For the Oneshot Competition on Megsy42's Challenge forum

Disclaimer- Insert witty disclaimer

Summary- "I guess when your heart gets broken you sort of start to see cracks in everything. I'm convinced that tragedy wants to harden us and our mission is never to let it."

(a/n- My first Neville/Daphne and I've been dying to write them so this challenge was the perfect excuse! Plus I love writing these Angst type of things for some reason. This all came out between 11 and 1:40 in the morning! I need sleep!)

Pairing- Neville/Daphne
Prompts- Sword of Gryffindor, Red Meat

Ignoring the pain in his arms, Neville pushed open the Great Hall doors and rushed in, his eyes already scanning through the chaos. Trying his best to ignore the familiar empty bodies, the blood, the tears, he searched for the familiar angelic blonde curls he knew so well. After a few seconds of finding nothing, he felt his stomach lurch. Panic was already taking over his mind. He didn't want to imagine that she hadn't made it, that-

"Longbottom!"

A slight wave of relief washed over him at the sound of the familiar voice and he quickly spun around to face the younger girl who was approaching him. At least he knew she was okay.

"Astoria, you're okay?" He looked her over. She nodded.

"A little sore, but better than most people." She said, stopping in front of him. He noticed something about her eyes, something about them were, in a way, darker than they've ever been. Her eyes were wandering away from him and so he cleared his throat.

"Where's Daphne?"

"Straight to the point, are we?" She sighed looking back at him. When he didn't respond, she continued. "She sent me to get you," Her face looked sad and for, probably the first time ever, the Ravenclaw was struggling for words.

"She's… It… Just follow me." She said looking defeated. Looking way older than any fifteen year old should.

His chest was pounding harder the farther into the Great Hall they got. Finally they got there, he assumed.

In the back of the Great Hall there were pieces of cloth that resembled curtains hanging up, behind them… Well he would find that out now.

He followed Astoria straight down the aisle, passing the injured. But it wasn't just the injured behind the curtains. The injured were everywhere around the Hall. Here, he saw the brutally injured. He was paying so little attention to where he walked, his eyes on the people that would or wouldn't make it, that he bumped into Astoria who had stopped.

"What-?"

"Neville," She started. He raised an eyebrow, the girl rarely used his first name. She also rarely had tears in her eyes. She gulped them back. "It's bad… Really, really bad."

He knew it had to be to have Astoria crying. He'd known the girl for only two years but he knew she was strong and usually wouldn't cry. But this was a war. He stepped forward.

"Are you coming?" She shook her head.

"I can't go back in there yet. Anyway, I need to find… Someone." He nodded at her.

"Good luck." He took a breath, and walked in.

Astoria couldn't have been more right. It was bad, really bad. It was terrible.

Neville stood behind the cot she lay on, staring down at her pale form.

The paleness was a change from the usual tan complexion she had. That wasn't the worst of it. Her head looked nothing how he remembered it. Somehow her curls looked duller and her head was bandaged, yet blood soaked. He couldn't tell if the blood was still flowing. That wasn't the part that broke his heart though.

Maybe it was the fact that her clothes were tattered and torn. That they looked like they had been chewed at. Maybe it was the fact that her small arm had a small chunk missing from it. Like someone had bitten it off. Someone had bitten it off.

It could've been the scratch, no, claw marks all over her burned and bruised legs. Maybe the cuts on her cheek or the small puddle of blood under her left leg.

But no, what broke his heart was the fact that he knew the girl he loved and swore to protect had been attacked by a savage and he hadn't been there to do anything about it.

Before he knew it he was bending down, on his knees hovering over her.

"Daphne…"

Her eyes immediately shot open and darted his way.

"Neville!" Her eyes were sparkling with tears already. What frightened him was that he wasn't sure if it was because he was there or she was just in that much pain. Anguish washed over his face.

"Daphne, it's my fault. All my fault," He managed to murmur, running his hands slowly through her pale, bloodied, yet beautiful hair.

She shook her head but winced as she did.

"You were fighting, you couldn't have done anything." It amazed him how, even in so much pain, she managed to smile up at him. A small smile. "I saw what you did, with Gryffindor's sword. You were amazing Neville! I saw you pull it out of the hat and stand up to You-Know-Who…." She trailed off, trying to get a smile out of him. That hurt more.

He suddenly felt the fury, burning all over him.

"Who did this?" He croaked, his eyes on the open gash in her arm. Her smile dropped and she was tearful again.

"Greyback," She whispered. That was enough for him. Immediately, he jumped up and pulled his wand from his pocket.

"I'll kill him!" He didn't know who he was snarling at and he probably looked crazy, sounded crazy, saying he was going after someone when he was walking with a limp, but he didn't care.

"Please don't," She pleaded, "Please stay with me."

The anger faded a bit and he was again on his knees hovering over her.

He would get the werewolf later.

She looked relieved to know he wasn't going. Her eyes met his and she started talking like he knew she would. Like she always did. But it was usually on happier topics.

"It was after you pulled out the sword. It was horrible. I know you told me not to come back and not to fight, but I had to. I couldn't just stay hiding when you were fighting for your life." She said it as if begging for forgiveness. The look he gave her was enough to tell her he wasn't the slightest bit angry. "I- I was fighting. Doing all the spells we learned in classes and the ones you taught me too.

"But I guess I wasn't paying attention to behind me, because I thought I was doing really well. He- He just jumped and tackled me to the ground." Her bottom lip was trembling as he wiped away her tears. "I- Neville I could see it! I saw the- the flesh, the meat, my meat, from me, and he was eating it. It was red. Because of the blood. I have red meat and he was eating it like I was a snack." She shivered.

" It was…. There was a lot of blood and- Neville, I thought he was going to eat me, He WAS eating me. And- And licking up the blood and he loved when I screamed and how I cried- It was sick.

"I didn't see who it was, probably someone from The Order, but they stunned him or something and I passed out. And I felt myself being dragged away. Next I was here and Tori came, but then she went to find you and now…"

She stared up at his face with a pained look that could probably rival his own.

"Seeing you in pain like this, because of me…" she whispered wanting more than anything for him to hold her. His hand creased her face softly. He looked staright at her, yet his eyes looked so far away.

"I'm in pain because it breaks my heart to see you hurt like this. And it hurts even more that I couldn't do anything when I promised I'd be there." Her eyes closed and she laughed bitterly.

"I guess when your heart gets broken you sort of start to see cracks in everything." she looked back up at him. "I'm convinced that tragedy wants to harden us and our mission is never to let it."

He, the Gryffindor that had pulled the sword out of the hat not too long ago suddenly looked so weak.

"I think I might have to let Tragedy win this time," he sighed. She reached for his face with her left hand which was, surprisingly, unscratched. Probably the only part of her body that was, too. Even her neck had claw marks.

"Don't. I'd miss Neville too much." he sighed. She was surprised that he was suddenly kissing her very softly on the lips. She kissed back for what felt like three seconds before he pulled away.

"Please, don't ever do something like this to me again."

"Dying for a cause is a blessing, Neville, when we could so easily die for nothing." she told him, sounding like an everyday Ravenclaw. His eyes widened.

"But you're not dying." He said it as if it was a demand, an order. "You're not going to die." He said looking a bit panicked.

"Maybe not today," She murmured. This seemed to reassure him a bit. "But you can't exactly protect me from death." He huffed and gave a weak grin.

"Says who? If Death comes around I'll just slice him up with good old Gryffindor's sword!" he proclaimed. She managed a small giggle, a chime to his ears.

"Great, I have nothing to fear now. Except my big, bad, overprotective boyfriend." she teased.

He kissed her cheek, ignoring the cuts, and stood up.

"I'm going to go find Madame Pomfrey, ask her if there's anything else to be done for you." He told her. She gave a small nod.

"Alright… But come back." she whispered worriedly. He glanced down at her looking surprised.

"Of course! I would never leave you, not for too long."

(a/n- You have now all been transformed into loving this pairing! *Swish*)