She watched the boy sitting next to her, rocking back and forth. Tears slid down her face, and she too began to shake. After tonight's events, she was surprised that she still had energy left to feel sad. But her body had somehow called upon some hidden reserve of strength, just enough so that she too could share in Neville's misery.
The boy turned to her, his face also streaked with tears. The salty droplets of water mixed with the blood and dirt on his face, turning the normally shy boy into a warrior, fresh from battle. Which wasn't far from the truth.
She's touched his shoulder gently. He shook her off. She tried again. This time, her arm stayed. She leaned close to him and embraced him, trying to quench the terrible sobs that now engulfed him.
She pulled away. Neville looked down. Tears fell silently into the water below.
"We shouldn't be here," he whispered, voice quaking. "If we get caught.."
"Neville, don't say that. You're the one who wanted to come here in the first place. Honestly, you should make up your mind."
She put all the sweetness she could into those words, trying to sooth Neville enough so that he would stop crying. It broke her heart to see him like this. She knew exactly what he was going through. The pain, the feeling of loss, and a strange sense of satisfaction. She knew those tears, those sobs, those eyes. At that moment, she knew Neville better than anyone else in the world, better than even himself, because she had the benefit of experience. Not too long ago, she herself had shed those tears, heaved those sobs, worn those eyes. She had been a little girl, then, and feeling of loss and finality was greater than everything else. And who was to argue. Her mother had died when she was nine. No one would ever know that feeling.
And yet here she sat, comforting a boy who's whole life had been turned upside down. Silently, she cursed herself for not being able to take the pain away from him. Why wasn't there a spell for that.
Neville had stopped shaking by now, and his tears fell silently, unaccompanied by sobs. She put her arm around him.
"It could be dangerous here, Luna, I've Ron describe it a bunch of times. There's werewolves and vampires and trolls..."
"Ron was just exaggerating," she said firmly. "And after tonight, I would have hoped you would enough sense to actually suggest danger. Think what we did, Neville. We rode on Thestrals..."
"Which was bloody terrifying, since they were invisible..."
Ignoring him, she went on, listing out the nights events. "We broke into the Ministry of Magic..."
"I don't think taking an elevator down into the main hall is considered 'breaking' in..."
"We went into the Department of Mystery's," said Luna. Her mind was clearing now.
"And practically destroyed it..."
Still ignoring him, she went on. "And we fought..."
"A whole horde of Death Eaters," finished Neville, looking her in the eye.
Luna tore away from his gaze, looking down at the lake. The moon shone brightly enough that she could make out the outline of the forest, along with some of the animals in there.
Neville reached over and squeezed her hand. "It's not your fault, Luna.
Do you think I would have let him go either way? He was the one who tortured my parents."
"And what about the prophecy. Would you have gone after that still, even if I hadn't?"
Neville was silent for a moment, and he looked up at the sky. Finally, he spoke.
"I suppose there was no way for me to ignore that. Don't you get it? The moment I heard that bastard speak, I knew that I would never let him leave that room alive. And he knew it too. He could tell. I know he could. He told me about the prophecy on purpose. He didn't know if it was true. he was lying. but you were right, though. we had to get that prophecy. It would have done much more damage we hadn't done what we did. nut what he said? He unnerve me, to help him escape."
And he had escaped, and it was all her fault.
She remembered it clearly. It had happened right after Harry had grabbed the crystal ball, and they had somehow broke through the line of Death Eaters. She and Neville had been herded through the maze, trying to spot Harry, Ginny, Ron, or Hermione. Anyone. The memory now came back, flooding her mind. She had just been about to tell Neville to stop and try and find a way back to the door when he suddenly halts, causing her to slam into him. As she tried to dismantle herself from Neville, she saw what had made Neville freeze.
Standing before him was none other than Rodolphus Lestrange, hood discarded.
Before she could react, another Death Eater appeared behind her. She raised her hand, wand steady. The four figures stood silently for a moment, all with wands . A minuet had passed. And then another. Finally, Lestrange spoke. He had talked casually, as if he had all the time in the world.
"Having fun there, with your boyfriend, missy? I wouldn't be to proud of him now, though, seeing as he looks like one of my great grandmother's fruit cakes."
He had spoken with a slight accent, that hinted at a drawl, but his words were all articulate. Luna had glanced over her shoulder, to the other Death Eater. He could have fit Lestrange's description easily.
"Looking for a way to escape, girly? I wouldn't bother. Besides, stay a while."
He spread his arms. "The party's just starting."
And of course, that was when the world exploded.
Luna was thrown of her feet, slamming into a shelf. Glass fell over her heard. A scream. Not hers. Explosions shook the ground. Glass burst apart, falling. She got up and ran, slipping and falling. Showers of crystal balls fell, bursting as the hit the ground. She made the mistake of looking up.
A huge crystal ball was coming right at her. There was no way she could evade it. The ball kept on coming, faster and faster. Showers of broken glass fell like rain, clouding her vision. She was lucky none pierced her eyes, which were focused on the ball right a over her head. This is it, she thought.
The world seemed to slow down, which was absurd, she thought, closing her eyes, waiting for the end. Good-bye everyone. I'll miss you all. You were all great friends, especially you, Neville. She lay there, eyes closed for a moment...
And she continued to lie there. A minuet passed. Luna could hear her heart beating. She frowned. Something was wrong.
Then...
"Oi! I don't think now is quite the time, to take a nap!"
Luna opened her eyes. There, barely 6 inches above her, was the crystal ball, completely frozen. She sat up. And then she saw him
Neville, wand out, holding all the glass at bay. He had created a break in the flow, a shield which protected Luna from harm. Around her, past Neville's shield, lay an impossible sight.
Glass orbs, falling in slow motion. All around her. It was the most beautiful and yet most terrifying sight she had ever seen in her life. A waterfall. Glassfall she corrected herself.
"Just take you time, Luna. I've got it."
Luna realized that Neville was being sincere. But amazement replaced shock when she saw Neville, knees weak, buckling under the strength of his charm. Crouching down, she ran through the shield. Around her, voices yelled, amid tinkling glass and blasts from wands. She made it through and caught Neville just as he fell releasing the charm. Glass exploded.
"That wasn't so bad, was it Neville?"
Neville looked up, gasping. The pair proceeded to run at full speed through the maze of glass, fire Stunning Spells at the dark shadows that crossed their paths. Glass, screams, explosions, and colorful flashes of light made them know to Luna's senses. She run faster, tugging poor Neville along. A large orb, 3 times the size of Luna, crashed to the ground, leaving the pair ducking and running in the opposite direction. It was then that Luna realized another problem. The shelves were also falling.
She ducked under the falling metal, to scanning wildly for an exit, a place to catch their breath. She couldn't see Harry and the others any where, or the exit. It was all she could do to not fall down in exhaustion. She took one last glance around, running all the while.
Then she saw it. A space, in between two shelves falling toward each other. Through the semi-triangle she could make out a set of doors. The exit.
Neville saw it too. He looked at her, panting, a cramp in her side. No way would she make it through in time.
Neville took the chance. He grabbed Luna and flung her on his back, running through the triangle, which was getting smaller faster and faster. Luna did her best to help, casting Protego's exert time an orb came dangerously close to Neville's head.
Meanwhile, the triangle had shrunk drastically. There was no way they could make it. Neville let out a wild cry and dove through the glass, trying to keep Luna from harm. He hit the floor hard, sliding. Their exit was closing, closing, closing...
With another scream, wilder than the last, Neville tore through the opening, cutting his face on the beam in doing so. Luna pressed her face against his chest as the slowed, stopping when Neville's foot slammed against the door.
They lay there for a moment. Then Luna got up and and stretched out. She looked down at Neville, who had resumed the quiet expression he had had when they had first faced Rodolphus. She bent down, giving him a light kiss on the cheek. "That was very brave of you Neville. Thank-you. I would have died without you." Neville just looked up at her, gasping.
She looked around. Glass was still falling. The Department of Mysteries had not yet finished collapsing. She could see green sparks a little while away. Harry and Hermione? Or Ron and Ginny?
She looked at the door. It was smaller then the one they had come through. Hauling Neville to his feet, she proceeded to push open the door, with him leaning heavily on her shoulders.
The room was neat and carpeted. Luna let the door go. The moment the door clicked against the lock, the world was silent.
It was silent that it was almost noisy. She looked out the small window on the door. The glass was still falling, but silently this time. It was as if someone had pushed the mute button on one of the Telly's at the nearby village of Ottery St. Catchpole. With a jolt, Luna realized that only a few minuets could have passed between her meeting with Lestrange, and the frantic dash to the door.
She looked back at the room, which was slightly illuminated by the falling glass coming from the window. She moved away from the door, raising her wand. Lumos.
Instantly the room was illuminated by the light from her wand tip, exposing it's contents. A table lay propped up against the wall, next to an old grandfather clock. But Luna was not focused on the decorum of the room. Instead her gaze fell upon the sight across from her.
Neville lay unconscious, in the hands of a masked Death Eater. Next Tom him stood Rodolphus Lestrange, grinning a maniacal gin.
Luna pointed her wand straight at Rodolphus' chest. A strange anger seized her. This was the man who had tortured both of Neville's parents, and now he was holding Neville himself captive.
Rodolphus laughed when he saw the wand. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, missy. Your boyfriends face is scarred as it is. Wouldn't want to damage it more, would we?"
Rodolphus waved his hand at the other Death Eater, who immediately stood up and dragged Neville upward. Neville groaned.
Rodolphus smiled. "Strictly now, I'm not supposed to be here. The Dark Lords orders, you see. But he lets me get away with much, since I was the only one who had the guts to search for him. Bellatrix and I, that is."
She smiled sweetly. "The Dark Lord must think of you and your wife very highly to grant you such favors. But I'm still wondering why he let you come here, if your sole purpose was to torture Neville?"
Rodolphus got the message instantly. "Bellatrix is doing well out there by herself. I see no reason to go out there and help her," he growled.
He started to pace the room, talking more to himself than to Luna.
"Bellatrix can hold her own. After all, the object of this mission was to separate the children. And I have done that, yes? Who says I can't have a little fun on the way."
Luna lowered her wand. "But I thought you were supposed to be getting the prophecy." The sentence had the desired effect.
Immediately, Lestrange came at her, eyes flashing. Slamming her against the wall, he proceeded to dig his wand into her side, one hand on her throat He slowly began to choke her. Luna gasped.
"So you think you know better than me girly, do you? You don't know nothing about The Dark Lord's desires. He wants...what he wants...what I want...what...what the Dark Lord..."
Lestrange's face was pale now. Luna didn't know what had happened, but she wasn't going to waste this gift. His hands were shaking, his grasp weakening. With a groan, Luna shoved him away, into the other Death Eater. That was exactly the distraction she needed. Whipping her wand around, she pointed it directly at the other Death Eater and yelled, "STUPEFY!"
A red flash surrounded the room, when it disappeared, Luna stood blinking at the sudden destruction.
The clock was smashed in ward. Nuts and screws littered the floor, along with the remnants of the table. The masked Death Eater lay in a heap, and next him lay Neville. On the other side of the room lay Rodolphus, gasping and sweaty, clutching the walls to get up. Luna delicately picked her way through the debris to him. Kneeling down next to him, she whispered, "Looks like you were wrong, Rodolphus."
A silence followed, broken by a small but very steady, "Luna?"
She stood up. She pointing her wand at the sound. Neville stood there, panting, holding his wand in his hand. She looked at him, then at the crumpled figure of Rodolphus. She nodded.
Neville stepped forward, wand raised. Lestrange turned to look at him. "Going to kill me now, Neville? Very good. Your father was just like you. Except for one thing. He was a coward."
Neville trembled. He raised his wand directly at Lestrange. The Death Eater laughed. "Oh yes, dear boy. Shocker, I'm sure, but it was true." He snarled viciously. "I could tell you things, Longbottom. About your past, that the Dark Lord only told to me!"
"You're bluffing." Neville's voice was also steady.
"I assure, I am not! The prophecy, the one Potter's carrying? It's about you as well!"
Now Luna was glancing between them, seeing which of them would give. She looked at Rodolphus, who met her gaze. Suddenly, she knew what she had to do, although she would later regret it.
"Neville, leave him. We have to get that prophecy."
"Luna, this is the man..."
"I know. But sometimes, courage does not come from taking lives. It comes from giving them. Neville, please. Let him go. That prophecy could do loads of damage."
"If you honestly believe what he's saying..."
"I don't. If I did, I would let you kill him, wouldn't I? No way would I let you do that to yourself."
Rodolphus was know watching them with eagerness. The 3 were still. Finally Neville stood back, wand still raised. Then suddenly, he yelled, "Pertificus Totalus!"
The effect was instantaneous. Lestrange's limbs snapped shut, leaving him stiff as a board. "That was nicely done, Neville. Now c'mon, let's go."
As they ran out of the room, Luna noticed that the orbs had stopped falling. Stopping, she stooped down and picked one up, weighing it in her hand. Then, satisfied, she put it in her pocket. Neville didn't looked surprised. He seemed resigned at what they were about to do.
Just as Luna began to wonder where Harry and the others were, strong hands grasped her beneath, covering her mouth. She squirmed. Neville, noticing he was walking alone, stopped and turned around. Then froze.
Luna knew what he was looking at, even though she couldn't see him herself. It was the other Death Eater, the one accompanying Lestrange. Neville raised his wand. The hands clamped tighter around her. Neville looked at them, trying to find a way to get Luna free without hurting her.
Just before Neville raised his wand, there was a blast from behind him. The masked man fell, allowing Luna to wrench herself free of his grasp. She looked at Neville, who turned around.
It was Harry.
Green eyes looked at them. "You alright?", he asked.
Neville nodded. Footsteps echoed around them, and a moment later, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny all stood before them, covered in glass bits and blood.
Harry sighed, relieved. "We think we lost them. The Reducto sort of backfired on us. C'mon, we got to find the exit." So saying, he turned and ran down a corridor, Neville and Hermione following him.
The rest of the nights events blurred from there. All she remembered was running, hard, and stumbling into the room with the veil, Neville appearing behind her, nose broken and wand snapped. She remembered switching the orbs, so that the orb that shattered when the Death Eaters surrounded them again was the one Luna had picked up before. The other one, the one containing the prophecy, had been stuffed under her t-shirt...
The same orb that now sat beside Neville.
After Dumbledore had saved them all, he had brought them back to the castle for some rest. But the orb, the prophecy that had so enticed Voldemort, had now captured Neville. He persisted on bringing it to the lake and reading it, though both of them new that it was Harry's personal property. Not Neville's. but the boy had insisted, and finally Luna gave in.
And so it was that now she sat here, watching Neville's reaction to the prophecy. Lestrange had been right. It was about Neville as well. He just hadn't known it.
Luna once more put her arm around Neville. "It's alright."
"Is that why they tortured them," he asked.
"I don't know, but I do know one thing. This doesn't change anything. Understand. Harry should never know about this."
She sat closer to him. "This shouldn't stop you from fighting. It should only make you fight harder. And afterwards, when Voldemort is dead, then we can sort through this muddle. It's all confusing right now. But everything will reveal itself to us."
They sat there for a while, till Neville spoke.
"That Death Eater, the one with...him. We never knew who he was."
"I guess that makes it all the more easier to fight them, then."
And then they sat without any more interruptions, till the darkness began to finally recede, and light filled the sky.