In The Shadows [Book Two]

Chapter Twenty-One:

[[A/N: changed a couple things in the last chapter but just so you don't have to reread, she gets injured saving neville instead of running away from their fight so yes here you go]]

Chapter Twenty-One:

"Did you know that the most dangerous magical plant to date was found at the top of the Andes mountain range? They haven't even named it yet but apparently if you get on its bad side, it could kill you with a single touch," Neville's eyes lit up, though not as young and full of life as they once were they were still joyful as he stared down at me.

I smiled, loving when he spoke about the things he loved because it meant that for those moments you couldn't see the haunted look behind his eyes.

"How do you get on a plant's bad side?" I questioned, feeling a bit awkward around him even after so long spent together. I used to never be the awkward type, I was always confident but not around him. He made me feel like a gangly ill-mannered child with no grace.

"By waking up."  Neville's eyes lit up as if he'd just revealed the greatest secret ever and couldn't wait for my reaction.

"What?" I questioned, my eyes glancing at him all while hoping against hope that I'd heard something by mistake.  What he said didn't make sense, me mishearing what was said was the only thing that made sense.

"She'll wake up."

***

My eyes burned as I pried them open, my mind whirring to life as I thought back to what had happened so I could figure out exactly what was happening now.

One person hovered over me, his eyes growing wide as I turned my head more towards him.

The walls were too white, the lights too bright and I felt I knew exactly where I was without actually knowing.

"I'm dead, aren't I?"

"What? No!"

"Pretty sure white lights signify death, you know 'go towards the light' and all that.  But here's the thing, I'm not ready to die.  I have to apologize to my brother and I've got a guy, well it's you, and I have to tell you that I like you. I can't die yet, I have an entire life ahead of me," I said, feeling stupid for explaining myself to Neville as we stood (well he stood, I laid) on the gates of heaven.

"Madam Pomfrey said you might hallucinate a bit," Neville replied, his eyes somehow both conveying an infinite sadness and happiness at the same time.

"I'm not hallucinating, I'm dead."

"Of course you're not, you're here with me," Neville said, one hand shoved into his pocket as if he had no idea what to do with it while his other held on tightly to the back of a chair he was stood in front of.

"Are you dead too?"

"No, Amy, you saved me."

"So I died for you?  Well that's a pretty good way to go... Yeah."

*

"Harry, calm down, you're making me nervous," I muttered as he paced back and forth along the corridors, his slightly older face filling with worry as Ginny screamed.