A/N: This is the whole story, Neville's Plea. All separate chapters have been removed. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Nothing here belongs to me, save Emily & Ron's wife. It's all J.K. Rowling's.
Part 1: Teatime with the Enemy
Master will be angry with me. He told me to get the Potter's. And I, an almost-Squib couldn't.
You see, Master wants to kill Harry Potter. He knows that Harry and Hermione Potter are the key to his downfall. And secretly, I'm rooting for them.
I went to Hogwarts with both of them. They've been working against Master ever since their fifth year at Hogwarts, since Headmaster Dumbledore died. The whole school mourned, but it was harder for me, what with Master watching over my shoulder. He told me, everytime I tried to be sad, that everyone I'd ever been friends with had used me. And I believed him. The Dark Side has powers of persuasion you
wouldn't believe. Evil at its worst. I hate the Dark side, but right now, there's nothing I can do to get away from it. But Harry and Hermione might be helping, and I know that I'll be able to get away in time. In time for what, I don't know...
I went to their house today, you see, on Master's orders. They all know that I am who I am now, there's no mistaking it. I knocked on the door.
Hermione opened the door, and I noticed that she was holding a squirming toddler. Oh, hi Neville. C'mon in! She set down the child and opened the door.
Harry's out right now. She checked her watch. He'll be back in about five minutes. Want something to drink?
No thanks. How are you?
She gave me a look over her glasses And you?
Yeah, I thought, My life's just great. I work for an evil wizard, I betray my friends, and I'm an all-around jerk. I'd say I'm fine, don't you think?
Instead I said, Oh, I'm all right, I guess.
That's good. Have you met Emily? The baby's head perked up at the sound of her own name. Probably not...
No. I was... um...
Hermione sighed. I know perfectly well where you were when she was born, Neville. You were with Voldemort, right?
I shuddered. Call him You-Know-Who, okay?
Neville, you work for Voldemort. Why don't you call him by his name?
The door opened suddenly.
It was Harry Potter. I'd expected him to be there at any moment. I looked at him, and I knew that he'd seen me. A brief flicker of distrust crossed his face. Ron's coming for dinner. Hope it's okay.
Yeah, it's fine.
Harry looked at me for a second. Hermione, what is he doing here?
Part Two: Never Say Never
I looked at Harry. His face wasn't contorted with anger any longer, but instead with sadness. I never would have expected it from you, he muttered.
Pppplease, Harry. Stuttering was a childhood habit I thought I'd grown out of. I...I want to make You-Know-Who go away, I finished lamely.
God dammit Neville, everyone wants to make him go away! He banged his fist on the table. Harry scared me when he got mad, which he didn't do often. And it's partially your fault that he isn't gone!
I broke down, sobbing. Come on, Harry. How would you know. You're always the perfect one, no one can ever compare to you. Perfect Potter. I wanted to be known too! For something, ANYTHING!
You've been around Malfoy too long, Harry said dryly. Hermione, go take Emily to Ron's and send him over.
Hermione nodded. Obviously, she and Harry both knew something I didn't.
Wwwhat is it, Harry?
Harry's eyes grew serious. We're going to help you get out of this mess. But only under one condition. He looked at me over the rims of his glasses the way a father might survey a disobedient child. I guessed he learned the trick from Dumbledore.
Well, actually two. One, you never EVER go back to the Dark Side. No matter what. Is that clear?
Uh... Yes, Sssir.
And secondly, you never call me Perfect Potter again. No one's perfect, especially not me. I looked up and saw the traces of a smile begin to appear on his face.
All right, Harry ssir.
And stop calling me sir, for heaven's sake. I'm not that old.
Um... okay.
I heard a banging on the door, and I jumped. It's only Ron. Don't have a cow.
I had no idea what Harry had said, and I wondered if he was in his right mind. But that doesn't make sense, it's...
Sorry. Muggle expression.
Harry pulled open the door. Ron Weasley stood on the stoop, looking entirely confused. Hey, Harry. Hermione said to come right over.
Yes, it's important. How are Melissa and the twins?
They're fine.
Ron sat down on a chair, and then jumped back up again. I assumed that he'd seen me. Harry, what in the name of god is this traitor doing here? Oh, I once thought you were my friend. Ron was getting very loud, which had a tendency to happen when he got emotional. You bastard. What in hell's name gave you the courage to show your face to ANY of us after what you did to my sister?
Part Three: Once Upon a Time Ago
W-w-what did I do to her, um... Ron, sir?
Harry fortunately intervened. Ron, he doesn't know. He couldn't know what happened at the time. He was working for Voldemort, for God's sake!
Ron shuddered. C'mon Harry, did you really have to say it? he said, exasperated. But i don't believe him. Ron wouldn't say my name, and his face twisted with hate whenever he looked at me. It made me scared.
P-p-please, I-I didn't mean to do it, whatever I d-did.
Ron gave me a piercing look, as if he was staring straight through me. If I didn't know how bad he was at divination, I would say he was.
Fine, Harry. You tell him. If you really want him to know...
Harry sighed. He obviously wanted Ron to tell me. Fine. As you know, Voldemort found where the League's headquarters were. He was referring to the League Against Voldemort, I knew, and I sure didn't like where this conversation was going.
Well, Ron, Ginny, Hermione, and I were there when he attacked, along with all the other members. I could count the rest of the members on my fingers. The League Against Volde... You-Know-Who was not the most popular organization to join, due to the risk involved. Most people preferred the GBO (Gringotts Bank Association), or the WAWFP (Witches and Wizards for Peace).
I nodded, so Harry went on. Voldemort got in somehow, and he struck. Ginny was closest to the door, so he yanked her up by her arm. She was trembling, and he said that if any of us didn't do what he said, the girl got it. Of course, Sirius said that he was a brainless git, and he cursed Ginny. She fell, and he got out of there as fast as he could. She's really very lucky to be alive today.
So why's Ron mad at me? I asked. Ron made a disgusted sound, and continued the story.
Well, since Madam Pomfrey was there, we were able to keep her from dying, no thanks to you. But she was still in a bad way. We took her to Mercy Wizarding Hospital. She's still there, recuperating, and she might be home next week.
Harry cut in. The only thing is, Voldemort just might come back to finish her off, just to show everyone that he's back to full power.
I gasped. I knew exactly how Lord You-Know-Who had gotten the location of the top-secret meeting, and almost killed poor Ginny Weasley. I had told him.
Part Four: A Tale of Two Wizards
I gasped. I had only given Master that information if he promised to do something for me. Obviously, he hadn't.
I asked Harry if he had any Floo Powder. Openmouthed, he pointed at a small urn sitting atop the mantle. I threw some in, yelled Slytheria Mansion (to transport me to You-Know-Who's hideout), and walked into the fire.
I hated Floo Powder. The dizzy sensation, the swirling, the air whizzing by my ears. I almost got my arm knocked of once, and haven't enjoyed the ride ever since.
I appeared, sooty and out of breath, right outside my Master's parlor, where he spent almost all of his free time. I banged on the door, and his voice, like fingernails on a blackboard, called out, Come in.
He sat, reclining, on a couch. I walked in, and started screaming. You said you wouldn't hurt anyone! You said you were only going to scare them!
He laughed. Quite the contrary. I said, If all went well', I wouldn't hurt them. That Sirius Black ruined it for all of them. That's why the Weasley girl is in the hospital now. She shouldn't blame me, she should blame Sirius.
I yelled out of anger. You KNEW that I would be angry. You knew why I wouldn't let you... My voice faded. I looked at the coffee table. I noticed a statue that I'd never seen before. Actually, maybe it wasn't a statue. It was a brown paper bag. Upside down. I ran over and yanked it up. I gasped. You, you knew where I was? Under the bag was a crystal ball.
The Dark Lord sighed. Neville, do you remember why you joined me?
I didn't want to remember, but I had to. Yes, sir.
Why, pray tell? He had an evil smirk on his face.
I sighed. Ashley VanThornton, sir.
Precisely. Now you remember, no one in this whole world likes you, except for me. They've all abandoned you. Potter is too famous, Granger too smart, and Weasley, well, too kind. Now come over here, and let's plan our next scheme for taking Hogwarts.
But sir...
Not now, Neville. I smiled weakly.
Look, sir.
The look of surprise on was a mirror of the surprise on mine. Harry Potter stood in the doorway, along with Ron Weasley.
How the hell... I thought. Oh God, the Floo powder...
Well. What a pleasant surprise. We meet again, Potter. Only this time, you'll wish you'd never have come.
Actually, Voldemort, Ron and I both flinched. We have some business for you. First things first. I have here, a warrant for your arrest, and a free trip to Azkaban, until the opportunity for a Dementor's Kiss opens itself.
Sorry, young Potter, that'll never work. You see, I'm practically immortal. Only two more dead at my hand, and I live forever.
Harry replied dryly, Did you say
said Ron. That little window of opportunity's what counts.
. Master was nearly spitting. Duel to the death. Neville's my second.
I did NOT want to be in that duel.
Part Five: Trial by Fire
I was not happy about that duel one bit. I was torn in two, one half of me wanting to help my friends, but the other half desperate to help my Master.
said Master, Who's your second?
Harry gave him a chilling glance. Ron Weasley.
I remembered my second year at Hogwarts, where Gilderoy Lockhart had taught us about dueling. Sure, I had only gone because I didn't want to be teased by Draco Malfoy and his gang for not attending, but I never expected to actually use that knowledge.
I raked my brain, searching for any little tidbits of information that could help me. All I could remember was how to hold a wand in a duel. That was it. But I was determined to remember something more.
Then, it came to me. A SECOND TOOK OVER ONLY IF THE FIRST PERSON DIED! Which meant, that if Master died, I'd have to cover for him. Tied to the Dark Arts forever, basically. Did I really want that responsibility? Did I, Neville Longbottom, want to be remembered as The successor to You-Know-Who?
Meanwhile, Harry and Master were getting ready to duel. Harry held up his wand, and so did Master. I'd never seen my Master look so old and tired as he did standing next to Harry. On three, Harry growled. One... Two... But Master started early.
he shouted. An easy spell, I was surprised that he'd used it. His memory must have been going, since he must have forgotten that Harry was a Parseltongue. A snake materialized in front of him, and in a low hiss, he spoke. I imagine he said something like, Get him, but I don't think I'll ever know what he said. Harry merely made the snake disappear with a flick of his wand and a few muttered words.
Expelliarmus Disapparecia, said Harry. The Dark Lord's wand catapulted out of his hand and momentarily disappeared. The spell malfunctioned, however. The wand didn't stay disappeared, it appeared back in Master's hand.
Ha. Thought you could fool me, eh, boy? You don't know how many curses are on THIS wand. You can't disarm me, at least not permanently.
Lord You-Know-Who began to chant. The most powerful Dark Arts spells are from the days of King Arthur, Guineveire, and Merlin. They aren't simple one-word-and-then-you're-done type of spells, they require complete and total concentration.
Apper ci realgy fa uth jag mir...
The chant he was using wasn't what I expected. It meant death, for both him and Harry. It took all of Master's energy, and sent it at his opponent in a beam of light. Under my calculations, Harry had about five minutes to live.
Harry was stunned. He knew exactly what Master was trying to do. And he wasn't going to back down from what he had gotten himself into. He would be courageous, right until the end. He reminded me of Dumbledore in many ways.
Abba der mish kull het dul clea...
Harry walked over to Ron, and gave him something. I couldn't see what it was. Harry had so much to live for, a wife, a baby, a whole wizarding world he had to watch out for.
Gew yelt ugh nek nue dir bash...
I had nothing. I had ruined my life, and I could see that. I didn't see anything to live for. I had sabotaged my friends, my family, and betrayed their trust. I couldn't stand myself. The guilt was too much.
Jelba may solfa gulbe ah muash...
The ball of light at the end of Master's wand grew and grew. It became blinding, shining brightly.
All he had to do was say one word and Harry would be dead. The word to send the beam straight at him.
I knew exactly what I had to do at that precise moment.
I threw myself in front of the beam.
Part Six: Bittersweet Goodbyes
A group of people dressed in dark-colored attire milled around the burial site. A few people had dropped everything, so to speak, to attend the funeral of the kid they'd known in school.
Neville Longbottom had died, but his life saved another's.
Harry Potter, minister of magic, lived. He walked up to the dark colored podium to give a speech. Attention. Attention please.
The teary-eyed crowd turned to face the speaker.
Neville was... a great man. He is, was the only reason I'm alive today. His courage, his bravery, and his loyalty have taught us all a lesson. Harry stopped and brushed at his eyes. Neville was known by many as a coward, but in his last hours alive on this earth, he proved his bravery. Lord Voldemort is dead. Gone, forever. All people of magic have a reason to celebrate. But also, a reason to mourn. Neville is gone forever, he will never return.
Harry looked around at the crowd. A varied group, many had come from all parts of the globe.
His wife and daughter, Hermione and Emily.
Draco Malfoy, his archenemy, yet a friend to Neville (sometimes).
Sirius Black, once-convicted criminal.
Ron Weasley, the man most angry at Neville before his untimely death.
Ginny Weasley, a woman almost killed at Neville's hand.
Ashley, the girl who blamed herself for Neville's turn to the Dark Side.
Most everyone else in the magical society had come to mourn the loss of a childhood friend and defeater of the Dark Lord, Voldemort.
Harry left the podium. He tossed a handful of fresh dirt onto the coffin. May we always remember him as an example to the magical community.
Each sobbing person threw dirt onto the casket.
The gravestone was propped up onto the mound.
Neville Longbottom
1985-2005
May you rest in peace for all eternity.
Good has triumphed.
A/N: I had so much fun writing this, you wouldn't believe it. Now, please PLEASE review! Thank you so much for reading this. YOu won't believe what is means to me.
Bumblebee
3/10/00
bee824@yahoo.com