Chapter 8- The Hero Within

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny left around mid-afternoon on Saturday for their trip to Hogsmeade. They first went to Madam Puddifoot's for a light snack of croissants, jam, and plum tea.

"You know I came here with Cho, last Valentine's day." Harry said adding sugar to his tea.

"Are you still interested in Cho." Ginny asked.

"Um—I don't know," Harry replied, "I don't think so, anyway isn't she seeing Micheal Corner?"

"I heard they broke up over the summer." Hermione interjected, "people are saying its because they don't have anything in common except being Ravenclaw."

"Ah—Harry don't even think about her," Ron said with a mouth full of croissant, "you got more things to worry about than girls."

"Yeah, like Voldemort." Herimone said.

"More like Quidditch!" Ron had said as if obvious.

"Whatever, only a fool would think Quidditch was more important than V—Voldemort." Ginny said.

"I didn't say that Quidditch is more important than V…Voldemort, I meant that Harry has other things that he can think about." Ron said in his defense.

"Ron is right for once," Harry said, "I rather think of anything besides that old bastard."

Just then, across the room, a cup shattered on the ground. A lady with a black hood quietly reached down and cleaned it up with a tap of her wand. She quickly left the room before Harry could see her face. After the momentary distraction, Harry and the others decided to head over the Dervish and Banges to allow Ron time to look over broomstick supplies. Hermione and Ginny lead the way as they made there way down the street. Harry and Ron chatted about the newest broom out. It was the Cleansweap X. It wasn't as fast as the Firebolt, Ron explained, but had better maneuverability and breaking spells.

The girls waited by the door as Ron paid for his newly acquired broomstick repair kit. Harry had taken out the manual to see if the repair kit had any tips on tweaking the speed of the broom. To both the boy's surprise it actually had a whole other manual on just that.

"Sooner or later, I'm going to have a faster broomstick Harry." Ron said teasingly.

" You might have a faster broom, but you still need to know how to race it." Harry quipped back.

After a short stroll down the main street of Hogsmeade, Harry and the others spotted Neville and Luna heading toward the Three Broomsticks. They seem to be having a very pleasant conversation Harry had noticed. As they found seats at a small table, Ron called out to them and caught Neville by surprise.

"Watcha been up to Neville?" Ron said mischievously.

"Uh—oh, Luna and I were just having some tea at the Madam Pudifoot's just before we got here." Neville explained.

"Funny we were just there not to long ago." Ron said.

"We were there for only a short time," Luna answered, "Neville didn't want to have anything, so he sat their completely still and quite. It was quite a boring so I suggested we leave."

Harry and Ron looked at Neville knowingly. Neville grinned slightly.

"He was using a Double Take coin on you Luna, Hermione said admonishingly toward Neville, "it makes an illusion of the person that's holding it."

"I was wondering why you were so quiet," Luna said dreamingly, "oh, next time don't use that coin."

"Sure, Luna," Neville said, "I just wanted to test it out, I couldn't find Seamus earlier."

Ron and Ginny pulled up several chairs next to Neville and Luna's table. There weren't many people at the Three Broomsticks except for the bartender and the lady Harry noticed at

Madam Puddifoot's. Her back was turned away from the group, which denied Harry a glance at her face. Harry quickly was returned to the conversation when he mentioned that Gryffindor will need to replace a few positions on the team.

"What we really need is some good beaters," Ron frowned, "Fred and George were brilliant... don't tell them I said that."

"We should hold tryouts next week," Hermione said, "I will contact Madame Hooch to book the pitch."

"We should also put a sign up for chasers and beaters in the common room." Harry added.

"Good idea." Ron nodded.

Soon more members of the DA began to arrive. First Hannah Abbot and Justin Flitch-Fletchly came in, shortly followed by the Creevey brothers. A minute later came Seamus, Ernie Macmillan, and the Patil twins with Lavender Brown. So all the memebers of DA that were still at Hogwarts were at attendance. Noticeably absent were Cho Chang and Marrietta Edgecombe.

"Well Harry, is there going to be a DA this year?" Zacharias said interrupting the many conversations the group had among them.

"I don't know if we need it..." Harry said bluntly. Everyone went silent. "...l—let me explain. I think that we have a great Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year. We only started the group to learn what we weren't learning from Umbridge. Right now I see no need for it."

Many began to wishper their opinion to each other, Harry could hear a few.

"What makes him the boss?" whispered one member.

"We did." replied the another.

"But I made so many friends in DA." Said Dennis Creevey.

"Don't worry they still will be your friends." assured Colin.

"Wait a minute everyone!" Hermione interrupted, "just because we aren't going to have a DA doesn't mean we can't practice spells together. We have a great professor this year and we will be learning a lot, so we will need the time to practice. You have more freedom this year to make your own group up and your own schedules. And you don't have to sneak around."

"Thank goodness," said Hannah, "that way no one will have the risk of having 'Sneak' written across their face."

Several students began to snicker at her comment only to be interrupted by a loud thud. They all turned around to see the bartender missing. The women in black turned to the group of students and removed her dark hood.

"Bellatrix Lestrange!" Neville shouted.

The students gasped as she pointed her wand at them.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Bellatrix shouted. All of the students' wands were ripped from their sides and sent to the far side of the room.

"H—how did she do that?" Hermione said out loud.

"My dear girl, the Dark Lord can enhance a witch's power greatly..." Bellatrix cackled, "if you where wise you would join him and prosper yourself."

Bellatrix turned and pointed her wand at Harry, "You have caused my master great grief, Harry Potter. By foiling his plans to reveal the prophecy, my master has to rethink his strategy of overtaking the wizarding world and wiping it clean of muggles and half-breed. But first he needs to dim the hopes of many, buy destroying you. I will be his greatest subject when I rid the wizarding world of you!"

In that moment Neville Longbottom stepped infront of Harry. "Y-you would have to go through me first." he said with tremor.

"And me." added Ron.

"And me." said Hermione.

"Me too." said Ginny.

"Me as well." entered Luna.

"Us too." yelled the Creevey brothers.

Soon all the member of DA had added their names to the list of people that would defend Harry. Harry was touched by their support but he could not dwell on it. The woman that killed Sirius stood before him.

"Stupid little children..." Bellatrix laughed, "don't you think you each will die beside the great Harry Potter. You... You are the Longbottom's boy. Come here."

"Run Neville!" Hermione yelled.

Neville began to run for the door, but he stopped midway he turned back and ran towards Lestrange. With a flick of a wrist Bellatrix stunned him ten feet in the air. He lied motionless under a table a few feet from the bar. With a wicked laugh she screamed, "Crucio!" Neville convulsed in pain, pain that Harry new too well.

"Deal with me!" Harry yelled. "Leave them out of this."

"But it would be such fun to rid the world of all the Longbottoms." Bellatrix giggled, " but you first Potter, you must be dealt with."

"D—don't you want to know the prophecy?" Harry said to stall her, "I know it, let them go and I will tell you."

"Ah, a clever ploy Potter, but the Dark Lord has decided that your death was more important than knowing the prophesy." Bellatrix said walking away from Neville, who was out cold from the pain of her curse. "I am sure one of your friends were told, I will have fun prying it out of them, as much fun as I had with the Longbottoms. Its been so longs since I had the chance to torture the Dark Lord's enemies, I might be rusty. But first business before pleasure."

Bellatrix raised her wand and pointed straight at Harry chest. "Say goodbye to your friends Potter...Avada Keda—" —CRACK!

Bellatrix dropped her wand and fell to the ground. A stream of blood began to ooze from the back of her head. Standing over her was a very pale Neville holding a broken wooden chair.

"I—I couldn't let her hurt you Harry." Neville mumbled.

"I am sure glad you couldn't." Harry said still in shock.

"That was bloody brilliant Neville..." Ron said grabbing the broken chair from Neville. "...do you want to tryout for Beater."

Hermione reached down and picked up Bellatrix wand. She poked at her lifeless body, "I think you killed her Neville."

For a moment everyone was silent a few students went for the wands across the room, handing them to their rightful owners.

"Good. She deserved it." Neville said quietly.

"How did you get behind her Neville?" Seamus asked, "I saw you lying in the corner a moment before.

"I used the Double Take coin Ginny gave me. While she thought I was still in the corner snuck up behind her, I—I couldn't let her hurt you Harry, she hurt so many..."

Harry saw that there were tears in Neville's eyes, he understood whom Neville was talking about. Luna and Ginny reached to comfort Neville. Harry placed his hands on Neville's shoulder. "You were very brave,Neville, your parents would be proud."

Hermione and Ron circled around Neville as the rest of the DA watched. Soon several aurors apparated into the Three Broomsticks with their wands ready.

"By Merlin's beard, children what happened." Bellowed Kingsley Shackelbolt. "I—Is she dead?"

"Sure looks like it..." said Tonks poking Bellatrix's nose with her wand. "What happened here Harry?"

Hermione stepped in to explain what just occurred. Several junior aurors were reviving the bartender and cleaning the blood around Bellatrix body."

"Neville Longbottom...you don't say." Tonks exclaimed after Hermione finished. "Well that's poetic justice don't you think."

"Look everyone," Kingsley yelled, "we will arrange transports for you shortly, just stay put in the corner, we don't know if there are any other Death Eater still lurking around. Stay with the kids, Tonks, I will do a sweep of the premises"

After Shacklebolt left for the upstairs, Ron asked how did they know there was trouble.

"Well when Sirius escaped a few years back and was spotted near Hogsmeade, all the shops and restaurants were equipped with a switch that notified the Ministry of Sirius if spotted. It hadn't been used since then but we saw the alarm go off in the Aurors department. It took us some time to figure where the alarm was set off. Once we did, those that were in the office apparated right away. We need to work a few kinks out of the system."

"You think?" Ron said sarcastically.

"Well it was your fathers idea," Tonks quipped, "said he heard about it from of a muggle shopkeeper."

Kingsley emerged from the cellar with some dust on his broad shoulders. "All clear down there. I believe there are some carriages outside. Will all of you please enter them and do not linger. We need to contact your families immediately.

Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Luna and Harry entered one carriage. They saw that Neville was still in shock of what had happened. "Here Neville, ride with us." Harry yelled out.

"Oh, I almost forgot we were leaving." Neville said dropping his face into his hands, "I really hope I don't get in trouble."