Written for dudley_redeemed 2012

It was his third job in the past four months, not including when he helped clean up Hogwarts and Diagon Alley. Neville wasn't sure what he was going to do after this, especially since he had few skills to begin with. Sure, he had taken the head off a snake during the war. He helped run an underground resistance at Hogwarts. He took so much pain to save others from feeling it. All of that led to nothing in the end. After the war, opportunities seemed to close on him, not open.

"Rough day?" Harry asked as Neville sat down at their shared dining room table. At least he could count on Harry to understand, considering they faced the same thing.

"I wish I knew more about Muggles. Then I could go out and get a job like you." Neville accepted the mug that slid across the table toward him. "What's the point of doing all this good stuff if you fall after?"

"Head up, Nev. You'll find something soon." Harry smiled softly and Neville was glad his friend didn't go on about how he wasn't looking hard enough, like Hermione tended to do. "Besides, being a Muggle librarian isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"At least they don't go after you there." Neville took a long drink, glad of the burn down his throat. "Damn, that's good. What is it?"

"Scotch. My cousin gave it to me."

Neville smiled a little. Harry never did learn to put alcohol into proper glasses. "The one that contacted you a few months ago? I thought all of them still hated you. You never did tell me what he said and I assumed it was bad."

"I'm sure my aunt and uncle still think I'm worse than dirt, but Dudley's always been different. My aunt and uncle are on holiday, so he was lonely. Having a day off, I helped." He hesitated and got a look that Neville came to recognize as Harry's thinking face. Sure, it lead to them living together to save on bills, but normally that face never lead to anything that good.

It was always best to get this over with sooner than later. "What are you thinking?"

"Just something Dudley mentioned when I met with him."

"Spit it out, Harry."

Harry gave Neville a smile. "He tried to fix my aunt's garden and mucked it up. He was looking for a gardener to fix it before she got back."

"Was he?" Neville traced his finger across the top of his mug. "That seems convenient."

"I promise, I'm not trying to set you up. It could be a good job to hold you for the next few weeks." Harry shrugged and stood, taking his dishes to the sink. "It's just an idea."

"Right." Neville finished his glass. "I'll keep it in mind."

"Thanks, Nev." Harry patted his shoulder once before making his way down the hall and to his bedroom. The door shut softly behind him.

-_-_-_-

Two days after the idea was first presented, Neville stood outside of number four in his best Muggle clothes. He brought nothing but his wand with him, wanting to take in what needed to be done before he dragged anything over. From the state of the front yard, however, he could tell that this was more than a silly black thumb. The ground almost cried; it was so brown and patchy.

He barely raised a hand to knock when the door suddenly opened. The big bulk of a man almost stumbled into him and they both stood staring at each other, equally embarrassed.

"I'm sorry—" Neville started.

"No, no, it's my fault." Harry's cousin looked him over and Neville had to hold down a blush "Are you the one Harry told me about?"

Neville nodded. "I hope I am. Neville Longbottom."

"Great, yeah. Dudley Dursley. I was about to head out, but it can wait. Come on in."

"If this is a bad time…"

"It wasn't important." Dudley pushed the door open and headed into the house.

Neville had never been inside a Muggle home, but it didn't look all that different from a wizarding one. Sure, the pictures didn't move and the wireless wasn't on, but it was close enough. If he didn't look too hard, it could even pass for his grandmother's cottage in some areas.

"So I'll get right to it, then. When did the yard start to look so…"

"Dead?" Dudley motioned at the table for him to sit. Neville did, glad that they had placed a cushion over the stiff-looking wood. "I noticed it before my mum and dad left, but I don't think they did. It started slow and I thought I could fix it."

"I'm sure it isn't as bad as it seems. Sometimes you just need the right fertilizer." Neville stood up to look out the kitchen window. There were a few patches of green grass still, but they were about the size of a Snitch and scattered so much that it made the yard look like a Dalmatian. He didn't remember the front yard looking much better. "Some strong fertilizer…"

"Just do… Do whatever you need to." Dudley's cheeks reddened; Neville found himself smitten with the color. "I don't want to know what kind of stuff you do."

"Don't worry," Neville said with what he hoped was a comforting smile. "There's little wand work in gardening."

Dudley nodded and motioned to the front door. "I'll just be going, then."

Neville watched him go, unable to take his eyes away from the lush backside of Dudley. Harry always described his cousin as a fat whale, but Neville could see more muscle than fat. Maybe Dudley lifted weights?

"Best keep this from Harry," he muttered to himself before going to the backyard to get started.

-_-_-_-

It took a week for things to truly come together. Dudley spent most of his time away from the house and, when he was there, he looked everywhere but at Neville's mostly concealed wand. He sympathized with him, he truly did, but Neville refused to hide away his wand because Harry's cousin was feeling uncomfortable. He knew what happened (Ron was loud about his story telling), but he also wanted Dudley to get comfortable in the presence of the slender wood.

After all, if Neville wanted to act on his growing crush, there couldn't be something as simple as magic being the reason it couldn't work.

He just had to tell Dudley about his infatuation.

And Harry. Who sat across from him every morning while he browsed the paper. It would be so easy to just let the subject drop.

"How's the yard coming?" Harry asked every morning. This morning was no different.

"I found out what caused it to die." Neville pushed his runny eggs around on the plate. "Know that it isn't your fault."

Harry sighed, dropping the paper. "What happened?"

"The wards to keep you safe were rooted into the ground." It would be so easy to slip 'I think I like your cousin' into this, but where? The words caught in Neville's throat.

"Dumbledore told me that once, I think. So?"

"So… When the wards disappeared, the ground lost part of itself. Kind of."

"Oh." Harry rubbed at the raised scar on the back of his hand. "Can you fix it?"

"Nothing a little hard work and magic won't fix." Neville smiled. "I started the process yesterday. I'm planting a few things today to see how they take." Oh, and maybe in the process, I'll ask Dudley out, his mind added.

"Sounds fun." Harry pulled on an Oxford sweatshirt. "I'm off. Keep me updated, okay? I want to see the final result."

"Yeah, no problem." Neville waited until he heard the front door close. "I hope my payment includes a date."

-_-_-_-

Three days later found Neville completely covered in dirt and the occasional bug, but it was worth it. There was something about digging his fingers into the soil that made him feel safe and productive. Honestly, he would have rather done this than cut the head off a snake.

The good part about working out in the yard was the looks he knew he was getting from the home's occupant. Sure, Dudley had tried to stay out of Neville's sight while they were both there, but they were bad attempts. Neville could feel his gaze, and his admitted to himself that he did flex maybe just a tiny bit more when he noticed. Would it work? He wasn't sure, but he wasn't about to let the opportunity pass by. Especially when Dudley seemed to be spending more and more time around the house lately.

Dudley chose that day to walk out and settled on the ground next to him. Neville continued to work without a word, figuring Dudley would say something if he wanted to. It didn't even take long.

"How does this stuff work? The wards and the ground, I mean."

It hadn't been the question he was expecting. Harry reminded him daily that Dudley disliked magic. "I'm not completely sure. My guess is that Dumbledore, he was our Headmaster, figured it was easier to set down the ward over the house instead of your mum."

"Why would he do that?" Dudley picked up a dead plant recently pulled up. "I mean, what if we moved?"

"I'd have to ask him. I don't really know." Neville offered Dudley a smile, one he hoped would set the other at ease. "Magic is complicated sometimes and I was never that powerful to begin with. You could always ask Hermione."

"Harry's friend?"

"Yeah, Harry's friend." Neville shrugged, sitting back on his knees. "She knows pretty much everything there is to know. And if she doesn't know, then she'll find out as soon as she can."

"She seems nice."

That depending on who you happened to be talking to, but Neville had to agree. Hermione had been the nicest person to him until fifth year. "She is. I think you'd like—"

"I'm gay," Dudley blurted out, his fists clenching in his lap. "I mean, I… I like boys."

Neville could hardly believe his luck. "Do you?"

"Does it bother you? Harry never said either way what your kind think of that stuff, but I just thought… I wanted you to know, that's all. It didn't seem fair that you were here and I not say anything."

The flush that spread across Dudley's face was too much to ignore. Neville smiled and leaned in, pressing a kiss across his cheek. "I was about to wonder if I were the only bloke on this block that liked cock."

"N-no." The blush moved to Dudley's neck. "I mean, I don't think so. I'm not exactly out."

Neville handed Dudley a pot. "Ah, I see. Harry did tell me a bit about your parents, so I can understand."

"I'll tell them one day." Dudley gently tugged the plant out of the pot before settling it in a hole Neville made. "When I find the right guy."

"I hope you find him, then." Neville patted the dirt around what would become a fruit tree. "Your right guy, I mean."

"Well… I'm kind of hoping I'm playing in the dirt with him."

Neville glanced over, a blush beginning on his own cheeks. "Dudley Dursley. Are you hitting on me?"

"So what if I am?"

The impish smile did him in. Neville stabbed his tools into the ground before standing and offering a hand to Dudley. The other man took it and, without an explanation, Neville pulled them inside and up the stairs.

"Did I say something wrong?" Dudley asked when he was pushed into the bathroom.

"No." Neville turned the shower on. "As much as I like dirt, I really don't want to kiss you while I have it smudged all over the place."

"It isn't smu—"

"Dudley?" Neville waited until he had Dudley's full attention. "Shut up."

It was, if he were honest with himself, his first real kiss. The stumbling one he shared with Ginny and Luna didn't live up to the slight hesitation of Dudley's kiss. Just when he was about to pull away, Dudley kissed him harder and he was lost. Hands reached out to pull at clothing, though most of it didn't make it off before they stumbled under the hot spray of the shower.

The cool tile hit Neville's back, sending a shock through his system. He had planned on leading this, but had no real problems with Dudley taking control. Especially when the kiss broke and Dudley got on his knees in front of him. The hot and slick mouth closed over his aching cock had Neville groaning.

Neville never made it home that night.

-_-_-_-

Harry looked up from the paper as Neville stumbled through the door the next morning. He arched an eyebrow, glanced over his friend's appearance, and then simply pushed a cup of tea across the table. Neville knew there were going to be questions, but he wasn't sure he wanted to answer them. Especially if Harry started out his questions with an offering of a drink. There wasn't much that could get under the skin of the famous Boy-Who-Lived; not coming home without a note just happened to be one of them.

"Harry, about last—"

"How's the yard?" Harry turned a page, interrupting Neville's apology. "Dudley told me Aunt Petunia would be coming back in a week, but he won't tell me how the yard is coming because he doesn't really know."

"He tends to get lost when I start talking about it, so I just tell him it's going fine." Neville pulled his wand out to heat the tea. "It will be ready for when she gets back, don't worry. Your cousin is safe from her wrath."

"I was never worried about my cousin when it came to that. He could do no wrong."

"Yes, well—"

"I'm worried about you." Harry let the paper drop to the table, a frown on his face. "I don't want you to be there when she and my uncle show up. They hate magic."

"So you mentioned." Neville ran his finger across the top of the cup. "I appreciate it, but I think I can take care of myself."

"Does that mean I can't worry about you?"

Neville felt his cheeks burn. "I didn't say that exactly. I would just … I think I can handle this."

"Ever the Gryffindor." Harry smiled and stood.

"Yeah, that's me." Neville gripped the mug tightly. "Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry I didn't come home without leaving a note."

"It's fine. I sent Dudley a note asking when you left and he said you hadn't." Harry shrugged. "I assumed you were tired."

"Yes, but…" Harry continued to stare at him, so Neville sighed. Here went nothing. "I'm gay."

He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the other man's reaction. He wasn't sure about the Muggle world, but he knew homosexuality within the wizarding one wasn't considered normal by any means. Most frowned upon it, insisting any union between two magical people be created with the idea of creating children.

"You… are?"

"Yeah." Neville sighed. "And I think your cousin and I are dating now. We didn't exactly talk over particulars."

Harry laughed softly and Neville jerked around to stare at him. "Thank God. I thought you two would be perfect for each other." To Neville surprise, Harry patted his back, his smile proud. "Want anything for breakfast? I think I want some eggs."

"Er… Sounds great?"

Harry nodded and, without another word about what had just been confessed, made breakfast as if everything were normal. Neville never felt more grateful than that moment. Perhaps later he would ask if Harry had been serious when he mentioned Dudley being perfect for him. And if he had been serious, well, Neville knew just the girl to introduce the recluse to.

-_-_-_-

Neville wiped his hands on his pants before looking over the backyard. The front had been finished for a few days now and, with that last tree planted, now the backyard was perfect. The grass grew thick under his feet and the flowers bloomed as if they had always been there. Perhaps he could start a Muggle landscaping business. He was sure Dudley would help.

"This looks amazing."

Speaking of Dudley. Neville reached out for his hand. "You think so?"

"Of course I do. Mum won't notice the difference unless she looks close enough, but since I'm hoping you'll just stay and help with the yard…"

Neville laughed, pressing a kiss to Dudley's cheek. "I don't think your parents will appreciate me being here."

"I got over it, so they'll get over it. Maybe." Dudley squeezed Neville's hand. "They're on their way. Mum just called and said they were close."

"Okay." Neville disentangled his hand. "I'll just—"

"Don't go." Dudley stepped close to him, invading personal space. "Please don't go."

"Dudley, your parents are almost here." Neville raised Dudley's hands to kiss the knuckles. "I know they don't like things that aren't normal."

Dudley took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. If they hadn't been talking about something so serious, Neville would have found it endearing.

"I'll visit often, I pro—"

"No." Dudley squeezed his hands. "No, I want to introduce you."

"As the gardener?"

"As my boyfriend." Dudley put a hand behind Neville's neck, pulling him close for a kiss. "They'll accept me," he said after it broke. "I'm their son, they have to."

Neville hoped Dudley was right. "Okay. Okay, you can introduce me. I'm sure Harry won't mind you staying with us if they don't like it."

Dudley smiled, leading Neville to the front of the house. "I hope that invitation will stay open in the future, but maybe just a place for the two of us. Without Harry, as much as I'm starting to understand him."

The confidence radiating off of Dudley was causing Neville's pants to get a little tight, but he ignored it. Now was not the time to think about that. He had to support Dudley in his decisions, even if he didn't agree with it.

So he stood next to his boyfriend (Harry would tease him for a month, at least), their hands tightly clasped together, and watched as Mr. and Mrs. Dursley came home.

"Mum," Dudley said once they got out of the car, "Dad, I'd like you to meet someone…"