Shadows in the Vault - Neville's POV

The dungeons were darker than the rest of the castle, their air thick with the smell of damp stone and mildew. The walls seemed to press in on them, the silence oppressive. Neville raised his wand, casting a soft, blue-white glow that barely penetrated the gloom.

"Stay close," he whispered, his voice barely more than a breath. "And keep your wand ready."

Hannah nodded, her expression tight with concentration. They moved slowly, their senses on high alert. Every creak of the floorboards, every flicker of shadow made them jump. But they pressed on, deeper into the labyrinthine corridors of the dungeons.

Suddenly, they heard it—a low, guttural voice, muttering in the darkness.

Neville froze, his heart hammering in his chest. Slowly, he edged forward, pressing himself against the cold stone wall. Peering around the corner, he saw them: Amycus and Alecto Carrow, their twisted faces illuminated by the sickly green glow of their wands. They were hunched over something—a large, ornate door set into the wall, its surface covered in strange, writhing runes.

"This is it," Alecto hissed, her voice a harsh whisper. "This is what he wanted. The entrance to the vault."

Neville's breath caught. A vault… Could it be?

"Shut up," Amycus snarled. "Do you want to wake the whole bloody castle? Just open it. We don't have much time."

Alecto raised her wand, murmuring an incantation. The runes on the door glowed brighter, pulsing with an eerie light. Slowly, the door began to creak open, revealing a narrow passageway beyond.

Neville's mind was racing. Whatever was behind that door, it was important—important enough for the Carrows to risk sneaking around the castle at night. And if it was connected to Voldemort… it could be a Horcrux.

He glanced at Hannah, who nodded grimly.

"We have to stop them," she mouthed.

Neville nodded, his grip tightening on his wand. They had no idea what lay beyond that door, or what they were up against. But they couldn't let the Carrows find it.

Taking a deep breath, Neville stepped forward, his wand raised.

"Stupefy!" he shouted.

The spell hit Amycus square in the back, sending him sprawling to the ground. Alecto whirled around, her face twisted with rage.

"You!" she shrieked, raising her wand.

But Neville was faster. "Expelliarmus!"

Alecto's wand flew out of her hand, clattering to the floor. For a moment, she just stared at him, her eyes wide with shock.

Then she lunged.

Hannah was there in an instant, her wand slashing through the air. "Petrificus Totalus!"

Alecto froze mid-stride, her body stiff as a board. She toppled over, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Neville stared down at the two stunned Death Eaters, his heart pounding. They'd done it. They'd stopped them. But now…

He turned to the open door, the passageway yawning dark and forbidding before them.

"Come on," he whispered, his voice trembling slightly. "Let's see what they were trying to find."

And with that, they stepped through the doorway, into the unknown.

—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—•••—

The narrow passage twisted and turned, its walls damp and slick with moisture. Every step felt like a step deeper into the abyss. The air grew colder, and a faint, almost imperceptible humming filled the silence, reverberating through the stone like a malevolent presence. Neville and Hannah moved forward, wands raised, their expressions tense and determined.

"Whatever's down here," Neville murmured, glancing back at Hannah, "it's something dark. Be ready."

They emerged into a wide, circular chamber. The walls were covered in ancient, winding runes, glowing faintly in the dim light. In the center of the room stood a massive stone pedestal, and resting on it—a small, delicate tiara. The diadem of Ravenclaw.

Neville's breath caught. There it was. One of the last Horcruxes.

But the moment he stepped forward, the air crackled with energy. The runes flared brighter, the chamber filling with a blinding, sinister light. And then, with a soft, echoing crack, a figure appeared in the center of the room.

"Neville Longbottom," Rodolphus Lestrange purred, his smile sharp and cruel. His black robes billowed around him as he raised her wand, eyes gleaming with a terrible, manic light.

"Lestrange," Neville growled, his wand snapping up. Hannah took a step closer, her jaw set, her wand trembling slightly.

But Rodolphus just laughed—a wild sound that echoed off the stone walls. "And who's this? Another little blood traitor?" he flicked his wand and a jet of red light shot toward Hannah.

"Protego!" Hannah cried, throwing up a shield just in time. The spell ricocheted off, slamming into the wall with a deafening crack.

"Nice try," the death eater cooed, smile widening. "But it's useless. You're children, playing at war. And now… now you die."

Neville didn't hesitate. "Stupefy!" he roared, firing a stunning spell straight at her chest.

But Rodolphus was already moving, his form blurring as he spun away, wand dancing in intricate, deadly patterns. "Crucio!"

The curse struck Neville square in the chest, and he collapsed with a strangled cry, agony ripping through him. His limbs twitched uncontrollably, and his vision blurring. But he grits his teeth, forcing himself to focus. "Neville!" Hannah screamed, lunging forward. She fired spell after spell, but Rodolphus deflected them with casual ease.

"Aw, does the little girl want to play hero?" Lestrange taunted, voice dripping with mockery. "How sweet. How very… foolish."

With a flick of his wrist, Rodolphus sent a jet of purple light hurtling towards Hannah. She tried to dodge, but it struck her shoulder, knocking her back with a gasp of pain.

"No!" Neville shouted, pushing himself up. His body screamed in protest, the lingering effects of the Cruciatus Curse making every movement torture. But he didn't care. He couldn't care. He raised his wand, aiming it straight at the man's chest.

"Reducto!"

The spell exploded from his wand, a fierce, blue-white bolt of energy. Rodolphus' eyes widened, but at the last second, he twisted, the spell grazing his arm instead of striking her full-on. He staggered, his expression darkening with fury.

"You insolent—Avada Kedavra!"

The green light erupted from her wand, blinding and deadly. Neville didn't have time to react, didn't have time to move. All he could do was watch as the curse shot towards him, unstoppable, inevitable.

And then Hannah was there, throwing herself between them.

The curse hit her in the chest, and she crumpled instantly, her body collapsing to the floor in a lifeless heap.

"No!" Neville screamed, his voice breaking. He fell to his knees beside her, his heart-shattering. "Hannah, no… No, please…"

But there was no response. Her eyes stared sightlessly up at the ceiling, her face pale and still.

Bellatrix's laugh rang out, sharp and vicious. "How touching," she sneered. "But it's too late, Longbottom. She's gone. Just like your parents. What? You didn't think I would remember the pair of them. By the time we were through with them, they were absolutely pathetic, they looked just like the scum of the earth I knew they were."

Neville looked up at the man, his eyes blazing with a fury so intense it seemed to burn. Slowly, he rose to his feet, his wand steady in his trembling hand.

"You," he snarled, his voice low and dangerous. "You're going to pay for this."

Rodolphus' smile faltered. "What—"

"Diffindo!" Neville roared, slashing his wand through the air.

The severing charm shot towards her, too fast to dodge. It caught him across the arm, a deep, vicious gash opening up. Rodolphus screamed out a curse, stumbling back, blood dripping down his sleeve.

"You'll pay," Neville whispered, his voice shaking. "You'll pay for every life you've destroyed. Every person you've hurt. I swear it."

But the death eater just sneered, his face contorted with pain and rage. "You think you can kill me, boy? You? You're nothing. Less than nothing."

And then he lunged.

The chamber erupted into chaos. Spells flew, the walls shaking with the force of their magic. Neville ducked and dodged, his wand flashing, his heart pounding in his chest. He couldn't think. He couldn't breathe. All he could see was Hannah's lifeless body, lying on the cold, hard floor.

"Crucio!" Rodolphus screamed.

Neville threw himself aside, the curse missing him by inches. He scrambled to his feet, his vision blurring. He had to keep fighting. He had to stop him. For Hannah. For his parents.

But Rodolphus was too fast, too strong. With a furious snarl, he swung his wand in a vicious arc.

A curse hit Neville across the chest, a searing line of pain erupting through him. He gasped, staggering, blood pouring from the deep, ragged gashes. His wand slipped from his fingers, clattering to the floor. He expected the curse to stop with the deep gash but Rodolphus cast a wordless spell and Neville found himself Hanging from his wrists. He felt a sharp pain at the soles of his feet. It was as though a knife had run right across it in a sharp motion. He could barely move but attempted to lower his head to see what was happening. He looked down and sure enough, a chunk of flesh from his foot had been sliced off, blood was gushing out, less than 5 seconds later he felt another slice. He was now screaming, sobbing, and writhing where he hung from his wrists. Rodolphus cast a "Vulnera Sanentur". The wound was painfully being sewn together as he felt the sharp stab of a needle knitting his flesh back together another sharp slice cut through his foot across the ankle. Neville screamed in agony. The curse was slicing him apart, bit by bit. He sighed in relief, at least the chest wound had been stitched. But then Rodolphus cast the same skin-splitting curse in the spot that had just been healed. It was unlike any pain Neville had ever felt.

"JUST LET ME DIE" he sobbed

Rodolphus advanced, face twisted with triumph.

"It's over, Longbottom," she hissed, raising his wand and tightening the ropes at Neville's wrist.

Neville let the pain consume him.

Dull flashing lights around him. His body jerked as another slice cut through his kneecap. He thought of his parents, and in that moment he realized. How a person can go mad from sheer pain.

And then—

Neville Longbottom fell.

And the world went dark.