Neville sprinted down a corridor on the second level of Hogwarts, dodging green and red flashes of lights as curses missed him by centimeters. He had gone over the plan in his head more times than he could remember and if he could just make it to the revolving staircase then he might be safe. He and the other DA Members knew this final battle between Harry Potter and the Dark Lord was inevitable and Neville was determined to take every precaution available in making sure his friends and classmates stayed alive. They were the only friends he had and he would be damned if he lost them. Since the students of Hogwarts were being constantly watched, especially those who were supposedly close to Harry, the DA could rarely meet. But when they got the chance, Neville wasted no time in making sure they were ready for whatever was thrown at them.
He knew the Death Eaters were some of the most skilled wizards and witches in the magical world but he also knew that skill wasn't everything. The one thing Neville knew his friends held over the Death Eaters was passion. Passion for their cause. Their hatred for the Dark Lord was so intense that many had received brutal punishments just to get the chance to slander and besmirch his name. But their passion had two sides. When most of the students arrived at Hogwarts seven years ago, Harry had been one of the first to befriend them, including Neville. Many students were in awe of Harry Potter because he was the boy who lived, the one who originally weakened Lord Voldemort. Neville, more than anyone else, had feared and respected him for that but his respect had soon grown stronger than ever for his famous friend. Harry had never belittled Neville about his shy personality or clumsy use of magic, the way everybody else had, but trusted Neville enough to share some of his darkest secrets and help him save the wizarding world. And that is why Neville fought. He fought for Harry Potter, for his friends, his parents, and everyone else whom he had loved.
Within minutes, Neville saw the staircase approaching an pushed his muscles to the max as he ran toward the first step. He replayed the plan in his head and dared to glance back at the faceless death eater behind him. Black eyes glowered at him underneath that grotesque mask. Neville gave an involuntary shudder as their eyes meet. Those black, deathly orbs looked hungry for a kill. But as Neville's foot touched the first step of the staircase his attention was once again redirected to successfully completing his plan. He ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and his heart began to beat faster as he reached the halfway point up the sturdy staircase.
"Why aren't they moving" growled Neville under his breath. Of course, the one time he absolutely needed them to move was the one time they decided to stay stationary. Unbelievable!!!!! Neville quickly remembered an unfortunate experience in first year when he practically killed himself by almost walking right off the staircase to his dormitory. He, of course, was not paying attention and the stairs had decided to rotate that afternoon. This memory is what caused him to come up with the plan but it would only work if the stairs began to shift.
Neville was now too close to the top and was beginning to think the stairs would never move. A jet of light and heat wave came way too close to his left shoulder and Neville gasped while jumping out of the way. "Dammit, MOVE!" Neville yelled, clenching and unclenching his fists. And then as if on cue, the entire staircase detached from its solid platform and began to rotate. Neville had just then reached the last step, and the platform was now dangerously close to becoming out of reach but Neville had made up his mind. With one final heave, he jumped from the last step, throwing his body across the empty space between the stairs and platform. As his body hit the cold stone he briefly looked back to see what had happened to his pursuer but quickly realized that the death eater had a hold of his ankle and was slowly puling Neville down off the platform. Neville clawed at the stone but both his weight and the weight of the death eater were too much for him to support. He was slipping!!
"Get off me!! GET OFF ME!" Neville screamed in a frenzy while kicking at what he thought was the death eaters face. He was now desperate for a solution because his body had completely slid off the platform and Neville was merely holding onto life by his fingertips. The death eater continued to claw his way up Neville's body but with one final kick and a sickening crunch, the death eater regretfully let go of Neville's torso and plummeted to the bottom of the castle floor. Neville closed his eyes as the body hit the concrete and a few betraying tears leaked down his cheeks, not necessarily for the man's death but for Neville's own actions. He had been forced to kill a man. He could barely fathom all the deaths that would surely occur under his hand tonight.
Neville pulled himself off the floor only to realize that in the commotion of what had just happened his legs had gone numb. He staggered over to the nearest wall and without his consent began to slide down into a sitting position. He knew he had to get up but his body and his mind were pulling in two different directions. His head screamed at him to continue fighting but his body was shaking all over and a sudden cold sweat had pushed his limbs into a state of shock. With labored breaths, Neville gripped the wall and pulled himself off the floor. But just as his head was clearing and his legs were beginning to steady, a curse whizzed past and blew out a chunk of wall the size of Hagrid, completely obliterating the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower.