Celandine's Chronicle (celandineb) wrote in cels_fic_haven, @ 2011-09-01 09:22:00 |
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Entry tags: | hp ficlets harry/neville, hp quill-it 100.3 |
HP ficlet: The Sword of Gryffindor [Harry/Neville, general]
Title: The Sword of Gryffindor
Author: celandineb
Fandom: HP
Pairing: Harry/Neville
Rating: general
Length: 860 words
Summary: Neville is worried about the effects of the sword of Gryffindor, and asks Harry's advice.
Note: For quill_it, 100.3, prompt 77, "sword". For coffee_n_cocoa who wanted Harry/Neville and welcomed smut. There's kissing, but no real smut here.
A month after the Battle of Hogwarts, Neville turned up one morning at the Burrow while Harry was helping clear up from breakfast.
"Good morning, Mrs. Weasley. Can I talk to Harry for a few minutes?"
"Of course. We're finished here anyhow." Mrs. Weasley smiled at Neville. "Have you had breakfast, dear?"
"Oh yes, thank you."
Harry wiped his hands on the dishtowel and said, "Shall we go to the living room?"
Neville looked nervous. "Maybe outside instead?"
"Sure."
Harry led the way down to the bottom of the garden, where they would be private. Well, private except for the gnomes, but Harry didn't imagine that they counted for much. "What is it, Neville?"
"I wanted to ask you something about the sword of Gryffindor. You're the only other person I know for whom the Sorting Hat produced it."
Harry nodded. "What about the sword?"
Neville chewed at his lip. "Did you feel anything... funny... when you held it?"
"Funny like how?"
"Like..." Neville's face went pink. "Like excited. You know what I mean. I hardly noticed it at the time; it seemed natural somehow and everything was happening so quickly, but when I thought about it afterward I realized what had happened. I wondered if it was some effect of the sword, or if there was something wrong mentally with me for that to happen."
"There's nothing wrong with you." Harry took a deep breath and confessed, "That happened to me, too. So maybe it is the sword, although I have no idea why it should do that and for once I don't think I'll ask Hermione to research it for me."
Neville gave a feeble chuckle. "No, I shouldn't think so. Er. There was one other thing."
"Something else about the sword?"
"N-not exactly." If Neville's face was flushed before, now it was nearly scarlet. "Whenever I think about holding the sword, the same thing happens again... and I think about you, too."
Harry stared at him in surprise.
Neville said in an apologetic voice, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. It doesn't matter."
"Wait." Harry put a hand on Neville's arm to stop him from getting up to leave. "You imagine me holding the sword too?"
"I imagine me holding it, then you holding it, then... us touching each other," finished Neville in a whisper. "Look, I know it's Ginny you fancy, so just forget about it."
"No." Harry's head was whirling as his thoughts rearranged themselves into a whole new pattern. "I did fancy her, you're right, but somehow things haven't been the same since the battle. We're not going out anymore, and I don't think we're likely to ever again. I thought you liked girls, though; you took Ginny to the Yule Ball yourself."
"Didn't have much of a choice, did I?" said Neville with the faintest hint of scorn. "It was all boy-girl couples. No chance I was going to have myself made fun of more than usual by asking another bloke, any more than Alicia and Katie were going to go together."
"Alicia and Katie?" Harry blinked. "What... oh. No, I can understand that."
The notion that Neville fancied him had been gradually sinking into Harry's brain as they talked. It was strange, but not something that actually bothered him, rather to his own astonishment. He said as much, and added, "I've never really thought about being attracted to another boy before. Maybe I should think about it. Can't be a proper Gryffindor without the courage to try something new, right?"
Neville's incredulous smile lit up his face. "Really, Harry?"
In answer, Harry leaned over and kissed him, a kiss that began as a chaste peck, but quickly evolved into something more passionate than he had ever imagined, certainly more than he had ever experienced with Ginny.
When they finally broke off kissing, Neville chuckled. "I don't need the sword of Gryffindor now. I have a 'sword' of my own, and I bet you do too."
"Yeah," Harry admitted, adjusting his trousers. "I don't think now is the time to do anything about it, but I'd say we definitely need to make some arrangements for the future."
"I'll figure out something and let you know," said Neville firmly. "Look for an owl from me in a day or two."
Harry nodded as they both stood up. He rather liked the idea of Neville taking charge of things. "I will. Do you want to come and say hello to Ron, or goodbye to Mrs. Weasley?"
"No, that's all right. Just tell them I had to get back to Gran. She thinks she's fine but she's not entirely recovered yet. Thanks, Harry."
Almost shyly, Neville gave Harry a quick buss on the cheek, and Disapparated. Harry stood looking at the spot where Neville had been for a few moments more. In less than half an hour, many of his ideas about himself had been turned upside down, but he found that he wasn't troubled by that at all. Instead he felt strangely light, and happier than he could remember being in a long time. He smiled to himself and walked back to the Burrow.