Neville stepped out through the crowd, into the castle grounds and was frozen in horror by what he saw. Harry Potter lay dead in Hagrid's arms and Death Eaters surrounded the entrance to the school. It couldn't be real; he'd spoken to Harry not more than an hour ago. Harry had told him to kill the snake, the snake that was now draped around the shoulders of You Know Who. But what was the point? It was over. Harry was dead. Had Harry known then that he was about to die? Had Neville sent him off to his death?
He became mildly aware that the crowd around him were crying out, shouting and hurling abuse at the foe that faced them. He saw Ginny, still defiant despite the tears streaming down her cheeks. Ron and Hermione were nearby too, hands interlocked as Hermione wept and Ron screamed threats.
He turned to take in the rest of the crowd, the so called 'Army'. He looked carefully at each face, taking it in, trying to remember them before this all started.
There was McGonagall, who had always been frustrated with his slow progress in class but still kind to him nonetheless. Then he remembered the intense disappointment on her face when he'd lost the Common Room passwords he'd written down and inadvertently provided Sirius Black access.
Near to her was Seamus, the boy who had laughed so cruelly at him when he'd asked Hermione to be his date for the Yule Ball and she'd turned him down. Laughed and then asked if he'd really expected her to go with a useless lump like him.
His Gran was further back in the crowd. She had tried so hard to hide her disappointment in his OWL results from him but never quite succeeded. She had stepped in, though, that time his Uncle had drunk a bit too much firewhisky and told him he was a waste of space that would never amount to anything. That he would always let his parents down.
Then there was Luna, who had never been unkind to him, had always believed in him and followed him without question. Her eyes were bright with anger now as she faced the enemy with pride and determination. She must have felt his gaze for she turned her head to look back at him, her expression suddenly hopeful, expectant.
And then Neville realised, this was just another lesson with the Carrows. These people didn't need Harry, they just needed someone. They needed someone to stand up to the bullies, to give them a little hope and prove there was still reason to fight, more now than ever. As his eyes swept the crowd it dawned on him that most of these people, Dumbledore's Army, his army, had looked to him that way all year; relied on him for it. They had stood by him, supported him and fought by his side and if he could do this for them, give them the last ounce of hope they needed to keep fighting, it was the least he could do.
His eyes found the LeStrange woman in the Death Eater ranks. Her face was transported in delight and Neville felt the hatred boil inside of him. He raised his wand and charged, hurtling towards the opposing force and certain death.
A/N: I was actually writing something else and this little ficlet happened instead. I know it's not amazing but I didn't think it was particularly bad either so thought I'd upload. More Nev fics to follow (I hope) so please review as reviews are like fuel for my imagination!