Hero

Blood trickled down Neville Longbottom's forehead. Bruises were forming all over his body, scratches etching his skin, and yet he didn't quite care.

He grasped the handle of the sword, pulling the heavy metal weapon up toward his face to see the words engraving side of it. Godric Gryffindor, it said. He didn't believe it... this was Gryffindor's sword? It came to him, the one who was almost a squib? It shouldn't have been happening. It should've gone to Harry Potter or to Ron Weasley or to anyone else but him- someone braver, stronger. It should've gone to a hero.

He let out a few breaths before lowering the sword down towards the ground. Neville couldn't look at it anymore. Well he wanted to, as he was truly fascinated by it, but he couldn't revel in it right now. He had people to find and talk to. He had to see who had survived. They had only just come out of a brutal war.

So he walked through the Great Hall. He spotted people who he did and didn't know, all either looking very bright and happy or incredibly mournful and sorrow. The war did good to people as well as damage. People were killed, injured, or had loss of memory. But they came out of a terrible, bloody war that lasted one night, but the effect would last a lifetime. He scanned the people's faces. He was curious as to what he would see.

Neville saw Harry Potter, and Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger head out of the Great Hall. They probably wanted some peace. It was quite obvious that the Daily Prophet and the Ministry of Magic would get to all three of them soon. He saw Luna talking to Professor Trelawney and Parvati Patil, who were all leaning over the covered up body of an either dead or wounded person. Ginny Weasley was burying her head in her mother's shoulder.

George Weasley sat alone, apart from everyone else. He had his hands entangled in his vivid ginger hair and he was facing downward. He had lost his twin brother, Fred, who he was very attached to. George did not look up as Neville passed. He felt bad for George, really. This was an excruciating death for the entire Weasley family. Even the newlywed Fleur Weasley, who was with her husband Bill, had puffy eyes from her normally pretty face.

However, Neville didn't see her yet.

He knew where she would be, though. He carefully exited out of the Great Hall and towards the entrance of Hogwarts. Once he reached the outdoors, with a breeze blowing through and the sun just overhead, he spotted her on the stairs leading to the ground. There was no mistaking the long, tousled brown hair and skin so pale you could see each blemish. She too had blood flowing out of wounds, but she too was leaving it untreated. Neville smiled. That was just the way she was. He walked down the stairs until he reached the step she was sitting on. He carefully and quietly sat down next to her and slid his hand over hers.

"What're you doing here, Neville?" Camilla Edwards asked softly, looking over to him. There was a bruise forming over her left eyebrow and she appeared to have a bloody nose. God knows who the bloody hell she was fighting...

"I was looking for my friend," Neville replied, "and I found her."

"I thought you would've been celebrating," she raised her eyebrows. "You are sort of a hero now, and we both know what's happened to heroes... Harry'll get the worst of it soon enough." Camilla smirked.

"I'm not a hero," Neville contradicted.

"Yes, you are," she urged. "You killed that snake... you stood up to Voldemort-"

"We all did, just by fighting in the DA and fighting last night... that doesn't make me any more a hero than you."

"I suppose you're right, but that sword-" Camilla's eyes flickered toward the metal weapon glinting beside Neville. "-shows that you are much, much more than just a boy who fought. You were phenominal,"

"What about you? You didn't get those injuries for nothing,"

"Quit trying to change the subject, Neville."

"I just wanna know who you were fighting?"

"Every damn Death Eater that crossed my sight, that's who," Camilla snapped. "But don't try and change the subject! You're a hero, Neville, don't deny it!"

"I'm not a hero!"

"You're just being modest,"

"No, I'm-"

Camilla interrupted him by pressing her lips against his, before pulling them away and rolling her eyes. "Are you done now? Good. Now, will you please stop being so modest and just get over yourself being 'almost a squib'?"

Neville's eyes widened and he was absolutely bewildered. She had just... what was going on? "I-We-You-just-?"

"Kissed?" Camilla offered quietly. "It was about bloody time I did that."

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or its characters. I do own Camilla Edwards, though.

It was about time I uploaded something onto this website. ;) I don't really like how the ending turned out, it seemed rushed, but I do hope you'll enjoy it. Oh yeah, and Neville definitely needs more OC's. Luna, Ginny, Hermione, or whoever people may ship him with doesn't quite cut it in my mind.