Just a reminder: I do not own anything that has to do with Harry Potter. I only own my original characters and the original aspects of the story line.

(Day of the Battle: Part 3)

Emolly was curled into a ball on the floor under the lone window in the old astronomy tower. She was holding her hands over her ears, begging Voldemort to stop talking. She wanted him to stop controlling her mind!

"STOP! STOP YOU EVIL BASTARD! STOP!"

Finally his little speech was over and the witch could breathe again. She looked out the window again. It was now dawn and the sun was peaking over the horizon, giving the school's grounds a new light. The battle had gone all through the night and into the early morning. Emolly looked down towards the courtyard. There were lifeless bodies everywhere. Most of them looked like death eaters, wearing all black clothing and masks, and it looked as if anyone who was fighting against the Dark Lord that had been killed was taken away respectfully, like Voldemort had ordered them to do. She peered down. It was an absolute wreck. The school was completely destroyed, to say the least. There were bits and chunks of molding, bricks, and stone everywhere. Most of the pillars were knocked down or completely gone and the courtyard was barely recognizable. Based on the calm that had settled upon the castle, Emolly figured that the fighting was finally over. After listening to people scream, cry, and fight for hours, she prayed it was over. How much more could this place take? How much more could these people take? It was silent now and the blonde couldn't hear anything accept for the morning birds chirping. This had to be the end; it just had to be. But where was Dean? Dean promised her that he would come get her once it was over. Was he…?

A cold shiver ran through her spine. Was he dead? She shook her head as the tears quickly formed in her eyes. He said he would get her if he were alive. He said he would come! She looked back out the window. Still silent; still bare. Dean had told her that if he didn't come for her, to just get out when the noise stopped. It was quiet all right. She looked back at the gigantic barricade that she had created. With tears streaming down her cheeks, she began to tear down her masterpiece. In a matter of moments she would be able to break free from the room and see the damage for herself. She was just praying that Dean had forgotten about her or something like that. At the same time, if he really did forget about her, well, that hurt. She quickly whipped away the newest batch of tears before continuing. She had no idea what was on the other side of that door.

o.O.o

Dean, Neville, and Seamus met up right outside of the Great Hall to talk about what had happened so far and what to do next. Seamus shoved his hands in his pockets. Everyone knew it by now. Lavender was attacked by Fenrir Greyback. She was close to near death when Hermione blasted him into oblivion and helped the Gryffindor. Neville looked at his friend.

"Any word on Lavender?"

"Yeah. Madame Pomfrey said that she'll live, thanks to Hermione, but she is in a lot of pain right now. The change is happening as we speak."

"Is she going to be a full werewolf?"

"No, not like Greyback at least. Pomfrey said that she'll be like Lupin given that she takes the proper medicine every morning. She'll be 'normal' during the day and whatnot but it's the changes that are going to be bloody awful."

"That's rough mate. I'm sorry."

"I am too. She doesn't deserve this."

Neville swung his arm out and motioned towards the Great Hall. "Do you think anyone in their deserved that they got?"

"Of course not."

Dean patted him on the back. "You gonna stay with her?"

"You bet your ass I am. Werewolf or not, I love that girl. I promised her that if we both made it out alive that we would be together. I'm not about to break that promise because she's got a few scares and has a couple of bad nights every full moon."

Neville looked at his friend, "We're not done with all this yet though. I've got a feeling that we're going to be fighting again."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. The Dark Lord isn't done yet. No way."

"Well it's somewhat of a small miracle that we all made it through the first part, at least."

"Bloody lucky is what it is."

Dean looked back into the Great Hall to see the amount of people that weren't as lucky as the three of them. "It's a shame about Fred, Lupin, and Tonks."

"Terrible shame. Did you see that Susan Bones died too?"

"Yeah. I never thought I would see her like that in my life. Same with Romilda Vane. She was a fellow Gryffindor too."

The three wizards were silent for a moment, lost in their thoughts. They never thought that they would see any one of their classmates dead at such a young age. They could have done so much for the wizarding world. They could have grown up to be high officials at the Ministry, Quidditch World Cup winners, future Hogwarts professors, or top notch Aurors. It was just such a shame. Neville turned to Dean.

"Didn't you say that Emolly hid away somewhere?"

"Yeah. I told her that I would come get her once the fighting was over but I'm not going to get her just yet. If what you say is true, and we do end up fighting more, I want her to stay exactly where she is."

Aubrielle came walking over to the trio and wrapped her arms around Neville's waist. Her eyes were bloodshot and tired and her cheeks were white and blotchy from crying. She just wanted her boyfriend at this moment in time. The boys all nodded respectfully to her and Neville took his arm and draped it over her shoulders, kissing her on the forehead. Dean looked at the Ravenclaw with genuine sincerity in his eyes.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your mum Aubrielle."

"Thank you Dean. That means a lot."

"I'm sorry too Aubrielle. No one deserves that."

"Thanks Seamus. Sorry to hear about Lav. She'll be okay, won't she?"

"Yeah. She's a tough girl; she'll make it through."

Just than Madame Pomfrey came scuttling over to the seventh years. She went right over to Seamus.

"Ms. Brown is finally in her own mind again and calling for you dear."

"Yes ma'am." He turned to his friends, "if I don't see you guys again before the battle starts up, best of luck to you."

"You too mate."

They all exchanged quick handshakes before Seamus went off towards the hospital wing. They stood there for a while, just enjoying each other's company. Pretty soon, however, another person came and distracted them.

"DEAN!"

The Gryffindor looked up to see Emolly bounding towards him with tears coming down her face.

"EMOLLY!"

She jumped right into his arms and wrapped her lean legs around his waist.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you still in the room?"

"You said to come down when the noise died down." He set her down and thumbed away her tears. "You said you would come get me and when you didn't come I…I thought you were dead. You should have come and gotten me-"

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry." He wrapped his arms around her again and brought her into his chest.

"Why didn't you come get me? I was so worried. I was about to have a mental breakdown Dean."

He took his arms away and looked into her amber pools. "I didn't come get you because…well, I don't think this is over yet."

"You think there's gonna be more fighting still?"

"Yeah, I really do. Voldemort's not done yet. I want you to go back to the room Em-"

"NO! Please don't send me back there! I did magic Dean! I had to! The door was looked when I got there so I had to unlock it magically. And when I was stacking the desks! They got too heavy so I had to levitate them! Trust me Dean, I'm fine! I was doing magic and my body was perfectly fine! If Voldemort wants to fight again, than I want to be by your side!"

Dean looked at her hard. He just didn't want her to get hurt or worse, die. He could see the hope in her eyes though. She wasn't going back in that room. No way in Hell.

"Fine." Emolly started jumping up and down. "BUT, the second that the magic starts hurting you…you run and hide. You got that?"

"But-"

"EMOLLY."

"Fine! Fine. The moment that I feel pain I will hide."

"Thank you."

He brought her back to him and met her lips with his. They embraced passionately and after a while, when it was clear that they weren't stopping any time soon, Neville took Aubrielle by her hand and away from the snogging couple. The Ravenclaw giggled.

"Those two could snog through this entire war and not realize that it even happened in the first place."

Neville cracked up because it was all two true. Those two got lost in each other constantly. He intertwined his fingers with his girlfriend's and took her out towards the courtyard. Most of the bodies had been cleared away but the amount of damage that had been done was insane. The school would never be the same again.

"How is Nielah holding up?"

"She's a little bit better now. She's more accepting of it, I guess. It's going to be hard though. I have no idea how the two of us are going to keep the house."

"What about grandparents or any other relatives?"

"Well my dad's side of the family completely cut us off so that's out of the question. My mom's parents died in the first wizarding war and she was an only child. It's just me and Nie…"

She trailed off, realizing the terrible situation that she was in. She was going to have to the provider for the both of them. Nielah would need to finish up her schooling, that wasn't even a question, so Aubrielle would have to pay for everything. That, and whatever money her mother left behind. She stared down at the ground as she felt the hotness of tears. She didn't want to cry again. She thought she was done for the day. Neville squeezed her hand.

"It'll be okay Aubs. Really. You and Nielah can come live with my grandmother and me. You know how much she adores you."

The Ravenclaw whipped her head up, "Really?"

Neville bent down and kissed on her temple. "Of course."

They continued to walk around; kicking chunks of debris every once in a while. They were picking up big things, like brooms or books, and throwing them aside. Neville bent down to pick up what looked like a jacket but realized that it was something else entirely. He stopped short, much to Aubrielle's concern.

"Neville? What is it?"

"It's…the sorting hat."

He picked up the raggedy brown hat and patted the dust off of it. The sorting hat was a symbol of Hogwarts. It had personally placed him in a house that he didn't think he belonged in. A house that he had to grow into. He turned it over and went to dust off the brim when something caught his eye. He opened up the hat and peered into it. There was no way that his eyes were deceiving him. Was that…?

"N-Neville."

Aubrielle started tugging on his shirtsleeve. Something had spooked her.

"What?"

"Is that-"

"Bloody Hell."

Neville looked up to see Voldemort walking towards the courtyard with his army of death eaters behind him. What frightened him the most was seeing Hagrid walking with him…and carrying a body. In Neville's mind, that could only mean one thing.

"Neville, who is that Hagrid's carrying? Who is that?"

Ginny came running out of the castle and met up with her best friend.

"Neville?"

"HARRY POTTER IS DEAD!"

"NOOOOOO!"

"SILENCE YOU STUPID GIRL!"

Ginny went running out towards Voldemort with her wand drawn but Neville quickly grabbed her and threw her back.

"GINNY! Stop it. Stop! Do you want to go and get yourself killed?"

It wasn't even about Harry at that moment in time to Neville. It was about keeping his friend alive, and she was acting out of rage at the moment, not smarts. She squirmed in his arms but stopped when her father came over and grabbed her. Voldemort was obviously basking in his victory, because he kept going.

"Yes! Harry Potter is dead! HA! From this day fourth, you put your faith… in me! HARRY POTTER IS DEAD! And now is the time to declare yourself! Come foreword and join us…or die!"

Neville turned back to Aubrielle. She looked absolutely petrified. He looked behind him to see that everyone that was inside the castle was now outside and in the courtyard. Everyone had a look of devastation painted on their faces. Without Harry, well, they might as well surrender. Neville looked back inside the hat. The thing that had caught his eye before was still there. This wasn't over yet. Not on his watch. He slowly walked foreword towards the Dark Lord, to everyone's surprise. He heard the collective gasp as they saw him walk away from the school and towards the death eaters. He heard Aubrielle whisper his name, but he knew what he was doing. She just had to trust him.

"Well I must say, I had hoped for better. And who might you be, young man?"

"Neville Longbottom."

Bellatrix's cackling laugh rang throughout the courtyard. Obviously she found it enjoyable that she had tortured his parents and now would have him as her slave.

Voldemort grinned wickedly at her before turning back to the seventh year.

"I'm sure we can-"

"I'd like to say something first!" There was an eerie pause and he took it as his cue to continue. "It doesn't matter that Harry's gone. People die everyday! Friends, family… Yeah, we lost Harry tonight. But he's still with us! So is Fred, Remus, and Tonks…all of them. They didn't die in vain! BUT YOU WILL! Because you're wrong! Harry's heart did beat for us! For all of us!"

Voldemort seemed to have ignored the fact that Neville was threatening his life, but he instead saw the outspoken Gryffindor as a ballsy and brave man. Perfect for his ranks.

"Well Neville, you show spirit and bravery, and you come of noble stock. You will make a very valuable death eater. We need your kind, Neville Longbottom."

Neville reached his hand inside of the sorting hat and gripped on to what was within. He wasn't done yet.

"I'LL JOIN YOU WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER!" He quickly pulled out the sword of Gryffindor. "DUMBLEDORE'S ARMY!"

Two things happened at that spit second in time. One: Neville got blasted back onto his arse, and two: Harry fell out of Hagrid's arms, fired a spell at Voldemort, and then ran back into the castle. Neville's head was reeling as everything happened so quickly. Harry was alive! That was certainly surprising, to say the least. Almost immediately the fighting broke out again and the courtyard was filled with the sounds of war once again. Neville's ears were ringing terribly when Aubrielle came over to his aid.

"Neville! Neville get up! Please babe! Please! NEVILLE!"

"My ears…ringing…"

"GET UP!"

He could see the panic in her eyes and see her mouthing the words. Get up, right. He slowly stood to his feet and felt his girlfriend tugging at him. She was desperately trying to get him back into the castle and away from the action. He was too confused and muddled to fight at the moment. Aubrielle pretty much dragged the wizard inside and flung him behind a staircase. Now she just looked furious.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT BACK THERE? YOU COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!"

"But I wasn't!"

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT! Neville!" She got real close to his face and clenched his shirt with her hands. "You and Nielah. You're the only ones I have left. I can't lose you."

He dropped the sword and grabbed her face before bringing it to his. They smashed lips together and that was all that existed at that point in time. It was just them. Just the two of them and nothing else. He slowly pulled away from her but still kept her body flush to his.

"I will not leave you. You understand me? And you're not done fighting yet either. Stay strong Aubrielle. Do this for your mother."

As soon as he said the last sentence, something in Aubrielle's face changed. She wasn't panicky anymore and she wasn't scared. She was now determined and calm. She nodded her head and kissed him one more time before running off and joining the fight. The wizard bent down and picked the sword up. Why the Hell would the hat present this to him? What was he suppose to do with it? Wasn't his wand and magic good enough? He held the sword to his face and observed the markings. Yep, this was definitely the sword of Gryffindor. He came out from behind the staircase to see Ron and Hermione running towards him.

"NEVILLE! Use the sword!"

"For what?"

"THE SNAKE! KILL THE SNAKE!"

"Voldemort's snake?"

"Yes! IT NEEDS TO DIE! KILL THE SNAKE!"

"Bloody Hell."

The snake! Really? Not only was the thing huge and terrifying, but it was always by the Dark Lord's side. In order for Neville to get close to the snake, he had to get close to Voldemort. Either that, or he would have to lure it away from its master. Neville set out towards the center of the castle.

Kill the snake.

Kill the snake.

"Kill the snake."