neville at the Three Broomsticks or at one of their homes. It was at Ginny and Hermione’s urging that he had come. Harry hadn’t considered how awkward this visit may be and now deeply regretted it.
“Go on he will be pleased to see you.”
“It will take his mind off things”
“I’m sure he got lots to tell you about that instant burn remedy he’s been researching”
It was easy enough to pretend that this was going to be an ordinary visit Harry thought quite bitterly, but the absence of a warm welcome and firm handshake made it obvious that it wasn’t going to be that easy.
Now that he was here, he was at a loss for what to say and with that realisation an uncomfortable tension started to make the ordinarily spacious greenhouse feel quite claustrophobic.
Despite the fact that it was fast approaching ten o’clock it was still light outside and the warm afterglow of an unusually hot day had the green house feeling humid and sticky only adding to Harry’s discomfort. He peered at his surroundings more from lack of anything else to do. Rows and rows of plant plots lined the perimeter with various amounts of foliage spilling from them. The pots looked much and such the same to Harry but he supposed that judging by the copious amount of labelling, graphs and notes, to Neville’s far more trained not to mention naturally gifted eye, there must be a distinct difference. After a few minutes of awkward silence Harry decided he could stomach the tension no longer. Clearing his throat and feeling his cheeks grow even warmer than they already were from the humidity he clapped Neville on the shoulder.
“I was err sorry to hear about your Gran”
“Thanks Harry” Neville cut him off gruffly “but you know Dragon Pox, its wasn’t entirely unexpected.”
Was it not? Harry didn’t know many elderly wizards of witches personally so hadn’t had much cause to come across cases of Dragon Pox. He would have to ask Ginny.
He was sorely tempted to tell Neville he had been summoned to work and come again another time when Neville was more talkative. A niggle at the back of his mind however, that happened to sound a lot like Hermione, told him to keep his feet firmly planted where they were while he grappled for something else to say.
He was about to resort to asking Neville wether he had caught the latest Harpies game on the wireless when to his surprise Neville broke the aching silence himself.
“I mean I knew it was going to happen eventually but I never really pictured a time without Gran you know? She’s the only one who’s always been there for me.”
Harry wasn’t sure really that he could relate to this much at all so feeling like an idiot he just sorted of jerked his head his mind remaining infuriatingly blank. Neville didn’t appear to need an answer though and continued on as though Harry wasn’t there at all.
“I just keep thinking though, she gave up so much of her time to me after mum and dad went to St Mungo’s and all I told my friends about her was jokes about her horrible hats and hand bags.”
Harry really didn’t know what to say to this. It was one thing to comfort Ginny or even Ron and Hermione because he knew them so very well. Didn’t Neville have a wife for this sort of thing? Neville was someone he shared laughs with down at the leaky. Someone he wrote letters to telling him about cases he was working. He would even admit to occasionally asking for advice on some tricky areas. In exchange Neville kept him up to date on Hogwarts and the latest news from the three broomsticks. He acted as Harry’s source for figuring out all the gossip in the wizard it community before Ginny. It drove her mad trying to figure out how he knew everything about the virtual strangers who quite often merely gawked at him. He had thought he had known Neville very well indeed but now it occurred to him that he had never once asked him about his Grandmother or what it had been like for him before he came to Hogwarts. How could he could he provide any comfort when he knew Mrs Longbottom only in passing? Neville still didn’t require a response though to Harry’s immediate relief.
“Everyone thinks she was so strict and she was but she was so kind too. She absolutely hated slime and anything messy but she still always let me collect tadpoles as a kid. When she went to Hogsmeade to meet her friends for a coffee at Madam Puddifoot’s she would always pick up a buttery for me on the way home and then serve it with a smiley face made out of jam on top.” He sighed and remained focused on his work but seemed to have found some comfort in opening up.
“I think she came across as stern because she found it so difficult to see Dad in St Mungo’s and great uncle Algie told me that she had been a little cold towards mum for a start – when Dad first introduced her, even though she did love her really. I think she always felt guilty about that.
Everyone keeps telling me how proud she was of me for fighting in the war and protecting the kids and everything but it didn’t really feel like bravery it was just doing what had to be done.”
Finally, at long last, finding his voice Harry said the very first thing that came to mind.
”Well I’m glad somebody finally knows how I feel”
To his surprise Neville burst out laughing. A low rumbling laugh that immediately broke the heavy mood and appeared to shock even Neville.
Finally pulling back from his plant pot which Harry now noticed seemed to contain only soil. Neville wiped his brow on the back of a spare rag and turned to face Harry shaking his head but smiling all the same.
“I do know what you mean though” Harry said as Nevilles outburst subsided. “Everyone goes on about Voldemort left right and centre but a lot of the cases I’ve taken on since then have felt just as worthy and my kids far more so” Starting to feel awkward again Harry fixed his eyes on the abandoned plant pot and shuffled his feet as he spoke
“I didn’t know your Gran well but from the few times I met her it was very obvious she was proud and not just because of that one small part of your life but the whole thing the impact your having on the kids here mine here will outlast the both of us as well and I’m sure a lot of that is because of her.”
Harry had felt quite smug that he had finally found something somewhat comforting to say but heat came rushing back to his cheeks when he made eye contact with Neville and saw to his horror that he had a suspiciously wet glint in his eye.
Immediately they both broke eye contact cleared their throats loudly and Harry started grasping for a change of subject.
“What is your working on anyway” he asked “doesn’t look like there’s anything much in there?”
“Oh that?” it’s a Devil’s Snare sapling” Neville chuckled again as Harry took an involuntary step backwards knocking into a work bench behind him. “They prefer the dark you see so you have to stay up late to water them particularly late tonight with the solstice” He added its much easier in the winter when its all done in dusted by four in the afternoon. “What could you possibly want that blasted thing for?” Harry asked wearily
“Devils snare is fascinating” and with that Neville launched into a animated monologue about the benefits and quirks of Devils Snare and Harry settled himself back against the workbench behind him content to just listen.