After The War

Battle of Hogwarts

I suddenly was back in reality. I felt the ground of the forest beneath me. I was careful not to breathe too visibly, lest I be noticed, but I peeked through my eyelids to see Bellatrix helping Voldemort to his feet.

"My Lord, My Lord... Are you hurt?" Bellatrix asked frantically. But Voldemort, the selfish asshole he was, just waved her off. "I don't need your help." He glared at Narcissa. "The boy... is he dead?"

I saw Narcissa Malfoy walking toward me, and I quickly shut my eyes. As she leaned over me, I could hear her heavy breathing. Then, in a soft whisper, obviously intended for only me to hear, she asked, "Is he alive? Draco, is he alive?"

I weighed my options. It was obvious she knew I was alive. I could either ignore her, and she would tell Voldemort I was alive, or I could answer her, and risk her telling him anyways. I decided to risk it. In a barely audible whisper, I breathed, "yes." I actually wasn't even sure this was true. The way things were at the castle right now, it would be impossible to know for a fact. But I figured I should just tell her what she wanted to hear.

Then she stood up. "Dead."

The clearing suddenly erupted in earsplitting cheering, laughing and jeering. It was all I could do to keep up the "dead" act. Through my eyelids, I saw Voldemort point his wand at Hagrid, who was still tied to the tree. The ropes split, and his gentle hands scooped me up, his tears splashing down onto my face like buckets of water. Then he carried me away with the sounds of laughing monsters.

Soon, I saw through my eyelids the castle's huge courtyard, filled with people running out. I saw Ginny look at us, terrified. Oh, how I wish she didn't have to see me like this.

"Who is that?" he asked, fear plain in her voice. "Who's that Hagrid's carrying?" Her voice about to be shriller than bats, she repeated, "Neville, who is it?"

"Harry Potter," Voldemort jeered, "is dead!"

"NOOOO!!!!" Ginny screamed, running forward. Mr. Weasley grabbed her, restraining her sobbing body. It killed me to see her like this.

"Silence!" Voldemort yelled. "Stupid girl! Harry Potter is dead! From this day forth...you'll put your faith in me. Harry Potter is dead!" He gave a loud, taunting laugh. "And now," he said, "is the time to declare yourself. Come forward and join us... or die!"

"Draco!" whispered Narcissa. I saw Draco standing apart from the others, looking torn between what to do. That was shocking. I would've thought Malfoy would be the first to step forward immediately. "Draco," his mother repeated.

"Draco," Lucius Malfoy said in a low, demanding voice. "Come."

Then, after another hesitation, Malfoy finally stepped forward to stand next to his parents.

"Well done, Draco," approved Voldemort. "Well done!"

Then, of all the people to limp forward next, Neville Longbottom. In his hand was the school's Sorting Hat. Several students and teachers gasped in shock. But not me. I knew Neville well enough. He had something up his sleeve.

"Well," Voldemort said. "I must say I'd hoped for better." The Death Eaters laughed. "And who might you be, young man?"

"Neville Longbottom."

The Death Eaters laughed even harder. Bellatrix was laughing so hard, it was a wonder she didn't piss herself.

"Well, Neville," Voldemort said, highly amused. "I'm sure we can find a place for you in our rank."

"I'd like to say something," said Neville angrily.

"Well, Neville," Voldemort said placidly. "I'm sure we'd all be fascinated to hear what you have to say."

"It doesn't matter that Harry's dead."

"Stand down, Neville!" Seamus said angrily, looking ready to punch him in the face.

Neville glared at him. "People die everyday! Friends, family. Yeah, we lost Harry tonight. But he's still with us." He hit his own chest. "In here. So is Fred, Remus... Tonks... All of them. They didn't die in vain. But you will. Because you're wrong! Harry's heart did beat for us. For all of us! It's not over!"

Then, straight out of the Sorting Hat, Neville pulled out the Sword of Gryffindor. Now that was the Neville I knew. I smiled. Then, getting a grip on reality, I leaped out of Hagrid's arms.

"Harry!" shouted Ginny, excitedly, followed by Ron, Hermione, all the teachers, and damn near all the students of Hogwarts.

Then, I faced Voldemort. I was wandless, but that didn't matter. I would face him down with my bare fists if it meant no more killing. Suddenly, the most unlikely person in the world shocked the hell out of me by throwing me a wand.

"Potter," shouted Draco Malfoy. "Here!"

I spun, and pointed the wand at Voldemort, hoping to buy time. "Stupefy!" The jet of red light barely missed him as he disapparated.

I hurried to where Ron and Hermione stood. "Get to the snake. I'll hold him off."

I ran off into the castle. The place was destroyed. The doors were in splinters. The walls were mostly rubble. It was amazing the place was still standing. Suddenly, a green jet of light barely missed my head. I spun to where Voldemort was ready to shoot another killing curse. Not a chance. I easily deflected it, then ran into a bathroom. He was there in seconds, and the stall next to me exploded. It damn near knocked me over, but I shot another stunner, making him disapparate out of my way. I ran down the hall, where he appeared a few yards away. We started shooting curses.

"Hey, you were right," I said, hoping to catch him off guard. "When you told Professor Snape that the Elder Wand was failing you. It was always fail ."

"I killed Snape!" Voldemort yelled, angry that I kept deflecting his curses.

"Yeah, but what if the wand never belonged to Snape? What if its allegiance has always been with someone else?" Voldemort disapparated a few yards back, hoping to catch me off guard. Not likely. I just kept on deflecting. "Oh, come on, Tom," I said, using his real name, as we moved up the stairs. "Let's finish it the way we started. Together!"

I tackled him off the tall staircase, intending for us both to smash in to the floor far below. But he disapparated with me clinging onto him. His fists were punching me, and I threw some of my own. We came to a stop seconds later in the Great Hall, his hand on my throat, his wand pointed at my face. Malfoy's wand was gone. This was it. I was going to die. For good this time.

"Avada -"

Then there was a whooshing sound, and the squeezing feeling of apparition. Now I was confused. I barely recognized a girl's voice saying, "you're okay now, Harry." Suddenly, I was lying face down in a forest. Completely confused, I leaped up and looked around. What I saw made my heart clench. Luna Lovegood lay on the ground, her body bleeding out from where she had splinched the top half of her body off of the bottom, the two pieces lying side by side. In either hand was a wand. One was hers. The other was the one Malfoy had given me. I wanted to crawl into a huge hole, and cry for the rest of eternity. Sweet, naive Luna. She had so courageously saved my life, and had died in the process. Jut like she did for Dobby, I closed her eyelids so she could just be sleeping. Then I sat by her body, and wept.