Hermione's eyes narrowed. "What is wrong with same sex couples?" She asked in a cold voice, a voice that promised retribution if it received the wrong response. Unfortunately for the person on the receiving end, he wasn't paying attention.
"There's just something not quiet right about it." Ron replied looking queasy at the sight of two sixth year Ravenclaw boys cuddling up to each other in a corner as they read the same book.
The Golden Trio was sat in the library. They were in their seventh year and had just finished their final exam.
"Don't you think so?" Ron asked before turning to his two friends. It was only then he realised he'd said the wrong thing. While Harry's face was an emotionally blank mask, in itself never a good sign, Hermione looked absolutely livid.
"No Ron, I don't agree. In fact, I would have to say I disagree. I think if two people love each other then what gender they are shouldn't matter. I think that for you to believe there is actually something wrong in it there must be something seriously wrong in your head."
With that said Hermione grabbed her bag and made her way over to the door. Just as she got there the doors opened and Pansy Parkinson walked in. She got all of three steps from the door when she suddenly found herself being kissed by a familiar bushy haired witch. Pansy froze. What was she supposed to do? Kiss the other girl back or push her away. Before she could make up her mind however Hermione ended the kiss, smiled at her and was through the door before the Slytherin girl could blink.
Looking around she realised a lot of people were staring at her. Quickly she sat down at an empty table and tried to work out what had just happened. What had happened? Was it possible she had somehow unknowingly stepped into an alternate reality? Nah, she dismissed the idea. So what had happened?
"What the fuck was that about?" Pansy muttered to herself starting to bite her fingernails. Well there went another manicure.
"I was kinda hoping you could tell me."
Pansy's head shot up to look at the other person. Green eyes meet hers and she sagged in relief. It was just Potter. She swiftly glanced round the room and spotted the last member of the Golden Trio looking shell-shocked in a corner. She turned back to Potter and realised he was waiting for an answer.
"…" Pansy shut her mouth. What the hell was she supposed to say to him? I have no idea why your friend would do that. Would he buy that?
"You see the thing that interests me is not that Hermione kissed a girl but that she chose you out of," He paused to glance around the library. "Twenty girls here in the library to impress upon Ron what she thought of his homophobia. Add to that she showed every intention of walking straight out of the library up until the point were you walked through the doors, a Slytherin who used to make fun of her buck teeth."
Pansy blushed as she was reminded of the way she acted in her first few years at Hogwarts. She'd been something of a bitch, always hanging off of Draco and making fun of everyone else, even her so called friends.
"Me and eh…" She coughed as her voice went hoarse. "Me and Hermione started seeing each other a few months ago." She looked up to see how he reacted and quickly ducked her face back down again. Harry's face looked as if it had been carved of stone, no emotions showed. He could have given Snape a run for his money.
"I could wish my boyfriend had the same courage she does." Pansy looked up again and saw Harry smile.
"You're gay?" Pansy asked in shock. Harry smiled as a couple of people turned to look in their direction. Pansy bit her lip. And that was her make-up ruined. She wondered if she could get herself stuck in a hurricane and ruin her hair today. "I probably shouldn't have said that so load. Sorry. So, boyfriend, right, err… is he embarrassed to be seen with you? Does he think he'll get stick for dating you?" Pansy wondered if he was dating Draco. She'd seen them talking a couple of weeks ago but thought nothing of it. Harry grimaced slightly and Pansy mentally smacked herself.
"I'm sorry this isn't any of my business but I can't help it. Hermione can tell you she's always yelling at me for being nosy. Not that I was trying to be nosy it's just I have a habit of trying to fix other peoples problems and..."
"Calm down Pansy." Harry laughed. He was a little surprised at how open and friendly she was but since Hermione saw something in her, he gave a mental shrug "I actually think it might help me to talk to someone not close to me to get an outside opinion and to answer your question, no. He says he doesn't want to hurt me. He's afraid that if people know we're going out they'll think less of me and nothing I say can make him think other wise. His self esteem isn't very high."
"Well that rules out Draco." Pansy smiled. She loved him to pieces but the boy was way to full of himself to think he would do the boy who lived harm. Harry looked as if he was trying not to laugh.
"Me and Malfoy? You've got to be kidding me. What made you think of him? And then dismiss him?"
"I thought of him because I've seen you talking and I dismissed him because, and god knows I love him but he thinks to highly of himself to think your associating with him would damage your rep. Well it was a shot in the dark."
"Yeah, a wild shot. No he's in Gryffindor like me." Pansy grinned.
"So can I ask what year he's in? To get a better idea of his personality."
"Seventh, same as us." Harry replied. And Bingo was his name. Pansy lent forward and whispered quietly.
"So that would make our mystery man Neville Longbottom." Her smile grew as Harry's eyes widened.
"How…?"
"Easy. You took the number down for me from one hundred and forty boys to thirty-five when you said he was in Gryffindor. Then you took it down to five when you said seventh year. We can rule you out and I think we can rule your friend over their out." She nodded her head in Ron's direction. Harry turned in his seat to see his friend still staring at the doors.
"That left three and what you said about him worrying about how people would view your relationship and his poor self esteem Neville seemed the appropriate choice." Harry shook his head.
"I really need to be more careful about what I say." Pansy smiled at him encouragingly.
"Anyway, to your problem, do you see this as a long term relationship or something that's going to end in around two years at the outside?"
Harry felt his throat constrict at the thought of losing Neville. He loved the other Gryffindor and didn't want to think about what life would be like without him. He knew they hadn't been very close in their first few years but as they had gotten older they had started talking about their lives and how they had grown up. Neither of them had had a perfect child hood. Add to that the fact that they had both essentially lost their parents at approximately the same age and time in the first war. Neville's Gran was a strict no nonsense woman who had raised him to the best of her ability but she was rather stiff and Neville had grown up somewhat like Harry, bereft of a loving family. For gods sake his great uncle had pushed him off of Blackpool pier and dropped him out a window, even if the latter was an accident.
Harry shook himself out of his thoughts as he remembered Pansy waiting for a response.
"No, I don't see us breaking up anywhere in the near future." Harry answered. And I hope we never do, Harry added to himself. They'd talked about moving in together and Harry had suggested adopting some orphans from the war. To be like the family they had never had and to provide that family to children who otherwise might grow up like they had.
"Well I think you need to sit down with him and really talk about the next few years. Make him see that hiding yourselves will not only put pressure on and eventually damage your relationship but also your friendships. And if that doesn't work tell him that if say five years down the line your still together and it suddenly comes out people are going to think your ashamed of him and that's more likely to hurt you then some hateful words from people you've never met and never will." Harry smiled weakly at the last bit. It was a Slytherin move, making Neville feel guilty but he knew if it came down to it he would do it.
"Thanks Pansy. You know you sound a lot like Hermione." Pansy groaned causing Harry to grin. Just what she needed, to sound like her know-it-all girlfriend.
"Any who, back tracking to what you said about Draco." Pansy perked up. "We talk a bit sometimes. You know, let bygones be bygones. I actually feel sorry for him; I think he's carrying a torch or something for Ron." At Pansys blank look at the Muggle phrase Harry elaborated. "A crush." That got her attention as Pansy' jaw dropped.
"Anyway I need to get going. Thanks for the advice." Harry got up and grabbed his bag. He was just about to leave the library when Pansy's voice calling after him made him pause.
"Hey Potter, tell your boyfriend I said hi." Harry grinned as every head in the library turned to stare at him including Ron's. Harry gave a small wave of acknowledgement before slipping out the door and making his way to Gryffindor tower as fast as he could.
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Harry smiled when he entered the dorm room. It was well known that Fate and her sister Destiny pretty much hated his guts but he did have Lady Luck on his side, Neville was the only one in the room.
Harry quickly made his way over to the bed he was sat on reading a book, no doubt a Herbology book. His back was to the door so when a pair of lean arms wrapped around him from behind he jumped about a foot into the air. Looking around he relaxed when he saw his lover.
"Harry, you are going to give me a heart attack one of these days." He growled playfully. Harry just grinned at him before leaning in to steel a kiss. Neville sighed into the kiss as it deepened, before pulling away.
"Harry, what if someone comes in?"
"So what?" He replied, pecking him on the cheek. When Neville continued to put up a 'fight' Harry sighed.
"Listen Neville, we need to talk." Neville's eyes widened in fear. He thinks I'm breaking up with him, the little…Harry decided to put a stop to that line of thought straight away, both his and Neville's.
"Nev I love you. I love you so much and I don't think I'm ever going to stop loving you."
"I love you too." Neville whispered back.
"I should hope so, but what's going to happen to us if you continue to hide us? Are we going to grow old still pretending to just be friends? And what happens if our friends work it out on their own? They'll be hurt we didn't tell them ourselves, maybe even think we didn't trust them enough to tell them. Never mind the public. Rita Skeeter would have a field day writing how I was ashamed of you, which I'm not. And… you know… if it's all right with you… I… I wouldn't mind… you know… maybe having… er kids. Maybe… one day?"
Neville smiled at the questioning note in his voice. The great Harry Potter scared of his boyfriend's reaction to becoming a family instead of a couple. He wrapped his arms the taller wizards' neck and leaned forward.
"Okay, case made, you can stop babbling and yeah, that would be nice." He whispered before covering Harry's lips with his own.
"Good." Panted Harry. "Cause by the end of the day pretty much the whole school is going to know I'm gay and have a boyfriend." Neville pulled back far enough so he could glare at him. Harry held his hands up in self-defence.
"It's not my fault Pansy has a big mouth."
"Pansy Parkinson?"
"Well, yeah kind of. Look Ron made a comment in the library, Hermione made to storm of but then semi changed her mind snogged Pansy and disappeared. I went over to find out why and she told my they were dating. I mentioned wishing my boyfriend was a little more open and she guessed who you were gave me some advice and then when I left shouted for the whole room to hear 'say hi to your boyfriend'."
"Right." Neville frowned. "I think."
"Don't think about it I'll explain properly later." Harry told him as he leaned in for a kiss. When they heard a groan from the doorway they both turned. Ron was stood in the doorway one hand clapped over his eyes.
"I'm seeing things. I didn't see a thing. I'm imagining things." He muttered
"You still think we should tell people?"
The End
Please let me know what you think? R&R
Characters:
Harry Potter-The boy who lived
Neville Longbottom-Harry's boyfriend
Ron Weasley-Harry's friend
Hermione Granger-Harry's friend
Pansy Parkinson-Hermione's girlfriend
Pairings:
Harry Potter-Neville Longbottom
Hermione Granger-Pansy Parkinson
