"Are you ready to speak of your experience in the final battle?"

Severus observed Longbottom closely for signs of distress or reluctance. He found none. The boy appeared more tense than usual, like he was gearing himself up for the evening, but he was calm.

The boy nodded and took a sip from the glass of chilled water on the desk in front of him. He sighed as the water refreshed his throat and then took a deep breath.

"Well I suppose it all started in the Room of Requirement really." He began. "You know that's where the DA were hiding out, right?"

Severus nodded. "I had surmised that the Resistance were using the Room as their hideout, yes. Although I admit that I didn't work it out until the final term."

Neville grinned despite himself, remembering just how good it had felt to fool the Carrows. "Well as more students needed somewhere to go, the bigger the Room got, the more beds it provided. It was great, except we'd been sneaking food from the kitchens in the early days. As numbers grew, stealing that much food just wasn't feasible and we couldn't trust the house-elves because they're sworn to the incumbent headmaster." He gestured vaguely in Snape's direction. "The Room couldn't produce food out of nowhere so we were getting pretty concerned about what we were going to eat. And that's when the Room gave us Ariana."

"Ariana?" Severus frowned, waiting for elaboration.

"A portrait of Ariana Dumbledore." Neville clarified. "Not that we knew that at the time of course. But the portrait opened on to a secret passageway that led to the Hog's Head."

Snape made a noise of understanding. "Aberforth."

"Exactly."

"So you got access to food." Severus surmised. "What's this got to do with the final battle?"

"Because it wasn't just food that was passed through the tunnel, it was information too." Neville explained emphatically. "You see, Death Eaters liked to drink in the Hog's Head and when they drank, they weren't all that discreet." None of that surprised Severus. The lower level Death Eaters were generally just sadistic morons with no place better to be. "So Ariana would come and get us if Aberforth had information for us. And on the night of the final battle she came and got me. I got to the Hog's Head and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw them there; Harry, Ron and Hermione, like a bloody mirage!"

"That's how they got into Hogwarts?" Severus hadn't known.

"Yeah, I took them back to Hogwarts through the secret tunnel. Everyone was so excited when they saw them; you could feel the energy in the room, the anticipation. It was like we'd all sensed this shift in the air and we just knew that the war was going to change that night.

"Not that we thought it would be the Final Battle, but I think a lot of us were fully expecting a fight to take back Hogwarts. We thought that's what they were there for. Bit of a disappointment really, when Harry said they were only there to look for something."

"He was looking for something?"

"Yeah, something to do with Ravenclaw, I think. A tiara or something?" Neville shrugged. "I don't even know if they ever actually found the thing."

"Do you mean Rowena Ravenclaw's Lost Diadem?" Severus queried.

Neville frowned in thought. "Yeah, that sounds familiar."

"What on Earth did Potter want with the Diadem of Ravenclaw?"

Longbottom shrugged. "Beats me."

Severus resigned himself to finding the answer to his questions himself. "Nevermind. What happened next?"

"We were all summoned to the Great Hall." Neville recalled, his voice going quieter. "That's where we heard 'his' voice." A visible shudder ran through the younger man's body. "He offered us our lives if we would hand Harry over to him."

He paused as though lost in memory. Snape said nothing, allowing Neville time to emerge from his thoughts.

"There were people who wanted to, you know?" Neville began again. "Pansy Parkinson was right bloody vocal about it." He scoffed. "Bloody idiots."

"I mean, I get it; they were scared. The whole thing was bloody terrifying. And I could see how that would make you selfish – forgetting everyone else in the name of self-preservation." The young man became more impassioned as he spoke. "But what did they think was going to happen after?" He asked rhetorically. "That we'd hand over Harry and Voldemort would just let us continue on our merry way? Even if we had been allowed to live, what kind of life would it have been? The wizard tormented his own followers for Merlin's sake! What would he have done to us?"

Severus had no answers for him and so remained silent, waiting for his student to go on.

"We wouldn't give him up though. McGonagall took over. Got the younger students out. Harry just said he needed time, so we set about giving it to him."

"We started strengthening the wards and protecting the castle with defensive spells. I helped Professor Sprout with setting up some of the more aggressive plans plants around the ground's perimeter. I reckon I got a good few dim-witted Death Eater wannabes with the Devil Snare I put in front of the East Bridge." Neville grinned and Severus was reminded briefly of the boy he had been not so long before.

It was gone as quickly as it came, Neville turning serious once more. "Couldn't keep 'em out forever though, could we?" He ran a hand through his hair, an outward sign of the emotional strain he was under. "The battle began."

Severus could detect the tension in his eyes. "Would you like to take a break?" He offered.

Neville shook his head. "Nah, you're alright. Might as well get it over with."

Severus nodded, accepting his decision and waited for the younger man to resume his story.

"I honestly don't remember much from when the fighting broke out. Everything was moving so quickly I just went from one duel to the next. All I can remember thinking is 'Thank Merlin for Harry and the DA, because he taught me how to survive.'"

"You give him that much credit?" Severus was thoroughly surprised.

"I can guarantee that if it wasn't for Harry setting up the DA and teaching us defence, half the students who are alive today would be dead and buried." Neville answered so emphatically that Severus could only nod with acceptance.

"Anyway, I managed to survive to the ceasefire." The Gryffindor continued. He looked down at the hands in his lap and his voice took on a haunted maudlin tone. "Many didn't. Fred, Lupin, Lavender." He swallowed down the lump in his throat and went on in a whisper. "I found Colin outside. Oliver Wood helped me carry him back up to the castle. Not that he needed to – he was so small."

The silence in the room was heavy and prolonged. Severus gave Neville the time to think, to come back to the present day.

"That's when I saw Harry." He went on after a few spies of water. "He was alone. He looked – I don't know. Haunted? Determined, maybe?"

Severus watched as Longbottom lost himself in the memory, listening closely to his tale. "I can't believe I let him go." He spoke more to himself. "But he promised! He promised me that he wasn't going to hand himself over! He said it was all just part of the plan."

Neville looked up and caught the Professor's eye. "I should have known. I should've known when he told me to kill the snake. He was passing on the job because he didn't think he'd survive."

Severus felt like a cannon ball had settled in his stomach. It was his fault Potter had gone off to sacrifice himself. It was he who had handed the boy his memories. Memories that had made the boy think it was all down to him. If Harry Potter were dead now, there would be no-one to blame more than Severus Snape.

"He was so calm." Neville continued, oblivious to the Professor's distress. "I reckon that's why I didn't question him more. Who can be that calm when they're about to hand themselves over to a murderous psychopath?"

The question wasn't rhetorical. Longbottom looked at Severus as though he truly needed and answer from him.

"I do not know." Severus answered him honestly. "There are a lot of things about Harry Potter that I do not understand."

After a pause, Neville spoke again. "We had time then. Time to heal the injured and gather up the dead. Not time to grieve for them, of course, but that would come." He took a sip of water. "A message came through that the Death Eaters were approaching the castle. From the astronomy tower we could see them coming, though we couldn't tell who. We could only see that Hagrid was with them, captured as he tried to protect the creatures of the Forbidden Forest.

"We heard this voice then. Magnified across the grounds, 'Harry Potter is dead.'" The Gryffindor shuddered. "We poured out of the castle to see for ourselves. We couldn't believe, couldn't accept that our hero, our friend was dead.

"But we got outside and saw that it wasn't a trick, Voldemort wasn't lying. Hagrid held Harry's body in his arms." Neville's voice was a whisper. "He was so limp. So lifeless."

Severus frowned. "So you all thought he was dead?"

Neville nodded. "He certainly looked it. Voldemort was so smug; inviting us to join his side. It was sickening.

"I remember stepping forward – Merlin knows what I was thinking. I just remember being filled with so much outrage at the death of someone so genuinely good that I just couldn't hold back from telling Voldemort exactly what I thought."

Severus' eyes widened in shock. Why did none of these Gryffindors have any sense of self-preservation? He dragged a hand down his face. "What exactly did you say to him?"

A wry grin appeared on Neville's face. "I told him that I'd join him when hell freezes over."

Severus sighed and rubbed his temples. Idiot boy. "I am assuming he did not find your assertion amusing?"

Neville appeared only slightly chagrinned. "Not really. He forced the Sorting Hat on my head and set it on fire."

Severus closed his eyes. "Merlin." He breathed, unable to find any other words.

"Voldemort's Body Bind didn't hold though. I shook off the hat and suddenly the sword was there, and the snake was there, and all I could hear were Harry's words in my head, 'Kill the snake.' So I did."

"Just like that?" Severus asked with disbelief.

The younger man shrugged. "Kinda." Severus grimaced. "The snake was slithering around in front of me. Bloody creepy. I just sliced its head off."

"I -" Severus began but stopped. "I find myself with no words." He finished lamely.

"That's ok, Professor. I don't think there's anything to say." Neville answered simply. "Do you want me to go on?"

"Please."

"Well the next thing we noticed was that Harry's body had disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"Vanished." Neville confirmed. "Not that we had time to do anything about it. The fighting resumed and everyone was moving back into the castle to escape the giants. Ron and I took down Greyback."

"Very good." Snape interrupted with approval.

"Thanks. Everyone seemed to be getting the upper hand on the Death Eaters, and then Mrs Weasley took out Bellatrix."

Severus allowed himself a small smile. "I had heard about that one."

"I don't take pleasure in the death of any witch or wizard, Professor." The Gryffindor said earnestly. "But for that bitch, I'll make an exception."

Snape rose an eyebrow but made no reproach of him or his language.

"And Mrs Weasley was bloody brilliant! I only wish I could have finished her off myself."

"Indeed." Severus too would have liked to get a few hexes in on that duel.

"Harry appeared again then. Out of bloody nowhere and very much alive. He says its got to be him, that no-one else can help. The rest of the duels died down, everyone was focused on Harry and Voldemort. Neither made a move, you could tell Voldemort was scared. Harry seemed calm though. He started explaining to everyone, to Voldemort, that because he'd sacrificed himself for everyone there, none of the Death Eater spells would hold. He told everyone that you had betrayed Voldemort and had been working for the Light the whole time. He called Voldemort 'Riddle' to his face."

"He didn't?" Severus was horrified by Potters audacity but knew him fully capable of it.

"He did. And then he told Voldemort that he was the true master of the Elder Wand."

"How so?" Severus asked curiously.

Neville shrugged. "Something to do with Draco apparently."

Severus frowned but concluded that he could find out more from the boy himself later in the week.

Neville continued, "And then, at last, they both cast. Voldemort, the killing curse, and Harry – Expelliarmus."

Neville jumped as the Professor slammed a hand down on the desk, hard. "Potter did what?" Snape hissed.

"Er, he cast Expelliarmus."

Severus cursed, muttering, "Stupid, foolish, arrogant, reckless boy!"

"I guess it was kind of a risk, huh?" Neville offered. "But it paid off. Voldemort's spell backfired and he fell to the ground." He recalled. "In the end he died like any other wizard would. Nothing special about him. It was almost – anticlimactic."

Severus said nothing so Neville went on. "That's it really. The Death Eaters fled or were captured and the clean-up began." Then added. "The grieving began."

"Thank you for telling me all this." Severus said earnestly. "I am indebted to you."

The Gryffindor dismissed his gratitude. "Don't mention it."

Severus eyed the young man closely. Having finished his story, Longbottom appeared emotionally drained, a slightly haunted look in his eye.

"Are you alright, Longbottom?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine; just tired." He looked over to the ticking grandfather clock. "It's late. I should probably be going."

The Professor nodded and Neville began to rise before he was stopped by Snape's voice. "Wait."

Severus stood and went to a cabinet on the west wall of his office.

Coming back to Neville, the Potions Master handed him a tiny phial of potion. "One dose of Dreamless Sleep for tonight." He explained.

Neville nodded, taking the phial. "Thank you, Professor. Good night."

"Good night, Mr Longbottom." Severus bid the young man good bye and watched the door close behind him as he left.

Severus shifted down into his chair and dragged a hand down his tired face. His head was abuzz with thought and his heart was a war of emotions. Wednesday was too long for him to wait to speak with Draco, he would see if he could rearrange their meeting for tomorrow."

Sleep tonight would desert him, but he had other things to occupy his time.

AN: Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter. Good luck if you are returning to school this week, I have my own new class of tiny humans to teach. As things get a bit busier when I'm working it's harder for me to predict when the next chapter will be up, but I hope it will be in 2 weeks' time. Whenever it is, I'll see you there!