Written for:

Year Long Scavenger Hunt: 55. Neville and Harry form a bond. This can be slash or friendship but it must be a close bond. Hurt/comfort genre and it should be set after 5th year.

Hopscotch: Two prompts, yellow (colour), "You shouldn't be here" (dialogue)

Warning: Its written as a pre-slash story but it's subtle so it can be read as friendship if you're really not into that.

Enjoy

The greenhouse had always been his getaway, his safe haven. No one visited the greenhouse unless they had class. No one enjoyed the company of the plants that resided inside. Neville would go to study in the greenhouse, he would go there when he needed some peace, he would go there when he was upset, happy, lonely. It was his place. Today though. Today there was someone else there. He was all ready to turn around and come back another time, or disappear to another greenhouse when he heard muffled sobs. Well, I can't leave now. Neville approached the corner where the sounds were coming from. He noticed a pair of skinny legs poking out from between a shelf containing red flowers and a collection of small cacti. The cries were louder now and distinctly male. Neville expected to find a homesick first year as it was only the first week of school. Instead he saw the person he least expected.

"Harry?" Neville's softly spoken words startled the upset boy so badly that he banged his head on the wall, knocked his glasses off his face and managed to slam his hand on top of a yellow flowering cactus.

"Wow, hey hold on." Neville acted on instinct, grabbing Harry's injured hand preventing it from becoming more so and picking up his glasses.

"There, are you okay?"

"Neville? You shouldn't be here?"

"Neither should you. Are you okay?"

Harry lowered his eyes to the ground. "Fine, just clumsy, should have been more aware"

"I wasn't talking about your hand. You were crying" Neville found himself insanely worried about the smaller boy, though he wasn't quite sure why.

"No, I wasn't" Harry unsuccessfully tried to tug his hand out of the strong grip.

"You were. Talk to me, I promise I won't tell anyone. Who am I going to tell?"

"I'm f-fine" Harry's now dry eyes stayed glued to the ground.

"Okay" Neville said, dragging out the word "let me fix your hand then. Those spines are difficult to get out. Luckily I have experience."

Harry didn't argue but didn't move from the corner he had situated himself into. Neville kept a good grip on the injured and slowly managed to raise the boy to his feet without either of them touching more of the cacti.

"The cactus your hand landed on is called Genus Opuntia or the Prickly Pear cactus. They can be growing to 6 or 7 feet tall and can have red, purple or yellow flowers. The one you landed on obviously has yellow."

Neville continued to talk as he pulled the spines out of Harry's hand. Just last year he would be stumbling over his words and blushing like a virgin but ever since the department of ministries fight he gained a lot of confidence as well as feeling closer to his friends. Harry needed him right now, even if it was just for a distraction and Neville wanted to be there for him. Neville found his mind drifting to the boy before him. His mouth continued to spew out words he knew by heart as he studied the boy. He looked sad, which was to be expected as he was grieving, but there was something else. He looked like there was nothing left, like he had no one. You have me Harry, I won't abandon you.

"There are about a dozen species in the cacti family that are... Harry?"

At the word 'family' water had gathered in Harry's eyes until they couldn't be held back any longer. Neville, having finished cleaning his hand pulled the boy close into a hug. Harry struggled at first and stiffened like he wasn't use to such actions, eventually though he relaxed and wrapped his own arms tightly around the taller boy's shoulders, burying his head into Neville's neck. Harry's tears turned into loud cries filled with pain and Neville found it hard to keep his own tears at bay.

"Harry, please talk to me. Maybe I can help." Neville said when the cries started to die off.

"No one can help me."

"It helps to talk, even if only a little."

Harry raised his head then and looked into Neville's eyes. After a moment he lowered his eyes and placed his forehead on Neville's shoulder staring at a stain on Neville's shirt.

"They kicked me out."

"Who?" Neville asked although he could probably guess.

"My Aunt and Uncle. They think I'm a danger to their family. They said that if I wanted to be a freak then to find another house to live in."

Neville was shaking in rage. How dare they treat their nephew like that. Neville couldn't speak but he could practically feel Harry's unease so he forced himself to calm down.

"When did this happen?"

Harry shuddered against Neville but answered his question.

"My cousin wasn't in the car when they came to pick me up from Hogwarts. My Aunt and Uncle were but they didn't speak to me. I packed my things and then climbed in myself. We were driving for a while before I realised that we weren't heading home. They pulled into a rundown motel and paid for a room for one night. Once we were inside the room they started yelling. They blamed me for messing with Dudley, my cousin's mind even though it was the dementors, you remember from last summer?"

At Neville's nod Harry continued "Then they said I was staying here for the night. They left. I had to- I couldn't go anywhere near wizarding places in fear of Voldemort so had no money. I lived on the streets all summer."

Harry dissolved into tears again. Neville was horrified. How could someone do something so awful to their family? Neville's family wasn't perfect. His Gran was strict and his uncle was a crazy son of a bitch but never would they abandon him. Neville didn't want to think about what Harry would have had to do to survive and he knew that Harry couldn't talk about it yet. Neville just held the distraught boy close and rubbed his back. Neville waited to break the silence until Harry was calm again.

"You're staying with me this next summer." It wasn't an offer or a question. It was a demand and Harry knew he couldn't argue against that. He just laced their fingers together and snuggled closer to the large boy.

"At least ask your Gran before you demand I stay." Harry couldn't help but say.

Neville shook his head in exasperation but didn't comment. He knew what his Gran would say so it wouldn't matter. Neville just pulled the boy onto his lap and shifted so he could lean back against a nearby wall.

"Harry?" Neville said after a while

"Yeah?" Harry softly asked, not moving.

"You can always talk to me. You know that right? If you're ever alone, you ever need something you can come to me."

"Thank you Neville."

Neville placed a kiss to the boys head and then relaxed against the wall. Soon both boys were asleep curled up on the greenhouse floor missing dinner and worrying half the Gryffindor house. When they finally woke and entered the common room they were pounced on by no less than five worried Gryffindors and loss five points each from their Head of House for being out after curfew. They were questioned on their disappearance and they just shrugged and mentioned study and then shuffled up to bed early.

"Neville" Harry said. They had just climbed into bed and the rest of their friends were still downstairs.

"Yeah?" Neville turned to lock eyes with Harry.

"Will you... I mean... ahh... you won't leave me, will you?"

"Never" Neville said without hesitation. And he meant it.

WolfWinks -xx-