"We are young, heartache to heartache we stand."

-Pat Benatar (Love Is A Battlefield)

"Neville, where did you get this?" I managed to breathe out as I lightly touched the ring box.

"It was my mother's. She doesn't wear it anymore because she kept taking it off and trying to give it to me. Gran thought she might try to give it to someone else eventually or accidentally lose it, so in the end she just took it and brought it home. When I went home over the Christmas holiday, I asked Gran for it. At first she didn't want to give it to me because she thinks we're too young to get married, but in the end she agreed."

I nodded and bit my lip. "It's beautiful."

"I know," Neville whispered. "So, will you? Marry me, that is." He wobbled slightly as the castle shook again and I reached out to steady him, pulling him to his feet as I did so.

"Yes," I said slowly.

"You will?" Neville asked.

"Yes, I will, Neville, but I want to finish school first."

"What?" He looked slightly surprised.

"When all of this is over, I want to go back to finish my last year and a half of school. By the time that's done and we actually get the wedding planned, I'll be at least twenty, so your Gran won't really have to worry about our age. That means everyone's happy, doesn't it?"

"Yes, I guess it does," Neville said.

"Don't you want to go back and take your NEWTS?" I asked.

"I haven't thought about it yet," he answered honestly.

"It wouldn't take that long. You'd only have to take a handful of classes before the exams since you were in school for the majority of the school year."

"I don't know if I want to think about that right now," he said. "Right now all I care about is that you said you'd marry me. It doesn't matter to me when we get married. I'll wait as long as you need me to."

I giggled and flung myself into his arms. He leaned down and kissed me before pulling away and taking my hand, sliding the ring on my finger.

"You know, Neville, I just thought of something," I said, holding out my hand and admiring the ring.

"What's that?" he asked. The castle shook again but the two of us barely noticed.

"You said your mother kept trying to take her ring off and give it to you. When did all this start?"

"Recently," Neville said. "Gran and I had no idea why it started so all of a sudden. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I just wondered—maybe it's silly-,"

"No, tell me," Neville whispered.

"Well, do you think your mum wanted you to have it? Do you think she wanted us to get married?"

"I never thought of that," Neville said, "but I don't think so, Luna. She's so out of it. She doesn't understand."

"I don't know," I said, shrugging. "I think she understands more than you think. She just can't express it like most people can. Your father, too."

Neville picked up my hand and examined the ring. "They're never going to be back to normal. They're never going to fully understand that we're getting married. They won't be able to come to the wedding."

"Well in that case we'll have to take lots of pictures," I said decisively.

Neville laughed and brushed his hands down my arms. "Have I ever told you that I love you so much?"

"You might have," I said, pretending to think. "I can't exactly be sure, though."

"Well, I do. I love you."

"And I love you," I told him quietly. There was a loud explosion and the castle shook again—the biggest one yet. It was a jolt back to the terrible reality that we were in.

"We need to get back out there," Neville said, looking sadly down the hallway.

"Try not to look so excited," I told him.

"I'm still scared," he said honestly, "but at the same time I feel like I could take down every Death Eater single handedly."

"I'm sure you could."

"Oh, Luna, we both know that's not going to happen. I just feel like I could."

"Well why don't we get out there before you stop feeling that way?" I suggested.

"Okay," Neville nodded, letting out a breath. "Let's go."

Neville and I had gotten separated almost as soon as we reached the second floor. The hallways were a mess and there were people, Death Eaters and destruction everywhere. It was almost impossible to see or breathe due to all of the dust. I wasn't sure how long it had been since we had joined the battle, but in all honesty, I didn't care. At this point I was desperately praying for it to end.

I couldn't help but feel slightly proud of myself, though, as I ran through the castle, aiming spells at nearly every Death Eater that came into view. The D.A. had really been a huge help to me. I had learned so much and I was so grateful for it.

Actually, at that moment, I felt lucky to still be alive. There had been some close calls tonight. At one point, I had been backed into a corner by one of the Death Eaters. Dodging his spells was becoming more and more difficult and I didn't know how long I would be able to keep up the fight when Ernie Macmillan Stupefied the Death Eater from behind. I managed to escape with only a few scratches and burn marks on my arms from the Death Eater's spells.

I continued to run down the hallway and turned a corner, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone I know, and preferably alive and uninjured. I have to admit that when that thought initially went through my head, I was thinking of one of my friends or classmates. The person I bumped into was the last person on my mind, but only because I hadn't known where he was. Until now.

"Luna!" My dad sounded both thrilled and a little surprised to see me. "How are you?" He asked the question almost as if we had casually met on the street or as if I had just walked down for breakfast.

"Dad!" I giggled, throwing my arms around him. "You're okay! The last I heard, you were on the run."

"Oh, I was," he said, "but it wasn't as bad as you might think. I used the time to search for any unidentified creatures in the area. I am sorry to say that I didn't detect a single Crumple Horned Snorkack."

"How did you get here?" I asked, pulling out of the hug. "How did you know we were fighting? I didn't think you'd have a radio with you to get any information."

"I did, actually," my father said. "It was one of the things I made sure I took with me after the Death Eaters came. I had been listening to Potterwatch for quite some time and I wasn't about to stop for anything."

I grinned. "I'm glad you're here."

"So am I. I've been looking for you ever since I got here. I ran into Augusta Longbottom, too."

"Neville's grandmother? Does he know she's here?"

"I don't know. We saw each other in that fascinating room on the seventh floor. You know, the one at the end of the Hog's Head tunnel? After we left there, she went off to look for Neville and I went to find you. Anyway, I really wish we had more time, but I don't think it's best to stand in one spot for too long. There are Death Eaters everywhere. We have to keep our eyes open."

"Yes, you're right," I said as an explosion came from overhead, "but first there's something I have to tell you."

"Luna, I'll catch up with you later," he said quickly. "It's not safe to stay in one spot. We have to focus and we'll meet up with each other later. I promise."

"But dad, it'll only take a moment."

"Go, Luna, be careful and try not to panic. Panicking won't get you anywhere." He swiftly leaned down to kiss my forehead before hurrying in the opposite direction.

I tried calling after him, but it was no use. It was too loud. Giving up, I turned and ran down the hallway. A jet of red light passed directly over my head and I ducked around it. It was so dusty that I could barely see. I was almost a little afraid to start casting spells in case I hit somebody that I didn't want to hit.

I had almost made it to the end of the hallway when the window to my left shattered, having been hit by a curse. The glass rained down over my head and I put my arms up to protect myself but not before a few shards left cuts on my cheeks. Not to mention my hands were now bleeding from using them as a shield. It was no matter, though. It was better my hands than more cuts on my face.

Just as I was reaching the end of the hallway, a voice echoed throughout the castle and surrounding grounds. It was You-Know-Who's voice again. I wasn't sure if I even wanted to know what he was saying. I just felt impatient for him to spit it out so I could go back to what I was doing. I backed up against the wall and stared absentmindedly at the broken window across from me as I listened to Voldemort announce that he was ordering the Death Eaters to stop fighting for one hour and one hour only so that Harry could turn himself in. If he didn't the battle would begin once again.

After Voldemort finished talking, the castle seemed incredibly silent. I stayed where I was, backed against the wall for a few more minutes before picking my way over stones and fallen debris to the end of the hallway. I looked both ways and noticed students everywhere moving slowly around like ants, trying to find and help friends that were hurt or possibly dead.

I thought of Neville and my father and Neville's grandmother, too. They were all here as well as many other people that I loved and cared for. I hadn't seen any of them in quite some time, especially Neville, and I was worried. The last thing I wanted was to find anyone I knew to be hurt or dead.

I slowly made my way down the hallway, watching everybody else moving around as if I were in a dream. It wasn't until I saw a girl a little younger than me trying to drag herself down the hallway that I finally stopped. The girl's leg was badly bleeding and looked broken as well.

"Do you need help?" I asked, kneeling down beside her.

She looked up at me. Her eyes showed strong determination, but after a moment, she sighed. "Yes, I was trying to get to the great hall, but at this rate, it'll take me forever."

"Yes, it will," I agreed. "Come on, let me help you. We'll get you down there and someone will fix up your leg. Then, you'll be as good as new." I tried to sound as certain as I could. I mean, I was certain that the girl would be okay. Her leg looked bad, but nothing life threatening. But the truth was that I was scared. This was actually worse than the time I had spent actually fighting. When I was fighting, my mind was occupied by what I needed to do. I was constantly focusing and staying alert. Now that the fighting was over for the time being, my mind had time to wander. The fact that many people were dead or injured could sink in.

"Your shoulder is bleeding terribly," the girl breathed out as I helped her stand. "Maybe you should get checked out as well."

I looked down at my shoulder. It was bleeding pretty badly. I wasn't even sure where that injury had come from. Too much had been going on to be sure. "It's not as bad as it looks," I said. "Now, lean on me and try to walk as best you can. I'll help you."

"How are you so calm?" the girl asked a few minutes later as we approached the front staircase.

"Calm?" I replied.

"Yes, you don't look the least bit nervous and you're talking to me so quietly…." She trailed off and shook her head, almost in amazement. "It's like you know everything will be okay."

"Everything will be okay," I told her, "and I'm scared, too. This isn't easy for anyone. My boyfriend," Fiancée, I corrected in my head, "is around here somewhere, but I have no idea where. I'm hoping I'll run into him soon. We're supposed to get married in a few years, and in order to do that, I'll need him around."

The girl actually giggled, then winced. "I don't know if I can make it the rest of the way. We're on the front stairs, now. You can just leave me here."

"You're supposed to go into the Great Hall, so that's where we're going," I said determinedly.

"We're moving so slowly. You should go look for your boyfriend."

"I have time."

"We have an hour before the fighting starts again."

"It's only been ten minutes."

I could tell that the girl wanted to argue more, but she apparently couldn't think of anything else to say because she closed her mouth again, looking straight ahead. When I finally deposited her on a bench near the window and made sure that Madam Pomfrey had seen her, the girl looked up at me. "I do appreciate what you did, you know. It was really nice of you."

"It was no trouble. I liked talking with you. Feel better soon!" With a wave, I headed for the doors only to be stopped by Professor McGonagall.

"Miss Lovegood, you should stay in here and let Madam Pomfrey tend to your injuries."

"Oh, I'm not hurt that bad," I assured her. "I only have a few cuts here and there. Right now, I need to find Neville and also my father."

Professor McGonagall sighed and gave me a half smile. "I haven't seen your father, but Mr. Longbottom just passed me on his way out the front doors. He's helping Mr. Wood gather the dead and injured."

"Thank you," I said, grinning up at her. I headed out into the entrance hall and saw Neville coming inside with Oliver Wood. They were both carrying a lifeless body, although I couldn't see who it was just yet. Hesitantly, I stepped forward. "Neville? Do you need any help?"

He turned to look at me. "Luna," he said quietly. I could see him breathe a small sigh of relief, although he still looked extremely tired.

"I can take it from here, Neville," Oliver said quietly, glancing at the two of us. "You've done a lot already."

"Are you sure?"

Oliver nodded. "Yeah, I've got him." He shifted the boy completely into his arms and it was then that I saw who it was.

"He was in my year," I whispered, as Oliver carried Colin Creevey into the great hall.

"I know," Neville said, and I could see him from the corner of my eye, scanning my face intently.

"He hasn't had his birthday yet," I continued. "He isn't seventeen."

"I know," Neville said again. "He snuck back to fight."

"It's very unfair, isn't it?" I said, still staring into the great hall. "It's unfair that someone so brave and young had to be taken from us."

Neville nodded and moved closer to me, taking my hand. "Fred's gone, too, and Remus and Tonks."

My stomach twisted into a knot. "Oh, yes, I can see them now," I said quietly. I felt as if I was unraveling, for lack of a better word. I had worked so hard to keep my thoughts controlled throughout the night. I knew that death was going to be inevitable for a lot of people during this battle, but now that it had happened, I felt as if I didn't know what to do anymore.

"Come on," Neville whispered, tugging my hand. We slowly headed outside and stood at the top of the front steps. He must have sensed what I was feeling because he leaned in and shakily whispered, "The things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end. Isn't that right?"

I nodded. "If not always in the way we expect." The words calmed me a little and it made me think that everyone here was feeling the same way I was. I wasn't alone in feeling sad for everyone we had lost.

"You're hurt," he said, gesturing to my badly cut shoulder as well as the other cuts and scrapes all over my body.

"Yes, and so are you." I looked at the cut on his temple, still slowly dripping blood. "It was bound to happen, though. I would be shocked if either one of us had made it out unscathed."

"You're alive and that's really all I can ask for," Neville said quietly.

I nodded. "Yes, me too."

Neville looked down at my hand. "It looks like my mother's wedding ring made it through okay. Now that I think about it, it might have been a better idea to have put it back in the box until this was over."

"No, I'm glad you didn't. I've enjoyed wearing it. Anyway, I put a protective spell around it so that it wouldn't get damaged. That was the last thing I wanted since it's such a beautiful ring. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if it had gotten ruined."

Neville smiled and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me in for a kiss. "You think of everything."

"Not everything, but a lot," I said with a small smile.

Neville smiled, but his expression became serious as he saw something over my shoulder. I turned and saw what he was looking at. Death Eaters were coming back out of the forest, but they weren't charging at the castle as if they were going to attack. Instead, they were walking slowly, Voldemort in the front and Hagrid to his left.

"Hagrid has something in his arms," I said quietly. "Do you think it's-?"

Before I could even finish my question, it was answered for me when Voldemort magically magnified his voice for the third time that night. "Harry Potter is dead! He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone. The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

I tightened my grip on Neville's hand. It was over. Harry was dead and we had lost. I felt like a liar. I had spent months and months telling Neville that we would win and that everything would be okay and now it hadn't happened. I had let him down. Besides that, one of my closest friends was dead and Voldemort was still alive. Everything was going wrong and even I couldn't think of a positive aspect of any of it.