PROLOGUE

"Harry" her soft whisper filled the ears of no one but herself. So quiet it could be mistaken for the slow breath of wind that was pushing the smell of death upon them all. It was death with a hint of smoke and dust. Falling onto her knees, she had finally begun to take in everything that was happening around her. Everything became sharper, the sounds of her war comrades heavy breathing from the fight, the echoing cries of families torn apart coming from the great hall where they had moved the dead to. Then the sound of his voice. That thing, you couldn't call it a human, because it wasn't. Talking about how he was dead, how our Harry was gone, how we should give up, stop fighting. Never.

"Harry" she whispered again, just a little louder, like a prayer to merlin he would roll over a kill Voldemort right then and there. Just that he would wake up, just move, just breathe. Deep down she knew that was never going to happen. Ginny's screams just registered, the loud echo of pain and a broken heart resinating out of her small form. A life time of hurt exploding from her war torn body, Mr Weasely holding her back. Her heart ached for Ginny and what their family is going through, all holding strong faces after losing one of their own.

"Come forward and join us… or die" it spoke. Making sure everyone one of us heard him, articulating each word as though they all held their own importance. As though it was the difference between good and bad, life and death. There was no movement for a long time, and for that she was both proud and saddened. As a likely outcome of this defiance would be their death. That was until movement from their side, just a hand. The pale hand of Lucius Malfoy, stretching out as though he could pull is son from the light side. Draco Malfoy. He was a lost boy still, his family standing with the dark side, him standing with the light, but slowly as though giving in to a life full of regret moving towards his family. And it was in that particular moment that she felt a deep and resounding amount of sadness for that boy. The one who felt as though he could not chose for himself. One who only did as he was commanded? If Harry was the boy who lived, she would forever know Draco Malfoy as the boy who never had a choice.

After watching the tear jerking moment when Draco left even though it was so clear he didn't want to, the silence became deafening, pushing down on everyone after what had happened. Then movement from the front, next to Ginny and Mr Weasely, Neville. Her brother. Neville. She stood slowly, not allowing herself the pleasure of resting her aching legs. She stood and tried to move forward to her brother, to stop him from doing something that would surly get him killed.

"Neville" she whispered, much louder this time, others around her heard and gave her looks filled with pity and concern. She took steps forward. As fast as she possibly could. He was talking now, to everyone, about what she had no clue. Adrenalin had worn off now, her hearing becoming clouded again, like having her ear covered with cotton wool her eyes with a vision blurring glass. She now stood next to Mr Weasely. He looked at her and shook his head.

"Neville, don't" she said, finally loud enough for everyone to hear. 'Please' she begged. He turned suddenly to her, a look of concern for his sister but one of warning to not speak as well.

"People die every day… friends, family. Yeah, we lost harry tonight, he's still with us, in here" Neville went on now looking to everyone on our side. Keeping his hand over his heart he kept going, "So is Fred and Remus…Tonks, all of them. They didn't die in vain" Neville said talking to us, almost as though he had taken Harry's place as the one who provided us all hope. He turned around now to look at their side. To look at Voldemort right in the eye. "But you will" he spoke forcefully. She was tuning out as Voldemort began to laugh at Neville, she moved forward to stand and hopefully help Neville if she could. He was injured, his leg was badly hurt, and if she could just help him move to the side he'd be at least a little safer. But as she reached his side he had pulled out a sword from the sorting hat. The sword. The Sword of Gryffindor. 'Where the bloody hell did that come from' she thought to herself. That was when all hell broke loose. Deatheaters began to leave screaming about the sword, Bellatrix was screaming obscenities at Neville. She pulled him back trying to get them both into the castle where the rest of their side was retreating to. As we got there she saw Hermione and Ron. Bringing Neville with her, she walked over to them questions in her eyes.

"What do we do, what were you three trying to do before Harry died" she questioned desperately looking for at least half a plan. Ron shook his head not knowing what to say, so lost. Hermione too seemed unsure but looked as though she had an idea.

"We need to kill the snake. The snake is the last one. Kill the snake" she was muttering to herself and Ron more so than telling the siblings. Nevertheless Neville and his sister turned to look for the snake.

It was a time in that day that she would never be able to recall. It all happened in a blur to fast and chaotic for her to remember clearly enough for her to tell others about what had happened. She remembered more fighting, curses and more often than not a killing curse flying past her head. Running and more running. The bridge being blown up, with the Deatheaters running behind them. Her and Neville running for their lives, blowing up the bridge and nearly falling to their death. They had of course managed to get back up and back to the castle to help the others.

As the siblings arrived back from the bridge they saw devastation. Nothing was left an in the courtyard was Voldemort with Nagini, watching all the fighting that was taking place. Bodies of students, professors and Deatheaters were strewn across the said courtyard. Neville pointed to some people who were struggling to walk back into the castles remaining wall for cover so they both rushed over to help. Putting her shoulder under the arm of a whimpering 6th year boy who looked to have broken his leg she made her way over to the wall. Neville by the look of it had other ideas as he took off running to the sword that had found itself back in the sorting hat only a couple meters away from where they were now.

She continued to help the other over to the wall as she watched Neville run, but as he picked up the sword he kept running. Everything happened as though it was in slow motion. The snake had been sent to kill Ron and Hermione that much was clear by the way it was moving towards them at a speedy pace. The two of them were backed to the stairs as Ron sent off one final spell to try and kill the beast. Looking on to what was happening you could hear the heavy breathing of the two on the stairs squeezing their eyes shut ready for death. She could also hear the pounding footsteps of her brother, not mistaken for anyone other than him. As he reached the pair his timing must have been perfect, as he jumped through the air he sliced the snakes head clean in half. The head and the body fell to the floor with what looked like grey silky smoke rising from open wound. Faces and ghost like figure appeared in the smoke perhaps those who the snake had killed.

"It's done" Hermione sighed. "We just need to kill him now".

They walked outside as a group, or at least what was left of their group. There was a grand total of 20 of them left. Ron and Hermione leading them off into the courtyard, closely followed by the Longbottom twins two professors five ministry workers Ginny, George and Percy six other students from Hogwarts and two other Order members. There was hardly any left, she didn't know how they were meant to pull this off, there was no chance in hell that this could turn out well for them but she'd be dammed if she didn't try, right.

They were ambushed, as soon as they walked out of the castles walls, there were spells, curses and jinxes getting thrown every which way, all aiming to kill or seriously injure. They fought back pathetically. Ron was the first to fall, leading the group he was the first exposed. It was Bellatrix that got him, right in the chest, the killing curse, at least it was a fast death. Others were hit with sectumsempra and were left to bleed to death. She want sure how but Hermione had managed to get to her and Neville to apparate away before the three of them could be killed.

Her life was not yet over she decided. It just felt this way.