This is another one of those stories that I never planned to write, but Theo/Neville is one of my favourite rare pairs, so I just couldn't help myself!

I will add Trigger Warnings at the beginning of each chapter where necessary.

Disclaimer! I don't have a beta, so all the mistakes you find are 100% mine.😉

Also just a quick warning for this chapter: Theo is pretty mean to Neville at the beginning of our story, but that's because he's working through a lot personal stuff. I promise he won't be like this for the entire story! This is not a toxic relationship fic!

ooo

"Oh…err... I'm sorry."

The voice, whilst fairly soft and shy, echoed uncomfortably loudly through the otherwise quiet corridor. "I…wasn't expecting to meet anyone here."

Theo took a deep drag from his cigarette and blew it out through his nose before he looked up to see who had disturbed his nightly pondering. He knew who it was anyway. He'd recognise that gentle baritone anywhere. Not that he was particularly interested in the bloke, but years of sharing classes with him had caused Theo to be rather well acquainted with his voice.

He waited another few seconds, wondering if the voice's owner would just leave if he didn't respond. After all, he had come out here to think (and maybe sulk a little) and was hardly in the mood to interact with anyone, particularly not a bumbling Gryffindor like him.

"Longbottom." He sighed, when he decided that he couldn't ignore the boy any longer. "What in Merlin's name are you doing out here after curfew?" He didn't really care what the idiot was up to, but he couldn't deny that he was a little surprised to see him down here in the dungeons at such a late hour. From what he knew about the boy, he had always been rather anxious and not very brave at all. Surely the Dungeons were a much to scary place for someone like him?

"I'm looking for my toad. Trevor." Neville offered with a light shrug, surprising Theo by acting as if it was a perfectly normal thing for him to roam the castle after curfew on the quest to find his ever-elusive pet.

Honestly, was the toad even real? Theo couldn't think of a single time he remembered seeing Longbottom with a toad in hand. But then he didn't normally pay much attention to the shy Gryffindor, so what did he know?

"Have you seen him?" Neville pressed on, somehow managing to look both worried and hopeful at the same time.

Theo snorted, a mean, derisive sort of noise, and shook his head. "If he's been pottering around down here, someone will have probably turned him into a potions ingredient by now." He said, wincing internally at his lack of sensitivity. Why did he always have to be so nasty to people when he was feeling vulnerable? Not that he particularly cared about the guy, but it wasn't his fault that Theo was feeling like his entire world was crumbling around him.

Because it's how you were raised, you idiot. He told himself. Because the only thing your disgrace of a father taught you, is how to be a monster.

It was true.

This was exactly how his father would have expected him to act when talking to a blood traitor like Longbottom…Except Theo wasn't sure he still wanted to listen to his father. He didn't want to take the Mark or kill and torture people. He'd never cared about blood purity in the first place.

Neville didn't say anything for a while, but didn't look offended, which Theo found slightly unsettling. If anyone had said something like that about his pet owl, he would have hexed that person's head off, but Longbottom was just standing there, studying him with a soft and slightly curious expression.

"What are you doing here?" He asked eventually, and Theo was shocked to hear a note of genuine concern in his voice. "Are you alright?"

Merlin, he must have looked a whole lot worse than he'd thought, if someone like Longbottom was taking pity on him.

"That's none of your business." He snapped, again, going straight into defence. "And now bugger off. I told you, your toad isn't here."

He had expected Neville to be shocked, maybe even a little hurt, and run off to avoid any further conflict. But Neville didn't budge. He didn't even flinch at Theo's harsh tone. Instead, he just stood there and looked down at him, a small crease forming between his eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, I asked..." he finally said, his posture stuff, but unmoving. "It's just... you don't look so good. I'm just trying to make sure you're okay."

At that Theo finally snapped.

"Fucking hell, Longbottom! Are you deaf?" He spat, glaring up at the tall wizard with dark, withering eyes. "I told you that's none of business. Now kindly fuck off, before I lose my temper completely and curse your balls off."

This time Neville's mouth did drop open in shock, but he didn't look scared. Instead, something new and unfamiliar flashed across his face: A stubborn, almost challenging expression that made his round face look much more angular, his jawline far more defined, and gave him a stoic and undoubtedly more grownup look.

When in Merlin's name did that happen? Theo thought, feeling startled.

In his mind, Neville Longbottom was a shy, plundering boy, who had come to this school thinking he might not have enough magic in him to be sorted in any of the School Houses and had been downright shocked to be sorted into Gryffindor.

But this Neville was different. This older and much mature version of him seemed to have grown into his role as a Gryffindor just fine. He looked proud and strong instead of shy and anxious. Someone who was confident and brave and...quite handsome, really.

Theo's stomach flipped at the realisation of his last thought and he quickly averted his gaze, feeling awfully flustered all of a sudden.

"I'm sorry." He murmured in a weary sort of way. His face was burning with mortification over the whole situation and he wished that Longbottom would just leave, so he could sulk by himself.

"I'm just…" he broke off, pinching the bridge of his nose and pressing his eyes shut tightly, trying to find a polite way of telling the bloke to just bugger off already. "I've had a really rough day" he tried again. "I came out here to be alone, so if you could please just leave me alone, that would be...well, I'd really appreciate that."

He forced himself to look up at the wizard, half expecting to see that stoic face again, but the moment had passed and Neville's features had softened back into his usual, slightly wary, but friendly expression.

He looked at him for several long seconds in which Theo didn't dare breathe, until he finally let out a heavy sigh and his shoulders sagged a little.

"Fine." He nodded, casting Theo one last, searching look, before he turned away. "I guess I'll see you around."

And with that he walked off; leaving Theo alone…like he had asked him to…and yet Theo couldn't quite shake the feeling of disappointment, wondering what would have happened if he had been just a little bit nicer to him.