C25 A Man Walked Out of the Wood

Endeavor of the Strong by henri8l

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANY of the HP books, or film franchise, only these invented plot changes and added characters.

Once Moody left him, Neville was alone to organize his thoughts. Alone as he could be surrounded by the whole of the Light's elite forces. It was also as good a time as any to rummage through his pack, and go unnoticed. In doing so he produced Gryffindor's sword. The gleam of the broad sword pierced his eyes as the light of a near fire licked it surface. Neville's practiced hand, afforded him the grace to maneuver the sword into the sheath strapped to his back. Next, securing his wand holster was the last thing that needed to be done, before he could leave. With a few quick glances to his surroundings, Neville began to walk toward the edge of the Order's camp.

The closer to the unbroken line of Ministry fires Neville got, the more a stunned silence fell over the camp. No one knew what to think, and Neville didn't look behind him to suffer any fools. He simply marched towards his goal. Just before making it passed the boundary, an Unspeakable tried to grab hold of him. "Where do you think you're going, traitor?" The man sneered, sure that Neville was defecting. With one look in the man's glinting eyes, Neville could read his horror and fury. Neville simply shoved the Unspeakable away and left the Light's grounds, and began marching across the field.

Neville sidestepped a woman he had worked with at St. Mungo's. She had been a Herbologist in her last days of residency. She must've worked her way up to his position since. Now her corpse was decked in Death Eater's robes, and her mask was lying broken beside her head. She was among the many bodies that still littered the field, unclaimed from the day's battle. There were a few others that Neville had to step over. He was careful not disturb them, wanting to leave them where they lay, just as they had fallen. He tried not to really look at any of the others, but still he recognized a few more, light and dark alike.

From where he was, he couldn't hear anything anymore coming from either side of the field. Both sides were taken aback to see someone within no man's land. Neville glanced back momentarily, looking for Moody's face among the crowd behind him, and didn't see him.

Some of the more boisterous members of the light, took this as a sign of weakness, and began yelling insults at him. A few hurled curses his way, all of which he easily dodged by hitting the ground a couple of times when needed. Nevertheless Neville always stood back up and continued on his steady march.

'Sabron will be in position. Prism knows what to do. Moody is forever ready,' Neville chanted silently, only steps away from the closest Death Eater bonfire. "Only one chance at this. Merlin, help me, Harry better forgive me," Neville muttered to himself as he crossed into enemy territory.

Striking Voldemort, here in the open under the curtain of night was the only way any of their small group had seen to end this. There would be no element of surprise, simply a swift blow at the heart of the Death Eater's forces, Voldemort. Though they all knew that facing him even with Max's intervening measures was still certain death for all involved. Neville could only trust that they managed to take the damned beast with them.

"Longbottom, you have a death wish?" called a Death Eater to his right. Neville turned recognizing her as a Hufflepuff who graduated in his year, and sent her a stunning smile. "He's barmy!" chirped in another. The Death Eaters in his immediate vicinity all began to laugh. Some full belly laughs once a Lestrange taunted him about finally joining his parents. Neville continued to smile at other curious Death Eaters as he walked further into their camp. None touched him. A few spat his way, but for the most part they deemed him a non-threat. None of them seemed to want to be bothered with him and his stupid grin, after their laughter abated. Amazingly as he walked on some even congratulated him on joining the winning side. There were a few that still eyed him with suspicion, but for the most part, they turned back to previous activities. All of them knew that if he tried anything, he'd stand no chance against their lord.

'Where are you?' Neville thought impatiently. He glanced around the camp, wanting Sabron to appear. Yet there was no sign of the man he had plotted with until just this afternoon.

A curse nicked Neville's left ear from behind and his wand was un-holstered in record time as he swiveled around and sent back a offensive spell at the caster. Neville mentally smiled as Sabron Lestrange sneered at him, wiping off blood from a shallow wound on his neck.

"Made a decision, Longbottom?" Sabron asked as he approached Neville. He sent a glare at the surrounding robed fighters gathered to see their exchange. "What, think I can't keep this Light Traitor in line?" Sabron asked all surrounding them, threateningly. A few laughed, some vigorously denied having any doubts. Most ducked out, and went about their business. Still, in defiance of Sabron's icy glare, there was one straggler, and Sabron jabbed his wand toward him. "Find Goyle the younger, tell him to meet me at the Dark Lord's tent. We have to introduce our newest recruit to our lord."

"Goyle? But, he's dead!"

"Not the half-wit who stumbled out of Hogwarts. The only smart one in the bunch!" Sabron reminded him shortly.

"Yes, sir!" Sabron dismissed him, and shoved Neville in the eastern direction of the camp.

There were a couple clusters of death eaters before Sabron and Neville were in the clear. As they passed by Sabron pestered Neville for their benefit. "Finally came to your senses!"

"What else could I do, dealing with idiots like them?" answered Neville, trying to shrug his way out of Sabron's hold. Sabron only tightened his grip, and stuck Neville in the back with his wand. The clustered followers didn't spare the two a look as they trudged by. Once they were clear, Sabron leaned into Neville's ear and began speaking in a low tone. "I have something to show you." Neville's steps faltered, and his eyes locked onto Sabron's penetrating gaze.

This wasn't Legilimency, but the growth in Neville's gift granted him almost the same access. Looking into Sabron's surface memory, Neville caught sight of a warm colored and fuzzy image of Ginny holding a squirming bundle. 'Harry's baby,' he heard her voice whisper to someone he couldn't see. Ron briefly came into view as he peaked at the baby in her arms. Ginny's red hair, fell over the white, purple polka dotted fabric the baby was wrapped in.

Sabron's voice filtered through to Neville as he looked at the glowing memory one more time. "Melissande said Weasley came in a couple of hours ago."

Neville blinked away tears. He tried to keep the vision of his child bundled behind his eyelids. "Thank you," Neville chocked out, as he understood the implications. Harry was nowhere in the memory. 'At least our child will see tomorrow.'

"Oy, Lestrange! You call for me?" Goyle a.k.a Prism, Neville's contact, joined the two somber men with a jaunty smile. Neville looked away from their new companion, to let Sabron deal with him. Sabron scrutinized the path behind them for any onlookers and shoved Goyle to move on.

"Come on, Goyle. Better get this over with," Sabron said. The three men kept walking. They still had a long way to go. The Dark Lord's tent still remained in the distance. Pale against the night sky from the moonlight.

Neville just thought of Harry as they made the approach to large tent at the end of the way.

"You know, it's fitting he's all the way out here," Sabron mumbled beside him. "Epitome of paranoia."

After a few paces, Neville walked ahead of the rogue death eaters. Goyle was quibbling about who would turn him in. "Come on! You have to let me do something!"

"Goyle, we can leave you right here," Sabron warned.

"I'd like to see you try it! Longbottom came to me first."

"Like that bleeding matters!"

Their bickering faded to the background for Neville when some movement ahead caught his eye. The moonlight caught a pallid figure striding out from the wood beside the path. He, Neville could see from the build that it was a he, was half the distance away from the Voldemort's tent than him. "Hey!" Neville called out to the lone man. Neville began running towards the man. The nude figure abruptly turned towards Neville's gaining footfalls and took on a defensive stance, keeping his burden clutched in his hand.

"Harry!"

a/n. It's been a year and a week since starting this. I cannot believe it! It's been fun and frustrating. But I'm very excited for my first completed fic to finally be over. So, as these final chapters lean towards a close, please R & R. Thanks, H.