Chapter 4
They landed just outside a gate, and Harry immediately turned so that if he did actually throw up it wouldn’t be on one of them. Once he had caught his breath he straightened and looked at the other two members of his group.
“Maybe a little more of a warning next time?” He said through a small smile which Neville returned. Harry liked Neville’s smiles, he thought, they were small, quiet, if that makes sense. They suited Neville.
“I’ll see what I can do, but I make no promises.” They were just smiling at each other for a second before Neville’s grandmother cleared her throat, attracting both of their attention.
“Neville, if you would please. I think Harry may need to rest after today.” A sheepish look crossed Neville’s face as he realized he was the one who needed to key Harry to the wards.
“Give me your hand, please, Harry.” Walking up to where Neville was standing, Harry took the hand that was stretched towards him. He didn’t know what he was expecting to happen when he gained access to the manor, but he sure wasn’t expecting the overwhelming feeling of home. His only outward reaction was a sharp intake of breath, but on the inside his heart melted a little as the protective magic surrounded him.
“Well, let’s get you settled in your room for the night then.” That was all Harry got as he was steered through the gates towards the large manor that seemed to have suddenly appeared in front of them. “And will call me Gran, I won’t have any of that Ma’am or Mrs. Longbottom crap. We are family now and you will act like it.”
At the last comment he turned and looked at Neville who only shrugged. They reached the front door quickly and gran opened it with no grandeur or showmanship. The manor didn’t need showmanship, it spoke for itself. It was the one of the most beautiful buildings Harry had ever seen, second only to Hogwarts.
“You will get a full tour tomorrow. For now, Tissy!” A small elf appeared, in a deep purple pillowcase with what he could only assume was the Longbottom crest. “Please take young Harry’s things up to his room. Neville will show him the way up.” When the elf popped away she turned back to the boys. “Well I don’t know about you both, but I have had enough of today and plan to head to bed.”
With that she walked away, leaving Harry and Neville standing in the greeting hall. “C’mon, yours is right next to mine.” He once again grabbed Harry’s hand and began leading him up the grand staircase that was in front of them. Neville pointed out different rooms along the way but seemed to know that Harry was retaining anything. They slipped into a comfortable silence as they walked through the halls. They stopped at a door towards the end of the hall. “That one is mine, I’ll show you tomorrow.” He said as he pointed at the door adjacent to Harry’s.
Opening the door to his new room was exhilarating, he felt the air leave him as he looked around. It was decorated in greens and golds and was absolutely amazing. It had a large bed, a bathroom, a desk, and a bookshelf that was mostly full. Neville stepped in behind him and closed the door.
“Is it ok? I didn’t know what color to do it in but I figured you must like green, you wore it to the ball and all, but I wasn’t sure if the gold was too Gryffindor-ish. I think it turned out nice but if you don’t like it we can always change it to something you prefer. The bookshelf has some books on it already so you can read those if you like, or not if you'd rather.” Finally he turned to Harry, “So, what do you think?”
“It’s beautiful, Nev, you did good.” Though as he said it his eyes started to water. He turned his eyes to the floor, in doing so he missed the step Neville took towards him before engulfing him in a hug. Like with Petunia, he froze. Unlike with Petunia, he almost immediately snapped out of it, hugging Neville back. Harry clung to him as if he were the only thing keeping him afloat. Neville gave him a hard squeeze as he felt a sob wrack through Harry’s much smaller frame.
“Not so hard, Nev, please.” It was barely a whisper against Neville’s shoulder, but he loosened his grip anyways, worried about the extent of Harry’s injuries. They stayed like that, neither willing to let the other go for a long time. Eventually though, Harry pulled back, wiping his eyes as he did so.
“Thank you, for everything.” In response Neville gave him one of those small smiles while keeping his hand on Harry’s shoulder.
“You should go to bed, Harry, but if you need me you know where I’ll be.” He pulled Harry back into a quick hug before releasing him, knowing they both needed sleep, before making his way to the door. “Goodnight.” He said as he closed the door behind him.
“Goodnight.” Harry responded to the empty room. He absently went through his nightly routine before climbing into bed. And as soon as he closed his eyes, he was out.
For the first time since Voldemort’s resurrection, Harry slept through the night.