Flower Petals

-49-

It wasn't the first time that Alli and Harry raced up the stairs, grappling at each other.

When they were younger though it seemed far more joyful then today.

Those stairs at the Dursley's didn't echo quite as menacingly as the stone walls of Hogwarts, nor did the family portraits watch them as they bolted through the halls.

Their destination seems mysterious, a cauldron in an office so far from the boathouse, and their messenger hadn't lived long enough to explain anything else about the journey.

Dudley was their enemy then, chasing them through the house and throwing Harry down for protecting Alli. It all seemed so very trivial today

As the death eaters broke into Hogwarts.

Professor McGonagle charm had failed.
And none knew better then the man who sat at the edge of Hogwarts, coming back from mission to see his parents, Neville Longbottom.

Neville sat on the edge of the metal bridge that connected Hogwarts to the forbidden forest on the east side, he swung his legs off the side and rested the side of his forehead on the cold steel.

"She's going to be ok." He sighed, practicing for Ginny so that when he saw her again he could be more convincing. "Paula will be fine...they will do their best...blimey." He sighed

He was never a good liar.

"I'm sure she'll be-"

"Longbottom-" a woman said. It was in the dark. There was an outline in the distance but it offered no information to Neville of her identity....but her voice. Her voice had an odd familiarity in the timbre.

"Oh how wonderful to see an old friend." She whispered, walking from the shadows only slightly. A flat nose, and high cheekbones, dark purple lips with teeth marks embedded on her bottom lip. "And you've grown!" She laughed.

She laughed.

And suddenly it was very clear to Neville Longbottom who stood in front of him, because he knew that laugh. He was sixteen months old, but he remembered.

He remembered his mother's screams, and the way that his father stared at him out of the corner of his eye to keep himself sane. He remembered his mother's hands trembling, her nails and hair falling out and his fathers muffled cries of Alice's name.

He remembered how she laughed, cackled and smiled as she ripped his parents apart. Her wand flew about, bright curses and loud yells could not distract him from her laugh...

Or from her eyes.

As she came into the light Bellatrix Lestrange's eyes became the star of the show. So dark that the moon scarcely could light up any moment in her pupil or give any life to the zombie who walked in front of him.

"Bellatrix." Neville said, remaining calm. He'd dreamed about this moment, what he could say to her to make her realize who he was and why she could never take back what she did to him. But now he could see she wouldn't care.

"Longbottom...I'm thinking you should run." Bellatrix smiled a crooked smile filled with yellow teeth, "I've brought some friends."

And just like that Neville realized that the shadows hadn't only conceiled Bellatrix, but an army.

"You do want to live longer then mummy and daddy."

Neville spun to his feet and drew his wand, pointing it up at the sky. His life flashed before him, there were thousands of them. But for every death eater, there was a memory which cancelled out their existence. Ginny, a memory of Ginny.