Written for the Random and Crazy challenge.
Prompt: Hannah Abbott
The Price of Valor
Her heart was beating so hard she thought it was going to come right out of her chest. She just narrowly avoided the Carrows by slipping behind the tapestry that hid a shallow alcove on the third floor. The Carrows had been merciless lately, forcing the students to preform unforgivables on each other for punishment and amusement.
It was a strange twist of fate that out of all of the teachers the one to get caught by if you had no other choice was Professor Snape. He still sneered and belittled the students but she felt it was mostly a front. She watched him covertly release three first years that had been manacled to the wall several weeks ago and if he hadn't done it, she would have. Hannah Abbott was one infraction away from being on the business end of a Death Eaters wand anyway. It's not like she had any family to protect. Funny how two years ago every one walked around in a cloud of bliss and happiness. Having Dumbledore as Headmaster was like having your mouth numbed with Novocain. You couldn't really feel what you needed to, to prepare you.
Everything for her had changed last year when her family was killed. How could the wizarding world be so blind as to let school children fight against grown men? She wasn't bitter or anything, she just got over it. There were people who did the right thing and there were people who didn't. She, like her mother, would do the right thing. That is why she was standing in an alcove on the third floor well after curfew.
Her friends had been steadily disappearing from their dorms and classes. She was on her current mission to find out why and what happened to them. What were those bastards doing to the members of the DA, her friends?
Once her heart rate went back to normal, she took a chance and peaked around the edge of the tapestry. She was watching the entrance to one of the Carrows favorite places to administer punishment, the students called it the Roll. They called it that because once you were down, you needed to roll to stay alive. There were stories about the first few students that were taken there. Rumors said that their freshly dug graves were settled near Dumbledore's tomb.
She knew for a fact that there was a student in there that night, but she had no idea who it was. The Carrows had not yet returned but it would be soon. They never left their pry for long. She had spent the last three months studying Hermione Granger style about locking charms and was fairly confident she could open just about any door. Tonight would be the night she found out how good she really was.
She crept slowly into the corridor and stood in front of the door. She was on her seventh spell when she felt a presence behind her. She spun around and stiffened, going still as stone.
"Don't stop on my account." Headmaster Snape drawled.
"Headmaster." She whispered in terror.
"You are going about it all wrong. It's a flick not a twist. Silly twit." He snarled. "Well? What are you waiting for? To waste more of my time?"
"N… n… no Sir."
Hannah turned back around and made the adjustments to the last spell and with a click, the door opened. She twirled back around, gratitude on her tongue but the Headmaster was gone. She was starting to doubt that he had been there at all. With a shrug of her shoulders she walked in the Roll.
Neville Longbottom was laying on the floor, nearly unrecognizable. His face was a painter's palate of colors. Some of his fingers were clearly broken, his nose was bleeding, one of his eyes was swollen shut, and she doubted he would ever walk again without a limp. He was unresponsive at first, even shaking him did nothing to rouse him. Cursing the fact that she spent so much effort on getting in and not enough on healing as to be useful. Hermione Granger wouldn't have been so preoccupied with only one subject.
Hermione Granger was the academic standard that Hannah tried to hold herself to. Although she knew it was impossible to emulate, she felt she would at least get better using those methods. She already let herself down and Neville by not doing enough studying. Hannah couldn't stand the thought of brave Neville dying on the floor in front of her.
Knowing that the Carrows were soon to be back, Hannah did the only thing that she could think of. A stupid first year spell.
"Wingardium leviosa." There was little control and less stability but it would do the job. She levitated him slowly back to the small alcove where she had previously hidden. Perhaps she would have tried to get farther away but she could hear the hobnail boots of Alecto Carrow clicking down the stone corridor.
Hannah canceled her spell and drew Neville's body as close to hers as possible, taking great comfort in the steady beating of his heart against hers. His head was hanging limply against her neck, leaving a smear of warm blood on her robes and collar bone.
"What the Hell is this?" Alecto shouted furiously. Hannah flinched and her breathing hitched as she prayed Neville would stay unconscious until Carrow was gone.
She could hear the door slam once then twice before she heard the clicking of his boots quickly pounding down the hallway. Probably heading to the Headmaster's office.
Hannah tried to wake Neville once again and was rewarded with the opening of his beautiful green eye.
"Oh Neville, I am glad you are okay! I was so scared that you were dead."
"Where are we?"
"In an alcove near the Roll. We need to get you somewhere safe to hide."
"Follow me."
"You cannot possibly walk on that leg." She whispered horrified.
Hannah watched as Neville healed his leg good enough to walk on.
"Where did you learn that?" She asked in amazement.
"You would be surprised what you pick up when you have to heal or be healed all of the time."
Neville stood up and leaned against the wall until Hannah was standing beside him.
"I am going to need help though I think." His face had drained of all color, his leg clearly still paining him.
"Where do we need to go?"
"Tonight? Tonight we are lucky. If we are indeed next to the Roll then we are only three corridors away. Let's go."
They quietly made their way down each hallway, with little difficulty. Hannah suspected the Headmaster might have had something to do with that.
Neville stopped in front of a blank wall and Hannah smirked and shook her head. Was there more than one room of requirement? She knew for a fact that that particular room was on the seventh floor. They slowly walked in front of the wall until a red door with silver studs appeared. Once they walked through the door Neville collapsed, again unconscious.
"Somebody help us!" Hannah yelled to the bustling room. At once a multitude of people surrounded the pair, hands moving her out of the way and wands levitating Neville to a bed. There was so much activity, Hannah had no idea what to do or where to be. She settled to a place next to Neville's head. She had to make sure he was alright.
"Where did you find him?" Padma Patil asked.
"The Roll."
All activity stopped as the group stared in astonishment at her.
"How on earth did you get him out of the Roll?"
"With a bit of help I unlocked it while the Carrows were gone. I knew someone was in there but I had no idea who. I'm glad I went though, because Neville would have never lasted another round." Their incredulous staring unnerved her. She looked down at her hands in embarrassment.
"How good did you get at unlocking doors?" Asked Seamus.
"I got into the Roll."
"Point taken. I have something I would like to talk to you about once Neville is no longer out of it."
Hannah nodded her head in confirmation. It couldn't hurt to get some answers.
Padma had fixed Neville up pretty well before finding her bed for the night. No one directed Hannah anywhere so she decided to stay with Neville, to make sure he was okay.
At some point she must have fallen asleep. The crick in her neck showed its appreciation at being slumped over the bed, knees on the cold floor. She flinched when she felt a large hand on the back of her head. She easily knocked it away as it was just resting lightly on her.
"Thank you for getting me out of there. I think I was one Crucio away from joining my parents in St. Mungos." Neville whispered to her.
"No problem."
"For a Hufflepuff, you are pretty brave."
"Bravery is not mutually exclusive to Gryffindor, Neville Longbottom."
"No need to get huffy, it was a compliment."
Hannah flushed in embarrassment. He didn't know that she hated the sorting.
"Where are we?"
"Don't you recognize it?" He asked as she shook her head. "This is the room of requirement at its absolute best." He bragged as if he were a proud PTA parent.
"Wicked!" she said slightly awed. "You know, I thought all of you were dead and buried in the grave yard next to Dumbledore's tomb."
"We couldn't really advertise where we were."
She laughed as he flashed her a crooked smile.
"Feeling better are we?" Padma asked.
"Yes. Padma, I have no idea how we would all survive without you."
"You wouldn't." She said snootily with a wink and a smile.
Hannah's good mood evaporated and she couldn't put her finger on why. It couldn't be that she had feelings for Neville, could it? She shook her head to clear it. She had always liked Neville; he was very sweet. Things just weren't like that. There was a war to fight. Merlin knows she would probably die. 'But what if you don't' her small internal voice asked. Hannah buried her head in her hands. That was something to think about another day.