Note for those who want a visual: Half way through this fanfic I watched Tom Ford's 'A Single Man' and was instantly struck with the realization that Colin Firth's and Matthew Goode's characters in the film were exactly how I pictured Neville and James later on in life, in both looks and relationship. So if you have the movie check it out, though in my world the two live a long life together and given the age difference James would in fact likely outlive Neville.

Thanks for reading, it's been great and I appreciate all your support and reviews! There is M content here FYI.

Seventeen Years Later

Opening his eyes Neville stared blearily up as the ceiling before sitting up, his right hand automatically retrieving his glasses from his bedside table, sliding them on with a muffled yawn. The room coming into much better focus Neville lips curved into a faint smile before turning his head to look at the man still fast asleep at his side. Smile widening Neville propped himself against the bed's headboard while he gently trailed his finger along the curves of James's face, his fingers prickled by the stubble that James had yet to be shaved off.

"Dirty old man, feeling me up in my sleep." Eyes opening to half mast James grinned up at his man, sitting up lazily to steal a slow, lingering kiss before drawing back to kiss the tip of Neville's nose. "Good morning, Luv."

"Morning." Cupping the back of James's head Neville drew the man back for a longer, drawn out kiss that they both sank into, James shifting to straddle his former teacher as the show of affection heated and deepened, tongues and eager hands getting involved.

Hands moving to the hem of his man's lightweight T-shirt, James lifted it up, breaking contact only long enough to remove the shirt before moving back in closer, wrapping his arms around the other man's waist while Neville's lips softly moved over his neck. On a sigh of pleasure James's tilted his head to the side to give his lover better access.

Before long James's shirt was shed as well, the two rolling around playfully, the kisses and caresses slow and tender as they enjoyed each other. Years of familiarity blended in with the always new and fresh delight they took in the taste of their lover's skin, the warmth and pleasure of each other's weight and body.

Moving to lay on their sides the two both did away with their pajama bottoms, sliding them down and then kicking the material away. Straddling the older man James leaned in to nibble on the man's bottom lip, moving along to the man's jaw and then back to his lips, savoring the man's taste with slow, seductive swipes of his tongue.

Returning the gesture with equal enjoyment Neville groaned when the younger man reached down to stroke his erection with knowing fingers, thrusting into the caress with eager abandon. Breaking off the kiss with a harsh gasp Neville buried his face against the side of James's neck, hands moving to clutch the other man's shoulders. "James."

Smiling as he shifted up James leaned back so their eyes could meet as he slowly took the man into his body, panting hard as he arched into his lover. Licking his lips James eyes went dark with pleasure as he slowly started to move, his man's hands moving to grasp his hips to help.

Keeping eye contact the two moved their bodies in tandem, their breathing harsh as their hearts thumped wildly in their chests.

Leaning forward James captured Neville's lips for another deep kiss, quivering at the desire in the other man's eyes.

Fingers coming up to dive into James's hair Neville nuzzled his cheek against the other man's. "I love you." He murmured, sighing with pleasure when the man returned the caress.

"I love you too." James murmured back as he started to move once more.

They were both getting close to orgasm when there came a loud knocking on their bedroom door.

"DADS! ARE YOU AWAKE?"

Going still James's lips twitched in amusement even as he wanted to groan in frustration. Shuddering with the effort it took to remain in control James forced his voice to work as he called out his question to their youngest. "What is it, darling daughter?"

"ALLAN SAYS TO TELL YOU THAT BREAKFAST IS GOING TO BE READY IN FIFTEEN MINUTES AND IF YOU AREN'T DOWN BY THEN HE'S GOING TO LET ME EAT ALL YOURS."

"We'll be down in fifteen then." James called back, amused and strangely aroused by the fact that Neville had gone as red as a tomato and looked ready to pass out from embarrassment. Or frustration, James thought wickedly as he lifted his hips and then lowered back down with slow, deliberate intent.

Slapping a hand over his mouth to muffle his moan of pleasure Neville glared at the man even as his hips moved of their own volition, craving more.

Wisely James waited until he could hear their adopted daughter stomp her way down the stairs before he concentrated on finishing what they'd started.

)

Fifteen minutes later James grinned lazily at Neville across the table, amused when the older man sent him the 'don't think about having sex around the children' look. He'd tried to point out to his man several times that their children couldn't be less interested in their sex life, but Neville wasn't willing to take that chance. Allan was old enough to be far more concerned about his own future sex life, and Maya was still grossed out from the sex lecture they'd bribe his mother into giving her when she'd started asking questions they really hadn't wanted to answer.

Barely resisting the urge to kick his man under the table Neville gave James a dark look as he sipped his orange juice. The man might as well be wearing a sign, Neville thought as he shook his head over his lover's cat that got the cream smile. Thank Merlin they both had the skills to hide hickey marks. Wearing turtlenecks in summer would have been even more obvious.

From his end of the table Allan Longbottom's lips twitched, though at sixteen he considered himself too grown up to comment. And he preferred not to think about his parents having sex, they were his dads after all. Father would be kicking Dad under the table any minute, the redhead thought with the smallest of smiles, a twinkle in his sky blue eyes.

At her end ten year old Maya Longbottom was completely oblivious to what was going on, eager to finish breakfast so that they could head up to the school. Her black hair was already tied into a tail to keep it out of her way, and her green eyes gleamed with barely leashed energy. They were going to be doing some work in the Greenhouses and then, at lunch time, they were meeting up with Hagrid and her dad's Aunt Lyra and Uncle Charlie for a picnic. They lived in Romania, so they hardly saw them unless it was a special occasion. She loved Uncle Charlie, he had the best stories about his dragons. His stories were second only to the ones her godfathers, Lysander and Seth, told her about their adventures all over the world.

When breakfast was done the four cleaned up and then left their little cottage, traveling through Hogsmeade together on their way to Hogwarts. Waving at their neighbors as they went the group stopped a couple times to chat, eventually making their way to the first greenhouse.

From long practice Neville's three assistants accepted their duties and went about carrying them out, the Herbology teacher supervising James and Maya since the two tended to need it. Allan was his father's top student and was more than capable of doing any task that needed to be done. A fact he had no problem rubbing in his little sister's face as he dealt with the Devil's Snare. She wasn't allowed to deal with anything remotely dangerous yet.

Sniffing as she filled a pot with fresh compost Maya turned to stick her tongue out. "At least I don't have to study my brains out all the time. I get to have fun." Unlike most kids her age she wasn't in a huge hurry to become a student at Hogwarts. She could visit the school whenever she wanted anyway, and she'd seen how much homework her brother had to deal with on a regular basis. Given the choice, she'd rather go with her dad to the Tornado's Quidditch Pitch and watch him help coach.

Allan knew better than to try and explain the fun of books and reading to her. "At least I'm not short." He shot back, knowing that was something about him she envied.

"Beanpole."

"Shortie."

Listening to their children insult each other James just grinned fondly, the behavior reminding him of his own relationship with his siblings. Though Lily was more creative when it came to her insults, James thought with twitching lips. Seeing the confused looks Neville was giving their kids James leaned forward and pressed his lips against the man's cheek in a loud, smacking kiss.

Pleased at the show of affection Neville ignored the gagging noises their daughter was making and leaned forward to return the gesture. "I don't get you non only children sometimes."

"We're a strange breed." James agreed with a wink.

Their musings about the topic were cut off by the sound of someone clearing their throat, drawing all their attentions to the front door of the greenhouse.

They all recognized the Headmaster, but the other three individuals were foreign to them. The man and woman standing beside the head of the school were well dressed and reminded Neville right away of the Malfoys. There was that rich, cool, superiority aura about them. There was a blonde boy about Allan's age directly behind the couple, but he was partially obscured by the unknown man, showing more interest in his surroundings than them.

"Ah good, sorry to disturb you all." The Headmaster began, working up a smile. It was obvious just from looking at the four that they'd been playing in the dirt, which wouldn't endear his Herbology teacher to their snotty guests. But it couldn't be helped, they'd shown up unexpectedly. "Allow me to introduce you to Kiran and Ariadne Vandermark and their son Gilbert. Gilbert will be joining Hogwarts this fall in your year, Allan. Mr and Mrs. Vandermark, Gilbert, allow me to introduce you to Professor Neville Longbottom, our Herbology teacher here at Hogwarts. Besides him is James Potter, son of Harry Potter, and well known in Quidditch circles as a former player and now assistant manager of the Tornadoes. Their children, Allan and Maya Longbottom. Allan is Prefect for Gryffindor, and Maya does not yet attend Hogwarts."

James and Neville moved forward automatically to shakes the hands of the parents, then the boy who had moved to his mother's side. Both Neville and James thought that the boy was decidedly feminine in appearance. Short blonde curls, slim body, delicate bone structure, the only thing that kept the boy from looking harmless was his dark, emotionless black eyes.

Or they were until the boy's eyes moved over and zeroed in on something behind them. Both men instinctively looking behind them they saw that the object of the boy's interest was none other than their son, who was looking just as interested as the blonde.

Well this was interested James and Neville thought as they exchanged looks before moving out of the way so that their children could come forward to greet their unexpected guests.

)

Standing off to the side so that she wouldn't attract attention Lyra watched the people outside the green house with interest. So the day had finally come, just like her mother had predicted. With a thoughtful tilt of her head the seer watched the individuals she'd come to see, liking very much the way things were going. She'd expected no less. She was still unsure whether to tell Neville and James about the nature of the prediction, and thought that she was probably still wise to keep them in the dark.

The meeting she was observing had been preordained and would have happened regardless of the men in her family. The good outcome, on the other hand, had a lot to do with James and Neville's influence. The two men had altered the balance of the relationship between the two young men meeting once more. Allan would have the upper hand in this lifetime, Lyra thought with a pleased little smile. And as a result the two men would rise to their full potential and bring about changes to the world that would only improve it.

"Two old souls entwined by love and fate, destined always to find their mate. Whole only together, to power they will rise. Together they triumph, divided they fall. Past mistakes forgotten, son of Potter is one, the world shall rejoice as light triumphs over dark."

Smiling over the words she'd memorized long ago Lyra absently tucked some stray strands of hair behind her ears.

The years to come would be very good ones, with Allan rising to the rank of Minister of Magic, Gilbert at his side as both partner and chief advisor. They would be an unstoppable force for good, the latter's dark tendencies curved and smoothed out under Allan's love and devotion. And Neville and James would be so proud of their son, and Maya too for that matter. The girl was going to do much good work as an Auror, working alongside her future husband, that delightful Lisabeth Murphy's son.

"Blessings on you all, my family." Lyra whispered into the wind as she turned to head back down to Hagrid's hut.

She'd see them all soon enough.

)

"Well that was interesting." James commented dryly as they walked back into the Greenhouse after seeing their visitors and children off. Allan had wanted to join the group to get to know the new student better and Maya had obviously wanted to annoy her older brother by tagging along for the rest of the school tour. They'd tried to make Maya stay with them but the Headmaster had a weak spot for her and had insisted that if she wanted to come that was no problem.

"My first thought was Slytherin, but if your father's right and you can pick your house I'd say he's headed for Gryffindor." Neville added, not quite sure how he felt about that. Especially since the blonde had perked right up when Allan had oh so casually remarked that they'd probably be roommates if the boy ended up in Gryffindor. One of Allan's former roommates hadn't survived his OWLS anxieties and the bed he'd occupied had yet to be filled.

Amused by his man James slugged an arm over Neville's shoulder. "They can't stay little forever, Luv."

"Say that to me again when Maya gets old enough to date."

James had to admit that that idea didn't sit well with him. He certainly hadn't been very kind to any of his own sister's boyfriends, and he would probably only be worse when it came to his own daughter. They'd adopted her when she was only four after all. She'd been their baby from day one. Allan had been eleven when they'd first met the boy, picking him up from an orphanage to prepare him for his first year at Hogwarts.

Leaning contently against his lover as he thought similar thoughts Neville's brows furrowed for a moment. "What time did Lyra and Charlie say they were getting here? I could have sworn I spotted her when we were outside."

"We're supposed to head down to Hagrid's at one. I suppose they could have gotten here early, but then why wouldn't she have come over to say hello and let us know they'd gotten here early?"

"Probably just my imagination then." Shrugging off the idea Neville looked over at James questioningly. "Do you suppose she'll drive us batty again, dropping little hints about that confounded prophecy she refuses to tell us about? I mean she won't even tell us if Allan is the one, even though his birthday falls within the parameters."

James chuckled ruefully. "Personally I think she rather enjoys stringing us along."

Agreeing with that assessment Neville couldn't help but be frustrated. After all they were Allan's parents. If there was something they needed to do to ensure the safety and wellbeing of their son than he'd rather know sooner than later. But all she would say is that by being the people they were they were ensuring the very best future for their children. "Your aunt can be thoroughly exasperating."

"Poor Uncle Charlie." James agreed, though the two seemed very happy together. It had been a bit of a shock to the old bachelor at first, being introduced to a woman who had promptly informed him that they were meant to be together and that she was moving into the flat beside his in Romania. It had certainly made his own graduation party that much more interest.

Smiling at the thought James shifted so that he could draw his lover into his arms. "But since she helped make sure that you and I can live happily ever after together I suppose I can tolerate her little hints and innuendos."

Wrapping his arms around his man's waist in return Neville smiled as he leaned his forehead against James's, his tone of voice teasing. "You would have found a way, James Sirius Potter. You always find a way to get what you want."

"And there's nothing and no one I could ever want more than you." James assured his former teacher with love bright in his eyes.

"Likewise." Neville agreed as he pressed his lips against his former secret admirer.

Their love was not something they ever had to keep secret from each other again.

The End