A/N: Thanks to A Separate Peace for the "active duty" idea.
Tunnel-Light
He captures the war from behind the lens of his camera. Gryffindors and Slytherins dueling in darkened hallways; covert, clandestine kisses; spies, selling their loyalty but retaining their lives.
The war's been going on at Hogwarts for much longer than anyone knows.
And it's every man for himself, because there are no loyalties anymore; your life is more important than his and hers and theirs. And nobody is safe, because nobody will help you and nobody cares and we'll all die, anyway, so what's the point?
The point is that there is no point.
Death is inevitable; death is the only truth there is. And it doesn't matter that none of the students are on active duty, because they're already dying at school one by one (and two and three and four and -). And he isn't on active duty outside; he doesn't need to be.
He's been on active duty at school all this time.
And the pictures develop and the pictures move – Harry pushing angrily past Malfoy in the corridor; Quidditch matches, now somewhat less of a game and more of a battle; teachers talking quietly and worriedly about Mudbloods and Muggles and is anyone really right?; Malfoy and Ginny, because nothing is as it seems. And even after everyone forgets, even after memories fade and generations stop caring and the scars of battle heal, the war will live on. The lessons will live on; the faces will live on; the people, the pleading, the destruction will live on.
Colin Creevy will make sure of it.
The End