Description: A small oneshot about Neville's thoughts and then him coming clean just after the Battle of Hogwarts. Neville/Harry.
Author's Note: There were a lot of Neville/Harry stories that I found and began reading, then thought of an idea that I had to act on. Here's my oneshot.
How He Feels
The battle was over. The war was won.
Those two sentences were two of the many thoughts running through the Boy-Who-Killed-The-Last-Horcrux's mind as he walked through the Great Hall, looking at the bodies of the dead and the bodies of the injured. There were a lot of people who were dead. At least 150, at most, probably 200.
The thing running through his mind as he walked was Harry. Neville Longbottom was not sure what his relationship was with Harry – whether he thought of him as a friend or as a best friend, or even a potential boyfriend?
He shrugged those thoughts off because he knew that Harry was in love with Ginny, that much was obvious. The kiss in the Gryffindor Common Room, in front of everybody and also the kiss on the staircase during the battle proved that. Or did it?
The feelings that Neville had for Harry had been kept, and locked, inside of his heart. He had tried dating girls but that didn't work out well, especially when he realized that he was gay. He told nobody, but always kept his eye out until late at night, once, in sixth year when he had a discussion with Harry.
Flashback
Neville walked into the common room, looking as if he was ready to explode. It was eleven o'clock at night and the only one still there was Harry – looking as if he had insomnia. That was probably because of what happened just before school ended last year. His godfather's death and the battle probably took its toll on Harry as it did with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Neville himself. Not to mention the end of fourth year and the fact that he now fully remembered his parents' death. Those would all be great reasons for not being able to sleep.
Harry looked at Neville and asked, "Neville? What's got you all riled up?"
Neville just stood still and reveled in the anger when Harry then asked, "Why don't you come over here and sit, and we'll talk?"
Neville was a bit shocked but accepted the invitation and sat down next to Harry, on the floor, in front of the fireplace. Neville turned his head to look at Harry and saw him in a totally different light. He noticed how Harry truly looked and looked at his striking good looks. Neville then realized that he could possibly be in love with Harry Potter. Not the Boy-Who-Lived, but Harry Freakin' Potter.
"So, what's up?" Harry asked.
Neville's anger had faded away at this point and was replaced with a look of sadness. "I came across Malfoy and his cronies as I was walking back from detention with Snape, and he began taunting me. I tried to ignore it as usual, until he made a crack about my parents and how they begged for the Cruciatus so that they would n-never be a-able to t-talk a-and s-see me a-again."
By this point, Neville had been crying fully and Harry put a arm around Neville and Neville leaned in, still crying and tears staining Harry's shirt. Neville then noticed that Harry smelled like Ireland.
"Shh. It' s okay, Neville. Malfoy's just a bastard who should die for being such an ass to everybody. Calm down." With that incredibly soothing voice, Neville's tears then slowed.
End of Flashback
It was then that Neville had realized that he had feelings for Harry. He didn't know why he would have feelings for him, but he did. When he had learned that Harry was not coming back to Hogwarts and that he was looking for a way to destroy Voldemort, naturally, Neville had been worried that Harry would be injured, captured or possibly the worst of them all, dead.
When he had come to the other end of the portrait and saw that Harry was alive, Neville had to resist the urge to run to him and kiss him like there was no tomorrow. As the battle raged on and the announcement that Voldemort gave Harry one hour to go to the forest, Neville was worried after the hour was up that Harry had been nowhere to be found.
Then, as the sun began to rise on the ruins of Hogwarts, Voldemort and his army came back to the courtyard with Hagrid carrying Harry's supposedly lifeless body. Neville had to resist the urge to run over there and slap Voldemort, but he did come forward and grab the Sword of Gryffindor out of the Sorting Hat because he had wanted vengeance against Voldemort for killing his crush.
When he saw Harry get up from Hagrid's lap and run off, he was shocked to the core. He quickly got over it and tried to fight, but got stunned backwards. He got up and then began to search. As he watched Voldemort and Harry duel, he pulled out the sword and sliced the snake's head right off after it was about to attack Ron and Hermione. This, apparently, was the final Horcrux and Harry then killed Voldemort.
He then wondered where Harry was, but when he looked around and couldn't find Ron and Hermione either, he assumed that he had gone for alone time with his friends. It was perfectly understandable, given everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours.
Neville had been sitting on a bench when Harry walked through the Great Hall, giving nods to those who looked at him. When Harry was close to him, Neville got off the bench and went over to Harry. "Hey, Harry."
Harry gave a hug to Neville and said, "Great job on killing that bloody snake. You helped me kill Voldemort."
Neville was relishing in this embrace by Harry, before he realized that now was his time to tell Harry about his feelings.
"Harry?"
"Yes?"
"Can I tell you something?"
"Anything, Nev."
"Please don't interrupt me," Neville began, beginning at Harry's nod.
"Well, erm, I don't know how to put this but I'm gay. And I have been since fifth year. If you remember, in sixth year one night, I came into the common room angry about Malfoy's crack at my parents. When you comforted me, that was when I realized I had a bit of a crush on you. But seeing you with Ginny, made all those thoughts null and void. I just wanted to tell you how I felt because-"
Neville's speech, complete with his face bright red, was ended quickly with a kiss from Harry. The kiss was short, yet passionate, as if they both were hungry animals and fed off of each other.
"You don't know how long I've wanted to do that." Said a smiling Harry as he broke off the kiss with Neville.
And for the first time since September, Neville smiled.
Author's Note: Well, that's that. Thanks for reading, don't forget to favorite and review!