Beware of the Fat Muggle In Love

-----------Beware of the fat Muggle in love. part 10. "A Crowded Astronomy Tower"---------

"Why did you do that?" Dudley said as he broke away from Neville's kiss and backed up a few steps.

Neville didn't quite know what to say.

"Is this some prank you and Weasley has come up with?" Dudley asked angrily.

"What? No, of course not!" Neville said taking a step towards Dudley, not knowing how to explain why he'd kissed him.

"Is this some sick way for you two to get back at me and Draco?" Dudley was getting more and more pissed off.

Neville was getting pretty ticked himself for Dudley throwing accusations at him completely mindlessly.

"I told you, no! Ron and Malfoy has nothing to do with why I kissed you, you dick! Now would you just shut up and listen to me?!?"

"Why? So you can have another story to tell the Gryffindors tonight? I think not!" Dudley said as he made his way back to the classroom, stopping to wipe some tears from his eyes before entering.

But he didn't have the chance to even open the door before Neville stepped in front of him, grabbing his robes and pushing him up against the wall.

"Listen! I didn't kiss you because of some scheme or prank or even to get back at you! I kissed you because I...I guess you're alright. When you're not around Malfoy, that is," Neville said and loosened his grip on Dudley's robes.

Dudley was quiet.

"You think I'm all right?" he finally asked.

"Yeah." Neville looked at a small rock on the floor for a short minute before kicking it down the corridor.

"So...You like me? Not just as a person, but as..." Dudley couldn't finish the sentence. It was too much to hope for, he thought.

Neville looked at him, standing not five inches away.

He nodded.

Dudley walked up to him slowly. He traced Neville's jaw line with his hands shaking slightly, his heart thumping so loud that even Neville heard it beating. Neville put his arms around his waist loosely as he still wasn't sure whether Dudley was going to kiss him or not.

Dudley put his left hand behind Neville's neck and brought his head to his own, kissing him deeply with his mouth open.

Neville opened his mouth too, and started kissing back and not before long they were completely engulfed in pure lust, both boys hard and ready to go even further.

But just as Neville was about to tear Dudley's robes off right there in the corridor, the bell rang.

Both boys shot off away from each other, as they knew that the classrooms would burst open with students racing for lunch.

Neville looked at Dudley, still red on his cheeks from arousal. He made a gesture with his hands, saying that he would owl him later. Dudley nodded just as Malfoy came up to him and asked him why they hadn't gone to Madame Pomfrey's office. Dudley gave a murmur as an answer as they walked off towards the Great Hall.

"What are you still doing here?" Ron had sneaked up behind Neville and had halfway scared him to death.

"Yeah! We thought you were off to Madame Pomfrey," Harry had just walked up to them followed closely by Hermione.

"Erh, I decided I was ok, so we just stayed out here and talked a bit," Neville lied. He normally would have told them about what really had happened. If it had been anyone other than Harry's cousin, that is.

I have to tell Ron, he thought. No matter how he reacts, I have to tell him.

"You talked to Dudley?" Hermione asked sceptically.

"Yeah. So?" Neville tried to look innocent.

"Oh! You mean you two were competing in who could insult the other one best, you mean?" Ron asked.

Neville nodded dumbly.

As they walked away Harry caught Neville's eye and looked at him funny with a mix of anger and understanding. Neville was getting more and more irritated when Harry looked at him like that. Why the hell was he doing that?

"Blimey! I've never had so much homework before!" Ron said as the group walked into the common room.

Ron sank into one of the couches, Harry sat in a sofa with Hermione next to him, but in an orderly fashion; she didn't want people to think that she and Harry were dating anymore since Ron had asked her to Hogsmeade.

Neville didn't sit down. Instead he was pacing back and forth, thinking about owling Dudley.

"Well, if you just did your homework immediately instead of putting it off until the last minute, it wouldn't be so much work!" Hermione told Ron.

"She's right there!" Harry said laughing halfhearted. She eyed him, first a bit smug over that he'd taken her part, then she remembered what he'd told Neville and that look quickly turned into a sour one.

"And you! I want to talk to you about a certain something," she said and poked her finger in his chest.

"What have I done?" Harry said, completely unknowing of the onslaught of yelling that was to come.

"Now!" Hermione said as she pulled him out of the sofa and dragged him away towards the girls' dormitory.

Ron raised his eyebrows at this but Neville assured him that it was ok.

"Why are you pacing about like that? Someone got you restless at heart?" Ron said in a high voice and put his hands over his chest in a very queer way.

Neville looked at him very guiltily. This, Ron noticed.

"I'm right? You're in love?" he said eagerly and sat up straight in the couch.

Neville sat down across from Ron and stared at the small table that was in between.

"I guess so. I don't know if I love him, but there certainly is something," Neville said lowly.

Ron's eyes grew larger and he almost looked like a glossy eyed puppy staring at a piece of candy.

"Who is it?" he asked simply.

"Promise you won't be immature about it? Because if you are, I swear, I'll jam a lead pipe through your..."

"Yeah, whatever. Tell me!" Ron cut him off.

"It's...It's...You'll laugh, I just know it!"

"SAY IT!!"

"Dudley Dursley!"

Ron's jaw hit the floor.

"Dudley?" Ron asked in a whisper.

Neville nodded.

"Harry's cousin?!?"

Neville nodded again.

"The same Harry that we both know?!?"

"Oh come off it! Yes, it's the same Dudley that has been bugging us since the term started!!" Neville sniped irritably.

Ron sank back into the couch, mouth open in shock.

"I...I can't believe it," he said.

"Well, you'd better. Looks like we're about to be going steady or something," Neville said.

Ron frowned.

"Going steady?"

"I don't know! It's all happened so fast!" Neville's hands were shaking. Ron saw it and realised that Neville must be a nervous wreck from all this.

"When did this happen, really?" Ron asked, trying to be supportive.

"Right after we'd gone out of the Potions dungeon to go to Madame Pomfrey."

Ron's jaw dropped again.

"So, when you said you two were talking, you were really..."

"Making out, yes. That was the first time," Neville said. He had no idea that it had been Dudley himself that had transfigured into his female shape and practically shagged his brains out on the night of Halloween.

"But what about the blond girl?" Ron asked.

Neville frowned.

"What about her?"

"Don't you want to find out who she is? You did lose your virginity to her," Ron said.

"I don't care about her anymore, really. If she really was interested in more than a shag, I figure she would have owled me by now, don't you think?"

"Well. Yeah, you're right. So what will you do now?"

"Well, I don't want to tell Harry yet, that's for sure!" Neville said.

Ron laughed, understanding exactly why he didn't want to do that.

"And I guess I'd better find out where me and Dudley stand. I'll go owl him right now," Neville said and jumped out of his couch and ran out through the Portrait hole and headed towards the Owlery.

Dudley was sitting alone outside next to a big oak tree, watching the beautiful sunset, without really seeing it.

In his right hand he had the note that Neville had sent.

He was as confused as Neville was, but also happy at the same time; he'd finally gotten together with Neville Longbottom, the dark blond haired boy with the round cheeks that showed up on the doorstep of 4 Privet Drive early one Tuesday morning.

The first real Tuesday of my life, Dudley thought. That was the day I knew there was something else in the world besides myself and presents and cool gadgets.

The day I fell in love.

He lifted the note and read it for the third time. The wind was tugging away at it but Dudley would never let it go.

"Hi, It's me, Neville.
I don't know what to write really, except that I'm confused.
I have no idea where we stand now, everything has been turned upside down so quickly.
Are we boyfriends?
Are we still the same as before?
No. We can't be like before. Not after that kiss.
Maybe we're just lovers.
That felt strange to write, I have no idea what to say.
But one thing that I do know is that whatever we are, or become, I don't want to tell Harry yet.
You know how he'd react.
So, I'm basically being a coward right now, because I'm going to leave what we are, up to you.
Do you want me as a boyfriend or just as a lover?
Or do you wish to go back into our old roles?
I'll accept whatever you choose is best.

     Neville."

Dudley had never been at a greater crossroad in his life like the one he was at now.

He didn't know what to answer Neville.

A cold wind blew stronger and Dudley tightened his robes and put his scarf on properly.

The sun was golden and the clouds were an illuminating purple colour on an orange background, fading into yellow, then green, and finally blue, the higher you looked.

It was unlike anything Dudley had ever seen; he'd never paid any attention to nature before coming to Hogwarts.

And that was because of Neville.

He'd never cared about anyone else than himself until he saw Neville.

It was Neville that had turned him into a better person.

He knew what to answer now.

He got up on his feet and took a last look at the sunset before returning to the castle and going straight to the Qwlery.

Next morning at breakfast, Neville was completely sleep deprived as he'd had a very hard time getting to sleep.

But he'd trade that feeling for the one he got when mail arrived and Dudley's letter was dropped into his hand.

He just looked at it for a long time, not daring to read what Dudley had written.

"Who's that from?" Hermione asked curiously, looking at the letter.

Neville instantly tucked it into his robes.

"No-one in particular," Neville answered stiffly.

Harry caught his eye and looked at him funny again.

I have to remember to talk to him about that, he thought.

This was creeping him out.

Then Harry started reading the letter he'd opened while looking at Neville.

He smiled widely, but didn't tell anyone who'd sent it.

"What is this? The mystery letter club?" Hermione said sarcastically.

"We've got Defense against the Dark Arts in ten minutes, people! Let's clear out of here," Ron said suddenly.

Neville could tell he enjoyed acting responsible in front of Hermione.

She gave him Ron a smile as they walked arm locked towards the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom.

Neville turned and saw that Dudley was looking at him with a smile.

Then he turned to Malfoy and started talking about something.

Neville was a bit relieved; Dudley's smile had been in no way malevolent, the way it used to be. It had been kind and gentle, filling Neville with a hope about good news.

He'd have to wait until he was alone to read it.

Neville locked the bathroom door securely and took out the letter from his side pocket.

They had just gone through mutated Vampires in Defense against the Dark Arts.

Ron and Harry said that they really should go visit Colin, who was still in the hospital wing after being bitten by a Vampire in the Forbidden Forrest.

They had no idea whether he'd been cured from Vampyrism or not.

Neville's heart was thumping hard as he started to read Dudley's letter.

"Thanks for owling me.
I was confused too, at first, about what we should do.
It's not an uncomplicated situation we're in and I understand and respect your wish to not tell Harry.
You said that you were being a coward in letting me decide about us.
You, of all people, are not a coward. There was a reason why the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor.
I've been in love with you since the first time I laid eyes on you and because of that, my choice is easy.
I want us to be boyfriends, with all that comes along.
We don't need to tell anyone yet, if you don't want to.
I'm happy either way. I've finally got you, and that is all that I need.
I want to meet you in the Astronomy Tower, tonight, around eleven o'clock. I can't wait.

     Love, Dudley."

Neville sighed heavily with relief.

A happy, light feeling spread through his body, making him smile.

But wait.

Astronomy Tower?

Neville got nervous again.

Dudley obviously wanted to snog, but what if there was more than that he wanted to do?

As pleasant as it was to think about, Neville had no idea how to behave sexually with a man.

I guess I'll have to wing it, he thought and the warm feeling came flowing over him again.

"I take it there was good news in the letter?" Ron said with a smile.

He and Neville was alone in the dormitory and classes had ended for the day.

"Yes, to say the least," Neville smiled back and handed the letter to Ron who read it quickly.

"Oh, dear! Seems like you'll be getting some action tonight!" Ron exclaimed.

"Maybe. How's things going with Hermione?" Neville asked.

"It's still a bit stiff, but she's loosening up, I think. What are you grinning about?"

"Stiff?" Neville giggled.

"Oh shut up! Pervert!" Ron said as he hit Neville with his pillow over the head.

They stopped immediately when a large black panther suddenly stood in the doorway.

It seemed to excuse itself when it turned and left very fast.

Ron jumped up and opened the door to see if it was still there.

"Did you see that?!?" he shouted to Hermione who was sitting on the last step of the stairs.

"What?" she said, trying to sound innocent.

Neville knew that the panther had been her sneaking into the boys' dormitory for some reason, but he wouldn't give her away. Ron was his best friend, but he'd know soon enough about Hermione being an Animagus.

"That big panther!! It just walked out of our dorm!! Didn't you see it?!?!" Ron was amazed that Hermione could have missed such a thing.

"A panther? Really, Ron. What do you take me for?" she sounded more convincing in implying that he was pulling her leg.

"I swear! We both saw it, didn't we, Neville?!?"

Neville just shook his head and shrugged.

"I didn't see anything. You just looked at the door like it had spoken to you and as far as I know the door hasn't spoken since Flitwick put that silencing spell on it to make it stop gossiping all night," Neville lied. He was getting good at that.

Ron gaped.

Then he started scratching his head, wondering whether it had been an hallucination or not.

"Sure did look real to me," he said to himself.

Neville looked wondering at Hermione, but she didn't meet his eyes.

"Well, I was supposed to tell you that Quidditch training is cancelled tonight," she said.

"Cancelled?"

"Harry was doing something and couldn't lead the training, he said."

"But we could have done that ourselves."

"Well, that's the way it is. The Slytherins have the Pitch now anyway," Hermione said and walked off towards the girls' dormitory.

What was Harry up to? Neville thought.

Then it dawned on him.

Harry was meeting someone tonight!

Neville hoped that Harry wouldn't be in the Astronomy Tower, that he'd chosen some other meeting place to snog in.

Well, I'll just have to wait and see what the evening brings, he thought to himself.

There was no sign of anyone, not even a ghost, at the entrance of the Astronomy Tower.

Neville had been waiting for ten minutes and was getting restless.

"Psst! Hey, Neville!"

Neville spun around and saw Dudley coming out of the entrance door.

"How did you..." Neville began saying but was cut off when Dudley started kissing him furiously.

"I've been waiting for ages, it seems! Why didn't you come up?" Dudley asked, smiling.

"I thought we were meeting at the entrance, sorry," Neville answered.

"Get in here and make it up to me!" Dudley said as he grabbed Neville by the arm and pulled him onto the staircase, climbing it fast.

"There's something you should know!" Neville said when they were halfway up the stairs.

Dudley turned around and looked worried.

"What? You're not having second thoughts, are you?" he said lowly.

"No, God no! It's just that Harry is meeting someone here tonight, too," Neville explained.

"Oh!" Dudley started thinking.

"Then we'll just have to hurry up, before he gets here, won't we?" he said smiling.

He is definitely turned on to one hundred percent, risking getting caught like this, Neville thought.

That's pretty hot!

Neville nodded and they resumed climbing the stairs.

It didn't take long before they came to the top of the stairs and opened the trapdoor leading out to the roof of the Astronomy Tower.

The full moon had just risen and was a in pale yellow colour on a cloudless, starlit background in deep blue.

The slight breeze was cold, as an autumn wind would be, but the two boys didn't mind.

They had other things to think about.

Dudley put his arm around Neville's shoulder and they stood, silently, watching the sky.

Neville turned his face towards Dudley's and met his eye.

Dudley quickly closed the distance between their lips and kissed him.

Neville returned the kiss passionately as he started to disrobe Dudley.

Dudley did the same to Neville.

As Neville's tank top was removed, he shuddered from the wind.

Dudley didn't seem affected by the cold and continued to remove Neville's pants and underwear, revealing Neville's hardness.

Without hesitation, Dudley engulfed him, sending electric waves through Neville's body.

Neville had to make Dudley stop, unless he wanted their meeting to end prematurely.

He brought Dudley up to his lips again and kissed him lightly before kneeling and removing Dudley's pants and underwear.

Dudley was bigger than him, Neville noticed and was unsure of what to do.

He looked up at Dudley, who nodded calmly.

Neville took him into his mouth and just went along, hoping he'd be able to satisfy Dudley.

After only a short while, Dudley went down on his knees and lay down on the spread out robes, inviting Neville to follow him.

Neville kissed his lips, his chest, his nipples and back again, feeling extremely aroused.

Dudley made him lay down on his stomach and slowly kissed Neville's back, starting at his neck making his way down towards Neville's lower back.

He grabbed his wand and pointed it to his pride and uttered the words 'Lubricatus'.

Neville had been worried about this part of their meeting, but found it surprisingly pleasing.

All those stories he'd heard about this part of a homosexual relationship, was clearly exaggerated.

The pain had turned into a feeling of pleasure and Neville now knew for sure about his orientation, no doubt in his mind.

Dudley reached for his hardness and started to touch him in a rhythmic motion and in a small cry of pleasure, Neville climaxed.

Shortly there after, Dudley did the same thing, sinking down next to Neville.

The two boys were breathing heavily, looking at each other smiling.

Neville kissed Dudley and put his arm around him, feeling happy.

The wind suddenly picked up and got colder, making the boys shiver.

They decided to dress and go before Harry and his date would show up.

They were both dressed up to their pants, when to trapdoor suddenly opened and they heard two voices giggle.

They saw Harry climbing the final steps of the staircase, walking backwards, kissing someone.

Neville and Dudley were petrified.

Then Harry turned around and stood face to face with Dudley.

It went dead quiet for a full minute.

"What the hell are you doing up here?!?" Harry, who still hadn't seen Neville, said.

"None of your damn business!" Dudley answered.

Then Harry saw Neville, hiding behind Dudley.

His eyes grew wide and he looked both scared and shocked at the same time.

"Neville? Have you two been..." Harry started saying.

"I'm sorry. I..." Neville said nervously.

Then Neville saw Harry's date.

It wasn't Cho Chang.

It was the Keeper of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team; a long blond third year by the name of Brian Battleler!

"What? Harry? Is there something you should tell me?" Neville said and started to get pretty angry.

"Well...I...I..." Harry stuttered.

Brian cut in suddenly.

"He's bi, like you, Longbottom. And we've been shagging since Christmas, last year," the short blond boy said, crossing his arms to warm himself from the cold.

"You're bi?!?" Dudley exclaimed.

"I can't believe it! How... Why didn't you tell me when you knew I was the same way? Why didn't you tell all of us?!?" Neville shouted.

"I don't want Malfoy to know. Ok? It is a dumb reason, I know, but..." Harry looked at the stony ground.

"But what?" Neville asked gently.

"I... did this really dumb thing last year and if Malfoy knew about this he'd be even worse against me than he's ever been!"

"What did you do?" Dudley asked. Neville picked up the clothes from the ground and handed him his shirt and robes before putting his own on.

"I...kinda made a pass at him," Harry said.

Everyone gaped, including Brian.

"I kissed him in the shower after a Quidditch match and when he started kissing me back, I got cold feet and said it had all been a prank and that I really wasn't that way," Harry said in one breath.

"I see. But keeping quiet won't help at all," Dudley said.

Harry frowned.

"Don't you dare tell him!! I'll kill you if you do!!" Harry screamed at him.

Brian put his arm around Harry's shoulder and kissed him.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Harry said.

"To shut you up! You're being a drama queen and you're always telling me not to be one so now you just shut up."

"I won't tell Malfoy. But he already knows. He keeps talking about how you chickened out that time in the shower in front of all the Slytherins," Dudley said.

"He does what?!?" Harry said.

"Everyone knows about it, in Slytherin anyway."

"So why hasn't anyone thrown it in my face?"

"You wouldn't believe how many Slytherins there are who's gay, and they don't see it as a reason to be mean to you. I mean, the whole school knows about Neville, and me, and we haven't heard a whisper of it, have we?" Dudley said.

Neville nodded.

Harry looked confused.

"So...Is Malfoy gay too? Or was that time in the shower just a lark?" Harry asked.

"No he's not gay, even in the slightest! Even though I've done him once..." Dudley stopped talking.

"What? You've had Malfoy? I thought you were head over heels in love with Neville!" Brian said.

Neville looked at him, being almost hurt, not knowing what to think.

"I AM head over heels in love, but that was his price to tell me about his plan," Dudley said.

"What plan? Do you mean when you kidnapped Colin and indirectly got him bitten by a Vampire?" Harry snapped at him.

"No. That was a terrible mistake! I shouldn't have let him talk me into that."

"So what plan are you talking about?" Neville said lowly.

"He had an idea about how I could have you. And he wouldn't tell me unless I slept with him...in my female shape," Dudley said.

Neville frowned at first, then he understood. It had been Dudley. The blond girl on Halloween had been Dudley.

In a split second, Neville had punched Dudley on his nose and run down the stairs of the Tower, crying.

He ran all the way to Gryffindor Tower and threw himself on the nearest sofa, crying in the big pillows.

"I take it your date didn't go as smooth as you thought?"

Neville looked up and saw Ron kneeling besides him.

He looked concerned.

Neville hugged him tightly and told him all about what had happened, sobbing in between words.

When he'd finished and calmed down, they sat down again.

The only light in the common room was the roaring fire across the table from them.

"How could he do this to me?" Neville asked.

"I don't know. And I also can't understand why Harry never told me about any of his nightly visits to the Astronomy Tower either." Ron said, being overwhelmed with information.

"I've been his best friend for seven years! Friends tell each other things like this! Friends don't have secrets!" he continued, also hurt.

Neville felt like he wasn't such a good friend as Ron regarded him to be.

He had left out the part about Harry and Hermione being Animagi, and was now strongly considering telling him about it.

But then he would be breaking his promise to Hermione.

What the hell am I going to do? he thought.

The door to the girls' dormitory opened suddenly, and Hermione came down the stairs and sat down next to Neville, looking concerned.

He told her about what had happened and almost started crying again.

"I think I know why he agreed to Malfoy's plan," Hermione said.

Neville looked at her, teary-eyed.

"He didn't know you were bisexual and thought that he had no chance to be with you, romantically. So he was willing to do anything to just get a small taste of you. Just look at what he risked by sneaking onboard the Hogwarts Express, just to be with you!" she said.

"What are you saying?" Neville asked.

"He DOES love you. So naturally he'd do anything to be with you at Halloween, when he thought that was his only chance he'd ever get. Give him another shot, and I'm sure he'll make you happy."

She smiled at Neville. He shook his head staring into the fire.

"So what are you going to do?" Ron asked him.

"I'm not sure. I'll have to think about it for a couple of days," Neville answered.

He got up and walked up to the boys' dormitory and got into bed.

Then he heard a sound outside the window; a raven with a letter tied to it's leg, was trying to get in. Who the hell uses ravens to deliver mail? he thought.

Neville opened the window, shivering from the cold wind, and the raven landed on his bed, walking around a bit.

Neville untied the letter and the raven went flying out the window immediately.

Neville got up and closed the window again.

He sat down on his bed and looked at the letter.

It was marked:

"Recipient: Neville Longbottom, Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Sender: Lucius Malfoy, Malfoy Manor."

------To be continued in chapter eleven. "X marks your Target"-----