reynaramirez56- Thank you so much... I hope you enjoy this chapter... ;)

We stood, our great masses condemning the blank space that Snape had ruled. Plans were exchanged, to fight or to flee the deadly terror this space would soon become because He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was coming and now we would have to fight in the ending battle. The end. The end.

Neville stood strong, finally resting safe because Harry had returned. He needn't fear or lead anymore. I stood next to Susan, our hands gripping white and tense, terrified that we would be killed in this next second, and as I glanced over at him, I saw and caught his stare in my open palms. He was watching for me. We would be through this together, I knew.

Separation and fear ran through our numbers, and I ended up leaving that great silence with a small group going up to Ravenclaw tower to shoot spells down. I was lucky, I knew. Many would be going out into the darkness where spells flew thicker than words and any one could catch you on the back of the head. Susan, however, I knew was spared from this fate and instead ran to the secret passageways to block enemies from breaching the castle that way. But many of the others I had grown to know would be heading in that direction.

I tried to remember what Neville had said only days before as we walked up in spiraling circles, my heart hammering louder than my footsteps on the cool stone. I had to be brave, that was what I had to do. Brave, brave, brave.

Parvati slid back and took my hand as we continued up to the cavernous rooms. Looking down on the grounds was like seeing a map of slightly jarring glow sticks. Spells shot everywhere we could see, and the shadows rippled across the lake and squadrants of wizards falling and tearing across the maze of flashing lights. I was terrified up in the tower and couldn't imagine Neville somewhere out there, dodging evil spells, and maybe thinking that each second might bring death. I closed my eyes for a moment, and then lined up with the others to help aide them.

I'm helping. I told myself to stop feeling guilty at the lot I picked. If I convinced myself that the only way to ensure that Neville lived was to do everything I could to fight off the Death Eaters, I could lose the fear. And in that way I lost most of everything for a long time. Fighting became a ritual of concentrating on the spell on my mind, sending the pretty light off into the darkness.

Finally, You-Know-Who's voice echoed off the walls where we were, and we were to scurry off to the main hall again, but then I heard a noise and ran off another corridor to look for the source.

Susan was sitting, looking quite relaxed leaning against the green wall. She smiled as I walked past her. A bit of a smirk, looking the way she usually did.

I frowned at her.

"What are you doing?"

"Well you know it's difficult walking and fighting when you can't move your feet ."

I gaped at her and then immediately rushed to her side. As we hobbled toward the great hall, she told me I was a prat several times until I realized that she was in more pain than she was letting on.

And after I kissed her on the forehead and left her in one of the clean white beds, I figured that that was the reason for the things that she had said.

As I walked toward the hall, she had looked at me, and said very plainly, "You have to tell him, Han. Right now. Right now. Right now."

I closed my eyes as I left her, thinking heavily on what she said. What if he was already dead? What if he was dying somewhere on the grounds? The idea of Neville somewhere, left with no hope but to see my face…. But I was off topic as I plodded deeper into the mess that was the decay of the defense.

So many dead, I couldn't help thinking, my body shutting down. So it was only a moment before I left again, cutting through the entrance hall and into another chamber where nothing greeted me but moonlight.

I was stuck in a never ending loop of tears and fear at the shadows on the wall. I realized I was screaming a moment after I had started, and then realized that I had stopped several moments later. I covered my ears and lay on the floor, keeping my eyes shut tight.

So it was a surprise when my hands were softly touched, held almost. A soft finger sipped between it and my face, and then pulled it away.

"Hannah, are you alright?"

My eyes still shut tight, I rolled over onto my back and felt the tears slipping out of my cheeks and mingling with the moonlight stuck there. And then there was a hand there as well, wiping the muddled mess of me off and underneath, I felt cleansed.

I felt strong arms slip around me and then I was sitting against the wall, leaning against the cold stone, feeling it pushing up against the bottom of my robes. And opened my eyes to see his closer than I expected. They stared at me, comforting, worried.

He rubbed the warmth back into my fingers, moving his hands in a warm massage and then settled down next to me, his hands still making out comforting circles on my cold palms.

He turned his head to look at me and I turned my head to look at him; to take in that he wasn't dead, but very much warm right there in front of me. His hair a little mussed. His eyes a little tired. His face a little pockmarked. He raised his chin and kissed me on the forehead.

I looked at him for a moment more, still hoping that he wasn't an illusion.

"I'm sorry. I know I should be doing something else. I'm just... inexperienced; I don't really know..." He looked down.

"I know." I smiled; a herculean effort and he glanced up. "That's why I like you so much."

And I leaned in first, without fear for the first time. His lips were warm against my chattering ones. He smiled, giving me leeway to curl against him. And there I lay, hearing his heart thudding next to mine.