Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters mention in the Harry Potter universe they belong to JK Rowling.

Notes: For info on pairing and title and such see the prologue.

Chapter Two

Harry walked around the Quidditch field in circles; muttering to himself as mad man. No matter how many times he tried to think about it, the simple idea of Ron and…and …

No! He can't think of this any more, he can't. The simple idea, it bothers him to no end. And he honestly couldn't understand why?

It was wrong, it was disgusting…it was…so many bloody things…..

"Harry?" He turned around to find Neville next to him. "Are you….are you alright?" Neville asked tentatively, as if scared of what can result from his mere question.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Do I look alright to you?! What do you think?!" He snaps at him, but then he regretted as he watched Neville's concern eyes fill up with hurt.

Neville open his mouth to speak, "I…I, um…Sorry, I'll leave you alone…." He started to turn but Harry stretched out his hand to catch his arm before he turned. "I'm sorry."

Neville glanced at him, confusion written across his face. "I…I didn't mean to snap at you Nev."

"It's okay." Neville responded with a tiny smile. Harry looked at him for a bit, 'Always so forgiving, so innocent.' He smiled softly at him, 'Not like Ron.'

"Um, so..." Neville started to say, but trailed off.

Harry glanced at the ground, "So…"

"Where are Ron and Hermione?" Neville asked quietly when he noticed that Harry was alone and not flanked by his two best friends.

"Last time I checked, I left 'Mione in the Common Room." Harry stated and Neville nodded, "Ah." He said accepting Harry answer. He glanced at Harry softly, "What about Ron?"

No reply.

Neville turned to join Harry at staring at the ground. A silence emerged from the two for a while and it started to get to quiet for Neville's taste. "Um…I…I take it, you…you…don't know." He said slowly stuttering in a nervous pace. "Do…do you kn-know?"

"No, I take it I do know; I just bloody don't care where the hell he could be." Harry responded out in a hiss. Neville eyes widen in shock at the anger that emanated from Harry as he spoke. He didn't know whether to stay where he was or just run off, away from Harry. He sure doesn't need to have Harry Potter on his bad side now. Just looking at Harry, seeing him so upset…. "Um…had…had a fight with…Ron?" He asked slowly as possible, he couldn't stop stuttering though for the life of him.

Harry closed his eyes, trying to control himself, not wanting to snap at Neville again. Since he didn't hurt him, like *someone* he knew.

"You can say that."  That was all he said and Neville accepted that reply as well. Crossing his arms across his chest, trying to calm himself he only responded to Harry with a, "Oh." Silences emerged once again between the two, and Neville was really trying to figure out why he doesn't just leave. But call it curiosity, call it trying to help a friend, call it something, maybe even fear, but he sure couldn't leave Harry not just yet at least.

"He's also a bloody poof."

That comment both surprised and scared Longbottom. Surprised him for the fact, that he wasn't expecting it at all, he was thinking more of the lines that Harry and Ron got into a dispute over something silly or just something, but he didn't expect that. No that was his second thought, his first were thoughts of leaving, but sure was not what Harry just said. Not that. And it scared him, not because Harry stated that Ron was a poof or anything. He wasn't sure if that was 100% true to begin with, but Harry never lied or did he? At least not to him, but either way if Ron went for the other gender, it didn't bother him. He didn't mind, but he couldn't comprehend why Harry couldn't. He is Ron's best friend, isn't he? But back to his line of thought, it scared him for the way Harry had said that comment. Not only could one feel the anger from him, but you could hear it, in his voice. Hear his voice drip with anger, so much anger it scared him.

"Eh, um…." He started but he just trailed off once again, why he even is bothering to try and talk this out with Harry is beyond him. When did he decide to get all supportive and helpful? Must be because he's a Gryffindor, then again he's still believe The Sorting Hat made a mistake for placing him in Gryffindor; Courage, bravery? Ha! He's sure doesn't have courage nor is he brave. Or is he?

"Neville, I know you want to ask….so ask…" Harry stated with a bit of annoyance at the silence that had developed once again between the two.

He took that as an initiative, "Do-does it….bother you?" Neville asked Harry.

Harry closed his eyes as struggling with his thoughts before reopening them to look at Neville. "No, it doesn't Neville…"

Neville again accepted the small reply, "So… no…but why-"But he was cut off, by Harry himself. "Or maybe it does." Neville was starting to get confused, forgetting his nervousness for a bit. "So it does?" He asked slowly.

"Or then again…Oh hell, I don't know. I think the answer should be that I hate who he chose to be with…." He mutters out slowly in a hiss.

"And that…would be?" Neville asked out slowly, but the glare he received made him change his words. "Okay…." Again the silence, but it only lasted for a bit, "You…you don't have to say….I  ...I under-understand." He said to Harry, he sure doesn't want Harry upset with him now.

Harry just shrugged, muttering a 'Whatever.'

Neville sighed and thought to himself, 'Well Hermione is already out of the question since Harry clearly pointed out Ron doesn't go for girls, and Lavender and the other girls are out as well.' He stared out to Harry, he couldn't help himself, and the curiosity was getting the better of him instead of his regular nervousness and fear. "Hmmm, Seamus?" But he got no reaction from Harry, so he decided to guess again, "Dean?"

Harry muttered a careless, "I wish…" Neville mentally thought, 'Okay, two down, and I know it ain't me.' He sighed, 'He couldn't figure it out who it could be, he thought and thought, but nothing came to him.' He looked at Harry and for once in his life he was starting to get annoyed with him, "For god sake then Harry, I don't know who it could be that got you so worked up over. For a minute one could think we were talking about Draco Malfoy." If anyone said, he, Neville Longbottom had just yelled at Harry Potter, well yelling may not be the right choice of word but it was close enough, out of the blue, no one in gods name would believe. Because he, himself doesn't.

Out of his own thoughts, he notices that he had no reaction of Harry till the point of the mention of Slytherin boy's name. That was the entire hint Neville needed to understand. The way Harry hands that laid on each of his side, turning both into a fist, the way his eyes turn hard with anger, the way his lips turned into a snarl at the mere mention of the name. "It's Malfoy…. isn't it?!"

Harry couldn't hold his anger in check any longer, he snarled at Neville, "What?! So you've figured it out. Bloody big deal!" he looked away and then back at him, "Want a trophy?" He mocked.

Neville couldn't explain it but he would not let Harry speak to him like that. "Don't you dare raise your voice at me." He said in a firm voice.

Harry lost in his own anger continued to mock him, "Oh and what now? Huh? What are you going to do about it Neville? Oh right nothing; because that's what you always do nothing."

Maybe it was the whole concept of being a Gryffindor. Maybe it was for the years of torment and hurt he received in the past. Maybe it was for the comment or the way Harry said it. Maybe…maybe it just felt like the right thing to do.

He lifted his right arm up, pulled it back and took a swing at Harry's face.

To say that Harry Potter was not expecting a punch to the face, especially from Neville Longbottom, would be an understatement.

The impact of the punch was actually quite strong; it knocked him down to the ground from both the impact of it and the shock of it being thrown in the first place. Harry lay on the ground; his right hand immediately went to his face, touching the left side of his face near the side of his lips. 'Ouch…' Harry mentally winced as he touched it softly, 'He punched me? Neville punched me in the face?!' He thought as he looked up from the ground at Neville with shock, surprise and underneath it all, a bit of admiration for the boy that was standing in front of him. He had misjudged this quiet boy, misjudging his strength most of all. 'He can pack quite a punch…' he thought quietly as he stared at Neville as he still touched his face.

Neville stared back down at Harry. He kept glancing at Harry to his hand and back and forth and kept opening and closing his hand into a fist, as a sudden pain started to pounded slowly from within. He punched Harry Potter in the face?! Oh. My. God. Bloody hell, what was he thinking?! He opened his mouth to say something, anything to Harry but he kept closing it back as well. What could he say? 'Sorry Harry, but my hand got a mind of its own?!' He was in complete shock; he never ever did a thing such like this, and to Harry of all people. He opened his mouth to say something, but before Neville could say anything a new voice interrupted them both. "Well, well, color me amaze, Potty and Longbottom fighting."

At the sound of the voice both boy's turned toward the direction to find the owner of that familiar voice; Draco Malfoy.