No one told you that when the war ended, life still went on.
Neville sat beside Luna in the Great Hall, the sword of Gryffindor held loosely in his hand as he looked around the room. His eyes occasionally settled on his gran as she helped Poppy and the other healers from St Mungo's treat the survivors. He had always thought that, while scary, she was old. Yet, when she too came through to help with the resistance with such a fierceness that it made him proud he was her grandson.
"I always thought you were lucky. I've never seen the nargles flying around you before." Luna's soft voice had him once more turning his attention from his gran.
"Nargles?" he asked, not sure if she had been hurt and was only now showing signs of some sort of spell damage.
"Yes nargles. I've seen them around Harry quite often. They like to live around busy minds." she smiled before resting her head against his arm before closing her eyes.
Leaving her to her thoughts he searched the hall for faces he knew. Seamus's face scorched with some green salve splattered over his face and arm, the Patil sisters sitting bride Professor Trelawney seeking refuge as their friend lay still on the stretcher in front of them. The Weasley family surrounding Fred's still form.
Professor Lupin's unmoving hand outstretched towards who he now knew as his wife's hand; their pinky fingers barely touching.
Finally his eyes set on his gran's face once more. She too had been scanning the room looking at the aftermath of what had occurred in these last few hours. Her face now showed her age, her experience and her relief that they had survived.
"Come on, let's go over there. I'm sure the nargles will leave once you've set your mind to rest." Luna shifted before standing, picking up the sorting hat and offering her hand to him.
He couldn't help but smile at her sweet offering. No doubt if he truly did allow her to take his weight she would fall instead of pulling him up. Taking hold he hefted himself up as she gently pulled, the smile growing bigger as she softly giggled at their childish action before they started talking.
"Where did you get that?" he asked, nodding towards the hat in her hand.
"It found me. I tripped over it when I came into the hall after…," she paused as her eyes shifted from here to being lost in the memories none would forget. "I think he wants to be returned to his waiting place in the headmaster's office."
"He? Why he?" he asked, curious about her thoughts.
"Why? Because he was once resting on the head of Godric Gryffindor." her matter-of-fact attitude stopping any and all questions that may have formed.
"What do you plan to do with that Mr. Longbottom?" Professor McGonagall's voice suddenly stopped them as he stood only meters away from his destination.
Standing before him stood his head of house, and who he could only assume would be the headmistress once everything was sorted. Covered in dust and debris, with scratches on her face while her wand hand had been roughly bandaged.
"Professor?" he asked as his gran walked over to join them.
"You hold in your hand the sword of Gryffindor. Only yourself and Mr. Potter has been able to call that sword from the hat in as many years as I have been a professor in this school. While Mr. Potter offered the sword to Professor Dumbledore, it is up to you now where it should rest." she stated, her eyes flicking between his face and the sword he still held.
"He did?" as he too looked down towards the sword in question.
"Indeed, in your second year."
As Neville stood there his mind traveled back to his second year. A year where he was still quiet and often forgotten by his housemates. He remembered the blood written on the walls, the fear that many thought Harry had been the heir after his Parslmouth became known. Even then he knew that Harry hadn't been the one to unleash whatever it was that was hurting everyone.
"The Basilisk." his grandmother murmured.
He wanted to both toss the sword into the Black Lake and scrub himself clean, while at the same time feeling strong that he was able to pull this sword when it was needed.
"I don't want to keep it," he turned towards the three women around him. Each one smiling as he stood there thinking. "Is there any way we can put it in the Gryffindor tower, somewhere everyone can see yet it can't be summoned by anyone just for fun. I think it should be there as a reminder."
"A reminder?" his gran asked as she looked up to him.
"Yeah, sometimes bravery isn't just an action, it's more than that." he returned her stare, only just realizing how much taller than she he was.
"I think, Mr. Longbottom, that is a splendid idea." Professor McGonagall smiled as she led them towards the stairs and up towards the Gryffindor tower.
He felt the slightest of resistance after taking that first step, his hand still holding onto Luna's hand.
"You coming?" he asked as she looked up to him, her eyes bouncing from his to the stairs.
"I'm not a Gryffindor." she sighed as she started to let go of his hand.
Instead of letting go he held on stronger, before pulling her softly towards where they were headed.
"I think we're all a little bit of Gryffindor. Of Ravenclaw. Of Hufflepuff. Of Slytherin." He smiled as she started to walk with him.
"I think I like that idea." Luna's soft dreamlike voice whispered as they followed their elders.