Lily's Boy

| Chapter One Hundred Four

In the midst of it all, in the fear and uncertainty and quiet but frantic preparation, most people forgot it was Neville Longbottom's birthday.

In their little private oasis in the Gryffindor dorm, they didn't. In the morning, Harry took down the partition — after knocking first, of course — and revealed a little cupcake with a single candle sticking out of it, a quiet grin on his face.

Neville was bleary-eyed and shirtless, his hair sticking up all over the place and the most enormous hickey on his collarbone that Harry tried not to stare at too much. "Wha?" he murmured when Harry held out the cupcake. Beside him, also shirtless, wearing a pair of Gryffindor boxers that were probably Neville's, Ginny giggled.

"Happy birthday, Nev," Harry chirped. Neville blinked owlishly.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks, guys."

"Make a wish," Ginny pestered, plastering herself over his back as he stared at the cheerfully dancing candle flame.

Neville's gaze finally sharpened, and when he blew out the candle, Harry could make a pretty good guess what he'd wished for.

"What time do you come of age?" Draco asked, stretching out his arms and cracking his neck. Ginny giggled again, louder this time.

"D'you need a Nail Clipping charm, Harry?" she asked, apropos of nothing. Harry stared at her, bewildered.

"What?"

She nodded towards Draco, and Harry watched his boyfriend dig around the dresser for his clothes, admiring his arse in those bright green boxers — and then trailing his gaze up over the red scratch-marks still visible over his shoulders. Harry blushed, glaring at the redheaded girl.

"Shut up," he muttered petulantly. "Like you can talk; Nev looks like he's been mauled."

That just made Ginny look smug, running a hand over her boyfriend's chest. "He does, doesn't he?" she agreed proudly, patting Neville's cheek when he blushed.

"I need to go shower," Draco declared. "So put your tits away before I have to open the door, Weasley, in case your mother finds out how scandalous you are."

Ginny laughed, summoning a shirt from across the room. "If I must," she mock-sighed. "Although that reminds me — I was thinking about getting a nipple piercing, sometime before we go back to school. Pretty sure I can blackmail Charlie into taking me to his tattoo artist friend for it. What do you think?" She turned in Harry's direction, cupping her breasts and looking at them with a curious expression. Harry snickered, seeing Neville turn a vibrant shade of red.

"Pretty sure you're asking the wrong bloke, Gin," he said mildly. "But right before school is the best idea, less chance for your mum to find out. Also if you do go, let me know, I want a tattoo."

"Ooh, tattoo and piercing date," Ginny said delightedly, pulling her t-shirt over her head. "You're on, Potter."

It was such a normal morning. The easy movement between them, discussing their return to school like it was a sure thing, the teasing and the banter and Neville's eternal blush. Like it was any other day.

"You never answered my question, Neville," Draco reminded. "What time d'you come of age?"

Neville took a second to stop staring at Ginny's chest, even though it was covered by fabric, no doubt imagining a piercing there. "Oh, yeah. Quarter to midnight," he said, running a sheepish hand through his hair. "Barely today."

"As the seventh month dies," Harry murmured to himself, earning an odd look from the taller boy. "Nothing, nothing." Neville had never heard the Prophecy, didn't know how close he'd come to being in Harry's shoes. If Harry had his way, he never would.