Chapter 4: Augusta: I'll meet you on the other side
A/N: Now its Augusta Longbottom. JKR said that she had survived the Battle but this is a fic where she has died in it. Some touchy-feely Neville/Augusta moments
Augusta Longbottom ran up the stairs created by the mysterious Room of Requirement to the upper levels. Thoughts coursed through her mind wildly, flashing image after horrifying image. Where was Neville? Was he alright?She shook her head from side to side, a few strands of her graying hair falling freely from her neat bun. It would not bode well to dwell on such thoughts during a battle.
She came out onto the second floor. In one of Neville's various heroic letters, he had explained the room's oddity of dumping in you on various levels. Masses of people rushed past her going in both directions. The sound of a shriek alerted Augusta to the right and she saw Minerva running up the revolving stairs, an army of desks following their estranged leader.
Turning back, Augusta saw a large group of students lead by a red-haired man with a ponytail and gold earring, heading in the opposite direction to the Great Hall. Joining their group, Augusta sprinted to keep up with their younger legs. War was no place for an aging lady, but she wouldn't stay home and leave her boy here by himself.
Reaching the doors to the Entrance Hall, Augusta's eyes widen considerably. The doors looked blasted open, charred marks spotted it, caused by stray spells. Other nasty coloured spells were spewing into the hallway and the students all dodged them, growing closer to the danger. Tons of people continued to rush into the already packed room. Cloaked and uniformed figures danced about the glittering lights, skitting around like agitated wasps.
Sneaking into the danger zone, Augusta ran along the edges, stunning the few Death Eaters that were too caught up in their own battles to notice her. She only had one objective: Get to Neville.
After the unfortunate things that happened to her dear Frank and Alice, Augusta had taken to Neville. Ashamedly, she too wasn't sure whether he was magical or not but she had great faith in him. Then he went to Hogwarts. She was so proud. So what if he was one of the worst there? He was there wasn't he? Every summer she helped him as much as she could, fitting in as many visits to St. Mungos as Neville wanted. And she knew, no matter what, whether he was a squib or not, Augusta would love him as her own, not just because of what happened to her own son, but because she loved him, from the day he was born, but she had never told him that. She would never forgive herself if she couldn't get the message across.
Then she saw him, gashes on his face, blood flowing freely from a wound on his neck, battling Goyle Snr. Coming up slowly behind the large man, Augusta sent a stunner at his neck back, hitting the top of his spinal cord. Remembering the important parts of her Auror training from way back, she knew that he would be lucky if he even woke up paralyzed.
Neville looked at her from above the large turd of a man lying face-down on the ground. A little redness rose to his face as he rushed to her. She pulled him into a lingering embrace, the battles around them fading out as they held in each other, maybe for the last time.
Kissing the top of his head, she started, "Neville, look at all these injuries! I knew Hogwarts was going to pot but I didn't think it was this bad." She traced her fingers over them, Neville flinching each time.
"Gran, it's fine," he said, moving away her hand, in a reassuring tone but it didn't help.
Stonily, she added, gazing at the surroundings, "I figured you guys needed the help of another former Auror. Guess I was right."
"Good to have you Gran," he joked, clapping her on the back like a sergeant to a soldier.
Stumbling slightly from the harshness the contact of the hand made on her back, she scolded, "Although I'm here, that doesn't mean my old bones can take that much of a beating Neville, dear."
"Sorry," Neville said, soothingly, rubbing the offended spot.
"Neville," Augusta said, taking his hands and looking into his eyes, "this is a war. No one knows who will come out this, alive or dead. We just have to know that we will fight for all, hoping that we'll all be here together again, counting on the others to join their ranks victoriously. Have no regrets and no drawbacks. We'll go in head on and I'll meet you on the other side."
"Yes Gran," he hugged her again, turning to run back into the confusion.
"And…" she added, grabbing his wrist before he was gone again, "as I told you, I have the will of a 20 year old but the body of one who's 60. In case I don't come out for the best, know that I love you Neville. I loved your father from since he was born, I loved Alice from the day I met her and I loved you just the same. You were so much like Frank, but at the same time you were different. I could tell from the first time I looked at you. You were destined for great things and although, at first it may not have seemed so, look where we are now," she gestured to the battle between Remus and Dolohov. "You have done something great Neville and I am so proud." She pulled him in for another hug. She murmured into his ear, "I love you Neviile. Promise me at least that you'll make it out in one piece."
"Gran?" Tears leaked out of the corners of Neville's eyes unwillingly. He made no move to get them off, feeling the warmth of his last family member. "I love you too and don't talk like that. You'll be with me too at the end, laughing and cursing the stupidity of the other Death Eaters that got caught."
"I'll try my hardest to make that reality come true. For you and only you Neville." She touched his nose, a kind of tradition she always had with Neville, ever since he was a few days old.
Smiling at the memory, he said, "Let's go out there and give it our best." They both drew their wands and ran out into the dark mass of bodies in different directions.
She ran from battle to battle, helping out those that were in need, stunning other Death Eaters until a cold, shrieking voice called out, "Longbottom! No time no see!"
Augusta wheeled to face the maniacal woman that had made the Longbottoms such a broken family. Bellatrix Lestrange grinned maliciously, her dark eyes gleaming with the excessive pleasure she felt from the despair oozing from the surrounding bodies. A cold laughed emitted from the gaping hole in her head she called a mouth.
"Ohh its Grandmum Longbottom. How's dear Frank and Alice? Still in the loony bin I see."
Enraged, Augusta sent a cutting hex at the woman, but she quickly sidestepped and shouted, "Crucio!"
Pain racked Augusta's weak frame, Bellatrix grinning over her writhing body, practically feeding from the elder lady like a dementor. Holding the spell, she said, "Should I break you like I did your son? It would be the be the perfect end to this most interesting tragedy."
Augusta rolled onto her back and stared into the woman's eyes. They were like deep abysses, only a faint glint of utter delight sparkling them. Inconspicuously, as Bellatrix stared into Augusta's fading eyes, Augusta pointed her wand at the woman and shot a spell at the woman in a slashing motion.
A bleeding gash appeared on the dark woman, as she stumbled back, clutching her face in pain. While Bellatrix recoiled, Augusta took a few breaths on the floor, before she sprung up to look at her opponent, who seemed to overcome her initial shock.
Rage was written as clearly as the slash that ran from the woman's eyebrow down to her cheek as Bellatrix stared back. Augusta knew she would not come out of this alive now, but she had done her part and made it much easier for the next person to take her down.
In a fury of dark against light, hex against curse, they drove at each other: Bellatrix's vehemence against Augusta's skill and determination. They were easily matched, waging against each other until Bellatrix aimed a curse at Augusta's feet, sweeping them from under her.
Towering over the elder woman, cornered by the floor below, Bellatrix cackled, "You have just decided your fate Grandmum. I was gonna have some fun but you have just helped me change my mind. Don't worry, I'll have my fun with little Neville."
Augusta raised her wand in defiance but Bellatrix was too quick. As everyone had said, there were those fatal words, that blinding green light that seemed to engulf your entire being and then rushing darkness. Augusta's last thought was, I'll meet you on the other side, Neville.