"In war there are no unwounded soldiers"

~ Jose Narosky~

~Disclaimer~

I do not own these characters because they are the wonderful creations of Jo Rowling.

I am only expressing my love for her work by writing this!

Neville Longbottom walked aroundHogwartsCastle. What was left of it, anyway. He bit his lip as he looked at the damage. Chunks of leftover marble lay in powdery remains upon what was left of the floor. Tears threatened to spill over his eyes as he searched for their dead. Voldemort had told them they had an hour before the fight would begin yet again. The only way to save everyone, he'd said, was for Harry Potter to give himself up. Neville cringed at the thought. Of course Voldemort would ask such a high price. He wanted their key to victory in exchange for something that could hardly be considered living.

"Longbottom, wait up!" A male voice called. Hurried footsteps came from behind and he instinctively brandished his wand and pointed it at the pursuer. Oliver Wood raised his arms up in the universal signal of surrender. "Whoa! Easy there, kid." He said, eyeing the wand that was about two inches from his nose. Neville sighed with relief and put it away.

"Sorry, Oliver… Nerves…" He apologized. Oliver placed a hand on his shoulder with a slight smile. Neville was glad people finally understood how he felt. He just wished that it could've been over something better than fear, pain, and death.

"Here, how 'bout I help you with looking for others?" Oliver offered kindly. Neville nodded mutely, not trusting his voice. He'd already seen so many dead. Fred Weasley, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, and no one knew how many others. Tears finally overpowered his will and spilled down his cheeks. They seemed to burn as they trickled a path through the dirt on his face. He couldn't stand it! How could anyone be so uncaring to how many people were hurt by their decisions? Neville wished that he could kill Voldemort himself but, as everyone knew, it would end up being Harry.

It always ended up being Harry.

"Hey, Neville... I've found someone." Oliver called from down the corridor. Neville hadn't even noticed him move so far away. Neville picked up his pace but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the body. Colin Creevey.

"That can't be right! Colin couldn't be here! He's only sixteen!" Neville said, his mind refusing to admit the foul truth. A sob ripped from his chest. No, he hadn't been particularly close with Colin but they had been in the first Dumbledore's Army together and he remembered working hard with him as a partner at times. They had encouraged one another, sharing their wishes to help in the world. The reality began to sink in. Colin had always been passionate about his need to help in this war. Of course he would have snuck back to help. What had Neville expected?

"C'mon, let's get him to the Great Hall like the others." Oliver said, pulling Neville from the depressing thoughts. Oliver grabbed the frail boy's blonde head while Neville grabbed his skinny legs. Neville and Oliver hoisted him up and walked a ways before Oliver stopped. "You know what? I can manage him alone, Neville." The older boy announced before hoisting the small child - for that was what he really was, a child - over his shoulder and entered the Great Hall with him.

Neville leaned against the door frame and wiped his forehead. He felt like he'd aged a hundred years. He had suffered far more than any seventeen-year-old ever should. He winced as his first memory invaded his mind. They say your first memory is usually incredibly wonderful, horribly scary, or completely devastating. His was the latter.

"Gran, why do we have to go to da hospitals?" A three year old Neville asked his grandmother as she led him down the corridor by his pudgy little arm.

"We're visiting your Mummy and Daddy." Gran replied sharply, as though he should have known better than to ask such a ridiculous question.

"Why does Mummy 'n' Daddys stay heres? Why they not lives at homes wif us?" Neville pressed on.

"Because, Neville, when you were very small a horrible woman by the name of Bellatrix Lestrange tortured your parents. They don't know you but you know them. They won't ever know you ... But it's still good to visit them and talk to them. Don't act up or I won't bring you again. Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes, Gran." Neville said, fighting the tears that were slipping from his eyes.

"No crying! I will not tolerate such childish behavior!" Gran snapped as she opened the door to the Incurable Ward. Neville stared at the man and woman lying on twin beds next to each other. The man matched the pictures Gran kept in her living room, the woman was even in one of them.

"Mummy? Daddy?" Neville said, breaking free of his grandmother's grasp. He ran over to them as they looked at him with no recognition for their small child. Neville tried to wake them up and his mother slipped him a gum wrapper. The first present from his mother he'd ever received. He had to restrain himself from crying.

That day Neville had learned life wasn't fair but, no matter what unspeakable thing happened to you, you could not cry about it. If you did everything only got worse. That day Neville learned how to bottle up his dark feelings until they erupted in the form of his klutzy and forgetful nature. He was so worried about everything that had happened in his life he just couldn't focus on what was happening that moment or would happen in his future.

Neville sighed and went to search for someone else. He spotted another body, this one of a Hufflepuff girl he'd spoken to in his Advanced Herbology class during his sixth and seventh years. He closed his eyes, sending her a silent prayer. He hoped she could finally be happy. She'd been a Half-Blood. Her mother being a Pureblood in the Ministry and her father a Muggle mailman.

"Neville." A deadpan voice behind him said, scaring Neville half to death. He turned to see who it was that had spoken. It was Harry!

"Blimey, Harry, you nearly gave me a heart failure!" He said, not sure if he was scolding the boy or just filling him in. Would it be so bad to die right now? No more pain or suffering? Just peaceful sleep? Neville thought, betraying himself, he quickly pushed the thought away as he realized Harry seemed determined of something. "Where are you going, alone?" He challenged. Harry couldn't possibly be going off to let Voldemort kill him ... Could he?

"It's all part of the plan. There's something I've got to do. Listen - Neville -"

"Harry!" Neville snapped, knowing that his panic was showing through and he was on the edge of insanity. "Harry, you're not turning yourself over?"

"No. 'Course not ... This is something else. But I might be out of sight for awhile." Harry said, his expression blank, "You know Voldemort's snake, Neville? He's got a huge snake ... Calls it Nagini ..."

Neville nodded, "I've heard, yeah ... What about it?" Neville was afraid of what this could mean but he trusted Harry to make the right decision ... Most of the time. He was trying to trust Harry wasn't going to go along with Voldemort's plan. It would be too terrible for everyone.

"It's got to be killed. Ron and Hermione know that, but just in case they," Harry's voice broke and he had to try again. "Just in case they're ... busy ... and you get the chance..."

"Kill the snake?" Neville asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Kill the snake." Harry agreed with a grim finality.

"All right, Harry. You're okay, are you?" Neville asked, still concerned about his friend. Yes, he considered Harry a friend. Sure, they weren't as close as Harry with Ron or Hermione but they were friends nonetheless. Neville had very few friends, they consisted of only people that had been in the first DA. None of the second DA members, unless they were re-joining, had been quite as close with him.

"I'm fine. Thanks, Neville." Harry said, trying to sidestep the boy. Neville didn't want to see him go so fast and grabbed his wrist tightly.

"We're all going to keep fighting, Harry. You know that?" Neville said, his brown eyes boring into Harry's green ones. He wanted to be absolutely sure Harry knew the extent of where their loyalties lie. Everyone inside the school and roaming the Grounds for the dead and wounded were risking everything they had for this. Not just for Harry, but for the chance at something better. If not for themselves then for the rest of the world and the children who would grow up in the world that would be created after this battle for surely this was the end. Whether good or bad no one really knew but hoped for.

"Yeah, I-" Harry's voice seemed incapable of coherent speech. Neville sighed and patted the boy on the back. He then left him to ponder that knowledge. Neville picked up the Hufflepuff girl in his arms and brought her into the Great Hall where lay the dead, injured, and the mourning.

"Neville!" A voice cried. He turned to see Hannah Abbott running toward him. He watched as her face fell. "No... Not Caitlin!" She sobbed. Neville avoided looking at Hannah as he gingerly set the girl on the floor by the others that had fallen in the beginning of the battle. He was told that they'd found everybody and stood at the edge of the room, waiting for the battle to begin again. What came next surprised him.

"Harry Potter is dead," rang a voice so cold there was no doubt who was speaking, "He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone." Ginny's brown eyes sought his as they both sprinted out the doors to see it for themselves. "The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents, children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

"NO!" Professor McGonagall screamed followed by Ron and Hermione's echoes.

"Harry! Harry!" Ginny moaned, clutching Neville's shoulder for support. Just like that everyone began to scream and shout. Neville found himself screaming horrible obscenities at the loathsome man, if one could even call him a man.

"SILENCE!" Voldemort screamed. He raised his wand and, with a bang, all of the protesters found they could not speak. "It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet where he belongs!" Neville watched in horror as Hagrid obeyed. Nothing else Voldemort said seemed to make much sense. Only bits and pieces reached his deafened ears.

"He beat you!" Neville managed to hear Ron yell, helping everyone else's voices be heard. Voldemort repeated whatever spell he seemed to have over them.

"He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds," Voldemort began again and Neville couldn't take it anymore. He ran, full blast, toward the evil being. He was then hit with a spell, knocking his wand from his hand and the air from his lungs. "And who is this? Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight back when the battle is lost?" Voldemort hissed in what seemed like amusement to Neville's ears. Then, the woman he despised almost as much as Voldemort himself laughed.

"It is Neville Longbottom, my Lord! The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?" Neville wanted to wipe the grin off the hellish woman's face at the mention of his parents. Sure, he'd given the Carrows grief but they'd deserved it for the trash they'd said and done to anyone who wasn't a Slytherin. Neville struggled to stand as the air finally started to re-enter his lungs.

"Ah, yes, I remember." Voldemort replied before his attention turned back to a hatred-filled Neville. "But you are a Pureblood, aren't you, my brave boy?" The fact Voldemort spoke so calmly to him just added to Neville's fury.

"So what if I am?" He snapped, wishing that he could rip Voldemort's head off. It was almost impossible not to attempt another attack.

"You show spirit and bravery, and come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable Death Eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom." Voldemort offered. Neville spat on the ground at Voldemort's feet. How dare he suggest such a thing?

"I'll join you when hell freezes over! Dumbledore's Army!" Neville announced, feeling a surge of pride as the other survivors cheered along with him. He smirked at the "Dark Lord" with a feeling of pride and power.

"Very well. If that is your choice, Longbottom, we revert to the original plan. On your head so be it." Voldemort said, his voice deadlier than anything Neville had ever experienced. Neville watched in silent wonder as something flew from the castle. What could he be summoning from the castle? Neville wondered, a little intrigued by the strange action that had taken place. It was after a moment that Neville realized that the object was, in fact, the Sorting Hat. "There will be no more Sorting at HogwartsSchool. There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield, and colors of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone. Won't they, Neville Longbottom?"

Neville then experienced a spell he had been the victim of time and time again. The body-bind hex. He wanted to kick and scream as the Hat was shoved over his head like a bag before being hung. Horrible panic spread throughout Neville's body as every part of his being tensed. I hope I've made you proud, Mum and Dad. Neville thought in a silent prayer to his parents. He had a feeling he'd never see them again.

"Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me." That was the last thing he heard before the pain came. The searing pain of being burned alive. He was past coherent thought and, even if he could have, it wouldn't have made any difference in the slightest. He would die this way, a part of him knew, but he didn't mind much, he had done this for Harry and the others.

Harry ... A thought managed to reach his head. He hadn't killed the snake! He'd failed! How could he have forgotten something so important! Neville could hear everyone he'd fought alongside screaming, he thought he could even make out Luna's little voice. Luna ... Was she even of age? So many people who were so young were being affected by this.

"HAGGER!" Something cried, shaking the ground beneath Neville terribly. He suddenly found he could make use of his limbs. He climbed to his feet unsteadily, glad when the Hat fell off of him. He saw something glinting from within. He quick made a grab for it, anything he could use would be a blessing at this moment. He vaguely saw the rubies and an inscription but all he cared about was that he was, in fact, holding a real sword. Kill the snake, was Neville's only thought. He found that it wasn't hard to raise the sword and bring it down hard on the snake. It's head came off easily. That wasn't the hard part. Looking into Voldemort's eyes as he screamed in rage and know he was about to die, well, that was harder. Voldemort made to kill him but suddenly others were around to help. Professor McGonagall was one of the first to come to his aid.

He heard cries of help elsewhere and the professors told him to go. He nodded and ran to find where he was most needed. He could see people on every side of him. He couldn't always tell whether he was looking at friend or foe. He dodged a Stunning Spell, a Killing Curse, and a few more Body-Bind Hexes. He didn't know who had cast them or at whom they were meant for but he kept running, shooting a few spells when it seemed fit. Neville almost laughed as he saw the House-Elves armed with knives. It seemed no one, be it human or creature, could stay safe from this fight.

"Neville! Help!" He heard someone cry and turned to see Ron with Fenrir Greyback. He quickly shot a well-aimed Stunning Spell. If only the werewolf hadn't ducked, he thought bitterly. There were two Killing Curses shot from their opponent and Neville pulled Ron out of the way just in time.

"GINNY!" Neville cried as he watched a Killing Curse barely miss her. Then Mrs. Weasley began to fight Bellatrix. Neville's hatred boiled in his chest before he sprinted to go help her.

"No! Get back! Get back! She is mine!" Molly Weasley snapped at Neville as he ran to help. Ron had somehow managed to knock Fenrir out and Neville saw he wasn't needed much anywhere, unless you counted McGonagall, Slughorn, and Kingsley Shacklebolt with Voldemort but they seemed pretty determined so he decided to just stay close and keep an eye on them in case. He turned back just in time to see Mrs. Weasley kill Bellatrix Lestrange. Neville found himself cheering and heard Voldemort scream. He wasn't surprised when the three duelers with Voldemort were blasted back but what happened next did surprise him.

Harry Potter was alive.

~Author's Note~

Well, hopefully you enjoyed that. I took a lot from the book but, well, I felt the need to show what Neville went through. If you didn't like it I'm really sorry.

I mentioned Hannah Abbott because of what JKRowling says about their future but I also put in that tidbit about Luna because that's my personal wish for them. I like that pairing!

Kay? Are we good?

Good!

Thanks for reading!

~Hermione Weasley133~