Pain, unimaginable pain, raced through every cell of his being even after the crazed Death Eater lowered her wand. The feel of the cool stone floor brought his attention to everything going on around him as he lay at the feet of the unmasked Death Eater that had been holding him. Yet as intense as the pain had been it did not prevent him from seeing the pained look in Harry Potter's eyes.
The Cruciatus Curse had sent his body into uncontrollable spasms but with Bellatrix's wand no longer focused on him he was slowly regaining control of his body but it was not the pain that Neville Longbottom was focused on. 'I can't let him down,' he thought as he saw the defeated look in his fellow Griffindor's eyes. 'I need a weapon.'
His hands scrabbled for purchase even as he fought for breath. The feel of a wooden handle in his hands sent a wave of cooling relief through his hands and arms that spread throughout his body. The weight of the weapon was unfamiliar to him, but he knew what he needed to do. With a flick of his wrist he pulled the weapon out from beneath the Death Eater's robe, slicing the man's leg and sending a spray of blood into the air even as Neville regained his feet.
A sudden explosion shook the entire chamber as the door to the room was destroyed by a combination of powerful spells.
"Expelliarmus!" it was Harry taking advantage of the chaos.
Lunging forward he slashed at the disbelieving witch and wizards. The closest of the dark wizards to conjure a shielding spell which failed to stop the blade though it allowed the others to step back as their comrade was cut down. Spells rained down on them from as five figures emerged from the sundered entryway. Two of the figures were familiar to him as both had been former Defense Against the Dark Arts professors – Professor Lupin and Professor Moody.
"Crucio!" Neville swung the sword knowing that it would not prevent curse from hitting him. It came as a surprise to both himself and the woman that the spell had not affected him. He took advantage of her surprise by lunging at her only for Bellatrix to apparate out of his reach. While she was not able to leave the room she had put some distance between herself and Neville before one of the five new comers began dueling with her.
Reluctantly Neville turned his attention to the wizards that remained before him. Two had already begun dueling with the pair of former professors while a third tended to their injured comrades. Even with the new arrivals Harry was being pressed by Lucius Malfoy and another Death Eater as the dark wizards sought the sphere in Harry's hand. Sword in hand Longbottom advanced on the pair of Death Eaters assaulting Harry.
Wizarding society frowned upon interrupting a wizarding duel, but having two adult wizards facing a teen still in training was probably also frowned upon. Then again, this was not a duel.
Leaping off of the steps Neville impaled the unknown Death Eater, sending the magical blade through the man's back and chest. Startled by the sudden turn in the battle Lucius failed to put up his defenses, allowing Harry to hit the proud Malfoy patriarch with a disarming charm. Neville added a kick to the stomach before bringing down the hilt of the blade on Lucius' head, knocking the man senseless.
"Good job you two," a scraggly man said as he kicked aside the wand from the still bleeding Death Eater.
Something about him made Neville uneasy.
Before he could bring his blade up Harry placed his free hand on Neville's sword hand, "He's on our side."
The wanted posters did not show the depths that Azkaban had affected the escaped convict. Even two years removed from his mysterious escape Sirius Black appeared to be emaciated and under fed.
"Find your friends," the last scion of House Black ordered the teens. "We'll take care of the Death Eaters."
A sudden cry brought the trio's attention to the lone women in the chamber. Bellatrix Lestrange had managed to subdue her opponent, leaving the other woman crumpled and falling from the stairs. Sirius rushed to slow the young witch's descent while Harry just watched as the crazed witch ascended the stairs.
Neville found himself giving chase, taking the stairs seemingly effortlessly. Soon he found himself in the corridors. Evidence of the teens' flight scarred the once polished marble of the walls, ceiling, and floor. Bits of debris lay so as to obstruct their path without providing them cover from the spells that Bellatrix shot back at them. The narrow corridor limited their ability to close the distance as lethal green jets were sent back at them. Neither teen knew how to defend against the Killing Curse aside from moving out of the way into one of the side corridors.
As the only one armed with a wand Harry was able to at least shoot hexes back at Bellatrix as she ran. For his part Neville was able to deflect minor hexes and curses with the sword though he knew better than to use the sword to block the lethal jets of green that she shot back at them.
"You think you can catch me?" the insane witch taunted.
"Stupify!"
With little effort she erected a shield to deflect the spell back at Harry and Neville, forcing them to deal with Harry's spell. "Avada Kadavra!"
Both teens jumped into a side corridor only to realize that she hadn't cast the spell at them. They glanced at each other then up the corridor as Bellatrix retreated.
"Ron!" They recognized the voice though they had never heard her cry out in anguish before. Instantly they knew what had happened.
The youngest Weasley's distress only served to fuel Neville's desire to give chase. As one they jumped to their feet and rushed up the passageway. It was far easier to deal with their anger and perhaps hate than it was to deal with grief. Through the maze of corridors and doors the two continued to pursue the dark witch. With each step they seemed to draw closer to her. Wisps of robe became a skirt; black robes gave way to dark lace.
"Crucio!" Harry's spell caught Bellatrix unawares, knocking her off her feet before sending her sliding over the smooth floor even as her body spasmed in pain.
Gasps for breath became light laughter as she shrugged off Harry's attempt at the Unforgivable Curse. "You've got to mean it!" she taunted as she turned towards Harry.
Neville saw the look of surprise in her face as she realized that Harry was not alone. Though he was the less athletic of the two Neville's longer legs allowed him to cover more ground.
Her breath escaped her lips in a wet wheeze as he drove the blade through her breast so that it protruded through her back. His eyes locked on hers as they hit the wall behind her. He could hear her gasping for breath even as her eyes slowly lost their crazed gleam.
"Master," she whimpered. "I… I have failed…."
He was aware of some shouting and even some flashes of light, but nothing was more important to him than the look in Bellatrix's eyes as she realized that she was dying.
The sound of his name being spoken drew him out of his daze. "Neville."
He turned to see Harry and Hogwarts' true Headmaster addressing him. "Neville." Wrinkled, gentle hands clasped over his, reminding him of the fact that he still held onto the sword that pinned Bellatrix Lestrange's body to the wall. A gentle tug was all that was needed to dislodge the blade from body and stone. "I think it best that you return with Harry to Hogwarts."
His lips were dry but his mouth and tongue were sticky with his blood. Nodding in reply he took a step back though he retained his hold on the blade.
Author's Notes - I do not own Harry Potter or anything related to it.
Just an idea that has been in my head for a while. Wondering if anyone would be interested in reading it though I'll probably update it whenever I feel the urge to write. If you follow my other fics don't expect batches of updates from me for this fic.
Dreamingfox