Hello all! Class was cancelled for today- nearly everyone is sick, including me. This chapter is the continuation of Valentine's Day and the battle of the great hall- but it backtracks a bit to the night before, as Neville contemplates a very special person . . . just not Hannah! After this we have Aberforth, Katie, and Dean!
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37
Neville
Worry was making him sick to his stomach, and Neville, though often queasy, was not the type to give in to anxiety anymore. It was as though having Hannah at his side made him a new man- confident, courageous, and quick to deliberate- quite the opposite of the bumbling boy he remembered from just three years before. Ginny, upon seeing him sweep Hannah off her feet upon her return from the holidays and dip her to kiss her, had remarked that he'd come a long way from the boy who'd stepped on her toes at the Yule Ball with a wide grin. Neville had to agree. Sometime between standing up for Harry in the Department of Mysteries and taking his leadership role in the DA, he'd grown a foot and a half internally, catching up to his ever-rising stature. Sure, he'd made mistakes along the way, but all in all he was happy with how he'd handled the situations they'd been in. His team was strong, mentally and magically, and they worked fluidly to save one another from tricky situations. What was bothering him now was something that shouldn't even be a factor: their physical health. It was common for a bout of flu and colds to run rampant in the castle during March and April, but it seemed that this year, with the extra stress, sick-season, as Harry had called it, came early: students had been sniffling and coughing in the halls, and Neville had watched in frustration as it made them targets for the Slytherins who had turned to real torture in the last few months. As long as McGonagall and other teachers were not present, the older Slytherins had free-reign to do whatever they wanted, and Ernie's healing classes were full with even third and fourth years who wanted cold remedies, healing spells, and burn creams. The entire student body seemed to be breathing from their mouths, and Neville was growing worried that maybe this magical malady would follow them into battle, screwing up their concentration and slowing their reaction times. So far, they'd had a few skirmishes since hols, but nothing serious. There had been six dungeons raids and a series of pranks on Alecto or Amycus that had gone wrong, but for the most part, the DA was now fighting their own digestive systems.
He had told himself not to fret, that apart from handing out cough syrups and keeping hot tea available in the Room, there was nothing they could do. Warming charms were standard on pants and jumpers. Neville had done his part by insisting that in the wake of Valentine's day and the events planned for it, the younger students take a one week hiatus on combat training, but it wasn't because he didn't think they needed it: he just wanted to put a hold on sick students passing out during simulations.
He sat in his favorite squashy armchair, the one he and Ernie dueled over, and rubbed his temples as his headache began to pass. Tomorrow would be either a disaster or a delight, and Neville was hoping that in between setting off the cupids, handing out patrol schedules, and breaking up the many couples who were sure to use the Room for more intimate dates, he'd be able to spend some time with Hannah. He'd ordered a necklace for her with funds from Gran, who'd mentioned in her last letter that he'd yet to dip into his Gringotts' inheritance from his parents, which he had been able to access the day he came of age. Neville had pulled out over two hundred galleons and had ordered a bottle of Rosmerta's best mead and a delicate dragons-eye pendant on a silver chain. The polished scale was from a Norweigan Ridgeback, and matched Hannah's eyes almost perfectly. Winky had offered to cook a special meal for the two and Ginny had offered her private quarters when she overheard his plans from the elves, who were excited to be making duck for the first time in what they assured Neville was close to a hundred years. He had entered Ginny's quarters tonight to thank her, only to find her crying for the second time in a week. It was very un-Ginny-like behavior, and though she refused to talk about it, Neville could plainly see her frustration and pain from watching the couples in the DA who were growing closer by the day. His pleas for her to talk to someone, anyone- fell on deaf ears.
A lovesick partner in crime was the last thing he needed, but it was more his worry for one of his best friends that was making him squirm. What was a guy like him supposed to say to someone when nothing he could ever say would make her feel better? Neville knew that nothing short of Voldemort dead and Harry safe in her arms was going to do much for Ginny at this point, but it wouldn't hurt her to talk about her worries to the other girls. Hannah had been trying for weeks to get her to open up, but Ginny was her own island, determined to not burden anyone else with her grief. She also refused to talk about her capture over Christmas, though Neville gathered she was physically healed by now, if not emotionally sound. He'd seen a few claw marks once when Ginny was pulling off a jumper during training, and the sight had been more terrifying than anything he'd seen yet this year. Just what had happened to his friend when she was taken?
Neville retired to Gryffindor tower, hoping that tomorrow would be better. His sleep was restless, filled with nightmares where Hannah was captured instead of Ginny, and she screamed as Greyback clawed at her shirt, pulling herself into a ball in a corner of a mysterious room. He was up at six beside Seamus, who was still recovering from his last beating, and the two avoided one another's eyes as they tried to forget the distressed cries during the night. He made his way to the Room, feeling significantly better as he thought of the night to come, and his plans for Hannah. The cupids went off without a hitch, filling the hallways with raucous song and laughter, and his classes breezed by with compliment after compliment. Even Ginny seemed buoyed up by the sight of Crabbe and Goyle's failed attempts to shake off layers and layers of confetti that stuck to them, giving them the look of demented clowns.
Evening was even better. Hannah had gushed over the flowers he handed to her from the greenhouse, and they'd gone ice-skating, laughing when Neville fell for the fourth time and collided into a group of first-year girls. He got a nasty cut on his cheek from an ice-skate, but Hannah healed it in a trice and they ventured indoors to snuggle up on the couches. The Room was not surprisingly filled with snogging couples, many of whom were recently joined. The sixth years were playing exploding snap in the strategy room, and the kitchen was softly lit. Hannah had been disappointed when Neville tugged her upstairs instead of eating in one of the rather handy booths in the kitchen, until she entered Ginny's room and gasped, seeing the tiny circular table and the candles he'd prepared.
"Oh Nev, this is wonderful!" she gushed, and he pulled out her chair with a grin and uncovered the duck and asparagus.
Winky entered and poured them each a generous measure of the mead, and Neville took a sip and felt his whole body warm.
"I didn't know you had something like this planned," she worried out loud. "I only got you something little, I didn't think we could get time for anything else," but Neville shushed her and took her hand.
"I think what we have is special enough to deserve something nice. I don't know how I would have gotten through the last term without you here, Hannah," he said gently, and she reached across the table to kiss him.
"MMM, the duck is delicious! It's so tender," she commented. Neville chuckled- he was having some difficulty getting the slick meat to stay on his fork. The food was flavorful and soon, they relaxed into an easy conversation.
"We don't get time to do this kind of thing often," he remarked, squeezing her hand lightly. Hannah shook her head.
"I think it makes it even more special though. Would you like your gift?" she asked, pulling out a small box wrapped in green and gold paper.
"Sorry, Nev, I could only find Christmas colored wrapping, and I couldn't remember the ink spells we worked on last year," she added, but Neville handled the package with reverence.
"No one's ever gotten me a present, except Gran and family. Hermione made me a hat each year, but you know what her hats look like," he explained, and Hannah giggled. "They kept my head warm, but it mostly got me lots of ribbing from the guys."
"Did you like Hermione back in fourth year?" Hannah asked softly, and Neville nodded. "I asked her to the Yule Ball, but she already had a date with Krum. I asked Ginny second, because she wouldn't be able to go and Hermione said it would be nice to take her, but then Harry would have taken her if I hadn't, and I felt awful. She was so nice about it, but I knew she was disappointed. And I stepped on her feet all night," he admitted, covering his eyes in mock shame. Hannah snuggled up against him as his fingers deftly uncovered the box under the wrapping.
"You've got one to open too, love," he said, pointing to the slender package lying on the table by her glass. Hannah smiled and pulled it closer to her.
"I figured as much. I just want to watch you open yours," she said, kissing him. She nestled her head into the crook of his neck, peppering his skin with little kisses, and Neville felt his face flush just barely. She had always been able to tell how to get him flustered, and she seemed to enjoy doing so.
He lifted the top off the box and pulled away the paper to reveal eight small vials, each stoppered with a silver cork and glowing with what could only be- were they really?- silvery, liquid memories.
"I wrote some letters to Kingsley and Remus, and they talked to whatever friends they could find who'd known your Mum and Dad- they sent me any good memories they had, and Susan helped me find a spell that copied them so I could send the originals back. You've got eight hours of your parents- five are of them together, but Remus gave one of your Dad from his wedding day, waiting in the Weasley's house- you can see Molly trying to get Bill to comb Percy's hair in the background! I guess Frank and Arthur were close, and Arthur was his best man. There's another with your Mum and Gran, and they're having some ladies over for a baby shower right before you were born- that' this one here, see the labels? And then the last one is from when they were in school, and I think Remus said it was his first year- your Mum is one of the prefects and she was helping him learn a hover charm. Remus said he had the biggest crush on your Mum in first year," Hannah giggled, pulling out the vial from the others.
"I know you don't have a pensive, but McGongall says you can use hers, and she says you just let her know when you want to use it," Hannah said quietly, inspecting Neville's face as he fingered the vials. Each was labeled in Hannah's tiny script, with a date, the name of the donator, and a subject line. Neville's eyes grew wide: there was a memory from McGongall of an Order meeting where Frank and Alice had introduced baby Neville! He'd been to an Order meeting before his first birthday!
"Nev, are you ok?" Hannah asked softly, looking worried from his silence. Neville was speechless. No one had ever given him a better gift. It was the single most meaningful thing she could ever have given him: the gift of his parents, or as close as he could get to knowing them.
"Thank you," he whispered, feeling the chill of smooth glass under his fingers. Inside these tiny flasks were more happiness than he could fathom. Finally, to know what his mother's smile looked like, to hear his father speak . . . Neville made up his mind in seconds before he even knew what he was doing.
The next twenty minutes were a blur. Neville crushed her to him, kissing her fervently, his lips slanting over hers with an urgency he'd never felt. Hannah moaned when he plucked her up from her chair and carried her over to Ginny's bed, and she scratched at his back as he lay her down and covered her, kissing down her neck. His shirt went missing within seconds, thrown across the room, and he didn't even pause to send a locking spell or set an imperturbable; all thoughts other than showing her exactly what her present meant to him were gone. She was soft and wonderful under him, her hands trailing down his back and over his arms, and he slipped his fingers under her shirt, tracing lines over her belly. More moans fell from her lips, enticing him on, and Neville licked and sucked at her tiny perfect ears, pulling back to see her eyes shine.
"You are beautiful, Hannah. The most beautiful person I've ever known," he whispered, and she smiled shyly and pulled his head back down to her own. Her fingers traced over his chest, then down his belly, and Neville sucked in his breath, holding his abs tight. She giggled into their kiss.
"Honestly, Neville, if I wanted a muscle man I'd be dating one. Relax," and he chuckled and released his breath. Her tongue caressed his, boiling his blood, and he felt her breathing quicken as his hand reached the underside of her bra and his fingers fiddled with the lace. They hadn't gotten past touching over her jumper. His eyes came up, looking into hers, and he read acceptance: tentatively, he edged his hand under her, and somehow, the clasp came loose. His fingers explored over soft skin, and he shuddered with her when he touched a hardening tip. Hannah bit her lip and looked up at him, her eyes fluttering closed, and he gently cupped her breast and ran his thumb back and forth. His lips dipped low to meet hers again, and he cupped her neck with his other hand, kissing his way down her cheek. He pressed hot, wet kisses to her neck, feeling her breathing increase, and he heard her laugh when he murmured "Happy Valentine's Day, eh?" Neville felt like he'd just run a mile; his hand moved to her other breast, gentle but firm, and his eyes widened when she sighed and her own hands went lower. She grasped his bum, pulling him hard against her, and he tugged her shirt up. Lifting her up carefully, he peeled it over her head, and his fingers slid her bra straps down her arms. He kissed her neck, pushing her back into the bed, and ran his hands over her breasts, pulling her bra off and gulping when he felt her squirm under him. Hannah moaned when cold air hit her chest and Neville kissed lower, his hands now running over her belly, and he opened one eye to see the rosy bud below his face. She was gorgeous- her skin flushed, her eyes dark and her lashes fluttering open to see why he'd stopped.
"It's ok," she whispered, tugging his hands lower, and he dropped down to lick and kiss each nipple, drawing a fantastic moan from Hannah. He pulled her hair away from her chest, playing with the buds and caressing under each, and Hannah hummed and kissed his neck warmly. Neville froze as he felt her hands running along his pants; she hesitated for a moment and then her fingers tugged on his button, and Neville groaned, pressing into her and kissing her everywhere. Hannah was wiggling unbearably, and the feeling of her skin against his was too good. Neville was sure she could feel him hardening against her, but somehow, he wasn't embarrassed. Hannah didn't seem to mind. She tugged down his zipper and reached in, her hand stroking over him, and Neville cried out in surprise. Merlin, she was going to stupefy him. He kissed her belly, afraid to do anything else, and she ran her hand down his length again, making him shudder.
"Godric, Hannah, don't do that too hard- I'll make a mess and you'll never want to kiss me again," he groaned, and she chuckled so low he barely heard it. "What if I want you to?" she teased, and he moaned again when her hand became more persistent. So she wanted to play, huh? He could do that too.
Neville held her close and flipped her over, and chuckled as she let out a shriek. His hands slid up her thighs and under her shirt and within seconds, she was moaning again. He gently rubbed against her, pulling her close to his hips with his other hand and grinding up against her. Hannah's eyes closed and she slumped against him like limp noodles, breathing heavy.
"Neville, is the door locked?" she whispered, and he shrugged. She pulled herself off him and grabbed her wand from the foot of the bed, and he sat back and watched her set an imperturbable and then a second spell.
"What was that?" he asked as she settled on top of him again and began kissing him.
"Silencing spell," she murmured, and Neville felt his heart stop. What was going to happen?
"Hannah, what are . . . I mean, are you . . . are we . . . what do you want?" he stammered, feeling for a second like the boy she'd met in first year.
"I want to be close to you," she said, caressing his chest.
"Whaa . . . what do you mean," he said, and Hannah stopped kissing him.
"Hannah?" he asked, confused by her silent, frozen stance.
"Listen," she whispered. "Something's happened. They're yelling," she said, and Neville heard shouts from downstairs. Suddenly there was thumping and yelling from the other side of the door, and he had to jump up to pull a sheet over Hannah when the door was blown off it's hinges.
"NEVILLE GET DOWN HERE, WE'RE FIGHTING!" Ginny screamed, shielding her eyes and running down. Hannah scrambled behind him, dressing, and Neville grabbed his shirt off the floor and his wand and ran into the hallway., banging on closed doors.
"GET UP! BATTLE FORMATIONS, NOW!" he yelled, and a tousled Michael Corner came out, followed by a sheepish Demelza, who was pulling on a jumper.
"THEY'VE GOT QUENTIN AND ROMILDA HOSTAGE, EVERYONE TO THE GREAT HALL!" Ginny screamed, running down before Mike and Demelza. Neville slid down the staircase, beating her down, and Hannah slid down behind him. He screamed for order in the Room, which was loaded down by a third of the DA, all of them panicking, and Hannah disappeared into the infirmary to stock up.
"I WANT THREE GROUPS OF FIGHTERS, ONE TO KEEP SNAPE BUSY ON THE THIRD FLOOR, AND TWO MORE TO TAKE OUT THE CARROWS IN THE GREAT HALL! NO MORE THAN FIFTEEN IN EACH, AND I NEED TWO HEALERS AND A GUARD TO GET THE HOSTAGES BACK TO THIS ROOM WITH ME! MOVE, PEOPLE!" he screamed, and he grabbed a bunch of fifth years and began shoving masks and decoy detonators into their hands.
"SEAMUS, TAKE LAV AND THE PATILS DOWN TO THE DUNGEON WITH GINNY, PIN FILCH DOWN BEFORE HE CAN GET THE WHIPS!" he yelled, but Ginny cut him off.
"I'm going alone, I've got some potions to try out on them- Plus, look at the map, he's still up cleaning the Astronomy tower art!" she argued, and Neville ran to the strategy room and unlocked it, pulling her behind him.
"Hannah, get over here!" he called, and she ran over. "Go with Ernie and Susan, get Quentin and Romilda back up here if you can- I don't know what kind of state they're in- take a few guards, get Mike to carry if need be," he commanded, looking at the fear growing in her eyes. Hannah was an excellent healer, but she got scared when she dueled and often froze.
"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I need you to go," he said, kissing her softly and turning to Ginny. "I'm going with you, get out the cloak, we'll disillusion me and you can run down with me- did you call Dobby yet?"
Ginny shook her head. "I can't get a hold of him, he's not answering, neither is Winky or any of the others," she said, and Neville swore.
"Can you contact Astoria and see if she can cause a diversion in the Slytherin common room? The last thing we need is Pansy and her crowd getting in the way." Ginny nodded and pulled out her coin, sending a message. The coin glowed hot and then suddenly a message came from Luna:
BELLATRIX COMING TO CASTLE. GET THEM OUT NOW.
Neville saw the coin and Ginny's fearful eyes, and swore loudly again.
"OK EVERYONE, THERE ARE REINFORCEMENTS COMING FROM THE D.E.'S! CHANGE OF PLANS- MIKE, GRAB THE RAVENCLAWS, ERNIE, GET THE PUFFS! I WANT ANYONE IN THE COMMON ROOMS DOWN BY THE ENTRANCE- SHE IS NOT GETTING IN! THIRD YEARS OUT, FOURTH YEARS CAN FIGHT TODAY! STICK TOGETHER AND COVER ONE ANOTHER!" He yelled, and Mike and Ernie sped off. Terry and half of Ravenclaw house crammed into the Room from the bathroom portals within minutes and formed three teams, each ready to cover different entrances. The Hufflepuffs were smaller in number, as some were skating outside still, but they grabbed boxes of purple stun-pellets, courtesy of the Weasley twins, and set up positions outside the doors to the Great Hall. Neville took one last look at Hannah, who was bent over a map of the castle with Ernie and Susan, and the three left to get back the hostages at all costs. Ginny finished dividing the Gryffindors into two groups to cover each entrance into the Great Hall and then she turned to Neville and tapped his head.
"Nice one, Ginny," Michael said appreciatively, and Ginny rolled her eyes and donned the cloak. Neville examined his invisible fingers- he could barely see their outline when he wiggled them.
"Wow," he gasped, and Ginny dragged him to the door.
"I've been practicing," she informed him, and the two began their run down to the dungeons.
Five minutes later, bursts of spellwork and the sound of screams and cursing had filled the castle halls above them, and Ginny had hogtied a stunned Filch to his own office chair. Neville was busy coating each whip handle with the potion stored in the queer skull-shaped vial that Ginny had given him. Ginny swept from manacle to manacle, dipping each in the bowl she'd conjured and filled with the potion from the snake vial. The first was to create thoughts of self-doubt and guilt in the mind of any individual who touched the handle of the whips; the second would allow the manacles to be broken by uttering a password if any student were chained to the wall by them. Ginny kept tapping the manacles with her wand and each glowed green before becoming normal once more.
"Done?" Neville asked, finishing the last whip. Ginny nodded and they started up the stairs, only to run headfirst into Pansy Parkinson and three other Slytherins.
"Fancy a date, Longbottom? I can kick your fat ass into shape," she sneered, and suddenly spells were flying. Ginny cried out as a burning hex scorched her arms, and Neville sent a stunning spell at the girl who'd cursed her, knocking her back into the stone wall. Ginny was not handling the burn well- she'd gone into a furious overdrive, and within ten seconds Pansy was out cold with purple pustules covering her face, and the other two attackers were stunned, bound, and covered in bat-bogeys.
"Let me see that," Neville ordered, and Ginny swallowed a moan of pain as he spread burn cream from his pocket healer kit on the burn.
"C'mon, we're wasting time," she argued, and Neville followed her up the stairs. They stunned and bound two more Slytherins before making it to the Great Hall, where chaos reigned. Bellatrix and six other cloaked Death Eaters were holding Ernie, Hannah, and Susan hostage beside a thoroughly beaten Romilda and Quentin, and the Carrows were fighting six each, while half of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw towers dueled the Death Eaters. Snape was nowhere to be seen, Neville thought with grim satisfaction, and none of the other teachers were present to complicate matters. Ginny threw herself into battle with Bellatrix with a snarl that echoed over the battle, and Neville picked off one of the Death Eaters with a nasty bludgeoning hex that sent him fifteen feet backwards into a table. Hannah looked hurt, sobbing and wandless, and he transfigured a chair to sweep her up and float her over to safety as he dueled two more of her captors. Michael Corner jumped into the fight from nowhere, sending jinxes at the tallest Death Eater, who was holding Susan by her ponytail, shaking her as he dueled a frantic Parvati Patil, who was sending angry stunners at every inch of his body. Padma and Tony were holding off two more Death Eaters by the entrance to the Great Hall, and Neville could hear cursing and screams coming from the front doors to the grounds.
Mike and Terry took out another Death Eater and Neville ran forward, blasting Bella away from him as he grabbed Susan and Ernie and hauled them under a table.
"CRAWL DOWN THE ROW, I'LL GET THE OTHERS!" He screamed, and Susan and Ernie began to run behind the safety of the long benches, protected by their fellows as they made it to the entrance. Hannah screamed from behind him as a Death Eater grabbed her, and Neville pivoted in a second and stunned him. She grabbed his wand and bound the man, then took out another who sent quick reductos at Ernie and Susan.
"GET THE WOUNDED OUT! I WANT YOU TO TAKE THEM BACK!" he screamed to them, and Hannah began levitating hurt students out of the way, covered by Susan, who'd grabbed a wand as well. Ernie ran into an approaching Death Eater and knocked him over, and Neville laughed before turning back to battling Bella. Suddenly Ginny screamed in pain, and he realized that two were on her, and Bellatrix was crucioing her. Hot rage filled him and he sent a flurry of the most dangerous spells he knew at her, and Bellatrix seemed caught off guard- her laugh fell, drowned out by surprise, as he advanced, and she was forced to conjure a shield when he sent a blood-boiling hex at her that nearly hit. She snarled back and sent icy darts at him, and Neville summoned a bench to take the hit; Bella shot flames at him that circled around him, roaring in his ears, and he ducked a burst that reminded him of dragon fire and grabbed Ginny's hand, pulling her up. She slumped against him, breathing hard, and he yelled for her to concentrate.
"THE DURMSTRANG, GINNY, C'MON!" he pleaded, and she stirred and held up her hand and her wand. After a split second, the silvery shield encased them, and Neville wiped his forehead with his sleeve and smiled hard at the sound of Bellatrix's angry yell when her own cutting hex rebounded off to hit her. The hall was emptying as students forced the few remaining Death Eaters back out the door, and Neville heard the giant lock grind into place as they sealed themselves into safety. There were only the Carrows and a handful of Bella's cronies now, and the Carrows had been stunned and bound and carried off to stay with Filch. Neville shot stunners at the surrounding crowd and spoke encouragingly to Ginny, who was barely staying on her feet.
"Come on, Gin, just a few more minutes," he urged, watching as fifteen of his fighters entered, taking out some of his attackers. Bella was dueling five, sending nasty curses at the sixth years who were trying to kick her ass for hurting Quentin and Romilda, and Mike and Terry returned, battling her alongside Neville. The shield around him broke, and Ginny collapsed. Mike roared as Bella's spell hit her and Ginny screamed again, and Neville screamed in fury and sent Bella flying into a table.
"GET GIN OUT!" he screamed, sending sectumsempra at Bella. A gash split her wand arm open and she howled in pain, and Neville grabbed Ginny and ran, yelling for his fighters to retreat.
"I DON'T CARE, MIKE, GET BACK! SNAPE'S GOT TO GET HERE SOME TIME!" and then he was running, tapping Ginny to make her feather-light, and Terry had a first year he'd found under one of the tables slung over his shoulder.
"She's lost a bunch of blood, mate, get her back quick!" Terry yelled, and Mike grabbed another body and levitated a second, running with them. Tony and Lavender met them at the stairs and pulled Neville up, and his legs gave out under him. Bella cackled behind him and he rolled over- pain shot through him- she'd severed his calf muscles all the way through, and she was sending cutting hexes at his chest- and suddenly, realization hit him- HANNAH'S MOTHER- and he sent a slashing sectumsempra at her once more.
"YOU DIRTY BITCH! YOU FUCKING WITCH, LEAVE US ALONE!" he yelled, and Terry had pulled Ginny up from the floor and was running with her over his back. Lavender was trying to heal his calves. Neville pushed himself up, watching Bellatrix scream as she tried to heal the deep, seeping wound over her hips, and Neville threw another at her, lashing into her chest. She shrieked, and then Lavender tugged him away, and he looked up to see Snape, dark and deadly, advancing on them behind Bella. Lavender shot some spells into the air and a thick, golden liquid spurted from her wand and flew to cover the opening of the door before them. She pulled Neville up and suddenly Hannah was there, carrying him with her, and the girls were running behind Terry and Michael, panting deep.
"JINX HIM! WE HAVE TO HURRY!" Lavender cried, and Hannah sent a spell at Neville's feet and suddenly, he felt his entire body go flat, as though he had no weight at all; the girls were running, and Hannah shrieked and went down as a spell hit her.
"GET HIM OUT!" She screamed to Lavender, and Neville looked back to see Snape sending spells at them, and he threw back some stunners and pulled Hannah back up.
"JUST RUN, I'LL HOLD HIM," He yelled, wobbling on his broken, lacerated legs, and then Mike was back, shooting spells with him, and Lavender was setting up a second golden shield. Snape roared as his spells hit the shiny wall, absorbed into the liquid, and began twirling and looping his wand violently, trying to break the second shield, and Neville was thrown over Mike's shoulder as they began to run once more. In seconds, they had made it to the Ravenclaw common room, and Neville yelled for all of them to take cover in the Room. The students rushed to the bathrooms, coins in hand, and Neville felt the squeezing sensation as he was pressed between fifteen different people, all of them in a single stall. They fell out into the Room of Requirement, panting and bloodied, and Hannah dragged him into the infirmary.
She ripped off his shirt and healed three deep cuts over his chest, and Ernie rushed past, his hands full of vials and bottles. Ginny was lying unconscious on a bed beside him, covered in gashes that Susan was quickly sealing, and Neville gasped as he looked across the room to see the stretch of beds next to them. There were easily forty hurt people, in various states of undress and pain, many of whom cried as friends applied burn cream or sealed cuts up. Tiny Sylvia was running from bed to bed, handing out glasses of water and pain potions, and the Patils were levitating in three more injured students, one of whom was vomiting blood. Ernie took charge, and the room provided more white beds. A young girl screamed from behind him as her friend went limp and fell to the floor, and Seamus, heavily bandaged, scooped her up onto his own bed and began to aim his wand at her cuts. Neville gagged at the sight of a young boy crying as his skin regrew over his entire left leg; his pants had been cut away and a series of friends were dabbing orange burn cream on his angry red flesh.
Hannah had moved on to his severed leg muscles, and she was sobbing, trying to get the muscles to refuse. The bone was broken clean through, jutting out stark white against the red blood, and Neville felt dizziness overcome him as she finally got the bone to set and pain ripped through his legs, fresh and horrible. Ernie was yelling for more antiseptic potion at a third year trainee, who was bustling between beds and listing ailments on a magical chalkboard at the end of each bed: yellow chalk for urgent, and blue for minor. More beds appeared as Mike and Terry brought in the last two victims, who were covered in hex marks but otherwise unscathed, and they joined Tony and Lavender in healing minor cuts and bruises. Demelza appeared, shaking Hannah, who was sobbing harder as she finally got Neville's muscles to reconnect, and she spread a thick, tingling paste over his calves that soothed the pain down to a manageable scale. Demelza pulled her away to see to a heavily bleeding fifth year and Audrey passed by with a box of nosebleed nougat.
"Hannah, pull yourself together- we need your wand," Demelza was telling her, and Neville snapped inside.
"LAY OFF, DEMELZA! She just found out who killed her Mum!" he yelled, and Demelza burst into tears. Neville took a deep breath and apologized, trying to get up out of the bed, and fell onto the floor as his legs collapsed below him. The cuts reopened, and fresh blood pooled onto the floor below. Hannah tapped and swished her wand over his calves and they resealed, and then she ran back to the fifth year who was dripping onto the floor as well.
"Demelza, I'm sorry- I'm just-" he tried to offer, but she shook her head and wiped her eyes, turning to the next patient. Hannah had disappeared into the barrage of patients, her hair swinging in front of her, caked with blood from her own wounds, and Neville pulled out his wand and ran it over his legs, conjuring a sturdy brace for each and wrapping them in bandages. A second flick and his cot was a wheelchair, and he hurried to roll himself out of the way and into the main room.
In the common area, the majority of the students in the DA were running about, checking to see who was hurt and who was missing. Justin, Colin and Ingrid were tapping a gigantic board with their wands as each individual checked in, and Neville felt a surge of pride to see his team regaining order on their own. The list of missing students was only five long: out of five hundred eighteen, there were sixty Slytherins known to be in their common room, another two hundred twelve Eagles, Gryffindors, and Puffs in their own common rooms, alert for any attacks as the castle settled back into order, and the teachers could be seen patrolling on the maps. Flitwick was guarding his own common room and McGonagall could be seen arguing with Snape in his office. None of the Death Eaters were still in the castle, Neville saw with relief.
"JUSTIN! Report!" he yelled, and Justin ran over and conjured the results onto a paper.
"We have forty-six wounded being treated and five missing, Neville. The five are all Puffs and are assumed to be outside or hiding, but I sent out a search party to find them ten minutes ago. Quentin, Romilda, and the others are all stable or being healed, and Ernie reported that only Ginny sustained life-threatening wounds," he finished, and Neville frowned.
"What do you mean, life-threatening?" he demanded.
"She was hit with multiple cutting hexes to her chest and back, and they've healed them, but she lost a lot of blood. Her system also underwent the crucio several times, and it's stressed her body and her brain function. She's stable but will be sore for a few days," Ernie assured from beside him.
"What happened to Quentin and Romilda?" he asked. Ernie scratched his forehead.
"Susan's handled them, but Quentin got knocked unconscious and she can't get him to come back. He might just need some time. Romilda was burned and cut up, and she sustained several Crucios as well. She says that Quentin was hit six times by Bella's Crucio before the fight started. Romilda's pretty wrecked right now," he admitted, and Neville thanked him and watched Ernie hurry back into the infirmary. His entire back was covered in splatters of blood. Neville looked down at his shirt to see the crimson stains criss-crossing it. Godric, he hated war.
Neville looked around at the crowd of crying, distressed students. He needed something to calm the storm. Motioning Ingrid over, he grabbed a quill and his wand and made out a guarantor note, tapping it with his wand to seal it.
"Go down to the Hog's Head and get as much butterbeer as you can. I need you to send this letter to my Gran; her wards won't let in a patronus anymore. Tell Abe to take it out of my account and bring the barrels back with a hover charm," he explained, and as Ingrid shot off to get the drinks, he conjured three patronuses and sent an update on what had transpired to Kingsley, Arthur, and Remus.
Neville sat back in his chair and sent sparks into the air. A boom sounded and everyone turned to look at him.
"I'm proud of you all, and I'm sorry that tonight turned into such hell. We've got everyone back except for five missing students, and we're got a search party locating them now. Our wounded are being treated and no one has suffered lasting injuries. You all fought bravely tonight, and I want everyone to try to calm down and relax for the evening- no training, no talk of war. I've got Butterbeer coming to help us all unwind and I want any patients in the infirmary who can walk to be helped upstairs so they can rest for the night in the Room."
Susan came out to tell him that Ginny was awake, and Quentin was stable and resting. Neville wheeled into the infirmary and saw Hannah sitting on the floor, her hands over her face.
"It'll be ok, Hannah girl," he whispered, running his wand over her hair to siphon out the dried blood.
"Come upstairs and rest. Let Ernie finish up here, they're almost done," he urged, and Demelza smiled weakly at him as she walked past, handing out soap and hot bowls of water so students could clean themselves. Hannah looked up and nodded weakly, and Neville pulled her onto his chair and wheeled them out into the common area. Ingrid was back, flushed from the cold, and a group of students were gathered around a barrel, filling flagons for the patients. Neville summoned a glass from the kitchen and filled it to the brim, and pushed it into a reluctant Hannah's hands. She sipped deep and her body seemed to relax against him, and he wiped the froth off her mouth jokingly and kissed her before gulping down a bit himself. The butterbeer warmed him to the tips of his fingers, and he felt his entire body sag, his muscles unclenching. The pain in his calves and chest waned lower, and he wheeled them to the foot of the stairs. A few flicks of his wand, and the stairs had lengthened. He wheeled onto the bottom and tapped the staircase twice, and immediately, the stairs began to move them up to the dorms, like a Muggle escalator. Hannah sighed and leaned into him, and he wrapped his arms around her and wheeled them into the boy's shower room.
"If you want to get cleaned up, I'll fetch you a towel and some pajamas," he offered, and Hannah shook her head and raised her wand. A pair of towels soared in the open door and hung themselves on one of the shower stall doors, and Hannah caught the pajamas that followed them.
"You'll need help cleaning, with your legs, right?" she asked shyly, and Neville's eyes were round as hubcaps.
"You mean together?" he asked, his voice growing hoarse, and Hannah eyed him nervously and licked her lips.
"Only if it's ok," she offered, shrugging, and Neville's eyes betrayed him, looking her up and down. Hannah laughed immediately.
"Not that kind of shower, Nev. We're both hurting. We'll just soap up and I'll help you wash off the blood," she giggled, and Neville pulled himself up in the chair and tugged off his shirt. He summoned his own pajamas, which were folded on the bed up the stairs, and tested his legs, trying to stand. The braces held, though they were uncomfortable, and Hannah opened the door. The Room had met his needs once more: the shower was enlarged to three times it's normal size, and the door now hung lower, shielding them from anyone who might come into the room. Neville walked into the shower and imagined hooks for their pajamas and towels: two appeared, and a shelf melted into the wall, holding their pajamas away from the water. He tapped the floor with his wand, thinking of how he wanted a good soak to ease his muscles, and the floor sucked down in the middle into a rectangular bathtub, sunken into the floor. Hannah smiled and looked at him as she closed the door. They were alone.
He was used to being shirtless around her, and earlier, she'd been the same against him. He'd even felt her through her panties and she'd done the same. But suddenly, for the first time in months, Neville felt shy around his girlfriend. Would she like what she saw?
She bent down, undoing the braces on his legs and motioning to him to sit at the edge of the tub. The braces came off, caked with the last of the bleeding, and she peeled off the bandages to reveal freshly grown skin that was finally completely sealed. Hannah tapped her wand against his legs gently, strengthening the charm, and added another spell to ease the pain, numbing his nerves. Neville sighed, feeling quiet calm steal over him. He pulled his wand over from the wheelchair and tapped it, and it became solid as the walls beside them. He concentrated again, and a sink and mirror formed before them as the chair morphed, and slid next to the shelf.
"I thought you might like to see your hair when you brush it," he added, summoning his toothbrush and a hairbrush for them to use. Somehow his toothpaste came to them without the plastic covering, and Hannah giggled as he looked at the floating mess and then magicked it into a container.
"I'll deal with that later," he admitted, and then they brushed the grime of battle from their mouths, spitting into the sink to clear out the taste of blood and sweat. Once they were minty fresh again, Neville's confidence wavered once more. Hannah was sitting beside him by the tub, dangling her legs below her skirt into the water as it filled up, and she kept glancing at him from the corner of her eyes.
"Do you want to get in?" she asked quietly, and Neville nodded. First, he'd make it easier. He pulled off his socks and vanished the mess, then tapped the faucet. Purple bubbles filled the top, frothy and fragrant, and Hannah seemed to relax as he pulled off her socks, massaging her tired feet.
"Ooo, don't do that yet, I'm gross," she complained, pulling away, but Neville held fast and palmed her heels.
"I don't mind, love. I'm gross too," he admitted, showing her the stains from the blood on his shirt. He vanished her socks and his shirt, and threw her shoes onto the bottom of the shelf. His own he sprayed with some water in the sink to get the blood off them, and then set them to dry on hooks that appeared.
"Feeling any better?" he asked, looking at her as she dangled her feet in the now-filled tub. A full three inches of bubbles lay over the steamy water, but neither of them were making a move to get in. Neville bit his lip and looked at her. Now or never, he thought to himself, and in a single fluid motion, he shucked his pants and underwear off and dropped them on the floor. Hannah's breathing stopped, but she wasn't looking at him. Neville lowered himself next to her and eased into the water quickly, watching her eyes peeking at his torso.
"Oh, Nev, look at you," she said sadly, seeing again the deep cuts that were still shining on his chest. They had sealed perfectly, given her excellent healer skills, but the skin was an angry red. Hannah jumped up from the water and grabbed her wand, tapping his new scars, and they faded a bit, lightening as she continued. Neville felt her set a second healing charm on them and the pain reduced once more. Now, there were silvery lines crossing his pectorals, and he thanked her softly.
"Hannah, I can turn around if you want," he added, seeing her eyeing the water with trepidation. "You don't have to do this, I can go to another stall," he offered. His jaw dropped as she flashed him a fierce look and stood, pulling off her shirt and jumper and unclasping her bra. Her clothes hit the floor by his and Neville gawked at her skin, dried sweat and all, as she unzipped her skirt in the back. She hesitated only a second and Neville looked away, thinking she was embarrassed, but her hands met his face and brought it back to see her.
"I want you to see me," she whispered, kissing him lightly, and then her skirt was gone, and her knickers too. Neville reddened, his eyes stuck to the soft patch of light brown at the apex of her thighs, and Hannah stepped into the purple bubbles and sighed happily.
"Come here," he said gently, and then he gulped as she took his advice a bit more than he'd anticipated. Her hips bumped against his under the water and she curled up against his chest, laying her head on his shoulder. The ends of her hair were soaking down into the bubbles, and Neville conjured a wash cloth and set his wand on the ground beside them. He dipped it down and pulled one of her legs gently into his hands, and began washing her feet under the water.
"That's nice, Neville," she sighed, and she began to massage his back as he washed up her legs, scraping grime off her calves and knees. His hands shivered a bit as they washed the backs of her thighs, and he heard her sigh again as he rounded over the tops of them, brushing against the patch of curls.
"Is this ok?" he asked, and she nodded against him. Neville brought the wash cloth up to her belly, rubbing circles across her back, and she lifted her arms up so he could reach under them with a giggle. He gently cleaned under her fingernails, massaging her fingers and wrists, and kissed each palm before she stole the wash cloth.
"My turn," she teased, and she lifted up and sat on his legs. Neville groaned and she giggled again. "Hannah, you're making this difficult," he gritted out between his teeth as she washed his feet under the water. Her back was turned to him and he could see two tiny birthmarks on her pristine skin, just below her left shoulder.
"What's difficult?" she teased again, and he chuckled and began to massage her back. Hannah had worked her way up to his thighs, and she turned around, facing him. His breath lodged in his throat and refused to move. Her breasts were showing slightly above the bubbles, and if she moved up six inches, she'd be up against him. Hannah's eyes were dark turquoise, meeting his.
"You know what's difficult. We're both hurt and you don't want it to be . . . that kind of bath," he squirmed as she washed by his hips, just barely missing his most sensitive parts. Her hands ran over his belly, washing off the sweat and she pressed a kiss to his shoulder.
"Maybe I want it to be difficult, Nev," she admitted. "Maybe I like what we were doing before we got interrupted earlier," she said, and Neville gulped as her wash cloth traced over the scars and under his arms.
"Hey-that tickles!" he complained, and she sniggered and resumed washing his shoulders. The wash cloth ran down his arms, and Neville noticed that the bubbles were beginning to disappear. Hannah didn't seem to have noticed yet, but he could almost see through the layer of purple to the water . . . and bodies . . . underneath.
She tugged him into turning around, and he sighed, relaxing between her legs as she rubbed his back with the wash cloth. The water was still hot, and if she hadn't been so bloody gorgeous, he'd have been nearly sleeping, he was so relaxed. She finished washing him and Neville closed his eyes and dunked his head under, scrubbing his scalp and his face. He emerged and dunked a second time, feeling the sweat and the blood lifting off his face, and wiped the soap from his eyes.
"Much better," he told her. "Let me get your back, love," he offered. She turned around and he pulled her up between his legs as she'd done for him, until she was almost against him, and started washing her back once more. She sighed and sagged against him, her back propped against his legs, and Neville felt her hum when the wash cloth ran over the side of her breast as he washed her. He dropped the wash cloth and cupped his hands, pouring hot water over her shoulder. It trickled down her front and back, and Hannah let out a tiny moan that was no more than a breath.
"You know, I can make things difficult too," he teased, his voice lower than usual, and he let his fingers wander to her front to cup her breasts. Hannah leaned into his touch, and Neville rubbed her nipples and hugged her closer to him, kissing her neck. As if some invisible spring had been set off, Hannah arched her back, pressing into him, and her bum rested against his thighs. Neville kissed her shoulder, nibbled on her ear, still caressing her breasts with his hands, and she rubbed against him and moaned again, louder. Neville felt his heart speed up as she settled closer to him. Their bodies were fused together, warm and slippery under the water, and she was resting against his thighs, her back against his chest. Neville tentatively pinched one of the tips between his fingers, thinking back to all the things he'd ever heard Seamus Finnegan spout out during their nights in the boy's dorms for seven years, and Hannah let out a deep gasp and shuddered.
"Mmm, I think I like things being difficult," she admitted, and Neville kissed her throat, pulling her around to face him.
"I want to kiss you, love, come here," he said, and then he sputtered as she eased onto his lap, her lips capturing his. Her breasts pressed against his, and he ran his hands along her sides, groping her bum and trailing along her waist under the water. Hannah sighed into their kiss, her tongue insistent and silky, and Neville felt like he was going to burst if he didn't get far away from the bewitching witch on top of him. Hannah rubbed up against his lap, making him moan loudly, and Neville pushed her off him and jumped out of the water.
"I'm sorry, Hannah, I just can't- I dunno if I trust myself- Don't want to do anything you'll kill me for later- I just don't know if I can" he began stammering, and Hannah's eyes were wide as she looked him up and down, her cheeks reddening.
"Sorry, Nev, I just liked what you were doing," she said, her eyes drifting down as she blushed further.
"I guess we both got carried away," he added, wrapping a towel around his waist and sitting down beside her. Hannah nodded and dove under the water, surfacing to rub her scalp. Neville handed her some shampoo that had appeared on the shelf and she disappeared under the bubbles again three more times, washing her long locks and her face. When she had deemed herself clean, she climbed out of the tub, and Neville had to look away to keep from grabbing her and taking her back into it; his head was screaming at him for interrupting their kissing.
"Oh, for Godric's sake, we've just fought for our lives and you're worried about going too fast? Honestly, Neville, we've been dating for months," she said quietly, and Neville turned his head and looked at her in her towel, ringing water out of her hair. His brain went fuzzy.
"Maybe you shouldn't do that," he heard himself say, feeling like he was drowning in his own head.
"Do what?" she asked, confused.
"Dry your hair. I'm just going to get it wet again," he said, dropping his towel and pulling them both into the water. His arms went around her waist. He kissed her in the hollow of her throat, and it was an awfully long time before they got out of the tub.
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I've always imagined that Neville would be the type to take his time, and then say "screw it!" and just go for the things he wants. He and Hannah are going to make the most of their Valentine's Day, even if the world will be bleak and worrisome the next day. Poor Ginny- so much pain, so much to deal with- but I promise, she gets her just desserts later And obviously, no, not with Michael. I stick to canon! See you all tomorrow. Please let me know what you think of the chapter!!!