Disclaimer: I just own the plot and any characters that you don't recognise from the HP books.

Review Responses for Chapter 12 of What You Left Behind:

Rsegovia – Ah, I hate to disappoint you but I have not plans for Percy romance at the moment. Still the story isn't actually finished yet so we'll see. I'm glad you liked that line, I stand by it as the truth about Harry and Ron. Thanks for the review and enjoy the sequel!

Dark-Lady-Devinity – Let's just say that Malfoy's don't make empty threats. Glad you liked the ending chapter to 'What You Left Behind' and I hope you like this story just as much. Thanks for reviewing!

PWeatherby – Good question there and I don't know what prompted you to ask it but you're right, this sequel will not be Percy centric in fact even though this chapter focuses on just one character this won't b anyone centric. It's stepping back more to an overall view of the war, Hogwarts and the Order. It picks up just before the last story ended and it will carry on to talk about the time period of Harry and Ron's sixth year. But don't despair as I'm guessing your name makes you a Percy fan, Percy will still be here and you'll certainly find out what happens to him, he's still got a role to play but the story I wanted to tell from here onwards involves needing a more general view from differing view points. Thanks for reviewing the previous story and I hope you enjoy this!

Db – Lol! Did you really think I'd promise a sequel and then not deliver? I admit I'm a terrible updater these days but if I say there'll be a sequel there will be! And here it is! Thank you for your flattering remarks on the last story and I hope you like this one just as much!

Cooldot – I'm so pleased you liked the ending as I admit until I wrote that chapter I didn't quite know what the heck it was going to end with! The cruelty of war's something we'll keep coming back to, that was the joy of working with Percy he's old enough to really understand more than Harry, Ron and Hermione have been and yet he's young and inexperienced enough to be shocked by what's happening. Percy's job is important to the Order and it certainly has a role to play as far as the plot's concerned. Narcissa's threat was something that wrote itself because it's something I've been dying to say myself ever since I read that scene at the end of book five (I admit it I love the Malfoys and I hate seeing them be mean to Draco!) and it will definitely cause further conflict! As to Ron and Hermione you'll have to wait and see, after all he may have other options. Thanks for reviewing the last story and I hope you'll continue to review and like this one!

JMM – Yay! You said 'Go Narcissa'! Sorry but I'm with you about that, she was rather unpleasant but I think she was well within her rights to be angry with the Weasleys! The Gryffindors were wrong in their behaviour and James and Sirius were certainly beyond wrong in what they did to Snape! I think however that it may eventually begin to dawn on some that being one of the good guys doesn't mean that whatever you do is above and beyond criticism. Thanks for reviewing, hope you enjoy this sequel!

Rutu – You hate Narcissa? Well I'm not surprised but look at it this way, she's an enraged mother who's had to put up with an attack on her only child. Still, she's no bloody saint! Yep, Lavender died! I was told by my friend who helped me with much of this story that to portray a real full on war properly I had to start being a bit less keen to save every single character and I'm afraid Lavender got it! I've always felt Ron and Percy eventually grow to be fairly close and the talk was meant to demonstrate that so I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reviewing, enjoy the next part!

Hydraspit – remembering to post's a pain! I'm getting worse at it! But I will try to improve my record for this story! Thanks for the review and enjoy the next part of the story!

Insanechildfanfic – glad you enjoyed it, here's the next part! Thanks for reviewing!

Mikhyel – Lol! I'm flattered! Marriage might be a bit far but putting out the sequel I can just about manage:o) Severus and Percy rock! Snape's my favourite character but Percy runs him close and let's face it Slytherins just are the best! Thanks for the review and here's the sequel so, enjoy!

A/N: Ok, here it finally is, the sequel to What You Left Behind. You'd be advised to read that first if you haven't already but you'd probably get most of this anyway I think. Just to let you know this chapter's set before the end of WYLB by a few days. I've moved away from Percy's viewpoint for this sequel to a more overall view but he's still in it. This chapter's about one character mostly but after this it'll skip between everyone. Enjoy!

A Subtle Change

Chapter 1

Another summer was drawing to a close and Neville Longbottom was getting ready to face another year at Hogwarts; which would undoubtedly come with the various taunts and torments that the previous years had thrown at him, but that didn't mean he wasn't pleased to be going back. He loved Hogwarts, perhaps he'd love it slightly more if Professor Snape could leave him alone but that probably wasn't going to happen.

It was a glorious day, bright sunshine with just enough of a breeze to stop things becoming too hot. Only that morning his mimbulus mimbletonia had been swaying around happily on his windowsill, revelling in the sunny weather. In fact the only blot on the day so far was that though he wished to return to Hogwarts he still felt guilty about going. Ever since his first year he had felt bad about leaving his grandmother alone and, even though he wasn't sure they knew the difference, he felt guilty for not spending more time with his parents as well. He was sat in their ward for his last visit of the summer, always a difficult one because he knew how long it would be until he saw them again and, worst of all, he was looking forward to leaving and his guilt for that was eating him up inside.

His parents were both asleep, having been kept up half the night by a patient ranting from the other end of the ward and then given dreamless sleep potions. His grandmother had not accompanied him, as she was expecting a friend of hers to lunch, and Neville was therefore left with very little to do. His mother had still been awake when he had arrived and clutched in his hand was her latest offering of a brightly coloured sweet wrapper. He touched his mothers' hand gently; it was easier to be with them while they were asleep like this. Easier to pretend that one day they would wake up and be normal again, but he had long ago stopped believing that that could happen. He'd had too many disappointing years, had grown too much beyond the frightened young boy who had been upset beyond tears to realise his parents didn't have the earthliest idea who he was, or who anyone else was either.

"Ten years. Did you know?" he asked quietly, "Ten years you've been on this ward and you'll likely be here ten more and you'll still be just the same as you were when you were first brought in. Still not able to understand or recognise anything, though sometimes I think you recognise me mum. Why else would you keep giving me those sweet wrappers? But you don't really know who I am and you never will. I wonder what you'd think of me if you did know me?" he sighed, "Pointless to ask, I'll never know."

Neville sat back in his chair, staring at the two people his parents had become, staring at the reason he could never have been a normal child. He sank his head wearily into his hands. The first time he noticed anything was wrong was when the doors to the ward flew open and almost off their hinges. The black robed and hooded figures stepped inside and the staff flew into a panic.

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Severus Snape had not had a good night, the Dark Lord was planning something and he had been unable to find out what. His curiosity had in fact been rewarded by his being pushed down a flight of stone steps and told to mind his own business. It was for this reason that he was sat in a St. Mungo's ward deeply displeased with the world while a young healer mended his broken wrist and held a compress against the large cut on his head; apparently she couldn't heal that until a more senior member of staff had confirmed the skull wasn't fractured. He normally avoided St Mungo's but Madame Pomfrey was away, visiting her niece and her husband and their newborn baby, so Severus had been left with no choice.

He was jerked from his thoughts by the sounds of screams from the floor above.

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Neville found himself watching in horror as one of figures in black pointed their wand at the nearest healer and muttered the killing curse, causing the man to fall, lifeless, to the ground. The other Death Eaters followed suite, a couple being stunned or cursed themselves by the ward's staff, one of whom managed to escape through the door and could be heard raising the alarm even as one of the Death Eaters chased after him.

With the staff either involved in fights or lying dead or cursed upon the floor, the Death Eaters unoccupied by them moved their attention to the patients, all of whom were asleep and defenceless due to their late night and the sleeping draughts. A few moved amongst the patients, laughing at them and killing at random. Neville couldn't move, his shock had rooted him to his chair. His wand was at home, he had no way to defend his parents. He stood suddenly, seeing one of the figures walking lazily towards them, bypassing the other beds disinterestedly.

"Longbottom," Neville's blood froze as the deep female voice triggered the memory of Bellatrix Lestrange. "Well it looks like I can finally finish what I started, doesn't it?"

He wouldn't flinch, wouldn't give her the satisfaction, merely watched in horrified fascination as she raised her wand slowly and deliberately. His eyes snapped shut and he waited to hear the words no one should ever hear.

Her cruel voice seemed to be near a laugh as she spoke. "Avada Kedavra."

Something was wrong though; he was still conscious. He risked opening his eyes and looked in confusion as the woman raised her wand again and pointed it at his father's bed and he suddenly noticed that his mother's deep breathing had stopped. She repeated the curse and he saw it hit his father even as he ran towards her to stop her. She just laughed as he lunged at her, knocking her to the floor, and he found himself thrown across the ward with a flick of her wand. "Two down, one to go."

He knew he should get up and run or try to distract her but something in him just wouldn't cooperate and he simply stared at her, unable to muster the ability to care anymore. Just as he was sure it was all over, more figures burst into the room claiming her attention. Aurors had appeared and were taking on the Death Eaters. Bellatrix let out a snarl and ran to meet them, leaving Neville on the hospital floor staring at the two beds that had for ten years contained all that remained of his parents. His parents who were now more lost to him than they had ever been.

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Having heard what was going on Snape was forced to hang back until the Death Eaters had either been restrained or had, for the most part, escaped. Had they seen him it would have placed them all in a very awkward position with regards to his dual role. Afterwards though he made his way through the wards they had attacked, thinking Dumbledore would want to know what had happened and noting absently that his head wound never had been healed and was beginning to bleed afresh.

He reached the fourth floor to find healers buzzing around, dealing with the usual treatment and also healing those amongst their staff who had been injured. It was a small waiting room though that attracted his attention. In it one of his students was staring into space blankly. Snape grabbed a passing healer, "What's wrong with the Longbottom child?" he gestured into the room.

The healer looked uncomfortable, "I'd forgotten about him. He was visiting his parents when this happened, I suppose you know they've been residents here for some time?"

"Yes." God did he know, Bellatrix just loved to tell that story.

"Well one of the Death Eaters killed them in front of him and nearly killed him too, the aurors arrived just in time. Poor kid. His grandmother's on the way but she fell apart at the news apparently so she's going to be a little while. You teach him don't you?"

Snape nodded.

"Look, I know you're injured but could you sit with him for a minute, I don't like him being on his own and I'm busy. Thanks." The healer didn't wait for an answer before leaving.

It was the last thing Snape wanted to do, Neville Longbottom got on his nerves at the best of times and he wasn't sure that he was someone the boy would want to see when he'd just lost his parents, but there was no one else. He took a deep breath and stepped into the room where the boy was leaning against a wall looking incredibly pale, a piece of brightly coloured paper clenched tightly in his hand.

"Are you alright, Longbottom?"

The boy started in surprise at the sound of Snape's voice, "Professor Snape. I'm fine, thank you."

That had hardly been the answer Snape had been expecting. "Are you sure about that? Those people just killed your parents, you don't have to pretend to be alright."

Neville looked at him with a strange expression in the eyes Severus normally saw filled with fear and confusion. "How can you kill someone who's not really alive to start with? They weren't living. My parents died ten years ago, what happened in there was just a formality."

The potions master was struck at once with the painful truth of that answer. He looked at the boy quizzically, wondering if he was really alright or if internally he was going to pieces.

Neville was surprised to see his potions master at the hospital but for once he found the man didn't scare him as much as usual. Why had it taken him so long to realise that the thing that scared him most was not the awkward, harassed looking man before him with, Neville noted absently, blood trickling from a cut on his head, the thing that scared him most in the world had lain in that hospital room – the most tangible reminder imaginable of what people could do to one another. What did a cynical potions master have to that? For that matter what did anyone have to that? He'd seen and dealt with one of the worst things the world could throw at anyone and suddenly his fear of his professor seemed just as ridiculous as everyone else had thought it had been.

"Longbottom!"

Or maybe not, after all Professor Snape was still a pretty dangerous person, but that didn't mean he had to start trembling every time the man entered a room.

"Yes, sir?" Neville responded quietly.

"Did you hear what I said?"

Neville shook his head, "Sorry sir, I was thinking about something else."

"I said your grandmother will be here soon."

"Thank you, sir."

"Can I get you a glass of water or something? Are you sure you're alright?" Snape felt he had to say something.

"It may sound awful but I feel sort of relieved, it's not like they had any real quality of life to start with at least they've been released," the boy choked on the last word and a tear made its way down his face.

Snape began to feel uncomfortable. "Don't cry; it won't change anything."

Neville wiped at his face with a tissue and silence fell for several moments as the boy slowly calmed down. Severus thought that maybe changing the subject would relieve some of the awkwardness he was feeling and perhaps take Neville's mind off everything that he'd lost, or for that matter never really had to begin with.

"Have you received your OWL results yet?"

"Yes sir, they came last week."

"Are you pleased with them?"

"Yes sir."

"Would you care to explain your potions grade to me?"

"I beg your pardon, sir?"

"You got an E Longbottom!" Snape had still not quite recovered from that particular shock, "I wasn't very confidant you could manage an A."

"I could tell," Neville replied, "So I thought I should put some extra work in. I was up all night before the exam."

"You must have worked hard." Snape hesitated for a moment, "Congratulations, you certainly exceeded my expectations but I'm gratified that you did. After all the class average was low enough as it was."

Neville couldn't hide a small smile, "Thank you, sir. It wasn't just hard work, you were a good teacher, you made me want to do more than just pass because frankly I didn't fancy the idea of you being right about me useless and revelling in your victory."

Snape raised an eyebrow causing Neville to think he'd gone rather too far. "Well that's one way of getting my students to pass."

"You did it on purpose? You tried to make me feel useless so I'd get worked up and terrified and spend forty eight hours straight revising for the subject!"

"There was no point in letting you get complacent. I told you what I thought, that is that you would fail. I am however pleased you did not. After all I didn't need you trying to re-sit the exam this year! What NEWTs are you doing anyway? Have you decided yet?"

"Well, I was going to do Herbology, Professor Sprout wrote to me the other day to say she had a special project she wanted me to work on as part of my NEWTs course, I think she said that it was something you had requested, sir."

"Yes. You wouldn't guess it from the way you go about the two subjects but Herbology and Potions are in fact fairly closely connected. I asked Professor Sprout to get some of the more able NEWTs students involved in growing some rare and difficult to manage plants I might need."

"For your NEWTs potions classes, sir?"

"Are you joking, Longbottom? I don't waste rare ingredients on children and some of these are to be handled only by those who have a particular gift for herbology, you should know that even once harvested certain plants…"

"Need a particular type of treatment, which can often be very complicated."

Snape raised an eyebrow at the interruption, "Precisely, so unless my seventh year class buck their ideas up they're going no where near these ingredients and I doubt any class that McGonagall's determined to see Mr Potter in is one where I want to leave them lying around!" He would have sworn that he saw amusement flicker, however briefly, in the boy's sad, bloodshot eyes. He continued in a more gentle tone, gentle for Severus Snape anyway. "Longbottom, I do believe that, had your parents been capable of comprehending who you had become, they would not have been too disappointed."

Neville managed a sad but genuine smile at this, "Thank you, sir."

Snape sat awkwardly for a few minutes longer before he saw the formidable form of Mrs Longbottom walking down the corridor.

"Sir? I can see my Grandmother coming, perhaps you should go and get your injury seen to?" Neville spoke up.

Severus nodded, "I'll see you in school, Mr Longbottom, I hope your grandmother's alright."

As he walked away he glanced back to see Neville helping his grandmother into a chair and staying protectively by her side and Severus reflected that perhaps the Longbottom child was tougher than he thought. He's going to need to be. Then again perhaps we all are.

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A/N: I really hope you liked that! I'd love it if you reviewed and told me what you thought! Anyway, I'll try to update about every fortnight, I know that's not very often but it's about the best I can try to commit to at the moment. So expect chapter two in a couple of weeks, though it may be sooner if I get the chance. Next chapter sees the rest of the charactersand the journey back to Hogwarts. :o)