Hero(ine)
Theme: #20 (fearless; reckless; hero(ine))
Written for the LiveJournal community 30 houshin.
Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of the characters mentioned below or the series from which they originated.
Warnings: Spoilers for Deathly Hallows.
Notes: The proper title is Hero(ine) but the site will not let me put it as such on the title bar.


He spotted her rushing against a swarm of evacuating students in one of the crowded many crowded hallways, looking as frazzled as he felt but not nearly as terrified as some of the others around her.

The air around them was filled with noise, and a barely controlled panic had overtaken the area as students rushed towards the Room of Requirement, many of them calling out for friends and siblings or crying in fear.

Neville felt a flash of pity go through him as he spotted yet another first year clinging tightly to her friend. He could only imagine what they were feeling, attending their first year at Hogwarts and having the one place they expected to be safe turn into battlefield against the Dark Lord.

"Usagi!" He raised his voice to be heard about the fuss and waved an arm in the air until she spotted him. She detangled herself from her group and he ran to meet her.

"Neville," someone called from behind him. "Come on, you're going the wrong way!"

"The House tower," he shouted over his shoulder, "I know. Go ahead; I'll catch up in a minute!"

He pulled her closer to the wall when they reached each other, out of the way of the crowd. "I meant to talk to you earlier in the Great Hall when I saw that you were staying—"

"Of course I'm staying," she said as if he had suggested otherwise. "We're not just going to let ourselves be run out of Hogwarts!"

"I didn't think you would." He gripped her hands tighter, upset to feel them shaking and trying to stop them. "Where are you headed?"

"Astronomy tower." Saying it seemed to reinforce her fears; she looked scared but determined, and she returned his grip fiercely.

"Neville, come on!" His group hadn't left and neither had hers, both of them looking anxious and nervous, and he was reminded of the time frame.

Knowing that this might be the last time they saw each other before the battle, he swept in and kissed her, trying to find words that would adequately convey what he was feeling towards her. "You know, you should have been a Gryffindor."

She blinked, shocked, before laughing and giving him a quick kiss back. "Maybe," she shouted back as she ran to rejoin her group, "you should have been a Hufflepuff!"


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