Here is your sexual content warning: hey there's sex! I promised smutty. You're getting smutty. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 11

Gardenia is a strongly scented white or yellow flower.

"What did you do to her?" Ginny said to him in an uppity voice that told Neville she was pissed off and tired.

"What are you doing here?" he said and wasn't surprised at all at how grumpy he sounded. His to-do list was already a mile long. Having a crazy potted plant throwing witch making just another mess for him to clean up was the last thing he needed.

"Harry took the kids to a Quidditch match, and I'm avoiding my mother... and what the heck put a bur up your butt?" she nodded towards Rose's dramatic exit. "I was under the impression that she should've been apologizing to you…"

"What do you know about it?" he snapped, because honestly, he was pissed off too. Pissed off ever since he left Rose's place several days ago. Pissed off ever since he couldn't figure out how to handle the whole situation.

Pissed off ever since Penny showed up at his shop today, offering to help and begging him to answer questions about things she had read in her first year Herbology book, then reminding him that he had promised to take her to see his greenhouses with her sunshine smile that usually had him doing whatever she wanted.

He couldn't take it.

It wasn't that Penny had showed up that had pissed him off. It was that she had precisely the same vividly violet eyes as her mother. And he couldn't look at them without thinking about Rose, and he couldn't think about Rose without getting very angry.

Rose… Pansy… whatever the hell her name was… He wanted to pin the witch beneath him and take out all his frustration on her... sexually. He wanted to hold her down and make her beg for him to forgive her. He wanted a marathon of sex that ended with both of them useless and so spent he couldn't possibly be angry anymore. He wanted to forget that somewhere along the line since she came into his life, he had finally gotten over Hannah and it was all Rose's fault.

And it pissed him the fuck off.

He was skirting a dangerous line, knowing he would never hurt woman on purpose and yet… he wanted to make her scream. That's how pissed off he was. And Ginny was the last person he wanted to talk to. Especially about that.

His old friend had too perceptive eyes and a violent approach at making sure her friends and family were taken care of. It was a literal definition of tough love and Neville wanted nothing to do with it today of all days.

"Oh I know more than you think, Nev. Like how Rose Russo is actually Pansy Parkinson and you had no idea. Some Auror you are. She played you like a fiddle." Ginny said rocking her twins in their little bundles.

"You don't know shit, Gin." he snapped back, leaning down to clean up the broken clay pot and the sad, ripped up flower that the pot had once housed. The path it had flown had, unfortunately, resulted in a lot of destruction. It marked a clear line through his neat rows of flowers.

"Watch that mouth, Longbottom." she growled. While angrily picking up the broken pieces of clay, which had scattered through his rose bush, he caught his thumb on a thorn and sucked in a harsh breath. The irony of it hit hard. He was far too revved up, his body wanted to fuck Rose/Pansy into submission, and his mind wanted this whole thing to be resolved. Neither of those things would happen right now. Unless...

"Damn rose bush!" he stood and turned around on one foot. "Give me my godchildren and get out of my shop." he said, deciding to leave the mess Rose - Pansy - whateverthefuckhernamewas - had left of his garden for later. He stepped up to his friend and stole away her tiny babies, cuddling them in the crook of his arms.

Then he beelined out of the shop and across the road.

"Hey!" Ginny called, chasing after him. "Where are you going with my kids?"

"I'm using them as distraction." he said and he marched right up to Rose's shop and peered through the window. His witch was pacing back forth with her fists curled in anger still, her mouth moving quickly as she shouted at things. Her hair was slipping out of it's clip and frizzing out in all directions, making her look every bit of the crazy witch she was. She looked gorgeous.

Penny and Daphne were sitting on the counter watching silently. Penny, he could tell, had been crying. And that, he admitted to himself, was absolutely unacceptable. She wasn't his daughter, but he knew that if any other boy had made her cry like that he would kick their ass and then buy her the biggest ice cream sundae with every topping available. And then he realized he had been a prick to Penny, all because he had been, and still was, mad at her mother.

He actually growled out loud at himself. He kicked at the door gently, since his arms were full and he couldn't knock. Ginny stood in the middle of the road behind him, yelling at him, but he ignored her. Instead he watched as Rose turned towards the sound and got sight of him. He watched her lips pinch so tight they were nothing but thin, white lines on her face. She stomped over and swung the door open with enough force to bring down the entire building, her finger raised in preparation to point him in the other direction and tell him to get lost - most likely.

Instead, he had brought the one thing he knew she could, and never would, be mad at. Babies. He knew his witch was a sucker for babies. Her eyes dropped to the little bundles in his arms and her mouth dropped to form a perfect 'O'.

"Here, hold these." he said, forcing the twins into her arms. Winnie made a sound of displeasure, but she quickly settled in against Rose's chest and fell back asleep. Artie hardly noticed he had changed arms. And Rose just stood there, her heart visibly melting and all traces of anger gone completely.

"Awww…."

"Neville you can't just unload my kids off to strangers damn it." Ginny said following him into the shop. But he didn't listen, instead he dropped down in front of Penny.

"Penny can I apologize for my behavior earlier?" he said to the girl.

She didn't miss a beat. "I don't know Neville. Can you?" she said in the sassiest voice he had ever heard. Daphne, sitting beside her niece, snorted loudly.

"I want to make things right between us, how I acted was wrong." he tried again.

"You acted like a jerk! You made me cry and you hurt my mother's feelings too! No wonder you can't keep a girlfriend!" Penny shouted, hopping down from her spot on the counter. Her eyes watered and her lips trembled and he felt at a complete loss at what he should do. Before he could say another word however, she stomped her foot down hard on Neville's toe, causing him to stand up in shock more than pain, and then said, "If you don't watch out... my mama won't be the only one who is going to throw a potted plant at your stupid head!"

And she ran out the backdoor without another word leaving Neville standing there mouth agape. He had definitely been told off before, by multiple women, multiple times… but he had never been told off like that before.

And by an 11 year old.

The moment the door slammed shut behind her, Daphne whooped loudly, jumping off the counter and smiling brightly. "Oh my beloved Niece! You better be careful, Neville. She's going to be a Gryffindor. All bark - all bite!"

He turned around when he realized Ginny and Rose were both laughing out loud. "Oh my babies, your godfather just got destroyed by an 11 year old girl." Ginny said between laughs. "I can't wait to tell your father. Ha Ha… Haha ha…"

Rose's face tinted red as she laughed, her eyes lit up in joy. And they were purple. Not brown like Hannah's. With her arms full of tiny babies, he felt his heart soar and his mind turn against him. He was trying to force himself to remember that this was Pansy Parkinson, he was trying to force himself to remember the painful memories of the Bully he knew. Instead he was seeing a lovely witch and her laugh was making him breathless. He didn't want to separate the memories he had of Pansy from the ones he had of Rose. He wanted it to be simple. One witch that he could break up with and move on from. One witch that had wronged him when he was a boy, and broke his heart right open as a man.

But instead, his mind was telling him something else. Maybe she really was just Rose.

oOoOo

"Ginny would you like to come in for tea?" Rose said to the witch she had been laughing with. She would never forget the harsh words Ginny had used against her, nor how badly they made her feel. But she figured, Ginny owed her one. Maybe even another. But if she expected to be part of the magical world again for her daughter, she had to start mending relationships where she could. Ginny Weasley was a fine place to start.

"I would love to. Neville? Don't you have work to do? Your shop needs you, friend."

"You're a pain in the ass, Gin." he mumbled.

"Every day. Every single day." Ginny said reaching for one of her twins. "Let's catch up, Mrs. Russo."

Rose wanted to laugh and laugh at the look on Neville's face, and the red that was creeping up his neck. She had a feeling he was use to women yelling at him. But Penny wasn't a woman. She had to occupy a different place in his worldview. She could tell from his stance he wanted to talk to her, but she feeling very petty. He had after all made her child cry.

"See you later, Neville." she said, and led Ginny and the twins out through the back door.

In the house, Daphne sat on the couch braiding Penny's hair and Rose decided to let them have their little talk without interfering. When Penny was born, Rose had wanted to hog her child and smother her with love. She didn't want Penny growing up wondering if her mother had any love for her, the way Rose had. Peony Parkinson was complicated. One moment, they would be laughing in the garden together. The next, Pansy would be alone and neglected. It had taken Phil to make her see it was entirely selfish in a different way her parents had been and that she should let as many people love her child as possible, so she would never be alone. Daphne and Astoria would never leave Penny if something had happened to Rose.

She walked to the kitchen and put the kettle on just as Ginny slid into the same bar stool she had stood at the last time she was here.

"I originally wanted to hang out with Neville today, and get the twins out of the house for a bit. But I think I should let him lick his wounds." she said cautiously.

"That might be best. He definitely looked like he didn't know how to handle Penny… I actually feel badly for him." Rose said, putting out some cut fruit she had and setting up the cups for tea.

"While I'm here, I wanted to apologize for the … for the way I said things that night."

Not for the things she said. The way she said them.

"I accept." and they shared a small smile. It was definitely a starting place if anything.

Much later, after Rose cleaned up after dinner and straightened up the sitting room, she wandered up to Penny's room, knocking on the door that had been closed more and more lately.

"Come in."

"Just wanted to say goodnight."

"Goodnight. No bedbugs." Penny said with a book in her lap.

"Good. Do you want to talk about Neville?"

Penny frowned for a moment before she said, "I don't know why I cried. And I… I drew something too."

Rose looked towards the desk by the window, where Penny kept most of her art supplies. There in the very front, on thick parchment, was a colorful sketch of a Voodoo Lily flying dangerously towards Neville. The drawing was comical and she had to stop herself from bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Penny! This is good work! I can't draw like that."

"I was… motivated." Penny said with a pout.

Rose stayed silent, knowing Penny and knowing if she had more to say she would say it. She did. "Daphne says only people who matter should be worthy of our tears. Strangers don't deserve it."

"Your Aunt Daph is a smart witch."

"So you agree with her?"

"I think the only people whose opinion should matter are the people you love and care about. Like I care about what you think, but if some random person said something nasty, I wouldn't let it bother me because they don't matter."

"So what if…" she bit down on her lip.

"When have you ever held back?"

Penny winced. "What if Neville said something mean about you?"

"He's just... very angry with me right now."

"He said something really mean."

"Do you want to tell me? You don't have to."

"He said you were playing a prank on him, trying to break his heart."

"Well… I'm not. I kind of like him," she admitted. "But a lot of times, boys don't think straight when they get that angry."

Penny looked thoughtful for a long minute before she said, "Even though he was kind of a jerk to me, I think you should go kiss him and stuff. He could make you happy like daddy used to make you happy."

Penny never ceased to dazzle. "Well I'll take that under advisement. Anything else you want to talk about?"

"Nope. I think I'll go to sleep now."

"Goodnight Penny, do you mind if I go show Neville this picture?"

"You should staple it to his forehead."

Laughing, Rose walked downstairs and looked around. Her daughter was safe and okay, her house was clean, her shop was restocked, and the roof was fixed. She raised her head and looked upstairs, knowing as soon as Penny fell asleep she would be out like a light.

She had made a decision and turned the knob of the front door, quietly stepping outside into the summer night. She had an idea, and she thought it was just sneaky enough to work.

Silently, she made her way across the garden, past the gate, and across the street. Walking along the side of Neville's shop, she was just about to turn the corner and knock on his door when she heard a soft, feminine, familiar voice.

"-actually hurting over this girl? I can make it better Neville."

She felt her fingers curl as she recognized the sultry voice of Maggie Mobley, the sexy-redhead-with-tiny-thighs she had seen Neville with that one memorable night. Not caring that it was rude, she pressed herself against the wall and stayed silent, listening to them talk.

"Let me distract you, no strings attached. We both could use a good workout… I can tell you're hard up."

"I don't think -"

"Seriously when was the last time you got laid, Neville? Your muscles are so tense."

"Maggie you know I think you're sexy as hell-"

"Definitely better looking than that Rose anyways."

Neville paused, and Rose felt her heart stop. What had she just said to Penny? How if some random person said something nasty, she wouldn't let it bother her because they don't matter? Maggie certainly didn't matter to her… but Neville did.

"Mags, I think you're beautiful." he said gently. "But I'm not interested."

"Let me change your mind… You've never turned me away before."

Rose decided she had heard enough, she could either reveal herself or walk away. And she wanted to talk to Neville. She stepped into the darkened path and crossed her arms. "There's a first time for everything, sweetheart."

She could just barely make out Neville's taller form, and Maggie's shorter petite one. The street lamps were just far enough away that hardly any light reached this little corner. But there was no missing the disgusted look on the girl's face. And that's what she was - a girl hardly out of Hogwart's.

"Oh I think Neville should decide." Maggie said, instead of leaving.

"What? You can't hear under all those hair extensions? He said he isn't interested."

She could tell her words prickled. Maggie stepped closer, putting her face into Rose's. "Like he'd actually be interested in the chubby bint who destroyed his garden over me. Honestly, how do you even fit that ass into anything other than spandex?"

Her hands immediately came to the sides of her thighs, her main source of insecurity. And Maggie had the gall to look victorious… until Neville stepped in and said, "With help." and he grabbed Rose's hand pulling her in through the doorway.

The door shut on Maggie's surprised face and Rose couldn't help but feel a smidgen of triumph. That was, until she turned to face Neville. He looked exhausted. And still pissed off. He crossed over and shut the curtains that covered the only window and it submerged them further into darkness.

She could barely see until Neville switched on a small lamp by the bed. "I wasn't particularly happy to see Mags, but don't think since I let you in here I'm happy to see you either."

With that he lifted his dirty shirt up over his head and threw it to the ground just as he kicked his boots into the corner. "I've only just finished closing up and I'm tired so tell me what you want." he said just as his hands went to the top of his jeans. He was trying to intimidate her again. By getting naked. But they way she was feeling, that would only make her want to stay, if she were being honest.

It was time to be sneaky. She stepped over to him on silent feet, coming to stand directly in front of him. She knew she could reach up and kiss him, distract him with her mouth. She hadn't missed the flash of heat in his eyes when he had said those two simple words that managed to make her feel wanted and dismissed Maggie with ease. But she had something she needed to say first. He paused, letting his arms hang by his sides and she placed both her hands on his chest. He smelled of his garden, of sweat and hard work and she gave into the urge to dig her fingernails into his skin. She watched him wince, narrow his eyes at her in that look that felt sexual and frustrated at the same time.

"Do you really think that I was just… messing with you?" she asked quietly, the mere idea horrifying to her. She would never play someone's feelings like that.

"What else am I supposed to think?" She heard the undertones of insecurity in his question and it made her frown.

"How about… I didn't want to hurt you?" she curled her fingers into fists against his chest, gave him a mock punch, and watched his face closely. "Yeah - you didn't think of that did you? And don't say you don't believe me. We spent two nights together. Do you really think I could have… faked that?"

She didn't want to give him time to second guess her or talk himself into continuing to be mad at her, so she stepped back and gingerly fished her wand out of her pocket. With a slow, deliberate move she set her wand on his dresser and turned back to him. "You can believe me or not. I know you're angry with me… and I know it's justified. I'll give you 5 minutes."

"What?"

"Yes… 5 minutes. You can do whatever you want to me. Spit on me, curse me, hurt me… but after that… Neville, I'm going home to take care of my daughter. Because that is who I am. Pansy… Rose… it doesn't matter what you call me and it doesn't matter if you decide not to believe me because it won't change the truth."

Anger charged the air between them and when he stepped forward and placed both his hands on the sides of her upper arms, it felt as if he shocked her. "You better get one thing straight Rosie…" he growled. "I would never willingly hurt you."

"How can I convince you otherwise then? I wasn't trying to break your heart." she said softly.

He sighed heavily before stepping back and sitting down on the bed, bending over to take his socks off. "You didn't."

She blinked, thought through what he could mean. "Why are you so angry with me then?"

He leaned back, his legs still covered by grass-stained jeans stretched out in front of him, and she couldn't help when her eyes lingered over his bare chest. He held her eyes on his for a while before his head tilted and his gaze went to her right. She turned and spotted it right away.

The only picture on his dresser was in a solid black frame, the face on the moving photograph familiar. Hannah Abbott, wearing an apron and standing behind a familiar looking bar. The witch was making a face, crossing her eyes and wiggling her fingers before she laughed and blew a kiss at whoever was taking the photo.

"Oh…" she picked the frame up and watched it loop one more time before the photo was ripped from her hands. Neville slammed it down on the dresser face down.

"It feels like I've betrayed her. But you understand that don't you?" he said crowding her space, leaning in, his anger making him seem bigger.

She rubbed the spot over her heart. Yes, she understood. She completely understood. And she knew that feeling could give way to anger. "Sometimes I can hear his voice." she said. "Telling me I left the coffee maker on, or Penny forgot her vitamins."

"What's a vitamin?" he asked.

"Oh - it's a Muggle thing I suppose." she said softly, then sighed. "Neville-"

"You really aren't her anymore are you?" he asked, leaning in even closer, his mouth barely an inch away.

"I used to be, and I can't forget that. But no. I'm not her."

"Damnit. Rose." and that was the only warning she had before his mouth was on hers, his hands curved under her bottom and lifted her up in an instant. Her mouth opened in surprise and he wasted no time taking advantage and deepening their kiss. She could smell all the delicate scents from his garden in his skin - Roses, Verbena, Gardenia... more and more. It mixed with the scent of earth, of healthy soil and sunshine and sweat. She loved it. She loved him.

And she couldn't help but respond, wrapping her legs around his waist, digging her fingers into his hair. She realized quickly that she rather liked Neville wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. She also liked him a little angry, if his fervent kisses were any indication for the kind of mood he was in. She felt wanted in a way she had never experienced before... not even with Phil.

Neville was simply desperate for her.

His hands dug into her ass. "I'm so mad at you." he growled against her lips.

"I know."

He turned and dropped her into his bed, leaning in to cage her with his body. His elbows came down on either side of her head and she had no way to escape from beneath him. He leaned down and took her mouth again in a kiss so carnal, it stroked her passion to inferno levels until she was so hot she couldn't breathe. "Neville…"

He started out with far less clothes than she, but that didn't deter him in the slightest. Her soft cry only spurred him to go faster, until he slid down and unbuttoned her shorts, all the while raining kisses on every inch of her skin. Then he shoved them down quickly before he reached for his own jeans. There was something very sexy about a man in such a desperate state, she thought. His frantic movements to rid her of her panties while she quickly unbuttoned her top left them both breathless until they were both finally naked and he was lowering himself back down on top of her, pushing her firmly into the bed with his body. Less than two minutes after he said her name, they lay pressed together, naked and panting.

Gripping his hair, she kissed the column of his neck wanting to get as close as she could. His fingers spread her apart, dipping once… twice. "Now. Hurry." she mumbled into his neck. His hand came up to her jaw, tilting her head back as he covered her mouth with his. At the same instant he withdrew his other hand and pushed her thighs further apart. The sensation of his rough hands on her throat, on her thigh, only enhanced when he nudged past her entrance.

"Neville." she exhaled.

"Okay?" he settled on top of her, kissing her soft skin along her neck, up her jawline.

"Yes. So good."

With a hand still on her throat, and the other pinning her thigh down, he rocked into her hard, stretching her internal muscles. She let out a single, breathy moan and clutched onto him tighter so he surged forward again and was rewarded with the same sound. He kept going, holding her down as he fucked her, and he felt his anger fade away with every thrust, every moan for more. She held on to him with her fingers pressed in deep, her nails leaving little marks all over his shoulders and back. Her heels dug into his lower back and still, he kept going until his fast, frantic thrusts slowed to long, deep strokes that had her body humming in sexual heat and the only thing he could see was the bright of her eyes looking into him.

When she came, he went with her.

A little while later, she sat up and turned her back to him, stretching her arms overhead before she stood and started gathering her discarded clothes. She brushed her fingers against a hard edge of parchment and she pulled the drawing Penny had done from the pocket of her shorts.

"Where are you going?" he asked in a scratchy voice, reaching out to grab at her other hand, trying to pull her back to bed.

"I can't leave Penny all alone." she said as she pulled her shorts up her legs, and then pocketed her panties. "She told me to 'staple' this to your forehead by the way."

Neville took the drawing from her and laughed out loud, sitting up. "That's... scarily detailed."

"Yep." Rose said, putting on her shirt. "You're going to have grovel, you know that right?"

"I will." he said.

"In fact, you'll have to send some of that groveling over to me too." she stepped between his legs and dug her fingers into his hair, something she loved doing. "Don't you ever hurt my kid again, Longbottom." she said, tugging at the strands just hard enough to hurt.

"I won't... Russo."