Thinking that he'd pay a visit to Hagrid after seeing Neville, Harry headed up to the greenhouse. A bell blared as he approached the doors, and dozens of students in their long black robes shot out of the greenhouse as though ejected from a cannon.
Harry waited until the rush had thinned before entering the room.
The sight of Neville Longbottom bracing up a slender sprout brought a smile to his face. His old friend hadn't changed much more than Hogwarts had. Neville still had that insecure, kind air about him. His cheeks had retained their boyish chubbiness, even though he'd grown taller and lost almost all his baby fat.
"'lo, Neville," Harry greeted.
Neville looked up and grinned, his blue eyes still as deep and sparkling as they'd been in school. "Harry, good to see you! Come in!"
They exchanged the usual pleasantries for the next ten minutes.
Harry was grateful that Neville didn't ask after either Ron or Hermione. Neville was a real friend and close enough to him to have been fully aware of the terrible nature of their split.
"You're not just here for a visit, I take it," Neville said at last.
"No, you're right. I actually came to consult you in your area of expertise," Harry admitted.
"For a case?" Neville asked excitedly.
"Sorry, no. It's personal. I'm, er, seeing someone who works with potions. He's not really the romantic sort, and I was wondering if you could maybe suggest a rare plant with a flower that he could eventually use as a potion ingredient?" Harry asked. Fortunately, Neville was one of the few of their old friends who hadn't passed judgement on his sexuality when Harry had finally had to admit the truth to everyone. Neville had managed to stay friends with both Ron and him, which was no easy task.
"You're seeing someone who isn't romantically inclined?" Neville questioned, understandably confused.
Harry sighed. "Well, he's not sentimental. I wanted to get him something that was practical as well as beautiful."
"Well, there's the Night Blooming Arcadium," Neville said. "It's used in dozens of medicines and potions. It's got brilliant, deep blue blossoms that open up at night. It's rare, very rare. I expect a Night Blooming Arcadium would even please a miserable bugger like Snape."
Harry tried to hide the start he gave at Neville's very natural comment, but, of course, it was noticed.
"You all right, Harry? What's wrong?" Neville asked worriedly, his freckled face scrunching up exactly as it had in school.
Harry shifted uncomfortably and met Neville's eyes. "Do you really think this Night Blooming Arcadium would please Snape?"
"Er, yes. Why . . . . " The penny obviously dropped and Neville paled. "Harry you're not saying that you're seeing . . . ?"
"Yeah, I am. Is that going to be a problem between us?" Harry asked. Due to Hogwarts' demanding schedule and his own weird hours, he didn't see Neville very often, but he'd hate to lose the man's friendship.
"You're seriously seeing Severus Snape?" Neville stuttered.
"Yes. I, er, guess you'd say we're living together more or less," Harry said. He'd given this a lot of thought over the last six weeks and decided he was going to be up front with all his closest friends about his relationship with Severus.
"I'd say you were joking, but – " Neville faltered.
"No joke. I know it's strange, but . . . . " Harry couldn't even begin to explain how he'd ended up with Severus. Neville might support his life choices, but he knew his old friend really didn't want details.
"Is he good to you?" Neville shocked him by asking.
Harry nodded. "Yeah, he is. I, er, wouldn't have believed it myself, but we get on quite well."
"Then I guess that's all that really matters," Neville said with a shy smile.
Relief sweeping through him, Harry patted Neville's arm and said, "Thanks, mate. About this Arcadium plant – "
Neville grinned. "I don't have any here in the greenhouse, but I know a supplier who will sell you one. Let me write you up a letter of introduction. Now," Neville said as he wiped the soil off his hands and moved to a battered-looking desk in the corner of the greenhouse to pull out parchment and quill, "tell me how you met up with Snape after all these years."
Four hours later, Harry Apparated into Severus' kitchen, plant in hand. The Night Blooming Arcadium was magnificent, with large, velvety leaves and delicate sapphire and white blossoms.
Fortunately, Severus was still down in his lab, so Harry was able to sneak the plant onto the dinner table. He'd gone home this morning to ask Dobby to prepare them the roast pork dinner that was Severus' favourite, so that should be arriving soon. All in all, he was quite pleased with how things were progressing.
"Master Harry?" Dobby's high-pitched voice enquired from behind him as Harry was bending into the icebox for a beer.
"Hello, Dobby!" Harry said, grinning at his friend. "Thank you so much for helping me with this."
"I am always wanting to help Master Harry. Is this where you've been staying when you haven't been coming home for me to look after you?" Dobby asked, looking around the kitchen.
Feeling strangely self-conscious for all but abandoning Dobby in his empty apartment these last six weeks, Harry said, "Yes."
"There aren't any house elves here," Dobby said with a huff.
"No, there aren't," Harry replied.
"How can you be staying in a place with no house elves to look after you? It's not right," Dobby scolded in a very maternal manner.
"I like it here, Dobby," Harry said. "Do you remember Professor Snape from Hogwarts?"
"Professor Snape that was always cruel to Harry Potter? I remember him well," Dobby said.
Never having imagined that this would be this difficult, Harry said, "Well, this is his house. And, he isn't cruel to me anymore."
"Well, I should hope not," a familiar, droll voice said from behind him, where the cellar door opened into the kitchen. "I suppose it would be too much to ask what's going on here?"
"Oh, Dobby is ruining Harry Potter's surprise!" Dobby wailed and banged his head against the sink.
"What the devil – " Severus exclaimed, staring at the house elf as though Dobby were insane.
"Dobby, stop!" Harry commanded, catching the elf before he could bang his little head against the edge of the white porcelain sink again. "Nothing's ruined. Why don't you go home and bring the surprise by in about ten minutes. All right?"
"Nothing is ruined? You promise?" Dobby asked, his long-fingered hand rubbing at a bump growing on his forehead.
"Yes, I promise. Now, just . . . go. All right?" Harry pleaded, frazzled by how totally wrong this was going.
Dobby's huge green eyes hardened as they turned in Severus' direction. "I will be knowing if you are unkind to Harry Potter."
Severus' glare would have quelled armies of Death Eaters. It didn't seem to faze the loyal little house elf in the slightest.
"I'm shaking in my boots," Severus sneered.
"I remember you of old from my former master's house, Severus Snape. Even my former master learned it was unwise to harm Harry Potter in my presence," Dobby said, watching Severus as though he were dirt.
