Disclaimer- Anything you recognise belongs to the one, the only, the fabulous JK Rowling!
This is my new fanfiction, about the events at the Battle of Hogwarts from everyone else's perspective, such as Neville, Ron, Hermione, Lupin, Ginny etc. I have decided that I will have a go at taking requests, so if there is a particular viewpoint you want to see, ask for it! No Harry POV though. Where any character does interact with Harry though, I may borrow bits from the book, but apart from that, it's my ideas following canon! The first lot of chapters are a section called The Calm before the Storm, so that's from arriving at Hogwarts up until the battle begins. So read and enjoy! If you have a request, idea or opinion, leave a review!
The calm before the Storm
Neville:
Neville wondered what Aberforth could possibly want at this hour. He normally sent their food through with a handful of first years at around 6 and then they wouldn't hear from him until breakfast. He'd been sat talking with Hannah when a second year came to fetch him
'Neville? Ariana is here!'
The second year had then scuttled off, whispering hurriedly with her friends and shooting Neville awestruck looks. Neville had sighed, kissed Hannah on the cheek and headed over to the huge portrait. He'd only stopped for a moment to look over his temporarily adopted family, then he'd pulled open the portrait and slipped away.
Aberforth was a godsend. Neville didn't know how they all would have managed to survive without him. Sure, he was grumpy, sarcastic and basically the complete opposite of his older brother, but he kept them all fed and watered. As much as he tried to deny it, Aberforth was very much still defying Voldemort by keeping the Hogwarts refugees alive. The passageway began to widen and heighten as he got closer to Hogsmeade. Neville smiled sadly to himself as he remembered all the Hogsmeade trips; spending a good amount of his money in Honeydukes, laughing at Seamus' misfortunes in Zonkos and sharing Butterbeers with all his other friends in The Three Broomsticks.
But that was all gone now. He had to focus on keeping his charges alive. Although most of the students in the Room of Requirement were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, Neville had been the first student to take refuge in the room, and through some sort of unspoken agreement, he had become a sort of leader. All the younger kids looked up to him, and most of the older students referred to him in times of trouble, and over the 2 weeks in the room and the horrendous months on the outside, Neville had become to feel responsible for them all.
Through thinking all this Neville hadn't been watching where he was going, and in doing so, he'd nearly crashed into the corner before Ariana's portrait. He stumbled backwards and knocked his bruised leg into the wall. An aching pain shot through his legs and swearing loudly, Neville started forwards towards Ariana's portrait. The portrait was pretty handy really. To anyone on the inside of the Hog's head, it looked like a normal portrait, but inside the tunnel, it was like looking through a window. Neville froze briefly, there was someone in the Hogs Head with Aberforth. He could just make out a second person beside him. He wondered whether he should turn back, why would Aberforth send for him if there was someone there? It made no sense-unless…
Maybe it was someone he needed to see.
Neville started forwards excitedly. Thoughts of who it could be ran through his mind. As he drew ever closer to the portrait, the second figure became ever clearer. The figure's hair was dark, longish and messy. He had various cuts on his face and a bruise shadowed his chin and left eye. He was taller than Neville remembered and he was peering at the portrait in utter disbelief. Neville practically ran the last few steps, before he swung the portrait open. Standing in front of him was Harry Potter.
Neville gave a shout of delight and leapt from the mantelpiece
'I knew you'd come! I knew it Harry!' Neville shouted. He couldn't believe it. The room of requirement was constantly tuned into Potterwatch, and they always listened out for news on Harry, Neville's former dorm mate. Neville knew that some people had given up hope on the chosen one, but Neville never had. Whatever Harry had been doing, it had been important.
'Neville-what the-how-?' Harry spluttered, his eyes wide with shock. Neville was about to explain when he noticed two other figures in the room. He shouted again as he spotted Ron and Hermione in the corner and ran to hug them. Ron's face held the same shocked look as Harry's, but Hermione laughed at his eagerness and hugged him back.
'It's great to see you too Neville!' she whispered in his ear. He grinned at her and stepped back
'I knew you'd come! Kept telling Seamus it was a matter of time!'
'Neville, what's happened to you?'
He turned to look at Ron, who was still gawping at him as if he'd grown three heads. Neville looked down at himself briefly. Yes, his robes were tattered and bruises and cuts were visible on his skin but Neville shrugged it off, his delight at having the trio back overriding any pain he felt.
'This is nothing. Seamus is worse. You'll see. Shall we get going then? Oh, Ab there might be a couple more people on the way.'
'Couple more? What d'you mean, a couple more, Longbottom? There's a curfew and a Caterwauling charm on the whole village!'
'I know, that's why they'll be apparting directly into the bar.' He replied 'Just send them down the passage when they get here, will you? Thanks a lot.'
Then without waiting for a complaint or a reply from Aberforth, because there surely would be one, he turned and helped Hermione onto the mantelpiece and into the tunnel, he allowed Ron to clamber in next and then he followed. Harry hung behind and Neville watched as he exchanged words with Aberforth, before he too climbed up.
Through the journey back, Neville exchanged stories with the three. He wooped and laughed when they confirmed the dragon rumour from Potterwatch and in return he told them about Hogwarts. He told them about the Carrows and their punishments. The others were horrified as he told them about the Cruciatus Curse and his own various punishments. He could hear the slight admiration in their voices as he told them about the DA and the horror as he explained about Michael Corner and Gran. He grinned when they evidently thought that the Death Eaters had arrested and tortured his Gran
'Dawlish is still in St Mungo's.' He explained laughing and the others smirked too. When they finally reached the end of the passageway, Harry reached out to push it open. Neville stopped him
'Let's have a little fun shall we?' he smiled and pushed the door open, stepping in front of Harry to hide him 'Look who it is! Didn't I tell you?'
Neville jumped down, giving the room a full view of the trio. A general scream rose up from the crowd as they jumped down, and the next moment, Neville lost sight of Harry, Ron and Hermione as they were engulfed by the crowd.
After Neville had retrieved the trio from the crowds, Harry told them all why he was here. It angered Neville slightly to see Harry so reluctant to let anyone help him, he could be too stubborn for his own good sometimes. But Harry's resolve wavered as more of the D.A emerged from the passageway, until 10 minutes later, Harry went with Luna to Ravenclaw tower, for some reason Neville couldn't really understand. He turned back to all the people who were crowded in front of him, waiting to see what Neville said
'Well, I suppose we'd best wait for them hadn't we?'
There was a collective sound of annoyance from the group and everyone turned and split back off into their separate groups. Neville sat on the floor beside Hannah, with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Dean, Seamus, Luna and the twins. Hannah leaned back against Neville's chest and began happily chatting away to Ginny and Seamus was catching up with Dean. Neville looked over towards Ron and Hermione
'What is Harry looking for?'
They looked at each other,
'We're never really entirely sure at the moment, as Fred said before, it's more of a make the plan up as we go along sort of thing.'
'Although it doesn't really matter now, that stupid bloody goblin ruined all that for us, didn't he?'
'Why, what did the Goblin do?' Neville asked puzzled
'We had this thing you see, it was really important for what we were doing because it was covered in basi-'
Hermione's voice trailed off, her eyes flickering back and forth, obviously thinking something over in her mind. Suddenly she hit Ron on the shoulder
'OW HERMIONE! What?!'
'It only worked because it was covered in-'
'Basilisk venom!' Ron finished excitedly, sitting up and looking straight at Hermione
'Do you think?
'It could work, we can only try though!' They both stood up and began heading toward the door
'OI!' Neville called 'What will work, where are you going?!'
'BATHROOM!' Ron called as Hermione dragged him out the door.
Neville shook his head as the door slammed shut behind them. The twins looked round, puzzled at the sudden disappearance of their brother
'Where'd they go?'
'Bathroom.' Neville replied. Fred grinned and looked at George
'Ah, young love. It's about time anyways, nothing like an impending war to speed up the course of true love, eh George?'
Neville snorted
'I don't think that's quite why they were going…'
But he was cut off as George put a finger to his lips
'Hush Neville, for you do not understand these things.'
'You are too young-' Fred continued
'Too innocent!'
There was a snort from Dean and Seamus, and then a loud clattering noise. Everyone in the room stood up and pointed their wands toward the source of the noise. Neville pushed his way through to the front
'Kingsley? Professor Lupin? What are you doing here?'
'Arthur informed us, after you told him.' Kingsley replied in his deep voice 'We have come to secure the castle, we're here to fight.'
There as another clattering as Wood and his now fiancé Katie tumbled out of the passageway, shortly followed by Angelina and Alicia.
'What's going on? We heard we were fighting. We came to help.'
'We might be fighting.' Ginny replied 'But you know how Harry is, stubbornly refuses to let anyone get involved in anything where they might get hurt. We're waiting for him now- Oh merlin!'
Suddenly Ginny ducked behind her brothers as Bill and Fleur jumped down from the passage, shortly followed by Mr and Mrs Weasley. Fred and George's faces also seemed to have paled, and Neville guessed that Ginny probably wasn't meant to have come along.
As Seamus and the others brought all the new arrivals up to speed on events in the castle, Lupin pulled Neville to one side.
'How are you all doing? How did Harry seem?'
'We're all coping, I just hope that it'll all be over soon. Harry seems okay, but something is troubling him, something more serious than just this.' he gestured round the room. Lupin nodded grimly
'I guess he hasn't told you anything more than he's told us?'
'Nope.' Neville sighed 'Anyhow, how're Tonks and the baby doing?'
'Good, Teddy's doing great. Wouldn't let Tonks come though, I had to all but barricade her in the house- Harry!'
Lupin sped off toward the stairs. Harry was stood at the top, looking dazed and shocked.
'Harry, what's happening?' Lupin asked
Neville missed the rest of the exchange, except for Harry's last sentence
'We're fighting.'
There was a roar and a rush for the stairs. Neville pushed through the crowds towards Hannah. He grabbed her hand and pulled her up
'Are you sure you want to do this?' he asked, his worried eyes meeting hers. She smiled at him and reaching up on her tiptoes, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. When they broke apart, she leaned her forehead on his and whispered to him
'I'm not leaving your side, and if that's where you'll be, that's where I'll be.'
Neville smiled and softly kissed the top of her head. Taking her hand, he lead her upstairs with the crowd and tried to push away the panicking thoughts that were running through his mind.
It was time to take back Hogwarts.
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