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“Parkinson and I will do patrol duty tonight Minnie, don't worry about it.” Neville spoke out confidently.
“You will Neville? And did Pansy get a choice in the matter or did you decide for all of us.” Minerva spoke out, arching her eyebrow at him. Somehow after three years of being on staff and two before in his mastery Minerva always managed to make him feel like he was 13 again and had lost the passwords to the common room.
“I…I…” Neville started when Pansy cut through, “Although Longbottom hadn’t actually asked me before I am fine doing patrols tonight. It will give me time to get Slytherin house settled and maybe get to know it a little.”
“Very well, then. Although I don’t see why the youngest members of staff are the only ones not to attend the Welcoming Soiree.”
“Oh come on Minnie, don’t think of it that way, think that the more tenured members of staff should be allowed to have some time to rest before the havoc of the school year really starts,” Neville spoke with a wide boyish grin.
“Neville Frank Longbottom, is that a comment about my age? I am not above owling your grandmother.”
“No Ma’am, never,” Neville spoke properly chastised and with a blush starting to spread on his face
Pansy tried to hide her chuckle behind a cough but was clearly unsuccessful by the scornful look Neville threw her way and the look of utter exhaustion from Minerva.
“Very well if that is all we shall all head over to the Great Hall. I believe the children are all starting to come in. Filius, will you round up the first years?” Minerva started to stand up from the last staff meeting before the school year. With that, the other professors got up from their respective chairs, Pansy and Neville last.
“After you,” He says putting his hand on the small of her back which, if the witch wasn’t wearing robes, would span the breadth of it.
“Thanks, Longbottom but I am not a damsel in distress and we are not in Victorian times nor in a stuffy Sacred Twenty-eight ball, I do not need an escort.” She sniffed at him but still allowed him to steer her to the great hall and pull her chair before sitting on his own at the right hand of the headmistress.
The Welcome Feast had gone as usual. The hat sang its song, the new crop of students looked decent and the old ones behaved themselves, mostly. No one booed when Pansy was introduced as the new Potions Professor and Head of Slytherin House, in fact, the Slytherin House gave her a standing ovation. Pansy stood and bowed her head at them and Neville could spy a small flash of a smile and a slight blush grace her face.
After making an appearance at the Gryffindor common room and introducing himself to the younger ones, listening to the middle ones' stories, and making sure that all of the upper-class men were accounted for he said his goodbyes and walked towards the grand entrance at a leisurely pace. No need to show any undue eagerness.
For her part, Pansy had done much the same but had stayed a tad longer just to soak up the whole atmosphere of the night. She had always loved the first night back. Even in the dark times, her common room had always held an air of home, of welcome and there was nothing that she loved more than seeing the same feelings in these young faces.
As she walked through the dungeons she made sure to look into all the nooks and crannies she used to frequent, happy to find all the empty, as well as making sure all potion classes were locked. Satisfied with a job well done she made her way to the grand entrance only to find him already leaning against the the banister. Neville looked relaxed as his bee patrous zoomed around him. His head lifted as he heard the clicking of her heels and smiled. “Heya Pansy. You ready.”
She lifted an eyebrow and crossed her arms at her chest. “Longbottom was that Bert, I saw? Why did you put him away?” She didn’t pause her walking as she started to ascend the stairs.
“You mean Beatrice? Yes, that was her. Why do you ask, do you miss her?” He asked curiously as he caught up with her. “You like her don’t you.”
“I don’t know what you are referring to.” She sniffed causing him to smile.
“My patronus, you know the bee,” he leaned into her, making her stop. “You know the one that has been whispering sweet filthy nothings into your ears, for a while now.” He purred.
Pansy shivered at how his breath felt on her neck. She straightened. “You mean Bert the damn bee that has decided to play Alarm clock.”
Neville chuckled at her as they made their way to the second-floor landing. “Her name is Beatrice. I would know she is mine.”
“He may very well be your patronus but seeing as I am the one being woken up by him and have to interact with him, I am telling you that his name is Bert.” She said as she locked eyes with him in time to see him wink and open the door to the broom closet with a flourish.
“Really Anderson, the broom closet? You have a whole castle to make out with Summers and you chose a broom closet.” Neville spoke to the two 17-year-olds that were coming out of the broom closet.
“Trade in for a favor prof?” Anderson spoke a bit morosely.
“Nah this one is free go on to your dormitories before I change my mind though.” He spoke in his professorship voice before bellowing, “YOUR OWN DORMITORIES!”
Pansy stared at Neville who at this point was laughing quietly. They continued their walk through the floor before moving on to the next one.
“So you wanna explain this whole favor thing, Professor Longbottom?” Pansy asked arched eyebrows up.
“I..” he blushed slightly as he scratched the back of his neck. “I trade favors with the older student for infractions I feel are just youthful indiscretions instead of taking off points or detention.” He looked at her from the side of his eyes. “You cannot tell a soul Parks!”
“Never!” She answered smiling. “Although I have to say now I am curious about what types of favors you are extorting from the children.”
He let out a chuckle and smiled. “Extort makes me sound very devious indeed."
“I mean if the shoe fits Longbottom. I am not the one extorting favors from children for nefarious purposes.”
“Not nefarious. Usually, they serve as messengers and as good excuses to get out of meetings or situations I want out.”
“So you use them to get out of doing your job?”
“The boring parts yeah.” That earned him a laugh from her.
They continued in a very companionable silence working slowly but surely up the castle. As each floor was cleared their bodies found each other. Slowly their bodies walked closer to each other. Now reaching the seventh floor their hands had intertwined their fingers. As they reached a tapestry of a maiden and a unicorn he finally pulled her to him, holding her closely kissing her deeply, and pushing her against the tapestry walking through to his personal quarters.
As soon as he had her inside he pushed her against the wall and kissed deeply. This game they had going on was both exhausting and delightful. She moaned as her head dropped back leaving the column of her throat at his mercy. Not one to look a gift in the mouth, Neville promptly started devouring her neck. His hands trailed her body, gripping her where her thighs met her bottom, and slid her up the wall. Her leg automatically wrapped around his torso and she mewled at the contact.
“Take me to bed Neville.” She moans as he nipped at her neck.
Neville lifted his head to look at her, smiling at how needy she looked. “You sure you don’t want to go to the Welcome Soiree? I am sure by now they are all drunk garbling Celestina Warbeck, it does seem more your style than my bed.”
Pansy rolled her eyes at him and punched him softly on the shoulder.
“Parks that hurt. Maybe I should tell Minnie how you were violent to another colleague.” He spoke in mock pain.
“Oh, I’d love to see that.” Pansy ran a hand through his silky hair. “You’d have to explain exactly where and how I hurt you. It would out your little filthy secret.”
Neville had closed his eyes, relishing in the feel of her nails scraping his scalp. At this point, only half listening to her until he heard the last few words she said. He opened his eyes and took her off the wall carrying her purposefully towards his living room and the comfy leather couch. He sat down with her straddling him. He had always thought she was beautiful, but right now with the moonlight hitting her hair and her lips puffy from kissing she was enchanting.
“Pansy. You are not my filthy secret. A secret, maybe but never in a way that could be thought to be dirty,” he said as he cupped her chin relishing that she seemed to melt to his touch. “I don’t like you thinking that. I thought we had agreed to keep this a secret. I thought that that was what you wanted.”
Pansy tried to look away. She wasn’t being fair to him. She had known what they were and how they had set it up. “Yeah,” she mumbled as she attempted to disentangle herself from him.
Neville wasn’t going to allow that any time soon. The hand that had been holding onto her cheek slipped down grabbing her neck and jaw, pulling her firmly but gently until she had no other choice but to look at him. His other hand resting at her hip trailed around her, encircling her and pulling her closer to him. “Pans, look at me,” he paused, waiting for her to make eye contact. “I have enjoyed playing this game with you. There has been something magical about acting like we are in 7th year and hooking up all over the castle.”
Her eyes shone with something, and while Neville truly wanted to ask what it was. What he wanted more was for her to understand what he was feeling first. He ran his thumb on her bottom lip. “I think it has healed a big part of me that didn’t get to be that carefree teenager. Having said that I would much prefer to take you out to a nice restaurant, show you off, send you absurd amounts of flowers, and best of all I want to spend quiet afternoons with you, which would hopefully lead to you falling asleep in my arms. I like you Pansy Parkinson more than I’d like to admit, and I am sorry it took this long for me to tell you this but you scare me.”
Pansy’s eyes had given up on holding on to tears, they flowed freely down her cheeks. She let him bring her closer to him. She let him dry her tears with his big hands.
“Say something darling. I am getting worried here.”
She smiled softly and leaned in, kissing Neville slowly, sweetly, almost tentatively. He let her. Allowed her to take the lead, to take her time. Neville probably would allow her to do whatever she liked at this moment as long as she stayed right there on his lap.
It might have been just a few minutes or an hour before Pansy broke the kiss. She appreciated this of him. Neville never rushed her, never made her feel like she had to say one thing or the other. It had been confusing at first, the fact that he didn’t play games. It made Pansy even more paranoid that that in itself was a game. She had learned quickly and since then. She just appreciated that with this big, strong, charming earnest man what you saw was what you got.
Pansy pulled away and looked into his eyes, pushing an errant lock of his thick hair. She traced his eyebrows with a finger trailing the scar that went from his temple almost to his jaw. She had been in the room when he had gotten that and she still marveled at the fact that he let her be this close, let her touch it. Neville said nothing just held her to him relishing in her touch and the mere thought that she wanted to touch him.
“You said falling asleep in your arms?” She finally spoke with a smile.
Neville grinned at her. “Among other things. Should I take you to the bedroom then?”
Pansy hadn’t finished nodding when Neville had her up in his arms and taking long strides to the bedroom. He laid her down in his bed and delighted in worshiping her slowly and letting her care for him in return.
As their pulse returns to a slow steady pace, their bodies sated and their minds clear, Neville pulls her into his embrace relishing in how her small body just fits so well with his. He enjoys the idea that he can cover her entirely. That part of his brain that will never leave the war behind feels reassured that he could protect her, it eases his mind and it makes him want to never let her go.
Pansy turns to face him burrowing her head in the crook of his shoulders letting his head settle on top of hers. For her part, she enjoys how his body shelters her from the cold, real or imagined. “You are thinking rather hard up there.” She speaks the words sleepily onto his chest and delights in the rumble that his chuckle causes.
“I was just thinking that I will actually have to tell Minnie after all.” He lies. Neville has opened up a lot today he will save his thoughts of keeping her forever for another time.
Pansy hums and smiles. “She knows.”
“What?” He pulls away to look into her eyes. “How do you know she knows?”
Pansy just smiles at him. “Come on, that woman is more informed of the coming and going in this castle than Dumbledore did at his time. Plus I have it on good account that the portraits are awful gossips.”
Neville chuckled loudly and kissed her forehead. “Nox” He spoke to the room and fell soundly asleep like he only did when she was in his arms.